JP7520619B2 - 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 storage medium section, which includes a bottle-side terminal (hereinafter referred to as the "bottle-side terminal" or "first terminal"). On the other hand, the reservoir is provided with a terminal on the device body side (hereinafter referred to as the "reservoir terminal"). When the cartridge is attached, the first terminal, i.e., the bottle-side terminal, and the terminal on the device body side, i.e., 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. By pushing down or pulling up, the user can connect or disconnect the bottle-side terminal and the reservoir terminal. Here, the reservoir terminal is disposed on the side wall surface 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, the reservoir terminal may become dirty (contaminated) if ink or solvent adheres to it. When dirt adheres to the reservoir terminal, the user must perform cleaning work 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 an inkjet recording device and cartridge that reduces the buildup of dirt on the reservoir and is easy to use.

The above technical problem is solved according to a first aspect of the present invention,
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 mouth portion of a bottle of the cartridge;
a hollow needle provided in the device body and erected coaxially with the axis of the bottle, the hollow needle being capable of piercing the mouth of the bottle and entering the interior of the bottle when the mouth of the bottle is received in the receiving port, thereby extracting the liquid contained in the cartridge;
a movable member provided at a base connected to the mouth of the bottle and having a duct connecting the internal space of the bottle with the mouth, the movable member having at least a front end movable in a lateral direction intersecting with the bottle axis;
A storage medium provided on the movable member or the base;
A biasing member that biases at least the front end portion of the movable member in a direction away from the bottle axis;
a first terminal connected to a storage medium provided on the base or the movable member and provided on a front end surface of the movable member;
a main body side terminal provided in the apparatus main body and contacting the first terminal when the cartridge is attached;
a contamination prevention canopy located above and adjacent to the main body side terminal;
a retracted position holding mechanism that holds the movable member in a retracted position where at least the front end of the movable member can be retracted against the biasing force of the biasing member to prevent interference with the contamination prevention eaves while the movable member passes through the contamination prevention eaves while a user is performing an operation of attaching or removing the bottle along the bottle axis;
This is achieved by providing an inkjet recording device which is characterized in that it has a contact position holding mechanism which, while the user is performing the operation of attaching or removing the bottle along the bottle axis, moves at least the front end of the movable member forward by the biasing member as the movable member passes through the area below the contamination prevention canopy, thereby maintaining the movable member in a contact position where the first terminal can contact the main body side terminal.

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

The above technical problem is solved according to a second aspect of the present invention,
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 main body having an internal space in which ink or a solvent is contained;
a pipe portion extending in a first direction from the main body portion and having a pipe line communicating with the internal space;
a storage medium attached to the cartridge for recording information about the cartridge;
a first terminal electrically connected to the storage medium and accessed by a main body of the inkjet recording device;
a spring having a spring force that urges the first terminal and the storage medium away from the pipe in a second direction that intersects the first direction;
This can be achieved by providing a cartridge comprising: a holding portion that is attached to the tube portion so as to be slidable in the second direction, and that holds the first terminal and the storage medium in a biased state by the spring force of the spring .

Referring to FIG. 13, which is given the reference numbers used in the following examples, the cartridge of the present invention according to the second aspect may have a movable member 816 attached to a base 814 connected to the bottle mouth, and the movable member 816 may be displaceable in a lateral direction intersecting with the bottle axis. Here, the term "lateral direction" in relation to the displacement direction of the first terminal or the bottle side terminal is most preferably, but is not limited to, a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax. "Lateral direction" includes not only a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax, but also a direction obliquely intersecting with the bottle axis Ax.

Reference symbol Lc in FIG. 13 indicates a locking mechanism, as will be described in detail later. Preferably, the locking mechanism Lc is provided between the bottle base 814 and the movable member 816. By locking the locking mechanism Lc, the movable member 816 is locked relative to the bottle base 814. On the other hand, by unlocking the locking mechanism Lc, the movable member 816 is released from the bottle base 814, and the movable member 816 can be displaced by the biasing member 820.

The biasing member 820 may be a compression spring or a tension spring.

