JPH11216877A - Method for coupling ink tank, ink-jet recording apparatus and ink tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve positional accuracy of a coupled part of an ink tank and an ink tank unit by providing a press process in which the ink tank is inserted in a direction orthogonal to a movement direction of a needle of a moving means and a projecting part is butted to a reference face parallel to the movement direction of the needle. SOLUTION: A main tank 1 is inserted in a state while guided by an upper guide and a lower guide. The inserted main tank 1 is pressed to a reference face by a tank-urging spring, so that a position in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the ink tank 1 to an ink tank unit is determined. The main tank 1 is further inserted into the ink tank unit. As a result, a first cap 2 of the main tank 1 butts with a vicinity L of a leading end part of a click member 94, thereby rotating the click member 94 in an M direction, i.e., counterclockwise direction. With the insertion continued, the first cap 2 finally butts with a lateral butt face and a longitudinal butt face of the upper guide, whereby an upper part of the main tank is positioned.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for connecting ink tanks in a liquid discharge recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging a liquid such as ink, an ink jet recording apparatus, and an ink tank used in the apparatus. Method for combining ink tanks in a liquid discharge recording apparatus used in an ink jet printing system consuming ink,
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus and a large-capacity ink tank mounted on the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink tank (liquid container) used in an ink jet recording apparatus is detachably attached to an ink tank unit which is an ink tank accommodating portion of the recording apparatus in order to facilitate replacement when ink is consumed. Have been. The ink tank is provided with an ink supply port that is plugged with a rubber stopper, etc., to prevent ink leakage etc. when there is a single unit, and the ink tank unit has a hollow needle etc. at the connection with the ink tank By connecting to the ink supply port of the ink tank, the ink can be supplied from the ink tank.

The specific structure of an ink tank unit for mounting the ink tank having such a structure in an ink jet recording apparatus, and a method of connecting the ink tanks are as follows.
For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-141750, the ink supply port of the ink tank is provided in the front of the insertion direction with respect to the ink tank unit, the direction in which the ink tank is mounted on the ink tank unit, and the direction of the ink tank. It is known that the connection direction between the ink supply port and the ink supply path of the ink jet recording apparatus is the same. In such connection between the ink tank unit and the ink tank, the positioning of the ink tank to the unit and the insertion of the hollow needle into the ink supply port are performed in one action.

The direction in which the ink tank is inserted into the ink tank unit varies depending on the shape and size of the ink tank, but may be horizontally inserted as described in JP-A-01-141750, or may be inserted as described in JP-A-09-076525. In some cases, the insertion direction of the needle is opposite to the insertion direction of the ink tank.

[0005]

However, in a large-sized ink jet recording apparatus having a high print duty and consuming a large amount of ink, the ink storage amount is preferably 200 cc or more, more preferably A large capacity ink tank of 500 cc or more is often used.

However, when the size of the container is increased,
Also with respect to mounting with the ink tank unit, the following specific problems associated with the increase in the size of the container occur.

That is, since the above-mentioned container is large in size, if the positioning position for mounting on the recording apparatus is provided at a position distant from the connecting portion, in order to realize reliable connection, the container must be mounted. Accurate manufacturing is required.

When the direction of insertion of the needle and the direction of insertion of the ink tank are opposite, the connection between the needle and the ink supply port may be made if the ink tank is fixed at a predetermined position. Since extra force is applied to the connecting portion in a state where the connection is not reliably performed, there is a possibility that ink leaks from the connecting portion, or in the worst case, the connecting portion is broken such as a bent needle.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems from a different viewpoint, thereby improving the positional accuracy of a connecting portion between an ink tank and an ink tank unit with a relatively simple structure, thereby improving the reliability of the connection. Ink tank joining method,
An ink jet recording apparatus and an ink tank are provided.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a method for connecting an ink tank according to the present invention comprises a connecting needle which can be connected to an ink tank containing ink for performing recording, Moving means for moving the ink tank to a position of the ink tank of an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detachably holding an ink tank having a protrusion for connecting to the connecting needle. The method includes a pressing step of inserting the protrusion into a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the needle of the means and bringing the protrusion into contact with a reference plane parallel to the direction of movement of the needle.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has a connecting needle which can be connected to an ink tank containing ink for printing, a moving means for moving the connecting needle to a predetermined position, In an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a holding unit capable of detachably holding an ink tank having a protrusion for connection; and a reference surface for fixing the protrusion, the moving direction of the coupling needle by the moving unit is And a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the ink tank is inserted into the holding means, and parallel to the reference plane.

According to the above-described ink tank connecting method and the ink jet recording apparatus, since the mounting direction of the ink tank is orthogonal to the moving direction of the ink supply needle by the moving means, the position of the ink tank is easily shifted. The ink supply needle is not affected by the ink supply needle in the direction of insertion of the ink tank, so the connection is more secure and the connection part with the outside of the ink tank can be arranged at the top, which is effective in preventing ink leakage etc. Can be prevented. Also,
Positioning is performed by the protrusion that is the connection with the recording device, so by increasing the accuracy of a part of the tank that is the protrusion, the position accuracy of the connection between the ink tank and the ink tank unit can be improved regardless of the accuracy of the entire tank. It can be improved to increase the reliability of the connection.

Although the object of the present invention can be solved by the above-mentioned bonding method and ink jet recording apparatus, more preferably, the following conditions are satisfied.
The specific effects described respectively can be obtained.

One of the more preferable conditions includes, as the reference plane, a first reference plane perpendicular to the insertion direction and a second reference plane perpendicular to the reference plane. By including a first pressing step of bringing the protrusion into contact with the first reference surface and a second pressing step of bringing the protrusion into contact with the second reference surface, the position is further increased. Accuracy can be increased.

