CN1723130A - liquid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink jet recording apparatus (11) includes a slide member (44) slidably supported at a cartridge holder (12a) and a lock claw member (49) rotatably supported at the cartridge holder (12a). The slide member (44) slides along an insertion direction of an ink cartridge (23) with respect to the cartridge holder (12a) between a first slide position and a second slide position. When the slide member (44) is located at the second slide position, the lock claw member (49) is located at a first rotation position. At this time, the ink cartridge (23) is incapable of being removed from the cartridge holder (12a). When the slide member (44) moves to the first slide position from the second slide position, the lock claw member (49) is located at the second rotation position. At this time, the ink cartridge (23) is removable from the cartridge holder (12a).

Description

liquid injection device

technical field

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting device for ejecting liquid such as ink toward a target.

Background technique

A conventional inkjet recording device as a liquid ejecting device includes a carriage, a recording head loaded on the carriage, and an ink cartridge as a liquid tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head. In an inkjet recording apparatus, printing is performed on a recording medium by ejecting ink from nozzles provided on a recording head while relatively moving a carriage and the recording medium.

Inkjet recording devices include a so-called off-carriage type, which is a type in which an ink cartridge is not loaded on a carriage in order to reduce the load on the carriage and make the device compact and thin. In an off-shelf type inkjet recording apparatus, an ink cartridge generally includes an ink bag for containing ink and a case for containing the ink bag. The ink in the ink bag is supplied to the recording head by supplying air pressurized by the pressure pump into the space between the ink bag and the case and pressing the ink bag.

In an off-carriage type inkjet recording device, an ink cartridge is detachably mounted to a cartridge holder provided on the recording device. When the ink in the ink bag is used up, the old ink cartridge is removed from the cartridge holder, and a new ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holder.

Various ink jet recording apparatuses have been proposed which are improved to easily attach and detach ink cartridges to and from a cartridge holder. For example, an inkjet recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-200749 includes a cover member that is opened when an ink cartridge is operated to be mounted and detached, and an operating handle is rotatably disposed within the cover member. By selecting the operating handle, the ink cartridge is mounted to and detached from the cartridge holder.

In the recording device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-200749, fixing of the ink cartridge to the cartridge holder is mainly performed by the cover member. However, in a state where the ink cartridge is mounted to the cartridge holder, a gap is generated between the cover member and the ink cartridge. Therefore, during transportation and printing, the ink cartridge swings in the cartridge seat due to vibration and falls. As a result, there is fear that the ink introduction tube of the ink cartridge and the ink introduction portion of the cartridge holder will be disconnected, and the air outlet pipe of the ink cartridge and the air introduction portion of the cartridge holder will be disconnected. An incomplete connection between the ink introduction tube and the ink extraction portion causes leakage of ink, and an incomplete connection between the air extraction tube and the air introduction portion makes it difficult to supply pressurized air to the ink cartridge with high precision.

Therefore, in order to restrain the ink cartridge from swinging in the cartridge seat, the cartridge seat and the ink cartridge are respectively provided with mutually cooperating projections for positioning. However, when the ink cartridge is removed from the cartridge seat, it is not so easy for the user to get used to pulling out the ink cartridge with great force to release the cooperation between the projections to replace the ink cartridge.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting device which can be easily and reliably attached to and detached from a cartridge holder.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following liquid ejection device. The liquid ejection device includes a cartridge base and a liquid cartridge that is detachably mounted on the cartridge seat and stores liquid, and further includes a sliding member and a rotating member. The liquid ejecting device ejects the liquid in the liquid cartridge mounted on the cartridge seat toward a target. The slide member is slidably supported on the cartridge base. The sliding member slides between a first position and a second position along an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge. The insertion direction is a direction in which the liquid cartridge is inserted into the cartridge seat when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat. The rotating member is rotatably supported on the cartridge base. The rotation of the rotary member is linked to the sliding of the sliding member. When the sliding member moves from the first position to the second position, the rotating member is displaced so as not to allow the liquid cartridge to be disassembled from the cartridge seat, and when the sliding member moves from the first When the second position is moved to the first position, the rotating member is displaced to allow removal of the fluid cartridge from the cartridge holder.

The present invention also provides the following liquid ejection device. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid toward a target, a liquid cartridge for storing the liquid, a liquid passage for connecting the liquid ejecting head and the liquid cartridge, and a liquid cartridge for accommodating the liquid. box holder. The cartridge seat includes a sliding member, a locking pawl member and a rib. The sliding member is slidable in an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge between a first sliding position and a second sliding position. The insertion direction is a direction in which the liquid cartridge is inserted into the cartridge seat when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat. The locking pawl member is rotatably supported on the slide member between a first rotational position and a second rotational position. The rib abuts against the locking pawl member. The rib causes the pawl member to be positioned in the first rotational position when the slide member is in the first position, and causes the pawl member to be positioned in the second position when the slide member is in the second position. The locking pawl member is positioned in the second rotational position. The liquid cartridge includes a fitting portion that is switched between a state in which the fitting portion is fitted with the locking pawl member and a state in which the fitting portion is not fitted with the locking pawl member, when the When the locking pawl member is at the first rotational position, the matching portion does not cooperate with the locking pawl member, and when the locking pawl member is at the second rotational position, the matching portion does not cooperate with the locking pawl member Cooperate.

The present invention also provides the following liquid ejection device. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid toward a target, a liquid cartridge for storing the liquid, a liquid passage for connecting the liquid ejecting head and the liquid cartridge, and a liquid cartridge for accommodating the liquid. A box seat, a sliding member, and a rotating member of the box. The slide member is slidably supported on the cartridge base. The sliding member slides between a first position and a second position along an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge. The insertion direction is a direction in which the liquid cartridge is inserted into the cartridge seat when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat. The rotating member is rotatably supported on the cartridge base. The rotation of the rotary member is linked to the sliding of the sliding member. When the sliding member moves from the first position to the second position, the rotating member displaces, thereby connecting the liquid cartridge to the sliding member, and when the sliding member moves from the first When the second position moves to the first position, the rotating member is displaced to release the connection between the box seat and the sliding member.

The present invention also provides the following liquid ejection device. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid toward a target, a liquid cartridge for storing the liquid, a liquid passage for connecting the liquid ejecting head and the liquid cartridge, and a liquid cartridge for accommodating the liquid. A box base of the box, a sliding member slidably supported on the box base. The slide member slides between a first slide position and a second slide position in an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge as the liquid cartridge is attached to and detached from the cartridge seat. The insertion direction is a direction in which the liquid cartridge is inserted into the cartridge seat when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat. The liquid passage has a liquid supply needle forming a connection portion with the liquid cartridge. The cartridge base has an air introduction tube connected to the liquid cartridge. The sliding member has a portion that guides the liquid supply needle and a portion that guides a portion where the air introduction tube is connected to the liquid cartridge.

Description of drawings

1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the recording device in FIG. 1;

3 is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge in the recording device of FIG. 1;

Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of a cartridge holder in the recording device of Figure 1;

5 is a perspective view of a connecting member in the recording device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sliding member in the recording device in FIG. 1;

7 is a schematic diagram of a latch groove in the recording device in FIG. 1;

8 is a cross-sectional view of a connection member in the recording device in FIG. 1;

Fig. 9 is a partial plan view of a cartridge holder in the recording device of Fig. 1;

FIG. 10 is a view explaining the operation of a connecting member in the recording device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a view explaining the operation of a connecting member in the recording device in FIG. 1;

12 is a perspective view showing an inkjet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of the recording device in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view of an ink cartridge in the recording device in Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a partial perspective view of a cassette holder in the recording device in Fig. 12;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a connecting member in the recording device in FIG. 12;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a sliding member in the recording device in Fig. 12;

18 is a schematic diagram of a latch groove in the recording device in FIG. 12;

19 is a cross-sectional view of a connection member in the recording device in FIG. 12;

Fig. 20 is a partial plan view of the cartridge holder in the recording device in Fig. 12;

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of a groove in the recording device in Figure 12;

22 is a sectional view of a connection member in the recording device in FIG. 12; and

Fig. 23 is a partial plan view of the cartridge holder in the recording apparatus in Fig. 12.

Detailed ways

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 .

The liquid ejection device according to this embodiment is the inkjet recording device 11 shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the recording device 11 is accommodated in a main body case 12 . The main body case 12 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing, and a cartridge holder 12 a is provided on the top surface of the main body case 12 .

A guide shaft 14, a carriage 15, a recording head 20 and a valve unit 21 (shown in FIG. 2 ) as a liquid ejection head, and an ink cartridge 23 and a pressure pump 25 (shown in FIG. 1 ) as a liquid cartridge are arranged in the main body case 12 middle.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the guide shaft 14 is formed in a rod shape, and is placed between the frames 12 b in the main body case 12 . The carriage 15 is driven by and connected to a carriage motor (not shown) supported on the main body case 12 via a timing belt (not shown). The bracket 15 is supported on the guide shaft 14 , so that it can reciprocate on the guide shaft 14 along the axial direction of the guide shaft 14 as the bracket motor is driven. Hereinafter, the moving direction of the carriage 15, that is, the axial direction of the guide shaft 14, is also referred to as the main scanning direction.

The recording head 20 is provided on the bottom surface of the carriage 15, and includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) that eject ink as liquid. The valve unit 21 loaded on the carriage 15 temporarily stores ink introduced from the ink tank 23 , and regulates the stored ink at a predetermined pressure and supplies the ink to the recording head 20 .

The recording device 11 shown in FIG. 1 includes the number of valve units 21 being three, and each valve unit 21 can regulate two inks at a predetermined pressure and supply them to the recording head 20 individually. Each of the three valve units 21 is assigned to two of the six inks of black, yellow, magenta, cyan, light red, and light cyan.

