JP4086887B2 - Ink storage container, method for manufacturing the same, and printer system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink container, a method for manufacturing the container, and a printer system. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ink storage container used in a configuration in which notification regarding the state of the ink storage container, such as the remaining amount of ink in an ink tank used in ink jet recording, is performed by a light emitting means such as an LED, a method for manufacturing the container, and a printer It is about the system.

An inkjet recording apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by applying an ink that is a liquid to the recording medium using an inkjet recording head,
・ As an output means for information processing devices such as copiers, facsimiles, and electronic typewriters,
-Or as a printer that forms an output terminal such as a word processor, workstation, personal or host computer,
・ Furthermore, as a handy or portable printer connected to an optical disk device, video device, digital camera, etc.
Widely used.

  As a method of supplying ink to a recording head applied to such an ink jet recording apparatus, there are the following methods. In other words, an ink tank is attached to a recording head mounted on a carriage or the like and reciprocally moved (main scanning) so as to be integral or detachable, and ink is directly supplied from the ink tank to the recording head. Regardless of whether the ink tank and the recording head are inseparably configured or the ink tank and the recording head are detachable, the positioning of each part is an important matter related to the recording quality. Positioning of each part means positioning between the recording head and the ink tank, or a recording head unit in which these are integrated and a member on the recording apparatus main body side (for example, in a serial type recording apparatus, in order to perform main scanning. Positioning). In particular, in a personal use ink jet recording apparatus, it is important that the apparatus can be attached and detached with a simpler operation or a simpler mechanism without increasing the size of the apparatus.

  In view of this, the present applicant has proposed a configuration of an ink tank and a mounting portion thereof in response to these in Patent Document 1. Here, a configuration is disclosed in which a retaining claw is formed on one end surface of the ink tank, and a latch lever having a latch claw is elastically supported and provided on the lower end portion of the other end surface facing the ink tank. A configuration is disclosed in which a retaining hole for fitting the retaining pawl is formed on the inner surface of one end wall of the holder to which the ink tank is attached, and an engaging hole for engaging the latching pawl is formed on the inner surface of the other end wall. ing. When mounting, the retaining claw on one end of the ink tank is fitted into the retaining hole on the holder, and then the other end of the ink tank is pushed into a predetermined mounting position so that the latch claw of the ink tank is The operation of engaging with the engagement hole is performed. These fitting and engagement prevent the ink tank from being detached from the mounting position.

  On the other hand, the detachable ink tank as described above is provided with means capable of electrically presenting predetermined information (such as the color of the stored ink) relating to the ink tank. A configuration is known in which operation control is performed by reading the information when the tank is mounted. In such a configuration, in addition to ink communication between the ink tank and the recording head when the ink tank is mounted, mutual connection for exchanging information must also be performed.

  Therefore, electrical contacts on the ink tank side and the holder side are provided on the one end surface side, and both contact when the ink tank is mounted. There is a configuration in which it is configured (see Patent Document 2). This configuration is advantageous in that the operability is improved because the connection of the contacts is performed in accordance with the mounting operation of the ink tank, so that a special operation or mechanism for connecting the contacts is unnecessary.

  On the other hand, in recent years, with the spread of digital cameras and the like, applications in which a digital camera and a printer as a recording device are directly connected without using a personal computer (PC) (non-PC recording, especially digital cameras are directly connected). Those that do this are sometimes called "camera direct printing"). Further, a card type information storage medium, which is an information storage medium detachably used in a digital camera, is directly attached to a printer for data transfer and printing (non-PC recording. Particularly called “card direct printing”) .) Is also increasing. In addition, so-called multi-function printers having a copying function that integrates a printer and a scanner without using a PC and also have the direct printing function described above are rapidly spreading in the market.

  In an inkjet printer, for example, the user may want to know information regarding the state of each ink tank, such as the ink tank mounting state and the ink remaining amount, or it may be desirable for the user to recognize the information. For example, if the user knows that the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank is low, it can be replaced with a new ink tank in advance before starting recording. This is because it is possible to prevent a situation in which the recording medium becomes useless due to the ink amount being insufficient during the recording, and the recording medium is wasted.

  Conventionally, such information is transferred to a PC connected to a printer and displayed on a PC monitor to notify the user. On the other hand, when performing non-PC recording, it is conceivable that a display is provided in the printer body to display such information. However, providing a display not only increases costs and increases the size of the printer, but also affects the design of the printer and so on, so providing a display is not always preferable. Moreover, even if a display is provided, the user may not be able to grasp the state of the ink tank clearly at a glance by visually recognizing it.

Conventionally, a configuration using a display element such as an LED is known as a configuration for notifying the user of the state of the ink tank. Patent Document 3 describes that two LEDs are provided in an ink tank integrated with a recording head, and that these light up according to the remaining ink level in two stages. More specifically, an ink cartridge in which an inkjet head and an ink tank are integrated,
A means for counting the number of energizations of the inkjet head;
-Means for storing the count value;
A near-end display LED that lights when the cumulative count value reaches the near-end determination value;
An ink end LED that is turned on when the ink end determination value is reached is employed to notify the user of the state of the ink tank.

  Similarly, Patent Document 4 describes that an ink tank or a carriage on which the ink tank is mounted is provided with a lamp that lights up in accordance with the remaining amount of ink. Further, this document also discloses that each of the four ink tanks used in the recording apparatus is provided with the lamp.

  On the other hand, in light of the demand for higher image quality, light inks such as light magenta and light cyan having a low density have been used for the conventional four colors (black, yellow, magenta, and cyan). Furthermore, the use of so-called special color inks such as red, green and blue has been proposed. In such a case, 7 to 9 ink tanks are individually mounted on the ink jet printer. At that time, a mechanism for preventing the ink tank from being mounted at the wrong mounting position is required. In the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, when the ink tank is mounted on the carriage, the shape of the engagement between the carriage mounting portion and the ink tank is different for each ink tank, so that the ink tank is mounted at an incorrect position. The structure which is prevented from being disclosed is disclosed.

JP-A-8-58107 JP 2001-253087 A JP-A-4-275156 JP 2002-301829 A JP-A-2-178050

  However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, the contact pressure of the connector contact is greater than the elastic force of the latch lever, for example, due to the magnitude relationship between the elastic force acting on the latch lever and the elastic force of the contact on the holder side. If it is larger, the deformation of the latch lever becomes larger. Then, the positioning of the ink tank in the pressing direction becomes unstable, the position of the ink communication portion is displaced, and there is a risk of causing ink supply failure or ink leakage. In addition, the contact pressure becomes unstable, which may cause an electrical connection failure.

  Then, based on the structure disclosed by patent document 5, it is possible to provide an electrical connection part in the bottom face side. In this document, an ink tank integrated recording head that can be attached to and detached from a carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus, and an electrical contact for transmitting a recording signal from the recording apparatus main body to the recording head corresponds to the bottom surface of the recording head and to this. It is provided at the attachment portion on the carriage side. As the recording head is mounted on the carriage, the electrical contacts come into contact with each other, and the ink tank moves (rotates) to the final mounting position while both slide relative to each other. A configuration in which an electrical connection state can be obtained is disclosed. That is, it is conceivable to apply the contact position and connection mode disclosed in Patent Document 5 to the configuration of the part for electrically transferring ink tank information.

  However, the electrical contact is a relatively rigid conductive member such as metal, and it is not preferable from the viewpoint of damage prevention and durability to contact and slide them with an excessive force from the viewpoint of ensuring connection reliability. . And if it considers also making electrical contacts contact with an appropriate contact pressure, the technique disclosed by patent document 5 cannot be applied as it is. In particular, when the ink tank is detachable from the recording head, the contact on the apparatus side may come into contact with the ink supply port on the ink tank side and get wet when the ink tank is attached or detached. In addition, in the event that ink leakage occurs from the ink supply connection portion during mounting, the contact is arranged on the bottom surface, so that the ink leaked from the ink supply connection portion may reach the electrical contact portion. Is relatively high.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 described above describes a configuration of an ink cartridge in which a display LED is attached to a printed circuit board (PC board) for performing electrical communication with a printer main body. However, in such a configuration, in order to arrange the LED at a position that is easy for the user to visually recognize, it is necessary to arrange the PC board at the same time, and the PC board is also provided with an electrical connection portion that performs electrical communication with the printer body. Since this is necessary, there is a problem that the degree of freedom of these arrangements is restricted. Although it is conceivable to provide a PC board having a large area to cover the preferred arrangement position of the electrical connection portion and the preferred arrangement position of the LED, the cost increases accordingly. Further, when the configuration described in Patent Document 1 is applied to a printer capable of mounting a plurality of independent ink tanks for each color, the mounting configuration of the ink tank with respect to the printer is limited. Then, it is necessary to reduce the substantial volume of the ink tank or to increase the size of the printer.

  On the other hand, in the ink tank described in Patent Document 4, there is a disclosure that the ink warning lamp is provided in a place where the user can easily recognize it, but a preferred configuration for supplying power and signals to the ink warning lamp is disclosed. Absent. From FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, it can be suggested that a conductive wire connecting the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink warning lamp is provided. However, the number of conductors corresponding to the number of ink warning lamps is required, and not only the wiring is complicated and the cost is increased, but also the visibility of the lamp may be hindered by the wiring and its connecting portion. Further, in FIG. 6 of Patent Document 4, an ink warning lamp is provided on a fixed lever which is a movable member operated to fix the ink tank on the carriage on which the ink tank is mounted, and FIG. 7 shows the ink tank itself. Discloses an arrangement in which an ink warning lamp is provided. However, Patent Document 4 does not disclose any specific example of the method for supplying power to the ink warning lamp as described above.

  These problems become more conspicuous because it is preferable to limit the display position that can be visually observed by the user to the operation unit or its vicinity when the ink tank is attached / detached with the recent miniaturization and multi-function of the printer. . In particular, since the display position is more limited in a multifunction printer in which a scanner is mounted on the upper part of the printer, there is a further demand for both visibility and operability.

  In addition, the display can be used not only for visual observation by the user but also for necessary control performed by the apparatus main body, and the present inventors also recognize the following problems in relation to this. did.

  Even if the ink tank is provided with a lamp as described in Patent Document 4, when the main body control unit identifies an ink tank that is recognized as having a low ink remaining amount, You have to specify the object to send a signal for lighting. For example, when the ink tank is mounted at the wrong position, there is a possibility that the ink tank in which the ink has not run out is erroneously displayed as no ink remaining. Therefore, in the light emission control of the indicator such as a lamp, it is necessary to specify the mounting position of the mounted ink tank as a precondition.

  As a configuration for specifying the mounting position of the ink tank, there is a configuration in which the mutual shape in which the mounting portion and the ink tank are engaged is different for each mounting position, as in Patent Document 2. However, in this case, in particular, it is necessary to manufacture an ink tank having a different shape for each color or type of ink, and in the situation where the number of ink colors or the number of ink tanks tends to increase as described above, the manufacturing efficiency is increased. And disadvantageous in terms of cost.

  Therefore, it is possible to individually control the light emission of LEDs or the like for a plurality of ink tanks, and to specify the position where the ink tank is mounted based on the output state of the light receiver fixed in the printer. In such a configuration, the LED of the ink tank has two functions: a function of emitting light to notify the user of the state, and a function of emitting light toward the light receiver to specify the mounting position of the ink tank. Will have.

  Here, since the user may view the display section of the ink tank in the printer from various directions depending on the arrangement of the printer, it is desirable to irradiate light as widely as possible.

So, as above,
(A) The ink tank is easy to install on the mounting part.
(B) The point of ensuring the electrical connection with the mounting portion on the printer body side while protecting the electrical connection portion from the ink,
(C) Furthermore, the light from the light emitting unit is reliably transmitted to the user and the receiver of the printer,
It is required to conflict.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the mounting mechanism and mounting operation to the mounting portion are simple, and a reliable positioning state and electrical connection can be ensured, and the light emitted from the light emitter provided in the ink tank can be transmitted to the user. And it aims at making it surely transmit to the light receiver of a printer.

