JP4581460B2 - Liquid container holder, liquid ejecting apparatus including the holder, and liquid container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container holder to which a liquid container is detachably mounted, a liquid ejecting apparatus including the holder, and a liquid container in which liquid is stored.

  A typical example of a conventional liquid ejecting apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink jet recording head for image recording. As other liquid ejecting apparatuses, for example, an apparatus having a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display, a surface emitting display (FED), etc. ) An apparatus equipped with an ejection head, an apparatus equipped with a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, an apparatus equipped with a sample ejection head as a precision pipette, and the like.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is a typical example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, is used for many printing including color printing in recent years because noise during printing is relatively low and small dots can be formed with high density. .

  As a liquid supply system for a liquid ejecting apparatus typified by an ink jet recording apparatus, there is a system for supplying liquid from a liquid container storing liquid to the liquid ejecting apparatus. Further, the liquid supply method using the liquid container is configured to be detachable from the liquid ejecting apparatus so that the user can easily replace the liquid container when the liquid in the liquid container is consumed. Generally, a liquid container is configured as a cartridge.

  In general, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage mounted with a recording head for ejecting ink droplets and reciprocating along a recording surface of a recording medium. As a method of supplying ink from an ink cartridge to the recording head, There is a system in which an ink cartridge is mounted and ink is supplied to the recording head from an ink cartridge that reciprocates with the recording head. As another method, there is a method in which an ink cartridge is mounted on the case of the apparatus main body and the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head via an ink flow path formed by a flexible tube or the like.

  In any of the above ink supply systems, it is required that the ink cartridge can be easily and securely mounted and fixed at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body. Further, when replacing the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge can be easily and easily removed from the apparatus main body. There is a demand for reliable removal.

  Therefore, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus and ink cartridge, as a mechanism for securely fixing the ink cartridge at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body, for example, after inserting the ink cartridge into the cartridge holder or the like of the apparatus main body, A mechanism has been employed in which a stop lever or the like is operated and the ink cartridge is pressed and fixed by a lock lever or the like.

  However, in such a cartridge fixing mechanism, the step of inserting the ink cartridge into the cartridge holder or the like and the step of fixing after the insertion for operating the locking lever or the like are separate and independent steps, and the ink cartridge is attached to the apparatus main body. The operation was complicated. Further, in this conventional cartridge fixing mechanism, a two-step operation is required when taking out the ink cartridge.

  In addition, a mechanism in which the fixing of the ink cartridge at the time of mounting is achieved at the same time as the insertion step is conceivable, but even in this case, a step of releasing the fixing is necessary when taking out the ink cartridge. The operation is completely different from the subsequent operation of pulling out the ink cartridge. For this reason, the operation of pulling out the ink cartridge becomes complicated.

Therefore, in order to cope with the above-described problem, a slider member (translation movable member) is provided in the cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus, and when the ink cartridge is mounted, the ink cartridge is connected to the slider member and fixed on the apparatus side. A structure has been proposed in which the structure and the cartridge side fixing structure cooperate to restrict the movement of the ink cartridge in the take-out direction so that the ink cartridge can be released (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-290713).
WO99 / 59823

  However, in the ink jet recording apparatus proposed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-290713, since the slider member is urged so as to push out the ink cartridge in the take-out direction, the fixing by the apparatus-side fixing structure is released. When this occurs, the entire ink cartridge may jump out of the cartridge mounting portion and drop onto the floor or the like, causing damage to the ink cartridge, or the ink from the dropped ink cartridge may scatter and stain the surroundings.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is a liquid in which the entire liquid container does not jump out of the container mounting portion when the liquid container is urged in the extraction direction during the extraction operation. It is an object to provide a container holder, a liquid ejecting apparatus including the holder, and a liquid container.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention restricts the movement of the liquid container in the mounted state in the take-out direction so as to be releasable in a liquid container holder in which a liquid container storing liquid is detachably mounted. An apparatus-side fixing structure for fixing the liquid container, and an urging means for applying an urging force in the take-out direction to the liquid container when the fixed state by the apparatus-side fixing structure is released. , when taken out operation of said liquid container, at a position where the biasing force of the biasing means is released, and a regulating means for regulating the operation of the take-out direction of the liquid container, wherein the regulating means includes extraction operation A contact member that is elastically contacted with the liquid container, and the contact member is not pressed against the liquid container when the liquid container is in a mounted state. The contact member has a hook portion that is locked to an edge portion of the locking concave portion of the liquid container during the take-out operation, and the hook portion is made of resin of the liquid container holder. The hook part is provided with a first inclined part on which the liquid container slides during the insertion operation of the liquid container, and the liquid An edge portion of the locking concave portion of the liquid container that slides on the container when the container is taken out, and a second inclined portion inclined in a direction opposite to the first inclined portion. Features.

  Preferably, the second inclined portion is steeper than the first inclined portion.

  In addition, preferably, it further has a holder-side contact connected to an electrode of a storage element provided in the liquid container, and the restricting means is configured to remove the electrode of the storage element and the holder side at the time of taking out the liquid container. When the contact is separated, a frictional force is generated between the two to provide resistance to the operation in the take-out direction of the liquid container.

  Preferably, the urging means is connected to the liquid container inserted into the liquid container holder and interlocked with a straight movement operation of the liquid container when the liquid supply needle is inserted through the liquid supply port. A translation movable member that translates in a direction parallel to the rectilinear movement, and the holder-side contact is provided on the translation movable member.

  Preferably, the holder has a holder-side contact connected to the electrode of the storage element provided in the liquid container, and the restricting means includes the electrode of the storage element and the holder in the operation of taking out the liquid container. The movement of the liquid container in the take-out direction is temporarily stopped at a position immediately before the side contact is disconnected.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes any one of the above-described liquid container holders, and a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid supplied from a liquid container attached to the liquid container holder. It is characterized by that.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a liquid container that stores liquid therein and is detachably attached to any one of the liquid container holders, wherein the liquid is in a state of being attached to the liquid container holder. Container-side fixing having a guide groove with which a locking pin of an apparatus-side fixing structure provided in the liquid container holder is engaged to restrict the movement in the take-out direction of the container and fix the liquid container. When the structure and the fixed state of the liquid container by the apparatus side fixing structure are released, and a biasing force in the take-out direction is applied to the liquid container by the biasing means provided in the liquid container holder A locking recess having an edge to which a contact member of a regulating means provided in the liquid container holder is locked in order to regulate the operation of the liquid container in the take-out direction. When That.

  Preferably, the locking recess is a groove extending in the insertion / extraction direction of the liquid container.

  Preferably, the liquid container includes a pressure contact avoiding recess for receiving the contact member so that the contact member is not pressed against the liquid container in a mounted state of the liquid container.

  Preferably, the locking recess and the press contact avoiding recess are formed as a series of grooves extending in the insertion / extraction direction of the liquid container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the entire liquid container from jumping out of the container mounting portion when the liquid container is urged in the take-out direction during the take-out operation.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid container holder according to the present invention, an ink jet recording apparatus including a cartridge mounting portion will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion (liquid container holder) 101 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. In this example, six cartridge mounting portions 101 are provided in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and each cartridge mounting portion 101 is open on the front surface of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. Further, the six cartridge mounting portions 101 are juxtaposed in the same horizontal plane, and the six ink cartridges 1 are juxtaposed side by side.

