JP5906645B2 - Liquid cartridge and liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge that contains a liquid such as ink, and a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a liquid cartridge and an apparatus main body to which the liquid cartridge is mounted.

  Patent Document 1 is known as a technique related to a liquid cartridge and a liquid ejection device. According to Patent Document 1, a printer (liquid ejection device) includes a tank 7A (liquid cartridge) that stores ink of each color, a tank 7B (liquid cartridge) that stores an improvement liquid, and a head that discharges each color ink supplied from the tank 7A. 1k, 1c, 1m, 1y, and a head 1s that discharges the improving liquid supplied from the tank 7B. The improvement liquid is a liquid that improves the recording property of the color ink.

  In addition, in the liquid ejection apparatus, a technique of performing preliminary ejection (purging or flushing) is known in order to suppress clogging in the ejection port of the head. The purge is an operation of applying pressure to the liquid in the head by driving the pump and discharging the liquid from all the discharge ports. Flushing is an operation of ejecting liquid from some or all ejection ports by driving the head actuator based on flushing data different from image data. However, since the preliminary discharge consumes ink and the improving liquid, it is uneconomical to perform the preliminary discharge frequently. Therefore, in order to reduce the frequency of preliminary ejection, there is also known a technique in which humidification is performed in a state where the ejection space facing the ejection port of the head is sealed with a cap, apart from preliminary ejection (see Patent Document 2).

JP 11-11000 A (summary) JP-A-2005-212138

  The present inventor does not store the liquid used for humidification in a tank fixed to the apparatus main body, but stores it in a cartridge-type container in the same manner as the ink and the improvement liquid, so that the container can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. Focused on providing. However, in this case, when a liquid cartridge that individually stores liquids as in Patent Document 1 is adopted, the user can use a total of three liquid cartridges (a liquid cartridge that stores ink, a liquid cartridge that stores enhancement liquid, and It is necessary to attach and detach the liquid cartridge containing the humidifying liquid individually, and the work related to the attachment and detachment of the cartridge becomes complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid cartridge and a liquid ejecting apparatus that can supply three types of liquids to the apparatus main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus while reducing the labor involved in attaching and detaching the cartridge.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a first storage unit that stores a first liquid containing a color material, a second storage unit that stores a second liquid that aggregates the color material, and A third containing portion for containing a third liquid for replenishing water to at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid , and the first, second, and third containing portions, The first, second, and third discharge ports communicate with the first, second, and third discharge ports for discharging the first, second, and third liquids to the outside. The cross section when viewed from the discharge direction, which is the direction in which the second and third liquids are discharged, has an elongated shape, and the discharge directions of the first, second, and third storage portions are parallel to each other. Each of the first and second accommodating portions has a longitudinal direction of the cross section as the discharge direction. Parallel to the intersecting first direction and the short direction of the cross section is parallel to the second direction orthogonal to both the discharge direction and the first direction, and are arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the second direction. The third housing part has a longitudinal direction of the cross section parallel to the second direction and a short side direction of the cross section parallel to the first direction, and the first housing part and the third housing part with respect to the first direction. It is arranged so as to be aligned with the second housing part, and the length of the cross section of the third housing part in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the cross section of the first housing part in the short direction, A liquid cartridge is provided that is equal to or less than the sum of the lengths of the cross-sections of the second housing portion in the short direction .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection device including a liquid cartridge and an apparatus main body to which the liquid cartridge is mounted, wherein the liquid cartridge contains a first liquid containing a color material. A second storage unit that stores a second liquid that agglomerates the coloring material, and a third storage unit that stores a third liquid for supplying water to at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid. And the first, second, and third storage portions respectively include first, second, and third discharge ports for discharging the first, second, and third liquids to the outside. The cross section when viewed from the discharge direction, which is the direction in which the first, second, and third liquids are discharged from the first, second, and third discharge ports, has an elongated shape, The first, second, and third storage portions are parallel to each other in the discharge direction. The first and second accommodating portions are respectively arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the cross section is parallel to a first direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, and the short direction of the cross section is the discharge direction and the first Parallel to the second direction orthogonal to any of the directions, and arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the second direction, the third accommodating portion has a longitudinal direction of the cross section parallel to the second direction and the The short side direction of the cross section is parallel to the first direction, and is arranged so as to be aligned with the first storage unit and the second storage unit with respect to the first direction, and the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the third storage unit The length of the direction is longer than the length of the cross section of the first housing part in the short direction, and is equal to or less than the sum of the lengths of the cross section of the first and second housing parts in the short direction; The main body includes a mounting portion on which the liquid cartridge is mounted, and the mounting A first head having a plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the first liquid supplied from the first storage portion of the liquid cartridge mounted on the first cartridge, and the first of the liquid cartridge mounted on the mounting portion. A second head having a plurality of second discharge ports for discharging the second liquid supplied from the two storage portions, a first discharge space facing the plurality of first discharge ports, and the plurality of second discharge ports; Cap means for sealing at least one of the opposing second discharge spaces, and at least one of the first and second discharge spaces sealed by the cap means of the liquid cartridge mounted on the mounting portion There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a humidifying unit that humidifies using the third liquid supplied from the third storage unit.

  According to the first and second aspects, it is possible to supply three types of liquids to the apparatus main body of the liquid ejection apparatus while reducing the labor involved in attaching and detaching the cartridge.

  The amount V1 of the first liquid accommodated in the first accommodating portion, the amount V2 of the second liquid accommodated in the second accommodating portion, and the third amount accommodated in the third accommodating portion. The amount of liquid V3 may be in a relationship of V1> V2> V3. In this case, the amounts V1 to V3 of the first to third liquids have an effective relationship in view of the individual consumption amounts of the first to third liquids in the liquid ejection device in which the liquid cartridge is mounted. As a result, when the amount of the first liquid becomes zero, a large amount of the second liquid and the third liquid remain, and the problem that the second liquid and the third liquid are wasted due to cartridge replacement is reduced. can do. That is, since wasteful disposal of liquid can be suppressed, it is economical and friendly to the global environment. In addition, when the amounts V1 to V3 of the first to third liquids are not in the above relationship and the amounts of the second liquid and the third liquid are unnecessarily large, the size of the liquid cartridge is increased. According to the said structure, the said problem can also be suppressed.

  The capacity C1 of the first housing part, the capacity C2 of the second housing part, and the capacity C3 of the third housing part may have a relationship of C1> C2> C3. In this case, it is possible to reduce the size of the storage portion and further reduce the size of the liquid cartridge.

  Each of the first, second, and third storage portions is provided with a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid stored in the storage section to the outside, and is overlapped with the discharge pipe therebetween and has a peripheral edge. May be a bag having two sheets joined together. Also in this case, it is possible to reduce the size of the accommodating portion and further reduce the size of the liquid cartridge.

  At least one of the first storage part and the second storage part may be formed such that two sides orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe is attached are folded inward. In this case, the capacity C1 and / or the capacity C2 can be increased while realizing a compact storage section.

  The third accommodating portion may be formed such that two sides orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe is attached are not folded inward. In this case, the capacity C3 can be reduced while realizing a compact storage section.

  The third liquid may be a liquid for supplying moisture to both the first liquid and the second liquid.

