JP5521606B2 - Liquid container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container to be mounted on a liquid consumption device.

  Conventionally, a liquid container mounted on a liquid consuming device such as an ink jet printer has been equipped with electronic components such as a storage device and a piezo element in order to determine its authenticity and detect the remaining amount of liquid (for example, , See Patent Document 1). However, since electronic parts are generally expensive, it has been a factor that hinders cost reduction of liquid containers.

JP 2009-173042 A

  In light of the above-described problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liquid container capable of determining authenticity and detecting the remaining amount of liquid without providing electronic components.

The present invention can be realized as the following forms or application examples in order to solve at least a part of the above-described problems.
The first aspect of the present invention is:
A liquid container to be attached to the liquid consuming device,
A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored;
A liquid supply port for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consumption device;
A label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information;
A prism having a first surface having a first portion for entering light from the outside of the liquid container and a second portion for emitting light, and a second surface capable of reflecting the incident light,
The second surface of the prism is disposed in the liquid storage chamber. When the second surface is in contact with the liquid, the second surface transmits the incident light and is not in contact with the liquid. Is for reflecting the incident light,
The surface of the label facing the outer surface of the liquid container is a liquid container on which an indication that the liquid has been consumed is made.
In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, the second surface of the prism disposed in the liquid storage chamber transmits light incident on the prism when in contact with the liquid, and in the prism when not in contact with the liquid. Reflects light incident on the. Therefore, by detecting from the outside whether or not the light is reflected by the second surface of the prism, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of liquid without providing a piezo element or the like in the liquid container. Furthermore, the liquid container having the above-described configuration is provided with a label on which optically readable invisible information is recorded on the outer surface of the liquid container. Therefore, it is possible to determine the authenticity of the liquid container by optically reading the invisible information recorded on the label from the outside without providing a storage device or the like in the liquid container. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a liquid container capable of authenticity determination and liquid remaining amount detection without providing electronic components. Further, with such a configuration, it is possible to easily confirm the presence or absence of liquid. The fact that the liquid has been consumed can be displayed by, for example, characters, colors, patterns, and the like.
The second aspect of the present invention is:
A liquid container to be attached to the liquid consuming device,
A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored;
A liquid supply port for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consumption device;
A label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information;
A prism having a first surface having a first portion for entering light from the outside of the liquid container and a second portion for emitting light, and a second surface capable of reflecting the incident light,
The second surface of the prism is disposed in the liquid storage chamber. When the second surface is in contact with the liquid, the second surface transmits the incident light and is not in contact with the liquid. Is for reflecting the incident light,
The first surface and the label are disposed on the same surface of the liquid container.
The label overlaps the first surface, and the label is provided with a non-transmissive region where the invisible information is recorded and which does not transmit light, and a transmissive region which transmits light to the first surface. It is a liquid container.
In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, the second surface of the prism disposed in the liquid storage chamber transmits light incident on the prism when in contact with the liquid, and in the prism when not in contact with the liquid. Reflects light incident on the. Therefore, by detecting from the outside whether or not the light is reflected by the second surface of the prism, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of liquid without providing a piezo element or the like in the liquid container. Furthermore, the liquid container having the above-described configuration is provided with a label on which optically readable invisible information is recorded on the outer surface of the liquid container. Therefore, it is possible to determine the authenticity of the liquid container by optically reading the invisible information recorded on the label from the outside without providing a storage device or the like in the liquid container. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a liquid container capable of authenticity determination and liquid remaining amount detection without providing electronic components. Further, with such a configuration, since the label overlaps the first surface of the prism, it is possible to suppress the mechanism (prism) for detecting the presence or absence of liquid from being visually recognized from the outside. As a result, the appearance of the liquid container can be improved.
The third aspect of the present invention is:
A liquid container to be attached to the liquid consuming device,
A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored;
A liquid supply port for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consumption device;
A label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information;
A prism having an incident surface for incident light from the outside of the liquid container, a reflective surface capable of reflecting the incident light, and an exit surface for emitting the reflected light;
The reflecting surface of the prism is disposed in the liquid storage chamber, and the reflecting surface transmits the incident light when in contact with the liquid, and when not in contact with the liquid. Reflecting the incident light,
The entrance surface and the exit surface are disposed on different surfaces of the liquid container,
The prism receives return light reflected from a surface of the label facing the outer surface of the liquid container from the exit surface, and at least part of the incident return light is different from the entrance surface. It is a liquid container which injects from an injection surface.
In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, the reflecting surface of the prism disposed in the liquid storage chamber transmits light incident on the prism when in contact with the liquid, and enters the prism when not in contact with the liquid. Reflects incident light. Therefore, by detecting from the outside whether or not light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the prism, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of liquid without providing a piezo element or the like in the liquid container. Furthermore, the liquid container having the above-described configuration is provided with a label on which optically readable invisible information is recorded on the outer surface of the liquid container. Therefore, it is possible to determine the authenticity of the liquid container by optically reading the invisible information recorded on the label from the outside without providing a storage device or the like in the liquid container. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a liquid container capable of authenticity determination and liquid remaining amount detection without providing electronic components. Also, with such a configuration, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of liquid depending on whether light is emitted from a second emission surface different from the incident surface of the prism.