Further, when connecting an ink tank having a plurality of protrusions, one protrusion is brought into contact with the first reference surface, and at least two protrusions are brought into contact with the second reference surface. By doing so, in an ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of colors, it is possible to suppress the backlash in the insertion direction without wasting space and realize more secure coupling. In this case, the holding means is provided with a click member that presses the protruding portion that comes into contact with the first reference surface as the pressing means, so that a click feeling is enhanced and the user can easily detect that the positioning has been performed. Can be.

Further, the present invention provides an ink tank used in the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus.

An ink tank according to the present invention is an ink tank detachably mountable on the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the protrusion for connecting to the coupling needle and the ink storage for storing ink are provided. Wherein the protrusion is provided on a surface facing a bottom surface.

As a more preferable configuration of the above-mentioned ink tank, in the ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of colors, the longitudinal direction of the ink tank coincides with the insertion direction of the ink tank into the ink jet recording apparatus. An ink tank that does not waste space can be provided. In particular, when a plurality of protrusions are provided, by arranging the protrusions in the longitudinal direction of the ink tank, the space can be efficiently used in an apparatus using a plurality of colors.

Further, by providing an erroneous mounting prevention member for preventing erroneous mounting in front of the projecting portion of the ink tank in the insertion direction, erroneous mounting is prevented by performing erroneous mounting before positioning the tank. Mounting can be more reliably prevented.

In the present invention, the term "ink" refers to
It is a general term for liquids ejected from an ink jet recording head, and includes, for example, a printability improving liquid such as a treatment liquid used to improve the permeability of ink to recording paper.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus and an embodiment of an ink supply path on which the ink tank unit of the present invention can be mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an ink jet recording apparatus, which is an embodiment of a liquid discharge recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 2 shows a liquid replenishment system used in the liquid discharge recording apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing one example. In addition, it goes without saying that the main tank unit and the ink tank of the present invention described below are not limited to this embodiment, but can be applied to other forms.

As shown in FIG. 1, a head carriage 104 and a supply carriage 105 are slidably fitted in the direction of arrow A on two main scanning rails 107 arranged in parallel with each other. An ejection head unit 101 that ejects ink based on a recording signal is mounted on the head carriage 104.

The ejection head unit 101 has a plurality of nozzles arranged for each color corresponding to six colors of ink of dark cyan, light cyan, dark magenta, light magenta, yellow and black. Each nozzle is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for ink ejection. Ink is supplied into the ejection head unit 101 by capillary action at the nozzle, and the ink is supplied to the ejection head unit 10.
Surface where one nozzle is open (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle surface”)
To form a meniscus and keep the nozzle filled.
The ejection head unit 101 is covered with a head cover 106 together with a driving substrate for driving the ejection head unit 101. The drive board of the ejection head unit 101 is connected via a flat cable 113 to a board box 114 that houses a control board for controlling the operation of the entire printing apparatus.

On the other hand, a sub-tank 103 for supplying ink to the ejection head unit 101 is mounted on the supply carriage 105. The inside of the sub tank 103 is divided into six chambers corresponding to the respective color inks, and each chamber is connected to the corresponding ejection head unit 101 by a resin tube. Further, below the sub tank 103, a sub tank 1
Six main tanks 102 containing ink to be supplied to 02
Are held in an ink tank unit 120 described later. In FIG. 1, the detailed structure of the ink tank unit is omitted.

The main tank 102 has a larger capacity than the sub-tank 103.
ink m ³ can be accommodated. Each main tank 10
Reference numeral 2 also corresponds to each color ink, and is connected to each chamber of the sub tank 103 by a resin tube. As a result, the ink contained in the main tank 2 is supplied to the sub tank 103 and held in the sub tank 103, and is further supplied from the sub tank 103 to the ejection head unit 101.

Head carriage 104 and supply carriage 1
05 is coupled to the timing belt, and the main scanning motor 108 rotates the timing belt, thereby performing reciprocal scanning in the direction of arrow A. A platen 109 is provided at a position facing the nozzle of the ejection head unit 101. The recording paper 115 is transported on the platen 109 in the direction of arrow B. The recording paper 115 is conveyed intermittently at a predetermined pitch for each scan of the head cart unit, during which time ink is discharged from the discharge head unit 101 to perform recording.

In the scanning area of the ejection head unit 101,
In addition, outside the recording area on the recording paper 115, the ejection head 101
A head recovery system 110 for maintaining good ink ejection characteristics is disposed to face the ejection head unit 101.
The head recovery system 110 has a cap 117 for capping the ejection head unit 101, and a blade 111 for cleaning the nozzle surface of the ejection head unit 101. The position of the ejection head unit 101 when the ejection head unit 107 faces the cap 117 is called a home position.

Next, an embodiment of an ink path between the main tank and the discharge head of the liquid discharge recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a detailed configuration in the path will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment uses inks of a plurality of colors, and ink paths are provided for each color. However, since each ink path is the same, FIG. Shows a path for one color ink.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main tank 202 and the sub tank 203 are connected by a main tube 226. At the end of the main tube 226 connected to the main tank 202, a hollow needle (not shown) such as an injection needle is provided and connected to a rubber stopper 228 of the main tank. The main tank is opened to the atmosphere by inserting an atmosphere opening pipe 232, and the ink in the main tank can be led to the outside by a tube 229 provided in a rubber stopper 228.

The other end of the main tube 226 is connected to the sub tank 2
03, and at the tip, a sub tank 203
A filter 225 for preventing foreign matter from flowing into the inside is attached. The tip of the main tube 226 on the side inserted into the sub tank 203 is located at a position lower than the height shown in FIG. The main tube 226 is provided with a one-way valve 227 that opens only when the ink flows from the main tank 202 to the sub tank 203, thereby preventing the ink from flowing back from the sub tank 203 to the main tank 202. Further, a negative pressure generating pump 219 is provided between the check valve and the sub tank.