  The ink supplied from the ink cartridge 1 is ejected in the form of droplets from an inkjet recording head (liquid ejection head) (not shown) toward an object to be processed such as recording paper.

  2 to 4 are views showing the external shape of the ink cartridge 1. The ink cartridge 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container body 2, and the front surface of the container body 2 is supplied to the ink jet recording apparatus 100. An ink supply port 3 for sending out the ink to be used is formed.

  In addition, a pressurized fluid introduction port 4 is formed on the front surface of the container body 2 to introduce pressurized fluid for pressurizing the ink inside the container body 2 and sending it out from the ink supply port 3 into the container body 2. Has been.

  Further, a pair of positioning holes 5 a and 5 b into which a pair of positioning protrusions provided in the cartridge mounting portion 101 are inserted are formed on the front surface of the container body 2. Around the pair of positioning holes 5a and 5b, cartridge-side positioning surfaces 24a and 24b that are in contact with the apparatus-side positioning surface of the cartridge mounting portion 101 and perform positioning in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 1 are formed. The pair of positioning holes 5a, 5b and the pair of cartridge side positioning surfaces 24a, 24b constitute a cartridge side positioning structure (container side positioning structure).

  Further, an erroneous mounting prevention structure 6 is provided at one corner of the container body 2 including the front surface, that is, at the corner opposite to the cartridge side fixing structure 7 with respect to the ink supply port 3. This incorrect mounting prevention structure 6 is configured so that when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the ink cartridge 1 of a predetermined ink type is correctly mounted at a predetermined position. A shape other than the ink cartridge is provided so that it cannot be mounted.

  Further, on the back surface (bottom surface) of the container main body 2, a cartridge side fixing structure (container side) is provided at a corner adjacent to the front surface of the container main body 2 and opposite to the corner where the erroneous mounting prevention structure 6 is provided. (Fixing structure) 7 is provided. The cartridge-side fixing structure 7 is configured to restrict the movement of the ink cartridge 1 in the take-out direction in a state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the liquid container holder 101.

  In this example, the cartridge side fixing structure 7 is provided on the back surface of the container main body 2, but the formation position of the cartridge side fixing structure 7 is not limited to the back surface of the container main body 2, and is disposed on the upper surface of the container main body 2, for example. You can also

  Further, on one side surface of the container main body 2 on the side close to the cartridge side fixing structure 7, a circuit board 8 b mounted with an IC (semiconductor storage element) for storing information such as ink type and remaining amount is provided. The surface of the circuit board 8b is electrically connected to the IC, and is provided with an electrode (cartridge side electrode) 8a that comes into contact with the apparatus side contact of the recording apparatus main body to constitute the storage device 8. The storage device 8, together with the cartridge side fixing structure 7, is disposed at a position near the ink supply port 3 in the entire container body 2. In this example, the memory element and the electrode 8a are formed on the circuit board 8b. However, the memory element and the electrode 8a can be formed on the FPC, and both can be arranged at different positions on the container body 2. .

  In the present embodiment, as can be seen from FIGS. 3A, 4B, and 4C, the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 1 is provided behind the recess 17 in which the guide groove 16 is formed. A linear groove 29 extending continuously in the front-rear direction (insertion / removal direction) of the ink cartridge 1 is formed.

  Of the entire linear groove 29, the portion adjacent to the boundary 30 between the linear groove 29 and the recess 17 is the restriction means 129 (FIG. 19) that restricts the operation of the ink cartridge 1 in the take-out direction. A locking recess 32 having an edge 3 1 to which the hook claw (contact member) 130 is locked is formed.

  In addition, a portion of the entire linear groove 29 that follows the locking recess 32 is a pressure contact that receives the hook claw 130 so that the hook claw 130 is not pressed against the ink cartridge 1 when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted. An avoidance recess 33 is formed. The locking recess 32 and the pressure avoidance recess 33 are configured as a series of linear grooves 29 extending in the insertion / extraction direction of the ink cartridge 1.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1, and the container main body 2 includes a case main body 2A having an upper surface opened and a lid member 2B for sealing the upper surface opening of the case main body 2A. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the lid member 2 </ b> B is removed from the ink cartridge 1.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, an ink bag 9 having a flexible ink storage portion (shown by a broken line for explanation) filled with ink is stored in the container body 2. The ink bag 9 is provided with a port portion 10 for sending the ink inside the bag 9 to the outside. A lid 12 is attached to the inner end portion of the port portion 10 with a check valve 11 disposed therein. On the other hand, a seal supply lid 15 is attached to an outer end portion of the port portion 10 with a spring seat 14 biased by a spring 13 disposed therein.

  A film 25 is fixed by thermal welding to a welding portion 26 formed so as to surround the outer periphery of the region of the case main body 2 </ b> A containing the ink bag 9. The sealed space is sealed without the pressurized fluid introduced from the pressurized fluid introduction port 4 (pressurized air in the present embodiment) leaking to the outside, and presses the ink containing portion of the ink bag 9 with the pressurized fluid. The ink can be supplied to the outside. Further, the lid member 2B is fixed to the case main body 2A by an engagement protrusion 27 formed on the lid member 2B so as to cover the film 25, and protects the film 25 and prevents unnecessary expansion of the film 25 during pressurization. I am doing.

  7 and 8 show a state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and a slider member (to which the front portion of the ink cartridge 1 is connected) is connected to the cartridge mounting portion 101. Translational movable member) 102 is provided. The slider member 102 is provided so as to be slidable in the insertion / extraction direction of the ink cartridge 1, and is urged by a resilient means in a direction (extraction direction Y) opposite to the insertion direction X of the ink cartridge 1. The slider member 102 urged by the urging means, together with the urging means, provides urging means for applying an urging force to the ink cartridge 1 in the take-out direction Y that opposes the insertion direction X at the time of mounting. It is composed. By this urging means, when the fixed state by the apparatus side fixing structure 107 is released, the urging force in the take-out direction is applied to the ink cartridge 1.

  9 and 10 show the cartridge mounting portion 101 in a state where the ink cartridge 1 is not mounted. A pair of positioning projections 103a and 103b are provided on the surface of the slider member 102 that faces the front surface of the ink cartridge, and each base portion of each positioning projection 103a and 103b is provided with a shoulder on the apparatus side positioning surface 104a. , 104b are provided. The pair of positioning projections 103 a and 103 b and the pair of apparatus-side positioning surfaces 104 a and 104 b constitute an apparatus-side positioning structure on the cartridge connection surface of the slider member 102.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is connected to the slider member 102, the pair of positioning protrusions 103a and 103b are inserted into the pair of positioning holes 5a and 5b on the front surface of the ink cartridge 1, so that the pair of cartridge-side positioning surfaces 24a and 24b and the pair of apparatus-side positioning surfaces 104a and 104b come into contact with each other.