Application Example 1 A liquid container to be mounted on a liquid consuming device, a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid, and a liquid supply for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consuming device A mouth, a label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information, an incident surface on which light is incident from the outside of the liquid container, and a reflection capable of reflecting the incident light A prism having a surface and an exit surface for emitting the reflected light, and the reflective surface of the prism is disposed in the liquid storage chamber, and the reflective surface is in contact with the liquid A liquid container that transmits the incident light when it is, and reflects the incident light when it is not in contact with the liquid.

  In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, the reflecting surface of the prism disposed in the liquid storage chamber transmits light incident on the prism when in contact with the liquid, and enters the prism when not in contact with the liquid. Reflects incident light. Therefore, by detecting from the outside whether or not light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the prism, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of liquid without providing a piezo element or the like in the liquid container. Furthermore, the liquid container having the above-described configuration is provided with a label on which optically readable invisible information is recorded on the outer surface of the liquid container. Therefore, it is possible to determine the authenticity of the liquid container by optically reading the invisible information recorded on the label from the outside without providing a storage device or the like in the liquid container. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a liquid container capable of authenticity determination and liquid remaining amount detection without providing electronic components. Note that the prism may include a plurality of reflecting surfaces instead of only one. Further, the entrance surface and the exit surface of the prism may be a common surface.

Application Example 2 The liquid container according to Application Example 1, wherein the incident surface, the emission surface, and the label are arranged on the same surface of the liquid container. With such a configuration, a device for reading information recorded on the label (for example, a scanner) and a device for detecting the reflection state of light in the prism (for example, a photo interrupter) are placed on the same side of the liquid container. Since it can be arranged, it becomes easy to arrange these devices in the liquid consuming device to which the liquid container is mounted.

Application Example 3 The liquid container according to Application Example 2, wherein at least a part of the label overlaps the ejection surface. With such a configuration, the light emitted from the exit surface of the prism is reflected by the back surface of the label and enters the exit surface as return light, and is again reflected by the reflection surface and exits from the entrance surface. Therefore, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of liquid by detecting whether or not the light reflected by the back surface of the label is emitted from the incident surface.

Application Example 4 The liquid container according to Application Example 3, wherein a display indicating that the liquid is consumed is provided on the back surface of the label. With such a configuration, for example, it is possible to easily confirm the presence or absence of liquid simply by visually observing the incident surface of the prism. The fact that the liquid has been consumed can be displayed by, for example, characters, colors, patterns, and the like.

[Application Example 5] The liquid container according to Application Example 2, wherein the label overlaps the incident surface and the emission surface, and the invisible information is recorded on the label and does not transmit light. A liquid container provided with a transmission region and a transmission region that transmits light to the incident surface and the emission surface. With such a configuration, since the label overlaps the entrance surface and the exit surface of the prism, the mechanism (prism) for detecting the presence or absence of liquid can be prevented from being visually recognized from the outside. As a result, the appearance of the liquid container can be improved.

Application Example 6 The liquid container according to Application Example 5, wherein the non-transmissive region and the transmissive region are formed by giving different polarization characteristics to the regions using liquid crystal ink. . With such a configuration, the non-transmissive region and the transmissive region can be easily formed on the label.