The sub-tank 203 has an ink remaining amount detecting sensor 223 composed of three electrode needles a, b, and c inserted from the upper end of the sub-tank 203 to detect the remaining amount of ink in the sub-tank 203. Is provided. Of the electrode needles a, b, c, two electrode needles a, b are respectively inserted with their tips up to the height shown by (E), and the remaining electrode needles c are up to the height shown by (F). Has been inserted. Then, a low-voltage current is applied to each of the electrode needles a, b, and c to detect conduction between the electrode needles a, b, and c via the ink, thereby detecting the amount of ink in the sub tank 203. . Specifically, if the level of the ink surface is lower than the height of (E), there is no electrical connection between the electrode needle a and the electrode needle b. Ink is supplied from 202 to the sub tank 203. If the liquid level of the ink is higher than the height of (F), conduction is established between the electrode needle a and the electrode needle c.
The supply of ink to is stopped.

An air communication hole 224 is provided above the sub tank 203 at a position higher than the height indicated by (F).

The bottom of the sub tank 203 and the discharge head 201 are connected by a sub tube 234. Therefore, the supply of the ink from the sub tank 203 to the ejection head unit 201 is performed by a capillary phenomenon at the nozzle of the ejection head unit 201. In the present embodiment, the ejection head unit 201 is
The height a from the position shown in (E) to the nozzle surface of the discharge head unit 201 is 50 mm, and the height a from the position shown in (F) to the discharge head unit 20.
By arranging at a position where the height b to 1 nozzle surface is 10 mm, the ink of the ejection head unit 201 forms a meniscus on the nozzle surface and keeps the nozzle filled.

On the other hand, the sub-tube 234 is positioned lower than the height shown in FIG.
And connected to.

A cap 217 for capping the ejection head 201 is connected to a waste ink tank 221 by a suction tube 218. A suction pump 222 is provided in the suction tube 218.By driving the suction pump 222 with the discharge head unit 201 capped by the cap 217, the ink in the discharge head unit 201 is sucked by the cap 217. Is stored in the waste ink tank 221 via the suction tube 218.

The suction pump 218 and the negative pressure generating pump 219 are tube pumps, and are driven by pump motors 222 and 220, respectively.

In such a configuration, the liquid replenishment operation is performed together with the recording operation. First, printing (recording) is performed on recording paper by discharging ink from the discharge head based on a recording signal while repeating reciprocal scanning and pitch feeding of the recording paper with the discharge head unit 201. At this time, the suction pump 218
And the negative pressure generating pump 219 is stopped.

With the recording on the recording paper, the sub tank 203
When the ink inside the sub-tank 203 is consumed and the liquid level of the ink in the sub-tank 203 becomes lower than the height indicated by (E), there is no electrical connection between the electrode needle a and the electrode needle b of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 223. And it is detected that the remaining amount of ink in the sub-tank has decreased.

When this is detected, the recording on the recording paper on which the recording is being performed at that time is temporarily stopped, the ejection head section 201 is returned to the home position, and the cap 217 caps the ejection head section. I do. Thereafter, when the negative pressure generating pump 219 is driven, the sub tank 203 is refilled with ink in the main tank 202.

At this time, since the ejection head is capped, ink does not return from the ejection head 201 to the sub-tank 203. When the ink in the main tank 202 is supplied to the sub tank 203, the main tube 226
Foreign matter is filtered by the filter 225 attached to the tip of the filter. Then, when the ink in the main tank 202 runs out, it is replaced with a new main tank.

Next, an ink tank unit (main tank unit) as a holding means for accommodating the ink tank (main tank) of the liquid discharge recording apparatus, and the main tank accommodated therein, which are the features of the present invention, are shown in FIGS. FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, FIGS. 3A and 3B show the ink tank mounted on the ink tank unit of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to the three-dimensional perspective view shown in FIG. In FIG.
FIG. 3A is a three-dimensional perspective view when a connection portion of a main tank unit to be described later with a needle is on the upper surface (in use posture), and FIG. 3B is a three-dimensional perspective view for explaining the bottom surface of the ink tank.

The main tank 1 can directly store a liquid such as ink inside the rigid housing 11 and introduces air into the housing on a surface facing the bottom surface where the erroneous mounting preventing member 9 is provided. Cap 2 as a first protruding portion having an air communication port 12 for carrying out, and a second cap 3 as a second protruding portion having an ink supply port 13 for leading out liquid inside the housing to the outside. , And an erroneous mounting prevention member 9 is provided on the bottom surface. Here, the ink supply port and the atmosphere communication port are provided on the surface facing the bottom surface, and the needle of the main tank unit described later is inserted from above, so that even if uncertainty is performed at the time of connection, Ink does not leak from the joints and does not stain the main tank unit.

The air communication port 12 and the ink supply port 13 are sealed by rubber stoppers (not shown) in the first cap and the second cap as projections, respectively, so that the liquid inside leaks to the outside carelessly. Not to be. Note that FIG.
Although not shown above, the ink supply port is provided with a tube 14 extending in the housing to near the bottom (see FIG. 10B), and even in the posture shown in FIG.
By being connected to the ink supply port and being sucked from the outside, the liquid stored in the housing can be led out.

The first cap 2 and the second cap 3 are provided on the same surface facing the bottom surface, and the first cap 2 and the second cap 3
The end on the cap side, that is, the front end in the insertion direction of the main tank, which will be described later, constitutes a lock release section 4 as a means for releasing a lock member of the main tank unit. By providing the lock member releasing means in front of the main tank, the lock member of the main tank unit is provided in a place where the user cannot easily access, and erroneous mounting is detected before the release of the lock member in the ink tank insertion operation described later. Can be easily realized.

In this embodiment, the first cap and the second cap are used.
The shape of the cap is the same substantially cylindrical shape, the arrangement is
When viewed from the insertion direction of the main tank, the first cap and the second cap are arranged so that the central axes of the first cap and the second cap substantially coincide with each other, and the first cap comes to the front.

An inclined surface higher than the height of the end surface of the opening of each cap is provided on the second cap side (rear side in the insertion direction) of the surface facing the bottom surface. A cap protecting rib 5 for preventing breakage is provided.

