Description
Title of Invention: LIQUID CARTRIDGE
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge.
Background Art
[0002] Conventional ink jet recording apparatuses known in the prior art
record an image on
a recording medium by expelling ink retained in an ink container from a
nozzle. Some
ink jet recording apparatuses are structured so that each time ink is
exhausted, a new
ink cartridge can be attached.
[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-19130
discloses a
cartridge that can be removably attached to a cartridge attaching unit. The
cartridge has
a circuit board that is configured to be electrically connected to a contact
mechanism
provided in the cartridge attaching unit. The presence of ink in the cartridge
can be
detected optically.
[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-49165
discloses an
ink cartridge that can be removably attached to a cartridge attaching unit.
The ink
cartridge has a rotating member. When the rotating member engages the
cartridge
attaching unit, the ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge attaching unit
and is held in
the attached state. The ink cartridge has a detection portion used to
optically detect the
amount of remaining ink. With the ink cartridge attached to the cartridge
attaching
unit, the detection portion is detected by an optical sensor provided in the
cartridge
attaching unit. The ink cartridge has an integrated circuit (IC) hoard in
which in-
formation about the ink cartridge has been stored. When the ink cartridge is
attached to
the cartridge attaching unit, the IC board is electrically connected to
contacts provided
in the cartridge attaching unit.
Summary of Invention
[0005] The cartridge having a circuit board and the ink cartridge having an
IC board, which
have been described above, are problematic in that when the cartridge or ink
cartridge
is attached to the cartridge attaching unit or detached from it, the circuit
board or the
IC board slides on the contacts of the cartridge attaching unit and the
conductive
member of the circuit board or the IC board is cut away and shavings are
thereby
generated. If these shavings adhere to the optical sensor or to a portion
detected by the
sensor, detection by the sensor may become inaccurate.
[0006] The present invention addresses the above situation with the object
of providing a
liquid cartridge that less affects detection of a state of liquid stored in
the liquid
cartridge even if shavings are generated from a circuit board.
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[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid
cartridge, comprising
a front surface, an upper surface facing an upward direction when the liquid
cartridge
is installed in a liquid consuming apparatus, a liquid outlet portion facing a
first
direction at the front surface, a circuit board disposed on the upper surface,
and a liquid
detection portion for detecting a state of liquid stored in the liquid
cartridge wherein
the liquid detection portion comprises a light access portion configured to be
accessed
with light traveling from a first point toward a second point, wherein the
light access
portion is disposed above the circuit board in the upward direction.
[0008] Therefore, shavings generated from the circuit board are hard to
adhere to the light
access portion, and even if shavings are generated from the circuit board,
detection at
the light access portion is less affected.
10009] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
circuit board may
be displaced from the light access portion in the first direction.
[0010] Therefore, when the liquid cartridge is inserted into the liquid
cartridge attaching unit
or is removed from it, the light access portion does not pass through a region
in which
shavings are generated from the circuit board, so shavings are harder to
adhere to the
light access portion.
[0011] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
light access
portion comprises a first side surface and a second side surface, wherein each
of the
first side surface and the second side surface extends in the first direction,
and in-
tersects the upper surface.
[0012] Therefore, a state of the liquid in the liquid cartridge can be
detected through the first
side surface and second side surface.
[0013] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, a
dimension of the
first side surface in the upward direction may be smaller than a dimension of
the first
side surface in the first direction, and a dimension of the second side
surface of the
light access portion in the upward direction may he smaller than a dimension
of the
second side surface of the light access portion in the first direction.
10014] Therefore, the dimension of the light access portion in the downward
direction and
upward direction is reduced.
[0015] Optionally, any one of the liquid cartridges described above may
comprise an in-
tervening wall disposed between the circuit board and the light access
portion, and the
intervening wall includes a particular surface extending in a second direction
which in-
tersects the first direction and the upward direction.
100161 Therefore, the intervening wall can block a route through which
shavings generated
from the circuit board move to the light access portion.
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100171 Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, a
dimension of the
particular surface of the intervening wall in the second direction may be
longer than a
distance between the first side surface and the second side surface of the
light access
portion in the second direction.
[0018] Therefore, the intervening wall can block the route through which
shavings generated
from the circuit board move to the light access portion more.
[0019] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, a
dimension of the in-
tervening wall in the first direction may be longer than a dimension of the
intervening
wall in the second direction.
[0020] Therefore. this makes it harder for shavings to reach the light
access portion.
[0021] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
intervening wall
may be disposed closer to the light access portion than to the circuit board
in the first
direction.
[0022] Therefore, shavings generated from the circuit board can be easily
blocked by the in-
tervening wall.
[0023] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid detecting
portion may be configured to change a state of the light passing from the
first point
toward the second point and accessing the light access portion according to an
amount
of the liquid stored in the liquid cartridge.
[0024] Therefore, the amount of the liquid stored in the liquid cartridge
can be detected.
[0025] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above the
light access
portion may be configured to allow the light traveling from the first point
toward the
second point to pass therethrough, and the liquid detection portion may
comprise a
light attenuating portion, a portion of which is configured to be positioned
in the light
accessing portion, wherein the portion of the light attenuating portion is
configured to
change a state of the light passing through the light access portion depending
on
whether or not an amount of the liquid stored in the liquid cartridge is less
than a
particular amount. The entirety of the light attenuating portion may attenuate
light, or
at least the portion of the light attenuating portion may attenuate light and
the other
portions of the light attenuating portion may not attenuate light.
[0026] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
portion of the
light attenuating portion may be disposed above the circuit board when the
amount of
the liquid stored in the liquid cartridge is greater than or equal to the
particular amount.
This makes it harder for shavings to reach the height at which the light
passes through
the light detection portion for the detection of the amount of the liquid
stored in the
liquid cartridge.
[0027] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
intervening wall
may extend upward in the upward direction beyond the portion of the light
attenuating
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portion when the amount of the liquid stored in the liquid cartridge is
greater than or
equal to the particular amount.
[0028] This placement of the intervening wall makes it hard for shavings
generated from the
circuit board to reach a position at which the portion of the light
attenuating portion is
detected by the sensor.
[0029] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid cartridge
may be provided with a recess displaced from the circuit board in the third
direction
opposite to the first direction.
[0030] Therefore, shavings generated from the circuit board are collected
and stay in the
recess.
[0031] This makes it hard for the shavings to scatter.
[0032] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, a
center of the circuit
board may be disposed closer to the second side surface than to the first side
surface.
[0033] Therefore, the possibility that the shavings reach the second side
face is lower than
the possibility that the shavings reach the first side surface.
[0034] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid cartridge
may comprise a chamber configured to store the liquid therein, wherein the
light at-
tenuating portion may be a sensor arm configured to rotate about an axis in
the
chamber, and when the sensor arm rotates, the portion of the sensor arm
changes the
state of the light passing through the light access portion.
[0035] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
light access
portion may be made of a transparent material, defines an internal space
continuous
with the chamber, and protrudes in the upward direction with respect to the
upper
surface.
[0036] The liquid cartridge may comprise a main body which defines the
chamber and a
cover which covers the main body, and wherein the light access portion may be
disposed on the main body, and protrudes to an exterior of the cover through
an
opening formed through the cover.
[0037] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
circuit board may
be overlapped with the liquid outlet portion when viewed in the upward
direction. This
enables the liquid cartridge to be designed so that a distance between the
circuit board
and the light access portion is prolonged.
[0038] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid cartridge
may comprise a positioning surface configured to restrict movement of the
liquid
cartridge in the upward direction and a downward direction, and the
positioning
surface is disposed above the liquid outlet portion in the upward direction
and disposed
below the circuit board in the upward direction.
1100391 Therefore, the circuit board is accurately positioned to the
contacts in the downward
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direction and upward direction.
[0040] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid cartridge
may be configured to be inserted into a cartridge attaching unit of the liquid
consuming
apparatus in the first direction against force directed in a third direction
opposite to the
first direction and thereby to be attached to the cartridge attaching unit in
an attached
state, and wherein the liquid cartridge may comprise a locking surface
disposed at the
upper surface and displaced from the light access portion in the third
direction and
configured to contact a locking portion of the liquid consuming apparatus in
the third
direction, wherein the light access portion may be displaced from the circuit
board in
the third direction.
[0041] Therefore, with the liquid cartridge attached to the cartridge
attaching unit, the po-
sitional precision of the circuit board, which is disposed at the front end in
the first
direction, is high, so the circuit board is reliably connected to the
contacts. The locking
face disposed at the back end in the first direction can easily perform an
operation for
locking and unlocking, that is, can easily rotate around the center of
rotation. A range
over which the liquid cartridge is rotated for locking and unlocking can also
be
reduced.
[0042] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid cartridge
may be configured to rotate between a first orientation and the second
orientation,
wherein the locking surface is configured to contact the locking portion
toward the
third direction in the first orientation, and the locking surface is disposed
below the
locking portion in the second orientation.
[0043] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
light access
portion may be disposed closer to the locking surface in the first direction
than to the
circuit board in the first direction. This enables the liquid cartridge to be
designed so
that the distance between the circuit board and the light access portion is
prolonged.
100441 Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, a
upper edge of the
light access portion may be disposed closer to the locking surface than the
circuit board
in the upward direction. This enables the internal space of the liquid
cartridge to be
easily assured.
[0045] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid detection
portion may comprise a prism disposed below the circuit board, wherein the
prism is
configured to reflect light according to the amount of the liquid stored in
the liquid
cartridge, and wherein the light access portion is configured to reflect light
traveling
from the first point toward the prism or reflect the light reflected at the
prism toward
the second point.
[0046] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, a
dimension of the
circuit board in the first direction may be smaller than a dimension of the
circuit board
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in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the upward direction.
[0047] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
circuit board may
comprise a plurality of electrical interfaces spaced apart and aligned in the
direction,
and facing the upward direction.
[0048] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
light access
portion may be configured to be accessed with the light traveling from the
first point
toward the second point in a second direction perpendicular to the first
direction and
the upward direction.
[0049] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
light access
portion may be disposed at the upper surface.
[0050] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid detection
portion may comprise a first light attenuating portion.
[0051] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
liquid cartridge
may comprise a second light attenuating portion above the circuit board.
[0052] Optionally, in any one of the liquid cartridges described above, the
circuit board may
be displaced from the liquid outlet portion in the upward direction for a
first distance,
and the light access portion displaced from the liquid outlet portion in the
upward
direction by a second distance which is larger than the first distance.
[0053] With the liquid cartridge according to the present invention, even
if shavings are
generated from the circuit board, detection of a state of liquid stored in the
liquid
cartridges less affected.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0054] [fig.l]Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically
illustrating the internal
structure of a printer having a cartridge attaching unit.
[fig.21Fig. 2 is a front view illustrating the outside shape of the cartridge
attaching unit.
[fig.3A]Fig. 3A is a perspective view illustrating the outside shape of an ink
cartridge
when viewed from the front and above.
[fig.3B]Fig. 3B is a perspective view illustrating the outside shape of the
ink cartridge
when viewed from the front and below.
[fig.4A]Fig. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the outside shape of the
ink cartridge
when viewed from the back and above.
[fig.4B]Fig. 4B is a perspective view illustrating the outside shape of the
ink cartridge
when viewed from the back and below.
[fig.5]Fig. 5 is a side view of the ink cartridge.
[fig.6]Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the internal
structure of
the ink cartridge.
[fig.7]Fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and
cartridge
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attaching unit, indicating a state in which the ink cartridge is started to be
inserted into
the cartridge attaching unit.
[fig.81Fig. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and
cartridge
attaching unit, indicating a state in which a second protrusion is in contact
with a
slider.
[fig.91Fig. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and
cartridge
attaching unit, indicating a state in which an ink supply unit starts to enter
a guide and
a rod starts to enter a recess in a front cover.
[fig.10]Fig. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge
and cartridge
attaching unit, indicating a state in which an ink needle has entered an ink
supply
opening in the ink supply unit.
