JP2018161881A - Liquid cartridge, liquid consuming device, and cartridge set - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid cartridge is provided in which deformation or the like hardly occurs in a liquid supply unit. An ink cartridge includes a cartridge main body and an ink supply unit. The cap 79 of the ink supply unit 34 has a recess 95 extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface thereof. The cartridge main body 128 has a front portion 129 located above the recess 95. The front portion 129 includes a bottom wall 60, a vertical wall 62 that extends downward from the bottom wall 60 toward the ink supply unit 34, and a sub lower wall 48 that extends in the left-right direction continuously to the lower end of the vertical wall 62. doing. The cartridge body 128 further has a convex portion 89 that extends downward from the sub lower wall 48 and has a lower end portion located in the concave portion 95. [Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge including a cartridge main body having a liquid storage chamber and a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the outside, a liquid consuming device including the liquid cartridge, and a cartridge set.

  2. Description of the Related Art A printer including a recording head that discharges ink supplied from an ink cartridge (for example, see Patent Document 1) through a nozzle is known. In such a printer, when the ink stored in the ink cartridge is consumed, a new ink cartridge is mounted.

JP-A-6-210865

  In the ink cartridge, a liquid supply unit having a liquid channel extends forward from the cartridge body. For example, when an impact such as dropping an ink cartridge onto the floor is applied to the liquid supply unit, the liquid supply unit may bend and may be deformed or cracked. There is also a need for new large and small capacity liquid cartridges.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid cartridge in which deformation or the like hardly occurs in the liquid supply unit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new large capacity and small capacity liquid cartridge.

  (1) A liquid cartridge according to the present invention has a cartridge main body that defines a liquid storage chamber, and a liquid channel that opens to the front, and the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is exposed to the outside via the liquid channel. And a liquid supply unit for supplying. The liquid supply part projects forward from the lower part of the cartridge body and has a recess extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface thereof. The cartridge body has a front portion located above the recess. The front portion includes a bottom wall that defines at least a part of a bottom surface of the liquid storage chamber, and a side surface that extends downward from the bottom wall toward the liquid supply portion and extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. 1 wall and the 2nd wall extended in the left-right direction which cross | intersects the front-back direction and an up-down direction following the lower end of the said 1st wall. The cartridge body further includes a convex portion extending downward from the second wall and having a lower end portion located in the concave portion.

  For example, even if the liquid cartridge is dropped on the floor and an impact is applied and the liquid supply portion bends so as to bend in the front-rear direction, the degree of bending is limited by the concave portion coming into contact with the convex portion. Moreover, even if the liquid supply part bends upward, the concave part comes into contact with the convex part, and the impact transmitted to the convex part is absorbed by the first wall and the second wall.

  (2) Preferably, the front ends of the first wall and the second wall are located in front of the front end of the liquid supply unit.

  The front end of the liquid supply unit can be protected by the first wall and the second wall.

  (3) Preferably, the front part further includes a third wall extending in the left-right direction continuously to the front end of the first wall, and the second wall and the third wall are continuous. Yes.

  According to the above configuration, the strength of the cartridge body is increased.

  (4) Preferably, the third wall is continuous with the front end of the bottom wall.

  According to the above configuration, the strength of the front portion of the cartridge body is increased.

  (5) Preferably, the third wall defines a forefront surface of the liquid storage chamber, and the cartridge body extends downward from the bottom wall, and is rearward of the front surface in the liquid storage chamber. A sub front wall having a sub front surface that divides the first wall, the first wall being continuous with the second wall, the third wall, the bottom wall, and the sub front wall, It extends over a space defined by two walls, the third wall, the bottom wall, and the sub front wall.

  According to the above configuration, the strength of the cartridge body is increased.

  (6) Preferably, in the liquid storage chamber, the first area of the cross section of the first space above the bottom surface defined by the bottom wall is lower than the bottom surface and the sub front surface defined by the sub front wall. It is larger than the second area of the cross section of the second space defined by.

  According to the above configuration, the lowering of the liquid level due to the liquid flowing out from the liquid storage chamber makes the first space smaller than the second space with respect to the outflow of the same volume of liquid. As a result, the liquid level in the first space can be kept high with respect to the outflow of the liquid, so that in the state where the liquid exists in the first space, the liquid is externally supplied from the liquid storage chamber through the liquid channel. It will be easy to leak.

  (7) A liquid consuming device according to the present invention includes a liquid cartridge according to claim 6, a tank having the second liquid storage chamber in which the liquid cartridge is connected so as to be able to circulate the liquid and storing the liquid, A liquid consuming unit that consumes the liquid supplied from the tank. The liquid cartridge has a first atmospheric communication portion that communicates the liquid storage chamber with the outside. The tank has a second atmospheric communication portion that communicates the second liquid storage chamber with the outside.

  (8) The present invention is a cartridge set having a small-capacity liquid cartridge and a large-capacity liquid cartridge, wherein the small-capacity liquid cartridge includes a cartridge body that partitions a liquid storage chamber, and a liquid that is opened forward. A liquid supply unit that has a flow path and supplies the liquid in the liquid storage chamber to the outside through the liquid flow path. The cartridge body has a front portion located above the liquid supply portion. The front portion includes a first bottom wall that defines at least a part of a bottom surface of the liquid storage chamber, and a side surface that extends downward from the bottom wall toward the liquid supply portion and extends in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction. And a second wall extending in the left-right direction intersecting with the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, continuously from the lower end of the first wall. The large-capacity liquid cartridge forms a large-capacity liquid storage chamber having a larger volume than the liquid storage chamber, and the dimension between the side walls constituting the large-capacity liquid storage chamber and the front wall constituting the large-capacity liquid storage chamber A large-capacity cartridge body having dimensions to the rear wall that are the same as the dimensions between the side walls of the cartridge body and the dimensions from the front wall to the rear wall, and a liquid channel that opens to the front. A large-capacity liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid in the liquid storage chamber to the outside through the liquid channel. The large-capacity liquid supply unit projects forward from the lower portion of the large-capacity cartridge body. The second bottom wall that defines at least a part of the bottom surface of the large-capacity liquid storage chamber above the large-capacity liquid supply unit is configured so that the front wall and the rear wall of the small-capacity liquid cartridge are in the large-capacity in the side view. It is a position that overlaps the second wall of the small-capacity liquid cartridge when overlapped with the front wall and the rear wall of the liquid cartridge.

  According to the above configuration, in the comparison between the small-capacity liquid cartridge and the large-capacity liquid cartridge, the dimensions between the side walls of the large-capacity cartridge body and the dimensions from the front wall to the rear wall are the dimensions between the side walls of the cartridge body and the front wall. Cartridges with different capacities can be made with the same dimensions from to the rear wall. In addition, since it is not necessary to arrange a member for reducing the volume in the liquid storage chamber, the flow of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber may be hindered by the member, or the liquid flow path may be narrowed by the member. Absent.

  (9) Preferably, the cartridge main body has a lower portion that communicates with the liquid storage chamber and has an opening facing upward, and a lid that covers the opening of the lower portion, and the large-capacity cartridge The main body communicates with the large-capacity liquid storage chamber, has a large-capacity lower portion having an opening facing upward, and the lid covers the opening of the large-capacity lower portion.

  According to the above configuration, the lid can be a common component in the small-capacity liquid cartridge and the large-capacity liquid cartridge.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a liquid cartridge in which deformation or the like hardly occurs in the liquid supply unit.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 10. FIG. 2 is a front view of the cartridge mounting unit 110. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a VIII-VIII cross section in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 in a state where the ink supply unit 34 is disassembled. FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the large capacity cartridge 200. FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the large capacity cartridge 200. FIG. 12 is a left side view of the large capacity cartridge 200. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the large capacity cartridge 200. FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a state where the ink cartridge 30 is being attached to the cartridge attachment unit 110. FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge 30 is rotated in the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black. FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black. FIG. 18 is a left side view of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section XIX-XIX in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example in which the present invention is embodied, and it is needless to say that the embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the following description, the direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting unit 110 is defined as the front direction 51. Further, the direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is extracted from the cartridge mounting unit 110 is defined as the rear direction 52. In the following, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the direction of gravity). Therefore, although the description will be made on the assumption that the front direction 51 and the rear direction 52 are horizontal directions, the front direction 51 and the rear direction 52 are not necessarily horizontal. A direction orthogonal to either the front direction 51 or the rear direction 52 is defined as a downward direction 53. The direction opposite to the downward direction 53 is defined as the upward direction 54. A direction orthogonal to the forward direction 51 and the downward direction 53 is defined as a right direction 55. The direction opposite to the right direction 55 is defined as the left direction 56. Therefore, in the state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 and used, the description will be made on the assumption that the gravity direction is the downward direction 53 and the direction opposite to the gravity direction is the upward direction 54. That is, the outer surface of the lower wall 42 of the housing 130 faces downward in the direction of gravity in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 and used. In addition, directions orthogonal to the front direction 51 and the downward direction 53 are defined as a right direction 55 and a left direction 56. More specifically, when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 and used, the right direction 55 is defined as the right direction when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the rear to the front. A direction facing left is defined as a left direction 56. The state in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 and used is a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is inserted to the mounting position of the cartridge mounting unit 110. In the mounting position, the ink needle 102 provided in the cartridge mounting unit 110 is inserted into the ink supply unit 34 provided in the ink cartridge 30 and connected to each other, and the IC substrate 64 provided in the ink cartridge 30 is connected to the cartridge mounting unit. This is a position in contact with the contact 106 provided at 110. Hereinafter, the posture of the ink cartridge 30 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 and used is referred to as a usage posture.

  Further, the front direction 51 and the rear direction 52 are defined as the front-rear direction. Further, the upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53 are defined as the vertical direction. Further, the right direction 55 and the left direction 56 are defined as left and right directions.

  In the following description, “facing forward” includes facing a direction including a front component, and “facing rearward” includes facing a direction including a rear component. Further, “facing downward” includes facing a direction including a lower component, and “facing upward” includes facing a direction including an upper component. For example, “the front surface is directed forward” may mean that the front surface is directed forward or the front surface is directed in a direction inclined with respect to the front.

