JP7520618B2 - Inkjet recording device and cartridge - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device and a cartridge.

Inkjet recording devices are used to print characters and figures on the surface of a workpiece. Patent Document 1 provides a detailed explanation of a cartridge-type inkjet recording device. A cartridge for refilling ink or solvent is attached to a reservoir in the device body. The reservoir is provided with a receiving port for receiving the mouth of the cartridge, and a hollow needle is arranged upright in the center of this receiving port. The cartridge has a rubber stopper that seals the mouth. When the user presses down to attach the cartridge, the hollow needle penetrates the rubber stopper, creating a state in which the liquid content can be extracted by the hollow needle. In this state, the axis of the cartridge bottle is aligned with the hollow needle. To remove the cartridge, the opposite operation is performed by lifting it up.

The cartridge has a recording medium section in the bottle neck, which includes a bottle-side terminal. On the other hand, the reservoir is provided with a terminal on the device body side (called the "reservoir terminal"). When the cartridge is attached, the bottle-side terminal and the reservoir terminal are connected.

JP 2015-134431 A

In the cartridge-type inkjet recording device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the user can simply push down or pull up the cartridge (bottle) along the axis of the hollow needle to install or remove it. The user can then connect or disconnect the bottle-side terminal and the reservoir terminal by pushing down or pulling up. The reservoir terminal is disposed on the side wall of the reservoir in a state where it protrudes into the inside of the reservoir and is visible when viewed from the cartridge insertion direction, so it is prone to attracting dust and dirt from outside. In addition, ink or solvent may adhere to the reservoir terminal, causing the reservoir terminal to become dirty (contaminated). When dirt adheres to the reservoir terminal, the user must perform cleaning operations such as wiping off the dirt.

The inventors of the present application first came up with the idea of providing a visor adjacent to the top of the reservoir terminal in order to prevent contamination of the reservoir terminal as much as possible and reduce the burden of cleaning work on the user. Furthermore, if a visor is provided adjacent to the reservoir terminal, the bottle-side terminal will interfere with the visor when attaching or removing the cartridge. It is also possible to require the user to operate the cartridge so that it does not interfere with the visor when attaching or removing the cartridge. However, requiring this is not desirable for users who are accustomed to the simple operation of attaching and removing cartridges, and it reduces the usability of the cartridge.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge and inkjet recording device that reduces the adhesion of dirt to the reservoir terminal and is easy to use.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the above technical problem is solved by
a cartridge for refilling an ink or a solvent into a main body of a continuous type inkjet recording device;
a receiving port provided in the device body for receiving the cartridge and receiving a bottle mouth portion of the bottle of the cartridge;
a hollow needle provided in the device body, the hollow needle being capable of piercing the bottle mouth when the bottle mouth is received in the receiving port and penetrating into the bottle of the cartridge, thereby extracting the liquid contained in the cartridge;
a recording medium portion provided in the cartridge;
A first terminal provided on an end surface of the recording medium portion;
a reservoir terminal provided in the device body and contacting the first terminal when the cartridge is attached;
a contamination prevention canopy located above and adjacent the reservoir terminal;
a linking mechanism that displaces the first terminal in mechanical interlocking with a mounting operation of the cartridge by a user and a removal operation of the cartridge by a user,
The interlocking mechanism allows the first terminal to take a retracted position where it can prevent interference with the contamination prevention canopy and a contact position where it contacts the reservoir terminal,
The bottle is
A bottle body having an internal space for accommodating ink or a solvent;
a bottle neck portion having a pipe line extending from the bottle body along a first direction and communicating with an internal space of the bottle body, and a guide portion extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction for guiding the bottle neck in the second direction;
having
The cartridge comprises:
This is achieved by providing an inkjet recording device including a holding portion that holds the first terminal and the recording medium portion on the bottle neck portion so that the first terminal can be displaced to the retracted position and to the contact position that is spaced apart from the retracted position in the second direction relative to the bottle neck portion.

With the inkjet recording device and cartridge of the present invention, the user simply performs the same attachment and detachment operation as in the conventional method of pushing down or lifting the cartridge along the bottle axis, and the first terminal, i.e., the bottle-side terminal, takes the retracted position and the contact position mechanically in conjunction with this operation, preventing interference with the contamination prevention visor and ensuring a reliable connection between the first terminal, i.e., the bottle-side terminal, and the reservoir terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the above technical problem is solved by
A cartridge for refilling ink or solvent into a continuous ink jet recording device, the cartridge being inserted into a cartridge receiving section provided in the device body,
A bottle body having an internal space for accommodating ink or a solvent;
a bottle neck portion having a pipe line extending from the bottle body along a first direction and communicating with an internal space of the bottle body, and a guide portion extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction for guiding the bottle neck in the second direction;
a recording medium attached to the cartridge and for recording information about the cartridge;
a first terminal electrically connected to the recording medium and accessed by a main body of the inkjet recording device;
This is achieved by providing a cartridge comprising: a holding portion that holds the first terminal and the recording medium on the bottle neck in a slidable manner by the guide portion so that the first terminal can be displaced to a first position and a second position that is spaced apart from the first position in the second direction relative to the bottle neck.

The recording medium unit corresponds to the ROM unit 900 included in the embodiment described later. In the embodiment, the recording medium unit 900 is attached to a bottle having a bottle axis Ax. The ROM unit 900 included in the preferred embodiment is detachably installed on the bottle. With reference to FIG. 22, the ROM unit 900 may be divided into two parts, with the first part 900(1) being integrally molded with the bottle or bonded to the bottle, and the second part 900(2) including the first terminal, i.e., the bottle side terminal 910, being movable with respect to the first part 900(1) and being movable toward and away from the first part 900(1). In other words, the second part 900(2) may be configured to be displaceable in the lateral direction along a second axis Ax(cross) that intersects with the bottle axis Ax.