  Of the pair of positioning holes 5a and 5b, the pair of positioning projections 103a and 103b, the pair of cartridge side positioning surfaces 24a and 24b, and the pair of apparatus side positioning surfaces 104a and 104b, one positioning hole 5a and one positioning projection The portion 103a, the one cartridge side positioning surface 24a, and the one apparatus side positioning surface 104a have a function of positioning the ink cartridge 1 more accurately with respect to the slider member 102. In particular, the positioning of the ink cartridge 1 in the insertion direction is accurately performed by the cartridge side positioning surface 24a and the apparatus side positioning surface 104a.

  As can be seen from FIG. 4B, the positioning hole 5a and the cartridge side positioning surface 24a used for accurate positioning are arranged in the vicinity of the storage device 8 including the electrode 8a. Thus, in the vicinity of the storage device 8, the positioning hole 5a, the cartridge side positioning surface 24a, and the cartridge side fixing structure 7 are arranged.

  Further, the positioning hole 5a and the cartridge side fixing structure 7 are arranged so that the positioning projection 103a inserted into the positioning hole 5a and the cartridge side fixing structure 7 overlap in the thickness direction of the container body 2.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101, the ink cartridge 1 is accurately positioned with respect to the slider member 102 by the positioning hole 5a, the positioning protrusion 103a, the cartridge side positioning surface 24a, and the apparatus side positioning surface 103a. The locking pin 112 of the apparatus side fixing structure 107 is inserted and held in the locking portion 18 of the guide groove 16 of the container body 2.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a pressurized fluid port 105 connected to the pressurized fluid inlet 4 of the ink cartridge 1 is provided on the surface of the slider member 102 facing the front surface of the ink cartridge. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, at one end portion of the front surface of the slider member 102, a device-side contact (holder-side contact) 113 connected to the electrode 8 a of the storage device 8 is disposed. A portion 114 is provided. The contact protrusion 114 is disposed on the one positioning protrusion 103a and the one apparatus-side positioning surface 104a side of the pair of positioning protrusions 103a and 103b and the pair of apparatus-side positioning surfaces 104a and 104b. The device-side contact 113 is disposed close to the one positioning protrusion 103a and the one device-side positioning surface 104a.

  An ink supply needle 106 that is inserted into the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1 is fixedly disposed in the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, one end of a flexible electric cable 118 is connected to the back side of the slider member 102. The other end of the electric cable 118 is connected to a recording apparatus main body including a control unit.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, when the ink cartridge 1 is not attached to the cartridge attachment portion 101, that is, when the slider member 102 is not pushed, the tip of the ink supply needle 106 is the ink absorbing material. 116 is located inside. Note that an ink circulation hole 106 a (see FIG. 12) for allowing ink to flow out from the inside of the ink supply needle 106 is formed at the tip of the ink supply needle 106.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101 and the slider member 102 is pushed in, the tip portion of the ink supply needle 106 becomes the front surface of the ink supply needle insertion hole 117. And is inserted into the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1.

  12 and 13 show a state where the slider member 102 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 101. FIG. An ink supply needle 106 is fixed inside the cartridge mounting portion 101. As described above, when the ink cartridge 1 is pushed together with the slider member 102, the ink supply needle 106 is inserted into the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1. Is inserted.

  Further, inside the cartridge mounting portion 101, in cooperation with the cartridge side fixing structure 7 of the ink cartridge 1, the apparatus side fixing structure for fixing the ink cartridge 1 by restricting the movement of the ink cartridge 1 in the take-out direction is releasable. 107 is provided.

  The apparatus-side fixing structure 107 includes a rotation lever member 108, and this rotation lever member 108 is supported by a support plate (support member) 119 so as to be rotatable about its base end. The spring member 109 is biased in one rotational direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 12). The support plate 119 constitutes a part of the structural member of the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the rotating lever member 108 includes an elongated lever main body 110, a substantially cylindrical pin mounting portion 111 provided at the tip of the lever main body 110, and the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111. And a substantially cylindrical locking pin 112 having a smaller diameter than that of the pin mounting portion 111.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the support plate 119 that rotatably supports the rotating lever member 108 has a fan-shaped recess 120 and a portion corresponding to the rotating range of the rotating lever member 108. And a fan-shaped hole 121 formed continuously. The fan-shaped hole 121 is located radially outward from the fan-shaped recess 120 with respect to the rotation axis 122 of the rotation lever member 108. Further, the fan-shaped hole 121 is formed in an angle range larger than that of the fan-shaped recess 120 with respect to the rotation axis 122 of the rotation lever member 108. Further, the fan-shaped hole 121 is aligned with the fan-shaped concave portion 120 and the edges on one side in the rotation direction.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the structural members constituting the plurality of cartridge mounting portions 101 are integrally formed to constitute a cartridge mounting portion assembly.

  FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C show the state where the ink cartridge 1 is fixed to the cartridge mounting portion 101, the state after the ink cartridge 1 is released from the cartridge mounting portion 101, and the ink cartridge 1, respectively. The state immediately before fixing to the cartridge mounting part 101 is shown. 18A, 18B, and 18C are views for explaining the position of the rotating lever member 108 corresponding to FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C, respectively. .

  As can be seen from FIG. 18A, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101 (fixed state), the rotating lever member 108 has the edge 123 on the inner side of the lever-shaped recess 120 in the lever rotating direction. It is in a position facing (FIG. 16). That is, in this fixed state, a part of the rotation lever member 108 in the width direction is located above the fan-shaped recess 121 and the other part is located on the support plate 119.

  In the fixed state of the ink cartridge 1, a part of the rotation lever member 108 positioned on the support plate 119 in the width direction is close to or in contact with the support plate 119. The portion of the support plate 119 that is close to or in contact with the rotation lever member 108 constitutes a displacement restricting portion 124 that restricts the displacement of the rotation lever member 119 in the rotation axis direction (vertical direction). Yes. The displacement restricting portion 124 is close to or abuts on the rotation lever member 108 on a portion closer to the rotation axis 122 than the lever tip portion 125 that is a portion where the locking pin 112 of the rotation lever member 108 is formed. Yes.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 1 is in the mounted state, a part of the above-described fan-shaped hole 121 is located on the support plate 119 corresponding to the lever tip portion 125 of the rotating lever member 108, and the fan-shaped portion of this portion is formed. The hole 121 constitutes an emergency retreat space 126 for enabling the lever tip 125 of the rotating lever member 108 to be displaced downward when the ink cartridge 1 is forcibly pulled out.

  Further, as can be seen from FIG. 18B, when the ink cartridge 1 in the mounted state is released and taken out, the rotating lever member 108 has a fan-shaped recess 120 and a fan-shaped portion of the entire fan-shaped hole 121. It is located above the portion 127 corresponding to the recess 120.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is taken out by the sector-shaped recess 120 and the portion 127 corresponding to the sector-shaped recess 120 in the entire sector-shaped hole 121, the bottom surface of the guide groove 16 whose depth gradually decreases becomes the locking pin 112. A lever retracting space 128 is formed in which a portion on the front end side of the rotating lever member 108 displaced by sliding is retracted. Since the lever retracting space 128 is formed by forming a recess and a hole in the support plate 119, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the cartridge mounting portion 101 in the vertical direction when the lever retracting space 128 is provided. As a result, an increase in the thickness in the vertical direction of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 can be prevented.