  The first liquid may be black ink.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to supply three types of liquids to the apparatus main body of the liquid ejection apparatus while reducing the labor associated with cartridge attachment / detachment.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer including a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a printer. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a cartridge, in which FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of the cartridge viewed from different directions, and FIG. 2C is a plan view of the cartridge. FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating a black ink unit, a pretreatment liquid unit, and a humidifying liquid unit that are housed in the housing except for the housing from the cartridge of FIG. (B), (c), and (d) are perspective views individually showing a black ink unit, a pretreatment liquid unit, and a humidifying liquid unit. It is sectional drawing along the VV line shown to Fig.3 (a), (b), (c). It is sectional drawing of the discharge port vicinity, (a) is a position where a hollow needle is inserted in a stopper and a valve is in an open position when a hollow needle is not inserted in a stopper and a valve is in a closed position It is a figure when there is. It is sectional drawing along the VII-VII line of Fig.6 (a). It is the figure which looked at the board | substrate of the cartridge from the reverse direction to the mounting direction. It is the schematic which shows the mounting process of a cartridge. (A) is a perspective view corresponding to Drawing 3 (a) in the stage shown in Drawing 9 (b) and (c). FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view of the mounting portion showing a fitting member for locking the cartridge housing to the printer main body. (A) is the figure which looked at the board | substrate of the printer main body from the mounting direction. FIG. 11B is a sectional view taken along line XIB-XIB in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a cartridge and a printer main body. It is a functional block diagram showing each means constructed by the controller of the printer. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control contents executed by the controller of the printer when the cartridge is attached to the attachment unit. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the movement amount of a valve | bulb, and the output value from the Hall element of a cartridge. It is the schematic for demonstrating humidification operation | movement.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an overall configuration of an ink jet printer 1 including a liquid cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The printer 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped casing 1a. A paper discharge unit 31 is provided on the top of the casing 1a. Three openings 10d, 10b, and 10c are formed in order from the top on the front surface of the housing 1a (the surface on the left front side in FIG. 1). The opening 10b is for inserting the paper feeding unit 1b, and the opening 10c is for inserting the cartridge 40 (see FIG. 2) into the housing 1a. A door 1d that can be opened and closed with the horizontal axis at the lower end as a fulcrum is fitted into the opening 10d. The door 1d is disposed to face the transport unit 21 (see FIG. 2) in the main scanning direction of the housing 1a (direction orthogonal to the front surface of the housing 1a). The opening 10c is also provided with a cover 1c that can be opened and closed with the horizontal axis at the lower end as a fulcrum. By closing the cover 1c with the cartridge 40 inserted into the housing 1a, it is possible to prevent the cartridge 40 from falling off the housing 1a.

  Next, the internal configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The internal space of the housing 1a can be divided into spaces A, B, and C in order from the top. In the space A, two heads 2 for discharging black ink and pretreatment liquid (hereinafter, black ink, pretreatment liquid, and humidifying liquid described later may be collectively referred to as “liquid”) and paper P, respectively. And a controller 100 for controlling the operation of each part of the printer 1 are arranged. In the spaces B and C, a paper feeding unit 1b and a cartridge 40 are arranged, respectively. That is, the space C is a portion (mounting portion) where the cartridge 40 is mounted in the printer main body (portion other than the cartridge 40 of the printer 1). Inside the printer 1, a paper conveyance path for conveying the paper P is formed along the thick arrow shown in FIG. 2 from the paper supply unit 1 b toward the paper discharge unit 31.

  The controller 100 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory: including a nonvolatile RAM), an I / F (Interface), and the like in addition to a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which is an arithmetic processing unit. The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU, various fixed data, and the like. The RAM can temporarily store data (image data or the like) necessary for executing the program. The controller 100 performs data transmission / reception with the memory 141 and the hall element 71 of the cartridge 40 and data transmission / reception with an external device (such as a PC connected to the printer 1) via the I / F.

  The sheet feeding unit 1 b includes a tray 23 and a roller 25. The tray 23 can be attached to and detached from the housing 1a in the main scanning direction. The tray 23 is a box that opens upward, and can accommodate a plurality of types of paper P. Under the control of the controller 100, the roller 25 is rotated by driving a paper feed motor 125 (see FIG. 12), and feeds the paper P that is on the uppermost side of the tray 23. The paper P sent out by the roller 25 is guided by the guides 27 a and 27 b and sent to the transport unit 21 while being sandwiched by the feed roller pair 26.

  The transport unit 21 includes two rollers 6 and 7 and an endless transport belt 8 wound so as to be bridged between the rollers 6 and 7. The roller 7 is a driving roller, and is rotated by driving a conveyance motor 127 (see FIG. 12) connected to the shaft under the control of the controller 100, and rotates clockwise in FIG. The roller 6 is a driven roller and rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 as the conveyor belt 8 travels due to the rotation of the roller 7. A rectangular parallelepiped platen 19 is disposed in the loop of the conveyor belt 8 so as to face the two heads 2. In the upper loop of the conveyor belt 8, the outer peripheral surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 extends in parallel with the lower surface 2a while being separated from the lower surface 2a of the head 2 (an ejection surface on which many ejection ports for ejecting liquid are formed) 2a. Thus, it is supported by the platen 19 from the inner peripheral surface side. A weak adhesive silicon layer is formed on the outer peripheral surface 8 a of the conveyor belt 8. The paper P sent from the paper supply unit 1b to the transport unit 21 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface 8a of the transport belt 8 by the pressing roller 4, and then is held on the outer peripheral surface 8a by the adhesive force while being filled with a black arrow. Along the sub-scanning direction.

  Here, the sub-scanning direction is a direction parallel to the transport direction of the paper P by the transport unit 21. The main scanning direction is a direction orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction and parallel to the horizontal plane.

  When the paper P passes just below the head 2, the head 2 is driven under the control of the controller 100, and liquid (black ink and depending on the situation) from the lower surface 2 a of the head 2 toward the upper surface of the paper P. As a result, the desired image is recorded on the paper P. Then, the paper P is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface 8a of the transport belt 8 by the peeling plate 5, guided by the guides 29a and 29b, and transported upward while being sandwiched between the two pairs of feed rollers 28, and formed on the top of the housing 1a. The paper is discharged from the opened opening 130 to the paper discharge unit 31. One roller of each feed roller pair 28 is rotated by the drive of a feed motor 128 (see FIG. 12) under the control of the controller 100.

For example, the pretreatment liquid has a density improving effect (an effect of improving the density of the ink ejected onto the paper P), ink bleeding and back-through (the ink landed on the surface of the paper P penetrates the layer of the paper P). It is a liquid having a function of preventing the phenomenon of bleeding on the back surface, an effect of improving the color development and quick drying of ink, and a function of suppressing wrinkles and curling of the paper P after ink landing. As the pretreatment liquid, for example, a liquid containing a polyvalent metal salt such as a cationic polymer or a magnesium salt may be used.
The head 2 that discharges the pretreatment liquid is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the paper P than the head 2 that discharges the black ink.

  The head 2 is a line type long in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The two heads 2 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the sub-scanning direction and are supported by the housing 1a via the frame 3. In each head 2, a joint to which a flexible tube is attached is provided on the upper surface, a number of discharge ports are formed on the lower surface 2 a, and inside the cartridge 40 via the flexible tube and the joint. A flow path is formed from the liquid supplied from the corresponding reservoir 42B, 42P to the discharge port.