[fig.11]Fig. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge
and cartridge
attaching unit, indicating a state in which the ink cartridge is positioned in
the cartridge
attaching unit.
[fig.12]Fig. 12 is a side view of the ink cartridge when it is in a second
orientation, il-
lustrating a relationship of a force when the user presses an upper portion of
a rear
face.
[fig.13]Fig. 13 is a side view of the ink cartridge when it is in the second
orientation,
illustrating a relationship of a force when the user presses a lower portion
of the rear
face.
[fig.14]Fig. 14 is a side view of the ink cartridge when it is in a first
orientation, il-
lustrating a relationship between a virtual arc and a locking face.
[fig.15A1Fig. 15A is a plan view of the ink cartridge when viewed downwardly.
[fig.15B1Fig. 15B is a back view of the ink cartridge when viewed forwardly.
[fig.16A1Fig. 16A is a perspective view of a variation of a liquid level
detecting
portion, illustrating a state in which ink in a retaining chamber is reduced.
[fig.16B1Fig. 16B is a perspective view of the variation of the liquid level
detecting
portion, illustrating a state in which the retaining chamber is filled with
ink.
Description of Embodiments
[0055] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with
reference to the
drawings at appropriate points. The embodiment described below is only an
example
of realizing the present invention; it will be appreciated that the embodiment
can be ap-
propriately changed without departing from the intended scope of the present
invention. In the description below, a direction in which an ink cartridge 30
is inserted
into a cartridge attaching unit 110 will be defined as an insertion direction
(an example
of a first direction) 51, and a direction opposite to the insertion direction
51, that is, a
direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the cartridge
attaching unit
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110, will be defined as a removal direction (an example of a third direction)
52.
Although, in this embodiment, the insertion direction 51 and removal direction
52 are
horizontal, this is not a limitation; the insertion direction 51 and removal
direction 52
may not be horizontal. The direction of force of gravity will be defined as a
downward
direction 53, a direction opposite to the direction of force of gravity will
be defined as
an upward direction 54. Directions orthogonal to the insertion direction 51
and
downward direction 53 will be defined as a right direction 55 and a left
direction 56
(an example of a second direction). Specifically, in a state in which the ink
cartridge 30
has been inserted to an attached position in the cartridge attaching unit 110,
that is, in a
state in which the ink cartridge 30 is in an attached orientation (an example
of a first
orientation and a supply orientation), when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in
the
removal direction 52, a direction extending to the right will be defined in
the right
direction 55 and a direction extending to the left will be the left direction
56. The
insertion direction 51 may be referred to as a forward direction 57 and the
removal
direction 52 may be referred to as a backward direction 58.
[0056] <Overview of a printer 10>
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the printer 10 records an image by selectively
expelling ink
droplets to a recording sheet according to an inkjet recording method. The
printer 10
(an example of a liquid consuming apparatus) includes a recording head 21, an
ink
supply unit 100, and an ink tube 20 that interconnects the recording head 21
and ink
supply unit 100. The ink supply unit 100 includes the cartridge attaching unit
110 (an
example of an attaching unit). In the cartridge attaching unit 110, the ink
cartridge 30
(an example of a liquid cartridge) can be attached. The cartridge attaching
unit 110 has
an opening 112 in its one face. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the
cartridge
attaching unit 110 through the opening 112 in the insertion direction 51 and
is removed
from the cartridge attaching unit 110 in the removal direction 52.
[0057] Ink (an example of a liquid) that can be used in the printer 10 is
retained in the ink
cartridge 30. In a state in which the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to
the cartridge
attaching unit 110, the ink cartridge 30 and recording head 21 are
interconnected with
the ink tube 20. A sub-tank 28 is provided in the recording head 21. The sub-
tank 28
temporarily retains ink to be supplied through the ink tube 20. The recording
head 21
selectively expels, from nozzles 29, ink supplied from the sub-tank 28,
according to an
inkjet recording method. Specifically, a driving voltage is selectively
applied from a
head control circuit board provided in the recording head 21 to each
piezoelectric
device 29A provided in correspondence to one nozzle 29.
[0058] The printer 10 includes a feed tray 15, a supply roller 23, a convey
roller pair 25, a
platen 26, a discharge roller pair 27, and a discharge tray 16. A recording
sheet is
supplied by the supply roller 23 from the feed tray 15 to a conveying path 24,
after
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which the recording sheet is conveyed by the convey roller pair 25 onto the
platen 26.
The recording head 21 selectively expels ink to the recording sheet that
passes on the
platen 26. Thus, an image is recorded on the recording sheet. After having
passed the
platen 26, the recording sheet is discharged by the discharge roller pair 27
to the
discharge tray 16 disposed at the downstream end of the conveying path 24.
[0059] <Ink supply unit 100>
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the ink supply unit 100 is provided in the printer
10. The ink
supply unit 100 supplies ink to the recording head 21 included in the printer
10. The
ink supply unit 100 has the cartridge attaching unit 110 to which the ink
cartridge 30
can be attached. Fig. 1 illustrates a state in which the ink cartridge 30 has
been attached
to the cartridge attaching unit 110, that is, in a state in which the ink
cartridge 30 is in
the attached orientation (first orientation and supply orientation).
[0060] <Cartridge attaching unit 110>
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the cartridge attaching unit 110 can accommodate
four ink
cartridges 30, which correspond to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, in a case
101. In
addition to the case 101, the cartridge attaching unit 110 includes an ink
needle 102, a
sensor 103, four contacts 106, a slider 107, and a locking portion 145 for
each ink
cartridge 30, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7.
[0061] <Case 101>
The case 101, which covers the cartridge attaching unit 110, has a box-like
shape that
has a top face that defines the top of the internal space of the case 101, a
bottom face
that defines the bottom, a rear face that links the top and bottom together,
and the
opening 112, which is formed at a position at which the opening 112 faces the
rear face
in the insertion direction 51 and removal direction 52 and can be exposed to
the
surface of the user interface of the printer 10, the user facing the surface
when the user
uses the printer 10. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the case 101 and
removed from
it through the opening 112. When the upper edge and lower edge of the ink
cartridge
30 are inserted into guide grooves 109 formed in the top face and bottom face,
the ink
cartridge 30 is guided in the insertion direction 51 and removal direction 52
in Fig. 7.
In the case 101, three plates 104, which partition the internal space into
four spaces,
which are elongated vertically. One ink cartridge 30 is accommodated in each
of these
spaces partitioned by the plates 104.
[0062] <Ink needle 102>
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, the ink needle (an example of a liquid supply
tube)
102, which is made of a tubular resin, is provided at a lower portion of the
rear face of
the case 101. The ink needle 102 is disposed at a position, on the rear face
of the case
101, at which the ink needle 102 corresponds to a ink supply portion 34 of the
ink
cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110. The ink needle 102
protrudes
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from the rear face of the case 101 in the removal direction 52.
[0063] A cylindrical guide 105 is provided around the ink needle 102. The
guide 105
protrudes from the rear face of the case 101 in the removal direction 52. The
end of the
protrusion is open. The ink needle 102 is disposed at the center of the guide
105. The
guide 105 is shaped so that the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30
advances
inwardly.
[0064] In the process of the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the
cartridge attaching unit
110 in the insertion direction 51, that is, in the process of the movement of
the ink
cartridge 30 to the attached position, the ink supply portion 34 of the ink
cartridge 30
enters the guide 105 (see Fig. 10). When the ink cartridge 30 is further
inserted into the
cartridge attaching unit 110 in the insertion direction 51, the ink needle 102
is inserted
into an ink supply opening 71 formed in the ink supply portion 34. Thus, an
ink supply
valve 70 in the ink supply portion 34 is opened. As a result, the ink needle
102 and ink
supply portion 34 are linked together. Then, ink retained in a retaining
chamber 36
formed in the ink cartridge 30 flows into the ink tube 20 connected to the ink
needle
102 through the internal space of a cylindrical wall 73 formed in the ink
supply portion
34 and the internal space of the ink needle 102. The end of the ink needle 102
may be
flat or pointed.
[0065] <Slider 107>
An opening 111 is formed below the lower face of the lower guide groove 109 in
the
case 101 and at a position near the rear face so as to extend in the insertion
direction 51
(or removal direction 52). A slider 107 is provided in the opening 111. The
slider 107
protrudes upwardly through the opening 111 from below the lower face of the
lower
guide groove 109. The slider 107 engages a guide rail 113 provided at a lower
portion
of the case 101, and can move in the opening 111 in the insertion direction 51
and
removal direction 52, along the guide rail 113. An extension spring 114 is
extended
between the slider 107 and the case 101. When the slider 107 is pulled, the
extension
spring 114 generates a biased force in the removal direction 52. In a state in
which an
external force is not applied to the slider 107, therefore, the slider 107 is
positioned at
the end of the guide rail 113 in the removal direction 52. When an external
force is
applied to the slider 107 at that position in the insertion direction 51, the
slider 107 can
move in the opening 111 in the insertion direction 51 along the guide rail
113.
[0066] In the process of the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the
cartridge attaching unit
110 in the insertion direction 51, that is, in the process of the movement of
the ink
cartridge 30 to the attached position, a second protrusion 86 formed on the
ink
cartridge 30 advances in the insertion direction 51 along the lower guide
groove 109
and comes into contact with the slider 107 (see Fig. 8). When the ink
cartridge 30 is
further inserted into the cartridge attaching unit 110 in the insertion
direction 51, the
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ink cartridge 30 is pushed against the second protrusion 86, causing the
slider 107 to
move in the insertion direction 51 against the biased force of the extension
spring 114.
The slider 107 gives a biased force to the ink cartridge 30 in the removal
direction 52.
The slider 107 and extension spring 114 are an example of a biasing member.
100671 <Locking portion 145>
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, the locking portion 145 extends in the left
direction 56
and right direction 55 of the case 101 in the vicinity of the top face of the
case 101 and
in the vicinity of the opening 112. The locking portion 145 is a rod-like
member
extending in the left direction 56 and right direction 55. The locking portion
145 is, for
example, a metal cylinder. Both ends of the locking portion 145 in the left
direction 56
and right direction 55 are secured to walls that define both ends of the case
101 in the
left direction 56 and right direction 55. Therefore, the locking portion 145
does not
relatively rotate with respect to the case 101, nor does it cause other
relative motion.
The locking portion 145 extends in the left direction 56 and right direction
55 across
the four spaces in which four ink cartridges 30 can be accommodated. In each
space in
which the ink cartridge 30 is accommodated, a space is present around the
locking
portion 145. Therefore. the ink cartridge 30 can access the locking portion
145 toward
the upward direction 54 or removal direction 52.
100681 The locking portion 145 holds the ink cartridge 30 attached to the
cartridge attaching
unit 110 at the attached position. When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into
the
cartridge attaching unit 110 and is rotated to an attachment orientation, the
ink
cartridge 30 engages the locking portion 145. The locking portion 145 holds
the ink
cartridge 30 in the cartridge attaching unit 110 against a force with which
the slider
107 presses the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52 and a force with
which a
coiled spring 78 provided in the ink cartridge 30 presses the ink cartridge 30
in the
removal direction 52.
100691 As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, four contacts 106 are provided on
the top face of the
case 101 in the vicinity of its rear face. Although not illustrated in detail
in these
drawings, the four contacts 106 are mutually spaced apart in the left
direction 56 and
right direction 55. In the ink cartridge 30, the four contacts 106 are
positioned in corre-
spondence to four electrodes 65, which will be described later with reference
to Figs.
3A and 4A. Each contact 106 is formed with a conductive and elastic material;
the
contact 106 is deformable in the upward direction 54. Four sets of four
contacts 106
are provided in correspondence to four ink cartridges 30 that can be
accommodated in
the case 101. There is no limitation on the number of contacts 106 and the
number of
electrodes 65; any number of contacts 106 and any number of electrodes 65 can
be
used.
