Liquid consuming device

Abstract

To provide a liquid consuming device in which a tank can be easily exchanged.SOLUTION: A liquid consuming device 10 comprises a tank 100, a liquid consumption part 39, and a connection component 281. The tank 100 has: an upper wall 104 which defines an upper end of a first storage chamber 111C; a first outflow port 114C opening into the first storage chamber 111C; a first opening 113C which is positioned in the upper wall 104, and communicates with the exterior of the first storage chamber 111C; and a first outflow passage 150C which flows out a liquid from the first storage chamber 111C to the exterior through the first outflow port 114C and the first opening 113C. The connection component 281 has: a connection part 290 having a first liquid passage 294C which is detachably connected to the first opening 113C and communicates with the first outflow passage 150C; and a first tube 32C connected to the liquid consumption part 39. The connection part 290 has a first connection part 231C which communicates with the first liquid passage 294C and to which the first tube 32C is connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid consumption device in which a liquid for supplying a liquid to a liquid consumption unit is stored.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an ink tank in which ink for supplying ink to a recording head is stored. The ink tank described in Patent Document 1 has a front wall, a right wall, a left wall, an upper wall, and a lower wall. An ink chamber for storing ink is defined by the front wall, the right wall, the left wall, the upper wall, and the lower wall. The ink tank has an ink outflow passage connected to the ink chamber, an ink guiding passage connected to the ink outflow passage on the right side surface of the right wall, and a connecting portion located on the upper wall and connected to the ink guiding passage. An ink tube connected to the recording head is connected to the connecting portion. Thereby, the ink in the ink chamber is supplied to the recording head via the ink outflow passage, the ink guiding passage, the connecting portion, and the ink tube.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the ink tank of Patent Document 1, the ink tube is directly connected to the connecting portion. By making the portion of the ink tube connected to the connecting portion triangular or making the inner diameter of the ink tube sufficiently smaller than the outer diameter of the connecting portion, the ink tube is connected to the connecting portion so as to tighten the connecting portion and prevent it from easily coming off. For this reason, it is often difficult to remove the ink tube from the connecting portion, detach it, and then reconnect it to the connecting portion again. Therefore, when the tank is replaced, it is difficult to remove the ink tube from the connecting portion, remove the tank from the liquid consumption device, attach the newly replaced tank to the liquid consumption device, and connect the ink tube to the connecting portion of the tank.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid consumption device in which the tank can be easily replaced.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The present disclosure relates to a liquid consumption device. The liquid consumption device includes a tank having a first storage chamber in which a liquid is stored, a liquid consumption unit that consumes the liquid supplied from the first storage chamber, and a connecting component that connects the tank and the liquid consumption unit. The tank has an upper wall that defines an upper end of the first storage chamber, a first outlet that opens into the first storage chamber, a first opening that is located on the upper wall and communicates with the outside of the first storage chamber, and a first outflow path that allows the liquid to flow out from the first storage chamber to the outside through the first outlet and the first opening. The connecting component has a connecting portion that is detachably connected to the first opening and has a first liquid flow path that communicates with the first outflow path, and a first tube that is connected to the liquid consumption unit. The connecting portion communicates with the first liquid flow path and has a first connecting portion to which the first tube is connected.

[0007] Since the connection part having the first connection part to which the first tube is connected is detachable from the first opening of the tank, the user can remove the first tube from the tank by removing the connection part from the first opening. Further, the user can reconnect the first tube to the tank via the connection part by reconnecting the connection part removed from the first opening to the first opening again. Therefore, when the user replaces the tank, there is no need to remove the first tube from the first connection part and reconnect the first tube to the first connection part again, so the replacement of the tank is easy. Further, since the connection part is detachably connected to the first opening located on the upper wall of the tank, for example, compared to a configuration in which the connection part is detachably connected to the first opening located on the rear wall of the tank, it is easier to access the connection part from the front of the liquid consumption device, so the replacement of the tank becomes easier.

[0008] (2) The first opening may open upward.

[0009] Since the user can move the connection part in the vertical direction to easily attach and detach it from the first opening, the connection part can be easily attached and detached even if the upper surface of the upper wall has a step. Therefore, the replacement of the tank becomes easier.

[0010] (3) The first opening may be located on the front side of the upper wall.

[0011] Since it becomes easier to access the connection part from the front of the liquid consumption device, the replacement of the tank becomes easier. Further, even if the rear part of the liquid consumption device is in a posture where it comes downward, since the first opening is likely to be above the liquid level of the liquid in the first storage chamber, the liquid in the first storage chamber is less likely to leak to the outside of the tank through the first opening.

[0012] (4) The rear part located behind the connection part on the upper surface of the upper wall may be located at a higher position than the front part where the connection part is located on the upper surface of the upper wall.

[0013] While maintaining the accessibility from above to the connection part of the user, the volume of the first storage chamber can be increased. Since the volume on the rear side of the first storage chamber becomes larger, for example, even when the rear part of the liquid consumption device is in a posture where it comes downward, the first opening is likely to be above the liquid level of the liquid in the first storage chamber. For this reason, the liquid in the first storage chamber is less likely to leak to the outside of the tank through the first opening.

[0014] (5) The connection part may be a substrate on which the first liquid flow path is formed, and may have a substrate that extends horizontally above the upper wall. The rear part may be located at a position higher than the lower end of the substrate.

[0015] The volume of the first storage chamber becomes larger.

[0016] (6) The tank may be connected to the first opening and extend downward, and may have a first outflow pipe that partitions the first outflow path. The connection part may have a substrate that extends horizontally above the upper wall, and a cylindrical first cylindrical part that extends downward from the substrate and is inserted into the first outflow pipe through the first opening. The first liquid flow path may be formed in the substrate, and may have a horizontal flow path that communicates with the first connection part, and a vertical flow path that is formed in the first cylindrical part and communicates the horizontal flow path with the first outflow path.

[0017] Since the connection part has a cylindrical first cylindrical part that is inserted into the outflow pipe through the first opening, it becomes easier for the user to connect the connection part to the first opening.

[0018] (7) It may further include an annular seal member fitted into the first opening. The first cylindrical part may be inserted into the seal member in a liquid-tight manner.

[0019] Leakage of the liquid in the first storage chamber to the outside through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical part and the inner peripheral surface of the outflow pipe is suppressed.

[0020] (8) The connecting portion may have a cylindrical second cylindrical portion extending downward from the substrate so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion. The substrate may have an air flow path through which air can flow. The sealing member may have a first sealing portion that closely adheres to the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion and a second sealing portion that closely adheres to the entire circumference of the lower end of the second cylindrical portion. The air flow path may communicate with a leakage space defined by the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion, the inner peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion, the inner peripheral surface of the sealing member, the first sealing portion, and the second sealing portion.

[0021] When the first cylindrical portion is not firmly in close contact with the first sealing portion of the sealing member, the liquid in the first storage chamber may leak into the leakage space through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion and the first sealing portion. In the above configuration, air can be sent into the leakage space through the air flow path. Therefore, if the first cylindrical portion is not firmly in close contact with the sealing member at the first sealing portion, air is likely to flow into the first outflow path through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion and the first sealing portion, so the pressure of the air in the leakage space and the air flow path is likely to be low. On the other hand, when the first cylindrical portion is firmly in close contact with the sealing member at the first sealing portion, air is less likely to flow into the first outflow path through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion and the first sealing portion, so the pressure of the air in the leakage space and the air flow path is likely to be high. Therefore, the user can perform a leak inspection to determine whether the liquid in the first storage chamber leaks into the leakage space through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion and the first sealing portion by sending air into the leakage space through the air flow path.

[0022] (9) The upper wall may define the upper end of the second storage chamber in which the liquid is stored. The tank is connected to the upper wall, and includes a partition wall that separates the second storage chamber and the first storage chamber, a second outlet that opens into the second storage chamber, a second opening that is located on the upper wall and communicates with the outside of the second storage chamber, a second outflow path for allowing the liquid to flow out from the second storage chamber to the outside through the second outlet and the second opening, and a second outflow pipe that is connected to the second opening and extends downward to partition the second outflow path. The connecting component may have a second tube connected to the liquid consumption unit. The connecting portion may have a second liquid flow path that communicates with the second outflow path, and a second connecting portion that communicates with the second liquid flow path and to which the second tube is connected.

