JP4197017B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention according to the ink jet recording equipment.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using a plurality of colors of ink, a plurality of ink cartridges individually filled with inks of each color are detachably mounted in parallel. . In this ink jet recording apparatus, it is possible to replace only a specific ink cartridge according to the frequency of use of the ink. Therefore, the ink can be used up for each color without waste, and it has a feature that it is economical. .

  In an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a plurality of ink cartridges of this type, it is necessary to mount each ink cartridge appropriately at a predetermined position of the ink cartridge mounting portion. In addition, in an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a plurality of ink cartridges filled with different color inks, the ink cartridges for each color are placed in a predetermined predetermined mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion for each color. It is necessary to attach to each.

For this reason, conventionally, for example, a positioning unit that partitions the storage space of each ink cartridge is provided in the ink cartridge mounting unit, and the ink cartridge is positioned and mounted. Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an uneven portion is provided on the inner wall of the ink cartridge mounting portion, and an uneven portion corresponding to the outer wall of the ink cartridge is provided to engage the uneven shapes of the two. The ink cartridge was positioned and mounted. On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses an ink jet printer provided with means for connecting with a head unit (ink cartridge) arranged adjacent to each other.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-185355 JP 61-41553 A

  However, if the positioning portion for partitioning the storage space of each ink cartridge is provided in the ink cartridge mounting portion as in the conventional case, the configuration of the ink cartridge mounting portion is complicated. Further, since it is necessary to secure a space for providing the positioning portion in the ink cartridge mounting portion, the ink storage volume efficiency is reduced. Therefore, there has been a problem that it is inconvenient in reducing the size and efficiency of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  In addition, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, when uneven portions are provided on the inner wall of the ink cartridge mounting portion and the outer wall of the ink cartridge, the gap between the uneven shape of the ink cartridge mounting portion and the uneven shape of the ink cartridge is between. Therefore, there is a problem that the production efficiency is poor because a high degree of dimensional accuracy must be ensured. In particular, the process of processing the concave and convex portions of the ink cartridge mounting portion with high accuracy is complicated and becomes a manufacturing limiting factor. In addition, since the configuration on the ink cartridge mounting portion side is complicated, it is inconvenient in reducing the size and efficiency of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  On the other hand, since the ink cartridges described in Patent Document 2 are formed in the same shape, when the ink cartridges are mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion, the ink cartridges other than a predetermined mounting position predetermined for each ink cartridge are used. There was a risk of incorrect installation at the location.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to connect a plurality of circuit boards of adjacent ink cartridges to the electrical contacts of the ink cartridge mounting portion, and to connect the electrical contacts of the ink cartridge mounting portion. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of simplifying the configuration on the ink cartridge mounting portion side .

In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is an ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges are detachably mounted in parallel to the ink cartridge mounting portion, and the ink cartridge mounting portion is attached to the ink cartridge mounting portion. Are provided with a plurality of connection mechanisms each having a contact forming portion for forming an electrical contact, and the ink cartridge is electrically connected to the electrical contact provided in the ink cartridge mounting portion on a side surface not in contact with another adjacent ink cartridge. And a circuit board connected to the other one of the ink cartridges together with a circuit board connected to one of the plurality of connection mechanisms in the ink cartridge mounting portion. The other adjacent one of the ink cartridges in the arrangement direction of the ink cartridges so as to be connected to the forming unit And it is provided with polarization and.

  With this configuration, a plurality of circuit boards of adjacent ink cartridges can be connected to the electrical contacts of the ink cartridge mounting portion, and the electrical contacts of the ink cartridge mounting portion can be concentrated. Therefore, the configuration on the ink cartridge mounting portion side can be simplified.

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since it is possible to connect a plurality of circuit boards of adjacent ink cartridges to the electrical contacts of the ink cartridge mounting portion, the ink cartridge mounting portion side Ru can be to simplify the configuration.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the overall configuration will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus 21 according to this embodiment. The ink jet recording apparatus 21 includes a paper feed mechanism that transports the printing paper 22 and a carriage mechanism that reciprocates a carriage 30 as an ink cartridge mounting unit. The carriage 30 includes a printing mechanism that performs printing by ejecting ink onto the printing paper 22.