As a modified example, referring to FIG. 14, the movable member 816 is composed of two parts, and the first part 816(1) is attached to the base 814 of the bottle mouth. The first part 816(1) may be integrally formed with the bottle base 814, or the first part 816(1) may be fixed to the bottle base 814 by, for example, an adhesive. On the other hand, the second part 816(2) is displaceable laterally. Preferably, a lock mechanism Lc is provided between the first part 816(1) and the second part 816(2). A biasing member 820 is interposed between the first and second parts 816(1) and 816(2). The biasing member 820 may be composed of a compression spring or a tension spring.

The locking and unlocking operations of the locking mechanism Lc may be performed automatically by a mechanism that is linked to the attachment and removal of the bottle, as described in the embodiment, but it may also be possible to connect a string or wire to the components that make up the locking mechanism Lc, and have the user operate the string or wire to lock or unlock the locking mechanism Lc.

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. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the lower end portion of the cam follower portion abuts against the upper end of the upper cam surface in conjunction with the downward movement of the bottle due to the installation operation of the ink cartridge or solvent cartridge. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a lower end portion of a cam follower portion abuts against an upper end of an upper cam surface. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an intermediate portion of the cam follower portion extending vertically parallel to the bottle axis descends while abutting against the eaves peak of the contamination prevention eaves. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the bottle has further descended and the upper end portion of the cam follower portion abuts against the contamination prevention canopy. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an upper end portion of a cam follower abuts against a lower cam surface. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the bottle has reached a lower limit position and the bottle-side terminal (terminal plate) is positioned at a contact position where it comes into contact with the reservoir terminal. FIG. FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 6A. 13 is a diagram for explaining the movement trajectory of the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) accompanying the downward or upward movement of the bottle toward the hollow needle due to the installation or removal operation of the ink cartridge or solvent cartridge. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the mouth of the bottle to explain the swing lever and other components included in the second embodiment of the interlocking mechanism, with the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) positioned in the retracted position. FIG. FIG. 10 is a view seen from a different angle than FIG. 9 . 13 is an enlarged view of the mouth of the bottle to explain the swing lever and other components included in the second embodiment of the interlocking mechanism, with the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) positioned at the contact position. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the interlocking mechanism according to the second embodiment, and for explaining that the bottle moves downward while locked in the retracted position. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the interlocking mechanism according to the second embodiment, and for explaining that the movable member is unlocked immediately before bottle attachment is completed. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment of the interlocking mechanism, and shows the state in which the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) is in the contact position and electrically connected to the reservoir terminal when the bottle is completely attached. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining one concept of a cartridge according to the present invention in a second aspect. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another concept of a cartridge according to the present invention in a second aspect.

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 is refilled with ink and solvent using a cartridge system. 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.

Figures 3 to 5 show the printer body 200 with the front door removed. Figure 3 shows the printer body 200 with the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 removed. With reference to Figure 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 Figure 5), and second, a position inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical to the outside of the printer body 200 (see Figure 4).

The state shown in FIG. 4 shows the state when the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 are installed or removed. As shown in FIG. 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 solvent cartridge 500 in use. When in use, the ink cartridge 400 and solvent cartridge 500 are stored in the printer body 200 in a vertically extended state.

The ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 are composed of a common bottle 800. Referring to FIG. 6A, the bottle mouth 812 is sealed with a rubber plug 812a. A movable member 816 is provided on the base 814, and the movable member 816 is guided by a guide surface, such as a horizontal surface 814a, included in the base 814, and can move in a direction preferably perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax. Note that the guide surface is also formed on the left and right side surfaces of the base 814, although it is not shown in the drawing for drawing reasons. A spring 820 is disposed between the movable member 816 and the base 814, and the movable member 816 is biased in a direction away from the bottle axis Ax by the spring 820. That is, the spring 820 is attached to each of the movable member 816 and the base 814, and the movable member 816 is biased in a direction away from the bottle axis Ax by the restoring force of the spring 820.