[0023] Even if two storage chambers, i.e., the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber in which the liquid is stored, are provided, since two storage chambers and two tubes can be respectively communicated by one connecting portion, the replacement of the tank becomes easier.

[0024] (10) The connecting portion may have a substrate that is located at the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion and extends in the horizontal direction. The first connecting portion and the second connecting portion may be located at the central portion in the left-right direction on the substrate.

[0025] It is easy to make the length of the first liquid flow path and the length of the second liquid flow path the same.

[0026] (11) The second storage chamber may have a first space located in the left-right direction of the first storage chamber and a second space located behind the first storage chamber. The first space and the second space may be continuous spaces. The volume of the second storage chamber may be larger than the volume of the first storage chamber.

[0027] Since the first opening and the second opening to which the connecting portion is connected are located on the upper wall, even if the second storage chamber is expanded behind the first storage chamber, the connecting portion does not become an obstacle. For this reason, it is easy to make the volume of the second storage chamber larger than the volume of the first storage chamber.

[0028] (12) The above-described tank may include a front wall that defines the front end of the first storage chamber. The front wall may have a mark indicating that the liquid level in the first storage chamber is at a predetermined position. The first opening may be located above the mark.

[0029] It is difficult for the liquid to leak outside the first storage chamber through the first opening.

Advantages of the Invention

[0030] According to the present invention, the replacement of the tank is easy.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0031]

Figure 1

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Figure 13

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the following description, one direction from the starting point to the end point of a single arrow is expressed as the direction, and the bidirectional direction of both arrows is expressed as the orientation. That is, the direction is one component of the orientation. The upward and downward directions are each one component of the vertical direction and are opposite to each other. The leftward and rightward directions are each one component of the horizontal direction and are opposite to each other. The forward and backward directions are each one component of the front-rear direction and are opposite to each other. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction corresponds to the gravitational direction, and the front-rear direction and the left-right direction correspond to the horizontal direction.

[0033] Furthermore, the vertical direction is defined based on the state or posture in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed so as to be usable, the front-rear direction is defined with the side where the opening 13 of the multifunction machine 10 is provided as the front side, and the left-right direction is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side. Note that the state of FIG. 1 may be referred to as the "use state". Also, the posture of FIG. 1 may be referred to as the "use posture". The front side where the opening 13 of the multifunction machine 10 is provided is the front surface.

[0034] [Overall Configuration of Multifunction Machine 10] As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped casing 8. The multifunction machine 10 has a scanner unit 9 and a printer unit 11 in the internal space of the casing 8. The scanner unit 9 is located at the upper part in the internal space of the casing 8. The scanner unit 9 has a scanning function. The printer unit 11 is located below the scanner unit 9 in the internal space of the casing 8. The printer unit 11 has a printing function. The printer unit 11 records an image on the paper 12 shown in FIG. 2 by an inkjet recording method. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feeding unit 15, a feeding tray 20, a discharge tray 21, a conveyance path 65, a conveyance roller unit 54, a recording unit 24, a discharge roller unit 55, a platen 42, and an ink tank set 51. The multifunction machine 10 is an example of a liquid consumption device. Note that the multifunction machine 10 may be one in which the scanner unit 9 is omitted.

[0035] [Feeding Tray 20, Discharge Tray 21] As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 13 is located at the front surface of the multifunction machine 10 and at the central part in the left - right direction. The feeding tray 20 moves in the front - rear direction through the opening 13 by a user's operation. As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding tray 20 supports a plurality of stacked papers 12. The discharge tray 21 is located above the feeding tray 20. The discharge tray 21 moves in the front - rear direction together with the feeding tray 20. The discharge tray 21 supports the paper 12 discharged by the discharge roller unit 55.

[0036] [Feeding Unit 15] The paper feed unit 15 feeds the paper 12 supported on the paper feed tray 20 to the conveyance path 65. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed unit 15 includes a paper feed roller 25, a paper feed arm 26, and a shaft 27. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip portion of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed roller 25 is driven by a conveyance motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of conveying the paper 12 in the conveyance direction 16. Hereinafter, the fact that the paper feed roller 25, the conveyance roller 60, and the discharge roller 62 rotate in the direction of conveying the paper 12 in the conveyance direction 16 is expressed as "forward rotation". The paper feed arm 26 is rotatably supported by a shaft 27 supported by the frame of the printer unit 11. The paper feed arm 26 is biased to rotate toward the paper feed tray 20 by its own weight or an elastic force such as a spring.

[0037] [Conveyance path 65] As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance path 65 refers to, for example, a space defined by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that face each other at a predetermined interval. The conveyance path 65 extends rearward of the printer unit 11 from the rear end portion of the paper feed tray 20. The conveyance path 65 extends upward from below while making a U-turn behind the printer unit 11 and reaches the discharge tray 21 through the space between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveyance path 65 between the conveyance roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 is located approximately at the center of the multifunction machine 10 in the left-right direction and extends in the front-rear direction. The conveyance direction 16 of the paper 12 in the conveyance path 65 is indicated by a dashed-dotted arrow in FIG. 2.

[0038] [Conveyance roller unit 54] As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance roller unit 54 is located upstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 16. The conveyance roller unit 54 has a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61. The conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 face each other in the vertical direction. The conveyance roller 60 is rotated by the drive of a conveyance motor being transmitted thereto. The pinch roller 61 is rotated along with the rotation of the conveyance roller 60. When the conveyance roller 60 rotates forward due to the forward rotation of the conveyance motor, the paper 12 is sandwiched between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 and conveyed in the conveyance direction 16.

[0039] [Discharge roller section 55] As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge roller section 55 is located downstream of the recording section 24 in the conveyance direction 16. The discharge roller section 55 has a discharge roller 62 and an impeller 63. The discharge roller 62 and the impeller 63 face each other in the vertical direction. The discharge roller 62 is rotated by the transmission of drive from a conveyance motor. The impeller 63 is rotated along with the rotation of the discharge roller 62. When the discharge roller 62 rotates forward by the forward rotation of the conveyance motor, the sheet 12 is sandwiched between the discharge roller 62 and the impeller 63 and conveyed in the conveyance direction 16.

[0040] [Recording section 24] As shown in FIG. 2, the recording section 24 is located between the conveyance roller section 54 and the discharge roller section 55 in the conveyance direction 16. The recording section 24 faces the platen 42 in the vertical direction with the conveyance path 65 interposed therebetween. The recording section 24 is located above the conveyance path 65 in the vertical direction. The recording section 24 includes a carriage 23 and a recording head 39.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 23 is supported by guide rails 43 and 44. The guide rails 43 and 44 are supported by the frame of the printer section 11. The guide rails 43 and 44 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction and each extends in the left-right direction. The guide rails 43 and 44 reach outward of the conveyance path 65 in the left-right direction. The carriage 23 is connected to a known belt mechanism provided on the guide rail 44. The belt mechanism is rotated by the transmission of drive from a carriage motor (not shown). When the belt mechanism rotates, the carriage 23 moves in the left-right direction. The movement range of the carriage 23 is indicated by a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 3. The carriage 23 moves to the right and left in the left-right direction from the conveyance path 65.

[0042] The ink tank 100 and the recording head 39 are connected by four ink tubes 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D. The control board on which a control unit (not shown) is implemented and the recording head 39 are electrically connected by a flexible flat cable 33. The four ink tubes 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D and the flexible flat cable 33 extend from the carriage 23 respectively. The four ink tubes 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D supply the ink stored in the ink tank 100 to the recording head 39. The flexible flat cable 33 transmits the control signal output from the control unit to the recording head 39.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 23 mounts the recording head 39. The recording head 39 is movable in the left - right direction by the movement of the carriage 23 between a standby position P1 and a maintenance position P2. The standby position P1 is located to the left of the conveyance path 65. The maintenance position P2 is located to the right of the conveyance path 65. A plurality of nozzles 40 are located on the lower surface of the recording head 39. The recording head 39 ejects ink as minute ink droplets from the nozzles 40. In the process of the carriage 23 moving, the recording head 39 ejects ink droplets toward the paper 12 supported by the platen 42. Thereby, an image is recorded on the paper 12. The recording head 39 is an example of a liquid - consuming part.