[Overview of Printer 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 10 (an example of a liquid consuming apparatus) is an image recording apparatus that records an image by ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet based on an inkjet recording method. It is. The printer 10 includes a recording head 21 (an example of a liquid consumption unit), an ink supply device 100, and an ink tube 20 that connects the recording head 21 and the ink supply device 100. The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge mounting unit 110. An ink cartridge 30 (a liquid cartridge, an example of a small-capacity liquid cartridge) is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. An opening 112 is formed on one surface of the cartridge mounting portion 110. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge mounting portion 110 through the opening 112, or is extracted rearward from the cartridge mounting portion 110 through the opening 112.

  The ink cartridge 30 stores liquid, for example, ink that can be used in the printer 10 (an example of liquid). In a state where the mounting of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge mounting unit 110 is completed, the ink cartridge 30 and the recording head 21 are connected via the ink tube 20. The recording head 21 has a damper chamber 28 that temporarily stores ink supplied through the ink tube 20. The recording head 21 ejects ink supplied from the damper chamber 28 from a plurality of nozzles 29. Specifically, the head control board provided in the recording head 21 selectively applies a driving voltage to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 29 </ b> A provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles 29. Thereby, ink is selectively ejected from the nozzles 29. That is, the recording head 21 consumes ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110.

  The printer 10 includes a paper feed tray 15, a paper feed roller 23, a transport roller pair 25, a platen 26, a discharge roller pair 27, and a paper discharge tray 16. The paper feed roller 23 feeds the paper on the paper feed tray 15 toward the transport path 24. The paper fed to the conveyance path 24 eventually reaches the conveyance roller pair 25. The conveyance roller pair 25 conveys the paper that has reached the conveyance roller pair 25 onto the platen 26. The recording head 21 selectively ejects ink onto a sheet that passes over the platen 26. Thereby, an image is recorded on the paper. The sheet that has passed through the platen 26 reaches the discharge roller pair 27. The discharge roller pair 27 discharges the paper that has reached the discharge roller pair 27 to the paper discharge tray 16 located on the most downstream side of the transport path 24.

[Ink supply apparatus 100]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes an ink supply device 100. The ink supply device 100 supplies ink to the recording head 21. The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge mounting part 110 to which the ink cartridge 30 can be mounted, a tank 103, and an ink tube 20. FIG. 1 shows a state where the ink cartridge 30 has been completely installed in the cartridge mounting unit 110. That is, in FIG. 1, the ink cartridge 30 is in a mounted state. The posture of the ink cartridge 30 in this state is the usage posture.

[Cartridge mounting part 110]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cartridge mounting unit 110 includes a cartridge case 101, an ink needle 102, a convex plate 111, an optical sensor 113, and a plurality of contacts 106. The cartridge mounting portion 110 can accommodate four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Further, four ink needles 102, convex plates 111, and optical sensors 113 are provided in correspondence with the four ink cartridges 30. Further, for the plurality of contacts 106, four contacts 106 are provided corresponding to one ink cartridge 30, and 16 contacts 106 are provided for the four ink cartridges 30. Four tanks 103 and four ink tubes 20 are provided corresponding to each of the four ink cartridges 30.

[Cartridge case 101]
As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge case 101 forms a housing of the cartridge mounting unit 110. The cartridge case 101 has a box shape having a top surface 57, a guide groove 109, a right side surface 107, a left side surface 108, an end surface 59, and an opening 112. The top surface 57 defines a top portion that is an upper portion of the internal space of the cartridge case 101. The guide groove 109 defines a bottom that is a lower portion of the internal space of the cartridge case 101. The right side surface 107 defines the right part of the internal space of the cartridge case 101. The left side surface 108 defines the left part of the internal space of the cartridge case 101. The end surface 59 connects the top surface 57, the right side surface 107, and the left side surface 108. The opening 112 is formed in the cartridge case 101 at a position facing the end surface 59 in the front-rear direction. The opening 112 may be exposed to a user interface surface of the printer 10 that is a surface that the user faces when using the printer 10.

  The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge case 101 through the opening 112 and removed from the cartridge case 101 through the opening 112. A guide groove 109 is formed at the bottom of the cartridge case 101. The ink cartridge 30 is guided along the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2) by inserting the lower end of the ink cartridge 30 into the guide groove 109. The cartridge case 101 includes three plates 104 that divide the internal space into four spaces that are long in the vertical direction. One ink cartridge 30 is accommodated in each of the spaces partitioned by the plurality of plates 104.

[Ink needle 102]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink needle 102 has a hollow tubular shape and is positioned below the end surface 59 of the cartridge case 101. The ink needle 102 is disposed on the end surface 59 of the cartridge case 101 at a position corresponding to the ink supply unit 34 of the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. The ink needle 102 protrudes rearward from the end surface 59 of the cartridge case 101, and the tip of the ink needle 102 opens rearward. The tip of the ink needle 102 may be flat or pointed.

[Convex plate 111]
As shown in FIG. 3, a convex plate 111 protruding downward from the top surface 57 is formed in the vicinity of the opening 112 in the top surface 57 of the internal space into which one ink cartridge 30 is inserted in the cartridge case 101. . The length of the convex plate 111 in the left-right direction is shorter than the distance between a pair of walls 114 (see FIG. 4) of the convex portion 43 of the ink cartridge 30 described later. Further, in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the convex plate 111 is positioned between the pair of walls 114 in the left-right direction. Therefore, the convex plate 111 is inserted between a pair of walls 114 (see FIG. 4) of the convex portion 43 of the ink cartridge 30 described later in the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110. The lower surface 111A of the convex plate 111 can come into contact with a lever 163 (see FIG. 7) of a valve mechanism 135 described later.

[Contact 106]
As shown in FIG. 3, four contact points 106 are arranged in front of the convex plate 111 on the top surface 57 of the internal space in which one ink cartridge 30 is inserted in the cartridge case 101. The four contacts 106 protrude downward from the top surface 57 toward the internal space into which one ink cartridge 30 of the cartridge case 101 is inserted. Although not shown in detail in each drawing, each of the four contact points 106 is arranged apart in the left-right direction. The arrangement of the four contacts 106 corresponds to the arrangement of four electrodes 65 (see FIG. 4) of one ink cartridge 30 described later. Each contact 106 is composed of a member having conductivity and elasticity, and can be elastically deformed upward. Four sets of four contacts 106 are arranged corresponding to the four ink cartridges 30 that can be accommodated in the cartridge case 101. That is, 16 contacts 106 are arranged on the cartridge case 101. The number of contacts 106 and the number of electrodes 65 are arbitrary.

  Each contact 106 is electrically connected to the arithmetic unit via an electric circuit. The arithmetic device is composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and functions as a controller of the printer 10, for example. When each contact 106 and each electrode 65 corresponding to each contact 106 come into contact and are electrically connected, the voltage Vc is applied to the first electrode 65 or the second electrode 65 is A signal indicating data is transmitted to the third electrode 65, or a synchronization signal is transmitted from the arithmetic unit to the fourth electrode 65. The electrical connection between each contact 106 and each electrode 65 corresponding to each contact 106 enables the arithmetic device to access data stored in the IC of the ink cartridge 30. The output from each contact 106 through the electric circuit is input to the arithmetic unit.

[Optical sensor 113]
As shown in FIG. 2, an optical sensor 113 is disposed on the top surface of the cartridge case 101. The optical sensor 113 is located in front of the four contacts 106. The optical sensor 113 includes a light emitter and a light receiver. The light emitter is provided on the right side or the left side of the light receiver and spaced from the light receiver. A light shielding plate 67 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, of the ink cartridge 30 that has been mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 is disposed between the light emitter and the light receiver. In other words, the light emitter and the light receiver are disposed to face each other so that the light shielding plate 67 of the ink cartridge 30 that has been mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 is positioned between the light emitter and the light receiver. Yes.

  The optical sensor 113 outputs different detection signals depending on whether or not the light emitted along the left-right direction from the light emitter is received by the light receiver. For example, the optical sensor 113 outputs a low level signal on condition that the light output from the light emitter cannot be received by the light receiver (that is, the light reception intensity is less than a predetermined intensity). On the other hand, the optical sensor 113 outputs a high-level signal on condition that the light output from the light emitter can be received by the light receiver (that is, the light reception intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity).

[Lock shaft 145]
As shown in FIG. 3, the lock shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction of the cartridge case 101 in the vicinity of the top surface 57 of the cartridge case 101 and in the vicinity of the opening 112. The lock shaft 145 is a rod-shaped member extending along the left-right direction. The lock shaft 145 is, for example, a metal cylinder. Both ends of the lock shaft 145 in the left-right direction are fixed to walls that define both ends of the cartridge case 101 in the left-right direction. Therefore, the lock shaft 145 does not move relative to the cartridge case 101 such as turning. The lock shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction over four spaces in which the four ink cartridges 30 can be stored. In each space in which the ink cartridge 30 is accommodated, there is a space around the lock shaft 145. Accordingly, the lock surface 151 of the ink cartridge 30 and the like can access the lock shaft 145 upward and backward.

  Here, the access may be physical contact such that the lock shaft 145 contacts the lock surface 151, or may be optical access such that light from the optical sensor 113 hits a light shielding plate 67 described later. The electrical access may be such that a current flows between the electrode 65 and the contact 106 when the contact 106 comes into contact with an electrode 65 of the IC substrate 64 described later. The accessed direction may be the up-down direction or the left-right direction.

  The lock shaft 145 is for holding the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 at the mounting position. The ink cartridge 30 is engaged with the lock shaft 145 by being inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 and rotated to a use posture. Further, the lock shaft 145 holds the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge mounting portion 110 against the force that the coil spring 78 of the ink cartridge 30 pushes the ink cartridge 30 backward.

