CN100551706C - Ink cartridges and sets of ink cartridges - Google Patents

Abstract

A kind of print cartridge comprises: cartridge body forms black chamber in this cartridge body; Light transmission part, this light transmission part are arranged on the described cartridge body, and wherein said light transmission part has the inner space that is formed on wherein, and described inner space and described black chamber connection; Movable link, this movable link is arranged in the described black chamber, and comprise first shading light part, and wherein said first shading light part is arranged in the inner space of described light transmission part, and described movable link can move in response to the variation of the China ink amount in described black chamber; And second shading light part, wherein said first shading light part and described second shading light part are along the installation direction alignment of described print cartridge.

Description

Ink cartridges and sets of ink cartridges

Instructions for Divisional Application

This application is a divisional application of a Chinese invention patent application with an application date of March 3, 2005, an application number of 200510051797.9, and an invention title of "ink cartridge and inkjet printer".

technical field

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge containing ink and an inkjet printer using the same.

Background technique

There is known an inkjet printer on which an ink cartridge containing ink is mounted, including a remaining ink amount detection sensor for detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge. For example, FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent No. 2960614 discloses one such sensor using an optical sensor including a light emitter emitting light and a light receiver receiving light emitted from the light emitter and passing through a transparent ink cartridge.

In an inkjet printer including an optical sensor for detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge, the optical sensor may erroneously detect that the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge is low even when the ink cartridge has not been installed in the inkjet printer. When an ink cartridge containing a small amount of ink is removed from the printer, the remaining ink amount detection sensor cannot detect that the ink cartridge has been removed from the ink jet printer. Since the inkjet printer cannot determine whether the ink cartridge is installed on the printer, various misoperations of the printer, such as inkjet, may occur. In order to solve this problem, in addition to the remaining ink amount detecting sensor, a sensor for detecting whether the ink cartridge is mounted on the inkjet printer may be provided, which increases the cost.

Contents of the invention

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge and an ink jet printer, wherein a detector can be used to detect the amount of remaining ink in the ink cartridge and whether the ink cartridge is mounted on the ink jet printer.

The ink cartridge may include a first detection portion positioned on the ink cartridge so that a detector of the image forming apparatus can detect the first detection portion when the ink cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus, and a second detection portion positioned on the ink cartridge such that when the ink cartridge is mounted The detector is capable of detecting the second detection portion when installed in or removed from the imaging device. The second detecting portion may be positioned at a position facing a surface of the ink cartridge that is first inserted into the image forming apparatus during installation of the ink cartridge into the image forming apparatus, away from the first detecting portion.

When the installation of the ink cartridge is completed, the detector can detect the first detecting portion, thereby detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge. During installation or removal of the ink cartridge, the detector can detect the second detecting portion, thereby detecting whether the ink cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge and whether the ink cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus with a single detector. Since the second detecting portion may be positioned at a position separated from the first detecting portion toward a surface where the ink cartridge is first inserted into the image forming apparatus, the detector cannot detect the second detecting portion after installation is completed.

The first detecting portion and the second detecting portion may be formed of a material capable of blocking light emitted from the light emitting portion of the detector from reaching the light receiving portion of the detector. It is therefore possible to use a non-contact type detector to detect the amount of remaining ink (which changes with time due to consumption) and to determine whether the ink cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus.

The ink cartridge may include an ink cartridge body capable of containing ink. The ink cartridge body may be at least partially formed of a light-transmitting material. The first detecting portion may be a light-shielding plate formed of a substantially light-impermeable material. The light-shielding plate can be movably arranged in the ink cartridge body so as to change its position as the amount of ink in the ink cartridge body changes. Since the first detection part may be a light shielding plate that allows light to pass through, and it is placed in the ink cartridge body so that it moves with the change in the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge body, it is possible to detect the change over time due to ink consumption. remaining ink level. Since the second detecting portion can be positioned at a position separated from the first detecting portion along the ink cartridge in the direction in which the ink cartridge is installed, it is detected only when the ink cartridge is installed in or removed from the image forming apparatus in a predetermined direction. The detector can detect the second detection part. After the installation is finished, the detector can only detect the first detection part. Therefore, the operation of installing and removing the ink cartridge can be simplified by avoiding the complicated operation of detecting the second detecting portion with the detector. Since the operation of installing or removing the ink cartridge becomes simple, it is possible to prevent the exposed second detection portion, which may be weaker than the rest of the ink cartridge, from breaking due to contact with the ink cartridge installation portion during installation.

The ink cartridge may further include an ink cartridge body capable of containing ink, and a cap covering an end of the ink cartridge body that is first inserted into the image forming apparatus during installation of the ink cartridge into the image forming apparatus. The second detection portion may be a protruding portion protruding outward from a side surface of the cap. The protruding portion may be substantially opaque to light. In this structure, the second detection portion can be formed as a protruding portion with a relatively simple structure.

In a set of ink cartridges comprising first and second ink cartridges, the first maximum ink capacity of the first ink cartridge may be different from the second maximum ink capacity of the second ink cartridge. The shape of the protruding portion of the first ink cartridge may be different from the shape of the protruding portion of the second ink cartridge. An imaging device might be able to hold two or more ink cartridges. In such embodiments, the maximum ink capacity of the first ink cartridge may be greater than the maximum ink capacity of the second ink cartridge. The first ink cartridge and the second ink cartridge may include differently shaped protrusions (eg, second protrusions). Thus, the sensor may detect the protrusion on the first ink cartridge in a different manner than the protrusion on the second ink cartridge. This allows the protrusion to be used to determine the maximum ink capacity of the installed ink cartridge. In addition, according to the detected maximum ink capacity of the ink cartridge, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge can be output to peripheral devices such as a personal computer.

The ink cartridge may include a cartridge body and a cap as separate components. Thus, when the cartridge body and cap are separate components, the cap may be provided in a different shape determined by the specifications of a particular image forming apparatus.

The ink cartridge may further include a cover covering at least a portion of the protruding portion. This prevents the protruding portion from being damaged when the ink cartridge is installed in or removed from the image forming apparatus.