The recording medium P as a target is fed under the recording head 20 in a direction (sub-scanning direction) perpendicular to the main scanning direction by a feeding device (not shown). The fed recording medium P is supported by rollers (not shown) provided between the frames 12b.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the number of ink cartridges 23 included in the recording device 11 is six, and each ink cartridge 23 stores one of six inks of black, yellow, magenta, cyan, light red and light cyan. The ink cartridge 23 is detachably attached to the cartridge holder 12a. As shown in FIG. 3, the ink cartridge 23 includes an ink case 31 as a liquid case and an ink bag 32 as a liquid containing portion. The ink cartridge 23 shown in FIG. 3 is one of six ink cartridges 23, and the remaining five ink cartridges 23 have the same structure. The ink case 31 is formed of resin into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The ink bag 32 is formed by laying two flexible sheets on top of each other. Ink as liquid is sealed in the ink bag 32 .

The ink bag 32 has an ink discharge port 32a. A part of the ink discharge port 32 a is exposed to the outside of the ink case 31 , and the rest of the ink bag 32 is housed in the ink case 31 in an airtight state. In the ink case 31 , a gap 33 is provided between the ink case 31 and the ink bag 32 .

The ink case 31 is provided with a communication hole, not shown, which allows the outside of the ink case 31 and the gap 33 to communicate with each other. When air enters into the gap 33 through the communication hole, the ink bag 32 is squeezed and the ink inside the ink bag 32 is discharged through the ink discharge port. The ink discharge port 32a is connected to the above-described valve unit 21 via an ink supply pipe 35 shown in FIG. 2 provided as a liquid passage to correspond to each of the ink cartridges. Ink discharged from the ink bag 32 is supplied to the valve unit 21 via the ink supply tube 35 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , a pressure pump 25 is fixed to the rear of the main body case 12 . A pressure pump 25 is connected to the above-mentioned communication hole of each ink cartridge 23 via an air supply pipe (not shown). The pressure pump 25 sucks the atmosphere, pressurizes the sucked air, and introduces the air into the above-mentioned gap 33 of the ink cartridge 23 via the air supply pipe.

The ink in the ink bag 32 of the ink cartridge 23 is supplied to the valve unit 21 , and as a result, the ink bag 32 is pressed by the pressurized air supplied from the pressure pump 25 . The ink supplied to the valve unit 21 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, then supplied to the recording head 20, and ejected toward the recording medium P fed from the above-mentioned supply means. When ink is ejected from the recording head 20, based on data (image data) about printing to be performed on the recording medium P, the recording device 11 moves the carriage 15 in the main scanning direction, and at the same time, moves the recording medium P in the vertical direction. Move in the direction of the main scanning direction (sub-scanning direction).

Next, the above-mentioned cartridge holder 12a will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , the cartridge seat 12 a includes six accommodating cavities 39 capable of accommodating the ink cartridge 23 placed in a horizontal state. When the ink cartridge 23 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39, the ink cartridge 23 slides in a direction indicated by an arrow L in FIG. 4 . That is, the arrow L direction is an insertion direction along which the ink cartridge 23 is inserted into the cartridge holder 12a when the ink cartridge 23 is mounted to the cartridge holder 12a.

As shown in FIG. 4 , a rail member 40 is provided near the center of the bottom surface of the accommodation chamber 39 . The rail member 40 includes a substantially rectangular flat portion 40a and a pair of fittings 40b and 40c disposed on both sides of the flat portion 40a. The flat plate portion 40 a is fixed in a state of tightly contacting the bottom surface of the housing chamber 39 . The fitting pieces 40b and 40c extend in the arrow L direction. A gap is provided between the fittings 40 b and 40 c and the bottom surface of the accommodation cavity 39 .

An ink supply needle 41 as a liquid supply needle and an air introduction tube 42 as an air introduction tube protrude from the wall surface 39 a at the innermost portion of each containing chamber 39 . The ink supply needles 41 are hollow, and are connected to corresponding ink supply tubes 35 . When the ink cartridge 23 is properly accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 , the ink supply needle 41 is inserted into the aforementioned ink discharge port 32 a of the ink cartridge 23 , so that the inside of the ink bag 32 communicates with the inside of the ink supply tube 35 .

The air introduction pipe 42 has flexibility, and is connected to the above-mentioned air supply pipe extending from the pressure pump. When the ink cartridge 23 is properly accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 , the aforementioned communication hole of the ink case 31 abuts against the downstream end of the air introduction pipe 42 , so that the gap 33 of the ink cartridge 23 communicates with the inside of the air introduction pipe 42 . A sealing member 42 a is provided at the downstream end of the air introduction pipe 42 , and by this sealing member 42 a, airtightness at the connection portion of the air introduction pipe 42 and the ink cartridge 23 is ensured.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the connection member 43 shown in FIG. 5 is arranged at the innermost portion of the accommodation chamber 39 . The connection member 43 includes a slide member 44 and a latch pawl member 45 forming a fixing means.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the slide member 44 includes a main body portion 47 and a locking pawl member 49 as a rotating member. The main body portion 47 includes a case portion 51 as a liquid absorbing means, a cylinder portion 53 as a bending restricting means, and a latch groove portion 55 . The housing portion 51 is the right side portion of the slide member 44 in FIG. 6 and has a cavity therein. A needle through hole 51 a is formed in the case portion 51 , which penetrates the case portion 51 in the arrow L direction. The above-mentioned ink supply needle 41 is movably inserted into the needle through hole 51a. Absorbent material (not shown) made of Belleater or the like is accommodated in the case portion 51 so as to surround the needle through hole 51 a, and the absorbent material absorbs and holds ink leaked from the ink supply needle 41 .

The cylindrical portion 53 is the left side portion of the sliding member 44 in FIG. 6 , and has a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 4 , the air introduction tube 42 protruding from the wall surface 39 a of the above-mentioned accommodation chamber 39 is movably inserted through the cylindrical portion 53 . The air introduction tube 42 is guided in the arrow L direction by being inserted into the cylindrical portion 53 and is prevented from being bent. The bottom end of the first coil spring 53a forming biasing means abuts against the cylindrical portion 53 as shown in FIG. 4 . The other end of the first coil spring 53 a abuts against the wall surface 39 a of the accommodating chamber 39 described above. The first coil spring 53a biases the cylindrical portion 53 in a direction away from the wall surface 39a.

The latch groove portion 55 is a part of the slide member 44 between the housing portion 51 and the cylinder portion 53 , and a latch groove 55 a forming a fixing means is formed on the top surface of the latch groove portion 55 . As shown in FIG. 7, the latch groove 55a includes nine line-shaped groove portions, ie, first to ninth grooves 61 to 69. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the first groove 61 corresponds to the first groove portion, the fifth groove 65 corresponds to the second groove portion, the second to fourth grooves 62 to 64 correspond to the third groove portion, the sixth to ninth grooves 66 to 69 correspond to the fourth groove portion.

The first groove 61 extends in a diagonal direction with respect to the arrow L direction. The end of the first groove 61 is located closer to the case portion 51 (right side in FIG. 7 ) than the start end of the first groove 61 , and is located on the front side (lower side in FIG. 7 ).

The second groove 62 extends in the arrow L direction. The starting end of the second slot 62 is connected to the end of the first slot 61 . The end of the second groove 62 is located on the front side (lower side in FIG. 7 ) away from the start end of the second groove 62 .

The third groove 63 extends perpendicular to the arrow L direction. The starting end of the third groove 63 is connected to the end of the second groove 62 . The position of the end of the third groove 63 is closer to the cylindrical portion 53 (the left side in FIG. 7 ) than the start end of the third groove 63 .

The fourth groove 64 extends in the arrow L direction. The starting end of the fourth slot 64 is connected to the end of the third slot 63 . The end of the fourth groove 64 is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 7 ) from the start end of the fourth groove 64 .

The fifth groove 65 extends perpendicular to the arrow L direction. The starting end of the fifth groove 65 is connected to the end of the fourth groove 64 . The end of the fifth groove 65 is located closer to the cylindrical portion 53 (left side in FIG. 7 ) than the start end of the fifth groove 65 .

The sixth groove 66 extends in the arrow L direction. The starting end of the sixth groove 66 is connected to the end of the fifth groove 65 . The end of the sixth groove 66 is located on the front side (lower side in FIG. 7 ) from the start end of the sixth groove 66 .

The seventh groove 67 extends perpendicular to the arrow L direction. The starting end of the seventh groove 67 is connected to the end of the sixth groove 66 . The position of the end of the seventh groove 67 is closer to the cylindrical portion 53 (left side in FIG. 7 ) than the start end of the seventh groove 67 .

The eighth groove 68 extends in the arrow L direction. The starting end of the eighth groove 68 is connected to the end of the seventh groove 67 . The end of the eighth groove 68 is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 7 ) from the start end of the eighth groove 68 .

The ninth groove 69 extends in a diagonal direction with respect to the arrow L direction. The start end of the ninth groove 69 is connected to the end of the eighth groove 68 . The position of the end of the ninth groove 69 is closer to the housing portion 51 (the right side in FIG. 7 ) than the starting end of the ninth groove 69, and is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 7 ), and is connected to the first groove 61. starting end.

The widths of the first to ninth grooves 61 to 69 are substantially the same as each other. The depths of the first to eighth grooves 61 to 68 are substantially the same as each other. As for the depth of the ninth groove 69, the depth of the ninth groove 69 at the start end is substantially the same as that of the first to eighth grooves 61 to 68, and the depth of the ninth groove 69 gradually becomes shallower from the start end toward the end. Accordingly, a step 71 is formed on the boundary of the start end of the first groove 61 and the end of the ninth groove 69 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , two sliding grooves 73 and 75 are provided on the lower surface of the main body portion 47 of the sliding member 44 . The slide grooves 73 and 75 extend in the arrow L direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , the fitting pieces 40 b and 40 c of the rail member 40 are fitted into the slide grooves 73 and 75 . As a result, the slide member 44 can slide in the arrow L direction.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the main body portion 47 includes a lever member 76 protruding in the arrow L direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , a second coil spring 77 forming biasing means is fitted on the lever member 76 . One end of the second coil spring 77 abuts against the main body portion 47 , and the other end of the second coil spring 77 abuts against the wall surface 39 a at the innermost portion of the accommodation chamber 39 . The body portion 47 is biased by the second coil spring 77 to be away from the wall surface 39a of the accommodation chamber 39 (see FIG. 4 ).