Here, the term "lateral direction" in relation to the displacement direction of the first terminal or the bottle-side terminal is most preferably a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax, but is not limited to this. "Lateral direction" includes not only a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax, but also a direction that intersects obliquely with the bottle axis Ax.

To regulate the direction of displacement of the second part 900(2), a guide mechanism having substantially the same function as the displacement guide mechanism SL described in the preferred embodiment may be incorporated into the first and second parts 900(1) and 900(2). The recording medium incorporated into the recording medium section 900 may be built into the first part 900(1) or the second part 900(2).

The displacement of the second portion 900(2) can be mechanically linked to the user's installation and removal of the cartridge by employing a cam mechanism as described in the preferred embodiment.

The advantages and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention below.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an automatic printing system including a cartridge-type inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a printer body, which is a main element of an inkjet printer. FIG. 2 shows the printer body with the front door removed, illustrating the state in which the ink cartridges and the solvent cartridges are empty before they are installed. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the printer body with the front door removed, illustrating the state in which an ink cartridge and a solvent cartridge are inserted into each reservoir. FIG. 2 shows the printer body with the front door removed, and is a diagram for explaining the state after the ink cartridges and the solvent cartridges have been installed in their respective reservoirs. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the shape of a bottle of a cartridge. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the neck and mouth of the bottle and the ROM unit attached to the neck, with the terminal plate of the ROM unit positioned in the retracted position. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the neck and mouth of a bottle and the ROM unit attached to the neck, with the terminal plate of the ROM unit positioned in the contact position. 1 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the neck and mouth of the bottle. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ROM unit as seen obliquely from above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ROM unit as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 13 is a top view of the ROM unit of the modified example, with the pair of arms positioned in a closed position. FIG. 13 is a top view of the ROM unit of the modified example, with the pair of arms positioned in the open position. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reservoir as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the reservoir as seen obliquely from above, from a position different from that in FIG. 13 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the upper end of the terminal plate of the ROM unit is positioned approximately at the height level Lv of the peak of the contamination prevention canopy during the process of the bottle's downward movement. FIG. 15B shows the state in which the bottle shown in FIG. 15A has been further lowered. 15B is a diagram showing the state in which the bottle shown in FIG. 15B has been further lowered and the terminal plate of the ROM unit is located at the contact position. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining how the terminal plate is displaced between a retracted position and a contact position in conjunction with an operation of mounting or removing the cartridge. 16, this figure is for explaining that the terminal plate of the ROM unit is displaced between the retracted position and the contact position in conjunction with the operation of mounting or removing the cartridge. 13 is a diagram for explaining a first modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the ROM unit is located in the retracted position. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a first modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the ROM unit is in the middle of moving from the retracted position to the contact position. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a first modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the ROM unit is located at the contact position. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a second modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the ROM unit is located in the retracted position. 13 is a diagram for explaining a second modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the ROM unit is in the middle of moving from the retracted position to the contact position. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a second modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the ROM unit is located at the contact position. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a third modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the horizontally rotating ROM unit is located at the retracted position. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a third modified example of the interlocking mechanism, in which the terminal plate of the horizontally rotating ROM unit is located at the contact position. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the terminal plate of the ROM unit is displaced between the retracted position and the contact position in conjunction with the operation of mounting or removing the cartridge by the action of the interlocking mechanism of the third modified example. FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the concept of a cartridge according to the present invention, in which a bottle-side terminal of a recording medium portion is capable of translationally moving in the lateral direction.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Automatic printing system and inkjet printer>
1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic printing system including an inkjet recording device. The automatic printing system 1 shown in the figure is composed of an inkjet recording device 2 of the embodiment, a work detection sensor 4, a conveying speed sensor 6, a display device 8, and the like.

The inkjet recording device 2 is generally called an "inkjet printer." This inkjet printer 2 is a continuous type printer that continuously ejects ink. The inkjet printer 2 is installed on a work transport line 10 and prints characters and figures on the work W that flows along the work transport line 10. The work W, which is the object to be printed, is, for example, an electronic component or a plastic bag. The work detection sensor 4 detects the presence or absence of the work W and outputs a trigger to start printing. Upon receiving this trigger signal, the inkjet printer 2 starts printing.

The inkjet printer 2 has a printer body 200 and a head 300, which are connected by a flexible hose 12. Quick-drying ink liquid is circulated between the printer body 200 and the head 300, and printing is performed by the head 300.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of the inkjet printer 2. The printer body 200 has a main tank 202 inside, which stores quick-drying ink liquid. The ink liquid in the main tank 202 is supplied to the nozzle 302 of the head 300 by a first pump (ink supply pump) 204. The supply of ink liquid to the nozzle 302 is constantly continued, and among the ink particles ejected from the nozzle 302, those that are not used to print the workpiece W are received by the gutter 304. The ink particles that drop into the gutter 304 are sucked up by the gutter pump 206 and collected in the main tank 202. In the figure, F indicates a filter.

The inkjet printer 2 uses a cartridge system for refilling ink and solvent. An ink cartridge 400 and a solvent cartridge 500 are removably attached to the printer body 200. The ink cartridge 400 contains ink liquid to be refilled into the main tank 202. The solvent cartridge 500 contains a solvent, such as methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), to maintain a constant viscosity of the ink liquid.

In the inkjet printer 2, a cleaning process is performed to clean the inside of the nozzle 302 of the head 300 when starting up or shutting down the ink circulation system. When cleaning the nozzle 302, the solvent in the solvent cartridge 500 is supplied directly to the nozzle 302 of the head 300 by the solvent pump 212. The solvent discharged from the nozzle 302 is then received by the gutter 304. The solvent received by the gutter 304 is sucked up by the gutter pump 206 and sent to the conditioning tank 210. The solvent in the conditioning tank 210 is supplied to the main tank 202 by the refill/circulation pump 216 as necessary, thereby reusing the recovered solvent.