  The paper feed mechanism includes a paper feed motor 23 as a drive source, a paper feed roller 24 that also serves as a platen roller, and other rollers (not shown). The paper feed mechanism is configured such that the paper feed roller 24 and other rollers (not shown) are rotated by the drive of the paper feed motor 23 to carry the print paper 22.

  The carriage mechanism includes a guide member 35 installed in parallel with the axis of the paper feed roller 24, a carriage motor 36 as a drive source, a pair of pulleys 38, a timing belt 37 stretched between the pair of pulleys 38, and the like. It is configured. One of the pulleys 38 is connected to the carriage motor 36. The carriage 30 is connected to a timing belt 37. The carriage mechanism is configured such that the carriage 30 is reciprocally slid on the guide member 35 via the timing belt 37 by driving the carriage motor 36. Accordingly, the carriage 30 reciprocates in the axial direction of the guide member 35, that is, the paper width direction of the printing paper 22 (direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the printing paper 22).

  FIG. 2 shows a control mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus 21 of the present embodiment. This control mechanism includes a control unit 28 including a known CPU, a ROM 28a for storing various programs, a RAM 28b for storing working data, and the like. The control unit 28 is configured to perform various controls such as operation control in the paper feeding mechanism and carriage mechanism described above and printing control in the printing mechanism. In the ink jet recording apparatus 21, color printing on the printing paper 22 is performed by the cooperation of these mechanisms.

Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the carriage 30 includes a carriage body 31 and an ink cartridge holder 41. The ink cartridge holder 41 is mounted on the carriage body 31 by a method such as screwing (not shown).

  The carriage body 31 has a wall portion 31a and a bottom portion 31b. On the outer surface of the wall portion 31a, there are provided a sliding portion 32 through which the guide member 35 (not shown) is slidably inserted, and a connecting portion 33 connected to the timing belt 37.

  The ink cartridge holder 41 has a wall portion 41a and a bottom portion 41b. Ribs 42 having an L-shaped cross section extending in the vertical direction are provided at the four corners of the bottom 41b having a square plate shape. The wall portion 41 a connects two of the ribs 42. A plurality of ink cartridges 61 are mounted in parallel between the wall 41a and the ribs 42.

  The wall portion 41a of the ink cartridge holder 41 is provided with a plurality of windows 45 (four in the present embodiment) opened at the top, and grooves 45a are formed at the edges of the windows 45, respectively. ing. In each window 45, a connection mechanism 47 is inserted and fixed according to the groove 45a.

  The connection mechanism 47 includes a contact formation portion 47a that forms a plurality of electrical contacts on the front surface side and the back surface side. This contact formation part 47a functions as an electrical contact of the ink cartridge mounting part. The contact forming portion 47 a is configured to protrude on the front surface side and the back surface side of the wall portion 41 a of the ink cartridge holder 41. The connection mechanism 47 includes a ridge that engages with the groove 45 a of the window 45.

  A recording head 51 as a printing mechanism is mounted on the bottom 41 b on the wall 41 a side of the ink cartridge holder 41. The recording head 51 includes a base 53 having a substantially L-shaped cross section, a head portion 52 that ejects supplied ink as ink droplets, an IC substrate 54 that controls the operation of the head portion 52, and the like. Yes.

  The base 53 includes a wall portion 53 a that faces the wall portion 41 a of the ink cartridge holder 41, and a bottom portion 53 b that is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom portion 41 b of the ink cartridge holder 41. A plurality of windows 55 into which the connection mechanism 47 can be inserted are arranged in parallel on the wall portion 53 a at positions facing the windows 45 of the ink cartridge holder 41. The connection mechanism 47 is fitted not only to the window 45 of the ink cartridge holder 41 but also to these windows 55.