[Tank 103]
As shown in FIG. 1, a tank 103 is disposed in front of the cartridge case 101. The tank 103 has a box shape capable of storing ink therein. A liquid storage chamber 103A (an example of a second liquid storage chamber) that is an internal space of the tank 103 is opened to the outside by an atmospheric communication port 124 (an example of a second atmospheric communication portion) at the top. Thereby, the internal space of the tank 103 is open to the atmosphere. The liquid storage chamber 103A of the tank 103 communicates with the internal space of the ink needle 102 at the rear. As a result, the ink that has flowed out of the ink cartridge 30 through the ink needle 102 is stored in the tank 103. Ink tubes 20 are connected to the four tanks 103, respectively. As a result, the ink stored in the liquid storage chamber 103 </ b> A of the tank 103 is supplied to the recording head 21 through the ink tube 20.

[Overall structure of ink cartridge 30]
The ink cartridge 30 is a container that stores liquid ink. In the present embodiment, four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black colors can be mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. Among the four ink cartridges 30, the configuration of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow is the same as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the configuration of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black is different from the configuration of the other three ink cartridges 30 in that it is longer in the left-right direction than the other three ink cartridges 30. The configuration of the three ink cartridges 30 is substantially the same.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow will be described. Regarding the configuration of the ink cartridge corresponding to black, differences from the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The posture of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is a posture when the ink cartridge 30 is in a use posture, that is, a use posture. As will be described later, the ink cartridge 30 includes a front wall 40 (an example of a third wall), a rear wall 41, an upper wall 39, a lower wall 42, a side wall 37, and a side wall 38. The ink cartridge 30 is in a posture in which the direction from the rear wall 41 toward the front wall 40 coincides with the front direction 51 and the direction from the front wall 40 toward the rear wall 41 coincides with the rear direction 52 in the use posture. In the use posture of the ink cartridge 30, the direction from the upper wall 39 to the lower wall 42 matches the lower direction 53 (gravity direction), and the direction from the lower wall 42 to the upper wall 39 matches the upper direction 54. It is a posture to do. In the use posture of the ink cartridge 30, the direction from the side wall 38 to the side wall 37 coincides with the right direction 55, and the direction from the side wall 37 to the side wall 38 coincides with the left direction 56. When the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the outer surface of the front wall 40 faces frontward, the outer surface of the rear wall 41 faces rearward, the outer surface of the lower wall 42 faces downward, and the upper wall 39 The outer surface of is directed upward.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink cartridge 30 as a whole has a flat dimension that is shorter in the horizontal direction and longer in the vertical direction and in the front-rear direction than in the horizontal direction. Shape.

[Cartridge body 128]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the ink cartridge 30 includes a cartridge main body 128 and an ink supply unit 34. The ink supply unit 34 is continuous with the lower portion of the cartridge main body 128 and faces the front.

  The cartridge main body 128 includes a housing 130 (an example of a lower portion) and an outer lid 134 (an example of a lid). The housing 130 has a box shape with the top opened. In the present embodiment, the housing 130 is a container formed of resin. As shown in FIG. 7, a main storage chamber 32 (an example of a first liquid storage chamber) and a sub storage chamber 33 are formed inside the housing 130.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the housing 130 includes a front wall 40, a rear wall 41, a side wall 37, a side wall 38, a lower wall 42, and a sub lower wall 48 (second wall) as outer walls. 1), a connection wall 49, a bottom wall 60, a sub front wall 61, and a vertical wall 62 (an example of a first wall). The distance between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 is longer than the distance between the side wall 37 and the side wall 38. The front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the side wall 37, the side wall 38, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61 define the main storage chamber 32.

  When the ink cartridge 30 is in the use posture, the front wall 40 has the outer surface of the casing 130 facing forward, and the rear wall 41 has the outer surface of the casing 130 facing rearward. The side walls 37 and 38 extend so as to intersect with the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41, respectively. The side walls 37 and 38 connect the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61. In the use posture, the outer surface of the side wall 37 faces rightward, and the outer surface of the side wall 38 faces leftward. The lower wall 42 faces downward in the use posture. The lower wall 42, the rear wall 41, and the connection wall 49 are continuous. The front wall 40 and the sub lower wall 48 are continuous. A part of the rear surface of the front wall 40 is the foremost surface 40 </ b> A that partitions the main storage chamber 32. The front surface of the rear wall 41 is a rear surface 41 </ b> A that partitions the main storage chamber 32.

  In the housing 130, at least the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the side wall 37, the side wall 38, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61 have translucency so that the ink stored in the main storage chamber 32 can be visually recognized from the outside. It is what you have.

  The bottom wall 60 extends from the front wall 40 in the rearward direction 52 and slightly downward 53 and is continuous with the sub front wall 61. That is, the bottom wall 60 connects the front wall 40 and the sub front wall 61. The upper surface of the bottom wall 60 is a sub-bottom surface 60 </ b> A (an example of a bottom surface) that partitions the main storage chamber 32. The sub bottom surface 60A connects the forefront surface 40A and the sub front surface 61A.

  The sub front wall 61 extends from the rear end of the bottom wall 60 while curving so as to bulge in the rear direction 52 and the lower direction 53 in the front direction 51, and is continuous with the sub lower wall 48. The sub front wall 61 faces forward in the use posture, and is located behind the front wall 40. The rear surface of the sub front wall 61 is a sub front surface 61 </ b> A that partitions the main storage chamber 32. The sub front surface 61A is located behind the forefront surface 40A.

  The main storage chamber 32 is defined by the lowermost position of the sub bottom surface 60A, that is, the first space 32U above the rear end of the sub bottom surface 60A, and the sub front surface 61A and the rear surface 41A below the rear end of the sub bottom surface 60A. Second space 32L. In FIG. 7, the boundary between the first space 32U and the second space 32L is indicated by a two-dot broken line. The first area S1 of the cross section of the first space 32U is larger than the second area S2 of the cross section of the second space 32L (S1> S2).

  The vertical wall 62 extends over a space defined by the front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61. The vertical wall 62 extends from the bottom wall 60 in the downward direction 53 to the sub lower wall 48. The vertical wall 62 is located at the center in the left-right direction of the front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61. Therefore, the front wall 40 extends in the left-right direction from the front end of the vertical wall 62. The sub lower wall 48 extends in the left-right direction from the lower end of the vertical wall 62. The bottom wall 60 extends in the left-right direction from the upper end of the vertical wall 62. The sub front wall 61 extends in the left-right direction from the rear end of the vertical wall 62. The front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61 have the same horizontal dimension. Further, the left ends of the front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61 are at the same position in the left-right direction, and the right ends are at the same position in the left-right direction.

  In the cartridge main body 128, the front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the vertical wall 62 constitute a front portion 129 that is positioned in the upward direction 54 from the ink supply portion 34. More specifically, in the use posture, a portion of the cartridge main body 128 above the ink supply unit 34 and ahead of the connection wall 49 is the front portion 129. The front ends of the front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the vertical wall 62 are positioned in the front direction 51 from the front end of the ink supply unit 34.

  Between the sub lower wall 48 and the lower wall 42, a step surface facing the front direction 51 of the connection wall 49 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. A convex portion 89 extends from the sub lower wall 48 toward the lower direction 53 in the front direction 51 from the step surface of the connection wall 49. The convex portion 89 has an inverted T-shaped cross section along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The convex portion 89 is located in a concave portion 95 of the cap 79 described later.

  Engaging claws 88 projecting outward from the housing 130 are formed at the upper ends of the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the side wall 37, and the side wall 38. The engaging claw 88 engages with an opening 86 formed in the outer lid 134. In the present embodiment, one engagement claw 88 is formed on each of the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the side wall 37, and the side wall 38, but the number of the engagement claws 88 is one on each wall. Not limited to one by one.

[Inner lid 131]
The inner lid 131 shown in FIG. 7 closes the opened upper side of the housing 130. The inner lid 131 is formed with a through hole 46 penetrating in the vertical direction.

[Outer lid 134]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the outer lid 134 has a box shape with the lower part opened. The outer lid 134 includes an upper wall 39, a front wall 82, a rear wall 83, a side wall 84, and a side wall 85. The front wall 82 is continuous with the front end of the upper wall 39 and extends downward. The rear wall 83 is continuous with the rear end of the upper wall 39 and extends downward. The side wall 84 extends downward from the right end of the upper wall 39 and connects the front wall 82 and the rear wall 83. The side wall 85 extends downward from the left end of the upper wall 39 and connects the front wall 82 and the rear wall 83.

  An opening 86 is formed in each of the front wall 82, the rear wall 83, the side wall 84, and the side wall 85. An engagement claw 88 of the housing 130 is engaged with each opening 86. As a result, the outer lid 134 is put on the casing 130 from above the casing 130. In this embodiment, the opening 86 is formed in the outer lid 134 and the engaging claw 88 is formed in the housing 130. However, the engaging claw 88 is formed in the outer lid 134 and the opening 86 is formed in the housing 130. May be formed. In a state where the outer lid 134 is put on the housing 130, the front wall 82 and the front wall 40 constitute an outer surface facing the front of the cartridge main body 128. Further, the rear wall 83 and the rear wall 41 constitute an outer surface facing the rear of the cartridge main body 128. Further, the side wall 84 and the side wall 37, and the side wall 85 and the side wall 38 constitute outer surfaces facing the respective sides of the cartridge main body 128.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an opening 44 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the upper wall 39. The opening 44 is formed above the ribs 156, 157 and 158 of the inner lid 131.

  On the upper wall 39, a convex portion 43 protruding upward is formed. The convex portion 43 is formed so as to surround the opening 44 from the right side, the left side, and the rear side. A lock shaft 145 is accessible to the convex portion 43 from the outside.

  The surface facing backward in the convex portion 43 is a lock surface 151. The lock surface 151 is located above the upper wall 39. The lock surface 151 extends along the vertical direction. The lock surface 151 is a surface that can come into contact with the lock shaft 145 rearward in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 110. When the lock surface 151 contacts the lock shaft 145 rearward, the ink cartridge 30 is held by the cartridge mounting portion 110 against the urging force of the coil spring 78.

