JP6825364B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image recording device including a cartridge having a first storage chamber and a cartridge mounting portion having a second storage chamber.

Conventionally, a droplet ejection device including a housing having a discharge head and a sub-tank, a liquid storage chamber, and a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the housing is known (see Patent Document 1).

This droplet ejection device includes a cartridge mounting portion on which a cartridge is detachably mounted inside a cover provided on the housing. The cover is equipped with a locking mechanism. The cover is unlocked by the lock mechanism and the cartridge can be attached and detached only when the carriage on which the discharge head is mounted and moves in the main scanning direction is located at the cap position (the position where the suction operation with respect to the nozzle of the discharge head is performed). It becomes.

Further, this droplet ejection device includes an atmospheric communication hole for communicating the sub tank with the atmosphere and a valve body for opening and closing the atmospheric communication hole. The air communication hole is closed by the valve body when the carriage is located in the cap position. That is, when the cartridge can be attached and detached, the air communication hole is closed. As a result, when the cartridge is removed from the cartridge mounting portion, ink is prevented from leaking from the sub tank.

JP-A-2009-6618

The droplet ejection device as described above is provided with a locking mechanism in order to limit the timing at which the cartridge is attached / detached when the carriage is located at the cap position. Therefore, the configuration of the droplet ejection device becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is a simple configuration in an image recording device including a cartridge having a first storage chamber and a cartridge mounting portion having a second storage chamber. The purpose is to prevent ink leakage from the second storage chamber when the cartridge is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion while maintaining the above.

(1) The image recording apparatus according to the present invention supplies a first storage chamber for storing a liquid, a first air communication unit for communicating the first storage chamber with the atmosphere, and a liquid stored in the first storage chamber. A cartridge having a supply unit, a cartridge attachment unit in which the cartridge can be attached and detached through an opening, and a connection portion connected to the supply unit and a connection portion connected to the connection portion in a state where the cartridge is attached. A cartridge mounting unit having a second storage chamber for storing the liquid supplied from the supply unit and a second air communication unit for communicating the second storage chamber with the atmosphere, and the air communication of the second air communication unit. A switching unit that can switch between opening and closing, a cover that can open and close the opening, an opening / closing detection unit that detects the open / closed state of the cover, and a liquid supplied from the second storage chamber are discharged from the nozzle. It includes a recording unit and a control unit. The control unit controls the switching unit on the condition that the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover to block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit.

In this configuration, when the cover is opened, the air communication of the second air communication part is cut off. Therefore, since it is not necessary to limit the opening / closing timing of the cover, it is not necessary to provide a lock mechanism. As a result, the configuration of the image recording device can be easily maintained.

Further, when the cover is opened, the communication of the atmosphere in the second air communication portion is cut off, and the second storage chamber is sealed. Therefore, even if the cartridge is subsequently removed from the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid stored in the second storage chamber does not leak through the connecting portion.

(2) The control unit controls the recording unit to execute the image recording process on the sheet, and when the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover during the execution of the image recording process, the image On condition that the recording process is completed, the switching unit is controlled to block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit.

If the communication of the atmosphere of the second air communication part is cut off during the image recording process, only the first storage chamber is opened to the atmosphere from the state where both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are open to the atmosphere. Transition to the present state. As a result, the resistance to the liquid supplied to the recording unit increases, which may affect the discharge of the liquid from the nozzle. However, in this configuration, the communication of the atmosphere in the second atmospheric communication section is cut off after the image recording process is completed. Therefore, the image recording process can be executed without affecting the discharge of the liquid from the nozzle.

(3) The recording unit includes a recording head having the nozzle and a carriage on which the recording head is mounted and moves along the main scanning direction. The image recording device detects whether or not the drive source, the lever that projects into the moving region of the carriage and can move along the main scanning direction, and the cartridge are mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. It is equipped with a mounting detection unit. The switching unit switches between opening and closing the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit by being driven and transmitted from the drive source. When the lever is brought into contact with and separated from the moving carriage, the drive transmission from the drive source to the switching portion is possible at the first position, and the drive transmission from the drive source to the switching portion is cut off. It moves to the second position. The control unit sets the carriage on the condition that the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover and the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The lever is moved so as to be positioned at the first position, and after the lever is moved to the first position, the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. As a condition, by controlling the drive source and transmitting the drive from the drive source to the switching unit, the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit is cut off.

In this configuration, the interruption of atmospheric communication in the second atmospheric communication unit is driven and transmitted from the drive source to the switching unit after the preparatory operation for moving the carriage to position the lever in the first position is executed. Is executed by.

In this configuration, only the preparatory operation is executed when the cover is opened but the cartridge is not removed. Therefore, if the cover is closed without removing the cartridge after that, the normal state (image recordable state) can be quickly returned by simply moving the lever from the first position to the second position. On the other hand, when the cartridge is removed after that, since the preparatory operation has already been executed, it is possible to quickly switch the second atmospheric communication unit to shut off the air communication.

(4) The control unit controls the switching unit on the condition that a preset predetermined time has elapsed since the opening / closing detection unit detects the open state of the cover, and communicates with the second atmosphere. Block the communication of the atmosphere of the part.

According to this configuration, when the cover is closed within a predetermined time after being opened, the communication of the atmosphere in the second atmospheric communication part is not cut off, so that the normal state (image recordable state) is quickly restored. it can.

(5) The image recording device according to the present invention includes a mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The control unit is in a state in which the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover, and the mounting detection unit is mounted from a state in which the cartridge is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. On the condition that the above is detected, the switching unit is controlled to open the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit.

When the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mount, the connection is connected to the supply. Therefore, the liquid stored in the second storage chamber does not leak through the connection portion. In this configuration, the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit is opened on condition that the cartridge is installed from the state where the cartridge is not installed in the cartridge mounting portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid stored in the second storage chamber from leaking through the connection portion.

Further, in this configuration, the air communication of the second air communication part is opened after the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting part and before the cover is closed, and the liquid from the first storage chamber to the second storage chamber is released. Can be distributed. That is, in this configuration, the flow of the liquid from the first storage chamber to the second storage chamber can be executed at an early stage.

(6) The image recording device according to the present invention includes a mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. When the open / close detection unit detects a change from the open state to the closed state of the cover, the control unit requires that the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit. As a result, the switching unit is controlled to open the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit.

If the image recording device is configured so that the air communication of the second air communication part is opened only on the condition that the cover is closed, the cartridge is not mounted on the cartridge mounting part. When the cover is closed, liquid may leak from the second reservoir through the connection. According to this configuration, in addition to the cover being closed, the air communication of the second atmospheric communication portion is opened on condition that the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. That is, when the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit is opened, the connection unit is connected to the cartridge supply unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned liquid leakage.

(7) The image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid level detection unit that detects the position of the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber. In the control unit, the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover, and the liquid level detection unit determines that the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is above the connection unit. On condition that it is detected, the switching unit is controlled to block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit, the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover, and the liquid level detection unit On condition that it is detected that the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is equal to or lower than the connection portion, the switching portion is controlled and the communication of the atmosphere in the second atmospheric communication portion is not interrupted. ..

When the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is located above the connection portion, the liquid may leak from the connection portion if the air communication remains open. In this configuration, when the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is located above the connection portion, the communication of the atmosphere is cut off, so that leakage from the liquid connection portion can be prevented.

On the other hand, when the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is located at a height below the connection portion, the liquid does not leak from the connection portion even if the communication of the atmosphere is maintained open. Therefore, in this configuration, when the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is below the connection portion, the communication with the atmosphere is maintained open. As a result, it is possible to prevent the operation from being executed even when the switching operation from the opening of the atmosphere to the shutoff by the switching unit is unnecessary.

According to the present invention, in an image recording device including a cartridge having a first storage chamber and a cartridge mounting portion having a second storage chamber, the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion while maintaining a simple configuration. It is possible to prevent ink leakage from the second storage chamber in the absence state.

1A and 1B are external perspective views of the multifunction device 10. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the cover 87 is in the closed position, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the cover 87 is in the open position. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the carriage 22 and the platen 26. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the cartridge mounting portion 110 on the opening 112 side. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the cartridge mounting portion 110 on the tank 103 side. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 130. 9A and 9B are schematic configuration diagrams of the drive transmission switching mechanism 70, in which FIG. 9A shows a non-drive state and FIG. 9B shows a drive state. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the switching control of the atmospheric communication in the first state of the atmospheric communication port 124. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining switching control of atmospheric communication in a state where the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the second state, the cover 87 is in the open position, and the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 110. .. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the switching control of the atmospheric communication in the state where the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the second state and the cover 87 is in the open position. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the switching control of atmospheric communication in the modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. It goes without saying that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, the vertical direction 7 is defined based on the posture in which the multifunction device 10 is installed on a horizontal plane so that it can be used (the posture in FIG. 1 and may be referred to as "use posture"), and the multifunction device 10 is defined. The front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface provided with the opening 13 as the front surface, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front surface. In the present embodiment, in the usage posture, the vertical direction 7 corresponds to the vertical direction, and the front-rear direction 8 and the horizontal direction 9 correspond to the horizontal direction. The front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 are orthogonal to each other.