  Each head 2 is provided with a cap 2c as shown in FIG. The cap 2c is an annular member that surrounds the outer periphery of the ejection surface 2a. The cap 2c is attached to the frame 3 and moves up and down with respect to the head 2 by driving a cap lifting mechanism 2cM (see FIG. 12). The cap 2c is used in a capping operation described later.

  The cartridge 40 has a reservoir 42B for storing black ink, a reservoir 42P for storing pretreatment liquid, and a reservoir 42H for storing humidifying liquid (see FIG. 4). The black ink in the reservoir 42B and the pretreatment liquid in the reservoir 42P are supplied to the corresponding head 2 via a flexible tube and a joint. The humidifying liquid in the reservoir 42H is supplied to the tank 94 (see FIG. 16) via a flexible tube or the like. The humidifying liquid is a liquid used in a humidifying operation described later, and includes, for example, water, an antiseptic agent, an antifungal agent and the like. The cartridge 40 can be attached to and detached from the housing 1a in the main scanning direction. Therefore, the user of the printer 1 can remove the used cartridge 40 from the housing 1a, replace it with a new cartridge 40, and attach it to the housing 1a.

  Next, the configuration of the cartridge 40 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  3 and 4, the cartridge 40 includes a housing 41, a black ink unit 40B corresponding to black ink, a pretreatment liquid unit 40P corresponding to the pretreatment liquid, a humidification liquid unit 40H corresponding to the humidification liquid, And a substrate 142. The units 40B, 40P, and 40H include reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H, a discharge pipe 43, a plug 50, a valve 60, and the like (see FIGS. 4 and 6), and the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are different in size and the like. Except for this, it has substantially the same configuration.

  The discharge pipe 43 is attached to the opening of each reservoir 42B, 42P, 42H, and defines a flow path 43a for discharging the liquid in each reservoir 42B, 42P, 42H to the outside (see FIG. 6). ). As shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 6, the discharge pipe 43 has a tip protruding outside the housing 41. A plug 50 made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided in a compressed state at the tip so as to close the opening (discharge port) 43b on the opposite side of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H of the channel 43a (see FIG. 6). A cap 46 is provided outside the tip and the stopper 50. An opening 46a is formed at the center of the cap 46, and the front surface of the plug 50 (the surface opposite to the back surface facing the valve 60) is exposed through the opening 46a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the valve 60 is disposed in the flow path 43 a and includes an O-ring 61 and a valve body 62.

  The valve body 62 is a columnar magnetic body having an axis in the sub-scanning direction as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the portion of the discharge pipe 43 in which the valve main body 62 is arranged has a flat upper wall and lower wall, and a cross section perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction is elongated in the main scanning direction and is cylindrical. Protrusions 43p that protrude inward along the main scanning direction are formed on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the discharge pipe 43 on both sides in the main scanning direction. Each projection 43p extends in the sub-scanning direction over a range in which the valve body 62 can move. The valve body 62 is sandwiched between the protrusion 43p and the upper and lower walls of the discharge pipe 43, and is positioned at the center of the flow path 43a in a cross-sectional view. Between the valve main body 62 and the discharge pipe 43, a flow path is secured in a portion excluding a contact portion between the valve main body 62 and the protrusion 43p of the discharge pipe 43 and the upper and lower walls.

  The O-ring 61 is made of an elastic material such as rubber and is fixed to the front surface of the valve body 62 (the surface facing the stopper 50). The valve 60 is urged toward the opening 43 y by a coil spring 63. One end of the coil spring 63 is fixed to the proximal end of the discharge pipe 43, and the other end is in contact with the back surface of the valve body 62. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the valve 60 is in the closed position for closing the flow path 43a, the O-ring 61 is one end of the reduced diameter portion 43x of the discharge pipe 43 (the end portion closer to the discharge port 43b). Is in contact with a portion (valve seat) 43z protruding toward the radial center of the discharge pipe 43, and the opening 43y at one end of the reduced diameter portion 43x is sealed. Thereby, the communication between the reservoirs 42B, 42P, 42H and the outside via the flow path 43a is blocked. At this time, the O-ring 61 is elastically deformed by the urging force of the coil spring 63.

  A sensor unit 70 including a hall element 71 and a magnet 72 is attached to the discharge pipes 43 of the units 40B and 40P. The magnet 72 generates a magnetic field. The Hall element 71 is a magnetic sensor, converts an input magnetic field into an electric signal, and generates the electric signal. In the present embodiment, the Hall element 71 generates a signal indicating a voltage value proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field that changes as the valve body 62 moves. The Hall element 71 is disposed at a position where a magnetic field generated by the magnet 72 and the valve body 62 is input (see FIG. 6A).

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the hall element 71 and the magnet 72 are fixed to the upper wall and the lower wall of the discharge pipe 43, respectively, and face each other in the vertical direction. When the valve 60 is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 6A, the hall element 71 and the magnet 72 are opposed to each other with the valve body 62 interposed therebetween (that is, the valve body 62 is opposed to the hall element 71 and the magnet). 72). At this time, the magnetic field generated by the magnet 72 efficiently reaches the Hall element 71 via the valve body 62. Therefore, the magnetic field detected by the Hall element 71 is large, and the Hall element 71 generates a signal indicating a high voltage value. When the valve 60 moves from the closed position shown in FIG. 6A to the open position that opens the flow path 43a shown in FIG. 6B, the valve main body 62 faces the Hall element 71 and the magnet 72 in the vertical direction. The magnetic field detected by the Hall element 71 decreases and the voltage value indicated by the signal generated by the Hall element 71 decreases as the position moves to a position where the Hall element 71 and the magnet 72 are not moved. . The controller 100 receives a signal generated by the Hall element 71 and determines whether the position of the valve 60 is open or closed based on the voltage value indicated by the signal.

  The sensor unit 70 is not attached to the discharge pipe 43 of the unit 40H.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 41 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes outer surfaces 41 a to 41 h and the like. Both the outer surfaces 41a and 41b are substantially parallel to the mounting direction (the moving direction of the cartridge 40 relative to the space C when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C), and the insertion direction (the hollow needle 153 is inserted into the flow path 43a). And the hollow needle 153 facing each other with respect to the flow path 43a). The outer surface 41a is provided with a discharge port 43b (see FIG. 6). The outer surfaces 41c and 41d are both substantially orthogonal to the mounting direction and substantially parallel to the insertion direction, are between the outer surfaces 41a and 41b with respect to the insertion direction, and are spaced apart from each other with respect to the mounting direction. The outer surface 41c is a surface provided on the downstream side in the mounting direction, and the outer surface 41d is a surface provided on the upstream side in the mounting direction. The outer surfaces 41e and 41f (see FIG. 2) are both substantially orthogonal to the outer surfaces 41a to 41d, and are provided between the outer surfaces 41a and 41b in the insertion direction and between the outer surfaces 41c and 41d in the mounting direction. The outer surfaces 41e and 41f are substantially parallel to each other and are opposed to each other with respect to the vertical direction. The outer surface 41g is substantially parallel to the outer surface 41e, and is provided between the outer surfaces 41e and 41f in the vertical direction and between the outer surfaces 41e and 41c in the mounting direction. The outer surface 41h connects the outer surface 41e and the outer surface 41g and is substantially parallel to the vertical direction.

