JP5541029B2 - Printing device, printing material cartridge, circuit board and adapter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing material cartridge, a circuit board, and an adapter.

  The printing material cartridge mounted on the printing apparatus is equipped with, for example, a storage device in which the model number and manufacturing number of the printing material cartridge are recorded, and a piezoelectric sensor for detecting the presence or absence of liquid as the printing material. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The presence / absence of liquid can be detected according to a residual waveform generated by residual vibration after electrostriction by applying a predetermined voltage waveform to the piezoelectric sensor.

  However, if the printing material cartridge is not properly installed in the printing device, there may be misalignment between the terminals on the printing device side and the terminals on the printing cartridge side. There is a possibility that a high voltage for driving the sensor may be applied to the storage device. These problems are not limited to piezoelectric elements, but are common to printing material cartridges equipped with electrical devices and storage devices to which a high voltage is applied, and printing materials other than liquid (for example, toner) are contained. This was a problem that could occur in the printing material cartridge.

Japanese Patent No. 4144737 JP 2006-92868 A

  In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technique capable of confirming whether or not the printing material cartridge is properly attached to the printing apparatus.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1] A printing apparatus, which includes a cartridge mounting unit in which a printing material cartridge is mounted, a plurality of device side terminals, a detection unit that detects a mounting state of the printing material cartridge, and a cartridge mounting unit A printing material cartridge that is detachably mounted. The printing material cartridge includes a storage device, a first terminal connected to the storage device and capable of contacting a first device-side terminal, and the storage device. A second terminal connected to an electrical device to which a voltage higher than the operating voltage is applied and capable of contacting a second device-side terminal; and provided at at least a part of the periphery of the first terminal; A third terminal connected to the first terminal, and the detection unit includes the first device-side terminal and the second device when the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit. Based on the electrical conduction state between the negative terminal to detect the mounting state of the printing material cartridge, the printing device.

  According to such a configuration, in the case where the first device-side terminal is in contact with the third terminal due to the displacement of the mounting position of the printing material cartridge in the cartridge mounting portion, the third device The second device side terminal and the first device side terminal are conducted through the second terminal to which the terminal is connected. Therefore, it is possible to check whether or not the printing material cartridge is properly mounted based on the electrical continuity between the first apparatus side terminal and the second apparatus side terminal.

Application Example 2 In the printing apparatus according to Application Example 1, the detection unit applies a predetermined voltage to the first apparatus-side terminal, and a voltage corresponding to the predetermined voltage is the second device. A printing apparatus that detects a mounting state of the printing material cartridge according to whether or not it is detected from an apparatus-side terminal.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to check the electrical continuity between the first device-side terminal and the second device-side terminal using a relatively low voltage applied to the storage device.

Application Example 3 In the printing apparatus according to Application Example 2, the printing material cartridge includes a plurality of the first terminals, and the printing apparatus includes a plurality of the first terminals according to the number of the first terminals. A printing apparatus comprising the first device-side terminal, wherein the detection unit sequentially applies the predetermined voltage to a plurality of the first device-side terminals.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to confirm whether each of the plurality of first device-side terminals is in proper contact with the corresponding first terminal individually.

Application Example 4 In the printing apparatus according to Application Example 2, the printing material cartridge includes a plurality of the first terminals, and the printing apparatus includes a plurality of the first terminals according to the number of the first terminals. A printing apparatus comprising the first device-side terminal, wherein the detection unit simultaneously applies the predetermined voltage to a plurality of the first device-side terminals.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to collectively check whether or not the plurality of first device-side terminals are correctly in contact with the corresponding plurality of first terminals.

Application Example 5 In the printing apparatus according to Application Example 1, the detection unit applies a predetermined voltage to the second device-side terminal in a state where the first device-side terminal is grounded. A printing apparatus that detects a mounting state of the printing material cartridge according to whether or not an overcurrent flows through the second apparatus side terminal.

  According to such a configuration, in the case where the first device-side terminal is in contact with the third terminal due to the displacement of the mounting position of the printing material cartridge in the cartridge mounting portion, the third device The second device side terminal and the first device side terminal are conducted through the second terminal to which the terminal is connected. Therefore, as described above, if the first device side terminal is grounded and a predetermined voltage is applied to the second device side terminal, an overcurrent flows through the second device side terminal. Therefore, even with such a configuration, it is possible to confirm whether or not the printing material cartridge is properly mounted.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms other than the form as the above-described printing apparatus. For example, a printing material cartridge and a circuit board, a printing material cartridge set composed of a plurality of types of printing material cartridges, a cartridge adapter interposed between the printing material cartridge and the printing apparatus, and a cartridge adapter composed of a plurality of types of cartridge adapters It can be realized in the form of a method for detecting the mounting state of a set, a cartridge or a circuit board.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal structure of the printing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a cartridge. It is a figure which shows the structure of a board | substrate. It is a perspective view of the contact mechanism provided in the cartridge mounting part. It is a figure which shows the state with which the cartridge was mounted in the cartridge mounting part. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a cartridge substrate and a printing apparatus. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the voltage waveform applied to a sensor. It is a flowchart of a mounting state detection process. It is a flowchart of the mounting state detection process performed in 2nd Example. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the printing apparatus in 3rd Example. It is a flowchart of the mounting state detection process performed in 3rd Example. It is a figure which shows the 2nd aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a figure which shows the 3rd aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a figure which shows the 4th aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a figure which shows the 5th aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a figure which shows the 6th aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a figure which shows the 7th aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a figure which shows the 8th aspect of a position shift detection terminal. It is a perspective view showing the 1st mode which separates an ink chamber from a cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd aspect which isolate | separates an ink chamber from a cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows the 3rd aspect which isolate | separates an ink chamber from a cartridge. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an off-carriage type printing apparatus.

A. First embodiment:
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on several examples.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal structure of a printing apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, for convenience of illustration, XYZ axes orthogonal to each other are drawn. The printing apparatus 1000 is driven by a main scanning feed mechanism that reciprocates the carriage 1030 connected to the driving belt 1060 in the main scanning direction (X direction) using a power of the carriage motor 1020 and a paper feed motor (not shown). A sub-scan feed mechanism that transports the print paper P in the sub-scan direction (Y direction) using the paper feed roller 1010, and a head that drives the print head 1050 provided in the carriage 1030 to eject ink onto the print paper P. And a drive mechanism. The printing apparatus 1000 further includes a control unit 1040 for controlling each mechanism described above. The control unit 1040 is connected to the carriage 1030 via a flexible cable 1070.