In various exemplary embodiments, the image forming apparatus may include: an ink cartridge installation portion, which can install the ink cartridge; a detector, when the ink cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus, the detector can detect the first detecting portion, and when the ink cartridge is installed During the process of entering or removing the ink cartridge from the image forming apparatus, the detector can detect the second detecting portion; and a control device, which calculates the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the detection of the first detecting portion by the detector, Whether or not the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge installing portion is determined based on whether or not the detector detects the second detecting portion.

The control means may calculate the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the detection of the first detection portion by the detector. The control means may also determine whether the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion based on whether the detector detects the second detecting portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a detector for detecting whether the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge mounting portion and a detector for detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge. Such a structure can reduce production costs.

The ink cartridge may further include: an ink container capable of containing ink; an ink supply passage through which the ink in the ink container can be selectively supplied to a position outside the ink container, when the ink cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus, the supply The ink channel can cooperate with the connecting pipe so that ink is provided to the printing head in the image forming device; a first protrusion, which is located on the outer wall of the ink cartridge, and the first protrusion provides ink to the ink container along the outer wall extending in the direction of the external position; and a second protruding portion, which is provided on the outer wall of the ink cartridge, the second protruding portion extends along the outer wall in the direction of providing ink to the external position of the ink container, and uses substantially no Light-transmitting material is formed. The first detecting portion may be movably provided in the first protruding portion. The second detecting portion may include a second protruding portion. At least a portion of the first protruding portion may be positioned on the ink cartridge such that it is interposed between a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion of a through-beam sensor provided in the image forming apparatus when the ink cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus. At least a portion of the second projecting portion may be positioned on the ink cartridge so that it passes between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion when the ink cartridge is installed and removed from the image forming apparatus.

An inkjet printer may include: a print head capable of ejecting ink onto a recording medium; and an ink cartridge mounting portion capable of mounting an ink cartridge; a through-beam sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion; Provides the connection tube for the print head. The ink cartridge installation part may be configured so that: in the process of installing the ink cartridge in the inkjet printer, the second protruding part passes between the light emitting part and the light receiving part before the first protruding part; When in the ink printer, at least a part of the first protruding part is placed between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, and at least a part of the connecting pipe is matched with the ink supply channel; and in the process of removing the ink cartridge from the ink jet printer , after the first protruding part is removed from a position between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, the second protruding part passes between the light emitting part and the light receiving part.

When the installation process of the ink cartridge is completed, the through-beam sensor can use the first protruding portion to detect the amount of remaining ink in the ink cartridge. When the ink cartridge is attached to or removed from the image forming apparatus or the inkjet printer, the throughbeam sensor can detect that the second protruding portion passes the throughbeam sensor. Therefore, whether or not the ink cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus or the ink jet printer and the amount of remaining ink in the ink cartridge can be detected with one through-beam sensor.

The first detecting part may be formed of a material that is substantially opaque to light and moves inside the first protruding part according to the amount of ink in the ink tank. With this structure, the amount of ink remaining in the ink container of the ink cartridge can be reliably detected using the through-beam sensor.

The ink cartridge may include a second outer wall positioned parallel to the outer wall. The first protrusion may be formed only on the outer wall. Such a structure can make the ink cartridge have an asymmetrical shape, preventing the ink cartridge from being incorrectly installed in the imaging device.

The ink cartridge may further include a first rib and a second rib positioned on the outer wall such that the first protrusion is interposed between the first rib and the second rib. The ribs may function as guides when installing the ink cartridge on the image forming device. This again prevents incorrect installation of the ink cartridge into the imaging device.

The first width of the first protruding portion and the second width of the second protruding portion may be smaller than a distance between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. With this structure, the installation and removal of the ink cartridge can be easily realized.

A width of the second protruding portion may be smaller than a width of the first protruding portion. The second projecting portion may be a substantially light-tight sheet member. A first length of the first protruding portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction of supplying ink to a position outside the ink tank may be greater than a first length of the second protruding portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction of supplying ink to a position outside the ink tank. Two lengths. With this structure, the second protrusion can easily pass through the through-beam sensor. This makes it easy to perform installation and removal of ink cartridges.

The ink supply channel can be provided with a valve element, and when the ink supply channel is fitted with the connecting pipe, the valve element opens the ink supply channel. With this structure, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking out of the ink supply path when the ink cartridge is used.

Description of drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements, in which:

Fig. 1 schematically shows an overview of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2A is a plan view of the ink cartridge;

Figure 2B is a left side view of the ink cartridge;

Figure 2C is a bottom view of the ink cartridge;

Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the ink cartridge;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge along line IV-IV in Figure 2B;

Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the ink supply valve, showing the ink supply valve is in a closed state;

Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the ink supply valve, showing the ink supply valve in an open state;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the ink supply valve shown in Figures 5A and 5B;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge along line VII-VII in Figure 4;

Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the process of detecting whether the ink cartridge is installed on the inkjet printer;

Figure 9A is a left side view of the large ink cartridge;

Figure 9B is a bottom perspective view of the large ink cartridge;

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the process of detecting whether an ink cartridge is mounted on an inkjet printer; and

Figure 11 is a bottom perspective view of an improved ink cartridge according to the present invention.

Detailed ways

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. The color inkjet printer 1 according to this embodiment is capable of ejecting inks of four colors. As shown in FIG. 1 , a color inkjet printer 1 includes a print head 2 , four ink cartridges 3 , four holders 4 , a carriage 5 , a transport mechanism 6 , a cleaning device 7 and a control device 8 . The print head 2 has nozzles 2 a that eject ink of four colors, cyan (C), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and black (K), onto the paper P. As shown in FIG. Each of the four ink cartridges 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) contains one of four color inks. Each of the four holders 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) serving as an ink cartridge holder has a respective ink cartridge 3 mounted thereon. The ink cartridges 3 are respectively mounted on the holders 4 along a vertical direction parallel to the direction from top to bottom in FIG. 1 . The carriage 5 linearly reciprocates the print head 2 along the guide rail 9 in a direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1 . The transport mechanism 6 transports the paper P in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the print head 2 and in a direction parallel to the ink ejection surface. The cleaning device 7 sucks air or highly viscous ink from the print head 2 . The control device 8 performs overall control of the inkjet printer 1 .