  The head portion 52 is provided on the bottom portion 53 b of the base 53. The head portion 52 includes an ink jet print head 52a (see FIG. 8) that discharges ink as ink droplets, an ink supply needle 56 that guides ink from the ink cartridge 61 mounted on the ink cartridge holder 41 to the print head 52a, and the like. Consists of The ink supply needle 56 is formed to protrude in the vertical direction from the bottom 53 b of the base 53 through the bottom 41 b of the ink cartridge holder 41. A plurality (seven in this embodiment) of ink supply needles 56 are provided in parallel corresponding to the ink cartridge 61 to be mounted.

  The IC substrate 54 is mounted on the wall 53 a of the base 53. The IC substrate 54 is connected to a contact formation portion 47 a on the surface side of the connection mechanism 47. Further, the flexible flat cable 27 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to an end portion of the IC substrate 54, and is connected to the control unit 28 via the flexible flat cable 27 (not shown).

  A plurality of (seven in this embodiment) ink cartridges 61 are mounted in parallel on the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30 so as to be detachable. In the present embodiment, each ink cartridge 61 has substantially the same configuration. Hereinafter, the configuration of the ink cartridge 61 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink cartridge 61 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The ink cartridge 61 is mounted on the ink cartridge holder 41 so as to be in close contact with the adjacent ink cartridge 61. The ink cartridge 61 is provided with a concavo-convex portion 62 as a positioning portion that engages with another adjacent ink cartridge 61 on the side surface thereof.

  That is, the two ink cartridges 61 arranged at both ends are provided with a concavo-convex portion 62 extending on one side surface thereof in the vertical vertical direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3) that is the insertion direction into the ink cartridge holder 41. It has been. More specifically, one of the two ink cartridges 61 disposed at both ends includes a convex portion 62 a that functions as the concave and convex portion 62, and the other includes a concave portion 62 b that functions as the concave and convex portion 62. Yes.

  The remaining five ink cartridges 61 are provided with a convex portion 62a and a concave portion 62b as positioning portions that extend in the vertical vertical direction (the Y-axis direction in FIG. 3) that is the insertion direction into the ink cartridge holder 41. . More specifically, each of the remaining five ink cartridges 61 includes a convex portion 62a that functions as the concave and convex portion 62 on one side surface, and the convex portion 62a and the other side surface on the opposite side. A substantially identical recess 62b is provided.

  These concavo-convex portions 62 (convex portions 62a, concave portions 62b) are formed in shapes corresponding to the concavo-convex portions 62 (concave portions 62b, convex portions 62a) of other adjacent ink cartridges 61, and have a structure that fits to each other. . Therefore, when the ink cartridge 61 is mounted on the ink cartridge holder 41, the adjacent ink cartridges 61 are connected to each other by the engagement between the convex portion 62a and the concave portion 62b.

  On the other hand, a lower portion of the front surface 61a of the ink cartridge 61 is formed in a concave shape, and a plurality of ribs 60 parallel to each other are arranged in parallel in the concave portion. A circuit board 63 is mounted on the rib 60 so as to be biased to either the left or right as shown in the drawing with respect to the direction in which the ink cartridges are arranged (X-axis direction in FIG. 3).

  The circuit board 63 has a plurality of electrical contacts 63 a electrically connected to the contact forming portion 47 a on the back surface side of the connection mechanism 47 on the front surface side. These electrical contacts 63 a are provided in parallel at the approximate center on the surface side of the circuit board 63. In the present embodiment, as described above, the circuit board 63 is provided so as to be biased to one side with respect to the direction in which the ink cartridges are arranged. It will be biased.