Application Example 7 The liquid container according to Application Example 1, wherein the incident surface and the emission surface are arranged on different surfaces of the liquid container, and the label overlaps the emission surface. . Even with such a configuration, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of liquid in the liquid container by detecting whether or not the light reflected by the back surface of the label is emitted from the incident surface.

[Application Example 8] The liquid container according to Application Example 7, wherein the prism makes the return light reflected from the back surface of the label incident from the exit surface, and at least part of the incident return light is A liquid container ejected from a second exit surface different from the entrance surface. With such a configuration, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of liquid depending on whether light is emitted from a second emission surface different from the incident surface of the prism.

Application Example 9 The liquid container according to Application Example 8, wherein the second emission surface is provided on the upper surface of the liquid container. With such a configuration, the presence or absence of ink can be easily determined by observing the liquid container from above.

  In addition to the configuration as the liquid container described above, the present invention can be configured as, for example, a method for manufacturing a liquid container, a method for using a liquid container, and a liquid consuming device including a liquid container.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer to which an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the invention is mounted. It is the perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge of the 1st example in the slanting direction from the lower part. It is the perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge of 1st Example from the diagonal direction. It is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge of the first embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge as 2nd Example of this invention from diagonally downward. It is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge of the second embodiment. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge as 3rd Example of this invention from diagonally downward. It is the perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge of 3rd Example from diagonally upwards. It is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge of the third embodiment. It is BB sectional drawing in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on some examples with reference to the drawings.
A. First embodiment:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer 10 to which an ink cartridge 50 as a first embodiment of the invention is mounted. The printer 10 as a liquid consuming device includes a carriage 20 in which an ink cartridge 50 containing inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and the like is fitted, a carriage motor 25 that drives the carriage 20 in the main scanning direction, and a printing paper PA. Is received from a paper feed motor 30 that transports the ink in the sub-scanning direction, a print head 35 that is mounted on the carriage 20 and ejects ink supplied from the ink cartridge 50, and a computer 90 connected via a predetermined interface 85. And a control unit 40 that controls the carriage motor 25, the paper feed motor 30, and the print head 35 based on the print data. Connected to the control unit 40 is a display panel 80 on which the operating state of the printer 10 is displayed.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 50 as viewed obliquely from below. In the following description, “lower” refers to the vertically lower side, and “upper” refers to the vertically upper side. A security label 51 for determining the authenticity of the ink cartridge 50 is attached to the lower surface of the ink cartridge 50 of the present embodiment. Also, a part of the prism 65 as an optical component used for detecting the ink level is exposed from the lower surface of the ink cartridge 50.

  The surface of the security label 51 is printed by a combination of the overt technique and the covert technique. Specifically, the logo of the manufacturer of the ink cartridge 50 is printed on a part of the surface of the security label 51 with color shift ink whose color changes depending on the viewing angle. Information (for example, a serial number) indicating that the ink cartridge 50 is genuine is printed invisible on the portion by fluorescent ink that is visualized by irradiation with black light (ultraviolet rays).

  Inside the printer 10, a scanner 32 that optically irradiates information recorded invisible on the security label 51 by irradiating a black light, and a reflective photointerceptor for detecting the ink level using the prism 65 are provided. And a raptor 34. The scanner 32 and the photo interrupter 34 are connected to the control unit 40 of the printer 10, and the control unit 40 determines the authenticity of the ink cartridge using the scanner 32 and the ink level using the photo interrupter 34. Detection is performed. The result of the authenticity determination and the detected ink level are displayed on the display panel 80 connected to the control unit 40 and the display screen of the computer 90. The scanner 32 and the photo interrupter 34 are fixedly mounted inside the printer 10, and the carriage 20 in which the ink cartridge 50 is fitted reaches the position where the scanner 32 and the photo interrupter 34 are fixed. By conveying the ink cartridge 50, authenticity determination and ink level detection are performed.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 50 as viewed obliquely from above, and FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge 50. In the following description, the right side of FIG. 4 is described as the front side of the ink cartridge 50, and the left side of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ink cartridge 50 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 52 whose upper surface is open, and a lid 53 that closes the upper opening of the case 52. On the upper surface of the lid 53, a meandering groove 54 meandering in the horizontal direction is formed (detailed illustration is omitted). One end of the meandering groove 54 communicates with the foam chamber 55 in the case 52, and the other end communicates with the atmosphere through the atmosphere introduction unit 56. The upper part of the meandering groove 54 is covered with an upper label 57 except for the air introduction part 56. On the upper label 57, for example, the product name of the ink cartridge 50 is printed. The meandering groove 54 serves to introduce the atmosphere into the case 52 through the atmosphere introduction part 56 and to increase the distance from the case 52 to the atmosphere introduction part 56, so that the ink evaporates from the case 52 into the atmosphere. And play a role in suppressing