The bottle 800 is an example of a main body having an internal space in which ink or solvent is contained. The base 814 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. 6A, 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 composed of the above-mentioned mouth section 812 and its base 814. The ink or solvent in the bottle main body 800bo is supplied to the inside of the inkjet recording device 2 through the conduit composed of 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.

The movable member 816 is equipped with an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), which is a non-volatile memory disclosed in Patent Document 1, as a storage medium. The EEPROM is omitted from the illustration in FIG. 6A and other drawings. As a modified example, the EEPROM may be provided in the bottle base 814. 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 may preferably record a unique identification number (or serial number) of the ink cartridge 400 or solvent cartridge 500 to which the EEPROM is attached, and the printer main 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. To communicate information with the printer body 200, multiple vertically long first terminals, i.e., bottle side terminal plates 830, are arranged side by side on the front end surface of the movable member 816. The bottle side terminal plates 830 are an example of a first terminal accessed by the printer body 200 of the inkjet printer 2.

Figure 6A shows the state where the mouth 812 of the bottle 800 is inserted into the reservoir 600. The reservoir 600 has a rectangular wall in a 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 the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) 830 described above. As described in detail in Patent Document 1, the reservoir 600 has a receiving port 610 that opens upward, and the bottle mouth 812 is inserted into this receiving port 610. A hollow needle 612 is disposed upright in the center of the bottom of the receiving port 610. The bottle 800 is an example of a main body having an internal space in which ink or solvent is contained.

The hollow needle 612 stands coaxially with the bottle axis Ax. When the ink cartridge 400 or solvent cartridge 500 is attached to the reservoir 600 and pushed down toward the hollow needle 612, the hollow needle 612 penetrates the rubber plug 812a of the bottle mouth 812 with the bottle axis Ax and the hollow needle 612 aligned. The liquid contained in the ink cartridge 400 or solvent cartridge 500 can be taken out through the hollow needle 612. The reservoir 600 has a contamination prevention visor 620 above and near the reservoir terminal 602, and the visor peak 620a protrudes beyond the reservoir terminal 602 to prevent the reservoir terminal 602 from being contaminated by ink or solvent.

First embodiment of interlocking mechanism (FIGS. 6A to 6F, 7)
Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a main part of Fig. 6A. Referring to Fig. 7, the contamination prevention canopy 620 has an upper cam surface 630 above the canopy peak 620a and a lower cam surface 640 below the canopy peak 620a.

The upper cam surface 630 is composed of a first inclined surface that approaches the bottle axis Ax as it extends downward, and the lower end of the upper cam surface 630 is in contact with the contamination prevention visor 620. The lower cam surface 640 is composed of a second inclined surface that moves away from the bottle axis Ax as it extends downward from the contamination prevention visor 620. In other words, the visor peak 620a forms the lower end of the upper cam surface 630 and the upper end of the lower cam surface 640. The upper cam surface 630, the visor peak 620a, and the lower cam surface 640 form the drive cam portion 650 on the printer body 200 side. The drive cam portion 650 may be composed of a separate member from the contamination prevention visor 620.

Referring to FIG. 7, a cam follower portion 840 associated with the drive cam portion 650 is provided on the movable member 816. This cam follower portion 840 may be molded integrally with the movable member 816, or may be attached to the movable member 816 as a separate member. The cam follower portion 840 extends above and below the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) 830. The cam follower portion 840 is located at a position where the intermediate portion 840a protrudes forward from the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) 830. In other words, the intermediate portion 840a is located at a position farther away from the bottle axis Ax than the bottle side terminal (terminal plate) 830.

The middle portion 840a of the cam follower portion 840 extends vertically in parallel with the bottle axis Ax. The upper end portion 840b and the lower end portion 840c of the cam follower portion 840 are configured with inclined surfaces. The upper end portion 840b is configured with a first inclined surface that slopes downward and whose upper end is located closer to the bottle axis Ax than the lower end. The lower end portion 840c is configured with a second inclined surface that faces diagonally downward and whose upper end is located farther from the bottle axis Ax than the lower end.