For this purpose, the present invention provides a bottom surface, a top surface, a front surface, a back surface, and a housing in which two side surfaces connecting these surfaces are configured as main surfaces,
A supply port provided on the bottom surface of the housing;
An information storage medium storing at least individual information related to ink;
A substrate provided with a contact to be connected to a connector provided on a holder mounted on a scanning carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, which is a contact of the information storage medium;
Comprising
Ink storage in which the back side is inserted into the holder and mounted on the holder by using a rotation operation by pressing down toward the mounting completion position with the contact portion between the back surface and the holder as a rotation center In the container,
A member detachably provided to the housing;
A light emitting portion disposed on the substrate ;
A display unit for projecting light from the light emitting unit to the outside;
Further comprising
The contact begins to come into contact with the connector immediately before the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder, which is performed using the rotating operation, and the holder is prepared after the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder is completed. In order to generate a contact pressure between the formed connector and the contact disposed on the substrate, a ridge between the bottom surface of the housing and the front surface of the member attached to the housing And the substrate is disposed on the inclined portion outside the portion corresponding to
The display unit is arranged on the front side of the ink container and in the vicinity of the upper surface.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a step of preparing the ink storage container,
Injecting ink into the casing of the liquid container;
In the manufacturing method of the ink storage container provided.

In addition, the present invention is electrically coupled to a holder that is mounted on a scanning carriage that is scanned by mounting a recording head and that holds a plurality of ink tanks, and a contact that is provided in the holder and provided in the ink tank. Possible holder side contacts, a control circuit that is electrically connected to the holder side contacts and used to control the light emission of the light emitting unit provided in the ink tank, and the position of the ink tank attached to the holder A printer having position detecting means for detecting;
A casing that is attached to and detached from the printer and has a bottom surface, a top surface, a front surface, a back surface, and two side surfaces that connect these surfaces as main surfaces, a supply port provided on the bottom surface of the housing, and at least ink An information storage medium storing the individual information according to the above, and a substrate provided with a contact which is a contact of the information storage medium and which is connected to a connector provided on a holder mounted on a scanning carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, The back side is inserted into the holder, and the holder is moved to the holder by using a rotation operation toward a mounting completion position with the contact portion between the back side and the holder as a rotation center. An ink tank to which
In a printer system equipped with
The ink tank is a member that is detachable from the housing;
A light emitting portion disposed on the substrate ;
A display unit for projecting light from the light emitting unit to the outside;
With
The contact begins to come into contact with the connector immediately before the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder, which is performed using the rotating operation, and the holder is prepared after the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder is completed. In order to generate a contact pressure between the formed connector and the contact disposed on the substrate, a ridge between the bottom surface of the housing and the front surface of the member attached to the housing And the substrate is disposed on the inclined portion outside the portion corresponding to
The display unit is arranged on the front side of the ink container and in the vicinity of the upper surface.

As described above, according to the present invention, an ink storage container having an ink supply port and an information storage medium having a contact has a simple and reliable positioning state with a mounting mechanism and a mounting operation to the mounting portion. It can be secured. At the same time, the mounting force is small, and a good connection between the ink supply port and the contact point of the information holding unit can be secured. The present invention can also provide a configuration suitable for protection from leaked ink .

Furthermore, according to the configuration of the present invention, in addition to the above effect, the electrical connection portion and the display portion from the light emitting source are separated and provided in the ink storage container, so that the display portion is secured after ensuring a good contact. It is possible to obtain a configuration that is arranged at an optimal position at a low cost. Thereby, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the display unit at a position where the user visibility is good can be ensured, and the user can easily recognize the light emission state to recognize predetermined information related to the ink storage container. It becomes possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1. First embodiment
1.1 Description of the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 3)
FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are a side view, a front view, and a bottom view, respectively, of an ink tank that is a liquid storage container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the front surface of the ink tank refers to a surface that enables operations (such as attachment / detachment operations) and provision of information to the user (emission of light from a display unit described later) by facing the user. . The ink tank 1 has a casing configured with a bottom surface, a top surface, a front surface, a back surface, and two side surfaces connecting these surfaces as main surfaces.

  In FIG. 1, an ink tank 1 of the present embodiment has a support member 3 supported at the lower part on the front side. The support member 3 is formed of a resin integrally with the exterior of the ink tank 1 and is configured to be displaceable around the supported portion when performing a mounting operation to a tank holder, which will be described later. On the back side and the front side of the ink tank 1, a first engaging portion 5 and a second engaging portion 6 (in this example, integrated with the support member 3) that can engage with a locking portion on the tank holder side, respectively. Is provided). These engagements secure the mounting state of the ink tank 1 to the tank holder, that is, the mounting and holding state. The operation at the time of mounting will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  An ink supply port 7 is provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 to supply ink in combination with an ink introduction port of a recording head, which will be described later, when the ink tank 1 is attached to the tank holder. A base is provided on the bottom surface side of the support portion of the support member 3 at a portion where the bottom surface and the front surface intersect. Although the shape of the substrate may be a chip shape or a plate shape, the substrate 100 will be described below.

  The configuration and function of the main part of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic side views for explaining the outline of the functions of the light guide unit and the like arranged in the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the main parts thereof. It is an enlarged view. FIGS. 3A and 3B are a side view and a front view, respectively, showing an example of the control board 100 attached to the ink tank according to the first embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, an ink tank is provided to the first locking portion 155 and the second locking portion 156 of the holder 150 integrated with the recording head unit 105 including the recording head 105 ′. One first engaging portion 5 and second engaging portion 6 are engaged with each other. By these engagements, the ink tank 1 is mounted on the holder 150 and fixed. At this time, a holder-side contact (hereinafter referred to as a connector) 152 provided on the holder 150 and an electrode pad 102 (see FIG. 5) as a contact provided on the surface of the ink tank positioned toward the outside. 3 (b)) come into contact with each other and can be electrically coupled.

  The interior of the ink tank 1 is divided into an ink storage chamber 11 located on the front side and a negative pressure generating member storage chamber (not shown) located on the back side and communicating with the ink supply port 7. It communicates inside the ink tank. While the ink I is stored in the ink storage chamber 11 as it is, the negative pressure generating member storage chamber has an ink absorber such as a sponge or a fiber assembly impregnated and held therein (hereinafter referred to as a porous member for convenience). ) Is provided. This porous member is sufficient to balance the holding force of the meniscus formed in the ink discharge nozzle portion of the print head and prevent ink leakage from the ink discharge portion, and enables the ink discharge operation of the print head. This is for generating an appropriate negative pressure within a certain range.

  The internal configuration of the ink tank 1 is not limited to the form divided into such a porous member storage chamber and a storage chamber for storing ink as they are. For example, the porous member may be filled in substantially the entire interior space of the ink tank. Also, instead of using a porous member as the negative pressure generating means, ink is directly filled into a bag-shaped member formed of an elastic material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume, and this bag-shaped member A negative pressure may be applied to the ink inside by the generated tension. Furthermore, at least a part of the ink storage space is formed of a flexible member, and only ink is stored in the space, and a negative pressure is generated by applying a spring force to the flexible member. It may be a thing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, on the surface of the substrate 100 located toward the inside of the ink tank 1, a light emitting unit 101 that generates visible light represented by an LED or the like, and the light emitting unit And a control element 103 for controlling the above. The control element 103 controls the light emission of the light emitting unit 101 by an electrical signal supplied from the connector 152 via the pad 102.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a light guide part 121 for guiding light is erected from a portion facing the light emitting part 101 at a distance from the front side wall surface of the ink tank exterior. The front end portion is a display portion 122 that is preferably provided for visual observation by the user. Such a portion that emits light to the outside is referred to as a display portion or an emission portion. Here, in order to suppress the attenuation of the amount of light when the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 is projected onto the light guide unit 121, the substrate 100 is arranged such that the light emitting unit 101 faces the vicinity of the light incident surface 123 of the light guide unit 121. (FIG. 2B).

  As described above, the light emitting unit and the display unit are separated, and the display unit is disposed on the front surface of the ink tank, that is, on the upper portion of the surface on which the latch lever is disposed. Further, as will be described later, even when a light receiving unit is provided in the printer main body, it is possible to reliably receive light from the display unit. In addition, by providing the ink tank 101 with the light guide unit 121 that performs optical connection between the light emitting unit and the display unit, the light supply unit 101 and the display unit 122 are not required for power supply and signal transmission / reception. It is possible to obtain a configuration in which each is arranged at an optimum position at low cost. Thereby, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the display part 122 to a position with favorable user visibility can be ensured, and a user recognizes the predetermined | prescribed information which concerns on the ink tank 1 by visually observing the light emission state. It becomes possible to do. In addition, if the light guide unit 121 is formed integrally with the exterior of the ink tank 1, the manufacturing cost is not significantly increased.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the light guide unit 121 is disposed so that a space having an air layer is interposed between the front wall of the ink tank exterior forming the ink storage chamber 11. Although it is conceivable to integrate the light guide part with the front wall of the ink tank exterior, that is, the front wall of the ink tank exterior may also be used as the light guide part. Thus, light can be efficiently guided to the display unit 122. This point will be described.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the light guide unit 121 is integral with the exterior of the ink storage chamber 11, but is independent from the front wall. That is, in the configuration of the present embodiment, an air layer exists between the light guide unit 121 and the ink storage chamber 11. Note that the exterior of the ink tank is formed of polypropylene. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, if the light guide unit 121 is integrally molded with the exterior of the ink storage chamber 11, the material is also polypropylene.

  In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 enters the light guide unit 121 from the light incident surface 123 which is the end surface of the light guide unit 121, and the light guide unit It passes through 121 and reaches a display unit 122 that displays light to the user. Since the light emitting unit 101 employs visible light as described above and is diffused light, it has a plurality of light beams as indicated by arrows A1 to A3.

Here, regarding the light guide part 121 of the embodiment, it is assumed that the refractive index of polypropylene is 1.49 (= n1). Also, since the refractive index of air is 1.00 (= n2), the critical refraction angle from polypropylene to air in this example is Snell's law. N1 · sin θ1 = n2 · sin θ2
Therefore, it becomes about 43 °.

  Therefore, a light beam having an incident angle θ of 43 ° or more at point (i) in FIG. 2B is totally reflected at the interface between polypropylene (light guide portion 121) and air, as indicated by arrows A1 and A3. The light reaches the display unit 122 while repeating total reflection in the light guide unit 121. In addition, light rays having an incident angle θ1 of 43 ° or less are transmitted to the air and do not reach the display unit 122.

The predetermined information of the ink tank (liquid container) 1 described above is
The quality of the ink tank 1 is good (that is, whether the ink tank is completely attached),
Appropriate mounting position (whether the mounting position is correctly mounted on the predetermined mounting position on the holder corresponding to the ink color),
-In addition, whether there is ink remaining (whether a sufficient amount of ink remains),
Such information can be presented depending on the presence or absence of light emission and the state of light emission (flashing, etc.).

  Here, the manufacturing method of the ink tank of the present invention will be described. The interior of the ink tank 1 of this embodiment is divided into an ink storage chamber (portion in which ink I is stored in the drawing) located on the front side and a negative pressure generating member storage chamber (not shown) located on the back side. And are in communication with each other. An air communication portion 12A is provided on the upper surface of the negative pressure generating member storage chamber. The ink tank 1 shown in FIG. 2 can be manufactured by preparing a main body of the ink tank 1 on which the substrate 100 provided with a contact point, a control unit, and a light emitting unit is provided, and then injecting ink into the inside. The ink inlet for that purpose can be formed on the upper surface of the ink storage chamber, for example. After the ink is injected from the ink injection port, the injection port can be sealed by the sealing member 11A.

  As another example, after the ink tank 1 is used and the ink I in the ink tank is consumed, the sealing member 11A is removed, or a new injection hole is formed in the ink tank housing to re-ink the ink. Ink can be injected into the tank. Further, the ink tank 1 can be distributed by sealing the ink supply port 7 with a protective cap, a seal tape (not shown) or the like as necessary.