The refill/circulation pump 216 also has the function of sending refill ink liquid in the ink cartridge 400 to the main tank 202 as necessary and circulating the ink in the main tank 202, and the ink liquid in the main tank 202 is constantly circulated by this refill/circulation pump 216. A viscometer 218 is attached to the main tank 202, and this viscometer 218 detects the viscosity of the ink liquid in the main tank 202. The viscosity of the ink liquid in the main tank 202 is maintained constant by supplying a solvent from the conditioning tank 210 to the main tank 202 according to the viscosity detected by this viscometer 218.

<Ink cartridges, solvent cartridges>
3 to 5 show the printer body 200 with the front door removed. FIG. 3 shows the printer body 200 with the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 removed. Referring to FIG. 3, the printer body 200 has two reservoirs 600 for receiving the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500, and the reservoirs 600 for the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 have substantially the same configuration. The reservoirs 600 are swingable. By the reservoirs 600 swinging about a horizontal axis, the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 can take two positions: first, a vertically upright position (see FIG. 5), and second, a position inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical to the outside of the printer body 200 (see FIG. 4).

The state shown in Figure 4 shows the state when the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 are installed or removed. As shown in Figure 4, by tilting the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 at a predetermined angle to the outside of the printer body 200, the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 can be easily installed and removed. Figure 5 shows the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 in the used state. In the used state, the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 are stored in the printer body 200 in a state where they are extended vertically.

<Bottle>
FIG. 6 shows a bottle 800, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are enlarged views of a neck 810 and a mouth 812 of the bottle 800. The bottle 800 is a plastic molded product, and is commonly used for the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500. A recording medium section equipped with a recording medium is provided in the bottle neck 810. Specifically, the recording medium section is composed of a ROM unit 900, and the ROM unit 900 is attached to the bottle neck 810. FIG. 9 shows a state before the ROM unit 900 is attached. After the bottle 800 is filled with the liquid content (ink or solvent), a rubber stopper (reference number 812a in FIG. 17) is fitted into the mouth 812 to seal the bottle 800.

9, the bottle 800 has a guide rod 820 that extends laterally from the neck 810, and the guide rod 820 is molded integrally with the bottle 800. Specifically, the guide rod 820 extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (bottle axis) Ax of the bottle 800 and away from the neck 810. The neck 810 also has guide grooves 822 on the left and right side surfaces (the guide groove on the opposite side is not shown in the figure for drawing reasons), and the pair of left and right guide grooves 822 extend in a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax.

The bottle 800 is an example of a main body having an internal space in which ink or solvent is contained. The neck 810 and the mouth 812 have a conduit extending from the bottle 800 along the direction of the bottle axis Ax and communicating with the internal space of the bottle 800, and are an example of a conduit section. To further explain this with reference to FIG. 6, the bottle 800 has a bottle main body 800bo having an internal space for containing ink or solvent, and a conduit section 800co provided at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the conduit section 800co extends from the bottle main body 800bo in a first direction. The conduit section 800co is constituted by the above-mentioned mouth section 812, and the base end of the mouth section 812 is constituted by the neck section 810. The ink or solvent in the bottle main body 800bo can flow out through the conduit constituted by the conduit section 800co. The extension direction of the pipe section 800co, i.e., the first direction, is determined by the central axis of the bottle 800 and essentially constitutes the bottle axis Ax.

<ROM unit>
Figures 10 and 11 show a ROM unit 900 which constitutes the recording medium section. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the ROM unit 900 seen obliquely from above, and Figure 11 is a view of the ROM unit 900 seen obliquely from below. The ROM unit 900 has a unit body 902 on which a recording medium is mounted, and a pair of arm portions 906, and the pair of arm portions 906 and the unit body 902 are integrally molded.

The ROM unit 900 is removably attached to the bottle neck 810 with the pair of arm portions 906 received in the guide grooves 822 and slidably moved laterally (Figs. 7 and 8). More specifically, the pair of arm portions 906 have anti-slip projections 906a at their tips (Figs. 10 and 11), which prevent the ROM unit 900 from falling off the bottle neck 810.

As a modified example of the ROM unit 900, the pair of arm portions 906 may be swingable. Figures 12A and 12B show a modified ROM unit 950 in which each arm portion 906 can swing around a vertical axis 950a, and each arm portion 906 is biased in the closing direction by a spring 952. Figure 12A shows the pair of arm portions 906 in the closed position. The pair of arm portions 906 are biased by the spring to take the closed position, so that the ROM unit 950 is engaged with the bottle neck 810. Figure 12B shows the pair of arm portions 906 in the open position. The user can operate the pair of arm portions 906 to position the pair of arm portions 906 in the open position against the spring bias, thereby removing the ROM unit 950 from the bottle neck 810.

The unit body 902 of the ROM unit 900 has an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) built in, which is a non-volatile memory serving as a recording medium. The EEPROM records information such as the cartridge-specific lot number, manufacturer identification number, cartridge version, manufacturer identification number, type of ink or solvent, serial number, and (ink or cartridge) manufacturing date, as well as the remaining amount of ink or solvent in the bottle 800. In addition, the EEPROM preferably records the unique identification number (or serial number) of the ink cartridge 400 or solvent cartridge 500 to which the ROM unit 900 is attached, and the printer body 200 may manage the remaining amount of ink or solvent in the ink cartridge 400 or solvent cartridge 500 based on this identification number.

The unit body 902 has multiple vertically elongated terminal plates (bottle side terminals) 910 arranged side by side on its end surface (Figure 10). Referring to Figure 11, the unit body 902 has a recess 912 extending in a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax, and the aforementioned guide rod 820 (Figure 9) is slidably received in the recess 912. The bottle side terminal 910 is an example of a terminal accessed from the printer body 200 of the inkjet printer 2.