In the inkjet printer 1 , when the carriage 5 reciprocates the print head 2 in a direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1 , the conveyance mechanism 6 conveys the paper P in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 . As the print head 2 moves, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 3 mounted on the holder 4 to the nozzles 2 a of the print head 2 through the supply tube 10 . Ink is ejected onto the paper P from the nozzles 2 a, whereby printing is performed on the paper P. As shown in FIG.

The cleaning device 7 includes a cleaning cap 11 capable of approaching and away from the ink ejection surface of the print head 2 so as to cover or expose the ink ejection surface, and also includes a suction pump 59 for sucking ink from the nozzles 2a. When the print head 2 is located outside the printing area where the print head 2 can perform printing on the paper P, the cleaning device 7 can suck the air contained in the print head 2 from the print head 2 or the viscosity due to water evaporation is high of ink.

Four holders 4 (4a-4d) are arranged in a row. Ink cartridges 3a-3d containing cyan, yellow, magenta and black inks are respectively mounted on the four holders 4a-4d.

The ink supply pipe 12 and the air guide pipe 13 are located at the bottom of the holder 4 corresponding to the ink supply valve 21 and the air guide valve 22 of the ink cartridge 3 . The holder 4 is provided with an optical sensor 14 (through-beam sensor) that detects the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 3 . The sensor 14 has a light-emitting portion 14a and a light-receiving portion 14b which are arranged substantially at the same height so that a part of the ink cartridge 3 is interposed therebetween. In order to determine the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 3, the sensor 14 detects whether or not the light-shielding mechanism 23 provided in the ink cartridge 3 blocks the light emitted from the light-emitting portion 14a. The detection result is output to the control device 8 .

The ink cartridge 3 will be described in detail below. The ink cartridges 3a-3d have basically the same structure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the ink cartridge 3 includes an ink cartridge body 20 containing ink therein, an ink supply valve 21 that opens or closes an ink supply channel for supplying ink from the ink cartridge body 20 to the print head 2, and opens or closes the introduction of air into the ink cartridge body. The air guide valve 22 of the air guide passage of 20, the light shielding mechanism 23 that blocks the light emitted from the light emitting portion 14a of the sensor 14 for detecting the remaining ink amount in the ink cartridge 3, and the cap 24 covering the lower part of the ink cartridge 3.

The ink cartridge body 20 is formed of a translucent synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 4 , the ink cartridge body 20 is integrally formed with a partition wall 30 extending substantially in the horizontal direction. The partition wall 30 divides the inside of the ink cartridge body 20 into an ink chamber (ink container) 31 provided at the upper portion of the partition wall 30 and valve chambers 32 , 33 provided at the lower portion of the partition wall 30 . The ink chamber 31 is filled with ink of one color. The valve chambers 32, 33 accommodate the ink supply valve 21 and the air guide valve 22, respectively. An ink supply passage is formed in the valve chamber 32 to guide the ink in the ink chamber 31 to the outside of the ink cartridge 3 . In the ink supply channel, ink flows downward from the ink chamber 31 as shown in FIG. 5B . As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C , a projecting portion 34 protruding slightly outward and extending downward is formed on one side wall of the ink cartridge 3 at approximately the central portion with respect to the height direction of the ink cartridge 3 . The light shielding plate 60 of the light shielding mechanism 23 is placed in the inner space of the protruding portion 34 . After the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, as shown in FIG. 7, the protruding portion 34 is located between the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b. The width of the protruding portion 34 is smaller than the distance between the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b, thereby providing a predetermined distance between the protruding portion 34 and the light emitting portion 14a/light receiving portion 14b. On the edge of the side wall of the ink cartridge 3 where the projecting portion 34 is formed, a pair of ribs 55 are provided with respect to the horizontal direction, extending parallel to the projecting portion 34 so that the projecting portion 34 is placed between the pair of ribs 55 . A tapered portion is formed on the rib 55 which guides the side wall of the holder 4 opposed thereto when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 . On the upper portion of the ink cartridge body 20, a cap member 35 is welded. The cap member 35 closes the ink chamber 31 in the ink cartridge body 20 .

An ink filling hole 36 for filling ink into the empty ink chamber 31 of the ink cartridge 3 is provided between the valve chambers 32,33. A plug 37 formed of synthetic rubber is fitted into the ink filling hole 36 . In FIG. 4 , the upper end of the ink filling hole 36 communicates with the ink chamber 31 in the ink cartridge body 20 . Ink is filled into the ink chamber 31 by inserting an ink filling needle (not shown) into the plug 37 in the ink filling hole 36 .

A downwardly extending cylindrical portion 38 is integrally formed with the partition wall 30 at the top of the valve chamber 32 accommodating the ink supply valve 21 . At the lower end of the cylindrical portion 38 is placed a film portion 39 which blocks the communication passage formed in the cylindrical portion 38 . The upwardly and downwardly extending cylindrical portions 40 , 41 are integrally formed with the partition wall 30 at the top of the valve chamber 33 accommodating the air guide valve 22 . At the lower end of the lower cylindrical portion 41 is placed a thin film portion 42 which obstructs the communication passages formed in the cylindrical portions 40,41. On top of the cylindrical portion 40 is placed a cylindrical member 43 which extends to the upper end of the ink chamber 31 .

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5A, and 5B, the ink supply valve 21 includes a valve housing 45 formed of, for example, synthetic rubber into a substantially cylindrical shape and having elasticity, and a valve body 46 formed of synthetic resin or the like. And housed in the valve housing 45 . From the upper side of FIGS. 5A and 5B (from the side of the ink chamber 31 ), the pressing portion 47 , the valve seat 48 and the engagement portion 49 , which are integrally formed with the valve housing 45 , are placed in this order.