1.2 Modification (FIGS. 4 to 8)
The above-described configuration is merely an example, and appropriate modifications can be made as long as the light emitting unit 101 can also be used to present predetermined information regarding the ink tank 1 to the recording apparatus and the user. This section describes some of them.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic side view for explaining a modification of the first embodiment. In this example, the light guide 121 ′ is integrated with the front wall forming the ink storage chamber 11. In this example, the amount of light reaching the display unit 122 is reduced as compared with the first embodiment having a space between the light guide unit 121 and the ink storage chamber 11 described above, but the light amount of the light emitting unit 101 is increased. Is applicable. Further, it is effective in that the ink tank can be made compact or the ink storage efficiency can be improved with respect to the first embodiment described above.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining another modification of the first embodiment. In this example, the light guide unit 121 is formed of a separate member from the exterior of the ink tank 1 and then assembled together. In this embodiment, a more appropriate material can be selected for the material of each member. For example, as the material of the light guide unit 121, a material having a high refractive index capable of guiding light emitted from the light emitting unit more efficiently, that is, a polycarbonate or acrylic having a large difference from the refractive index with air is selected. can do. On the other hand, as a material for the exterior of the ink tank 1, for example, polypropylene or the like that is highly effective in suppressing evaporation of the ink I contained therein can be selected. In addition, since both can be formed of different materials, the material of the ink tank 1 does not need to be limited to a transparent material, and can be appropriately selected.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic side view for explaining another modification of the first embodiment. In this example, the shape of the display unit 122 located at the tip of the light guide unit 121 is made into a substantially hemispherical shape, and the surface is roughened so that light is preferably scattered. In this embodiment, since the light beam guided by the light guide unit 121 is diffused by the display unit, the amount of light is attenuated, but light can be emitted from a display unit at a wide angle. Thereby, the angle (range) which a user can visually recognize becomes wide, and visibility improves further.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic side views for explaining still another modification of the first embodiment. In this example, the light guide unit 121, the support member 3, and the portion to which the substrate 100 is attached are integrated into a single member 131, and the member 131 is separate from the member that forms the exterior of the ink tank 1. ing. In this way, as in the example of FIG. 5, it is possible to select a material suitable for each of the member that forms the exterior of the ink tank and the member that forms the light guide. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the member 131 to which the substrate 100 is attached is separable. By doing so, after all the ink I in the ink tank 1 is used up, a new one is created. The member 131 can be attached to a new ink tank and reused. Thereby, since the board | substrate 100 and the light emission part 101 which are comparatively expensive components can be reused, it becomes possible to contribute to reduction in running cost.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic side views for explaining a further modification of the first embodiment. In this example, the light guide unit 121 and the part to which the substrate 100 is attached are formed as an integral member 131 ′, and the member 131 ′ forms the exterior of the ink tank 1 and the member that forms the support member 3. It is a separate body. By doing in this way, the selectivity of material improves like the example of FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the member 131 ′ in which the light guide unit 121 and the pasting part of the substrate 100 are integrated can be separated and reused.

  In the first embodiment and the modified example, an air layer is provided between the ink storage chamber 11 and the light guide unit 121 to suppress attenuation of light incident from the light emitting unit 101 and improve visibility. However, the object can also be achieved by inserting another member between the ink storage chamber 11 and the light guide unit 121.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic side view for explaining another modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a low refractive index member 108 having a refractive index lower than that of the light guide unit 121 is provided between the light guide unit 121 and the front side wall surface of the ink storage chamber 11 that stores the ink I. In addition, the light guide unit 121 of the present example is formed separately from the ink tank 1 and is made of polycarbonate having excellent light transmittance. The low refractive index member 108 is formed using polytetrafluoroethylene.

  Here, the refractive index of polycarbonate is 1.59, and the refractive index of polytetrafluoroethylene is 1.35. Therefore, since the critical refraction angle from polycarbonate to polytetrafluoroethylene is about 58 ° according to the Snell's law described above, light rays emitted from the light emitting unit 101 with an incident angle of 58 ° to 90 ° are displayed. The unit 122 is reached.

  In this example, instead of the low refractive index member 108, a reflective member formed of metal or the like may be employed. In the example using the difference in refractive index between the different types of resins as described above, light other than the total reflection condition is transmitted, and the total light amount is attenuated to some extent. Light incident from the surface 123 and reaching the reflecting member can be substantially completely reflected. This makes it possible to guide light more efficiently and improve visibility.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic side view for explaining still another modification of the embodiment. In this example, there is no low-refractive-index member 108 or the like as shown in FIG. 9 between the light guide unit 121 and the front side wall surface of the ink storage chamber 11 that stores the ink I. ing. However, in this example, the ink storage chamber 11 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene as in the low refractive index member 108 of FIG. 9, and the light guide 121 is made of polycarbonate. Therefore, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 can be efficiently guided to the display unit 122 as in the example of FIG.

  Even in the various modified examples as described above, the light emitting unit and the display unit are separated, and the light guide unit 121 that performs optical connection therebetween is provided in the ink tank 101, thereby hindering visibility and operability between the two. There is no need for power supply and signal transmission / reception wiring. As a result, a configuration in which the light emitting unit 142 and the display unit 122 are individually arranged at optimum positions can be obtained at low cost. Accordingly, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the display unit 122 at a position where the user visibility is good can be secured, and the user can easily observe the light emission state to thereby obtain predetermined information related to the ink tank 1. Can be recognized.

  In addition, the modification of 1st Embodiment is not restricted to the above. Appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described examples, the light guide portion is formed of resin, and light is guided using the difference in refractive index between air or different materials, but an optical fiber composed of a core and a clad is used. You may apply. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the hollow member (stainless steel pipe etc.) which has an inner surface which reflects light instead of making a light guide part a solid member.

  Moreover, it is also possible to combine suitably embodiment mentioned above and its modification. For example, the processing of the surface of the display unit 122 described with reference to FIG. 6 can be applied to the first embodiment or other modifications.

  The same applies to a second embodiment, a third embodiment, or modifications thereof described later.

1.3 Ink tank mounting part (FIGS. 11 to 13)
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a recording head unit in which the ink tank according to the first embodiment is configured to be detachable. FIGS. 12A to 12D are views when the ink tank is attached to the recording head unit. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement. Note that the mounting portion described here can also be applied to each embodiment or modification described below.

  The recording head unit 105 generally includes a holder 150 that detachably holds a plurality (four in the figure) of ink tanks and a recording head 105 ′ (not shown in FIG. 11) disposed on the bottom side. . By mounting the ink tank on the holder 150, the ink introduction port 107 on the recording head side located at the bottom of the holder and the ink supply port 7 on the ink tank side are coupled to form an ink communication path therebetween.

  As the recording head 105 ′, a recording head provided with an electrothermal conversion element in a liquid path constituting a nozzle can be used. This applies thermal pulses to the ink by applying an electrical pulse as a recording signal to the electrothermal transducer, and uses the pressure at the time of foaming (boiling) caused by the phase change of the ink for ink ejection. It is. Then, contact is made between an electrical contact portion (not shown) for signal transmission provided on a carriage 205, which will be described later, and an electrical contact portion 157 on the recording head unit 105 side, and the recording head 105 ′ is connected via the wiring portion 158. The recording signal is transmitted to the electrothermal transducer driving circuit. A wiring part 159 extending from the electrical contact part 157 to the connector 152 is also extended.

  When the ink tank 1 is attached to the recording head unit 105, the ink tank 1 is handled above the holder 150 (FIG. 12A). Then, the protruding first engaging portion 5 provided on the back surface side of the ink tank is placed on the holder bottom surface in a state of being inserted into the through-hole-shaped first locking portion 155 provided on the holder back surface side. (FIG. 12B). In this state, when the upper end on the front side of the ink tank 1 is pushed down as indicated by an arrow P, the ink tank 1 moves in the direction of the arrow R with the engaging portions of the first engaging portion 5 and the first locking portion 155 as rotation fulcrums. It turns and the front side of the ink tank is displaced downward. In this process, the side surface of the second engaging portion 6 provided on the support member 3 on the front side of the ink tank is pressed against the second locking portion 156 (upper edge on the front side of the holder) provided on the front side of the holder. However, the support member 3 is also displaced in the direction of the arrow Q (FIG. 12C). At this time, the connector 152 on the main body side and the pad 102 provided in the ink tank start to contact each other. Even if the user stops mounting at this time (when pressing in the P direction is stopped), since the support member 3 is bent at this time, the ink tank is caused by the elastic force of the support member 3 itself. Lift up. As a result, the electrical contact is released, and the user can be made aware that the ink tank is not completely installed. That is, it is possible to prevent printing from being started with an incompletely mounted ink tank.

  Then, when the upper surface of the second engaging portion 6 passes through the upper end side edge portion on the holder front side and reaches the lower side of the second locking portion 156 provided at the lower portion of the upper end side edge portion, the support member 3 becomes its own. The second engaging portion 6 is locked by the second locking portion 156 by being displaced in the Q ′ direction by the elastic force. Note that the configuration is not limited to 156 second locking portions. For example, it is good also as a latching | locking part by providing a space in the upper end side edge part of the holder front side, and it is good also as a latching | locking part by providing a level | step-difference part like the said Example. In this state (FIG. 12D), the second locking portion 156 elastically biases the ink tank 1 in the horizontal direction (y direction) via the support member 3, and the back surface of the ink tank 1 is the holder 150. It touches the back of the. Further, the ink tank 1 receives a force in the direction of the arrow z in FIG. 12D due to the contact between the absorber disposed in the ink supply port 7 of the ink tank 1 and the ink introduction port 107 of the holder. A force to move in the z direction (upward) acts. This upward displacement is suppressed by the first locking portion 155 engaged with the first engaging portion 5 and the second locking portion 156 engaged with the second engaging portion 6. This is a state where the ink tank 1 is completely installed, and at this time, the ink supply port 7 and the ink introduction port 107, the pad 102, and the connector 152 are joined.

  The ink tank 1 according to the present embodiment is loaded into the holder disposed on the scanning carriage by using a rotation operation. Compared to the operation of “lever”, in the process of the mounting operation as shown in FIG. 12C, the engaging portion of the first engaging portion 5 and the first locking portion 155 is a fulcrum, and the front side of the ink tank 1 is It will be a key point. The connecting portion of the ink supply port 7 and the ink introduction port 107 becomes an action point, which is located between the force point and the fulcrum, preferably near the fulcrum. Therefore, the ink supply port 7 is pressed against the ink introduction port 107 with a large force as the ink tank 1 rotates. In general, a relatively flexible elastic member such as a filter, an absorber, or a packing is disposed at the joint between the two for the purpose of ensuring ink communication and preventing ink leakage.

  Therefore, it is preferable in view of the arrangement purpose to adopt the arrangement and mounting operation as in this example and to elastically deform these members with a relatively large force. When the mounting operation is completed, the ink tank 1 is prevented from being lifted by the first locking portion 155 engaged with the first engaging portion 5 and the second locking portion 156 engaged with the second engaging portion 6. The Therefore, since restoration of these elastic members is suppressed, these members are held in a state of being appropriately elastically deformed.

  On the other hand, the pad 102 and the connector 152 as contacts are conductive members having relatively high rigidity such as metal, and good electrical connectivity should be ensured between them. On the other hand, abutting them with an excessive force is not preferable from the viewpoint of damage prevention and durability. In this example, first, the contact force is preferably made small by arranging them in a part as far as possible from the fulcrum, that is, in the vicinity of the front surface of the ink tank.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate 100 is disposed on a slope connecting the both surfaces at a portion where both the bottom surface and the front surface of the ink tank 1 intersect. Here, let us consider the balance of force only at the abutting portion in a state where the pad 102 abuts on the connector 152 immediately before the mounting is completed. In this case, the reaction force (vertical upward force) exerted on the pad 102 by the connector 152 in proportion to the mounting force acting downward in the vertical direction is the actual contact pressure between the connector 152 and the pad 102 (F perpendicular to the slope). Direction force). Therefore, when the user depresses the ink tank toward the mounting completion position, the increase in the ink tank mounting force for electrical connection between the board and the connector is small, and the operability for the user may be significantly reduced. Absent.

  Further, when the ink tank 1 is pressed toward the mounting completion position (the position where the first engagement portion 5 and the first engagement portion 155 and the second engagement portion 6 and the second engagement portion 156 engage), The pressing force also generates a component force in a direction parallel to the plane of the substrate 100. This component force is a force that causes the pad 102 to slide on the connector 152. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a mounting completion state in which good electrical connectivity between the two is ensured. Further, in this state, since the electrical connection portion is located at a high position from the bottom surface of the ink tank, there is very little possibility that leaked ink is transmitted. In this embodiment, the ink introduction port 107 is disposed on the bottom surface of the ink tank of the first engagement portion 5, and a pad is provided at the portion where the ink tank hand surface and the front surface, which are separated from the first engagement portion, intersect. 102 is arranged. Thereby, it is possible to protect the ink from the ink inlet 107 when the ink tank is attached or detached.

  That is, the configuration and arrangement of the electrical connection portion as in this example is appropriate considering various points such as the magnitude of the ink tank mounting force, securing the electrical contact state, and protection from leaked ink. To get.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the ink tank can be securely positioned with respect to the mounting portion of the recording apparatus with a simple configuration. Furthermore, by arranging the contact pad as described above, it is possible to ensure a reliable electrical connection without affecting the operability of mounting the ink tank. Furthermore, the visibility to the user is improved by arranging the display unit for irradiating the light from the light emitting unit to the outside in front of the ink tank, that is, the upper part of the surface on which the latch lever is arranged. Therefore, by taking the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to comprehensively achieve the above effects.

