tank

Abstract

To provide a tank capable of keeping the occupied space small even if the inside is divided into a plurality of spaces. [Solution] The housing 140 of the ink tank 100 comprises an ink chamber 111 defined by opposing right and left sides, an atmosphere communication passage communicating with the ink chamber 111, an atmosphere open port 187 communicating the atmosphere communication passage with the outside of the ink tank 100, a film 142 constituting at least a part of the right side, and a film 143 constituting at least a part of the left side. The atmosphere communication passage comprises a first portion 121 defined by the film 142 and communicating with the ink chamber, and a second portion 122 defined by the film 143 and communicating with the atmosphere open port 187. When viewed along the left-right direction 9, at least a part of the first portion 121 and the second portion 122 overlap.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tank that can be refilled with liquid through a liquid inlet. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a printer having a tank that can be refilled with ink and a recording head that ejects the ink supplied from the tank from nozzles to record an image on paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the ink in the tank is consumed, the user can refill it with ink stored in a bottle through the liquid inlet of the tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-51306 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Usually, the inside of a tank is divided into a number of spaces, such as a number of ink storage chambers and an air communication passage. Here, it is desirable for the space occupied by the tank to be as small as possible. In other words, it is desirable to prevent the tank from becoming large due to the interior being divided into a number of spaces.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a tank that can maintain a small occupied space even if its interior is divided into multiple spaces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A tank according to the present invention is installed in a device having a liquid consuming section. The tank includes a housing having a liquid storage chamber defined by a first surface and a second surface that are opposed to each other and parallel to each other along the width direction, and a communication passage that communicates with the liquid storage chamber. The housing includes a liquid inlet through which liquid is injected into the liquid storage chamber, a liquid outlet through which liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber flows out toward the liquid consuming section, an air opening that communicates with the communication passage and the outside of the tank, a first film that constitutes at least a part of the first surface, and a second film that constitutes at least a part of the second surface. The communication passage includes a first portion that is defined by one of the first film or the second film and communicates with the liquid storage chamber, and a second portion that is defined by the other of the first film or the second film and communicates with the air opening. At least a part of the first portion and the second portion overlap when viewed along the width direction.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the tank is partitioned into a plurality of spaces (liquid storage chambers and communication passages).

[0008] According to the above configuration, a film (a first film and a second film) is provided on each of the first surface and the second surface. In addition, the first portion and the second portion of the communication passage overlap when viewed along the width direction. This allows the first portion to be partitioned by the first film and the second portion to be partitioned by the second film. Also, the second portion can be partitioned by the first film and the first portion can be partitioned by the second film. Also, it is possible to partition a part of the first portion by the first film and a part of the second portion corresponding to the part by the second film, while partitioning another part of the first portion by the second film and partitioning a part of the second portion corresponding to the other part by the first film. By configuring as above, the space occupied by the tank can be kept small.

[0009] (2) The length of the first portion along the width direction is longer than the length of the second portion along the width direction.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the first portion is long in the width direction, i.e., the first portion is deep, so that liquid can flow smoothly through the first portion. Here, the first portion is in communication with the liquid storage chamber. Therefore, liquid that has entered the first portion from the liquid storage chamber due to tilting of the tank, for example, can be quickly returned to the liquid storage chamber.

[0011] (3) The first portion is defined by the first film, and the second portion is defined by the second film.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the first portion can be collected on the first surface side in the width direction, and the second portion can be collected on the second surface side in the width direction, which can simplify the configuration of the tank.

[0013] (4) A first width of the first portion is greater than a second width of the second portion. The first width is a length along a direction perpendicular to both the width direction and the communication direction of the first portion. The second width is a length along a direction perpendicular to both the width direction and the communication direction of the second portion.

[0014] According to the above configuration, since the first portion is wide, the liquid can flow smoothly through the first portion. Here, the first portion is in communication with the liquid storage chamber. Therefore, the liquid that has entered the first portion from the liquid storage chamber due to tilting of the tank or the like can be quickly returned to the liquid storage chamber.

[0015] (5) The tank according to the present invention includes a first rib that defines the first portion and a second rib that defines the second portion, and the first rib and the second rib intersect in a line of sight along the width direction.

[0016] According to the above configuration, the first rib and the second rib intersect. Therefore, when a force is applied to the second rib toward the first rib along the width direction, the first rib can support the second rib. Also, when a force is applied to the first rib toward the second rib along the width direction, the second rib can support the first rib. In other words, the strength of the tank can be increased.

[0017] (6) The tank according to the present invention includes a semipermeable membrane that is provided between the first portion and the second portion of the communication passage and blocks the flow of liquid through the communication passage.

[0018] According to the above configuration, the flow of liquid is blocked by the semipermeable membrane, so that it is possible to prevent the liquid from leaking to the outside of the tank through the atmosphere opening.

[0019] (7) The communication passage comprises a first path communicating with the first portion near one of the first surface or the second surface and extending along the width direction to the other of the first surface or the second surface, a second path communicating with the first path near the other of the first surface or the second surface and extending along the width direction to the one of the first surface or the second surface, and a third path communicating with the second path near the one of the first surface or the second surface, extending along the width direction to the other of the first surface or the second surface, and communicating with the second portion near the other of the first surface or the second surface. The semipermeable membrane is provided in the second path.

[0020] According to the above configuration, in order for the liquid that has entered the first portion from the liquid storage chamber to come into contact with the semipermeable membrane, the liquid must make a U-turn from the first path to enter the second path, thereby making it possible to reduce adhesion of the liquid to the semipermeable membrane. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the tank of the present invention, even if the inside is divided into a plurality of spaces, the occupied space can be kept small. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction device 10, in which (A) shows a state in which a cover 70 is in a closed position, and (B) shows a state in which the cover 70 is in an open position. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of the printer unit 11. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the carriage 23 and the tank set 99. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the ink tank 100. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the ink tank 100. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a right side view of the ink tank 100. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a left side view of the ink tank 100. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the ink tank 100B. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the ink tank 100B. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a right side view of the ink tank 100B. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a left side view of the ink tank 100B. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of ink tank 100, where (A) is a configuration in which first portion 121 is defined by film 142 and second portion 122 is defined by film 143, (B) is a configuration in which first portion 121 is defined by film 143 and second portion 122 is defined by film 142, and (C) is a configuration in which first portion 121 and portions of second portion 122 are defined by film 142 and the remaining portions of first portion 121 and second portion 122 are defined by film 143. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiment described below is merely one example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the end point is expressed as the direction, and the movement on the line connecting the starting point and the end point of the arrow is expressed as the direction. In other words, the direction is one component of the direction. Furthermore, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the attitude (the attitude in FIG. 1, which may be referred to as the "use attitude") in which the multifunction device 10 and the ink tank 100 installed in the multifunction device 10 are installed on a horizontal surface so as to be usable, the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface in which the opening 13 of the multifunction device 10 is provided as the front, and the left-right direction 9 (an example of the width direction) is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front. In this embodiment, in the use attitude, the up-down direction 7 corresponds to the vertical direction, and the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 correspond to the horizontal direction.

[0024] [Overall configuration of multifunction device 10] As shown in Fig. 1, the multifunction device 10 (one example of a device) has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction device 10 has a printer unit 11 at the bottom, which records an image on paper 12 (see Fig. 2) by inkjet recording. The printer unit 11 has a housing 14 with an opening 13 formed in a front wall 14A. As shown in Fig. 2, inside the housing 14, a feed unit 15, a feed tray 20, a discharge tray 21, a transport roller unit 54, a recording unit 24, a discharge roller unit 55, a platen 42, and a tank set 99 are arranged. The multifunction device 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function.

[0025] [Feed tray 20, output tray 21] 1, the feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the multifunction device 10 by a user in the front-to-rear direction 8 through an opening 13. The opening 13 is located on the front side of the multifunction device 10 and at the center in the left-to-right direction 9. The feed tray 20 is capable of supporting a plurality of stacked sheets of paper 12. The discharge tray 21 is disposed above the feed tray 20, and is inserted and removed together with the feed tray 20. The discharge tray 21 supports the sheets of paper 12 discharged from between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42 by the discharge roller unit 55.

[0026] [Feeding section 15] The feeding unit 15 feeds the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 to the transport path 65. As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding unit 15 includes a feeding roller 25, a feeding arm 26, and a shaft 27. The feeding roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the feeding arm 26. The feeding roller 25 rotates in a direction to transport the paper 12 in the transport direction 16 by reverse rotation of a transport motor (not shown). Hereinafter, the rotation of the feeding roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the discharge roller 62 in a direction to transport the paper 12 in the transport direction 16 is referred to as "forward rotation". The feeding arm 26 is rotatably supported by the shaft 27 supported by the frame of the printer unit 11. The feeding arm 26 is urged to rotate toward the feeding tray 20 by its own weight or by elastic force of a spring or the like.

[0027] [Transportation Route 65] As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying path 65 refers to a space formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 opposed to each other at a predetermined interval inside the printer unit 11. The conveying path 65 is a path that extends rearward from the rear end of the feed tray 20. The conveying path 65 extends upward at the rear of the printer unit 11, makes a forward U-turn, and reaches the discharge tray 21 through the space between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the conveying path 65 between the conveying roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 is provided in the approximate center of the multifunction device 10 in the left-right direction 9, and extends in the front-rear direction 8. The conveying direction 16 of the paper 12 in the conveying path 65 is indicated by a dashed arrow in FIG. 2.