1100701 Each contact 106 is electrically connected to a computational unit
with an electric
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circuit intervening between them. The computational unit includes, for
example, a
central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), and a random-access
memory (RAM). The computational unit may be configured as a control unit for
the
printer 10. When the contact 106 and its corresponding electrode 65 are
electrically
connected to each other, a voltage Vc is applied to the electrode 65, the
electrode 65 is
grounded, or electric power is supplied to the electrode 65. Due the
electrical
connection between the contact 106 and its corresponding electrode 65, it is
possible to
access data stored in an integrated circuit (IC) in the ink cartridge 30. An
output from
the electric circuit is entered into the computational unit.
[0071] <Rod 125>
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, a rod 125 is provided on the rear face of the
case 101
at a position above the ink needle 102. The rod 125 protrudes from the rear
face of the
case 101 in the removal direction 52. The cross-section of the rod 125 in a
direction or-
thogonal to the removal direction 52 has an inverted U shape like an upper
half of a
cylindrical shape. A rib protrudes upwardly from the topmost position of the
rod 125 in
the removal direction 52. With the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge
attaching
unit 110, that is, with the ink cartridge 30 being at the attached position,
the rod 125 is
inserted into a recess 96 formed below an IC board 64 in the ink cartridge 30.
[0072] <Sensor 103>
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, a sensor 103 is provided on the top face of
the case
101. The sensor 103 has a light emitting portion and a photosensitive portion.
The light
emitting portion is disposed to the right of the photosensitive portion in the
right
direction 55 or to the left of it in the left direction 56 with a space
between them. Upon
completion of the attachment of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge
attaching unit 110,
a light access portion 62 provided in the ink cartridge 30 is located between
the light
emitting portion and the photosensitive portion. In other words, the light
emitting
portion and photosensitive portion are oppositely disposed in a state in
which, between
them, the light access portion 62 in the ink cartridge 30 inserted into the
cartridge
attaching unit 110 is placed.
[0073] The sensor 103 outputs a different detection signal depending on
whether light
emitted from the light emitting portion has been received by the
photosensitive portion.
When, for example, the photosensitive portion could not receive light emitted
from the
light emitting portion (that is, the light receiving intensity of the
photosensitive portion
is lower than a predetermined intensity), the sensor 103 outputs a low-level
signal, the
signal level of which is lower than a threshold level. When the photosensitive
portion
could receive light emitted from the light emitting portion (that is, the
light receiving
intensity of the photosensitive portion is equal to or higher than the
predetermined
intensity), the sensor 103 outputs a high-level signal, the signal level of
which is equal
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to or higher than the threshold level.
[0074] A positioning member 108 extends above the guide 105 and below the
rod 125 in the
left direction 56 and right direction 55 of the case 101. The positioning
member 108
protrudes from the rear face of the case 101 in the removal direction 52. The
dimension
of the positioning member 108 by which it protrudes from the rear face of the
case 101
in the removal direction 52 is smaller than the dimension of the guide 105 by
which it
protrudes from the rear face of the case 101 in the removal direction 52. The
upper
face 115 of the positioning member 108 is in contact with the lower face 89 of
a first
protrusion 85 in the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit
110.
[0075] <Ink cartridge 30>
The ink cartridge 30 illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B to Fig. 6 is a vessel in
which ink
is retained. A space formed in the ink cartridge 30 is the retaining chamber
(an
example of a liquid retaining chamber) 36. The retaining chamber 36 is formed
with an
internal frame 35 placed in a rear cover 31 and a front cover 32, which form
the
outside shape of the ink cartridge 30. The internal frame 35 is an example of
a main
body. The rear cover 31, front cover 32, and internal frame 35 are an example
of a
case.
[0076] The orientation of the ink cartridge 30 illustrated in Figs. 3A and
3B to Fig. 6 and
Figs. 15A and 15B is an orientation taken when the ink cartridge 30 is in the
attached
orientation (first orientation). The ink cartridge 30 has a front face 140, a
rear face 41,
upper faces 39 and 141, and lower faces 42 and 142, as described later. In the
ori-
entation of the ink cartridge 30 illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B to Fig. 6, a
direction
extending from the rear face 41 toward the front face 140 matches the
insertion
direction 51 and forward direction 57, a direction extending from the front
face 140
toward the rear face 41 matches the removal direction 52, a direction
extending from
the upper faces 39 and 141 toward the lower faces 42 and 142 matches the
downward
direction 53, and a direction extending from the lower faces 42 and 142 toward
the
upper surfaces 39 and 141 matches the upward direction 54. With the ink
cartridge 30
attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110, the front surface 140 faces in
the insertion
direction 51 and in the forward direction 57, the rear surface 41 faces the
removal
direction 52, the lower surfaces 42 and 142 face the downward direction 53.
and the
upper surfaces 39 and 141 face the upward direction 54.
[0077] As illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B to Fig. 6, the ink cartridge 30 is
formed with the
rear cover 31, which has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, the
front
cover 32, which includes the front surface 140, and the internal frame 35,
which
defines the retaining chamber 36. The rear cover 31 and front cover 32 are
combined
together, forming the outside shape of the ink cartridge 30. The internal
frame 35 is
placed inside the combined rear cover 31 and front cover 32. The ink cartridge
30 is
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flat as a whole; the dimension in the right direction 55 and left direction 56
is small,
and the dimension in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54 and the
dimension in the forward direction 57 and backward direction 58 are larger
than the
dimension in the right direction 55 and left direction 56. The front surface
140 is a
surface, of the front cover 32, that faces in the insertion direction 51 (the
forward
direction 57) when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge
attaching unit 110.
The rear surface 41 is a surface, of the rear cover 31, that faces the removal
direction
52 (58) when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge attaching
unit 110. That
is, the rear surface 41 is disposed opposite to the front surface 140 of the
front cover 32
with the retaining chamber 36 intervening between them.
[0078] <Rear cover 31>
As illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B and Figs. 4A and 4B, the rear cover 31 is
formed
like a box with side surfaces 37 and 38, which are mutually spaced apart in
the right
direction 55 and left direction 56, the upper surface 39 facing in the upward
direction
54, and the lower surface 42 facing in the downward direction 53, the upper
surface 39
and lower surface 42 extending from the rear surface 41 in the insertion
direction 51.
The rear cover 31 has an opening facing in the forward direction 57. The
internal frame
35 is inserted into the rear cover 31 through the opening. That is, the rear
cover 31
covers the rear of the internal frame 35. With the internal frame 35 inserted,
the lower
surface 42 is disposed opposite to the upper surface 39 with the retaining
chamber 36
intervening between them.
[0079] The rear surface 41 has an upper portion 41U and a lower portion
41L. The upper
portion 41U is positioned above the lower portion 41L in the upward direction
54. The
lower portion 41L is positioned below the upper portion 41U in the downward
direction 53. In other words, the lower portion 41L is positioned from the
upper
portion 41U in the forward direction 57. Both the upper portion 41U and the
lower
portion 41L are a flat surface; they cross each other, but they are not
orthogonal to
each other. The lower portion 41L is inclined with respect to the downward
direction
53 and upward direction 54 so that as the lower portion 41L approaches the
lower
surface 42, the lower portion 41L approaches the front surface 140. To prompt
the user
to push the ink cartridge 30, a sheet is pasted to the upper portion 41U, as
illustrated in
Fig. 15B, to indicate PUSH or another character string, a symbol such as an
arrow, a
figure indicating a push with a finger, or the like.
[0080] As illustrated in Figs. 3A and 4A, a protrusion 43 is formed on the
upper surface 39
of the rear cover 31. The protrusion 43 extends in the forward direction 57
and
backward direction 58 from the center of the upper surface 39 in the right
direction 55
and left direction 56. A surface, of the protrusion 43, that faces in the
backward
direction 58 is a locking surface 151. The locking surface 151 extends in the
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downward direction 53 and upward direction 54. With the ink cartridge 30
attached to
the cartridge attaching unit 110, the locking surface 151 can be brought into
contact
with the locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52. When the locking
surface 151
is brought into contact with the locking portion 145 in the removal direction
52, the ink
cartridge 30 is held in the cartridge attaching unit 110 against a force with
which the
ink cartridge 30 is biased by the extension spring 114 through the slider 107
and a
force with which the ink cartridge 30 is biased by the coiled spring 78.
100811 A reinforcing surface 152 extends that crosses the locking surface
151 so as to be
continued to the end of the locking surface 151 in the right direction 55. A
reinforcing
surface 153 extends that crosses the locking surface 151 so as to be continued
to the
end of the locking surface 151 in the left direction 56. The reinforcing
surface 152
extends in the forward direction 57 so as to form an acute angle with respect
to a
virtual surface that includes the locking surface 151 and extends in the
downward
direction 53 and upward direction 54 and in the right direction 55. The
reinforcing
surface 153 extends in the forward direction 57 so as to form an acute angle
with
respect to a virtual surface that includes the locking surface 151 and extends
in the
downward direction 53 and upward direction 54 and in the left direction 56.
Due to the
reinforcing surfaces 152 and 153, the strength of the protrusion 43 is
increased,
reducing the risk of damage to the locking surface 151. Since the reinforcing
surfaces
152 and 153 do not extend beyond the locking surface 151 in the backward
direction
58, they do not come into contact with the locking portion 145. Even if the
locking
surface 151 slides on the locking portion 145, therefore, the presence of the
reinforcing
surfaces 152 and 153 do not increase sliding resistance.
100821 On the protrusion 43, a horizontal surface 154 is provided so as to
be continued to
the locking surface 151 and extends from the locking surface 151 in the
forward
direction 57. The horizontal surface 154 extends in the right direction 55 and
left
direction 56 and in the forward direction 57 and backward direction 58. An
inclined
surface 155 is provided so as to be continued to the horizontal surface 154
and extends
from the horizontal surface 154 in the forward direction 57. The inclined
surface 155
faces in the upward direction 54 and in the forward direction 57. Therefore,
the
inclined surface 155 is visible when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the
downward
direction 53, and also visible when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the
backward
direction 58. Since the locking surface 151 is continued to the inclined
surface 155
through the horizontal surface 154, a boundary between the locking surface 151
and
the horizontal surface 154 does not become a pointed convex shape. In the
process of
the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attaching unit 110,
the locking
portion 145 is smoothly guided by the inclined surface 155 and horizontal
surface 154
beyond the locking surface 151 in the backward direction 58 while the locking
portion
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145 is in contact with the inclined surface 155 and horizontal surface 154.
[0083] A reinforcing surface 156 extends that crosses the locking surface
151 so as to be
continued to the end of the inclined surface 155 in the right direction 55. A
reinforcing
surface 157 extends that crosses the locking surface 151 so as to be continued
to the
end of the inclined surface 155 in the left direction 56. The reinforcing
surface 156
extends in the downward direction 53 so as to form an acute angle with respect
to a
virtual surface that includes the inclined surface 155 and extends in the
right direction
55. The reinforcing surface 157 extends in the downward direction 53 so as to
form an
acute angle with respect to a virtual surface that includes the inclined
surface 155 and
extends in the left direction 56. Due to the reinforcing surfaces 156 and 157,
the
strength of the protrusion 43 is increased, reducing the risk of damage to the
inclined
surface 155. Since the reinforcing surfaces 156 and 157 do not extend beyond
the
inclined surface 155 in the upward direction 54, they do not come into contact
with the
locking portion 145. Therefore, the presence of the reinforcing surfaces 156
and 157
do not increase sliding resistance during the sliding of the inclined surface
155 on the
locking portion 145.