The lower end of the valve body 46 contacts the upper surface of the valve seat 48 (the end closer to the ink chamber 31 ). The valve seat 48 is formed with a through hole 48 a extending in the vertical direction at the shaft portion of the valve seat 48 . A guide hole 49a is formed in the engaging portion 49, which communicates with the through hole 48a and extends downward. The guide hole 49a widens toward the lower side in FIGS. 5A and 5B such that the diameter of the lower side of the guide hole 49a is larger than the upper side diameter thereof. An annular groove 49b is formed to surround the guide hole 49a. The walls defining the guide hole 49a are easily elastically deformed in the direction in which the diameter of the guide hole 49a widens. Therefore, when the ink supply tube 12 is inserted into the guide hole 49a, the ink supply tube 12 and the guide hole 49a can be brought into close contact with each other, so that ink leakage can be avoided. Even when the ink supply tube 12 is inserted incorrectly or at an angle into the guide hole 49a, the walls defining the guide hole 49a can deform in the direction in which the diameter of the guide hole 49a widens, thereby allowing the ink supply tube 12 to fit into the guide hole 49a. .

The pressing portion 47 includes a substantially cylindrical side wall 47a extending from the outer surface of the valve seat 48 toward the ink chamber 31, and an extension portion 47b integrally formed with the side wall 47a so as to extend from the upper end of the side wall 47a. The pressing portion 47 extends radially inward. The bottom surface of the extension portion 47b is in contact with the valve body 46 . The valve body 46 is pushed down by the elasticity of the side wall 47a and the extension portion 47b. An opening 47c is formed on the inner side of the extension portion 47b, which allows the integrally formed side wall 47a and the extension portion 47b to be easily elastically deformed.

5A, 5B and 6, the valve body 46 includes a bottom 50 in contact with the valve seat 48, a substantially cylindrical valve body sidewall 51 extending from the periphery of the bottom 50 to the ink chamber 31, and a substantially cylindrical valve body side wall 51 extending from the bottom 50 to the ink chamber 31. The film piercing portion 52 protruding higher than the side wall 51 of the valve body toward the ink chamber 31 from the substantially central portion thereof.

On the lower side of the bottom 50 facing the valve seat 48, an annular projecting portion 50a projecting toward the valve seat 48 is formed. The pressing portion 47 pushes the valve body 46 toward the valve seat 48 . As shown in FIG. 5A , the valve body 46 closes the through hole 48 a of the valve seat 48 by the tight contact of the annular protruding portion 50 a with the upper surface of the valve seat 48 . Therefore, the ink supply channel is closed. A plurality of communication passages 53 are formed on a portion of the bottom 50 outside the annular projection 50a and inside the valve body side wall 51 at positions that equally divide the periphery of the bottom 50 . For example, in the present embodiment, eight communication passages 53 are formed on the bottom 50 .

As shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6, the membrane piercing portion 52 includes four plate members 52a-52d which are put together in a substantially cross shape in plan view. The membrane piercing portion 52 is located at a substantially central portion of the bottom portion 50 . A groove 54 extending in the vertical direction is provided between adjacent plate members 52a-52d. The membrane piercing portion 52 protrudes upward through the opening 47c formed on the inner side of the extension portion 47b. As shown in FIG. 4 , the tip of the membrane piercing portion 52 is located slightly lower than the membrane portion 39 .

As shown in FIG. 5B, when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, the ink supply tube 12 provided on the holder 4 is inserted into the guide hole 49a, so that the tip of the ink supply tube 12 resists the pushing force of the pushing portion 47. Valve body 46 is raised. Accordingly, the valve body 46 moves upward while deforming the pressing portion 47 so that the annular projecting portion 50 a of the valve body 46 is separated from the valve seat 48 . At this time, the membrane piercing portion 52 of the valve body 46 moving upward pierces the membrane portion 39 with its tip. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5B , the ink in the ink chamber 31 flows into the valve chamber 32 through the communication passage formed in the cylindrical portion 38 . The ink then flows into the communication channel 53 of the valve body 46 and flows to the print head 2 through the ink supply tube 12 . At this time, the valve chamber 32 functions as an ink supply channel and downward ink flow from the ink chamber 31 occurs in the valve chamber 32 .

The air guide valve 22 includes a valve housing 45 and a valve body 46 accommodated in the valve housing 45 . The air guide valve 22 has basically the same structure as the ink supply valve 21 . That is, the valve body 46 pushed down by the pushing portion 47 is in close contact with the valve seat 48 of the valve casing 45, so that the valve body 46 closes the through hole 48a. When the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 , the air guide tube 13 is inserted into the guide hole 49 a formed in the valve housing 45 . Similar to the ink supply valve 21 , the valve body 46 of the air guide valve 22 moves upward, and the film piercing portion 52 pierces the thin film portion 42 of the cylindrical portion 41 . Air thus flows from the air guide pipe 13 into the valve chamber 33 through the communication channel 53 of the valve body 46 . Air is introduced into the upper portion of the ink chamber 31 through the inner passages of the cylindrical parts 40 , 41 and the cylindrical member 43 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the light shielding mechanism 23 is placed under the ink chamber 31 . The shading mechanism 23 includes a light-tight type shading plate 60, and light cannot pass through the shading plate 60, and also includes a hollow float 61, a connecting piece 62 connecting the shading plate 60 and the float 61, and is placed on the upper surface of the partition wall 30 and can The support 63 rotatably supports the link 62 . The connecting piece 62 is provided with a visor 60 at one end thereof and a float 61 at the other end thereof. The link 62 is placed so that it rotates about a pivot point provided on the support 63 in a vertical plane parallel to the paper of FIG. 4 .

The light shielding plate 60 is a thin plate member having a predetermined area, and it is placed in a vertical surface parallel to the paper of FIG. 4 . When the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b of the sensor 14 provided on the holder 4 are at substantially the same height as the protruding portion 34 formed on the side wall of the ink cartridge body 20. When the light shielding plate 60 is located in the inner space of the protruding portion 34 , the light shielding plate 60 blocks light emitted from the light emitting portion 14 a and passing through the wall of the transparent ink cartridge body 20 and the ink in the ink chamber 31 . The float 61 is roughly cylindrical and filled with air. The specific gravity of the entire float 61 is smaller than that of the ink in the ink chamber 31 .