The upper end (the rear end in the insertion direction) of the inclined surface has a vertical surface portion 6 for fixing the main tank to the lever of the main tank unit. The vertical surface portion 6 is a surface substantially orthogonal to the bottom surface, and is parallel to the columnar portions of the first cap and the second cap. The lower end of the vertical surface portion extends slightly below the columnar portions of the first and second caps, and the upper end extends above the openings of the first and second caps.

The height of the second cap is located below a line connecting the surface of the first cap having the air communication port and the upper portion of the vertical surface. Therefore, even if the tank is dropped, the second cap does not come into direct contact with the ground, so that the second cap is not broken by the drop. As described above, in the ink tank according to the present embodiment, by protecting the connecting portion of the ink tank, it is possible to more reliably connect the ink tank to a recording apparatus on which the ink tank described later can be mounted. Note that the above-described cap protection rib is not necessarily an essential component, but the provision of the rib can more reliably protect the second cap.

Below the vertical surface, there are provided a handle 7 and a hook hole 8 projecting from the vertical surface through through holes penetrating the housing, respectively, for carrying the tank or removing the tank from the main tank unit. In this case, the handling of the user is improved. In this embodiment, the handle and the hook hole are formed of a hollow body that communicates with the inside of the housing capable of storing the ink, and these can be filled with liquid. Can be increased.

The erroneous mounting preventing member 9 provided on the bottom surface
Are provided with two rows of pawls 10 as erroneous mounting prevention members, and unnecessary parts of the pawls are cut out to prevent erroneous mounting in the main tank unit. The erroneous mounting prevention member is provided at an end in the front of the tank in the insertion direction.

Next, the ink tank unit of the present invention to which the ink tank shown in FIG. 3 is attached will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 4 and 5 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the entire main tank unit of the present invention.
Is a front view of the main tank unit 20, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory side sectional view. Also, the main part of the main tank structure shown in FIG. 5 is shown in FIG.
B sectional views are shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, respectively.

The ink tank unit (main tank unit) 20 according to the present embodiment accommodates one or more main tanks 1 (here, six are accommodated). A bottom plate 21 is provided at the bottom of the housing of the main tank unit 20, and an upper plate 24 is provided at the top of the main tank unit 20, and both ends thereof are connected by a left chassis 22 and a right chassis 23. Between the bottom plate 21 and the top plate 24, a center plate 25 is provided between the left chassis 22 and the right chassis 23 to increase the rigidity of the housing together with a rear chassis 32 described later.

26 is a lower guide for guiding the bottom of the main tank 1, and 27 is an upper guide for guiding the upper part. Tank urging springs 28 and 29 which also function as second urging means for urging to a second reference surface described later are provided on the right side of the concave portion of the lower guide 26 in which the main tank is stored. Is pressed to the left to position the lower portion of the main tank 1. Adjacent main tank storage sections are partitioned by a front guide 30 so that the operator can see at a glance where to insert the main tank 1 when inserting it.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a tank lock lever, which is used to engrave, print, or apply symbols, characters, numbers, etc. for identifying ink colors.
It is provided by means such as sticking a seal. In this embodiment, letters A to F are printed. Similarly, the corresponding main tank 1 is also provided with letters A to F so that the operator can see at a glance where to insert the main tank of which color. The tank lock lever 31 is lifted up in a state where the main tank 1 is not stored, but after the main tank 1 is inserted, the operator pushes down and locks so that the main tank 1 is not pulled out. be able to.

As described above, with respect to the main tank unit storing a plurality of colors, in the ink tank of the present invention, the longitudinal direction of the ink tank coincides with the direction of insertion into the main tank unit, thereby improving the space efficiency. Is increasing.

The tank lever 31 is mainly composed of a lever grip 33 operated by an operator and a lever body 34. The tank lock lever 31 is supported rotatably about a lever shaft 36 provided on the lever support member 35. The lever support member 35 is a central plate 25
It is fixed to. Lever grip 3 of lever body 34
A tension spring 38 is provided between an end 34a opposite to the side 3 and a spring hook 37 provided between the left chassis 22 and the right chassis 23. Therefore, the tank lock lever 31 is constantly urged clockwise about the lever shaft 36, and is held in a state where the tank lock lever 31 abuts against the butting portion 30a of the front guide when the main tank 1 is not inserted.

Reference numerals 41 and 42 denote tubular and sharp-pointed needles, respectively. A needle 41 is an ink supply needle provided for sucking up the ink in the main tank 1, and a needle 42 is provided in the main tank 1 to the atmosphere. It is an air communication needle used for communication. The needles 41 and 42 are held by a needle holder 43, and the needle holder 43 is movable along cylindrical guide shafts 44 and 45 implanted in the center plate 25.

On both sides of the needle holder 43, a pair of pins 46 and rollers 47 rotatable outside the pins 46 are provided. The rollers 47 are fitted into bearing members 49 provided on both sides of the lever body 34. ing. With this configuration, by pushing down the tank lock lever 31, the needle holder 4
3 and the needles 41 and 42 can be lowered.

The needles 41 and 42 are bent into an L shape in the needle holder 43, and are connected to the tubes 61 and 62 by a rubber needle joint 60, respectively. The tube 61 is shown in FIG.
When applied to the ink supply path shown in (1), a check valve 63 for preventing backflow of ink from the sub tank side,
It is connected to a sub tank via a tube 64. A pump for feeding ink is provided in the middle of the tube 64, as described in FIG. The tube 62 is crawled to the rear of the rear chassis 32, and the tube end is open to the atmosphere. Therefore, when the pump is operated, the check valve 63 opens, and the ink in the main tank 1 is sent to the sub-tank, and the tube 62
Air is supplied into the main tank 1 through the main tank 1.

In the center of the main tank storage portion of the lower guide 26, an inclined groove 65 extends from the entrance of the main tank to the back side.
And an ink absorber 66 connected to the main tank 1 in the direction in which the main tanks 1 are arranged. The ink absorber 66 is adapted to absorb at least one main tank of ink, so that even if the main tank 1 is damaged and ink leaks, the ink does not overflow outside the unit. The angle of the inclined groove 65 is set to 1.5 ° in this embodiment so that the leaked ink quickly flows toward the absorber 66.

