Liquid dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge device which prevents a liquid from being injected from a liquid bottle having wrong specifications when the liquid is injected from a liquid bottle into a liquid storage chamber.SOLUTION: A printer 1 has: a support portion 19b which supports an ink bottle 105 having an information storage part 106; an information reading part 85 which reads information stored in the information storage part 106; and a moving mechanism 71 serving as a restriction mechanism which may restrict an ink stored in the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b from being injected into a storage chamber 62a. A control unit 40 controls the moving mechanism 71 so that an ink tank 61 is prohibited from moving from an injection restriction position to an injectable position when the information read by the information reading part 85 is not authenticated. Further, the control unit 40 controls the moving mechanism 71 so that the ink tank 61 is allowed to move from the injection restriction position to the injectable position when the information read by the information reading part 85 is authenticated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device that includes a liquid storage section in which liquid is stored. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a liquid ejection device (liquid ejection device) that includes a liquid ejection head (liquid ejection head), an ink tank (liquid storage section) that contains ink to be supplied to the liquid ejection head, and a carriage that is mounted with the liquid ejection head and the ink tank and is movable along a movement path.

[0003] In the device of Patent Document 1, the ink tank is provided with a liquid inlet through which ink can be injected from a refill container (liquid bottle). The liquid inlet is located above the liquid ejection head and is normally closed by a cap. Ink is refilled into the ink tank by removing the cap and attaching the refill container to the liquid inlet with the carriage positioned at a position allowing liquid injection. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-69587 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when the ink tank is located far from the front of the device or when only a portion of the ink tank is visible at the liquid injectable position, it is difficult for the user to accurately recognize the type of ink contained inside the ink tank and the ink volume that the ink tank can hold. In such cases, a refill container that contains a different type of ink than the ink to be injected into the ink tank or a refill container with an ink volume that differs from the ink volume of the ink tank may be attached to the liquid inlet. In this case, ink may be injected into the ink tank from a refill container with incorrect specifications, such as the type of ink contained and the ink volume, that do not correspond to those of the ink tank.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection device that prevents liquid from being injected from a liquid bottle of incorrect specifications when injecting liquid from a liquid storage chamber from the liquid bottle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The liquid ejection device of the present invention comprises a liquid ejection head having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto a recording medium, a liquid storage section having a liquid storage chamber for storing liquid and a liquid inlet connecting the liquid storage chamber to the outside, a support section for detachably supporting a liquid bottle having an information storage section in which information relating to the liquid contained therein is stored, an information reading section for reading the information stored in the information storage section of the liquid bottle supported by the support section, a regulating mechanism capable of restricting the liquid contained in the liquid bottle supported by the support section from being injected into the liquid storage chamber through the liquid inlet, and a control section, wherein when the information read by the information reading section is not authenticated, the control section controls the regulating mechanism so as to maintain an injection restricted state in which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle supported by the support section into the liquid storage chamber is restricted, and when the information read by the information reading section is authenticated, the control section controls the regulating mechanism so as to allow the injection of liquid from the liquid bottle supported by the support section to be changed from the injection restricted state to an injection enabled state in which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle into the liquid storage chamber is possible. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is determined whether the specifications of the liquid bottle supported by the support unit correspond to the liquid storage unit based on the information read by the information reading unit. Then, the liquid storage unit can be set to a pouring state only when the information is authenticated. Therefore, when pouring liquid from a liquid bottle into the liquid storage chamber, pouring liquid from a liquid bottle with incorrect specifications can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is an overall perspective view of the printer in FIG. 1 with its upper cover open. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of the printer shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a side view of the ink tank and the ink-jet head shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the bottle support portion. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 2, showing the state in which the ink bottle is supported by the bottle support portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a side view of an ink tank and an ink-jet head according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a bottle support part according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (First embodiment) A printer 1 (liquid ejection device of the present invention) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions shown in Figure 1 are the up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions of the printer 1.

[0011] (Overall configuration of Printer 1) As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a housing 11 that is generally rectangular. An opening 12 is formed in the approximate center of a front wall 11a of the housing 11. A paper feed tray 15 and a paper discharge tray 16 are provided in the opening 12 in two stages, one above the other. The paper feed tray 15 is configured to be insertable and removable in the front-rear direction from the opening 12, that is, to be detachable from the housing 11. Paper P (recording medium of the present invention) of a desired size (e.g., A4 size) is placed on the paper feed tray 15. The printer 1 can be connected to an external device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC). Then, the printer 1 executes a recording operation based on recording data from the PC or the like.

[0012] 1, an operation unit 13 is provided on the left part of the top surface of the housing 11. The operation unit 13 is composed of buttons operated for various settings, a liquid crystal display on which various information is displayed, and the like. In this embodiment, the operation unit 13 is composed of buttons operated for various settings. The operation unit 13 may be composed of a touch panel having both the functions of buttons and a liquid crystal display.

[0013] The top of the housing 11 is open. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 has a scanner member 99 that partially covers the top opening of the housing 11. The scanner member 99 is capable of reading image information of a sheet of paper P. The information read by the scanner member 99 is temporarily stored in a RAM 133 of the control unit 40, which will be described later. When image data is saved with a name, the information may be saved in an EEPROM 134, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the scanner member 99 is a flatbed scanner.

[0014] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the housing 11 has an opening / closing cover 14 that constitutes the ceiling portion. The opening / closing cover 14 covers the entire upper portion of the scanner member 99. The opening / closing cover 14 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft (not shown) that is aligned in the left-right direction at the rear end of the housing 11. As shown in Fig. 3, the opening / closing cover 14 is opened by rotating it counterclockwise around the rotation shaft (not shown) at the rear end of the housing 11, thereby exposing the scanner member 99 to the outside. The opening / closing cover 14 is closed when an image is recorded on a paper P by a recording unit 30 (described later) or when ink is replenished to an ink tank 61 (described later). As shown in Fig. 1, the opening / closing cover 14 has a notch formed at the left end portion rearward of the center portion in the front-rear direction.