In the ink chamber 31, the amount of ink remaining in the ink chamber 31 is relatively large and the float 61 provided at one end of the connecting member 62 is completely in the ink, because the float 61 floats due to buoyancy, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The light shielding plate 60 at the other end of the member 62 is located in the protruding portion 34 at a position to block the light emitted from the light emitting portion 14a.

In a state where the amount of ink remaining in the ink chamber 31 is reduced and a part of the float 61 is exposed from the level of the ink in the ink chamber 31, the float 61 moves downward because the buoyancy force applied to the float 61 becomes smaller. Therefore, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, the light shielding plate 60 moves to a position above the protruding portion 34 where the light shielding plate 60 does not block the direct light from the light emitting portion 14a. Therefore, the direct light from the light-emitting portion 14a passes through the protruding portion 34 having light-transmittance in a substantially straight optical path, and is received by the light-receiving portion 14b. The sensor 14 detects that the amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31 is less like this.

Unlike the cartridge body 20, the cap 24 is formed of a material that does not have translucency. As shown in FIGS. 2A to 4, the cap 24 is fixed to the cartridge body 20 while covering the lower portion of the cartridge body 20 using, for example, ultrasonic welding. A circular protrusion 65 is formed at the bottom of the cap 24 at a position corresponding to the ink supply valve 21 and the air guide valve 22 . When the ink cartridge 3 is placed on, for example, a table, ink sticking near the port or guide hole 49a of the ink supply valve 21 or the air guide valve 22 is less likely to stick to the table due to the circular protrusion 65.

The cap 24 has a rib-like protrusion 66 formed on one side wall of the cap 24 on the same side as the protrusion 34 formed on the cartridge body 20 . The protruding portion 66 extends vertically in the direction in which the ink flows out. 2B and 4, the protruding portion 66 and the light shielding plate 60 placed in the inner space of the protruding portion 34 of the ink cartridge body 20 are aligned vertically (in the direction in which the ink flows out or the ink cartridge 3 is mounted to the holder 4). direction) are placed at a predetermined distance from each other, with the protruding portion 66 at a position lower than the visor 60 . In other words, the protruding portion 66 is placed on the front side toward the ink cartridge mounting direction (towards a surface of the ink cartridge 3 that is first inserted into the ink cartridge holder 4 in the process of mounting the ink cartridge 3 to the ink cartridge holder 4) and the light shielding plate. 60 separate positions. When the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, the protruding portion 66 is placed at a lower position than the light-emitting portion 14a and the light-receiving portion 14b of the sensor 14. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, in a top view of the ink cartridge 3, the protruding portion 66 is placed at a position between the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b. The width of the protrusion 66 is smaller than the width of the protrusion 34 . The protruding distance of the protruding portion 66 is shorter than that of the protruding portion 34 .

Only when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 or when the ink cartridge 3 is removed from the holder 4, the protruding portion 66 passes between the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b to block the light emitted by the light emitting portion 14a. Light. The sensor 14 thus detects the protrusion 66 during installation. In a state where the process of mounting the ink cartridge 3 to the holder 4 is completed, the sensor 14 does not detect the protruding portion 66 but detects the light shielding plate 60 placed in the protruding portion 34 . More specifically, when the ink cartridge 3 is installed or removed from the holder 4, the sensor 14 detects the protruding portion 66. The control device 8 thus determines whether the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 or not. The sensor 14 detects the protruding portion 66 only when the ink cartridge 3 is installed or removed in one direction. Therefore, a complicated operation for the sensor 14 to detect the protruding portion 66 is unnecessary. In addition, when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, it is also possible to prevent the exposed protruding portion 66 having a low strength from breaking due to contact with the holder 4, for example.

The cap 24 is a separate component from the cartridge body 20 . Therefore, the shape of the cap 24 of the ink cartridge 3 may vary according to different specifications of the inkjet printer 1 . For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , a rib 67 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the cap 24 of the ink cartridge 3 at each end side in the width direction with respect to the protruding portion 66 . Due to the rib 67 , a groove (not shown) cooperating with the rib 67 is formed on the holder 4 . The ink cartridge 3 having the rib 67 on the cap 24 is installed only on the ink-jet printer 1 that is compatible with such a cap 24 . By varying the shape, number and position of the ribs 67, many different combinations between the cartridge body 20 and the cap 24 can be realized. Therefore, the ink cartridge 3 having a special specification can be mounted on the inkjet printer 1 whose specification matches that of the ink cartridge 3 .

The control device 8 is described below. The control device 8 controls various operations of the inkjet printer 1 such as ejecting ink from the nozzles 2 a of the print head 2 , feeding paper to the print head 2 , and discharging paper after printing with the print head 2 is completed. Control device 8 comprises central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) and other non-volatile memories, input/output interfaces and buses, Among them, the ROM stores the programs executed by the CPU and the data used in the programs, and the RAM temporarily stores the data when the programs are executed. As shown in Figure 1, the control device 8 controls the units or devices of the inkjet printer 1 according to various signals input from the peripherals of the personal computer (PC) 82, such as the print head 2, the motor of the conveying mechanism 6 that drives the carriage 5 , and the suction pump 59 of the cleaning device 7, etc.

The control device 8 functions as an ink cartridge detector 80, which detects whether the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 according to the signal output from the sensor 14, and also functions as a remaining ink quantity calculator 81, that is, calculates the amount of ink in the ink chamber 31. The amount of ink remaining.

The operation of the cartridge sensor 80 and the remaining ink quantity calculator 81 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 .