[0084] On the upper surface 39 of the rear cover 31, a manipulation portion
90 is provided
and displaced from the locking surface 151 in the backward direction 58. At
the rear
end of the upper surface 39 of the rear cover 31, a sub-upper surface 91 is
formed
below other portions of the upper surface 39 in the downward direction 53. The
ma-
nipulation portion 90 is disposed above the sub-upper surface 91 with a space
between
them. The manipulation portion 90 is shaped like a flat plate so that the
manipulation
portion 90 protrudes beyond the protrusion 43 in the upward direction 54 from
the
vicinity of a boundary between the sub-upper surface 91 and other portions of
the
upper surface 39 and is then bent diagonally in the backward direction 58 and
in the
downward direction 53. A rib 94 is provided between the manipulation portion
90 and
the sub-upper surface 91; the rib 94 is continued to the manipulation portion
90 and
sub-upper surface 91 and extends in the backward direction 58. As illustrated
in Fig.
15, the dimension of the rib 94 in the right direction 55 and left direction
56 is smaller
than the sizes of the manipulation portion 90 and sub-upper surface 91 in the
right
direction 55 and left direction 56.
[0085] The manipulation portion 90 has a manipulation surface 92 that faces
in the upward
direction 54 and in the backward direction 58. The manipulation surface 92 and
sub-
upper surface 91 are disposed at the same position in the forward direction 57
and
backward direction 58. In other words, when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in
the
downward direction 53, the manipulation surface 92 and sub-upper surface 91
are is
disposed at the same position. The manipulation surface 92 has a plurality of
pro-
trusions, which are, for example, a plurality of ridges 93 that extend in the
right
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direction 55 and left direction 56, and are mutually spaced apart in the
forward
direction 57 and backward direction 58. Due to the ridges 93 working as a
plurality of
protrusions, the user can easily recognize the manipulation surface 92. In
addition,
when the user manipulates the manipulation surface 92 with a finger, the
finger does
not easily slide on the manipulation surface 92.
[0086] As illustrated in Fig. 15, when the manipulation surface 92 is
visible when the ink
cartridge 30 is viewed in the downward direction 53, and also visible when the
ink
cartridge 30 is viewed in the forward direction 57. In other words, the
manipulation
surface 92 is visible when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in a direction
proceeding from
the upper surface 39 toward the lower surface 42, and also visible when the
ink
cartridge 30 is viewed from a direction proceeding from the rear surface 41
toward the
front surface 140. The manipulation surface 92 is manipulated by the user when
the
user takes out the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit
110. The ma-
nipulation portion 90 is secured to the rear cover 31 by, for example, being
molded
together with the rear cover 31, so the manipulation portion 90 does not
relatively
rotate with respect to the rear cover 31, nor does it cause other relative
motion.
Therefore, a force given by the user to the manipulation surface 92 is
transmitted to the
rear cover 31 as is, without changing the direction. In this embodiment, the
ma-
nipulation portion 90 does not also relatively rotate with respect to the
internal frame
35 and retaining chamber 36, nor does it cause other relative motion.
[0087] <Front cover 32>
As illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B and Figs. 4A and 4B, the front cover 32 is
formed
like a box that has side surfaces 143 and 144, which extend from the front
surface 140
in the backward direction 58 and are mutually spaced apart in the right
direction 55
and left direction 56 and also has the upper surface 141 and lower surface
142, which
extend from the front surface 140 in the backward direction 58 and are
mutually
spaced apart in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54. The front
cover 32
has an opening facing in the backward direction 58. The internal frame 35 is
inserted
into the front cover 32 through the opening. That is, the front cover 32
covers a front,
of the internal frame 35. that is not covered by the rear cover 31.
[0088] In a state in which the rear cover 31 and front cover 32 are
combined together, that
is, the ink cartridge 30 is assembled, the upper surface 141 of the front
cover 32 forms
the upper surface of the ink cartridge 30 together with the upper surface 39
of the rear
cover 31, and the lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 forms the lower
surface of
the ink cartridge 30 together with the lower surface 42 of the rear cover 31.
Specifically, when the ink cartridge 30 is placed in the attached orientation
(first ori-
entation), the lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 extends in the forward
direction
57 and backward direction 58, and the lower surface 42 of the rear cover 31 is
inclined
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in the downward direction 53 and in the backward direction 58. The side
surfaces 143
and 144 of the front cover 32 form the side surfaces of the ink cartridge 30
together
with the side surfaces 37 and 38 of the rear cover 31. In a state in which the
ink
cartridge 30 is assembled, the front surface 140 of the front cover 32, the
front surface
140 forming the front surface of the ink cartridge 30, and the rear surface 41
of the rear
cover 31, the rear surface 41 forming the rear surface of the ink cartridge
30, are
mutually spaced apart in the forward direction 57 and backward direction 58.
The front
surface, rear surface, upper surface, lower surface, and side surfaces of the
ink
cartridge 30 each are not necessarily a single plane. That is, the front
surface is a
surface that is visible when the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first
orientation is viewed
in the backward direction 58 and the front surface is positioned displaced
from the
center of the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first orientation in the forward
direction 57;
the rear surface is a surface that is visible when the ink cartridge 30 placed
in the first
orientation is viewed in the forward direction 57 and the rear surface is
displaced from
the center of the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first orientation in the
backward
direction 58; the upper surface is a surface that is visible when the ink
cartridge 30
placed in the first orientation is viewed in the downward direction 53 and the
upper
surface is displaced from the center of the ink cartridge 30 placed in the
first ori-
entation in the upward direction 54; the lower surface is a surface that is
visible when
the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first orientation is viewed in the upward
direction 54
and the lower surface is displaced from the center of the ink cartridge 30
placed in the
first orientation in the downward direction 53. This is also true for the side
surfaces.
That is, although, in this embodiment, the upper surface 39, which is part of
the rear
cover 31, is positioned above the upper surface 141, which is part of the
front cover 32,
this is not a limitation: the upper surfaces 141 and 39 may be at the same
position in
the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54.
[0089il The recess 96, which is recessed in the backward direction 58, is
formed at an upper
portion of the front surface 140 of the front cover 32. With the ink cartridge
30
attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110, the rod 125 enters the recess
96. Therefore,
the cross-section of the recess 96 in a direction orthogonal to the forward
direction 57
and backward direction 58 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the cross-
section
of the rod 125. The recess 96 extends from the front surface 140 in the
backward
direction 58. Two recesses 99, which are recessed from the upper surface 141
in the
downward direction 53, are displaced from the IC board 64 in the backward
direction
58. One of the recesses 99 extends from the IC board 64 in the right direction
55, and
the other extends from the IC board 64 in the left direction 56. With the ink
cartridge
30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110, the rod 125 enters a space
defined by
the recess 96.
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100901 A hole 97, which passes through the front cover 32 in the backward
direction 58, is
formed at a lower portion of the front surface 140 of the front cover 32. With
the
internal frame 35 inserted into the front cover 32, the hole 97 is a hole
through which
the ink supply portion 34 in the internal frame 35 is exposed to the outside.
Therefore,
the hole 97 is formed so as to correspond to the position, dimensions, and
shape of the
ink supply portion 34 in the internal frame 35.
[0091] The first protrusion 85 and second protrusion 86 are formed on the
front surface 140
of the front cover 32. The first protrusion 85 protrudes from the upper end of
the front
cover 32 in the forward direction 57. The recess 96 is formed at the end of
the first
protrusion 85. The end of the first protrusion 85 forms part of the front
surface 140.
The lower surface 89 of the first protrusion 85 is positioned between the IC
board 64
and the ink supply portion 34 in the downward direction 53 and upward
direction 54.
With the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110, the
lower surface
89 is in contact with the upper surface 115 of the positioning member 108 in
the
cartridge attaching unit 110. The lower surface 89 is equivalent to a
positioning
surface.
[0092] The second protrusion 86 protrudes from the front surface 140 in the
forward
direction 57 at the lower end of the front surface 140 of the front cover 32,
that is,
below the ink supply portion 34. A recess 87, which is open in the forward
direction 57
and in the downward direction 53, is formed in the lower surface of the second
protrusion 86. Part of the recess 87 protrudes from the lower surface 142 of
the front
cover 32 in the downward direction 53. In the process of the insertion of the
ink
cartridge 30 into the cartridge attaching unit 110, the slider 107 enters the
recess 87 of
the second protrusion 86 and comes into contact with it.
[0093] A hole 98 (an example of an opening), which passes through the front
cover 32 in the
downward direction 53, is formed in the upper surface 141 of the front cover
32. With
the internal frame 35 inserted into the front cover 32, the hole 98 is a hole
through
which the light access portion 62 in the internal frame 35 is exposed to the
outside.
Therefore, the hole 98 is formed so as to correspond to the position,
dimensions, and
shape of the light access portion 62 in the internal frame 35.
[0094] Although, in this embodiment, an opening (hole 98) is formed in the
front cover 32
so as to expose the light access portion 62 in the internal frame 35 from the
upper
surface 141, an opening through which the light access portion 62 is exposed
may be
formed in only one of the front cover 32 and rear cover 31 or may be formed in
both
the front cover 32 and the rear cover 31. Although, in this embodiment, the
hole 98 is
formed so that a portion behind the light access portion 62 is covered with
the rear
cover 31, the hole 98 may be formed so that the whole of the light access
portion 62 is
exposed.
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[0095] The IC board 64 is disposed on the upper surface 141 of the front
cover 32 and above
the first protrusion 85, that is, above the ink supply portion 34. The IC
board 64 is elec-
trically connected to the four contacts 106 (see Fig. 2) aligned in the right
direction 55
and left direction 56 in the middle of the ink cartridge 30 being attached to
the
cartridge attaching unit 110. In a state as well in which the ink cartridge 30
attached to
the cartridge attaching unit 110. the IC board 64 is electrically connected to
the
contacts 106. A dimension of the circuit board 64 in the first direction 51 is
smaller
than a dimension of the circuit board 64 in left direction 56 and the right
direction 55.
[0096] On the IC board 64, an IC (not illustrated in each drawing) and four
electrodes 65 are
mounted. The four electrodes 65 are aligned in the right direction 55 and left
direction
56. The IC, which is a semiconductor integrated circuit, stores information
about the
ink cartridge 30 such as a lot number, a date and time of manufacturing, and
data in-
dicating ink colors and other information in such a way that the information
can be
read.
[0097] The electrodes 65 are electrically connected to the IC. Each
electrode 65 extends in
the forward direction 57 and backward direction 58. The four electrodes 65 are
mutually spaced apart in the right direction 55 and left direction 56. Each
electrode 65
is exposed to the upper surface of the IC board 64 so as to be accessed. The
electrode
65 is an example of an electric interface.
[0098] <Internal frame 35>
Although not illustrated in each drawing, the internal frame 35 is annularly
structured
with a pair of end surfaces open in the right direction 55 and left direction
56. The pair
of open end surfaces of the internal frame 35 are sealed with films (not
illustrated),
forming the retaining chamber 36 in which ink can be retained. A front surface
40,
which defines the retaining chamber 36, faces the rear surface of the front
surface 140
of the front cover 32 when the internal frame 35 is inserted into the front
cover 32. The
ink supply portion 34 (an example of a liquid outflow unit) is disposed below
the front
surface 40.
[0099] <Ink supply portion 34>
As illustrated in Fig. 6, the ink supply portion 34 is disposed at a lower
portion of the
front surface 140 so as to protrude beyond the front surface 40 of the
internal frame 35
in the forward direction 57. The ink supply portion 34 has a cylindrical
outside shape
and protrudes toward the outside through the hole 97 formed in the front
surface 140 of
the front cover 32. The ink supply portion 34 has the cylindrical wall 73 in a
cylindrical shape having an internal space and also has a sealing member 76
and a cap
79, which are attached to the cylindrical wall 73.
[0100] The cylindrical wall 73 extends from the interior of the retaining
chamber 36 to the
outside. The end of the cylindrical wall 73 in the removal direction 52 is
open in the
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retaining chamber 36. The end of the cylindrical wall 73 in the insertion
direction 51 is
open to the outside of the ink cartridge 30. Thus, the cylindrical wall 73
communicates
with the retaining chamber 36 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through
the
internal space. That is, the ink supply portion 34 supplies ink retained in
the retaining
chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the internal space
of the
cylindrical wall 73. The sealing member 76 and cap 79 are attached to the end
of the
cylindrical wall 73 in the insertion direction 51.
