The invention relates to a liquid ejecting device that ejects liquid from ejection ports.
A serial-type inkjet recording device is disclosed that conveys a recording medium while moving a recording head reciprocatingly in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording medium, thereby recoding an image on the recording medium.
Generally, an inkjet recording device is designed such that pressure within a recording head is maintained within a predetermined negative pressure range relative to atmospheric pressure so as to prevent ink from leaking through ejection ports. As a method for achieving this, for example, a main tank and the recording head are connected with each other via a tube such that a liquid surface of the main tank (cartridge) is lower than an ejection surface.
An ink receiving section (a suction cap, a waste-ink receiving tray) for receiving ink ejected from the recording head is disposed in a maintenance region of the inkjet recording device, which is outside a print region. Generally, waste ink received by the ink receiving section is collected in a waste ink tank that is connected via a tube.
In the above-described inkjet recording device, when a recording medium is jammed between the recording head and a platen, the jammed recording medium can be removed through an opening of a casing by moving the recording head out to the maintenance region. On the other hand, there exists a line-type inkjet recording device that records an image on a recording medium by using a recording head having a print region of approximately the same width as the recording medium for high-speed printing. If such a line-type recording head is adopted in the above-described recording head, high-speed printing can be performed.
However, the line-type recording head does not move during recording of an image. Hence, when a jam occurs, there is a need to move the recording head relative to the platen such that the recording head and the platen are spaced away from each other. Thus, the inventor considered, for example, splitting the casing into an upper casing and a lower casing such that the upper casing holds the recording head and the lower casing holds the platen. In this case, it is preferable that the main tank be located at a lower position than the recording head in order to keep pressure within recording head in a predetermined negative pressure range. Hence, it is preferable that the main tank be disposed at the lower casing. Then, if the upper casing is moved relative to the lower casing when a jam occurs, there is a possibility that a tube connecting the recording head with the main tank is pulled and strained and that the tube is damaged.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a liquid ejecting device that is capable of preventing damage at a liquid conveying section.
In order to attain the above and other objects, the invention provides a liquid ejecting device. The liquid ejecting device includes a casing, a line-type liquid ejecting head, a supporting section, a first-tank mount section, a liquid conveying section, a receiving section, a waste-liquid tank, and a waste-liquid conveying section. The casing includes a first casing and a second casing. The liquid ejecting head has an ejection surface that is elongated in a first direction and that is formed with ejection ports for ejecting liquid. The supporting section is disposed in confrontation with the ejection surface and is configured to support a recording medium. A first tank storing liquid is configured to be mounted on the first-tank mount section. The liquid conveying section is configured to convey liquid in the first tank mounted on the first-tank mount section to the liquid ejecting head. The receiving section is configured to receive liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head. The waste-liquid tank is configured to store liquid. The waste-liquid conveying section is configured to convey liquid received by the receiving section to the waste-liquid tank. The first casing holds the liquid ejecting head, the first-tank mount section, and the liquid conveying section. The second casing holds the supporting section, the receiving section, the waste-liquid tank, and the waste-liquid conveying section. The first casing is connected with the second casing such that the first casing is movable relative to the second casing. The first casing is configured to take a first position at which the ejection surface confronts the supporting section and a second position at which the ejection surface is farther away from the supporting section than at the first position.
Embodiments in accordance with the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures wherein:
The schematic configuration of an inkjet-type printer 101 according to an embodiment of the invention will be described while referring to
The printer 101 has an apparatus casing 1 including an upper casing 1a (first casing) and a lower casing 1b (second casing) both of which have a rectangular-parallelepiped shape and that have approximately the same size. The apparatus casing 1 is a rectangular-parallelepiped shape having six surfaces. Of the six surfaces of the apparatus casing 1, the side surface at the far side in a direction perpendicular to the drawing sheet of
A paper discharging section 31 (discharging section) is provided at the upper surface of the apparatus casing 1. As indicated by thick dashed arrows in
The upper casing 1a includes frames 1a1 (see
The apparatus casing 1 has a shaft 1x extending in the main scanning direction X. As shown in
The shaft 1x is formed to protrude outward in the main scanning direction X at each of the pair of protruding sections 1b3 (see
The shaft 1x is provided with a spring (not shown) that urges the upper casing 1a in such a direction that the upper casing 1a is opened (from the adjacent position toward the spaced position). In the present embodiment, the upper casing 1a can open up to a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal surface. That is, the upper casing 1a can open until an angle θ made by the upper casing 1a and the lower casing 1b reaches the predetermined angle. The predetermined angle is such an angle that the user can put his or her hand between the upper casing 1a and the lower casing 1b for a jam process, and is 29° (degrees) in the present embodiment.