[0028] [Transport roller unit 54] 2, the transport roller unit 54 is disposed upstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 16. The transport roller unit 54 has a transport roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 that face each other. The transport roller 60 is driven by a transport motor. The pinch roller 61 rotates with the rotation of the transport roller 60. The paper 12 is sandwiched between the transport roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, which rotate forward due to the forward rotation of the transport motor, and transported in the transport direction 16.

[0029] [Discharge roller section 55] As shown in Fig. 2, the discharge roller unit 55 is disposed downstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 16. The discharge roller unit 55 has a discharge roller 62 and a spur 63 that face each other. The discharge roller 62 is driven by a transport motor. The spur 63 rotates with the rotation of the discharge roller 62. The paper 12 is sandwiched between the discharge roller 62 and the spur 63, which rotate forward due to the forward rotation of the transport motor, and is transported in the transport direction 16.

[0030] [Record 24] 2, the recording unit 24 is disposed between the transport roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 in the transport direction 16. The recording unit 24 is disposed opposite the platen 42 in the up-down direction 7, with the transport path 65 in between. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 23 and a recording head 39 (an example of a liquid consuming unit).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 23 is supported by guide rails 43, 44 that extend in the left-right direction 9 at positions spaced apart in the front-rear direction 8. The guide rails 43, 44 are supported by a frame of the printer unit 11. The carriage 23 is connected to a known belt mechanism provided on the guide rail 44. The belt mechanism is driven by a carriage motor (not shown). The carriage 23 connected to the belt mechanism reciprocates in the left-right direction 9 by being driven by the carriage motor. The range of movement of the carriage 23 extends to the right and left of the transport path 65, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 3.

[0032] An ink tube 32 and a flexible flat cable 33 extend from the carriage 23 .

[0033] The ink tube 32 connects the tank set 99 and the recording head 39 . The ink tube 32 supplies ink (an example of liquid) stored in four ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M (which may be collectively referred to as "ink tanks 100") constituting the tank set 99 to the recording head 39. The ink tank 100 is an example of a tank. In detail, four ink tubes 32B, 32Y, 32C, and 32M (which may be collectively referred to as "ink tubes 32") through which ink of each color (black, magenta, cyan, and yellow) flows extend from the ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M, respectively, and are connected to the carriage 23 in a bundled state.

[0034] The flexible flat cable 33 electrically connects a control board on which a control unit (not shown) is mounted and the recording head 39. The flexible flat cable 33 transmits a control signal output from the control unit to the recording head 39.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 23 is equipped with a recording head 39. A plurality of nozzles 40 are arranged on the bottom surface of the recording head 39. The tips of the plurality of nozzles 40 are exposed from the bottom surface of the recording head 39. Hereinafter, the surface on which the tips of the nozzles 40 are exposed may be referred to as the "nozzle surface." The recording head 39 ejects ink as minute ink droplets from the nozzles 40. As the carriage 23 moves, the recording head 39 ejects ink droplets toward the paper 12 supported by the platen 42. This causes an image to be recorded on the paper 12. This also consumes the ink stored in the ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M.

[0036] The printer unit 11 includes a maintenance mechanism (not shown). The maintenance mechanism performs maintenance of the recording head 39. In detail, the maintenance mechanism performs a purging operation to suck ink and air from inside the nozzles 40 and an operation to remove foreign matter and the like adhering to the nozzle surface. The maintenance mechanism sends ink sucked from the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39 through a tube (not shown) to a waste ink tank (not shown). The maintenance mechanism is disposed in a position directly below the carriage 23 located to the right or left of the transport path 65.

[0037] Before the purge operation is performed, the carriage 23 moves directly above the maintenance mechanism. After that, a cap (not shown) of the maintenance mechanism moves upward to cover the nozzle surface. The cap is connected to a waste ink tank via a tube. A rotary tube pump is disposed in the tube. The tube is pumped by driving the tube pump. This causes the ink in the recording head 39 to be sucked out. The sucked ink is discharged into the waste ink tank through the cap and the tube.

[0038] The tube is blocked at least at one point by a rotary tube pump.

[0039] [Platen 42] 2 and 3, the platen 42 is disposed between the transport roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 in the transport direction 16. The platen 42 is disposed opposite the recording unit 24 in the up-down direction 7, with the transport path 65 in between. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 transported by the transport roller unit 54 from below.

[0040] [Tank Set 99] The tank set 99 stores ink to be supplied to the recording head 39. As shown in Fig. 1, the tank set 99 includes four ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M. Each ink tank 100 stores ink of a different color. Specifically, black ink is stored in the ink tank 100B, yellow ink is stored in the ink tank 100Y, cyan ink is stored in the ink tank 100C, and magenta ink is stored in the ink tank 100M. However, the number of ink tanks 100 and the colors of ink are not limited to the above examples.

[0041] The four ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M are arranged in a line along the left-right direction 9. Of the four ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M, the ink tank 100B is arranged at the rightmost position, and the ink tank 100M is arranged at the leftmost position. The arrangement positions of the ink tanks 100 are not limited to the above. The ink tank 100B is larger in size, particularly in width in the left-right direction 9, than the other ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M. The size relationship of the ink tanks 100 is not limited to the above. The ink tank 100B has a larger allowable ink storage volume than the other ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M. The size relationship of the ink tanks 100 is not limited to the above.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 1, the tank set 99 is fixed inside the housing 14 at the right front part of the housing 14. In other words, the tank set 99 is fixed to the multifunction device 10 so that it cannot be easily removed from the multifunction device 10. Note that "cannot be easily removed" means, for example, that a user cannot easily remove the tank set 99 from the housing 14 of the multifunction device 10 in a normal use state, and does not include a case where a skilled repairman removes the tank set 99 from the housing 14 of the multifunction device 10 for repair. Therefore, it is sufficient that a user cannot easily remove the tank set 99 from the housing 14 of the multifunction device 10 in a normal use state.

[0043] The front surface of each ink tank 100 is exposed to the outside of the multifunction device 10 through an opening 22 formed in the right part of the front wall 14A of the housing 14. The opening 22 is adjacent to the opening 13 in the left-right direction 9. The housing 14 is provided with a cover 70. The cover 70 is rotatable between a closed position (position shown in FIG. 1(A)) in which the opening 22 is covered, and an open position (position shown in FIG. 1(B)) in which the opening 22 is exposed. The cover 70 is supported by the housing 14 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 70A of a rotation shaft (not shown) extending in the left-right direction 9 near the lower end of the cover 7 in the up-down direction.

[0044] The configuration of the ink tank 100 will be described in detail below. Since the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M have the same configuration, one of the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M will be referred to as the ink tank 100 and its configuration will be described below. Since the configuration of the ink tank 100B is similar to the configurations of the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M, the configurations of the ink tanks 100B and 100Y, 100C, and 100M will be described after the configurations of the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M. In this case, even if the configurations of the ink tank 100B and the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M are somewhat different in shape, the same reference numerals are used for configurations having similar functions. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the multifunction device 10 and the ink tank 100 placed on the multifunction device 10 are in the usage position.

[0045] [Ink Tank 100] 4 and 5, the ink tank 100 is made up of a housing 140 that forms the outer shape of the ink tank. The housing 140 includes a frame 141 and two films 142 and 143. The film 142 is an example of a first film. The film 143 is an example of a second film.

[0046] The frame 141 has a flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape that is short in the left-right direction 9 and longer in each of the dimensions along the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8 than the dimension along the left-right direction 9. Furthermore, the dimension along the front-rear direction 8 is longer than the dimension along the up-down direction 7. In other words, the ink tank 100 has a first side along the front-rear direction 8, a second side along the up-down direction 7 that is shorter than the first side, and a third side along the left-right direction 9 that is shorter than the second side.

[0047] The frame 141 is made of a resin having a degree of translucency that allows the ink in the ink chambers 111 (described later) to be visible from outside the ink tank 100. The frame 141 is made of, for example, polypropylene. The frame 141 is integrally molded, for example, by injection molding a resin material. The rigidity of the frame 141 is higher than the rigidity of the films 142 and 143.

[0048] The frame 141 may be made of a material other than resin. The frame 141 may also be made of a combination of multiple members. For example, the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132, which will be described later, may be made of two separate housings, and these two housings may be connected by a tube or the like.

[0049] The frame 141 includes a front wall 101, a left wall 103, an upper wall 104, a lower wall 105, a rear wall 110, and inner walls 69, 71-82, and 151-155.

[0050] The front wall 101 is composed of a standing wall 102 and an inclined wall 106. The standing wall 102 extends in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. The inclined wall 106 is a wall that connects the upper end of the standing wall 102 and the front end of the upper wall 104, and is inclined with respect to the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8.

[0051] The left wall 103 is a wall extending rearward from the left end of the front wall 101. The upper end of the left wall 103 is connected to the front part of the upper wall 104. The lower end of the left wall 103 is connected to the front part of the lower wall 105. In other words, the left wall 103 is a wall connecting the left end of the front wall 101, the front left end of the upper wall 104, and the front left end of the lower wall 105. In other words, the left wall 103 is provided only in the front part of the frame 141, and is not provided in the rear part of the frame 141.

[0052] The upper wall 104 extends rearward from the upper end of the front wall 101 (the rear end of the inclined wall 106). A front portion of the upper wall 104 is connected to an upper end of the left wall 103. A convex portion 144 protruding upward is formed from approximately the center in the front-to-rear direction 8 of the upper wall 104 of the frame 141 to the rear portion. The convex portion 144 includes a front wall 144A protruding upward from approximately the center in the front-to-rear direction 8 of the upper wall 104, a rear wall 144B protruding upward from the rear portion of the upper wall 104, and an upper wall 144C connecting the upper end of the front wall 144A and the upper end of the rear wall 144B.