[0101] A valve body 77 and the coiled spring 78 are accommodated in the
internal space of
the cylindrical wall 73. The valve body 77 and coiled spring 78 are used to
selectively
switch the state of the ink supply portion 34 between a state in which ink
flows from
the retaining chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the
internal
space of the cylindrical wall 73 (see Fig. 11) and a state in which ink does
not flow
from the retaining chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through
the
internal space of the cylindrical wall 73 (see Fig. 6).
[0102] When the valve body 77 moves in the forward direction 57 and
backward direction
58, the ink supply opening 71, which is a through hole formed at the center of
the
sealing member 76, is opened and closed. The coiled spring 78 biases the valve
body
77 in the forward direction 57. In a state in which an external force is not
applied,
therefore, the valve body 77 closes the ink supply opening 71 in the sealing
member
76.
[0103] The sealing member 76 is disposed at the end of the cylindrical wall
73. The sealing
member 76 is a discoid member having a through hole at the center. The sealing
member 76 is made of, for example, an elastic material such as a rubber
material or an
elastomer. The through hole, which extends in the forward direction 57 and
backward
direction 58 at the center of the sealing member 76, forms a cylindrical
internal
surface, forming the ink supply opening 71. The inner diameter of the ink
supply
opening 71 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ink needle 102.
Due to the
cap 79 fitted to the outside of the cylindrical wall 73, the sealing member 76
is in
contact with the end of the cylindrical wall 73 in a liquid-tight manner.
[0104] When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge attaching
unit 110 in a state in
which the valve body 77 closes the ink supply opening 71, the ink needle 102
enters
the ink supply opening 71. The outer circumferential surface of the ink needle
102
comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface, which defines the
ink supply
opening 71, in a liquid-tight manner while the ink needle 102 elastically
deforms the
sealing member 76. When the end of the ink needle 102 passes through the
sealing
member 76 and enters the internal space of the cylindrical wall 73, the end
comes into
contact with the valve body 77. When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted
into the
cartridge attaching unit 110, the ink needle 102 causes the valve body 77 to
move in
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the backward direction 58 against the biased force of the coiled spring 78.
This enables
ink retained in the retaining chamber 36 to flow to the end of the ink needle
102
through the internal space of the cylindrical wall 73. Although not
illustrated in each
drawing, ink flows from the internal space of the cylindrical wall 73 through
a through
hole formed in the end of the ink needle 102 to the internal space of the ink
needle 102.
Thus, ink retained in the retaining chamber 36 can flow out to the outside
through the
internal space of the cylindrical wall 73 and the ink needle 102.
[0105] The valve body 77, which closes the ink supply opening 71, is not
necessarily
provided in the ink supply portion 34. For example, the ink supply opening 71
may be
blocked with a film or the like, in which case when the ink cartridge 30 is
inserted into
the cartridge attaching unit 110, the ink needle 102 breaks the film and the
end of the
ink needle 102 thereby enters the internal space of the cylindrical wall 73
through the
ink supply opening 71. Alternatively, the ink supply opening 71 may be closed
due to
the elasticity of the sealing member 76, in which case only when the ink
needle 102 is
inserted, the ink supply opening 71 is expanded by being pressed by the ink
needle
102.
[0106] <Liquid level detecting portion 60>
As illustrated in Fig. 6, The ink cartridge 30 has a liquid level detecting
portion 60(
an example of a liquid detection portion). The liquid level detecting portion
60 has a
light access portion 62 and a sensor arm 59 (an example of light attenuating
portion).
The internal frame 35 has the light access portion 62, which extends from the
upper
surface in the upward direction 54. The light access portion 62 is a
protrusion that
defines its internal space continued to the retaining chamber 36. The light
access
portion 62 is translucent, enabling light to pass through the light access
portion62 in
the right direction 55 and left direction 56. In other words, the light access
portion 62 is
configured to be accessed with light traveling from the light emitting portion
in the
sensor 103 of the printer 10 toward the photosensitive portion. Specifically,
the light
access portion 62 has side surfaces 66 and 67 (examples of a first side
surface and a
second side surface) expanding in the downward direction 53 and upward
direction 54
and in the forward direction 57 and backward direction 58. Light that
propagates in a
direction in which the side surfaces 66 and 67 are separated, that is, in the
right
direction 55 and left direction 56, passes through the light access portion
62. A
distance of the side surface 66 and 67 is smaller than a dimension of the side
surface
66 and 67 in the right direction 55 and left direction 56. A dimension of the
side
surface 66 and 67 in the upward direction 54 is smaller than the distance of
the side
surface 66 and 67 in the right direction 55 and left direction 56. The light
access
portion 62 is exposed to the outside through the hole 98 in the front cover
32. The side
surfaces 66 and 67 extend above the upper surface 141 in the upward direction
54
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through the hole 98 in the front cover 32. Therefore, the side surfaces 66 and
67 cross
the upper surface 141.
[0107] As illustrated in Fig. 6, a sensor arm 59 (an example of a light
attenuating portion) is
provided in the retaining chamber 36 in the internal frame 35. The sensor arm
59 is
supported by a rotation axis 61 extending in the right direction 55 and left
direction 56
and is rotatable around the rotation axis 61.
[0108] The sensor arm 59 has a float 63. The float 63 has a smaller
specific gravity than ink
retained in the retaining chamber 36. In the retaining chamber 36, therefore,
the float
63 generates a buoyant force while the float 63 is in the ink. In a state in
which the
retaining chamber 36 is substantially fully filled with ink, the sensor arm 59
rotates in
the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 6 due to the buoyant force of the float
63.
Portion 68 of the sensor arm 59 has entered the interior of the light access
portion 62.
When the portion 68 of the sensor arm 59 comes into contact with a wall that
defines
the end of the light access portion 62 in the forward direction 57, the
orientation of the
sensor arm 59 is maintained. While in this state (an example of a first
state), the ink
detection portion 60 change a state of the light passing from the emitter to
the photo-
sensitive portion. For more detail, the portion 68 of the sensor arm 59 cuts
off light that
is emitted from the sensor 103 and would otherwise propagate through the light
access
portion 62 in the right direction 55 or left direction 56, and performs other
processing
on the light.
[0109] Specifically, when light emitted from the light emitting portion in
the sensor 103
reaches one of the right surface and left surface of the light access portion
62, the
portion 68 of the sensor arm 59 reduces the intensity of light, which is
intended to exit
from the other of the right surface and left surface of the light access
portion 62 and
reach the photosensitive portion, blow the predetermined intensity (at which
the light is
transmitted), for example. to zero. The portion 68 of the sensor arm 59 may
completely
cut off the light so that it does not propagate in the right direction 55 or
left direction
56, may partially absorb the light, may attenuate the light, may bend a
direction in
which the light propagates, or may totally reflects the light for changing the
state of the
light passing from the emitter to the photosensitive portion.
[0110] When ink in the retaining chamber 36 is reduced and the liquid level
of the ink drops
below the position of the float 63 with the portion 68 of the sensor arm 59
being in the
orientation in which the portion 68 cuts off light that would otherwise
propagate
through the light access portion 62 and performs other processing on the
light, the float
63 drops together with the liquid level. Accordingly, the sensor arm 59
rotates in the
counterclockwise direction in Fig. 6. Due to this clockwise direction, the
portion 68 of
the sensor arm 59, the portion 68 having entered the interior of the light
access portion
62, moves through the internal space in the light access portion 62
substantially in the
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backward direction 58 and reaches the end of the internal space in the light
access
portion 62 in the backward direction 58, deviating the portion 68 from a light
path that
extends from the light emitting portion in the sensor 103 to its light
receiving section.
In this state (an example of a second state), light intended to propagate from
one of the
right surface and left surface of the light access portion 62 to the other can
pass
through the internal space of the light access portion 62 in this embodiment,
and the
intensity of light that will reach the photosensitive portion in the sensor
103 is equal to
or higher than the predetermined intensity (at which the light is
transmitted).
[0111] <Intervening wall 80>
As illustrated in Figs. 3A and 4A, an intervening wall (an example of a second
light
attenuating portion) 80 is provided on the upper surface 141 of the front
cover 32; the
intervening wall 80 is displaced from the IC board 64 in the backward
direction 58 and
displaced from the hole 98 in the forward direction 57. The intervening wall
80
protrudes from the upper surface 141 in the upward direction 54. The
intervening wall
80 has a front surface 81 and a rear surface 82, which expand in the right
direction 55
and left direction 56, side surfaces 83 and 84, which expand in the forward
direction 57
and backward direction 58, and an upper surface 88. A dimension DI (see Fig.
5) of
the side surfaces 83 and 84 in the forward direction 57 and backward direction
58 is
larger than a dimension D2 (see Fig. 15A) of the front surface 81 and rear
surface 82 in
the right direction 55 and left direction 56. That is, the intervening wall 80
has a thin-
plate shape in which the dimension in the forward direction 57 and backward
direction
58 is larger than the dimension in the right direction 55 and left direction
56. In this
embodiment, with the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit
110,
light emitted from the light emitting portion in the sensor reaches one of the
side
surface 83 and 84 of the intervening wall 80, the side surface 83 and 84
reduces the
intensity of light, which is intended to exit from the other of the side
surface and of the
intervening wall 80 and reach the photosensitive portion, blow the
predetermined
intensity (at which the light is transmitted), for example, to zero. That is,
the insertion
of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attaching unit is detected by
intervening wall
80 which is configured to cut off or attenuate the light from emitter toward
the photo-
sensitive portion.
[0112] <Placement of the light access portion 62, IC board 64, intervening
wall 80, locking
surface 151, and the like in the ink cartridge 30>
As illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B to Fig. 6 and Fig. 15A, the IC board 64 is
disposed
displaced from the light access portion 62 in the insertion direction 51
(forward
direction 57). On the upper surface 141 of the front cover 32, the IC board 64
is
disposed closer to the side surface 143 positioned in the right direction 55
than to the
side surface 144 positioned in the left direction 56. The center of the IC
board 64 is
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disposed closer to the side surface 66 of the light access portion 62 than to
its side
surface 67 in the left direction 56. The light emitting portion in the sensor
103 faces the
side surface 67, and the photosensitive portion in the sensor 103 faces the
side surface
66. When viewed in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54, the IC
board
64 is disposed at the same position as the ink supply portion 34. In other
words, at least
a part of the IC board 64 is overlapped with the ink supply portion 34 in the
downward
direction 53 and upward direction 54.
[0113] The intervening wall 80 is disposed above the IC board 64 in the
upward direction
54. In the backward direction 58, the intervening wall 80 is disposed closer
to the light
access portion 62 than the IC board 64 than is. The intervening wall 80
extends
upwardly beyond the upper end of the sensor arm 59, which is in contact with
the wall
that defines the end of the light access portion 62 in the forward direction
57.
[0114] The dimension of the rear surface 82 of the intervening wall 80 in
the right direction
and the left direction is longer than a distance between the side surface 66
and the side
surface 67 of the light access portion 62.
[0115] The light access portion 62 is displaced from the IC board 64 in the
removal
direction 52 (displaced from the IC board 64 in the backward direction 58).
The light
access portion 62 is disposed above the IC board 64 in the downward direction
53 and
upward direction 54. In other words, the internal space of the liquid level
detecting
portion is dispose above the electrode 65 of the IC board 64. In particular,
the IC board
64 is displaced from the liquid outlet portion 34 in the upward direction 54
by a first
distance, and the light access portion 62 displaced from the liquid outlet
portion 34 in
the upward direction 54 by a second distance which is larger than the first
distance. For
more details, with the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching
unit 110, an
area of the light access portion 62 which the light from the light emitting
portion pass
through the light access portion 62 in the right direction 55 and left
direction 56 is po-
sitioned above the electrode 65 of the IC board. The locking surface 151 is
displaced
from the light access portion 62 in the removal direction 52 (displaced from
the light
access portion 62 in the backward direction 58). In the upward direction 54,
the light
access portion 62 is disposed closer to the locking surface 151 than the IC
board 64 is.