The driving cam portion 650 and the cam follower portion 840 constitute a retracted position holding mechanism that holds the movable member 816 in a retracted position RP where the movable member 816 can be retracted against the biasing force of the spring 820 to prevent interference with the contamination prevention visor 620, and a contact position holding mechanism that advances the movable member 816 by the biasing force of the spring 820 to hold the movable member 816 in a contact position CP where the terminal plate 830 can contact the reservoir terminal 602. Note that the spring 820 in this embodiment is an example of a biasing portion that biases the movable member 816 and the arm portion 816a in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax (in a direction away from the bottle axis Ax).

<Operation of the First Embodiment>
6A to 6F show a series of steps for mounting the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 to the printer body 200. The ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 is mounted by pushing down the bottle 800. In the process of the downward movement of the bottle 800, FIG. 6A shows a state in which the lower end portion 840c of the cam follower portion 840 abuts against the upper end of the upper cam surface 630. When the bottle 800 further descends, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lower end portion 840c of the cam follower portion 840 descends while abutting against the upper cam surface 630. As described above, since the upper cam surface 630 is configured as an inclined surface that approaches the bottle axis Ax as it moves downward, the movable member 816 moves in a direction approaching the bottle axis Ax, i.e., in a retracting direction, against the spring force of the spring 820.

When the bottle 800 further descends, as shown in FIG. 6C, the intermediate portion 840a of the cam follower portion 840, which extends vertically parallel to the bottle axis Ax, descends while abutting against the eaves peak 620a. During this process, the movable member 816 descends while maintaining a position closest to the bottle axis Ax. Since the intermediate portion 840a of the cam follower portion 840 is located at a position protruding forward from the bottle side terminal plate 830, the first terminal, i.e., the bottle side terminal plate 830, continues to maintain a position relatively closer to the bottle axis Ax than the eaves peak 620a of the contamination prevention eaves 620, i.e., the retracted position RP. This prevents the terminal plate 830 from interfering with the contamination prevention eaves 620 as it passes through the contamination prevention eaves 620.

Figure 6D shows the state where the bottle 800 has further descended and the upper end portion 840b of the cam follower portion 840 has come into contact with the eaves peak 620a. At this point, the bottle side terminal plate 830 has passed the eaves peak 620a and is positioned below the eaves peak 620a. At this point, the hollow needle 612 is pierced into the rubber plug 812a of the bottle mouth portion 812.

When the bottle 800 descends further, the upper end portion 840b of the cam follower portion 840 comes into contact with the lower cam surface 640, as shown in FIG. 6E. As described above, the lower cam surface 640 is configured as an inclined surface that moves away from the bottle axis Ax as it goes downward, so the movable member 816 moves in the direction away from the bottle axis Ax, that is, in the forward direction, due to the spring force of the spring 820. As a result, the bottle side terminal plate 830 moves in a direction approaching the reservoir terminal 602. During this process, the hollow needle 612 penetrates deep into the bottle mouth portion 812.

When the bottle 800 reaches the lower limit position, the bottle-side terminal plate 830 is positioned at the contact position CP where it comes into contact with the reservoir terminal 602 (Figure 6F). Figure 6F shows the state of the bottle 800 at the lower limit position, and by positioning the bottle 800 at the lower limit position, the installation of the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 is completed. Reference symbol ST in Figure 6F indicates a stopper. The stopper ST is integrally molded with the reservoir 600, and the lower limit position of the bottle 800 is determined by the shoulder of the bottle 800 abutting against the stopper ST. At the lower limit position, the movable member 816 remains biased by the spring force of the spring 820. Also, the spring force of the spring 820 maintains the movable member 816 in a state in which the upper end portion 840b of the cam follower portion 840 is pressed against the lower cam surface 640.

By positioning the bottle 800 at the lowest position, the terminal plate 830 and the reservoir terminal 602 on the main body side are electrically connected. When the bottle is fully attached, the liquid in the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 can be extracted through the hollow needle 612 inserted into the bottle mouth 812. The movement trajectory of the bottle side terminal plate 830 described above is shown in Figure 8.