[0015] In addition, an openable upper cover 73 is formed at a position that does not overlap with the opening / closing cover 14 in a plan view, covering a part of the upper part of the housing 11. The upper cover 73 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis 74 that runs along the left-right direction at the rear and left part of the top surface of the housing 11, as shown in Fig. 2. The opening / closing cover 14 and the upper cover 73 cover the entire upper part of the housing 11.

[0016] (Internal structure of Printer 1) Next, a description will be given of the internal structure of the printer 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the printer 1 includes a transport mechanism 20, a recording unit 30, a bottle support unit 19, the above-mentioned scanner member 99, a remaining amount detection unit 80 (see Fig. 5), an information reading unit 85 (see Figs. 5 and 6), a notification unit 86 (see Fig. 5), and a control unit 40.

[0017] The transport mechanism 20 has a feeding section 50, a transport path 52, a transport roller pair 53, and a paper discharge roller pair 54. As shown in FIG. 3, the feeding section 50 feeds the paper P placed on the paper feed tray 15 to the transport path 52. The transport roller pair 53 transports the paper P fed by the feeding section 50 to the recording section 30. The recording section 30 has a configuration of, for example, an inkjet recording system, and records an image on the paper P transported by the transport roller pair 53. The paper discharge roller pair 54 discharges the paper P recorded by the recording section 30 to the paper discharge tray 16.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the feeding unit 50 is provided above the paper feed tray 15. The feeding unit 50 has a paper feed roller 50a and an arm 50b. The paper feed roller 50a is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm 50b. The arm 50b is rotatably supported on a support shaft 50c and is biased by a spring or the like to rotate the paper feed roller 50a downward so that the paper feed tray 15 comes into contact with the paper feed tray 15. The arm 50b is configured to be able to retract upward when the paper feed tray 15 is attached or detached. The paper feed roller 50a is driven to rotate by a paper feed motor 91M (see FIG. 5), and the paper P loaded in the paper feed tray 15 is fed to the conveying path 52.

[0019] 3, the paper feed tray 15 has an inclined wall portion 15a. The inclined wall portion 15a guides the paper P placed on the paper feed tray 15 to the transport path 52 when the paper P is fed by the paper feed roller 50a.

[0020] 3, the transport path 52 is formed inside the housing 11 and bends upward from the rear end of the paper feed tray 15 toward the front side of the printer 1. The paper P fed from the paper feed tray 15 is guided by the transport path 52 to make a U-turn from below to above, and reaches the recording unit 30.

[0021] The conveying roller pair 53 has a conveying roller 53a arranged on the lower side and a pinch roller 53b arranged on the upper side. The conveying roller 53a is driven to rotate by a conveying motor 92M (see FIG. 5). The pinch roller 53b rotates with the rotation of the conveying roller 53a. The conveying roller 53a and the pinch roller 53b cooperate to sandwich the paper P from above and below, and convey the paper P to the recording unit 30.

[0022] The pair of discharge rollers 54 includes a discharge roller 54a disposed on the lower side and a spur roller 54b disposed on the upper side. The discharge roller 54a is driven to rotate by a discharge motor 93M (see FIG. 5). The spur roller 54b rotates with the rotation of the discharge roller 54a. The discharge roller 54a and the spur roller 54b cooperate to hold the paper P from above and below, and transport the paper P to the discharge tray 16.

[0023] In this embodiment, the conveying direction of the paper P is the direction in which the paper P is conveyed from the paper feed tray 15 by the conveying mechanism 20, and is the direction of the solid arrow in Fig. 3. Specifically, the conveying direction of the paper P is the direction in which the paper P is sent from the front to the rear by the paper feed roller 50a, guided to make a U-turn by the conveying path 52, and further sent from the rear to the front by the conveying roller pair 53 and the paper discharge roller pair 54.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 30 has an inkjet head 31 (liquid ejection head of the present invention), four ink tanks 61 (liquid storage units of the present invention), a carriage 70, a moving mechanism 71, and a platen 17. The carriage 70 moves back and forth in a scanning direction (a left-right direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the paper P). The inkjet head 31 and the ink tanks 61 are supported by the carriage 70. That is, the printer 1 in this embodiment is a so-called on-carriage type in which the ink tanks 61 and the inkjet head 31 are mounted on the carriage 70. The ink tanks 61 in this embodiment are entirely located above the inkjet head 31. However, this is not limited thereto, and a part of the ink tanks 61 may be located above the upper surface of the inkjet head 31, and the remaining part may be located below the upper surface.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, each ink tank 61 has a tank body 62, a valve 63, an air communication passage 64, and an electromagnetic valve 65. The tank body 62 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an ink storage chamber 62a (liquid storage chamber of the present invention) for storing ink formed therein. Magenta, cyan, yellow, and black (M, C, Y, B) inks are stored in the ink storage chambers 62a of each of the four ink tanks 61. The tank body 62 is mainly made of a light-transmitting material (for example, a transparent or translucent resin). This allows the user to visually check the amount of ink in the ink storage chambers 62a.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the tank body 62 has a through hole 62c penetrating its upper wall 62b. The through hole 62c is formed in the center of the upper wall 62b in the left-right direction, and is located slightly forward. A cylinder 66 is fitted into the through hole 62c. The cylinder 66 has an ink inlet 67 (a liquid inlet of the present invention) at its upper end. The ink inlet 67 is an opening that opens upward (i.e., toward the outside). The inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 66 defines an ink supply path 66a (a flow path of the present invention) that extends from the ink inlet 67 to the ink storage chamber 62a. As a result, the ink inlet 67 communicates between the ink storage chamber 62a and the outside.

[0027] The valve 63 is a valve for opening and closing the ink inlet 67. The valve 63 is, for example, a two-way electromagnetic valve, and has a valve portion 63a and a solenoid portion 63b. The valve portion 63a is disposed in the ink storage chamber 62a, and has an internal flow path (not shown) that communicates with the ink inlet 67 and the ink storage chamber 62a, and a valve (not shown) that opens and closes the internal flow path. When the solenoid portion 63b of the valve 63 is driven under the control of the control unit 40, the valve portion 63a moves in the front-rear direction, opening and closing the ink inlet 67. When the valve 63 is in an open state, it is possible to inject ink into the ink storage chamber 62a through the ink inlet 67. When the valve 63 is in a closed state, the injection of ink into the ink storage chamber 62a through the ink inlet 67 is restricted.