As can be seen from the above description, the ROM unit 900 and the bottle neck 810 have two displacement guide mechanisms SL. The first is composed of a guide rod 820 on the bottle side and a recess 912 on the ROM unit side. The second is composed of a pair of arm portions 906 and a guide groove 822 that receives them. These two displacement guide mechanisms SL allow the ROM unit 900 to move laterally, so that the terminal plate 910 can take a contact position (FIG. 8) in which it is relatively outwardly positioned and a retracted position (FIG. 7) in which it is relatively inwardly positioned. That is, the terminal plate 910 can move in translation between a retracted position RP (FIG. 7) where it is close to the bottle axis Ax and can avoid interference with the contamination prevention eaves 620, and a contact position CP (FIG. 8) where it is relatively far from the bottle axis Ax. In the contact position, the terminal plate 910 can be electrically connected to the reservoir terminal 602. The pair of arm portions 906 and/or the retaining protrusions 906a, etc., form a guide portion for guiding the displacement of the terminal plate 910 in a predefined direction (in the first embodiment, a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax).

As described above, the bottle 800 constituting the main part of the cartridge includes the ROM unit 900, and in a preferred embodiment, the terminal plate 910 is displaceable between the retracted position RP (FIG. 7) and the contact position CP (FIG. 8). The bottle 800 includes a mechanism for guiding the displacement of the terminal plate 910. This mechanism is composed of the guide portion described above.

<Reservoir>
13 and 14 show a reservoir 600 that receives a mouth 812 of a bottle 800. The reservoir 600 has a wall that is rectangular in plan view, and has a plurality of reservoir terminals 602 formed by bending a spring metal rod on one of the walls. Each reservoir terminal 602 is disposed at a position corresponding to each terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900.

Reference numeral 610 in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 denotes a receptacle that opens upward, into which the bottle mouth 812 (Fig. 7) is fitted. A hollow needle 612 is disposed in the center of the bottom of the receptacle 610. The hollow needle 612 stands upright coaxially with the axis Ax of the bottle. When the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 is attached to the reservoir 600 and pushed down, the hollow needle 612 penetrates the rubber plug (reference numeral 812a in Fig. 17) of the bottle mouth 812. In this state, the hollow needle 612 becomes coaxial with the bottle axis Ax, and the liquid contained in the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 can be extracted through the hollow needle 612. The receptacle 610 functions to form part of the cartridge receptacle into which the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 is inserted.

The reservoir 600 has a contamination prevention canopy 620 above and near the reservoir terminal 602, which protrudes beyond the reservoir terminal 602 to prevent the reservoir terminal 602 from being contaminated by ink or solvent.

Figures 15A to 15C are diagrams for explaining how the ROM unit 900 is displaced laterally in mechanical conjunction with the operation of mounting the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 to the reservoir 600 and the operation of removing them from the reservoir 600, and how the terminal plate 910 takes the retracted position RP and the contact position CP.

As described above, the reservoir 600 has a contamination prevention canopy 620 located above the reservoir terminal 602. When the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 is attached to the reservoir 600, the bottle 800 moves downward. This downward movement of the bottle 800 is along the bottle axis Ax, which is coaxial with the axis of the hollow needle 612.

Figure 16 shows the movement trajectory of the terminal plate 910 linked to the pushing down or lifting operation of the bottle 800. In the process of pushing down the bottle 800, when the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 interferes with the contamination prevention visor 620, the terminal plate 910 is in a position where it does not interfere with the contamination prevention visor 620, i.e., the retracted position RP. When the terminal plate 910 is lower than the contamination prevention visor 620, the terminal plate 910 moves forward and displaces to a contact position CP where it can come into contact with the reservoir terminal 602. This series of displacements of the terminal plate 910 is performed mechanically in conjunction with the pushing down operation of the bottle 800.

That is, when the terminal plate 910 passes through the contamination prevention visor 620 as the bottle 800 is pushed down, it descends along the bottle axis Ax while being positioned at the retracted position RP. The terminal plate 910 positioned at this retracted position RP does not interfere with the contamination prevention visor 620 on the printer body 200 side. When the terminal plate 910 moves below the contamination prevention visor 620, the terminal plate 910 starts to protrude forward as it moves downward. Then, after the hollow needle 612 penetrates the mouth portion 812, the terminal plate 910 is positioned at the contact position CP and is electrically connected to the reservoir terminal 602 on the printer body 200 side.

<Displacement guide mechanism SL included in interlocking mechanism 700>
As described above, the ROM unit 900 is movable in the lateral direction. That is, the ROM unit 900 is movable in the direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax by the displacement guide mechanism SL, and this allows the terminal plate 910 to be displaced in the lateral direction between a contact position CP (FIG. 8) at which the terminal plate 910 is located relatively outward and in contact with the reservoir terminal 602, and a retracted position RP (FIG. 7) at which the terminal plate 910 is located relatively inward.

<Inclined cam surface 630 of reservoir 600>
13 and 14, the reservoir 600 has an inclined main body cam surface 630 at its bottom. The main body cam surface 630 is fixed to the printer main body 200 via the reservoir 600. The main body cam surface 630 is located below the reservoir terminal 602.

The body-side inclined cam surface 630 is located in front of the reservoir terminal 602, and the lower block 630B including the body-side inclined cam surface 630 constitutes a contamination prevention wall that prevents contamination of the reservoir terminal 602.

The body-side inclined cam surface 630 is configured with a surface facing upward, with the end closer to the hollow needle 612 positioned relatively higher and the end farther from the hollow needle 612, i.e., the bottle axis Ax, positioned lower. In other words, when viewed in a plan view, the body-side inclined cam surface 630 is configured with a surface that slopes downward from the end closer to the bottle axis Ax to the end farther from it. This body-side inclined cam surface 630 constitutes a "driving cam portion" in relation to the inclined cam follower surface 930 of the ROM unit 900, which will be described next.

