Patent ID: 8297746

Claim:
An ink cartridge accommodating device comprising: an accommodating portion which is configured to accommodate a plurality of ink cartridges arranged in an arrangement direction; and a plurality of sensors which are provided correspondingly to the plurality of ink cartridges, and which optically detect information related to the plurality of ink cartridges, respectively; wherein each of the sensors includes: a light-emitting element which emits light; and a light-receiving element which receives light emitted from the light emitting element; wherein: the light-emitting elements of the sensors provided for adjacent ink cartridges are arranged adjacent to each other without the light-receiving elements of the sensors provided for the adjacent ink cartridges interposed therebetween; or the light-receiving elements of the sensors provided for adjacent ink cartridges are arranged adjacent to each other without the light-emitting elements of the sensors provided for the adjacent ink cartridges interposed therebetween; and wherein the ink cartridge accommodating device further comprises: a first supply unit which supplies power to the light-emitting elements of the sensors so that the light-emitting elements of adjacent sensors emit light at the same time; and a first output unit which outputs signals from the light-receiving elements of the sensors through a plurality of lines connected to the light-receiving elements of the sensors, respectively.