Ink cartridge IC board mounting structure

Abstract

To provide an IC substrate mounting structure of an ink cartridge capable of mounting an IC substrate on a case with high workability without using a tool or the like and without touching a terminal electrode or the like.SOLUTION: In a mounting structure of an IC substrate 5 for an ink cartridge 1 having a storage part 20 provided on one surface of a case 2 that can store an ink bag 4 to store the IC substrate 5 storing ink related information, the storage part includes an opening 20d for exposing a terminal electrode provided on one surface of the IC substrate to the outside with the IC substrate mounted, an IC substrate first surface support part 20a capable of supporting the one surface of the IC substrate, an IC substrate second surface support part 20b capable of supporting the other surface of the IC substrate, an IC substrate side surface support part 20c capable of supporting a side surface of the IC substrate, and an IC substrate holding part 29 for allowing mounting operation from a case inner side in mounting the IC substrate and holding a mounting state after mounting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an IC substrate mounting structure of an ink cartridge that supplies ink to a recording head of an inkjet printer.

Background Art

[0002] An inkjet printer is a device that prints by reciprocally moving a recording head that receives ink supply from an ink cartridge in the width direction of a recording paper. However, in an inkjet printer that performs a large amount of printing, the ink cartridge becomes large, and it becomes impossible to mount this large ink cartridge on a carriage.

[0003] Therefore, a method is adopted in which an ink cartridge is detachably loaded into the main body of an inkjet printer, and ink is supplied from this ink cartridge to a recording head through a tube.

[0004] By the way, an IC substrate for transmitting and receiving information such as the type, remaining amount, and expiration date of the ink stored in the ink cartridge to and from the printer main body is mounted on the ink cartridge. Conventionally, a method of attaching the IC substrate to the case main body by screwing or lightly press-fitting has been adopted for mounting such an IC substrate to the ink cartridge.

[0005] However, the method of attaching the IC substrate to the case main body by screwing as described above requires a tool such as a driver, and there is a problem that when the IC substrate is lightly press-fitted into the case main body, the IC substrate cannot be easily removed.

[0006] Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a mounting structure that can be easily mounted on an ink cartridge while positioning the substrate without using tools such as a driver while suppressing manufacturing costs. This mounting structure is formed such that a mounting portion for mounting the substrate surrounds the substrate on a mounting surface formed on the outer surface of the case main body, and the mounting portion contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate, thereby performing positioning in the direction along the mounting surface of the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-149044 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, in the substrate mounting structure proposed in Patent Document 1, since the substrate is mounted from the outside of the case body, problems arise such as the IC chip or terminal electrodes on the substrate being touched by hands during mounting and damaged.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an IC board mounting structure for an ink cartridge that allows the IC board to be easily mounted into the case without using tools or the like, and without touching terminal electrodes or the like, with good workability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The IC board mounting structure for an ink cartridge according to the present invention comprises a case capable of housing an ink bag, and a housing section provided on one side of the case, which houses an IC board that stores ink-related information, wherein the housing section is The IC board is configured to be installable from the inside of the case,The IC board is characterized by comprising: an opening that exposes terminal electrodes provided on one side of the IC board to the outside when the IC board is mounted; an IC board first surface support portion provided around the opening and capable of supporting the one side of the IC board when the IC board is mounted; an IC board second surface support portion provided around the opening and capable of supporting the other side of the IC board when the IC board is mounted; an IC board side support portion provided around the opening and capable of supporting the side of the IC board when the IC board is mounted; and an IC board holding portion provided on at least one of the IC board second surface support portion and the IC board side support portion, which allows mounting from the inside of the case when the IC board is mounted and maintains the mounted state after mounting.

[0011] According to the above-described mounting structure for the IC board of the ink cartridge, the IC board is housed in a housing section having an opening formed in the case from the inside of the case. At this time, the terminal electrodes of the IC board are exposed from the opening, one side of the IC board is supported by the first IC board surface support section, the other side of the IC board is supported by the second IC board surface support section, and the sides of the IC board are supported by the side IC board support section. Furthermore, the mounted state is maintained by the IC board holding section, so it will not fall out of the case. In addition, mounting is possible by moving the IC board from the inside of the case toward the opening, and there is little risk of the worker touching the terminal electrodes or other parts during mounting. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to mount the IC board from the outside of the bottom of the case using tools, damage to the electrodes on the underside of the IC board is avoided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the IC substrate mounting structure for ink cartridges of the present invention, the IC substrate can be mounted with simple operations without damaging it, and the mounting operation is performed from inside the case. This achieves faster and more accurate mounting of the IC substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an ink cartridge. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the ink cartridge with the cover removed. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the main body of the ink cartridge case (before the IC board is installed), seen from the inside at an oblique angle from above. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the main body of the ink cartridge case (before the IC board is installed), seen from the outside at an oblique angle below. [Figure 5] (a) to (c) are plan views of the main parts of the case body, seen from the inside, showing the IC board mounting method in the order of steps. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the main body of the ink cartridge case (after the IC board has been installed), taken from the outside at an oblique angle below. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the IC substrate mounting structure for an ink cartridge. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view of ink cartridge 1, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of ink cartridge 1 with the cover 3 removed. The illustrated ink cartridge 1 supplies ink to the recording head of an inkjet printer (not shown) and is detachably mounted in the body of the inkjet printer.