In the state where the inkjet printer 1 is turned on, if the sensor 14 does not detect the protruding portion 66 provided on the cap 24 (S10: NO), the flow advances to S14 where the remaining ink amount calculation process is performed. If the sensor 14 detects the protrusion 66 (S10: YES), the flow proceeds to S11, where it is judged whether the ink cartridge 3 has been mounted on the holder 4 before the sensor 14 detects the protrusion 66 in step S10. If the ink cartridge 3 has been installed on the holder 4 before the sensor 14 detects the protruding portion 66 (S11: YES), then at S12 it is judged that the ink cartridge 3 has been removed from the holder 4 and such information is stored in the control device 8. Since there is no need to calculate the remaining ink volume, the flow returns to the beginning.

If the ink cartridge 3 is not installed on the holder 4 before the sensor 14 detects the protruding portion 66 (S11: NO), then in step S13 it is judged that the ink cartridge 3 is installed on the holder 4, and such information is stored in the control device 8. The flow then advances to S14 to execute the remaining ink quantity calculation process.

In the remaining ink quantity calculation process S14, when the remaining ink quantity in the ink chamber 31 is sufficient and the sensor 14 detects the light shielding plate 60 of the light shielding mechanism 23, the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 according to the maximum ink capacity of the ink cartridge 3 and The amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31 is estimated based on the number of ink droplets ejected in total. When the amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31 was less and the sensor 14 did not detect the shading plate 60 of the shading mechanism 23, the remaining ink amount at the moment when the sensor 14 could not detect the shading plate 60 and the sensor 14 could not detect the light shading. The total number of ink droplets ejected from the plate 60 is used to more accurately calculate the amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31. The information on the remaining ink quantity calculated in step S14 is sent to the PC 82 in step S15 and the flow returns to START.

Information on whether or not the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 and the total number of ejected ink droplets is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as EEPROM so that the information is retained after the inkjet printer 1 is turned off.

In the above-described embodiment, the states of whether or not the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 and the amount of ink remaining in the ink chamber 31 can be detected using one sensor 14 . The sensor 14 detects the moving position of the light shielding plate 60 according to the amount of ink remaining in the ink chamber 31 . The remaining ink volume in the ink chamber 31 can be accurately calculated according to the remaining ink volume detected at the moment when the sensor 14 fails to detect the light shielding plate 60 .

The protruding portion 34 is formed on only one side wall of the ink cartridge 3, which makes the ink cartridge 3 asymmetrical. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge 3 from being incorrectly mounted on the holder 4 .

The rib 55 functions as a guide for guiding the opposite side walls of the holder 4 when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 . Therefore, it is possible to correctly mount the ink cartridge 3 on the holder 4 .

A predetermined distance is maintained between the protruding portion 34 and the light-emitting portion 14a/light-receiving portion 14b, so that the ink cartridge 3 can be easily attached to or removed from the holder 4.

The width of the protrusion 66 is smaller than the width of the protrusion 34 . The protruding distance of the protruding portion 66 is shorter than that of the protruding portion 34 . Therefore, the ink cartridge 3 can be easily attached to or removed from the holder 4 .

The ink cartridge 3 is provided with the ink supply valve 21 that opens when the ink supply tube 12 is inserted into the ink cartridge 3, so that ink can be prevented from leaking out of the ink supply tube 12 when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, when the connecting member 62 moves as the amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31 changes, the light shielding plate 60 moves accordingly. However, it is also possible to move the shutter 60 by directly attaching the shutter 60 to a float floating on the ink.

The protruding portion 34 is formed on one side wall of the ink cartridge 3 . However, another protrusion having substantially the same shape as the protrusion 34 may be formed on the opposite side wall of the ink cartridge 3 . In this case, it is preferable that the ink cartridge 3 is correctly mounted on the holder 4 regardless of whether the ink cartridge 3 faces in the opposite direction.

The rib 55 which functions as a guide can be eliminated.

When the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, a predetermined distance is maintained between the protruding portion 34 and the light emitting portion 14a/light receiving portion 14b. However, the protruding portion 34 may be placed so as to be in close contact with the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b.

The width of the protrusion 66 is smaller than the width of the protrusion 34 . The protruding distance of the protruding portion 66 is shorter than that of the protruding portion 34 . The shape of the protruding portion 66 may be changed as long as the protruding portion 66 can pass between the light emitting portion 14a and the light receiving portion 14b. For example, the overhang 66 may have the same width as the overhang 34 or a wider width than the overhang 34 . The extension 66 may have the same extension distance as the extension 34 or a longer extension than the extension 34 .

In this embodiment, a rib-shaped projecting portion 66 is formed on one side wall of the cap 24 along the extending direction of the projecting portion 34 formed on the ink cartridge body 20 . However, the inkjet printer 1 may use different methods to detect whether the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 without being limited to using the protruding portion 66 . For example, on the ink cartridge body 20 or the cap 24, a light shield formed by a thin plate can be provided along the extending direction of the protruding portion 34, so that when the ink cartridge 3 is installed on the holder 4, the sensor 14 can detect the protruding portion 34 before This shutter is detected, which is also detected by the sensor 14 when the ink cartridge 3 is removed from the holder 4 . The material of the shading member can be any light-tight material. The shade can be fixed in the usual way, such as heat welding or gluing.

The ink supply valve 21 is provided in the valve chamber 32 . However, instead of placing the ink supply valve 21 in the valve chamber 32, the valve chamber 32 may be sealed with an elastic member or a sealing member. In this case, when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, the ink supply tube 12 may be inserted into the elastic member or the sealing member.

The second embodiment is described below. Note that like reference numerals are used to designate like elements here. The ink cartridges 3a-3d described in connection with the first embodiment have substantially the same structure and capacity. The second embodiment will be described in conjunction with ink cartridges 3a-3c for color inks and an ink cartridge 3d' for black ink having a larger capacity than the ink cartridges 3a-3c. Since the black ink is used more frequently than the cyan, yellow or magenta inks, a larger ink cartridge 3d' may be required. If the inkjet printer 1 is not used frequently and the large ink cartridge 3d' is always mounted on the holder 4, a large amount of ink in the ink cartridge 3d' will be left unused for a long time, which will result in deterioration of ink quality. Therefore, the ink jet printer 1 according to the second embodiment is constructed so that the holder 4d shown in FIG. and 9B).