[Overall configuration of multifunction device 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 10 (an example of an image recording device) has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction device 10 has a printer unit 11 at the bottom, which records an image on paper 12 (see FIG. 2) by an inkjet recording method. The printer unit 11 has a housing 14 having an opening 13 formed in the front surface 14A.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the housing 14, a feed roller 23, a feed tray 15, a discharge tray 16, a transport roller pair 25, a recording unit 24, a discharge roller pair 27, and the like. A platen 26 and a cartridge mounting portion 110 (see FIG. 1B) are arranged. The multifunction device 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The state shown in FIG. 1 is the usage posture of the multifunction device 10.

[Feeding tray 15, discharge tray 16, feeding roller 23]
As shown in FIG. 1, the feed tray 15 is inserted and removed from the multifunction device 10 by the user along the front-rear direction 8 through the opening 13. The opening 13 is located at the center of the front surface 14A of the housing 14 in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the feed tray 15 can support a plurality of stacked sheets 12.

The discharge tray 16 is arranged above the feed tray 15. The discharge tray 16 supports the paper 12 discharged from between the recording unit 24 and the platen 26 by the discharge roller pair 27.

The feeding roller 23 feeds the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 15 to the transport path 17. The feeding roller 23 is driven by a feeding motor 172 (see FIG. 8).

[Transport path 17]
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport path 17 refers to a space in which a part thereof is formed by the outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 facing each other at predetermined intervals inside the printer unit 11. The transport path 17 is a path extending rearward from the rear end of the feed tray 15. The transport path 17 is a path that extends upward at the rear portion of the printer unit 11 and makes a U-turn forward, passes through the space between the recording unit 24 and the platen 26, and reaches the discharge tray 16. The transport path 17 between the transport roller pair 25 and the discharge roller pair 27 is provided at a substantially central portion of the multifunction device 10 in the left-right direction 9, and extends in the front-rear direction 8. The transport direction of the paper 12 in the transport path 17 is indicated by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

[Convey roller vs. 25]
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport roller pair 25 is arranged in the transport path 17. The transfer roller pair 25 has a transfer roller 25A and a pinch roller 25B that face each other. The transfer roller 25A is driven by a transfer motor 171 (see FIG. 8). The pinch roller 25B rotates with the rotation of the transport roller 25A. The paper 12 is sandwiched between the transport roller 25A and the pinch roller 25B that rotate forward by the forward rotation of the transport motor 171 and is transported in the transport direction (forward).

[Discharge roller vs. 27]
As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge roller pair 27 is arranged downstream of the transport roller pair 25 in the transport path 17 in the transport direction. The discharge roller pair 27 has a discharge roller 27A and a spur 27B facing each other. The discharge roller 27A is driven by a transport motor 171 (see FIG. 8). The spur 27B rotates with the rotation of the discharge roller 27A. The paper 12 is sandwiched between the discharge roller 27A and the spur 27B that rotate in the forward direction due to the forward rotation of the transport motor 171 and is conveyed in the transport direction (forward).

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is arranged between the transport roller pair 25 and the discharge roller pair 27 in the transport path 17. The recording unit 24 is arranged so as to face the platen 26 in the vertical direction 7 with the transport path 17 interposed therebetween. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 22 and a recording head 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, the carriages 22 are supported by guide rails 82 and 83 extending in the left-right direction 9 at positions separated from each other in the front-rear direction 8. The guide rails 82 and 83 are supported by the frame of the printer unit 11. The carriage 22 is connected to a known belt mechanism provided on the guide rail 83. The belt mechanism is driven by a carriage motor (not shown). The carriage 22 connected to the belt mechanism reciprocates along the left-right direction 9 (an example of the main scanning direction) by being driven by the carriage driving motor 173 (see FIG. 8). The moving region of the carriage 22 extends from the carrier path 17 to the right and left, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

An ink tube 20 and a flexible flat cable 84 extend from the carriage 22.

The ink tube 20 connects the cartridge mounting portion 110 (see FIG. 1B) and the recording head 21. The ink tube 20 supplies the ink (an example of a liquid) stored in each ink cartridge 30 (an example of a cartridge) mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 to the recording head 21. Four ink tubes 20 through which inks of each color (black, magenta, cyan, yellow) are distributed are provided corresponding to each ink cartridge 30, and are connected to the carriage 22 in a bundled state. ..

The flexible flat cable 84 electrically connects the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8) and the recording head 21. The flexible flat cable 84 transmits a control signal output from the control unit 130 to the recording head 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 22 is equipped with a recording head 21. The recording head 21 has a plurality of nozzles 29 arranged on the lower surface and a piezoelectric element 45 (see FIG. 8) that ejects ink droplets from the nozzles 29 by deforming a part of the ink flow path formed in the recording head 21. ) And. As will be described later, the piezoelectric element 45 operates by being fed by the control unit 130.

The recording unit 24 is controlled by the control unit 130. When the carriage 22 is moving in the left-right direction 9, the recording head 21 ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 29 toward the paper 12 supported by the platen 26. As a result, the image is recorded on the paper 12. In addition, this consumes the ink stored in each ink cartridge 30.

[Platen 26]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the platen 26 is arranged between the transport roller pair 25 and the discharge roller pair 27 in the transport path 17. The platen 26 is arranged so as to face the recording unit 24 in the vertical direction 7 with the transport path 17 interposed therebetween. The platen 26 supports the paper 12 conveyed by the transfer roller pair 25 from below.

[Cover 87]
As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 85 is formed on the right side of the front surface 14A of the housing 14. Behind the opening 85, a storage space 86 that can accommodate the cartridge mounting portion 110 is formed. A cover 87 is attached to the housing 14 so as to cover the opening 85. The cover 87 has a closed position (a position shown in FIG. 1A, an example of a closed state) for closing the opening 85 and an open position (a position shown in FIG. 1B, an open state) for opening the opening 85. It is rotatable around the rotation axis 87A (rotation center) extending in the left-right direction 9 between and (one example).

The cover 87 may move between the closed position and the open position by means other than rotation. For example, the cover 87 may be configured to be removable from the housing 14. In this case, when the cover 87 is attached to the housing 14, the cover 87 is in the closed position. On the other hand, when the cover 87 is removed from the housing 14, the cover 87 is in the open position.

[Open / close sensor 72]
As shown in FIG. 1B, an open / close sensor 72 (an example of an open / close detection unit) is arranged at the upper right of the opening 85 of the housing 14. The open / close sensor 72 detects the open / closed state of the cover 87. In the present embodiment, the open / close sensor 72 is a mechanical switch. The open / close sensor 72 is turned on when it comes into contact with the cover 87 at the closed position, and outputs a high-level signal to the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, the open / close sensor 72 is turned off when the cover 87 rotates away from the closed position, and outputs a low level signal to the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8). As the open / close sensor 72, various known sensors (proximity sensor, optical sensor, etc.) can be adopted in addition to the mechanical switch.

[Cartridge mounting part 110]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the cartridge mounting portion 110 includes a cartridge case 101, a connecting portion 107, a contact 106, a rod 125, a mounting sensor 113 (an example of a mounting detection unit), and a lock shaft 145. The tank 103 and the liquid level sensor 55 are provided. The cartridge mounting portion 110 can accommodate four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The connection portion 107, the contact 106, the rod 125, the mounting sensor 113, the lock shaft 145, the tank 103, and the liquid level sensor 55 are provided four by four corresponding to each of the four ink cartridges 30. The number of ink cartridges 30 that can be accommodated in the cartridge mounting portion 110 is not limited to four.

[Cartridge case 101]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cartridge case 101 forming the housing of the cartridge mounting portion 110 has a top surface and a bottom portion that determine the top portion of the internal space of the cartridge case 101. It has a box shape having a bottom surface, a rear surface connecting the top portion and the bottom portion, and an opening 112 provided at a position facing the rear surface in the front-rear direction 8. The opening 112 may be exposed to the front surface 14A of the housing 14, which is the surface facing the user when using the multifunction device 10.

The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge case 101 through the opening 85 of the housing 14 and the opening 112 of the cartridge mounting portion 110. The ink cartridge 30 is guided in the front-rear direction 8 in FIG. 4 by inserting the lower end portion of the ink cartridge 30 into the guide groove 109 provided on the bottom surface of the cartridge case 101. The cartridge case 101 is provided with three plates 104 that partition the internal space into four long spaces in the vertical direction 7. The ink cartridge 30 is housed in each of the spaces partitioned by the plate 104.

