CARTRIDGE, PRINTING SYSTEM AND PRINTING APPARATUS

Abstract

The amount of liquid remaining in the cartridge without being consumed is reduced. The cartridge includes a liquid containment portion that holds the liquid, a front wall located on the insertion direction side (the insertion direction being the direction in which it is inserted into the cartridge's mounting portion), and a bottom wall that crosses the front wall and where the liquid supply portion is arranged to be coupled to the liquid inlet portion.

Description

The present invention relates to a technique concerning a cartridge, a printing system, and a printing apparatus. Background of the invention Based on the state of the art, a cartridge configured to be removably mounted in a printing apparatus is known, as well as a technique for placing a liquid supply portion on a front wall located on one side of the insertion direction, the insertion direction being the direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the printing apparatus (PTL 1). List of appointments Patent-type literature PTL 1: International Publication No. WO 2013 / 105504 Brief description of the invention Technical problem In the prior art, because the liquid supply portion is located on the front wall, the liquid contained in the cartridge could not be easily supplied to the printing apparatus through this portion. In this case, there was a possibility that a large amount of unused liquid would remain in the cartridge. Solution to the problem According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cartridge is provided configured to be mounted within a cartridge mounting portion of a printing apparatus having a liquid inlet portion configured to receive a liquid. The cartridge includes a liquid-containing portion that houses the liquid, a front wall located on the insertion-direction side (the insertion direction being the direction in which it is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion), and a bottom wall that crosses the front wall and in which the liquid supply portion is disposed, configured to be coupled to the liquid inlet portion. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a printing system is provided. The printing system includes: a printing apparatus comprising a cartridge mounting portion within which the cartridge is mounted, and the cartridge of the preceding aspect. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus is provided. The printing apparatus includes: a cartridge mounting portion within which the cartridge of the previous aspect is mounted, wherein the cartridge mounting portion includes a housing space into which the cartridge is inserted in the insertion direction and which houses the cartridge, and a fluid inlet portion extending in a direction that crosses the insertion direction and is coupled to a fluid supply portion of the cartridge. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a printing system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a view of a cartridge assembly portion when viewed from the +Z direction side. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of an R4 region from Figure 3. Figure 5 is a view of a cartridge assembly portion when viewed from the +Y direction side. Figure 6 is a view illustrating that the cartridges are mounted in the cartridge mounting portion. Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of the cartridge assembly portion. Figure 8 is a view of a cartridge assembly portion when viewed from the +Z direction side. Figure 9 illustrates a partially magnified view of the cartridge mounting portion. Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a terminal portion of the apparatus side. Figure 11 illustrates a perspective view of a first type of cartridge. Figure 12 illustrates an exploded view of a first type of cartridge. Figure 13 is a first view illustrating a part of the first type of cartridge. Figure 14 is a second view illustrating a part of the first type of cartridge. Figure 15 is a first side view of the first type of cartridge. Figure 16 is a second side view of the first type of 4A cartridge. Figure 17 is a front view of the first type of cartridge. Figure 18 is a rear view of the first type of cartridge. Figure 19 is a top view of the first type of cartridge. Figure 20 is a perspective view of a second type of cartridge. Figure 21 is a front view of the second type of cartridge. Figure 22 is a rear view of the second type of cartridge. Figure 23 is a first view that explains an assembly process. Figure 24 is a second view that explains the assembly process. Figure 25 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 24. Figure 26 is a third view that explains the assembly process. Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 26. frózpnn / pznz / E / YiAi Description of the modalities A. Modality A-1. Printing System Configuration Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a printing system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the X, Y, and Z axes are illustrated, which are three dimensional axes orthogonal to each other. The directions in which the arrows of the X, Y, and Z axes point show the positive directions along the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The positive directions along the X, Y, and Z axes will be denoted as the +X, +Y, and +Z directions, respectively. The directions opposite to those in which the arrows of the X, Y, and Z axes point are the negative directions along the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The negative directions along the X, Y, and Z axes will be denoted as the -X, -Y, and -Z directions, respectively.When there is no distinction between positive and negative directions, the directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis will be referred to as the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively. The same applies to the following drawings and description. The printing system 1 includes a printing apparatus 10 and a cartridge 4 from which the ink, which is a liquid, is supplied to the printing apparatus 10. The printing apparatus 10 according to the present invention is an inkjet printer that ejects ink from an ejection head 22. The printing apparatus 10 is a large printer that prints on large sheets (A2 to A0 and the like) such as a poster. The printing apparatus 10 includes a cartridge mounting portion 6, a control unit, a carriage, the ejection head, and an actuating mechanism 30. In addition, the printing apparatus 10 includes operating buttons 15 for the user to operate the printing apparatus 10. A plurality of cartridges 4 are removably mounted within the cartridge mounting portion 6, independently of one another. In this embodiment, four cartridge types 4, corresponding to four ink colors—black, yellow, magenta, and cyan—i.e., four cartridges 4 in total, are mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6. The cartridge 4 containing black ink is also referred to as cartridge 4K. The cartridge 4 containing yellow ink is also referred to as cartridge 4Y. The cartridge 4 containing magenta ink is also referred to as cartridge 4M. The cartridge 4 containing cyan ink is also referred to as cartridge 4C. In this embodiment, the 4K cartridge is configured to hold a larger quantity of ink than the 4C, 4M, and 4Y cartridges. Therefore, the 4K cartridge is also referred to as the first type of cartridge 4A, and the 4C, 4M, and 4Y cartridges are also referred to as the second type of cartridge 4B. The printing unit 10 includes a replacement cover 13 on its front side in the +Y direction. When the +Z side of the replacement cover 13 is rotated toward the near side, which is the +Y side, an opening in the cartridge mounting portion 6 is revealed, allowing cartridge 4 to be attached and removed. When cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6, ink can be supplied to the ejector head 22 provided on the carriage 20 via tubes 24 frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi, which serve as fluid flow conduits. In the present embodiment, ink is supplied from cartridge 4 to the ejector head 22 using a water-based differential. Specifically, the ink is supplied to the ejection head 22 by means of a water difference in the head between the ink liquid level in a portion of liquid reservoir 699 and the ejection head 22.Alternatively, in another configuration, ink can be supplied to the ejection head 22 by drawing the ink contained in cartridge 4 through an unillustrated pump mechanism of the printing apparatus 10. Tubes 24 are provided for the respective types of ink. A state in which cartridge 4 is mounted in the mounting portion of cartridge 6 and the ink is the liquid that can be supplied to the printing apparatus 10 is also referred to as the mounted state. The printhead 22 is provided with nozzles for each type of ink. The printhead 22 ejects the ink from the nozzle onto the printing sheet 2 to print data, such as letters or images. The assembly of cartridge 4 within the cartridge mounting portion 6 and a detailed configuration of cartridge 4 and the cartridge mounting portion 6 will be provided later. In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 10 is also referred to as an off-carriage type printer, where the cartridge mounting portion 6 does not move with cartridge 20. The present invention can also be applied to an on-carriage type printer, where the cartridge mounting portion 6 is provided on carriage 20 and moves with carriage 20. The control unit 31 controls each portion of the printing apparatus 10 and the signal interaction with the cartridge 4. The carriage 20 moves the ejection head 22 relative to the print sheet 2. The drive mechanism 30 alternates the carriage based on a control signal from the controller unit 31. The drive mechanism 30 includes a timing belt 32 and a drive motor 34. Driven by the energy of the drive motor 34 transmitted to the carriage 20 via the timing belt 32, the carriage 20 alternates in a primary scanning direction, which is along the X-axis. The printing apparatus 10 includes a transport mechanism for moving the printing sheet 2 in a subscanning direction, which is the +Y direction. When printing is in progress, the printing sheet 2 is moved in the subscanning direction by the transport mechanism, and after printing is complete, it exits through the front cover 11. There is an area called the home position located outside the print area, where the carriage 20 moves in the main scanning direction. A maintenance mechanism that performs maintenance for proper print execution is mounted in the home position. The maintenance mechanism includes: a cap element 8 that is driven against a surface where the nozzles are formed, on one side of the lower surface of the ejector head 22 to form an enclosed space, thereby surrounding the nozzles; a lifting and lowering mechanism (not illustrated) that raises and lowers the cap element 8 in order to drive it against the nozzle surface of the ejector head 22; and a suction pump (not illustrated) that introduces negative pressure into the enclosed space formed by the cap element 8 being driven against the nozzle surface of the ejector head 22 and its counterparts.In the present mode, in the operating state of printing system 1, an axis along the subscanning direction, where the printing sheet 2 is transported, is the Y-axis; an axis along the gravity direction is the Z-axis; and an axis along the carriage movement direction is the X-axis. Here, the operating state of printing system 1 refers to a state where printing system 1 is installed on a horizontal plane. In the present mode, the subscanning direction is the +Y direction, the opposite direction is the -Y direction, the gravity direction is the -Z direction, and the opposite direction is the +Z direction. The X and Y directions are horizontal directions.When the printing system 1 is viewed from the front, the direction from right to left is the +X direction, and the opposite direction is the -X direction. In this embodiment, the direction in which the carriage 4 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6 for mounting is the -Y direction, and the direction in which the cartridge 4 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 6 is the +Y direction. Therefore, the -Y side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is also referred to as the far side, and the +Y side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is also referred to as the near side. In this embodiment, the direction in which the plurality of cartridges 4 are arranged is the X direction. A-2. Schematic Configuration of the Assembled State of Cartridge 4 Figure 2 is a view of a cartridge mounting portion as viewed from the +Z direction side. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a magnified view of region R4 in Figure 3. In Figure 2, the 4K cartridge is mounted in the mounting portion of cartridge 6. The assembly process and a schematic representation of the mounted state of cartridge 4 will now be described with reference to Figures 2 through 4. The assembly process and the mounted state are the same for cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K. As illustrated in Figure 3, cartridge 4 is inserted in the insertion direction and is inserted into a housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 through an insertion / withdrawal opening 674, wherein the cartridge mounting portion 6 has a first wall 67 of the apparatus. As a result, the housing space 61 contains cartridge 4. The insertion / withdrawal opening 674 is an inlet / outlet of the housing space 61 of cartridge 4. In a state where cartridge 4 is inserted into the housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6, cartridge 4 is supported from the -Z direction side by a support member 610 of the cartridge mounting portion 6.Furthermore, in the assembled state, where cartridge 4 is mounted in the housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6, a liquid supply portion 442 of cartridge 4 and a liquid inlet portion 642 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are coupled together. As a result, the ink contained in the liquid holding portion 450 of cartridge 4 is supplied to the liquid inlet portion 642 through the liquid supply portion 442. In the present embodiment, the ink is supplied from the liquid supply portion 442 to the liquid inlet portion 642, and, furthermore, the air contained in the liquid reservoir portion 699 flows as air bubbles through the liquid inlet portion 642 and from the liquid supply portion 442 to the liquid holding portion 450.As a result, a gas-liquid exchange takes place in the liquid containment portion 450. In another embodiment, cartridge 4 may have an atmospheric communication passage that communicates with the liquid containment portion 450 to the outside, and the gas-liquid exchange can be carried out through the atmospheric communication passage. The atmospheric communication passage is arranged in a different location from the liquid supply portion 442 and is formed, for example, in a wall that forms part of the liquid containment portion 450. The fluid inlet portion 642 receives the fluid supplied from cartridge 4. The fluid inlet portion 642 is a cylindrical member and has an internal flow passage to allow the fluid to flow into it. The fluid inlet portion 642 has a base end portion 642a and a tip portion 642b. An opening that communicates with the internal flow passage is formed in the tip portion 642b. Ink from the fluid supply portion 442 flows into the internal flow passage through this opening. The base end portion 642a is connected to the fluid reservoir portion 699 and allows the ink that has flowed through the internal flow passage to flow into the fluid reservoir portion 699. The fluid reservoir portion 699 is located on one side of the -Z direction of the housing space 61.The liquid reservoir portion 699 communicates with the ejection head 22 through the tube 24 illustrated in Figure 1. As described above, the liquid inlet portion 642 communicates with the ejection head 22 through the liquid reservoir portion 699 and the tube 24. A central axis CA1 of the liquid inlet portion 642 is parallel to a central axis CA2 of the liquid supply portion 442 in the assembled state and is inclined with respect to the Z direction. That is, a direction along the central axis CA1, which is the direction in which the liquid inlet portion 642 extends, intersects the cartridge insertion direction 4. A direction along the central axis CA2 of the liquid supply portion 442 is the direction in which the liquid supply portion 442 extends. As illustrated in Figure 4, in the assembled state of cartridge 4, a printed circuit board 50 of cartridge 4 and a device-side terminal portion 70 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are electrically connected to each other by being in contact with one another. The device-side terminal portion 70 is held in place by a clamping mechanism 73. The device-side terminal portion 70 includes a plurality of device-side terminals 721, a terminal clamping portion 750, and a connector 739. In the present embodiment, the number of device-side terminals 721 is nine. Each of the device-side terminals 721 is a conductive metal plate member. The device-side terminal 721 has a terminal rotation fulcrum Rp. Its portion is in contact with a side terminal of cartridge 521 of printed circuit board 50, which is an end portion that can be elastically deformed using the terminal rotation fulcrum Rp as the fulcrum. The direction in which the portion deforms elastically is along the Y and Z directions. The terminal clamping portion 750 supports the device-side terminals 721. Connector 739 is electrically connected to the device-side terminals 721. In addition, connector 739 is electrically connected to the control unit 31 of the frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi printing apparatus via wiring not shown.This connection enables data communication between the printed circuit board 50 and the control unit 31. The clamping mechanism 73 includes a driving member 780 and a coupling member 782. The driving member 780 is formed from a helical spring. The driving member 780 is arranged on an inner side of the coupling member 782. The end portion 70 on the apparatus side is coupled to the coupling member 782. The driving member 780 is in a compressed state when the insertion of cartridge 4 into the mounting portion of cartridge 6 is complete. Due to this compression, the driving member 780 applies an external force Fa to the end portion 70 on the apparatus side, via the coupling member 782, acting in a direction toward the withdrawal direction of cartridge 4, which is toward the first wall of the apparatus 67.Because the terminal portion 70 on the device side is driven against the printed circuit board 50 by an external force Fa, good contact is maintained between the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521. As described above, the clamping mechanism 73 holds the device-side end portion 70, allowing the device-side end portion 70 to be displaced in a direction along the insertion direction of cartridge 4. Furthermore, an end portion of the drive member 780 on the side where the device-side end portion 70 is located is configured to move slightly in the X and Z directions, intersecting the insertion direction. Because of this configuration, the device-side end portion 70 is held by the clamping mechanism 73 in such a way that it can move slightly in the X and Z directions, intersecting the insertion direction.An assembly process for mounting cartridge 4 within the cartridge mounting portion 6 includes a terminal connection process and a supply portion coupling process performed after the terminal connection process. The terminal connection process bridges the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521, bringing them into contact with each other, thus establishing an electrical connection between them. This is achieved by moving cartridge 4 in the -Y direction to insert it into the housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 through the insertion / removal opening 674 in the first wall of the device 67.The coupling process of the supply portion is a process for coupling the liquid inlet portion 642 and the liquid supply portion 442 to each other by rotating the side of the rear surface 47 of the cartridge 4 in a coupling direction D2, which is indicated by an arrow, while maintaining the electrical connection between the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521 as illustrated in Figure 3, around the rotation fulcrum 698 which serves as a displacement mechanism included in the support member 610. The rotation fulcrum 698 is provided on the side where the second device wall 62 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is located. In the process of coupling the supply portion, a positioning portion of the supply portion 644, which is a projection included in the cartridge mounting portion 4, engages with a positioning portion of the supply portion 448, which is included in cartridge 4 and has a recessed shape, thereby restricting the movement of the liquid supply portion 442 in a direction that intersects the central axis CA2 of the liquid supply portion. As a result, the positioning of the liquid supply portion 442 with respect to the liquid inlet portion is achieved. The positioning portion 644 of the appliance-side supply portion has an essentially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The positioning portion 644 of the appliance-side supply portion has an end portion 644a and an end portion 644b.One end portion 644a is located on the side where the liquid reservoir portion 699 is located. One end portion 644a is located closer to the housing space 61 than the other end portion 644b. In the assembled state of cartridge 4, a main wall 613, which forms a lower portion of the support member 610, is inclined with respect to the Y direction. Specifically, the main wall 613 of the support member 610 is inclined so that it is located closer to the -Z direction side, which is a lower side, as it extends toward a +Y axis direction. The main wall 613 is parallel to the Y direction in an initial assembly state of the cartridge mounting portion 6, in which cartridges 4 are not mounted. The cartridge 6 mounting portion includes a drive member 625 that applies an external force Ft1 to the support member 610 to return the support member 610 to its initial mounted position in the mounted state of cartridge 4. The drive member 625 of the apparatus is a helical spring provided between the support member 610 and the fluid reservoir portion 699 and is in a compressed state in the mounted state. The drive member 625 of the apparatus, in the compressed state, applies the external force Ft1, which has a +Z component, to the support member 610. Furthermore, in the mounted state of cartridge 4, a cartridge coupling portion 497 of cartridge 4 engages with a mounting coupling portion 697 of the cartridge 6 mounting portion, thus maintaining the mounted state.The mounting coupling portion 697 is formed in a coupling forming body 677 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. A-3. Detailed Configuration of the Cartridge Mounting Portion 6 Figure 5 is a view of a cartridge mounting portion 6 when viewed from the +Y direction side. Figure 6 is a view illustrating that cartridges 4 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6. Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of the cartridge mounting portion 6. Figure 8 is a view of a cartridge mounting portion when viewed from the +Z direction side. Figure 9 illustrates a partially magnified view of the cartridge mounting portion 6. Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a terminal portion 70 on the apparatus side. In Figures 6 through 10, for ease of understanding, the illustration of some of the components of the cartridge mounting portion 6 will be omitted.With respect to the cartridge 6 mounting portion, the X direction is also referred to as the width direction, the Y direction as the depth direction, and the Z direction as the height direction. In the following description, unless a specific state is mentioned, each element will be described under the assumption of the cartridge 6 mounting portion in the initial mounting state, where no cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge 6 mounting portion. As illustrated in Figures 5 through 7, the mounting portion of cartridge 6 forms the housing space 61, where the cartridges 4 are to be accommodated. The housing space 61 has an essentially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In other words, the grooves 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K, which are the portions of the housing space 61 for accommodating the respective cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K, correspond to the apparent shapes of the respective cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K. In this embodiment, cartridge 4K has a larger dimension in the Y direction than the other cartridges 4C, 4M, and 4Y in order to increase the amount of liquid it can hold. Therefore, in the present configuration, the width of slot 61K is greater than that of the other slots 61C, 61M, and 61Y. As illustrated in Figure 7, the cartridge mounting portion 6 has six side walls 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67 that form the housing space 61. In the present embodiment, the term "wall" includes not only a single wall but also a wall composed of a plurality of walls. The second wall of the apparatus 62 forms a wall of the housing space 61 on the -Y direction side. The second wall of the apparatus 62 is essentially a vertical wall in the operating state of the printing apparatus 10. The first wall of apparatus 67 faces the second wall of apparatus 62 in the Y direction. In the first wall of apparatus 67, the insertion / withdrawal opening 674 is formed, through which the cartridge 4 passes when it is inserted into or withdrawn from the housing space 61. The upper wall of apparatus 63 forms a wall of the housing space 61 on the +Z side. The lower wall of apparatus 64 faces the upper wall of apparatus 63 in the Z direction and forms a wall of the housing space 61 on the -Z side. The lower wall of apparatus 64 is formed by the support member 610. The lower wall of apparatus 64 has a plurality of openings 614. In the present embodiment, four openings 614 are formed corresponding to slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K. The upper wall of apparatus 63 and the lower wall of apparatus 64 intersect with the second wall of apparatus 62 and the first wall of apparatus 67.In the present invention, the term cross or interweave means any of: (i) a state in which two elements interweave and actually cross each other; (ii) a state in which one housing could cross another element if the first element were extended; and (iii) a state in which mutual elements, if extended respectively, would cross each other. The first wall of apparatus 65 forms a wall of the housing space 61 on the +X direction side. A second side wall of apparatus 66 faces the first side wall of apparatus 65 in the X direction and forms a wall of the housing space 61 on the -X direction side. The first side wall of apparatus 65 and the second side wall of apparatus 66 intersect with the second wall of apparatus 65, the first wall of apparatus 67, the upper wall of apparatus 63, and the lower wall of apparatus 64. As illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the cartridge mounting portion 6 also includes the support member 610, the fluid inlet portion 642, the supply portion positioning portion 644, the apparatus guide portions 602, and the coupling forming body 677. A plurality of support members 610 are provided, their numbers corresponding to the number of cartridges 4 to be mounted. In the present embodiment, four support members 610 are provided. The support member 610 forms the lower wall of the apparatus 64 of the housing space 61 on the gravity-direction side. The support member 610 supports the cartridge 4 from the -Z direction side, which is the gravity-direction side. The support member 610 has an extension along the Y direction. The support member 610 has a recessed shape.The support member 610 has a main wall 613 forming the bottom wall of the apparatus 64, a first support wall 611, and a second side support wall 612. The main wall 613 forms a lower portion located on the gravity-direction side and has a recessed shape. The openings 614 are formed at the end of the main wall 613 on the side where the first wall of the apparatus is located. The openings 614 penetrate through the main wall 613 in a direction equal to the thickness of the main wall 613. As illustrated in Figure 7, the first supporting side wall 611 rises from the end portion of the +X direction side of the main wall 613 in the +Z direction, which is opposite to the direction of gravity. The second supporting side wall 612 rises from an end portion of the -X direction side of the main wall 613 in the +Z direction. The first supporting side wall 611 and the second supporting side wall 612 face each other in the X direction. The guide portions of apparatus 602 guide the cartridge 4 in the insertion and withdrawal directions. Guide portions of apparatus 602 are provided for each support member 610. Guide portions of apparatus 602 are provided on each of the first side wall of support 611 and the second side wall of support 612. The guide portions of apparatus 602 are projections provided on the first side wall of support 611 and the second side wall of support 612. As illustrated in Figure 8, a first guide portion of apparatus 602a provided on the first side wall 611 is a projection extending from the first side wall of support 611 onto the second side wall of support 612. The first guide portion of apparatus 602a extends along the Y direction. A plurality of first guide portions of apparatus 602a are arranged at intervals along the Y direction.A second guide portion of apparatus 602b provided on the second side wall 612 is a projection extending from the second support side wall 612 into the first support side wall 611. The second guide portion of apparatus 602b extends along the Y direction. A plurality of second guide portions of apparatus 602b are arranged at intervals along the Y direction. As illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the fluid inlet portion 642 receives fluid from cartridge 4. In the initial assembly state of the cartridge mounting portion 4, the fluid inlet portion 642 is not located in the housing space 61; rather, it is located on the -Z direction side with respect to the housing space 61. That is, the fluid inlet portion 642 is located on the opposite side from the support member 610, with the housing space 61 interposed between them. Therefore, when cartridge 4 is inserted into the housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6, it is possible to prevent cartridge 4 from colliding with the fluid inlet portion 642.As described above, and as illustrated in Figure 3, the tip portion 642b of the liquid inlet portion 642 is accommodated in the housing space 61 by rotating the support member 610 around the rotation fulcrum 698 in the coupling direction D2 to lower the opening 614. That is, the rotation fulcrum 698, since the displacement mechanism places the tip portion 642b of the liquid inlet portion 642 into the housing space 61 through the opening 614, allows the support member 610 to rotate, causing the opening 614 to be displaced towards the gravity direction. The positioning portion 644 of the appliance-side supply portion illustrated in Figure 7 is received by the positioning portion of the supply portion 448, thereby restricting the movement of the liquid supply portion 442 relative to the liquid inlet portion 642. As a result, the positioning of the liquid supply portion 442 is controlled. In the initial assembly state of the cartridge mounting portion 6, the positioning portion of the appliance-side supply portion 644 is not located in the housing space 61; rather, it is located on the -Z direction side relative to the housing space 61. That is, the positioning portion of the appliance-side supply portion 644 is located on an opposite side away from the support member 610, with the housing space 61 interposed between them.Therefore, when cartridge 4 is inserted into the housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6, it is possible to prevent cartridge 4 from colliding with the positioning portion of the apparatus-side supply portion 644. The other end portion 644b of the positioning portion of the apparatus-side supply portion 644 is placed into the housing space 61 by rotating the support member 610 about the rotation fulcrum 698 in the coupling direction D2 to lower the opening 614. That is, the rotation fulcrum 698 places the other end portion 644b of the positioning portion of the apparatus-side supply portion 644 into the housing space 61 through the opening 614 by allowing the support member 610 to rotate, causing the opening 614 to be displaced. As illustrated in Figure 8, the cartridge mounting portion 6 also includes the device-side terminal portion 70 and a device-side identification member 630. As illustrated in Figure 9, the terminal clamping portion 750 included in the device-side terminal portion 70 includes a clamping portion surface 750fa, on which the device-side terminal 721 is exposed, a first clamping portion side wall 750ft, and a second clamping portion side wall 750fw. The first clamping portion side wall 750ft forms a terminal clamping portion side wall 750 on the +X direction side. The second clamping portion side wall 750fw forms a terminal clamping portion side wall 750 on the -X direction side. As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the identification members on the side of the device 630 are used to identify whether the correct types of cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K have been inserted into the respective slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K of housing space 61. The identification members on the side of the device 630 form different pattern shapes corresponding to the colors of the liquids contained in the 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K cartridges. In Figure 8, in the respective slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K, the following patterns are shown: And, and 61K, the identification members on the apparatus side 630 have the pattern shape for convenience, but in reality, they have different pattern shapes. The identification member on the apparatus side 630 is provided on the main wall 613 of the support member 610. As illustrated in Figure 9, the apparatus-side identification member 630 is formed by at least one rib. The pattern shape is determined by the number and location of the ribs. Cartridges 4 are also provided with cartridge-side identification members formed by the ribs. The cartridge-side identification members form different pattern shapes corresponding to the cartridge types 4, i.e., the colors of the liquids contained within them. When the correct cartridge type 4 is inserted into the corresponding slot 61C to 61K, the apparatus-side identification member 630 and the cartridge-side identification member fit together without interfering.Furthermore, when an incorrect type of cartridge 4 is inserted into slots 61C to 61K, the device-side identification member 630 and the cartridge-side identification member collide, preventing further insertion of cartridge 4. This reduces the possibility of mounting an incorrect type of cartridge 4 into slots 61C to 61K of the cartridge mounting portion 6. As illustrated in Figure 9, the device-side terminal portion 70 includes a device-side terminal positioning portion 756 in addition to the plurality of device-side terminals 721, the terminal clamping portion 750, and the connector 739 described earlier. The device-side terminal positioning portion 756 is received by a cartridge-side terminal positioning portion 4 during the process of inserting cartridge 4 into the housing space 61, such that movement in the X and Y directions, which are directions that intersect the insertion direction, is restricted. As a result, the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521 are positioned in directions that intersect the insertion direction. Two device-side terminal positioning portions 756 are provided for each of slots 61C through 61K. One of the two device-side terminal positioning portions 756 is also referred to as the first device-side terminal positioning portion 756t, and the other is also referred to as the second device-side terminal positioning portion 756w. The first device-side terminal positioning portion 756t and the second device-side terminal positioning portion 756w are column members extended in the Y direction, respectively. The first device-side terminal positioning portion 756t is provided on the first side wall of the clamping portion 750ft.The second terminal positioning portion 756w on the appliance side is provided on the second side wall of the clamping portion 750fw. As illustrated in Figure 10, the surface of the clamping portion 750fa of the terminal clamping portion 750 is inclined with respect to the Y and Z directions