  The interior of the case 52 is partitioned into an ink chamber 59 and a foam chamber 55 by a partition plate 58 provided in the vertical direction. Both the ink chamber 59 and the foam chamber 55 contain ink. A communication port 60 is provided at the lowermost part of the partition plate 58, and ink can flow between the ink chamber 59 and the foam chamber 55 through the communication port 60. In the foam chamber 55, two types of sponge-like polyethylene foams 61 and 62 that absorb ink are arranged on the upper side and the lower side. The lower polyethylene foam 62 has higher ink absorption than the upper polyethylene foam 61. Due to the difference in the ink absorption power of the two polyethylene foams 61 and 62, the ink is prevented from flowing out through the meandering groove 54 when the ink cartridge 50 is inclined. An ink supply port 63 communicating with the foam chamber 55 is provided at the lower portion of the foam chamber 55. The ink in the ink chamber 59 and the foam chamber 55 is supplied to the print head 35 provided in the carriage 20 through the ink supply port 63. A polyethylene foam 64 is provided inside the ink supply port 63 in the same manner as in the foam chamber 55.

  In the ink chamber 59, a prism 65 is disposed at the lowermost portion thereof. The prism 65 can be formed of, for example, polypropylene and has a right isosceles triangular prism shape. The prism 65 is disposed so that the triangular surface of the prism 65 faces or contacts the side surface of the ink cartridge 50, and the side that forms the apex angle VA of the right-angled isosceles triangle is located above the apex angle VA. It arrange | positions so that the surface which becomes an other side may be located below. In this embodiment, the case 52 and the prism 65 are integrally formed of polypropylene, the prism 65 is formed in a transparent shape, and the outer surface of the case 52 except for the lower surface portion of the prism 65 is translucent by a predetermined surface treatment. Is formed. Of course, the configuration of the ink cartridge 50 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the case 52 and the prism 65 may be configured by separate members (the same applies to other embodiments described later).

  A security label 51 is attached to the lower surface of the ink cartridge 50 so as to overlap the rear half of the lower surface of the prism 65. When the authenticity of the ink cartridge 50 is determined, the scanner 32 faces the security label 51 attached in this way. When the ink level is detected, the photo interrupter 34 is positioned on the exposed portion of the front half of the lower surface of the prism 65. opposite.

  When the photo interrupter 34 is driven by the printer 10, the light irradiated from the photo interrupter 34 (for example, white light) is a front half portion of the lower surface of the prism 65 (hereinafter referred to as “incident surface S <b> 1”). And reaches the inclined surface on the front side of the prism 65 (hereinafter referred to as “first reflecting surface S21”). At this time, if ink is present in the ink chamber 59, the light that has reached the first reflecting surface S21 passes through the first reflecting surface S21 and is absorbed by the ink in the ink chamber 59. This is because the specific gravity (about 0.9) of polypropylene, which is the material of the prism 65, is close to the specific gravity (about 1.0) of the ink (water), so that it is difficult for reflection to occur by the first reflecting surface S21. . Therefore, when ink is present in the ink chamber 59, the photo interrupter 34 cannot detect reflected light.

  On the other hand, when there is no ink in the ink chamber 59, the light that has reached the first reflecting surface S21 is reflected by the first reflecting surface S21, and the inclined surface on the rear side of the prism 65 ( Hereinafter, it is further reflected by the “second reflecting surface S22”. Then, the back surface of the security label 51 superimposed on the rear half of the lower surface of the prism 65 (hereinafter referred to as “exit surface S3”) existing on the same surface as the incident surface S1 is illuminated. If it does so, the return light reflected by the back surface of the security label 51 will inject from the output surface S3 again, will be reflected by 2nd reflective surface S22 and 1st reflective surface S21, and will be inject | emitted from the entrance surface S1. As a result, when there is no ink in the ink chamber 59, the light reflected by the back surface of the security label 51 is detected by the photo interrupter 34. As described above, in this embodiment, when the photo interrupter 34 detects reflected light, it can be determined that “no ink”, and the photo interrupter 34 cannot detect reflected light. Can be determined as “ink present”.