[0028] 4, an atmosphere communication passage 64 is formed in the tank body 62, penetrating the upper wall 62b and connecting the ink storage chamber 62a to the outside. The atmosphere communication passage 64 is formed in the rear position, in the center in the left-right direction of the upper wall 62b.

[0029] The electromagnetic valve 65 is a valve for opening and closing the atmosphere communication passage 64. The electromagnetic valve 65 is disposed above the carriage 70. The electromagnetic valve 65 is a two-way electromagnetic valve, and has a valve portion 65a and a solenoid portion 65b. The valve portion 65a is disposed in the ink storage chamber 62a, and has an internal flow path (not shown) that communicates with the atmosphere communication passage 64 and the ink storage chamber 62a, and a valve (not shown) that opens and closes the internal flow path. When the solenoid portion 65b is driven under the control of the control unit 40, the valve portion 65a of the electromagnetic valve 65 moves in the front-rear direction, opening and closing the atmosphere communication passage 64.

[0030] The tank body 62 also has an outlet 62h formed therein, which penetrates a bottom wall 62g thereof and allows the ink in the ink storage chamber 62a to flow out to the inkjet head 31. The outlet 62h is located in the center of the bottom wall 62g in the left-right direction, near the front end portion.

[0031] The inkjet head 31 has an internal flow path (not shown) to which ink is supplied from an ink tank 61. The inkjet head 31 ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles 32 formed on a nozzle surface 31a, which is the lower surface of the inkjet head 31, as shown in Fig. 4. More specifically, the nozzles 32 form a nozzle row that extends in the front-rear direction and along the transport direction of the paper P. Ink is ejected from the nozzles 32.

[0032] 4, the inkjet head 31 is connected to the ink tank 61 via a connection member 69. The connection member 69 is formed with a communication passage (liquid flow passage) 69a that connects the outlet 62h and an internal flow passage of the inkjet head 31. This allows ink stored in the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61 to be supplied to the inkjet head 31.

[0033] The platen 17 is disposed below the inkjet head 31 and supports from below the paper P transported by the transport roller pair 53. The platen 17 is disposed in a portion of the reciprocating movement range of the carriage 70 through which the paper P passes. Since the width of the platen 17 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the paper P that can be transported, the paper P transported along the transport path 52 always passes over the platen 17.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the movement mechanism 71 includes a pair of guide rails 72 and a belt transmission mechanism (not shown). The pair of guide rails 72 are disposed at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction and extend parallel to each other in the left-right direction. The carriage 70 is disposed so as to straddle the pair of guide rails 72. The carriage 70 is connected to a carriage motor 94M (see FIG. 5) via the belt transmission mechanism, and when the carriage motor 94M is driven, the belt transmission mechanism is driven. As a result, the carriage 70 moves in the scanning direction (left-right direction) along the pair of guide rails 72, and moves the inkjet head 31 along the left-right direction.

[0035] The inkjet head 31 ejects ink from the nozzles 32 under the control of the control unit 40 based on the recording data. In other words, the inkjet head 31 scans the paper P as the carriage 70 moves back and forth in the left-right direction, and ejects ink from the nozzles 32 to record an image on the paper P transported on the platen 17. A linear encoder (not shown) having a large number of light-transmitting sections (slits) arranged at intervals in the scanning direction is provided inside the printer 1. Meanwhile, the carriage 70 is provided with a transmission-type position detection sensor (not shown) having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. The printer 1 is capable of recognizing the current position of the carriage 70 in the scanning direction from the count value of the light-transmitting sections of the linear encoder detected by the position detection sensor while the carriage 70 is moving, and the rotational drive of the carriage motor 94M is controlled.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, the bottle support 19 is a member that supports an ink bottle 105 that injects ink into the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61. One bottle support 19 is disposed above the carriage 70 and below the upper cover 73. The bottle support 19 has a flat base 19a that extends in the left-right direction, and a support portion 19b (support portion of the present invention) that is formed on the base 19a and can support the tip portion of the ink bottle 105. The tip portion of the ink bottle 105 that contains the same type of ink as that contained in the ink tank 61 that is to be refilled among the four ink tanks 61 is supported on the support portion 19b. Then, the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b is attached to the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61, whereby ink is injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61.

[0037] The ink bottle 105 has an information storage unit 106 that stores information about the ink contained therein. The information storage unit 106 is formed near the tip of the ink bottle 105. The information storage unit 106 is, for example, a COB (Chip On Board) type. The information about the ink stored in the information storage unit 106 is, for example, information about the type of ink contained in the ink bottle 105 and the capacity of the ink bottle 105. The type of ink is, for example, the color of the ink, the type of pigment or dye, and the model compatible with that ink.

[0038] In this embodiment, the ink bottle 105 is a small disposable bottle. That is, when ink is injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink tank 61, the entire amount of ink in the ink bottle 105 is injected.

[0039] The scanner member 99 is disposed in the left-right direction below the opening / closing cover 14 and above the carriage 70. The scanner member 99 is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the upper cover 73 in a plan view. When the ink tank 61 is below the scanner member 99 on the movement path of the ink tank 61, which moves left-right together with the carriage 70, the user cannot access the ink inlet 67. In other words, when the ink tank 61 is below the scanner member 99 on the movement path of the ink tank 61, the scanner member 99 restricts the injection of ink from the ink inlet 67 into the ink storage chamber 62a.