  FIGS. 19A and 19B show the restricting means 129 formed on the bottom surface of the container mounting portion 101. As shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and the like, the restricting means 129 is provided on the ink cartridge 1. In the take-out operation, the operation in the take-out direction of the ink cartridge 1 is restricted at a position where the urging force by the above-described urging means (the slider member 102 and its elastic means) is released.

  More specifically, the restricting means 129 has a hook claw 130 as an abutting member that is elastically abutted against the ink cartridge 1 being taken out. The hook claw 130 is provided at the free end 132 of the flexible piece member 131 formed integrally with the plate-like structural member by cutting the resin-like plate-like structural member of the cartridge mounting portion 101. . The free end portion 132 of the flexible member 131 is located on the front side in the insertion direction X of the ink cartridge 1.

  The hook claw 130 has a first inclined portion 133 on which the edge portion 28 of the concave portion 17 adjacent to the boundary portion 30 between the linear groove 29 and the concave portion 17 of the ink cartridge 1 slides when the ink cartridge 1 is inserted. And a second inclined portion 134 inclined in the direction opposite to the first inclined portion 133, on which the edge portion 31 of the locking concave portion 32 of the ink cartridge 1 slides when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out. Have. The second inclined portion 134 is steeper than the first inclined portion 133.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the cartridge side fixing structure 7 includes a guide groove 16 having a rectangular cross section into which the locking pin 112 is inserted. A recess 17 is formed in the corner of the back surface of the cartridge in the vicinity of the positioning hole 5a and the cartridge-side positioning surface 24a used for high-accuracy positioning, and a guide groove 16 is formed in the bottom surface of the recess 17. The bottom surface of the guide groove 16 is perpendicular to the side surface of the container body 2 on which the storage device 8 is disposed.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is attached to or detached from the cartridge mounting portion 101, the locking pin 112 of the rotating lever member 108 of the apparatus side fixing structure 107 is guided by the guide groove 16 of the cartridge side fixing structure 7.

  The guide groove 16 includes a locking portion 18 that restricts the movement of the ink cartridge 1 in the take-out direction when the locking pin 112 is engaged when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  Further, the guide groove 16 includes an inlet side guide portion 19 that guides the locking pin 112 when the ink cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 101, and the ink cartridge 1 inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 101 in the take-out direction. The intermediate guide portion 20 that guides the locking pin 112 to the locking portion 18 when being pushed back, and when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 101, the ink cartridge 1 is pushed in the insertion direction from the locking portion 18. And an exit side guide portion 21 for guiding the detached locking pin 112 to the exit of the guide groove 16.

  The main part (straight line part) of the inlet side guide part 19 of the guide groove 16 extends about 30 ° to about 50 ° with respect to the insertion / removal direction of the ink cartridge 1. Further, the end portion of the inlet side guide portion 19 is given a curved shape by the protruding wall portion 19d.

  In addition, an inlet inclined surface 22 is formed at the inlet 16 a of the guide groove 16. The inlet portion inclined surface 22 is inclined such that the groove depth gradually decreases along the moving direction of the locking pin 112 that moves relatively with the insertion operation of the ink cartridge 1 into the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  The width of the inlet inclined surface 22 is set to be larger than the groove width in the main portion of the guide groove 16 formed with substantially the same width including the locking portion 18. The width of the inlet inclined surface 22 is set to be larger than the diameter of the pin attachment portion 111 to which the locking pin 112 is attached. On the other hand, the groove width in the main portion of the guide groove 16 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the pin mounting portion 111.

  Further, the inlet-side guide portion 19 between the inlet inclined surface 22 and the locking portion 18 is moved in the moving direction of the locking pin 112 that moves relatively with the insertion operation of the ink cartridge 1 into the cartridge mounting portion 101. A deep groove forming inclined surface 19a that is inclined so that the guide groove 16 becomes deep along is formed. A flat portion 19 b is formed between the deep groove forming inclined surface 19 a and the inlet inclined surface 22. Further, a flat portion 19c is formed following the deep groove forming inclined surface 19a.

  The depth of the shallowest guide groove 16 formed by the inlet inclined surface 22, that is, the groove depth of the flat portion 19 b is smaller than the length of the locking pin 112. Further, the depth of the deepest guide groove 16 formed by the deep groove forming inclined surface 19 a, that is, the groove depth of the flat portion 19 c is larger than the length of the locking pin 112.

  Further, the intermediate guide portion 20 of the guide groove 16 has a locking pin 112 that moves in the direction of the locking portion 18 when the ink cartridge 1 is inserted sufficiently deep into the cartridge mounting portion 101. Including a temporary stop side wall portion 20a that temporarily stops in front of.

  Further, the locking portion 18 of the guide groove 16 is released from the temporary stop side wall 20a when the ink cartridge 1 inserted sufficiently deep into the cartridge mounting portion 101 is pushed back in the take-out direction, and becomes the locking portion 18. It includes a final stop side wall portion 18a that receives and stops the moving locking pin 112 at a predetermined locking position.

  Further, a curved side wall portion 21a is formed at the starting end portion of the outlet side guide portion 21, a linear inclined surface 21b is formed following the curved side wall portion 21a, and subsequently, a straight flat portion 21c. Is formed.

  Further, the outlet portion 16b of the guide groove 16 is connected to the inlet portion 16a, so that the guide groove 16 forms a loop as a whole. At the connecting portion between the inlet portion 16a and the outlet portion 16b, the depth of the groove of the outlet portion 16b is shallower than the depth of the groove of the inlet portion 16a, thereby forming a step 23 (FIG. 21B) at the connecting portion. Has been. The step 23 prevents the locking pin 112 from entering the flat portion 21 </ b> C when the ink cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23, the operation of the locking pin 112 in the guide groove 16 when the ink cartridge 1 is attached / detached will be described. Note that an arrow Z in FIG. 22 indicates a biasing direction of the rotating lever member 108 by the spring member 109. FIG. 23 shows a change in the position of the locking pin 112 in the rotational axis direction (vertical direction) during the attachment / detachment operation of the ink cartridge 1, and the locking indicated by reference signs A to J in FIG. The position of the pin 112 corresponds to the position of the locking pin 112 indicated by reference signs A to J in FIG.

  First, after the ink cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 101 and the ink cartridge 1 is connected to the slider member 102, the ink cartridge 1 is further pushed in the insertion direction X against the urging force of the slider member 102. The locking pin 112 of the rotating lever member 108 is inserted into the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16 (position A in FIGS. 22 and 23).

  Since the inlet portion inclined surface 22 is formed in the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16, the locking pin 112 is displaced in a direction opposite to the groove depth direction while sliding on the inlet portion inclined surface 22. . As a result, the turning lever member 108 or the member that supports the turning lever member 108 is elastically deformed, and a force that biases the locking pin 112 toward the bottom surface of the guide groove 16 is generated.

  It should be noted that when the tip of the locking pin 112 first contacts the inlet inclined surface 22, the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111 is in a position that is lower than the level of the edge of the guide groove 16. In the process of moving on the inclined surface 22 of the inlet portion, the groove depth changes so that the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111 exceeds the level of the edge of the guide groove 16.