[0044] [Platen 42] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the platen 42 is located between the conveyance roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 in the conveyance direction 16. The platen 42 faces the recording unit 24 in the vertical direction. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 conveyed by the conveyance roller unit 54 from below.

[0045] [Ink tank set 51] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the ink tank set 51 has an ink tank 100, a tank cover 110, and a tank cap 127. The ink tank 100 is an example of a tank. Note that in FIG. 4, the tank cap 127 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink tank set 51 is located inside the multifunction machine 10. The ink tank set 51 is fixed to the multifunction machine 10 so that it cannot be easily removed by the user from the multifunction machine 10. An opening is located at the front of the casing 8 of the multifunction machine 10 and at the right end in the left-right direction. The ink tank set 51 is located behind the opening of the casing 8. In other words, the ink tank set 51 is located to the right of the center in the left-right direction in the internal space of the casing 8.

[0046] A cover 70 is provided on the casing 8 so as to be located in front of the opening of the casing 8. The cover 70 is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction at the lower end side in the up-down direction. The cover 70 is rotatable from the covering position shown in FIG. 1 that covers the opening of the casing 8 to an exposing position that exposes the opening of the casing 8 to the outside of the multifunction machine 10. That is, the cover 70 is rotatable from the covering position shown in FIG. 1 that covers the ink tank set 51 to an exposing position that exposes the ink tank set 51 to the outside of the multifunction machine 10. The cover 70 has an opening. Even when the cover 70 is in the covering position, a part of the ink tank set 51 is exposed to the outside of the multifunction machine 10 through the opening of the cover 70. Note that the fact that a part of the ink tank set 51 is exposed to the outside of the multifunction machine 10 through the opening of the cover 70 means that the user can at least visually recognize a part of the ink tank set 51 from the outside of the multifunction machine 10 through the opening of the cover 70, and does not mean that a part of the ink tank set 51 protrudes to the outside of the multifunction machine 10 through the opening of the cover 70.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the ink tank 100 includes four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D inside. The four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D are arranged in order from left to right along the left - right direction. The three ink chambers 111A, 111B, and 111C store any one of yellow, cyan, and magenta inks of different colors. The ink chamber 111D stores black ink. Ink is an example of a liquid. Note that examples of the types of ink include pigment ink containing pigments and dye ink containing dyes. Further, each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D may store a cleaning liquid containing water instead of ink. The cleaning liquid is an example of a liquid.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 9, the outer shape of the ink tank 100 is generally a rectangular parallelepiped. The ink tank 100 has a front wall 101, a right wall 102, a left wall 103, an upper wall 104, a lower wall 105, a rear wall 106, and four partition walls 131, 132, 133, and 134. The front wall 101, the right wall 102, the left wall 103, the upper wall 104, the rear wall 106, and the four partition walls 131, 132, 133, and 134 are integrally formed, for example, by injection - molding a resin material. As shown in FIG. 13, the wall 511 integrally formed by injection - molding has an opening facing downward. The lower wall 105 is a molded product different from the wall 511 integrally formed by injection - molding.

[0049] The lower wall 105 is welded to the lower end of the integrally formed wall 511 in a state of covering the opening 512 of the integrally formed wall 511. Thereby, the lower wall 105 is liquid - tightly connected to the lower end of the integrally formed wall 511. Examples of welding include heat welding by applying heat from the outside, high - frequency welding and ultrasonic welding by heating with high - frequency waves or ultrasonic waves, and laser welding by heating with the heat of laser light. The front wall 101, the right wall 102, the left wall 103, the upper wall 104, and the rear wall 106 have a light - transmissivity such that the liquid level of the internal ink can be visually recognized from the outside of the ink tank 100. The front surface 101B of the front wall 101 has a visual surface 233 from which the four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D can be visually recognized from the front.

[0050] The three partition walls 131, 132, and 133 are spaced apart in the left - right direction. Each of the partition walls 131, 132, and 133 is in the shape of a flat plate extending in the front - rear direction and the up - down direction. The partition wall 131 is located at a distance to the right of the left wall 103. The partition wall 132 is located at a distance to the right of the partition wall 131. The partition wall 133 is located at a distance to the right of the partition wall 132. The front ends of each of the partition walls 131, 132, and 133 are connected to the rear surface of the front wall 101. The upper ends of each of the partition walls 131, 132, and 133 are connected to the lower surface of the upper wall 104. The lower ends of each of the partition walls 131, 132, and 133 are connected to the upper surface of the lower wall 105.

[0051] The partition wall 134 is located behind the three partition walls 131, 132, and 133. The partition wall 134 is in the shape of a flat plate extending in the up - down direction and the left - right direction. The rear ends of the three partition walls 131, 132, and 133 are connected to the front surface of the partition wall 134. The partition wall 134 is connected from the rear end of the partition wall 133 to the right surface of the left wall 103.

[0052] The ink chamber 111A is defined by the rear surface of the front wall 101, the right surface of the left wall 103, the lower surface of the upper wall 104, the upper surface 105A of the lower wall 105, the left surface of the partition wall 131, and the front surface of the partition wall 134.

[0053] The ink chamber 111A has an offset chamber 141A. The offset chamber 141A is located in front of the center of the ink chamber 111A in the front - rear direction. The center A1 of the offset chamber 141A in the left - right direction is shifted to the right of the center A2 of the ink chamber 111A in the left - right direction due to the front - side portions of the left wall 103 and the partition wall 131 being bent concavely to the right.

[0054] The ink chamber 111B is defined by the rear surface of the front wall 101, the lower surface of the upper wall 104, the upper surface of the lower wall 105, the right surface of the partition wall 131, the left surface of the partition wall 132, and the front surface of the partition wall 134. The upper wall 104 is an example of an upper wall.

[0055] The ink chamber 111B has an offset chamber 141B. The offset chamber 141B is located forward of the center in the front-rear direction of the ink chamber 111B. The center A3 in the left-right direction of the offset chamber 141B is shifted to the right of the center A4 in the left-right direction of the ink chamber 111B due to the front portions of the partition wall 131 and the front portion of the partition wall 132 being bent concavely to the right.

[0056] The ink chamber 111C is defined by the rear surface of the front wall 101, the lower surface of the upper wall 104, the upper surface of the lower wall 105, the right surface of the partition wall 132, the left surface of the partition wall 133, and the front surface of the partition wall 134. The ink chamber 111C is an example of a first storage chamber.

[0057] The ink chamber 111C has an offset chamber 141C. The offset chamber 141C is located forward of the center in the front-rear direction of the ink chamber 111C. The center A5 in the left-right direction of the offset chamber 141C is shifted to the right of the center A6 in the left-right direction of the ink chamber 111C due to the front portions of the partition wall 132 and the front portion of the partition wall 133 being bent concavely to the right.

[0058] The ink chamber 111D is defined by the rear surface of the front wall 101, the left surface of the right wall 102, the lower surface of the upper wall 104, the upper surface of the lower wall 105, the front surface of the rear wall 106, the right surface of the partition wall 133, and the rear surface of the partition wall 134. The ink chamber 111D is L-shaped and has a front space 148 that extends rearward from the rear surface of the front wall 101 to the front surface of the rear wall 106, and a rear space 149 that extends leftward from the rear end portion of the front space 148 to the right surface of the left wall 103. The front space 148 is located to the right of the ink chamber 111C. The rear space 149 is located behind the three ink chambers 111A, 111B, and 111C. The volume of the ink chamber 111D is larger than the volumes of the respective ink chambers 111A, 111B, and 111C. The ink chamber 111D is an example of a second storage chamber. The partition wall 133 is an example of a partition wall. The front space 148 is an example of a first space. The rear space 149 is an example of a second space. Note that the front wall 101, the right wall 102, the rear wall 106, the partition wall 131, the partition wall 132, the partition wall 133, and the partition wall 134 do not have to be completely parallel to the vertical direction.