Conversely, when the user performs an operation to lift the bottle 800 to remove the empty bottle 800, the operation returns from the state shown in FIG. 6F to the state shown in FIG. 6E, FIG. 6D, ... FIG. 6A along the movement trajectory shown in FIG. 8 due to the cooperation between the drive cam portion 650 and the cam follower portion 840. Even in this removal process, as shown in FIG. 6C, the movable member 816 retreats in a direction approaching the bottle axis Ax against the spring force of the spring 820, so that the terminal plate 830 takes the retreated position RP where it does not interfere with the contamination prevention eaves 620. Therefore, the user can remove the empty bottle 800 without the terminal plate 830 interfering with the contamination prevention eaves 620 by simply lifting the bottle 800 along the bottle axis Ax. Note that, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the terminal plate 830 is in the retreated position RP, the distance from the bottle axis Ax to the terminal plate 830 is about 25 mm. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6F, when the terminal plate 830 is in the contact position CP, the distance from the bottle axis Ax to the terminal plate 830 is approximately 33 mm. In other words, the amount of displacement of the terminal plate 830 from the retracted position RP to the contact position CP is approximately 8 mm. In other words, when the distance to the bottle axis Ax (approximately 25 mm) is taken as the reference, the terminal plate 830 is displaced by approximately 30% in the direction away from the bottle axis Ax.

<Second embodiment of interlocking mechanism (FIGS. 9 to 11)>
In the description of the second embodiment of the interlocking mechanism, the same reference numerals are used for the members common to the first embodiment (FIGS. 6A to 6F, FIG. 7) and the description thereof will be omitted. As in the first embodiment, the movable member 816 is biased by a spring 820 (FIG. 9), but the spring 820 does not appear in FIGS. 10 and 11 for drawing reasons.

The movable member 816 shown in Figures 9 to 11 has one arm 816a on each side. As can be seen most clearly from Figure 11, guide grooves 814a extending in a direction perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the bottle base 814. The arm 816a of the movable member 816 is slidably disposed in the guide groove 814a, and the movable member 816 can be displaced laterally by the guide groove 814a. The movable member 816 and the arm 816a are an example of a holding portion that holds the terminal plate 830 and the storage medium. The arm 816a of the movable member 816 is an example of a guide portion that guides (guides) the displacement of the terminal plate 830 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the bottle axis Ax. The guide groove 814a formed on the outer circumferential surface of the base 814 is a component for slidably attaching the arm 816a of the movable member 816 to the base 814.

Figures 9 to 11 are enlarged views of the bottle mouth 812, with the viewing angles differing between Figures 9 and 10. A swing lever 852 that swings around a support shaft 850 is attached to the bottle base 814. The support shaft 850 is located in the middle of the swing lever 852 in the longitudinal direction. The bottle-side end of the swing lever 852 that extends laterally is provided with an engagement protrusion 854 that protrudes upward.

The arm portion 816a of the movable member 816 has a lock portion 860 at a position corresponding to the bottle side end of the swing lever 852. The lock portion 860 of the movable member 816 and the swing lever 852 on the bottle side constitute the lock mechanism Lc. The lock portion 860, which constitutes part of the lock mechanism Lc, has an engagement recess 862 formed on its underside for receiving the engagement protrusion 854, and this engagement recess 862 constitutes an engaged portion for the engagement protrusion 854. Figures 9 and 10 show the locked state in which the engagement protrusion 854 is inserted into the engagement recess 862. In this locked state, the bottle side terminal plate 830 of the movable member 816 is fixed in position at the retracted position RP.

The movable member 816 has a spring support portion 870 and a compression spring 872 associated with the swing lever 852. The compression spring 872 is disposed on the same side as the engagement projection 854, i.e., on the bottle side, so that the swing lever 852 is biased in the locking direction by the biasing force of the compression spring 872. Figure 12A shows the swing lever 852 in the locked state. In this locked state, the bottle side terminal plate 830 takes the retracted position RP described above.