  A non-volatile memory (EEPROM) connected to the electrical contact 63a is mounted on the back side of the circuit board 63 (not shown). This nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) is a storage element that can rewrite stored contents and retains the contents even when power supply is lost. In the present embodiment, the nonvolatile memory stores data such as the amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge 61, the date of manufacture, and the manufacturing number, and is used for managing the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 61. The The entire circuit board 63 except the electrical contacts 63a is molded with an ink-resistant material and is not exposed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ink cartridge 61 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped synthetic resin container main body 64 opened on the upper surface, a porous body 65 accommodated in the container main body 64, and an upper surface opening of the container main body 64. The lid member 66 is closed. The lid member 66 is liquid-tightly joined to the upper surface opening of the container body 64 by vibration welding or the like.

  A convex portion 70 is provided on the bottom surface of the container main body 64 so as to be biased toward the front surface 61a. An ink supply port 69 that supplies ink to the ink jet recording apparatus 21 is provided through the convex portion 70. A valve mechanism 72 is provided in the ink supply port 69 and a seal rubber (not shown) is fitted therein, thereby preventing liquid leakage when the ink cartridge 61 is mounted on the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30. It is configured.

  The porous body 65 is made of an elastic material having a large number of open bubbles (pores). The porous body 65 absorbs and holds the ink filled in the container main body 64 by capillary action. The ink filled in the container body 64 is obtained by dissolving or dispersing a dye or pigment in a solvent. In the present embodiment, black (BK), cyan (C), light cyan (LC), magenta (M), light magenta (LM), yellow (Y), and light yellow (LY) are used in seven colors, respectively. Different ink cartridges 61 are filled.

8 and 9 show the mounted state of the ink cartridge 61 of the present embodiment.
The ink cartridge 61 is mounted in a state in which the concavo-convex portion 62 is engaged with the concavo-convex portion 62 of another adjacent ink cartridge 61 and the concavo-convex portions 62 are engaged with each other.

  Here, the ink cartridge 61 has a concavo-convex portion 62 as a positioning portion formed on a side surface thereof, and the concavo-convex portion 62 is formed to fit with the concavo-convex portion 62 of another adjacent ink cartridge 61. Therefore, the ink cartridge 61 is connected by another adjacent ink cartridge 61 due to the uneven relationship. Accordingly, each ink cartridge 61 is positioned by another adjacent ink cartridge 61. That is, the concave and convex portion 62 has a positioning action that regulates the mounting position of the ink cartridge 61 and determines the mounting position.

  The positioning of the ink cartridge 61 acts on the following three directions because of the configuration of the concavo-convex portion 62. The first is positioning with respect to the arrangement direction of the ink cartridges 61 (X-axis direction in FIG. 3). Secondly, the front-rear direction of the ink cartridges 61, that is, the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink cartridges 61 and the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 61 into the ink cartridge holder 41 (Z-axis direction in FIG. 3) ). The third is the positioning of the ink supply port 69 to the ink supply needle 56. As a result, the ink cartridge 61 can be easily and accurately mounted on the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30. 3 is an insertion direction of the ink cartridge 61 with respect to the ink cartridge holder 41.

  On the other hand, when the ink cartridge holder 41 is mounted, the ink supply needle 56 of the recording head 51 is inserted into the ink supply port 69 of the ink cartridge 61, and the valve mechanism 72 of the ink cartridge 61 is opened by the ink supply needle 56. The As a result, the ink absorbed and retained by the porous body 65 of each ink cartridge 61 follows the ink supply path unique to each color, that is, the ink supply port 69, the ink supply needle 56, and the like to the print head 52a of the head unit 52. Will be supplied.

  Further, in the mounted state of the ink cartridge 61, the electrical contact 63a of the circuit board 63 of the ink cartridge 61 is engaged with and brought into contact with the contact forming portion 47a of the connection mechanism 47 of the ink cartridge holder 41 described above. Thereby, the circuit board 63 of the ink cartridge 61 is electrically connected to the control unit 28 of the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus 21 via the connection mechanism 47, the IC board 54, the flexible flat cable 27, and the like. Therefore, the control unit 28 of the ink jet recording apparatus 21 can control the carriage 30, the recording head 51, and the like.