  In this embodiment, the mounting direction is parallel to the main scanning direction, and the insertion direction is parallel to the sub-scanning direction. The mounting direction and the insertion direction are orthogonal to each other.

  The housing 41 further includes a hole 48 for locking the housing 41 to the housing 1a when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C, a recess 41r defined by the outer surfaces 41g, 41h, etc., and a user gripping the housing 41 A possible grip 49 is provided. The hole 48 is formed in the outer surface 41g, and when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C, the projection 148a (see FIG. 10B) of the fitting member 148 provided in the housing 1a is fitted. . The grip portion 49 is formed of a long concave portion provided along the side on the upstream side in the mounting direction of the outer surface 41e provided at the corners of the outer surfaces 41e and 41d. The grip portion 49 is provided at a position overlapping the hole 48 and the recess 41r in the insertion direction on the upstream side of the mounting direction with respect to the hole 48 and the recess 41r.

  A recess 41c1 is formed in a portion of the outer surface 41c on the upstream side in the insertion direction. A substrate 142 is disposed on the bottom surface of the recess 41c1.

  The substrate 142 has a memory 141 on the back surface and eight terminals 170c to 177c (see FIG. 8) on the front surface.

  The terminals 170c to 177c are exposed to the outside through the recess 41c1. All of the terminals 170 c to 177 c have the same size and shape and are exposed on the outer surface of the cartridge 40. The shape of the terminals 170c to 177c is a rectangle composed of two short sides parallel to the sub-scanning direction and two long sides parallel to the vertical direction. Terminals 170c to 177c are arranged in two rows.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the sensor signal output terminal (SB) 170c is electrically connected to the Hall element 71 of the unit 40B, and the sensor signal output terminal (SP) 171c is electrically connected to the Hall element 71 of the unit 40P. The data output terminal (DO) 172c and the data input terminal (DI) 173c are electrically connected to the memory 141, and the power input terminal (V) 174c is electrically connected to the two Hall elements 71 and the memory 141. The two ground terminals (G) 175c, 176c, and 177c are electrically connected to the memory 141, the hall element 71 of the unit 40P, and the hall element 71 of the unit 40B. Electrical connection between the terminals 170c, 171c, 174c, 175c, 176c, and 177c and each Hall element 71 is performed through wiring of a flexible cable (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, plates 70x to which the flexible cables are attached are fixed to the discharge pipes 43 of the units 40P and 40B, respectively. The terminals 172c, 173c, 174c, 175c, 176c, 177c and the memory 141 are electrically connected to each other through a conductive material filled in a through hole that penetrates the substrate 142.

  The memory 141 includes an EEPROM or the like, and stores in advance data relating to the remaining amount of liquid in the reservoirs 42B and 42P, sensor output values (output values Vmax and Vmin from the hall elements 71: see FIG. 15), and the like. . Further, when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C, the controller 100 can read the data stored in the memory 141 and also can store the remaining liquid in each of the reservoirs 42B and 42P stored in the memory 141. Data on quantity can be rewritten.

  Next, the configuration of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are bags each having two sheets that are overlapped with the discharge pipe 43 interposed therebetween and the peripheral edges are joined to each other by heat welding or the like. The reservoirs 42B and 42P are formed so that two sides 42Bs and 42Ps orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe 43 is attached are folded inward. The reservoir 42H is formed so that two sides 42Hs orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe 43 is attached are not folded inward. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4B, 4C, and 4D, the surfaces of the sides 42Bs and 42Ps have folds 42Bi and 42Pi, whereas the surface of the side 42Hs has no folds.

  Each of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H has a cross section (hereinafter referred to as a “cross section”) when viewed from the discharge direction (the direction in which the liquid is discharged from the discharge pipe 43), as shown in FIG. It has an elongated shape. The reservoirs 42B and 42P have a substantially rectangular cross section, and the reservoir 42H has a substantially elliptical cross section.

  The longitudinal lengths L1, L2, and L3 of the cross sections of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are in a relationship of L1> L2> L3. The lateral lengths W1, W2, and W3 of the cross sections of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are in a relationship of W1> W2> W3. Further, the length L3 in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the reservoir 42H is smaller than the sum of the lengths W1, W2, W3 in the short direction of the cross sections of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, 42H, and the cross section of the reservoirs 42B, 42P. Or less than the sum of the lengths W1 and W2 in the short direction. That is, the relationship L3 ≦ (W1 + W2) <(W1 + W2 + W3) is established. The lengths of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H in the discharge direction are substantially the same.

  The capacity C1 of the reservoir 42B, the capacity C2 of the reservoir 42P, and the capacity C3 of the reservoir 42H are in a relationship of C1> C2> C3. Further, the amount V1 of black ink stored in the reservoir 42B, the amount V2 of pretreatment liquid stored in the reservoir 42P, and the amount V3 of humidifying liquid stored in the reservoir 42H are V1> V2> V3. There is a relationship.

  The reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are arranged so that the discharge directions are parallel to each other. In the present embodiment, the discharge direction corresponding to each of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H is a direction opposite to the insertion direction (see FIG. 3B), parallel to the sub-scanning direction and orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the reservoirs 42 </ b> B and 42 </ b> P are arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the transverse section is parallel to the main scanning direction and the transverse direction of the transverse section is parallel to the vertical direction, and they are aligned in the vertical direction. ing. That is, the reservoirs 42B and 42P are arranged horizontally and stacked one above the other. The reservoir 42H is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the transverse section is parallel to the vertical direction and the lateral direction of the transverse section is parallel to the main scanning direction, and is aligned with the reservoirs 42B and 42P in the main scanning direction. That is, the reservoir 42H is arranged vertically on the side of the reservoirs 42B and 42P.

  Regarding the main scanning direction, the surface of the reservoir 42P facing the reservoir 42H (the right side surface of the reservoir 42P in FIG. 5) is more than the surface of the reservoir 42B facing the reservoir 42H (the right side surface of the reservoir 42B in FIG. 5). The reservoirs 42P and 42H partially overlap in the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the center O1 of the discharge port 43b communicating with the reservoir 42B is closer to the reservoir 42H than the center of the reservoir 42B in the main scanning direction when viewed from a direction parallel to the discharge direction (sub-scanning direction). Is located. The center O2 of the discharge port 43b communicating with the reservoir 42P is located closer to the reservoir 42H than the center of the reservoir 42P in the main scanning direction. That is, the discharge ports 43b communicating with the reservoirs 42B and 42P are eccentric in the main scanning direction in the direction approaching the reservoir 42H by the distances E1 and E2 from the center of the corresponding reservoirs 42B and 42P (right direction in FIG. 5). Yes. Further, the center O3 of the discharge port 43b communicating with the reservoir 42H is located between the centers O1 and O2 in the vertical direction.

  A grip 49 is provided in a space facing the reservoir 42P in the main scanning direction and facing the reservoir 42H in the vertical direction (in FIG. 5, to the right of the reservoir 42P and above the reservoir 42H). The walls constituting the grip portion 49 support the reservoirs 42P and 42H.

  In a space facing the reservoir 42P in the main scanning direction and facing the reservoir 42B in the vertical direction (left side of the reservoir 42P and above the reservoir 42B in FIG. 5), a recess 41r and a hole 48 (see FIG. 3A) Is provided. The walls constituting the recess 41r (walls constituting the outer surfaces 41g and 41h) support the reservoirs 42B and 42P.