[Connecting part 107]
As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting portion 107 includes an ink needle 102 and a guide portion 105.

The ink needle 102 is made of a tubular resin and is located at the lower part of the rear surface of the cartridge case 101. The ink needle 102 is arranged on the rear surface of the cartridge case 101 at a position corresponding to the ink supply unit 34 (an example of the supply unit) of the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. The ink needle 102 projects forward from the rear surface of the cartridge case 101.

The guide portion 105 is arranged around the ink needle 102 and has a cylindrical shape. The guide portion 105 projects forward from the rear surface of the cartridge case 101, and the protruding end (front end) thereof is open. The ink needle 102 is arranged at the center of the guide portion 105. The guide portion 105 has a shape in which the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge enters inward.

The connection unit 107 is not connected to the ink supply unit 34 of the ink cartridge 30 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. On the other hand, in the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting unit 110, that is, in the process of moving the ink cartridge 30 to the mounting position (position shown in FIG. 6), the ink supply unit 34 of the ink cartridge 30 is guided by the guide unit 105. Enter into. Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted toward the back of the cartridge mounting portion 110, the ink needle 102 is inserted into the ink supply port 71 formed in the ink supply portion 34. As a result, the connection unit 107 and the ink supply unit 34 are connected. Then, the ink stored in the storage chamber 33 formed inside the ink cartridge 30 flows out to the tank 103 through the internal space of the ink valve chamber 35 and the ink needle 102 formed inside the ink supply unit 34. The tip of the ink needle 102 may be flat or sharp.

As shown in FIG. 6, the valve 114 and the coil spring 115 are housed in the internal space 117 of the ink needle 102. The valve 114 moves along the front-rear direction 8 to open and close the opening 116 formed at the protruding tip of the ink needle 102. That is, the valve 114 opens and closes the internal space 117 of the ink needle 102. The coil spring 115 urges the valve 114 forward. Therefore, the valve 114 closes the opening 116 in a state where no external force is applied (a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110). Further, in a state where no external force is applied, the front end portion of the valve 114 urged by the coil spring 115 projects forward from the opening 116. In the process of connecting the connection unit 107 and the ink supply unit 34, the valve 114 opens the opening 116. The operation of the valve 114 to open the opening 116 will be described later.

[Contact 106]
As shown in FIG. 6, four contacts 106 are provided on the top surface of the cartridge case 101. The four contacts 106 project downward from the top surface toward the internal space of the cartridge case 101. Although not shown in detail in each figure, the four contacts 106 are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction 9. The arrangement of the four contacts 106 corresponds to the arrangement of the four electrodes 65 of the ink cartridge 30, which will be described later. Each contact 106 is made of a member having conductivity and elasticity, and is elastically deformable upward. Four sets of four contacts 106 are provided corresponding to the four ink cartridges 30 that can be accommodated in the cartridge case 101. The number of contacts 106 and the number of electrodes 65 are arbitrary.

Each contact 106 is electrically connected to the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8) via an electric circuit. By engaging the contact 106 with the corresponding electrode 65 and conducting electrical conduction, a voltage Vc is applied to the electrode 65, the electrode 65 is grounded, and electric power is supplied to the electrode 65. The electrical continuity between the contact 106 and the corresponding electrode 65 makes it possible to access the data stored in the IC of the ink cartridge 30. The output from the electric circuit is input to the control unit 130.

[Rod 125]
As shown in FIG. 6, a rod 125 is formed above the ink needle 102 on the rear surface of the cartridge case 101. The rod 125 projects forward from the rear surface of the cartridge case 101. The rod 125 has a cylindrical shape. The rod 125 is inserted into the atmospheric communication port 96, which will be described later, when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, that is, when the ink cartridge 30 is located at the mounting position.

[Mounting sensor 113]
As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting sensor 113 is arranged on the top surface of the cartridge case 101. The mounting sensor 113 detects whether or not the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. The mounting sensor 113 is located in front of the rod 125 and behind the contact 106. In the present embodiment, the mounting sensor 113 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The light emitting unit is provided on the right or left side of the light receiving unit at a distance from the light receiving unit. The light-shielding plate 67, which will be described later, of the ink cartridge 30 that has been mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 is arranged between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. In other words, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged so as to face each other with the light shielding plate 67 of the ink cartridge 30 completed to be mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110.

The mounting sensor 113 outputs different detection signals depending on whether or not the light emitted from the light emitting unit in the left-right direction 9 is received by the light receiving unit. For example, the mounting sensor 113 transmits a low-level signal to the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8) on the condition that the light output from the light emitting unit cannot be received by the light receiving unit (that is, the light receiving intensity is less than a predetermined intensity). Output to. On the other hand, the mounting sensor 113 transmits a high-level signal to the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8) on condition that the light output from the light emitting unit can be received by the light receiving unit (that is, the light receiving intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity). ) Is output.

[Lock Shaft 145]
As shown in FIG. 6, the lock shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction 9 of the cartridge case 101 near the top surface of the cartridge case 101 and near the opening 112. The lock shaft 145 is a rod-shaped member extending along the left-right direction 9. The lock shaft 145 is, for example, a metal cylinder. Both ends of the lock shaft 145 in the left-right direction 9 are fixed to a wall in which both ends of the cartridge case 101 in the left-right direction 9 are fixed. The lock shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction 9 over four spaces in which the four ink cartridges 30 can be stored.

The lock shaft 145 is for holding the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 at the mounting position. The ink cartridge 30 is engaged with the lock shaft 145 while being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. As a result, the lock shaft 145 holds the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge mounting portion 110 against the force of the coil springs 78 and 98 of the ink cartridge 30 pushing the ink cartridge 30 forward.

[Tank 103]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a tank 103 is provided behind the cartridge case 101. The tank 103 has a box shape having a storage chamber 121 (an example of a second storage chamber) and a buffer chamber 122 inside. The storage chamber 121 and the buffer chamber 122 are arranged in the vertical direction 7 with the buffer chamber 122 facing upward. The storage chamber 121 and the buffer chamber 122 communicate with each other by a flow path 123 extending in the vertical direction 7. The storage chamber 121 extends forward from the flow path 123. The cross-sectional area of the storage chamber 121 along the horizontal direction is substantially rectangular, and is larger than the cross-sectional area of the flow path 123 along the horizontal direction.

The storage chamber 121 communicates with the internal space of the ink needle 102 in the front. As a result, the ink flowing out of the ink cartridge 30 through the ink needle 102 is stored in the storage chamber 121. A convex portion 120 having an internal space continuous with the storage chamber 121 is formed above the storage chamber 121 and in front of the flow path 123. The side wall of the convex portion 120 facing the left-right direction 9 is formed by a light-transmitting member. The arm 53 and the detected portion 54 of the rotating member 50, which will be described later, are located on the convex portion 120.

The storage chamber 121 communicates with the ink flow path 126 via the communication port 128. The communication port 128 is formed on the bottom wall 129 that partitions the lower end of the storage chamber 121. The communication port 128 is located below the connection portion 107.

The ink flow path 126 extends upward from the storage chamber 121 and is continuous with the ink outflow port 127. An ink tube 20 is connected to the ink outflow port 127. As a result, the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 flows out from the communication port 128 and is supplied to the recording head 21 through the ink flow path 126 and the ink tube 20.

The buffer chamber 122 communicates with an atmospheric communication port 124 (an example of a second atmospheric communication unit) provided in the upper part of the tank 103. The buffer chamber 122 and the atmospheric communication port 124 communicate with each other through a through hole 119 (see FIG. 6) formed in the front wall 122A that partitions the front end of the buffer chamber 122. The through hole 119 is sealed by a semipermeable membrane 118. The atmospheric communication port 124 opens to the outside via a switching unit 56 described later. As a result, the storage chamber 121 and the buffer chamber 122 can be opened to the atmosphere. That is, the atmospheric communication port 124 communicates the storage chamber 121 and the buffer chamber 122 with the atmosphere.

Although the film constituting the back surface of the tank 103 is omitted in FIG. 5, the back surfaces of the storage chamber 121, the buffer chamber 122, the flow path 123, and the ink flow path 126 are each sealed with the film. It is configured.

[Rotating member 50]
As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating member 50 is arranged in the storage chamber 121 of each tank 103. The rotating member 50 is rotatably supported in the directions of arrows 58 and 59 by a support member (not shown) arranged in the storage chamber 121. The rotating member 50 may be supported in addition to the supporting member. For example, the rotating member 50 may be supported by the wall of the cartridge case 101 that partitions the storage chamber 121.

The rotating member 50 includes a float 51, a shaft 52, an arm 53, and a detected portion 54. The float 51 is located below the rotating member 50. The float 51 is made of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121. The shaft 52 projects along the left-right direction 9 from the right and left surfaces of the float 51. The shaft 52 is inserted into a hole formed in the support member. As a result, the rotating member 50 is rotatably supported by the supporting member about the shaft 52.