  In the convex portion 43, a pair of walls 114 are formed in front of the lock surface 151 with the opening 44 interposed therebetween. The upper end surfaces of the pair of walls 114 are composed of a horizontal surface 154 and an inclined surface 155. The horizontal plane 154 is continuous with the lock surface 151. The inclined surface 155 is located in front of the horizontal plane 154. The inclined surface 155 is continuous with the horizontal surface 154. The inclined surface 155 faces upward and forward. The inclined surface 155 is inclined so that the front end is below the rear end. Since the lock surface 151 and the inclined surface 155 are continuous via the horizontal plane 154, the mountain shape with a sharp boundary between the lock surface 151 and the inclined surface 155 is not formed. By the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal plane 154, the lock shaft 145 is smoothly guided from the lock surface 151 to the rear while being in contact with the inclined plane 155 and the horizontal plane 154 in the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110.

  In the upper wall 39, an operation unit 90 is formed behind the lock surface 151. The operation unit 90 is accessed and operated by the user. A sub upper surface 91 is formed behind the upper wall 39. An operation unit 90 is disposed above the sub upper surface 91 with a space from the sub upper surface 91. The operation portion 90 has a flat plate shape that protrudes upward from the vicinity of the boundary between the upper wall 39 and the sub upper surface 91 to the same extent as the convex portion 43. The operation unit 90 has an upper end position positioned in front of the lower end position. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a rib 94 is formed between the operation unit 90 and the rear sub-upper surface 91. The rib 94 is continuous with the operation unit 90 and the rear sub-upper surface 91 and extends rearward. The dimension of the rib 94 along the left-right direction is smaller than each of the dimension of the operation unit 90 along the left-right direction and the dimension of the rear sub upper surface 91. The rib 94 prevents the rear portion of the operation unit 90 from being deformed in the vertical direction.

  In the operation unit 90, the surface facing upward and rearward is the operation surface 92. The position of the rear portion of the operation surface 92 and the rear sub-upper surface 91 in the direction along the front-rear direction overlaps. In other words, when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from above to below the ink cartridge 30, the rear portion of the operation surface 92 and the rear sub-upper surface 91 are in overlapping positions. On the operation surface 92, a plurality of protrusions, for example, a plurality of convex ribs 93 extending in the left-right direction are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction. The convex ribs 93 as a plurality of protrusions make it easier for the user to recognize the operation surface 92, and when the user operates the operation surface 92 with a finger, the finger is less likely to slip with respect to the operation surface 92.

  The operation surface 92 is visible when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from above the ink cartridge 30 from below, and is visible when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from behind the ink cartridge 30 from the front. It is. The operation surface 92 is a surface for the user to operate in order to extract the ink cartridge 30 from the state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 110. The operation unit 90 is molded integrally with the outer lid 134. As a result, the operation unit 90 is fixed to the outer lid 134 and does not move relative to the outer lid 134. Therefore, the force applied from the user to the operation surface 92 is transmitted as it is to the outer lid 134 without changing the direction.

  The outer surfaces of the front wall 40 and the front wall 82, the rear wall 41 and the rear wall 83, the upper wall 39, the lower wall 42, the side wall 37 and the side wall 84, and the side walls 38 and 85 of the ink cartridge 30 are not necessarily provided. It is not necessary to have one plane. In other words, the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture is a surface that can be seen when viewed from the front to the rear of the ink cartridge 30 and is located in front of the front-rear direction center of the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture. The surface is the outer surface of the front wall 40 and the side wall 84. A surface that is visible when the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture is viewed from the rear to the front of the ink cartridge 30, and a surface that is located behind the center in the front-rear direction of the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture. It is the outer surface of the rear wall 41 and the rear wall 83. A surface that can be seen when the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture is viewed from above and below the ink cartridge 30, and a surface that is located above the center in the vertical direction of the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture. This is the outer surface of the upper wall 39. A surface that can be seen when the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture is viewed from below and above the ink cartridge 30, and a surface that is located below the center in the vertical direction of the ink cartridge 30 in the use posture. This is the outer surface of the lower wall 42. The same applies to the outer surfaces of the side walls 37, 38, 84, 85. Further, the ink cartridge 30 does not necessarily have to be configured by the housing 130 and the outer lid 134. The ink storage chamber does not necessarily have to be divided into the main storage chamber 32 and the sub storage chamber 33. That is, the ink cartridge 30 has a case where the storage chamber is partitioned by the upper wall 39, the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the side walls 37 and 38, the bottom wall 60, the sub front wall 61, and the lower wall 42. There may be.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a light shielding plate 67 protruding upward is formed on the outer surface of the upper wall 39. The light shielding plate 67 extends along the front-rear direction. The light shielding plate 67 is located in front of the convex portion 43. The light shielding plate 67 is positioned in front of an IC substrate 64 described later.

  The right and left surfaces of the light shielding plate 67 block the light of the optical sensor 113 (see FIG. 2) traveling along the left-right direction. That is, the light shielding plate 67 can be accessed from the outside. More specifically, when the light output from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 hits the light shielding plate 67 before reaching the light receiver, the intensity of the light reaching the light receiver is less than a predetermined intensity, for example, zero. It becomes. The light shielding plate 67 may completely block the light from traveling along the left-right direction, may partially attenuate the light, may bend the traveling direction of the light, It may be reflected. Further, the light shielding plate 67 is formed with a notch 66. The notch 66 is a space that is recessed downward from the upper end of the light shielding plate 67 and extends in the front-rear direction. Since the notch 66 is positioned in the optical sensor 113, the light output from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 is not blocked until it reaches the light receiver. Depending on the presence or absence of the notch 66, for example, the user or the printer 10 can determine the type of the ink cartridge 30, that is, the type and initial amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, an IC substrate 64 is disposed on the outer surface of the upper wall 39 and between the light shielding plate 67 and the convex portion 43 in the front-rear direction. The IC substrate 64 is electrically connected to the four contacts 106 while the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, and is also connected to the four contacts 106 even when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. .

  The IC substrate 64 includes a substrate, an IC (not shown in each figure), and four electrodes 65. The substrate supports the IC. Four electrodes 65 are formed on the substrate. The four electrodes 65 and the IC are electrically connected. Each of the four electrodes 65 extends along the front-rear direction, and the four electrodes 65 are arranged in the left-right direction. The four electrodes 65 are exposed on the upper surface of the IC substrate 64 so as to be electrically accessible. As a result, each of the four contacts 106 of the cartridge case 101 can be in direct contact with the upper surface of each of the four electrodes 65. The IC is an integrated circuit, and stores information about the ink cartridge 30 such as data indicating information such as a lot number, date of manufacture, and ink color in a readable manner. The substrate may be a so-called rigid substrate or a flexible substrate having flexibility.

[Internal structure of ink cartridge 30]
As shown in FIG. 7, a main storage chamber 32, a sub storage chamber 33, an ink valve chamber 35, and an air communication channel 72 are formed inside the ink cartridge 30.

  The ink cartridge 30 includes a lower wall 45 inside. The lower wall 45 is a wall that expands in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In a state where the housing 130 supports the inner lid 131, the lower wall 45 and the bottom wall 136 of the inner lid 131 face each other in the vertical direction. A through hole 46 is formed in the bottom wall 136 of the inner lid 131. The main storage chamber 32 and the air chamber 36 of the atmosphere communication channel 72 are communicated with each other through the through hole 46.

  The sub storage chamber 33 is located below the main storage chamber 32 in the use posture in the internal space of the housing 130 and stores ink. The volume in which the sub storage chamber 33 can store ink is smaller than the volume in which the main storage chamber 32 can store ink.

  The sub storage chamber 33 has an upper end defined by the lower surface of the lower wall 45 and a lower end defined by the upper surface of the lower wall 42. The rear end of the sub storage chamber 33 is defined by the inner surface of the rear wall 41. The sub-reservoir 33 is defined at both left and right ends by inner surfaces of the side walls 37 and 38. A partition wall 50 is formed between the sub storage chamber 33 and the ink valve chamber 35. The front end of the sub storage chamber 33 is defined by the surface of the partition wall 50 close to the sub storage chamber 33. That is, the sub storage chamber 33 is a space defined by the lower surface of the lower wall 45, the upper surface of the lower wall 42, the inner surface of the rear wall 41, the inner surfaces of the side walls 37 and 38, and the inner surface of the partition wall 50.

  The sub storage chamber 33 communicates with the main storage chamber 32 through a communication hole 47 (see FIG. 7) formed in the lower wall 45. The communication hole 47 is formed at the rear end portion and the right end portion of the lower wall 45. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the sub storage chamber 33 communicates with the ink valve chamber 35 through a through hole 99 formed in the partition wall 50.

  The position where the communication hole 47 is formed is not limited to the rear end portion and the right end portion of the lower wall 45. For example, the communication hole 47 may be formed in the center portion of the lower wall 45 in the front-rear direction, may be formed over the entire region in the left-right direction, or may be formed in the sub lower wall 48. Good.

[Atmospheric communication channel 72]
The atmosphere communication channel 72 (an example of a first atmosphere communication portion) is a space that communicates between the main storage chamber 32 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30, and is formed above the housing 130. One end of the atmosphere communication channel 72 is communicated with the main storage chamber 32 through the through hole 46 of the inner lid 131. The other end of the air communication channel 72 communicates with the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the opening 44 formed in the upper wall 39 of the outer lid 134 and the gap between the outer lid 134 and the housing 130.

[Valve mechanism 135 and support member 150]
The valve mechanism 135 is a mechanism having a function of switching presence / absence of communication between the main storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere. The configuration of the valve mechanism 135 in the present embodiment will be described below, but the configuration of the valve mechanism 135 may be different from the configuration in the present embodiment on the condition that the above-described function is provided. For example, a later-described valve body 161 may be configured to be movable in a direction other than the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the valve mechanism 135 is disposed in the atmosphere communication channel 72. Parts other than the part of the valve mechanism 135 are disposed in the internal space 134 </ b> A of the outer lid 134. The arrangement of the valve mechanism 135 is not limited to the arrangement described above. For example, the entire valve mechanism 135 may be disposed in the atmosphere communication channel 72.