[0053] The lower wall 105 is a wall extending rearward from the lower end of the front wall 101. The lower wall 105 is formed away from the upper wall 104 downward in the up-down direction 7. As described above, the front part of the lower wall 105 is connected to the lower end of the left wall 103. The left end part of the lower wall 105 is bent upward. The upper end of the bent lower wall 105 is connected to the lower surface of the inner wall 72, which will be described later (see FIG. 5).

[0054] The rear wall 110 is formed at a distance rearward from the front wall 101 in the front-rear direction 8. As described above, the upper end of the rear wall 110 is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 104. The lower end of the rear wall 110 is connected to the rear end of the lower wall 105. The left portion of the rear wall 110 is configured to be longer in the front-rear direction 8 than the right portion of the rear wall 110. An ink outflow path 114, which will be described later, is formed in the left portion of the rear wall 110 that is configured to be longer.

[0055] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the inner wall 71 extends downward from the upper wall 104 and the upper wall 144C of the protruding portion 144. The inner wall 71 is a wall that extends in the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The inner wall 71 is provided in the hatched area shown in Figures 6 and 7. The inner wall 71 is provided at a position between the right end and the left end of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9. As a result, the inside of the frame 141 is divided into left and right at the location where the inner wall 71 is provided.

[0056] In this embodiment, the inner wall 71 is located to the left of the center of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9. That is, in the left-right direction 9, the distance between the inner wall 71 and the left end of the frame 141 is longer than the distance between the inner wall 71 and the right end of the frame 141. Note that the inner wall 71 is located at a position that does not include the right and left ends of the frame 141 in order to define a part of a communication passage, which will be described later.

[0057] 4 and 5, the inner wall 72 is provided in the vicinity of the lower wall 105 between the upper wall 104 and the lower wall 105 in the vertical direction 7. The inner wall 72 extends rearward while sloping upward from the front end to the rear end of the lower wall 105. The front end of the inner wall 72 is connected to a portion on the front end side of the lower wall 105. The rear end of the inner wall 72 is in front of the rear wall 110 and separated from the rear wall 110.

[0058] The inner wall 73 extends generally upward from the rear end of the inner wall 72 in the up-down direction 7. The inner wall 73 extends to the inside of the protrusion 144 while bending so as to follow the outer shape of the protrusion 144. An upper end of the inner wall 73 is below an upper wall 144C of the protrusion 144 and is spaced apart from the upper wall 144C. A part of the inner wall 73 (a part below an inner wall 75 described later) is provided from the right end to the left end of the frame 141. Meanwhile, the other part of the inner wall 73 is provided from the right end of the frame 141 to the inner wall 71.

[0059] The inner wall 69 extends in the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The inner wall 69 is located between the inner wall 72 and an inner wall 75 described later in the up-down direction 7. The inner wall 69 is located in front of a part of the inner wall 73 (a part below the inner wall 75). The inner wall 69 is provided in approximately the center of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9. As a result, a rear ink chamber 138 of a first ink chamber 131 described later is divided into left and right at the location where the inner wall 69 is provided. A lower end of the inner wall 69 is connected to the rear part of the inner wall 72. An upper end of the inner wall 69 is connected to the rear part of the inner wall 75. A rear end of the inner wall 69 is connected to a part of the inner wall 73 (a part below the inner wall 75).

[0060] The inner walls 74 to 77 and 82 described below extend rightward from the inner wall 71 (see FIG. 6). In other words, the inner walls 74 to 77 are provided from the inner wall 71 to the right end of the frame 141.

[0061] 4 and 6, the inner wall 74 extends downward in front of the lower surface 104A of the upper wall 104. A left end of the inner wall 74 is connected to the left wall 103, and a rear surface of the inner wall 74 in the front-rear direction 8 is connected to a front end of the inner wall 71.

[0062] The inner wall 75 extends rearward from the lower end of the inner wall 74. The rear end of the inner wall 75 is connected to the inner wall 73.

[0063] The inner wall 76 extends forward and rearward from the upper end of the inner wall 73. That is, the inner wall 76 is located higher than the inner wall 75. The front end of the inner wall 76 is located rearward of a through-hole 175, which will be described later.

[0064] The inner wall 77 extends rearward from the lower end of the front wall 144A of the protrusion 144. A front portion of the inner wall 77 is located between the upper wall 144C of the protrusion 144 and the inner wall 75 in the vertical direction 7, and faces both the upper wall 144C and the inner wall 75 in the vertical direction 7. A rear portion of the inner wall 77 is located between the inner wall 76 and the inner wall 75, and faces both the inner wall 76 and the inner wall 75 in the vertical direction 7. The rear end of the inner wall 77 is in front of a part of the inner wall 73 (a part above the inner wall 75) and is separated from the inner wall 73.

[0065] The inner wall 82 is located between the inner wall 73 and the inner wall 76 in the up-down direction 7. The inner wall 82 extends forward from the rear wall 110 or from the lower end of the rear wall 144B of the convex portion 144. The front end of the inner wall 82 is behind a part of the inner wall 73 (a part above the inner wall 75) and is separated from the inner wall 73.

[0066] The inner wall 78 described below extends to the right and left from the inner wall 71 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). In other words, the inner wall 78 is provided across the frame 141 from the right end to the left end.

[0067] 4 and 5, the inner wall 78 extends in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. The inner wall 78 is provided rearward of the front wall 144A of the protrusion 144 and spaced apart from the front wall 144A. The inner wall 78 faces the front end of the inner wall 76 across the through hole 175 in the front-rear direction 8. That is, the inner wall 78 is provided between the front wall 144A and the through hole 175 in the front-rear direction 8.

[0068] The inner wall 79 extends in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. The inner wall 79 is located rearward of the inner wall 74 and forward of the inner wall 69. An upper end of the inner wall 79 is connected to the inner wall 75. A lower end of the inner wall 79 is connected to the inner wall 72. A left end of the inner wall 79 is connected to the left wall 103.

[0069] The inner wall 80 extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. The inner wall 80 is located rearward of the standing wall 102 of the front wall 101 and forward of the inner wall 79. The inner wall 80 extends rightward from the left wall 103. At the location where the inner wall 80 is located, a front ink chamber 137 of a first ink chamber 131, which will be described later, is divided into upper and lower parts. Gaps 85, 86 are formed between the inner wall 80 and the standing wall 102, and between the inner wall 80 and the inner wall 79. As a result, the two front ink chambers 137 divided into upper and lower parts are in communication with each other.

[0070] The inner wall 81 extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. The inner wall 81 is located behind the inner wall 79 and in front of the inner wall 73. The inner wall 81 is connected to the inner wall 69. The inner wall 81 is also connected to the inner wall 79 at the center in the left-right direction 9. At the location where the inner wall 81 is located, a rear ink chamber 138 of the first ink chamber 131, which will be described later, is divided into upper and lower parts. An opening 83 is formed between the inner wall 81 and the inner wall 73. The inner wall 81 also has openings 84 between it and the inner wall 79 at both ends in the left-right direction 9. As a result, the two divided rear ink chambers 138 are in communication with each other.

[0071] Inner walls 151, 152, which will be described below, extend leftward from inner wall 71 (see FIG. 7). In other words, the inner walls 151 and 152 are provided from the inner wall 71 to the left end of the frame 141 .

[0072] 5 and 7, the inner wall 151 is a wall that connects a lower end of the front wall 144A of the protrusion 144 and a rear wall 144B of the protrusion 144. The inner wall 151 extends rearward from the lower end of the front wall 144A, then extends upward, then extends rearward, then extends upward, then extends rearward, and reaches the rear wall 144B.

[0073] The inner wall 152 is a wall that connects two locations of the upper wall 144C of the protrusion 144. The two locations are the front end of the upper wall 144C and approximately the center of the upper wall 144C in the front-to-rear direction 8. The inner wall 152 extends downward from the underside of the front end of the upper wall 144C, then extends rearward, and then extends upward, reaching the underside of the upper wall 144C at approximately the center in the front-to-rear direction 8. The inner wall 152 is surrounded by the upper wall 144C and the inner wall 151 in a side view of the ink tank 100 seen from the left.

[0074] 4, the right side of frame 141 is open. The right side of frame 141 is sealed by welding film 142 to right surfaces of front wall 101, lower wall 105, rear wall 110, upper wall 104, inner walls 72 to 82, front wall 144A of convex portion 144, rear wall 144B of convex portion 144, and upper wall 144C of convex portion 144.

[0075] 5, a rear portion of the left surface of frame 141 is open. The left surface of frame 141 is sealed by welding film 143 to rear wall 110, upper wall 104, inner wall 72, inner wall 79, inner wall 81, inner wall 151, inner wall 152, front wall 144A of convex portion 144, rear wall 144B of convex portion 144, upper wall 144C of convex portion 144, and a left surface of partition wall 186 described later.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, the outer surface (front surface) of the standing wall 102 of the front wall 101 is provided with a first line 146 and a second line 147.

[0077] The first line 146 extends in the left-right direction 9. The position of the first line 146 in the up-down direction 7 is at the same height as the liquid level of the ink when the maximum amount of ink that can be stored in the ink tank 100 is stored in the ink chamber 111 when the multifunction device 10 is in the usage position. Note that the position of the first line 146 in the up-down direction 7 is not limited to being at the same height as the liquid level of the ink when the maximum amount of ink is stored in the ink chamber 111.

[0078] The second line 147 extends in the left-right direction 9. The second line 147 is located lower than the first line 146. In detail, the position of the second line 147 in the up-down direction 7 is the same height as the liquid level of the ink when an amount of ink less than the above-mentioned maximum amount is stored in the ink chamber 111 with the multifunction device 10 in the usage position. In this embodiment, the position of the second line 147 in the up-down direction 7 is the same height as the liquid level of the ink when a minimum amount of ink that requires refilling is stored in the ink chamber 111 with the ink tank 100 in the usage position.

