JP2006321251A - Recorder and ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder which has an ink cartridge setting part constructed flat and enables easy attachment and detachment of an ink cartridge, and to provide an ink cartridge which is compact, made flat and can be attached and detached easily. <P>SOLUTION: A recorder body comprises a hollow needle 82, a cover 130 which covers the hollow needle, a lever 150 and a projecting wall 120 which make the cover openable, and a sensor part 170 for an ink residual quantity. The lever 150 and projecting wall 120 are set at one side, and the sensor part 170 is set at the other side via an extension-direction axis of the hollow needle. The ink cartridge comprises an ink supply port 260 which connects to the hollow needle, a first recess 240 which stores the sensor part at one side of the ink supply port 260, and a second recess 236 which stores the projecting wall 120 at the other side. A light-shielding member inserted in the sensor part 17 is projected into the first recess 240 when the ink cartridge is set. An operation part 238 is provided adjacent to the second recess 236, which operates the lever 150 when the ink cartridge is set. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and an ink cartridge that can be attached to the recording apparatus.

  The recording apparatus is detachably equipped with an ink cartridge that contains ink to be used for recording.

  Japanese Patent No. 2768817 describes a configuration in which an opening is provided on the front surface of a recording apparatus, and cartridges of a plurality of colors are arranged in the opening.

  In US Pat. No. 6,142,617, grooves corresponding to a plurality of ink cartridges are provided on opposite side edges of an opening that opens upward, and each cartridge is inserted so as to drop along the groove from above. The configuration is described.

In Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-93476, the applicant of the present application has proposed a recording apparatus that is thin and downsized as a whole by providing an ink cartridge mounting portion vertically below a discharge port of a sheet recorded by an inkjet recording type printer engine. did.
Japanese Patent No. 2768817 US Pat. No. 6,142,617

  In the recording apparatus, in order to supply the ink in the ink cartridge to the recording apparatus main body, a hollow needle provided on the recording apparatus main body side is inserted into the ink cartridge, and the ink is drawn out through the hollow needle, or on the recording apparatus main body side. A configuration in which the opening and the opening on the ink cartridge side are connected via a rubber bush is used. Also, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge is detected, and the recording apparatus main body performs control based on the detected amount.

  Here, while having these configurations, the mounting portion for mounting the ink cartridge is configured to be flatter, thereby making the entire recording apparatus more compact, making the ink cartridge thinner and smaller and easily installed in the ink cartridge mounting portion. Detachable but desirable.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a recording apparatus that can be more compact and can be easily attached / detached with the ink cartridge mounting portion configured to be flat, and is thin and downsized, and can be easily attached to the ink cartridge mounting portion. It is an object to provide an ink cartridge that can be mounted.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink supply port of an ink cartridge, wherein an ink cartridge mounting portion of a recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, and a ceiling surface. A hollow needle that is connected to the recording head and supplies ink to the recording head at a position facing the opening, and further covers the hollow needle so that it can be opened and closed with respect to the opening. A lever for positioning the cover to be openable, a sensor unit comprising a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit facing each other, and the lever and the sensor unit are positioned on the bottom surface across the extension axis of the hollow needle. Projecting into the ink cartridge mounting portion, and provided on the bottom surface in the vicinity of the lever with a projecting wall extending from the opening side to the side where the hollow needle is located. An ink cartridge that is detachably attached to the attachment portion has a bottom surface that is in contact with the bottom surface and can be slid from the opening to the side where the hollow needle is located, and an ink supply port through which the hollow needle can be inserted. The ink cartridge further includes a light shielding member that responds to the amount of ink in the ink cartridge, and an operation unit that operates the lever, corresponding to the sensor unit and the lever, as viewed from the front side. A first concave portion for accommodating the sensor portion and a second concave portion for accommodating the protruding wall at positions on both sides of the ink supply port, which are opened to the front surface and the lower surface side, respectively, in the first concave portion, The recording unit, wherein the light shielding member inserted between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is protruded when the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting unit, and the operation unit is provided adjacent to the second recess. It has to offer location.

  Since the sensor unit and the lever are arranged on the left and right sides of the hollow needle, the lever and cover interlocking mechanism can be arranged with a margin without interfering with the sensor unit and the circuit board connected thereto. Accordingly, the ink cartridge and the ink cartridge mounting portion can be configured flat, and the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion and can be easily attached and detached.

  Here, it is preferable that there are a plurality of the ink cartridge mounting portions, and the bottom surfaces are arranged on the same plane.

  Since the plurality of ink cartridge mounting portions are arranged on the same plane, the entire ink cartridge mounting portion can be configured flat.

  Preferably, the plurality of ink cartridge mounting portions are positioned below a paper transport path for recording by a recording head.

  Since the plurality of ink cartridge mounting portions are positioned below the sheet conveyance path, the entire recording apparatus can be configured flat.

  The opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion has a protrusion that protrudes from the left and right sides of the ceiling surface toward the bottom surface, and the ink cartridge is located between the protrusions rather than the upper surface corresponding to the protrusions. It is preferable that the top surface is shaped to be high, and the position of the ink cartridge in the height direction is regulated by the protrusion when the ink cartridge is inserted into the opening.

  The ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening without making a mistake in the vertical direction.

  It is preferable that the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion extends to the opposite side of the hollow needle from the ceiling surface. Accordingly, when the ink cartridge is inserted into the opening portion of the ink cartridge mounting portion, it can be easily inserted into the opening portion by sliding on the bottom surface portion extending outside the opening portion and sliding on the bottom surface. .

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an ink cartridge mounting portion of a recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, and a ceiling surface. A hollow needle that is connected to the opening and supplies ink to the recording head is disposed at a position facing the opening, and a cover that covers the hollow needle so that it can be opened and closed with respect to the opening. And a lever for opening the cover, and a sensor unit comprising a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit facing each other, the lever and the sensor unit on the bottom surface sandwiching the extension axis of the hollow needle A protruding wall that protrudes from the position into the ink cartridge mounting portion and extends on the bottom surface in the vicinity of the lever from the opening side to the side where the hollow needle is positioned; An ink cartridge that is detachably mounted on a wedge mounting portion, wherein the ink cartridge is in contact with the bottom surface and is slidable from the opening to the side where the hollow needle is located, the hollow The ink cartridge has a front surface having an ink supply port through which the needle can be inserted, and the ink cartridge further corresponds to the light shielding member that responds to the amount of ink in the ink cartridge, the operation unit that operates the lever, and the sensor unit and lever. The first concave portion for accommodating the sensor portion and the second concave portion for accommodating the protruding wall are opened on the front surface and the lower surface side, respectively, at positions on both sides of the ink supply port as viewed from the front surface side. The light shielding member inserted between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion when the ink cartridge is attached to the attachment portion, and protruding in front of the second recess. Provide an ink cartridge which is characterized in that a manipulation unit.

  The ink cartridge can be configured to be flat, and the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion and can be easily attached and detached.

  Here, the opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion has protrusions protruding from the left and right sides of the ceiling surface toward the bottom surface, and the ink cartridge has both protrusions rather than the upper surface corresponding to the protrusions. A shape in which the upper surface between the parts is raised is preferable. The ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening without making a mistake in the vertical direction.

  It is preferable that the front surface having the ink supply port is a convex shape in which the gap between the protrusions of the opening is high and the portion corresponding to the protrusion is low, and the ink supply port is provided at the substantially vertical center of the high portion of the front surface. .

  Since the diameter of the ink supply port can be increased, the diameter of the plug to be mounted can be increased. For this reason, a hollow needle can be easily stabbed into this stopper.

  The ink cartridge mounting portion is provided with an end position of the protruding wall on the opening side closer to the opening than an end position on the opening side of the sensor section. It is preferable that the end position of the second recess on the opposite side to the front face is provided farther from the front face than the end position on the opposite side to the front face of the first recess.

  When the ink cartridge is inserted into the ink cartridge mounting portion, the first concave portion reaches the sensor portion after the guide by the second concave portion and the protruding wall is started and the width direction positioning is performed, so the first concave portion reliably accommodates the sensor portion. can do.

  Further, according to the present invention, the ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, and a ceiling surface, and is connected to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge to form a recording head. A hollow needle for supplying ink to the opening is disposed at a position facing the opening, and a cover that covers the hollow needle so as to be openable and closable with respect to the opening. A lever for enabling the sensor, and a sensor unit including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit opposed to each other, and the lever and the sensor unit are respectively located in the ink cartridge mounting unit from a position on the bottom surface across the extension axis of the hollow needle. A protruding wall extending from the opening side to the side where the hollow needle is located, and detachably attached to the ink cartridge mounting portion. An ink cartridge to be attached, wherein the ink cartridge is in contact with the bottom surface and is slidable from the opening to the side where the hollow needle is located, and an ink supply port through which the hollow needle can be inserted A first concave portion for accommodating the sensor portion and a second concave portion for accommodating the projecting wall at positions on both sides of the ink supply port as viewed from the front surface side, respectively, on the front surface and lower surface sides. An ink cartridge is provided which is provided with an opening.

  The ink cartridge can be configured to be flat, and the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion and can be easily attached and detached.

  Here, the opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion has a protrusion protruding toward the bottom surface at a position closer to one side of the ceiling surface, and the ink cartridge is inserted by the protrusion when inserted into the opening. It is preferable that the position in the height direction is restricted.

  The ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening without making a mistake in the vertical direction.

  Further, according to the present invention, the ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, a ceiling surface, and both left and right side surfaces, and is connected to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. A hollow needle that supplies ink to the recording head is disposed at a position facing the opening, and a cover that covers the hollow needle so as to be openable and closable with respect to the opening. A lever that allows the cover to be opened, and the lever protrudes into the ink cartridge mounting portion from a position on the bottom surface that is shifted in a direction parallel to the bottom surface from the extending direction of the central axis of the hollow needle, An ink cart having a protruding wall extending from the opening side to the side where the hollow needle is located on the bottom surface in the vicinity of the lever, and detachably attached to the ink cartridge mounting portion A front surface having an ink supply port connectable to the hollow needle, and a bottom surface capable of sliding from the opening to the side where the hollow needle is located. The ink cartridge further includes an operation portion for operating the lever corresponding to the lever, and the ink cartridge is located at a position shifted from the ink supply port in a direction parallel to the lower surface when viewed from the front side. An ink cartridge is provided that includes a recess opening on the front and lower surface sides for accommodating a protruding wall, and the operation portion is provided adjacent to the recess.

  The ink cartridge can be configured to be flat, and the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion and can be easily attached and detached.

  Here, the opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion has protrusions protruding from the left and right sides of the ceiling surface toward the bottom surface, and the ink cartridge has both protrusions rather than the upper surface corresponding to the protrusions. A shape in which the upper surface between the parts is raised is preferable.

  The ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening without making a mistake in the vertical direction.

  It is preferable that the front surface having the ink supply port is a convex shape in which the gap between the protrusions of the opening is high and the portion corresponding to the protrusion is low, and the ink supply port is provided at the substantially vertical center of the high portion of the front surface. .

  Since the diameter of the ink supply port can be increased, the diameter of the plug to be mounted can be increased. For this reason, a hollow needle can be easily stabbed into this stopper.

  Further, according to the present invention, the ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, and a ceiling surface, and is connected to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge to form a recording head. A connecting portion for supplying ink to the opening is disposed at a position facing the opening, and a sensor portion composed of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion facing each other is arranged in a direction parallel to the bottom surface from the extending direction of the central axis of the connecting portion. The ink cartridge is protruded from the position on the bottom surface shifted into the ink cartridge mounting portion and is detachably mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion, and the ink cartridge is in contact with the bottom surface. A lower surface capable of sliding from the opening to the side where the connection portion is located, a front surface having an ink supply port connectable to the connection port, and The ink cartridge includes a light-shielding member corresponding to the amount of ink in the ink cartridge corresponding to the sensor unit, and the sensor unit is located at a position shifted in parallel with the lower surface from the ink supply port as viewed from the front side. And a concave portion for housing the light-shielding member that is inserted between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion when the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion. An ink cartridge is provided.

  The ink cartridge can be configured flat, the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion, can be easily attached and detached, and the remaining amount of ink can be detected.

  Here, the recording apparatus main body includes a plurality of the ink cartridge mounting portions, and one ink cartridge mounting portion has a distance between the left and right side surfaces different from that of the other one ink cartridge mounting portion. The distance between one of the left and right side surfaces of the ink cartridge attached to the one ink cartridge attachment portion and the recess is the ink attached to the other ink cartridge attachment portion. It is preferable that the distance between one of the left and right side surfaces of the cartridge and the recess is different.

For example, when using multiple types of ink cartridges for multicolor printing,
Even if an ink cartridge is to be mounted at a wrong position, the sensor unit does not correspond to the cartridge, and it is possible to prevent erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge.

  The opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion has a protrusion protruding toward the bottom surface at a position closer to one side of the ceiling surface, and when the ink cartridge is inserted into the opening, the ink cartridge mounting portion has the protrusion of the ink cartridge mounting portion. It is preferable to have a height that is regulated by the protrusion and the bottom surface.

  The ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening without making a mistake in the vertical direction.