The arm 53 projects substantially upward from the float 51. The detected portion 54 is formed at the protruding tip portion of the arm 53. The arm 53 and the detected portion 54 are located in the internal space of the convex portion 120. The detected portion 54 is configured in a plate shape extending in the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The detected unit 54 is formed of a material that blocks the light output from the light emitting unit of the liquid level sensor 55 (an example of the liquid level detecting unit) described later.

When the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is above the position P1 of the connection portion 107 in the vertical direction 7, in other words, the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 33 of the ink cartridge 30 is up and down. When the ink supply unit 34 is above the position P1 in the direction 7, the rotating member 50 rotates in the direction of the arrow 58 due to the buoyancy acting on the float 51. As a result, the rotating member 50 is located at the detection position shown by the solid line in FIG.

Here, in the present embodiment, the position P1 is at the same height as the axial center of the ink needle 102 and at the same height as the center of the ink supply port 71. However, the position P1 is not limited to the position of the present embodiment as long as it is at the same height as the connection portion 107 and the ink supply portion 34 in the vertical direction 7. For example, the position P1 may be at the same height as the upper end or the lower end of the ink needle 102, or may be the same height as the upper end or the lower end of the ink supply port 71.

On the other hand, when the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 and the ink valve chamber 35 is consumed, the liquid level of the ink drops, and when the position is equal to or lower than the position P1 in the vertical direction 7, the rotating member 50 follows the liquid level. Then, it rotates in the direction of the arrow 59. As a result, the rotating member 50 is located at the non-detection position shown by the broken line in FIG. That is, the rotating member 50 changes its state on condition that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is at the same position as the connecting portion 107 in the vertical direction 7.

[Liquid level sensor 55]
The liquid level sensor 55 (see FIG. 8) detects the position of the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 by detecting the state change of the rotating member 50 provided with the detected portion 54. .. In the present embodiment, the liquid level sensor 55 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are arranged so as to sandwich the convex portion 120 of the tank 103 at intervals of 9 in the left-right direction. The light emitting portion is arranged on one of the right side or the left side of the convex portion 120, and the light receiving portion is arranged on the right side or the left side of the convex portion 120. The optical path of the light output from the light emitting unit coincides with the left-right direction 9. The detected portion 54 of the rotating member 50 at the detection position is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

The liquid level sensor 55 outputs different detection signals depending on whether or not the light output from the light emitting unit is received by the light receiving unit. For example, the liquid level sensor 55 has a low level signal (“the signal level is less than the threshold level” on condition that the light output from the light emitting unit cannot be received by the light receiving unit (that is, the light receiving intensity is less than a predetermined intensity). (Refer to FIG. 8) is output to the control unit 130 (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, the liquid level sensor 55 has a high level signal (“the signal level is a threshold level” on condition that the light output from the light emitting unit can be received by the light receiving unit (that is, the light receiving intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity). Refers to the above signal ”) is output to the control unit 130.

The detected unit 54 at the detection position is located between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. Therefore, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 of the tank 103 (in other words, the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 33 of the ink cartridge 30) is above the position P1 in the vertical direction 7. Since the light output from the light emitting unit cannot be received by the light receiving unit, the liquid level sensor 55 outputs a low level signal to the control unit 130. On the other hand, the detected unit 54 in the non-detected position is in a position retracted from between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. Therefore, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 (in other words, the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 33 of the ink cartridge 30) is at a position equal to or lower than the position P1 in the vertical direction 7, the light emitting unit Since the output light can be received by the light receiving unit, the liquid level sensor 55 outputs a high level signal to the control unit 130.

[Switching unit 56]
The switching portion 56 shown in FIG. 8 communicates with the atmospheric communication port 124 of the tank 103 by a tube 175 (see FIG. 6). That is, one end of the tube 175 communicates with the atmospheric communication port 124, and the other end of the tube 175 communicates with the switching portion 56.

The switching unit 56 switches the state of the atmospheric communication port 124 between the first state and the second state. The first state is a state in which the flow of air from the atmospheric communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 via the tube 175 is maintained. The second state is a state in which the flow of air from the atmospheric communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 via the tube 175 is blocked.

For example, the switching unit 56 includes a cylindrical cylinder and a cylindrical rotating body arranged inside the cylinder. Atmospheric port 56A (see FIG. 6) communicating with the atmosphere is formed on the inner surface of the cylinder. A connection port communicating with the tube 175 is formed on the outer surface of the rotating body. The rotating body rotates by transmitting the driving force of the transport motor 171 (see FIG. 8, an example of a drive source). When the connecting port and the atmospheric port 56A face each other due to the rotation of the rotating body, the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the first state in which the atmosphere can flow through the tube 175, the connecting port, and the atmospheric port 56A. It becomes. On the other hand, when the connecting port is positioned so as not to face the atmospheric port 56A due to the rotation of the rotating body, the communication between the connecting port and the atmospheric port 56A is cut off, so that the atmospheric communication port 124 is cut off from the air flow. It becomes the second state. The configuration for maintaining and blocking the flow of air is not limited to the above configuration, and various known configurations can be adopted.

In the present embodiment, the switching unit 56 communicates with the atmospheric communication port 124 provided in each of the four tanks 103. As a result, when the rotating body is located at a position where the connection port and the atmospheric port 56A face each other, all of the atmospheric communication ports 124 of the four tanks 103 are in the first state. On the other hand, when the rotating body is located at a position where the connection port and the atmospheric port do not face each other, all of the atmospheric communication ports 124 of the four tanks 103 are in the second state. Further, in the present embodiment, the atmospheric communication ports 124 of the four tanks 103 communicate with each other by the tubes 175.

The correspondence between the switching unit 56 and the four tanks 103 is not limited to the above. For example, two switching units 56 are provided, one switching unit 56 communicates with one tank 103 in which black ink is stored, and the other switching unit 56 contains cyan, magenta, and yellow inks. It communicates with the three stored tanks 103, and the operation of one switching unit 56 switches the state of the atmospheric communication port 124 of one tank 103 in which black ink is stored, and the other switching unit 56. Depending on the operation, the state of the atmospheric communication port 124 of the three tanks 103 in which the cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are stored may be switched. Further, for example, four switching units 56 are provided corresponding to each of the four tanks 103, and the state of each of the atmospheric communication ports 124 of the four tanks 103 is individually switched by the operation of each switching unit 56. May be done.

[Drive transmission switching mechanism 70]
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the printer unit 11 further includes a drive transmission switching mechanism 70. The drive transmission switching mechanism 70 switches between transmission of the driving force of the transfer motor 171 to the transfer roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A and transmission to the switching unit 56. The drive transmission switching mechanism 70 is arranged in a portion to the right of the transport path 17 in the moving region of the carriage 22. In other words, the drive transmission switching mechanism 70 is arranged at a position deviated to the right from the area (area on the transport path 17) that can face the paper 12. The drive transmission switching mechanism 70 may be arranged at a position deviated to the left from the area where the paper 12 can be faced.

The drive transmission switching mechanism 70 is configured to be switchable between the second drive state shown in FIG. 9A and the first drive state shown in FIG. 9B. The second drive state is a state in which the driving force of the transfer motor 171 is transmitted to the transfer roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A but not to the switching unit 56. The first driving state is a state in which the driving force of the transport motor 171 is transmitted to the switching unit 56 but not to the transport roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A.

The drive transmission switching mechanism 70 includes a slide member 181, a drive gear 182, a driven gear 183, a lever 184 (an example of a contact portion), a spring 185, 186, and a support shaft 187.

The slide member 181 is a substantially cylindrical member supported by a support shaft 187 extending in the left-right direction 9. The slide member 181 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction 9 along the support shaft 187. The slide member 181 supports the drive gear 182 in a rotatable state. That is, the slide member 181 and the drive gear 182 are integrally slid in the left-right direction 9.

The drive gear 182 rotates by transmitting the driving force of the transport motor 171. The drive gear 182 can mesh with the second driven gear 188 and the first driven gear 183 (see FIG. 9). The second driven gear 188 meshes with a gear train that rotates the transport roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A. The first driven gear 183 meshes with a gear train that rotates the rotating body of the switching portion 56. That is, the driving force of the transfer motor 171 rotates the transfer roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A by engaging the drive gear 182 and the second driven gear 183 (see FIG. 9A), and the drive gear 182 and the drive gear 182. The rotating body of the switching unit 56 is rotated by meshing with the first driven gear 183 (see FIG. 9B).

The driving force of the transport motor 171 is transmitted to rotate the rotating body of the switching unit 56, so that the state of the atmospheric communication port 124 is switched between the first state and the second state.