in a direction that includes a component of the +Y direction and a component of the +Z direction. A terminal contact 722 of the device-side terminal 721 configured to be in contact with the printed circuit board 50 frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi protrudes from the surface of the clamping portion 750fa. The terminal contact 722 is in an elastically deformable state in the direction of arrow YR1. A +Y-side end portion of the device-side terminal positioning portion 756 is located on the +Y-side with respect to the terminal contact 722. As illustrated in Figure 9, the apparatus-side terminal portion 70 and the apparatus-side identification member 630 are provided on the support member 610, respectively. With respect to the Y direction, which is the direction in which the support member 610 extends, the apparatus-side terminal portion 70 and the apparatus-side identification member 630 are located on opposite sides away from the first apparatus wall 67, with the liquid inlet portion 642 and the opening 614 interposed between them. Specifically, the apparatus-side terminal portion 70 and the apparatus-side identification member 630 are provided near the second apparatus wall 62. Furthermore, the apparatus-side terminal portion 70 is located closer to the second apparatus wall 62, which is on the -Y direction side, than the apparatus-side identification member 630 is.Due to this configuration, during the insertion of cartridge 4, after it begins to fit between the cartridge-side identification member and the device-side identification member 630, contact is initiated between the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printed circuit board storage device 50 and the control unit 31 from electrically connecting to each other in a state where an incorrect type of cartridge 4 is mounted, with the cartridge-side terminals 521 of the incorrect type of cartridge 4 and the device-side terminals 721 in contact with each other. As illustrated in Figure 7, the coupling-forming body 677 is formed on the +Y direction side with respect to the support member 610. Furthermore, the coupling-forming body 677 is located on the -Z direction side with respect to the insertion / withdrawal opening 674. Four mounting coupling portions 697, illustrated in Figure 3, are arranged on the coupling-forming body 677 to correspond to the respective grooves 61C to 61K. A-4. Detailed Configuration of Cartridge 4 Figure 11 illustrates a perspective view of a first type 4A cartridge. Figure 12 illustrates an exploded view of a first type 4A cartridge. Figure 13 is a first view illustrating a portion of the first type 4A cartridge. Figure 14 is a second view illustrating a portion of the first type 4A cartridge. Figure 15 is a first side view of the first type 4A cartridge. Figure 16 is a second side view of the first type 4A cartridge. Figure 17 is a front view of the first type 4A cartridge. Figure 18 is a rear view of the first type 4A cartridge. Figure 19 is a top view of the first type 4A cartridge. With respect to cartridge 4, the Y direction is the depth direction, the Z direction is the height direction, and the X direction is the width direction. Cartridge 4 is a cartridge that contains a large quantity of liquid and has a larger external shape.With respect to the external shape of cartridge 4, the dimension in the Y direction is the largest, and the dimensions in the Z direction and the dimension in the Y direction are smaller in that order in the drawings illustrating cartridge 4. The X, Y, and Z directions are based on a complete state of the terminal connection process, which is a state where the insertion of cartridge 4 into the mounting portion of cartridge 6 has been completed. That is, in the drawings illustrating cartridge 4, the X, Y, and Z directions are based on a state prior to the coupling process of the supply portion to rotationally move the support member 610. As illustrated in Figure 11, the first type of cartridge 4A includes a liquid container 401 forming an upper wall 43 and an adapter 402 forming a lower wall 44. The adapter 402 is fitted to the liquid container 401. The liquid container 401 and the adapter 402 are made of a synthetic resin. The liquid container 401 and the adapter 402 can be made of the same material or of different materials. A member forming the liquid container 401 can be lighter than a member forming the adapter 402. This improves the performance of the cartridge 4. The external form of the first type of cartridge 4A is essentially rectangular. The first type of cartridge 4A includes a main body 41 forming an external casing and a printed circuit board 50 attached to the main body 41. The main body 41 comprises the liquid container 401 and the adapter 402 described earlier. The main body 41 of the first type of cartridge 4A has a front wall 42, a rear wall 47, a top wall 43, a bottom wall 44, a first side wall 45, a second side wall 46, and a corner portion. Each wall 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47 is also referred to as each surface 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47. The front wall 42 and the rear wall 47 face each other in the Y direction along the insertion direction. The upper wall 43 and the lower wall 44 face each other in the Z direction.The Z direction is parallel to the central axis CA2 along an extended direction of the liquid supply portion 442. The first side wall 45 and the second side wall 46 face each other in the X direction. The X direction is orthogonal to the Y and Z directions. As illustrated in Figure 15, the front wall 42 is located on the insertion direction side. The insertion direction is the direction in which cartridge 4 is inserted into the mounting portion of cartridge 6. That is, the front wall 42 forms an end surface leading to insertion on the -Y direction side, which is the insertion direction side. The rear wall 47 forms a surface on the +Y direction side, toward which withdrawal occurs. The top wall 43 is located on the +Z direction side and intersects the front wall 42 and the rear wall 47. As illustrated in Figure 11, the bottom wall 44 is located on the Z direction side, which is the gravity direction side in the assembled state, and forms an end surface leading to engagement in the engagement direction D2 illustrated in Figure 3. That is, the bottom wall 44 is located on the engagement direction D2 side.The lower wall 44 intersects the front wall 42 and the rear wall 47. An insertion opening 446 is formed in the lower wall 44. The fluid supply portion 442 is arranged in the insertion opening 446. The fluid supply portion 442 is arranged such that the central axis CA2 of the fluid supply portion 442 passes through the insertion opening 446. In a cartridge 4 assembly process, the fluid inlet portion 642 of the cartridge assembly portion 6 is inserted through the insertion opening 446. The insertion opening 446 and the fluid supply portion 442 are located in a region RY between a middle portion MP of the cartridge 4 and an end portion in the rear wall 47 in the insertion direction. As illustrated in Figure 17, the first side wall 45 is located on the -X direction side, and the second side wall 46 is located on the +X direction side. Each of the first side wall 45 and the second side wall 46 intersects with the front wall 42, the back wall 47, the top wall 43, and the bottom wall 44. The corner portion 89 is provided at the corner where the front wall 42 and the bottom wall 44 intersect. The corner portion 89 has an inwardly recessed rebate portion 90. The first type of cartridge 4A also includes, as illustrated in Figure 11, the liquid containment portion 450 that contains the liquid, the liquid supply portion 442, a cartridge side identification member 430, the supply portion positioning portion 448, the printed circuit board 50, and the cartridge guide portions 447. The first type of cartridge 4A also includes the cartridge mating portion 497 illustrated in Figure 18. The liquid supply portion 442 illustrated in Figure 12 communicates with the liquid containment portion 450 and has a central axis CA2. The direction along the central axis CA2 is the Z direction. The direction along the central axis CA2, in which the liquid supply portion 442 extends, intersects the -Y direction, which is the insertion direction. That is, the liquid supply portion 442 extends in the direction that intersects the insertion direction, namely, it extends in the Z direction in the present embodiment. The liquid supply portion 442 is a cylindrical member projecting from a lower wall of the container 431, which is the lower wall of the liquid container 401, into the adapter 402. The liquid supply portion 442 is arranged in a recessed supply portion placement chamber 461 of the adapter 402.The insertion opening 446 illustrated in Figure 11 is formed in a lower, recessed portion of the delivery portion placement chamber 461. The liquid supply portion 442 has an internal flow passage 449, and liquid from the liquid containment portion 450 flows through it to the liquid inlet portion 642. A supply base end portion 442e2, which is a base end portion of the liquid supply portion 442, is connected to the bottom wall of the container 431, which is the bottom wall of the liquid container 401. A supply tip portion 442e1, which is a tip portion of the liquid supply portion 442, opens to the outside. An unillustrated valve mechanism that opens / closes the internal flow passage 449 is arranged in the internal flow passage 449 of the liquid supply portion 442. The valve mechanism has a valve seat, a valve body, and a driving member, in that order from the supply tip portion 442e1.The valve seat is an annular member made of rubber or elastomer. The valve body is a column member that seals a valve bore formed in the valve seat. The driving member is a helical spring that drives the valve body toward the valve seat. In the assembled state of cartridge 4, the fluid inlet portion 642 drives the valve body away from the valve seat, opening the valve mechanism. frrzrnn / cznz / E / YiAi The cartridge-side identification member 430, illustrated in Figure 11, is used to identify whether cartridge 4 has been inserted into the correct slot 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K of the cartridge mounting portion 6. The cartridge-side identification member 430 comprises ribs arranged on the lower wall 44, on the side closest to the front wall 42, i.e., in a location adjacent to the corner portion 89 in the present embodiment. The appliance-side identification members 430 form different pattern shapes corresponding to the colors contained in cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K. The pattern shape is determined by the number and location of the ribs. The positioning portion of the supply portion 448 receives the positioning portion of the supply portion from the apparatus side 644 to position the liquid supply portion 442 relative to the liquid inlet portion 642. Specifically, during the coupling process of the supply portion, the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 positions the liquid supply portion 442 relative to the liquid inlet portion 642 by receiving the positioning portion of the supply portion 644 from the apparatus side to restrict the movement of the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 in a direction that crosses the coupling direction D2. The positioning portion of the supply portion 448 is a recessed portion formed in the lower wall 44 and recessed from an external surface of the lower wall 44.In another embodiment, the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 may be an opening that penetrates through the lower wall 44. The positioning portion of the supply portion 448 is a recessed portion that has an essentially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the opening area of ​​an inlet portion formed on one side of the outer surface of the lower wall 44 is larger than the opening area on a lower side of the recessed portion, which is deeper than the inlet portion. This configuration allows the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 to readily receive the positioning portion of the supply portion 644 from the apparatus side during the supply portion coupling process.With respect to the insertion direction, the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 is located on an opposite side away from the cartridge-side terminals 521 of the