[0079] If printing continues with the multifunction device 10 while the amount of ink in the ink tank 100 remains below this minimum storage amount, air may be sent from the ink tank 100 into the ink tubes 32, causing ink to fail to be ejected from the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39. Therefore, when the ink level stored in the ink chamber 111 reaches the position of the second line 147 with the multifunction device 10 in the usage position, the user must refill the ink tank 100 with ink through the filler port 112.

[0080] [Ink chamber 111] 4 and 5, the housing 140 has an ink chamber 111 (an example of a liquid storage chamber) therein. The ink chamber 111 is an internal space of the ink tank 100, and stores ink. The ink chamber 111 includes a first ink chamber 131 and a second ink chamber 132.

[0081] The first ink chamber 131 includes a space, which will be described below, and a first communication passage 171 that is an atmosphere communication passage that communicates with the space. The second ink chamber 132 includes a space, which will be described below, a second communication passage 172 that is an atmosphere communication passage that communicates with the space, a buffer chamber 148, and an ink outflow passage 114. The atmosphere communication passage, the buffer chamber 148, and the ink outflow passage 114 will be described later.

[0082] The first ink chamber 131 is defined by the front wall 101, the left wall 103, the lower wall 105, the inner wall 72, the inner wall 73, the inner wall 74, the inner wall 75, the upper wall 104, the inner wall 151, the upper wall 144C of the protrusion 144, the film 142, and the film 143. The front wall 101 defines the front surface of the first ink chamber 131. The lower wall 105 and the inner wall 72 define the lower surface of the first ink chamber 131. The inner wall 73 defines the rear surface of the first ink chamber 131. The inner wall 75, the inner wall 74, and the upper wall 104 define the upper surface of the first ink chamber 131. The film 142 defines the right surface of the first ink chamber 131. The left wall 103 and the film 143 define the left surface of the first ink chamber 131.

[0083] The first ink chamber 131 is divided by an inner wall 79 into a front ink chamber 137 and a rear ink chamber 138. The front surface of the inner wall 79 defines the rear surface of the front ink chamber 137. The rear surface of the inner wall 79 defines the front surface of the rear ink chamber 138. As described above, the front ink chamber 137 is divided into two, upper and lower, by the inner wall 80. The two upper and lower front ink chambers 137 communicate with each other through gaps 85 and 86. The rear ink chamber 138 is divided into two, upper and lower, by the inner wall 81. The two upper and lower rear ink chambers 138 communicate with each other through openings 83 and 84.

[0084] The upper end of the inner wall 79 is cut out from the right end to the left. As a result, an opening 135 is formed at the upper end of the inner wall 79. The opening 135 is defined by the inner walls 79, 75, and the film 142. The lower end of the inner wall 79 is cut out from the right end to the left. As a result, an opening 136 is formed at the lower end of the inner wall 79. The opening 136 is defined by the inner walls 79, 72, and the film 142. The front ink chamber 137 and the rear ink chamber 138 are in communication with each other through the openings 135 and 136.

[0085] As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the second ink chamber 132 is located below and to the rear of the first ink chamber 131. The second ink chamber 132 is generally L-shaped in a side view of the ink tank 100 seen from the left. The second ink chamber 132 includes a lower ink chamber 51 and an upper ink chamber 52. The lower ink chamber 51 is located below the first ink chamber 131. The upper ink chamber 52 extends upward from the rear end of the lower ink chamber 51. The upper ink chamber 52 is located to the rear of the rear ink chamber 138 of the first ink chamber 131.

[0086] The lower ink chamber 51 is defined by a bottom wall 105, an inner wall 72, and a film 142. The bottom wall 105 defines the front, bottom, and left sides of the lower ink chamber 51. The inner wall 72 defines the top side of the lower ink chamber 51. The film 142 defines the right side of the lower ink chamber 51. The rear side of the lower ink chamber 51 is open. At the rear side, the lower ink chamber 51 communicates with the upper ink chamber 52.

[0087] The front end of the inner wall 72 is cut out from the right end to the left. As a result, an opening 145 is formed in the front end of the inner wall 72. The opening 145 is defined by the inner wall 72, the lower wall 105, and the film 142. The front ink chamber 137 of the first ink chamber 131 and the lower ink chamber 51 of the second ink chamber 132 communicate with each other through the opening 145.

[0088] The upper ink chamber 52 is defined by a rear wall 110, an inner wall 73, and a film 142. The rear wall 110 defines the rear and left faces of the upper ink chamber 52. The inner wall 73 defines the front face of the upper ink chamber 52. The film 142 defines the right face of the upper ink chamber 52. The lower face of the upper ink chamber 52 is open. At the lower face, the upper ink chamber 52 communicates with the lower ink chamber 51.

[0089] The upper surface of the upper ink chamber 52 is open. Here, the upper surface is a virtual surface, and is at the same height as the first line 146. In other words, the upper surface is at the same height as the liquid level of the ink when the maximum amount of ink that can be stored is stored in the ink chamber 111 when the multifunction device 10 is in the usage position. The upper ink chamber 52 communicates with a second communication passage 172 of the atmosphere communication passage, which will be described later, at the upper surface. In other words, the upper surface is the boundary between the upper ink chamber 52 and the second communication passage 172. Note that the boundary is not limited to the position described above, and may be, for example, above or below the first line 146.

[0090] As described above, the right surface (an example of a first surface) of the ink chamber 111 is defined by the left surface of the film 142. That is, the entire right surface of the ink chamber 111 is formed by the film 142. Moreover, the left surface (an example of a second surface) of the ink chamber 111 is defined by the right surface of the film 143 and the right surface of the left wall 103. That is, a portion of the left surface of the ink chamber 111 is formed by the film 143. The right and left surfaces of the ink chamber 111 face each other in the left-right direction 9.

[0091] The right side of the ink chamber 111 may be defined by the film 142 and a wall. That is, a part of the right side of the ink chamber 111 may be formed by the film 142. The left side of the ink chamber 111 may be defined only by the film 143. That is, the entire left side of the ink chamber 111 may be formed by the film 143.

[0092] When the multifunction device 10 is in the usage position, in other words when the upper wall 104 forms the upper part of the ink tank 100 and the lower wall 105 forms the lower part of the ink tank 100, and the maximum amount of ink that can be stored in the ink chamber 111 is stored, the ink level is at the position indicated by the dashed line 191 in Fig. 6. In other words, the ink level is at the same height as the first line 146, as described above.

[0093] At this time, the height of the liquid surface of the ink stored in the first ink chamber 131 and the height of the liquid surface of the ink stored in the second ink chamber 132 are the same in the vertical direction (up-down direction 7).

[0094] Moreover, at this time, the ink liquid level in the first ink chamber 131 and the ink liquid level in the second ink chamber 132 are formed independently of each other. Specifically, the ink liquid level in the first ink chamber 131 is surrounded by the front wall 101, the inner wall 73, the film 142, the left wall 103, and the film 143. On the other hand, the ink liquid level in the second ink chamber 132 is surrounded by the rear wall 110, the inner wall 73, the left rear wall 120, and the film 142. The left rear wall 120 is a wall that connects the left end of the rear wall 110 and the left end of the inner wall 73, and extends forward from the left end of the rear wall 110.

[0095] Note that the ink level in the first ink chamber 131 and the ink level in the second ink chamber 132 are formed independently of each other not only when the maximum amount of ink that can be stored in the ink chamber 111 is stored. For example, even when the ink chamber 111 stores an amount of ink that causes the ink level to be at the same height as the second line 147, the ink level in the first ink chamber 131 and the ink level in the second ink chamber 132 are formed independently of each other. In other words, when the multifunction device 10 is in the usage position, if ink is stored in both the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132, the ink level in the first ink chamber 131 and the ink level in the second ink chamber 132 are formed independently of each other.

[0096] Furthermore, even when the multifunction device 10 is not in the usage position, the ink liquid level in the first ink chamber 131 and the ink liquid level in the second ink chamber 132 are formed independently of each other.

[0097] For example, in a state in which the front wall 101 forms the upper part of the ink tank 100 and the rear wall 110 forms the lower part of the ink tank 100, when the maximum amount of ink that can be stored in the ink chamber 111 is stored, the ink liquid level is at the position indicated by the dashed line 193 in Fig. 6. Note that at this time, the ink is stored separately in the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132, so the ink liquid levels indicated by the dashed line 193 in Fig. 6 are generated in both the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132.

[0098] [Buffer Room 148] 4 and 6, the housing 140 has a buffer chamber 148 therein. The buffer chamber 148 is an internal space of the ink tank 100, and is interposed between the second ink chamber 132 and an ink outflow path 114, which will be described later. In other words, the ink stored in the second ink chamber 132 flows into the ink outflow path 114 via the buffer chamber 148.

[0099] The buffer chamber 148 is provided in the lower right rear portion of the housing 140. The buffer chamber 148 is defined by an inner wall 153, an inner wall 154, an inner wall 155, the lower wall 105, the rear wall 110, and the film 142.

[0100] The inner wall 153 protrudes forward from the front surface at the right lower part of the rear wall 110 and extends in the left-right direction 9. The inner wall 153 defines the upper surface of the buffer chamber 148. The inner wall 154 protrudes upward from the upper surface at the right rear part of the lower wall 105 and extends in the left-right direction 9. The inner wall 154 defines the front surface of the buffer chamber 148. The inner wall 155 is a wall that extends in the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8, and is surrounded by the inner wall 153, the inner wall 154, the rear wall 110, and the lower wall 105. The inner wall 155 defines the left surface of the buffer chamber 148. The lower wall 105 defines the lower surface of the buffer chamber 148. The rear wall 110 defines the rear surface of the buffer chamber 148. The film 142 defines the right surface of the buffer chamber 148.