  A support member 150 shown in FIG. 7 is a member that rotatably supports a valve mechanism 135 (a lever 163 described in detail later). A space in which a part of the valve mechanism 135 can be arranged is formed inside the support member 150. As shown in FIG. 7, the support member 150 includes engaged portions 152 at the front end portion and the rear end portion thereof. The support member 150 is supported by the inner lid 131 by the engaged portion 152 engaging with the bent portion of the rib 158 of the inner lid 131.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the valve mechanism 135 includes a valve body 161, a coil spring 162, and a lever 163.

  The valve body 161 includes a rod 165 and a seal member 166 that is externally fitted to the rod 165.

  The rod 165 is disposed between the ribs 157 of the inner lid 131. On the upper surface of the rod 165, a step surface 165C is formed such that the front portion 165A is positioned above the rear portion 165B.

  The rod 165 extends in the vertical direction. The rod 165 is inserted into the through hole 139 of the inner lid 131. The seal member 166 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The seal member 166 is pressed against the rod 165 without a gap. Thereby, the space between the seal member 166 and the rod 165 is closed.

  The valve body 161 is movable in the vertical direction between the closed position shown in FIG. 7 and the open position shown in FIG. In addition, the movement of the valve body 161 in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction is regulated by the rib 157 of the inner lid 131.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the valve body 161 is in the closed position, the lower surface of the portion protruding from both the front and rear sides of the rod 165 is supported in contact with the upper surface of the inner lid 131. The seal member 166 covers the peripheral edge of the through hole 46. As a result, the space between the seal member 166 and the through hole 46 is closed. That is, the through hole 46 is closed by the seal member 166 and the rod 165, so that the communication between the main storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere is blocked.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 161 in the open position is located above the valve body 161 in the closed position. In the state where the valve body 161 is in the open position, the lower surface of the portion protruding from both the front and rear sides of the rod 165 is spaced upward from the upper surface of the inner lid 131. Further, the seal member 166 is spaced upward from the peripheral edge of the through hole 46. Thereby, the through hole 46 is opened. As a result, the main storage chamber 32 communicates with the atmosphere through the through hole 46.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the coil spring 162 is disposed around the rod 165. The upper end of the coil spring 162 is in contact with the rod 165 of the valve body 161. The lower end of the coil spring 162 is in contact with the upper surface of the inner lid 131. When the valve body 161 is in the closed position, the coil spring 162 is in a state shorter than the natural length. Therefore, when the valve body 161 is in the closed position, the coil spring 162 biases the valve body 161 upward, that is, toward the open position. The valve body 161 is not limited to the coil spring 162 but may be a leaf spring or an elastic body such as rubber.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lever 163 includes a rotating shaft 167, and a first protrusion 168 and a second protrusion 169 extending from the rotating shaft 167.

  The rotation shaft 167 is the center of the through hole in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of protrusions 170 projecting from the right inner surface defining the right end of the internal space of the support member 150 and the left inner surface defining the left end of the internal space of the support member 150 are rotated. The shaft 167 is inserted. The protrusion 170 protruding from the right inner surface is inserted into the rotation shaft 167 from the right side. The protrusion 170 protruding from the left inner surface is inserted into the rotation shaft 167 from the left. As a result, the lever 163 is rotatably supported by the support member 150. The pivot shaft 167 may be a protrusion that protrudes from the lever 163 to the right and left. In this case, an opening is formed in each of the right inner surface and the left inner surface of the support member 150, and the rotation shaft 167 that is a protrusion is inserted into the opening.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first protrusion 168 and the second protrusion 169 extend in opposite directions with respect to the rotation shaft 167.

  The lever 163 can rotate between a first position shown in FIG. 7 and a second position shown in FIG.

  When the lever 163 is in the first position, the first protrusion 168 extends downward. The tip of the first protrusion 168 is located behind the rotation shaft 167. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, an imaginary line 172 connecting the rotation shaft 167 and the tip of the first protrusion 168 is predetermined with respect to an imaginary line 173 extending from the rotation shaft 167 in the gravity direction. The angle θ3 (5 degrees in this embodiment) is inclined backward. The lower end portion of the first protrusion 168 is in contact with the rear portion 165B of the upper surface of the rod 165 of the valve body 161 to push the valve body 161 downward. Thereby, the valve body 161 is located at the closed position. Further, the second protrusion 169 extends upward (in detail, obliquely upward rearward). The second protrusion 169 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the pair of walls 114 of the convex portion 43. The upper end of the second protrusion 169 does not protrude upward from the pair of walls 114.

  When the lever 163 is in the first position, the first protrusion 168 is rotated forward, that is, the lever 163 is rotated clockwise toward the second position in FIG. The tip is positioned behind the rotation shaft 167 and is regulated by the step surface 165 </ b> C of the rod 165 of the valve body 161. In order to make the restriction, the upward biasing force of the coil spring 162 is greater than the force required for the first protrusion 168 to move from the rear portion 165B to the front portion 165A of the upper surface of the rod 165 of the valve body 161. Is set too small. In addition, the presence or absence of the step surface 165C on the upper surface of the rod 165 is arbitrary. Even if there is no step surface 165C and the top surface of the rod 165 is flat, the tip of the first protrusion 168 is located behind the rotation shaft 167, so that the lever 163 in FIG. The clockwise rotation toward the second position can be restricted.

  On the other hand, the first protrusion 168 rotates backward, that is, the lever 163 in FIG. 7 rotates counterclockwise when the protrusion 171 formed on the right inner surface of the support member 150 contacts the lever 163. It is regulated. Due to the above restriction, the lever 163 is held in the first position. Further, the lever 163 in the first position prevents the valve body 161 from moving to the open position and holds the valve body 161 in the closed position.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lever 163 is separated from the convex plate 111 when the lever 163 is in the second position. The first protrusion 168 extends forward. Further, the second protrusion 169 extends downward (in detail, obliquely downward rearward). Moreover, the valve body 161 is located in the open position.

  Note that the ink cartridge 30 is not limited to the atmospheric communication channel described above, and various modes of the atmospheric communication channel can be applied. For example, instead of the valve mechanism 135, a configuration is adopted in which one end where the atmosphere communication path communicates with the outside is closed with a peelable seal, and the atmosphere communication flow path is opened by removing the seal in use. May be.

[Ink supply unit 34]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink supply unit 34 extends forward from the connection wall 49 below the sub lower wall 48 and above and below the lower wall 42. The ink supply unit 34 is located below the lower wall 45. The ink supply unit 34 is located below and behind the front wall 40.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ink supply unit 34 includes a cylindrical body 75, a packing 76, a valve 77, a coil spring 78, a cap 79, and a snap fit mechanism 74.

  The cylindrical body 75 has a cylindrical outer shape. The cylindrical body 75 may have a shape other than a cylinder as long as it has a cylindrical shape. The tip of the cylinder 75 faces the front. The tip of the cylinder 75 is located below and behind the front wall 40. The front end of the cylindrical body 75 is open. The internal space of the cylinder 75 is an ink valve chamber 35 (an example of a liquid flow path).

  The packing 76 is a disk-shaped member. The packing 76 is made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer, for example. As shown in FIG. 7, the packing 76 is disposed at the front end portion of the cylindrical body 75 so as to cover the opening at the front end of the cylindrical body 75. The center of the packing 76 is penetrated in the front-rear direction to form a cylindrical inner peripheral surface. A through hole 73 is formed in the packing 76 by the cylindrical inner peripheral surface. The inner diameter of the through hole 73 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ink needle 102.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the valve 77 and the coil spring 78 are accommodated in the ink valve chamber 35. The valve 77 can move toward and away from the packing 76 by moving along the front-rear direction. When the valve 77 contacts and separates from the packing 76, the through hole 73 penetrating through the center of the packing 76 is opened and closed. The coil spring 78 urges the valve 77 forward. Therefore, the valve 77 closes the through hole 73 of the packing 76 in a state where no external force is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the cap 79 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The cap 79 is hollow. The cap 79 may have an outer shape other than a rectangular parallelepiped as long as the cap 79 is a hollow member having an open front end and a rear end. The cap 79 and the housing 130 or the cylindrical body 75 are engaged by a snap fit mechanism 74.

  An opening 87 is formed at the rear end of the cap 79. The cylindrical body 75 and the packing 76 are inserted into the internal space of the cap 79 through the opening 87. Thereby, the cap 79 is put on the cylinder 75 and the packing 76 from the front. As shown in FIG. 7, the lower end of the cap 79 is substantially the same position as the lower end of the housing 130 in the vertical direction in a state where the cap 79 is put on the cylinder 75.

  As shown in FIG. 9, an ink supply port 71 is formed on the front surface 79 </ b> A of the cap 79. In a state where the cap 79 is put on the cylinder 75 and the packing 76, the ink valve chamber 35 communicates with the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the through hole 73 of the packing 76 and the ink supply port 71 of the cap 79.

  On the upper surface 79B of the cap 79, a recess 95 is formed that is recessed in the downward direction 53 and extends along the front-rear direction. A convex portion 89 of the cartridge main body 128 is located in the concave portion 95. The dimension along the left-right direction of the recessed part 95 is larger than the maximum dimension along the left-right direction of the convex part 89. The convex portion 89 located in the concave portion 95 is not in contact with both side surfaces and the end surface of the concave portion 95.

  The cap 79 and the housing 130 or the cylindrical body 75 are engaged by a snap fit mechanism 74.

  The configuration of the ink supply unit that supplies the ink stored in the main storage chamber 32 and the sub storage chamber 33 to the outside is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, instead of the ink supply unit 34, an inner space of a cylinder that does not have a cap 79 or the like and that extends forward is configured as an ink flow path, and the tip of the cylinder is open so that ink can flow out to the outside. May be.