  The fixing wall is a fixed wall extending in parallel with the direction of insertion into the opening of the ink cartridge so as to be inserted between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion in the concave portion, and the light shielding member can be moved in the fixed wall. It is preferable to have a fixed wall provided with a groove to be accommodated. The remaining amount of ink can be reliably detected while ensuring a flat configuration.

  Further, according to the present invention, the recording apparatus main body is provided with a connecting portion for connecting the ink supply port of the ink cartridge to supply ink to the recording head, and a sensor portion including a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion facing each other. The sensor unit is disposed so as to protrude into the ink cartridge mounting unit and is detachably mounted in the ink cartridge mounting unit, and the ink cartridge is mounted when the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting unit. An outline portion of a contour that substantially fits within the cartridge mounting portion and receives the sensor portion, and enters and / or between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion in response to the amount of ink in the ink cartridge. Providing an ink cartridge characterized in that a light shielding member is arranged so as to be movable so as to exit. That.

  The ink cartridge can be configured flat by arranging the light shielding member without protruding from the ink cartridge, and can be easily attached and detached.

  Here, it is preferable that the contour has a recess for receiving the sensor unit. The flat shape of the ink cartridge can be easily realized.

  It is preferable that the recess is open in a direction connecting the ink supply port of the ink cartridge to the connection portion of the ink cartridge mounting portion, and the light shielding member extends in a direction parallel to the direction in the recess. . The ink cartridge can be flattened and can be easily attached to and detached from the mounting portion.

  A fixed wall extending in parallel with the direction of insertion into the opening of the ink cartridge so as to be inserted between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit in the recess, and the light blocking member is movably accommodated in the fixed wall It is preferable to have a fixed wall provided with a groove. The light shielding member is shielded from the outside to prevent ink leakage, and the remaining amount of ink can be reliably detected.

  Further, according to the present invention, the ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, and a ceiling surface. A connecting portion for supplying ink to the opening portion is disposed at a position facing the opening portion, and the opening portion of the ink cartridge mounting portion has a protrusion protruding toward the bottom surface at a position near both sides of the ceiling surface, An ink cartridge which is detachably mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion, the ink cartridge being in contact with the bottom surface and capable of sliding from the opening to the side where the connection portion is located; A front surface having an ink supply port connectable to the connection portion, and the ink cartridge is more than the upper surface corresponding to both protrusions of the ink cartridge mounting portion. Raising the top between parts, providing an ink cartridge which is characterized in that it has a substantially flat over substantially the entire width of the bottom surface the opening.

  The ink cartridge can be configured to be flat, the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion, can be easily attached and detached, and the ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening portion without making a mistake in the vertical direction.

  Here, the ink cartridge mounting portion has a spring member protruding downward on the ceiling surface on the side where the connecting portion is located with respect to the both protrusions, and an upper surface corresponding to the both protrusions of the ink cartridge. Is preferably extended in the direction of insertion into the ink cartridge mounting portion so as to slidably contact the spring member.

  The ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion and can be easily attached and detached.

  It is preferable that the inside corresponding to the raised upper surface has an ink containing portion covered with a flexible film.

  Despite being flat, a large amount of ink can be accommodated.

  It is preferable that the front surface having the ink supply port is a convex shape in which the gap between the protrusions of the opening is high and the portion corresponding to the protrusion is low, and the ink supply port is provided at the substantially vertical center of the high portion of the front surface. .

  Since the diameter of the ink supply port can be increased, it can be easily connected to the recording apparatus main body.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the recording apparatus main body includes a hollow needle and an air supply port connected to a pressurized air source at a position adjacent to the hollow needle, and at least a part of the ink cartridge case is a flexible film. An ink reservoir chamber is formed, and is detachably attached to a recording apparatus that supplies the ink in the ink reservoir chamber to the recording apparatus main body by inserting the hollow needle into an elastic plug member that closes the ink reservoir chamber. When the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus main body on the outer surface of the case adjacent to the plug member, the opening for opening the space outside the ink reservoir chamber to the outside, the air supply port is An ink cartridge is provided that includes a portion that covers and contacts the opening.

  The ink cartridge can be configured to be flat, and when performing a purge operation in the recording apparatus main body, a positive pressure can be applied to the ink in the ink cartridge, so that the head recovery operation can be performed satisfactorily.

  Here, it is preferable that the air supply port is provided with an annular elastic seal member at a tip that comes into contact with the case, and a portion of the case that comes into contact with the elastic seal member is substantially flat.

  It is ensured that the air supply port and the opening of the case communicate with each other reliably.

  The air supply port includes an annular seal member at a tip abutting against the case, and a spring means for biasing the seal material in a direction toward the case, and the case includes the spring means. It is preferable to have a recess that engages with the locking means of the recording apparatus body against the urging force.

  When the ink cartridge is attached to the recording apparatus main body, when the front surface of the ink cartridge comes into contact with the air supply port against the action of the spring means, the recess engages with the locking means of the recording apparatus main body, and the ink cartridge is moved to the spring. Regardless of the biasing by the means, it can be held at a predetermined position, and the connection state between the air supply port and the hollow needle can be maintained.

  Further, in the direction in which the hollow needle and the air supply port are connected to and disconnected from the ink cartridge, the air supply port and the opening are connected after the hollow needle and the elastic plug member are connected, It is preferable that the air supply port and the opening are in a relationship apart from each other before the hollow needle and the elastic plug member are detached.

  When the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus main body, the air supply port and the opening are connected after the hollow needle is inserted into the elastic plug member. In addition, when removing the ink cartridge, the hollow needle and the elastic plug member are detached after the air supply port and the opening are separated, so even if the cartridge is accidentally removed while the pressurized air source is in operation, Ink can be prevented from leaking when the hollow needle is detached from the elastic plug member.

  The ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body has an opening portion that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a bottom surface that extends in the horizontal direction, and a ceiling surface, and a position where the hollow needle and the air supply port face the opening portion. And a cover that covers the hollow needle so as to be openable and closable with respect to the opening, and a lever that is positioned on the opening side of the cover so that the cover can be opened. The ink cartridge mounting portion protrudes from a position on the bottom surface that is shifted in the direction parallel to the bottom surface from the direction in which the central axis of the needle extends, and the bottom surface near the lever is on the side where the hollow needle is positioned from the opening side. The ink cartridge is in contact with the bottom surface and is slidable from the opening to the side where the hollow needle is located, the ink supply port, and the opening. The ink cartridge further includes an operation unit for operating the lever corresponding to the lever, and is shifted from the ink supply port in a direction parallel to the lower surface when viewed from the front side. A recessed portion that opens to the front and lower surfaces, accommodates the protruding wall, and provides the operation portion adjacent to the recessed portion, and the opening is disposed between the ink supply port and the recessed portion. Is preferred.

  The ink cartridge can be configured to be flat while the ink cartridge is provided with the operation section, the recess, the opening, and the elastic plug member, and the ink cartridge can be stably slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting section and easily attached and detached. it can.

  In addition, the present invention provides an ink to the recording head by connecting to an ink supply port of an ink cartridge at an opening opening in the horizontal direction to the outside, a bottom surface extending in the horizontal direction, a ceiling surface, and a position facing the opening. An ink cartridge which is detachably mounted on a recording apparatus main body provided with a plurality of ink cartridge mounting portions each having a connecting portion to be supplied and adjacent to each other so that the bottom surfaces are arranged in substantially the same plane. The ink supply port is slid from the opening side in a direction to connect to the connection portion along the lower surface, the front surface having the ink supply port, and the side opposite to the front surface and exposed from the opening portion. An ink cartridge having a rear end portion, the rear end portion being formed to have a width narrower than a width of the front surface side in the arrangement direction of the ink cartridge mounting portions. To provide.

  Since the width of the rear end of the ink cartridge is narrow, there is a gap between the rear ends of the cartridges in a state where a plurality of ink cartridges are arranged, and the rear end of any one cartridge can be pinched and pulled out easily. be able to. Also, when the cartridge is mounted, the rear end portion can be pinched and inserted into the mounting portion and slid on the bottom surface, and can be arranged between the ink cartridges.

  Here, the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion extends to the opposite side of the connection portion from the ceiling surface, and the rear end portion of the narrow width is located at the extending bottom surface portion. Is preferred. Accordingly, when the ink cartridge is inserted into the opening portion of the ink cartridge mounting portion, it can be easily inserted into the opening portion by sliding on the bottom surface portion extending outside the opening portion and sliding on the bottom surface. .

  Further, the present invention provides an opening that opens to the outside in the horizontal direction, a connection that supplies ink to the recording head by connecting to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge at a position facing the opening in the horizontal direction, a ceiling surface, And an ink cartridge that is detachably mounted on a recording apparatus main body including an ink cartridge mounting portion that has a bottom surface that extends in a horizontal direction and extends to a side opposite to the connection portion relative to the opening. Sliding the ink supply port from the opening side in a direction to connect the connecting portion to the connection portion, a bottom surface, a front surface having the ink supply port, and a bottom surface on the opposite side of the front surface and protruding from the opening portion An ink cartridge comprising: a rear end portion positioned above; and an upper surface protruding from the opening portion of the rear end portion, wherein a finger-hanging rib protruding upward is formed. Subjected to.

  When the ink cartridge is mounted, the ink supply port of the cartridge can be securely connected to the connecting portion by pushing the finger-hooking rib and sliding the lower surface of the cartridge to the bottom surface. Also, when removing the ink cartridge, it is possible to remove the ink cartridge by pulling a finger hook rib and sliding the lower surface of the cartridge to the bottom surface.

  According to the ink cartridge of the first aspect, the ink cartridge can be easily mounted and removed.

  A recording apparatus and an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present embodiment and an ink cartridge mounted thereon will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is a multifunction device 1 having a scanner function, a copy function, a fax function, and the like. The multi-function device 1 has a thin and compact structure in which a flat bed type reading device 10 is arranged on an inkjet recording device 20. The reading device 10 is provided with an operation plate 12. The ink jet recording apparatus 20 includes a paper feed tray 22. The multifunction device 1 is provided with a telephone 24 and an antenna 26. The telephone 24 functions as a base when using the handset call function and can be connected to a public telephone line. Further, the antenna 26 enables wireless communication with the slave unit.

  In addition, inside the inkjet recording apparatus 20, in addition to a recording unit that performs a recording operation, a power source, a main board for controlling the operation of the multifunction device 1, and a connection to a public telephone line for a fax function and a telephone function In addition, an NCU substrate and two media substrates 28 (FIG. 7) are provided. Two media slots 29 are formed on the front surface of the inkjet recording apparatus 20. By inserting the external storage medium (media) into any one of the media slots 29, the external storage medium can be detachably mounted on the corresponding media substrate 28. Data taken by a digital camera or the like stored in an external storage medium is read and used for printing or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the flatbed reading device 10 includes a reading device housing 14. The reading device housing 14 includes a document glass 15 for placing a document. A contact image sensor (CIS) 16 is disposed below the original glass 15 so as to be able to scan. An upper surface cover 17 for covering the upper surface of the original glass 15 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the reading device casing 14.

  The operation panel 12 is provided on the upper surface on the front side of the reading device housing 14 and allows the user to input instructions for operations of the multifunction device 1 (copy operation, fax operation, scanner operation, etc.).

  The flat bed type reading device 10 can be detached from the ink jet recording apparatus 20 by an attaching means (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ink jet recording apparatus 20 on the lower side of the reading apparatus 10 includes a housing 30. The paper feed tray 22 protrudes rearward and upward from the housing 30. A paper feed roller 23 is provided in the paper feed tray 22 so that paper can be supplied one by one. A printer engine 60 as a recording unit is provided at a position for receiving paper from the paper feed tray 22. A paper discharge unit D is defined in front of the printer engine 60, and the paper recorded by the printer engine 60 is discharged. A paper discharge tray 34 can be detachably attached to the paper discharge portion D. On the floor surface of the housing 30 below the paper discharge section D, an ink cartridge storage section P for mounting the ink cartridge 200 (FIG. 12) of the present embodiment is disposed. Thus, the ink cartridge storage portion P is disposed at a position lower than the printer engine 60.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 30 is covered with a cover body 40 from above. Here, the cover body 40 includes an engine cover portion 42 that covers the printer engine 60 from above, and a cartridge storage cover portion 44 that covers the ink cartridge storage portion P from above and defines the paper discharge portion D on the upper side. Yes. The front surface of the engine cover portion 42 is opened and a paper discharge port 46 is defined. The cartridge storage cover portion 44 is positioned under the paper conveyance path recorded by the printer engine 60 coming out of the paper discharge port 46, that is, under the abolished tray 34.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge storage cover portion 44 functions as a ceiling plate of the ink cartridge storage portion P. As will be described later, an ink cartridge storage portion P is formed between the ceiling plate 44 and the cartridge storage portion bottom wall 32, and the ink cartridge 200 can be inserted into the back through the front opening O. Yes. The front opening O is covered with a front cover 50 so as to be opened and closed. Here, the front cover 50 includes an upper surface wall 52 that is planarly connected to the cartridge storage cover portion 44 when closed, and a front wall 54 that extends vertically downward from the upper surface wall 52.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, four curved convex walls 47 are formed on the lower surface of the cartridge storage cover portion 44 along the shape of the upper surface of the four ink cartridges 200 stored in the ink cartridge storage portion P. ing. Further, the cartridge storage cover portion 44 is formed with a pair of notches 48 for receiving a pair of arms 56 (FIG. 6) provided on the front cover 50 when the front cover 50 is opened.