As shown in FIG. 6 , the concave portion 78 is at a position sandwiched by the above-mentioned slide grooves 73 and 75 , and the concave portion 78 is provided on the lower surface of the main body portion 47 . Further, as shown in FIG. 8 , in the main body portion 47 , a cylindrical portion 79 is formed to protrude downward from the lower surface of the above-mentioned latch groove portion 55 . The upper end of the third coil spring 81 is fitted on the cylindrical portion 79 .

The locking pawl member 49 has a shape made by bending a flat plate member multiple times, and includes a support shaft 83 integrally formed at the center thereof. The lock pawl member 49 is located in the above-mentioned concave portion 78 , and the support shaft 83 of the lock pawl member 49 has both ends rotatably mounted to the main body portion 47 . Therefore, the locking pawl member 49 is capable of forward rotation, which is a rotation about the support shaft 83 in the arrow R direction shown in FIG. 8 , and reverse rotation, which is a rotation opposite to the arrow R direction. direction of rotation.

The locking pawl member 49 includes a side portion 85 close to the ink cartridge 23 and another side portion 87 close to the wall surface 39a (see FIG. 4 ), which are positioned such that the support shaft 83 is in their between. The one side portion 85 has a cross-sectional shape formed substantially in the shape of a Japanese letter "コ" (substantially U-shaped) along the arrow L direction and opened upward. The other side portion 87 has a cross-sectional shape substantially formed in a V shape opened toward the lower side in the arrow L direction. The top surface of the other side portion 87 abuts against the lower end of the above-mentioned third coil spring 81 . Therefore, the locking claw member 49 is biased by the third coil spring 81 to rotate in the reverse rotation direction.

A fitting concave portion 23 a as a fitting portion is formed on the lower surface of a part of the ink cartridge 23 which is a portion at the innermost portion of the accommodating chamber 39 when the ink cartridge 23 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 . When the one side portion 85 of the lock claw member 49 is fitted in the fitting concave portion 23a, the movement of the ink cartridge 23 in the arrow L direction is restricted.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the latch claw member 45 is formed in a flat plate shape substantially in the shape of a Japanese letter "コ" (substantially U-shaped). A cylindrical shaft portion 89 protruding downward is formed at one end of the latch claw member 45 . The cylindrical shaft portion 89 is rotatably fitted into a fitting hole (not shown) provided in the above-mentioned accommodating chamber 39 (see FIG. 4 ). Therefore, the latch pawl member 45 is mounted on the above-mentioned accommodating chamber 39 so as to be capable of forward rotation and reverse rotation with the cylindrical shaft portion 89 as a rotation center, wherein the forward rotation is rotation in the direction of the arrow r. , the reverse rotation is the rotation in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow r.

As shown in FIG. 8 , a cylindrical claw member 91 protruding downward is provided at the other end of the latch claw member 45 . The pawl member 91 is fitted in the latch groove 55a of the slide member 44 described above, and is movable in the latch groove 55a. The claw member 91 moves within the range of the latch groove 55a, whereby the position of the above-mentioned slide member 44 in the arrow L direction is determined.

More specifically, when the pawl member 91 is fitted in the latch groove 55a at the start end of the first groove 61, that is, in the fitting position A shown in FIG. The wall surfaces 39a are separated as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . In this embodiment, the position of the slide member 44 at this time should be referred to as a pull-out allowing position (first slide position) as a first position.

On the other hand, when the pawl member 91 is fitted in the latch groove 55a at the end of the fifth groove 65, that is, in the fitting position E shown in FIG. Surface 39a, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 . In this embodiment, the position of the slide member 44 at this time should be referred to as the installed position (second slide position) as the second position.

As shown in FIG. 4 , one end of the fourth coil spring 93 is fixed to the latch claw member 45 . The other end of the fourth coil spring 93 is fixed to the left side surface 39 b of the above-mentioned accommodation chamber 39 . Therefore, the latch claw member 45 is biased by the fourth coil spring 93 to rotate in the forward rotation direction.

As shown in FIG. 8 , a rib 95 is provided to protrude upward from the bottom surface of the above-mentioned accommodating chamber 39 (see FIG. 4 ). As shown in FIG. 8, when the slide member 44 is in the pull-out allowing position, the rib 95 abuts against the end of the other side portion 87 of the locking claw member 49 on the wall surface 39a (FIG. 4) side. Therefore, when the slide member 44 is located at the pull-out allowing position, the locking claw member 49 is displaced in the reverse rotation direction, and the one side portion 85 of the locking claw member 49 is located at a lower position. In this state, the one side portion 85 of the locking claw member 49 is located at a position where it cannot be fitted into the fitting recessed portion 23a of the ink cartridge 23 described above. The position of the locking pawl member 49 at this time corresponds to the first rotational position.

When the slide member 44 is located at the installation position shown in FIG. 10 , the rib 95 abuts against a portion of the other side portion 87 that is close to the above-mentioned support shaft 83 . Therefore, when the slide member 44 is located at the mounting position, the locking claw member 49 is displaced in the normal rotation direction, and one side portion of the locking claw member 49 is located at a higher position. In this state, the side portion 85 of the locking claw member 49 is located at a position where it can be fitted into the fitting concave portion 23 a of the above-mentioned ink cartridge 23 . The position of the locking pawl member 49 at this time corresponds to the second rotational position.

Next, with regard to the inkjet recording apparatus 11 constructed as above, operations when attaching and detaching the ink cartridge 23 will be described.

In a state where the ink cartridge 23 is not accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 of the inkjet recording device 11, the slide member 44 is located at the extraction permitting position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . In this state, the user slides the new ink cartridge 23 into the accommodating chamber 39 of the cartridge holder 12 a in the arrow L direction, whereby the ink cartridge 23 abuts against the slide member 44 . At this time, the one side portion 85 of the lock claw member 49 is located at the lower position, and the one side portion 85 of the lock claw member 49 is in a state where it cannot be fitted into the fitting concave portion 23 a of the ink cartridge 23 .

When the user further presses the ink cartridge 23 in the arrow L direction, the sliding member 44 moves in the arrow L direction against the biasing force of the first coil spring 53 a and the second coil spring 77 . Next, the claw member 91 of the latch claw member 45 is moved along the first groove 61 and the second groove 62 of the latch groove 55a to be positioned at the end of the second groove 62, ie, the mating position B shown in FIG.

When the claw member 91 is located at the fitting position B, the latch claw member 45 is rotated forward by the biasing force of the fourth coil spring 93, and the claw member 91 moves along the third groove 63 of the latch groove 55a. As a result, the latch claw member 45 is located at the end of the third groove 63 , that is, the fitting position C. As shown in FIG.

When the user stops pressing the ink cartridge 23 in this state, the slide member 44 is moved in a direction away from the wall surface 39a (see FIG. 4 ) by the biasing force of the second coil spring 77 and the fourth coil spring 93 . As a result, the latch claw member 45 moves along the fourth groove 64 and is positioned at the end of the fourth groove 64 , that is, the fitting position D. As shown in FIG. Next, the latch claw member 45 is rotated forward by the biasing force of the fourth coil spring 93, and the claw member 91 moves along the fifth groove 65 of the latch groove 55a. As a result, the claw member 91 is positioned at the end of the fifth groove 65 , that is, the fitting position E. As shown in FIG.

When the claw member 91 is located at the fitting position E, the position of the slide member 44 is located at the mounting position, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 . Accordingly, the lock claw member 49 is displaced in the normal rotation direction, and is in a state where it is fitted in the fitting concave portion 23 a of the ink cartridge 23 . As a result, the movement of the ink cartridge 23 in the arrow L direction is restricted by the firm fit between the lock claw member 49 and the fitting concave portion 23a.

That is, when the ink cartridge 23 is accommodated in the cartridge holder 12a, the user only needs to stop applying pressure after sliding the ink cartridge 23 into the accommodating chamber 39 and pressing it backward once. Thus, it is easy to accommodate the ink cartridge 23 in the cartridge holder 12a. In a state where the ink cartridge 23 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 , the movement of the ink cartridge 23 in the arrow L direction is restricted by the engagement between the locking claw member 49 and the fitting recessed portion 23 a. Therefore, even if the inkjet recording device 11 is vibrated and dropped, ink leakage and air leakage are less likely to occur.

As described above, the air introduction pipe 42 (see FIG. 4 ) is supported by the cylindrical portion 53 of the slide member 44 in a state where bending is prevented. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 23 is accommodated in the cartridge holder 12a, the air introduction pipe 42 (see FIG. 4) and the communication hole of the ink cartridge 23 can be connected with high precision.

When detaching the ink cartridge 23 accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39, the user presses the ink cartridge 23 in the arrow L direction. Then, the slide member 44 moves in the arrow L direction against the biasing forces of the first coil spring 53 a and the second coil spring 77 . Next, the claw member 91 of the latch claw member 45 moves along the sixth groove 66 of the latch groove 55a shown in FIG.

When the claw member 91 is located at the fitting position F, the latch claw member 45 is rotated forward by the biasing force of the fourth coil spring 93, and the claw member 91 moves along the seventh groove 67 of the latch groove 55a. As a result, the latch claw member 45 is positioned at the end of the seventh groove 67 , that is, the fitting position G. As shown in FIG.

When the user stops pressing the ink cartridge 23 in this state, the slide member 44 is moved in a direction to separate from the wall surface 39a (see FIG. 4 ) by the biasing force of the second coil spring 77 and the fourth coil spring 93 . As a result, the latch claw member 45 moves along the eighth and ninth grooves 68 and 69 , and moves to the end of the ninth groove 69 . Then, the latch claw member 45 goes over the step 71 and falls, and is positioned at the start end of the first groove 61 , that is, the fitting position A. As shown in FIG.

As a result, the slide member 44 is positioned at the pull-out allowing position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . Therefore, the locking claw member 49 is displaced in the reverse rotation direction, and is in a state where it is not fitted in the fitting concave portion 23 a of the case 23 . In this state, the user only needs to grasp the ink cartridge 23 and pull it out lightly, whereby the user can easily pull out the cartridge 23 from the cartridge holder 12a.