The upper end of the light access portion 62 in the upward direction 54 is
closer to the
locking surface 151 than the IC board 64 is. That is, in the upward direction
54, the
upper end of the locking surface 151, the upper end of the light access
portion 62, and
the upper surface of the IC board 64 are disposed at higher positions in this
order.
[0116] The dimension of the locking surface 151 in this embodiment in the
downward
direction 53 and upward direction 54 is smaller than the dimension of the
light access
portion 62 in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54. Since,
however, the
upper surface 39 of the rear cover 31 is positioned above the upper surface
141 of the
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front cover 32, the upper end of the locking surface 151 is positioned above
the upper
surface of the light access portion 62. If, therefore, the upper surface 39 of
the rear
cover 31 and the upper surface 141 of the front cover 32 are disposed at the
same
position in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54, when the
dimension of
the locking surface 151 in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54
is made
to be larger than the dimension of the light access portion 62 in the downward
direction 53 and upward direction 54, the upper end of the locking surface 151
is po-
sitioned above the upper end of the light access portion 62.
[0117] The lower surface 89 is positioned above the ink supply portion 34
in the upward
direction 54 and below the IC board 64 in the downward direction 53.
[0118] <Operation in which the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the
cartridge attaching unit
110>
A process of the attachment of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attaching
unit 110
will be described below.
[0119] As illustrated in Fig. 7, in the ink cartridge 30 in which the
cartridge attaching unit
110 has yet to be attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110, the valve body
77 closes
the ink supply opening 71 in the sealing member 76. This blocks a flow of ink
from the
retaining chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30.
[0120] As illustrated in Fig. 7, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the
case 101 through the
opening 112 in the cartridge attaching unit 110. The upper portion 41U of the
rear
surface 41 of the rear cover 31 is positioned from the lower portion 41L in
the removal
direction 52, that is, closer to the user, so the user inserts the ink
cartridge 30 into the
cartridge attaching unit 110 in the insertion direction 51 while pressing the
upper
portion 41U. The user is prompted to push the upper portion 41U because a
sheet
pasted to the upper portion 41U indicates PUSH or another character string, a
symbol
such as an arrow, or a figure indicating a push with a finger, or the like, as
described
above. Lower portions of the ink cartridge 30, that is, lower portions of the
front cover
32 and rear cover 31, enter the lower guide groove 109 in the case 101. The
second
protrusion 86 is disposed at a lower portion of the front cover 32. When part
of the
recess 87 protruding from the lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 in the
downward
direction 53 comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide groove
109, the
front of the front cover 32 is lifted and the lower surface 142 is inclined
with respect to
the insertion direction 51. That is, on the lower surface of the guide groove
109, part of
the of the recess 87 in the front cover 32 and part of the lower surface 142
in the
vicinity of the lower end are mutually brought into contact.
[0121] When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the cartridge
attaching unit 110 in
the insertion direction 51 as illustrated in Fig. 8, the recess 87 in the
second protrusion
86 in the front cover 32 comes into contact with the slider 107. At this time,
the user is
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pushing the upper portion 41U of the rear surface 41 of the rear cover 31 of
the ink
cartridge 30. This causes the ink cartridge 30 to rotate in the
counterclockwise
direction in Fig. 8, centered around a contact between the slider 107 and the
recess 87
in the second protrusion 86. Due to this rotation, the lower surface 142 of
the front
cover 32 moves apart from the lower surface of the lower guide groove 109, and
an
upper portion of the ink cartridge 30 comes into contact with the upper guide
groove
109.
[0122] As illustrated in Fig. 9, when the ink cartridge 30 is further
inserted in the insertion
direction 51 against the biased force of the extension spring 114 with which
the slider
107 is biased in the removal direction 52, the cap 79 in the ink supply
portion 34 starts
to enter the guide 105. The recess 96 in the front cover 32 faces the rod 125,
and the
rod 125 starts to enter the recess 96. The upper surface 115 of the
positioning member
108 in the cartridge attaching unit 110 starts to enter a space between the
first
protrusion 85 on the ink cartridge 30 and the ink supply portion 34.
[0123] As illustrated in Fig. 10, when the ink cartridge 30 is further
inserted in the insertion
direction 51 against the biased force of the extension spring 114 with which
the slider
107 is biased in the removal direction 52, the cap 79 in the ink supply
portion 34 enters
the guide 105 and the ink needle 102 enters the ink supply opening 71, causing
the
valve body 77 to move apart from the sealing member 76 against the biased
force of
the coiled spring 78. In addition to the biased force of the extension spring
114, which
is applied through the slider 107, the biased force of the coiled spring 78 is
applied to
the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52.
[0124] The upper surface 115 of the positioning member 108 in the cartridge
attaching unit
110 comes into contact with the lower surface 89 of the first protrusion 85 on
the front
cover 32 and supports the front cover 32 from below. When the IC board 64
reaches a
portion below the contacts 106, the contacts 106 are elastically deformed
upwardly and
the electrodes 65 are thereby electrically connected to their corresponding
contacts
106. At this time, although the IC board 64 is biased in the downward
direction 53 by
the elastic deformation of the contacts 106, the upper surface 115 of the
positioning
member 108 supports the front cover 32 from below, so the IC board 64 is
accurately
positioned to the contacts 106 in the downward direction 53 and upward
direction 54.
In the process of the completion of the attachment of the ink cartridge 30 to
the
cartridge attaching unit 110, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted in the
insertion
direction 51 with the contacts 106 electrically connected to their
corresponding
electrodes 65, the contacts 106 slide on their corresponding electrodes 65.
Due to the
sliding of the contacts 106 on their corresponding electrodes 65, shavings may
be
generated from the electrodes 65.
1101251 The protrusion 43 on the rear cover 31 reaches the locking portion
145 and the
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inclined surface 155 slides on the locking portion 145. When the user presses
the upper
portion 41U of the rear surface 41 in the insertion direction 51, moment of
rotation is
exerted on the ink cartridge 30 in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 10.
Due to a
contact between the inclined surface 155 and the locking portion 145, however,
the ink
cartridge 30 rotates in the clockwise direction in Fig. 10 against the moment
of
rotation, centered around the center of the ink supply opening 71, in the
sealing
member 76, in which the ink needle 102 has been inserted, in other words, the
center
of a portion, of ink needle 102, with which the inner circumferential surface
of the
sealing member 76 is in contact, the surface defining the ink supply opening
71. The
orientation of the ink cartridge 30 illustrated in Fig. 10 is referred to as a
second ori-
entation.
[0126] While the ink cartridge 30 is in the second orientation, the locking
surface 151 of the
protrusion 43 is positioned below the locking portion 145. While the ink
cartridge 30 is
in the second orientation, the center of the rotation described above and the
IC board
64 are at the same position in the insertion direction 51. Therefore, the
biased force
applied to the IC board 64 by the contacts 106 does not work as moment with
which
the ink cartridge 30 is rotated or is only extremely small moment. While the
ink
cartridge 30 is in the second orientation, the lower surface 42 of the front
cover 32 is in
contact with or near the lower surface of the lower guide groove 109, so, in
this em-
bodiment, the lower surface 42 of the front cover 32 is horizontal. While the
ink
cartridge 30 is in the second orientation, the lower portion 41L of the rear
surface 41 of
the rear cover 31 extends from the upper portion 41U in the insertion
direction 51.
[0127] As illustrated in Fig. 11, when the ink cartridge 30 is further
inserted in the insertion
direction 51 against the biased force of the extension spring 114 and the
biased force of
the coiled spring 78 with which the slider 107 is biased in the removal
direction 52, the
inclined surface 155 and horizontal surface 154 of the protrusion 43 on the
rear cover
31 are positioned closer to the rear surface of the case 101 than the locking
portion 145
is. Since moment of rotation has been applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the
counter-
clockwise direction in Fig. 11 as a result of the upper portion 41U of the
rear surface
41 being pressed in the insertion direction 51 by the user, the inclined
surface 155 and
horizontal surface 154 are separated from the locking portion 145. Therefore,
the ink
cartridge 30 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 11, centered
around the
center of the ink supply opening 71, in the sealing member 76, in which the
ink needle
102 has been inserted. The orientation of the ink cartridge 30 illustrated in
Fig. 11 is
referred to as the first orientation.
[0128] While the ink cartridge 30 is in the first orientation, the locking
surface 151 faces the
locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52. When the ink cartridge 30
rotates
from the second orientation to the first orientation, the rear cover 31 comes
into contact
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with the locking portion 145. Due to a shock generated in this contact, the
user
recognizes that the pressing of the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion
direction 51 has
been completed. If the user cancels the pressing of the ink cartridge 30 in
the insertion
direction 51, the ink cartridge 30 moves in the removal direction 52 due to
the biased
force of the coiled spring 78 and the biased force of the extension spring 114
exerted
through the slider 107. With the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first
orientation, the
locking surface 151 faces the locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52,
so when
the ink cartridge 30 is slightly moved in the removal direction 52, the
locking surface
151 comes into contact with the locking portion 145. Therefore, the ink
cartridge 30
remains in the first orientation, restricting movement in the removal
direction 52. That
is, the ink cartridge 30 is in a state in which the ink cartridge 30 has been
positioned in
the cartridge attaching unit 110 and has been completely attached to it.
[0129] In this embodiment, the IC board 64 is disposed on the upper surface
141 of the front
cover 32, that is, above ink supply opening 71. Even if, therefore, ink in the
retaining
chamber 36 flows out of the ink supply opening 71 when the ink cartridge 30 is
inserted into the cartridge attaching unit 110 or is removed from it, the ink
that has
flowed out is hard to adhere to the IC board 64. With the ink cartridge 30
attached to
the cartridge attaching unit 110, the retaining chamber 36 in the ink
cartridge 30 is
preferably open to the atmosphere. As an example of a structure to make the
retaining
chamber 36 open to the atmosphere, an air path formed in the ink cartridge 30
may
communicate with the outside, that is, may be made to be open to the outside,
as the
ink supply valve 70 moves after the ink needle 102 has been inserted into the
ink
supply opening 71. Alternatively, an air path formed in the ink cartridge 30
may be
sealed with, for example, a tape against the atmosphere. Then, the user may
remove the
tape to make the retaining chamber 36 open to the atmosphere through the air
path
before attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attaching unit 110.
[0130] Operation in which the ink cartridge 30 rotates from the second
orientation to the
first orientation in the cartridge attaching unit 110 will be described below
in more
detail.
[0131] As illustrated in Fig. 12, the force of gravity applied to the ink
cartridge 30 will be
denoted G; the biased force of the extension spring 114 and the biased force
of the
coiled spring 78 with which the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first
orientation is biased
in the removal direction 52 will be denoted F; a distance in the insertion
direction 51
between the center M of gravity of the ink cartridge 30 placed in the second
orientation
and the center 0 of rotation will be denoted L; a distance, along the upward
direction
54 orthogonal to the insertion direction 51, from the lower end of the upper
portion
41U of the rear surface 41 of the rear cover 31 of the ink cartridge 30 placed
in the
second orientation to a plane extending from the center 0 of rotation will be
defined as
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a height H. Then, the following equation holds.
(Biased force F) x (height H) > (force G of gravity) x (distance L)
In the above equation, the product of the force G of gravity and the distance
L is
equivalent to the size of moment with which the ink cartridge 30 is rotated in
the
clockwise direction in Fig. 12.