[Large-capacity cartridge 200]
Hereinafter, the large-capacity cartridge 200 (an example of a large-capacity liquid cartridge) will be described with reference to FIGS. The large-capacity cartridge 200 has the same outer shape as the side view (see FIG. 12) viewed from the direction along the left-right direction with the cartridge main body 128 of the ink cartridge 30, and has a larger capacity than the main storage chamber 32. A large-capacity cartridge main body 228 having a large-capacity liquid storage chamber) and an ink supply unit 234 (an example of a large-capacity liquid supply unit) are connected to the lower portion of the large-capacity cartridge main body 228. That is, the ink cartridge 30 is a small capacity cartridge, and the large capacity cartridge 200 is a large capacity cartridge.

  The large-capacity cartridge 200 has the same configuration except that the casing 230 (an example of the large-capacity lower portion) of the large-capacity cartridge main body 228 is different from the casing 130 of the cartridge main body 128 of the ink cartridge 30. That is, the inner lid 131 and the outer lid 134 are assembled to the housing 230 to constitute the large-capacity cartridge main body 228. The ink supply unit 234 has the same configuration as the cylindrical body 75, the packing 76, the valve 77, the coil spring 78, the cap 79, and the snap fit mechanism 74 included in the ink supply unit 34.

[Large-capacity cartridge body 228]
The large-capacity cartridge main body 228 includes a housing 230 and an outer lid 134. The housing 230 has a box shape with the top opened. In the present embodiment, the housing 130 is a container formed of resin. As shown in FIG. 13, a main storage chamber 232 (an example of a large-capacity liquid storage chamber) and a sub storage chamber 233 are formed inside the housing 230.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the casing 230 includes a front wall 240, a rear wall 241, a side wall 237, a side wall 238, a lower wall 242, and a sub lower wall 248 (second bottom wall) as outer walls. An example of a wall). The distance between the front wall 240 and the rear wall 241 is longer than the distance between the side wall 237 and the side wall 238. The front wall 240, the rear wall 241, the side wall 237, the side wall 238, the sub lower wall 248, and the lower wall 245 define the main storage chamber 232.

  The volume of the main storage chamber 232 is larger than the volume of the main storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30. A region (volume) below and in front of the broken line shown in FIG. 13 does not have a volume in which the main storage chamber 32 stores ink. That is, the area is occupied by the vertical wall 62 in the ink cartridge 30. Since the main storage chamber 232 of the large-capacity cartridge main body 228 also has the area as a volume for storing ink, it can store more ink than the main storage chamber 32 by the volume of the area.

  When the large-capacity cartridge 200 is in the usage posture, the surface of the housing 230 facing forward is the front wall 240, and the surface of the housing 230 facing backward is the rear wall 241. The side walls 237 and 238 extend so as to intersect the front wall 240 and the rear wall 241, respectively. The side walls 237 and 238 connect the front wall 240 and the rear wall 241. In the use posture, the outer surface of the side wall 237 faces rightward, and the outer surface of the side wall 238 faces leftward. The front wall 240 and the sub lower wall 248 are continuous. The rear surface of the front wall 240 is the foremost surface 240 </ b> A that partitions the main storage chamber 32. The front surface of the rear wall 241 is a rear surface 241A that partitions the main storage chamber 232. The upper surface 248 </ b> A of the sub lower wall 248 and the upper surface 245 </ b> A of the lower wall 245 define the bottom surface of the main storage chamber 232. A communication port 247 that penetrates the lower wall 245 in the vertical direction is formed at the rear end portion of the lower wall 245. The communication port 247 communicates the main storage chamber 232 and the sub storage chamber 233.

  In the housing 230, at least the front wall 240, the rear wall 241, the side wall 237, and the side wall 238 have translucency that allows ink stored in the main storage chamber 232 to be visually recognized from the outside.

  Engaging claws 288 that protrude outward from the housing 230 are formed at the upper ends of the front wall 240, the rear wall 241, the side wall 237, and the side wall 238. The engaging claw 288 engages with an opening 86 formed in the outer lid 134. In the present embodiment, one engaging claw 288 is formed on each of the front wall 240, the rear wall 241, the side wall 237, and the side wall 238, but the number of engaging claws 288 is one on each wall. Not limited to one by one.

  In the housing 230, the dimension between the side walls 237 and 238 is the same as the dimension between the side walls 37 and 38 in the casing 130 of the ink cartridge 30. The dimension from the front wall 240 to the rear wall 241 in the casing 230 is the same as the dimension from the front wall 40 to the rear wall 41 in the casing 130. That is, the outer shape of the housing 230 is the same as the outer shape of the housing 130 except for the region where the vertical wall 62 is disposed in the housing 130.

  In the side view of each of the ink cartridge 30 and the large capacity cartridge 200 in the lateral direction (see FIG. 12), the outer shape of the ink supply unit 234 overlaps the outer shape of the ink supply unit 34 of the ink cartridge 30 of the ink cartridge 30. In the state where the outer shapes of the outer lids 134 are overlapped, the front wall 40 and the front wall 240 are overlapped, and the rear wall 41 and the rear wall 241 are overlapped, the upper and lower sides of the sub lower wall 248 of the housing 230 are The position with the direction and the front-rear direction as an axis overlaps the position with the sub-lower wall 48 of the housing 130 of the ink cartridge 30 as the axis with the vertical direction and the front-rear direction as axes. Further, in the state where the front wall 40 and the front wall 240 are overlapped and the rear wall 41 and the rear wall 241 are overlapped, the sub bottom surface 60A and the sub front surface 61A (the broken line portion in FIG. 13) of the ink cartridge 30 have a large capacity. It overlaps with the main storage chamber 232 of the cartridge 200.

[Operation for Mounting Ink Cartridge 30 to Cartridge Mounting Unit 110]
The ink cartridge 30 and the large-capacity cartridge 200 can be selectively mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 by the user. The ink cartridge 30 and the large-capacity cartridge 200 are different from each other in the capacity of the main storage chamber 32 and the main storage chamber 232 because the housing 130 and the housing 230 are different. Since the configuration in which the cartridge mounting unit 110 is connected to the ink needle 102 and the configuration in which the cartridge mounting unit 110 accesses each member mounted on the outer lid 134 is the same, the ink cartridge 30 will be described below as an example. The process of attaching to 110 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the ink cartridge 30 before being mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 110, the valve 77 is in contact with the packing 76 and closes the through hole 73. Thereby, the flow of ink from the ink valve chamber 35 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 is blocked. The lever 163 is located at the first position. The valve body 161 is positioned at the closed position by being pushed downward by the first protrusion 168 of the lever 163 at the first position. At this time, the through hole 46 is closed by the seal member 166 and the rod 165 of the valve body 161. Thereby, the main storage chamber 32 is not open to the atmosphere.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the ink cartridge 30 passes through the opening 112 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 with the front wall 40 of the housing 130 facing forward and the upper wall 39 facing upward. Inserted into the cartridge case 101. The user inserts the ink cartridge 30 forward with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 110 while pushing the rear wall 41. The lower part of the ink cartridge 30 enters a guide groove 109 below the cartridge case 101.

  When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge case 101, the ink needle 102 enters the internal space of the cap 79 through the ink supply port 71 and is press-fitted into the through hole 73 of the packing 76. Thereafter, when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the cartridge case 101, the ink needle 102 enters the ink valve chamber 35 and separates the valve 77 from the packing 76 against the biasing force of the coil spring 78 (FIG. 15). reference). Accordingly, the ink needle 102 and the ink supply unit 34 are connected to each other, and ink can be circulated from the main storage chamber 32 and the sub storage chamber 33 to the internal space of the ink needle 102 via the ink valve chamber 35. At this time, the urging force of the coil spring 78 is applied to the ink cartridge 30 backward.

  The lower wall 42 of the housing 130 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so that the front end is located below the rear end. Therefore, a vertical gap is formed between the bottom of the cartridge case 101 and the lower wall 42. As a result of such a gap, the ink cartridge 30 has its rear portion downward with the position of the through-hole 73 of the packing 76 in contact with the ink needle 102 as a center of rotation when the ink needle 102 is press-fitted. It will be in the state which can be rotated so that it may move.

  When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge case 101 after the ink cartridge 30 becomes rotatable, the lock shaft 145 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 abuts the inclined surface 155 and follows the inclined surface 155. To be guided. Thereby, the inclined surface 155 receives a downward reaction force from the lock shaft 145. As a result, the ink cartridge 30 rotates so that its rear part moves downward (see FIG. 15).

  Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge case 101 and the front wall 40 of the ink cartridge 30 approaches the vicinity of the end surface of the cartridge case 101, as shown in FIG. Then, the convex plate 111 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 enters. However, since the lever 163 is moved downward by the rotation of the ink cartridge 30, the lower surface 111A of the convex plate 111 is located above the lever 163 but is not in contact with the lever 163 at this time. .

  Further, when the front wall 40 of the ink cartridge 30 approaches the vicinity of the end surface of the cartridge case 101, the lock shaft 145 is more than the lock surface 151 from the inclined surface 155 through the horizontal surface 154 as shown in FIG. It comes to be located behind. That is, the lock shaft 145 is separated from the ink cartridge 30. At this time, a space exists below the lock shaft 145. Then, the ink cartridge 30 does not receive the reaction force of the lock shaft 145. As a result, the ink cartridge 30 rotates with the position of the through hole 73 of the packing 76 as the rotation center so that the rear part moves upward (see FIG. 3). The posture of the ink cartridge 30 in the state shown in FIG. 3 is the usage posture.

  When the ink cartridge 30 rotates, the lever 163 moves upward. Thereby, the front end surface 169A of the second protrusion 169 of the lever 163 contacts the lower surface 111A of the convex plate 111 from below. That is, the lever 163 accesses the convex plate 111 upward. The lever 163 contacts the lower surface 111 </ b> A of the convex plate 111 after the ink needle 102 enters the ink valve chamber 35, that is, after the ink needle 102 is connected to the ink supply unit 34.