  The configuration of the attachment portion of the ink tank according to the first embodiment or the modification of the present invention is not limited to that shown in FIG.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of another configuration example of a recording head unit that receives a supply of ink from an ink tank and executes a recording operation, and a carriage incorporating the same. FIG. It is a perspective view.

  The recording head unit 405 according to this example is different from the holder 150 as in the above example that fixes and holds the entire ink tank, as shown in FIG. 13A, a holder portion corresponding to the front side of the ink tank, and It does not have the 2nd latching | locking part and connector etc. which were arrange | positioned. Others are substantially the same as the above example. The ink introduction port 107 connected to the ink supply port 7 is provided on the bottom surface, the first locking portion 155 is provided on the back side, and the signal transmission is provided on the back surface. It has an electrical contact (not shown).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, the carriage 415 movable along the shaft 417 is connected to a lever 419 for mounting and fixing the recording head unit 405 and a recording head side electrical contact portion. An electrical contact portion 418 is provided. In addition, a holder portion corresponding to the configuration on the front side of the ink tank is provided. That is, the second locking portion 156, the connector 152, and the wiring portion 159 to the connector are disposed on the carriage side.

  In such a configuration, if the recording head unit 405 is mounted on the carriage 415 as shown in FIG. 13B, the entire mounting portion of the ink tank is configured. That is, through the mounting operation similar to that in FIG. 12, the ink supply port 7 and the ink introduction port 107 are joined and the pad 102 and the connector 152 are connected to complete the mounting operation.

1.4 Recording device (FIGS. 14 to 15)
FIG. 14 is a view showing the appearance of the ink jet printer 200 that performs recording with the ink tank described above being installed, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main body cover 201 shown in FIG. 14 is opened. Note that the recording apparatus described here can also be applied to each embodiment or modification described below.

As shown in FIG. 14, the printer 200 of the present embodiment includes a main part of the printer such as a mechanism in which a carriage on which a recording head and an ink tank are mounted moves for scanning.
A printer main body covered by the main body cover 201 and other case parts;
A paper discharge tray 203 provided before and after that,
An automatic paper feeder (ASF) 202 is provided. An operation unit 213 including a display for displaying the status of the printer in both the closed state and the open state of the main body cover, a power switch, and a reset switch is provided.

  In a state where the main body cover 201 is opened, as shown in FIG. 15, the user can see the range in which the recording head unit 105 and the carriage 205 carrying the ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C move and the periphery thereof. . In the following, these ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C may be indicated by the same reference numeral “1”. Actually, when the main body cover 201 is opened, a sequence in which the carriage 205 automatically moves to a substantially central position (hereinafter also referred to as “tank replacement position”) shown in FIG. Each ink tank can be exchanged.

  In the printer of this embodiment, the recording head unit 105 is provided with a recording head (not shown) in the form of a chip corresponding to each color of ink, and the recording head of each color applies to a recording medium such as a sheet by moving the carriage 205. Scan. During this scanning, ink is ejected onto the recording medium for recording. That is, the carriage 205 is slidably engaged with the guide shaft 207 extending in the moving direction, and can be moved as described above by the carriage motor and its transmission mechanism. In each recording head corresponding to K, Y, M, and C inks, ink is ejected based on ejection data sent from the control circuit on the main body side via the flexible cable 216. Further, a paper feed mechanism such as a paper feed roller and a paper discharge roller is provided, and a recording medium (not shown) fed from the automatic paper feeder 202 can be conveyed to the paper discharge tray 203. The carriage 205 is detachably mounted with a recording head unit 105 integrally provided with an ink tank holder, and each ink tank 1 is detachably mounted on the recording head unit 105.

  During the recording operation, the recording head is scanned by the above movement, and ink is ejected from the respective recording heads to the recording medium during that time to correspond to the ejection port array range (direction orthogonal to the recording head main scanning direction) in the recording head. Records in the effective width area. At the same time, recording is sequentially performed on the recording medium by feeding a predetermined amount of paper of the width or less by the paper feeding mechanism between this scanning and the next scanning. In addition, an ejection recovery unit such as a cap is provided at the end of the moving range of the recording head by the carriage movement described above to cover the surface of each recording head on which the ejection port is provided. As a result, the recording head moves to a position where the recovery unit is provided at predetermined time intervals, and performs recovery processing such as preliminary ejection.

  As described above, the recording head unit 105 having the tank holder portion of each ink tank 1 is provided with a connector corresponding to each ink tank, and each connector is provided in the ink tank 1 to which the ink tank 1 is attached. In contact with the pad on the substrate. Thereby, it is possible to control lighting or blinking of each light emitting unit 101 according to a predetermined sequence executed by the recording apparatus. This makes it possible to notify information related to the state of the ink tank.

  Specifically, at the tank replacement position, when the remaining amount of ink in each ink tank 1 is low, the light-emitting unit 101 of the corresponding ink tank 1 is turned on or blinked, whereby the light guide unit 121 and the display are displayed. It can be provided to the user's eyes via the part 122. Further, as another example of control such as lighting of the light emitting unit, when the ink tank 1 is correctly mounted at the correct position at the tank replacement position, the light emitting unit 101 of the tank is turned on, thereby the light guide unit. It can also be provided to the user's eyes via 121 and the display unit 122. These controls are executed by sending control data (control signals) from the control circuit on the main body side to the respective ink tanks via the flexible cable 216, similarly to the control of ink ejection of the recording head.

  Further, in the carriage movement range, a light receiving unit 210 having a light receiving element can be provided in the vicinity of the end opposite to the position where the recovery unit is provided. Accordingly, when the display unit 122 of each ink tank 1 passes through the light receiving unit as the carriage 205 moves, the light emitting unit 101 emits light, and the light is received through the light guide unit 121 and the display unit 122. The light can be received by the part. Based on the position of the carriage 205 when the light is received, it is possible to detect whether each ink tank 1 in the carriage 205 is mounted, whether it is mounted at the correct position, and the like. That is, the display unit 122 can be used not only for visual observation by the user but also for detection operation and control executed by the recording apparatus. A more preferable configuration for achieving both of these will be described in the third embodiment.

2. Second Embodiment (FIGS. 16 to 20)
In the above-described first embodiment and various modifications thereof, the display unit 122 is arranged on the upper end portion of the light guide unit 121 erected from the immediate vicinity of the light emitting unit 101. However, the display unit may be arranged at a position that is more easily viewed by the user. In this section, some of the embodiments for that purpose will be described. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to corresponding portions of the respective components configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 16 is a schematic side view for explaining the outline of the function of the light guide unit 321 disposed in the ink tank according to the embodiment. In this example, the light guide unit 321 that guides light from the light emitting unit 101 to the display unit 322 and makes the user recognize the light causes air to intervene between the front side wall surface of the ink storage chamber 11 that stores the ink I. So as to be erected. At the same time, the display portion 322 has a shape in which the vicinity of the tip thereof is curved so as to face the diagonally upper right direction in the drawing. Therefore, the visibility to the user is improved by arranging the display unit in front of the ink tank, that is, in the vicinity of the upper part of the surface on which the latch lever is arranged as in the above-described embodiment.

  With this configuration, as in the first embodiment, light can be guided to the display unit 322 while suppressing attenuation of light incident from the light emitting unit 101. Furthermore, since the light guide unit 321 is curved so that the display unit 322 faces obliquely upward to the right in the drawing, the visibility of the user can be further improved.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic side view showing a modification of the configuration of FIG. In this example, the light guide 321 has a curved shape, but its height is made lower than that in FIG. 16, and the end surface 310 of the operation member 3 </ b> M, which is the part operated by the user, particularly the user. It faces the back side. In the support member 3 of this example, at least the operation portion 3M is formed of a light transmissive member.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 17, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 is guided to the end surface 310 by the light guide unit 321, and is irradiated to the operation unit 3 </ b> M therefrom. Thereby, the operation part 3M of the support member 3 formed of the light transmissive member emits light. That is, in the case of this example, the operation unit 3M functions as a display unit for use by the user.

  In addition to the same effects as the first embodiment described above, this example also prompts the user to replace the ink tank, for example, because the operation unit 3M, which is a part operated by the user, emits light. In this case, the user can intuitively recognize the target ink tank. At the same time, it is possible to intuitively recognize the ink tank attachment / detachment operation location (operation unit). In addition, in order to make it easier to visually recognize the light emission state of the operation unit 3M, a portion that scatters an appropriate amount of light may be added to the operation unit 3M.

  As described above, the bending of the optical axis for arranging the display unit at a preferable position is not necessarily limited to the form in which the light guide unit is curved. Examples thereof will be described below.

  18A, 18B, and 18C are a side view, a front view, and a bottom view, respectively, of an ink tank that is a liquid storage container according to another example of the second embodiment of the present invention. The standing portion is the same as that in each of the above examples, but the light guide portion 450 of this example is substantially upright without having a curved shape. An inclined surface 451 is formed at the upper end portion. The position of the inclined surface 451 is on the back surface side of the operation portion 3M of the support member 3, and the portion facing the back surface of the operation portion 3M is high and the portion facing the front surface of the ink storage chamber 11 is low. . Air is interposed between the light guide unit 450 and the front side wall surface of the ink tank 1. In addition, when the light guide unit 450 is integrally formed with the exterior of the ink tank 1, the whole may be formed of a light transmissive member.

  19A and 19B, the configuration and function of the light guide unit 450 of this example will be described. Here, FIG. 4A is a schematic side view for explaining the outline of the function of the light guide unit 450 of this example, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a main part thereof.

  As shown in these drawings, the light guide unit 450 is erected from a position where the bottom surface side end surface faces the light emitting unit 101. Therefore, when the light emitting unit 101 emits light, the light is guided from the bottom surface side end surface of the light guide unit 450 to the inclined surface 451 at the upper end, reflected by the inclined surface 451, and irradiated to the operation unit 3M. That is, also in the configuration of this example, similarly to the example of FIG. 17, the light of the light emitting unit 101 disposed on the bottom surface side of the ink tank 1 is guided to the operation unit 3M via the light guide unit 450, thereby allowing the user to operate It is possible to recognize predetermined information related to the ink tank 1 by viewing the portion 3M.

  A preferable positional relationship among the light guide unit 450, the inclined surface 451, and the light emitting unit 101 is as follows. That is, in order for the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 to be guided to the inclined surface 451 by the light guide unit 450, the light emitting unit 101 faces the end surface on the bottom side of the light guide unit 450, and the optical axis 456 of the light guide unit 450. It is desirable from the viewpoint of guiding more light to be disposed on the projection surface of the cross section.

Further, in order to allow the light reflected by the inclined surface 451 to smoothly reach the operation unit 3M, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 451 with respect to the optical axis 456 is critical so that the light guided by the light guide unit 450 is totally reflected. It is desirable to set it above the corner. For example, when the light guide 450 formed integrally with the ink tank 1 is made of polypropylene and has a refractive index of 1.49, since the refractive index of air is 1, the total reflection condition is based on Snell's law. ,
1.49 sin θ = 1
sin θ = 1 / 1.49
θ ≒ 43 °
It becomes. That is, the inclination angle (= incident angle) θ with respect to the optical axis may be set to 43 ° or more. In this example, the inclination angle is set to 45 ° so that the total reflection condition is satisfied. Thereby, the light guided by the light guide unit 450 is totally reflected by the inclined surface 451 and is irradiated to the operation unit 3M, so that the visibility of the user is improved.

  20A and 20B are a side view and a front view of an ink tank according to a modification of the configuration shown in FIGS. 18A to 18C. In this example, the light guide unit 450 is configured by a member different from the ink tank 1. According to this configuration, it is possible to configure the ink tank 1 and the light guide unit 450 with suitable materials. Here, for example, when the ink tank 1 is not composed of a light transmissive member, an opening 32 is provided in a part of the operation unit 3M, and reflected light from the inclined surface 451 of the light guide unit 450 can be visually observed through the opening 32. What is necessary is just to comprise.

  In the example of FIG. 18 or FIG. 20, the angle of the inclined surface with respect to the optical axis guided by the light guide unit 450 (incident angle) and the angle reflected to the operation unit 3M (reflection angle) are the same. It only has to be set. And it can set suitably in the range which satisfies a total reflection condition according to the material etc. to be used.

  Moreover, in order to reflect light efficiently, an inclined surface may be comprised with a high refractive index member or a highly reflective member, for example, metal foil etc. may be affixed.

  Furthermore, instead of causing the operation unit 3M of the support member to function as a display unit, the light guide unit 450 is extended to a position higher than the operation unit as in FIG. The front position may be the display unit.