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B , the large ink cartridge 3d' includes an ink cartridge body 70 and a cap 71 covering the lower portion of the ink cartridge body 70 . A protruding portion 76 is formed on the cap 71 . The protruding portion 76 has a substantially fork shape with detection portions 76a, 76b aligned in the vertical direction. Neither of the detection portions 76a, 76b has light transmission. When the ink cartridge 3d having a smaller capacity is attached to or removed from the holder 4, the protruding portion 66 blocks the light emitted from the light emitting portion 14a only once. When the large ink cartridge 3d' is attached to or removed from the holder 4, the detection portions 76a, 76b of the protruding portion 76 block the light emitted from the light emitting portion 14a twice. Thus the control means 8 can detect whether the ink cartridge 3d or 3d' is mounted on the holder 4 based on the number of times the light emitted by the light emitting portion 14a is blocked (the number of times the protruding portions 66, 76 are detected).

The operations performed by the ink cartridge detector 80 and the remaining ink amount calculator 81 when the ink cartridges 3d, 3d' are detachably mounted on the holder 4d will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the state where the inkjet printer 1 is turned on, if the sensor 14 does not detect the protruding portions 66, 76 provided on the cap 24 (S110: NO), the flow advances to S116 where the remaining ink amount calculation process is performed. If the sensor 14 detects the protruding portions 66, 76 (S110: YES), the flow proceeds to S111, where it is judged whether the ink cartridges 3d, 3d' have been mounted to the sensor 14 before the protruding portions 66, 76 are detected in step S110. Holder 4. If the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' has been mounted on the holder 4 before the sensor 14 detects the protruding portion 66, 76 (S111: YES), it is judged that the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' has been removed from the holder 4 at S112. , and store such information in the control device 8. Since there is no need to calculate the remaining ink volume, the flow returns to the beginning.

If the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' is not mounted on the holder 4 before the sensor 14 detects the protruding part 66, 76 (S111: NO), and detects the protruding part 66 once (S113: YES), then it is judged at S114 The cartridge 3d is mounted on the holder 4d, and such information is stored in the control unit 8. The flow then advances to S116 to perform the remaining ink quantity calculation process. If the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' is not mounted on the holder 4d before the sensor 14 detects the protruding portion 66, 76 (S111: NO), and the protruding portion 76 is detected twice, that is, the detecting portion 76a, 76b is detected ( S113: NO), then at S115 it is judged that the large ink cartridge 3d' is mounted on the holder 4, and such information is stored in the control device 8. The flow then advances to S116 to perform the remaining ink quantity calculation process.

In the remaining ink quantity calculation process S116, when the remaining ink quantity in the ink chamber 31 is sufficient and the sensor 14 detects the light shielding plate 60 of the light shielding mechanism 23, according to the maximum ink capacity of the ink cartridges 3d, 3d' (the ink cartridges 3d and 3d' The amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31 is estimated based on the number of ink droplets ejected after the ink cartridges 3d, 3d' are mounted on the holder 4. When the amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31 was less and the sensor 14 did not detect the shading plate 60 of the shading mechanism 23, the remaining ink amount at the moment when the sensor 14 could not detect the shading plate 60 and the sensor 14 could not detect the light shading. The total number of ink droplets ejected from the plate 60 is used to more accurately calculate the amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 31. The information on the remaining ink quantity calculated in step S116 is sent to the PC 82 in step S117 and the flow returns to the beginning.

Information on whether the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' is mounted on the holder 4d, if installed, whether the ink cartridge 3d or 3d' is mounted on the holder 4d, and the number of ejected ink droplets is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as EEPROM. in order to keep the information after the inkjet printer 1 is turned off.

The ink cartridge 3 and ink jet printer 1 according to the second embodiment will achieve the following effects.

The light-tight protruding portions 66 , 76 formed on the cap 24 and the light shielding plate 60 placed in the inner space of the protruding portion 34 are arranged along the installation direction of the ink cartridge 3 . The protruding parts 66, 76 are positioned lower than the light shielding plate 60 (the front side of the installation direction of the ink cartridge 3, that is, a surface facing the ink cartridge 3, which is inserted first in the process of installing the ink cartridge 3 into the ink cartridge holder 4). cartridge holder 4). Therefore, only when the ink cartridge 3 is installed on the holder 4 or when it is removed from the holder 4, the sensor 14 for detecting the amount of remaining ink detects the protrusions 66, 76, and the ink cartridge detector 80 can determine whether the ink cartridge 3 is installed or not. To the holder 4, and if so, whether the cartridge 3d or 3d' is installed on the holder 4. Therefore, it is not necessary to be provided separately from the sensor 14 as a detector for detecting whether the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4 and, if so, whether the ink cartridge 3d or 3d' is mounted. This avoids increasing production costs. The sensor 14 detects the protruding portions 66, 76 only when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on or removed from the holder 4 in one orientation. Therefore, a complicated operation for the sensor 14 to detect the protrusions 66, 76 is unnecessary. In addition, when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the holder 4, it is also possible to prevent the exposed protruding portions 66, 76, which are less strong, from breaking due to contact with the holder 4, for example.

The small ink cartridge 3d and the large ink cartridge 3d' containing black ink have protrusions 66, 76, respectively, which are different in shape from each other. The ink cartridge detector 80 can thus determine whether the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' is mounted on the holder 4d using the protruding portions 66, 76 and, if so, whether the ink cartridge 3d or 3d' is installed. The remaining ink quantity calculator 81 accurately calculates the remaining ink quantity in the ink cartridge 3 according to the type of the ink cartridge 3d, 3d' mounted on the holder 4d detected by the ink cartridge detector 80.

A modification according to the second embodiment is described below.