  The front cover 50 includes a pair of arms 56 as shown in FIG. As will be described later, five partition walls 110 are arranged on the bottom wall 32 in the ink cartridge storage portion P, and the rotation shaft 57 protrudes from the two partition walls 110 located at both ends thereof. A pair of arms 56 of the front cover 50 are rotatably attached to a rotation shaft 57, and the user can freely open and close the front cover 50.

  Seven vertical ribs 58 extending in the vertical direction are formed on the back side of the front cover 50. Each vertical rib 58 extends from the front wall 54 of the front cover 50 to reach a part of the upper wall 52. Of these seven vertical ribs 58, four vertical ribs 58 are formed at positions corresponding to the center of the mounted ink cartridge 200 in the width direction. Therefore, the front cover 50 is closed even when any one of the ink cartridges 200 is in a half-pointed state (a state in which the ink cartridge 200 is not completely inserted into the ink cartridge storage portion P and is inserted to a halfway position). The corresponding vertical rib 58 automatically pushes the ink cartridge 200 to the back and inserts it reliably. Although not shown, a plurality of horizontal ribs that are orthogonal to the seven vertical ribs 58 and extend in the horizontal direction are also formed on the back surface of the front cover 50 in order to reinforce the seven vertical ribs 58. Yes.

  Note that the bottom wall 32 of the cartridge storage portion extends toward the front side of the cover portion 44 in order to guide the ink cartridge 200 toward the front opening O, and this portion has a semicircular shape in plan view. A quarter circular recess 102 is formed at a position corresponding to each partition 110. Due to the recessed portion 102, the bottom wall 32 is narrower than the width of the knob portion 202 of the ink cartridge 200 stored in the ink cartridge storage portion P. Accordingly, the ink cartridge 200 stored in the ink cartridge storage portion P can be easily picked up with a finger.

  FIG. 7 shows a state where the cover body 40 and the front cover 50 are removed from the inkjet recording apparatus 20. As is apparent from the drawing, the upper surface of the housing 30 is open, and the front opening O of the ink cartridge storage portion P is formed on the front thereof. Note that two media substrates 28 are arranged at positions corresponding to the media slots 29 in the ink jet recording apparatus. In addition, a positive pressure pump 36 to be described later is disposed on the rear side of the media substrate 28.

  A black (K) ink cartridge mounting portion Sk for mounting a black (K) ink cartridge 200k and a cyan (C) ink cartridge mounting for mounting a cyan (C) ink cartridge 200c are installed in the ink cartridge storage portion P. A section Sc, a yellow (Y) ink cartridge mounting section Sy for mounting a yellow (Y) ink cartridge 200y, and a magenta (M) ink cartridge mounting section Sm for mounting a magenta (M) ink cartridge 200m. Are lined up in the width direction of the paper.

  The black (K) ink cartridge 200k, the cyan (C) ink cartridge 200c, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge 200y, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge 200m are hereinafter collectively referred to as an ink cartridge 200 as appropriate. In addition, the black (K) ink cartridge mounting unit Sk, the cyan (C) ink cartridge mounting unit Sc, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge mounting unit Sy, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge mounting unit Sm are appropriately summarized below. This is referred to as an ink cartridge mounting portion S.

  As will be described later, each ink cartridge mounting portion S has a cartridge mounting mechanism 100 for mounting the corresponding ink cartridge 200, and an ink supply for supplying ink in the mounted ink cartridge 200 to the printer engine 60. A mechanism 80 and a positive pressure application mechanism 90 for applying a positive pressure from the positive pressure pump 36 to the ink in the mounted ink cartridge 200 are provided. An ink supply tube T for supplying ink into the printer engine 60 extends from the ink supply mechanism 80. More specifically, from the black (K) ink cartridge mounting portion Sk, the cyan (C) ink cartridge mounting portion Sc, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge mounting portion Sy, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge mounting portion Sm, the black (K ) An ink supply tube Tk, a cyan (C) ink supply tube Tc, a yellow (Y) ink supply tube Ty, and a magenta (M) ink supply tube Tm extend. The black (K) ink supply tube Tk, the cyan (C) ink supply tube Tc, the yellow (Y) ink supply tube Ty, and the magenta (M) ink supply tube Tm are appropriately summarized below. This is referred to as an ink supply tube T.

  A waste ink absorbing member (not shown) and the like are disposed on the rear side of the ink cartridge housing portion P on the floor surface of the housing 30, and the printer engine 60 is disposed thereon. The printer engine 60 includes an engine housing 62. Although not shown, a paper carry-in port for receiving paper fed from the paper feed tray 22 is formed on the rear surface of the engine housing 62. An engine paper discharge port 64 for discharging the paper recorded by the printer engine 60 toward the paper discharge unit D is formed on the front surface of the engine housing 62. In the engine housing 62, a paper conveyance path is defined from the paper carry-in port to the engine paper discharge port 64. When the cover body 40 covers the housing 30, the engine paper discharge port 64 faces the above-described paper discharge port 46 (FIG. 4), so that the recorded paper is discharged onto the paper discharge unit D. Further, a black (K) ink supply tube Tk and a cyan (C) ink supply tube Tc are provided on the front surface of the engine housing 62, and a yellow (Y) ) In addition to the YM tube opening 68 for introducing the ink supply tube Ty and the magenta (M) ink supply tube Tm into the printer engine 60, a cable connected to a main board (not shown) is connected to the printer engine 60. A cable opening or the like for introduction is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a paper transport mechanism 76 composed of a plurality of roller pairs is provided inside the engine housing 62, and the paper supplied from the paper feed roller 23 is sent to the engine paper discharge port 64 on the paper transport path. Carry in. A carriage scanning shaft 72 extends above the paper transport path and in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction. A carriage 74 is provided on the carriage scanning shaft 72 so as to reciprocate along the carriage scanning shaft 72. The piezoelectric inkjet head 70 is mounted on the lower surface of the carriage 74, and has a nozzle group (not shown) for each of the plurality of colors of ink. Each nozzle faces downward, and ejects ink downward toward the paper. Piezoelectric inkjet head 70 is connected to four ink supply tubes T (Tk, Tc, Ty, Tm) and cables corresponding to each nozzle group, and has four colors (black, cyan, yellow, Magenta) ink and drive signals are supplied. The carriage 74 scans along the carriage scanning axis 72, and the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 performs band recording by a width corresponding to the width of each nozzle group. Each time one scan is completed, the paper transport mechanism 76 feeds the paper by an amount corresponding to the recording width. A purge device 78 having a known cap and pump (not shown) is provided at a position on the carriage scanning shaft 72 and out of the paper conveyance path. When the nozzle of the piezoelectric ink jet head 70 is clogged, the piezoelectric ink jet head 70 moves to a position opposite to the purge device 78, and a purge operation is performed in which the cap covers the nozzle and the pump sucks ink from the nozzle. Do.

  Thus, only the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 is mounted on the carriage 74, and the ink of the ink cartridge 200 stored in the ink cartridge storage portion P is supplied to the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 through a tube. In addition, since the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 is disposed above the ink cartridge storage portion P in the vertical direction, the ink in the nozzles of the inkjet head 70 is negatively affected by the water head difference between the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 and the ink cartridge 200. Pressure (ie back pressure) can be applied. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink from dripping unintentionally from the nozzles of the piezoelectric inkjet head 70.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ink supply mechanism 80, the positive pressure applying mechanism 90, and the cartridge mounting mechanism 100 provided in all four ink cartridge mounting portions S have the same configuration.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the ink supply mechanism 80 includes a buffer tank 84 to which an ink lead-out hollow needle 82 and an ink supply tube T are connected. The ink lead-out hollow needle 82 extends in the direction toward the front opening O. The hollow needle 82 is hollow like a known one, and a pair of needle holes communicating with the inside are formed on the side surface. When the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the ink lead-out hollow needle 82 is inserted into the ink cartridge 200 and supplies ink to the buffer tank 84. The buffer tank 84 temporarily holds the ink supplied by the hollow needle 82 for discharging the ink and filters dust in the ink. The filtered ink is supplied to the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 through the ink supply tube T.

  The positive pressure application mechanism 90 is for applying a positive air pressure to the ink in the ink cartridge 200. The positive pressure application mechanism 90 includes a positive pressure application member 91 connected to the positive pressure air pump 36. A total of four positive pressure applying members 91 provided in all four ink cartridge mounting portions S are connected in series to the positive pressure air pump 36 via a positive pressure applying tube 92. In addition, a relief valve (pressure release) (not shown) is provided between the positive pressure air pump 36 and the positive pressure application tube 92, and the ink cartridges are driven from the four positive pressure application members 91 via the tube 92 by driving the air pump 36. An air flow of equal pressure is discharged toward 200 respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the positive pressure applying member 91 includes an annular elastic seal member 93 and a holding member 96 that holds the annular elastic seal member 93 while urging it in a direction toward the front opening O by a spring 94. It consists of. The annular elastic seal member 93 is formed of a rubber cap, and includes a positive pressure application hole 98 communicating with a positive pressure application tube 92 from the positive pressure pump 36 at the center. The positive pressure application hole 98 is formed in the front opening O. Opposite to.

  The cartridge mounting mechanism 100 includes a partition wall 110, a dent 102 on the bottom wall 32, a guide projection wall 120, a needle protection plate 130, a lock member 180 (see FIG. 11) of the needle protection plate 130, and a lock release operation. A strip 150, a retaining lock convex portion 160, and a photo sensor 170 for detecting the remaining amount of ink are provided.

  The partition 110 is formed so as to protrude upward from the bottom wall 32 on both sides of each ink cartridge mounting portion S and extend from the front opening O to the back, and defines the width of the ink cartridge mounting portion S. The partition 110 positioned between the adjacent ink cartridge mounting portions S also serves to partition the adjacent ink cartridge mounting portions S.

  Here, the width of each ink cartridge mounting portion S is adapted to the width of the corresponding ink cartridge 200 so that the corresponding ink cartridge 200 can be mounted. As will be described later, the widths of the cyan (C) ink cartridge 200c, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge 200y, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge 200m are equal to each other, and the black (K) ink cartridge 200k that frequently uses ink is used. The width is larger than the width of the cyan (C) ink cartridge 200c, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge 200y, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge 200m so that the internal capacity is increased. For this reason, the widths of the cyan (C) ink cartridge mounting portion Sc, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge mounting portion Sy, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge mounting portion Sm are equal to each other, and the black (K) ink cartridge mounting portion Sk The width is larger than the width of the other ink cartridge mounting portion.

  The bottom wall 32 of the ink cartridge mounting portion S extends forward from the front opening O. Since the ceiling surface, that is, the cover portion 44 has a length up to the position of the front opening portion O, the top surface of the bottom wall 32 extending to the front side is opened in a state where the front cover 50 is opened, and the ink cartridge 200. When attaching the ink cartridge 200, the ink cartridge 200 is guided toward the front opening O.

  The needle protection plate 130, the ink remaining amount detection photosensor 170, the unlocking operation piece 150, and the retainer locking convex portion 160 are located in front of the hollow needle 82 for leading out the ink (the extension direction axis of the hollow needle 82. Are arranged in this order from the hollow needle 82 side. The guide protruding wall 120, the unlocking operation piece 150, and the ink remaining amount detection photosensor 170 are provided at positions on both sides of the extending direction axis of the hollow needle 82 in the width direction. The guide protruding wall 120 extends in the depth direction, and the needle protection lock release piece 150 is located between the front side end and the back side end of the guide protruding wall 120 in the depth direction. The needle protection plate 130 is located between the near-side end and the back-side end of the guide protruding wall 120 in the depth direction and on the back side from the operation piece 150 for unlocking. The ink remaining amount detection photo sensor 170 is also located between the front side end and the back side end of the guide protruding wall 120 in the depth direction and behind the operation piece 150 for unlocking.

  In addition, the distance in the width direction between the guide protrusion wall 120 and the partition wall 110 adjacent to the guide protrusion wall 120 (the distance between the guide and the partition wall), and the distance in the width direction between the guide protrusion wall 120 and the photo sensor 170 for detecting the remaining ink amount. (Guide-sensor distance) In the cyan (C) ink cartridge mounting portion Sc, the yellow (Y) ink cartridge mounting portion Sy, and the magenta (M) ink cartridge mounting portion Sm, the guide-partition wall distance La is The guide-sensor distance Lb1 is also equal to each other. On the other hand, the guide-partition wall distance La in the black (K) ink cartridge mounting part Sk is equal to the guide-partition wall distance in other ink cartridge mounting parts, but the guide-sensor distance in the black (K) ink cartridge mounting part Sk. Lb2 is larger than the guide-sensor distance in the other ink cartridge mounting portion.

  The partition wall 110 extends upward from the bottom wall 32 until it reaches the lower surface of the cover body 40. An overhang 112 is formed at the upper part of the front opening O side end of the partition wall 110. When the ink cartridge 200 is inserted, the overhang 112 is tapered downward so that the ink cartridge can easily enter under the overhang, and the height and position of the ink cartridge after the insertion are regulated. To do. In addition, a similar overhang 112 is formed on the upper part of the rear side in the depth direction of the partition wall 110 to regulate the height. A similar overhang 112 is also formed in the middle upper part of the partition wall 110 in the depth direction. On this overhang 112, a spring 114 for biasing the ink cartridge 200 downward is provided. And restricts the vertical movement of the ink cartridge 200.