  Here, in this ink cartridge 61, the circuit board 63 is mounted so as to be biased to either the left or right with respect to the direction in which the ink cartridges are arranged (X-axis direction in FIG. 3). 63a is provided so as to be biased to one side with respect to the arrangement direction of the ink cartridges. Therefore, the electrical contact 63a of the circuit board 63 of the adjacent ink cartridge 61 is connected to the contact formation portion 47a of the connection mechanism 47 at one location. That is, a plurality of circuit boards 63 are connected to one connection mechanism 47.

  The control unit 28 of the ink jet recording apparatus 21 performs various controls such as the above-described operation control of the paper feed mechanism and the carriage mechanism and the printing control in the printing mechanism, so that the ink of each color is received from the recording head 51. The ink droplets are ejected onto the printing paper 22 to realize color printing.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, there are the following effects.
An uneven portion 62 is provided on the side surface of the ink cartridge 61 as a positioning portion that engages with another adjacent ink cartridge 61, and is formed to fit with the uneven portion 62 of the other adjacent ink cartridge 61. did.

  Therefore, the ink cartridge 61 is mounted on the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30 in a state where the ink cartridge 61 is positioned by being engaged with another adjacent ink cartridge 61. Therefore, the ink cartridge 61 can be easily and appropriately attached to and removed from the predetermined mounting location of the ink cartridge holder 41.

  Further, the ink cartridge 61 has a front-rear direction, more specifically, a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink cartridges 61 and a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 61 into the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30 (see FIG. 3 in the Z-axis direction). Therefore, the circuit board 63 and the contact formation part 47a of the connection mechanism 47 can be properly brought into contact with each other, and the conduction can be ensured, and the transmission / reception of data between the circuit board 63 and the control part 28 is ensured. Thus, the ink jet recording apparatus 21 can be accurately operated.

  Further, the ink supply port 69 of the ink cartridge 61 is positioned to the ink supply needle 56 of the ink cartridge holder 41. Accordingly, the ink supply port 69 of the ink cartridge 61 can be aligned with the ink supply needle 56 and can be appropriately inserted. Therefore, the ink cartridge can be easily replaced. Further, when the ink cartridge 61 is replaced, the ink cartridge 61 or the ink supply needle 56 can be prevented from being damaged.

  In addition, since both of the adjacent ink cartridges 61 are positioned with respect to each other, as a result, the ink cartridge 61 group is positioned as a whole. Therefore, the entire ink cartridge 61 group is accurately positioned with respect to the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30.

  Since the concave and convex portion 62 including the convex portion 62a and the concave portion 62b is provided on one side surface and the other side surface of the ink cartridge 61 and the ink cartridge 61 is positioned by the concave and convex relationship, the configuration is simple. .

  The uneven portion 62 of the ink cartridge 61 is formed so as to extend in the vertical vertical direction that is the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 61 into the ink cartridge holder 41, so that the ink cartridge 61 slides in the extending direction of the uneven portion 62. By doing so, the ink cartridge 61 can be easily inserted or removed. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 61 is attached and detached, the uneven portion 62 does not get in the way, and the ink cartridge can be easily replaced.

  Since the positioning unit for the ink cartridge 61 is not required on the carriage 30 side, it is not necessary to provide a positioning unit on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus 21, that is, on the carriage 30 side, and the configuration of the carriage 30 is simplified. be able to. As a result, the ink cartridge 61 can be reduced in size and efficiency without lowering the ink storage volume efficiency, and the degree of freedom in the shape and manufacturing / assembly method thereof can be increased. Can be improved.

  The circuit board 63 is mounted so as to be biased to either the left or right of the ink cartridge arrangement direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 3), and the electrical contact 63a of the circuit board 63 is connected to the ink cartridge arrangement direction. It was biased to one side. Thereby, a plurality of circuit boards 63 can be connected to one connection mechanism 47, and the connection mechanisms 47 can be concentrated. Accordingly, the number of connection mechanisms 47 installed can be smaller than the number of ink cartridges 61, and the configuration on the ink cartridge holder 41 side can be simplified.