<Inclined Cam Follower Surface 930 of ROM Unit 900>
As can be seen most clearly from Fig. 11, an inclined cam follower surface 930 is formed on the ROM unit 900. This inclined cam follower surface 930 is configured as a surface facing downward, with the end closer to the bottle axis Ax (Fig. 9) positioned at the upper position and the end farther from the bottle axis Ax (Fig. 9) positioned at the lower position. This inclined cam follower surface 930 constitutes a "cam follower portion" in relation to the above-mentioned main body side inclined cam surface 630 of the reservoir 600, i.e., the main body side drive cam portion.

<Function of the interlocking mechanism 700 included in the first embodiment>
Referring to Figure 17, the displacement of the terminal plate 910 accompanying the pushing down or lifting action of the bottle 800 is performed by a mechanical interlocking mechanism 700 which is basically composed of a displacement guide mechanism SL (Figures 8, 9, and 11), a body-side inclined cam surface 630 of the reservoir 600 (Figure 13), and an inclined cam follower surface 930 of the ROM unit 900 (Figure 11).

Figure 15A shows the state in which the upper end of the vertically long terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 is located at the height level Lv of the eaves peak 620a of the contamination prevention eaves 620 during the process of the downward movement of the bottle 800. In this state, the hollow needle 612 of the reservoir 600 begins to pierce the rubber plug 812a of the bottle mouth 812.

Figure 15B shows the state in which the bottle 800 has been lowered further. When the bottle 800 is lowered further from the state shown in Figure 15A and the terminal plate 910 is positioned below the eaves peak 620a, the inclined cam follower surface 930 on the ROM unit 900 side comes into contact with the inclined cam surface 630 on the main body side. Note that by pushing the bottle 800 further downward from the position shown in Figure 15A, the hollow needle 612 of the reservoir 600 comes into a state in which it is deeply pierced into the rubber stopper 812a of the bottle mouth 812.

When the bottle 800 is further pushed downward from the position shown in FIG. 15B, the ROM unit 900 moves laterally forward, that is, away from the bottle axis Ax, due to the action of the main body side inclined cam surface 630 and the inclined cam follower surface 930. Then, when the user further pushes the bottle 800 down to the bottom end position, the hollow needle 612 of the reservoir 600 enters the inside of the bottle 800, and the inside of the bottle 800 and the printer main body 200 are in communication. In addition, with this downward movement of the bottle 800, the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 is displaced according to the movement trajectory described above with reference to FIG. 16, and finally takes the contact position CP (FIG. 15C). As a result, the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 and the main body side reservoir terminal 602 are electrically connected.

When the user lifts the emptied bottle 800 to remove it, the mechanical interlocking mechanism 700 (FIG. 17) works in conjunction with the upward movement of the bottle 800 to displace the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 from the contact position CP to the retracted position RP. This displacement to the retracted position RP is completed before the height level Lv of the eaves peak 620a is reached (FIG. 15A). This allows the empty bottle 800 to be removed without the terminal plate 910 on the bottle side interfering with the contamination prevention eaves 620 on the main body side.

According to the first embodiment described above, referring to Figs. 16 and 17, when the bottle 800 is attached, the terminal on the ROM unit 900 side, i.e., the bottle side terminal plate 910, avoids interference with the contamination prevention eaves 620, and then accesses the terminal on the main body side, i.e., the reservoir terminal 602. Conversely, when an empty bottle 800 is removed, the terminal plate 910 moves away from the reservoir terminal 602 and displaces to a retracted position RP where interference with the contamination prevention eaves 620 can be avoided. As shown in Fig. 15A, when the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 is in the retracted position RP, the distance from the bottle axis Ax to the terminal plate 910 is about 25 mm. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 15C, when the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 is in the contact position CP, the distance from the bottle axis Ax to the terminal plate 910 is about 33 mm. In other words, the amount of displacement of the terminal plate 910 from the retracted position RP to the contact position CP is approximately 8 mm. In other words, the terminal plate 910 is displaced by approximately 30% in the direction away from the bottle axis Ax, based on the distance to the bottle axis Ax (approximately 25 mm).

<Terminal plate retracted position holding mechanism>
16, the contamination prevention eaves 620 preferably have a triangular shape in a side view. That is, the contamination prevention eaves 620 preferably have an eaves peak 620a closest to the bottle axis Ax, an upper inclined surface 620b located above the eaves peak 620a, and a lower inclined surface 620c located below the eaves peak 620a. The upper inclined surface 620b is composed of a first inclined surface that gradually approaches the bottle axis Ax as it moves downward toward the eaves peak 620a. The lower inclined surface 620c is composed of a second inclined surface that moves away from the bottle axis Ax as it moves toward the bottom end.

In relation to the shape of the contamination prevention visor 620, it is preferable that the unit body 902 has a second cam follower portion 940 on its front end surface. Referring to FIG. 15A, the second cam follower portion 940 is located at a position where the intermediate portion 940a protrudes forward from the bottle side terminal 910. In other words, the intermediate portion 940a is located at a position farther away from the bottle axis Ax than the bottle side terminal 910.

The middle portion 940a of the second cam follower portion 940 extends vertically in parallel with the bottle axis Ax. The second cam follower portion 940 has an upper end portion 940b and a lower end portion 940c above and below the middle portion 940a, and both the upper end portion 940b and the lower end portion 940c are configured with inclined surfaces. The upper end of the upper end portion 940b is configured with a first inclined surface that slopes downward and is located closer to the bottle axis Ax than the lower end. The lower end portion 940c is configured with a second inclined surface that faces diagonally downward and is located farther from the bottle axis Ax than the lower end.