3. Third Embodiment (FIGS. 21 to 27)
Since the user may view the display unit of the ink tank in the printer from various directions depending on the arrangement of the printer or the like, it is desirable that the display unit emit light over a wide range as much as possible. On the other hand, the display unit is used not only for visual observation by the user, but also for ink tank detection operation and control executed by the recording apparatus. For this purpose, the light receiving unit as shown in FIG. 210 is provided.

  For example, when the carriage 205 is scanned with respect to the light receiving unit 210, each mounted ink tank or its display unit passes while sequentially facing the light receiving unit 210. In the process, it is possible to detect whether or not the ink tanks of the respective colors are attached to the parts that should be originally attached. That is, at a timing when a certain ink tank faces the light receiving portion 210, the light emitting portion of the ink tank storing the color ink that should be at the facing position is caused to emit light, and light is emitted from the display portion. If the light receiving unit 210 receives light at this time, it can be recognized that the ink tank is attached to the correct part, and if it does not receive light, it can be recognized that it is attached to the wrong part. In the latter case, for example, the recording operation is not permitted, the user is prompted to open the main body cover 201, and the light emitting unit or the display unit of the ink tank related to the erroneous mounting is flashed, thereby prompting the user to redo the mounting. be able to. This causes inconvenience that color reproduction is distorted due to erroneous mounting of the ink tank, and display is not performed for an ink tank having no remaining ink, but is displayed for an ink tank having a remaining amount. This prevents inconvenience.

  The light receiving unit 210 used for detection and control of such an ink tank is fixedly disposed in the apparatus with respect to the ink tank that is mounted on the carriage and scanned, so that the display of the ink tank is performed during the detection operation. The positional relationship with the part is constant. Therefore, unlike the case where the display unit is visually observed by the user, the light intensity is increased by emitting light in the narrowest possible range within the mounting accuracy when fixing the light receiving unit to the recording device. Therefore, it is required to stably secure the amount of light toward the light receiving unit.

  That is, the display unit is required to conflict with each other in order to satisfy the two functions. Therefore, in this section, examples of configurations that can achieve both user visibility and stabilization of the amount of light received by the light receiving unit will be described.

  21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D are a side view, a top view, a bottom view, and a front view, respectively, of an ink tank that is a liquid container according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is. In these drawings, reference numeral 550 denotes a light guide portion (also referred to as a light guide rib) used in this example, and the bottom side end face is erected from a position facing the light emitting portion 101 as in the above examples. Yes.

  The shape and function of the light guide member of this example will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 (a), 22 (b), and 23.

  FIG. 22A is a schematic view of the state in which a plurality of ink tanks 1 shown in FIGS. 21A to 21D are mounted on the recording apparatus as viewed from above, and in particular, a cyan tank 1C, a magenta tank 1M, and a yellow tank. This is focused on 1Y. Each ink tank is juxtaposed in the width direction of the ink tank, that is, in the moving direction (scanning direction) of the holder 150 or the carriage 205. FIG. 22B shows a state in which the ink tank group faces the lower side of the light receiving unit 210 (see FIG. 15) disposed in the printer by the movement of the carriage. The light guide unit 550 includes a part (part B) extending in the scanning direction (left and right direction on the paper surface; x direction) and a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction from the center part (see FIG. And a portion extending in the vertical direction (y direction) (portion A) has a substantially T-shape. That is, the light guide portion of this example is in the form of a prism having a substantially T-shaped cross section.

  FIG. 23 is a side view of the ink tank 1 described with reference to FIG. In this figure, light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 is incident on the light guide unit 550 and guided in the light guide unit 550 as indicated by an arrow 511 in the same manner as in the above-described examples, and serves as a display unit. A state is shown in which the upper end portion 552 of the part is reached and emitted from there. In this example, the light emitting unit 101 is arranged at a position facing the intersection of the part A and the part B constituting the substantially T shape at the bottom side end of the light guide unit 550, and emitted from the light emitting unit 101. The light is guided to part A and part B of the light guide 550.

  Here, the relative positional relationship between the light receiving unit 210 fixed in the recording apparatus and the ink tank may change due to the mounting tolerance at the time of mounting. That is, in FIG. 22B, a deviation may occur between the carriage scanning direction (x direction), the direction perpendicular to the carriage scanning direction (y direction), and the direction orthogonal to the drawing (hereinafter, z direction). However, in this example, it is possible to correctly perform the ink tank detection operation for determining whether the ink tank is attached or not and whether the attachment position is appropriate or not, while allowing the deviation in each direction depending on the shape of the light guide unit 550. Yes.

  First, since the shift in the z direction affects the change in the distance from the upper end 552, which is a display unit, to the light receiving unit 210, the detection intensity of the light emitted from the upper end 552 changes. However, by setting an appropriate threshold value so as to allow a change in the amount of light within a tolerance range, the displacement of the light receiving unit 210 in the z direction can be allowed and the ink tank detection operation can be performed correctly.

  Further, the deviation in the x direction is allowed by causing the light emitting unit 101 of the ink tank 1 to emit light and continuously receiving the light emitted from the upper end 552 by the light receiving unit 210 while scanning the carriage. Even if there is a shift in the light receiving portion in the x direction, the ink tank detection operation can be performed correctly if light emission or light reception is performed within a range commensurate with the shift. Further, since the amount of received light change curve of the light receiving unit 210 has a maximum value (peak value) due to the presence of the portion A, by knowing the detection time point, the light emission timing of the light emitting unit 101 for the subsequent detection operation can be determined. It is also possible to adjust and correct the deviation in the x direction.

  Furthermore, if the length of the portion A in the y direction is equal to or larger than the attachment position tolerance range of the light receiving unit 210 in the y direction, light from the upper end 552 can be received. As a result, displacement of the light receiving unit 210 in the y direction is allowed, and the ink tank detection operation can be performed correctly. Note that the shorter the length of the portion A, the higher the density of light emitted from the end of the light guide unit 550 and the greater the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 210, so that it is ensured without being affected by disturbance light or the like. Ink tank detection operation can be performed. Therefore, the length of the portion A can be appropriately designed based on the mounting position tolerance of the light receiving unit 210 and the preferable amount of light received by the light receiving unit 210.

  On the other hand, as described above, the light guide upper end 552 serving as a display is provided to the user's eyes by turning on or blinking, for example, when the ink in the ink tank is low. Therefore, it is desirable to take a wide light emission region so that the user can visually recognize from various positions and angles. Therefore, by appropriately designing the size and shape of the portion B in addition to the portion A whose size and shape are mainly set to be preferable for the detection operation of the light receiving unit, it is possible to ensure a sufficient spread of the light emission region. it can. That is, the upper end portion 552 of the light guide 550 extends in the width direction of the ink tank 1 and can emit light widely in the width direction. Thereby, the area which a user can visually recognize is widened, and visibility can be ensured.

  In this example, the light guide portion is in the form of a prism having a substantially T-shaped cross section. However, a shape and size that can obtain preferable light emission at the upper end portion 552 that is a display portion is realized. If there is, the shape of the light guide part up to the upper end part 552 can be determined as appropriate. Also, the upper end portion may have a shape other than a substantially T-shape.

  24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D are a side view, a top view, a bottom view, and a front view, respectively, of an ink tank that is a modification of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. FIG. 25A is a schematic view of the state in which a plurality of ink tanks 1 shown in FIGS. 24A to 24D are mounted on the recording apparatus as viewed from the front, and in particular, a cyan tank 1C, a magenta tank 1M, This is focused on the yellow tank 1Y. FIG. 25B shows a state in which the light receiving portion is located opposite to the display portion of the ink tank 1M for magenta ink in the arrangement of FIG. Further, FIG. 26 is a side view of the ink tank 1 for explaining the function of the light guide unit of this example.

  The shape of the light guide unit 580 in this example is the same as that in FIG. 22 when viewed from above, and is approximately T in which a portion B extending in the scanning direction and a portion extending in the direction perpendicular thereto are combined. It has a letter shape (FIG. 24B). In addition, the light guide 580 of this example is provided with an inclined surface 582 similar to that of the example of FIG. 18, and a shape in which the light guide 580 is cut by the inclined surface 582 in FIG. 25A can be desired. . The shape is a combination of a portion E that extends in the scanning direction (x direction) when viewed from the front direction and a portion D that extends in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (vertical direction in FIG. 25A; z direction). It appears as an approximately T-shape.

  In FIG. 26, light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 is incident on the light guide unit 580, guided inside the light guide unit 580 and reflected by the inclined surface 582 as indicated by an arrow 511, and from the front side of the ink tank. A state in which light is emitted forward (to the right in FIG. 26) is shown. Here, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 582 is preferably set to be equal to or greater than the critical angle so that the light guided by the light guide 580 is totally reflected, for example, the light guide 580 is made of polypropylene. If so, the angle can be 45 °. Alternatively, in order to reflect light efficiently, the inclined surface may be composed of a high refractive index member or a high reflectance member. For example, a metal foil or the like may be attached to the inclined surface 582.

  In the case of this example, the light receiving unit 210 is arranged to receive the emitted light not in the upper direction (z direction) but in the front direction (y direction). Even in this case, as described above, the light receiving unit 210 may be displaced in the x, y, and z directions. However, in this example as well, it is possible to correctly perform the ink tank detection operation for determining whether the ink tank is attached or not and whether the attachment position is appropriate or not, while allowing the deviation in each direction depending on the shape of the light guide unit 580. is there.

  Here, the deviation in the y direction corresponds to the deviation in the z direction in the above example and affects the change in the distance from the light emission position to the light receiving unit 210, but is appropriate to allow the change in the light quantity within the tolerance range. This is allowed by setting a threshold value, and the ink tank detection operation can be performed correctly.

  Further, the deviation in the x direction is the same as the deviation in the x direction in the above example. The light emitting unit 101 of the ink tank 1 emits light, and the irradiation light of the upper end 552 is continuously emitted by the light receiving unit 210 while scanning the carriage. Allowed by receiving light.

  Further, the shift in the z direction corresponds to the shift in the y direction in the above example. Therefore, if the length in the z direction of the portion D when viewed from the front direction is equal to or larger than the attachment position tolerance range of the light receiving unit 210 in the z direction, the light from the upper end 582 can be received and the z direction can be received. The deviation of the light receiving unit 210 is allowed, and the ink tank detection operation can be performed correctly.

  In addition, it is the same as that of the above-mentioned example that the dimension, shape, etc. of each part D and E can be defined so that it may become favorable for operation | movement of a light-receiving part and a user's visibility.

  In addition, instead of using this portion as a display unit so that light is emitted from the upper front position of the light guide unit 580, the inclined surface 582 is positioned on the back side of the operation unit 3M of the support member 3 ( As in FIG. 19, the operation unit 3M may function as a display unit. Alternatively, as in the example of FIG. 20, an opening may be provided in a part of the operation unit 3M so that the reflected light from the inclined surface 582 of the light guide unit 580 can be viewed through the opening.

4). Fourth Embodiment (FIGS. 28 and 29)
It is desirable that the user can accurately specify the ink tank that emits light from the display unit. Here, if the amount of emitted light is too small, visual recognition itself becomes difficult. On the other hand, if the amount of emitted light is too large, misidentification is likely to occur between adjacent ink tanks, which may make it difficult to accurately identify the ink tank. The same applies to the light receiving unit, and there is a possibility that light from an adjacent ink tank may be received instead of the ink tank of interest.

  Therefore, it is desirable to adopt a configuration in which the light emitted from the display unit preferably reaches both the user and the light receiving unit, and the configuration for that will be described below.

  FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an ink tank that is a liquid container according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 29A, 29B, 29C, and 29D are side views of the ink tank, respectively. It is a figure, a top view, a bottom view, and a front view. FIGS. 29E and 29F are a top view and a front view of the ink tank, respectively, with the lid member removed.

  This example has basically the same configuration as that shown in FIG. That is, the light guide part 580 having a substantially T-shaped cross section and the inclined surface 582 is erected from a portion facing the light emitting part 101, and is located on the upper front surface thereof (parts D and E in FIG. 25). This portion is used as the display portion 585 so that light is emitted from the corresponding portion). In this example, the emission light limiting member 21 is provided so as to face the display portion 585 and have a predetermined opening 21A and cover the peripheral portion of the display portion 585 to restrict the emission of light.