[0101] The lower right end of the inner wall 154 is cut out from the right end to the left. As a result, an opening 149 is formed in the lower right end of the inner wall 154. The opening 149 is defined by the inner wall 154 and the film 142. The opening 149 communicates with the lower right rear portion of the second ink chamber 132 and the buffer chamber 148. Note that in this embodiment, the inner wall 154 is cut out in a semicircular shape, but the shape of the cutout is not limited to a semicircular shape and may be, for example, a rectangular shape.

[0102] A circular opening 150 is formed in the center of the inner wall 155. The opening 150 connects the buffer chamber 148 and the ink outflow channel 114. Ink stored in the second ink chamber 132 flows into the opening 150 via the buffer chamber 148. In other words, the opening 150 is an ink inlet (an example of a liquid inlet) for allowing ink to flow from the buffer chamber 148 into the ink outflow channel 114. The shape of the opening 150 is not limited to a circle, and may be, for example, a rectangular shape.

[0103] [Ink Outlet 114] 5 and 7, the housing 140 has an ink outflow path 114. The ink outflow path 114 is a communicating path for allowing the ink stored in the second ink chamber 132 to flow out of the ink tank 100. In this embodiment, since the ink stored in the first ink chamber 131 moves to the second ink chamber 132 through the opening 145, the ink outflow path 114 can also be said to be a communicating path for allowing the ink stored in the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132 to flow out of the ink tank 100.

[0104] The ink outflow path 114 communicates with the buffer chamber 148 through an opening 150. The ink outflow path 114 extends leftward from the opening 150, then upwardly, and then rightward to an opening 156.

[0105] The ink outflow path 114 is formed as a groove recessed from the left surface of the rear wall 110 to the right. The ink outflow path 114 is defined by a rear wall 110 except for a part of its right surface and its left surface. The ink outflow path 114 is defined by an inner wall 155 around an opening 156 on its right surface. The ink outflow path 114 is defined by a film 143 on its left surface.

[0106] The frame 141 has a cylindrical protruding portion 157. The protruding portion 157 protrudes rearward from the periphery of an opening 156 of the rear wall 110. The front end of the internal space of the protruding portion 157 communicates with the ink outflow path 114 through the opening 156. The rear end of the internal space of the protruding portion 157 communicates with the outside of the ink tank 100 through an opening 158 (an example of a liquid outlet). When the ink tank 100 is placed inside the housing 14, the protruding portion 157 is directly or indirectly connected to the ink tube 32. As a result, ink that has entered the internal space of the protruding portion 157 from the ink outflow path 114 through the opening 156 flows out to the ink tube 32.

[0107] As described above, the ink stored in the ink chamber 111 communicates with the nozzle 40 of the recording head 39 via the ink outflow path 114, the internal space of the protruding portion 157, and the ink tube 32. The protruding portion 157 does not have to be directly connected to the ink tube 32. For example, one end of a needle connected to the ink tube 32 and the other end of the needle may be inserted into the protruding portion 157. When the ink in the ink outflow path 114 is consumed by the ejection of ink droplets from the recording head 39, it becomes possible to move toward the recording head 39.

[0108] Here, the ink outflow path 114 is a flow path. A flow path is a space having one end connected to the ink chamber 111, and when the other end is closed, ink stored in the ink chamber 111 does not flow into the space regardless of the attitude of the ink tank 100. In this embodiment, the ink tank 100 has only the ink outflow path 114 as a flow path, but may have flow paths other than the ink outflow path 114.

[0109] This will be described in detail below. As described above, the tube extending from the cap of the maintenance mechanism capable of covering the nozzle 40 of the recording head 39 is blocked by the pump. Therefore, when the nozzle 40 is covered by the cap, the other end (the end closer to the protruding portion 157) of the ink outflow path 114 communicates with the blocked tube through the internal space of the protruding portion 157, the ink tube 32, the recording head 39, and the cap. That is, the other end of the ink outflow path 114 is blocked. The cross-sectional area of ​​the ink outflow path 114 is configured to be sufficiently smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second ink chamber 132. Therefore, even if the ink tank 100 is changed to a position other than the use position, that is, regardless of the position of the ink tank 100, the ink stored in the second ink chamber 132 does not flow into the ink outflow path 114. Note that when the nozzle 40 is not covered by the cap, the nozzle 40 is open. That is, the other end of the ink outflow path 114 is open. Therefore, the ink stored in the second ink chamber 132 can flow into the ink outlet passage 114 .

[0110] On the other hand, the above-mentioned opening 145 and an atmosphere communication passage described later are boundaries. A boundary is a space having at least one end or the other end connected to the ink chamber 111, and is a space into which ink stored in the ink chamber 111 can flow even if one end or the other end is closed. In this embodiment, the ink tank 100 has only the opening 145 and the atmosphere communication passage as boundaries, but the ink tank 100 may have boundaries other than the opening 145 and the atmosphere communication passage.

[0111] [Atmospheric communication passage] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the housing 140 has an atmosphere communication passage (an example of a communication passage). The atmosphere communication passage is a communication passage for communicating between the ink chamber 111 and the outside of the ink tank 100. In other words, the atmosphere communication passage is a communication passage for opening the ink chamber 111 to the atmosphere. The atmosphere communication passage includes a first communication passage 171 (an example of a first portion) and a second communication passage 172 (an example of a first portion) shown in Figures 4 and 6, and a third communication passage 173 shown in Figures 4 to 7. The first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are located to the right of the inner wall 71. The third communication passage 173 is located both to the right and left of the inner wall 71.

[0112] 4 and 6, the first communication passage 171 communicates with the front ink chamber 137 of the first ink chamber 131 through an opening 174. The opening 174 is formed by cutting out the right front end portion of the inner wall 75 from the right end to the left. The opening 174 is defined by the inner wall 75, the inner wall 74, and the film 142.

[0113] The first communication passage 171 extends rearward from the opening 174, then extends forward making a U-turn, and reaches a through hole 175 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The through hole 175 is provided in the inner wall 71. The through hole 175 is provided slightly forward of the center of the protrusion 144 in the front-rear direction 8. The through hole 175 communicates with the right side of the inner wall 71 and the left side of the inner wall 71.

[0114] The first communication passage 171 is defined on its front, rear, top, and bottom sides by the upper wall 104, and the inner walls 73, 74, 75, 76, and 77. The left side of the first communication passage 171 is defined by the inner wall 71, and the right side is defined by the film 142.

[0115] The second communication passage 172 communicates at its lower end with the upper surface (imaginary surface) of the upper ink chamber 52 of the second ink chamber 132. The second communication passage 172 extends upward from the communication position with the upper ink chamber 52, then extends forward, then extends upward, then extends rearward, then extends upward, then extends forward, and reaches the through hole 175.

[0116] The second communication passage 172 has a rear surface and a top surface defined by rear wall 110, top wall 104, rear wall 144B of convex portion 144, and top wall 144C of convex portion 144. The second communication passage 172 has a front surface and a bottom surface defined by inner walls 73 and 76. The second communication passage 172 has a top surface and a bottom surface defined by inner wall 82. The second communication passage 172 has a left surface defined by inner wall 71, and a right surface defined by film 142.

[0117] As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the third communication passage 173 includes a first passage 176, a second passage 177, a third passage 170, a rear communication passage 178 (an example of the second portion), and a labyrinth 179 (an example of the second portion).

[0118] The first path 176 extends leftward from the through hole 175 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) to the left end of the frame 141. That is, the first path 176 extends from the right surface to the left surface of the ink chamber 111. In other words, the first path 176 communicates with the first communication path 171 and the second communication path 172 via the through hole 175 in the vicinity of the right surface of the ink chamber 111, and extends leftward from the communication position toward the film 143.

[0119] The first passage 176 communicates with the second passage 177 through an opening 180. The opening 180 is formed by cutting out the lower left end of the inner wall 78 from the left end to the right. The opening 180 is defined by the inner wall 78, the inner wall 152, and the film 143.

[0120] The first passage 176 is defined on the front side by the inner wall 78, on the rear side and bottom side by the inner wall 152, on the top side by the upper wall 144C of the convex portion 144, and on the left side by the film 143.

[0121] The second path 177 extends rightward from the opening 180 to the right end of the frame 141. That is, the second path 177 extends from the left surface to the right surface of the ink chamber 111. In other words, the second path 177 communicates with the vicinity of the left surface of the ink chamber 111 in the first path 176, and extends rightward from the position of communication toward the film 142.

[0122] 4, 6, and 7, an opening 181 is formed in a portion of the inner wall 71 where the second passage 177 is formed. A portion of the second passage 177 to the left of the inner wall 71 and a portion to the right of the inner wall 71 communicate with each other through the opening 181.

[0123] As shown in Fig. 4, a surrounding wall 182 protrudes to the right from the periphery of an opening 181 in the inner wall 71. A lower inner surface 182A of the surrounding wall 182 is inclined so that the right end is located higher than the left end. A semipermeable membrane 183 (see Fig. 4) is attached to the protruding tip surface of the surrounding wall 182, i.e., the right surface of the surrounding wall 182. As a result, the second path 177 is closed by the semipermeable membrane 183. In other words, the semipermeable membrane 183 is disposed in the second path 177. That is, the semipermeable membrane 183 is disposed between the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 and the rear communication passage 178 and labyrinth 179 described later.