printed circuit board 50, with the liquid supply portion 442 and the insertion opening 446 interposed between them. In the present embodiment, the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 is formed near the rear wall 47 on the lower wall 44. As illustrated in Figure 18, the cartridge coupling portion 947 is provided on the rear wall 47. The cartridge coupling portion 497 is a rebate portion recessed from an external surface of the rear wall 47. As illustrated in Figure 13, the printed circuit board 50 is arranged in the corner portion 89. The printed circuit board 50 has a plurality of cartridge-side terminals 521 arranged on its front surface 50fa and a storage device 525 arranged on its rear surface. The plurality of cartridge-side terminals 521, which can be electrically connected to the device-side terminals by contact with them, are electrically connected to the storage device 525 by wiring. In the present embodiment, the number of the plurality of device-side terminals 521 is nine. The front surface 50fa, on which the plurality of cartridge-side terminals 521 are arranged, is inclined with respect to the insertion direction.Specifically, the front surface 50fa is inclined with respect to the insertion direction in a direction that includes a component of the -Z direction and a component of the -Y direction. The storage device 525 stores information relating to cartridge 4, such as the manufacturing date or the amount of fluid remaining. In the assembled state, the plurality of terminals on the cartridge side 521 are electrically connected to the terminals on the device side 721 by contacting the corresponding terminals on the device side 721. Therefore, the control unit 31 of the printing device 10 and the storage device 525 are electrically connected to each other, and data communication between them can take place. As illustrated in Figure 14, the printed circuit board 50 is arranged in the recessed portion 90 of the corner portion 89. As illustrated in Figure 11, the recessed portion 90 is provided over the front wall 42 and the bottom wall 44. As illustrated in Figure 14, the recessed portion 90 has a front wall of the recessed portion 982 forming an entry opening located on the side of the front wall 42, a bottom wall of the recessed portion 988 forming a bottom portion of the recessed portion 909, and a pair of side walls of the recessed portions 902t and 902w. The lower wall of recessed portion 988 has a portion inclined with respect to the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the inclined portion is oriented such that it can be located further along the +Z direction as it approaches the front wall of recessed portion 982 with respect to the Y direction. Printed circuit board 50 is arranged on this inclined portion. The pair of sidewalls 902t and 902w of the recessed portion are walls to which the bottom wall 988 of the recessed portion is connected. The pair of sidewalls 902t and 902w of the recessed portion face each other in the X direction. The first sidewall 902t of the recessed portion is connected to an end portion on the -X side of the bottom wall of the recessed portion 988. The second sidewall 902w of the recessed portion is connected to an end portion on the +X side of the bottom wall of the recessed portion 988. The first sidewall 902t of the recessed portion and the second sidewall 902w of the recessed portion are referred to as a sidewall of the recessed portion 902 when there is no distinction between them.An inlet opening formed as an opening in the front wall of the recessed portion 982 serves as an inlet when the device-side terminal portion 70 is inserted into the recessed portion 90. The pair of side walls 902t and 902w of the recessed portion are provided with a pair of terminal positioning portions 906t and 906w, respectively. The pair of terminal positioning portions 906t and 906w are provided to face each other in the X-axis direction. The pair of terminal positioning portions 906t and 906w are referred to as a first terminal positioning portion 906t and a second terminal positioning portion 906w when there is no distinction between them. The pair of terminal positioning portions 906t and 906w are referred to as a first terminal positioning portion 906 when there is no distinction between them. The terminal positioning portion 906 is a groove formed in the side wall of the recessed portion. 902. The first terminal positioning portion 906t is a groove recessed from a surface of the first side wall of the recessed portion 902t. The second terminal positioning portion 906w is a groove recessed from a surface of the second side wall of the recessed portion 902w. The first terminal positioning portion 906t receives the first device-side terminal positioning portion 756t, as illustrated in Figure 9, during the terminal connection process. That is, the first device-side terminal positioning portion 756t is inserted into the first terminal positioning portion 906t. The second terminal positioning portion 906w receives the second device-side terminal positioning portion 756w, as illustrated in Figure 9, during the terminal connection process. That is, the second device-side terminal positioning portion 756w is inserted into the second terminal positioning portion 906t.The insertion of the device-side terminal positioning portion 756 into the terminal positioning portion 906 is carried out after the adjustment between the cartridge-side identification member 430 and the device-side identification member 630 has begun. The insertion of the device-side terminal positioning portion 756 into the terminal positioning portion 906 is carried out before contact begins between the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521. Because the device-side terminal positioning portion 756 is received by the device-side terminal positioning portion 906, the device-side terminal positioning portion 756 and the device-side terminal positioning portion 906 come into contact with each other. As a result, the movement of the cartridge-side terminals relative to the device-side terminals is restricted in the Z and X directions, which are the directions that intersect the insertion direction. Due to this movement restriction, the positioning of the cartridge-side terminals 521 relative to the device-side terminals 721 is performed in the Z and X directions, which are the directions that intersect the insertion direction. The device-side terminal positioning portion 906 has an end wall 916 on the +Y side.Cartridge 4 is also driven in the insertion direction from a butted position, where the pointed portion of the device-side terminal positioning portion 756 abuts the end wall 916, completing the terminal connection process. Because cartridge 4 is also driven in the insertion direction from the butted position, the clamping mechanism 73 is driven in the insertion direction. Therefore, the device-side terminal portion 70 moves in the insertion direction in accordance with the movement of cartridge 4. In a state where the terminal connection process is complete, the driving member 7780 illustrated in Figure 4 is in a compressed state. Furthermore, in the state where the terminal connection process is complete, the device-side terminals 721 and the cartridge-side terminals 521 are in contact with each other. frrzrnn / cznz / E / YiAi As illustrated in Figures 11 and 19, the guide portions of cartridge 447 extend along the -Y direction, which is the insertion direction. The guide portions of cartridge 447 are guided in the insertion direction by the guide portions of apparatus 602 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. The guide portions of apparatus 447 are formed on the first side wall 45 and the second side wall 46, respectively. In Figure 11, the guide portion of cartridge 447 formed on the first side wall 45 is illustrated with a single shadow. The guide portions of cartridge 447 are formed on the first side wall 45 and the second side wall 46, respectively, by ridges. That is, with respect to the width of cartridge 4, a portion that includes the lower wall 44 is narrower than the portion that is farther from the lower wall 44 than the portion that includes the lower wall.Therefore, the protrusion that forms the guide portion of the 447 cartridge is created. The guide portion of the 447 cartridge is a facing surface in the -Z direction. The guide portion of the 447 cartridge formed on the first side wall 45 is also referred to as a first guide portion of the 447a cartridge, and the guide portion of the 447 cartridge formed on the second side wall 46 is called the second guide portion of the 447b cartridge. When cartridge 4 is inserted into the mounting portion of cartridge 6, the guide portion of cartridge 447 makes contact with a surface of the guide portion of apparatus 602 on the +Z direction side, which guides the movement of cartridge 4 in the insertion direction in a state where the position of cartridge 4 is maintained. The first guide portion of cartridge 447a makes contact with a surface of the first guide portion of apparatus 602a on the +Z direction side, and the second guide portion of cartridge 447b makes contact with a surface of the second guide portion of apparatus 602b on the +Z direction side. As illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, the adapter 402 includes the corner portion 89 having the terminal positioning portion 906 and the cartridge-side terminals 521, the cartridge-side identification member 430, the insertion opening 446, the supply portion positioning portion 448, the cartridge guide portions 447, and the supply portion placement chamber 461. Figure 20 is a perspective view of a second type of cartridge, 4B. Figure 21 is a front view of the second type of cartridge, 4B. Figure 22 is a rear view of the second type of cartridge, 4B. The difference between the second type of cartridge, 4B, and the first type of cartridge, 4A, is that the width of a 401B liquid container is less than that of the 401 liquid container illustrated in Figure 11. Because of this difference, the amount of liquid that can be contained in a 450 liquid containment portion formed in the 401B liquid container is less than the amount of liquid that can be contained in the 450 liquid containment portion formed in the 401 liquid container. Since the other components of the second type of cartridge, 4B, are the same as those of the first type of cartridge, 4A, these components will be designated with the same part numbers, and therefore, their descriptions will be omitted. A 402 adapter for the second type 4B cartridge has the same configuration as the 402 adapter for the first type 4A cartridge except for a pattern shape formed by the identification member on the cartridge side 430. Therefore, the 402 adapter can be used for all 4A and 4B cartridges that have different capacities. A-5. Cartridge Assembly Process within the Cartridge Assembly Portion frrzrnn / cznz / E / YiAi Figure 23 is a first view illustrating an assembly process. Figure 24 is a second view illustrating the assembly process. Figure 25 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 24, corresponding to a section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 26 is a third view illustrating the assembly process. Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 26, corresponding to a section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figures 23 through 25 illustrate the terminal connection process, and Figures 26 and 27 illustrate the supply portion coupling process. As illustrated in Figure 23, when cartridge 4 is mounted inside the cartridge 6 mounting portion, cartridge 4 is first inserted from the insertion / withdrawal opening 674 of the cartridge 6 mounting portion into the housing space 61. The insertion direction D1 of cartridge 4 into the cartridge 6 mounting portion is the -Y direction and is parallel to a direction in which the guide portions of cartridge 447 extend. When cartridge 4 is driven further in the insertion direction D1 from the state illustrated in Figure 23, the terminal connection process is complete, as illustrated in Figure 24. In the completed state of the terminal connection process illustrated in Figure 24, an end portion 402e of adapter 402 on the +Y direction side is located on the insertion direction side with respect to the coupling-forming body 677. Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 25, in the completed state of the terminal connection process, the cartridge-side terminals 521 and the device-side terminals 721 are in contact with each other. Additionally, in the completed state of the terminal connection process, the driving member 780 is compressed, and the device-side terminal portion 70 receives an external force Fa from the driving member 780.The user executes the supply portion coupling process by rotationally moving cartridge 4 in the coupling direction D1, with rotation fulcrum 698 as the fulcrum, while pushing cartridge 4 towards the insertion direction side. When cartridge 4 rotates in coupling rotation D2, the positioning portion of the appliance-side supply portion 644 is received by the positioning portion of the supply portion 448 before coupling begins between the liquid inlet portion 642 and the liquid supply portion 442. Then, the positioning of the liquid supply portion 442 relative to the liquid inlet portion 642 begins. That is, the movement of the liquid supply portion 442 is restricted in a direction that crosses the central axis CA2 of the liquid supply portion 442. During the coupling process of the supply portion, when the positioning portion of the appliance-side supply portion 644 is inserted into the liquid inlet portion 642, cartridge 4 may move slightly in the Y direction.In this case, due to the expansion / contraction of the driving member 780, the device-side terminal portion 70 moves in accordance with the movement of the cartridge-side terminals 521. This makes it possible to maintain good contact between the cartridge-side terminals 521 and the device-side terminals 721. As illustrated in Figure 27, in the assembled state of cartridge 4 after the completion of the supply portion coupling process, the cartridge-side terminals 521 of the printed circuit board 50 and the appliance-side terminals 721 of the appliance-side terminal portion 70 come into contact, and the liquid supply portion 442 and the liquid inlet portion 642 are coupled together. In the assembled state, the insertion direction D1 of cartridge 4 intersects the direction in which the liquid supply portion 442 extends. Furthermore, in the assembled state, cartridge 4 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6, so that the direction in which the liquid supply portion 442 extends includes a component of the gravity direction. This allows the liquid in the liquid supply portion 442 to flow easily.Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid remaining unconsumed in the liquid containment portion 450. In the present embodiment, in the assembled state, the liquid supply portion 442 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity, such that the direction in which the liquid supply portion 442 extends and the direction of gravity form an angle that is within a range greater than 0° but not greater than 15°. In the assembled state, the mounting coupling portion 697 is engaged with the cartridge coupling portion 497 to retain the mounted cartridge 4. The user lifts the rear wall side 47 of cartridge 4 to rotate it in a disengagement direction D3, which is opposite to the engagement direction D2, with the rotation fulcrum 698 as the fulcrum. Due to this rotation, the mounting coupling portion 697 is displaced by being driven by the main body of cartridge 4, and as a result, the mounting coupling portion 697 disengages from the body coupling portion 497. According to the above configuration, as illustrated in Figure 27, cartridge 4 has the fluid supply portion 442 arranged on the lower wall 44, which intersects the front wall 42 located on the insertion direction side. Because of this configuration, in the assembled state, the lower wall 44 is located on the gravity direction side, and therefore, the fluid in the fluid containment portion 450 can easily flow into the locator supply portion 442. This reduces the amount of fluid remaining unused in the fluid containment portion 450. As illustrated in Figure 23, the insertion direction D1 of cartridge 4 and the withdrawal direction, which is opposite to the insertion direction D1, are both Y-directions and extend along the horizontal direction.Therefore, simply moving cartridge 4 horizontally is sufficient when cartridge 4 is inserted into and removed from the mounting portion of cartridge 6, resulting in improved operation of cartridge 4. In particular, as in the present embodiment, cartridge 4, which has a larger external shape to accommodate a large amount of liquid, can be inserted into and removed from the mounting portion of cartridge 6 along the horizontal direction, thus also improving the operation of cartridge 4. As described above, in the mounted state of cartridge 4, the insertion direction D1 of cartridge 4 and the extension direction of the liquid supply portion 442 intersect each other; accordingly, the insertion direction D1 can be fixed in the horizontal direction, and the extension direction can be fixed in a direction that includes a component of the vertical direction.Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid that will remain in the 450 liquid containment portion of frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi without being consumed while improving the performance of cartridge 4. According to the above embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 11 and 19, cartridge 4 includes the guide portions of cartridge 447 and can therefore be easily moved in the insertion direction D1. In particular, in the present embodiment, the external shape of cartridge 4 is longest in the insertion direction D1. Because cartridge 4 has guide portions of cartridge 447 that are to be guided in the insertion direction, it is possible to move cartridge 4 more easily in the insertion direction D1. As illustrated in Figure 19, the guide portions of cartridge 447 include a first guide portion of cartridge 447a formed on the first side wall 45 and a second guide portion of cartridge 447b formed on the second side wall 46 corresponding to the first side wall 45.Because this configuration makes it possible to provide guide portions of cartridge 447 on the respective sides of cartridge 4 in the width direction, an insertion position of cartridge 4 will be stable when cartridge 4 is moved in the insertion direction within the mounting portion of cartridge 6. According to the previous embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 11, the printed circuit board 50, which has the cartridge-side terminals 521, is arranged in the corner portion 89, where the front wall 42 and the bottom wall 44 intersect. This configuration allows for easy contact between the cartridge-side terminals 521 and the device-side terminals 721 when moving cartridge 4 into the housing space 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the insertion direction. In particular, in the present embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 14, cartridge 4 has the terminal positioning portion 906 in the corner portion 89, and therefore the cartridge-side terminals 521 and the device-side terminals 721 can reliably make contact during the assembly process. According to the above embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 12, cartridge 4 has a liquid container 401 and adapter 402 and can be improved with a certain degree of design freedom. For example, the same adapter 402 can be used for a plurality of liquid containers 401 and 401B whose liquid-containing portions 450 have different capacities. Furthermore, because cartridge 4 has liquid container 401 and adapter 402, the liquid container 401 can be removed from adapter 402 and a new liquid container 401 can be attached to adapter 402 after the liquid has been consumed. This improves the recycling capacity of cartridge 4. In this embodiment, adapter 402 can be used interchangeably with different types of liquid containers 401 and 401B, along with terminal positioning portion 906, supply portion positioning portion 448, container side identification member 430, and container coupling portion 497, all of which are configured to work in conjunction with container assembly portion 6. Therefore, even though the liquid container types 401 differ, the same adapter 402 can be used, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of container 4. This simplifies the design of liquid containers 401 and 401B. According to the above embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 24 to 27, after the cartridge 4 is inserted into the housing space 61 through the insertion / withdrawal opening 674, it is possible to couple the liquid inlet portion 642 and the liquid supply portion 442 together by placing the tip portion 642b of the liquid inlet portion 642 into the housing space 61 by displacing the opening 614 towards the side of the gravity direction around the rotation fulcrum 698. Therefore, in the process of inserting the cartridge 4 into the housing space 61, it is possible to prevent the cartridge 4 from colliding with the liquid inlet portion 642 formed in a direction that crosses the insertion direction D1. B. Other Modalities B-1. Other Modality 1 In the previous embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 23, the insertion direction D1 is parallel to, but not limited to, the horizontal direction. In another embodiment, the insertion direction D1 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, provided it has a horizontal component. For example, the insertion direction D1 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction within a range greater than 0° but not greater than 45°. In the previous embodiment, in the assembled state of cartridge 4, the centerline CA2 of the liquid supply portion 442 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity. However, its direction may be along the direction of gravity. B-2. Another Modality 2 In the above embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 25 to 27, the liquid supply portion 442 and the liquid inlet portion 642 are coupled to each other by the rotational movement of the cartridge 4 about the rotational fulcrum 698 in the coupling direction D2, but this is not limited to it. For example, the liquid supply portion 442 and the liquid inlet portion 642 can be coupled to each other by moving the cartridge 4 in the -Z direction, thereby moving the entire support member 610 in the -Z direction. That is, in the process of terminal connection, the support member 610 can be moved in the -Z direction, which is the direction of gravity, to displace the opening 614 in the -Z direction, which is the direction of gravity, thereby placing the tip portion 642b of the liquid inlet portion 642 into the housing space 61 through the opening 614.Alternatively, the position of the support member 610 can be fixed and the liquid inlet portion 642 can be moved to couple with the liquid supply portion 442. B-3. ​​Another Modality 3 In the above embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 12, the liquid container 401 and the adapter 402 are separate bodies, but they can be integrated with each other. B-4. Another Modality 4 The present invention is not limited to an inkjet printer and its cartridge, but can also be applied to any printer that expels a liquid other than ink, and to its cartridge. For example, the present invention can be applied to the following printers and their cartridges: (1) Image recording apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus or the like. (2) Printing apparatus configured to eject a dye used in the production of color frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi filters for an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or the like. (3) Printing apparatus configured to eject an electrode material used to form electrodes on an organic El (Electroluminescence) screen, a surface emitting screen (Field Emission Screen, FED) or the like. (4) Printing apparatus configured to expel a liquid containing a living organic material used in the manufacture of biochips. (5) Impression apparatus shows as a precision pipette. (6) Lubricating oil printing apparatus. (7) Lubricating resin printing apparatus. (8) Printing devices configured to eject with millimeter accuracy. (9) Printing apparatus configured to eject a transparent liquid resin such as an ultraviolet curing resin onto a substrate to form a microhemispherical lens (optical lens) used in an optical communication element or the like. (10) Printing apparatus configured to expel an acid etching agent or an alkaline etching agent