  The guide protruding wall 120 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 32 at a position adjacent to the unlocking operation piece 150, and an interval La between the guide protruding wall 120 and the partition wall 110 adjacent thereto is determined by a normal user's finger. This is to prevent the user's finger from touching the operation piece 150 by being sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the operation piece 150. Further, the ink cartridge 200 inserted into the ink cartridge mounting portion S from the front opening O side is positioned in the width direction while being guided in the back direction. The front and rear ends of the guide protruding wall 120 are thicker. For this reason, positioning in the width direction is performed with high accuracy by making point contact with the ink cartridge 200 at a large width. The guide and positioning of the ink cartridge 200 can be performed by the partition wall 110, or can be performed jointly by the partition wall 110 and the guide protrusion wall 120.

  The ink remaining amount detection photo sensor 170 includes an infrared light emitting unit 172 and an infrared light receiving unit 174, and detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 200. The photo sensor 170 protrudes above the bottom wall 32 from a circuit board disposed under the bottom wall 32. A sensor guard 176 for protecting the infrared light emitting unit 172 and the infrared light receiving unit 174 from the bottom wall 32 is provided on the front opening O side of each.

  The needle protection plate 130 is located at a distance from the front opening O side of the hollow needle 82 for discharging ink, and covers the tip of the needle protection plate 130 with respect to the front opening O. As shown in FIG. 11, the needle protection plate 130 is rotatably supported around a needle protection plate rotation shaft 132 orthogonal to the depth direction on the lower side of the bottom wall 32, and an opening formed in the bottom wall 32. It can move to the cover position protruding from the portion 104 on the bottom wall 32 and the open position submerged in the opening 104, and is always biased toward the cover position by a spring 183. The lock member 180 is rotatably supported around the shaft 184 on the lower side of the bottom wall 32, and the holding plate 140 rising from one end thereof is opposed to the surface of the needle protection plate 130 on the hollow needle 82 side. It is urged by a spring 182 in the direction to be moved. The lock member 180 is integrally provided with an operation piece 150 for unlocking between the shaft 184 and the pressing plate 140, and the operation piece 150 is formed on the bottom wall 32 by the bias of the spring 182. The guide protrudes from the opening 106 between the guide protruding wall 120 and the partition wall 110.

  In this state, when the ink cartridge 200 is properly inserted from the front opening O, as will be described later, the unlocking operation piece 150 is first pressed on the lower surface of the ink cartridge 200, and the lock member 180 is rotated to rotate the holding plate. 140 is retracted downward from the back surface of the needle protection plate 130. When the ink cartridge 200 is further advanced in the depth direction of the mounting portion S, the needle protection plate 130 is pushed on the front surface of the ink cartridge 200, but the pressing plate 104 that prevents the rotation of the needle protection plate 130 does not exist on the back surface. Therefore, the needle protection plate 130 is tilted into the opening 104, and the ink cartridge 200 is connected to the hollow needle 82.

  When the ink cartridge 200 is removed from the mounting portion S, the needle protection plate 130 first stands at a position that covers the hollow needle 82 by the action of the spring 183, and then the presser plate 140 acts by the action of the spring 182 to protect the needle. Return to the back of the plate 130.

  Even if an external force acts on the needle protection plate 130 from the front opening O side without pressing the operation piece 150 for unlocking, the back surface of the needle protection plate 130 is in contact with the holding plate 140, so that the hollow needle 82 is not exposed to the front opening O side.

  The retaining lock member 190 is provided to provide resistance against the urging of the attached ink cartridge 200 by the spring 94 of the positive pressure application member 91, and the opening 108 formed in the bottom wall 32. And a convex portion 160 that can project onto the bottom wall 32. The retaining lock member 190 is supported on the lower surface of the bottom wall 32 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 192 and is urged upward by a spring 182. Normally, the convex portion 160 extends from the opening 108 to the bottom wall 32. It protrudes upward and is fitted into a later-described retaining lock recess 246 (FIG. 18) of the ink cartridge 200 in the mounting position. However, as will be described later, when the ink cartridge 200 comes into contact with the convex portion 160 due to the force when the ink cartridge 200 is attached or detached, the retaining lock member 190 rotates around the shaft 192 so that the convex portion 160 is The ink cartridge 200 is retracted below the bottom wall 32 to enable the ink cartridge 200 to be attached and detached.

  The ink cartridge storage portion P having the above-described configuration is arranged in the width direction on the same plane (on the bottom wall 32) below the ceiling plate formed by the cartridge storage cover portion 44 of the cover body 40. ing. Therefore, the ink cartridge storage portion P has a flat and substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Therefore, the overall configuration of the multifunction machine 1 is also thin and compact.

  Hereinafter, the ink cartridge 200 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The cyan, yellow, magenta, and black ink cartridges 200 of the present embodiment all have the shape shown in FIG. That is, each of them is composed of a substantially transparent main body case 230 made of a resin and a lid 210, and has a generally flat rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The cyan, yellow, and magenta ink cartridges 200 (color ink cartridges) have the same size. On the other hand, the length of the black ink cartridge 200 is the same as that of the color ink cartridge 200. However, the width of the black ink cartridge is larger than the color ink cartridge.

  The main body case 230 includes flat side walls 232 on both sides in the width direction, and the distance between the side walls 232 (that is, the width of the main body case 230) corresponds to the distance between the partition walls 110 provided on both sides of the ink cartridge mounting portion S. is doing.

  The lid 210 has a substantially flat shape. The lid 210 includes a spherical outer curved portion 212 that is curved outward in a spherical shape at a substantially central portion thereof, and also includes a convex portion 213 that is raised to a flat shape while leaving both end portions in the width direction at the front end portion. ing. Flat portions 214 are formed around the spherical outer curved portion 212 of the lid 210 and on the left and right sides of the convex portion 213. The portions of the flat portion 214 located on both sides in the width direction of the spherical outer curved portion 212 and the convex portion 213 extend in the length direction of the ink cartridge 200. When the ink cartridge 200 is inserted into the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the flat portion 214 extending in the length direction faces the bottom of the overhang 112, and the flat portion 214 slides against the spring 114 (FIG. 10). . The curved portion 212 and the convex portion 213 protrude toward the lower surface (that is, the ceiling surface) of the cover portion 44 from the lower surface of the overhang 112 positioned on both sides thereof.

  The ink cartridge 200 is made sufficiently longer than the length of the cover portion 44 in the depth direction, and the rear end portion protrudes from the cover portion 44 in the mounting state on the mounting portion S. The rear end portion of the ink cartridge 200 is narrowed to form a knob portion 202. According to the knob portion 202, when a plurality of ink cartridges 200 are stored in the ink cartridge storage portion P as shown in FIG. 6, a desired one can be easily picked up. Conversely, when the ink cartridge 200 is stored in the adjacent ink cartridge storage portion P, it can be easily entangled and mounted. A rib 217 extending linearly in the width direction is formed near the rear end of the lid 210. Accordingly, it is possible to take out the ink cartridge 200 from the ink cartridge storage portion P with one finger by putting a finger on the rib 217 and pulling the cartridge 200 forward.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the front wall 234 of the main body case 230 is formed with a convex portion 235 protruding upward in the center region in the width direction. An ink supply hole 260 is opened substantially at the center of the front wall 234. The ink supply hole 260 is a hole for supplying ink from the ink container 300 (FIG. 14) provided in the main body case 230. The ink supply rubber plug 262 (FIG. 39 (a)) is press-fitted. Is installed. An ink injection hole 270 is opened adjacent to the ink supply hole 260. The ink injection hole 270 is a hole for injecting ink into the ink containing portion 300 from the outside, and an ink injection rubber plug 272 (FIG. 39A) is press-fitted and attached. Further, the air communication hole 280 is also opened. The air communication hole 280 is an elongated hole having a small diameter, and communicates with the positive pressure application hole 98 of the positive pressure application member 91 when the ink cartridge 200 is installed in the ink cartridge installation part S. Further, a guide groove 236 and a sensor housing groove 240 are formed in the front surface and the lower surface over the front wall 234 and the bottom wall of the main body case 230. The guide groove 236 is a recess for engaging the guide protruding wall 120 (FIG. 10) when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S. The front surface and the bottom surface of the portion between the guide groove 236 and the side wall 232 in the vicinity thereof function as the lock release portion 238, and the lock release operation piece 150 is attached when the ink cartridge 200 is attached to the ink cartridge attachment portion S. Play a role to press. The sensor housing groove 240 is a recess for housing the ink remaining amount detection photosensor 170 when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the main body case 230 includes an ink storage unit 300 therein and opens upward. More specifically, the main body case 230 includes a front wall 234, side walls 232 on both sides, and a rear wall 237. A side wall 232 connects the front wall 234 and the rear wall 237. A knob portion 202 is connected to the rear of the rear wall 237. The ink container 300 is surrounded by the front wall 234, the side walls 232 on both sides, and the rear wall 237. The ink storage unit 300 has a configuration in which a flexible film 302 is attached to a storage recess 310 (FIG. 15), which will be described later, formed in the main body case 230. The flexible film 302 is welded to the peripheral edge 312 of the opening of the storage recess 310, and ink is stored between the flexible film 302. In a state where the ink is fully filled, the film 302 swells in a spherical shape toward the upper side. The ink supply hole 260 and the ink injection hole 270 communicate with the ink storage unit 300. More specifically, the ink supply hole 260 communicates with the inside of the ink storage unit 300 via an ink supply communication path 268 having a smaller diameter than the ink supply hole 260. In addition, the ink injection hole 270 communicates with the inside of the ink storage unit 300 through an ink injection communication path 278 having a smaller diameter than the ink injection hole 270.

  A tension plate 306 having a substantially rectangular plate shape is provided on the flexible film 302 so that the longitudinal direction thereof extends in parallel with the length direction of the ink cartridge 200. A central portion in the longitudinal direction of the tension plate 306 is attached to a substantially central portion of the flexible film 302 with a double-sided tape.

  Note that the longitudinal cross-sectional shape (FIG. 21) of the case body is the same for both black and color. Since the tension plate 306 is attached in the longitudinal direction, the same tension can be given by preparing and attaching the tension plate 306 having the same length for all colors. The length of the tension plate 306 is slightly shorter than the length of the ink container 300 in the length direction. The material of the tension plate is a resin film such as a PET film. The detailed operation of the tension plate 306 will be described later.

  An atmosphere chamber 290 communicating with the atmosphere communication hole 280 is formed around the ink storage unit 300. More specifically, a partition wall 282 is formed on the rear side of the front wall 234 and connects the side walls 232 on both sides. An outer convex wall 211 is formed from the flat portion 214 of the lid 210 to be joined to the partition wall 282, the side wall 232, and the rear wall 237 of the main body case 230. The atmosphere chamber 290 is surrounded by the partition wall 282, the side wall 232, and the rear wall 237 by attaching the lid 210 to the main body case 230 and joining the outer convex wall 211 to the partition wall 282, the side wall 232, and the rear wall 237. In addition, the area is defined as an area surrounding the ink storage unit 300 covered with the lid 210. The atmospheric chamber 290 is in a substantially sealed state that communicates with the outside only through the atmospheric communication hole 280. Here, the atmosphere communication hole 280 is a communication path that extends between the front wall 234 and the partition wall 282 and opens to the front wall 234 and the partition wall 282. An ink supply communication path 268 and an ink injection communication path 278 pass through the partition wall 282 and communicate with the ink storage unit 300. When the lid 210 is attached to the main body case 230 and covers the opening of the main body case 230, the atmosphere chamber 290 communicates with the outside only by the atmosphere communication hole 280. By applying atmospheric pressure or positive pressure to the atmospheric chamber 290, pressure can be applied to the flexible film 302 of the ink storage unit 300 from the outside of the ink storage unit 300. For this reason, the ink in the ink container 300 can be discharged to the outside via the ink supply hole 260.

  A plurality of ribs 292 (FIG. 15) are formed in the atmosphere chamber 290, and the strength of the main body case 230 is maintained.