Figure 11 shows the rocking lever 852 in the unlocked state. In this unlocked state, the rocking lever 852 rocks against the biasing force of the compression spring 872, and the locking recess 862 is separated from the engagement protrusion 854, resulting in an unlocked state. As a result, the movable member 816 advances due to the biasing force of the spring 820 (Figure 9), and the bottle-side terminal plate 830 takes the contact position CP described above. The rocking lever 852 is unlocked by the unlocking protrusion 660 that extends upward from the reservoir 600 (Figures 12B and 12C).

<Function of the Second Embodiment>
12A to 12C show the time-series state changes associated with the mounting operation of the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500. During the downward movement of the bottle 800, the movable member 816 is maintained in a locked state until the terminal plate 830 is positioned below the eaves peak 620a. Therefore, when mounting the ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500, the bottle-side terminal plate 830 (FIG. 9) is positioned at the retracted position RP until the terminal plate 830 is positioned below the contamination prevention eaves 620 (FIG. 12A).

When the bottle 800 is further lowered, as shown in FIG. 12B, the rocking lever 852 is rocked in the unlocking direction by the unlocking projection 660. This rocking of the rocking lever 852 causes the engagement projection 854 to escape from the locking recess 862. This releases the locked state of the movable member 816, and the spring force of the spring 820 (FIG. 9) displaces the movable member 816 in a direction away from the bottle axis Ax. The upper end portion 840b of the cam follower portion of the movable member 816 then engages with the aforementioned lower cam surface 640 of the contamination prevention visor 620. The forward position of the movable member 816 is determined by the lower cam surface 640 of the contamination prevention visor 620.

When the bottle 800 descends further and reaches the bottom position, as shown in FIG. 12C, the terminal plate 830 takes the contact position CP, and the terminal plate 830 (FIG. 9) comes into contact with the reservoir terminal 602. With the bottle fully attached, the liquid in the ink cartridge 400 and the solvent cartridge 500 can be extracted through the hollow needle 612 inserted into the bottle mouth 812.

Next, the operation when removing the empty bottle 800 will be described. The state shown in FIG. 12C is shown in FIG. 12B, and then in FIG. 12A. The upward movement of the bottle 800 from FIG. 12C (unlocked state) to FIG. 12B, and from FIG. 12B to FIG. 12A (locked state) is maintained while the upper end portion 840b of the cam follower portion of the movable member 816 is engaged with the lower cam surface 640 of the contamination prevention canopy 620. The action of the lower cam surface 640 forcibly causes the movable member 816 to retract, and when it returns to the retracted position RP in FIG. 12A, the swing lever 852 is fixed by the lock portion 860. The ink cartridge 400 or the solvent cartridge 500 is removed while this locked state is maintained by the biasing force of the compression spring 872.

2. Inkjet recording apparatus (inkjet printer) of the embodiment
400 Ink cartridge 500 Solvent cartridge 600 Reservoir 602 Reservoir terminal (main body side terminal)
610: Receptacle 612: Hollow needle 620: Contamination prevention visor 620a: Visor peak 630: Upper cam surface (first inclined surface) of the driving cam portion
640 Lower cam surface of driving cam portion (second inclined surface)
650 Drive cam portion 660 Lock release protrusion 800 Bottle Ax Bottle axis 812 Bottle mouth portion 812a Rubber plug 814 Base portion of bottle mouth portion 816 Movable member 820 Spring 830 Bottle side terminal plate (first terminal)
840 Cam follower portion associated with the movable member 840a Middle portion of the cam follower portion 840b Upper end portion of the cam follower portion (first inclined surface)
840c Lower end portion of cam follower portion (second inclined surface)
Lc lock mechanism 852 swing lever 854 engagement protrusion (engagement portion) of swing lever
860 Lock part of movable member 862 Locking recess (engaged part)
872 Compression spring RP Terminal plate retraction position CP Terminal plate contact position

Claims (11)