  When the locking pin 112 passes over the inlet inclined surface 22 and rides on the flat portion 19b (position B in FIGS. 22 and 23), only the locking pin 112 is inserted into the guide groove 16. The pin mounting portion 111 is located outside the guide groove 16. This is because the depth of the guide groove 16 in the flat portion 19 b is set to be smaller than the length of the locking pin 112.

  By providing the inlet inclined surface 22 at the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16 in this way, when the locking pin 112 is inserted into the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16, the locking pin 112 is moved to the front surface of the ink cartridge 1. The locking pin 112 can be smoothly and reliably inserted into the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16.

  Further, since the inclined portion 22 of the inlet portion is formed and the groove depth of the flat portion 19b subsequent thereto is set smaller than the length of the locking pin 112, the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16 is formed as in this example. Even when the width is set to be large and the width of the subsequent groove is narrowed, the pin mounting portion 111 is not caught by the narrow width portion of the guide groove 16. Then, by setting the width of the inlet portion 16 a of the guide groove 16 to be large, the locking pin 112 can be reliably inserted into the guide groove 16.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is further pushed in the insertion direction X, the locking pin 112 passes through the flat portion 19b and is displaced in the groove depth direction while sliding on the deep groove forming inclined surface 19a (see FIGS. 22 and 22). 23 in position C).

  When the locking pin 112 reaches the position of the flat portion 19c after passing through the deep groove forming inclined surface 19a (position D in FIGS. 22 and 23), the peripheral edge portion of the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111 Engages and is pressed against the edge of the guide groove 16. This is because the elastic deformation generated in the rotating lever member 108 and the like when the locking pin 112 passes through the inlet inclined surface 22 still remains at this point. Thus, by engaging the peripheral edge portion of the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111 with the edge portion of the guide groove 16, the rotating lever member 108 comes into contact with the surface including the edge portion of the guide groove 16 (the bottom surface of the concave portion 17). Thus, the locking pin 112 can be prevented from being detached from the guide groove 16.

  Further, when the locking pin 112 reaches the position of the flat portion 19c (position D in FIGS. 22 and 23), the tip end portion of the locking pin 112 is in a state of floating from the bottom surface of the guide groove 16. This is because the groove depth in the flat portion 19 c is set to be larger than the length of the locking pin 112.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is further pushed in the insertion direction X, the locking pin 112 is positioned near the tip end (position E in FIGS. 22 and 23) of the protruding wall portion 19d located at the end portion of the inlet side guide portion 19. When it exceeds, the locking pin 112 moves in the direction of arrow Z by the biasing force of the spring member 109. Then, the locking pin 112 collides with the temporary stopping side wall portion 20a and stops (position F in FIGS. 22 and 23), and at this time, a clicking sound is generated. This click sound allows the user to confirm that the ink cartridge 1 has been inserted sufficiently deep.

  Next, when the user presses the ink cartridge 1 in the insertion direction X, the ink cartridge 1 is slightly pushed back in the take-out direction Y by the urging force of the slider member 102. As a result, the engagement of the locking pin 112 in the temporary stop side wall portion 20 a is released, and the locking pin 112 moves in the direction of arrow Z by the biasing force of the spring member 109. Then, the locking pin 112 collides with the final stop side wall portion 18a and stops at the locking position (position G in FIGS. 22 and 23). At this time, a clicking sound is generated. By this click sound, the user can confirm that the ink cartridge 1 is fixed to the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  Here, the depth of the groove in the locking portion 18 of the guide groove 16 is set to be larger than the length of the locking pin 112 in the same manner as the flat portion 19 c of the inlet side guide portion 19. Further, the locking pin 112 is urged toward the bottom surface of the guide groove 16 by elastic deformation of the rotating lever member 108 and the like generated when the locking pin 112 passes through the inlet inclined surface 22. .

  For this reason, the entire length of the locking pin 112 fixed at a predetermined locking position by the locking portion 18 enters the inside of the guide groove 16, and the peripheral edge portion of the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111 is the guide groove. It is in the state engaged with 16 edges. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the locking pin 112 (particularly its base) from being creeped by a force applied to the locking pin 112 due to the engagement with the side wall of the guide groove 16. That is, when the locking pin 112 is shallowly hooked with respect to the guide groove 16, the force applied to the base of the locking pin 112 is increased by the so-called lever principle. As described above, the locking pin 112 is hooked on the guide groove 16 over the entire length thereof, so that the locking pin 112 can be prevented from creeping.

  Further, since the locking pin 112 is hooked sufficiently deeply with respect to the guide groove 16, the locking pin 112 is not detached from the guide groove 16. This effect is not limited to the locking portion 18, and even when the locking pin 112 is relatively moving in the guide groove 16, the peripheral edge of the top surface of the pin mounting portion 111 is the edge of the guide groove 16. Demonstrated when sliding part.

  The locking pin 112 is urged toward the one side surface of the ink cartridge 1 by the spring member 109, and the electrode 8 a of the storage device 8 is provided on the one side surface. Therefore, the urging force of the spring member 109 presses the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 in the direction of the device side contact 113 (FIGS. 9 and 10) via the locking pin 112 and the final stop side wall portion 18a. Thus, the connection state between the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 and the device-side contact 113 can be favorably maintained.

  Next, when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 101, the ink cartridge 1 is slightly pushed in the insertion direction X by the user. Then, the engagement of the locking pin 112 in the final stop side wall 18 a is released, and the locking pin 112 moves in the direction of arrow Z by the biasing force of the spring member 109. The locking pin 112 collides with the curved side wall portion 21a of the outlet side guide portion 21 of the guide groove 16 and temporarily stops (position H in FIGS. 22 and 23). Arise. By this click sound, the user can confirm that the ink cartridge 1 is released from the cartridge mounting portion 101.

  Subsequently, when the press of the ink cartridge 1 in the insertion direction X by the user is released and the ink cartridge 1 moves in the take-out direction Y, the locking pin 112 moves along the linearly inclined surface 21 b of the outlet side guide portion 21. Move (position I in FIGS. 22 and 23). At this time, the tip of the locking pin 112 comes into contact with the inclined surface 21b from the middle of the inclined surface 21b, and the locking pin 112 is displaced in the direction opposite to the groove depth direction. The locking pin 112 that has passed through the inclined surface 21 b passes through the flat portion 21 c (position J in FIGS. 22 and 23) and passes through the outlet portion 16 b of the guide groove 16.

  Next, a process of connecting the ink cartridge 1 to the ink supply needle 106 and the like when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101 will be described.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 101, first, the positioning protrusions 103 a and 103 b of the slider member 102 are inserted into the positioning holes 5 a and 5 b of the ink cartridge 1. Further, the pressurized fluid port 105 of the slider member 102 is connected to the pressurized fluid introduction port 4 of the ink cartridge 1. Further, the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 and the device-side contact 113 are connected to conduct both.

  At the time when the electrode 8 a of the storage device 8 and the device-side contact 113 are connected, the ink supply needle 106 has not yet been inserted into the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1. Accordingly, when the wrong ink cartridge 1 is inserted by reading the data from the storage device 8 at this time and determining whether or not the correct ink cartridge 1 has been inserted, the ink supply needle 106 is in error. The ink cartridge 1 can be replaced with the correct ink cartridge 1 before being inserted into the ink supply port 3. This can reliably prevent wrong ink from flowing into the ink flow path of the apparatus main body. Moreover, when the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1 inserted by mistake is sealed with a seal or the like, it is possible to avoid unnecessarily breaking the seal or the like.