  FIG. 14 shows an inner surface of the lid 210 that is attached to the main body case 200. As is clear from this figure, the lid 210 is substantially flat, and the spherical outer curved portion 212 formed at the substantially central portion thereof is shaped to wrap around the bulge of the flexible film 302. An annular portion having a predetermined width of the flat portion 214 surrounding the spherical outer curved portion 212 defines an ink containing peripheral portion 216 described later. As is apparent from this drawing, a groove-shaped notch 218 is formed so as to divide the annular ink containing peripheral edge 216. In the state where the lid 210 is joined to the main body case 230, the peripheral edge portion 216 on the lid side is designed to be spaced from the flexible film 302 bonded to the opening peripheral edge portion 312 on the main body case side. Even when the ink cartridge is vacuum-packed so that the lid 210 and the main body case 230 are plastically deformed in the direction of approaching each other and the peripheral edge 216 on the lid side is in close contact with the flexible film 302, the groove shape The space between the spherical outer curved portion 212 and the flexible film 302 communicates with the atmospheric chamber 290 through a notch 218 and a convex wall notch 219 described later. A convex wall 215 that protrudes from the flat portion 214 so as to surround the ink containing peripheral edge 216 is formed outside the ink containing peripheral edge 216 and inside the outer convex wall 211. When the lid 210 is attached to the main body case 230, the convex wall 215 is positioned so as to surround the outer periphery of the storage recess peripheral portion 312 described later (see FIG. 27). However, the convex wall 215 is cut out at a portion close to the outer convex wall 211 along the side wall 232 of the main body case and connected to the outer convex wall 211. As a result, at the position corresponding to the position where the notch 218 is formed in the ink containing peripheral edge 216 and the position opposite to the position where the notch 218 is formed at the ink containing peripheral edge 216, A convex wall notch 219 is defined in the convex wall 215 portion. The convex wall notch 219 also communicates the space between the spherical outer curved portion 212 and the flexible film 302 with the atmospheric chamber 290, and the positive pressure from the atmospheric communication hole 280 is not blocked by the convex wall 215. To play a role.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the storage recess 310 includes a concave portion 320 that is surrounded by the opening peripheral edge portion 312 and opens on the upper surface. The opening peripheral edge portion 312 has a circular shape (or an oval shape) and a portion 328 thereof projects outward. The concave surface portion 320 is curved downward in a substantially spherical shape from the circular (or elliptical) peripheral edge 322 located at the same height as the opening peripheral edge portion 312, and the approximate center is the lowest position. A spherical portion 324 is provided. A part of the spherical surface portion 324 is a slope portion 326 that is inclined straight. A flat shoulder 328 extending horizontally is formed between a portion projecting outside the opening peripheral edge 312 and the circular (or elliptical) peripheral edge 322. The flexible film 302 is attached to the opening peripheral edge portion 312 so as to cover the concave surface portion 320, so that the flexible film 302, the spherical surface portion 324 including the inclined surface portion 326, and the flat shoulder portion 328 are interposed. Ink is stored.

  Note that the height of the flat shoulder 328 is substantially equal to the height of the opening peripheral edge 312 and the amount of swelling of the flexible film 302 on the flat shoulder 328 is small. Even when the lid 210 is attached to the case main body 230, the color of the ink can be visually recognized from the top of the lid 210 by the ink stored between the flat shoulder 328 and the flexible film 302. In other words, the ink in the concave portion 320 is almost black because the ink layer is thick in a state where the ink is fully filled therewith, but the color between the flat shoulder 328 and the flexible film 302 is between In the thin ink layer, the original ink color can be seen.

  The flexible film 302 is formed in advance in a substantially spherical shape that is substantially in close contact with the inner surface of the housing recess 310 in a state where there is almost no ink in the housing recess 310. A method of manufacturing the flexible film 302 in this shape will be described later. Thereby, the flexible film follows the amount of ink and is flexible from a state where the ink is filled between the flexible film 302 and the accommodating recess 310 to a state where there is almost no ink in the accommodating recess 310. The flexible film itself hardly expands or contracts due to elasticity and exerts pressure on the ink.

  On the bottom surface of the concave portion 320, an ink injection groove 330 that communicates with the ink injection hole 270 (ink injection communication path 278), and an air vent / ink supply groove 332 that communicates with the ink supply hole 260 (ink supply communication path 268). Is formed. A sensing mechanism 340 for detecting the remaining amount of ink remaining on the concave surface portion 320 is further provided on the bottom surface of the concave surface portion 320.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the sensing mechanism 340 includes a sensor lever housing groove 350, a sensor lever 360 disposed in the sensor lever housing groove 350, and a T-shaped restraining film 342. The sensor lever accommodation groove 350 has an opening on the bottom surface of the concave surface portion 320 and has a bottom surface 352 along the lower surface (FIG. 18) of the case main body 230. The sensor lever receiving groove 350 extends from the center position of the spherical portion 324 of the concave surface portion 320 in a direction shifted by 45 degrees with respect to the length direction of the case body, and the circular (or elliptical) peripheral edge 322 of the concave surface portion 320. It is formed so that it may be bent by 45 degrees and extend in parallel with the length direction of the case body. A portion of the sensor lever receiving groove 350 that extends parallel to the length direction of the case body is referred to as a groove end portion 354. The groove end 354 opens on the flat shoulder 328. As described above, the sensor lever receiving groove 350 extends in a direction shifted by 45 degrees with respect to the length direction of the case body at a position extending from the center portion of the spherical portion 324 of the concave surface portion 320 to the slope portion 326. An opening is formed on the flat shoulder 328 so as to extend parallel to the length direction of the case body. The depth of the sensor lever receiving groove 350 is substantially constant at the spherical portion 324, increases sharply at the slope portion 326, and becomes substantially constant again at the flat shoulder portion 328. The groove end portion 354 of the sensor lever receiving groove 350 extends outside the concave surface portion 320 and reaches the inside of the sensor receiving groove 240 along the wall protruding from the sensor receiving groove 240, that is, the convex portion 372 (FIG. 18). Yes. Further, the sensor lever housing groove 350 has a groove 351 orthogonal to the longitudinal direction thereof.

  The sensor lever 360 has a specific gravity higher than that of ink, and is formed of a black resin so as to shield infrared rays. The sensor lever 360 is disposed in the sensor lever receiving groove 350. The sensor lever 360 is a plate-like beam member having a triangular fulcrum-shaped rotation fulcrum part 362 and having an operation arm part 364 and a sensing arm part 366 on both sides thereof. A hemispherical pivot 365 (ink remaining amount detection point) is provided at the end of the operating arm 364. The sensor lever 360 is disposed in the sensor lever receiving groove 350 so that the hemispherical pivot 365 (ink remaining amount detection point) is located at the center of the spherical portion 324 of the concave portion 320. The sensing arm portion 366 is bent at 45 degrees at its end, and the bent end 367 is disposed at the groove end 354 of the sensor lever receiving groove 350 (the portion opened to the flat shoulder 328). It functions as a sensing point 367. The rotation fulcrum portion 362 is disposed in the orthogonal groove 351 of the sensor lever receiving groove 350 and sinks in the ink so that the apex of the cross-sectional triangle of the rotation fulcrum portion 362 contacts the bottom surface of the groove 351. As a result, the sensor lever 360 can rotate with the rotation fulcrum 362 as a fulcrum. Here, the weight of the sensing arm unit 366 is larger than the weight of the operation arm unit 364. For example, the weight of the sensing arm unit 366 is five times or more the weight of the operation arm unit 364. For this reason, the sensor lever 360 has a hemispherical shape in which the sensing arm end portion 367 side is positioned on the bottom surface 352 of the sensor lever receiving groove 350 as shown by a solid line in FIG. A pivot 365 (ink remaining amount detection point) floats from the bottom surface 352 and protrudes on the bottom surface of the concave portion 320. On the other hand, when the ink is consumed and the flexible film 302 descends toward the concave portion 320, the flexible film 302 becomes hemispherical pivot 365 (ink remaining amount detection) as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. By pushing the point) downward, the sensing arm end 367 (sensing point) is raised by the lever principle. As described above, since the sensor lever 360 is accommodated in the sensor lever accommodating portion 350 extending from the bottom of the concave portion 320 to the outside of the concave portion 320, the sensor lever 360 may be deformed toward the concave portion 320. Since the flexible film 302 is not obstructed, the remaining ink amount can be reliably detected.

  Further, the length L1 of the sensing arm portion 366 of the sensor lever 360 is larger than the length L2 of the operation arm 364. For example, the length L1 of the sensing arm unit 366 is about four times the length L2 of the operation arm 364. Therefore, even if the flexible film 302 slightly lowers the hemispherical pivot 365 (ink remaining amount detection point), the sensing arm end 367 is greatly raised, and the detection / non-detection operation of the remaining amount detection sensor 70 described later is performed. Can be performed reliably.

  In this embodiment, since the tension plate 306 made of PET film is provided, the sensor lever 360 can be reliably operated in a state where there is almost no remaining ink, that is, the ink can be used up to the maximum. I have to. That is, when the flexible film 302 descends as the ink decreases, the flexible film 302 may come into close contact with the storage recess 320 while wrinkling partly. The sensor lever 360 is operated with the ink remaining between the wrinkled portion and the storage recess 320, causing the ink to remain unusable.

  As described above, only the central portion of the tension plate 306 is bonded to the central portion of the flexible film 302. When the ink is large, the tension plate 306 has a swelled flexible film 302 as shown by a solid line in FIG. It is in a state of being placed on the top and descends as the ink decreases. However, when the amount of ink decreases, the tension plate 306 is restrained from descending by bringing its both ends into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the storage recess 320 at a position above the lowest position of the storage recess 320. The As a result, the peripheral portion of the flexible film 302 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the storage recess 320, but the central portion is lifted by the tension plate 306. At this time, the central portion of the lifted flexible film 302 faces the pivot 365 of the sensor lever 360 with a gap.

  When the ink is further decreased, the central portion of the flexible film 302 is further lowered against the elasticity of the tension plate 306, and when the ink is almost exhausted, the pivot 365 of the sensor lever 360 is pushed. At this time, until the center of the flexible film 302 presses the sensor lever 360, the area of the peripheral portion of the flexible film 302 that is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the storage recess 320 is gradually increased toward the center. Go. In other words, the flexible film 302 is less likely to be wrinkled on the way, and the flexible film 302 is lowered while collecting the ink in the center of the storage recess 320, so that there is almost no remaining ink. The sensor lever 360 can be reliably operated.

  The tension plate 306 is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape as described above, but a triangular shape as long as the flexible film 302 can be spaced from the pivot 365 of the sensor lever 360 when the downward movement is restrained as described above. Any shape such as a star shape or a circular shape may be used. Further, not only the outer peripheral portion of the outer peripheral portion abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the storage recess 320, but also the outer peripheral portion can be placed on the opening peripheral portion 312.

  The tension plate 306 preferably has a weight and an elastic force that do not affect the pressure in the ink storage unit 300, but the pressure in the ink storage unit 300 can be adjusted by appropriately setting these. . When there is a lot of ink, only the central portion of the tension plate 306 is in contact with the flexible film 302, so that the tension plate 306 is given a positive pressure into the ink containing portion 300 by its own weight. When the ink becomes low, the tension plate 306 functions like a beam and lifts the central portion of the flexible film 302 upward. As a result, a negative pressure is applied to the ink storage unit 300. The tension force of the tension plate 306 (related to negative pressure when ink is small), weight (related to positive pressure when ink is large) and length (related to timing when switching from applying positive pressure to negative pressure) are adjusted. As a result, an appropriate pressure corresponding to the ink consumption status is applied to the ink containing unit 300.

  In the present embodiment, the tension plate 306 is connected to the flexible film 302 so as to move following the flexible film 302 until the ink remaining amount becomes very small. On the other hand, the tension plate 306 is restrained by the concave portion 320 of the main body case after the ink remaining amount is in a very small state, and moves the flexible film 302 away from the pivot (ink remaining amount detection point) 365. Has elasticity to bias. The tension plate 306 allows the other portions of the flexible film 302 other than the portion facing the pivot (ink remaining amount detection point) 365 to substantially follow the concave portion 320 at least after the ink remaining amount is low. However, the portion of the flexible film 302 that faces the pivot (ink remaining amount detection point) 365 is urged away from the pivot (ink remaining amount detection point) 365. In addition, the flexible film approaches the pivot (ink remaining amount detection point) 365 against the urging of the tension plate 306 as the amount of ink decreases after the ink remaining state is low. Thus, it is ensured that the ink is used up.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the T-shaped restraining film 342 is made of PET and is provided in the sensor lever housing groove so as to press the sensor lever 360 downward from above the sensor lever 360. More specifically, the holding film 342 integrally includes a fixed portion 342a and an elastic plate portion 342b that presses the sensing arm portion 366. A step is formed in the groove 351 in which the rotation fulcrum 362 is accommodated in the sensor lever accommodation groove 350, and a pair of convex portions 356 are formed from the step. A pair of holes 344 are formed in the fixed portion 342a, and the pair of convex portions 356 are fitted into the pair of holes 344, and the pair of convex portions 356 are crushed so that the fixed portion 342a is caulked to the concave surface portion 320. Stopped. Thereby, the rotation fulcrum part 362 is held in the groove 351 with a gap between the T-shaped restraining film 342 and the sensor lever 360 can be freely rotated with the rotation fulcrum 362 as a fulcrum. The elastic plate portion 342b is inserted and disposed in the groove 350 so as to extend from the fixed portion 342a to the sensing arm portion 366 side. Accordingly, the sensing arm portion 366 is biased downward by the elastic plate portion 342b, that is, in a direction in which the hemispherical pivot 365 projects onto the bottom surface of the bathtub recess 320, so that the ink cartridge is transported during transportation of the ink cartridge. Can be ensured that the hemispherical pivot 365 protrudes above the bottom surface of the concave portion 320. Note that the elasticity of the elastic plate portion 34 is large enough not to prevent the sensing arm portion 366 from rising as the ink decreases.