  According to the ink cartridge 50 of the first embodiment described above, the authenticity of the ink cartridge 50 is determined by reading the information invisiblely recorded on the security label 51 by the scanner 32 provided in the printer 10. It can be carried out. Also, in this embodiment, light is irradiated to the prism 65 provided in the ink chamber 59 of the ink cartridge 50, and the ink level (the presence or absence of ink) can be detected depending on whether or not the reflected light can be detected. . Therefore, according to the ink cartridge 50 of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform authenticity determination and ink level detection without mounting an electronic component such as a storage device or a piezo sensor on the ink cartridge 50. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the ink cartridge 50 can be significantly reduced. In this embodiment, since the security label 51 and the incident surface S1 of the prism 65 are arranged on the same surface of the ink cartridge 50, the scanner 32 and the photo interrupter 34 can be brought close to or integrated with each other. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the structure of the printer 10 for authenticity determination and ink level detection. Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when the color stored in the ink cartridge 50 changes, it is only necessary to prepare and affix a new security label 51, and it is not necessary to prepare a new storage device. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 50 is recycled, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the color to be accommodated.

  In this embodiment, the ink level is detected by using the photo interrupter 34. However, even if the lower surface portion of the prism 65 is visually observed from below the ink cartridge 50, the inside of the ink cartridge 50 can be seen through the prism 65. It is possible to determine the presence or absence of ink. For example, if the back surface of the security label 51 is printed in a color or pattern corresponding to a complementary color of the ink color or an opposite color (black if the ink is transparent or white), the presence / absence of the ink can be easily determined by visual observation. It becomes possible. For example, if characters such as “Empty” are printed on the back surface of the security label 51, it can be easily determined that the ink is empty.

  In this embodiment, the security label 51 is printed using fluorescent ink as invisible ink. However, for example, various invisible inks such as infrared fluorescent ink that reacts with infrared light can be used. . In addition, the form of the prism 65 is not limited to a right isosceles triangular column shape as long as the reflected light from the back surface of the security label 51 can be transmitted to the photo interrupter 34, and various forms can be adopted.

  In this embodiment, the serial number is given as an example of information that is invisiblely printed on the security label 51. In addition, for example, the model number of the ink cartridge 50, the product name, and the ink that is stored Information such as type, manufacturer, and date of manufacture may be recorded. In addition, the area printed by the overt technique and the area printed by the covert technique may partially or entirely overlap. In addition, in this embodiment, printing by the overt technique may be omitted, and only printing by the covert technique may be performed.

B. Second embodiment:
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the arrangement of the prisms and the form of the security label are mainly different from the first embodiment. In FIGS. 5 to 7 related to the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge 50b according to a second embodiment of the present invention viewed obliquely from below, and FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge 50b. As shown in these drawings, in this embodiment, the security label 51b is attached to the lower surface of the ink cartridge 50b so as to cover the entire lower surface of the prism 65b. The photo interrupter 34b used in this embodiment is a reflective photo interrupter 34b that emits infrared rays. Furthermore, the scanner 32b of the present embodiment includes a polarizing film on the image reading surface, and includes a light source for irradiating infrared rays through the polarizing film. The light source of the scanner 32b and the light source of the photo interrupter 34b may be separate light sources or a common light source.

  7 is a cross-sectional view showing an AA cross section in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the prism 65b of the present embodiment has a right isosceles triangular prism shape as in the first embodiment, and the apex angle VA side of the right isosceles triangle faces upward. It is located so that the surface which becomes the opposite side may be located below. However, in this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the triangular surface of the prism 65b is arranged so as to face the front surface and the rear surface of the ink cartridge 50b. In the present embodiment, the prism 65b may be arranged so as to be able to face the photo interrupter 34b, and may not face the scanner 32b.