  The carriage 1030 includes a cartridge mounting unit 1100 and a print head 1050. The cartridge mounting unit 1100 is configured to be capable of mounting a plurality of cartridges, and is disposed on the upper side of the print head 1050. The cartridge mounting portion 1100 is also called a “holder”. In the example shown in FIG. 1, four cartridges can be mounted independently in the cartridge mounting unit 1100, for example, four types of cartridges of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are mounted one by one. The mounting direction of the cartridge is the −Z direction (vertical downward direction). As the cartridge mounting unit 1100, a cartridge mounting unit that can mount cartridges of four or more colors can be used. A cover 1200 is attached to the cartridge mounting portion 1100 so as to be openable and closable. The cover 1200 can be omitted. An ink supply pipe 1080 for supplying ink from the cartridge to the print head 1050 is disposed on the print head 1050. A type of printing apparatus in which a cartridge exchanged by a user like the printing apparatus 1000 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 1100 on the carriage 1030 of the print head is referred to as an “on-carriage type”.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The XYZ axes in FIG. 2 correspond to the XYZ axes in FIG. The cartridge 100 includes a housing 101, a substrate 200 (also referred to as “circuit board”), and a sensor 108 electrically connected to a predetermined terminal on the substrate 200. The sensor 108 is a known ink remaining amount sensor using a piezoelectric element, and is an electric device to which a relatively high voltage is applied.

  An ink chamber 120 that stores ink is formed inside the housing 101. The sensor 108 is a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink chamber 120. The casing 101 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. A lever 160 is provided on the first side surface 102 of the housing 101. The lever 160 is used when the cartridge 100 is attached to or detached from the cartridge mounting portion 1100. That is, when the user presses the lever 160, the cartridge 100 and the cartridge mounting portion 1100 can be mechanically engaged or disengaged. The lever 160 is provided with an engaging protrusion 162 for fixing the cartridge 100 to the cartridge mounting portion 1100. An ink supply port 110 that is connected to the ink supply pipe 1080 of the printing apparatus 1000 when mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 1100 is formed on the bottom surface 104 of the housing 101. In the state before use, the ink supply port 110 may be sealed with a film. A sloped substrate placement portion 105 is formed at a position where the first side surface 102 and the bottom surface 104 intersect (that is, the corner portion at the lower end of the housing 101). The substrate 200 is attached to the substrate installation unit 105. It is also possible to consider that the substrate installation unit 105 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the first side surface 102. An engagement protrusion 150 for fixing the cartridge 100 to the cartridge mounting portion 1100 is provided on the second side surface 103 that faces the first side surface 102. The first side surface 102 is a surface that faces the front side (−Y direction) when mounted on the printing apparatus 1000 (FIG. 1). Therefore, the first side surface 102 is also referred to as “front end surface” or “front surface”. The second side surface 103 is also referred to as “rear end surface” or “rear surface”. The mounting direction SD when the cartridge 100 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 1100 (FIG. 1) is the −Z direction (vertical downward direction).

  FIG. 3A shows the configuration of the surface of the substrate 200. The surface of the substrate 200 is a surface exposed to the outside when the substrate 200 is mounted on the cartridge 100. FIG. 3B shows the substrate 200 viewed from the side. A boss groove 201 for fixing the substrate 200 to a protrusion provided on the substrate installation portion 105 is formed at the upper end portion of the substrate 200, and a boss hole 202 is formed at the lower end portion of the substrate 200.

  An arrow SD in FIG. 3A indicates the mounting direction of the cartridge 100 to the cartridge mounting portion 1100. This mounting direction SD coincides with the mounting direction (−Z direction) of the cartridge shown in FIG. The substrate 200 has a storage device 203 on the back surface, and a terminal group including ten terminals 210 to 300 is provided on the front surface. The storage device 203 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores information (for example, ink remaining amount) of the cartridge 100, a model number, a manufacturing number, and the like of the cartridge 100. The terminals 210 to 290 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and are arranged so as to form two rows that are substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction SD. Of the two rows, the row on the near side in the mounting direction SD (the row located on the upper side in FIG. 3A) is called the upper row R1 (first row), and the row on the back side in the mounting direction SD (FIG. 3). The lower column in (A) is referred to as a lower column R2 (second column). Note that these rows R1 and R2 can also be considered to be rows formed by contact portions cp with device-side terminals provided on the printing device 1000 side.

Hereinafter, the terminals 210 to 240 forming the upper row R1 and the terminals 250 to 290 forming the lower row R2 are also called as follows.
<Upper row R1>
(1) Terminal 210 ... Mounting detection terminal 210
(2) Terminal 220 ... Reset terminal 220
(3) Terminal 230: Clock terminal 230
(4) Terminal 240 ... Mounting detection terminal 240
<Lower row R2>
(5) Terminal 250 ... high voltage terminal 250
(6) Terminal 260 ... Power supply terminal 260
(7) Terminal 270: Ground terminal 270
(8) Terminal 280 ... Data terminal 280
(9) Terminal 290 ... high voltage terminal 290

  The attachment detection terminals 210 and 240 are used when detecting the quality of electrical contact with the corresponding device side terminals. The mounting detection terminal 210 and the mounting detection terminal 240 are connected to each other through wiring in the substrate 200 (or the back surface of the substrate 200). A part of the wiring connecting the two mounting detection terminals 210 and 240 may be replaced with a resistor. The state in which the two terminals are connected by wiring is also referred to as “short-circuit connection” or “conductor connection”. A short-circuit connection by wiring is a connection state different from an unintended short circuit.

  The high voltage terminals 250 and 290 are terminals electrically connected to the sensor 108 in the cartridge 100 and are terminals to which a high voltage is applied from the printing apparatus 1000 side.

  Terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280 are terminals electrically connected to the storage device 203 and are also referred to as “memory terminals”. The storage device 203 to which the memory terminal is connected does not have an address terminal, and includes the number of pulses of the clock signal input from the printing apparatus 1000 through the clock terminal 230 and the command data input from the printing apparatus 1000 through the data terminal 280. Based on this, the memory cell to be accessed is determined. Then, the data is received from the data terminal 280 or the data is transmitted from the data terminal 280 in synchronization with the input clock signal. A power supply voltage (for example, a rating of 3.3 V) and a ground voltage (0 V) are supplied from the printing apparatus 1000 to the power supply terminal 260 and the ground terminal 270, respectively. The reset terminal 220 is used to supply a reset signal from the printing apparatus 1000 to the storage device 203.

  In this embodiment, a terminal 300 having a relatively large exposed surface is provided so as to surround the nine substantially rectangular terminals 210 to 290 described above. The terminal 300 is electrically connected to the terminal 250 (high voltage terminal 250) among the terminals 210 to 290, and is electrically connected to the other terminals 210, 220, 230, 240, 260, 270, 280, and 290. Arranged in an insulated state. Hereinafter, this terminal 300 is also referred to as a positional deviation detection terminal 300. The positional deviation detection terminal 300 is a cartridge based on the contact state with the device side terminals corresponding to the terminals (memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, 280 and the mounting detection terminals 210, 240) excluding the high voltage terminals 250, 290. 100 is used to determine whether or not 100 is properly mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 1100. The distance between each terminal on the substrate 200 and the misalignment detection terminal 300 may be a distance that can be insulated, and may be, for example, 0.5 to 2.0 mm.