  Note that a portion of the sensor lever housing groove 350 in which the sensing arm portion 366 is housed is formed in the slope portion 326. Since the slope portion 326 is inclined more than the spherical surface portion, the ascending movement amount of the sensing arm portion 366 can be sufficiently ensured without being disturbed by contact with the flexible film 302.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the lower surface of the main body case 230 includes a smooth surface 242 that can be slid with respect to the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion S. The smooth surface 242 is connected to the side walls 232 on both sides. A guide groove 236 and a sensor receiving groove 240 are formed on the lower surface of the main body case 230. Here, as shown in FIG. 30, the distance Lac between the guide groove 236 and the side wall 232 near the width direction corresponds to the guide-partition wall distance La in the ink cartridge mounting portion S. As shown in FIG. 35, the guide groove 236 has a length Lcc (specifically, at least positive pressure in the ink cartridge mounting portion S) that can accommodate the guide protrusion wall 120 in the length direction from the front wall 234. The distance between the applying member 91 and the front opening portion O side end portion of the guide projection wall 120 is equal to or longer than the distance Lc. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the guide groove 236 can accommodate the guide protruding wall 120. As shown in FIG. 30, the distance Lbc between the guide groove 236 and the sensor receiving groove 240 is a distance corresponding to the guide-sensor distance Lb in the ink cartridge mounting portion S. Further, as shown in FIG. 35, the sensor receiving groove 240 is formed in the length direction from the front wall 234 by a length Ldc corresponding to the distance Ld between the positive pressure applying member 91 and the remaining ink detection photosensor 170. Thus, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the photo sensor 170 for detecting the remaining ink amount can be accommodated.

  On the lower surface of the main body case 230, a plurality of ribs 243 are formed to support the strength of the concave surface portion 320 from the back surface. A bottom centerline rib 244 extending in the length direction of the main body case 230 is formed at the center position in the width direction of the main body case 230. When the ink cartridge 200 is slid on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the bottom center line rib 244 continues to retract the locking projection 160 (FIG. 10) below the bottom surface. A retaining lock recess 246 is formed on the rear side of the bottom centerline rib 244 on the lower surface of the main body case 230. When the ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the retaining lock convex portion 160 engages with the retaining lock concave portion 246, whereby the ink cartridge 200 is retained.

  A sensor lever housing portion 370 having the sensor lever housing groove 350 formed therein is formed on the lower surface of the main body case 230 so as to protrude from the concave surface portion 320. Of the sensor lever housing portion 370, a portion of the sensor lever housing groove 350 that houses the groove end portion 354 (sensor lever housing convex portion 372) projects in the length direction at the center in the width direction in the sensor housing groove 240. Yes. As shown in FIG. 35, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S and the photo sensor 170 for detecting the remaining ink amount is stored in the sensor storing groove 240, the sensing arm storing convex portion is used for detecting the remaining ink amount. It is located between the infrared light emitting unit 172 and the infrared light receiving unit 174 of the photosensor 170. The sensing arm end portion 367 (sensing point) located in the groove end portion 354 in the sensor lever housing convex portion 372 of the sensor lever 360 is positioned between the infrared light emitting portion 172 and the infrared light receiving portion 174. In addition, at least the sensor lever housing convex portion 372 of the main body case is made of a material that transmits infrared rays.

  FIG. 19 is a schematic plan view of the ink cartridge 200 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration (when the main body case 230 and the lid 210 are attached), and the internal structure is shown by broken lines. 20 is a front view showing the front surface of the ink cartridge 200, that is, an AA arrow view of FIG. 21 to 28 are respectively a BB cross section, a CC cross section, a DD cross section, an EE cross section, an FF cross section, a GG cross section, an HH cross section, and an II cross section in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a cross section. In these drawings, the flexible film 302 and the ribs (243, 292) are not shown for the sake of clarity. However, the bottom centerline rib 244 is shown in some of the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 27, the main body case 230 is integrally and continuously connected to the bottom surface side of the main body case 230 (the depth direction of the concave surface portion 320). ) Is formed. The peripheral wall 231, the side wall 232, and the smooth surface portion 242 are connected to form a peripheral wall portion 233 that supports the concave surface portion 320 from the periphery. Here, the peripheral wall 231 and the side wall 232 are connected to each other by a plurality of ribs 292. And the flat part 214 of a lid | cover is joined to the upper end of the surrounding wall part 233 as an outer peripheral part facing the surrounding wall part 233. FIG. Therefore, even if the lower surface of the ink containing portion 300 is substantially spherical, it can be stably placed by the lower surface 242 of the peripheral wall portion 233 and can be easily attached to and detached from the main body of the multifunction device 1. In addition, since the flexible film 202 is attached to the peripheral edge portion 312 of the opening and the lid 210 is joined to the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 233, the lid 210 does not interfere with the attachment portion of the flexible film 202, and the ink is received. Securely sealed. Further, since the peripheral wall portion 233 has a double structure composed of the side wall 231 and the peripheral wall 232, and both are connected by a plurality of ribs 292, the peripheral wall is provided even if the ink cartridge 200 is vacuum packed as will be described later. The portion 233 is prevented from being deformed. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 18, a plurality of ribs 243 are formed so as to connect the lower surface of the concave portion 320 and the peripheral wall portion 233. For this reason, even when the ink cartridge 200 is vacuum-packed as described later, the rib 243 prevents the concave surface portion 320 and the peripheral wall portion 233 from being deformed.

  The ink cartridge 200 having the above structure has a flat bottom surface, but the top surface of the ink cartridge 200 has a curved central portion (spherical outer curved portion 212) as shown in FIG. It is higher than the height of both ends (side walls 232). Here, the heights at both ends in the width direction (the height from the lower surface 242 to the flat portion 214) are the overhang 112 formed at the upper part of the front opening O side end portion of the partition wall 110 in the ink cartridge mounting portion S and the bottom. It is approximately equal to the distance from the wall 32. Therefore, the ink cartridge 200 can be inserted into the ink cartridge mounting portion S. On the other hand, the height of the curved portion 212 and the convex portion 213 is higher than the height of both ends in the width direction, and the curved convex wall 47 on the ceiling surface of the mounting portion S extends along the spherical outer curved portion 212 of the ink cartridge 200. Due to the shape, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge 200 from being inserted upside down by mistake.

  Since the bottom surface of the main body case 230 is smooth and has a bottom centerline rib 244 extending in the length direction, the ink cartridge 200 is simply slid into the ink cartridge mounting portion S and slid on the bottom surface. The ink cartridge 200 can be mounted while the retaining lock projection 160 is retracted. Moreover, the width of the ink cartridge 200 corresponds to the distance between the partition walls 110 on both sides of the ink cartridge mounting portion S, and the distance Lac between the guide groove 236 and the side wall 232 near the width direction is the guide-partition wall in the ink cartridge mounting portion S. Corresponding to the distance La, the distance Lbc between the guide groove 236 and the sensor housing groove 240 corresponds to the guide-sensor distance Lb in the ink cartridge mounting portion S. Accordingly, when the ink cartridge 200 is inserted into the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the cartridge is slid so that the guide groove 236 is guided by the guide protrusion wall 120, whereby the ink remaining amount detection photosensor 170 is detected by the sensor. The sensor is securely stored in the storage groove 240, and the sensing point 367 in the sensor storage groove 240 is inserted between the light emitting unit 172 and the light receiving unit 174 of the photosensor.

  In the ink cartridge mounting portion S, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 30, the end position on the front opening O side of the guide projection wall 120 is the end position on the front opening O side of the sensor 170. It is located closer to the front opening O than the position of the part (sensor guard 176). In the ink cartridge 200, the end portion of the guide groove 236 opposite to the front wall 234 is farther from the front wall 234 than the end portion of the sensor receiving groove 240 opposite to the front wall 234. positioned. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 200 is inserted into the mounting portion S and is slid on the bottom wall 32, the sensor groove 240 reaches the sensor 170 after the guide groove 236 first accommodates the guide protrusion wall 120. Since the sensor housing groove 240 reaches the sensor 170 after the ink cartridge 200 is positioned in the width direction by the engagement between the guide groove 236 and the guide protruding wall 120, the sensing point 367 in the sensor housing groove 240 is a photo. It is inserted between the light emitting part 172 and the light receiving part 174 of the sensor.

  Further, in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the guide protruding wall 120 is close to the unlocking operation piece 150 in the width direction, and in the ink cartridge 200, the guide groove 236 is close to the lock releasing portion 238 in the width direction. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the lock release portion 238 reliably contacts the operation piece 150 and retracts it. In addition, in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the spring 114 member holds the ink cartridge 200 downward from above the partition wall 110 near the guide projection wall 120, so that the operation of retracting the operation piece 150 is made more reliable.

  As shown in FIGS. 29 and 35, the ink cartridge 200 houses the sensor housing groove 240 for housing the sensor 170 and the guide protruding wall 120 at positions on both sides of the ink supply hole 260 when viewed from the front wall 234 side. And a guide groove 236 that opens to the front wall 234 and the lower surface side. Then, the sensor lever housing convex portion 372 that movably houses the sensing arm end portion 367 inserted between the light emitting portion 172 and the light receiving portion 174 is protruded into the sensor housing groove 240, and the guide groove 236 is formed in the guide groove 236. An unlocking portion 238 is provided adjacently. For this reason, the ink cartridge 200 is configured to be flat and can be slid stably with respect to the floor surface 32 of the ink cartridge mounting portion S, and can be easily attached and detached, and mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S. The remaining amount of ink can be reliably detected.

  The ink cartridge 200 of the present embodiment is mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S as shown in FIGS.

  The user inserts the ink cartridge 200 into the front opening O of the ink cartridge mounting part S, and slides the lower surface thereof onto the mounting part bottom surface 32. Then, first, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the cartridge front wall 234 retracts the retaining lock projection 160. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 32, the retaining lock convex portion 160 continues to be retracted by the bottom centerline rib 244 while the cartridge slides and advances. Then, the guide groove 236 of the cartridge is engaged with the guide protrusion wall 120 and further slid. When the unlocking portion 238 of the cartridge front wall 234 kicks the unlocking operation piece 150, the lock member 180 unlocks the needle protection plate 130 (lowers the pressing plate 140). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 33, when the front wall 234 of the cartridge pushes the needle protection plate 130, the needle protection plate 130 is retracted. When the cartridge is further advanced and completely inserted into the ink cartridge mounting part S, the ink outlet hollow needle 82 is stuck in the ink supply rubber plug 262 (FIG. 39A) in the ink supply hole 260. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, the front wall 234 of the cartridge comes into contact with the rubber cap 93 of the positive pressure applying member 91. The cartridge is pushed into a position once further advanced against the force of the spring 94 of the positive pressure applying member 91. At this time, it is preferable that the front surface of the cartridge hits a stopper wall (not shown) to prevent the cartridge from moving forward. Thereafter, the cartridge is slightly returned by the force of the spring 94, but the retaining lock projection 160 engages with the retaining lock recess 246 on the lower surface of the cartridge. As a result, the cartridge is locked and prevented from coming off. Thus, the ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S. The portion of the front wall 234 of the cartridge 200 that abuts against the rubber cap 93 is substantially flat as shown in FIG. 35, so that the positive pressure application hole 98 and the atmosphere communication hole 280 of the rubber cap 93 are air leaks. Communication is made surely so that no problem occurs.

  Since the black ink cartridge is wider than the other color ink cartridges, it cannot be erroneously inserted into the color ink cartridge mounting portion S. On the other hand, it is possible that another color ink cartridge is erroneously inserted into the mounting portion for the black cartridge. However, the distance Lb1 in the width direction between the guide groove 236 and the sensor receiving groove 240 in the color cartridge is the width direction distance between the guide protruding wall 120 and the remaining ink amount detecting photosensor 170 in the black cartridge storage portion. It is narrower than the distance Lb2. Therefore, even when the guide groove 236 is engaged with the guide projection wall 120 and slid, the front surface of the cartridge comes into contact with the sensor guard 176 and cannot move further. Even if the width of the color cartridge is large enough to be inserted between the guide protrusion wall 120 and the partition wall 110 far from the protrusion wall 120 in the black cartridge storage portion, the guide groove 236 is formed. In the first place, since the unlocking operation piece 150 cannot be retracted unless it is engaged with the guide protruding wall 120, the needle protection plate 130 cannot be retracted, and the front surface of the cartridge contacts the needle protection plate 130. The hollow needle 82 for leading out the ink cannot be inserted into the ink supply hole 260.

  When the ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the ink drawing hollow needle 82 supplies the ink in the ink storage portion 300 to the buffer tank 84. Ink is supplied from the buffer tank 84 to the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 via the ink supply tube T, and is used for recording operation.

  Here, in the ink cartridge 200, the positive pressure air pump 36 is stopped, but atmospheric pressure acts on the atmospheric chamber 290 through the pump 36, the tube 92, the positive pressure applying member 91, and the air communication hole 280. is doing. For this reason, as the ink decreases, the flexible film 302 is deformed without applying pressure to the ink, and the shape formed in advance is brought into close contact with the storage recess 320, so that the ink supplied to the inkjet head 70 The ink discharge operation of the inkjet head 70 can be stabilized by always maintaining the pressure of the ink jet head at a substantially constant level. In addition, since the flexible film 302 finally comes into close contact with the storage recess 320, the remaining amount of ink can be reduced. Moreover, since at least a part of the concave surface portion 320 is a substantially spherical shape portion 324 whose cross-sectional area decreases as it moves away from the upper side (opening side), the flexible film 302 is used when the ink remaining amount decreases. However, it is easy to follow the concave portion 320, the remaining amount of ink can be reduced, and the pressure of the ink supplied to the end can be kept almost constant.