(Second embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the ink cartridge 61 in the present embodiment is different only in the shape of the uneven portion 62 on the side surface, and the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus overlap. Description is omitted.

  The uneven portion 62 of the ink cartridge 61 in the present embodiment is formed so that the width thereof is sequentially different for each adjacent ink cartridge 61. More specifically, the concavo-convex portion 62 of the ink cartridge 61 in the present embodiment is configured so as to gradually become smaller in width from the lower side to the upper side in FIG.

  In other words, in the ink cartridge 61 of the present embodiment, the widths of the convex portions 62a and the concave portions 62b between the two adjacent ink cartridges 61 are different from the widths of the convex portions 62a and the concave portions 62b of the other two adjacent ink cartridges 61. It is formed as follows. Accordingly, the uneven portion 62 of the ink cartridge 61 of the present embodiment is formed to have a different fitting structure for each pair of adjacent ink cartridges 61.

  Therefore, the mounting position of the ink cartridge 61 is determined by the shape of the concavo-convex portion 62 of another adjacent ink cartridge 61. That is, the uneven portion 62 positions the ink cartridge 61 in the arrangement direction of the ink cartridge 61 in the ink cartridge holder 41.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The uneven portion 62 on the side surface of the ink cartridge 61 has a different shape for each adjacent ink cartridge 61 and is formed to have a different fitting structure for each pair of adjacent ink cartridges 61.

  With this configuration, the mounting position of the ink cartridge 61 is determined by the shape of the uneven portion 62 of another adjacent ink cartridge 61, and the ink cartridges 61 are aligned in the order according to the shape of the uneven portion 62. It becomes. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion of the ink cartridge 61. Further, positioning of the ink cartridge 61 group as a whole is possible, and the positional relationship between the ink cartridge 61 and the ink cartridge holder 41 of the carriage 30 can be ensured.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the ink cartridge 61 in this embodiment is different only in the shape of the uneven portion 62 on the side surface, and the other configurations are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus overlap. Description is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the concavo-convex portion 62 of the ink cartridge 61 is configured to increase in width sequentially from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. That is, an uneven portion 62 having a large uneven structure is formed in the ink cartridge 61 (the upper ink cartridge 61 in FIG. 11) having a relatively large ink storage volume, and the ink cartridge 61 (the lower portion in FIG. 11) has a relatively small ink storage volume. The ink cartridge 61) on the side has a small uneven structure 62 formed thereon.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
An uneven portion 62 having a large uneven structure is formed in the ink cartridge 61 having a relatively large ink storage volume, and an uneven portion 62 having a small uneven structure is formed in the ink cartridge 61 having a relatively small ink storage volume. With this configuration, the width of the ink cartridge 61 can be ensured to be substantially constant even at the location where the uneven portion 62 is formed. That is, in the ink cartridge 61 of the second embodiment, the thickness of the ink cartridge 61 is partially reduced at the portion where the uneven portion 62 is formed. However, in the ink cartridge 61 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the ink cartridge 61 is substantially constant. Therefore, a local high compression part does not occur in the porous body 65, and the ink movement in the ink cartridge 61 becomes good. Therefore, the ink filled in each ink cartridge 61 can be used up efficiently, and the economy is improved.

(Fourth embodiment)
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, the ink cartridge 61 in the present embodiment includes an ink cartridge main body 67 and a unit body 68, and the uneven portion 62 is formed in the unit body 68. Each of the ink cartridge main body 67 and the unit body 68 is hollow, and one ink storage chamber is formed by combining them. The unit body 68 is liquid-tightly joined to the end of the ink cartridge main body 67. About another structure, since it is the structure similar to the said 3rd embodiment, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the third embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The ink cartridge 61 is composed of an ink cartridge main body 67 and a unit body 68, and the uneven portion 62 is provided in the unit body 68. With this configuration, the ink cartridge main body 67 can be used in common, thereby improving the economy.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described above, and can be embodied by arbitrarily changing the configuration of each part without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
-Change the shape, position, number of installation, etc. of the uneven part 62. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a conical or cylindrical concavo-convex portion 62 is provided on only a part of the side surface of the ink cartridge 61, or a plurality of concavo-convex portions 62 are provided on one side surface of the ink cartridge 61, For example, positioning of the ink cartridge 61 is performed.