  Each of the plurality of terminals 210 to 290 includes a contact portion cp that comes into contact with a corresponding terminal among the plurality of device-side terminals at the center thereof. The contact portions cp of the terminals 210 to 240 forming the upper row R1 and the contact portions cp of the terminals 250 to 290 forming the lower row R2 are alternately arranged to form a so-called staggered arrangement. . The terminals 210 to 240 forming the upper row R1 and the terminals 250 to 290 forming the lower row R2 are also arranged in a staggered manner so that the terminal centers are not aligned with the mounting direction SD. Is configured.

  The contact portions of the two mounting detection terminals 210 and 240 in the upper row R1 are arranged at both ends of the upper row R1, that is, on the outermost side of the upper row R1. Further, the contact portions of the two mounting detection terminals 250 and 290 in the lower row R2 are disposed at both ends of the lower row R2, that is, on the outermost side of the lower row R2. The contact portions of the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280 are collectively arranged at the approximate center in a region where the entirety of the plurality of terminals 210 to 290 is arranged. The contact portions of the two attachment detection terminals 210 and 240 and the two high voltage terminals 250 and 290 are arranged at the four corners of the set of the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the contact mechanism 1400 provided in the cartridge mounting portion 1100. The contact mechanism 1400 is a member for electrically connecting the terminals 210 to 290 on the substrate 200 and a control circuit in the printing apparatus 1000. The contact mechanism 1400 is provided with a plurality of electric contact members 510 to 590. The plurality of electrical contact members 510 to 590 correspond to device side terminals corresponding to the terminals 210 to 290 of the substrate 200. However, a terminal corresponding to the positional deviation detection terminal 300 is not provided in the contact mechanism 1400. Each of the device side terminals 510 to 590 is formed of an elastically deformable member (elastic member), and biases the substrate 200 upward with the cartridge 100 mounted. Note that the center terminal 570 in the lower end row has a higher protruding height than the other terminals. Therefore, when the cartridge 100 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 1100, the terminal 570 comes into contact with the terminal of the board earlier than the other apparatus side terminals. In other words, among the terminals 210 to 290 (FIG. 3) of the substrate 200, the ground terminal 270 contacts the device side terminal earlier than the other terminals.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where the cartridge 100 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 1100. In this state, the device-side terminals 510 to 590 of the contact mechanism 1400 are pushed down by the substrate 200 of the cartridge 100, and the entire device-side terminals 510 to 590 bias the cartridge 100 upward. Further, the engagement protrusion 150 provided on the second side surface 103 of the cartridge 100 is inserted into the engagement hole 1150 of the cartridge mounting portion 1100. Further, the engagement protrusion 162 of the lever 160 provided on the first side surface 102 of the cartridge 100 is engaged with the lower surface of the engagement member 1160 of the cartridge mounting portion 1100. The lever 160 is made of an elastic material, and a bending stress is generated so as to return the lever 160 toward the right side in FIG. The engagement between the engagement protrusion 162 and the engagement member 1160 prevents the cartridge 100 from being pushed upward. When mounting the cartridge 100 in the cartridge mounting portion 1100, first, the engaging protrusion 150 provided on the first side surface 102 of the cartridge 100 is inserted into the engaging hole 1150 of the cartridge mounting portion 1100. Thereafter, when the front end side (front end face 102 side) of the cartridge 100 is pushed downward with the engaging protrusion 150 as a fulcrum, the engaging protrusion 162 of the lever 160 provided on the front end face 102 of the cartridge 100 is attached to the cartridge. Engagement with the lower surface of the engaging member 1160 of the portion 1100 completes the mounting.

  When the cartridge 100 is properly mounted, the device-side terminals 510 to 590 (FIG. 4) of the contact mechanism 1400 and the terminals 210 to 290 (FIG. 3) of the substrate 200 of the cartridge 100 are in good contact with each other. To do. The ink supply port 110 of the cartridge 100 is connected to the ink supply pipe 1080 of the print head 1050. However, in order to facilitate the mounting of the cartridge 100, there is some play in the cartridge mounting portion 1100, and the cartridge 100 may be inserted in a slightly tilted state. When the cartridge 100 is mounted in a tilted state, the apparatus-side terminals 510 to 590 may not be properly in contact with the corresponding terminals 210 to 290, and a positional shift may occur in the contact portion cp. Therefore, in this embodiment, whether or not the cartridge 100 is properly mounted is detected by the configuration and processing described below.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate 200 of the cartridge 100 and the printing apparatus 1000. The printing apparatus 1000 includes a display panel 430, an operation panel 450, a power supply circuit 440, a main control circuit 400, and a sub control circuit 500. The sub-control circuit 500 includes a memory control circuit 501 and a sensor-related processing circuit 503 inside. The main control circuit 400 and the power supply circuit 440 are included in the control unit 1040 shown in FIG. 1, and the sub control circuit 500 is provided in the carriage 1030. Therefore, the control unit 1040 (the main control circuit 400 and the power supply circuit 440) and the sub control circuit 500 are connected via the flexible cable 1070 shown in FIG. The main control circuit 400 and the sub control circuit 500 correspond to the “detection unit” of the present application, and these can be collectively referred to as “control circuit”.

  The main control circuit 400 has a CPU 410 and a memory 420. The CPU 410 executes a predetermined control program stored in the memory 420, thereby realizing a printing function using the main scanning feed mechanism, the sub-scan feed mechanism, and the head drive mechanism. Further, the CPU 410 executes a predetermined control program stored in the memory 420 to realize a function of detecting the mounting state of the cartridge 100 in the cartridge mounting unit 1100. Specific processing contents (wearing state detection processing) for detecting the wearing state will be described later.

  The display panel 430 is a display device that displays various notifications such as the operation state of the printing apparatus 1000 and the mounting state of the cartridge 100 in accordance with instructions from the main control circuit 400. The operation panel 450 is an input device for accepting an operation related to printing or an operation related to the mounting operation of the cartridge 100 from the user.

  The power supply circuit 440 includes a first power supply 441 that generates a first power supply voltage VDD, and a second power supply 442 that generates a second power supply voltage VHV. The first power supply voltage VDD is a normal power supply voltage (rated 3.3 V) used in the logic circuit. The second power supply voltage VHV is a high voltage (for example, rated 42 V) used for driving the print head 1050 to discharge ink. These voltages VDD and VHV are supplied to the sub-control circuit 500, and are also supplied to other circuits as necessary.