  Here, since the ink cartridge mounting portion S in which the ink cartridge 200 is mounted is located below the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 in the vertical direction (see FIG. 3), the nozzles of the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 are caused by the water head difference. A negative pressure always acts on the ink in the same manner as in a general ink jet recording apparatus, but in the normal state, the negative pressure is resisted by the surface tension of the meniscus of the ink formed in the nozzle. Ink is held in the nozzle. After performing the purging operation by the known purging device 78, that is, the operation of sucking the ink in the nozzle by the operation of the pump after covering the nozzle with the cap, when the sucking operation by the pump is stopped, the ink bubbled in the cap is removed. Due to the water head difference, the ink enters the nozzle, and when a print operation is performed by the head 70 thereafter, there is a possibility of causing a discharge failure. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the positive pressure air pump 36 is operated until the cap is opened after the purge operation (which may start during the operation). As a result, a positive air flow is supplied to the atmospheric chamber 290 in the cartridge, and a positive pressure is applied to the ink via the flexible film 302. As a result, a positive pressure can be applied to the ink in the nozzles of the head 70 from the cartridge side, and bubbles can be prevented from being drawn into the nozzles. At this time, the pressure applied by the positive pressure pump 36 may be a pressure that does not draw bubbles into the nozzle, and does not need to be large enough to positively push out ink from the nozzle. The form does not preclude using such a high pressure.

  Further, as described above, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, after the hollow needle 82 for leading out the ink touches the rubber plug 262 for ink supply in the ink supply hole 260, the air communication hole 280 comes into contact with the positive pressure applying member 91. (In more detail, as shown in FIG. 35, the distance A between the front surface of the rubber cap 93 of the positive pressure applying member 91 and the needle hole of the hollow needle 82 for discharging ink in the ink cartridge mounting portion S is determined by the rubber plug for supplying ink. 262 is larger than the distance B that closes the ink supply hole 260 from the front surface of the ink cartridge 200.) When the ink cartridge 200 is removed from the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the atmospheric communication hole 280 is separated from the positive pressure applying member 91. After that, the hollow needle 82 for drawing out the ink comes out of the rubber stopper in the ink supply hole 260. Therefore, even if the user accidentally removes the ink cartridge 200 from the ink cartridge mounting portion S while the positive pressure pump 36 applies a positive pressure to the ink cartridge 200, the hollow needle 82 remains stuck. In this state, first, the air communication hole 280 is separated from the positive pressure applying member 91, so that ink is prevented from spilling from the ink cartridge 200.

  When the ink cartridge 200 is attached to the ink cartridge attachment portion S, as shown in FIG. 35, the infrared light emitting portion 172 and the infrared light receiving portion 174 of the remaining ink amount detecting photosensor 170 are connected to the sensing arm of the sensor lever 360. It is accommodated in the sensor accommodation groove 240 so as to confront the sensor lever accommodation convex portion 372 in which the end portion 367 (sensing point) is accommodated. Therefore, the sensing arm end 367 (sensing point) of the sensor lever 360 is positioned between the infrared light emitting unit 172 and the infrared light receiving unit 174. In this manner, an ink sensing mechanism for detecting a state where ink in the ink cartridge 200 runs out is completed. That is, in the ink sensing mechanism of the present embodiment, the sensor portion 170 (light emitting portion 172 + light receiving portion 174) is provided in the ink cartridge mounting portion S on the recording apparatus main body side, and senses on / off of the sensor portion 170. A lever (a sensor lever 360 made of black resin) is provided in the ink cartridge 200, and the ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion S to complete.

  As described above, the sensor lever 360 moves the sensing arm end 367 (sensing point) up and down according to the remaining amount of ink. When the ink remaining amount is sufficient, the sensing arm end portion 367 is located between the light emitting portion 172 and the light receiving portion 174 and shields infrared light. When there is almost no remaining ink, the light receiving unit 174 receives infrared light by removing from between the light emitting unit 172 and the light receiving unit 174. Thus, it is easy for those skilled in the art to control the operation of the recording apparatus by converting the presence or absence of ink into an electrical signal. The sensor 170 can be used not only to detect the presence / absence of ink but also to detect whether an ink cartridge is installed.

  As described above, the ink cartridge 200 according to the present embodiment includes only resin parts, and has a basic configuration in which a film is stretched on a resin case and ink is collected therebetween. That is, a single film is stretched on the concave portion 320 of the main body case 230, and ink is stored between the main body case 230 and the film. By attaching the lid 210 to the main body case 230, the film is prevented from being torn so that the user is not directly touched by the film.

  More specifically, the main body case 230 is made of an ink resistant resin. In this example, the main body case 230 is made of additive-free polypropylene (PP) that hardly contains additives. This is because the main body case 230 (housing recess 310) is in direct contact with the ink, so that if the additive is contained, the additive dissolves into the ink. On the other hand, the lid 210 is made of polypropylene (PP) to which an additive is added in order to maintain strength because it does not directly contact the ink. Thus, the main body case 230 and the lid 210 are made of the same resin material (PP), so that both can be joined by ultrasonic welding.

  In the present embodiment, the ink containing portion 300 is defined between the concave surface portion 320 and the flexible film 302. Since no foam is used to contain the ink, the ink can be used up. In addition, since the ink cartridge 200 is formed using only resin without using foam, dioxins are not generated even if the ink cartridge 200 is burned after the ink is used up. Further, unlike the case where the ink containing portion 300 is formed in a bag shape, the ear portion and the spout portion necessary for the bag shape are not necessary, so that a large amount of ink can be accommodated in the small volume case body. Further, in the present embodiment, the ink storage unit 300 can be formed with a simple structure in which a storage recess is formed and a film is pasted thereon. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily cope with a design change in ink capacity.

  In this embodiment mode, the flexible film 302 has a two-layer structure. That is, the inner layer made of polypropylene (thickness 30 μm) and the outer layer made of nylon are bonded to each other. Polypropylene (thickness 30 μm) has heat melting characteristics, and nylon has heat resistance characteristics and impact resistance characteristics. Here, polypropylene (thickness 30 μm) is a non-added type containing almost no additive. This is because the inner layer comes into contact with the ink, so if the additive is contained, it will dissolve in the ink. However, polypropylene (thickness 30 μm) is very weak against mechanical impact. For this reason, impact is absorbed by the outer layer of nylon. Here, the two-layer structure composed of an inner layer made of polypropylene (thickness 30 μm) and an outer layer made of nylon has a property of extending when heat is applied and air permeability, and will be described below. Thus, it is extremely preferable to be used for the flexible film 302 of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the flexible film 302 having the double structure is attached to the housing recess 310 as described below and formed into a shape bulging outward. The flexible film 302 includes an inner layer 302a made of polypropylene (thickness 30 μm) and an outer layer 302b made of nylon.

  First, as shown to Fig.37 (a), it arrange | positions so that the flexible film 302 may cover the opening part of the concave-surface part 320 in a flat state. Then, heat is applied to the opening peripheral edge 312. As a result, only the inner layer 302a (polypropylene layer) is melted and thermally welded to the opening peripheral edge 312. After that, as shown in FIG. 37B, a vacuum device (not shown) is connected to the ink supply hole 260 communicating with the concave portion 320 through the closed space formed between the flexible film 302 and the concave portion 320. And depressurize. Since the atmospheric pressure is applied to the flexible film 302 from the outside, the flexible film 302 tends to adhere to the concave portion 320. Simultaneously with the vacuum, heat is applied to the entire flexible film 302 by an external heat source (not shown) provided on the upper side of the flexible film 302. As a result, the flexible film 302 is plastically deformed into a shape along the concave surface portion 320. In this way, the flexible film 302 is molded so as to stick to the concave surface portion 320. As a result, the flexible film 302 has a shape that follows the shape of the bottom surface of the concave portion 320. When ink is injected between the concave surface portion 320 and the flexible film 302, the flexible film 302 swells in a direction away from the concave surface portion 320, and can accommodate ink twice the volume of the concave surface portion 320. it can. As the ink is consumed, the flexible film 302 approaches the concave surface portion 320, and when the ink is completely removed, the flexible film 302 is completely adhered to the concave surface portion 320. Therefore, the ink can be completely used up.

  In addition, although nylon of the outer layer 302b is located at a position close to an external heat source (not shown), since nylon has heat resistance characteristics, it does not melt. On the other hand, since the polypropylene layer of the inner layer 302a is located far from the external heat source, it is not thermally welded but only plastically deformed. Therefore, unlike the case where the flexible film 302 is formed of a single layer of polypropylene, there is no possibility that the flexible film 302 is melted by an external heat source.

  Further, if the flexible film 302 is pressed by rolling, the flexible film 302 may be wrinkled and ink or air may leak. However, according to the above method, there is no such a risk.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, a method is adopted in which the concave surface portion 324 itself becomes a mold, and the shape of the concave surface portion 324 is transferred to the flexible film 302 by extending the flexible film 302. Therefore, even if the concave surface portion 324 has an arbitrary shape, it is easy to form the flexible film 302 following the shape. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with a shape change. In addition, a large number of ink injection grooves 330 and ink supply grooves 332, which will be described later, are formed on the concave surface portion 324, or embossed irregularities are formed, so that the flexible film 302 is stuck to the concave surface portion 324 during the heating. Can be prevented.

  Furthermore, unlike the case where a plurality of flexible films 302 that have been pressed and expanded are pasted to the peripheral edge 312 of the opening, the number of steps is small, so that the possibility of dust or the like entering the ink container 300 is also reduced. Can do. In addition, since a separate press die is not required, the facilities can be simplified.

  It should be noted that the outer layer 302b is made of additive-type polypropylene which is difficult to dissolve instead of nylon, the inner layer 302a is made of non-added polypropylene, and the outer layer 302b and the inner layer 302a are made of two polypropylenes having different properties. Good.

  As shown in FIG. 38, a mold 400 having a storage concave shape having a shape symmetrical to the shape of the concave surface portion 320 may be separately provided on the concave surface portion 320. In this case, the flexible film 302 is flatly heat-welded to the opening peripheral edge portion 312, and then pressurized air is pushed between the flexible film 302 and the concave surface portion 320 through the ink supply hole 260. Warm the mold 400. Then, the flexible film 302 swells and the concave shape of the mold 400 is transferred to the flexible film 302. Instead of pushing air into the internal space between the flexible film 302 and the concave portion 320 to increase the pressure inside the internal space, the space between the flexible film 302 and the mold 400 is reduced. You may do it.

  Next, FIGS. 39A and 39B show a method of injecting ink between the flexible film 302 formed in the bulging shape as described above and the concave surface portion 320 (ink storage portion 300). This will be described below with reference.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 39A, a check valve 264 and an ink supply rubber plug 262 (silicon rubber bush) are provided inside the ink supply hole 260. An ink injection rubber stopper 272 (silicon rubber bush) is provided inside the ink injection hole 270. Here, the ink injection rubber stopper 272 is connected to the ink supply rubber stopper 262 by a link portion 266. The ink injection rubber stopper 272 is formed with an ink injection needle insertion recess 274 and a stopper peak 276 that are offset from each other. The rubber plugs 262 and 272 are pierced with a needle as will be described later. After the needle is pulled out, the rubber plugs 262 and 272 have a property of sealing the pierced trace by its own elasticity.

  First, as shown in FIG. 39A, the ink supply rubber plug 262 and the ink injection rubber plug 272 are fitted into the ink supply hole 260 and the ink injection hole 270. At this time, the ink injection rubber stopper 272 is fitted halfway so that the stopper peak 276 is away from the ink injection communication path 278. With the front wall 234 of the main body case 230 facing upward in the vertical direction, the air supply hollow needle 502 is inserted into the ink supply rubber stopper 262, and the ink injection needle 504 is inserted into the ink injection rubber stopper 272. At that time, the needle holes of the needles 502 and 504 are exposed in the recesses of the rubber stoppers. Here, the air vent hollow needle 502 communicates with an air vent pressure reducing pump (not shown), and the ink injection needle 504 communicates with the ink pump. In the state where the ink pump is not operated, the air in the ink containing portion 300 is removed through the ink supply hole 260 to make the inside vacuum. Thereafter, the ink pump is operated to inject ink into the ink injection hole 270. Here, since the ink injection needle insertion recess 274 is thin, the air remaining in this portion cannot be removed no matter how much the pressure is reduced. In addition, when this air is mixed into the ink storage unit 300, there is a possibility that the air will later expand to cause malfunction of detection of the remaining amount of ink or to hinder ink supply to the head. Therefore, after the completion of ink injection, the ink injection rubber stopper 272 is completely pushed into the ink injection hole 270. As a result, as shown in FIG. 39B, the stopper ridge 276 completely blocks the ink injection communication path 278. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a slight amount of air remaining in the ink injection needle insertion recess 274 from entering the ink storage unit 300.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the concave surface portion 320, the ink injection groove 330 communicates with the ink injection hole 270 (ink injection communication path 278) and is formed along the concave surface portion 324 as appropriate, so that the ink wraps around. It has a shape. When ink is injected, the ink enters the concave surface portion 320 along the ink injection groove 330, so that air bleeding is promoted. Further, the air venting / ink supply groove 332 communicates with the ink supply hole 260 (ink supply communication path 268), is formed in a loop shape along the concave surface portion 324 as appropriate, and also communicates with the ink injection groove 330. When removing the air, it is easier to remove the air. That is, even if the flexible film 302 is tightly adhered to the concave surface portion 324 while the air is being evacuated, it is easy to create a space for air bleed on the air bleed / ink supply groove 332. Air can be extracted from the entire 300. In place of forming the air venting / ink supply groove 332 in the concave portion 320, a concave portion may be formed between a number of embossed convex portions. Further, the air venting / ink supply groove 332 and the embossing also extend to the lowest position of the concave surface portion 324, that is, around the remaining amount detection point 365, so that when ink is supplied to the inkjet head, even if the remaining amount of ink decreases. The ink flow can be positively controlled by making it easy to draw ink even from the lowest position, or by reducing the adhesion between the concave surface portion 324 and the flexible film 302 to prevent the back pressure from rising. .