  A partition wall 41p is provided between the reservoirs 42B and 42H. The partition wall 41p extends in the vertical direction from the bottom wall of the housing 41, and the tip is below the upper surface of the reservoir 42B. The partition wall 41p does not overlap with the reservoir 42P in the main scanning direction.

  Note that the shape and size of the cross sections of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H described above and the amounts of liquid V1 to V3 in the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are in a state where the cartridge 40 is new (that is, the cartridge 40 is not used). In this state, the liquid in each of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H is not consumed as it is when the cartridge 40 is manufactured, and is filled in the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H). As the cartridge 40 is used and the liquid in each of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H is consumed, V1 to V3 decrease, and the shape and size of the cross sections of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H change. For example, the cross sections of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are further flattened, and the lengths W1, W2, and W3 in the short direction are reduced. Accordingly, the relationship L3 ≦ (W1 + W2) or L3 <(W1 + W2 + W3) may not be established, or the relationship V1> V2> V3 may not be established. Further, the reservoirs 42P and 42H do not partially overlap with each other in the main scanning direction, the walls constituting the grip portion 49 no longer support the reservoirs 42P and 42H, or the walls constituting the recess 41r support the reservoirs 42B and 42P. In addition, the tip of the partition wall 41p may be located at the same level as or above the upper surface of the reservoir 42B.

  Next, the configuration of the mounting portion (space C) of the cartridge 40 in the printer main body will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The space C is defined by the wall surface of the housing 1a. The wall surface includes wall surfaces 1aa, 1ab, 1ac, 1af and the like.

  The wall surfaces 1aa and 1ab are both substantially parallel to the mounting direction and are opposed to each other with respect to the insertion direction. The wall surface 1aa is provided with three hollow needles 153 respectively corresponding to the units 40B, 40P, and 40H, and a support body 154 that supports the hollow needles 153. The support body 154 can move in the insertion direction and in the direction opposite to the insertion direction with respect to the housing 1a by driving the movement mechanism 155 (see FIG. 12). The hollow needle 153 is not inserted into the flow path 43a by the movement of the support 154 (see FIG. 6A) and the insertion position inserted into the flow path 43a (see FIG. 6B). And can be selectively taken. The two hollow needles 153 corresponding to the units 40B and 40P communicate with the head 2 that discharges the black ink and the head 2 that discharges the pretreatment liquid via the tube and the joint. The hollow needle 153 corresponding to the unit 40H communicates with the tank 94 (see FIG. 16) via a tube or the like.

  The wall surface 1ac is a surface substantially orthogonal to the mounting direction and provided on the downstream side in the mounting direction, and is between the wall surfaces 1aa and 1ab in the insertion direction. A substrate 182 is provided on the wall surface 1ac.

  The wall surface 1af is substantially orthogonal to each of the wall surfaces 1aa, 1ab, 1ac and constitutes the bottom surface of the space C. A recessed portion 1afx (see FIG. 2) into which a user's hand holding the holding portion 49 can be inserted is provided at the upstream end portion in the mounting direction of the wall surface 1af.

  The substrate 182 is substantially the same size as the substrate 142, and is disposed at a position facing the substrate 142 when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a base material 201 is provided on the surface of the substrate 182. On the base material 201, eight terminals 170p to 177p respectively corresponding to the eight terminals 170c to 177c are provided.

  The terminals 170p to 177p are each made of a leaf spring having a substantially C-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. One end 205 of each of the terminals 170p to 177p is a fixed end fixed to the substrate 182 and is electrically connected to the substrate 182. The other end 203 of the terminals 170p to 177p is a free end that can be bent with the portion 204 as a fulcrum, and is attached in the direction toward the upstream side in the mounting direction (upward in FIG. 11B) when bent. Demonstrate power.

  The terminals 170p to 177p are arranged in a mirror-symmetric pattern with the patterns of the terminals 170c to 177c shown in FIG. 8 so as to come into contact with each of the terminals 170c to 177c when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the sensor signal receiving terminal (SB) 170p, the sensor signal receiving terminal (SP) 171p, the data receiving terminal (DO) 172p, and the data transmitting terminal (DI) 173p are electrically connected to the controller 100. The power output terminal (V) 174p is electrically connected to the power source 158, and the three ground terminals (G) 175p, 176p, 177p are grounded. The power source 158 is provided in the housing 1a.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15 and the like, a process from mounting of the cartridge 40 to the space C to formation of communication between the cartridge 40, the head 2, and the tank 94 will be described. In FIG. 12, the power supply line is indicated by a thick line, and the signal line is indicated by a thin line.

  When the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C, the user of the printer 1 first opens the cover 1c (see FIG. 1). Thereafter, the user grips the grip portion 49 (see FIG. 3) with one hand, for example, and inserts four fingers other than the thumb of the one hand into the recess 1afx (see FIG. 2). In this state, the cartridge 40 is moved in the mounting direction and inserted into the space C (see FIG. 9A). At this time, the cartridge 40 is inserted to the position shown in FIG.

  In the process until the cartridge 40 reaches the position shown in FIG. 9B, the substrate 182 is inserted into the recess 41c1 and contacts the substrate 142, and the terminals 170c to 177c and the terminals 170p to 177p contact each other. Further, the terminals 170p to 177p are pushed by the terminals 170c to 177c, and the other end 203 bends downward with the portion 204 as a fulcrum, so that the state shown by the solid line in FIG. To do. In this way, the centers of the terminals 170c to 177c are in contact with the apex portions 202 of the terminals 170p to 177p, respectively, and electrical connection between the terminals 170c to 177c and the terminals 170p to 177p is realized. As a result, power is supplied from the power source 158 to the Hall element 71 and the memory 141 via the terminals 174p and 174c. Further, the controller 100 receives a signal from the Hall element 71 of the unit 40B via the terminals 170c and 170p, receives a signal from the Hall element 71 of the unit 40P via the terminals 171c and 171p, and passes through the terminals 172c and 172p. The data can be read from the memory 141, and the data can be written and rewritten to the memory 141 via the terminals 173c and 173p.

  At the same time as the cartridge 40 reaches the position shown in FIG. 9B, the convex portion 148a (see FIG. 10B) of the fitting member 148 provided in the housing 1a is fitted into the hole 48, and the housing 41 Is fixed so that it cannot move. As shown in FIG. 10B, the fitting member 148 is attached to a wall surface constituting the upper surface of the space C via a spring 148s. The fitting member 148 is biased downward by a spring 148s. The convex portion 148a protrudes downward from the lower surface of the fitting member 148. The fitting member 148 is sandwiched between the pair of guide walls 148g in the main scanning direction, and does not move in the main scanning direction. The pair of guide walls 148g are fixed to the wall surface that constitutes the upper surface of the space C. In the process until the cartridge 40 reaches the position shown in FIG. 9B, the fitting member 148 is disposed in the concave portion 41r, the convex portion 148a is in contact with the outer surface 41g, and the convex portion 148a is in contact with the outer surface 41g. Slide along the outer surface 41g. Until the convex portion 148a contacts the outer surface 41g, the lower surface of the fitting member 148 is slightly above the outer surface 41g, and the spring 148s does not shrink. When the convex portion 148a contacts the outer surface 41g, the spring 148s contracts and the fitting member 148 moves slightly upward. Thereafter, as soon as the cartridge 40 reaches the position shown in FIG. 9B, the fitting member 148 moves downward by the biasing force of the spring 148 s, and the convex portion 148 a is fitted into the hole 48. At this time, the guide wall 148g on the upstream side in the mounting direction of the pair of guide walls 148g contacts the outer surface 41h. The upper surface of the fitting member 148 (the surface to which the spring 148s is attached) is lower than the outer surface 41e both when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C and when the cartridge 40 is mounted in the space C. positioned.