The first embodiment has the following advantages.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, by inserting the ink cartridge 23 into the accommodating chamber 39 of the cartridge holder 12a and pressing the slide member 44, the slide member 44 is displaced from the pull-out allowing position to the mounted position. As a result, the ink cartridge 23 is switched from a state where it can be easily drawn out from the accommodating chamber 39 to a state where it is fixed so as not to be drawn out. By moving the ink cartridge 23 in the direction of pulling out from the accommodating chamber 39, the position of the slide member 44 is displaced from the mounted position to the pulling-out allowing position. As a result, the ink cartridge 23 is switched from a state where it is fixed and cannot be pulled out from the accommodating chamber 39 to a state where it can be easily pulled out.

Therefore, when the slide member 44 is positioned at the pull-out allowing position, the user can attach and detach the ink cartridge 23 with a small force by pulling out and inserting the ink cartridge 23 into the accommodating chamber 39 . When the slide member 44 is positioned at the mounted position, the movement of the ink cartridge 23 in the arrow L direction is strongly restricted by the engagement of the locking claw member 49 and the engaging concave portion 23a. Therefore, leakage of ink from the connection portion of the ink cartridge 23 and the ink supply needle 41 due to vibration, drop, etc. in the inkjet recording apparatus 11 is effectively prevented.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the slide member 44 is biased by the first coil spring 53 a and the second coil spring 77 in a direction to separate from the wall surface 39 a of the accommodation chamber 39 . The slide member 44 is fixed in the mounted position by the cooperation of the latch groove 55 a and the latch claw member 45 .

Therefore, it is appropriate to slide the slide member 44 against the biasing forces of the first coil spring 53a and the second coil spring 77 and position the slide member 44 at the mount position when the slide member 44 is moved from the pull-out allowing position to the mount position. of. The slide member 44 is held in the installed position by the latch groove 55 a and the latch pawl member 45 when positioned in the installed position. On the other hand, when the slide member 44 is moved from the mounted position to the pull-out allowing position, the slide member 44 is released by the first coil spring 53a and the second coil spring 77 through the cooperation of the release latch groove 55a and the latch claw member 45. The biasing force naturally moves to the extraction-allowed position.

That is, when the slide member 44 is displaced to the extraction allowing position or the mounting position, it is only necessary to press the slide member 44 in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 23 . Therefore, switching of the position of the slide member 44 is extremely easy.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the slide member 44 is provided with the latch groove 55 a, and the position of the slide member 44 is determined by the cooperation of the latch groove 55 a and the claw member 91 of the latch claw member 45 . Therefore, the movement accuracy of the sliding member 44 is improved, and the movement of the sliding member 44 is stabilized.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, when the slide member 44 is positioned at the mounting position, the claw member 91 is positioned at the fitting position E of the latch groove 55a. When the claw member 91 is positioned at the fitting position E, the slide member 44 is moved in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 23, whereby the claw member is moved from the fitting position E to the fitting position A where the sliding The member 44 is positioned at the pull-out allowing position.

Therefore, in order to displace the position of the slide member 44 between the pull-out allowing position and the mounted position, it is only necessary to press the slide member 44 in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 23 . Therefore, the position switching of the slide member 44 is extremely easy.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge 23 is provided with the fitting recessed portion 23a, and this fitting recessed portion 23a is fitted with the locking claw member 49, whereby the ink cartridge 23 is fixed in the mounted position. Therefore, the specification for the existing ink cartridge can be changed to the specification for the engagement with the locking pawl member 49 with a minimal design change merely by providing the fitting concave portion 23 a.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the slide member 44 is provided with the housing portion 51 having the needle through hole 51 a, and the absorbent material is accommodated in the housing portion 51 . Therefore, the ink leaked from the ink supply needle 41 when the ink cartridge 23 is pulled out from the accommodating chamber 39 is absorbed by the absorbing material inside the housing portion 51 . Therefore, the inside of the housing chamber 39 is kept clean.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, the slide member 44 is provided with the cylindrical portion 53 , and by the cylindrical portion 53 , the bending of the air introduction pipe 42 is prevented. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 23 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 , with the movement of the sliding member 44 , the air introduction tube 42 is positioned by the cylindrical portion 53 together with the sliding member 44 . Therefore, the connection accuracy of the communication hole of the ink cartridge 23 and the air introduction pipe 42 is improved.

The above-described embodiments can be modified as follows.

In the above-described embodiment, the first coil spring 53a and the second coil spring 77 are used as the biasing means, but only either one of the first coil spring 53a and the second coil spring 77 may be used. Alternatively, three or more coil springs may be used, or both the first coil spring 53a and the second coil spring 77 may be omitted. However, when both the first coil spring 53 a and the second coil spring 77 are omitted, the user needs to grasp the ink cartridge 23 with fingers or the like and pull it out. The biasing means may not be a coil spring but may be an elastic member such as rubber.

In the above-described embodiment, the fixing means for holding the slide member 44 in the installed position is formed by the latch groove 55 a and the latch claw member 45 . This fixing means may be changed to other fixing means as long as it holds the slide member 44 in the installed position and is switchable as necessary to allow movement from the installed position to the extraction-allowed position.

In the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge 23 is provided with the fitting concave portion 23a as the fitting portion, and the lock claw member 49 is shaped so as to be fitted with the fitting concave portion 23a. However, the shape of the fitting portion of the ink cartridge 23 and the lock pawl member 49 may correspond to other shapes as long as the ink cartridge 23 and the lock pawl member 49 are disengaged from and engaged with each other when the slide member 44 is in the pull-out allowing position and the mounting position.

The housing portion 51 of the slide member 44 may be omitted.

The cylindrical portion 53 of the sliding member 44 may be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge 23 as the liquid cartridge is formed of the ink bag 32 as the liquid containing portion and the ink case 31 as the liquid case, but the liquid containing portion and the liquid case are not limited thereto. For example, the liquid containing portion and the gap may be formed by partitioning the inside of the ink case 31 by a film or the like.

In the above-described embodiments, the inkjet recording device 11 transports the ink in the ink bag 32 to the recording head 20 by introducing air into the gap 33 between the ink bag 32 and the ink case 31 . Instead of the above, the position of the ink bag 32 is positioned above the recording head 20, so that the ink in the ink bag 32 can be transferred to the recording head 20 by gravity. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the cylindrical portion 53 at the slide member 44 .

The present invention can be implemented in other inkjet recording apparatuses than the recording apparatus 11 in FIG. 1, for example, in printing apparatuses such as facsimile machines and photocopiers. Alternatively, the present invention may be implemented in a liquid ejection device that ejects other liquid than ink. A liquid ejecting device that ejects liquid other than ink may be a liquid ejecting device ejecting liquids such as electrode materials and pigments for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, EL displays, and surface emission displays, for ejecting bioorganic substances for manufacturing biochips liquid injection device, or as a sample injection device for precision pipettes.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 12 to 23 .

The liquid ejecting device according to this embodiment is the inkjet recording device 111 (printer 111) shown in FIG. 12 . As shown in FIG. 12 , a recording device 111 is accommodated in a main body case 112 . The main body case 112 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing, and a cartridge holder 113 is provided on the top surface of the main body case 112 .

A guide shaft 114, a carriage 115, a recording head 116 as a liquid ejection head, and a valve unit 117 (shown in FIG. 13 ), and an ink cartridge 118 and a pressure pump 25 (shown in FIG. 12 ) as a liquid cartridge are arranged in the main body case 112 middle.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the guide shaft 14 is formed in a rod shape, and is placed between the frames 112 b in the main body case 112 . The carriage 115 is driven by and connected to a carriage motor (not shown) supported on the main body case 112 via a timing belt (not shown). The bracket 115 is supported on the guide shaft 114 , so that it can reciprocate on the guide shaft 114 along the axial direction of the guide shaft 114 as the bracket motor is driven. Hereinafter, the moving direction of the carriage 115, that is, the axial direction of the guide shaft 114, is also referred to as the main scanning direction.

The recording head 116 is provided on the bottom surface of the carriage 115, and includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) that eject ink as liquid. The valve unit 117 loaded on the carriage 115 temporarily stores ink introduced from the ink tank 118 , and regulates the stored ink at a predetermined pressure and supplies the ink to the recording head 116 .

The recording device 111 shown in FIG. 12 includes three valve units 117 in number, and each valve unit 117 can regulate two inks at a predetermined pressure and supply them to the recording head 116 individually. Each of the three valve units 117 is assigned to two of the six inks of black, yellow, magenta, cyan, light red, and light cyan.

The recording medium T as a target is fed below the recording head 116 in a direction (sub-scanning direction) perpendicular to the main scanning direction by a feeding device (not shown). The fed recording medium T is supported by rollers (not shown) provided between the frames 112a.

As shown in FIG. 12, the number of ink cartridges 118 included in the recording device 111 is six, and each ink cartridge 118 stores one of six inks of black, yellow, magenta, cyan, light red, and light cyan. An ink cartridge 118 is detachably mounted to the cartridge holder 113 . As shown in FIG. 14, the ink cartridge 118 includes an ink case 120 as a liquid case and an ink bag 121 as a liquid containing portion. The ink cartridge 118 shown in FIG. 14 is one of the six ink cartridges 118, and the remaining five ink cartridges 118 have the same structure. The ink case 120 is formed of resin into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The ink bag 120 is formed by laying two flexible sheets on top of each other. Ink as liquid is sealed in the ink bag 121 .

The ink bag 121 includes an ink discharge port 121a. A part of the ink discharge port 121 a is exposed to the outside of the ink case 120 , and the rest of the ink bag 121 is accommodated in the ink case 120 in an airtight state. In the ink case 120 , a gap 122 is provided between the ink case 120 and the ink bag 121 .

The ink case 120 is provided with a communication hole, not shown, which allows the outside of the ink case 120 and the gap 122 to communicate with each other. When air enters into the gap 122 through the communication hole, the ink bag 121 is squeezed and the ink inside the ink bag 121 is discharged through the ink discharge port 121a. The ink discharge port 121a is connected to the above-described valve unit 117 via an ink supply pipe 123 shown in FIG. 13 provided as a liquid passage to correspond to each of the ink cartridges 118 . Ink discharged from the ink bag 121 is supplied to the valve unit 117 via the ink supply tube 123 .