  After the ink is put into the ink containing portion 300 in this way, the lid 210 is attached to the main body case 230, and the ink cartridge 200 is completed. The ink cartridge 200 is then vacuum packed. That is, as shown in FIG. 36, the entire ink cartridge 200 is wrapped in a sheet 500 of resin film material and evacuated. Since the piezoelectric head 70 ejects ink by pressure waves, if there are bubbles in the ink, the bubbles absorb the pressure and the ink is not ejected. Since the bubbles are formed by the growth of dissolved air in the ink over time, in this embodiment, in order to limit the amount of dissolved air in the ink accommodated in the ink cartridge 200, It is vacuum packed.

  Here, the ink injected into the ink container 300 has already been deaerated to some extent. That is, the air content is about 30 to 35% with respect to the saturation amount. When such ink is stored in the ink storage unit 300 and the entire ink cartridge 200 is wrapped in a film material and vacuumed, the air in the ink is made of a flexible film 302 made of polypropylene and nylon, and made of polypropylene. It penetrates the wall of the main body case made of the resin and is drawn into the vacuum pack. Thus, the ink in the ink cartridge is further degassed, and after a few days, the air content of the ink in the ink cartridge decreases to about 20%. Therefore, by providing the user with the vacuum-packed ink cartridge, it is possible to provide the user with a highly deaerated ink.

  When the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion S, the ink lead-out hollow needle 82 is inserted into the ink supply rubber plug 262 in the ink supply hole 260. Here, the hollow needle 82 for leading out the ink communicates with the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 via the buffer tank 84 and the ink supply tube T. Here, the air dissolved in the ink grows with time and becomes bubbles, and adheres to the inner walls of the buffer tank 84 and the tube T, and further grows due to a temperature change or the like. Here, the check valve 264 in the ink supply hole 260 is designed to close even when a slight pressure is applied from the outside. Therefore, when bubbles grow in the buffer tank 84 and the tube T and a little pressure is applied to the check valve 264, the check valve 264 closes. On the other hand, the check valve 264 is free for the force with which the piezoelectric inkjet head 70 pulls ink. For this reason, the check valve 264 can supply any amount of ink, but is closed when the pressure of the bubble is applied, and the bubble is prevented from entering the ink container 300 of the ink cartridge. Therefore, the problem that bubbles enter the ink cartridge and bubbles enter the head from the ink cartridge to cause ejection failure is prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the ink injection hole 270 and the ink supply hole 260 are provided separately, and these are provided so as to open side by side in the left-right direction on the front surface of the ink cartridge. Here, if only one hole is provided in the front surface of the ink cartridge, and vacuum, ink injection, and ink supply in the ink storage unit 300 are all performed from this hole, a rubber plug attached to this one hole. You must pierce the needle three times. In order to pierce the needle at three different positions, the diameter of the hole itself must be increased, and the thickness of the ink cartridge itself must be increased. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the ink injection holes and the ink supply holes are separately provided, the diameter of each hole can be reduced, and these holes are arranged in the left-right direction. Was able to be reduced.

  Since the ink supply hole 260 is also used for pressure reduction during ink injection, the ink supply rubber stopper 262 is inserted into the ink cartridge mounting portion S at the position where the air bleeding hollow needle 502 is inserted. In this case, the position may be different from the position where the hollow needle 82 for leading out the ink is stabbed. Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, the ink supply hole 260 is formed at the approximate center in the height direction in the approximate center in the width direction of the front wall 234. Here, since the convex part 235 is formed in the approximate center of the width direction of the front wall 234, the height (thickness) is large compared with the width direction both ends. Therefore, the diameter of the ink supply hole 260 can be increased, and the diameter of the ink supply rubber plug 262 can be increased. The air bleeding hollow needle 502 can be easily pierced at a position different from the position where the ink derivation hollow needle 82 is pierced.

  In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 200 is vacuum-packed, and at that time, pressure is applied in a direction in which the case main body and the lid 210 approach each other. For this reason, in this embodiment, in order to resist such pressure, the concave surface portion 320 and the spherical outer curved portion 212 of the lid 210 are formed into a substantially spherical shape, and a reinforcing structure using ribs is employed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 40, the spherical outer curved portion 212 of the lid 210 has an ink containing peripheral portion 216 around the spherical outer curved portion 212 than the inner edge of the opening peripheral portion 312 on the main body case side. It forms so that it may be located slightly outside. That is, the inner peripheral edge 216 a of the ink containing peripheral edge 216 is opposed to the intermediate portion between the inner edge and the outer edge of the opening peripheral edge 312. Here, if the edge portion 216a is on the inner side of the inner periphery of the opening peripheral edge portion 312, the edge portion 216a is flexible when the lid 210 and the concave surface portion 320 receive a force in a direction approaching each other by the vacuum pack. There is a risk of hitting the protective film 302 and damaging it. However, in the present embodiment, the lid 210 collides with a position slightly outside the inner edge of the opening peripheral edge 312, that is, on the opening peripheral edge 312. Here, the flexible film 302 is firmly welded onto the opening peripheral edge portion 312 and integrated with the resin of the main body case 230. Therefore, even if the ink containing peripheral edge 216 of the lid 210 directly contacts the flexible film 302 on the opening peripheral edge 312, the flexible film 302 is not damaged.

  The recording apparatus and the ink cartridge according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements can be made within the scope described in the claims.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 41, the guide groove 236 and the sensor receiving groove 240 may be cut out to the side wall 232. This is because the guide can be guided by sliding the side face of the guide cutout recess 236 ′ along the corresponding side face of the guide protrusion wall 120. In this case, as shown in FIG. 42, the needle protection lock releasing piece 150 may be provided in the vicinity of the guide protruding wall 120 and on the side where the hollow needle 82 for leading out the ink is disposed. . Of the front wall 234 of the ink cartridge 200, a portion around a position below the air communication hole 280 can function as the lock release portion 238.

  The structure of the needle protection plate 130, the needle protection lock member 180, and the retaining lock member 190 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a multifunction machine to which an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. The perspective view which shows the state which opened the upper surface cover of the flatbed type reading apparatus in the multifunctional device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional configuration of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which removed the flatbed type reading device from the multifunctional device of FIG. The perspective view which shows the lower surface of a cover body. The perspective view which shows the state which the front cover opened. The perspective view which shows the state which removed the cover body and the front cover further from the state of FIG. 4 which removed the flat bed type reading device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a printer engine. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically illustrating a configuration of an ink cartridge storage unit. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of one ink cartridge mounting unit in the ink cartridge storage unit. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a needle protection, a needle protection lock, and a mechanism for preventing cartridge removal provided below the floor surface of the ink cartridge mounting unit. The perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge from the back upper side. The perspective view which looked at the ink cartridge from the front upper side. The perspective view which shows the main body case and lid | cover at the time of opening the lid | cover of an ink cartridge. The perspective view which shows the state before sticking a flexible film to a main body case. The disassembled perspective view explaining the sensing mechanism provided in the concave part of the main body case. Operation | movement explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of the sensing mechanism of FIG. The bottom view of a main body case. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the ink cartridge according to the present embodiment. The AA arrow directional view of the ink cartridge of FIG. BB sectional drawing of the ink cartridge of FIG. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge of FIG. 19 taken along the line CC. FIG. 20 is a DD sectional view of the ink cartridge of FIG. 19. EE sectional drawing of the ink cartridge of FIG. FF sectional drawing of the ink cartridge of FIG. GG sectional drawing of the ink cartridge of FIG. FIG. 20 is an HH sectional view of the ink cartridge of FIG. 19. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of the ink cartridge in FIG. 19. The height of the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is inserted into the mounting portion opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion, the overhang formed on the partition wall of the ink cartridge mounting portion, and the curved convex wall formed on the ceiling surface of the ink cartridge mounting portion Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the front wall of the cartridge retracts the protruding locking part when the ink cartridge is inserted into the mounting part opening of the ink cartridge mounting part. FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 30. The guide groove of the ink cartridge is engaged with the guide convex wall and slid, and when the lock release part kicks the needle protection lock release piece, the needle protection lock member releases the lock of the needle protection plate. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a hollow needle for leading out ink is inserted into an ink supply hole after the front surface of the ink cartridge pushes the needle protection plate after the needle protection plate is unlocked and retracts the needle protection plate. After the hollow needle for leading out the ink is inserted into the ink supply hole, the front surface of the ink cartridge comes into contact with the rubber cap of the positive pressure applying member and the retaining lock convex portion engages with the retaining lock concave portion. FIG. The top view of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which carried out the vacuum-pack packaging of the ink cartridge. It is a schematic process figure which shows the method of affixing the flexible film of this Embodiment on an opening peripheral part, and inflating a flexible film, (a) shows the process of affixing a flexible film on an opening peripheral part. It is a figure, (b) is a figure which shows the process of expanding a flexible film. The figure which shows the example of a change of the process of inflating a flexible film. (A) is a figure which shows the process of inserting the rubber stopper with a non-return valve and the rubber stopper for ink injection into the ink supply hole and the ink injection hole to the middle, and discharging the air in the ink containing portion to inject ink. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state where the crest portion of the rubber plug for ink injection is caught in the edge of the ink injection hole. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the edge (ink accommodation peripheral part) of the spherical outer side curved part of a lid | cover, the inner edge of an opening peripheral part, and a flexible film. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the ink cartridge according to the present embodiment. The top view which shows the example of a change which changed the position of the needle | hook protection lock release piece in an ink cartridge mounting part corresponding to the ink cartridge of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunction machine 10 Reading apparatus 20 Inkjet recording apparatus 32 Housing floor 36 Positive pressure pump 40 Cover body 44 Ceiling board (cartridge storage cover part)
46 Paper discharge port 47 Curved convex wall 70 Piezoelectric inkjet head 82 Hollow needle 90 Positive pressure applying mechanism 91 Positive pressure applying member 93 Elastic seal member (rubber cap)
98 Positive pressure application hole 100 Cartridge mounting mechanism 102 Recessed portion 110 Partition 114 Spring 120 Guide convex wall 130 Needle protection plate 140 Needle protection plate presser plate 150 Needle protection lock release piece 160 Locking convex portion 170 Ink remaining amount detection photo sensor 172 Infrared light emitting part 174 Infrared light receiving part 176 Sensor guard 200 Ink cartridge 202 Knob part 210 Lid 212 Spherical outer curved part 214 Flat part 216 Ink containing peripheral part 217 Rib 230 Case body 231 Peripheral wall 232 Side wall 233 Peripheral wall part 234 Front wall 235 Convex Portion 236 Guide groove 238 Unlocking portion 240 Sensor receiving groove 242 Smooth surface 243 Rib 244 Bottom centerline rib 246 Lock recess 260 Ink supply hole 262 Ink supply rubber plug 270 Ink injection hole 272 Ink injection rubber plug 28 Atmospheric communication hole 290 Atmospheric chamber 292 Rib 300 Ink storage portion 302 Flexible film 302a Inner layer 302b Outer layer 306 Tension plate 310 Storage recess 312 Opening peripheral edge 320 Concave surface 322 Circular (or elliptical) peripheral edge 324 Spherical surface 326 Slope 328 Flat shoulder 330 Ink injection groove 332 Ink supply groove 340 Sensing mechanism 342 T-shaped restraining film 342a Fixed portion 342b Elastic plate portion 344 Hole 350 Sensor lever receiving groove 352 Bottom surface 354 Groove end portion 356 Protruding portion 360 Sensor lever 362 times Moving fulcrum 364 Operating arm 365 Hemispherical pivot 366 Sensing arm 367 Sensing arm end (sensing point)
370 Sensor lever housing part 372 Sensor lever housing convex part 400 Type D Paper discharge part O Front opening part P Ink cartridge housing part S Ink cartridge mounting part

Claims (1)

An opening that opens in the horizontal direction to the outside, a connection that supplies ink to the recording head by connecting to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge at a position facing the opening in the horizontal direction, and extends in the horizontal direction An ink cartridge that is detachably mounted on a recording apparatus main body having an ink cartridge mounting portion that has a bottom surface that extends on the opposite side of the opening from the opening.
Sliding along the bottom surface from the opening side in the direction of connecting the ink supply port to the connecting portion is a bottom surface, a front surface having the ink supply port, and a side opposite to the front surface, from the opening portion. A rear end located on the protruding bottom surface,
An ink cartridge, wherein a finger hooking rib protruding upward is formed on an upper surface of the rear end portion protruding from the opening.

Images