  The memory control circuit 501 controls the writing and reading of data to and from the storage device 203 on the substrate 200 in accordance with an instruction from the main control circuit 400, and detects the mounting state of the cartridge 100 together with the sensor related processing circuit 503. And a function for performing (a wearing state detecting function). Device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570 and 580 (FIG. 4) corresponding to the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270 and 280 on the substrate 200 are connected to the memory control circuit 501. In response to a command from the main control circuit 400, the memory control circuit 501 individually sets the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 to three states of connection, grounding, and opening (high impedance). It has a switching function.

  The sensor-related processing circuit 503 includes device-side terminals 510 and 540 (FIG. 4) corresponding to the mounting detection terminals 210 and 240 on the substrate 200 and device-side terminals 550 and 590 (see FIG. 4) corresponding to the high-voltage terminals 250 and 290. And 4) are connected. In response to an instruction from the main control circuit 400, the sensor-related processing circuit 503 individually switches the device side terminals 510, 540, 550, and 590 to three states of connection, grounding, and open (high impedance). It has a function.

  The sensor-related processing circuit 503 detects a mounting state of the cartridge 100 together with the memory control circuit 501 in response to an instruction from the main control circuit 400 (mounting state detection function), and mounting detection terminals 210 and 240 on the substrate 200. And a function for detecting whether or not the cartridge 100 is mounted (mounting presence / absence detecting function) and a function for detecting the remaining amount of ink using the sensor 108 of the cartridge 100 (remaining capacity detecting function). The remaining amount detection function and the mounting presence / absence detection function are functions that are executed after the mounting state detection function detects that the cartridge 100 is normally mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 1100.

  In the mounting presence / absence detection function of the sensor related processing circuit 503, the sensor related processing circuit 503 applies a predetermined voltage to one of the mounting detection terminals 210 and 240 of the substrate 200, and determines whether the voltage is output as it is from the other. To detect. By doing so, it can be determined whether or not the cartridge 100 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 1100.

  FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an example of a voltage waveform applied to the sensor 108 in the remaining amount detection function of the sensor related processing circuit 503. The sensor-related processing circuit 503 applies the liquid amount inspection signal DS to the high voltage terminal 250 (or the high voltage terminal 290) when detecting the remaining ink amount. Then, the liquid quantity inspection signal DS is supplied to one electrode of the piezoelectric element constituting the sensor 108. The maximum voltage of the liquid amount inspection signal DS is, for example, about 36V generated based on the second power supply voltage VHV, and the minimum voltage is about 4V. When the liquid quantity inspection signal DS is applied to the sensor 108, the piezoelectric element of the sensor 108 vibrates according to the remaining amount of ink in the cartridge 100, and the back electromotive voltage generated by the vibration is used as the liquid quantity response signal RS. To the sensor-related processing circuit 503 via the other high voltage terminal 290 (or the high voltage terminal 250). The liquid amount response signal RS includes a vibration component having a frequency corresponding to the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element. The sensor-related processing circuit 503 can detect whether or not the remaining amount of ink is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount by measuring the frequency of the liquid amount response signal RS.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the mounting state detection process for confirming whether or not the cartridge is properly mounted in the cartridge mounting portion. This mounting state detection process is a process executed by the CPU 410 of the main control circuit 400, and is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 1100 when the printing apparatus 1000 is turned on or the cartridge 100 is replaced. This is executed for each cartridge 100. Note that whether or not the cartridge 100 has been replaced can be determined by accepting an operation to the effect that the replacement operation of the cartridge 100 has been completed from the user via the operation panel 450.

  When this mounting state detection process is started, first, the CPU 410 controls the sensor-related processing circuit 503 to place the device-side terminal 550 corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 in a connected state, and a device corresponding to the high voltage terminal 290. The side terminal 590 is opened (high impedance state) (step S100).

  Subsequently, the CPU 410 controls the memory control circuit 501 and the sensor related processing circuit 503, and the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, 580 corresponding to the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, 280, and One of the device-side terminals selected from the device-side terminals 510 and 540 corresponding to the attachment detection terminals 210 and 240 is set in a connected state, and the other device-side terminals are set in an open state (step S105). The reason for opening the other device side terminals is to prevent an unintended voltage from entering the memory control circuit 501 and the sensor related processing circuit 503 through the terminals on the substrate.

  Next, the CPU 410 controls the memory control circuit 501 to apply a predetermined voltage (for example, the first power supply voltage VDD) to the device side terminal connected in step S105 (step S110). Then, it is detected using the sensor related processing circuit 503 whether or not the voltage is output through the device side terminal 550 corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 (step S115). Originally, if the cartridge 100 is normally mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 1100, the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, 580 and the mounting detection terminals corresponding to the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, 280 The device side terminals 510 and 540 corresponding to 210 and 240 do not come into contact with the positional deviation detection terminal 300. However, in a situation where the cartridge 100 is mounted to be inclined with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 1100, a positional shift occurs at the contact portion cp between the device side terminal and the terminal on the substrate, and the device side terminals 520, 530, and 560 are present. , 570, 580, 510, 540 and the position shift detection terminal 300 on the substrate 200 may come into contact with each other. Then, since the positional deviation detection terminal 300 is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250 on the substrate 200, the voltage applied in step S110 is applied to the device side terminal to which the positional deviation is applied, the positional deviation detection terminal 300, and the high voltage terminal 250. It is detected from the device side terminal 550 corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 through the terminal 250. Therefore, when the voltage is detected in step S115, it can be determined that the mounting state of the cartridge 100 is abnormal. Therefore, the CPU 410 displays an error message for prompting the remounting of the cartridge 100 on the display panel 430 (step S120), and abnormally ends the mounting state detection process.

  On the other hand, if no voltage is detected from the device-side terminal 550 corresponding to the high-voltage terminal 250 in step S115, the device-side terminal to which the voltage is applied at this time is normally set to the corresponding terminal on the substrate 200. It can be determined that they are in contact. Therefore, the CPU 410 determines whether or not voltage application has been completed for the other device-side terminals (step S125). If the voltage application has not been completed for the other device-side terminal, the process returns to step S105 to apply the voltage to the other device-side terminal. On the other hand, if the application of the voltage is finished for the other device side terminals, all the device side terminals to which the voltage is applied are normally in contact with the corresponding terminals on the substrate 200. Therefore, in this case, the CPU 410 normally ends the mounting state detection process.