  The ink cartridge holder 41 is not mounted on the carriage 30 and is provided separately on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus 21. This is because the same effect is exhibited even in both the on-carriage and off-carriage modes.

  -A single connection mechanism 47 in which a plurality of connection mechanisms 47 are integrated. With this configuration, for example, the plurality of windows 45 of the ink cartridge holder 41 and the plurality of windows 55 of the base 53 of the recording head 51 can be unified, and the configuration of the carriage 30 can be simplified. Can be.

The technical idea grasped from each of the above embodiments will be described below.
(A) A plurality of ink cartridges that are detachably mounted in parallel to an ink cartridge mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus, and a positioning portion that engages with another adjacent ink cartridge is provided on a side surface thereof. An ink cartridge characterized by that.

(B) The ink cartridge according to (A), wherein the positioning portion is formed in a different shape for each adjacent ink cartridge.
(C) The ink cartridge according to (B) or (C), wherein the positioning portion is formed to have a different fitting structure for each pair of adjacent ink cartridges.

  (D) A plurality of ink cartridges that are detachably mounted in parallel on the ink cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus and are engaged with other adjacent ink cartridges in an uneven relationship, thereby arranging the ink cartridges. An ink cartridge configured to be positioned with respect to a direction.

  (E) A plurality of ink cartridges that are detachably mounted in parallel on the ink cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus and are engaged with other adjacent ink cartridges in a concavo-convex relationship, thereby arranging the ink cartridges An ink cartridge configured to be positioned with respect to a direction perpendicular to a direction and perpendicular to a direction in which the ink cartridge is inserted into a carriage.

  (F) an ink cartridge that is detachably mounted in parallel to an ink cartridge mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink cartridge mounting portion includes an ink supply needle, and the ink cartridge supplies ink to the outside. An ink supply port is provided, and the ink supply port is positioned with respect to the ink supply needle by being engaged with another adjacent ink cartridge in an uneven relationship. ink cartridge.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a carriage on which the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the invention is mounted. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a carriage according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of ink cartridges according to the first embodiment of the invention are combined. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the ink cartridge and the carriage according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the ink cartridge and the ink cartridge holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The top view which shows the ink cartridge and ink cartridge holder of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The top view which shows the ink cartridge and ink cartridge holder of 3rd embodiment of this invention. The top view which shows the ink cartridge and ink cartridge holder of 4th embodiment of this invention. The top view which shows the ink cartridge and ink cartridge holder of the modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Inkjet recording apparatus 30 Carriage as an ink cartridge mounting part 47a Contact formation part as an electrical contact of an ink cartridge mounting part 61 Ink cartridge 62 Uneven part as a positioning part 62a Convex part as a positioning part 62b Concave part as a positioning part 63 Circuit board 63a Electrical contact of circuit board 67 Ink cartridge body 68 Unit body 69 Ink supply port

Claims (1)

An ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges are detachably mounted on an ink cartridge mounting portion in parallel.
The ink cartridge mounting portion is provided with a plurality of connection mechanisms including contact forming portions for forming electrical contacts,
The ink cartridge has a circuit board electrically connected to an electrical contact provided in the ink cartridge mounting portion on a side surface not in contact with another adjacent ink cartridge,
The arrangement of the ink cartridges is such that the circuit board is connected to one contact forming part of the plurality of connection mechanisms in the ink cartridge mounting part together with the circuit board provided in the other adjacent ink cartridge. inkjet Tsu DOO type recording apparatus characterized by being provided so as to be biased to the other one ink cartridge to the direction of said adjacent.

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