Numeral 67 denotes an erroneous identification prevention member. When the main tank of a color other than the color to be stored is inserted, the unremoved nail 10 shown in FIG. Since the operator can only insert halfway, the operator is aware of the incorrect insertion.

Reference numeral 72 denotes a lever lock member which is swingably supported about a support shaft 73 and is urged clockwise by a torsion spring 74. When the main tank 1 is not stored, the lever lock member 72 is held in a state where the abutting portion 72a abuts on the center plate 25 (see FIG. 6), and the lever lock member 72 is held.
The upper end 72b of the lever body 34 has an opening 34b
Penetrates. Therefore, if the tank rock lever 31 is to be pushed down in this state, the bent portion 34c of the lever body 34 hits the shoulder 72c of the lever lock member 72, and the tank rock lever 31 does not lower any more.

A detection plate 75 is supported rotatably about a support shaft 76 and is urged counterclockwise by a torsion spring 77. The contact portion 75a of the detection plate 75 is provided with the holder pin 7 implanted in the needle holder 43.
8, when the needle holder 43 descends and descends to a predetermined lowest position, it rotates counterclockwise, and the protrusion 75a pushes the detecting portion 79a of the microswitch 79, and the needle 41,
42 is detected as moving to a predetermined position.

Reference numeral 81 denotes an absorber for wiping ink adhered to the needle 41 when the needle 41 is pulled out of the main tank 1, and is held by an absorber holder 82. Reference numeral 83 denotes a convex member provided on the lever main body 34, which engages with a concave member 84 fixed to the center plate 25. Convex member 83 and concave member 8
4 are both made of a material having a spring property such as polyacetal or polypropylene, and are engaged when the tank lock lever 31 is depressed.
Can be held, and the engagement can be released by pulling up with a predetermined force or more. A leaf spring 85, a roller 86, and a rotating shaft 8 as urging means for the tank are provided on the lever body.
7 are provided. One end of the leaf spring 85 is fixed to the lever grip 33, and the other end is provided with an idler roller 86 and a rotating shaft 87.

The stopper 91 is rotatable around a rotation shaft 92 implanted upward from the center plate 25, and is urged counterclockwise by a torsion spring 93 (see FIG. 7A). ). When the main tank 1 is not stored, the stopper 91 is located just below the leg 43a of the needle holder 43, so that the needle holder 43 cannot be further lowered.

Reference numeral 94 denotes a click member which is rotatable around a rotation shaft 95 planted below the central plate 25, and is urged clockwise by a compression spring 96 (seventh).
Fig. (B).

Reference numeral 27c denotes an abutment surface serving as a first reference surface, and 27b denotes an abutment surface serving as a second reference surface. The first reference plane is orthogonal to the second reference plane, and the first reference plane is orthogonal to the direction in which the ink tank is inserted. Therefore, the second
Is parallel to both the direction of insertion of the ink tank and the direction of movement of the needle holder 43 as a means for moving the needle. Further, the cap as a protruding portion of the ink tank is brought into contact with the abutting surfaces 27b and 27c by the click member 94.

Next, the mounting operation when the ink tank of FIG. 3 is mounted on the main tank unit shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 8 to 15 are explanatory views for explaining step by step the method of connecting the ink tank and the ink tank unit according to the present invention.

First, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9A and 9B, the main tank 1 is divided into an upper guide 27 and a lower guide 26.
9A in the state of being guided in the direction J. FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when insertion of the ink tank is started, and FIGS. 9A and 9B are planes orthogonal to the plane of the sectional view. It is the principal part sectional drawing seen from the upper surface and the bottom surface direction when it cut | disconnected, respectively.

The main tank 1 inserted in the J direction is attached to the lower guide 26 by a tank urging spring 28, and the reference surface 15 provided on the lower guide 26 and the upper guide 27 is provided.
And the position of the main tank 1 with respect to the ink tank unit 20 in the K direction (the direction orthogonal to the ink tank insertion direction in FIG. 9A) is determined. That is, by pressing the ink tank against the reference surface, it is possible to prevent the ink tank from swinging in the K direction during the attachment / detachment operation and after the attachment is completed.

When the main tank 1 is further inserted into the main tank unit 20, the erroneous mounting preventing member (claw) at the bottom of the main tank 1 is moved to the bottom plate of the main tank unit 20, as shown in FIG. It passes through the vicinity of the identification error mounting member 67 attached to the plate 21.

Here, the ink tank having the erroneous mounting prevention member in which the claw corresponding to the projection of the erroneous identification mounting preventing member 67 is cut out can pass through. The tank cannot be inserted any further. Here, in this embodiment, since the mounting position is different depending on the ink color, even if the user overlooks the identification label, the ink tank containing the ink of another color is mounted by mistake. It is not to be done.

The main tank unit according to the present invention passes through the vicinity of the erroneous identification prevention member 67 after being brought into contact with the reference surface. Therefore, the main tank unit in the K direction shown in FIG. When the main tank is inserted into the corresponding portion of the main tank unit in a normal combination, the incorrect identification prevention member does not malfunction.

When the main tank 1 is further inserted into the main tank unit 20, the lock release section 4 of the main tank 1 is brought into contact with a lever lock member 72 provided on the main tank unit 20 as shown in FIG. Be in touch. The lock release part contacts the lever lock member,
FIGS. 10 and 11 show the ink tank and the main tank unit when the lock is released, and FIGS. 12 and 13 show a state where the ink tank is completely inserted. 10 and 12 are side sectional views showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit. In addition, in FIGS. 11 and 13, (a) and (b) are AA and BB cross-sectional views of FIG. 10, respectively.