[0016] This ink cartridge 1 is provided with a case capable of accommodating an ink bag 4. The case of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment is in the shape of a rectangular box and includes a bottomed case body 2 capable of storing the ink bag 4 and a detachable rectangular plate-shaped cover 3 (see FIG. 1) that covers the opening of the case body 2. The ink cartridge 1 is configured by storing an exchangeable ink bag 4 (see FIG. 2) in the space formed by the case body 2 and the cover 3. And an IC board 5 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) for storing ink-related information such as the type, remaining amount, and expiration date of the ink stored in the ink bag 4 and transmitting and receiving this information to and from the printer main body is mounted on the case body 2 of this ink cartridge 1.

[0017] Here, the mounting structure of the IC board 5 according to the present invention to the case body 2 will be described below based on FIGS. 3 to 6. In the following description, the upper side in the figures of the ink cartridge 1, the case body 2, and the cover 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is referred to as the upper side, and the lower side is referred to as the lower side. Note that the descriptions of the upper and lower sides are relatively changed depending on the orientation of the case body 2 and the position of the surface on which the IC board 5 (see FIG. 5) is mounted, and do not indicate an absolute direction. Also, it does not indicate the direction when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the inkjet printer. For example, in the mounted state with respect to the inkjet printer, the cover 3 may be mounted so as to face the side surface. Also, the cover 3 may be mounted so as to be the bottom surface.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main part of the case body 2 of the ink cartridge 1 (state before mounting the IC board 5) viewed from obliquely above inside, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main part of the case body 2 of the ink cartridge 1 (state before mounting the IC board 5) viewed from obliquely below outside, FIGS. 5(a) to (c) are plan views of the main part of the case body showing the mounting method of the IC board 5 in the order of the steps, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main part of the case body 2 of the ink cartridge 1 (state after mounting the IC board 5) viewed from obliquely below outside.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the case body 2 has a housing portion 20 on one surface for housing a rectangular flat IC substrate. In the present embodiment, the housing portion 20 is provided on the bottom wall 2A which is the bottom of the case body 2, and a housing space S which is rectangular in plan view for sliding and storing the IC substrate 5 from the inside of the case body 2 is formed at the corner portion of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2.

[0020] The housing portion 20 includes two rectangular plates 20a and 20b provided at the peripheral portion of the opening 20c. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a thin rectangular plate 20a formed on a part of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2 and a convex rectangular plate 20b raised from the bottom wall 2A to the inside of the case body 2 are provided. A vertical gap through which the IC substrate 5 can pass is formed between these two rectangular plates 20a and 20b. That is, this gap is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the IC substrate 5. In the state where the IC substrate 5 is mounted on the case body 2, the rectangular plate 20a constitutes an IC substrate first surface support portion capable of supporting one surface of the IC substrate 5 (the surface facing the outside of the case body 2), and the rectangular plate 20b constitutes an IC substrate second surface support portion capable of supporting the other surface of the IC substrate 5 (the surface facing the inside of the case body 2). And a rectangular opening 20c for exposing two terminal electrodes 6 (see FIG. 6) mounted on the surface (the lower surface at the time of mounting) of the IC substrate 5 to the outside of the case body 2 is formed between the two rectangular plates 20a and 20b in the longitudinal direction (the diagonal left - right direction in FIG. 3) of the housing space S. As shown in FIG. 3, the rectangular plate 20a extends from one edge of the housing portion 20 formed in a rectangular shape, and the rectangular plate 20b extends from the edge of the housing portion 20 that faces the edge from which the rectangular plate 20a extends.