[0124] The semipermeable membrane 183 is a porous membrane having minute holes that block the passage of ink and allow the passage of gas. For example, the semipermeable membrane 183 is made of a fluororesin such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, a tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer, a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer, or a tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer.

[0125] As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the portion of the second passage 177 to the left of inner wall 71 has its front and bottom defined by inner wall 152, its rear defined by inner wall 78, its top defined by upper wall 144C of convex portion 144, the portion excluding opening 181 on the right side defined by inner wall 71 (see Figure 6), and its left side defined by film 143.

[0126] Also, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the portion of the second path 177 to the right of the inner wall 71 has its front surface defined by the front wall 144A of the convex portion 144, its lower surface defined by the inner wall 77 and the lower inner surface 182A of the surrounding wall 182, its rear surface defined by the inner wall 78, its upper surface defined by the upper wall 144C of the convex portion 144, the portion excluding the opening 181 on the left surface defined by the inner wall 71, and its right surface defined by the film 142.

[0127] 5 and 7, the third path 170 communicates with a portion of the second path 177 that is further to the right than the inner wall 71 through an opening 184 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) formed between the front wall 144A of the protrusion 144 and the inner wall 71. The third path 170 extends leftward from the opening 184. That is, the third path 170 extends from the right surface of the ink chamber 111 to the left surface. In other words, the third path 170 communicates with the vicinity of the right surface of the ink chamber 111 in the second path 177, and extends leftward from the position of communication toward the film 143.

[0128] The third path 170 has its front side defined by front wall 144A of convex portion 144, its rear side defined by inner wall 152, its upper side defined by upper wall 144C of convex portion 144, its lower side defined by inner wall 151, its right side defined by film 142, and its left side defined by film 143.

[0129] The rear communication passage 178 extends rearward from the left end of the third path 170 and leads to the labyrinth 179 through an opening 185 formed between the inner wall 151 and the inner wall 152. In other words, the rear communication passage 178 communicates with the third path 170 in the vicinity of the film 143.

[0130] The rear connecting passage 178 is bounded on the lower surface and front surface by the inner wall 151 and the front wall 144A of the convex portion 144, on the rear surface and top surface by the inner wall 152, on the right surface by the inner wall 71, and on the left surface by the film 143.

[0131] The labyrinth 179 is a communication passage that extends along the front-rear direction 8 while making repeated U-turns in the up-down direction 7 by providing a plurality of partition walls 186 extending in the up-down direction 7 side by side in the front-rear direction 8 .

[0132] The labyrinth 179 is defined on the front and rear sides by partition 186, on the upper side by upper wall 144C of convex portion 144, on the lower side by inner wall 151, on the right side by inner wall 71, and on the left side by film 143.

[0133] One end (front lower end) of the labyrinth 179 communicates with the rear communication passage 178 through an opening 185. The other end (rear upper end) of the labyrinth 179 communicates with an atmosphere opening port 187 (see FIG. 5).

[0134] The atmosphere open port 187 is configured as a hole penetrating the upper wall 144C of the convex portion 144 in the up-down direction 7. The lower end of the atmosphere open port 187 communicates with the labyrinth 179. The upper end of the atmosphere open port 187 communicates with the outside of the ink tank 100. The atmosphere open port 187 is located above the ink level when the maximum allowable amount of ink is stored in the ink chamber 111 with the ink tank 100 in the usage position.

[0135] As described above, the atmosphere communication passage communicates with the first ink chamber 131 of the ink chamber 111 at the opening 174, and also communicates with the second ink chamber 132 of the ink chamber 111 at the lower end of the second communication passage 172, as shown in Fig. 4. On the other hand, the atmosphere communication passage communicates with the outside of the ink tank 100 at the atmosphere open port 187, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0136] [Relationship between the communication passages 171, 172 and the rear communication passage 178 and labyrinth 179] 4 to 7, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 partially face the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 in the left-right direction 9. That is, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 partially face the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 when viewed along the left-right direction 9. The first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 and the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 may entirely face each other in the left-right direction 9. Note that "facing" here means that the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 and the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 are arranged on the front and back of the housing 140 in the left-right direction 9 with the inner wall 71 interposed therebetween.

[0137] As described above, in the left-right direction 9, the distance between the inner wall 71 and the left end of the frame 141 is longer than the distance between the inner wall 71 and the right end of the frame 141. In other words, the length of the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 in the left-right direction 9 is longer than the length of the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 in the left-right direction 9. In other words, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are deeper grooves than the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179.

[0138] The widths of the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 (an example of a first width) are wider than the widths of the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 (an example of a second width). The width of the first communication passage 171 is shown as width W1 in FIG. 6, for example. The width of the second communication passage 172 is shown as width W2 in FIG. 6, for example. That is, the width of the first communication passage 171 is a length along a direction perpendicular to both the communication direction 188 of the first communication passage 171 and the left-right direction 9. The width of the second communication passage 172 is a length along a direction perpendicular to both the communication direction 189 of the second communication passage 172 and the left-right direction 9. The communication direction 188 of the first communication passage 171 is shown by a dashed arrow in FIG. 6. The communication direction 189 of the second communication passage 172 is shown by a dashed arrow in FIG. 6.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 6, the inner wall 75, the inner wall 76, the inner wall 77, and the inner wall 82 that divide the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 extend in the front-rear direction 8. As shown in FIG. 7, the partition wall 186 that divides the labyrinth 179 extends in the up-down direction 7. Parts of the inner wall 75, the inner wall 76, the inner wall 77, and the inner wall 82 face each other in the left-right direction 9, and part of the partition wall 186. That is, when viewed along the left-right direction 9, the inner wall 75, the inner wall 76, the inner wall 77, and the inner wall 82 intersect with the partition wall 186. The inner wall 75, the inner wall 76, the inner wall 77, and the inner wall 82 are an example of a first rib. The partition wall 186 is an example of a second rib.

[0140] When film 143 is pressed against partition wall 186 from the left during welding of film 143, a force is applied to partition wall 186 to the right. That is, a force is applied from partition wall 186 to inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82. However, as described above, inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 intersect with partition wall 186. This allows inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 to support partition wall 186 to which a force is applied to the right.

[0141] Furthermore, when film 142 is pressed against inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 from the right during welding of film 143, a force is applied to inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 to the left. That is, a force is applied from inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 toward partition wall 186. However, as described above, inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 intersect with partition wall 186. This allows partition wall 186 to support inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 to which a force is applied to the left.

[0142] [Ink Tank 100B] The configuration of the ink tank 100B will be described below with reference to Figures 8 to 11. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the ink tank 100B is longer in the left-right direction 9 than the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M (see Figures 4 and 5).

[0143] The following describes the portions of the ink tank 100B that differ from the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M. The portions of the ink tank 100B that have the same configuration as the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M are given the same reference numerals as in Figures 4 to 7, and their description is omitted. In addition, when the only difference between the configuration of a specific portion of the ink tank 100B and the configuration of a corresponding portion of the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M is that the configuration of the specific portion of the ink tank 100B is longer in the left-right direction 9, the portion of the ink tank 100B that corresponds to the specific portion is given the same reference numerals as in Figures 4 to 7, and their description is omitted.

[0144] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the housing 140 of the ink tank 100B includes a frame 141 and three films 139, 142, and 143.

[0145] As shown in Figures 8 and 10, the ink tank 100B does not have the left wall 103 (see Figure 5) that the ink tanks 100Y, 100C, and 100M have, but has a right wall 159. The right wall 159 is a wall that extends rearward from the right end of the front wall 101. The upper end of the right wall 159 is connected to the front part of the upper wall 104. The lower end of the right wall 159 is connected to the front part of the lower wall 105. In other words, the right wall 159 is a wall that connects the right end of the front wall 101, the front right end of the upper wall 104, and the front right end of the lower wall 105. In other words, the right wall 159 is provided only in the front part of the frame 141, and is not provided in the rear part of the frame 141.

[0146] 8 and 9, a recess 162 is formed in the front portion of the upper wall 104. The recess 162 is defined by side walls 162A, 162B, and 162C and the upper wall 104.

[0147] The ink tank 100B does not have the inner wall 71 (see FIG. 6). The ink tank 100B has an inner wall 160 (see FIGS. 8 and 10) and an inner wall 161 (see FIGS. 9 and 11) that correspond to the inner wall 71 (see FIG. 6).

[0148] The inner walls 160 and 161 extend downward from the upper wall 104 and the upper wall 144C of the protruding portion 144. The inner walls 160 and 161 are walls that extend in the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8.

[0149] The inner wall 160 is provided in the hatched range shown in Fig. 10. The inner wall 160 is provided at a position between the right end and the left end of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9. For example, the inner wall 160 is provided to the right of the center of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9.

[0150] The inner wall 161 is provided in the hatched range shown in Fig. 11. The inner wall 161 is provided at a position between the right end and the left end of the frame 141 and to the left of the inner wall 160 in the left-right direction 9. For example, the inner wall 161 is provided to the left of the center of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9.

[0151] In this embodiment, the distance between the inner wall 160 and the right end of the frame 141 is longer than the distance between the inner wall 161 and the left end of the frame 141 .

[0152] 8 and 10 , the portion of inner wall 73 above inner wall 75, the portion of inner wall 75 closer to inner wall 73, inner wall 76, inner wall 77, and inner wall 82 extend rightward from inner wall 160. In other words, the portion of inner wall 73 above inner wall 75, the portion of inner wall 75 closer to inner wall 73, inner wall 76, and inner wall 77 are provided rightward of inner wall 160.

[0153] 9 and 11, the inner wall 74 and the portion of the inner wall 75 close to the inner wall 74 extend leftward from the side wall 162A. In other words, the inner wall 74 and the portion of the inner wall 75 close to the inner wall 74 are provided to the left of the side wall 162A.