  FIG. 7 also shows a schematic configuration of a cross section of the security label 51b. The security label 51b is formed with an absorption region X that absorbs light irradiated from the scanner 32b through the polarizing film and a transmission region Y that transmits light. The absorption region X and the transmission region Y can be formed by applying liquid crystal ink to the surface of a base material that transmits light and orienting the liquid crystal in different directions for each region by heat, electricity, magnetic energy, etc. It is. The absorption region X and the transmission region Y are formed in a stripe shape parallel to the side constituting the apex angle of the prism 65b. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the ink cartridge 50b is transported on the scanner 32b by the carriage 20, the absorption region X and the transmission region Y alternately pass on the scanner 32b. An image corresponding to the arrangement with the region Y is recognized by the scanner 32b. The control unit 40 of the printer 10 can determine the authenticity of the ink cartridge 50b according to the image thus recognized. In the absorption region X, information (for example, a serial number) indicating that the ink cartridge 50b is a genuine product can be recorded with liquid crystal ink.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the security label 51 is formed with the absorption region X that absorbs light and the transmission region Y that transmits light, the photo interrupter 34b is compared with the transmission region Y. If light is emitted from the ink, it can be determined whether ink is present in the ink chamber 59 according to the presence or absence of reflected light. Specifically, if ink is present in the ink chamber 59, light incident from the incident surface S1 on the lower surface of the prism 65b is transmitted from the first reflecting surface S21 of the prism 65b due to the specific gravity relationship between the ink and the prism 65b. It penetrates into the ink. Since this light is absorbed in the ink, the photo interrupter 34b cannot detect the reflected light. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined that there is ink. On the other hand, if there is no ink in the ink chamber 59, the light incident from the incident surface S1 is reflected by the first reflecting surface S21 and the second reflecting surface S22 of the prism 65b, and the reflected light is reflected by the prism. The light is emitted from the emission surface S3 on the lower surface of 65b, passes through the transmission region Y of the security label 51b, and reaches the photo interrupter 34b. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined that “no ink”. Each of the transmission regions Y in the security label 51b is an interval at which the light emitted from the photo interrupter 34b and the light reflected from the prism 65b can be transmitted simultaneously when there is no ink in the ink chamber 59. Is arranged in.

  Even with the ink cartridge 50b of the second embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, authenticity determination and ink level detection can be performed without mounting electronic components such as a storage device and a piezo sensor on the ink cartridge 50b. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the ink cartridge 50b can be significantly reduced. Also in this embodiment, since the security label 51b and the entrance surface S1 and the exit surface S3 of the prism 65b are arranged on the same surface of the ink cartridge 50b, the scanner 32 and the photo interrupter 34 are close or integrated. It is possible to simplify the structure of the printer 10 for determining authenticity and detecting the ink level. Also in this embodiment, when the color accommodated in the ink cartridge 50b changes, it is only necessary to prepare and affix a new security label 51b. Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the security label 51b only needs to be able to transmit or absorb infrared rays. Therefore, the base material of the security label 51b is an opaque member such as black, so that the inside of the ink cartridge 50b can be passed through the security label 51b. Can be configured not to be visible. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the mechanism for detecting the remaining amount of ink from being observed from the outside, and thus it is possible to improve the appearance of the ink cartridge 50b.

  In the present embodiment, the absorption region X and the transmission region Y formed in a stripe shape on the security label 51b may be formed only in a range facing the photo interrupter 34b. In this case, only the absorption region X having a predetermined polarization pattern may be formed in the range facing the scanner 32b.

C. Third embodiment:
Finally, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment mainly differs from the first embodiment in the shape of the ink cartridge, the configuration of the prism, and the arrangement of the photo interrupter. In FIGS. 8 to 11 relating to the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge 50c according to a third embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from below. The ink cartridge 50c of the present embodiment has a notch 66 cut at an oblique angle of 45 ° at the lower front portion of the case 52c. The notch 66 is disposed with the incident surface of the prism 65c exposed, and when detecting the ink level, a photo interrupter 34c is disposed in front of the notch 66, and light is emitted from the horizontal direction. Irradiated. The prism 65c of the present embodiment has a substantially L shape as will be described later, and one surface thereof is exposed on the front surface of the case 52c. The security label 51 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and is affixed behind the notch 66 on the lower surface of the case 52c. At the time of authenticity determination, the scanner 32 faces the security label 51.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 50c of this embodiment as viewed obliquely from above. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, a window portion 67 is provided in front of the lid 53c. From the window portion 67, the upper end surface of the prism 65c can be faced.