[0040] The remaining amount detection unit 80 detects the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61. The remaining amount detection unit 80 detects the remaining amount of ink stored in each of the ink storage chambers 62a of the four ink tanks 61. In this embodiment, the remaining amount detection unit 80 is a sensor arm type including a float member (not shown) supported at the tip of a swingable arm in the ink storage chamber 62a of each ink tank 61 and an optical sensor (not shown) capable of detecting the position of the float member. The float member is a member having a smaller specific gravity than the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 62a, and the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a can be detected by detecting the position of the float member with the optical sensor. A signal including information on the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a detected by the remaining amount detection unit 80 is transmitted to the control unit 40. The remaining amount detection unit 80 may constantly detect the amount of ink remaining in the ink storage chamber 62a, or may detect the amount of ink remaining only when an ink refill command (described later) is received.

[0041] The information reading unit 85 reads information stored in the information storage unit 106 of the ink bottle 105 supported by the bottle support unit 19. In this embodiment, one information reading unit 85 is provided. The information reading unit 85 is disposed near the support portion 19b as shown in Fig. 6. Note that the information reading unit 85 is omitted from Fig. 2.

[0042] The notification unit 86 notifies the user of the timing to support the ink bottle 105 on the bottle support portion 19. The notification may be performed, for example, by emitting a sound, or by displaying on the liquid crystal display of the operation unit 13 or on the screen of a PC connected to the printer 1, or both, or by some other means.

[0043] The control unit 40 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 131, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 135, and a memory 140. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, and the memory 140 are connected by an internal bus 137. The memory 140 includes a read only memory (ROM) 132, a random access memory (RAM) 133, and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) 134. The ROM 132 stores programs for controlling various operations of the printer 1. The ROM 132 also stores authentication information for authenticating the information stored in the information storage unit 106. The authentication information is information about the ink contained in each ink tank 61. In other words, the ROM 132 corresponds to the storage unit of the present invention. The CPU 131 executes the programs while using the RAM 133 and the EEPROM 134.

[0044] The ASIC 135 outputs control signals to the inkjet head 31, the valve 63, the electromagnetic valve 65, the paper feed motor 91M, the transport motor 92M, the paper discharge motor 93M, the carriage motor 94M, etc., and controls their operations. For example, the control unit 40 controls the inkjet head 31, the paper feed motor 91M, the transport motor 92M, the paper discharge motor 93M, the carriage motor 94M, etc., based on recording data transmitted from an external device (e.g., a PC or a smartphone), alternately performs a transport process and a recording process, and records an image or the like on the paper P. The ASIC 135 is also capable of receiving signals transmitted from the operation unit 13, signals transmitted from the remaining amount detection unit 80, etc.

[0045] (Supply of ink to ink tank 61) Next, an example of a user's operation procedure and a process performed by the control unit 40 when filling the ink tank 61 with ink using the ink bottle 105 in the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0046] When the remaining amount of ink detected by the remaining amount detection unit 80 for any of the four ink tanks 61 falls below a predetermined amount, the control unit 40 causes the notification unit 86 to notify that it is time to support the ink bottle 105 on the bottle support unit 19. The predetermined amount is, for example, the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a such that the amount of ink that can be injected into the ink storage chamber 62a matches the amount of ink contained in the disposable ink bottle 105 when the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a reaches the predetermined amount. Alternatively, the predetermined amount is the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a such that the amount of ink that can be injected into the ink storage chamber 62a matches the amount of ink contained in the disposable ink bottle 105 when the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a reaches the predetermined amount within a range in which the pressure inside the ink tank 61 is equal to or less than the withstand pressure value of the ink meniscus formed in the nozzle 32.

[0047] When a notification is issued by the notification unit 86, the user operates the operation unit 13 to send to the control unit 40 a signal instructing to replenish ink for the ink tank 61 in which the remaining ink level falls below a predetermined level. For example, when attempting to replenish ink to the ink tank 61 in which yellow ink is stored, a signal instructing to replenish yellow ink is sent to the control unit 40. Note that the ink replenishment instruction may be sent from the operation unit 13 to the control unit 40 by manual operation by the user, or may be sent to the control unit 40 from an external device.

[0048] When the control unit 40 receives the ink replenishment instruction signal, it temporarily reserves an operation command for the moving mechanism 71 to move the ink tank 61 that is the target of ink replenishment for which the ink replenishment instruction has been issued to a fillable position (described later).

[0049] Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the user opens the upper cover 73 and supports the ink bottle 105 containing the ink to be refilled into the ink tank 61 that is the target of ink replenishment for which an ink replenishment command has been issued, on the support portion 19b of the bottle support portion 19.

[0050] When the ink bottle 105 is supported by the support portion 19b of the bottle support portion 19, the information reading portion 85 reads the information stored in the information storage portion 106 of the ink bottle 105. The control portion 40 determines whether or not the information read by the information reading portion 85 is authenticated, using the authentication information stored in the ROM 132. "Authenticated" may mean, for example, that the information read by the information reading portion 85 matches the authentication information stored in the ROM 132. Alternatively, the meaning of "authenticated" may include that the ink contained in the ink bottle 105 corresponds to the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink, even if the information read by the information reading portion 85 does not completely match the authentication information stored in the ROM 132.

[0051] When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the movement mechanism 71 so as to prohibit the movement of the ink tank 61 from the injection restriction position to the injection possible position while allowing the movement at the injection restriction position. That is, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 executes the above-mentioned invalidation process of the operation command of the movement mechanism 71. As a result, the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink cannot be moved to the injection possible position, and the injection of ink into the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61 is restricted. In this embodiment, the prohibition of the movement of the ink tank 61 from the injection restriction position to the injection possible position corresponds to the "injection restriction state is maintained" of the present invention. In addition, "while allowing the movement at the injection restriction position" means that the control unit 40 can move the ink tank 61 to any injection restriction position.

[0052] In this embodiment, the ink inlet 67 moves in the left-right direction together with the ink tank 61, and is located below the scanner member 99, the base 19a, or the support portion 19b. The fillable position is a position where the ink inlet 67 is located below an ink bottle 105 supported by one support portion 19b of the bottle support part 19. In this embodiment, the fillable position is a position where only one ink tank 61 out of the multiple ink tanks 61 can be located.