When the terminal plate 910 passes through the contamination prevention eaves 620 as the bottle 800 is pushed down or lifted up, the middle portion 940a of the second cam follower portion 940 comes into contact with the eaves peak 620a, thereby holding the terminal plate 910 in the retracted position RP.

In addition, when the ROM unit 900 is in an inappropriate position before or after the terminal plate 910 passes through the contamination prevention canopy 620, the terminal plate 910 can be guided by relative sliding between the upper inclined surface 620b or the lower inclined surface 620c of the contamination prevention canopy 620 and the upper end portion 940b or the lower end portion 940c of the second cam follower portion 940 of the unit body 902, so that the terminal plate 910 can be positioned in the retracted position RP during the process of the terminal plate 910 passing through the contamination prevention canopy 620.

More specifically, when the bottle 800 is pushed down with the terminal plate 910 positioned at the contact position CP above the contamination prevention eaves 620 shown in FIG. 16, the lower end portion 940c (FIG. 15A) of the second cam follower portion 940 of the unit body 902 abuts against the upper inclined surface 620b of the contamination prevention eaves 620. Then, as the lower end portion 940c slides against the upper inclined surface 620b, the terminal plate 910 moves to the retracted position RP or its vicinity (approaching the bottle axis Ax). When the bottle 800 is further pushed down, the lower end portion 940c and/or the inclined cam follower surface 930 abuts against the inclined cam surface 630. Then, as the lower end portion 940c and/or the inclined cam follower surface 930 slides against the inclined cam surface 630, the terminal plate 910 moves to the contact position CP (moves away from the bottle axis Ax). Conversely, when the bottle 800 is lifted, the upper end portion 940b (FIG. 15A) of the second cam follower portion 940 of the unit body 902 comes into contact with the downward inclined surface 620c of the contamination prevention canopy 620. Then, as the upper end portion 940b slides against the downward inclined surface 620c, the terminal plate 910 moves from the contact position CP to the retracted position RP or its vicinity (approaching the bottle axis Ax). In this way, the terminal plate 910 can be moved to the desired position by pushing down or lifting the bottle 800.

As shown in the first embodiment described above, the terminal plate 910 is held by the ROM unit 900 so that it can be displaced between the retracted position RP and the contact position CP. The lower end portion 940c and/or the inclined cam follower surface 930 constitute a "sliding portion" that slides against the inclined cam surface 630 fixed on the device side to displace the first terminal on the bottle side, i.e., the terminal plate 910, in conjunction with the attachment or removal operation of the bottle 800. In other words, the sliding portion on the bottle 800 side has the function of supplying the ROM unit 900, i.e., the terminal plate 910, with a movement amount corresponding to the user's operation amount relative to the neck portion 810 in response to the insertion amount (insertion distance) of the cartridge based on the user's operation. This allows the ROM unit 900, i.e., the terminal plate 910 to be displaced from the retracted position RP to the contact position CP as the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge receiving portion.

<First Modification of Interlocking Mechanism>
18A to 18C, a first modified example of the interlocking mechanism 700 described above will be described. The interlocking mechanism 710 of the first modified example includes an inclined pin 712 on the main body side and an inclined hole 714 on the ROM unit 900 side that receives the pin. The ROM unit 900 includes a displacement guide mechanism SL (see FIG. 7, etc.) similar to the interlocking mechanism 700 included in the first embodiment. The displacement guide mechanism SL allows the terminal plate 910 to take a contact position CP and a retracted position RP (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

The inclined pin 712 extends obliquely upward from the bottom surface of the reservoir 600. More specifically, the upper end of the inclined pin 712 is located relatively proximal to the bottle axis Ax, and the lower end is located distal to the bottle axis Ax. The inclined hole 714 extends obliquely downward from the upper end. More specifically, the upper end of the inclined hole 714 is located relatively proximal to the bottle axis Ax, and the lower end is located distal to the bottle axis Ax.

When the user presses the bottle 800 down along the axis Ax, the inclined pin 712 on the printer body enters the inclined hole 714 in the ROM unit 900 in conjunction with this operation, displacing the terminal plate 910 (Figure 18A) from the retracted position RP to the contact position CP (Figure 18C). The intermediate state is shown in Figure 18B.

As can be seen from the above explanation, the inclined pin 712 on the printer body essentially constitutes the "body side drive cam portion," and the inclined hole 714 on the ROM unit 900 essentially constitutes the "cam follower portion," and also constitutes the sliding portion.

The timing at which the inclined pin 712 enters the inclined hole 714 is set to coincide with the timing at which the terminal plate 910 is positioned below the contamination prevention visor 620. Referring to FIG. 17 described above, this allows the terminal plate 910 on the bottle side to be in contact with the reservoir terminal 602 without interfering with the contamination prevention visor 620 on the main body side.

When the user lifts the emptied bottle 800 to remove it, the action of the interlocking mechanism 710 of the first modified example accompanying the upward movement of the bottle 800 causes the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 900 described above to displace from the contact position CP to the retracted position RP. This displacement to the retracted position RP is completed before the terminal plate 910 on the bottle side reaches the contamination prevention visor 620 (FIG. 17A). This allows the empty bottle 800 to be removed without interfering with the contamination prevention visor 620 on the main body side.

The interlocking mechanism 710 of the first modified example is also preferably provided with the mechanism for holding the terminal plate in the retracted position described above. As described above, when the ROM unit 900 is in an inadvertent position before or after the terminal plate 910 passes through the contamination prevention canopy 620, the terminal plate 910 can be guided by the engagement between the upper inclined surface 620b or the lower inclined surface 620c of the contamination prevention canopy 620 and the upper end portion 940b or the lower end portion 940c of the second cam follower portion 940 of the ROM unit 900, so that the terminal plate 910 can be positioned in the retracted position RP during the process of the terminal plate 910 passing through the contamination prevention canopy 620.