  After the ink cartridge 1 is connected to the slider member 102, the ink supply needle 106 is further pushed in the insertion direction X against the urging force of the slider member 102, so that the ink supply needle 106 is in the ink supply port of the ink cartridge 1. 3 is inserted.

  Next, a process of separating the ink cartridge 1 from the ink supply needle 106 and the like when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 101 will be described.

  As described above, by pushing the ink cartridge 1 in the insertion direction X, the ink cartridge 1 is released from being fixed by the cartridge side fixing structure 7 and the apparatus side fixing structure 107, and the ink cartridge 1 can be moved in the take-out direction Y. Become. The unlocked ink cartridge 1 first moves in the take-out direction Y together with the slider member 102, and the ink supply needle 106 is removed from the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1 by this movement.

  When the ink supply needle 106 is removed from the ink supply port 3 in this way, the connection between the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 and the device-side contact 113 is maintained, so that the connection between the device main body and the storage device 8 is maintained. Data can be exchanged. Thus, even after the ink cartridge 1 is released from the fixed state, data can be exchanged between the storage device 8 of the ink cartridge 1 and the apparatus main body, and data reading errors can be prevented.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is further moved in the take-out direction Y, the slider member 102 becomes immovable at a predetermined stop position. By further removing the ink cartridge 1 from here in the removal direction Y, the pressurized fluid port 105 is separated from the pressurized fluid introduction port 4 of the ink cartridge 1 and the positioning protrusions 5a and 5b of the ink cartridge 1 are positioned. The parts 103a and 103b are removed. Further, the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 and the device side contact 113 are disconnected.

  24A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 17A showing the state when the ink cartridge is fixed, and FIG. 24B shows the bottom view together with the position of the locking pin 112. These figures correspond to the position G in FIGS. 22 and 23.

  24C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 17 showing the state after the ink cartridge is released, and FIG. 24D shows the bottom view together with the position of the locking pin 112.

  FIG. 25A is a longitudinal sectional view at the position of the locking pin 112, showing a state in the middle of releasing the ink cartridge 1, and FIG. 25B shows a bottom view thereof together with the position of the locking pin 112. These figures correspond to the position J in FIGS. 22 and 23.

  FIG. 25C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 17C showing the state immediately before the ink cartridge 1 is fixed, and FIG. 25D is a bottom view of the locking pin 112. The figure is shown together with the position, and these figures correspond to the position F in FIGS. 22 and 23.

  As can be seen from FIG. 23 and FIG. 25A, the position where the locking pin 112 that slides on the bottom surface of the guide groove 16 is pushed down most is the position J in the final stage of the release stage of the ink cartridge 1.

  In the present embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 in the mounted state is released and taken out, the rotating lever member 108 includes the sector recess 120 and the portion 127 corresponding to the sector recess 120 of the sector hole 121. Are located above the lever retracting space 128 (the state shown in FIG. 18B). Therefore, the rotation lever member 108 pushed down when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out has its front end portion including the lever front end portion 125 immersed in the lever retracting space 128, and the ink cartridge 1 can be pulled out smoothly. Can be done.

  In the present embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 is in the mounted state, the displacement of the rotation lever member 119 in the rotation axis direction (vertical direction) is regulated by the displacement regulating unit 124 (FIG. 18 (a) and the state of FIG. 24 (a)). For this reason, even when an impact is applied to the ink cartridge 1 or the like, the rotating lever member 119 does not come off the guide groove 16.

  Further, since only a part of the rotation lever member 119 in the width direction is close to or in contact with the displacement restricting portion 124 in the mounted state of the ink cartridge 1, the ink cartridge 1 is used to release the fixed state. 22 is ensured that the locking pin 112 at the position G in FIG. 22 moves smoothly and reliably to the position H.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the mounted state of the ink cartridge 1, the emergency evacuation space 126 is located below the lever tip portion 125 (the states shown in FIGS. 18A and 24A). For this reason, even when the ink cartridge 1 in the mounted state is forcibly pulled out without performing a normal operation, the lever tip 125 is placed in the emergency retreat space 126 due to the flexibility of the rotating lever member 119. It is possible to prevent the locking pin 112 from being broken.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to ensure the smooth operation of the rotating lever member 119 without increasing the thickness in the vertical direction of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 and without adding new parts. It is possible to prevent the ink cartridge 1 in the mounted state from being unintentionally released, and even if the user forcibly pulls out the ink cartridge 1 in the mounted state, Breakage of the locking pin 112 of the moving lever member 119 can be prevented.

  FIG. 26A shows a state in which the ink cartridge 1 is fixed to the cartridge mounting portion 101, and FIG. 27A shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. FIG. 26 (b) shows a state where the ink cartridge 1 is released, and FIG. 27 (b1) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 26 (b). In addition, in the ink cartridge 1 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 26B, the hook claw 130 is formed on the boundary portion 30 between the linear groove 29 and the concave portion 17 of the ink cartridge 1 as shown in FIG. The position is shown. Further, FIG. 26C shows a state in which the ink cartridge 1 is completely free in the pulling direction with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 101, and FIG. A sectional view taken along line III is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 27A, when the ink cartridge 1 is in the fixed state, the hook claw 130 is immersed in the pressure contact avoiding recess 33 of the linear groove 29, and in this state The hook claw 130 is not pressed against the ink cartridge 1.

  In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 in a fixed state is slightly pushed in the insertion direction X to release the fixing by the apparatus-side fixing structure 107, and the ink cartridge 1 is pushed out in the take-out direction Y together with the slider member 102. At this time, the hook claw 130 is locked to the edge 31 of the locking recess 32 of the ink cartridge 1. As a result, the movement of the ink cartridge 1 in the take-out direction Y is temporarily stopped, so that the entire ink cartridge 1 is prevented from popping out from the cartridge mounting portion 101 when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out. Can do.

  In particular, since the pushing operation of the ink cartridge 1 is performed smoothly by providing the lever retracting space 128 as described above, the ink cartridge by the hook claw 130 is surely prevented in order to prevent the ink cartridge 1 from jumping and dropping. The stop control 1 is extremely effective.

  In the present embodiment, the temporary fixing position of the ink cartridge 1 by the hook claw 130 during the take-out operation is adjusted to the stop position (movement limit position) of the slider member 102 in the take-out direction Y. The ink cartridge 1 is stopped immediately before the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 and the device-side contact 113 of the slider member 102 are disconnected.

  Thus, in addition to the braking effect of the ink cartridge 1 by the hook claw 130, the frictional resistance between the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 of the ink cartridge 1 and the device-side contact 113 of the slider member 102 is also affected by the movement of the ink cartridge 1. Since it can be used as a braking force, the ink cartridge 1 can be reliably stopped during the take-out operation.