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 , a groove 163 having both end portions opening on one side of the ink case 120 is formed on the upper surface 120 a of the ink case 120 . The groove 163 includes three linear groove parts, as shown in FIG. 21 , the three linear groove parts are a first guide groove 166 , a second guide groove 167 and a third guide groove 168 . A portion of the upper surface 120 a of the ink case 120 surrounded by the groove 163 constitutes a locking portion 164 .

As shown in FIG. 12 , a pressure pump 119 is fixed to the rear of the main body case 112 . A pressure pump 119 is connected to the above-mentioned communication hole of each ink cartridge 118 via an air supply pipe (not shown). The pressure pump 119 sucks the atmosphere, pressurizes the sucked air, and introduces the air into the aforementioned gap 122 of the ink cartridge 118 via the air supply pipe.

The ink in the ink bag 121 of the ink cartridge 118 is supplied to the valve unit 117 , and as a result, the ink bag 121 is pressed by pressurized air supplied from the pressure pump 119 . The ink supplied to the valve unit 117 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, then supplied to the recording head 116, and ejected toward the recording medium T fed from the above-mentioned supply means. When ink is ejected from the recording head 116, the recording device 111 moves the carriage 115 in the main scanning direction based on data (image data) about printing to be performed on the recording medium T, and at the same time, moves the recording medium T in the vertical direction. Move in the direction of the main scanning direction (sub-scanning direction).

Next, the above-mentioned cartridge holder 113 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 12 , the cartridge holder 113 is arranged on a bracket 115 . The cartridge holder 113 includes six accommodating cavities 124 capable of accommodating ink cartridges 118 placed in a horizontal state. As shown in FIG. 15, each accommodating cavity 124 is defined by a bottom surface 124a and three side surfaces 124b, 124c and 124d. When the ink cartridge 118 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 124, the ink cartridge 118 slides in the direction indicated by arrow Y in FIG. 15 . That is, the arrow Y direction is an insertion direction along which the ink cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder 113 when the ink cartridge 118 is mounted to the cartridge holder 113 . The movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the X-axis direction (see FIG. 15 ) when sliding is restricted by the side surface 124c and the side surface 124d of the accommodating chamber 124 .

As shown in FIG. 15 , the rail member 125 is provided near the center of the bottom surface 124 a of the receiving chamber 124 . The rail member 125 includes a substantially rectangular flat portion 125a and a pair of fittings 125b and 125c disposed on both sides of the flat portion 125a. The flat plate portion 125 a is fixed in a state of tightly contacting the bottom surface 124 a of the receiving chamber 124 . The fitting pieces 125b and 125c extend in the arrow Y direction. A gap is provided between the fitting pieces 125 b and 125 c and the bottom surface 124 a of the accommodation cavity 124 .

An ink supply needle 126 as a liquid supply needle and an air introduction tube 127 as an air introduction tube protrude from a side surface 124 b located at the innermost portion of each containing chamber 124 . The ink supply needles 126 are hollow, and are connected to corresponding ink supply tubes 123 . When the ink cartridge 118 is properly accommodated in the accommodating chamber 124 , the ink supply needle 126 is inserted into the aforementioned ink discharge port 121 a of the ink cartridge 118 , so that the inside of the ink bag 121 communicates with the inside of the ink supply tube 123 .

The air introduction pipe 127 has flexibility, and is connected to the above-mentioned air supply pipe extending from the pressure pump 119 . When the ink cartridge 118 is properly accommodated in the accommodating chamber 124, the above-mentioned communication hole of the ink case 129 abuts against the downstream end of the air introduction pipe 127, so that the gap 122 of the ink cartridge 118 communicates with the inside of the air introduction pipe 127. A sealing member 127a is provided at the downstream end of the air introduction pipe 127, and by this sealing member 127a, airtightness at the connecting portion of the air introduction pipe 127 and the ink cartridge 118 is ensured.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the connection member 131 shown in FIG. 16 is disposed at the innermost portion of the accommodation cavity 124 . The connecting member 131 includes a sliding member 132 and a latch claw member 133 as a rotating member.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 , the slide member 132 includes a housing portion 134 as a liquid absorbing means, a cylinder portion 135 as a bending restricting means, and a latch groove portion 136 . Housing portion 134 is the right side portion of slide member 132 in FIG. 17 and has a cavity therein. A needle through hole 134a is formed in the case portion 134, the needle through hole 51a penetrating the case portion 134 along the Y axis. The above-mentioned ink supply needle 126 is movably inserted into the needle through hole 134a. Absorbent material (not shown) made of Belleater or the like is housed in the housing portion 134 so as to surround the needle through hole 134 a, and the absorbent material absorbs and holds ink leaked from the ink supply needle 126 .

The cylindrical portion 135 is the left side portion of the sliding member 132 in FIG. 17 , and has a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 15 , the air introduction tube 127 protruding from the side surface 124 b of the above-mentioned accommodating chamber 124 is movably inserted through the cylindrical portion 135 . The air introduction tube 127 is guided in the Y-axis direction by being inserted into the cylindrical portion 135, and is prevented from being bent. One end of a first coil spring 137 forming a first biasing means abuts against the cylindrical portion 135 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 20 . The other end of the first coil spring 137 abuts against the side surface 124 b of the accommodating cavity 124 . The first coil spring 137 biases the cylindrical portion 135 in a direction away from the side surface 124b.

The latch groove portion 136 is a part of the slide member 132 between the case portion 134 and the cylinder portion 135 , and a latch groove 136 a as a guide groove is formed on a top surface of the latch groove portion 136 . As shown in FIG. 18, the latch groove 136a includes nine linear groove portions, ie, first to ninth grooves 141 to 149. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the first groove 141 is the first groove portion, the fifth groove 145 is the second groove portion, the second to fourth grooves 142 to 144 correspond to the third groove portion, the sixth to ninth grooves 146 to 149 Corresponds to the fourth groove section.

The first groove 141 extends in a diagonal direction with respect to the Y axis. The end of the first groove 141 is located closer to the case portion 141 (right side in FIG. 18 ) than the start end of the first groove 141 , and is located on the front side (lower side in FIG. 18 ).

The second groove 142 extends parallel to the Y axis. The starting end of the second slot 142 is connected to the end of the first slot 141 . The end of the second groove 142 is located on the front side (lower side in FIG. 18 ) away from the start end of the second groove 142 .

The third groove 143 extends parallel to the X axis. The starting end of the third slot 143 is connected to the end of the second slot 142 . The position of the end of the third groove 143 is closer to the cylindrical portion 135 (the left side in FIG. 18 ) than the start end of the third groove 143 .

The fourth groove 144 extends parallel to the Y axis. The starting end of the fourth slot 144 is connected to the end of the third slot 143 . The end of the fourth groove 144 is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 18 ) from the start end of the fourth groove 144 .

The fifth groove 145 extends parallel to the X axis. The starting end of the fifth slot 145 is connected to the end of the fourth slot 144 . The end of the fifth groove 145 is located closer to the cylindrical portion 135 (left side in FIG. 18 ) than the start end of the fifth groove 145 .

The sixth groove 146 extends parallel to the Y axis. The starting end of the sixth slot 146 is connected to the end of the fifth slot 145 . The end of the sixth groove 146 is located on the front side (lower side in FIG. 18 ) from the start end of the sixth groove 146 .

The seventh groove 147 extends parallel to the X axis. The starting end of the seventh slot 147 is connected to the end of the sixth slot 146 . The position of the end of the seventh groove 147 is closer to the cylindrical portion 135 (the left side in FIG. 18 ) than the start end of the seventh groove 147 .

The eighth groove 148 extends parallel to the Y axis. The starting end of the eighth slot 148 is connected to the end of the seventh slot 147 . The end of the eighth groove 148 is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 18 ) from the start end of the eighth groove 148 .

The ninth groove 149 extends in a diagonal direction with respect to the Y axis. The starting end of the ninth slot 149 is connected to the end of the eighth slot 148 . The position of the end of the ninth groove 149 is closer to the housing portion 134 (the right side in FIG. 18 ) than the starting end of the ninth groove 149, and is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 18 ), and is connected to the first groove 141. starting end.

Widths of the first to ninth grooves 141 to 149 are substantially the same as each other. The depths of the first to eighth grooves 141 to 148 are substantially the same as each other. The depth of the ninth groove 149 at the start end is substantially the same as that of the first to eighth grooves 61 to 68 , and the depth of the ninth groove 149 gradually becomes shallower from the start end toward the end. Accordingly, a step 150 is formed on the boundary of the start end of the first groove 141 and the end of the ninth groove 149 .

As shown in FIG. 17 , a sliding groove 151 is provided on the lower surface of the sliding member 132 , the sliding groove 151 extending parallel to the Y axis. The guide rail member 125 is fitted in the slide groove 151, and the two side surfaces of the slide groove 151 are engaged with the fittings 125b and 125c of the guide rail member 125, as shown in FIG. 15 . As a result, the sliding member 132 can slide along the rail member 125 .

As shown in FIG. 17 , the slide member 132 includes a lever member 153 protruding in the Y-axis direction. The distal end of the rod member 153 is inserted into and supported by a through hole (not shown) formed in the side surface 124b, and is movable in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 15 , a second coil spring 154 forming first biasing means is fitted on the lever member 153 . One end of the second coil spring 154 abuts against the slide member 132 , and the other end of the second coil spring 154 abuts against the side surface 124 b at the innermost portion of the receiving chamber 124 . The slide member 132 is biased by the second coil spring 154 and the aforementioned first coil spring 137 to leave the side surface 124b of the accommodation chamber 124 (see FIG. 15 ).