[0021] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, a stopper 27 is formed on the wall portion that defines the storage space S of the case body 2, on the wall portion on the front end side in the mounting direction of the IC substrate 5, to which the IC substrate 5 abuts and is positioned. In this embodiment, the stopper 27 is formed by a wall portion that protrudes downward (towards the front in Figure 4) from the edge of the rectangular plate 20b, and a positioning projection 27a is integrally formed in the center of the stopper 27 in the width direction (diagonal up and down direction in Figure 4). In this embodiment, the stopper 27 is formed near the side wall 2B of the case body 2 that rises from the edge of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2.

[0022] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the IC substrate 5 has a recess 5a at the edge that contacts the stopper 27 to receive the projection 27a formed on the stopper 27. In this embodiment, a U-shaped groove recess 5a for positioning is formed at the center in the width direction of one edge on the short side of the rectangular flat IC substrate 5 (the left edge in Figures 5 and 6) (corresponding to the projection 27a formed on the stopper 27).

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, a guide bar 28 is integrally provided along the edge of the storage space S from one end in the width direction of a rectangular plate 20b that protrudes upward from the corner of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2. A support arm 29, formed in a springy and flexible arm shape, is integrally provided along the edge of the storage space S from the other end in the width direction of the rectangular plate 20b. The guide bar 28 and the support arm 29 are provided around the opening 20c and constitute an IC board side support section capable of supporting the side of the IC board when the IC board is installed. Furthermore, the support arm 29 allows the installation of the IC board 5 from inside the case body 2 when the IC board 5 is installed, and after the IC board 5 is installed in the storage section 20, it constitutes an IC board holding section that maintains the installed state of the IC board 5. In this embodiment, the support arm 29 is housed in an elongated lateral opening 10 connected to the storage space S. This lateral opening 10 is located on one side in the width direction of the IC board 5 when the IC board 5 is installed. The support arm 29 can be elastically deformed and bent around its base end within the lateral opening 10, and a key-shaped engaging claw 29a is integrally formed at its tip. As shown in Figure 4, a guide groove 29b is formed in the portion of the support arm 29 excluding the engaging claw 9a at its tip, for receiving the side end of the IC substrate 5 and guiding the IC substrate 5. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the support arm 29 is located inside the bottom outer surface of the case body 2 (on the inside side of the case body 2).

[0024] Next, the method for attaching the IC board 5 to the case body 2 will be explained below based on Figure 5.

[0025] To install the IC board 5 into the case body 2, the IC board 5 is slid from the inside of the case body 2 toward the storage space S with its terminal electrodes 6 facing downwards (towards the outer surface of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2). At this time, the worker does not touch the terminal electrodes 6 of the IC board 5, so no problems such as damage to the electrode terminals 6 will occur.

[0026] Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(a), the IC board 5 is fitted into the storage space S of the case body 2 by sliding it in the direction of arrow a, with the terminal electrodes 6 facing downwards and the short end of the board facing downwards. That is, the tip of the IC board 5 is fitted between the guide bar 28 and the support arm 29 in the storage space S, and the IC board 5 is slid in the direction of arrow a. Then, as shown in Figure 5(a), one corner of the tip of the IC board 5 engages with the engaging claw 29a of the support arm 29. If the IC board 5 is further slid in the direction of arrow a with a predetermined force from this state, as shown in Figure 5(b), the engaging claw 29a of the support arm 29 bends in the direction of arrow b, centered on its base end, allowing the IC board 5 to pass through (installation operation).

[0027] Subsequently, when the IC board 5 is slid in the direction of arrow a in Figure 5(b) until its tip abuts against the stopper 27 on the case body 2 side, the IC board 5 is installed in the storage space S of the case body 2, as shown in Figure 5(c). Once the IC board 5 is installed in the predetermined position, the support arm 29 returns to its original state due to its elastic restoring force, and the engaging claw 29a at the tip of the support arm 29 engages with the corner of the rear edge (the edge on the side opposite to the insertion direction) of the IC board 5, as shown in Figure 5(c). As a result, the IC board 5 is held in place by the stopper 27 and the engaging claw 29a of the support arm 29, positioned in the insertion direction (longitudinal direction of the case body 2). At this time, the positioning projection 27a formed on the case body 2 side engages with the positioning groove 5a formed on the IC board 5, so the IC board 5 is held in a position in the width direction (short direction of the case body 2) and installed in the storage space S of the case body 2.

[0028] As described above, when the IC board 5 is installed in a predetermined location (storage space S) in the case body 2, the pair of terminal electrodes 6 mounted on the IC board 5 are exposed to the outside through a rectangular opening 20c that opens in the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2, as shown in Figure 6. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 1 is installed in the body of an inkjet printer (not shown), the pair of terminal electrodes 6 of the IC board 5 are electrically connected to a terminal mechanism (not shown) provided in the inkjet printer, enabling the transmission and reception of various information (such as ink type, remaining amount, and expiration date) between the inkjet printer body and the ink cartridge 1.