  According to the printing apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment described above, the misalignment detection terminal 300 is arranged around the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, 280 and the mounting detection terminals 210, 240 on the substrate 200. By detecting the continuity between the deviation detection terminal 300 and the high voltage terminal 250, the mounting state of the cartridge 100 can be confirmed. Therefore, after confirming that the cartridge 100 is properly mounted, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of ink using the sensor 108, access the storage device 203, and detect whether the cartridge 100 is mounted. As a result, it is possible to prevent the storage device 203 from malfunctioning due to poor contact and the high voltage to be applied to the sensor 108 from being applied to the storage device 203.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the contact state with the positional deviation detection terminal 300 is individually detected for each device side terminal corresponding to the memory terminal and the mounting detection terminal on the substrate 200, the cartridge 100 can be accurately detected. It is possible to check the mounting state of the. Therefore, for example, when only the device-side terminal 520 corresponding to the reset terminal 220 of the storage device 203 is in contact with the misalignment detection terminal 300, a phenomenon such that the storage device 203 operates by mistake. Can be suppressed.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the entire periphery of all the memory terminals and the mounting detection terminals on the substrate 200 is surrounded by the position shift detection terminal 300, it is assumed that the cartridge 100 is mounted shifted in any direction. However, it is possible to detect the mounting state with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, contact between the memory terminal on the substrate 200 and the device side terminal corresponding to the mounting detection terminal with the position shift detection terminal 300 is detected, but the device side terminal corresponding to the mounting detection terminal and Detection of contact with the position shift detection terminal 300 may be omitted. Further, not all of the device side terminals corresponding to the memory terminals are detected from contact with the position shift detection terminal 300. For example, for the device side terminals corresponding to the ground terminal 270 and the reset terminal 220, the position shift detection terminal is used. Detection of contact with 300 may be omitted. About these modifications, the following 2nd Example and 3rd Example are applicable similarly.

B. Second embodiment:
In the first embodiment described above, the contact state with the position shift detection terminal 300 is detected for each device side terminal corresponding to the memory terminal and the mounting detection terminal on the substrate 200. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the contact state between the device side terminal corresponding to the memory terminal and the mounting detection terminal on the substrate 200 and the positional deviation detection terminal 300 is detected collectively. The configurations of the printing apparatus 1000, the cartridge 100, and the substrate 200 in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the wearing state detection process executed in the second embodiment. When this mounting state detection process is started, first, the CPU 410 controls the sensor-related processing circuit 503 to place the device-side terminal 550 corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 in a connected state, and a device corresponding to the high voltage terminal 290. The side terminal 590 is opened (high impedance state) (step S200).

  Subsequently, the CPU 410 controls the memory control circuit 501 and the sensor related processing circuit 503, and the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, 580 corresponding to the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, 280, and All the device side terminals 510 and 540 corresponding to the attachment detection terminals 210 and 240 are set in a connected state (step S205).

  Next, the CPU 410 applies a predetermined voltage (for example, the first power supply voltage VDD) to all the terminals connected in step S205 (step S210). Then, it is determined using the sensor-related processing circuit 503 whether the voltage is detected through the device-side terminal 550 corresponding to the high-voltage terminal 250 (step S215). If a voltage is detected through the device-side terminal 550, any device-side terminal connected to the connection state in step S205 and the positional deviation detection terminal 300 are short-circuited. It can be determined to be abnormal. Therefore, the CPU 410 displays an error message for prompting the remounting of the cartridge 100 on the display panel 430 (step S120), and abnormally ends the mounting state detection process. If no voltage is detected through the device-side terminal 550, none of the device-side terminals are short-circuited to the misalignment detection terminal 300. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the cartridge 100 is mounted normally. it can. Therefore, in this case, the CPU 410 normally ends the mounting state detection process.

  According to the second embodiment described above, the contact state between the device-side terminal and the positional deviation detection terminal 300 can be detected together, so that the mounting state detection process can be completed in a short time. .

C. Third embodiment:
In the first and second embodiments described above, a voltage is applied to the device side terminals corresponding to the memory terminal and the mounting detection terminal on the substrate 200, and this is detected through the high voltage terminal 250. The mounting state of the cartridge 100 is detected. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the mounting state of the cartridge 100 is detected by applying a high voltage to the substrate 200 through the high voltage terminal 250.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printing apparatus 1000 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 10, the same components as those shown in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, an overcurrent detection circuit 505 is provided in series on the wiring between the sensor-related processing circuit 503 of the sub-control circuit 500 and the device-side terminal 550. The overcurrent detection circuit 505 is a circuit for monitoring the current flowing from the sensor-related processing circuit 503 to the device side terminal 550 and preventing the overcurrent from flowing due to the application of the voltage.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the mounting state detection process executed in the third embodiment. When this mounting state detection process is started, first, the CPU 410 controls the sensor-related processing circuit 503 to place the device-side terminal 550 corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 in a connected state, and a device corresponding to the high voltage terminal 290. The side terminal 590 is opened (high impedance state) (step S300).

  Subsequently, the CPU 410 controls the sensor-related processing circuit 503 and the memory control circuit 501, and device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, 580 corresponding to the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, 280, and All the device side terminals 510 and 540 corresponding to the attachment detection terminals 210 and 240 are grounded (step S305).

  Next, the CPU 410 controls the sensor related processing circuit 503 to apply a high voltage (for example, the second power supply voltage VHV) to the device side terminal 550 corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 (step S310). Then, it is determined whether or not an overcurrent is detected by the overcurrent detection circuit 505 (step S315). If any one of the device side terminals corresponding to the memory terminal and the attachment detection terminal is in contact with the positional deviation detection terminal 300, all of these device side terminals are grounded. Overcurrent flows through the terminal 250 and the position shift detection terminal 300 connected thereto. Therefore, if an overcurrent is detected in step S315, it can be determined that the mounting state of the cartridge 100 is abnormal. Therefore, the CPU 410 displays an error message for prompting the remounting of the cartridge 100 on the display panel 430 (step S320), and abnormally ends the mounting state detection process. If no overcurrent is detected, none of the device-side terminals are in contact with the misalignment detection terminal 300, so that it can be determined that the mounting state of the cartridge 100 is normal. Therefore, in this case, the CPU 410 normally ends the mounting state detection process.

  According to the third embodiment described above, it is possible to detect the mounting state of the cartridge 100 according to whether or not an overcurrent flows by applying a high voltage to the substrate 200. In addition, for the printing apparatus 1000 in which the overcurrent detection circuit 505 is already mounted on the wiring that outputs a high voltage, the mounting state detection process is simply executed by software without any hardware modification. Thus, it is possible to detect the wearing state. In the present embodiment, the example in which the overcurrent detection circuit 505 is provided separately from the sensor related processing circuit 503 is shown, but the sensor related processing circuit 503 has a built-in overcurrent detection circuit 505. Also good.