(1) In order to avoid damage to the protrusions 66, 76 when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on or removed from the holder 4, the ink cartridge 3 may have a cover to cover at least a part of the protrusions 66, 76. As shown in FIG. 11, a modified ink cartridge 90 according to the second embodiment includes an ink cartridge body 91 and a cap 92 on which a protruding portion 93 is formed. A substantially rectangular columnar cover 94 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the ink cartridge body 91 . The cover 94 covers the upper part of the protruding part 93 or the upper part of the protruding part 93 is inserted into the cover 94 . Therefore, in the ink cartridge 90 , the cover 94 protects the protruding portion 93 . Therefore, even if the projecting portion 93 comes into contact with the holder 4 when the ink cartridge 90 is mounted on the holder 4, the projecting portion 93 is less likely to be damaged. The protruding portion 93 may be completely covered with a light-transmittable cover. In this way, damage to the protruding portion 93 can be further avoided.

(2) The cartridge body 20, 70, 91 and the cap 24, 71, 92 may be integrally formed. Therefore, the number of parts used for the ink cartridge 3, 90 can be reduced. In addition, an assembly process for connecting the cap 24, 71, 92 to the cartridge body 20, 70, 91 can be eliminated, so that an increase in production cost can be avoided.

(3) The sensor for detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 3, 90 is not limited to the optical sensor 14 that outputs a signal corresponding to whether the direct light emitted by the light emitting portion 14a reaches the light receiving portion 14b, and the light receiving portion 14b is in contact with the light receiving portion 14b. The emitting sections 14a are connected by an almost straight optical path. For example, an optical sensor may be employed that outputs a signal corresponding to whether the light receiving portion receives light emitted from the light emitting portion and reflected on the surface of the object to be detected. In this case, the optical path of light emitted from the light emitting portion almost straight may be temporarily obstructed by a member having a predetermined reflectance. The indirect light reflected from the member, which is related to the reflectance, is incident on the light receiving portion.

For example, the protruding portions 66, 76, 93 for detecting whether the ink cartridge 3, 90 is mounted on the holder 4 may be formed of an opaque material having a predetermined reflectance. An optical sensor may be arranged to be associated with the installation/detachment path of the ink cartridge 3, 90, and the optical sensor outputs a signal according to whether reflected light is received, so that when the ink cartridge 3, 90 is detachably installed on the holder 4, The light receiving portion receives the indirect light emitted from the light emitting portion and reflected on the protruding portions 66, 76, 93 with a predetermined light intensity. In this way, an effect similar to that of the second embodiment can be achieved. Additionally, a portion of the cap 24, 71, 92 may have a predetermined reflectance. In this case, the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the optical sensor may not be placed opposite to each other, and the detection portion may not necessarily have a structure that obstructs an optical path.

Similar to the protruding portions 66, 76, 93 having a predetermined reflectance, the structure of the visor 60 may also have a predetermined reflectance. In addition, the difference between ink and the reflectance of the light-permeable wall of the ink cartridge body 20, 70, 91 may be used to reflect indirect light without using the light shielding plate 60. More specifically, in the case where the ink contacts the wall of the ink cartridge body 20 , 70 , 91 , the light receiving portion can receive indirect light reflected from the interface between the ink and the wall of the ink cartridge body 20 , 70 , 91 . In the case of running out of ink, the light passes through the wall of the ink cartridge body 20, 70, 91, so the light receiving portion cannot receive the light. Therefore, the detector for detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 3, 90 and the detector for detecting whether the ink cartridge 3, 90 is mounted on the ink jet printer 1 can be combined to have a relatively simple structure. It is also possible to use a contact sensor instead of the non-contact optical sensor 14,

(4) The ink cartridge 3 is attached to or removed from the holder 4 in one direction. The invention can also be applied to an ink cartridge that is mounted on or removed from the holder 4 by moving the cartridge in two or more directions, for example, down first. Move the ink cartridge, and then move the ink cartridge horizontally.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will recognize that many possible modifications and changes can be made in these embodiments.

Claims (10)

1. print cartridge comprises:

Cartridge body forms black chamber in this cartridge body;

Light transmission part, this light transmission part are arranged on the described cartridge body, and wherein said light transmission part has the inner space that is formed on wherein, and described inner space and described black chamber connection;

Movable link, this movable link is arranged in the described black chamber, and comprise first shading light part, and wherein said first shading light part is arranged in the inner space of described light transmission part, and described movable link can move in response to the variation of the China ink amount in described black chamber; And

Second shading light part, wherein said first shading light part and described second shading light part are along the installation direction alignment of described print cartridge.

2. print cartridge as claimed in claim 1 also comprises the communication chamber of extending towards the outside of black chamber from described black chamber along described installation direction.

3. print cartridge as claimed in claim 2 also comprises the valve that is arranged in the described communication chamber.

4. print cartridge as claimed in claim 1 also comprises the cap of an end that covers described cartridge body, and wherein said second shading light part is arranged on this cap.

5. print cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein, described light transmission part is the extension that the outer wall from described cartridge body stretches out.

6. print cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein, first length of described extension on the other direction vertical with described installation direction is greater than second length of described second shading light part on described other direction.

7. print cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

Described movable link also comprises float;

Described first shading light part is arranged on the first end place of described movable link, and described float is arranged on described movable link and the described first end second opposed end place; And

Described movable link is supported on the position between described first shading light part and the described float pivotally.

8. one group of print cartridge comprises first print cartridge and second print cartridge, and wherein said first print cartridge and described second print cartridge are print cartridges according to claim 1, wherein:

The first black capacity of first print cartridge is different with the second black capacity of second print cartridge; And

The number of second shading light part of first print cartridge is different with the number of second shading light part of second print cartridge.

9. print cartridge as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

Described movable link also comprises float;

Described first shading light part is arranged on the first end place of described movable link, and described float is arranged on described movable link and the described first end second opposed end place; And

Described movable link is supported on the position between described first shading light part and the described float pivotally.

10. one group of print cartridge comprises first print cartridge and second print cartridge, and wherein said first print cartridge and described second print cartridge are print cartridges according to claim 9, wherein:

The first black capacity of first print cartridge is different with the second black capacity of second print cartridge; And

The number of second shading light part of first print cartridge is different with the number of second shading light part of second print cartridge.

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