The lever 184 is supported by the support shaft 187 at a position adjacent to the right side of the slide member 181. The lever 184 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction 9 along the support shaft 187. The lever 184 can be moved to the first position shown in FIG. 9 (B) and the second position shown in FIG. 9 (A). When the lever 184 is in the first position, the drive gear 182 and the first driven gear 183 are in mesh with each other. At this time, the drive transmission switching mechanism 70 is in the first drive state. When the lever 184 is in the second position, the drive gear 182 and the second driven gear 188 are in mesh with each other. At this time, the drive transmission switching mechanism 70 is in the second drive state.

The lever 184 projects upward. The protruding tip of the lever 184 has reached a position where it can come into contact with the carriage 22. That is, the lever 184 projects into the moving region of the carriage 22.

The springs 185 and 186 are supported by the support shaft 187. One end (left end) of the spring 185 is in contact with the frame of the printer unit 11, and the other end (right end) is in contact with the left end surface of the slide member 181. The spring 185 urges the slide member 181 and the lever 184 in contact with the slide member 181 to the right. One end (right end) of the spring 186 is in contact with the frame of the printer unit 11, and the other end (left end) is in contact with the right end surface of the lever 184. The spring 186 urges the lever 184 and the slide member 181 that abuts on the lever 184 to the left. The urging force of the spring 186 is set to be larger than the urging force of the spring 185.

When the carriage 22 is separated from the lever 184, the slide member 181 and the lever 184 move to the left by the urging force of the spring 186. As a result, the drive transmission switching mechanism 70 is in the second drive state shown in FIG. 9A. That is, the lever 184 is located at the second position. At this time, the driving force of the transfer motor 171 is transmitted to the transfer roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A.

The lever 184, which is in contact with the carriage 22 and pushed to the right, moves to the right against the urging force of the spring 186. That is, the lever 184 moves from the second position to the first position. At this time, the slide member 181 follows the lever 184 by the urging force of the spring 185 and moves to the right. As a result, the drive transmission switching mechanism 70 changes its state from the second drive state shown in FIG. 9A to the first drive state shown in FIG. 9B. That is, the lever 184 moves from the second position to the first position. At this time, the driving force of the transport motor 171 is transmitted to the switching unit 56.

When the carriage 22 is separated from the lever 184 shown in FIG. 9B, the slide member 181 and the lever 184 move to the left by the urging force of the spring 186. As a result, the drive transmission switching mechanism 70 changes its state from the first drive state shown in FIG. 9B to the second drive state shown in FIG. 9A. That is, the lever 184 moves from the first position to the second position. At this time, the driving force of the transfer motor 171 is transmitted to the transfer roller 25A and the discharge roller 27A.

From the above, the lever 184 moves to the first position and the second position by being brought into contact with and separated from the moving carriage 22.

[Open / close sensor 57]
The open / close sensor 57 (see FIG. 8) detects the position of the rotating body of the switching unit 56. For example, when the position of the rotating body is the position where the connection port and the atmosphere port 56A face each other, the open / close sensor 57 transmits a low level signal (referring to a “signal whose signal level is less than the threshold level”) to the control unit 130 (. Output to (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, the open / close sensor 57 sends a high level signal (referring to "a signal whose signal level is equal to or higher than the threshold level") to the control unit 130 when the position of the rotating body is the position where the connection port and the atmosphere port 56A face each other. Output.

That is, the open / close sensor 57 outputs a low level signal to the control unit 130 when the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the first state, and outputs a high level signal to the control unit 130 when the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the second state. .. As the open / close sensor 57, various known sensors (proximity sensor, optical sensor, etc.) can be adopted.

[Ink cartridge 30]
The ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is a container in which ink is stored. The posture of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is a usage posture.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink cartridge 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 31. The housing 31 is composed of a rear wall 40, a front wall 41, an upper wall 39, a lower wall 42, a right side wall 37, and a left side wall 38.

As a whole, the housing 31 has a flat shape in which the dimensions along the left-right direction 9 are thin and the dimensions along the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8 are larger than the dimensions along the left-right direction 9. In the housing 31, at least the front wall 41 has a translucency so that the liquid levels of the ink stored in the storage chamber 32 and the storage chamber 33 can be visually recognized from the outside.

The housing 31 is located above the lower wall 42 and has a sub-lower wall 48 that extends forward continuously with the lower end of the rear wall 40. In the present embodiment, the rear end of the sub lower wall 42 is located behind the rear end of the ink supply unit 34, and the front end of the sub lower wall 48 is located in front of the rear end of the ink supply unit 34. The lower wall 42 and the sub lower wall 48 are continuous by a stepped surface 49. The ink supply unit 34 extends rearward from the stepped surface 49 below the sub lower wall 48 and above the lower wall 42. The position of the rear end of the sub lower wall 48 is arbitrary, and may be, for example, located in front of the rear end of the ink supply unit 34.

A convex portion 43 projecting upward is provided on the outer surface of the upper wall 39. The convex portion 43 extends along the front-rear direction 8. The surface of the convex portion 43 facing rearward is the lock surface 151. The lock surface 151 is located above the upper wall 39. The lock surface 151 is a surface that can come into contact with the lock shaft 145 in the forward direction when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. When the lock surface 151 comes into contact with the lock shaft 145 forward, the ink cartridge 30 is held by the cartridge mounting portion 110 against the urging force of the coil springs 78 and 98.

An inclined surface 155 is formed behind the lock surface 151 in the convex portion 43. In the process of mounting the ink cartridge 30 on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the lock shaft 145 is guided along the inclined surface 155. As a result, the lock shaft 145 is guided to a position where it comes into contact with the lock surface 151.

An operation unit 90 is formed in front of the lock surface 151 on the upper wall 39. When the operation surface 92 of the operation unit 90 is pushed downward while the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110, the lock surface 151 moves downward by rotating the ink cartridge 30. As a result, the lock surface 151 is located below the lock shaft 145. As a result, the ink cartridge 30 can be removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110.

A light-shielding plate 67 projecting upward is formed on the outer surface of the upper wall 39. The shading plate 67 extends in the front-rear direction 8. The light-shielding plate 67 is located behind the convex portion 43.

The light-shielding plate 67 is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the mounting sensor 113 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. As a result, the light-shielding plate 67 blocks the light of the mounting sensor 113 traveling in the left-right direction 9. More specifically, the light output from the light emitting portion of the mounting sensor 113 hits the light-shielding plate 67 before reaching the light receiving portion, so that the intensity of the light reaching the light receiving portion is less than a predetermined intensity, for example, zero. It becomes. The shading plate 67 may completely block the light from traveling from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion, may partially attenuate the light, may bend the traveling direction of the light, or may transmit the light. It may be totally reflected.

In the present embodiment, the light-shielding plate 67 is formed with a notch 66. The notch 66 is a space recessed downward from the upper end of the light-shielding plate 67, and extends in the front-rear direction 8. Since the notch 66 is located in the mounting sensor 113, the light output from the light emitting portion of the mounting sensor 113 is not blocked by the time it reaches the light receiving portion. Depending on the presence or absence of the notch 66, the type of the ink cartridge 30, that is, the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge 30, the initial amount, and the like can be determined. On the other hand, if the light-shielding plate 67 does not have a notch 66, the light-shielding plate 67 faces the light emitting portion of the mounting sensor 113 in the mounted ink cartridge 30.

An IC substrate 64 is provided on the outer surface of the upper wall 39 between the light-shielding plate 67 and the convex portion 43 in the front-rear direction 8. The IC board 64 conducts with the contact 106 when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110.

The IC substrate 64 is a substrate made of silicon or the like, on which an IC (not shown in each figure) and four electrodes 65 are mounted. The four electrodes 65 are arranged along the left-right direction 9. The IC is a semiconductor integrated circuit, and information on the ink cartridge 30, for example, data indicating information such as a lot number, a date of manufacture, and an ink color is readable and stored. Further, the IC substrate 64 may be configured by providing an IC and electrodes on a flexible substrate having flexibility.

Each electrode 65 is electrically connected to the IC. Each of the electrodes 65 extends along the front-rear direction 8, and the four electrodes 65 are arranged so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction 9. Each electrode 65 is electrically accessiblely exposed on the upper surface of the IC substrate 64.

A stepped surface 95 extends upward from the front end of the sub upper surface 91 at the rear end of the outer surface of the upper wall 39. The step surface 95 is a surface facing rearward. An atmospheric communication port 96 (an example of a first atmospheric communication portion) that communicates the storage chamber 32 with the atmosphere is formed on the step surface 95. That is, the atmospheric communication port 96 is arranged above the center of the dimension 7 in the vertical direction of the housing 31. The air communication port 96 is a substantially circular opening formed in the stepped surface 95, and has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the rod 125 of the cartridge mounting portion 110. As shown in FIG. 6, the rod 125 enters the atmospheric communication port 96 in the process of mounting the ink cartridge 30 on the cartridge mounting portion 110. The rod 125 that has entered the atmospheric communication port 96 moves the valve 97 that seals the atmospheric communication port 96 backward against the urging force of the coil spring 98. The storage chamber 32 is opened to the atmosphere when the valve 97 moves rearward and separates from the air communication port 96. The member that seals the atmospheric communication port 96 is not limited to the valve 97. For example, the air communication port 96 may be sealed with a seal that can be peeled off from the stepped surface 95.