<Second Modification of Interlocking Mechanism>
A second modified example of the interlocking mechanism 700 will be described with reference to Figures 19A to 19C. The interlocking mechanism 720 of the second modified example includes a link 722 and a cam protrusion 724. The ROM unit 900 also includes a displacement guide mechanism SL (Figure 7) similar to the interlocking mechanism 700 included in the first embodiment. The displacement guide mechanism SL allows the terminal plate 910 to take the contact position CP and the retracted position RP (Figures 7 and 8).

The link 722 includes a first pin 722a fixed to the bottle 800 and can swing around the first pin 722a. The link 722 has a long hole 726, and a second pin 722b inserted into the long hole 726 is fixed to the ROM unit 900.

The cam projection 724 is fixed to the reservoir 600 which constitutes part of the printer body 200. The cam projection 724 has an inclined cam surface 724a which slopes downward from the top end to the bottom end, and this inclined cam surface 724a constitutes the main body side drive cam portion 724a. On the other hand, the lower end surface 722c of the link 722 constitutes the cam follower portion.

The timing at which the link 722 abuts against the cam projection 724 is set to the timing at which the terminal plate 910 (not shown in Figures 19A to 19C for drawing reasons) is positioned below the contamination prevention canopy 620. Referring to Figure 17 described above, this ensures that when the bottle 800 is attached or removed, the terminal plate 910 remains positioned in the retracted position RP when it passes over the contamination prevention canopy 620 (Figure 19A).

When the user presses the bottle 800 further down, the link 722 starts to swing due to the action of the cam projection 724, and the ROM unit 900 is displaced toward the reservoir terminal 602 by the action of the link 722 (Figure 19B). Then, when the attachment of the bottle 800 is completed, the terminal plate 910 is positioned at the contact position CP (Figure 19C).

The action of the interlocking mechanism 720 of the second modified example is substantially the same as that of the interlocking mechanism 700 described with reference to FIG. 17, and by pushing the bottle 800 down along the axis Ax, the terminal plate 910 on the bottle side can be brought into contact with the reservoir terminal 602 without interfering with the contamination prevention canopy 620 on the main body side.

<Third Modification of Interlocking Mechanism>
A third modified example of the interlocking mechanism 700 will be described with reference to Figures 20A and 20B. The third modified example of the interlocking mechanism 730 (Figure 20A) has a modified ROM unit 970, which has a ring-shaped portion 970a that is supported by the bottle neck 810 and is freely rotatable horizontally around the bottle axis Ax.

The ROM unit 970 of the third modified example does not include the displacement guide mechanism SL (Figures 7, 8, etc.) described above.

The reservoir 600 has a cam portion 650 that protrudes around the receiving port 610 that receives the bottle mouth portion 812, and the cam portion 650 has a driving cam surface 650a. The driving cam surface 650a is an inclined surface that becomes lower as it approaches the reservoir terminal 602. The function of the cam follower for this driving cam surface 650a is performed by a part of the underside of the modified ROM unit 970.

Before attaching the bottle 800 (not shown in Figures 20A and 20B), the user positions the terminal plate 910 of the ROM unit 970 in a position where it does not interfere with the contamination prevention canopy 620. In other words, the ROM unit 970 is positioned in the retracted position RP. Then, when the bottle 800 is pressed down along the axis Ax, part of the underside of the ROM unit 970 seats on the drive cam surface 650a on the main body in conjunction with this operation. Figure 20A shows the state just before it seats. In this state, the terminal plate 910 is already positioned below the contamination prevention canopy 620 and in the retracted position RP.

When part of the underside of the ROM unit 970 seats on the drive cam surface 650a on the main body side, the drive cam surface 650a of the reservoir 600 causes the ROM unit 970 to rotate horizontally around the bottle axis Ax. This rotation direction is the direction in which the terminal plate 910 accesses the reservoir terminal 602 due to the action of the drive cam surface 650a. When the attachment of the bottle 800 is complete, the terminal plate 910 comes into contact with the corresponding reservoir terminal 602 (Figure 20B). In other words, the terminal plate 910 is positioned at the contact position CP.

When the user lifts the empty bottle 800 to remove it, the action of the drive cam surface 650a of the reservoir 600 causes the above-mentioned ROM unit 970 to rotate in the reverse direction about the bottle axis Ax, returning from the contact position CP to the retracted position RP. This allows the empty bottle 800 to be removed without the terminal plate 910 on the bottle side interfering with the contamination prevention canopy 620 on the main body side. The ROM unit 970 may be equipped with a spring to return it to its original position (Figure 20A).

21, according to the interlocking mechanism 730 of the third modified example, when attaching the bottle 800, the user positions the ROM unit 970 in the retracted position RP and then starts the attachment of the bottle 800. This prevents the bottle-side terminal plate 910 from interfering with the contamination prevention visor 620 while the bottle 800 is being pressed down. Then, just before the bottle 800 is completely attached, the ROM unit 970 starts to rotate around the bottle axis Ax due to the action of the interlocking mechanism 730, and the bottle-side terminal plate 910 accesses the terminal on the main body side, i.e., the reservoir terminal 602. Then, when the bottle 800 is completely attached, the ROM unit 970 is positioned at the contact position CP. Conversely, when removing an empty bottle 800, the interlocking mechanism 730 causes the bottle-side terminal plate 910 to rotate in the reverse direction about the bottle axis Ax, moving away from the reservoir terminal 602 and to a retracted position RP where interference with the contamination prevention visor 620 can be avoided.