  What is indicated by reference numeral 2 is a lid member that is attached to the upper surface of the ink tank 1 to cover the inside thereof and has an atmosphere communication port 20 that communicates the inside with the atmosphere. In this example, the outgoing light limiting member 21 may be formed of, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer so as to be fused and integrated with the lid member 2. Since the thermoplastic elastomer is a transparent material, it is colored in order to further reduce the emission of light from the peripheral portion, stabilize the light receiving operation at the light receiving unit 210 and improve the visibility of the user. It is also good. Alternatively, a material other than an elastomer can be used, or it can be integrally molded as the same material as the lid member 2. Here, if the lid member 2 is formed of a transparent member, it is possible to provide light by providing an uneven shape on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the portion constituting the outgoing light limiting member 21 or by performing a blasting process. May be limited.

  According to the present embodiment, by appropriately limiting the emission of light from the display unit, it is possible to obtain a light amount that is preferable for both improving the visibility of the user and stabilizing the operation of the light receiving unit. The form of the light guide is not limited to the above, and may have a shape other than that shown in FIG. In addition, the display unit may be formed on the upper end surface of the light guide unit.

5. Configuration of control system
5.1 Overall configuration (Fig. 30)
FIG. 30 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the control system of the above-described inkjet printer, and a configuration relating to a control circuit in the form of a PCB (printed wiring board) in the printer body and light emission of an LED of an ink tank controlled by the control circuit. Is mainly shown.

  In FIG. 30, a control circuit 300 executes data processing and operation control related to the printer. Specifically, the CPU 301 executes processing described later with reference to FIGS. 36 to 39 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 303. The RAM 302 is used as a work area when the CPU 301 executes processing.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 30, the recording head unit 105 mounted on the carriage 205 is a recording for ejecting black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) inks. Heads 105K, 105Y, 105M, and 105C are provided. Here, a plurality of ejection openings are formed in each recording head. The ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C are detachably mounted on the holder of the recording head unit 105 corresponding to these recording heads.

  As described above, each ink tank 1 is provided with a substrate 100 provided with an LED 101, a display control circuit thereof, a pad serving as a contact terminal, and the like. When the ink tank 1 is correctly attached to the recording head unit 105, the pads on the substrate 100 come into contact with connectors provided respectively corresponding to the ink tanks 1 in the recording head unit 105. Further, a connector (not shown) provided on the carriage 205 and a control circuit 300 on the main body side are signal-connected via a flexible cable 216. Further, when the recording head unit 105 is mounted on the carriage 205, the connector of the carriage 205 and the connector of the recording head unit 105 are signal-connected. With the above connection configuration, signals can be exchanged between the control circuit 300 on the main body side and each ink tank 1. Thereby, the control circuit 300 can control lighting or blinking according to a sequence described later with reference to FIGS.

The same applies to the control of ink ejection in the recording heads 105K, 105Y, 105M, and 105C.
-Flexible cable 216,
A connector of the carriage 205 and a drive circuit provided in each recording head via the connector of the recording head unit make signal connection with the control circuit 300 on the main body side. As a result, the control circuit 300 can control ink ejection and the like in each recording head.

  The first light receiving unit 210 provided in the vicinity of one end of the movement range of the carriage 205 receives light emitted from the LED 101 of the ink tank 1 and outputs a signal corresponding thereto to the control circuit 300. The control circuit 300 can determine the position of each ink tank 1 in the carriage 205 based on this signal, as will be described later. An encoder scale 209 is provided along the movement path of the carriage 205, and an encoder sensor 211 is provided on the carriage 205. The detection signal of this sensor is input to the control circuit 300 via the flexible cable 216, whereby the movement position of the carriage 205 can be known. This position information is used for each print head ejection control and also used in an optical authentication process for detecting the ink tank position, which will be described later with reference to FIG. Further, the second light emitting / receiving unit 214 provided in the vicinity of a predetermined position in the movement range of the carriage 205 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the remaining amount of ink in each ink tank 1 mounted on the carriage 205. Is output to the control circuit 300. The control circuit 300 can detect the remaining amount of ink based on this signal.

5.2 Configuration of connection part (FIGS. 31 to 35)
FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of signal wiring for signal connection with the ink tank 1 in the flexible cable 216 in relation to the substrate 100 of each ink tank.

As shown in FIG. 31, the signal wiring for the ink tank 1 is composed of four signal lines, and is a signal wiring common to the four ink tanks 1 (so-called bus connection). That is, the signal wiring for each ink tank 1 is
A power supply signal line “VDD” and a ground signal line “GND” for power supply such as operation of the functional element group 103 that performs light emission and driving of the LED 101 in the ink tank;
As will be described later, a signal line “DATA” and a clock signal line “CLK” for transmitting a control signal (control data) relating to processing such as lighting and blinking of the LED 101 from the control circuit 300.
And four signal lines. In the present embodiment, description will be made with four signal lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the “GND” line can be omitted by achieving a ground signal in another configuration. . It is also possible to configure the signal line of “CLK” and “DATA” by sharing one.

  On the other hand, the substrate 100 of each ink tank 1 is provided with a control unit 103 that operates in response to signals from these four signal lines and an LED 101 that operates thereby.

  FIG. 32 is a circuit diagram showing details of a substrate on which these control units and the like are provided. As shown in the figure, the control unit 103 includes an input / output control circuit (also simply referred to as a control unit) (I / O CTRL) 103A, a memory array 103B, and an LED driver 103C. The input / output control circuit 103A controls display driving of the LED 101 and data writing to and reading from the memory array 103B according to control data sent from the control circuit 300 on the main body via the flexible cable 216. The memory array 103B is in the form of an EEPROM in this embodiment, and ink tank individual information such as manufacturing information such as a unique number of the ink tank and a manufacturing lot number in addition to ink remaining amount and ink color information to be stored. Can be stored. The color information is written at a predetermined address in the memory array 103B corresponding to the color of the ink stored when the ink tank is shipped or manufactured. For example, this color information is used as ink tank identification information (individual information), as will be described later with reference to FIGS. As a result, it is possible to specify an ink tank, write data to the memory array 103B, read data from the memory array 103B, and control lighting and extinguishing of the LED 101 of the ink tank. The data written to and read from the memory array 103B includes, for example, ink remaining amount data. As described above, the ink tank of the present embodiment is provided with a prism at the bottom thereof, and when the remaining amount of ink is reduced, this fact can be detected optically via this prism. In this embodiment, in addition to this, the control circuit 300 counts the number of ejections for each recording head based on the ejection data, and calculates the ink remaining amount for each ink tank based on the count. Then, the remaining amount information is written into and read from the corresponding ink tank memory array 103B. As a result, the memory array 103B can hold information on the remaining amount of ink at that time. This information is used, for example, for more accurate remaining amount detection in combination with ink remaining amount detection using the prism, or whether the installed ink tank is new or once used and remounted. It is used to judge whether it is

  The LED driver 103C operates to apply a power supply voltage to the LED 101 when the signal output from the input / output control circuit 103A is on, thereby causing the LED 101 to emit light. Therefore, when the signal output from the input / output control circuit 103A is in an on state, the LED 101 is turned on, and when the signal is in an off state, the LED 101 is turned off.

  33 is a circuit diagram showing a modification of the configuration of the substrate 100 shown in FIG. This modified example is different from the example shown in FIG. 32 in that power is supplied from a VDD power pattern provided in the substrate 100 of the ink tank in a configuration in which a power supply voltage is applied to the LED 101. The control unit 103 is generally built on a semiconductor substrate, and the connection terminals on the semiconductor substrate are only LED connection terminals. Reducing the number of connection terminals greatly affects the area occupied by the semiconductor substrate, leading to cost reduction of the semiconductor substrate.

  FIG. 34 is a timing chart for explaining the data writing and reading operations for the memory array 103B described above, and FIG. 35 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of turning on and off the LED 101, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 34, in writing to the memory array 103B, the control circuit 300 on the main body side inputs and outputs to the input / output control circuit 103A in the control unit 103 of the ink tank 1 via the signal line DATA (FIG. 31).
・ "Start code + color information",
・ "Control code",
"Address code" and "Data code"
These data signals are sent in this order in synchronization with the clock signal CLK. "Start code + color information" means the start of a series of data signals by the "start code" signal, and the ink tank that is the target of this series of data signals is specified by the "color information" signal To do. The “color” of the ink here includes not only ink colors such as Y, M, and C but also inks having different densities.

  The “color information” has codes corresponding to the ink colors “K”, “C”, “M”, and “Y”, as shown in FIG. Then, the input / output control circuit 103A compares the color information indicated by this code with its own color information stored in the memory array 103B, and performs processing for fetching subsequent data signals only when they match. Do. On the other hand, if they do not match, processing for ignoring the subsequent data signal capture is performed. Thus, even if a data signal is sent from the main body side to each ink tank in common via the common signal line “DATA” shown in FIG. 31, the ink tank is specified by including the color information described above. be able to. Then, subsequent processing based on the data signal, such as writing, reading, turning on / off the LED, can be performed only for the specified ink tank. As a result, it is possible to control the lighting and extinguishing of LEDs in addition to data writing by data transmitted through a common (single) data signal line to the four ink tanks. The number of signal lines required for control can be reduced as in the present invention. It is apparent from the above description that the configuration using such a common (single) data signal line can be the same without being limited to the number of ink tanks.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the “control code” of the present embodiment includes “OFF” and “ON” codes used for LED on / off control, which will be described later, and “READ” indicating reading and writing to the memory array. ”And“ WRITE ”codes. In this writing operation, the “WRITE” code follows the “color information” code for specifying the ink tank. The next “address code” indicates the address of the memory array that is the write destination, and the last “data code” indicates the content to be written.

  Note that the content represented by the “control code” is not limited to the above example, and for example, a control code related to a verify command, a continuous read command, or the like can be added.

  In reading, the configuration of the data signal is the same as in the case of the above writing, and the code of “start code + color information” is the input / output control circuit 103A of all the ink tanks as in the case of the above writing. Is taken in by. The subsequent data signals are taken in only by the input / output control circuit 103A of the ink tank whose “color information” matches. The difference is that after the address is specified by the address code, the read data is output in synchronization with the rising edge of the first clock (the 13th clock in FIG. 34). Even if the data signal terminals of a plurality of ink tanks are connected to such a common (single) data signal line, the input / output control circuit 103A provides a signal so that the read data does not collide with other input signals. The so-called mediation is performed.

  When the LED 101 is turned on or off, as shown in FIG. 35, a data signal of “start code + color information” is first sent from the main body side to the input / output control circuit 103A via the signal line DATA, as described above. come. As described above, the ink tank is specified by the “color information”, and the LED 101 is turned on / off based on the “control code” sent thereafter, only in the specified ink tank. As described above with reference to FIG. 34, the “control code” for turning on and off includes the code “ON” or “OFF”. The LED 101 is turned on by “ON” and turned off by “OFF”. Is called. That is, when the control code is “ON”, the input / output control circuit 103A outputs an ON signal to the LED driver 103C as described above with reference to FIG. 33 and maintains the output state thereafter. Conversely, when the control code is “OFF”, the input / output control circuit 103A outputs an OFF signal to the LED driver 103C and maintains the output state thereafter. The actual timing of turning on or off the LED 101 is performed after the seventh clock of the clock CLK for each data signal shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in the figure, first, as shown in the leftmost data signal in the figure, the black K ink tank is specified, and the LED 101 of the ink K tank is turned on. Next, since the “color information” of the second data signal specifies magenta ink M and the “control code” instructs to turn on the ink, the ink 101 tank LED 101 remains lit while the ink is in the ink. The LED 101 of the M tank is also lit. In the third data signal, since the “control code” instructs to turn off the ink K tank, the LED 101 is turned off only for the ink K tank.

  As can be understood from the above description, the blinking control of the LED is made possible by the control circuit 300 on the main body side sending a data signal including “control code” for turning on and off and specifying the ink tank. . In that case, the cycle of blinking can be controlled by determining the cycle of sending the signal.

5.3 Control procedure (FIGS. 36 to 31)
FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing a control procedure related to the attachment / detachment of the ink tank based on the configuration of the present embodiment described above. In particular, the control of the LED 101 of each ink tank 1 by the control circuit 300 on the main body side is shown. Is.

  The process shown in FIG. 36 is a process that is activated when a user opens the main body cover 201 of the printer according to the present embodiment, by detecting this by a predetermined sensor. When this process is started, first, an ink tank attaching / detaching process is executed in step S101.

  FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing details of the ink tank attaching / detaching process. As shown in the figure, in the attaching / detaching process, first, in step S201, the carriage 205 is moved, and status information (individual information report of the ink tank) is acquired for each ink tank mounted at that time. The acquired state information includes the remaining amount of ink at that time, and these are read from the memory array 103B together with the unique number of the ink tank. In step S202, it is determined whether the carriage 205 has reached the ink tank replacement position described with reference to FIG.