  After the cartridge 40 reaches the position shown in FIG. 9B, when the user closes the cover 1c (see FIG. 1), the mounting detection switch 159 (see FIG. 12) outputs an ON signal. The controller 100 determines that the mounting of the cartridge 40 is completed by receiving the ON signal (S1: YES in FIG. 14).

  The mounting detection switch 159 has a convex portion provided on a wall surface that defines an opening 10c (see FIG. 1) in the housing 1a. The projecting portion is in a protruding state when the cover 1c is open, and is pushed back by the cover 1c when the cover 1c is closed. The attachment detection switch 159 outputs an OFF signal when the convex portion is in the protruding state, and an ON signal when the convex portion is in a state of being retracted into the wall surface.

  When the controller 100 determines that the mounting of the cartridge 40 has been completed (S1: YES), the controller 100 reads data (data relating to the remaining amount of liquid in each reservoir 42B, 42P, sensor output value, etc.) (S2), Further, the moving mechanism 155 (see FIG. 12) is controlled, and as shown in FIG. 9C, the support 154 is moved in the insertion direction together with the three hollow needles 153 supported by the support 154 (S3).

  After the movement of the hollow needle 153 is started in S3, in each unit 40B, 40P, 40H, first, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the hollow needle 153 penetrates the substantial center of the stopper 50 in the main scanning direction. . At this time, an opening 153b provided at the tip of the hollow needle 153 is disposed in the flow path 43a, and the flow path 153a and the flow path 43a in the hollow needle 153 communicate with each other through the opening 153b. At this time, a hole by the hollow needle 153 is formed in the stopper 50, and the periphery of the hole in the stopper 50 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow needle 153 by elasticity. Thereby, the liquid leakage from between the hole of the stopper 50 and the hollow needle 153 is suppressed. Thereafter, the tip of the hollow needle 153 contacts the valve body 62. As the hollow needle 153 further enters the flow path 43a, the valve main body 62 moves together with the O-ring 61, and the O-ring 61 is separated from the valve seat 43z. At this time, the position of the valve 60 is switched from closed to open. When the valve 60 is in the open position, communication between the reservoirs 42B and 42P and each head 2 and communication between the reservoir 42H and the tank 94 are formed via the flow path 43a. That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the hollow needle 153 passes through the stopper 50 and the valve 60 is in the open position, the reservoirs 42B and 42P and the respective heads are connected via the flow paths 43a and 153a. 2, and the reservoir 42 </ b> H and the tank 94 communicate with each other.

  After S3, the controller 100 receives signals from the Hall elements 71 of the units 40B and 40P (S4). After S4, the controller 100 determines whether or not the valve 60 is placed in the open position in each unit 40B, 40P based on the output values Vmax, Vmin read from the memory 141 in S2 and the signal received in S4. Is determined (S5). In the present embodiment, the determination in S5 is performed as follows.

  FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the amount of movement of the valve 60 and the output value from the Hall element 71. The horizontal axis represents the amount of movement of the valve 60 from the closed position shown in FIG. 6A in the direction away from the plug 50 along the main scanning direction. Vmax and Vmin are output values from the Hall element 71 when a predetermined drive voltage is applied to the Hall element 71 when the valve 60 is in the closed position and the open position, respectively. When the output value from the hall element 71 received in S4 is equal to or less than the threshold value Vt calculated based on the output values Vmax and Vmin read in S2 (for example, Vt = (Vmax + Vmin) / 2), the controller 100 When the output value from the Hall element 71 exceeds the threshold value Vt, it is determined that the valve 60 is in the closed position.

  When the predetermined time has passed without the valves 60 of the units 40B and 40P being placed at the open positions (S6: YES), the controller 100 uses the output means 160 (see FIG. 12) such as a display or a speaker of the printer 1 to Error notification is performed (S7). Further, after S7, the controller 100 stops the operation of each part of the printer 1 (S8). In this case, the Hall element 71 of the unit 40B is damaged by a short circuit between the terminal 170c and the terminal 174c, the Hall element 71 of the unit 40P is damaged by a short circuit between the terminal 171c and the terminal 174c, and the terminal 173c It is presumed that there is a problem in the communication function of the controller 100 due to a short circuit with the terminal 174c, or there is a problem in the stopper 50, the valve 60, the hollow needle 153 of the printer 1, the moving mechanism 155, and the like.

  When it is determined that the valve 60 of each unit 40B, 40P is disposed at the open position (S5: YES), the controller 100 determines whether or not a recording command is received from the external device (S9). When the recording command is received (S9: YES), the controller 100 determines whether or not the usage amount of each of the black ink and the pretreatment liquid is less than the remaining amount (S10). The amount of liquid used is the amount of liquid to be ejected during recording according to the recording command, and is calculated based on image data included in the recording command. As the remaining amount of liquid, the data read from the memory 141 in S2 is used.

  If the usage amount is greater than or equal to the remaining amount (S10: NO), the controller 100 issues an error notification (S7) and stops the operation of each part of the printer 1 (S8).

  When the usage amount is less than the remaining amount (S10: YES), the controller 100 drives the paper feed motor 125, the transport motor 127, the feed motor 128, the head 2, etc. so that the image based on the image data is recorded on the paper P. Is controlled (S11).

  After S11, the controller 100 rewrites data relating to the remaining amount of liquid in each of the reservoirs 42B and 42P stored in the memory 141 (S12). At this time, the controller 100 rewrites the data using a value obtained by subtracting the usage amount calculated in S10 from the remaining amount read from the memory 141 in S2 as a new remaining amount.

  After S12, the controller 100 returns the process to S9 and waits until a recording command is received again.

  When taking out the cartridge 40 from the space C, the user of the printer 1 first opens the cover 1c (see FIG. 1). At this time, the mounting detection switch 159 outputs an OFF signal, and the controller 100 controls the moving mechanism 155 (see FIG. 12) in response to the reception of the OFF signal, and the support body 154 is supported by the three. The hollow needle 153 is moved in the direction opposite to the insertion direction. At this time, in each unit 40B, 40P, 40H, as the hollow needle 153 moves to the left in FIG. 6B, the valve 60 moves to the left in FIG. 6B due to the biasing force of the coil spring 63. It moves and contacts the valve seat 43z. Thereby, the position of the valve 60 is switched from open to closed. The controller 100 determines that the valve 60 is in the closed position in each of the units 40B and 40P when the output value from the Hall element 71 exceeds the threshold value Vt. After the position of the valve 60 is switched from open to closed, the hollow needle 153 is removed from the stopper 50. At this time, the hole formed by the hollow needle 153 formed in the stopper 50 becomes small to the extent that liquid leakage is suppressed by the elasticity of the peripheral portion of the hole.