  10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge 50c, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. As shown in these drawings, the prism 65c in this embodiment includes a rectangular columnar vertical portion 69 extending in the vertical direction on the front side of the ink cartridge 50c, and a security label 51 from the front side of the ink cartridge 50c at the bottom of the ink cartridge 50c. It has a substantially L-shaped shape having a lateral portion 70 extending to a position overlapping with a part thereof. A cutout portion 71 having the same form as the cutout portion 66 of the case 52c shown in FIG. 8 is formed at a portion where the vertical portion 69 and the horizontal portion 70 are connected. Further, the rear end surface of the horizontal portion 70 is formed at an angle of 45 ° so as to be a plane parallel to the cutout portion 71. Each surface of the prism 65c is formed to be transparent except for the notch portion 71 and including a portion exposed from the front surface of the case 52c. On the other hand, the cutout portion 71 is formed on a frosted glass-like semi-transparent surface so that the light irradiated from the photo interrupter 34c is not totally reflected below the ink cartridge 50c. In addition, the back surface of the security label 51 is formed in a mirror surface by overlapping the lower surface of the prism 65c with an aluminum laminate process or the like.

  In the present embodiment, when the photo interrupter 34c is driven by the printer 10, a part of light (for example, red light) irradiated in the horizontal direction from the photo interrupter 34c is notched 71 (hereinafter referred to as a notch portion 71) of the prism 65c. Incident from “incident surface S1”. The light incident on the prism 65c passes through the horizontal portion 70 of the prism 65c and reaches the rear end surface of the horizontal portion 70 (hereinafter referred to as “reflection surface S2”). At this time, if ink is present in the ink chamber 59, the light that has reached the reflection surface S2 is transmitted through the reflection surface S2 and absorbed by the ink in the ink chamber 59 due to the specific gravity of the prism 65 and the ink. . Therefore, when ink is present in the ink chamber 59, the photo interrupter 34 cannot detect reflected light.

  On the other hand, when no ink is present in the ink chamber 59, the light that has reached the reflecting surface S2 is reflected by the reflecting surface S2, and the lower surface of the horizontal portion 70 (hereinafter referred to as “emitting surface S3”). Ejected from. The light emitted from the emission surface S3 is reflected by the back surface of the security label 51 formed in a mirror shape, enters again from the emission surface S3, and is reflected by the reflection surface S2. The light reflected by the reflecting surface S2 enters the incident surface S1 provided in parallel to the reflecting surface S2. A part of the light incident on the incident surface S1 passes through the incident surface S1 and reaches the photo interrupter 34c, and the other light is reflected upward by the incident surface S1 and travels through the vertical portion 69. Then, finally, the light reflected by the back surface of the security label 51 is emitted from the upper surface (second emission surface S4) of the vertical portion 69, and the window portion 67 emits light. In the present embodiment, the portion of the prism 65c exposed from the front surface of the case 52c is also transparent. Therefore, the light is easily totally reflected inside, and the window portion 67 can be illuminated brightly.

  According to the ink cartridge 50c of the present embodiment configured as described above, in addition to detecting the ink level by the photo interrupter 34c, it is also possible to visually observe the window 67 provided on the upper surface of the ink cartridge 50c. The presence or absence of ink can be determined. Therefore, even when the ink cartridge 50c is mounted on the printer 10, the user can easily determine the presence or absence of ink. Also, the ink cartridge 50c of the present embodiment can determine the authenticity and detect the ink level without mounting electronic components such as a storage device and a piezo sensor on the ink cartridge 50, as in the first embodiment. Is possible. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the ink cartridge 50 can be significantly reduced. Also in this embodiment, when the color accommodated in the ink cartridge 50c changes, it is only necessary to prepare and affix a new security label 51. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the color accommodated. Is possible.

 In the present embodiment, for example, if the light irradiated from the photo interrupter 34c is blinked, the window 67 is also blinked when there is no ink in the ink chamber 59. Therefore, if the light emission pattern is changed, the presence or absence of ink can be more easily determined.