[0059] The ink chamber 111D has an offset chamber 141D. The offset chamber 141D is located forward of the center in the front-rear direction of the ink chamber 111D. The center A7 in the left-right direction of the offset chamber 141D is shifted to the right of the center A8 in the left-right direction of the ink chamber 111D due to the front portion of the partition wall 133 being bent concave to the right.

[0060] The upper surface 105A of the lower wall 105 in each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D includes a flat surface 221 that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and a convex surface 222 that protrudes downward from the flat surface 221. Each convex surface 222 demarcates a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped convex space 222A that is long in the front-rear direction. Each convex space 222A extends rearward from the approximate center in the front-rear direction of each of the offset chambers 141A, 141B, 141C, 141D to the approximate center in the front-rear direction of each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. Each convex space 222A is located at the centers A1, A3, A5, A7 in the left-right direction of each of the offset chambers 141A, 141B, 141C, 141D.

[0061] The flat surface 221 has an inclined surface 221A that extends from the approximate center in the front-rear direction of the four convex spaces 222A to the front surface of the rear wall 106. The inclined surface 221A extends from the right surface of the left wall 103 to the left surface of the right wall 102. The inclined surface 221A is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so as to go downward as it goes forward. This makes it easier for the ink stored in each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D to gather in each convex space 222A.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, the front surface 101B of the front wall 101 has four upper marks 181 and four lower marks 182. The four upper marks 181 and the four lower marks 182 are spaced apart in the left - right direction. The four upper marks 181 are located above the middle part in the up - down direction on the front surface 101B. The four upper marks 181 are located in the upper part of the front surface 101B. The four upper marks 181 are located below the upper end of the front surface 101B. Each upper mark 181 has an upper line 181A extending along the left - right direction and an upper arrow 181B located below the upper line 181A. The apex of the upper arrow 181B is located at the center in the left - right direction of the upper line 181A. The left - right position of each upper mark 181 coincides with each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. Each upper mark 181 indicates that when there is a liquid level at the position of the upper line 181A, the inks in the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D are full. Note that the upper mark 181 may be a mark consisting of only one of the upper line 181A and the upper arrow 181B. The upper mark 181 is an example of a mark. The position of the upper line 181A is an example of a predetermined position.

[0063] The four lower marks 182 are located below the middle part in the up - down direction on the front surface 101B. The four lower marks 182 are located in the lower part of the front surface 101B. The four lower marks 182 are located above the lower end of the front surface 101B. Each of the four lower marks 182 has a lower line 182A extending along the left - right direction and a lower arrow 182B located below the lower line 182A. The apex of the lower arrow 182B is located at the center in the left - right direction of the lower line 182A. The left - right position of each lower mark 182 coincides with each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. Each lower mark 182 indicates that when there is a liquid level at the position of the lower line 182A, it is about time to replenish the ink in each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. Note that the lower mark 182 may be a mark consisting of only one of the lower line 182A and the lower arrow 182B. The four upper marks 181 and the four lower marks 182 may be integrally formed with the front surface 101B, or may be attached to the front surface 101B as a sticker.

[0064] The upper wall 104 is configured in a stepped shape such that its height gradually increases toward the rear. The upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104 is composed of a plurality of surfaces extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Specifically, the upper surface 104A has a front inclined surface 411, a front upper surface 412, a middle front upper surface 413, a middle rear upper surface 414, and a rear upper surface 415.

[0065] The front inclined surface 411 is located at the front end portion on the upper surface 104A. The front inclined surface 411 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so as to extend downward as it goes forward. The front inclined surface 411 extends across the left end or the right end of the ink tank 100.

[0066] The front upper surface 412 is located behind the front inclined surface 411. The front upper surface 412 is located at a position slightly lower than the front inclined surface 411 in the vertical direction. The middle front upper surface 413 is located behind the front upper surface 412. The middle front upper surface 413 is located slightly forward of the center in the front-rear direction on the upper surface 104A. The middle rear upper surface 414 is located behind the middle front upper surface 413. The middle rear upper surface 414 is located slightly rearward of the center in the front-rear direction on the upper surface 104A. An atmosphere communication port 112 that communicates each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D with the outside opens on the middle rear upper surface 414. Each atmosphere communication port 112 penetrates the upper wall 104 in the vertical direction.

[0067] The rear upper surface 415 is located behind the middle rear upper surface 414. The rear upper surface 415 has a front horizontal surface 415A, a rear inclined surface 415B, and a rear horizontal surface 415C. The front horizontal surface 415A is located at the front end of the rear upper surface 415. The front horizontal surfaces 415A are located at both ends of the rear upper surface 415 in the left-right direction. Each front horizontal surface 415A extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. A columnar support 431 extending upward from each front horizontal surface 415A is provided. The rear inclined surface 415B extends from the center in the left-right direction at the front end of the rear upper surface 415 to approximately the center in the front-rear direction of the rear upper surface 415. The rear inclined surface 415B is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so as to extend upward as it goes rearward. The rear inclined surface 415B is located at a higher position than the front horizontal surface 415A. The rear horizontal surface 415C is located behind the rear inclined surface 415B. The rear horizontal surface 415C extends from the rear end of the rear inclined surface 415B to the rear end of the rear upper surface 415. The rear horizontal surface 415C extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal surface 415C are an example of the rear portion.

[0068] Four air communication ports 112 that communicate the respective ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D with the outside are located in the middle rear upper surface 414. The four air communication ports 112 are located at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Four openings 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D are located in the middle front upper surface 413. The four openings 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D are located at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D is located above the upper line 181A. Each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D communicates with the outside of the respective ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. Each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D opens upward. The opening 113C is an example of the first opening. The opening 113D is an example of the second opening.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, each of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, and 124D is connected to each of the openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D. Each of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, and 124D is a tubular body that extends downward in a circular tube shape along the vertical direction from each of the openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D to each of the offset chambers 141A, 141B, 141C, and 141D. The lower ends of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, and 124D have respective outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D that open downward. Each of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, and 124D demarcates respective outflow paths 150A, 150B, 150C, and 150D that extend along the vertical direction from each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D to each of the openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D. The outflow pipe 124C is an example of a first outflow pipe. The outflow path 150C is an example of a first outflow path. The outlet 114C is an example of a first outlet. The outflow pipe 124D is an example of a second outflow pipe. The outflow path 150D is an example of a second outflow path. The outlet 114D is an example of a second outlet.

[0070] Each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D is located in each of the convex spaces 222A. As a result, each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D is located to the right of the centers A2, A4, A6, and A8 in the left - right direction of each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D. Each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D is located in front of the center in the front - rear direction in each of the convex spaces 222A. Each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D is separated from each of the convex surfaces 222. Each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D is located below the center in the vertical direction in each of the convex spaces 222A. Each of the outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D is located slightly above the lower end of each of the convex spaces 222A.

[0071] Each outflow pipe 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D has a small-diameter portion 501 located in each convex space 222A and a large-diameter portion 502 located above the small-diameter portion 501. The small-diameter portion 501 has a cylindrical shape. The inner diameter of the large-diameter portion 502 is larger than the inner diameter of the small-diameter portion 501. The large-diameter portion 502 has a conical cylindrical shape with a diameter increasing upward. The cross-sectional area S1 of the outflow paths 150A, 150B, 150C, 150D cut by a horizontal plane in the small-diameter portion 501 is smaller than the cross-sectional area S2 of the outflow paths 150A, 150B, 150C, 150D cut by a horizontal plane in the large-diameter portion 502.