After the lock release section 4 comes into contact with the tank abutment section 72d of the lever lock member 72, when the main tank 1 is further inserted deep, the lock release section 4 pushes the lever lock member 72, and As a result, the lever lock member 72 rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 73 to the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. Then, the shoulder (lock portion) 72c of the lever lock member 72 separates from the bent portion (reception portion) 34c provided on the lever main body 34, and comes to a position corresponding to the opening 34b. The lock of the lever body 34 is released.

As described above, by releasing the lock lever as the first needle movement preventing means by inserting the tank, it is possible to remove an object other than the tank without forcing the user to perform an extra operation other than the tank inserting operation. Malfunction when inserted can be prevented. Therefore, even if the user inadvertently puts his hand in the main tank unit, the hand will not hurt his hand.

By releasing the lock lever at the tip of the tank, the position of the lock lever can be provided not only in a place where the user cannot easily reach, but also for preventing erroneous mounting before releasing the lock lever. Incorrect mounting detection can be performed. In the present embodiment, the side surface of the tank is brought into contact with the reference surface, and furthermore, even if the lever is pressed down until the mis-mounting prevention member confirms the mis-mounting, the first lever is prohibited. Since the means for preventing the movement of the needle is released, a tank of a different type is not accidentally mounted.

When the main tank 1 is further inserted into the main tank unit 20, as shown in FIG. 11A, the first cap 2 of the main tank 1 is positioned near the tip of the click member 94 (L). Abut and click member 94 to M
Rotate counterclockwise in the direction. As a result, the first cap 2 and the projection (O) of the click member 94 come into contact with each other. At this time, the compression spring 96 is compressed and generates a force to rotate the click member 94 in the N direction (clockwise), and the click member generates resistance against insertion of the ink tank. However, since the click member 94 has a substantially arc shape, if the click member 94 is further inserted and the contact position between the click member and the first cap is moved rearward in the insertion direction, the click member 94 clicks from a certain position. The member rotates clockwise and acts in a direction to facilitate insertion of the ink tank. Finally, the first cap 2 is abutted against the horizontal abutting surface 27b and the vertical abutting surface 27c of the upper guide 27, and the upper portion of the main tank is positioned (see FIG. 13A). In such a large container, by positioning the joint with the cap,
Positioning accuracy can be improved. In addition, the user can easily detect this change as a click feeling, so that it can be confirmed that the insertion has been reliably performed.

Before the insertion of the ink tank is promoted by the rotation of the click member, FIG.
As shown in (1), the stopper 91 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 92 provided on the center plate 25, and is urged in the P direction by a torsion spring 93. Therefore, even if the lock by the lever lock member is released, the needle holder 43 cannot be further lowered as described with reference to FIG. 7 to protect the needles.

Here, the first cap of the main tank 1 is inserted further into the main tank unit 20 by the click member 94 as a pressing means for bringing the first cap into contact with the reference surface (that is, the rotation of the click member). As a result, the first cap of the main tank 1 pushes the tongue portion 204 of the stopper 91 as shown in FIG.
It turns around the turning shaft 92 in the Q direction shown in FIG.

As a result, the stopper 91 is provided at the R and S portions.
Disappears. Since holes are provided below the R and S portions of the center plate 25, the stopper 91
It does not hinder the lowering of the third leg 43a. In this way, the rotation of the stopper 91 unlocks the needle holder 43, and the needle holder 43
It is possible to pass through the holes of the R part and the S part.

Therefore, if the user has a click feeling, the second
Since the lock of the needle holder as the means for preventing the movement of the needle is released, the connecting operation of the needle described later can be performed with confidence. In order for the click feeling of the click member to also serve as the release of the second needle movement prevention means, as described in the present embodiment, before the state where the insertion of the ink tank is promoted by the rotation of the click member is promoted. It is desirable that the unlocking operation of the needle holder is not performed.

The main tank unit 2 of the main tank 1
FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state where the insertion operation to the zero is completed. In this state, the insertion operation of the main tank 1 is completed, and the stopper 91 locks the needle holder 43,
Two locks of the lock by the lever lock member 72 with respect to the rotation of the lever body 34 about the lever shaft 36 as the rotation center are released.

In this embodiment, the needle holder is locked by a lever lock member 72 as a first needle movement preventing means and a stopper member 91 as a second needle movement preventing means. Therefore, even if the user accidentally inserts a hand or the like into the main tank unit and releases the lever lock member and attempts to push down the lever, at the same time, no injury is caused by the needle provided in the needle holder, The needle can be protected when a foreign object is inserted into the main tank unit. When only one needle movement preventing means is provided, it is desirable to perform the operation near the needle insertion position, as in the stopper member 91 of the present embodiment, in order to realize reliable insertion. Also, by providing the needle movement preventing means at two places as in the present embodiment,
Since one release means does not have to be near the insertion position of the needle, the strength of the release means can be increased.

Further, when an ink tank having a plurality of protrusions in the insertion direction is connected as in the present embodiment, the protrusion located forward in the insertion direction with respect to the first reference plane orthogonal to the insertion direction of the ink tank. A plurality of projections are abutted against a second reference plane orthogonal to the first reference plane to perform positioning, so that an ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of colors has a small space. The rattling in the insertion direction can be suppressed without wasting, and more reliable connection can be realized. Even when there are three or more protruding portions, the above effect can be obtained by making the contact with the reference surface as described above.

Further, the first and second pressing means are click members for pressing the protruding portions which come into contact with the first reference surface, so that a click feeling is enhanced and positioning is performed by the user. Can be easily detected.

After the positioning of the ink tank by the cap, the main tank is fixed and held by pushing down the lever, and the ink tank is connected to an ink supply path (not shown).

FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are side sectional views of the main tank and the main tank unit showing the operation of pushing down the lever in time series.

When the tank lock lever 31 is depressed,
The needle holder 43 descends along the guide shafts 44 and 45 and the needle 4
1,42 also falls. At this time, the lever lock member 72
Is rotated counterclockwise around the support shaft 73 by the upper part of the main tank 1, and the shoulder 72c is
Since the lever lock member 72 comes to the position corresponding to b, the lever lock member 72 does not hinder the pushing down of the tank lock lever 31.
When the tank lock lever 31 is further depressed from the position shown in FIG. 14, the bent portion 34c pushes the lever lock member 72 to rotate the lever lock member 72 further counterclockwise.