D. Variations:
Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are possible.

・ Modification 1:
In each of the above embodiments, the misalignment detection terminal 300 on the substrate 200 is provided around the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280 and the attachment detection terminals 210 and 240, and is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250. It is connected. However, the position shift detection terminal 300 is not limited to such a mode, and can take various modes.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a second mode of the positional deviation detection terminal. The misalignment detection terminal 300a shown in FIG. 12 is provided around the memory terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280 and the mounting detection terminals 210 and 240 on the substrate 200a as in the above embodiment. , Not the high voltage terminal 250 but connected to the high voltage terminal 290. In the case of this aspect, when the mounting state detection processing of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above is applied, the mounting state is detected (voltage detection) using the high voltage terminal 290, and the third embodiment is performed. When the example mounting state detection process is applied, a high voltage is applied to the high voltage terminal 290.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a third mode of the position shift detection terminal. The misalignment detection terminal 300b shown in FIG. 13 surrounds the upper side and the lateral side of the upper row clock terminal 230 and the mounting detection terminal 240 on the substrate 200b, and the lower side and the lateral side of the lower row data terminal 280. Is provided so as to surround. And this position shift detection terminal 300b is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 290 similarly to the 2nd aspect mentioned above. In such an aspect, when the mounting state detection process of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above is applied, the mounting state is detected (voltage detection) using the high voltage terminal 290, and the third state is detected. When applying the mounting state detection process of the embodiment, a high voltage is applied to the high voltage terminal 290. However, when the mounting state detection processing of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is applied, a voltage application is applied to the terminals 210 and 260 that are not adjacent to the position shift detection terminal 300b among the memory terminals and the mounting detection terminals. May be omitted. This is because it is considered that the device side terminals corresponding to these terminals 210 and 260 are hardly in contact with the positional deviation detection terminal 300b.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a fourth mode of the positional deviation detection terminal. The position shift detection terminal 300c shown in FIG. 14 surrounds the upper side and the lateral side of the upper row mounting detection terminal 210 on the board 200c, and also surrounds the lower side and the lateral side of the power supply terminal 260 in the lower row. Is provided. The positional deviation detection terminal 300c is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250. In such an aspect, all the mounting state detection processes of the first to third embodiments can be applied as they are. However, when the mounting state detection processing of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is applied, among the memory terminals and the mounting detection terminals, the terminals 230, 240, and 280 that are not adjacent to the position shift detection terminal 300c are connected to the voltage. The application of may be omitted.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a fifth mode of the position shift detection terminal. FIG. 15 shows an example in which a plurality of positional deviation detection terminals 300d1 and 300d2 are provided on the substrate 200d. The misalignment detection terminal 300d1 is provided so as to surround the upper side and the lateral side of the attachment detection terminal 210 and the lower side and the lateral side of the power supply terminal 260, and is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250. On the other hand, the misalignment detection terminal 300d2 is provided so as to surround the upper and lateral sides of the clock terminal 230 and the mounting detection terminal 240 and the lower and lateral sides of the data terminal 280, and is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 290. . In such an aspect, when the mounting state detection process of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is applied, the presence or absence of a short circuit with the corresponding terminal for each of the high voltage terminal 250 and the high voltage terminal 290 is determined. To detect. Further, when applying the mounting state detection process of the third embodiment, a high voltage is applied to each of the high voltage terminal 250 and the high voltage terminal 290 to detect whether an overcurrent flows through the corresponding terminal. . In this embodiment, the terminals corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 are the mounting detection terminal 210 and the power supply terminal 260, and the terminals corresponding to the high voltage terminal 290 are the clock terminal 230, the mounting detection terminal 240, and the data terminal. 280.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a sixth aspect of the position shift detection terminal. FIG. 16 also shows an example in which a plurality of positional deviation detection terminals 300e1 and 300e2 are provided on the substrate 200e, as in FIG. The positional deviation detection terminal 300e1 is disposed so as to surround the upper side and the lateral side of the mounting detection terminal 210, the reset terminal 220, the clock terminal 230, and the mounting detection terminal 240 in the upper row, and is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 290. . On the other hand, the misalignment detection terminal 300e2 is disposed so as to surround the lower side and the lateral side of the power supply terminal 260, the ground terminal 270, and the data terminal 280 in the lower row, and is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250. In such an aspect, when the mounting state detection process of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is applied, the presence or absence of a short circuit with the corresponding terminal for each of the high voltage terminal 250 and the high voltage terminal 290 is determined. To detect. Further, when applying the mounting state detection process of the third embodiment, a high voltage is applied to each of the high voltage terminal 250 and the high voltage terminal 290 to detect whether an overcurrent flows through the corresponding terminal. . In this aspect, the terminals corresponding to the high voltage terminal 250 are the mounting detection terminal 210, the reset terminal 220, the clock terminal 230, and the mounting detection terminal 240, and the terminal corresponding to the high voltage terminal 290 is the power supply terminal. 260, a ground terminal 270, and a data terminal 280.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a seventh aspect of the position shift detection terminal. The misalignment detection terminal 300f shown in FIG. 17 surrounds the lateral and lower sides of the upper row terminals 210, 220, 230, and 240 on the board 200f, and the lower row terminals 260, 270, and 280, respectively. It is arrange | positioned so that the side and upper side of may be enclosed. The positional deviation detection terminal 300f is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250. In such an aspect, the mounting state detection process of the first to third embodiments can be applied as it is. In the example illustrated in FIG. 17, the position shift detection terminal 300 f is electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 250, but may be electrically connected to the high voltage terminal 290. In this case, when the mounting state detection process of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above is applied, the mounting state detection (voltage detection) is performed using the high voltage terminal 290, and the third embodiment of the third embodiment is detected. When the mounting state detection process is applied, a high voltage is applied to the high voltage terminal 290.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an eighth aspect of the position shift detection terminal. FIG. 18 shows a common substrate 200g that can be used in common for the four cartridges mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 1100. The common substrate 200g has a shape in which four small substrate portions 301 to 304 corresponding to four cartridges are connected by a connecting substrate portion 305. A gap G for straddling a rib provided in the cartridge mounting portion 1100 exists between the plurality of small substrate portions 301 to 304. In each small board portion, the respective terminals 210 to 300 are arranged in the same arrangement as the terminals on the board 200 shown in FIG. In addition, it is also possible to arrange | position each terminal in the arrangement | positioning shown in FIGS. 12-17 in each small board | substrate part, and it is also possible to employ | adopt a different arrangement | positioning for every small board | substrate part.

  If this common substrate 200g is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 1100 shown in FIG. 1, the four terminal groups of the common substrate 200g and the device side terminal group for four cartridges in the cartridge mounting portion 1100 are connected simultaneously. be able to. When the common substrate 200g is used, the ink container (ink container) can be mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 1100 separately from the common substrate 200g. It is also possible to install a plurality of ink containers at positions other than the cartridge mounting portion 1100 and supply ink from these ink containers to the print head 1050 of the carriage 1030 via a tube. In addition, the common substrate 200g can be used for a multi-color integrated cartridge in which the inside of one ink container is divided into a plurality of ink storage chambers that store a plurality of ink colors.