[0072] An annular seal member 160 is fitted into each of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D through each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D. Each seal member 160 is made of rubber. Each seal member 160 has a through-hole 160A extending along the vertical direction. Each seal member 160 protrudes upward from each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D in a state of being fitted into each outflow pipe 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D. Each seal member 160 has a ring-shaped protrusion 191 protruding inward from the inner peripheral surface of each seal member 160. The protrusion 191 is located at the lower part of the inner peripheral surface of each seal member 160. The protrusion 191 extends over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of each seal member 160. The protrusion 191 is an example of a first seal portion.

[0073] As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, each of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D is connected to a connection component 281 disposed on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104. The connection component 281 connects the ink tank 100 and the recording head 39. The connection component 281 has a connection portion 290 and four ink tubes 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D. The connection portion 290 has a substrate 291, four cylindrical portions 292, four cylindrical portions 293, four liquid flow paths 294A, 294B, 294C, 294D, and an air flow path 295. The liquid flow path 294C is an example of a first liquid flow path. The liquid flow path 294D is an example of a second liquid flow path.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate 291 is positioned above the middle front upper surface 413 and the middle rear upper surface 414 of the upper wall 104. The substrate 291 is in the shape of a flat plate extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The substrate 291 is substantially U-shaped when viewed from above. The substrate 291 has projecting pieces 410 at both ends in the left-right direction. Each projecting piece 410 has a circular through-hole penetrating in the up-down direction. A support column 431 is inserted into each through-hole. Thereby, the connection part 290 is positioned in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction in a state of being placed on the front horizontal plane 415A of the rear upper surface 415 of the upper wall 104. The lower end 291A of the substrate 291 is positioned at a position lower than the rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal plane 415C. In other words, the rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal plane 415C are positioned at positions higher than the lower end 291A of the substrate 291. The substrate 291 is screwed and fixed to the middle front upper surface 413 of the upper wall 104. Thereby, the connection part 290 is detachable from the upper wall 104. The middle front upper surface 413, the middle rear upper surface 414, and the front horizontal plane 415A are examples of the front part.

[0075] Four cylindrical connecting parts 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D are provided, which extend rearward along the front-rear direction from the rear surface of the substrate 291. The four connecting parts 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D are positioned at equal intervals along the left-right direction. The four connecting parts 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D are positioned at the central part 511 in the left-right direction on the rear surface of the substrate 291. The connecting part 231C is an example of the first connecting part. The connecting part 231D is an example of the second connecting part.

[0076] A cylindrical air inlet 296 and an air outlet 297 are provided, extending rightward along the left-right direction from the right end face of the substrate 291. The air inlet 296 is positioned at a distance behind the air outlet 297. The air inlet 296 and the air outlet 297 are located at the central portion in the front-rear direction on the right end face of the substrate 291. An air injector (not shown) can be connected to the air inlet 296 and the air outlet 297. The air injector can inject air into the air flow path 295 through the air inlet 296. The air injector can measure the pressure of the air flowing out from the air outlet 297 through the air flow path 295. The substrate 291 is an example of a substrate.

[0077] The four cylindrical portions 292 are cylindrical, extending downward along the up-down direction from the upper surface of the substrate 291. The four cylindrical portions 292 are positioned at intervals in the left-right direction. The upper end of each cylindrical portion 292 is open upward. The lower end of each cylindrical portion 292 is open downward. Each cylindrical portion 292 is inserted into each outflow pipe 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D through each seal member 160 and each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D. The lower part of the outer peripheral surface of each cylindrical portion 292 is in close contact with the protrusion 191 of each seal member 160 over the entire circumference. Each cylindrical portion 292 is an example of a first cylindrical portion.

[0078] Each cylindrical portion 293 is cylindrical, extending downward along the up-down direction from the lower end 291A of the substrate 291 so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of each cylindrical portion 292. The lower end of each cylindrical portion 293 is open downward. The inner diameter of each cylindrical portion 293 is larger than the inner diameter of each cylindrical portion 292. The lower end of each cylindrical portion 293 is in close contact with the upper end surface 160B of each seal member 160 over the entire circumference. The inner peripheral surface of each cylindrical portion 293, the outer peripheral surface of each cylindrical portion 292, the inner peripheral surface of each seal member 160, the protrusion 191 and the upper end surface 160B of each seal member 160 define four substantially cylindrical liquid-tight leakage spaces 371A, 371B, 371C, 371D. Each cylindrical portion 293 is an example of a second cylindrical portion. The upper end surface 160B of the seal member 160 is an example of a second seal portion. The leakage space 371C is an example of a leakage space.

[0079] The four liquid channels 294A, 294B, 294C, and 294D are formed in the substrate 291 and the four cylindrical portions 292. Ink can flow through the four liquid channels 294A, 294B, 294C, and 294D. Each of the liquid channels 294A, 294B, 294C, and 294D communicates the respective outflow channels 150A, 150B, 150C, and 150D with the internal spaces of the respective connecting portions 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D. Each of the liquid channels 294A, 294B, 294C, and 294D has the respective vertical channels 211A, 211B, 211C, and 211D and the respective horizontal channels 251A, 251B, 251C, and 251D. Each of the vertical channels 211A, 211B, 211C, and 211D is defined by the inner peripheral surface of each cylindrical portion 292. Each of the vertical channels 211A, 211B, 211C, and 211D extends along the vertical direction from the upper end to the lower end of each cylindrical portion 292. Each of the vertical channels 211A, 211B, 211C, and 211D communicates with the respective outflow channels 150A, 150B, 150C, and 150D.

[0080] Each of the horizontal channels 251A, 251B, 251C, and 251D communicates the respective vertical channels 211A, 211B, 211C, and 211D with the internal spaces of the respective connecting portions 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D. Each of the horizontal channels 251A, 251B, 251C, and 251D is defined by the upper surface of the substrate 291, two protruding walls 271 protruding upward from the upper surface of the substrate 291, and a film attached to the upper surface of the substrate 291. Note that in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the film is omitted. Each of the horizontal channels 251A, 251B, 251C, and 251D extends such that the lengths from the respective vertical channels 211A, 211B, 211C, and 211D to the respective connecting portions 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D are the same.

[0081] The horizontal flow path 251A extends rearward from the upper end of the vertical flow path 211A, bends to the right, and reaches the connecting portion 231A. The horizontal flow path 251B extends rightward from the upper end of the vertical flow path 211B, extends in a U-turn to the left, then extends rearward and reaches the connecting portion 231B. The horizontal flow path 251C extends in a total of two U-turns to the right and left from the upper end of the vertical flow path 211C, then extends to the left, bends rearward, and reaches the connecting portion 231C. The horizontal flow path 251D extends rearward from the upper end of the vertical flow path 211D, bends to the left, and reaches the connecting portion 231D.

[0082] The air flow path 295 communicates the air inlet 296 and the air outlet 297. The air flow path 295 is defined by the upper surface of the substrate 291, two protruding walls 271 protruding upward from the upper surface of the substrate 291, and a film attached to the upper surface of the substrate 291. Specifically, the air flow path 295 has an inflow path 295A and a discharge path 295B. The inflow path 295A has a first inflow path 401, a second inflow path 402, a third inflow path 403, and a fourth inflow path 404.

[0083] The first inflow path 401 extends leftward from the air inlet 296, bends forward, and extends forward to the front end portion of the substrate 291. The first inflow path 401 communicates with the leakage space 371D at the front end portion of the substrate 291.

[0084] The second inflow path 402 is located at the front end portion of the substrate 291. The second inflow path 402 extends leftward from a position that coincides with the leakage space 371D to a position that coincides with the leakage space 371C in the left-right direction. The right end portion of the second inflow path 402 communicates with the leakage space 371D. The left end portion of the second inflow path 402 communicates with the leakage space 371C.

[0085] The third inflow channel 403 is located at a distance to the left of the second inflow channel 402. The third inflow channel 403 extends leftward from a position that coincides with the leakage space 371C to a position that coincides with the leakage space 371B in the left-right direction. The right end portion of the third inflow channel 403 communicates with the leakage space 371C. The left end portion of the third inflow channel 403 communicates with the leakage space 371B.