As shown in FIG. 6, a storage chamber 32, a storage chamber 33, an ink valve chamber 35, and an atmospheric valve chamber 36 are formed inside the housing 31. The storage chamber 32, the storage chamber 33, and the ink valve chamber 35 store ink. The atmosphere circulates in the atmosphere valve chamber 36. The storage chamber 32 and the storage chamber 33 communicate with each other through a through hole (not shown). The storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere valve chamber 36 communicate with each other through a through hole 46. The storage chamber 33 and the ink valve chamber 35 communicate with each other by a through hole 99 formed at the lower end of the storage chamber 33. The storage chambers 32 and 33 are examples of the first storage chamber.

A valve 97 and a coil spring 98 are housed in the atmospheric valve chamber 36. The atmospheric valve chamber 36 communicates with the outside by an atmospheric communication port 96 formed on the stepped surface 95. The valve 97 can be moved to a closed position for sealing the atmospheric communication port 96 and an open position away from the atmospheric communication port 96. The coil spring 98 is arranged so as to be expandable and contractible along the front-rear direction 8, and urges the valve 97 in the direction of contacting the air communication port 96, that is, backward. The spring constant of the coil spring 98 is smaller than the spring constant of the coil spring 78 of the ink supply unit 34.

The ink supply unit 34 projects rearward from the stepped surface 49. The ink supply unit 34 has a cylindrical outer shape. The internal space of the ink supply unit 34 is the ink valve chamber 35. The rear end of the ink supply unit 34 is opened to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 by the ink supply port 71. A seal member 76 is provided at the rear end of the ink supply unit 34. As described above, the front end of the ink supply unit 34 communicates with the lower end of the storage chamber 33 by the through hole 99. That is, the ink supply unit 34 communicates with the lower end of the storage chamber 33.

A through hole 94 is formed in the wall 93 that partitions the atmosphere valve chamber 36. The storage chamber 32 communicates with the atmospheric valve chamber 36 through the through hole 46 and the through hole 94. The through hole 94 is sealed by the semipermeable membrane 80.

A bulb 77 and a coil spring 78 are housed in the ink bulb chamber 35. The valve 77 moves along the front-rear direction 8 to open and close the ink supply port 71 penetrating the center of the seal member 76. The coil spring 78 urges the valve 77 rearward. Therefore, the valve 77 closes the ink supply port 71 of the seal member 76 in a state where no external force is applied.

The seal member 76 is a disk-shaped member having a through hole formed in the center. The sealing member 76 is formed of, for example, an elastic material such as rubber or an elastomer. The center of the seal member 76 is penetrated in the front-rear direction 8 to form a tubular inner peripheral surface, and the ink supply port 71 is formed by the inner peripheral surface. The inner diameter of the ink supply port 71 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ink needle 102.

When the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 while the valve 77 closes the ink supply port 71 and the valve 114 closes the opening 116 of the ink needle 102, the ink needle is mounted on the ink supply port 71. 102 enters. That is, the connection unit 107 and the ink supply unit 34 are connected. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the ink needle 102 is in liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface defining the ink supply port 71 while elastically deforming the seal member 76. When the tip of the ink needle 102 passes through the seal member 76 and enters the ink valve chamber 35, it comes into contact with the valve 77. Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the ink needle 102 moves the valve 77 rearward against the urging force of the coil spring 78. As a result, the ink supply port 71 is opened.

Further, while the tip of the ink needle 102 abuts on the valve 77, the valve 77 abuts on the valve 114 from the front and pushes it. Then, the valve 114 moves backward against the urging force of the coil spring 115. As a result, the opening 116 is opened. As a result, the ink stored in the storage chambers 32 and 33 and the ink valve chamber 35 can be distributed to the storage chamber 121 of the tank 103 through the internal space 117 of the ink needle 102. Here, the storage chambers 32 and 33, the ink valve chamber 35, and the storage chamber 121 are all open to the atmosphere. Therefore, the ink stored in the storage chamber 32, the storage chamber 33, and the ink valve chamber 35 of the ink cartridge 30 is supplied to the storage chamber 121 of the tank 103 by the head difference through the ink supply unit 34.

[Control unit 130]
Hereinafter, the schematic configuration of the control unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. The present invention is realized when the control unit 130 controls switching of the state of the atmospheric communication port 124 according to the flowchart described later. The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 10. The control unit 130 includes a CPU 131, a ROM 132, a RAM 133, an EEPROM 134, an ASIC 135, and an internal bus 137 that connects them to each other.

The ROM 132 stores a program or the like for the CPU 131 to control various operations including recording control. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data, signals, and the like used by the CPU 131 when executing the program. The EEPROM 134 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

A transport motor 171, a feed motor 172, and a carriage drive motor 173 are connected to the ASIC 135. Further, a transport motor 171 for driving the switching unit 56 is connected to the ASIC 135. The ASIC 135 incorporates a drive circuit that controls each motor. When a drive signal for rotating each motor is input from the CPU 131 to a drive circuit corresponding to a predetermined motor, a drive current corresponding to the drive signal is output from the drive circuit to the corresponding motor. This causes the corresponding motor to rotate. That is, the control unit 130 controls each of the motors 171, 172, and 173.

Further, a signal output from the mounting sensor 113 is input to the ASIC 135. When the signal input from the mounting sensor 113 is at a low level, the control unit 130 determines that the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. On the other hand, when the signal input from the mounting sensor 113 is at a high level, the control unit 130 determines that the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110.

Further, a signal output from the liquid level sensor 55 is input to the ASIC 135. When the signal input from the liquid level sensor 55 is low level, the control unit 130 determines that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 of the tank 103 and the storage chamber 33 of the ink cartridge 30 is located above the position P1. to decide. On the other hand, when the signal input from the liquid level sensor 55 is high level, the control unit 130 positions the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 of the tank 103 and the storage chamber 33 of the ink cartridge 30 in the vertical direction 7. It is judged that it is located below P1. When the control unit 130 determines that the ink liquid level is located below the position P1 in the vertical direction 7, a warning that the cartridge needs to be replaced is displayed on the display, the LED is turned on, or a buzzer sounds. By doing so, the user is notified.

The control unit 130 determines the position of the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 33 in the vertical direction 7 for each of the four ink cartridges 30. Further, the control unit 130 determines the position of the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 in the vertical direction 7 for each of the tanks 103 corresponding to the four ink cartridges 30.

Further, a piezoelectric element 45 is connected to the ASIC 135. The piezoelectric element 45 operates by being fed by the control unit 130 via a drive circuit (not shown). The control unit 130 controls the power supply to the piezoelectric element 45, and selectively ejects ink droplets from the plurality of nozzles 29.

Further, a signal output from the open / close sensor 57 is input to the ASIC 135. The control unit 130 determines that the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the first state when the signal input from the open / close sensor 57 is at a low level. On the other hand, when the signal input from the open / close sensor 57 is at a high level, the control unit 130 determines that the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the second state.

Further, a signal output from the open / close sensor 72 is input to the ASIC 135. The control unit 130 determines that the cover 87 is in the open position when the signal input from the open / close sensor 72 is at a low level. On the other hand, the control unit 130 determines that the cover 87 is in the closed position when the signal input from the open / close sensor 72 is at a high level.

When the control unit 130 records an image on the paper 12, the transfer motor 171 controls the transfer roller pair 25 and the discharge roller pair 27 to alternately repeat the transfer and stop of the sheet 12 for a predetermined line feed. Let the process be executed.

The control unit 130 executes the ejection process while the paper 12 is stopped in the intermittent transfer process. The ejection process is a process of controlling the power supply to the piezoelectric element 45 while moving the carriage 22 along the left-right direction 9 to eject ink droplets from the nozzle 29. That is, the control unit 130 ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 29 during one pass (hereinafter, also referred to as one pass) for moving the carriage 22 from one end to the other in the ejection process. As a result, one pass of images is recorded on the paper 12.

By alternately executing the intermittent transfer process and the ejection process, it is possible to record an image in the entire image recordable area of the paper 12. The image recording process is a process in which the intermittent transfer process and the ejection process are alternately executed to record an image on the paper 12.

The control unit 130 executes a series of processes for recording an image on the paper 12 by controlling the motors 171, 172, 173, the piezoelectric element 45, and the like based on the signals input from the sensors 55 and 113. .. In the series of processes, the paper 12 supported by the feed tray 15 by the feed roller 23 is fed to the transport path 17, and the paper 12 sent to the transport path 17 by the transport roller pair 25 and the discharge roller pair 27 is directed to transport. A process of recording an image on the paper 12 transported along the transport path 17 by executing an intermittent transport process and a discharge process, and discharging the paper 12 on which the image is recorded by the discharge roller pair 27 to the discharge tray 16. Is.