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 20 , the latch pawl member 133 includes a first support member 155 , a second support member 156 integrally provided on the first support member 155 , and a second support member 156 integrally provided on the second support member 156 . The third support member 157. Each of the first support member 155 , the second support member 156 and the third support member 157 is formed in a flat shape. A cylindrical shaft portion 158 protruding downward is formed at one end of the first supporting member 155 in a direction opposite to the arrow Z direction. As shown in FIG. 20, this cylindrical shaft portion 158 is rotatably supported on a bearing member (not shown) provided on the accommodating chamber 124 described above. Therefore, the latch pawl member 133 is supported by an unshown bearing member so as to be rotatable forwardly in an arrow direction about the Z-axis with the shaft portion 158 as a rotation center and reversely rotatable in a direction opposite to the arrow direction.

As shown in FIG. 19 , the second support member 156 is formed to extend from the distal end portion of the first support member 155 , and the second support member 156 has the first claw member 159 having a columnar shape on the lower surface of the distal end portion thereof. The first claw member 159 corresponds to a claw member. The first claw member 159 is fitted into the latch groove 136a of the above-described slide member 132, and moves within the latch groove 136a. When the first claw member 159 moves within the latch groove 136a, the shaft portion 158 rotates with the movement of the first claw member 159, and can move slightly in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the first pawl member 159 moves within the latch slot 136 a while the second pawl member 162 is positioned on the slot 163 . As shown in FIG. 20 , a locking hole 160 is formed at the distal end of the second support member 156 on the side of the side surface 124c. A third coil spring 161 as a second biasing means is placed between the locking hole 160 and a hole (not shown) formed in the side surface 124c. The latch claw member 133 is biased toward the side surface 124c by the third coil spring 161 .

When the slide member 132 is set at a position separated from the side surface 124b by the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154, the first claw member 159 of the latch claw member 133 is arranged at position A (starting end), as Figure 18 shows. The position of the slide member 132 at this time should be referred to as a pull-out allowing position (first slide position) as a first position.

When the sliding member 132 moves to the rear side by being pressed against the elastic forces of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154, the first claw member 159 moves in the first groove 141 from the starting end to the end, and further from The start end of the second groove 142 is moved to the end (position C shown in FIG. 18). The first claw member 159 disposed at the position A does not move from the position A into the ninth groove 149 because there is a step 150 between the first groove 141 and the ninth groove 149 .

When the first claw member 159 reaches the end of the second slot 142 (position C), the latch claw member 133 moves the first claw member 159 from the start end to the end end (position D) by the elastic force of the third coil spring 161 . When the pressure applied to the slide member 132 is released in this state, the slide member 132 is moved in a direction to separate from the side surface 124b by elastic forces of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 . At this time, the first claw member 159 moves from the position D to the end of the fourth groove 144 (position E). When the first claw member 159 reaches the end of the fourth groove 144 (position E), the latch claw member 133 moves the first claw member 159 from the starting end to the fifth groove 145 by the elastic force of the third coil spring 161 . end (position F).

When the slide member 132 moves to the rear side by being pressed against the elastic forces of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 , the first claw member 159 moves from the position F to the end of the sixth groove 146 (position G). When the first claw member 159 reaches the end of the sixth groove 146 (position F), the latch claw member 133 moves the first claw member 159 from the starting end to the seventh groove 147 by the elastic force of the third coil spring 161. end (position H).

When the first claw member 159 reaches the position H, and the pressure applied to the sliding member 132 is released, the sliding member 132 is moved in the direction of separating from the side surface 124b by the elastic force of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 . That is, the first claw member 159 moves along the eighth groove 148 and the ninth groove 149 and returns to the start end (position A) of the first groove 141 .

Therefore, when the slide member 132 is operated to be pressed toward the side surface 124b twice, the first pawl member 159 travels around the latch groove 136a, and returns to the position A. As shown in FIG. That is, the first claw member 159 is guided from the position A to the position F by the first pressing operation, and is guided from the position F to the position A by the second pressing operation.

The third support member 157 is formed to extend at the distal end portion of the second support member 156, and the third support member 157 has the second claw member 162 having a columnar shape as a fitting formed to protrude from the lower surface of the distal end portion. member. The second claw member 162 is designed to be fitted into a groove 163 formed in the ink case 120 of the ink cartridge 118 described above. In this embodiment, the groove 163 guiding the second claw member 162 is formed to be larger than the latch groove in which the enveloping first claw member 159 is fitted in proportion to the distance from the shaft portion 158 of the latch claw member 133 Partial motion path of 136a from position H to position I.

That is, when the ink cartridge 118 is applied and pressed toward the slide member 132 to mount the ink cartridge 118 to the cartridge holder 113 , the first claw member 159 moves in the first groove 141 and moves to position B in the second groove 142 . The second claw member 162 moves with the first claw member 159 and moves in a direction opposite to the arrow Y direction, and faces the first guide groove 166 of the groove 163 formed in the ink case 120 . Therefore, when the first claw member 159 moves from position B to position C in the second groove 142 , the second claw member 162 is guided to position K in the first guide groove 166 as shown in FIG. 21 . The position of the sliding member 132 should be referred to as a mounting position (second sliding position) as a second position.

When the first claw member 159 moves from the position C of the second groove 142 to the position D of the third groove 143, the second claw member 162 is guided from the position K to the position L in the second guide groove 167, as shown in FIG. Show. When the first jaw member 159 is moved from position D to position E of the fourth slot 144, the second jaw member 162 is guided from position L to position M in the second slot 142, as shown in FIG. When the first claw member 159 moves from the position E to the position F of the fifth groove 145, the second claw member 162 is guided from the position M to the position N in the second guide groove 167, as shown in FIG. 21 .

At this time, the ink cartridge 118 is in a state where it is mounted on the cartridge holder 113 . If the ink cartridge 118 is drawn in this state, the ink cartridge 118 cannot be detached from the cartridge holder 113 because the first claw member 159 fits with the side surface of the fifth groove 145 and the second claw member 162 fits with the locking portion 164 .

When the slide member 132 is subsequently pressed by the ink cartridge 118, the first claw member 159 sequentially moves to position F, position G, position H, position I and position A as described above. At this time, the second claw member 162 is sequentially guided to a position N, a position O, and a position P, and is guided to a position Q of the third guide groove 168 as described in FIG. 21 . As a result, the second claw member 162 is detached from the locking portion 164 and pulled out from the groove 163 formed in the ink case 120 . Therefore, the ink cartridge 118 can be detached from the cartridge holder 113 .

Next, with the printer 111 constructed as described above, the operation when installing and detaching the ink cartridge 118 will be described.

In a state where the ink cartridge 118 is not installed in the accommodating chamber 124 of the printer 111, the slide member 132 is located at the pull-out allowing position, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 . In this state, the user slides the new ink cartridge 118 into the accommodating chamber 124 of the cartridge holder 113 in the Y-axis direction, whereby the side surface 118 b of the ink cartridge 118 abuts against the sliding member 132 . At this time, the second claw member 162 is not positioned on the upper surface 120 a of the ink cartridge 118 , and is in a state where it cannot be engaged with the locking portion 164 of the ink cartridge 118 .

When the user further presses the ink cartridge 118 in the arrow Y direction, the sliding member 132 moves in the arrow Y direction against the biasing force of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 . Next, the first claw member 159 of the latch claw member 133 moves along the first groove 141 and the second groove 142 of the latch groove 136 a, and guides the second claw member 162 from position J to position K of the groove 163 . The first jaw member 159 is positioned at the end of the second slot 142, position C. When the first claw member 159 moves along the first groove 141 and the second groove 142 , the ink supply needle 126 penetrates the needle through hole 134 a provided in the housing portion 134 to be inserted into the ink discharge port 121 a of the ink cartridge 118 . The air introduction tube 127 is supported in the cylindrical portion 135 of the slide member 132 in a state where it is prevented from being bent, so as to be connected to the communication hole of the ink cartridge 118 . Therefore, the accuracy when the communication hole of the ink cartridge 118 and the air introduction tube 127 are connected can be improved.

When the first claw member 159 is positioned at position C, the latch claw member 133 is rotated in the direction of the arrow around the Z-axis with the shaft portion 158 as the center of rotation by the biasing force of the third coil spring 161, and the first claw member 159 The third slot 143 moves along the latch slot 136a. As a result, the first claw member 159 is positioned at the end of the third groove 143 , that is, position D. As shown in FIG. The first claw member 159 guides the second claw member 162 to position L. As shown in FIG.

When the user stops pressing the ink cartridge 118 in this state, the slide member 132 is moved in a direction away from the side surface 124 b by the biasing force of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 . As a result, the latch claw member 133 moves along the fourth groove 144 and is positioned at the end of the fourth groove 144 , that is, the position E. As shown in FIG. Then, the latch claw member 133 is moved in the direction toward the side surface 124c by the biasing force of the third coil spring 161, and thus, rotates in the direction of the arrow around the Z axis with the shaft portion 158 as the center of rotation, and the first claw The member 159 moves along the fifth slot 145 of the latch slot 136a. As a result, the first claw member 159 is positioned at the end of the fifth groove 145 , that is, position F. As shown in FIG. When the first claw member 159 is positioned at position F, the slide member 132 is positioned at the installed position, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 , and the second claw member 162 is locked at the locked position 164 . As a result, movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the direction along the Y-axis is restricted. Since the second claw member 162 moves while being locked at the groove 163 , the upper surface of the locking portion 164 is locked at the third supporting member 157 . Therefore, the movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the direction along the Z axis is restricted.

That is, when the ink cartridge 118 is accommodated in the cartridge holder 113, the user only needs to stop pressing after sliding the ink cartridge 118 into the accommodation chamber 124 and pressing it backward once. In this way, it is easy to accommodate the ink cartridge 118 in the cartridge holder 113 . When the ink cartridge 118 is fixed to the cartridge holder 113 , the ink cartridge 118 is fixed to the slide member 132 while maintaining a state where the second claw member 162 is guided into the groove 163 on the ink cartridge 118 .

When the ink cartridge 118 is accommodated in the cartridge holder 113, the movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the X-axis direction is restricted by the side surface 124c and the side surface 124d of the accommodation chamber 124, and also by the second claw member 162 guided by the latch claw member 133. limit. As a result, the latch claw member 133 is locked to the upper surface 120a of the ink cartridge 118, and the movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the Z-axis direction is also restricted. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 118 is in a state where it is accommodated in the cartridge holder 113, the ink cartridge 118 is fixed in a state where it is guided into the ink cartridge holder 113 and does not rock. Therefore, ink leaks and air leaks are less likely to occur even if vibrations and drops occur during transportation and printing.