[0029] As described above, according to the mounting structure of the IC board 5 to the case body 2 of this embodiment, the IC board 5 can be easily mounted with good workability without using tools, simply by inserting the IC board 5 into a predetermined storage space S from inside the case body 2 and sliding it in. When the IC board 5 is housed in the housing section 20 having an opening 20c, the terminal electrodes 6 are exposed from the opening 20c, it is supported from below by a rectangular plate 20a, and the top is covered by a rectangular plate 20b. Furthermore, since it is held in place by the connector 29, it will not fall out of the case body. When a user replaces the ink cartridge 1 with a new one, the IC board 5 is also replaced at the same time, but according to the mounting structure of the present invention, the user can easily remove the old IC board 5 and easily mount the new IC board 5 to the case body 2 with a single touch.

[0030] Furthermore, since the IC board 5 is inserted into the storage space S from the inside of the case body 2 with its terminal electrodes 6 facing downwards and then slid into place, there is no need to use tools to install the IC board 5 from the outside of the bottom of the case body 2, and there is little risk of the user touching the terminal electrodes 6 when installing the IC board 5. This prevents damage to the terminal electrodes 6. When the IC board 5 is installed in the case body 2, the terminal electrodes 6 of the IC board 5 are exposed to the outside through the opening 2c that opens in the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2 (see Figure 6), so that the terminal electrodes 5 enable an electrical connection between the ink cartridge 1 and the printer body.

[0031] Furthermore, since the IC board 5 is mounted in the case body 2 while being held between the stopper 27 and the engaging claw 29a of the support arm 29, its longitudinal positioning (insertion direction) is accurately and reliably achieved. In addition, the IC board 5 is mounted in the case body 2 with its width direction (direction perpendicular to the insertion direction) accurately achieved by the engagement of the positioning projection 27a protruding from the case body 2 side into the positioning recess 5a (see Figure 6).

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the support arm 29 is formed inward from the bottom outer surface of the case body 2, even if the IC board 5 is not installed in the case body 2, no external force is directly applied to the support arm 29, thereby suppressing damage to the support arm 29.

[0033] Next, another embodiment of the mounting structure for the IC board 5 of the ink cartridge 1 will be described using Figure 7. In Figure 7, the same reference numerals are used for similar components in the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4, and detailed descriptions are omitted. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the housing section 20 includes a first IC board first surface support section 30a, a second IC board first surface support section 20b, an IC board side support section 30c, a second IC board first surface support section 31a, and a second IC board second surface support section 30b, instead of the rectangular plates 20a, 20b and support arms 29. The housing section 20 is formed in the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2 and has a rectangular opening 20c in plan view.

[0034] The housing section 20 includes, on one edge 21a, a first IC board first surface support section 30a that supports one side of the IC board 5 (the side facing outward from the case body 2), a first IC board second surface support section 30b that supports the other side of the IC board 5 (the side facing inward from the case body 2), and an IC board side support section 33 that supports the side of the IC board 5. The IC board side support section 33 is a wall surface that extends from the IC board first surface support section 30a to the IC board second surface support section 30b. The first IC board first surface support section 30a, the first IC board second surface support section 30b, and the IC board side support section 33 are integrally formed with the case body 2.

[0035] Furthermore, in the housing section 20, the edge 21b facing the edge 21a is provided with a second IC substrate first surface support section 31a that supports one surface of the IC substrate 5, and a second IC substrate second surface support section 31b that supports the other surface of the IC substrate 5. The second IC substrate second surface support section 31b is formed integrally with the second IC substrate first surface support section 31a and extends from the base end of the second IC substrate first surface support section 31a toward the inside of the case body 2. The second IC substrate second surface support section 31b is formed to be flexible and spring-like. A key-shaped engaging claw 33 is integrally formed at the tip of the second IC substrate second surface support section 31b. The second IC substrate second surface support section 31b allows the IC substrate 5 to be mounted from the inside of the case body 2 and constitutes an IC substrate holding section that maintains the mounted state of the IC substrate 5 after it has been mounted.

[0036] To mount the IC board 5 into the case body 2, the terminal electrodes 6 of the IC board 5 are positioned on the outer side of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2, and the leading edge of the IC board 5 is inserted from the inside of the case body 2 into the housing space formed by the first IC board first surface support portion 30a, the first IC board second surface support portion 30b, and the IC board side support portion 33, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 7. From this state, the second IC board second surface support portion 31b is bent to house the rear end of the IC board 5 into the housing space S. After housing, the second IC board second surface support portion 31b returns to its original state due to its elastic restoring force, and the engaging claw 33 at the tip engages with the corner of the rear edge of the IC board 5.