[Atmospheric communication switching control]
Hereinafter, switching control of atmospheric communication will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12.

First, with reference to FIG. 10, switching control of atmospheric communication in the first state (a state in which a low level signal is sent from the open / close sensor 57 to the control unit 130) of the atmospheric communication port 124 will be described. In the first state, the air flow from the atmospheric communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 is maintained.

The control unit 130 determines whether or not the cover 87 is in the open position based on the input signal from the open / close sensor 72 (S10). When the cover 87 is in the closed position (S10: No), the atmospheric communication port 124 is maintained in the first state (S60). That is, the flow of air from the air communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 is not blocked.

On the other hand, when the cover 87 is in the open position (S10: Yes), the control unit 130 raises the liquid level of the stored ink in the four storage chambers 121 based on the input signals from the four liquid level sensors 55. It is determined whether or not the position is equal to or lower than the position P1 (see FIG. 6) (S20).

In all four storage chambers 121, when the liquid level of the stored ink is below position P1 (see FIG. 6) (S20: Yes), the atmospheric communication port 124 is maintained in the first state (S60).

On the other hand, in at least one storage chamber 121, when the liquid level of the stored ink is above the position P1 (see FIG. 6) (S20: No), whether the control unit 130 is executing the image recording process or not. A different process is executed based on (S30).

When the image recording process is not being executed (S30: No), the control unit 130 drives the carriage drive motor 173 to move the carriage 22 to the right and the lever 184 to the right. As a result, the lever 184 moves from the second position to the first position, and the driving force of the transport motor 171 can be transmitted to the switching unit 56. Next, the control unit 130 drives the transport motor 171 to switch the atmospheric communication port 124 from the first state to the second state (S50). As a result, the flow of air from the air communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 is blocked.

On the other hand, when the image recording process is being executed (S30: Yes), the atmospheric communication port 124 is maintained in the first state (S40: No) until the image recording process is completed. When the image recording process is completed (S40: Yes), the control unit 130 executes the process of step S50 described above (movement of the lever 184 and switching of the atmospheric communication port 124 to the second state).

From the above, the control unit 130 controls the switching unit 56 on condition that the open / close sensor 72 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position (S10: Yes), and communicates the atmosphere of the atmospheric communication port 124. It is blocked (S50).

Further, when the control unit 130 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position while the image recording process is being executed (S30: Yes), the image recording process is completed (S10: Yes). (S40: Yes), the switching unit 56 is controlled to block the communication of the atmosphere of the air communication port 124 (S50).

Further, the control unit 130 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position (S10: Yes), and indicates that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is above the position P1. On condition that the surface sensor 55 detects it (S20: No), the switching unit 56 is controlled to block the communication of the atmosphere of the air communication port 124 (S50).

Further, in the control unit 130, the open / close sensor 72 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position (S10: Yes), and the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is equal to or lower than the position P1. On condition that 55 detects it (S20: Yes), the air communication of the air communication port 124 is not blocked (S60).

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the air communication port 124 is in the second state (a state in which a high level signal is sent from the open / close sensor 57 to the control unit 130), and the cover 87 is in the open position (controlled by the open / close sensor 72). In the state where the low level signal is sent to the unit 130) and the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 (the high level signal is sent from the mounting sensor 113 to the control unit 130). Atmospheric communication switching control is explained. In the second state, the flow of air from the air communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 is blocked.

The control unit 130 determines whether or not the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 based on the change in the input signal from the mounting sensor 113 (S210). Then, when it is determined that the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 (S210: Yes), that is, when the input signal from the mounting sensor 113 changes from high level to low level, the control unit 130 moves the control unit 130 to FIG. Similar to step S50, the lever 184 is moved to the right and the transport motor 171 is driven to switch the atmospheric communication port 124 from the second state to the first state (S220).

Next, referring to FIG. 12, the atmospheric communication port 124 is in the second state (a state in which a high level signal is sent from the open / close sensor 57 to the control unit 130), and the cover 87 is in the open position (from the open / close sensor 72). The switching control of atmospheric communication in the state where the low level signal is sent to the control unit 130) will be described.

The control unit 130 determines whether or not the cover 87 has been rotated from the open position to the closed position based on the change in the input signal from the open / close sensor 72 (S310). Then, when it is determined whether or not the cover 87 has been rotated from the open position to the closed position (S310: Yes), that is, when the input signal from the open / close sensor 72 changes from the low level to the high level, the control unit 130 determines. Based on the input signal from the mounting sensor 113, it is determined whether or not the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S320).

When the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 (S320: Yes), the control unit 130 switches the atmospheric communication port 124 from the second state to the first state in the same manner as in step S220 of FIG. 11 (S320: Yes). S330). On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S320: No), the atmospheric communication port 124 is maintained in the second state (S340).

[Action and effect of this embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, when the cover 87 is opened (S10: Yes), the air communication of the air communication port 124 is cut off (S50). Therefore, since it is not necessary to limit the opening / closing timing of the cover 87, it is not necessary to provide a locking mechanism for locking the opening / closing of the cover 87. As a result, the configuration of the multifunction device 10 can be easily maintained.

When the cover 87 is opened (S10: Yes), the air communication of the air communication port 124 is cut off (S50), and the storage chamber 121 is sealed. Therefore, even if the ink cartridge 30 is subsequently removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110, the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 does not leak through the connecting portion 107.

Further, when the communication of the atmosphere of the air communication port 124 is cut off during the image recording process, only the storage chambers 32 and 33 are opened to the atmosphere from the state where both the storage chambers 32 and 33 and the storage chamber 121 are open to the atmosphere. Transition to the state where it is. As a result, the resistance to the ink supplied to the recording unit 24 increases, which may affect the ejection of the ink from the nozzle 29. However, in the present embodiment, the air communication of the air communication port 124 is blocked (S50) after the end of the image recording process (S40: Yes). Therefore, the image recording process can be executed without affecting the ink ejection from the nozzle 29.

Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting section 110, the connecting section 107 is connected to the ink supply section 34. Therefore, the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 does not leak through the connection portion 107. In the present embodiment, on condition that the ink cartridge 30 is mounted from the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S230: No, S240: Yes), the atmospheric communication of the atmospheric communication port 124 is performed. It is opened (S250). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 from leaking through the connection portion 107.

Further, in the present embodiment, after the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S240: Yes), before the cover 87 is closed, the air communication of the air communication port 124 is opened (S250). Ink can be distributed from the storage chambers 32 and 33 to the storage chamber 121. That is, in the present embodiment, the flow of the liquid from the storage chambers 32 and 33 to the storage chamber 121 can be executed at an early stage.

Further, if the multifunction device 10 is configured so that the air communication of the air communication port 124 is opened only on the condition that the cover 87 is closed, the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. If the cover 87 is closed in a state where the cover 87 is not closed, ink may leak from the storage chamber 121 through the connection portion 107. According to the present embodiment, in addition to the cover 87 being closed (S220: Yes), the atmospheric communication port 124 is provided on the condition that the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S260: Yes). Atmospheric communication is opened (S250). That is, when the air communication of the air communication port 124 is opened, the connection unit 107 is connected to the ink supply unit 34 of the ink cartridge 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned ink leakage.

Further, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is located above the position P1, the ink may leak from the connection portion 107 if the communication with the atmosphere remains open. In the present embodiment, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is located above the position P1 (S20: No), the communication with the atmosphere is cut off (S50), so that the ink connection portion 107 Can prevent leakage.

On the other hand, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is located at a height equal to or lower than the position P1, the ink does not leak from the connection portion 107 even if the communication with the atmosphere is maintained open. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is equal to or lower than the position P1 (S20: Yes), the communication with the atmosphere is maintained open (S60). As a result, it is possible to prevent the operation from being executed even when the switching operation from the opening of the atmosphere to the shutoff by the switching unit 56 is unnecessary.

[Modification example]
In the above embodiment, when the open / close sensor 72 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position (S10: Yes), the control unit 130 raises the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 above the position P1. The atmospheric communication port 124 was switched to the second state (S50) on condition that the liquid level sensor 55 detected the presence (S20: No). However, when the open / close sensor 72 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position (S10: Yes), the control unit 130 has an atmospheric communication port regardless of the position of the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121. 124 may be switched to the second state.