In the position shown in FIG. 14, the roller 86 comes to a position in contact with the upper portion of the vertical surface 6 of the main tank 1. When the tank lock lever 31 is pushed down, the main tank 1
Is positioned slightly forward without being inserted to the end (for example, a position during the tank retracting operation by the click member), the roller 86 as the urging means is rotated by the leaf spring 85 while the main tank 1 is rotated. , The needles 41 and 42 are not inserted while the main tank is not at a predetermined position. of course,
The roller 86 is disposed at the lower end of the lock lever so that the position of the main tank 1 is corrected before the hands 41 and 42 contact the first cap 2 and the second cap 3, respectively.
The upper end of the vertical surface portion is disposed above the columnar portions of the two cap members.

When the tank lock lever 31 is further depressed from the position shown in FIG.
Of the rubber supply port (not shown) of the ink supply port and the atmosphere communication port. FIG. 15 is a view showing a state in which the tank lock lever 31 is pushed down to the end. When the tank lock lever 31 is pushed down to the end, the convex member 83 and the concave member 84 are engaged, and the tank lock lever 31 is pressed.
Is held at this position against the urging force of the tension spring 38. At this time, the detection plate 75 in contact with the holder pin 78 of the needle holder 43 rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 76 as the needle holder 43 descends, and
Comes to the lowest position, that is, when the hands 41 and 42 reach the lowest position, the protruding portion 75b presses the detecting portion 79a of the microswitch 79. This micro switch 7
9 is connected to, for example, a drive circuit of the pump, and only when the micro switch 79 is pressed, that is, when the needles 41 and 42 are lowered to a predetermined position, the pump operates and ink can be sucked from the main tank. Become.

At this time, the roller of the lock lever is
As shown in FIG. 5, the end portion of the vertical surface portion is fixed at a position equivalent to the position of the pillar surface of the two caps or slightly below the direction of gravity. When the tank is urged in the insertion direction as in the present embodiment, a moment may be generated by the urging force with the column surface of the cap being the positioning position of the tank as a fulcrum. At this time, in the cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the counterclockwise moment can be received by the bottom plate of the tank holder. is there. However, in the present embodiment, since the above configuration is adopted, no upward moment is generated, so that positional displacement does not occur.

In the above-described embodiment, the main tank is positioned by abutting the first cap of the main tank against the horizontal abutting surface and the vertical abutting surface of the upper guide with the click member. The positioning method used is not limited to this.

Therefore, another positioning method will be described below with reference to FIGS. Except for the shape of the upper guide and the click member, the description is omitted because it is the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a modification of the main tank unit showing a modification of the upper guide and the click member, and FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of the modification of FIG. FIG.
This corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

The click member 394 is composed of a right-click member 394R and a left-click member 394L having a substantially symmetrical shape.
95, and the right click member 394R is rotated clockwise by the compression spring 396.
4L is biased counterclockwise. The upper guide 327 has a U-shaped cap guide portion 3 composed of horizontal guide surfaces 328a and 328b and a vertical abutment surface 328c.
28 are provided. The cap guide as the U-shaped guide has an opening in the tank insertion direction. The cap guide portion has a width that allows the main tank cap to be inserted, but hardly causes backlash. Therefore, when both the first cap and the second cap are inserted into the cap guide portion 328, the horizontal position of the main tank is determined. The vertical position is determined when the first cap 2 is pressed into the vertical abutting surface 328c by the first cap 2 being held in the click member 394.

[0100] As shown in FIG.
U-shaped cap guide portion 3 of the upper guide 327 at the lower part of
28 are provided. Of course, click member 394
The vertical relationship between the U-shaped cap guide portion 328 and the U-shaped cap guide portion 328 may be reversed.

Also in this embodiment, the insertion direction of the needle is substantially orthogonal to the insertion direction of the tank, and the insertion of the needle is performed by inserting the tank and bringing the tank into contact with a reference surface orthogonal to the insertion direction of the needle. Since no component is generated on the side opposite to the tank insertion direction in which the position is likely to be displaced when the tank is positioned by, the displacement is not caused by the insertion of the needle, and the reliability is further improved.

In the above-described embodiment, since the cap as the protrusion of the ink tank is positioned with respect to the two orthogonal reference planes, accurate positioning can be realized. However, in this embodiment, the cap of the main tank is positioned. Is guided along the U-shaped cap guide portion, so that the position of the main tank, particularly the lateral position, can be positioned with a simpler configuration than in the above-described embodiment. Further, since the click member can be constituted by two symmetrical parts, the click feeling can be further enhanced.

[0103]

As described above, according to the tank unit and the ink tank of the present invention, in the method of connecting the ink tank, the needle insertion direction is substantially perpendicular to the tank insertion direction, so that the needle When the tank is positioned by inserting the needle, no component is generated on the side opposite to the tank insertion direction, which is likely to be displaced. Therefore, the displacement is not caused by the insertion of the needle, and the reliability is further improved.

In particular, when the needle is inserted from the upper side in the vertical direction, the ink supply port and the air communication port of the tank can be provided on the upper surface of the tank (the surface facing the bottom surface), so that the connection can be performed properly. Even if not done, there is no danger of ink leakage.

Further, since the positioning is performed by the protruding portion which is a connecting portion with the recording apparatus, the accuracy of a part of the tank, which is the protruding portion, is increased, so that the accuracy of the entire tank can be improved.
It is possible to improve the positional accuracy of the connection portion between the ink tank and the ink tank unit, thereby improving the reliability of the connection.

Further, in the operation of inserting the ink tank, first, since the erroneous mounting preventing means is located in front of the inserting direction, the erroneous mounting can be reliably prevented without releasing the needle moving means by the erroneous tank. In addition, the reliability of the connection of the device can be increased.