[0086] The fourth inflow channel 404 is located at a distance to the left of the third inflow channel 403. The fourth inflow channel 404 extends leftward from a position that coincides with the leakage space 371B to a position that coincides with the leakage space 371A in the left-right direction. The right end portion of the fourth inflow channel 404 communicates with the leakage space 371B. The left end portion of the fourth inflow channel 404 communicates with the leakage space 371A.

[0087] The discharge channel 295B is located in front of the inflow channel 295A. The discharge channel 295B extends rightward along the front end of the substrate 291 from a position that coincides with the leakage space 371A in the left-right direction. The discharge channel 295B bends rearward at the right end portion of the substrate 291 and reaches the air outlet 297. The left end portion of the discharge channel 295B communicates with the leakage space 371A.

[0088] The air that has flowed into the inflow channel 295A from the air inlet 296 flows out from the air outlet 297 through the first inflow channel 401, the leakage space 371D, the second inflow channel 402, the leakage space 371C, the third inflow channel 403, the leakage space 371B, the fourth inflow channel 404, the leakage space 371A, and the discharge channel 295B in sequence.

[0089] The four ink tubes 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D are connected to the recording head 39. Each of the ink tubes 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D is connected to each of the connection portions 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D. The ink tube 32C is an example of the first tube. The ink tube 32D is an example of the second tube.

[0090] At the front end of the upper wall 104, there is a cylindrical annular wall 122 that covers the periphery of the tank tube 115 and the communication port 119. The annular wall 122 extends obliquely upward forward in parallel with the tank tube 115 along an extending direction that intersects the gravitational direction and the horizontal direction from the front end of the upper wall 104. The tank tube 115 protrudes upward beyond the tip of the annular wall 122.

[0091] Inside the annular wall 122, the tank tube 115 is located. The tank tube 115 is a circular tube that extends obliquely upward forward from the upper wall 104 along an extending direction that intersects the gravitational direction and the horizontal direction. The upper end of the tank tube 115 opens outside each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D. The lower end of the tank tube 115 opens inside each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D. The internal space of the tank tube 115 connects the outside and the inside of each of the ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D. The tank tube 115 is located behind the center of the annular wall 122. In other words, the axis passing through the center of the tank tube 115 is located behind the axis passing through the center of the annular wall 122 when viewed from the extending direction in which the tank tube 115 extends. The tip of the tank tube 115 is bifurcated in the left-right direction. Due to the tip of the tank tube 115 being bifurcated in the left-right direction, voids are located above and below the tip of the tank tube 115.

[0092] Inside the annular wall 122 on the inclined front surface 411, there is a communication port 119. The communication port 119 penetrates the upper wall 104 in the vertical direction. The front side of the communication port 119 is circular, and the rear side is square. In other words, the communication port 119 has a shape in which one side of the front side of the square bulges in an arc shape. The communication port 119 connects the outside and the inside of each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. The communication port 119 is located in front of the tank tube 115. The communication port 119 is located below the tank tube 115. In other words, a straight line extending in the extending direction through the center of the communication port 119 as viewed from the extending direction in which the tank tube 115 extends is located in front of the axis passing through the center of the tank tube 115 as viewed from the extending direction in which the tank tube 115 extends. The communication port 119 is located in front of the center of the annular wall 122. In other words, a straight line extending in the extending direction through the center of the communication port 119 as viewed from the extending direction in which the annular wall 122 extends is located in front of the axis passing through the center of the annular wall 122 as viewed from the extending direction in which the annular wall 122 extends.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 4, the tank cover 110 holds the ink tank 100 in a state of covering the front side of the ink tank 100 from the front. The tank cover 110 has a front wall 201, an upper wall 202, a right wall 203, a left wall 204, a lower wall 205, and an inclined wall 206. The front wall 201 covers the front of the ink tank 100. The front wall 201 has an opening 207. Through the opening 207, a part of the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 is exposed to the front of the tank cover 110. Note that the fact that a part of the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 is exposed to the front of the tank cover 110 through the opening 207 means that the user can at least visually recognize a part of the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 from the front through the opening 207, and does not mean that a part of the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 protrudes to the front of the tank cover 110 through the opening 207.

[0094] The tank cover 110 may have a light-transmissive cover that covers the opening 207 in a state where the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 is visible from the front of the tank cover 110. The light-transmissive cover may have four upper marks 181 and four lower marks 182. That is, the tank cover 110 may have four upper marks 181 and four lower marks 182, and the ink tank 100 may not have four upper marks 181 and four lower marks 182.

[0095] The upper wall 202 covers a part of the front side of the upper wall 104 of the ink tank 100. The right wall 203 covers a part of the right wall 102 of the ink tank 100. The left wall 204 covers a part of the left wall 103 of the ink tank 100. The lower wall 205 covers the lower wall 105 of the ink tank 100.

[0096] The inclined wall 206 is connected to the upper end of the front wall 201 and is connected to the front end of the upper wall 202. The inclined wall 206 is located above the annular wall 122 of the ink tank 100. The inclined wall 206 is located in front of the annular wall 122 of the ink tank 100. That is, the inclined wall 206 is positioned with respect to the annular wall 122 in a direction in which the annular wall 122 extends along the extending direction from the front end portion of the upper wall 104. The outer surface of the inclined wall 206 intersects the gravitational direction and the horizontal direction. The outer surface of the inclined wall 206 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so as to extend downward as it goes forward. The inclined wall 206 covers a part of the inclined surface 104A of the upper wall 104 of the ink tank 100.

[0097] The inclined wall 206 has four through holes 72 arranged at intervals in the left - right direction. Each through hole 72 penetrates the inclined wall 206 in the up - down direction. The inner peripheral surface of each through hole 72 is cylindrical and extends in a direction orthogonal to the outer surface of the inclined wall 206, that is, obliquely upward in the front direction. That is, each through hole 72 is cylindrical. Here, the term "cylindrical" refers to a shape in which the inner peripheral surface forms a closed space by making one round, and the shape of the opening formed by the inner peripheral surface is not necessarily circular. Also, regardless of the length of the inner peripheral surface extending in the direction of the opening formed by the inner peripheral surface, in other words, regardless of the thickness of the through hole 72, it is considered cylindrical. The inner peripheral surface of each through hole 72 surrounds the annular wall 122 when viewed obliquely upward from the front. The four through holes 72 are positioned so as to correspond to any one of the four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D. That is, each of the four through holes 72 overlaps with each of the four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D when viewed obliquely upward from the front. Through each through hole 72, the annular wall 122 and the communication port 119 are exposed outside the tank cover 110. As shown in FIG. 6, the tank tube 115 protrudes outside the tank cover 110 through each through hole 72. Through each through hole 72, each tank tube 115 and each communication port 119 are visible. Each through hole 72 has a shape into which the bottle cap 82 of the ink bottle 80 described later can be inserted.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 6, the tank cap 127 is detachable from the annular wall 122. The tank cap 127 is a cylindrical member with one end closed. When the tank cap 127 is removed from the annular wall 122, it is not connected to the ink tank 100 and the tank cover 110 and is completely separated. That is, the ink tank set 51 does not have a holding member composed of an arm or the like that holds the tank cap 127 removed from the annular wall 122 in a state connected to the ink tank 100 or the tank cover 110.

[0099] [Ink bottle 80] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ink bottle 80 is connected to the ink tank set 51. The ink bottle 80 has a bottle body 81, a bottle cap 82, and a valve 161. The bottle body 81 has a cylindrical shape with an open upper end. The bottle body 81 has an ink storage chamber 147 for storing ink. The bottle cap 82 has a cylindrical shape detachably attached to the upper end of the bottle body 81. The internal space of the bottle cap 82 communicates with the ink storage chamber 147.