  As mentioned above, although the various Example of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these Examples, It is possible to take a various structure in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. For example, the material of each member constituting the ink cartridge described above is an example, and other materials can be used as appropriate.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the printer 10 determines that “no ink” when detecting reflected light from the prism using a photo interrupter. However, in practice, a small amount of ink may remain at the bottom of the ink chamber 59 or the foam chamber 55 even after the reflected light is detected. For this reason, after the reflected light is detected by the photo interrupter, the ink may be ejected a number of times corresponding to the type of the ink cartridge 50, and then “no ink” may be determined.

  In each of the above embodiments, the ink cartridge is used as the liquid container and the printer is used as the liquid consuming device. For example, the liquid container is a liquid other than ink (a liquid material in which particles of functional material are dispersed). Or a fluid such as a gel). The liquid consuming device may be any device that can consume the liquid contained in the liquid container. For example, an electrode material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like. Liquid ejector that ejects a liquid material that contains dispersed or dissolved materials such as materials and coloring materials, a liquid ejector that ejects bioorganic materials used in biochip manufacturing, and a liquid that is used as a precision pipette It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting. In addition, transparent resins such as UV curable resins are used to form liquid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects gel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer 20 ... Carriage 25 ... Carriage motor 30 ... Paper feed motor 32, 32b ... Scanner 34, 34b, 34c ... Photo interrupter 35 ... Print head 40 ... Control unit 50, 50b, 50c ... Ink cartridge 51, 51b ... Security Label 52, 52c ... Case 53, 53c ... Lid 54 ... Serpentine groove 55 ... Foam chamber 56 ... Atmospheric introduction portion 57 ... Upper label 58 ... Partition plate 59 ... Ink chamber 60 ... Communication port 61, 62, 64 ... Polyethylene foam 63 ... Ink supply port 65, 65b, 65c ... Prism 66, 71 ... Notch portion 67 ... Window portion 69 ... Vertical portion 70 ... Horizontal portion 80 ... Display panel 85 ... Interface 90 ... Computer

Claims (7)

A liquid container to be attached to the liquid consuming device,
A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored;
A liquid supply port for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consumption device;
A label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information;
A prism having a first surface having a first portion for entering light from the outside of the liquid container and a second portion for emitting light , and a second surface capable of reflecting the incident light,
The second surface of the prism, the are arranged in the liquid chamber, the second surface, when in contact with the liquid is transmitted through the light the incident, if not in contact with the liquid It is for reflecting the light that is the incident to,
On the surface of the label that faces the outer surface of the liquid container, an indication that the liquid has been consumed is made.
Liquid container. The liquid container according to claim 1,
The first container and the label are liquid containers disposed on the same surface of the liquid container. The liquid container according to claim 1 or 2,
A liquid container, wherein at least a part of the label overlaps the second part . A liquid container to be attached to the liquid consuming device,
A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored;
A liquid supply port for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consumption device;
A label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information;
A prism having a first surface having a first portion for entering light from the outside of the liquid container and a second portion for emitting light, and a second surface capable of reflecting the incident light,
The second surface of the prism is disposed in the liquid storage chamber. When the second surface is in contact with the liquid, the second surface transmits the incident light and is not in contact with the liquid. Is for reflecting the incident light,
Wherein the first surface and the label, wherein the label is arranged on the same face of the liquid container overlaps the first surface, the non-transmissive to the said label is pre-Symbol invisible information does not transmit recorded light A liquid container, wherein a region and a transmission region that transmits light are provided on the first surface . The liquid container according to claim 4,
Wherein the non-transmission region and the transmission region, having a different polarization characteristics, the liquid container. A liquid container to be attached to the liquid consuming device,
A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored;
A liquid supply port for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid consumption device;
A label provided on the outer surface of the liquid container and recorded with optically readable invisible information;
A prism having an incident surface for incident light from the outside of the liquid container, a reflective surface capable of reflecting the incident light, and an exit surface for emitting the reflected light;
The reflecting surface of the prism is disposed in the liquid storage chamber, and the reflecting surface transmits the incident light when in contact with the liquid, and when not in contact with the liquid. Reflecting the incident light,
The entrance surface and the exit surface are disposed on different surfaces of the liquid container,
The prism receives return light reflected from a surface of the label facing the outer surface of the liquid container from the exit surface, and at least part of the incident return light is different from the entrance surface. A liquid container ejected from the ejection surface. The liquid container according to claim 6 ,
The second ejection surface is a liquid container provided on an upper surface of the liquid container.

Images