When detaching the ink cartridge 118 accommodated in the accommodating chamber 124, the user presses the ink cartridge 118 in the arrow Y direction. Then, the slide member 132 moves in the arrow Y direction against the biasing forces of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 . Next, the first claw member 159 of the latch claw member 133 moves along the sixth groove 146 of the latch groove 136a shown in FIG.

When the first claw member 159 is located at the fitting position G, the second supporting member 156 is biased in a direction toward the side surface 124c by the biasing force of the third coil spring 161 . Accordingly, the latch claw member 133 rotates in the direction of the arrow around the Z axis with the shaft portion 158 as the center of rotation, and the second claw member 162 moves along the seventh groove 147 of the latch groove 136a. As a result, the first claw member 159 is positioned at the end of the seventh groove 147, that is, the position H. As shown in FIG.

When the user stops pressing the ink cartridge 118 in this state, the slide member 132 is moved in a direction away from the side surface 124b by the biasing force of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 . The latch claw member 133 is inverted in the direction of the arrow around the axis Z with the shaft portion 158 as the center of rotation. As a result, the first claw member 159 moves along the eighth groove 148 and the ninth groove 149 , and moves to the end of the ninth groove 149 . Then, the first claw member 159 goes over the step 150 and falls, and is positioned at position A. As shown in FIG. The first pawl member 159 guides the second pawl member 162 from position P to position Q to reposition it over the latch slot 136a. When the first claw member 159 moves from the eighth groove 148 along the ninth groove 149 , the ink supply needle 126 is pulled out from the ink discharge port 121 a of the ink cartridge 118 . At this time, the ink leaked from the ink supply needle 126 is absorbed by the absorbent material of the housing portion 134 . Therefore, the inside of the housing chamber 124 is kept clean.

As a result, the slide member 132 is positioned at the pull-out allowing position, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 . That is, the second claw member 162 is in a state where it is not locked at the locking portion 164 of the ink cartridge 118 . Therefore, the user can easily pull out the ink cartridge 118 from the cartridge holder 113 just by grasping the ink cartridge 118 and pulling it lightly.

The second embodiment has the following advantages.

(1) In this embodiment, when the slide member 132 is positioned at the pull-out allowing position, the user can attach and detach the ink cartridge 118 by pressing the ink cartridge 118 in the arrow Y direction.

When the slide member 132 is positioned at the installed position, the ink cartridge 118 is fixed to the cartridge seat 113 by the cooperation of the locking portion 164 of the ink cartridge 118 and the second claw member 162 of the latch claw member 133 . At this time, the movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the X-axis direction is restricted by the second claw member 162 guided by the latch claw member 133 and the side surfaces 124 c and 124 d of the accommodation chamber 124 . Because the second claw member 162 moves while being locked at the groove 163 in the upper surface 120 a of the ink cartridge 118 , the movement of the ink cartridge 118 in the direction along the Z-axis is restricted by the third supporting member 157 . That is, the ink cartridge 118 is fixed thereto in a state where it is guided onto the cartridge holder 113 . Therefore, the ink cartridge 118 does not rock with respect to the cartridge holder 113 . Therefore, ink is effectively prevented from leaking from the connection portion of the ink cartridge 118 and the ink supply needle 126, etc., even if vibration and drop occur during transportation and printing.

(2) In the above embodiment, the slide member 132 is biased by the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 in a direction to separate from the side surface 124 b of the accommodating chamber 124 . The slide member 132 is also biased toward the side surface 124c of the receiving chamber 124 by the third coil spring 161 . In addition, the slide member 132 is fixed at the mounting position by the engagement of the latch groove 136 a and the first claw member 159 and the engagement of the groove 163 and the second claw member 162 .

Therefore, it is appropriate to slide the slide member 132 against the biasing forces of the first coil spring 137 and the second coil spring 154 and position the slide member 132 at the mount position when the slide member 132 is moved from the pull-out allowing position to the mount position. of. The slide member 132 is held in the installed position by the locking portion 164 and the second pawl member 162 when positioned in the installed position. On the other hand, when the slide member 132 is moved from the installed position to the pull-out allowing position, the slide member 132 is naturally moved to the pull-out position by the biasing force of the biasing means by disengaging the engagement of the locking portion 164 and the second pawl member 162. out of the allowed position.

That is, when the slide member 132 is displaced to the extraction allowing position or the mounting position, it is only necessary to press the slide member 132 in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 118 . Therefore, switching of the position of the sliding member 132 is extremely easy.

(3) In this embodiment, the slide member 132 is provided with the latch groove 136 a, and the slide groove 151 is provided on the lower surface of the slide member 132 . Therefore, the position of the slide member 132 is determined by the fit of the slide groove 151 and the rail member 125 and the fit position of the latch groove 136 a and the first claw member 159 of the latch claw member 133 . Therefore, the movement of the sliding member 44 is stabilized, and the movement accuracy of the sliding member 132 is improved.

(4) In this embodiment, when the slide member 132 is positioned at the mounting position, the first claw member 159 guides the second claw member 162 to the position N and allows the second claw member 162 to be locked at the locking portion 164 . In this state, when the slide member 132 is moved in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 118 , the second claw member 162 is detached from the locking portion 164 and pulled out from the groove 163 formed in the ink case 120 . As a result, the ink cartridge 118 is brought into a state where it can be detached from the cartridge holder 113 .

Therefore, in order to change the position of the slide member 132 between the pull-out allowing position and the mounted position, it is only necessary to press the slide member 132 in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 118 , that is, the arrow Y direction. Therefore, the position switching of the sliding member 132 is extremely easy.

(5) In this embodiment, the groove 163 is provided on the upper surface 120 a of the ink cartridge 118 . The second claw member 162 is locked at the locking portion 164 surrounded by the groove 163, whereby the ink cartridge 118 is fixed at the mounted position. Therefore, with a minimal design change in which only the groove 163 is provided, the specification for an existing ink cartridge can be changed to a specification that can be mated with the second claw member 162 .

(6) In this embodiment, the slide member 132 is provided with the housing portion 134 having the needle through hole 134 a, and the absorbent material is accommodated in the housing portion 134 . Accordingly, ink leaked from the ink supply needle 126 when the ink cartridge 118 is pulled out of the housing chamber 124 is absorbed by the absorbing material within the housing portion 134 . Therefore, the inside of the housing chamber 124 is kept clean.

(7) In this embodiment, the sliding member 132 is provided with the cylindrical portion 135 , and by the cylindrical portion 135 , bending of the air introduction pipe 127 is prevented. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 118 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 124 , with the movement of the sliding member 132 , the air introduction tube 127 is positioned by the cylindrical portion 135 together with the sliding member 132 . Therefore, the connection accuracy of the communication hole of the ink cartridge 118 and the air introduction pipe 127 is improved.

(8) In this embodiment, the latch claw member 133 is configured by the first support member 155 , the second support member 156 and the third support member 157 which are integrally formed. Therefore, deviation due to assembly does not occur between the first claw member 159 of the second support member 156 and the second claw member 162 of the third support member 157 . Therefore, the movement of the first claw member 159 with the rotation of the latch claw member 133 is transmitted to the second claw member 162 with high precision. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the ink cartridge 118 with respect to the slide member 132 and the cartridge holder 113 is improved. Since the latch claw member 133 is configured by being integrally formed, the number of components can be limited to a minimum.

(9) Both end portions of the groove 163 provided on the upper surface 120 a of the ink cartridge 118 extend in the Y-axis direction and are opened on one side of the ink cartridge 118 . Therefore, the second claw member 162 does not disengage from the groove 163 in directions other than the Y-axis direction.

The second embodiment can be changed as follows.

In the above-described embodiments, the groove 163 and the locking portion 164 may be provided on the side surface and the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 118 instead of the upper surface 120 a of the ink cartridge 118 . In this case, the first claw member 159 and the second claw member 162 may be disposed at the latch claw member 133 so as to be opposed to the groove 163 and the locking portion 164 .

In the above-described embodiment, a total of three coil springs, ie, the first coil spring 137, the second coil spring 154, and the third coil spring 161 are used as the biasing means, but the number of coil springs used is not limited thereto. Instead of a helical spring, the biasing means could be a leaf spring or rubber.

In the above-described embodiment, the fixing means for holding the slide member 132 at the installed position is formed by the latch groove 136 a and the first claw member 159 , the second claw member 162 and the locking portion 164 . This fixing means may be changed to other fixing means as long as it holds the slide member 132 in the installed position and is switchable as necessary to allow movement from the installed position to the extraction-allowed position. For example, a protruding first claw member 159 is formed on the slide member 132, a protruding second claw member 162 is formed on the ink cartridge 118, and a groove 163 is fitted on the first claw member, while the second claw member 162 is locked. A locking portion 164 therein may be formed on the latch claw member 133 .

In the above-described embodiments, the shape of the locking portion 164 may be changed. For example, a concave portion and a V-shaped groove concave in the arrow Y direction may be provided at the locking portion so that when the first claw member 159 is fitted in the F position, the second claw member 162 is guided to the locking portion 164 . Alternatively, a protruding portion protruding in a direction opposite to the arrow Y direction may be formed. As a result, the first claw member 159 is engaged with the position F while the second claw member 162 is locked at the protruding portion and the locking portion 164, and thus movement in the X-axis and Y-axis directions is restricted.

In the above-described embodiments, the sliding member 132 includes the shell portion 134 and the cylindrical portion 135 , but the sliding member 132 may not include the shell portion 134 and/or the cylindrical portion 135 .

In the above-described embodiments, the ink cartridge 118 is formed of the ink bag 121 as the liquid containing portion and the ink case 120 as the liquid case, but the liquid containing portion and the liquid case are not limited thereto. For example, the liquid containing portion and the gap may be formed by partitioning the inside of the ink case 120 by a film or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the printer 111 transfers the ink in the ink bag 121 to the recording head 116 by introducing air into the gap 122 between the ink bag 121 and the ink case 120 by the pressure pump 119 . Instead of the above, the position of the ink bag 121 is positioned above the recording head 116, and thus, the ink in the ink bag 121 can be transferred to the recording head 116 by gravity. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the cylindrical portion 135 at the slide member 132 .