for etching a substrate or the like (11) Printing apparatus equipped with a liquid ejection head for ejecting microdroplets. The term "liquid droplets" refers to a state of a liquid expelled from a printing apparatus and encompasses a particle droplet, a teardrop-shaped droplet, and a droplet that forms a coiled tail. Furthermore, the liquid referred to here can be any material that can be expelled by the printing apparatus. For example, the liquid can be a material in a liquid state, and materials in a liquid state with high or low viscosity, such as solutions, water-gels, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, liquid resins, and liquid metals, are also included. Moreover, the term "liquid" not only includes a liquid as a state of matter, but also a liquid in which particles of the functional material, formed from a solid substance such as a pigment or a metal particle, are dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent.In addition, typical examples of liquids can include ink as described in the previous category, liquid crystal, or similar substances. Here, ink includes general water-based inks, oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions, such as gel inks and hot melt inks. C. Other Aspects The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be achieved in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features of one embodiment corresponding to the technical features in each of the aspects described below may be replaced or combined to solve some or all of the problems described above or to achieve some or all of the effects described above. Furthermore, a technical feature may be omitted unless it is described as essential in this specification. frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi (1) According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cartridge is provided configured to be mounted within a cartridge mounting portion of a printing apparatus having a liquid inlet portion configured to receive a liquid. The cartridge includes a liquid-containing portion that houses the liquid, a front wall located on the insertion-direction side, the insertion direction being the direction in which it is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion, and a bottom wall that crosses the front wall and in which the liquid supply portion is disposed, configured to be coupled to the liquid inlet portion.Accordingly, because the liquid supply portion is located on the lower wall that intersects the front wall on the insertion side, the liquid in the liquid containment portion can easily flow into the liquid supply portion. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid remaining unused in the liquid containment portion. (2) In the above aspect, the liquid supply portion can be extended in a direction that crosses the insertion direction. According to this aspect, because the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, so that the direction in which the liquid supply portion extends includes a component of the gravity direction, the liquid in the liquid supply portion can flow easily. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid that remains unused in the liquid containment portion. (3) In the above aspect, the cartridge may also include: a cartridge guide portion that extends in the insertion direction and is guided in the insertion direction by the cartridge mounting portion. According to this aspect, the cartridge can move easily in the insertion direction due to the guidance of the cartridge guide portion. (4) In the above aspect, the cartridge may also include: a first side wall that crosses the front and bottom walls, and a second side wall that crosses the front and bottom walls and faces the first side wall, wherein the guide portion of the cartridge may include a first guide portion formed in the first side wall and a second guide portion formed in the second side wall. According to this aspect, because the guide portion of the cartridge is formed in the first side wall, and the second guide portion of the cartridge is formed in the second side wall corresponding to the first side wall, the insertion position of the cartridge will be stable when the cartridge is moved in the insertion direction. (5) In the foregoing aspect, the cartridge may also include: a corner portion where the front wall and the bottom wall intersect, and a cartridge-side terminal disposed on the corner portion that is capable of electrically connecting to a device-side terminal having the cartridge mounting portion. Pursuant to this aspect, it is possible to provide a cartridge having a cartridge-side terminal capable of electrically connecting to a device-side terminal. (6) In the above aspect, the cartridge may also include: a liquid container comprising a liquid-containing portion and a liquid-supplying portion, and an adapter attached to the liquid container and forming its lower wall, wherein the adapter includes a delivery portion chamber in which the liquid-supplying portion is disposed, and an insertion opening through which the liquid-inlet portion is inserted. According to this aspect, because the cartridge includes both the liquid container and the adapter, the degree of freedom in the design can be improved. For example, the same adapter can be used for a plurality of liquid containers whose liquid-containing portions have different capacities. (7) In the above aspect, the adapter may include the corner portion where the cartridge-side terminal is located. According to this aspect, because the adapter includes the corner portion, it is possible to place the cartridge-side terminal into the adapter. (8) In the above aspect, the adapter may include the guide portion of the cartridge. According to this aspect, it is possible to place the guide portion of the cartridge in the adapter. (9) According to a second aspect of the present invention, a printing system is provided. The printing system includes: a printing apparatus comprising a cartridge mounting portion within which the cartridge is mounted, a liquid inlet portion configured to receive a liquid, and the cartridge of the preceding aspect. According to this aspect, because the liquid supply portion is arranged in the lower wall intersecting the front wall located on the insertion-direction side, the liquid in the liquid containment portion can readily flow into the liquid supply portion. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid remaining unused in the liquid containment portion. (10) In the preceding aspect, the insertion direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion may intersect a direction in which the fluid supply portion of the cartridge extends. Accordingly, because the insertion direction intersects the insertion direction where the fluid supply portion extends, it is possible to reduce the amount of fluid remaining unconsumed in the fluid containment portion while improving cartridge performance. (11) According to a third aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus is provided. The printing apparatus includes: a cartridge mounting portion within which the cartridge of the previous aspect is mounted, wherein the cartridge mounting portion includes a housing space into which the cartridge is inserted in the insertion direction and which houses the cartridge, and a liquid inlet portion extending in a direction that crosses the insertion direction and is coupled to a liquid supply portion of the cartridge. According to this aspect, because the cartridge has its front wall located on the insertion direction side and the lower wall in which the liquid supply portion is disposed is mounted within the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid in the liquid containment portion can readily flow through the liquid supply portion into the cartridge mounting portion.Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid that will remain in the liquid containment portion without being consumed. (12) In the foregoing aspect, the cartridge mounting portion may also include a first apparatus wall including an insertion / withdrawal opening that is an inlet and an outlet of the housing space, a second apparatus wall facing the first apparatus wall, and a support member forming the lower apparatus wall including an opening and supporting the cartridge, the lower apparatus wall crossing the first apparatus wall and the second apparatus wall, the liquid inlet portion may be located on the opposite side away from the support member,With the housing space interposed between them and the cartridge mounting portion, it may also include a displacement mechanism that places a pointed portion of the liquid inlet portion into the housing space through the opening by allowing the support member to move, thus displacing the opening towards the direction of gravity. Accordingly, it is possible to couple the liquid inlet portion and the liquid supply portion together by placing the pointed portion of the liquid inlet portion into the housing space by displacing the opening after inserting the cartridge into the housing space through the insertion opening after removal. This improves the operation of the cartridge assembly within the cartridge mounting portion. In addition to the above aspects, the present invention can be achieved in one aspect of a method for manufacturing a cartridge, one aspect of a mechanism configured for mounting a cartridge within the cartridge mounting portion, and the like. List of reference symbols, printing system, print sheet 4, 4C, 4M, 4Y, 4K cartridge 4A first type of cartridge 4B second type of cartridge cartridge assembly portion cap member printing apparatus replacement cover operating button carriage ejection head tube actuator mechanism control unit timer band drive motor main body front wall top wall bottom wall frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi first side wall second side wall rear wall printed circuit board 50fa front surface accommodation space 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K slot second wall of the device upper wall of the device lower wall of the device first side wall of the device second side wall of the device first wall of the device terminal portion on the side of the device clamping mechanism corner portion recessed portion 401,401B liquid container 402 adapter 402e end portion 430 cartridge side identification member 431 lower wall of the container 442 portion of fluid supply 446 insertion opening 447 guide portion of the cartridge 447a first guide portion of the cartridge 447b second guide portion of the cartridge 448 portion of supply portion positioning 449 Internal flow passage 450 liquid containment portion 461 supply portion placement chamber 497 cartridge coupling portion 521 cartridge side terminal 525 storage device 602 portion guide of the device 602a first guide portion of the apparatus 602b second portion guide of the device 610 support member frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi 611 first side wall of the support 612 second support side wall 613 main wall 614 opening 625 driving member of the apparatus 630 Apparatus side identification member 642 liquid inlet portion 642a base end portion 642b tip portion 644 Positioning portion of the appliance side supply portion 644a an end portion 644b another end portion 674 Insertion / Removal Opening 677 coupling forming body 697 mounting coupling portion 698 fulcrum of rotation 699 portion of liquid reservoir 721 device-side terminal 722 terminal contact 739 connector 750 terminal clamping portion 750fa clamping portion surface 750ft first side wall of securing portion 750fw second side wall of clamping portion 756 Apparatus-side terminal positioning portion 756t first portion of device-side terminal positioning 756w second portion of device-side terminal positioning 780 driving member 782 coupling member 902 side wall of the recessed portion 902t first side wall of the recessed portion 902w second side wall of recessed portion 906 Terminal Positioning Portion 906t first portion of terminal positioning 906w second portion of terminal positioning 916 end wall 982 front wall of the recessed portion 988 lower wall of the recessed portion frezenn / eznz / E / YiAi 442e1 supply tip portion 442e2 supply base end portion CA1, CA2 center shaft D1 insertion address D2 coupling direction D3 decoupling direction External force Ft1 external force MP middle portion Rp fulcrum of terminal rotation RY external force