[0132] When the user inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge
attaching unit 110 in the
insertion direction 51, the user needs to press the ink cartridge 30 in the
insertion
direction 51 with a force larger than at least the biased force F. That is, if
a force with
which the user presses the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion direction 51 is
denoted U,
the force U needs to be larger than the biased force F. When the user holds
the ink
cartridge 30 at a certain position in the insertion direction 51 against the
biased force F,
the biased force F is equal to the force U. Therefore, when the user inserts
the ink
cartridge 30 into the cartridge attaching unit 110, the force U equivalent to
at least the
biased force F is exerted on the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion direction
51. The user
presses the upper portion 41U of the rear surface 41 of the rear cover 31 of
the ink
cartridge 30, that is, a portion of the upper portion 41U above its lower end.
It will be
assumed here that the upper portion 41U of the rear surface 41 with the ink
cartridge
30 placed in the second orientation is substantially orthogonal to the
insertion direction
51. Then, moment equivalent to at least the product of the biased force F and
the height
H is exerted on the ink cartridge 30 in the counterclockwise direction in Fig.
12. Since
the above equation holds, there is moment in the ink cartridge 30 in the
counter-
clockwise direction in Fig. 12 in the process of the insertion of the ink
cartridge 30 into
the cartridge attaching unit 110 in the insertion direction 51. Since the ink
cartridge 30
is receiving the biased force of the extension spring 114 through the slider
107 at the
second protrusion 86, that is, is receiving the biased force of the extension
spring 114
at a position below the center 0 of rotation, the biased force of the
extension spring
114 also works as moment with which the ink cartridge 30 is rotated
counterclockwise.
Even if there is no biased force of the extension spring 114, it will be
appreciated that
counterclockwise moment is exerted on the ink cartridge 30 when the ink
cartridge 30
is inserted into the cartridge attaching unit 110.
[0133] Therefore, as described above, when the inclined surface 155 of the
protrusion 43 has
slid on the locking portion 145 and the inclined surface 155 and horizontal
surface 154
move apart from the locking portion 145 in the insertion direction 51, the ink
cartridge
30 changes from the second orientation to the first orientation due to moment
in the
counterclockwise direction in Fig. 12.
[0134] As illustrated in Fig. 14, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first
orientation, the
upper end of the locking surface 151 is positioned outwardly beyond a virtual
arc C,
the center of which is the center 0 of rotation, the virtual arc C passing the
locking
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portion 145. The lower end of the locking surface 151 is positioned inside the
virtual
arc C. With the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first orientation, the lower
end of the
locking surface 151 is more inward in the virtual arc C, that is, closer to
the center 0 of
rotation, than the upper end of the locking surface 151 is. Therefore, due to
the biased
force exerted in the removal direction 52, the locking portion 145 slides
toward the
lower end of the locking surface 151. As a result, in a state in which the
locking
portion 145 and locking surface 151 are in contact with each other, the ink
cartridge 30
is rotated so as to be placed in the first orientation.
[0135] It will be assumed that the user has pushed the lower portion 41L of
the rear surface
41 of the rear cover 31 instead of pushing the upper portion 41U in the
process of the
insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attaching unit 110. As
illustrated in
Fig. 13, the lower portion 41L of the ink cartridge 30 placed in the second
orientation
crosses a first virtual plane P1 orthogonal to the insertion direction 51
(orthogonal to
the drawing sheet of Fig. 13) at an angle of a. The length of a normal
extending from
the center 0 of rotation toward a second virtual plane P2 orthogonal to the
lower
portion 41L (orthogonal to the drawing sheet of Fig. 13) at the lower end of
the lower
portion 41L will be denoted N. Then, the following equation holds.
(Biased force F) x cosa x (length N) > (force G of gravity) x (distance L)
In the above equation, the product of the force G of gravity and the distance
L is
equivalent to the size of moment with which the ink cartridge 30 is rotated in
the
clockwise direction in Fig. 12, as in the equation described above.
[0136] When the user inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge
attaching unit 110, if the
user presses the lower portion 41L of the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion
direction 51
with the force U equivalent to at least the biased force F, moment with a
strength
equivalent to at least the product of the cosa component of the biased force F
and the
length N is exerted on the ink cartridge 30 in the counterclockwise direction
in Fig. 13.
Since the above equation holds, even if the user presses the lower portion 41L
of the
ink cartridge 30 in the insertion direction 51, moment is exerted on the ink
cartridge 30
in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 13.
[0137] When removing the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attaching unit
110, the user
presses the manipulation surface 92 downwardly. With the ink cartridge 30
placed in
the first orientation, as illustrated in Fig. 15, the manipulation surface 92
is visible
when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the downward direction 53, and also
visible
when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the forward direction 57 (insertion
direction 51).
With the ink cartridge 30 placed in the first orientation, the manipulation
surface 92
faces in the upward direction 54 and in the removal direction 52. Therefore,
when the
user manipulates the manipulation surface 92 to remove the ink cartridge 30
positioned
in the cartridge attaching unit 110, a force is exerted on the ink cartridge
30 in the
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downward direction 53 and in the insertion direction 51. Due to a force
exerted in the
insertion direction 51, the locking surface 151 is separated from the locking
portion
145. Due to a force exerted in the downward direction 53, the ink cartridge 30
is
rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation. A force that the
user applies
to the manipulation surface 92 to rotate the ink cartridge 30 from the first
orientation to
the second orientation is reduced when compared with a case in which the ink
cartridge
30 is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation while the
locking
surface 151 causes a slide with the locking portion 145.
[0138] When the ink cartridge 30 is rotated from the first orientation to
the second ori-
entation, the locking surface 151 is positioned below the locking portion 145.
Then, the
ink cartridge 30 is moved in the cartridge attaching unit 110 in the removal
direction
52 by the biased force of the extension spring 114 and coiled spring 78. In
the process
of the removal of the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attaching unit 110,
when the
ink cartridge 30 is moved in the removal direction 52 while the contacts 106
remain
electrically connected to their corresponding electrodes 65, the contacts 106
slide on
their corresponding electrodes 65. Due to the sliding of the contacts 106 on
their corre-
sponding electrodes 65, shavings may be generated from the electrodes 65.
[0139] When the ink cartridge 30 is separated from the slider 107, the
biased force that has
been exerted on the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52 is
eliminated, so an
inertial force exerted on the ink cartridge 30 disappears and the movement of
the ink
cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52 is terminated. At this time, at least
the rear
cover 31 of the ink cartridge 30 is positioned outwardly beyond the opening
112 in the
case 101 of the cartridge attaching unit 110, so the user can hold the rear
cover 31 and
can take out the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attaching unit 110.
[0140] <Effects in this embodiment>
With the ink cartridge 30 according to this embodiment, when the ink cartridge
30 is
in the attachment orientation, the light access portion 62 of the liquid level
detection
portion 60 is disposed above the IC board 64 in the upward direction 54.
Therefore,
shavings generated from the IC board 64 due to sliding with the contacts 106
are hard
to adhere to the light access portion 62, and even if shavings are generated
from the IC
board 64, detection by the light access portion 62 is less affected.
[0141] Since the IC board 64 is disposed more forward than the light access
portion 62 in
the insertion direction 51, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the
cartridge
attaching unit 110 or is removed from it, the light access portion 62 does not
pass
through a portion at which shavings are generated from the IC board 64, that
is, the
vicinity of the contacts 106, so shavings are harder to adhere to the light
access portion
62.
1101421 Since the light access portion 62 has the side surfaces 66 and 67,
a state of the
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amount of ink remaining in the retaining chamber 36 can be detected through
the side
surfaces 66 and 67.
[0143] Since the dimension of the side surface 66 in the upward direction
54 is smaller than
the dimension of the side surface 66 in the insertion direction 51, and a
dimension of
the side surface 67 of the light access portion 62 in the upward direction 54
is smaller
than a dimension of the side surface 67 of the light access portion 62 in the
insertion
direction 51, the dimension of the light access portion 62 in the downward
direction 53
and upward direction 54 is reduced.
[0144] Since the intervening wall 80 is disposed between the IC board 64
and the light
access portion 62, the intervening wall 80 restricts a route through which
shavings
generated from the IC board 64 move to the light access portion 62.
[0145] Since the dimension of the rear wall 82 of the intervening wall 80
in the right
direction and the left direction is longer than a distance between the first
side surface
66 and the second side surface 67 of the light access portion 62, the
intervening wall
can restrict the route through which shavings generated from the IC board 64
move to
the light access portion 62 more.
[0146] Since the dimension of the intervening wall 80 in the forward
direction 57 and
backward direction 58 is larger than its dimension in the right direction 55
and left
direction 56, the distance from the IC board 64 to the light access portion 62
is
prolonged. This makes it harder for shavings to reach the light access portion
62.
[0147] Since, in the removal direction 52, the intervening wall 80 is
disposed closer to the
light access portion 62 than the IC board 64 is, shavings generated from the
IC board
64 can be easily restricted by the intervening wall 80.
[0148] Since the liquid level detection portion 60 is configured to change
a state of the light
passing from the first point toward the second point and accessing the light
access
portion 62 according to an amount of the liquid stored in the ink cartridge
30, the
amount of the liquid stored in the ink cartridge 30 can be detected.
[0149] Since the light access portion 62 is configured to allow the light
traveling from the
first point toward the second point to pass therethrough, and the liquid
detection
portion 60 further comprises a sensor arm 59, a portion 68 of which is
configured to be
positioned in the light accessing portion 62, wherein the portion 68 of the
light at-
tenuating portion 59 is configured to change a state of the light passing
through the
light access portion 62 depending on whether or not an amount of the liquid
stored in
the ink cartridge 30 is less than a particular amount, the amount of the
liquid stored in
the ink cartridge 30 can be detected based on the state of the light through
the light
access portion 62 with the position of the sensor arm 59.
[0150] Since the portion 68 of the sensor arm 59 is disposed above the
circuit board 64 when
the amount of the liquid stored in the cartridge 30 is greater than or equal
to the
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particular amount. This makes it harder for shavings to reach the height at
which the
light passes through the light detection portion 62 for the detection of the
amount of
the liquid stored in the cartridge 30.
[0151] Since the intervening wall 80 extends upwardly beyond the sensor arm
59, which is
in contact with the wall that defines the end of the light access portion 62
in the
forward direction 57, the intervening wall 80 is positioned between the IC
board 64
and the sensor arm 59. This placement of the intervening wall 80 makes it hard
for
shavings generated from the IC board 64 to reach a position at which the
sensor arm 59
is detected by the sensor 103.
[0152] Since, on the upper surface 141 of the front cover 32, the recess 99
is displaced from
the IC board 64 in the removal direction 52, shavings generated from the IC
board 64
stay in the recess 99. This makes it hard for the shavings to scatter.
[0153] The center of the IC board 64 is disposed closer to the side surface
66 of the light
access portion 62 than to the side surface 67. The light emitting portion in
the sensor
103 faces the side surface 67, and the photosensitive portion in the sensor
103 faces the
side surface 66, as described above. A distance over which shavings generated
from
the IC board 64 move to the side surface 67 is longer than a distance over
which the
shavings move to the side surface 66. Light emitted from the light emitting
portion in
the sensor 103 has been diffused more greatly when the light exits the side
surface 66
of the light access portion 62 than when the light enters the side surface 67
of the light
access portion 62. Therefore, the possibility of the movement of the shavings
to the
side surface 66 is lower than the possibility of the movement of the shavings
to the side
surface 67. On the side surface 66, therefore, even if the shavings have moved
to the
light access portion 62, a detection result of the sensor 103 is less
affected.
[0154] When viewed in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54,
the rotation
axis 61 of the sensor arm 59 is overlapped with the light access portion 62.
Therefore,
a portion, of the light access portion 62, that is used for rotation of the
sensor arm 59 is
reduced in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54. Therefore, the
dimension of the IC board 64 in the downward direction 53 and upward direction
54 is
reduced. As a result, the internal space in the light access portion 62 can be
saved.