  If it is determined that the carriage 205 has reached the ink tank replacement position, ink tank mounting confirmation control is performed in step S203.

  FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing details of this attachment confirmation control. First, in step S301, a parameter N indicating the number of ink tanks mounted on the carriage 205 is set, and a flag F (k) for checking LED emission is initialized according to the number of ink tanks. . In the present embodiment, N is set to 4 as the number of K, C, M, and Y ink tanks. In accordance with this, four flags of F (1), k = 1 to 4 are prepared, and these are all initialized and their contents are set to “0”.

  Next, in step S302, the variable A relating to the ink tank mounting determination order of the flag is set to 1, and in step S303, mounting confirmation control is performed for the Ath ink tank. This control is performed in the following process. That is, when the user mounts the ink tank on the holder 150 of the recording head unit 105 at the correct position, the contact 152 of the holder 150 and the contact 102 of the ink tank contact each other. Thus, as described above, the control circuit 300 on the main body side specifies the ink tank based on the color information that is the individual information of the ink tank, and the color information stored in the memory array 103B of the specified tank. Are sequentially read out. Of course, the color information for specifying is not used for information that has already been read. Further, in this control, it is also determined whether or not the read color information is different from the color information read so far after the start of the processing.

  In step S304, when the color information can be read out and the color information is different from those read out so far, it is determined that the ink tank of the color information is attached as the Ath ink tank. To do. In other cases, it is determined that the A-th ink tank is not attached. Note that the A-th described here simply describes the order in which the ink tanks are determined, not the order in which the ink tanks are mounted. If it is determined that the Ath ink tank is installed, in step S305, the flag F (A), that is, of the four prepared flags F (k), k = 1 to 4, k = The content of the flag (A) corresponding to A is “1”. Then, as described above with reference to FIG. 35, the LED 101 of the ink tank 1 of the corresponding color information is turned on. If it is determined that it is not attached, the content of the flag F (A) is set to “0” in step S311.

  Next, in step S306, the variable A is incremented by 1. In step S307, it is determined whether or not the variable A is greater than N (N = 4 in the case of the printer of the present embodiment) set in step S301. Here, when it is determined that the variable A is equal to or less than N, the processes after step S303 are repeated. When it is determined that the variable A is greater than N, it is determined that the attachment confirmation control has been completed for all four ink tanks. In step S308, whether the main body cover 201 is open is determined. Judge based on output. That is, when the main body cover is in a closed state, the user may have closed the cover with some of the ink tanks not attached or incompletely attached. Is returned to the processing routine of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S308 that the main body cover 201 is open, whether or not the contents of all four flags F (k), k = 1 to 4 are “1”, that is, all It is determined whether the LED 101 is turned on for all ink tanks. When it is determined that the LED 101 of any of the ink tanks is not lit, the processing from step S302 is repeated. That is, the user repeats the above-described process until the ink tank whose LED 101 is not lit is mounted or the mounting operation is performed again, and the LED of the ink tank is lit.

  If it is determined that all the ink tank LEDs have been lit, a normal termination operation is performed in step S310, the process is terminated, and the process returns to the process routine shown in FIG. FIG. 39A is a diagram showing a state where all the ink tanks are correctly mounted and each LED is lit.

  Referring again to FIG. 37, after the ink tank mounting confirmation control in step S203 is executed as described above, in step S204, whether or not the control is normally completed, that is, whether or not the ink tank is normally mounted. Judging. When it is determined that the attachment is normal, the display (FIGS. 14 and 15) of the operation unit 213 is lit in, for example, green in step S205, and is normally terminated in step S216, and the process routine returns to FIG. If it is determined that the attachment is abnormal, the display of the operation unit 213 blinks in, for example, orange in step S207, abnormally ends in step S208, and the process returns to the processing routine shown in FIG. When a host PC for controlling the recording apparatus is connected, it is possible to display a mounting abnormality through the PC monitor at the same time.

  In FIG. 36, when the ink tank attaching process in step S101 is completed, it is determined in step S102 whether the attachment / detachment process has been normally completed. If it is determined that the process has ended abnormally, in step S108, the process waits for the user to open the main body cover 201. When the cover 201 is opened, the process in step S101 is started, and the process described in FIG. 37 is repeated. .

  If it is determined in step S102 that the attaching / detaching process has been completed normally, in step S103, the process waits for the user to close the main body cover 201, and in step S104, it is determined whether the cover 201 is closed. Here, when it is determined that the main body cover is closed, the process proceeds to the optical authentication process in step S105. At this time, as shown in FIG. 39 (b), when it is detected that the main body cover 201 is closed, the carriage 205 moves to a position for optical authentication, and the LED 101 of each lit ink tank is displayed. Turns off.

  The optical authentication process is a process for determining whether or not each of the normally installed ink tanks is installed at the correct position. In the present embodiment, for example, the ink tank mounting position is set such that the ink tank and the mounting position cannot be mounted with ink tanks of other inks, and the mounting positions are determined corresponding to the ink tanks of the respective colors. Do not take the configuration. For this reason, there is a possibility that the ink tanks of the respective colors are erroneously attached to places that are not the original positions. For this reason, this optical authentication process is performed, and if it is worn by mistake, the user is informed accordingly. Thereby, in particular, it is possible to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of manufacturing the ink tank without changing the shape of the ink tank for each color.

  FIGS. 40A to 40D and FIGS. 30A to 30D are diagrams illustrating this optical authentication process.

  As shown in FIG. 40A, first, the moving carriage 205 is started with respect to the first light receiving unit 210 from the left side to the right side in the drawing. First, the LED 101 of the ink tank 1Y is caused to emit light at a position where the ink tank where the yellow ink tank 1Y is to be mounted faces the first light receiving unit 210. As described with reference to FIG. 35, this is actually turned on and turned off after a predetermined time (hereinafter, this authentication process is the same). When the ink tank is mounted at the original correct position, the first light receiving unit 210 can receive the light emitted from the LED 101, and the control circuit 300 determines that the ink tank 1Y is mounted correctly at the mounting position. To do.

  Similarly, while moving the carriage 205, as shown in FIG. 40B, the ink tank at the position where the ink tank 1M for magenta ink should be mounted faces the first light receiving unit 210 at the position where the ink tank is to be mounted. The 1M LED 101 is caused to emit light. In the example shown in the figure, the ink tank 1M is mounted at the correct position, and the first light receiving unit 210 receives the emitted light. Sequentially, as shown in FIGS. 40B to 40D, light emission is performed while changing the determined mounting position. These drawings show an example in which they are mounted at the correct positions.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 41B, when the cyan ink tank 1C is erroneously mounted at the position where the magenta ink tank 1M is to be mounted, the first light receiving section 210 is opposed. The LED 101 of the ink tank 1 </ b> C that is running does not emit light. Instead, the LED 101 of the ink tank 1M mounted at another position emits light. As a result, since the first light receiving unit 210 cannot receive light at this timing, the control circuit 300 determines that an ink tank other than the ink tank 1M is mounted at the mounting position. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 41 (c), the magenta ink tank 1M is erroneously installed at the position where the cyan ink tank 1C is to be installed, and faces the first light receiving unit 210. The LED 101 of the ink tank 1M that is running does not emit light. Instead, the LED 101 of the ink tank 1C mounted at another position emits light.

  By performing the optical authentication process described above, the control circuit 300 can specify an ink tank that is not mounted in the original position. If the correct ink tank is not mounted at the position to be mounted, the other three color ink tanks are controlled to emit light sequentially at the mounting position. As a result, it is possible to specify the color of the ink tank that has been accidentally attached to the attachment position.

In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 31, the wiring on the recording apparatus side is a common wiring (so-called bus wiring), so that the wiring on the apparatus side can be easily configured. Conventionally, however, it has been impossible to detect the position of the ink tank using the common wiring. However, as in the configuration of the present invention, on the ink tank side, an information holding unit that holds individual information of the ink tank,
A light emitting unit that projects light to the light receiving unit of the recording device;
-A signal related to individual information input from the recording device;
By providing a control unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light when the individual information held by the information holding unit matches, it is possible to detect the position of the ink tank even in the recording apparatus including the common wiring.

  FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing recording processing according to the present embodiment. In this process, first, in step S401, an ink remaining amount confirmation process is performed. In this process, for the job that is going to be recorded, the recording amount is obtained from the recording data, and this amount is compared with the remaining amount of each ink tank. It is a process to confirm. In this process, the ink remaining amount obtained by counting the remaining amount at that time by the control circuit 300 can be used.

  In step S402, it is determined whether there is an ink amount necessary for recording based on the above confirmation processing. When there is a sufficient amount of ink, the recording operation is performed in step S403, and the display of the operation unit 213 is lit in green in step S404 to complete the normal end. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S402 that there is not a sufficient amount of ink, in step S405, the indicator of the operation unit 213 blinks orange, and in step S406, the LED 101 of the ink tank 1 with a low ink remaining amount blinks. Or turn it on and terminate abnormally. When a host PC for controlling the printing apparatus is connected, the remaining ink amount can be displayed through the PC monitor at the same time.

  43A and 43B are a schematic side view and a front view, respectively, of an ink tank according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In the ink tank according to the first embodiment, a substrate and a light emitting unit are respectively shown. This is an example in which is disposed at another position.

  In this example, a light emitting unit 101 such as an LED and a substrate 100-2 on which the light emitting unit 101 is mounted are provided in the upper front of the ink tank. In other words, in this embodiment, the light emitting unit 101 also serves as the display unit of the above-described embodiment. In the same manner as described above, the substrate 100 and the substrate 100-2 to the light emitting unit 101, which are disposed on the inclined surface preferable for good connection with the connector 152 on the carriage side and protection from ink, and the wiring unit 159-2 are provided. Connect through. As a result, electrical signals are exchanged. 3H is a hole provided in the base portion of the support member 3 in order to arrange the wiring portion 159-2 along the ink tank casing.

  In this example, when the light emitting unit 101 emits light, light is projected from the front side. Therefore, the light receiving unit 210 is disposed at a position at the end of the scanning range of the carriage to receive the light projected in the right direction in the figure, and the light emission of the light emitting unit 101 is controlled when the carriage is positioned at that position. To do. As a result, the recording apparatus side can recognize predetermined information relating to the ink tank 1 from the received light content of the light receiving unit. In addition, for example, by controlling the light emission of the light emitting unit 101 by positioning the carriage in the center of the scanning range, the user can more easily visually check the light emission state as shown in the parentheses in the figure, and then in the ink tank 1. Such predetermined information can be recognized.

  FIG. 44 is a schematic side view of an ink tank according to a modification of the embodiment of FIG. In this example, the light emitting unit 101 and the substrate 100-2 on which the light emitting unit 101 is mounted are provided at the front surface position of the ink tank on the back side of the operation unit 3M, which is a part operated by the user, in the support member 3. In this example, the same operation as the above example can be performed, and the same effect can be obtained. Furthermore, in this example, for example, when the carriage is positioned at the center of the scanning range and the light emitting unit 101 emits light, the operation unit 3M of the support member 3 is also irradiated with light. It becomes possible to understand the operation more intuitively. In order to make it easier to visually recognize the irradiation state of the operation unit 3M, a portion that transmits or scatters an appropriate amount of light may be added to the operation unit 3M.

  FIG. 45 is a schematic side view of an ink tank according to still another modification. In this example, the light emitting unit 101 and the substrate 100-2 on which the light emitting unit 101 is mounted are provided on the front side of the operation unit 3M of the support member 3. The substrate 100 and the substrate 100-2 or the light emitting unit 101 are connected by a wiring unit 159-2 along the support member 3 through a hole 3H provided in a base portion of the support member 3. In this example as well, the same effect as in FIG. 44 can be obtained.

  43 to 45, by using a flexible printed cable (FPC), the substrate 100, the wiring portion 159-2, and the substrate 100-2 can be integrated.

  In the configurations shown in FIGS. 43 to 45, as shown in the first embodiment, the ink tank can be securely positioned with respect to the mounting portion of the recording apparatus with a simple configuration. Furthermore, by arranging the contact pad as described above, it is possible to ensure a reliable electrical connection without affecting the operability of mounting the ink tank. Further, a display unit for irradiating light from the light emitting unit to the outside is arranged on the front side of the ink tank, that is, above the surface on which the latch lever is arranged (the light emitting unit and the display unit are the same in FIGS. This improves the visibility for the user. Therefore, by taking the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to comprehensively achieve the above effects.