[0053] The injection restriction position is a position where the injection of ink from the ink bottle 105 supported by one of the support parts 19b of the bottle support part 19 into the ink storage chamber 62a is restricted. The injection restriction position in this embodiment is any position except the injection position of the ink tank 61 that moves with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 70, and is a position where the upper part of the ink inlet 67 is covered by either the scanner member 99 or the base part 19a of the bottle support part 19. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 71 positions the ink tank 61 at the injection restriction position, thereby restricting the ink contained in the ink bottle 105 supported by the bottle support part 19 from being injected into the ink storage chamber 62a through the ink inlet 67. That is, in this embodiment, the moving mechanism 71 corresponds to the restriction mechanism of the present invention.

[0054] When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the movement mechanism 71 so that the ink tank 61 corresponding to the authentication among the four ink tanks 61 is permitted to move from the filling restricted position to the filling permitted position. In other words, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 executes the above-mentioned process of validating the operation command of the movement mechanism 71 for the ink tank 61 corresponding to the authentication.

[0055] When the activation process of the operation command of the moving mechanism 71 is executed, the control unit 40 controls the moving mechanism 71 to move the carriage 70, thereby moving the ink tank 61 to be supplied with ink to the fillable position. At this time, the ink tanks 61 other than the ink tank 61 to be supplied with ink are in the fill restricted position. For example, when the ink tank 61 at the right end of the four ink tanks 61 is the ink tank to be supplied with ink, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 40 controls the moving mechanism 71 to move the carriage 70 so that the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61 at the right end is located below the support part 19b. At this time, the ink inlet 67 of the other three ink tanks 61 are located below the base part 19a. In this embodiment, the ink tank 61 being allowed to move from the fill restricted position to the fillable position corresponds to the "allowing the ink tank 61 to be changed from the fill restricted state to the fillable state" of the present invention.

[0056] Even if the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, if the ink bottle 105 supported by the bottle support unit 19 does not correspond to the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink, the control unit 40 may cause the notification unit 86 to notify that fact. This makes it possible to prevent ink from being injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a when the user mistakenly causes the bottle support unit 19 to support an ink bottle 105 that does not correspond to the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink.

[0057] Next, the control unit 40 opens the valve 63 of the ink tank 61 at the fillable position, and ink is filled into the ink storage chamber 62a from the ink bottle 105 supported by the support part 19b through the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink. Here, when the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink moves to the fillable position, the ink inlet 67 and the tip of the ink bottle 105 are spaced apart. Therefore, it is preferable that the ink bottle 105 is one whose tip protrudes downward when pressed from above or automatically. In this case, when the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink moves to the fillable position, the tip of the ink bottle 105 protrudes downward when pressed from above by the user or automatically. As a result, ink can be filled in a state where there is no distance between the ink inlet 67 and the tip of the ink bottle 105. Alternatively, the ink tank 61 may be configured to be able to rise at the fillable position. In this case, when the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink has moved to the position where ink can be injected, the ink tank 61 can be raised to eliminate the distance between the ink inlet 67 and the tip of the ink bottle 105. Also, ink may be injected when there is a distance between the ink inlet 67 and the tip of the ink bottle 105.

[0058] As described above, the printer 1 of this embodiment has the support portion 19b that supports the ink bottle 105 having the information storage portion 106, the information reading portion 85 that reads the information stored in the information storage portion 106, and the movement mechanism 71 as a restriction mechanism that can restrict the ink contained in the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b from being poured into the ink storage chamber 62a. When the information read by the information reading portion 85 is not authenticated, the control portion 40 controls the movement mechanism 71 so as to prohibit the ink tank 61 from moving from the pouring restriction position to the pouring possible position. When the information read by the information reading portion 85 is authenticated, the control portion 40 controls the movement mechanism 71 so as to permit the ink tank 61 to move from the pouring restriction position to the pouring possible position.

[0059] According to this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the specifications of the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b correspond to the ink tank 61, based on the information read by the information reading portion 85. If the information read by the information reading portion 85 is not authenticated, the ink inlet 67 cannot be positioned below the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b, and ink cannot be injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a. This makes it possible to prevent ink from being injected from an ink bottle 105 with incorrect specifications when injecting ink from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a.

[0060] In this embodiment, four ink tanks 61 are provided, and when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the movement mechanism 71 so that the ink tank 61 corresponding to the authentication among the four ink tanks 61 is allowed to move from the injection restricted position to the injection permitted position. This allows ink to be injected only into the ink tank 61 corresponding to the authenticated information among the four ink tanks 61. Therefore, in a configuration having multiple ink tanks 61, when ink is injected from an ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a, it is possible to prevent ink from being injected from an ink bottle 105 of incorrect specifications.

[0061] In addition, in this embodiment, there is one information reading unit 85 and one support portion 19b. When multiple support portions 19b are arranged for multiple ink tanks 61, the ink bottle 105 needs to be supported by the support portion 19b corresponding to the specifications of the ink bottle 105, and the information reading unit 85 corresponding to the support portion 19b needs to read the information. However, since there are multiple support portions 19b, the ink bottle 105 may be mistakenly supported by a support portion 19b other than the support portion 19b that should support it. In this case, even though there is an ink tank 61 corresponding to the specifications of the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b among the multiple ink tanks 61, the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, and the injection restriction state is maintained. According to this embodiment, there is one information reading unit 85 and one support portion 19b, so there is no mistake in the location where the ink bottle 105 is supported. If there is an ink tank 61 among the multiple ink tanks 61 that corresponds to the specifications of the ink bottle 105 supported on the support portion 19b, that ink tank 61 is permitted to move from the injection restricted position to the injection permitted position. Therefore, in a configuration having multiple ink tanks 61, when injecting ink from an ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a, it is possible to prevent ink from being injected from an ink bottle 105 with incorrect specifications, and the ink injection operation can be carried out smoothly. Also, the printer 1 can be made smaller than when multiple information reading units 85 and support portions 19b are provided for multiple ink tanks 61.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 40 includes a ROM 132 that stores authentication information for authenticating the information stored in the information storage unit 106 of the ink bottle 105, and authenticates the information using the authentication information stored in the ROM 132. This allows the authentication process to be performed more quickly than when authentication is performed outside the printer 1.