  Further, when the user pulls out the ink cartridge 1 that is locked by the hook claw 130 and stopped, the timing at which the edge 31 of the locking recess 32 of the ink cartridge 1 gets over the hook claw 130 and the memory of the ink cartridge 1 are stored. Since the timing at which the electrode 8a of the device 8 and the device-side contact 113 of the slider member 102 are separated substantially coincides with each other, it is possible to reduce the generation of resistance applied to the user's hand when the ink cartridge 1 is pulled out. It is possible to prevent a sense of incongruity due to the occurrence of two-stage resistance.

  As for the shape of the hook claw 130, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the inclination of the second inclined portion 134 on which the ink cartridge 1 slides when pulled out, and the ink cartridge 1 slides when inserted. Since it is steeper than the inclination of the first inclined portion 133 that moves, the ink cartridge 1 at the time of removal can be surely stopped by the hook claw 130 and the resistance from the hook claw 130 to the ink cartridge 1 at the time of insertion The feeling can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27A, since no force is applied to the hook claw 130 and the flexible piece member 131 when the ink cartridge 1 is fixed, the hook claw 130 In addition, creep deformation in the flexible piece member 131 can be prevented.

  As another effect of the present embodiment, since the device-side positioning structure including the pair of positioning protrusions 103a and 103b and the pair of device-side positioning surfaces 104a and 104b is provided on the cartridge connecting surface of the slider member 102, the slider The ink cartridge 1 can be connected to the member 102 with high positioning accuracy.

  Further, since the device-side contact 113 is disposed in the vicinity of the one positioning projection 103a and the one device-side positioning surface 104a that achieve a higher-precision positioning function, the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 of the ink cartridge 1 and the cartridge The device side contact 113 of the mounting portion 101 can be reliably connected.

  Further, the biasing force of the spring member 109 acts to press the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 toward the device-side contact 113 of the cartridge mounting portion 101 via the locking pin 112 and the side wall portion 18a for final stop. Thus, the connection of the electrode 8a of the storage device 8 to the device-side contact 113 can be further ensured.

  Further, according to the ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the ink absorbing material 116 is provided in the portion of the slider member 102 where the ink supply needle 106 is inserted, and the slider member 102 is in a position when the cartridge is not mounted (initial position). In this case, since the circumference of the ink circulation hole 106a of the ink supply needle 106 is surrounded by the cylindrical ink absorbing material 116, the ink supply needle 106 is inserted into the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1. When the ink supply needle 106 is pulled out from the ink supply port 3, the ink leaking from the ink circulation hole 106 a at the tip of the ink supply needle 106 can be received by the ink absorbing material 116 and absorbed. Even when the cartridge 1 is not attached (FIG. 11A), the ink supply needle 106 is The ink leaked from the click flow hole 106a can be absorbed by received by the ink absorbing material 116. Further, since the ink absorbing material 116 is opened on the surface of the slider member 102 facing the ink cartridge 1, it is attached and accumulated around the ink supply port 3 by repeatedly attaching and detaching the ink cartridge 1 to and from the cartridge mounting portion 101. The absorbed ink can be absorbed.

  In particular, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, the movement of the ink absorbing material 116 during the insertion / extraction operation of the ink cartridge 1 is a translational movement. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out, the ink supply port 3 of the ink cartridge 1 is used. When the ink supply needle 106 is completely removed, the ink supply hole 106 has already been surrounded by the ink absorbing material 116. Therefore, the ink leaked from the ink circulation hole 106a when the ink cartridge 1 is taken out can be reliably received and absorbed by the ink absorbing material 116.

  Further, the slider member 102 on which the ink absorbing material 116 is disposed is a member that is essentially necessary for detachably mounting the ink cartridge 1 on the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and ensures the mobility of the ink absorbing material 116. It is not a dedicated member newly provided for this purpose. Thus, since a dedicated member for ensuring the mobility of the ink absorbing material 116 is not required, it is possible to appropriately cope with the problem of ink leakage without complicating the device structure and increasing the size of the device. it can.

  Further, since the ink absorbing material 116 is disposed inside the slider member 102, it is not necessary to separately secure a dedicated space for arranging the ink absorbing material 116, and the ink absorbing material is not increased without increasing the size of the apparatus. 116 can be incorporated.

  In addition, the ink cartridge 1 of the present example can be easily and reliably mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100.

  In particular, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present example, the width of the inlet portion inclined surface 22 formed in the inlet portion 16a of the guide groove 16 can be increased, so that the locking pin 112 is reliably inserted into the guide groove 16. be able to. The rotating lever member 108 including the locking pin 112 is designed to swing in a direction Z perpendicular to the insertion / extraction directions X and Y of the ink cartridge 1 in terms of its function. There is a possibility that variations will occur in the position when the ink cartridge is not mounted, but such variations can be allowed by making the width of the inclined surface 22 of the inlet portion large.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1 of this example, the mounting operation can be completed by only one operation (one push operation) of inserting the ink cartridge 1 into the cartridge mounting unit 101, while the cartridge mounting unit 101 When the ink cartridge 1 is taken out from the ink cartridge 1, the ink cartridge 1 can be released from the fixed state only by a simple operation of pushing the ink cartridge 1 slightly. Thus, in this example, the ink cartridge 1 can be attached and detached very easily.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1 of this example, since the guide groove 16 is formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 17 formed on the cartridge surface, in the state where the locking pin 112 is inserted into the guide groove 16, The protruding amount of the rotating lever member 108 can be reduced or made zero. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the cartridge mounting portion 101, and as a result, it is possible to make the entire inkjet recording apparatus 100 thinner. In particular, in the case of an apparatus of a type in which a plurality of ink cartridges 1 are arranged in parallel such as the ink jet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, it is important to reduce the thickness of the entire apparatus. The ink cartridge 1 of this example that can reduce the size is extremely effective.