[0154] 9 and 11, the inner wall 74 extends downward from the left front portion of the upper wall 104. The inner wall 74 is not connected to the inner wall 160 and the inner wall 161, but is connected to the side wall 162A.

[0155] The inner wall 75 extends rearward from the lower end of the inner wall 74. In this rearward extending portion, the inner wall 75 extends leftward from the side wall 162A. Then, the inner wall 75 extends rightward. In this rightward extending portion, the front end of the inner wall 75 is connected to the side wall 162B (see FIG. 8) and the rear end is connected to the front wall 144A (see FIG. 8 and FIG. 11) of the protrusion 144. Then, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the inner wall 75 extends rearward. In this rearward extending portion, the inner wall 75 extends rightward from the inner wall 160.

[0156] The right end of the inner wall 79 is connected to the right wall 159 .

[0157] The inner wall 151 is a wall that connects the lower end of the front wall 144A of the protrusion 144 and the rear wall 144B of the protrusion 144. The inner wall 151 extends rearward from the lower end of the front wall 144A, then extends upward, then extends rearward, then extends upward, then extends rearward, and reaches the rear wall 144B.

[0158] 8, a rear portion of the right surface of frame 141 is open. The right surface of frame 141 is sealed by welding film 142 to lower wall 105, rear wall 110, upper wall 104, inner walls 72, 73, 75-80, 82, side wall 162B of recess 162, front wall 144A of protrusion 144, rear wall 144B of protrusion 144, and right surfaces of upper wall 144C of protrusion 144.

[0159] 9, the left surface of frame 141 is open. Film 143 is welded to rear wall 110, upper wall 104, lower wall 105, inner wall 72, inner wall 74, inner wall 75, inner wall 78, inner walls 79 to 81, inner wall 151, inner wall 152, front wall 144A of convex portion 144, rear wall 144B of convex portion 144, upper wall 144C of convex portion 144, and a left surface of partition wall 186, thereby sealing the left surface of frame 141.

[0160] 8 and 9, the first ink chamber 131 is defined by the front wall 101, the right wall 159, the lower wall 105, the rear wall 110, the inner wall 72, the inner wall 73, the inner wall 74, the inner wall 75, the upper wall 104, the inner wall 151, the film 142, and the film 143. The right wall 159 and the film 142 define the right surface of the first ink chamber 131.

[0161] As shown in Fig. 9, the upper end of the inner wall 79 is cut out from the left end to the right. As a result, an opening 163 is formed in the upper end of the inner wall 79. The opening 163 is defined by the inner walls 79, 75, and the film 143. The lower end of the inner wall 79 is cut out from the left end to the right. As a result, an opening 164 is formed in the lower end of the inner wall 79. The opening 164 is defined by the inner walls 79, 72, and the film 143. The front ink chamber 137 and the rear ink chamber 138 are in communication with each other through the openings 163, 164.

[0162] The front end of the inner wall 72 is cut out from the left end to the right. As a result, an opening 165 is formed in the front end of the inner wall 72. The opening 165 is defined by the inner wall 72, the lower wall 105, and the film 143. The front ink chamber 137 of the first ink chamber 131 and the lower ink chamber 51 of the second ink chamber 132 communicate with each other through the opening 165.

[0163] The right side of the ink chamber 111 is defined by a right wall 159 and the left side of the film 142. In other words, a part of the right side of the ink chamber 111 is formed by the film 142.

[0164] Further, the left surface of the ink chamber 111 is defined by the right surface of the film 143. In other words, the entire left surface of the ink chamber 111 is formed by the film 143.

[0165] The right and left surfaces of the ink chamber 111 face each other while being spaced apart from each other. In other words, the right and left surfaces of the ink chamber 111 face each other.

[0166] 8 and 10, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are located to the right of the inner wall 160. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the third communication passage 173 is located both to the right of the inner wall 160 and to the left of the inner wall 161.

[0167] 9, the first communication passage 171 communicates with the front ink chamber 137 of the first ink chamber 131 through an opening 166. The opening 166 is formed by cutting out the left front end portion of the inner wall 75 from the left end to the right. The opening 166 is defined by the inner wall 75, the inner wall 74, and the film 143.

[0168] The first communication passage 171 extends rearward from the opening 166 and then extends to the right. Then, as shown in Fig. 8, the first communication passage 171 extends rearward and then extends forward making a U-turn, leading to a through hole 175 (see Fig. 10). The through hole 175 is a hole that penetrates the inner walls 160 and 161 in the left-right direction 9, and connects the first communication passage 171, the second communication passage 172, and the third communication passage 173.

[0169] 9, a portion of first communication passage 171 extending rearward from opening 166 is defined by upper wall 104, side wall 162A of recess 162, inner wall 74, inner wall 75, and film 143. A portion of first communication passage 171 extending rightward is defined by upper wall 104, side wall 162B of recess 162, inner wall 75, and front wall 144A of protrusion 144. As shown in FIG. 8, a portion of first communication passage 171 to the right of inner wall 71 is defined by inner wall 71, inner wall 73, inner wall 75, inner wall 76, inner wall 77, and film 142.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 9, the frame 141 has a protruding portion 167 protruding rearward from the rear wall 110. The protruding portion 167 detects the level of the ink stored in the ink chamber 111 of the ink tank 100 in the usage position by being irradiated with light by an optical sensor 98 described later. The protruding portion 167 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protruding portion 167 has an internal space 167A, and the front and rear ends of the protruding portion 167 are open. The front end of the internal space 167A of the protruding portion 167 communicates with the upper ink chamber 52 of the second ink chamber 132. In other words, the internal space 167A is provided in the second ink chamber 132. The rear end of the protruding portion 167 is open. The open rear end of the protruding portion 167 is closed by attaching a film 139.

[0171] In a horizontal cross section of the ink tank 100 at a height below the upper end and above the lower end of the internal space 167A of the protruding portion 167, the cross-sectional area of ​​the second ink chamber 132 when viewed from above is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first ink chamber 131 when viewed from above. The internal space 167A of the protruding portion 167 communicates with the second ink chamber 132, which has a smaller cross-sectional area.

[0172] In this embodiment, the internal space 167A of the protruding portion 167 communicates with the second ink chamber 132, but the internal space 167A may communicate with the first ink chamber 131. In other words, the internal space 167A may be provided in the first ink chamber 131. In this case, the protruding portion 167 may protrude from the front wall 101 or the left wall 103, for example.

[0173] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protruding portion 167 is provided only on the ink tank 100B among the ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M. However, the protruding portion 167 may be provided on at least one of the ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M.

[0174] [Optical Sensor 98] The printer unit 11 is equipped with an optical sensor 98. The optical sensor 98 is attached to the housing 14. As shown by dashed lines in Fig. 9, the optical sensor 98 is located to the right and left of the protruding portion 167 of the frame 141 of the ink tank 100B when the tank set 99 is placed inside the housing 14.

[0175] The optical sensor 98 includes a light-emitting unit 98A and a light-receiving unit 98B. The light-emitting unit 98A and the light-receiving unit 98B are disposed on either side of the protruding unit 167 in the left-right direction 9. The light-emitting unit 98A is located to the right of the protruding unit 167. The light-receiving unit 98B is located to the left of the protruding unit 167. The positions of the light-emitting unit 98A and the light-receiving unit 98B may be reversed.

[0176] The positions of the light emitter 98A and the light receiver 98B in the up-down direction 7 are determined so that the position of the light emitter 98A where light is irradiated to the light receiver 98B and the position of the light receiver 98B where light from the light emitter 98A is received are at a height equal to or lower than the second line 147. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the optical sensor 98 is located below the second line 147. That is, the height of the position of the protrusion 167 that corresponds to the optical path of the light irradiated from the optical sensor 98 is lower than the dashed line shown in FIG. 10. Here, the dashed line indicates the ink level that is the minimum amount of ink that must be replenished in the ink tank in the usage position. As described above, the position of the protrusion 167 in the up-down direction 7 includes a position lower than the second line 147.

[0177] The optical sensor 98 is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) of the multifunction device 10 via an electric circuit.

[0178] Light is emitted from the light-emitting portion 98A toward the light-receiving portion 98B. The emitted light passes through the protruding portion 167 and enters the internal space 167A of the protruding portion 167. When the liquid level of the ink stored in the internal space 167A is above the optical path, the light is blocked by the ink stored in the internal space 167A and does not reach the light-receiving portion 98B. This causes the optical sensor 98 to output a low-level signal to the control unit. On the other hand, when the liquid level of the ink is below the optical path, the light travels through the air in the internal space 167A. In this case, the light passes through the internal space 167A and reaches the light-receiving portion 98B. This causes the optical sensor 98 to output a high-level signal to the control unit.

[0179] The control unit determines that the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber 111 is higher than the second line 147 when the signal from the optical sensor 98 is at a low level, and determines that the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber 111 is lower than the second line 147 when the signal from the optical sensor 98 is at a high level.

[0180] [Inlet 112] As shown in FIG. 1B, the inclined walls 106 of the ink tanks 100B, 100Y, 100C, and 100M are each provided with an inlet 112B, 112Y, 112C, or 112M (which may be collectively referred to as an inlet 112) for injecting ink into the first ink chamber 131 of the ink chamber 111. The inlet 112 (an example of a liquid inlet) penetrates the inclined walls 106 in the thickness direction, and connects the corresponding first ink chamber 131 to the outside of the ink tank 100. The inner surface of the inclined walls 106 faces the front ink chamber 137 of the first ink chamber 131. The outer surface of the inclined walls 106 faces the outside of the ink tank 100. Thus, the inlet 112 directly connects the first ink chamber 131 to the outside of the ink tank 100. That is, in this embodiment, the inlet 112 is provided in the first ink chamber 131 that is not provided with the protruding portion 167, out of the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132. The inlet 112 may be for injecting ink into the second ink chamber 132.