As shown in
Next, various elements arranged in the internal space of the printer 101 will be described while referring to
As shown in
The conveying path defined by the conveying mechanism 40 includes paths R1, R2, and R3 used for normal conveying, and a path R4 connecting the second paper feeding section 1d with the path R1. The conveying mechanism 40 includes elements defining the path R1 through R4 to be described later and a conveying motor (not shown). The conveying mechanism 40 is supported by the frames 1b1. The elements defining the path R3 are supported by the pair of protruding sections 1b3 of the frames 1b1.
The path R1 (curved path) is a path that is curved in a U-shape as viewed from the main scanning direction X and that leads from the first paper feeding section 1c to a recording position (a position between the ejection surface 10a and the platens 44, 45). The path R1 is defined by guides 41 through 43 and roller pairs 51 through 53. The path R1 is a path for conveying paper P accommodated in a paper feed tray 20 from the rear side to the front side and subsequently conveying the paper P to the rear side in a U-turn at the front side of the apparatus casing 1.
The path R2 is a path that passes through respective recording positions of the two heads 10, and that is defined by the platens 44 and 45 in confrontation with the respective ejection surfaces 10a of the two heads 10 and by a pair of rollers 54. The path R2 is a path for conveying paper P from the front side toward the rear side.
Here, the supporting mechanism 48 having the two platens 44 and 45 will be described. The supporting mechanism 48 supports, from the underside, paper P that is conveyed during recording. The platen 44 has divided platens 44a and 44b that are divided into two pieces. Similarly, the platen 45 has divided platens 45a and 45b that are divided into two pieces. The supporting mechanism 48 has a driving mechanism 48a (platen moving mechanism) (see
The path R3 is a path that is curved in a U-shape, as viewed from the main scanning direction X, leading from the recording position to the paper discharging section 31, and that is defined by guides 46 and 47 and pairs of rollers 55 through 57. The path R3 is a path for conveying paper P having passed through the path R2 from the front side to the rear side and subsequently conveying the paper P to the front side in a U-turn at the rear side of the apparatus casing 1. The path R3 is located farther upward than the recording position, and is curved in the opposite direction from the path R1. That is, as shown in
The path R4 is a path leading from the second paper feeding section 1d to a middle part of the path R1, and is defined by a divergence guide 43a diverged from the guide 43. Each of the roller pairs 51 through 57 includes a drive roller that is connected with a conveying motor and a follow roller that rotates following rotation of the drive roller.
As shown in
The rear end of the supporting surface 31a is located between the cartridge mount sections 70 and the ejection surfaces 10a with respect to the vertical direction Z. Further, a part of the supporting surface 31a at the front side overlaps a part of the cartridge mount sections 70 at the rear side in the vertical direction Z. With this configuration, the cartridge mount sections 70 can be arranged in a dead space between the supporting surface 31a of the upper casing 1a and the heads 10, the dead space being formed by the slant of the supporting surface 31a. This contributes to downsizing of the printer 101.
The head unit 9 includes the two heads 10 and a carriage 3 that supports the heads 10. The two heads 10 include a precoat head that ejects pretreatment liquid and an inkjet head that ejects black ink, which are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the conveying direction of paper P.
Each head 10 has the same structure, and is a line-type head that is elongated in the main scanning direction X, and has an outer shape of substantially a rectangular-parallelepiped. The heads 10 are fixed to the carriage 3, while being spaced away from each other in the sub-scanning direction Y (a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction X and to the vertical direction Z). The carriage 3 is supported by the frames 1a1 of the upper casing 1a, such that the carriage 3 can move up and down.