1 is a perspective view showing a state where an ink cartridge is mounted on a cartridge mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an ink cartridge of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a side view, FIG. 1C is a rear view, and FIG. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an ink cartridge of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing an ink cartridge of an ink jet recording apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1A is a view seen from a direction in which a rear surface obliquely upward can be seen, and FIG. The figure seen from (c), the figure seen from the direction which can see the back of the diagonally lower side, (d) is the figure seen from the direction in which the diagonally upper front can be seen. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge of an ink jet recording apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a state in which the lid member is removed from the ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a plan view of a state in which an ink bag is stored, and FIG. (C) is a plan view of a state in which no ink bag is stored, and (d) is a front view of (c). FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the state where the ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion so that the inside of the apparatus can be seen. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of the apparatus in a state where the ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 7 so that the inside of the apparatus can be seen when the ink cartridge is not mounted. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 8 so that the inside of the apparatus can be seen when no ink cartridge is mounted. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of a cartridge mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a state where an ink cartridge is removed, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state where the ink cartridge is mounted. Figure. The top view which showed the cartridge mounting part of the inkjet recording device shown in FIG. 7 so that the inside of an apparatus could be seen in the state which removed the slider. The perspective view which showed the cartridge mounting part of the inkjet recording device shown in FIG. 8 so that the inside of an apparatus could be seen in the state which removed the slider. FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of a rotating lever member of the cartridge mounting portion shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, where (a) is a view seen from obliquely above, and (b) is a view seen from obliquely below. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a plurality of cartridge mounting portions in the ink jet recording apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention with a slider member, a rotating lever member, an ink supply needle, and the like removed. The top view which showed a part of several cartridge mounting part shown in FIG. (A), (b), and (c) are the state in which the ink cartridge is fixed to the cartridge mounting portion, the state when the ink cartridge is released from the cartridge mounting portion, and immediately before the ink cartridge is fixed to the cartridge mounting portion, respectively. The top view which showed the state of. The top view for demonstrating the position of the rotation lever member 108 corresponding to Fig.17 (a), (b), (c). FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the restricting means of the ink jet recording apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B are enlarged views illustrating an ink cartridge of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a rear surface of a front end portion, and FIG. 2B illustrates a front surface. It is a figure for demonstrating the depth shape of the guide groove of the ink cartridge of the ink jet type recording apparatus as one embodiment of this invention, and each along the bb line and cc line shown to (a) Cross-sectional views are shown in (b) and (c), respectively. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of the locking pin in the guide groove when the ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention is attached and detached. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the vertical displacement of the locking pin when the ink cartridge is attached and detached in the ink jet recording apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention. 17A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 17A showing the state when the ink cartridge is fixed, FIG. 17B is a bottom view showing the bottom view together with the position of the locking pin, and FIG. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 17 showing the state after the ink cartridge is released, and (d) is a bottom view showing the bottom view together with the position of the locking pin. (A) is a longitudinal sectional view at the position of the locking pin showing the state in the middle of releasing the ink cartridge, (b) is a bottom view showing the bottom view together with the position of the locking pin, (c) is the ink FIG. 17C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 17C showing a state immediately before the cartridge is fixed, and FIG. 18D is a bottom view showing the bottom view together with the position of the locking pin. (A), (b), and (c) respectively show a state in which the ink cartridge is fixed to the cartridge mounting portion, a state in which the ink cartridge is unfixed, and the ink cartridge completely in the pulling direction with respect to the cartridge mounting portion. The top view which showed the state which became free. 26A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 26A showing the state when the ink cartridge is fixed, and FIG. 26B is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 26B showing the state where the ink cartridge is released. -II cross-sectional view, (b2) shows the state when the hook claw is deformed when the fixed ink cartridge is pulled out, and the ink cartridge is located at the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. II-II sectional view taken in a case, (c) is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 26 (c) showing a state where the ink cartridge is completely released.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 2 Container body 3 Ink supply port 4 Pressurized fluid introduction port 5a, 5b Positioning hole 7 Cartridge side fixing structure 8 Storage device 8a Cartridge side electrode 8b Circuit board 9 Ink bag 16 Guide groove 17 A guide groove is formed Recesses 24a and 24b Positioning surface 28 on the cartridge side Edge 29 of the recess in which the guide groove is formed Linear groove 30 Boundary part 31 between the recess and the groove in which the guide groove is formed Edge 32 on the front end side of the groove Locking recess 33 Inkjet recording device 101 Inkjet recording device 101 Cartridge mounting portion 102 Slider members 103a, 103b Positioning projections 104a, 104b Device side positioning surface 105 Pressurized fluid port 106 Ink supply needle 107 Device side fixing structure 108 Rotating lever member 109 Spring member 110 Lever body 111 Pin mounting portion 112 Locking pin 113 apparatus side contact 114 opening 116 ink absorber 117 ink supply contact protrusion 115 slider member of the slider member the needle insertion hole 118 electric cable 119 supporting plate (supporting member)
120 Fan-shaped concave portion 121 Fan-shaped hole 122 Rotating shaft center 123 of the rotating lever member Edge 124 inside the lever-rotating direction of the fan-shaped concave portion Regulating portion 125 Lever tip portion 126 Emergency escape space 127 Part 128 lever retracting space 129 regulating means 130 hook claw (hook part)
131 Flexible member 132 Free end portion 133 of flexible member First inclined portion of hook claw 134 Second inclined portion of hook claw

Claims (10)

In a liquid container holder in which a liquid container storing liquid therein is detachably mounted,
An apparatus side fixing structure for fixing the liquid container by releasably restricting movement in the take-out direction of the liquid container in a mounted state;
An urging means for applying an urging force in the take-out direction to the liquid container when the fixed state by the apparatus-side fixing structure is released;
A restriction means for restricting the operation of the liquid container in the take-out direction at a position where the urging force by the urging means is released at the time of taking out the liquid container ;
The restricting means has a contact member that is elastically contacted with the liquid container during the take-out operation,
The contact member is configured not to be pressed against the liquid container when the liquid container is in a mounted state;
The contact member has a hook portion that is locked to an edge of the locking concave portion of the liquid container during the take-out operation,
The hook portion is provided on a flexible piece member formed integrally with a resin structural member of the liquid container holder,
The hook portion includes a first inclined portion on which the liquid container slides when the liquid container is inserted, and an edge portion of the locking recess of the liquid container when the liquid container is taken out. A liquid container holder , comprising: a second inclined portion that slides in the opposite direction to the first inclined portion . The second inclined portion, said first inclined portion liquid container holder according to claim 1, wherein the inclination is steeper than. A holder-side contact connected to an electrode of a storage element provided in the liquid container;
The regulating means generates a frictional force between the electrode of the storage element and the holder-side contact when the liquid container is taken out, thereby causing the liquid container to move in the taking-out direction. The liquid container holder according to claim 1 or 2, which provides resistance to operation. The biasing means is connected to the liquid container inserted into the liquid container holder, and is coupled with the rectilinear operation in conjunction with the rectilinear operation of the liquid container when a liquid supply needle is inserted into the liquid supply port. A translational movable member that translates in parallel directions;
The liquid container holder according to claim 3 , wherein the holder side contact is provided on the translationally movable member. A holder side contact connected to an electrode of a storage element provided in the liquid container;
The regulating means temporarily stops the movement of the liquid container in the take-out direction at a position immediately before the electrode of the storage element and the holder-side contact are separated during the take-out operation of the liquid container. Item 5. The liquid container holder according to any one of Items 1 to 4 . A liquid container holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid supplied from a liquid container attached to the liquid container holder. In a liquid container that stores liquid therein and is detachably attached to the liquid container holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
In order to fix the liquid container by releasably restricting movement in the take-out direction of the liquid container that is mounted on the liquid container holder, locking of the device-side fixing structure provided on the liquid container holder A container side fixing structure having a guide groove with which a pin is engaged;
When the fixed state of the liquid container by the device side fixing structure is released, and the biasing force in the take-out direction is applied to the liquid container by the biasing means provided in the liquid container holder, the liquid A liquid container comprising: a locking recess having an edge to which a contact member of a control means provided in the liquid container holder is locked in order to control the operation of the container in the take-out direction. The liquid container according to claim 7 , wherein the locking recess is a groove extending in the insertion / extraction direction of the liquid container. Liquid container according to claim 7 or 8 having a pressure avoidance recess for receiving said abutment member as said abutment member in the attached state of the liquid container is not pressed against the liquid container. The liquid container according to claim 9 , wherein the locking concave portion and the pressure contact avoiding concave portion are formed as a series of grooves extending in an insertion / extraction direction of the liquid container.

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