  When the distal end surface 169A of the second protrusion 169 of the lever 163 contacts the lower surface 111A of the convex plate 111, the second protrusion 169 receives a downward reaction force from the convex plate 111. That is, the lever 163 receives a force that rotates clockwise in FIG. The force is larger than the force required for the first protrusion 168 to move from the rear portion 165B to the front portion 16A of the upper surface of the rod 165 of the valve body 161. Therefore, the lever 163 rotates clockwise in FIG. 18 from the first position to the second position (see FIG. 3). At this time, the first protrusion 168 of the lever 163 moves over the step surface 165C and moves from the rear portion 165B of the upper surface of the rod 165 of the valve body 161 to the front portion 165A. At this time, the valve body 161 is pushed by the rod 165 and moves slightly downward. As a result, the first protrusion 168 of the lever 163 does not press the valve element 161 downward. Then, the valve body 161 is not held in the closed position by the lever 163. That is, the lever 163 at the second position releases the hindrance to the movement of the valve body 161 to the open position. Thereby, the valve body 161 moves upward from the closed position to the open position by the biasing force of the coil spring 162 (see FIG. 3). Thereby, the through hole 46 is opened. As a result, the main storage chamber 32 is opened to the atmosphere via the atmosphere communication channel 72.

  Finally, in order for the main storage chamber 32 to be released to the atmosphere, it is necessary to move the valve body 161 upward after being once pushed downward. Thereby, it is suppressed that the valve body 161 moves to an open position accidentally.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is rotated to the state shown in FIG. 3, the light shielding plate 67 is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 113 (see FIG. 2). As a result, it is recognized that the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. 3, 14, and 15, the optical sensor 113 is omitted.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is rotated to be in the state shown in FIG. 3, each electrode 65 of the IC substrate 64 is in electrical contact with the contact 106 being elastically deformed upward.

  When the ink cartridge 30 rotates, the lock surface 151 moves upward. And when it will be in the state shown by FIG. 3, the lock surface 151 will face the lock shaft 145 toward back. When the user stops pushing the ink cartridge 30 forward, the ink cartridge 30 moves backward by the biasing force of the coil spring 78. The lock surface 151 faces the lock shaft 145 rearward. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 30 moves rearward, the lock surface 151 comes into contact with and engages with the lock shaft 145. This restricts the ink cartridge 30 from moving backward. As described above, the ink cartridge 30 takes a use posture by accessing the lock shaft 145 (specifically, the front surface of the lock shaft 145) upward.

  When the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110, the user pushes the operation surface 92 downward in the state shown in FIG. As a result, the ink cartridge 30 rotates with the position of the through hole 73 of the packing 76 as the center of rotation so that the rear part moves downward (see FIG. 15). Accordingly, the lock surface 151 is positioned below the lock shaft 145, and the restriction on the backward movement of the ink cartridge 30 is released. Then, the ink cartridge 30 moves rearward with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 110 by the biasing force of the coil spring 78. Accordingly, the user can take out the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge mounting unit 110 while holding the housing 130 therebetween.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
According to the ink cartridge 30, for example, even if the ink cartridge 30 is dropped on the floor and an impact is applied, and the ink supply unit 34 bends so as to bend in the front-rear direction, the concave portion 95 of the cap 79 remains in the housing 130. The degree of bending is limited by contacting the convex portion 89. Even if the ink supply unit 34 bends upward, the concave portion 95 contacts the convex portion 89, and the impact transmitted to the convex portion 89 is absorbed by the sub lower wall 48 and the vertical wall 62.

  Further, since the front ends of the sub lower wall 48 and the vertical wall 62 are located in front of the front end of the ink supply unit 34, the front end of the ink supply unit 34 can be protected by the sub lower wall 48 and the vertical wall 62.

  Further, since the front portion 129 of the cartridge main body 128 has the front wall 40 continuous with the sub lower wall 48 and the vertical wall 62, the strength of the cartridge main body 128 is increased.

  Further, since the front wall 40 is continuous with the front end of the bottom wall 60, the strength of the front portion 129 of the cartridge main body 128 is increased.

  Further, in the cartridge main body 128, the vertical wall 62 extends over the space defined by the front wall 40, the sub lower wall 48, the bottom wall 60, and the sub front wall 61, so that the strength of the cartridge main body 128 is increased. .

  Further, in the main storage chamber 32, the first area S1 in the cross section of the first space 32U above the sub bottom surface 60A is below the sub bottom surface 60A and is divided by the sub front surface 61A and the rear surface 41A. It is larger than the second area S2 of the cross section of (S1> S2). When the ink level drops due to the ink flowing out of the main storage chamber 32, the first space 32U becomes smaller than the second space 32L with respect to the outflow of the same volume of ink. Accordingly, the liquid level in the first space 32U can be maintained high with respect to the outflow of ink, so that the ink can be discharged from the main storage chamber 32 to the outside in a state where the ink exists in the first space 32U. It becomes easy to leak.

  In the cartridge set of the ink cartridge 30 and the large-capacity cartridge 200, the dimension between the side walls 37 and 38 of the casing 130 and the dimension from the front wall 40 to the rear wall 41 are the dimensions between the side walls 237 and 238 of the casing 230. In addition, cartridges having different capacities of the main storage chambers 32 and 232 can be manufactured with the same dimensions as those from the front wall 240 to the rear wall 41. In addition, since it is not necessary to arrange a member for reducing the volume in the main storage chamber 232 of the large-capacity cartridge 200, the flow of ink in the main storage chamber 232 is hindered by the member, or the main storage chamber 232 by the member. The ink flow path is not narrowed. That is, in the main storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30 and the main storage chamber 232 of the large-capacity cartridge 200, a region in which ink can be stored in common (a region above and behind the broken line in the main storage chamber 232 shown in FIG. 13). The horizontal dimension is the same. Therefore, in the main storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30, ink flows out with a flow path resistance similar to the flow path resistance in the main storage chamber 232 of the large capacity cartridge 200.

  The volume of the main storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30 can be adjusted by changing the position or shape of the bottom wall 60 or the sub front wall 61. Therefore, the shapes of the bottom wall 60 and the sub front wall 61 of the ink cartridge 30 may be changed as appropriate. For example, both the bottom wall 60 and the sub front wall 61 may be walls that extend linearly.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the sub front wall 61 extends from the rear end of the bottom wall 60 while curving so as to bulge in the rear direction 52 and the lower direction 53, and in the rear direction 52. The sub lower wall 48 may be continuous.

  The ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 and FIGS. 18 and 19 to be described later is a small capacity cartridge corresponding to black. Although not shown, there is also a large capacity cartridge corresponding to black. The relationship between a large-capacity cartridge corresponding to black and a small-capacity cartridge corresponding to black is as follows: a large-capacity cartridge corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIGS. 10 and 11), cyan, This is the same as the relationship with the small capacity cartridges corresponding to magenta and yellow (see FIGS. 4 and 5). That is, the large-capacity cartridge corresponding to black corresponds to the bottom wall 60, the sub front wall 61, the vertical wall 62, the ink cartridge 30 (small-capacity cartridge corresponding to black) shown in FIGS. The cartridge has no recess defined by the sub lower wall 48 and the front wall 40. In addition, small capacity cartridges corresponding to black are longer in the left-right direction than small capacity cartridges corresponding to cyan, magenta and yellow, and large capacity cartridges corresponding to black are cyan, magenta and yellow. Longer in the left-right direction than the corresponding large-capacity cartridge.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow among the four ink cartridges 30, the sub front wall 61 is located behind the bottom wall 60. It extends while curving so as to swell from the end in the rearward direction 52 and downward direction 53 to the forward direction 51, and is continuous with the sub lower wall 48. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black among the four ink cartridges 30, the sub front wall 61 has a rearward direction 52 and a downward direction 53 from the rear end of the bottom wall 60. It extends while curving so as to swell in the rear direction 52, and is continuous with the sub lower wall 48.

  The extension configuration of the sub front wall 61 of each ink cartridge 30 may be different from that of the present embodiment. For example, contrary to the present embodiment, in the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow, the sub front wall 61 extends while curving so as to swell in the rear direction 52, and ink corresponding to black The cartridge 30 may extend while curving so as to swell in the front direction 51.

  Further, for example, in all of the four ink cartridges 30, the sub front wall 61 may extend while curving so as to swell in the rear direction 52. In all of the four ink cartridges 30, the sub front wall 61 is Further, it may extend while curving so as to swell in the forward direction 51.

  For example, in the two ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan and magenta, the sub front wall 61 extends linearly, and in the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to yellow, the sub front wall 61 swells in the front direction 51. In the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black, the sub front wall 61 may extend while curving so as to bulge in the rear direction 52.

  By configuring the sub front wall 61 so as to bend from the rear end of the bottom wall 60 in the rearward direction 52 and the downward direction 53 so as to swell in the rearward direction 52, the volume of the main storage chamber 32 is reduced. Can do. Thereby, the amount of ink that can be stored in the main storage chamber 32 can be adjusted to decrease. Thereby, the height of the liquid level of the ink stored in the main storage chamber 32 can be increased.

  The sub lower wall 48 includes recesses 68 and 69. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 16, the recess 68 is formed in the sub lower wall 48 extending in the left direction 56 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 17, the recess 69 is formed in the sub lower wall 48 extending in the right direction 55 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 16, the recess 68 includes an inclined surface 48 </ b> A and a bottom surface 48 </ b> B. The inclined surface 48 </ b> A and the bottom surface 48 </ b> B are upper surfaces of the sub lower wall 48. The inclined surface 48A extends from the lower end of the front wall 40 in the rearward direction 52 and the downward direction 53. The bottom surface 48B extends in the rear direction 52 from the rear end of the inclined surface 48A and is continuous with the sub front wall 61.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 17, the recess 69 includes a side surface 48 </ b> C and a bottom surface 48 </ b> D. The side surface 48 </ b> C and the bottom surface 48 </ b> D are upper surfaces of the sub lower wall 48. The side surface 48C extends in a substantially downward direction 53 at the center portion of the sub lower wall 48 in the front-rear direction or behind the center portion. The bottom surface 48D extends from the lower end of the side surface 48C in the rearward direction 52 and is continuous with the sub front wall 61.