[0063] In this embodiment, the printer 1 further includes a remaining amount detection unit 80 that detects the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 62a, and a notification unit 86 that notifies the timing of supporting the ink bottle 105 on the support portion 19b. When the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a detected by the remaining amount detection unit 80 falls below a predetermined amount, the control unit 40 causes the notification unit 86 to notify the timing of supporting the ink bottle 105 on the support portion 19b. When there is sufficient ink remaining in the ink storage chamber 62a, it is not necessary to support the ink bottle 105 on the support portion 19b and inject ink into the ink storage chamber 62a. According to this embodiment, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a falls below a predetermined amount, it is notified that it is time to support the ink bottle 105 on the support portion 19b. This allows the ink bottle 105 to be supported by the support portion 19b at an appropriate time, and the information stored in the information storage unit 106 of the ink bottle 105 to be authenticated.

[0064] In this embodiment, the remaining ink amount detection unit 80 is of the sensor arm type, which makes it possible to reliably detect the remaining ink amount in the ink storage chamber 62a.

[0065] Second embodiment In the first embodiment, the movement mechanism 71 is the regulating mechanism of the present invention. However, the regulating mechanism of the present invention may have another configuration. Below, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in which the regulating mechanism is an openable / closable valve 63 (see FIG. 4) arranged in a supply path 66a from the outlet of the ink bottle 105 to the ink storage chamber 62a. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] When the control unit 40 receives an ink replenishment instruction signal, it temporarily holds back the operation command to open the valve 63 in order to enable the injection of ink into the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61 that is the target of the ink replenishment instruction.

[0067] Next, the user opens the upper cover 73 and causes the support portion 19b of the bottle support portion 19 to support the ink bottle 105 that contains the ink to be replenished to the ink tank 61 that is the target of ink replenishment for which an ink replenishment command has been issued.

[0068] When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the valve 63 so that the valve 63 is maintained in a closed state. That is, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 executes the invalidation process of the operation command for opening the valve 63 described above. As a result, the valve 63 cannot be opened for the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink, and therefore the injection of ink into the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61 is restricted. Note that in this embodiment, maintaining the valve 63 in a closed state corresponds to "maintaining the injection restricted state" in the present invention.

[0069] When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the valve 63 so that the valve 63 of the ink tank 61 corresponding to the authentication among the four ink tanks 61 is allowed to change from a closed state to an open state. In other words, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 executes the validation process of the operation command for opening the valve 63 described above.

[0070] When the validation process of the operation command for the valve 63 is executed, the control unit 40 controls the valve 63 to open the valve 63. At this time, the valves 63 are maintained in the closed state for the ink tanks 61 other than the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink. In this embodiment, allowing the valve 63 to change from a closed state to an open state corresponds to "allowing the valve 63 to change from an injection restricted state to an injection permitted state" of the present invention.

[0071] Then, ink is injected from the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b into the ink storage chamber 62a through the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink. The ink injection operation is the same as in the first embodiment described above.

[0072] As described above, the printer 1 of the second embodiment has, as a regulating mechanism, the openable and closable valve 63 arranged in the ink supply path 66a from the outlet of the ink bottle 105 to the ink storage chamber 62a. When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the valve 63 so that the closed state is maintained. When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the valve 63 so that the valve 63 is allowed to change from the closed state to the open state. According to this, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the valve 63 is maintained in the closed state, so that ink cannot be injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a. Therefore, when ink is injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a, it is possible to more reliably prevent the ink from being injected from an ink bottle 105 of incorrect specifications.

[0073] Note that the printer 1 of the second embodiment may be an off-carriage type in which the ink tank 61 and the inkjet head 31 are not mounted on the carriage 70. Also, in the second embodiment, the inkjet head 31 may be either a line type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while being fixed in position, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while moving in the left-right direction.

[0074] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in which the regulating mechanism is a locking mechanism (not shown) that locks a cap 263 (a cover member of the present invention, see FIG. 8) that blocks access to the ink inlet 67. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the third embodiment, a space accessible from the outside is formed between the upper part of the cap 263 and the lower part of the bottle support part 19 when the ink tank 61 is in the ink inlet position, and the user can access the cap 263 from that space.

[0075] When the control unit 40 receives an ink replenishment instruction signal, it temporarily holds back an operation command for the locking mechanism to unlock the cap 263 in order to enable access to the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61 that is the target of ink replenishment for which the ink replenishment instruction has been issued.

[0076] Next, the user opens the upper cover 73 and causes the support portion 19b of the bottle support portion 19 to support the ink bottle 105 that contains the ink to be replenished to the ink tank 61 that is the target of ink replenishment for which an ink replenishment command has been issued.

[0077] When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the locking mechanism so that the cap 263 remains locked. That is, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 executes a process of invalidating the operation command of the locking mechanism to unlock the cap 263 described above. As a result, the cap 263 cannot be unlocked for the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink, and therefore the injection of ink into the ink storage chamber 62a of the ink tank 61 is restricted. Note that in this embodiment, the fact that the cap 263 remains locked corresponds to the "injection restricted state being maintained" of the present invention.

[0078] When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the locking mechanism so as to permit unlocking of the cap 263 for the ink tank 61 corresponding to the authentication among the four ink tanks 61. In other words, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 executes the above-mentioned process of enabling the operation command of the locking mechanism to unlock the cap 263.

[0079] When the enabling process of the operation command of the locking mechanism to unlock the caps 263 is executed, the control unit 40 controls the locking mechanism to unlock the caps 263. At this time, the caps 263 are kept locked for the ink tanks 61 other than the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink. In this embodiment, being allowed to unlock the caps 263 corresponds to "being allowed to change from the injection restricted state to the injection enabled state" of the present invention.

[0080] Then, the user opens the unlocked cap 263, and injects ink from the ink bottle 105 supported by the support portion 19b into the ink storage chamber 62a through the ink inlet 67 of the ink tank 61 to be replenished with ink. The ink injection operation is the same as in the first embodiment described above.