[0100] The bottle cap 82 has a protrusion 94, an opening 95, and a bottle tube 96. As shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 94 is a cylindrical wall extending upward. The protrusion 94 can be inserted into the through hole 72 of the tank cover 110. The outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 94 has a shape that fits the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 72. The opening 95 and the bottle tube 96 are located at the upper end of the protrusion 94. The opening 95 communicates the inside and outside of the ink bottle 80. As shown in FIG. 7, the bottle tube 96 is located in front of the opening 95. The bottle tube 96 extends upward from the upper end of the bottle cap 82. The bottle tube 96 communicates the inside and outside of the ink bottle 80. As shown in FIG. 8, a valve 161 is disposed in the internal space of the bottle cap 82. The valve 161 closes the openings on the ink storage chamber 147 side of the opening 95 and the bottle tube 96. The valve 161 is movable along the vertical direction shown in FIG. 7 between a closed position where it closes the openings on the ink storage chamber 147 side of the opening 95 and the bottle tube 96 and an open position where it opens the openings on the ink storage chamber 147 side of the opening 95 and the bottle tube 96.

[0101] [Connection between Ink Bottle 80 and Ink Tank 100] Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 8, an example in which an ink bottle 80 is connected to an ink chamber 111A is shown. The user inserts a protrusion 94 of the ink bottle 80 into a through hole 72 of a tank cover 110. A bottle tube 96 of the ink bottle 80 is connected to a communication port 119 of an ink tank 100, and a tank tube 115 of the ink tank 100 is inserted into an opening 95 of the ink bottle 80. At this time, a valve 161 moves from a closed position to an open position by the tank tube 115 inserted into the opening 95. Thereby, the connection between the ink bottle 80 and the ink tank 100 is completed.

[0102] When the ink bottle 80 is connected to the ink tank 100, the ink in the ink storage chamber 147 flows into the ink chamber 111A of the ink tank 100 through the bottle tube 96. At the same time, the air in the ink tank 100 flows into the ink storage chamber 147 through the tank tube 115. In this way, so-called gas-liquid replacement occurs, and the ink in the ink bottle 80 is supplied into the ink tank 100.

[0103] [Operation and Effect of Embodiment] In the multifunction machine 10, since a connection portion 290 having a connection portion 231C to which an ink tube 32C is connected is detachable from an opening 113C of the ink tank 100, the user can remove the ink tube 32C from the ink tank 100 by removing the connection portion 290 from the opening 113C. Further, the user can reconnect the ink tube 32C to the ink tank 100 via the connection portion 290 by reconnecting the connection portion 290 removed from the opening 113C to the opening 113C again. Therefore, when the user replaces the ink tank 100, there is no need to remove the ink tube 32C from the connection portion 231C and reconnect the ink tube 32C to the connection portion 231C again, so that the replacement of the ink tank 100 is easy. Further, since the connection portion 290 is detachably connected to an opening 113C located on the upper wall 104 of the ink tank 100, for example, compared to a configuration in which the connection portion 290 is detachably connected to an opening located on the rear wall 106 of the ink tank 100, it is easy to access the connection portion 290 from the front of the multifunction machine 10, so that the replacement of the ink tank 100 is easy.

[0104] In the multifunction machine 10, the opening 113C opens upward. Therefore, the user can move the connection part 290 in the vertical direction to attach and detach it to / from the opening 113C, so that even if the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104 has a step, the connection part 290 can be easily attached and detached. For this reason, the ink tank 100 can be easily replaced.

[0105] In the multifunction machine 10, the opening 113C is located on the middle front upper surface 413 which is slightly forward of the center in the front-rear direction on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104. For this reason, it is easy to access the connection part 290 from the front of the multifunction machine 10, so that the ink tank 100 can be easily replaced. Also, even if the rear part of the multifunction machine 10 is in a posture where it comes downward, since the opening 113C is likely to be above the ink liquid level in the ink chamber 111C, the ink in the ink chamber 111C is less likely to leak to the outside of the ink tank 100 through the opening 113C.

[0106] In the multifunction machine 10, the rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal surface 415C located behind the connection part 290 on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104 are located at a higher position than the middle front upper surface 413, the middle rear upper surface 414, and the front horizontal surface 415A where the connection part 290 is located on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104. For this reason, while maintaining the accessibility from above to the connection part 290 by the user, the volume of the ink chamber 111C can be increased. Since the volume on the rear side of the ink chamber 111C increases, for example, even if the rear part of the multifunction machine 10 is in a posture where it comes downward, the opening 113C is likely to be above the ink liquid level in the ink chamber 111C. For this reason, the ink in the ink chamber 111C is less likely to leak to the outside of the ink tank 100 through the opening 113C.

[0107] In the multifunction machine 10, since the rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal surface 415C are located at a higher position than the lower end 291A of the substrate 291, the volume of the ink chamber 111C is large.

[0108] In the multifunction machine 10, since the connection part 290 has a cylindrical part 292 that is inserted into the outflow pipe 124C through the opening 113C, it is easy for the user to connect the connection part 290 to the opening 113C.

[0109] In the multifunction machine 10, the cylindrical part 292 is liquid-tightly inserted into the through-hole 160A of the seal member 160 fitted into the opening 113C. For this reason, leakage of the ink in the ink chamber 111C to the outside through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 292 and the inner peripheral surface of the outflow pipe 124C is suppressed.

[0110] In the multifunction machine 10, if the four cylindrical parts 292 are not in firm contact with the protrusions 191 of the respective seal members 160, there is a possibility that the inks in the four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D will leak from the gaps between the outer peripheral surfaces of the four cylindrical parts 292 and the protrusions 191 into the four leakage spaces 371A, 371B, 371C, and 371D. In the multifunction machine 10, air can be sent into the leakage spaces 371A, 371B, 371C, and 371D through the air flow path 295 from an air injector connected to the air inlet 296 and the air outlet 297. For this reason, if, by chance, the four cylindrical parts 292 are not in firm contact with the protrusions 191, air flows into the respective outflow paths 150A, 150B, 150C, and 150D through the gaps between the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective cylindrical parts 292 and the protrusions 191, so the pressure of the air in the air flow path 295 decreases. On the other hand, when the four cylindrical parts 292 are in firm contact with the protrusions 191 of the seal member 160, it is difficult for air to flow into the respective outflow paths 150A, 150B, 150C, and 150D through the gaps between the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective cylindrical parts 292 and the protrusions 191, so the pressure of the air in the air flow path 295 increases. Therefore, the user can perform a leak inspection to determine whether or not the inks in the respective ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D leak into the respective leakage spaces 371A, 371B, 371C, and 371D through the gaps between the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective cylindrical parts 292 and the protrusions 191 by measuring the pressure of the air sent into the leakage spaces 371A, 371B, 371C, and 371D through the air flow path 295 from the air injector.

[0111] In the multifunction machine 10, even though four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D are provided in the ink tank 100, the user can communicate each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D with each ink tube 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D through one connection portion 290, so that the replacement of the ink tank 100 is easy.

[0112] In the multifunction machine 10, since the four connecting portions 231A, 231B, 231C, and 231D are located at the central portion 511 in the left - right direction on the rear surface of the substrate 291, it is easy to make the lengths of the respective liquid flow paths 294A, 294B, 294C, and 294D the same.

[0113] In the multifunction machine 10, the ink chamber 111D has a front space 148 located to the right of the ink chamber 111C and a rear space 149 located behind the three ink chambers 111A, 111B, and 111C. In the multifunction machine 10, since the four openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D to which the connection portion 290 is connected are located on the upper wall 104, even if the ink chamber 111D is expanded behind the three ink chambers 111A, 111B, and 111C, the connection portion 290 does not become an obstacle. Therefore, it is easy to make the volume of the ink chamber 111D larger than those of the respective ink chambers 111A, 111B, and 111C.

[0114] In the multifunction machine 10, since each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D is located above the upper line 181A, ink is less likely to leak from each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D through each opening 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D.

[0115] [Modification Example] In the multifunction machine 10, although the four openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D open upward, it is only necessary that the direction is such that each cylindrical portion 292 of the connection portion 290 can be inserted. For example, the four openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D may open obliquely upward to the front.

[0116] In the multi-functional machine 10, the four openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D are located on the middle front upper surface 413 that is slightly forward of the center in the front-rear direction on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104, but they may be located on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104.