  As described above, even when the common substrate 200g is used, it is possible to detect the mounting state for each small substrate portion by using the position shift detection terminal 300 provided in each small substrate portion individually. Become. Further, for example, it is also possible to detect the mounting state of the common substrate 200g in a lump by electrically connecting all the position shift detection terminals 300 provided on the individual small substrate portions. In the present application, the term “substrate” simply refers to a substrate member corresponding to one cartridge mounting position (one receiving slot) in the cartridge mounting portion. That is, in the case of FIG. 18, each of the plurality of small substrate units 301 to 304 corresponds to a “substrate”.

Modification 2
Various modifications can be made to the arrangement of the terminals and contact portions of the substrate in each of the embodiments described above. For example, in the substrate of the above embodiment, a plurality of terminals and their contact portions are arranged in two rows parallel to each other along a direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction. They may be arranged in two rows along a direction parallel to the direction. Moreover, it may be divided into three or more rows instead of two rows. Further, the types and arrangement of the plurality of terminals for the storage device can be variously modified other than the above. For example, the reset terminal can be omitted.

・ Modification 3:
In each of the above embodiments, the sensor 108 having a piezoelectric element is used as a high voltage circuit mounted on the cartridge. However, the high voltage circuit is not limited to this, and may be any circuit as long as a voltage higher than the power supply voltage (operating voltage) of the storage device 203 is applied from the printing apparatus 1000. For example, instead of the sensor 108, a resistor having a predetermined resistance value may be mounted. In this way, if a resistor is mounted between the high voltage terminal 250 and the high voltage terminal 290 of the cartridge, the current value of the current flowing through the resistor is measured, so that the cartridge can be used on the printing apparatus 1000 side. It is possible to determine the presence or absence or type. In addition to the resistor, a light emitting element such as an LED may be included in the high voltage circuit.

-Modification 4:
In each of the above embodiments, the ground terminal 270 of the storage device 203 is connected to the memory control circuit 501. However, the ground terminal 270 may be directly connected to the ground potential in the printing apparatus 1000 instead of the memory control circuit 501. In this case, the application of voltage to the ground terminal 270 can be omitted in the mounting state detection processing of the first and second embodiments described above.

-Modification 5:
In each of the above embodiments, the ink chamber 120 is provided inside the cartridge 100. On the other hand, a mode in which the ink chamber 120 is separated from the cartridge 100 is also possible.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a first mode for separating the ink chamber from the cartridge. The cartridge 100c is separated into an ink container 100Bc and an adapter 100Ac. This cartridge 100c is compatible with the cartridge 100 of FIG. The ink storage unit 100Bc has an ink chamber 120Bc for storing ink and an ink supply port 110c. The ink supply port 110c is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 101Bc and communicates with the ink chamber 120Bc.

  The adapter 100Ac is different from the outer shape of the cartridge 100 of FIG. 2 in that an opening 106c is provided in the upper portion of the adapter 100Ac and a space for receiving the ink containing portion 100Bc is formed therein. It has substantially the same external shape as the cartridge 100 of FIG. That is, the adapter 100Ac has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and its outer surface is provided on five surfaces excluding the ceiling surface (upper end surface) of the six orthogonal surfaces and the corner portion at the lower end. It is comprised with the board | substrate installation part 105c of a slope shape. A lever 160c is provided on the first side surface (front end surface) 102c of the adapter 100Ac, and an engagement protrusion 162c is provided on the lever 160c. The bottom surface 104c of the adapter 100Ac is formed with an opening 108c through which the ink supply pipe 1080 of the cartridge mounting unit 1100 passes when mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 1100. In a state where the ink storage unit 100Bc is stored in the adapter 100Ac, the ink supply port 110c of the ink storage unit 100Bc is connected to the ink supply pipe 1080 of the cartridge mounting unit 1100. In the vicinity of the lower end of the first side surface 102c of the adapter 100Ac, a sloped substrate placement portion 105c is formed, and the substrate 200 is placed on the substrate placement portion 105c. An engagement protrusion 150c is provided on the second side surface (rear end surface) 103c opposite to the first side surface 102c.

  When this cartridge 100c is used, both are mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 1100 simultaneously with the ink storage portion 100Bc combined with the adapter 100Ac. Alternatively, the adapter 100Ac may be first mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 1100, and then the ink storage unit 100Bc may be mounted in the adapter 100Ac. In the latter case, only the ink container 100Bc can be detached while the adapter 100Ac is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 2100.

  FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a second mode for separating the ink chamber from the cartridge. This cartridge 100d is also separated into an ink containing portion 100Bd and an adapter 100Ad. The adapter 100Ad includes a first side surface 102d, a bottom surface 104d, a second side surface 103d opposite to the first side surface 102d, and a sloped substrate installation portion 105d provided near the lower end of the first side surface 102d. It consists of and. The main difference from the cartridge shown in FIG. 19 is that in the adapter 100Ad shown in FIG. 20, there are members constituting two side surfaces (the largest side surfaces) intersecting the first and second side surfaces 102d, 103d and the bottom surface 104d. It is a point not to do. A lever 160d is provided on the first side surface 102d, and an engagement protrusion 162d is formed on the lever 160d. An engagement protrusion 150d is also formed on the second side surface 103d. The ink storage unit 100Bd has an ink chamber 120Bd that stores ink and an ink supply port 110d. This cartridge 100d can also be used in substantially the same manner as the cartridge 100c of FIG.

  FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a third mode for separating the ink chamber from the cartridge. The cartridge 100e is also separated into an ink storage portion 101Be and an adapter 100Ae. The adapter 100Ae includes a first side surface 102e, a second side surface 103e facing the first side surface 102e, a third side surface 107e provided between the first and second side surfaces 102e, 103e, It is composed of a sloped substrate mounting portion 105d provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the first side surface 102d. The ink storage unit 100Be includes an ink chamber 120Be that stores ink and an ink supply port 110e. The bottom surface 104e of the ink container 100Be has substantially the same shape as the bottom surface 104a of the cartridge 100a shown in FIG. This cartridge 100e can also be used in substantially the same manner as the cartridges 100c and 100d of FIGS.

  As can be understood from the examples of FIGS. 19 to 21 described above, the cartridge can be separated into an ink container (also referred to as “printing material container”) and an adapter. In this case, the circuit board and the high voltage device are preferably provided on the adapter side. As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the adapter compatible with the cartridge 100 of FIG. 2 includes a first side surface 102c (or 102d, 102e) provided with a lever having an engagement structure, and a first side. A second side surface 103c (or 103d, 103e) facing the side surface, another surface (a bottom surface 104c, 104d or a third side surface 107e) provided between the first and second side surfaces, It is preferable to have a substrate installation portion 105c (or 105d, 105e) provided in the vicinity of the lower end of one side surface.