  Thereafter, the user grips the grip portion 49 (see FIG. 3) with one hand, for example, and inserts four fingers other than the thumb of the one hand into the recess 1afx (see FIG. 2). In this state, the cartridge 40 is moved in the direction opposite to the mounting direction. At this time, a force in the direction opposite to the mounting direction is applied to the housing 41, and the convex portion 148 a is removed from the hole 48 when the force becomes greater than a predetermined level. After the convex portion 148a is removed from the hole 48, the user can move the cartridge 40 in a direction opposite to the mounting direction with a relatively small force. When the cartridge 40 is taken out from the space C, the substrate 142 is separated from the substrate 182. As a result, the electrical connection between the terminals 170c to 177c and the terminals 170p to 177p is released, power is not supplied to the Hall element 71 and the memory 141, and the controller 100 transmits and receives signals to and from the Hall element 71 and the memory 141. It becomes impossible to do.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the controller 100 is a communication means for communicating with the cartridge 40 mounted in the space C, and constructs each means corresponding to the processing of FIG.

  The mounting detection means M1 corresponds to S1, the reading means M2 corresponds to S2, the notification means M3 corresponds to S7, the recording prohibition means M4 corresponds to S8, the moving means M5 corresponds to S3, and the receiving means M6. Corresponds to S4, the rewriting means M7 corresponds to S12, the recording control means M8 corresponds to S11, and the communication determining means M9 corresponds to S5. The cap unit M10 and the humidifying unit M11 correspond to processes related to a cap operation and a humidifying operation, which will be described later.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 16, a capping operation and a humidifying operation will be described.

  The humidification operation is performed using the humidification mechanism 90. The humidification mechanism 90 includes a joint 91, tubes 95, 96, 97, a humidification pump 93, and a tank 94.

  Two joints 91 are provided for each head 2, and are fixed to the frame 3 at one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the head 2. The joint 91 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and an opening 91a on the lower surface opens into an internal space defined by the cap 2c. The tube 95 connects the one joint 91 and the humidification pump 93 so that they can communicate with each other. The tube 96 connects the humidification pump 93 and the tank 94 so that they can communicate with each other. The tube 97 connects the tank 94 and the other joint 91 so that they can communicate with each other.

  In FIG. 16, only the tubes 95 and 97 corresponding to one head 2 are shown, but the tubes 95 and 97 are provided for each head 2. On the other hand, the humidification pump 93 and the tank 94 are provided one by one in the printer 1. The two tubes 95 extending from the two heads 2 are both connected to the humidification pump 93, and the two tubes 97 extending from the two heads 2 are both connected to the tank 94.

  The lower space of the tank 94 stores the humidified liquid supplied from the reservoir 42H, and the upper space of the tank 94 stores the humidified air humidified by the humidified liquid in the lower space. The tube 96 communicates with the lower space of the tank 94, and the tube 97 communicates with the upper space of the tank 94. A check valve (not shown) is attached to the tube 96 so that air flows only in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 16, and water in the tank 94 does not flow into the humidification pump 93.

  When performing the cap operation, the controller 100 controls the cap elevating mechanism 2cM (see FIG. 12) including a gear engaged with the cap 2c and a gear motor that drives the gear to lower the cap 2c. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 16, the tip of the cap 2c (the lower end of FIG. 16) is positioned below the discharge surface 2a and abuts on the outer peripheral surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8. At this time, the discharge space R1 formed between the discharge surface 2a and the outer peripheral surface 8a is sealed and isolated from the external space R2. The position of the cap 2c at this time is referred to as a cap position. The cap 2c is held at the recording position where the tip is positioned above the ejection surface 2a above the cap position during recording. The controller 100 performs a cap operation when the recording command is not received for a predetermined time or longer, and moves the cap 2c from the recording position to the cap position.

  When performing the humidification operation, the controller 100 drives the humidification pump 93 while holding the cap 2c at the cap position. As the humidifying pump 93 is driven, the air in the discharge space R1 is collected from the opening 91a of one joint 91 and flows into the lower space of the tank 94 through the tube 95, the humidifying pump 93, and the tube 96. Then, after being humidified by the humidifying liquid in the tank 94, the humidified air is discharged from the upper space of the tank 94, passes through the tube 97, and returns to the discharge space R <b> 1 from the opening 91 b of the other joint 91. In FIG. 16, black arrows indicate the air flow before humidification, and white arrows indicate the air flow after humidification.

  By such a humidifying operation, an increase in viscosity in the discharge port of the head 2 is suppressed, and clogging in the discharge port can be suppressed. Further, the frequency of preliminary ejection (purge or flushing) can be reduced, and the consumption of black ink or pretreatment liquid can be suppressed.

  For example, when the cap 2c is held at the cap position for a predetermined time or more, the timing of performing the humidifying operation may be about once a day.

  As described above, the cartridge 40 of the present embodiment includes the reservoir 42B that stores the black ink, the reservoir 42P that stores the pretreatment liquid, and the reservoir 42H that stores the humidifying liquid. As a result, three types of liquids can be supplied to the head 2 while reducing the effort involved in attaching and detaching the cartridge.

The amount V1 of black ink stored in the reservoir 42B, the amount V2 of pretreatment liquid stored in the reservoir 42P, and the amount V3 of humidifying liquid stored in the reservoir 42H are in a relationship of V1>V2> V3. is there.
The consumption amount U1 of black ink and the consumption amount U2 of the pretreatment liquid when recording an image on the paper P have a relationship of “U2 = U1 * (1/5 to 1/10)”, for example. Further, for example, “U3 = U1 * (1/20 to 1/100)” (when water is supplied to black ink) and “U3 = U2 *” when the humidifying operation is performed. (1/20 to 1/100) "(when water is supplied to the pretreatment liquid). The humidifying liquid is a liquid for replenishing water evaporated at the ejection port of the head 2, and usually consumes very little compared with black ink or pretreatment liquid ejected from the ejection port during recording. Further, the pretreatment liquid may not be consumed depending on the type of the paper P and the recording mode (color or monochrome, photo or document). For example, when the paper P is a thick paper, a coated paper, or the like, the recording may be performed without using the pretreatment liquid when the recording mode is the photo printing mode.
In the present embodiment, the liquid amounts V1 to V3 in the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H have an effective relationship in view of the individual liquid consumption in the printer 1 as described above. As a result, when the remaining amount of black ink becomes zero, a large amount of pretreatment liquid and humidification liquid remain, and the problem of pretreatment liquid and humidification liquid being wasted due to cartridge replacement is reduced. Can do. That is, since wasteful disposal of liquid can be suppressed, it is economical and friendly to the global environment.
Further, when the amounts of liquid V1 to V3 in the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are not as described above, and the amount of pretreatment liquid and humidifying liquid is excessively large, the size of the cartridge 40 is increased. According to said structure, the said problem can also be suppressed.

  The capacity C1 of the reservoir 42B, the capacity C2 of the reservoir 42P, and the capacity C3 of the reservoir 42H are in a relationship of C1> C2> C3. Thereby, the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H can be made compact, and further the size of the cartridge 40 can be further reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H are bags each having two sheets that are overlapped with the discharge pipe 43 interposed therebetween and the peripheral edges are joined to each other by heat welding or the like. Also with this configuration, the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H can be made compact, and further the size of the cartridge 40 can be further reduced.