[0081] As described above, the printer 1 of the third embodiment has, as a regulating mechanism, a locking mechanism that locks the cap 263 that inhibits access to the ink inlet 67. When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the locking mechanism so that the cap 263 remains locked. When the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated, the control unit 40 controls the locking mechanism so that the cap 263 is allowed to be unlocked. According to this, when the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated, the cap 263 remains locked, so that the ink inlet 67 cannot be accessed and ink cannot be injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a. Therefore, when ink is injected from the ink bottle 105 into the ink storage chamber 62a, it is possible to more reliably prevent ink from being injected from an ink bottle 105 of incorrect specifications.

[0082] Note that the printer 1 of the third embodiment may be an off-carriage type in which the ink tank 61 and the inkjet head 31 are not mounted on the carriage 70. Also, in the third embodiment, the inkjet head 31 may be either a line type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while being fixed in position, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while moving in the left-right direction.

[0083] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the locking mechanism may lock a member other than the cap 263. For example, the locking mechanism may be arranged between the cap 263 and the bottle support part 19 and lock a cover member that blocks access to the ink inlet 67.

[0084] (Modification) Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the patent invention.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the printer 1 has one information reading unit 85 and one support portion 19b. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the printer 1 may have four information reading units 85 and four support portions 19b corresponding to the four ink tanks 61. In this case, the four support portions 19b support the ink bottles 105 containing the inks corresponding to the colors magenta, cyan, yellow, and black, respectively. The four information reading units 85 are disposed at positions corresponding to the four support portions 19b. In this case, when the ink bottles 105 of the colors magenta, cyan, yellow, and black are not supported by the corresponding support portions 19b, the control unit 40 determines that the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated. For example, when the ink bottle 105 containing yellow ink is supported by the support portion 19b supporting the ink bottle 105 containing magenta ink, the control unit 40 determines that the information read by the information reading unit 85 is not authenticated. According to this configuration, the reading process and authentication process can be performed more quickly than when one information reading unit 85 is used to read information from a plurality of ink tanks 61 .

[0086] In the present invention, the number of information reading units 85 and supporting portions 19b may be two or more, but may be less than the number of ink tanks 61.

[0087] In the above embodiment, authentication information for authenticating the information stored in the information storage unit 106 is stored in the ROM 132. However, the authentication information may be stored on a network. In this case, the determination as to whether the information read by the information reading unit 85 is authenticated may be made in a device other than the printer 1, such as a PC connected to the printer 1.

[0088] In the present invention, the printer 1 does not need to have a remaining amount detection unit 80. In this case, for example, the user operates the operation unit 13 at any timing while visually checking the amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a, and transmits a signal to the control unit 40 to instruct the ink tank 61 to replenish ink.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the remaining amount detection unit 80 is a sensor arm type. However, the remaining amount detection unit 80 may be a prism type. In the case of the prism type remaining amount detection unit 80, the ink tank 61 is made of resin. The remaining amount detection unit 80 has an infrared ray irradiating unit that irradiates infrared rays from the outside to the inside of the ink tank 61, and an infrared ray receiving unit that detects the infrared rays reflected by the resin ink tank 61. If there is ink in the portion of the ink storage chamber 62a where the infrared rays are irradiated, the infrared rays irradiated from the infrared ray irradiating unit go straight through the interface between the resin and the ink. At this time, the infrared ray receiving unit does not detect the infrared rays. On the other hand, if there is no ink in the portion of the ink storage chamber 62a where the infrared rays are irradiated, the infrared rays irradiated from the infrared ray irradiating unit are totally reflected at the interface between the resin and the air and are detected by the infrared ray receiving unit. By arranging one or more infrared ray irradiating units and infrared ray receiving units at any position relative to the ink tank 61, the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a can be detected. With this configuration, the amount of ink remaining in the ink storage chamber 62a can be detected reliably.

[0090] The remaining amount detection unit 80 may be of a soft count type. In this case, the remaining amount detection unit 80 has a counting unit that counts a value related to the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle 32 of the inkjet head 31, and a calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 62a based on the value related to the amount of ink counted by the counting unit. For example, the calculation unit calculates the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a by subtracting the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle 32 from the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a immediately after the shipment of the printer 1 or immediately after the ink storage chamber 62a is refilled with ink. The calculated value is always overwritten and saved in the EEPROM 134. The remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a immediately after the ink storage chamber 62a is refilled with ink is calculated by adding the value of the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a before the ink refill to the value of the amount of ink contained in the disposable ink bottle 105, for example. The value related to the ink amount counted by the counting unit may be the ink amount itself, or may be a numerical value obtained by replacing the ejected ink amount with a predetermined value. With this configuration, the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 62a can be reliably detected.

[0091] In the present invention, the regulating mechanism may be a combination of two or more of the moving mechanism 71 of the first embodiment, the valve 63 of the second embodiment, and the locking mechanism of the third embodiment. The regulating mechanism may be a bottle support part moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the bottle support part 19 together with the support part 19b. In this case, for example, when the information read by the information reading part 85 is not authenticated, the control part 40 controls the bottle support part moving mechanism so as to prohibit the bottle support part 19 from moving from the injection restricted position where the injection of ink from the ink bottle 105 supported by the support part 19b into the ink storage chamber 62a is restricted to the injection possible position where the injection of ink is possible. Furthermore, when the information read by the information reading part 85 is authenticated, the control part 40 controls the bottle support part moving mechanism so as to allow the bottle support part 19 to move from the injection restricted position to the injection possible position.