Claims

1. A cartridge configured to be mounted within a cartridge mounting portion of a printing apparatus having a liquid inlet portion configured to receive a liquid, the cartridge comprising: a liquid-containing portion housing the liquid; a front wall located on the insertion-direction side, the insertion-direction being the direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion; and a bottom wall crossing the front wall and in which the liquid supply portion is disposed, configured to be coupled with the liquid inlet portion.

2. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: the liquid supply portion extends in a direction that crosses the insertion direction.

3. The cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a guide portion of the cartridge extending in the insertion direction and guided in the insertion direction by the cartridge mounting portion.

4. The cartridge according to claim 3, further comprising: a first side wall crossing the front wall and the bottom wall; and a second side wall crossing the front wall and the bottom wall and facing the first side wall, wherein: the guide portion of the cartridge includes: a first guide portion of the cartridge formed in the first side wall; and a second guide portion of the cartridge formed in the second side wall.

5. The cartridge according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a corner portion where the front wall and the bottom wall intersect; and a cartridge-side terminal disposed in the corner portion and having the capability of electrically connecting to a device-side terminal having the cartridge mounting portion.

6. The cartridge according to any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a liquid container including the liquid containment portion and the liquid supply portion; and an adapter coupled to the liquid container and forming the lower wall, wherein: the adapter includes: a placement chamber for the supply portion in which the liquid supply portion is disposed; an insertion opening through which the liquid inlet portion is inserted.

7. The cartridge according to claim 6 dependent on claim 5, wherein: the adapter includes the corner portion where the cartridge-side terminal is disposed.

8. The cartridge according to claim 6 depending on claim 3 or 4, in frrzrnn / cznz / E / YiAi where: the adapter includes the guide portion of the cartridge.

9. A printing system comprising a printing apparatus including a cartridge mounting portion within which the cartridge is mounted; and the cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The printing system according to claim 9, wherein: the insertion direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion crosses a direction in which the liquid supply portion of the cartridge extends.

11. A printing apparatus comprising: a cartridge mounting portion within which the cartridge is mounted according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the cartridge mounting portion includes: a housing space within which the cartridge is inserted in an insertion direction and accommodating the cartridge; and a liquid inlet portion extending in a direction crossing the insertion direction and coupled to a liquid supply portion of the cartridge.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: the cartridge mounting portion also includes: a first apparatus wall including an insertion / removal opening that is an inlet and outlet of the housing space; a second apparatus wall facing the first apparatus wall; and a support member forming a lower apparatus wall including an opening and supporting the cartridge, the lower apparatus wall crossing the first apparatus wall and the second apparatus wall;The liquid inlet portion is located on the opposite side away from the support member, with the housing space interposed between them. The cartridge mounting portion also includes: a displacement mechanism that places the tip portion of the liquid inlet portion into the housing space through the opening by allowing the support member to rotate, causing the opening to shift towards the side of the gravity direction.

Images