[0037] In the example shown in Figure 7, the first IC substrate first surface support portion 30a and the second IC substrate first surface support portion 31a protrude outward from the outer surface of the bottom wall 2A of the case body 2, and when the IC substrate 5 is installed, one side of the IC substrate 5 extends outward from the outer surface of the bottom wall A of the case body 2. Thus, the IC substrate 5 may be held in a structure in which a part of the thickness direction of the IC substrate 5 extends outward from the outer surface of the case body 2. Alternatively, the IC substrate 5 may be held in a structure in which the entire thickness direction of the IC substrate 5 extends outward from the outer surface of the case body 2.

[0038] In the embodiments described above, an example was shown in which the IC board 5 is mounted to the bottom wall A of the case body 2 from the inside of the case body 2. However, the location where the IC board 5 is mounted may be the side of the case body 2 or the cover 3. Any location that allows the IC board 5 to be mounted from the inside of the case of the ink cartridge 1 (including the case body 2 and cover 3) when replacing the replaceable ink bag 4 housed in the ink cartridge 1 is acceptable.

[0039] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the surface of the case body 2 on which the IC board 5 is mounted was mounted parallel to the IC board 5, but the surface of the case on which the IC board 5 is mounted and the IC board 5 may be mounted at an angle. When the ink cartridge 1 is mounted in the main body of the inkjet printer, the pair of terminal electrodes 6 of the IC board 5 should be electrically connected to a terminal mechanism (not shown) provided in the inkjet printer, and the ink cartridge case (including the case body 2 and cover 3) should be mounted and fixed from the inside.

[0040] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, specification, and drawings. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1 Ink Cartridge 2 Case body 2A Bottom wall of the case 3 Cover 4 Ink Bags 5 IC boards 5a Positioning grooves on the IC substrate 6 terminal electrode 10 Side opening 20 Case body storage compartment 20a Rectangular plate of the case body (support part for the first side of the IC board) 20b Rectangular plate of the case body (support part for the second side of the IC board) 20c Case body opening 27 Stopper 27a protrusion 28 Guide bar (side support part for IC board) 29. Support arm (side support part for IC board, IC board holding part) 29a Engagement claw 30a Support portion for the first surface of the first IC substrate 30b Support portion for the second surface of the first IC substrate 30c IC board side support part 31a Support portion for the first surface of the second IC substrate 31b Second IC substrate second surface support part (IC substrate holding part) 33 Engaging claws S storage space

Claims

1. An IC board mounting structure for an ink cartridge, comprising a case capable of storing an ink bag, and a housing section provided on one side of the case, which houses an IC board for storing ink-related information, The housing section is configured so that the IC board can be mounted from the inside of the case. An opening that exposes terminal electrodes provided on one side of the IC substrate to the outside when the IC substrate is mounted, An IC substrate first surface support portion is provided around the opening and is capable of supporting one of the IC substrate surfaces when the IC substrate is mounted, An IC substrate second surface support portion is provided around the opening and capable of supporting the other surface of the IC substrate when the IC substrate is mounted, An IC substrate side support portion is provided around the opening and is capable of supporting the side surface of the IC substrate when the IC substrate is mounted, An IC board holding portion is provided on at least one of the IC board second surface support portion and the IC board side support portion, which allows the IC board to be mounted from the inside of the case when mounting the IC board and maintains the mounted state after mounting, An ink cartridge IC board mounting structure characterized by having the following features.

2. The IC substrate mounting structure for an ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the IC substrate second surface support portion extends from the edge opposite to the edge from which the IC substrate first surface support portion extends in the housing portion, and covers a part of the other surface of the mounted IC substrate.

3. The IC substrate holding portion is characterized by having an engaging claw that flexes to allow the IC substrate to be mounted during mounting operations and maintains the mounted state after mounting. This is the IC substrate mounting structure for an ink cartridge according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The IC substrate mounting structure for an ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the housing portion is a wall portion that forms a storage space for the IC substrate, and the wall portion on the leading edge side in the mounting direction of the IC substrate has a stopper that abuts against and positions the IC substrate.

5. The stopper is provided with a positioning projection, The mounting structure for an IC substrate of an ink cartridge according to claim 4, characterized in that the edge of the IC substrate that contacts the stopper is provided with a recess for receiving the projection.

6. The IC substrate mounting structure for an ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the IC substrate holding portion is provided on the inside of the case rather than on the outer surface of the case.

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