  The reservoirs 42B and 42P are formed so that two sides 42Bs and 42Ps orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe 43 is attached are folded inward. Thereby, the capacity | capacitances C1 and C2 can be enlarged, realizing compactization of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H.

  The reservoir 42H is formed so that two sides 42Hs orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe 43 is attached are not folded inward. Thereby, the capacity | capacitance C3 can be made small, realizing compactization of the reservoirs 42B, 42P, and 42H.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims.

About liquid cartridge:
The first liquid may be color ink. The first liquid colorant means a pigment, a dye, or the like.
The second liquid may be any liquid as long as it has a function of aggregating the color material contained in the first liquid. For example, the second liquid is not limited to the above-described pretreatment liquid, and may be discharged onto a recording medium after recording in order to improve image quality.
The third liquid may be a liquid for supplying moisture to only one of the first liquid and the second liquid.
The size of the first liquid droplet ejected from the first head and the size of the second liquid droplet ejected from the second head may be the same or different from each other. (For example, the size of the droplet of the first liquid ejected from the first head can be selected from among three types of 7, 10, 14 pl (picoliter) depending on the number of droplet ejections in one recording cycle. (The size of the droplet of the second liquid ejected from the two heads may be one type of 5 pl.)
-The capacity | capacitance of each accommodating part and the quantity of the liquid which each accommodating part accommodates are not specifically limited.
-Each accommodating part is not limited to the bag which has a sheet | seat like the above-mentioned embodiment, For example, the box which has a board thicker than a sheet | seat may be sufficient.
-The shape of each accommodating part, the arrangement | positioning aspect, etc. are arbitrary, for example, all the cross sections of the 1st-3rd accommodating part may be a rectangular shape, an ellipse, a circle | round | yen, etc. Further, the first to third accommodating portions may be arranged so as to be aligned in one direction. The first to third storage units may be arranged so that the discharge directions (directions in which the liquid is discharged from the storage units) are different from each other. -The center of the discharge port communicating with the first and second storage portions may not be eccentric with respect to the centers of the first and second storage portions, respectively.

About the liquid ejection device:
-The structure of a humidification means can be changed arbitrarily, for example, you may provide a humidification pump and a tank for every head.
The liquid ejecting apparatus may be a color inkjet printer including a head that ejects black ink and three color (magenta, cyan, yellow) inks.
The liquid ejecting apparatus may be either a line type or a serial type, and is not limited to a printer, and may be any liquid ejecting apparatus such as a facsimile machine or a copier.
The recording medium may be any medium (for example, cloth) other than paper.

  In addition, as long as it is described in the claims, each part of the liquid cartridge and the liquid ejection apparatus may be appropriately changed, another part may be added, or some parts may be omitted.

1 Inkjet printer (liquid ejection device)
2 heads (first head, second head)
2c Cap (cap means)
40 cartridge (liquid cartridge)
42B Reservoir (first container)
42P reservoir (second housing part)
42H (3rd accommodating part)
43 Discharge pipe 48 Lock part 49 Grip part 90 Humidification mechanism (humidification means)
100 controller (cap means, humidification means)
C space (mounting part)

Claims (9)

A first containing portion for containing a first liquid containing a coloring material;
A second containing portion for containing a second liquid for aggregating the colorant;
A third storage portion for storing third liquid to hydrate at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid comprises,
The first, second, and third storage portions communicate with first, second, and third discharge ports for discharging the first, second, and third liquids, respectively, The cross section when viewed from the discharge direction, which is the direction in which the first, second, and third liquids are discharged from the first, second, and third discharge ports, is an elongated shape;
The first, second, and third accommodating portions are arranged so that the discharge directions are parallel to each other,
Each of the first and second storage portions has a longitudinal direction of the cross section parallel to a first direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, and a short direction of the cross section orthogonal to both the discharge direction and the first direction. The third housing part is arranged so as to be parallel to the second direction and aligned with each other in the second direction, and the third housing portion has a longitudinal direction of the cross section parallel to the second direction and a short side direction of the cross section. It is parallel to the first direction and is arranged so as to be aligned with the first storage portion and the second storage portion with respect to the first direction,
The length in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the third accommodating portion is longer than the length in the short direction of the cross section of the first accommodating portion, and the length in the short direction of the cross section of the first and second accommodating portions. A liquid cartridge having a length equal to or less than a sum of lengths .   The amount V1 of the first liquid accommodated in the first accommodating portion, the amount V2 of the second liquid accommodated in the second accommodating portion, and the third amount accommodated in the third accommodating portion. 2. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the amount of liquid V3 is in a relationship of V1> V2> V3.   3. The liquid according to claim 2, wherein the capacity C <b> 1 of the first storage part, the capacity C <b> 2 of the second storage part, and the capacity C <b> 3 of the third storage part have a relationship of C <b> 1> C <b> 2> C <b> 3. cartridge.   Each of the first, second, and third storage portions is provided with a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid stored in the storage section to the outside, and is overlapped with the discharge pipe therebetween and has a peripheral edge. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid cartridge is a bag having two sheets joined together.   The at least one of the first storage part and the second storage part is formed so that two sides orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe is attached are folded inward. The liquid cartridge as described.   6. The liquid cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the third housing portion is formed so that two sides orthogonal to the side to which the discharge pipe is attached are not folded inward.   The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the third liquid is a liquid for replenishing water to both the first liquid and the second liquid.   The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid is black ink. A liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid cartridge and an apparatus main body to which the liquid cartridge is mounted,
The liquid cartridge is
A first containing portion for containing a first liquid containing a coloring material;
A second containing portion for containing a second liquid for aggregating the colorant;
A third storage portion for storing a third liquid for supplying water to at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid;
The first, second, and third storage portions communicate with first, second, and third discharge ports for discharging the first, second, and third liquids, respectively, The cross section when viewed from the discharge direction, which is the direction in which the first, second, and third liquids are discharged from the first, second, and third discharge ports, is an elongated shape;
The first, second, and third accommodating portions are arranged so that the discharge directions are parallel to each other,
Each of the first and second storage portions has a longitudinal direction of the cross section parallel to a first direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, and a short direction of the cross section orthogonal to both the discharge direction and the first direction. The third housing part is arranged so as to be parallel to the second direction and aligned with each other in the second direction, and the third housing portion has a longitudinal direction of the cross section parallel to the second direction and a short side direction of the cross section. It is parallel to the first direction and is arranged so as to be aligned with the first storage portion and the second storage portion with respect to the first direction,
The length in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the third accommodating portion is longer than the length in the short direction of the cross section of the first accommodating portion, and the length in the short direction of the cross section of the first and second accommodating portions. Less than the sum of the lengths,
The apparatus main body is
A mounting portion to which the liquid cartridge is mounted;
A first head having a plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the first liquid supplied from the first storage portion of the liquid cartridge mounted on the mounting portion;
A second head having a plurality of second discharge ports for discharging the second liquid supplied from the second storage portion of the liquid cartridge attached to the attachment portion;
Cap means for sealing at least one of a first discharge space facing the plurality of first discharge ports and a second discharge space facing the plurality of second discharge ports;
Using at least one of the first and second discharge spaces sealed by the cap means, using the third liquid supplied from the third storage portion of the liquid cartridge attached to the attachment portion, A humidifying means for humidifying;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

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