The lower surface of the head 10 serves as the ejection surface 10a in which a large number of ejection ports are formed. Liquid channels are formed within the head 10 for allowing pretreatment liquid or black ink (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “liquid”) supplied from the cartridge 4 to flow to the ejection ports. Here, pretreatment liquid is a liquid having a function of preventing spread and strike-through of ink, a function of improving color production performance and quick-drying performance of ink, and the like. In
As shown in
The cartridge mount sections 70 define spaces to which the respective cartridges 4 are mounted. As shown in
A mount opening 71 of each cartridge mount section 70 is formed in the front surface of the upper casing 1a. A door 1e (see
The liquid conveying section 72 includes a hollow needle 74, a moving mechanism 75 that moves the hollow needle 74, pipes 76 and 81, and the subsidiary tank 80. The liquid conveying section 72 connects the cartridge 4 mounted on the cartridge mount section 70 with the head 10. The subsidiary tank 80 is provided with a pump 82 (see
The controller 100 controls the moving mechanism 75 to move the hollow needle 74 in the main scanning direction X between a connection position and a separation position. At the connection position, the hollow needle 74 protrudes into the cartridge mount section 70 so as to connect the cartridge 4 mounted on the cartridge mount section 70 with the liquid conveying section 72. At the separation position, the hollow needle 74 does not protrude into the cartridge mount section 70 so as to be separated from the cartridge 4 mounted on the cartridge mount section 70. A mounting operation of the cartridge 4 is performed in a state where the hollow needle 74 is at the separation position. Further, in a state where the hollow needle 74 is at the separation position, the cartridges 4 are removed and inserted so as to perform replacement of the cartridge 4.
As shown in
The two subsidiary tanks 80 are tanks that temporarily store liquid supplied from the respective cartridges 4. As shown in
Each subsidiary tank 80 is provided with the pump 82 (see
The head lifting mechanism 35 (see
The wiper unit 36 is provided for each of the heads 10. The wiper unit 36 includes the two wipers 36a and 36b, a base section 36c, and a wiper moving mechanism 27. The wiper 36a is provided to stand at the upper side of the base section 36c for wiping the ejection surface 10a (first wiping operation). The wiper 36b is provided to stand at the lower side of the base section 36c for wiping the surface of the confronting member 91, 92 (second wiping operation). The wiper moving mechanism 27 includes a pair of guides 28 (only one guide 28 is shown in
Returning to
The confronting-member lifting mechanism 93 moves the confronting member 91, 92 up and down. The confronting-member lifting mechanism 93 drives the confronting member 91, 92 up and down between first and third positions. As shown in
The waste-liquid tray 94 has a concave section 94a. The waste-liquid tray 94 is disposed between the confronting members 91 and 92 and the paper-feed-tray mount section 19 with respect to the vertical direction Z. The waste-liquid tray 94 is disposed to overlap the confronting members 91 and 92 and the paper-feed-tray mount section 19 in the vertical direction Z. Further, the waste-liquid tray 94 is disposed to overlap the confronting members 91 and 92 in the vertical direction Z. With this configuration, the waste-liquid tray 94 receives liquid that drips from the confronting members 91 and 92 in the purging operation, and receives liquid that is wiped off from the confronting members 91 and 92 by the wiper 36b in the second wiping operation.
The waste-liquid conveying section 97 has a pump 97a and a pipe 97b connecting the pump 97a with the waste-liquid tank 99. The pump 97a is provided at a bottom section of the waste-liquid tray 94. The controller 100 controls the pump 97a to discharge liquid stored in the concave section 94a, via the pipe 97b, to the waste-liquid tank 99 mounted on the waste-liquid-tank mount section 98.
As shown in
The waste-liquid-tank mount section 98 has a horizontal section 98a and a vertical section 98b, and has an L-shape as viewed from the main scanning direction X. The horizontal section 98a is an elongated section that extends in the sub-scanning direction Y. The vertical section 98b is formed to protrude upward from the front side of the horizontal section 98a. With respect to the vertical direction Z, the vertical section 98b overlaps the moving mechanism 75, and the horizontal section 98a overlaps the subsidiary tanks 80. The subsidiary tanks 80 are arranged at positions overlapping the waste-liquid-tank mount section 98 in this way. With this configuration, the waste-liquid tank 99 mounted on the waste-liquid-tank mount section 98 and the subsidiary tanks 80 also overlap each other in the vertical direction Z. With this configuration, an increase in the size of the printer 101 in a plan view can be suppressed. Further, because the waste-liquid tank 99 and the moving mechanism 75 also overlap each other in the vertical direction Z, an increase in the size of the printer 101 in a plan view can be further suppressed.