In the above embodiment, when switching the state of the atmospheric communication port 124, the control unit 130 continuously moves the carriage 22 to the right and drives the transport motor 171 (step of FIG. 10). S50). However, as will be described in the flowchart of FIG. 13 below, the control unit 130 does not drive the transfer motor 171 after moving the carriage 22 to the right until a predetermined condition is satisfied. You may. The initial state of the atmospheric communication port 124 in the flowchart of FIG. 13 is the first state. Further, in the initial state of the flowchart of FIG. 13, the ink cartridge 30 is in a state of being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110.

The control unit 130 determines whether or not the cover 87 is in the open position based on the input signal from the open / close sensor 72 (S410). When the cover 87 is in the closed position (S410: No), the atmospheric communication port 124 is maintained in the first state (S420). That is, the flow of air from the air communication port 124 to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 is not blocked.

On the other hand, when the cover 87 is in the open position (S410: Yes), the control unit 130 drives the carriage drive motor 173 to move the carriage 22 to the right and the lever 184 to the right. As a result, the lever 184 moves from the second position to the first position, and the driving force of the transport motor 171 can be transmitted to the switching unit 56 (S430). After that, the control unit 130 determines whether or not the ink cartridge 30 has been removed from the cartridge mounting unit 110 while referring to the input signal from the mounting sensor 113 (S440). Then, when the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the cartridge mounting unit 110 (S440: Yes), the control unit 130 drives the transport motor 171 to switch the atmospheric communication port 124 from the first state to the second state. (S450).

From the above, in the control unit 130, the open / close sensor 72 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position (S410: Yes), and the mounting sensor 113 detects that the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. On the condition that the ink cartridge 22 is moved to the first position of the lever 184 (S430), the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 after the lever 184 is moved to the first position. On condition that the mounting sensor 113 detects that there is no ink (S440: Yes), the transport motor 171 is controlled to drive and transmit the ink from the transport motor 171 to the switching unit 56, so that the atmosphere of the atmospheric communication port 124 can be changed. The communication is cut off (S450).

According to this modification, the air communication of the air communication port 124 is cut off from the transfer motor 171 after the preparatory operation for moving the carriage 22 to position the lever 184 in the first position is executed. It is executed by driving and transmitting to 56.

In this modification, when the cover 87 is only opened and the ink cartridge 30 is not removed (S410: Yes, S440: No), only the above-mentioned preparatory operation is executed (S430). Therefore, if the cover 87 is closed without removing the ink cartridge 30 after that, simply moving the lever 184 from the first position to the second position quickly returns to the normal state (image recordable state). it can. On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 30 is subsequently removed (S440: Yes), since the preparatory operation has already been executed, the atmospheric communication port 124 is quickly switched to shut off the atmospheric communication (S450). Can be done.

The control unit 130 controls the switching unit 56 on the condition that a predetermined predetermined time has elapsed since the open / close sensor 72 detects that the cover 87 is in the open position, and controls the switching unit 56 to control the atmosphere of the air communication port 124. Communication may be cut off. Here, the predetermined time is a time (for example, 5 seconds) that would normally be required for the ink cartridge 30 to be removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110 after the cover 87 is rotated from the closed position to the open position. Set.

According to this modification, when the cover 87 is closed within a predetermined time after the cover 87 is opened, the air communication of the air communication port 124 is not blocked, so that the cover 87 is quickly returned to the normal state (image recordable state). You can return.

In the above embodiment, the switching unit 56 is driven and transmitted from the transport motor 171. However, the switching unit 56 may be driven and transmitted from another motor (for example, a switching unit drive motor for rotating the rotating body of the switching unit 56). Good. In this case, drive transmission is always possible from the switching unit drive motor to the switching unit 56, and the switching unit 56 may be driven by driving the switching unit drive motor. That is, in this case, the printer unit 11 does not include the drive transmission switching mechanism 70.

In the above embodiment, the mounting sensor 113 and the liquid level sensor 55 are optical sensors including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. However, the mounting sensor 113 and the liquid level sensor 55 may be different types of sensors from optical sensors such as proximity sensors.

In the above embodiment, it has been detected that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is below the position P1 due to the rotation of the rotating member 50 arranged in the storage chamber 121 of each tank 103. However, the detection may be performed by a method other than the rotation of the rotating member 50.

For example, the prism may be arranged at the same height as the position P1 in the storage chamber 121 of each tank 103. Then, the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is positioned based on the fact that the traveling direction of the light incident on the prism differs depending on whether or not the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is above the prism. Whether or not it is P1 or less may be detected.

Further, for example, two electrodes may be arranged in the storage chamber 121 of each tank 103. The lower end of one of the two electrodes is located slightly higher than the position P1. The other lower end of the two electrodes is located below position P1. Then, it may be detected whether or not the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 121 is equal to or lower than the position P1 based on whether or not a current flows between the two electrodes through the ink.

In the above embodiment, the through hole 119 is sealed by the semipermeable membrane 118, but the through hole 119 may not be sealed by the semipermeable membrane 118. Further, although the through hole 94 is sealed by the semipermeable membrane 80, the through hole 119 may not be sealed by the semipermeable membrane 80.

In the above embodiment, the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 by being inserted in the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the horizontal direction. However, the ink cartridge 30 may be mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 by being inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in a direction other than the horizontal direction, for example, in the vertical direction 7.

In the above embodiment, the ink is described as an example of a liquid. For example, instead of the ink, a pretreatment liquid that is ejected to paper or the like prior to the ink during image recording is stored in the ink cartridge 30 or the tank 103. You may be. Further, water for cleaning the recording head 21 may be stored in the ink cartridge 30 or the tank 103.

10 ... Multifunction device (image recording device)
24 ... Recording unit 29 ... Nozzle 30 ... Ink cartridge (cartridge)
32 ... Storage room (first storage room)
33 ... Storage room (1st storage room)
34 ... Ink supply unit (supply unit)
56 ... Switching unit 72 ... Open / close sensor (open / close detection unit)
87 ... Cover 96 ... Atmospheric communication port (1st atmospheric communication part)
107 ... Connection part 110 ... Cartridge mounting part 112 ... Opening 121 ... Storage chamber (second storage chamber)
124 ... Atmospheric communication port (second atmospheric communication part)
130 ... Control unit

Claims (7)

A cartridge having a first storage chamber for storing liquid, a first air communication unit for communicating the first storage chamber with the atmosphere, and a supply unit for supplying the liquid stored in the first storage chamber.
The cartridge is a cartridge mounting portion that can be mounted and removed through an opening, and is supplied from a connecting portion that is connected to the supply unit in a state where the cartridge is mounted, and a supply unit that is connected to the connection portion. A cartridge mounting portion having a second storage chamber for storing liquid and a second air communication portion for communicating the second storage chamber with the atmosphere.
A switching unit that can switch between opening and closing the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit,
A cover that can open and close the above opening,
An open / close detection unit that detects the open / closed state of the cover,
A recording unit that discharges the liquid supplied from the second storage chamber from the nozzle, and
With a control unit
The control unit
An image recording device that controls the switching unit to block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit on condition that the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover. The control unit
The above recording unit is controlled to execute the image recording process on the sheet.
When the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover during the execution of the image recording process, the switching unit is controlled to control the second atmosphere communication unit on condition that the image recording process is completed. The image recording device according to claim 1, which blocks communication with the atmosphere. The above recording section
A recording head having the above nozzle and
It is equipped with a carriage that is equipped with the above recording head and moves along the main scanning direction.
The above image recording device
With the drive source
A lever that protrudes into the moving area of the carriage and can move along the main scanning direction,
A mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion is provided.
The switching unit switches between opening and closing the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit by being driven and transmitted from the drive source.
When the lever is brought into contact with and separated from the moving carriage, the drive transmission from the drive source to the switching portion is possible at the first position, and the drive transmission from the drive source to the switching portion is cut off. It moves to the second position,
The control unit
The carriage and the lever are on the condition that the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover and the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. Move it so that it is located in one position,
After the lever is moved to the first position, the drive source is controlled from the drive source on condition that the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The image recording device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit is cut off by driving transmission to the switching unit. The control unit
The switching unit is controlled to block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit on condition that a preset predetermined time has elapsed since the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover. The image recording device according to claim 1. The image recording device includes a mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion.
The control unit
In the state where the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover, the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge has been mounted instead of being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The image recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein as a condition, the switching unit is controlled to open the air communication of the second atmospheric communication unit. The image recording device includes a mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion.
The control unit
When the open / close detection unit detects a change from the open state to the closed state of the cover, the switching unit is provided on the condition that the mounting detection unit detects that the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit. The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second atmospheric communication unit is controlled to open the communication of the atmosphere. A liquid level detecting unit for detecting the position of the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is provided.
The control unit
The condition is that the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover, and the liquid level detection unit detects that the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is above the connection portion. As a result, the switching unit is controlled to block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit.
On condition that the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the cover and the liquid level detection unit detects that the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber is equal to or lower than the connection portion. The image recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which controls the switching unit and does not block the communication of the atmosphere of the second atmospheric communication unit.

Images