[0092] In the present invention, the printer 1 may have one ink tank 61, or may have two or more ink tanks 61.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the printer has a scanner member 99. However, the printer 1 does not have to have a scanner member 99. In this case, the printer has a regulating member disposed below the opening / closing cover 14 at a position that does not overlap with the upper cover 23 in a plan view, and disposed so as to cover a part of the upper part of the moving path of the ink inlet 67 that moves together with the ink tank 61. The regulating member may be, for example, a plate member made of metal or resin. In a printer that does not have the opening / closing cover 14, the non-opening top plate of the housing 11 corresponds to the regulating member. In addition, the liquid ejection device according to the present invention can be applied to a multifunction machine, a copier, and the like, in addition to the printer 1.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the valve 63 is an electromagnetic valve. However, the valve 63 does not have to be an electromagnetic valve. For example, the valve 63 may be a valve that opens and closes mechanically in conjunction with the attachment of the ink bottle 105 to the ink inlet 67.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the electromagnetic valve 65 for opening and closing the atmosphere communication passage 64 does not have to be electrically controlled to open and close, and may be, for example, a valve whose opening and closing is mechanically controlled depending on the presence or absence of contact with a protruding member. Also, the electromagnetic valve 65 does not have to be provided. In this case, a semipermeable membrane that blocks the passage of ink but allows the passage of gas may be formed to close the atmosphere communication passage 64. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1. Printer 14 Opening and closing cover 19 Bottle support 19a base 19b Support part (support part) 20. Conveyor mechanism 31 Inkjet head (liquid ejection head) 32 Nozzles 40 Control section 61 Ink tank (liquid storage unit) 62a Ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber) 63 Valve 66a Ink supply path (flow path) 67 Ink inlet (liquid inlet) 70 Carriage 71 Mobility mechanism (regulation mechanism) 80 Remaining amount detection unit 85 Information reading unit 86 Notification Department 99 Scanner parts 132 ROM (memory section) 105 Ink Bottle 106 Information storage section 263 Cap (Cover material) P Paper (recording medium)

Claims

1. a liquid ejection head having nozzles for ejecting liquid onto a recording medium; a liquid storage section having a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid and a liquid inlet connecting the liquid storage chamber to the outside; a support part for detachably supporting a liquid bottle having an information storage part in which information regarding a liquid contained therein is stored; an information reading unit that reads the information stored in the information storage unit of the liquid bottle supported by the support unit; a restricting mechanism that restricts the liquid contained in the liquid bottle supported by the support portion from being injected into the liquid storage chamber through the liquid inlet; A control unit; Equipped with The control unit is when the information read by the information reading unit is not authenticated, controlling the restriction mechanism so as to maintain an injection restriction state in which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle supported by the support unit into the liquid storage chamber is restricted; when the information read by the information reading unit is authenticated, controlling the restriction mechanism so as to allow a transition from the injection restricted state to an injection permitted state in which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle into the liquid storage chamber is permitted; a conveying mechanism that conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction; a carriage supporting the liquid ejection head and the liquid storage unit; Further equipped with the regulating mechanism is a moving mechanism that moves the carriage in a scanning direction that intersects with the transport direction, The control unit is when the information read by the information reading unit is not authenticated, controlling the movement mechanism so as to prohibit movement of the liquid storage unit from an injection restricting position, at which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle supported by the support unit into the liquid storage chamber is restricted, to an injection enabling position, at which the liquid injection port is located below the liquid bottle supported by the support unit; A liquid ejection device characterized by controlling the movement mechanism so that, when the information read by the information reading unit is authenticated, movement of the liquid storage unit from the injection restricting position to the injection enabling position is permitted.

2. A liquid ejection head having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto a recording medium; a liquid storage section having a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid and a liquid inlet connecting the liquid storage chamber to the outside; a support part for detachably supporting a liquid bottle having an information storage part in which information regarding a liquid contained therein is stored; an information reading unit that reads the information stored in the information storage unit of the liquid bottle supported by the support unit; a restricting mechanism that restricts the liquid contained in the liquid bottle supported by the support portion from being injected into the liquid storage chamber through the liquid inlet; A control unit; Equipped with The control unit is when the information read by the information reading unit is not authenticated, controlling the restriction mechanism so as to maintain an injection restriction state in which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle supported by the support unit into the liquid storage chamber is restricted; when the information read by the information reading unit is authenticated, controlling the restriction mechanism so as to allow a transition from the injection restricted state to an injection permitted state in which injection of liquid from the liquid bottle into the liquid storage chamber is permitted; a remaining amount detection unit that detects a remaining amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber; a notification unit that notifies a timing for the liquid bottle to be supported by the support unit; Further equipped with The control unit is A liquid ejection device characterized in that, when the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage chamber detected by the remaining amount detection unit falls below a predetermined amount, the notification unit notifies the user that it is time to support the liquid bottle on the support unit.

3. the restriction mechanism is an openable / closable valve disposed in a flow path from the outlet of the liquid bottle to the liquid storage chamber, The control unit is controlling the valve so that the valve is maintained in a closed state when the information read by the information reading unit is not authenticated; 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the valve is controlled so as to be allowed to change from the closed state to the open state when the information read by the information reading unit is authenticated.

4. the restriction mechanism is a lock mechanism that locks a cover member that inhibits access to the liquid injection port, The control unit is controlling the locking mechanism so that the cover member, which prevents access to the liquid injection port, is kept locked when the information read by the information reading unit is not authenticated; 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is controlled so that unlocking of the cover member is permitted when the information read by the information reading unit is authenticated.

5. The liquid storage unit includes a plurality of the liquid storage units, The control unit is The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the information read by the information reading unit is authenticated, the moving mechanism is controlled so that the liquid storage unit among the multiple liquid storage units that corresponds to the authentication is allowed to move from the injection restricted position to the injection possible position.

6. 6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 5, further comprising one information reading section and one support section.

7. The liquid storage unit includes a plurality of the liquid storage units, 6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, further comprising the information reading units and the support units corresponding to the plurality of liquid storage units, the number of which is the same as the number of the liquid storage units.

8. The control unit is a storage unit that stores authentication information for authenticating the information stored in the information storage unit of the liquid bottle, 8. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is authenticated using the authentication information stored in the storage unit.

9. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2 , wherein the remaining amount detection unit is of a sensor arm type.

10. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2 , wherein the remaining amount detection unit is of a prism type.

11. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2, characterized in that the remaining amount detection unit has a counting unit that counts the amount of liquid ejected from the nozzles of the liquid ejection head, and a calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage unit based on the amount of liquid counted by the counting unit.

Images