  In this embodiment, the shapes of the recesses 68 of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIG. 4) are the same as the shapes of the recesses 68 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black (see FIG. 16). It is the same except that the lengths of the directions are different.

  In the present embodiment, the shapes of the recesses 69 of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIG. 5) are different from the shapes of the recesses 69 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black (see FIG. 17). Specifically, the recess 68 shown in FIG. 5 is longer in the front-rear direction than the recess 68 shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the shape of the recess 68 and the shape of the recess 69 are different, but the shape of the recess 68 and the shape of the recess 69 may be the same. Contrary to the present embodiment, the recess 68 is formed in the sub lower wall 48 extending in the right direction 55 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62, and the recess 69 extends in the left direction 56 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62. It may be formed in the extended sub lower wall 48. In addition, the recess 68 may be formed in both the sub lower wall 48 extending in the right direction 55 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62 and the sub lower wall 48 extending in the left direction 56 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62. In this case, the sub lower wall 48 may not include the recess 69. Further, the recess 69 may be formed in both the sub lower wall 48 extending in the right direction 55 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62 and the sub lower wall 48 extending in the left direction 56 from the lower end of the vertical wall 62. In this case, the sub lower wall 48 may not include the recess 68. Moreover, the shape of the recessed parts 68 and 69 is not restricted to the shape shown by FIG.

  In this embodiment, the shapes of the recesses 68 of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIG. 4) are the same as the shapes of the recesses 68 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black (see FIG. 16). It was the same except that the direction lengths were different.

  However, the shape of the recesses 68 of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIG. 4) may be different from the shape of the recesses 68 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black (see FIG. 16). . For example, the recesses 68 of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow may be longer in the front-rear direction than the recesses 68 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black. For example, the shape of the recess 69 may be different in each of the four ink cartridges 30.

  In this embodiment, the shape of the recesses 69 of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIG. 5) is the same as the shape of the recess 69 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black (see FIG. 17). It was different.

  However, for example, in all four ink cartridges 30, the shape of the recess 69 may be the same. For example, the shape of the recess 69 may be different in each of the four ink cartridges 30. For example, the shapes of the recesses 68 and 69 of the two ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan and magenta (see FIG. 5) are the shapes of the recesses 68 and 69 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to yellow and black (see FIG. 17). And may be different.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow, the vertical wall 62 is positioned between the right end of the ink valve chamber 35 and the left end of the ink valve 35 in the left-right direction. ing. That is, the vertical wall 62 overlaps the ink valve chamber 35 in the vertical direction.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19, in the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black, the vertical wall 62 is positioned to the right of the ink valve chamber 35 in the left-right direction. That is, the vertical wall 62 does not overlap the ink valve chamber 35 in the vertical direction. Although not shown in FIG. 19, in the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to black, as in the case of the three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow (see FIG. 8), the downward direction from the sub lower wall 48 A convex portion 89 extends toward 53, and the convex portion 89 is located in the concave portion 95 of the cap 79.

  The positional relationship between the vertical wall 62 and the ink valve chamber 35 is not limited to the positional relationship described above. For example, in all four ink cartridges 30, the vertical wall 62 may overlap the ink valve chamber 35 in the vertical direction. Further, for example, in all the four ink cartridges 30, the vertical wall 62 may not overlap the ink valve chamber 35 in the vertical direction. For example, in the two ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan and magenta, the vertical wall 62 overlaps the ink valve chamber 35 in the vertical direction, and in the two ink cartridges 30 corresponding to yellow and black, The wall 62 may not overlap the ink valve chamber 35 in the vertical direction. For example, the vertical wall 62 may be located on the left side of the ink valve chamber 35 in the left-right direction.

  Further, the outer lid 134 can be a common component in the ink cartridge 30 and the large-capacity cartridge 200.

10 ... Printer (Liquid consumption device)
21 ... Recording head (liquid consumption part)
30 ... Ink cartridge (liquid cartridge, small capacity liquid cartridge)
32 ... Main storage chamber (liquid storage chamber)
34: Ink supply unit (liquid supply unit)
35 ... Ink valve chamber (liquid flow path)
40 ... Front wall (third wall)
48 ... Sub lower wall (second wall)
60 ... Bottom wall 61 ... Sub front wall 62 ... Vertical wall (first wall)
72 ... atmosphere communication channel (first atmosphere communication part)
89 ... convex portion 95 ... concave portion 103 ... tank 103A ... liquid storage chamber (second liquid storage chamber)
124 ... Air communication port (second air communication part)
128 ... cartridge main body 129 ... front part 134 ... outer lid (lid)
200 ... large capacity cartridge (large capacity liquid cartridge)
228 ... Large-capacity cartridge main body (large-capacity liquid cartridge main body)
230 ... Case (lower part of large capacity)
232 ... Main storage chamber (large-capacity liquid storage chamber)
234 ... Ink supply unit (large-capacity liquid supply unit)
248 ... Sub lower wall (second bottom wall)

Claims (14)

A cartridge body that partitions the liquid storage chamber;
A liquid supply part that has a liquid channel opened forward and supplies the liquid in the liquid storage chamber to the outside via the liquid channel;
The liquid supply part protrudes forward from the lower part of the cartridge body, and has a recess extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface thereof.
The cartridge body has a front portion located above the recess,
The front is
A bottom wall defining at least a part of the bottom surface of the liquid storage chamber;
A first wall having a side surface extending downward from the bottom wall toward the liquid supply unit and extending in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction;
A second wall extending in the left-right direction intersecting the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, continuously with the lower end of the first wall;
The cartridge main body further includes a convex portion extending downward from the second wall and having a lower end portion located in the concave portion.   2. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein front ends of the first wall and the second wall are positioned in front of a front end of the liquid supply unit. The front portion further includes a third wall extending in the left-right direction continuously to the front end of the first wall,
The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the second wall and the third wall are continuous.   The liquid cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the third wall is continuous with a front end of the bottom wall. The third wall defines the forefront of the liquid storage chamber,
The cartridge body further includes a sub front wall that extends downward from the bottom wall and has a sub front surface that defines a rear side from the front surface in the liquid storage chamber,
The first wall is continuous with the second wall, the third wall, the bottom wall, and the sub front wall, and is partitioned by the second wall, the third wall, the bottom wall, and the sub front wall. The liquid cartridge according to claim 4, which extends over a space to be formed.   In the liquid storage chamber, the first area of the transverse section of the first space above the bottom surface defined by the bottom wall is a second area defined by the sub front surface defined by the sub front wall and below the bottom surface. The liquid cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the liquid cartridge is larger than a second area of the cross section of the space. A liquid cartridge according to claim 6;
A tank having a second liquid storage chamber in which the liquid cartridge is connected to be able to circulate the liquid and stores the liquid;
A liquid consuming unit that consumes the liquid supplied from the tank,
The liquid cartridge has a first atmosphere communication portion that communicates the liquid storage chamber with the outside.
The liquid consuming apparatus, wherein the tank includes a second atmospheric communication portion that communicates the second liquid storage chamber with the outside. A cartridge set having a small-capacity liquid cartridge and a large-capacity liquid cartridge,
The small-capacity liquid cartridge is
A cartridge body that partitions the liquid storage chamber;
A liquid supply part that has a liquid channel opened forward and supplies the liquid in the liquid storage chamber to the outside via the liquid channel;
The cartridge body has a front part located above the liquid supply part,
The front is
A first bottom wall defining at least a part of a bottom surface of the liquid storage chamber;
A first wall having a side surface extending downward from the first bottom wall toward the liquid supply unit and extending in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction;
A second wall extending in the left-right direction intersecting the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, continuously with the lower end of the first wall;
The large-capacity liquid cartridge is
A large-capacity liquid storage chamber having a larger volume than the liquid storage chamber is formed, and the dimensions between the side walls constituting the large-capacity liquid storage chamber and the dimensions from the front wall to the rear wall constituting the large-capacity liquid storage chamber are: A large-capacity cartridge body that is the same as the dimensions between the side walls of the cartridge body and the dimensions from the front wall to the rear wall;
A large-capacity liquid supply section that has a liquid flow path opened forward and supplies the liquid in the large-capacity liquid storage chamber to the outside via the liquid flow path,
The large-capacity liquid supply part projects forward from the lower part of the large-capacity cartridge body,
The second bottom wall that defines at least a part of the bottom surface of the large-capacity liquid storage chamber above the large-capacity liquid supply unit is configured so that the front wall and the rear wall of the small-capacity liquid cartridge are in the large-capacity in the side view. A cartridge set in a position that overlaps with the second wall of the small-capacity liquid cartridge when overlapped with the front wall and the rear wall of the liquid cartridge. The cartridge main body communicates with the liquid storage chamber, and has a lower part having an opening facing upward, and a lid that covers the opening of the lower part,
The large-capacity cartridge main body communicates with the large-capacity liquid storage chamber, and has a large-capacity lower portion having an opening facing upward.
The cartridge set according to claim 8, wherein the lid covers an opening in the lower portion of the large capacity.   10. The cartridge set according to claim 8, wherein front ends of the first wall and the second wall are located in front of a front end of the liquid supply unit. The front portion further includes a third wall extending in the left-right direction continuously to the front end of the first wall,
The cartridge set according to claim 8, wherein the second wall and the third wall are continuous.   The cartridge set according to claim 11, wherein the third wall is continuous with a front end of the first bottom wall. The third wall defines the forefront of the liquid storage chamber,
The cartridge main body extends downward from the first bottom wall, and further includes a sub front wall defining a sub front surface of the liquid storage chamber;
The first wall is continuous with the second wall, the third wall, the first bottom wall, and the sub front wall, and the second wall, the third wall, the first bottom wall, and the sub wall. The cartridge set according to claim 11, wherein the cartridge set extends over a space defined by the front wall. In the liquid storage chamber, the first area in the cross section of the first space above the bottom surface defined by the first bottom wall is defined by the sub front surface defined by the sub front wall and below the bottom surface. The cartridge set according to claim 13, wherein the cartridge set is larger than a second area of a cross section of the second space.

Images