  In each of the above embodiments, the supply system is configured such that an amount of ink corresponding to the amount of ejected ink is always supplied continuously to the print head (hereinafter referred to as a continuous supply method). Explained. In the system, the case where the present invention is applied to a configuration using an ink tank that is detachably attached to a recording head mounted on a carriage or the like and reciprocally moved (main scanning) has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a configuration using an ink tank that is inseparably attached to the recording head. This is because even with such a configuration, it is conceivable that if the mounting position is different, data of different colors is received, or the order of color overlap is different from the design, so that a desired recording quality cannot be obtained. Further, when the ink tank integrated with the head is attached to or detached from the recording apparatus, it is necessary to consider the possibility that ink leaked from the recording head adheres to the contact pad.

  FIG. 46 is a circuit diagram showing details of the substrate 100 provided with the control unit 103 and the like according to still another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the control unit 103 includes an input / output control circuit (I / O CTRL) 103A and an LED driver 103C.

  The input / output control circuit 103 </ b> A controls the display drive of the LED 101 in accordance with control data sent from the control circuit 300 on the main body side via the flexible cable 216.

  The LED driver 103C operates to apply a power supply voltage to the LED 101 when the signal output from the input / output control circuit 103A is on, thereby causing the LED 101 to emit light. Therefore, when the signal output from the input / output control circuit 103A is in an on state, the LED 101 is turned on, and when the signal is in an off state, the LED 101 is turned off.

  This embodiment is different from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 21 in that there is no memory array 103B. A method for controlling the lighting and extinction of the LED 101 of the ink tank even when there is no individual information (for example, color information) stored on the memory array is shown below in the timing chart shown in FIG. explain.

  “Start code + color information” and “control code” are sent from the control circuit 300 on the main body side to the input / output control circuit 103A in the control unit 103 of the ink tank 1 via the signal line DATA (FIG. 20). The signal is sent in synchronization with the clock signal CLK. Input / output control circuit The input / output control circuit 103A identifies the “color information” + “control code” sent together as a “command” and determines whether the output signal to the LED driver 103C is on or off. 103D inside. Each of the ink tanks 1K to 1Y is equipped with a control unit 103 having a different command identification unit 103D, and commands for controlling turning on and off of each color are configured as shown in FIG. . That is, the command identification unit 103D for each color includes individual information (color information) for each color, and compares and identifies the “color information” portion of the input “command”. Control various operations. Thus, for example, when the main body transmits “K-ON” color information for turning on the ink tank 1K + control code “000100” together with the start code, only the command identification unit 103D of the ink tank 1K identifies, and only the ink tank 1K. Can be controlled to light up. In the present embodiment, it is necessary to configure the control unit 103 different for each color, but it is advantageous in that it is not necessary to mount the memory array 103B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 47, the command identification unit 103D is not limited to the function of identifying the command for turning on / off the LED 101 for each color. That is, for example, there are a plurality of commands “ALL-ON”, “ALL-OFF” for turning on and off the LEDs 101 of all colors, and “CALL” commands for designating each color and outputting a response signal from the control unit 103. It may have a function for identifying a command.

  As yet another example, the present invention also applies to a case where a command comprising color information + control code sent from the main body side control circuit 300 to the ink tank 1 is not directly compared with color information (individual information) in the ink tank. As applicable. That is, the input command is converted (calculated) by the control unit 103, and the converted value is compared with a predetermined value held in the memory array 103B or the command identification unit 103D. Then, when the comparison result corresponds to a predetermined relationship, control such as turning on or off may be performed.

  Separately from the above example, the signal sent from the main body side is converted (calculated) by the control unit 103, and the value held in the memory array 103B or the command control unit 103D is also converted (calculated) by the control unit 103. Compare the converted values. Then, when the comparison result corresponds to a predetermined relationship, control such as lighting or extinguishing may be performed.

6). In addition , in each of the above-described examples, the embodiment using the ink tanks of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black has been described. However, the color tone (color and density) or the number of ink tanks to be used is not limited to this. It is. Further, in addition to those inks, a form using light color inks or special color inks such as red, green, and blue may be used. In particular, the greater the number of ink tanks, the more likely misinstallation occurs, and the wiring and its connecting parts tend to hinder visibility and operability during attachment and detachment. It can be said that it becomes. Although various embodiments have been described above, it goes without saying that in the present invention, the above-described various embodiments can be appropriately combined.

(A), (b), and (c) are a side view, a front view, and a bottom view of the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention, respectively. (A) And (b) is a typical side view for demonstrating the outline of functions, such as a light guide part arrange | positioned at the ink tank which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and its principal part enlarged view. (A) And (b) is the side view and front view which respectively show an example of the control board attached to the ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a typical side view for explaining the modification of a 1st embodiment. It is a typical side view for explaining other modifications of a 1st embodiment. It is a typical side view for explaining other modifications of a 1st embodiment. (A) And (b) is a typical side view for demonstrating the further modification of 1st Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a typical side view for demonstrating the further modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a typical side view for explaining another modification of a 1st embodiment. It is a typical side view for explaining another modification of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a recording head unit in which an ink tank according to the first embodiment is configured to be detachable. (A)-(d) is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of mounting | wearing a recording head unit with an ink tank. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of another configuration example of a recording head unit that receives a supply of ink from an ink tank and executes a recording operation and a carriage incorporating the recording head unit, and FIG. . 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an ink jet printer that mounts an ink tank and performs recording. FIG. It is a perspective view which removes the main body cover and shows the recording device of FIG. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the outline of the function of the light guide part arrange | positioned at the ink tank which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical side view which shows the modification of FIG. (A), (b) and (c) are a side view, a front view and a bottom view of an ink tank which is a liquid storage container according to another example of the second embodiment of the present invention, respectively. (A) is a typical side view for explaining the outline of the function of the light guide part of FIG. 18 (a), and (b) is the principal part enlarged view. (A) And (b) is the side view and front view of the ink tank which concern on the modification of the structure of Fig.18 (a)-(c). (A), (b), (c) and (d) are a side view, a top view, a bottom view and a front view, respectively, of an ink tank which is a liquid storage container according to a third embodiment of the present invention. . (A) is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of ink tanks 1 shown in FIGS. 21 (a) to (d) are mounted on the recording apparatus, as viewed from the top surface. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the state which opposes the downward direction of the light-receiving part distribute | arranged to. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the function of the light guide part of the ink tank demonstrated in Fig.22 (a). (A), (b), (c) and (d) are respectively a side view, a top view, a bottom view and an ink tank which are modifications of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 21 (a) to (d). It is a front view. 24A is a schematic view of the state in which a plurality of ink tanks 1 shown in FIGS. 24A to 24D are mounted on the recording apparatus as viewed from the front, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the state which opposes the light-receiving part distribute | arranged to FIG. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the mode of the light ray after light injects into the light guide part shown to Fig.24 (a), and is radiate | emitted. FIG. 25 is a schematic side view illustrating a modified example of the ink tank illustrated in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an ink tank that is a liquid storage container according to the embodiment. (A), (b), (c) and (d) are a side view, a top view, a bottom view and a front view of the ink tank of FIG. 28, respectively, and (e) and (f) are lid members, respectively. FIG. 2 is a top view and a front view of an ink tank shown with the detachment taken. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the said inkjet printer. It is a figure which shows the structure of the signal wiring for the signal connection with an ink tank in the flexible cable of the said inkjet printer in relation to the board | substrate of each ink tank. It is a circuit diagram which shows the detail of the said board | substrate with which the control part etc. were provided. FIG. 33 is a circuit diagram showing a modification of the configuration of the substrate shown in FIG. 32. 4 is a timing chart for explaining data writing and reading operations with respect to the memory array of the substrate. It is a timing chart explaining operation | movement of turning on and off of LED101, respectively. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure regarding attachment / detachment of the ink tank which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing details of an ink tank attaching / detaching process in FIG. 36. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of mounting | wearing confirmation control in FIG. (A) is a figure which shows the state with which all the ink tanks were correctly mounted | worn in the control regarding attachment / detachment of the said ink tank, and each LED lighted, (b) is a main body cover after the said lighting. It is a figure explaining that a carriage moves to the position for optical authentication by being closed. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining this optical authentication process. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining an optical authentication process similarly. It is a flowchart which shows the recording process concerning the said embodiment. (A) And (b) is a typical side view and front view of an ink tank concerning other embodiments of the present invention, respectively. It is a typical side view which shows the modification of the structure of FIG. FIG. 44 is a schematic side view showing another modification of the configuration of FIG. 43. It is a circuit diagram which shows the detail of the board | substrate with which the control part etc. which concern on another embodiment of this invention were provided. It is a timing chart concerning the above-mentioned embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1K, 1C, 1M, 1Y, 501 Ink tank 2 Lid member 3 Support member 3M Support member operation part 5 1st engagement part 6 2nd engagement part 7 Ink supply port 100 Board | substrate 101,601 Light emission part (LED)
102 Pad (Contact terminal)
103 Control element (control unit)
105 Recording head unit 105 ′ Recording head 107 Ink introduction port 121, 321, 450, 550, 560, 580 Light guide unit 122, 322, 585 Display unit 150 Holder 152 Connector 155 First locking unit 156 Second locking unit 157 Electrical contact part 158, 159 Wiring part 201 Main body cover 216 Flexible cable 209 Encoder scale 210 Light receiving part 211 Encoder sensor 213 Operation part 214 Second light emitting / receiving part 301 CPU
302 RAM
303 ROM

Claims (8)

A housing having a bottom surface, a top surface, a front surface, a back surface and two side surfaces connecting these surfaces as main surfaces;
A supply port provided on the bottom surface of the housing;
An information storage medium storing at least individual information related to ink;
A substrate provided with a contact to be connected to a connector provided on a holder mounted on a scanning carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, which is a contact of the information storage medium;
Comprising
Ink storage in which the back side is inserted into the holder and mounted on the holder by using a rotation operation by pressing down toward the mounting completion position with the contact portion between the back surface and the holder as a rotation center In the container,
A member detachably provided to the housing;
A light emitting portion disposed on the substrate ;
A display unit for projecting light from the light emitting unit to the outside;
Further comprising
The contact begins to come into contact with the connector immediately before the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder, which is performed using the rotating operation, and the holder is prepared after the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder is completed. In order to generate a contact pressure between the formed connector and the contact disposed on the substrate, a ridge between the bottom surface of the housing and the front surface of the member attached to the housing And the substrate is disposed on the inclined portion outside the portion corresponding to
Ink container, wherein the display unit is disposed in the vicinity of the front side and the upper surface of the ink container. The ink storage container according to claim 1, wherein the substrate attached to the member has the contact on the outside and the light emitting portion on the inside . The said member is provided with the supporting member which can be elastically deformed with the said rotation operation | movement, and the mounting | wearing holding state of the said ink storage container is ensured with an elastic force in the said mounting completion position. Ink storage container. The ink storage container according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit and the display unit are the same means. The ink storage container according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit and the display unit are connected by a light guide unit that guides light. The ink storage container according to claim 1, wherein the member includes a light guide unit that guides light of the light emitting unit to the display unit . Preparing the ink container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
Injecting ink into the housing of the ink container;
A method for manufacturing an ink storage container, comprising: A holder disposed on a scanning carriage mounted and scanned with a recording head, and a plurality of ink tanks mounted thereon; a holder side contact provided in the holder and electrically connectable to a contact provided in the ink tank; A control circuit that is electrically connected to the holder-side contact and is used to control light emission of a light-emitting unit included in the ink tank; and a position detection unit that detects a position of the ink tank attached to the holder; A printer having
A casing that is attached to and detached from the printer and has a bottom surface, a top surface, a front surface, a back surface, and two side surfaces that connect these surfaces as main surfaces, a supply port provided on the bottom surface of the housing, and at least ink An information storage medium storing the individual information according to the above, and a substrate provided with a contact which is a contact of the information storage medium and which is connected to a connector provided on a holder mounted on a scanning carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, The back side is inserted into the holder, and the holder is moved to the holder by using a rotation operation toward a mounting completion position with the contact portion between the back side and the holder as a rotation center. An ink tank to which
In a printer system equipped with
The ink tank is a member that is detachable from the housing;
A light emitting portion disposed on the substrate ;
A display unit for projecting light from the light emitting unit to the outside;
With
The contact begins to come into contact with the connector immediately before the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder, which is performed using the rotating operation, and the holder is prepared after the mounting of the ink storage container to the holder is completed. In order to generate a contact pressure between the formed connector and the contact disposed on the substrate, a ridge between the bottom surface of the housing and the front surface of the member attached to the housing And the substrate is disposed on the inclined portion outside the portion corresponding to
The printer system, wherein the display unit is disposed on the front side of the ink container and in the vicinity of the upper surface.

Images