[0117] In the multi-functional machine 10, the rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal surface 415C, which are located behind the connection part 290 on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104, are located at a position higher than the middle front upper surface 413, the middle rear upper surface 414, and the rear upper surface 415 where the connection part 290 is located on the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104, but they may be located at a position below the heights of the middle front upper surface 413, the middle rear upper surface 414, and the rear upper surface 415. In this case, the upper surface 104A of the upper wall 104 may be, for example, flat.

[0118] In the multi-functional machine 10, the rear inclined surface 415B and the rear horizontal surface 415C are located at a position higher than the lower end 291A of the substrate 291, but they may be located at a position below the height of the lower end 291A of the substrate 291.

[0119] In the multi-functional machine 10, the connection part 290 has the substrate 291 and the four cylindrical parts 292, but the four cylindrical parts 292 may be omitted as long as the liquid flow paths 294A, 294B, 294C, 294D and the outflow paths 150A, 150B, 150C, 150D can communicate with each other.

[0120] In the multi-functional machine 10, the seal members 160 fitted into the openings 113A, 113B, 113C, and 113D are provided, but the seal members may be omitted.

[0121] In the multi-functional machine 10, the air flow path 295 through which air can flow is formed in the substrate 291, but the air flow path 295 may be omitted. In this case, the four cylindrical parts 293, the four leakage spaces 371A, 371B, 371C, 371D, the air inlet 296, and the air outlet 297 may be omitted.

[0122] In the multifunction machine 10, each ink chamber 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D and each ink tube 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D are communicated with each other by one connection part 290. However, the connection part 290 may be divided into two or more and four or less parts. For example, the connection part 290 may be divided into a connection part having two connection parts 231A and 231B and a connection part having two connection parts 231C and 231D. Further, the connection part 290 may be divided into a connection part having the connection part 231A, a connection part having the connection part 231B, a connection part having the connection part 231C, and a connection part having the connection part 231D.

[0123] In the multifunction machine 10, the ink tank 100 has four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D. However, it may have only any one of the four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D.

[0124] In the multifunction machine 10, the ink tank 100 has four partition walls 131, 132, 133, 134. However, the four partition walls 131, 132, 133, 134 may be omitted. In this case, the four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D are positioned at intervals in the left - right direction. The four ink chambers 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D are partitioned by separate walls.

[0125] In the multifunction machine 10, the four connection parts 231A, 231B, 231C, 231D are located at the center part 511 in the left - right direction on the rear surface of the substrate 291. However, the four connection parts 231A, 231B, 231C, 231D may be located at positions shifted from the center part 511.

[0126] In the multi-functional machine 10, the inner diameter of the small-diameter portion 501 in each outflow pipe 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D was smaller than the inner diameter of the large-diameter portion 502. However, for example, the inner diameters of the outflow pipes 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D may be constant from the respective outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, 114D to the respective openings 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D. In other words, the cross-sectional area along the horizontal direction of each outflow path 150A, 150B, 150C, 150D may be constant from the respective outlets 114A, 114B, 114C, 114D to the respective openings 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D.

Explanation of Signs

[0127] 10... Multi-functional machine (liquid consumption device) 32C... Ink tube (first tube) 32D... Ink tube (second tube) 39... Recording head (liquid consumption section) 100... Ink tank (tank) 104... Upper wall 111C... Ink chamber (first storage chamber) 111D... Ink chamber (second storage chamber) 113C... Opening (first opening) 113D... Opening (second opening) 114C... Outlet (first outlet) 114D... Outlet (second outlet) 124C... Outflow pipe (first outflow pipe) 124D... Outflow pipe (second outflow pipe) 133... Partition wall 148... Front space (first space) 149... Rear space (second space) 150C... Outflow path (first outflow path) 150D... Outflow path (second outflow path) 160... Seal member 160B... Upper end surface (second seal portion) 181... Upper mark (mark) 191... Projection (first seal portion) 211C ··· Lead DC circuit 231C ··· Connection part (first connection part) 231D ··· Connection part (second connection part) 251C ··· Horizontal flow path 281 ··· Connection component 290 ··· Connection part 291 ··· Substrate 291A ··· Lower end 292 ··· Cylindrical part (first cylindrical part) 293 ··· Cylindrical part (second cylindrical part) 294C ··· Liquid flow path (first liquid flow path) 294D ··· Liquid flow path (second liquid flow path) 295 ··· Air flow path 371C ··· Leakage space

Claims

1. a tank having a first storage chamber in which a liquid is stored; a liquid consuming section that consumes the liquid supplied from the first storage chamber; a connection part that connects the tank and the liquid consumption part, The above tank is An upper wall defining an upper end of the first storage chamber; A first outlet opening into the first storage chamber; A first opening located in the upper wall and communicating with the outside of the first storage chamber; a first outlet path for causing liquid to flow out from the first storage chamber to the outside through the first outlet and the first opening, The above connecting parts are: a connection part that is detachably connected to the first opening and has a first liquid flow path that communicates with the first outlet path; a first tube connected to the liquid consumption unit, The connection portion communicates with the first liquid flow path, and has a first connection portion to which the first tube is connected.

2. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein the first opening faces upward.

3. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first opening is located on the front side of the upper wall.

4. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein a rear portion of the upper surface of the upper wall, which is located rearward of the connecting portion, is located at a higher position than a front portion of the upper surface of the upper wall where the connecting portion is located.

5. the connection portion has a substrate on which the first liquid flow path is formed and extends in a horizontal direction above the upper wall, The liquid consumption device according to claim 4 , wherein the rear portion is positioned higher than a lower end of the base plate.

6. the tank has a first outflow pipe connected to the first opening and extending downward, the first outflow passage being defined by the first outflow pipe; The above connection part is a substrate extending horizontally above the upper wall; a first cylindrical portion extending downward from the base plate and inserted into the first outflow pipe through the first opening, The first liquid flow path is a horizontal flow path formed in the substrate and communicating with the first connecting portion; 3. The liquid consumption device according to claim 2, further comprising a vertical flow passage formed in the first cylindrical portion, the vertical flow passage connecting the horizontal flow passage and the first outlet passage.

7. The device further includes an annular seal member fitted in the first opening, The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first cylindrical portion is inserted into the seal member in a liquid-tight manner.

8. The above connection part is a second cylindrical portion extending downward from the substrate so as to surround an outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion; An air flow path formed in the substrate through which air can flow; The sealing member is a first seal portion that is in close contact with an outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion over an entire circumference; and a second seal portion that is in close contact with the entire circumference of the lower end of the second cylindrical portion, 8. The liquid consuming device of claim 7, wherein the air flow path is connected to a leakage space defined by an outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion, an inner peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion, an inner peripheral surface of the sealing member, the first seal portion, and the second seal portion.

9. The upper wall defines an upper end of a second storage chamber in which liquid is stored; The above tank is a partition wall connected to the upper wall and separating the second storage chamber from the first storage chamber; A second outlet opening into the second storage chamber; A second opening located in the upper wall and communicating with the outside of the second storage chamber; a second outlet path for allowing liquid to flow out from the second storage chamber to the outside through the second outlet and the second opening; a second outlet pipe connected to the second opening and extending downward to define the second outlet passage; The connection part has a second tube connected to the liquid consumption part, The above connection part is a second liquid flow path communicating with the second outlet path; The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a second connection portion communicating with the second liquid flow path and to which the second tube is connected.

10. the connection portion has a substrate on which the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are located and which extends in a horizontal direction; The liquid consumption device according to claim 9 , wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are located at a center portion in the left-right direction of the base plate.

11. The second storage chamber has a first space located in the left-right direction of the first storage chamber and a second space located behind the first storage chamber, the first space and the second space are continuous spaces, The liquid consumption device according to claim 10, wherein the second storage chamber has a larger volume than the first storage chamber.

12. The tank includes a front wall defining a front end of the first storage chamber; the front wall has a mark indicating that the liquid level in the first storage chamber is at a predetermined position; The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein the first opening is located above the mark.

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