The present invention can be implemented in other inkjet recording apparatuses than the printer 111 in FIG. 12, for example, in printing apparatuses such as facsimile machines and photocopiers. Alternatively, the present invention may be implemented in a liquid ejection device that ejects other liquid than ink. A liquid ejecting device that ejects liquid other than ink may be a liquid ejecting device ejecting liquids such as electrode materials and pigments for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, EL displays, and surface emission displays, for ejecting bioorganic substances for manufacturing biochips liquid injection device, or as a sample injection device for precision pipettes.

Claims (21)

1. A liquid ejection device comprising a cartridge base and a liquid cartridge, the liquid cartridge is detachably mounted on the cartridge base and stores liquid, the liquid ejection device will be mounted on the cartridge base The liquid in the liquid box is sprayed towards the target, characterized by The liquid ejecting device further includes a sliding member and a rotating member, The slide member is slidably supported on the cartridge seat, the slide member slides between a first position and a second position along an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge, and the insertion direction is when the liquid cartridge the direction in which the liquid cartridge is inserted into the cartridge seat when the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat, and The rotating member is rotatably supported on the cartridge base, the rotation of the rotating member is linked with the sliding of the sliding member, and when the sliding member moves from the first position to the second position, the rotating member displaces, thereby not allowing the liquid cartridge to be disassembled from the cartridge holder, and when the slide member moves from the second position to the first position, the rotating member displaces, to allow removal of the fluid cartridge from the cartridge holder. 2. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head for ejecting a liquid toward a target, a liquid cartridge for storing the liquid, a liquid passage for connecting the liquid ejection head and the liquid cartridge, and a A box seat for accommodating the liquid box, characterized in that The box holder includes a sliding member slidable between a first sliding position and a second sliding position along an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge, and the insertion direction is when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat the direction in which it is inserted into said cartridge holder; a locking pawl member rotatably supported on the slide member between a first rotational position and a second rotational position; and a rib abutting against the locking pawl member, The rib causes the pawl member to be positioned in the first rotational position when the slide member is in the first position, and causes the pawl member to be positioned in the second position when the slide member is in the second position. the locking pawl member is positioned in the second rotational position, and The liquid cartridge includes a fitting portion that is switched between a state in which the fitting portion is fitted with the locking claw member and a state in which the fitting portion is not fitted with the locking claw member, wherein when the When the locking pawl member is at the first rotational position, the matching portion does not cooperate with the locking pawl member, and when the locking pawl member is at the second rotational position, the matching portion does not cooperate with the locking pawl Component fit. 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2, characterized in that The box holder includes biasing means for biasing the slide member to displace to the first slide position, and fixing means to fix the sliding member to the second sliding position. 4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 3, characterized in that The fixture includes a latch slot provided in the slide member, and a latch pawl member including a pawl member that fits in the latch groove, and The latch slot includes a first groove portion in which the pawl member is fitted when the slide member is in the first position, A second groove portion in which the pawl member fits when the slide member is in the second position, and when the claw member fits in the second groove portion, the slide member movement to the first position is restricted, a third slot portion that guides the pawl member from the first slot portion to the second slot when the slide member moves from the first position to the second position part, a fourth slot portion that guides the pawl member from the second slot portion to the first slot when the slide member moves from the second position to the first position part. 5. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 4, wherein the fourth groove portion is formed so that when the slide member slides from the second position in the insertion direction of the liquid cartridge, the A claw member is guided from the second slot portion to the first slot portion. 6. A liquid ejecting device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein said engaging portion is a concave portion. 7. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the liquid channel includes a liquid supply needle connected to the liquid cartridge, The liquid supply needle is movably inserted through the slide member, and the slide member includes an absorber integrated with the slide member to surround the liquid supply needle and absorb leaked liquid. 8. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that The liquid cartridge includes a liquid accommodating portion for storing the liquid, a liquid case for accommodating the liquid accommodating portion, and for introducing air into a gap between the liquid accommodating portion and the liquid case connected hole, the cartridge seat includes an air introduction tube connected to the communication hole of the liquid cartridge accommodated in the cartridge seat, and The sliding member includes bending restricting means integrated with the sliding member and restricts bending of the air introduction tube. 9. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head for ejecting a liquid toward a target, a liquid cartridge for storing the liquid, a liquid passage for connecting the liquid ejection head and the liquid cartridge, and a A box seat for accommodating the liquid box, characterized in that The liquid ejecting device further includes a sliding member and a rotating member, The slide member is slidably supported on the cartridge seat, the slide member is slidable between a first position and a second position along an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge, and the insertion direction is when the liquid cartridge is the direction in which the liquid cartridge is inserted into the cartridge seat when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat, and The rotating member is rotatably supported on the cartridge base, the rotation of the rotating member is linked with the sliding of the sliding member, and when the sliding member moves from the first position to the second position, the rotating member displaces, thereby connecting the liquid cartridge to the sliding member, and when the sliding member moves from the second position to the first position, the rotating member displaces, To release the connection between the box seat and the sliding member. 10. The liquid ejection device according to claim 9, characterized in that The liquid ejection device further comprises biasing means for biasing the slide member from the second position to the first position, wherein the slide member moves from the first position to the second movement of position occurs against the biasing force of the biasing means, and The rotating member includes an engaging member that, according to rotation of the rotating member, is between a state in which the engaging member is engaged with the liquid cartridge and a state in which the engaging member is not engaged with the liquid cartridge switch between. 11. The liquid ejection device according to claim 10, characterized in that The sliding member includes a guide groove, the rotation member includes a claw member movable along the guide groove within the guide groove, wherein the rotation of the rotation member is linked to the movement of the claw member, and The guide groove includes a first groove portion in which the pawl member is fitted when the slide member is in the first position, A second groove portion in which the pawl member fits when the slide member is in the second position, and when the claw member fits in the second groove portion, the slide member movement to the first position is restricted, a third slot portion that guides the pawl member from the first slot portion to the second slot when the slide member moves from the first position to the second position part, and a fourth slot portion that guides the pawl member from the second slot portion to the first slot when the slide member moves from the second position to the first position part. 12. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 11, wherein the fourth groove portion is formed so that when the sliding member slides from the second position in the insertion direction of the liquid cartridge, the A claw member is guided from the second slot portion to the first slot portion. 13. The liquid ejecting device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the engaging member included in the rotating member is fitted in a groove opened on one side of the upper surface of the liquid cartridge, and The liquid cartridge is connected to the slide member. 14. The liquid ejecting device according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the biasing means is a first biasing means, and the liquid ejecting device further comprises a device for moving the rotating member along a directionally biased second biasing means, and the rotating member rotates against the biasing force of the second biasing means during movement of the sliding member from the first position to the second position, and During movement of the slide member from the second position to the first position, it rotates while being biased by the second biasing means. 15. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that the liquid channel includes a liquid supply needle connected to the liquid cartridge, and The liquid supply needle is movably inserted through the slide member, and the slide member includes an absorber integrated with the slide member to surround the liquid supply needle and absorb leaked liquid. 16. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that the liquid cartridge includes a communication hole, the cartridge seat includes an air introduction tube connected to the communication hole of the liquid cartridge accommodated in the cartridge seat, and The sliding member includes bending restricting means integrated with the sliding member and restricts bending of the air introduction tube. 17. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head for ejecting a liquid toward a target, a liquid cartridge for storing the liquid, a liquid passage for connecting the liquid ejection head and the liquid cartridge, and a The box seat for accommodating the liquid box is characterized in that The liquid ejection device further includes a slide member which is slidably supported on the cartridge base and which slides as the liquid cartridge is attached to and detached from the cartridge base. The member slides between a first sliding position and a second sliding position along an insertion direction of the liquid cartridge, and the insertion direction is such that when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the cartridge seat, the liquid cartridge is inserted into the orientation of the box seat, the liquid passage includes a liquid supply needle forming a connection portion with the liquid cartridge, the cartridge seat includes an air introduction tube connected to the liquid cartridge, and The slide member includes a portion that guides the liquid supply needle and a portion that guides a portion where the air introduction tube is connected to the liquid cartridge. 18. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 17, further comprising biasing means for biasing the sliding member in a direction opposite to the insertion direction. 19. The liquid ejection device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the liquid ejection device further comprises a rotating member, the rotating member is rotatably supported on the cartridge seat, wherein the rotating member The rotation of the sliding member is associated with the sliding of the sliding member, and when the sliding member is moved from the first sliding position to the second sliding position, the rotating member is displaced to not allow the cartridge to be disassembled from the cartridge holder. the position of the liquid cartridge, and when the sliding member moves from the second sliding position to the first sliding position, the rotating member is displaced to a position allowing the liquid cartridge to be detached from the cartridge seat . 20. The liquid ejection device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The box holder includes a locking pawl member rotatably supported on the slide member between a first rotational position and a second rotational position; and a rib abutting against the locking pawl member, The rib causes the pawl member to be positioned in the first rotational position when the slide member is in the first position, and causes the pawl member to be positioned in the second position when the slide member is in the second position. the locking pawl member is positioned in the second rotational position, and The liquid cartridge includes a fitting portion that is switched between a state in which the fitting portion is fitted with the locking pawl member and a state in which the fitting portion is not fitted with the locking pawl member, when the When the locking pawl member is at the first rotational position, the engaging portion is not engaged with the locking pawl member, and when the locking pawl member is at the second rotational position, the engaging portion is not engaged with the locking pawl. Component fit. 21. The liquid ejection device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, the liquid ejection device further comprises a rotating member, the rotating member is rotatably supported on the cartridge seat, and the rotating member Rotation is associated with sliding of the sliding member, and when the sliding member moves from the first position to the second position, the rotating member is displaced thereby connecting the liquid cartridge to the sliding member and when the sliding member moves from the second position to the first position, the rotating member is displaced to release the connection between the cartridge seat and the sliding member.

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