When connecting an ink tank having a plurality of protrusions, one protrusion is brought into contact with the first reference surface, and at least two protrusions are brought into contact with the second reference surface. By doing so, in an ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of colors, it is possible to suppress the backlash in the insertion direction without wasting space and realize more secure coupling. Further, the first and second pressing means are click members that press the protruding portions that come into contact with the first reference surface, thereby increasing a click feeling and detecting that the user has been positioned. It can be easier.

The lever as a means for moving the needle urges the vertical surface of the ink tank in the direction of contact with the reference surface for fixing the ink tank, so that the needle can be positioned more reliably after the positioning. Is inserted, so that the reliability of the connection can be improved.

Further, according to the ink tank of the present invention,
By providing a longitudinal direction of the ink tank and an insertion direction of the ink tank into the ink jet recording apparatus, an ink tank that does not waste space in an ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of colors is provided. Can be. Especially when there are multiple protrusions,
By arranging the protrusions in the longitudinal direction of the ink tank, the space can be efficiently used in a device using a plurality of colors.

Further, by providing an erroneous mounting prevention member for preventing erroneous mounting in front of the projecting portion of the ink tank in the inserting direction, erroneous mounting can be prevented by performing erroneous mounting before positioning the tank. Mounting can be more reliably prevented.

In the present invention, the connection portion is provided with two ink supply ports and the air communication port. However, the number of connection portions is not limited to this, and one connection portion may be provided depending on the structure of the ink tank. Well, there may be three or more. Further, the number of ink tanks stored in the main tank unit may be plural as in this embodiment,
It may be one.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an ink jet recording apparatus, which is an embodiment of a liquid ejection recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view showing an example of a liquid replenishment system used in the liquid ejection recording apparatus of FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are three-dimensional perspective views of an ink tank according to the present invention, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a main tank unit on which the ink tank of the present invention can be mounted.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory side sectional view of a main tank unit on which the ink tank of the present invention can be mounted.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view for explaining a main part of a main tank unit on which the ink tank of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 can be mounted.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing A of a main tank unit capable of mounting the ink tank of the present invention shown in FIG.
It is -A sectional drawing and BB sectional drawing.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when the insertion of the ink tank of the present invention is started.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are explanatory views respectively showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when the insertion of the ink tank of the present invention is started.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when the ink tank of the present invention is inserted into the ink tank unit.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are explanatory views showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when the ink tank of the present invention is inserted into the ink tank unit, respectively.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when the ink tank of the present invention is inserted into the ink tank unit.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory views showing the ink tank and the ink tank unit when the ink tank of the present invention is inserted into the ink tank unit, respectively.

FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of the main tank and the main tank unit showing the operation of pushing down the lever.

FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of the main tank and the main tank unit showing the operation of pushing down the lever.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a modification of the main tank unit showing a modification of the upper guide and the click member.

17 is a side sectional view of a modification of the main tank unit shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main tank 2 1st cap 3 2nd cap 4 Unlocking part 6 Vertical surface part 7 Handle part 9 Erroneous mounting prevention member 12 Air communication hole 13 Ink supply port 20 Main tank unit 34 Lever 72 Lever lock member 85 Leaf spring 86 Roller 94 Click member 100 Ink jet recording device 101 Discharge head section

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Osamu Sato 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kyota Miyazaki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside the corporation

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A connecting needle which can be connected to an ink tank containing ink for recording, and a moving means for moving the connecting needle to a predetermined position, wherein a protrusion for connecting to the connecting needle is provided. A method for connecting an ink tank of an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detachably holding an ink tank provided with a part, comprising: A method of connecting ink tanks, comprising a pressing step of bringing the ink tank into contact with a reference plane parallel to the direction. 2. The reference plane includes a first reference plane perpendicular to the insertion direction, a second reference plane perpendicular to the reference plane,
And wherein the pressing step includes: a first pressing step of bringing the protrusion into contact with the first reference surface; and a second pressing step of bringing the protrusion into contact with the second reference surface. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The ink tank includes a plurality of protrusions adjacent to each other in the direction of insertion into the recording apparatus. In the first pressing step, one of the plurality of protrusions is connected to the first protrusion. 3. The ink tank connection according to claim 2, wherein at least two of the plurality of protrusions are brought into contact with the second reference surface in the second pressing step. Method. 4. A coupling needle which can be coupled to an ink tank containing ink for recording, a moving means for moving the coupling needle to a predetermined position, and a projection for connecting to the coupling needle. Holding means capable of detachably holding the ink tank, a reference surface for fixing the protrusion,
In the ink jet recording apparatus, the moving direction of the coupling needle by the moving means is orthogonal to the insertion direction of the ink tank into the holding means,
An ink jet recording apparatus which is parallel to the reference plane. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said moving means is provided with a biasing means for biasing said ink tank in an insertion direction. 6. The reference plane includes a first reference plane perpendicular to the insertion direction, a second reference plane perpendicular to the reference plane,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the holding unit includes a spring for urging the ink tank in a direction perpendicular to the second reference plane. 8. The ink tank includes a plurality of protrusions adjacent to each other in the direction of insertion into the recording apparatus, and the first reference surface contacts one of the plurality of protrusions, and The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second reference surface contacts at least two of the plurality of protrusions. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the holding unit includes a click member that presses a protrusion that contacts the first reference surface. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the reference surface is a U-shaped guide having an opening in the insertion direction. 11. An ink tank removably mountable on the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a projection for connecting to the coupling needle and an ink storage for storing ink. Wherein the protrusion is provided on a surface facing the bottom surface. 12. The ink tank according to claim 11, wherein a longitudinal direction of the ink tank coincides with a direction in which the ink tank is inserted into an ink jet recording apparatus. 13. The ink tank according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of protrusions are provided, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the ink tank. 14. The ink tank according to claim 11, wherein an erroneous mounting prevention member for preventing erroneous mounting is provided forward of the protrusion of the ink tank in the insertion direction.