[0181] The inclined wall 106 and the filler port 112 provided in the inclined wall 106 are exposed to the outside of the multifunction device 10 through the opening 22 by positioning the cover 70 in the open position. The position (filling position) of the ink tank 100 when ink is filled into the first ink chamber 131 through the filler port 112 is the usage position. In other words, when the ink tank 100 is in the usage position, ink is filled into the first ink chamber 131 through the filler port 112.

[0182] [Cap 113] 1, the ink tank 100 has caps 113B, 113Y, 113C, and 113M that are detachable from the inclined wall 106 to close the filler port 112. There are four caps 113B, 113Y, 113C, and 113M corresponding to the four filler ports 112B, 112Y, 112C, and 112M of the ink tank 100. 1(A), the cap 113 attached to the inclined wall 106 comes into close contact with the wall surface that defines the periphery of the inlet 112 to close the inlet 112. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1(B), the cap 113 removed from the inclined wall 106 opens the inlet 112. The cap 113 is attached to and detached from the inclined wall 106 with the cover 70 positioned in the open position. In addition, by removing the cap 113 from the inlet 112, it becomes possible to inject ink into the ink chamber 111 through the inlet 112.

[0183] [Cover 70] As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 70 is provided to be able to open and close the opening 22 formed in the front wall 14A of the housing 14. The cover 70 rotates about a rotation axis 70A extending along the left-right direction 9. The cover 70 has an outer shape of a size corresponding to the opening 22, and is box-shaped opening toward the opening 22. In the closed position, the cover 70 covers the standing wall 102 and inclined wall 106 of the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100. In the open position, the cover 70 exposes the standing wall 102 and inclined wall 106 of the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 to the outside of the housing 14.

[0184] [Effects of the above embodiment] According to the above embodiment, the ink tank 100 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces (the ink chamber 111 and the air communication passage).

[0185] According to the above embodiment, the films 142 and 143 are provided on the right and left sides of the ink chamber 111. In addition, when viewed along the left-right direction 9, the first and second communication passages 171 and 172 (first portion) of the atmosphere communication passage overlap with the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 (second portion). This allows the first portion to be partitioned by the film 142 and the second portion to be partitioned by the film 143. Also, the second portion can be partitioned by the film 142 and the first portion can be partitioned by the film 143. Also, it is possible to partition a part of the first portion by the film 142 and a portion of the second portion corresponding to the part by the film 143, while another portion of the first portion corresponding to the part by the film 143 and a portion of the second portion corresponding to the other portion by the film 142. By configuring as described above, the space occupied by the ink tank 100 can be kept small.

[0186] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are long in the left-right direction 9, i.e., the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are deep, so that ink can flow smoothly through the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172. Here, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are in communication with the ink chamber 111. Therefore, ink that has entered the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 from the ink chamber 111 due to, for example, tilting the ink tank 100 can be quickly returned to the ink chamber 111.

[0187] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 can be gathered on the right side, and the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 can be gathered on the left side. This allows the structure of the ink tank 100 to be simplified.

[0188] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, since the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are wide, ink can flow smoothly through the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172. Here, the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 are in communication with the ink chamber 111. Therefore, ink that has entered the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 from the ink chamber 111 due to, for example, tilting the ink tank 100 can be quickly returned to the ink chamber 111.

[0189] According to the above embodiment, the inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 intersect with the partition wall 186. Therefore, when a force is applied to the partition wall 186 toward the inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 along the left-right direction 9, for example, when the film 143 is pressed against the partition wall 186 during welding of the film 143, the inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 can support the partition wall 186. Also, when a force is applied to the inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82 toward the partition wall 186 along the left-right direction 9, for example, when the film 142 is pressed against the inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 87 during welding of the film 142, the partition wall 186 can support the inner walls 75, 76, 77, and 82. In other words, the strength of the ink tank 100 can be increased.

[0190] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, the flow of ink is blocked by the semipermeable membrane 183, so that leakage of ink to the outside of the ink tank 100 through the air opening 187 can be prevented.

[0191] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, in order for the ink that has entered the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 from the ink chamber 111 to come into contact with the semipermeable membrane 183, the ink must make a U-turn from the first passage 176 and enter the second passage 177. This makes it possible to reduce adhesion of the ink to the semipermeable membrane 183.

[0192] [Variations] 12(A), in the above embodiment, the first portion 121 (the portion formed by the first communication passage 171 and the second communication passage 172 in the above embodiment) was located entirely on the right side of the housing 140, and the second portion 122 (the portion formed by the rear communication passage 178 and the labyrinth 179 in the above embodiment) was located entirely on the left side of the housing 140. In other words, the first portion 121 was defined by the film 142, and the second portion 122 was defined by the film 143.

[0193] 12(B), the entire first portion 121 may be located on the left side of the housing 140, and the entire second portion 122 may be located on the right side of the housing 140. In other words, the first portion 121 may be defined by the film 143, and the second portion 122 may be defined by the film 142. In this case, the inner wall 71 is provided at a position close to the right end of the frame 141 in the left-right direction 9.

[0194] 12C, a part of first portion 121 may be located on the right side of housing 140, and the other part of first portion 121 may be located on the left side of housing 140. In addition, as shown in FIG. Also, a part of the second part 122 may be located on the left side of the housing 140, and the other part of the second part 122 may be located on the right side of the housing 140. In this case, a part of the first part 121 faces a part of the second part 122 in the left-right direction 9, and the other part of the first part 121 faces the part of the second part 122. Note that, although the first part 121 and the second part 122 are entirely opposed to each other in the left-right direction 9 in FIG. 12(C), only a part of the first part 121 and the second part 122 may face each other in the left-right direction 9.

[0195] 12(B) and 12(C), the directions in which the first path 176, the second path 177, and the third path 170 extend may be opposite to those in the above embodiment. For example, the first path 176 may communicate with the first portion 121 in the vicinity of the film 143 and extend rightward toward the film 142. The second path 177 may communicate with the first path 176 in the vicinity of the film 142 and extend leftward toward the film 143. The third path 170 may communicate with the second path 177 in the vicinity of the film 143 and extend rightward toward the film 142.

[0196] In the above embodiment, each ink tank 100 is provided with one injection port 112, but two or more injection ports may be provided.

[0197] In the above embodiment, each ink tank 100 is provided with one air opening port 187, but two or more air opening ports may be provided.

[0198] In the above embodiment, each ink tank 100 is provided with one opening 158 through which the ink in the ink chamber 111 flows out, but two or more openings may be provided.

[0199] In the above embodiment, the second ink chamber 132 is provided with the buffer chamber 148 and the ink outflow path 114, but the first ink chamber 131 may be provided with the buffer chamber 148 and the ink outflow path 114. In this case, the buffer chamber 148 is interposed between the first ink chamber 131 and the ink outflow path 114. In addition, both the first ink chamber 131 and the second ink chamber 132 may be provided with the buffer chamber 148 and the ink outflow path 114.

[0200] In the above embodiment, ink is described as an example of the liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, instead of ink, a pretreatment liquid that is ejected onto the recording paper prior to the ink during printing, or water that is sprayed near the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39 to prevent the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39 from drying, may be an example of the liquid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0201] 10...Multifunction device (device) 39... Recording head (liquid consumption part) 100···Ink tank (tank) 111 Ink chamber (liquid storage chamber) 112...Inlet (liquid inlet) 140... Enclosure 142···Film (First Film) 143···Film (2nd film) 158...Opening (liquid outlet) 171...1st communication passage (1st part) 172...Second communication passage (first part) 178... Rear communication passage (2nd part) 179 Labyrinth (Part 2) 187 Atmospheric vent

Claims

1. A tank having a length in a left-right direction shorter than a length in a front-rear direction when the tank is placed in a device having a liquid consuming unit, A liquid storage chamber for storing liquid; a liquid inlet through which liquid is injected into the liquid storage chamber; An atmosphere vent; A first portion; and a second portion extending in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction and repeating U-turns while extending; a wall separating the first portion and the second portion in a left-right direction, the first portion and the second portion are part of an atmosphere communication passage, the liquid storage chamber is in communication with the outside of the tank via the first portion, the second portion, and the atmosphere opening port; The tank, wherein the entire second portion overlaps with the first portion when viewed along the left-right direction.

2. A liquid storage device comprising: a front wall defining a front surface of the liquid storage chamber; and a rear wall defining a rear surface of the liquid storage chamber; 2. The tank according to claim 1, wherein the front wall has a line extending in the left-right direction on an outer surface thereof.

3. At least a portion of one of a pair of side surfaces that face each other in the left-right direction and that form an outer surface of the tank is made of a film, The tank according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the film defines a portion of the liquid storage chamber and a portion of the second portion.

4. 4. The tank of claim 3, wherein the film that defines a portion of the liquid storage chamber and a portion of the second portion is a single film.

5. At least a portion of one of a pair of side surfaces that face each other in the left-right direction and that form an outer surface of the tank is made of a film, The tank according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the film defines a portion of the liquid storage chamber and a portion of the first portion.

6. 6. The tank according to claim 5, wherein the film that defines a portion of the liquid storage chamber and a portion of the first portion is a single film.

7. The tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second portion has a length in the left-right direction that is shorter than the length of the first portion in the left-right direction.

8. The tank according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first portion and the second portion are disposed above the liquid storage chamber.

Images