[0155] When viewed in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54,
the IC board
64 is overlapped with the ink supply portion 34. This enables the ink
cartridge 30 to be
designed so that a distance between the IC board 64 and the light access
portion 62 is
prolonged.
[0156] Since a lower surface 89 of the first protrusion 85 configured to
restrict movement of
the ink cartridge 30 in the upward direction 54 and a downward direction 53,
and the
lower surface 89 of the first protrusion 85 is disposed upward with respect to
the ink
outlet portion 34 in the upward direction 54 and disposed downward with
respect to the
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circuit board 64 in the upward direction 54, IC board 64 is accurately
positioned to the
contacts 106 in the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54.
[0157] The light access portion 62 is displaced from the IC board 64 in the
removal
direction 52, and the locking surface 151 is displaced from the light access
portion 62
in the removal direction 52. Therefore, when the circuit board 64, the light
access
portion 62, and the locking surface 151 intersect a virtual plane which is
parallel with
the insertion direction 51 and the upward direction 54, the dimension of the
ink
cartridge 30 in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction 51 can be
reduced. With
the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attaching unit 110, the
positional precision
of the IC board 64, which is disposed at the front end in the insertion
direction 51, is
high, so the IC board 64 is reliably connected to the contacts 106. The
locking surface
151 disposed at the back end in the insertion direction 51 can easily perform
an
operation for locking and unlocking, that is, can easily rotate around the
center 0 of
rotation. A range over which the ink cartridge 30 is rotated for locking and
unlocking
can also be reduced.
[0158] In the removal direction 52, the light access portion 62 is disposed
closer to the
locking surface 151 than the IC board 64 is. This enables the ink cartridge 30
to be
designed so that the distance between the IC board 64 and the light access
portion 62 is
prolonged. Thus, it is possible to assure a large space for a member used to
change the
states of the ink supply portion 34 and light access portion 62, such as, for
example,
the sensor arm 59.
[0159] Since, in the upward direction 54, the upper end of the light access
portion 62 is
closer to the locking surface 151 than the IC board 64 is, the light access
portion 62
can be disposed at a high position as much as possible, enabling the internal
space of
the retaining chamber 36 to be easily assured.
[0160] The ink cartridge 30 comprise the portion of the sensor arm 59 as
the first light at-
tenuating portion and the intervening wall 80 as the second light attenuating
portion,
and the first light attenuating portion and the second light attenuating
portion are
disposed above the circuit board 64. This enables the sensor for detecting the
insertion
of the ink cartridge 30 and the sensor 103 for detecting the state of the
liquid in the ink
cartridge 30 to be disposed at an upper area of the cartridge attaching unit
110. It
enables the both sensors to be disposed on the same electrical circuit board.
Having a
common electrical circuit board contributes to cost and space reduction
compared to a
situation in which two electrical circuit boards are provided for the two
sensors re-
spectively.
[0161] <Variation>
In the embodiment described above, an aspect has been indicated in which when
the
sensor arm 59 is rotated in the light access portion 62, the passing state of
light in
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which light passes through the light access portion 62 changes. However, a
change in
the passing state in which light passes through the light access portion 62
may be
achieved by using other than the sensor arm 59. For example, attenuation of
light as a
change in a state in which light passes through a light access portion 62 may
be
achieved by using a light attenuating portion that is movable due to a change
in the
liquid level in a liquid retaining chamber or by using a side surface of the
light at-
tenuating portion to completely block light. Alternatively, the light
attenuating portion
may absorb part of light, may refract the light, or may totally reflect the
light to
attenuate the light. Another method may be used. The user may visually check
the
liquid level detecting portion to grasp the amount of liquid remaining in the
liquid
retaining chamber.
[0162] For example, the liquid level detecting portion may include a light
guide path as
described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-
313447.
In this case, the incidence part 67 or emission part 68 in the publication is
equivalent to
the light access portion. And, the liquid level detection portion may comprise
a re-
flecting member and a prism. That is, the light access portion may be used as
a re-
flecting member which reflects light traveling from the first point toward the
second
point and accessing the light access portion 62. Figs. 16A and 16B are a
perspective
view of the vicinity of a liquid detection portion in an ink cartridge; the
cross-section
of a portion ahead of a reflecting member 800 is illustrated. Although not
illustrated in
Figs. 16A and 16B, an IC board is provided on the upper surface 414 of the ink
cartridge and ahead of the reflecting member 800 and the reflecting member 800
is
disposed behind and above the IC board as part of the light access portion. As
il-
lustrated in Fig. 16A, the reflecting member 800 is provided at a distance
above the
upper surface 414 of the ink cartridge. The reflecting member 800 has
reflecting
portions 801 and 802 that are formed with, for example, an aluminum foil and
can
thereby reflect light. The upper surface 414 is made of a member through which
light
can pass. A prism 390 is formed at the upper end of the retaining chamber 36.
The
prism 390 is disposed below the circuit board 64. The prism 390 is configured
to
reflect light according to the amount of the liquid stored in the cartridge
30, and the re-
flecting member 800 is configured to reflect light traveling from the emitting
portion
toward the prism (390A) or reflect the light at the prism (390B) toward the
photo-
sensitive portion.
[0163[ In Fig. 16B, the retaining chamber 36 is fully filled with ink. When
ink is in contact
with the faces 390A and 390B of the prism 390, which face the retaining
chamber 36,
light (indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 16B) emitted from the light emitting
portion in
the sensor 103 in the right direction 55 is reflected in the downward
direction 53 on the
reflecting portion 801, passes through the surface 390A of the prism 390, and
enters
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the retaining chamber 36. If ink in the retaining chamber 36 is reduced and is
not in
contact with the surfaces 390A or 390B of the prism 390, as illustrated in
Fig. 16A, the
light, which has been emitted from the light emitting portion in the sensor
103 and
reflected in the downward direction 53 on the reflecting portion 801, is
reflected in the
right direction 55 on the surface 390A of the prism 390, propagates in the
prism 390, is
reflected in the upward direction 54 on the surface 390B, and reaches the
reflecting
portion 802. The light reflected on the reflecting portion 802 reaches the
photosensitive
portion in the sensor 103. As described above, the intensity of light received
by the
sensor 103 varies depending on the amount of ink remaining in the retaining
chamber
36, so a decrease in the amount of remaining ink can be detected on the basis
of a
detection signal from the sensor 103. In this variation as well, since the
reflecting
portions 801 and 802 are provided above the IC board, it is possible to
prevent
shavings generated from the IC board from adhering to the reflecting portions
801 and
802.
f0164] A light access portion can be defined as follows. Assuming that
there are a position
A and a position B aligned in the right direction 55 and the left direction
56. When
light, e.g., visible light or infrared light traveling in the right direction
55 or the left
direction 56 is emitted from the position A, the light reaches the positon B
with an
intensity of I. When the light access portion is positioned between the
position A and
the position B and the amount of liquid stored in the chamber 36 is greater
than or
equal to a predetermined amount, the light emitted from the position A and
traveling in
the right direction 55 or the left direction 56 reaches one of a right side
surface and a
left side surface of the light access portion. When this occurs, light coming
out of the
other of the right side surface and the left side surface of the light access
portion
reaches the position B with an intensity which is less than a half of I, e.g.,
with an
intensity of zero. On the other hand, when the light access portion is
positioned
between the position A and the position B and the amount of liquid stored in
the
chamber 36 is less than the predetermined amount, the light emitted from the
position
A and traveling in the right direction 55 or the left direction 56 reaches one
of the right
side surface and the left side surface of the light access portion. When this
occurs, light
coming out of the other of the right side surface and the left side surface of
the light
access portion reaches the position B with an intensity which is greater than
or equal to
a half of I.
[0165] For example, the light emitting portion of the sensor 103 is placed
at the position A,
and the light receiving portion (photosensitive portion) of the sensor 103 is
placed at
the position B. When the light receiving portion of the sensor 103 is
comprised of a
phototransistor for instance, the collector current value of the
phototransistor is C when
the phototransistor receives light with the intensity of I. When the light
access portion
CA 02990342 2017-12-20
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is positioned between the position A and the position B and the amount of
liquid stored
in the chamber 36 is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount, the
light
emitted from the position A and traveling in the right direction 55 or the
left direction
56 reaches one of the right side surface and the left side surface of the
light access
portion. When this occurs, light coming out of the other of the right side
surface and
the left side surface of the light access portion reaches the position B with
the intensity
which is less than a half of I, which causes the collector current value of
the photo-
transistor to become less than a half of C, e.g., become zero. On the other
hand, when
the light access portion is positioned between the position A and the position
B and the
amount of liquid stored in the chamber 36 is less than the predetermined
amount, the
light emitted from the position A and traveling in the right direction 55 or
the left
direction 56 reaches one of the right side surface and the left side surface
of the light
access portion. When this occurs, light coming out of the other of the right
side surface
and the left side surface of the light access portion reaches the position B
with an
intensity which is greater than or equal to a half of I, which causes the
collector current
value of the phototransistor to become greater than or equal to a half of C.
In the em-
bodiment described above, the side surface 66 corresponds to the right side
surface of
the light access portion, and the side surface 67 corresponds to the left side
surface of
the light access portion.
[0166] The maximum dimension of the light access portion in the right
direction 55 and the
left direction 56 (in the embodiment described above, the maximum distance
between
the side surface 66 and the side surface 67 in the right direction 55 and the
left
direction 56) is less than the maximum dimension of the ink cartridge 30 (in
the em-
bodiment described above, the maximum distance between the side surface 143 or
37
and the side surface 144 or 38 in the right direction 55 and the left
direction 56). With
this configuration, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion
(photosensitive portion) of the sensor 103 can be placed close to each other,
and
therefore the accuracy of the detection of the amount of liquid becomes
higher.
[0167] The light access portion intersects the light traveling in the right
direction 55 or the
left direction 56 while the electrode 65 is accessed in the downward direction
53 which
is perpendicular to the right direction 55 and the left direction 56.
Therefore, if the
electrode 65 is accessed by the contact 106 in the downward direction 53 and
the ink
cartridge 30 should changes its orientation, the ink cartridge 30 changes its
orientation
in the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54, but not in the right
direction
55 and the left direction 56. Therefore, when the electrode 65 is accessed, an
angle at
which the light intersects the light access portion does not change. If the
angle at which
the light intersects the light access portion changed, such a change would
affect the
detection of the amount of liquid. Nevertheless, because the direction in
which the
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light travels is perpendicular to the direction in which the electrode 65 is
accessed, the
angle at which the light intersects the light access portion does not change,
and
influence on the detection of the amount of liquid is reduced.
[0168] Although the slider 107 and extension spring 114 have been disposed
in the cartridge
attaching unit 110 in the embodiment described above, this arrangement is
optional.
For example, the cartridge attaching unit 110 may lack the slider 107 and
extension
spring 114, and only the coiled spring 78 in the ink supply portion 34 may be
used to
bias the ink cartridge 30 inserted into the cartridge attaching unit 110 in
the removal
direction 52.
[0169] Although the IC board 64 and locking surface 151 have been disposed
on different
covers, front cover 32 and rear cover 31, in the embodiment described above,
the IC
board 64 and locking surface 151 may be disposed on the same cover member.
[0170] Although the rear surface 82 of the intervening wall 80 has Y-shaped
portion and the
Y-shaped rear surface 82 covers a front part of the light access portion 62,
in other em-
bodiment, the rear surface 82 of the intervening wall may have 1-shaped
portion, not
Y-shaped portion. In other words, the dimension of the intervening wall 80 in
the left
direction and the right direction may be smaller than the distance of the side
surface 66
and 67 of the light access portion.
[0171] Although ink has been described as an example of a liquid in the
embodiment
described above, a preprocessing liquid expelled to a recoding sheet during
printing
before ink is expelled, for example, may be retained in the liquid cartridge.
Alter-
natively, water used to clean the recording head 21 may be retained in the
liquid
cartridge.