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 mouth portion of a bottle of the cartridge;
a hollow needle provided in the device body and erected coaxially with the axis of the bottle, the hollow needle being capable of piercing the mouth of the bottle and entering the interior of the bottle when the mouth of the bottle is received in the receiving port, thereby extracting the liquid contained in the cartridge;
a movable member provided at a base connected to the mouth of the bottle and having a duct connecting the internal space of the bottle with the mouth, the movable member having at least a front end movable in a lateral direction intersecting with the bottle axis;
A storage medium provided on the movable member or the base;
A biasing member that biases at least the front end portion of the movable member in a direction away from the bottle axis;
a first terminal connected to a storage medium provided on the base or the movable member and provided on a front end surface of the movable member;
a main body side terminal provided in the apparatus main body and contacting the first terminal when the cartridge is attached;
a contamination prevention canopy located above and adjacent to the main body side terminal;
a retracted position holding mechanism that holds the movable member in a retracted position where at least the front end of the movable member can be retracted against the biasing force of the biasing member to prevent interference with the contamination prevention eaves while the movable member passes through the contamination prevention eaves while a user is performing an operation of attaching or removing the bottle along the bottle axis;
an inkjet recording device having a contact position holding mechanism that, while a user is installing or removing the bottle along the bottle axis, moves at least the front end of the movable member forward using the biasing member as the movable member passes through the area below the contamination prevention canopy, thereby maintaining the movable member in a contact position where the first terminal can contact the main body side terminal. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the retracted position holding mechanism and the contact position holding mechanism are composed of a drive cam portion of the device body and a cam follower portion of the movable member. The driving cam portion is composed of an eaves peak of the contamination prevention eaves, and an upper cam surface and a lower cam surface connected to the eaves peak,
The upper cam surface is configured with a first inclined surface located above the eaves peak and approaching the bottle axis as it moves downward,
3. The ink jet recording device according to claim 2, wherein the lower cam surface is configured as a second inclined surface that is located below the eaves peak and that moves away from the bottle axis as it goes downward. the cam follower portion of the movable member has an intermediate portion extending in a vertical direction, an upper end portion located above the intermediate portion, and a lower end portion located below the intermediate portion,
The upper end portion is formed of a first inclined surface whose upper end is located closer to the bottle axis line than the lower end,
The inkjet recording device according to claim 3 , wherein the lower end portion is configured as a second inclined surface whose upper end is located at a position farther from the axis of the bottle than the lower end. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the retracted position holding mechanism is configured as a locking mechanism including a swing lever provided on the base and a locking part provided on the movable member. the retracted position holding mechanism further includes a biasing member that biases the engaging portion of the rocking lever in a direction to engage with the engaged portion of the locking portion,
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the biasing member maintains a locked state in which the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged with each other. The locking mechanism further includes an unlocking protrusion for unlocking the locking portion ,
7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the lock release protrusion is provided on the apparatus body, and the locked state is released when the rocking lever comes into contact with the lock release protrusion in the process of pushing down the bottle. 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 main body having an internal space in which ink or a solvent is contained;
a pipe portion extending in a first direction from the main body portion and having a pipe line communicating with the internal space;
a storage medium attached to the cartridge for recording information about the cartridge;
a first terminal electrically connected to the storage medium and accessed by a main body of the inkjet recording device;
a spring having a spring force that urges the first terminal and the storage medium away from the pipe in a second direction that intersects the first direction;
a holding portion attached to the tube portion so as to be slidable in the second direction , and holding the first terminal and the storage medium in a state biased by the spring force of the spring . the holding portion includes a guide portion extending in the second direction to guide a displacement of the first terminal in the second direction ;
The cartridge according to claim 8 , wherein the holding portion is attached to the tube portion by the guide portion so as to be slidable in the second direction. 10. A cartridge according to claim 9 , wherein the tube portion is formed with a guide groove extending in the second direction for slidably mounting the guide portion. the cartridge includes a lock mechanism that restricts displacement of the first terminal,
When the locking mechanism is locked, the displacement of the holding portion in the second direction is restricted,
The cartridge according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the locking mechanism is unlocked to allow the holder to be displaced in the second direction.

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