2. Inkjet recording apparatus (inkjet printer) of the embodiment
400 Ink cartridge 500 Solvent cartridge 600 Reservoir 602 Reservoir terminal 610 Socket 612 Hollow needle 620 Contamination prevention visor Lv Height level of visor 630 Body side inclined cam surface (drive side cam portion)
700 Interlocking mechanism 710 included in the first embodiment Interlocking mechanism 712 of the first modified example Inclined pin 714 constituting a part of the interlocking mechanism of the first modified example Inclined hole 720 constituting a part of the interlocking mechanism of the first modified example Interlocking mechanism 722 of the second modified example Link 730 Interlocking mechanism 800 of the third modified example Bottle Ax Bottle axis 810 Neck 900 ROM unit SL Displacement guide mechanism 910 Terminal plate (first terminal) on the bottle side
930 Inclined cam follower surface (cam follower part)
RP Terminal plate retraction position CP Terminal plate contact position

Claims (16)

a cartridge for refilling an ink or a solvent into a main body of a continuous type inkjet recording device;
a receiving port provided in the device body for receiving the cartridge and receiving a bottle mouth portion of the bottle of the cartridge;
a hollow needle provided in the device body, the hollow needle being capable of piercing the bottle mouth when the bottle mouth is received in the receiving port and penetrating into the bottle of the cartridge, thereby extracting the liquid contained in the cartridge;
a recording medium portion provided in the cartridge;
A first terminal provided on an end surface of the recording medium portion;
a reservoir terminal provided in the device body and contacting the first terminal when the cartridge is attached;
a contamination prevention canopy located above and adjacent the reservoir terminal;
a linking mechanism that displaces the first terminal in mechanical interlocking with a mounting operation of the cartridge by a user and a removal operation of the cartridge by a user,
The interlocking mechanism allows the first terminal to take a retracted position where it can prevent interference with the contamination prevention canopy and a contact position where it contacts the reservoir terminal,
The bottle is
A bottle body having an internal space for accommodating ink or a solvent;
a bottle neck portion having a pipe line extending from the bottle body along a first direction and communicating with an internal space of the bottle body, and a guide portion extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction for guiding the bottle neck in the second direction;
having
The cartridge comprises:
an inkjet recording device comprising: a holding portion that holds the first terminal and the recording medium portion on the bottle neck portion so that the first terminal can be displaced to the retracted position and to the contact position that is spaced apart from the retracted position along the second direction relative to the bottle neck portion by the guide portion. the displacement of the first terminal by the interlocking mechanism is accompanied by a movement in the second direction intersecting an axis of the bottle;
2 . The inkjet recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is moved in the second direction to the retracted position approaching the axis of the bottle and to the contact position away from the axis of the bottle. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide portion has a guide groove extending in the second direction or a guide rod extending in the second direction. 3. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking mechanism includes a displacement guide mechanism that guides displacement of the first terminal in the second direction, and the displacement guide mechanism causes the first terminal to take the retracted position approaching the axis of the bottle and the contact position away from the axis of the bottle. The inkjet recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the interlocking mechanism includes a main body side cam portion provided on the device main body and a bottle side cam follower portion provided on the recording medium portion. A cartridge that is inserted into a cartridge receiving portion provided in a main body of a continuous inkjet recording device and that replenishes ink or a solvent to the main body of the device,
A bottle body having an internal space for accommodating ink or a solvent;
a bottle neck portion having a pipe line extending from the bottle body along a first direction and communicating with an internal space of the bottle body, and a guide portion extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction for guiding the bottle neck in the second direction;
a recording medium attached to the cartridge and for recording information about the cartridge;
a first terminal electrically connected to the recording medium and accessed by a main body of the inkjet recording device;
a holding portion that holds the first terminal and the recording medium on the bottle neck portion so that the first terminal can be displaced to a first position and a second position that is spaced apart from the first position along the second direction relative to the bottle neck portion, the holding portion allowing the first terminal and the recording medium to be slidably moved by the guide portion. the holding portion includes a sliding portion that comes into contact with a part of the cartridge receiving portion and slides relatively with respect to the cartridge receiving portion when the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge receiving portion,
7. The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the sliding portion displaces the holding portion along the second direction relative to the pipeline in accordance with an insertion amount of the cartridge into the cartridge receiving portion. The holding portion has an inclined surface inclined with respect to an axis passing through the pipeline,
The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the inclined surface is configured such that, when the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge receiving portion, the end closer to the axis passing through the pipeline is positioned at a higher position, and the end farther from the axis passing through the pipeline is positioned at a lower position. the holding portion has a first portion that holds the first terminal and the recording medium, and a second portion that is attached to the bottle neck portion,
The cartridge according to claim 7 , wherein the sliding portion is provided on the first portion. The cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the first part and the second part are integrally molded. The first portion and the second portion are formed of separate members,
The cartridge of claim 9 , wherein the second portion is releasably accessible relative to the first portion. The cartridge according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the guide portion has a guide groove extending in the second direction. The cartridge according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the guide portion has a guide rod extending in the second direction. The device body is provided with an inclined pin, and the sliding portion is an inclined hole provided in the holding portion,
The cartridge according to claim 7 , wherein the inclined pin and the inclined hole have upper ends located relatively proximal in the first direction and lower ends located relatively distal in the first direction. a link having a slot;
The link is pivotally attached to the bottle neck by a first pin,
A second pin inserted through the long hole is fixed to the holding portion,
7. The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein said link has a cam surface forming a cam follower portion for a main body side cam portion provided on said device main body. The inkjet recording apparatus includes:
a reservoir provided in the device body, receiving the cartridge and receiving a bottle mouth portion of the bottle of the cartridge;
a hollow needle provided in the device body, the hollow needle being capable of piercing the mouth of the bottle and entering the inside of the bottle when the mouth of the bottle is received in the receiving opening of the reservoir, thereby extracting the liquid contained in the cartridge;
a contamination prevention canopy provided on the reservoir and positioned above and adjacent to a reservoir terminal of the reservoir;
The holding portion is
7. The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the first terminal is displaceable in the second direction intersecting the axis of the bottle to take a retracted position to prevent interference with the contamination prevention eaves and a contact position to contact the reservoir terminal.

Images