Modification 6:
In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the on-carriage type printing apparatus 1000. However, the present invention is also applicable to a printing apparatus called an off-carriage type, for example. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of an off-carriage type printing apparatus 2000. The off-carriage type refers to a type in which a cartridge is mounted on a cartridge mounting portion provided at a place other than a carriage having a print head. A printing apparatus 2000 shown in FIG. 22 is a type in which a cartridge is inserted in a depth direction (X direction) into a cartridge mounting portion 2100 provided on the front surface of the printing apparatus 2000. In addition to such an aspect, there is an off-carriage type printing apparatus in which a cartridge is mounted in a vertical direction (−Z direction) on a cartridge mounting portion provided on the upper surface of the printing apparatus. In an off-carriage type printing apparatus, a cartridge and a print head are connected by, for example, a tube, and ink is supplied from the cartridge to the print head through the tube.

Modification 7:
In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the ink cartridge. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other printing materials, for example, a printing material container (printing material container) containing toner. . The present invention can be applied not only to an ink jet printer and its ink cartridge, but also to any liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid other than ink and its liquid container. For example, the present invention can be applied to the following various liquid ejecting apparatuses and the liquid storage containers.
(1) Image recording device such as facsimile device (2) Color material injection device used for manufacturing color filter for image display device such as liquid crystal display (3) Organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display and surface emitting display (Field Electrode material injection device used for electrode formation such as Emission Display (FED), etc. (4) Liquid injection device for injecting liquid containing biological organic material used for biochip manufacturing (5) Sample injection device as a precision pipette (6) Lubrication Oil injection device (7) Resin liquid injection device (8) Liquid injection device for injecting lubricating oil pinpoint to precision machines such as watches and cameras (9) Micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. ), Etc., to inject a transparent resin liquid such as an ultraviolet curable resin liquid onto the substrate (10) Acid or to etch the substrate A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects alkaline of the etching solution (11) any other liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head ejecting a minute amount of liquid droplet

  The “droplet” refers to the state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus, and includes liquid droplets that are granular, tear-like, or thread-like. The “liquid” here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, the “liquid” may be a material in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a material in a liquid state having high or low viscosity, and sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, Liquid materials such as liquid resins and liquid metals (metal melts) are also included in the “liquid”. Further, “liquid” includes not only a liquid as one state of a substance but also a liquid obtained by dissolving, dispersing or mixing particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles in a solvent. Further, typical examples of the liquid include ink as described in the above embodiment, liquid crystal, and the like. Here, the ink includes various liquid compositions such as general water-based ink and oil-based ink, gel ink, and hot-melt ink.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Cartridge 101 ... Case 102 ... 1st side surface 103 ... 2nd side surface 104 ... Bottom surface 105 ... Board | substrate installation part 108 ... Sensor 110 ... Ink supply port 120 ... Ink chamber 150 ... Engagement protrusion 160 ... Lever 162 ... Engagement Joint protrusion 200 ... Substrate 200g ... Common substrate 201 ... Boss groove 202 ... Boss hole 203 ... Storage device 210-290 ... Terminal 300 ... Position displacement detection terminal 301 ... Small substrate portion 305 ... Connecting substrate portion 400 ... Main control circuit 410 ... CPU
420 ... Memory 430 ... Display panel 440 ... Power supply circuit 441 ... First power supply 442 ... Second power supply 450 ... Operation panel 500 ... Sub control circuit 501 ... Memory control circuit 503 ... Sensor related processing circuit 505 ... Overcurrent detection circuit 510-590 ... Device-side terminals 1000, 2000 ... Printing device 1010 ... Roller 1020 ... Carriage motor 1030 ... Carriage 1040 ... Control unit 1050 ... Print head 1060 ... Drive belt 1070 ... Flexible cable 1080 ... Ink supply pipe 1100, 2100 ... Cartridge mounting portion 1150 ... Engagement hole 1160 ... engagement member 1200 ... cover 1400 ... contact mechanism

Claims (8)

A printing device,
A cartridge mounting portion in which the printing material cartridge is mounted;
A plurality of device side terminals;
A detection unit for detecting a mounting state of the printing material cartridge;
A printing material cartridge detachably mounted on the cartridge mounting portion,
The printing material cartridge is
A storage device;
A first terminal connected to the storage device and capable of contacting a first device-side terminal;
A second terminal connected to an electrical device to which a voltage higher than the operating voltage of the storage device is applied and capable of contacting a second device side terminal;
A third terminal provided on at least a part of the periphery of the first terminal and connected to the second terminal;
The detection unit is configured to detect the printing material cartridge based on an electrical continuity between the first device-side terminal and the second device-side terminal when the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit. Detecting the wearing state of
Printing device. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The detection unit applies a predetermined voltage to the first device-side terminal, and determines whether the voltage corresponding to the predetermined voltage is detected from the second device-side terminal. A printing device that detects the mounting state. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing material cartridge includes a plurality of the first terminals,
The printing apparatus includes a plurality of the first apparatus side terminals corresponding to the number of the first terminals,
The said detection part is a printing apparatus which applies the said predetermined voltage in order with respect to several said 1st apparatus side terminal. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing material cartridge includes a plurality of the first terminals,
The printing apparatus includes a plurality of the first apparatus side terminals corresponding to the number of the first terminals,
The said detection part is a printing apparatus which applies the said predetermined voltage simultaneously with respect to several said 1st apparatus side terminal. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The detection unit applies a predetermined voltage to the second device-side terminal in a state where the first device-side terminal is grounded, and whether or not an overcurrent flows to the second device-side terminal. A printing apparatus that detects a mounting state of the printing material cartridge in response. A printing material cartridge that can be mounted on a cartridge mounting portion of a printing apparatus having a plurality of apparatus-side terminals,
A storage device;
An electrical device to which a high voltage higher than the operating voltage of the storage device is applied;
A first terminal connected to the storage device and capable of contacting a first device-side terminal;
A second terminal connected to the electrical device and capable of contacting a second device-side terminal;
A third terminal provided on at least a part of the periphery of the first terminal and connected to the second terminal;
A printing material cartridge comprising: A circuit board that can be mounted on a cartridge mounting portion of a printing apparatus having a plurality of apparatus-side terminals,
A storage device;
A first terminal connected to the storage device and capable of contacting a first device-side terminal;
A second terminal connected to an electrical device to which a voltage higher than the operating voltage of the storage device is applied and capable of contacting a second device side terminal;
A third terminal provided on at least a part of the periphery of the first terminal and connected to the second terminal;
A circuit board comprising: An adapter that is mounted on a cartridge mounting portion of a printing apparatus that has a printing material container and has a plurality of apparatus-side terminals,
A storage device;
A first terminal connected to the storage device and capable of contacting a first device-side terminal;
A second terminal connected to an electrical device to which a voltage higher than the operating voltage of the storage device is applied and capable of contacting a second device side terminal;
A third terminal provided on at least a part of the periphery of the first terminal and connected to the second terminal;
Adapter with.

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