The waste-liquid tank 99 has a horizontal section 99a (extending section) and a vertical section 99b (protruding section), and has an L-shape as viewed from the main scanning direction X, like the waste-liquid-tank mount section 98. The horizontal section 99a is a part that is disposed at the horizontal section 98a when the waste-liquid tank 99 is mounted on the waste-liquid-tank mount section 98. The horizontal section 99a is elongated in the sub-scanning direction Y. The vertical section 99b is formed to protrude upward from the front end of the horizontal section 99a. The vertical section 99b is a part that is disposed at the vertical section 98b when the waste-liquid tank 99 is mounted on the waste-liquid-tank mount section 98. The vertical section 99b of the waste-liquid tank 99 overlaps the subsidiary tanks 80 in the sub-scanning direction Y when the upper casing 1a is at the adjacent position (see
As modifications, the waste-liquid tray 94, the waste-liquid conveying section 97, and the waste-liquid tank 99 may be provided separately for each head 10. Further, the inside of the waste-liquid tray 94 and the waste-liquid tank 99 may be divided (for example, a partition is provided inside the concave section 94a of the waste-liquid tray 94 and inside the waste-liquid tank 99, so that the inside of the waste-liquid tray 94 and the waste-liquid tank 99 are divided). With this configuration, pretreatment liquid and ink are not mixed easily, and condensation can be suppressed.
As shown in
As shown in
The second paper feeding section 1d has the manual-feed tray 22 (the door 22) and a paper feed roller 23, and is configured to feed paper to a middle part of the path R1. The manual-feed tray 22 that can be opened/closed is provided at the front surface of the apparatus casing 1. The manual-feed tray 22 is a plate-shaped member that is pivotally supported by the lower casing 1b. The manual-feed tray 22 is pivotable between: a close position at which the manual-feed tray 22 closes an opening lab (
Next, the controller 100 will be described. The controller 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) serving as an arithmetic processing unit, as well as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory: including a non-volatile RAM), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an I/F (Interface), and I/O (Input/Output Port), and the like. The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU, various fixed data, and the like. The RAM temporarily stores data (image data etc.) that are necessary when programs are executed. The ASIC performs rewriting, rearrangement, etc of image data (for example, signal processing and image processing). The I/F performs transmission and reception of data with an external device. The I/O performs input/output of detection signals of various sensors.
The controller 100 controls operations of each section of the printer 101 and governs overall operations of the printer 101. The controller 100 controls a recording operation based on a print command (image data etc.) supplied from an external device (a PC etc. connected with the printer 101). Upon receiving the print command, the controller 100 drives the first paper feeding section 1c (or the second paper feeding section 1d) and the roller pairs 51 through 57. Paper P sent out from the first paper feeding section 1c is conveyed along the paths R1 and R2. Paper P sent out from the second paper feeding section 1d is conveyed from the path R4 via the path R1 to the path R2. When paper P sequentially passes positions directly below the heads 10 (recording positions) while being supported on the platens 44 and 45, the controller 100 controls each head 10 to drive and eject liquid from ejection ports of the ejection surface 10a toward paper P. In this way, an image is formed on paper P. After that, paper P is conveyed along the path R3 and is discharged onto the paper discharging section 31.
The controller 100 controls maintenance operations such as recovery of liquid ejecting characteristics of the heads 10. The maintenance operations include a purging operation, a first wiping operation for the ejection surface 10a, a second wiping operation for the confronting member 91, 92, and the like.
Here, an example of the maintenance operation will be described with reference to
Upon receiving a maintenance signal, the controller 100 controls the purging operation. The controller 100 controls the supporting mechanism 48 such that the platen 44, 45 (the divided platens 44a, 44b, 45a, 45b) takes the open position and, subsequently, as shown in
Next, the first wiping operation is performed. At this time, the controller 100 controls the head lifting mechanism 35 such that the head 10 takes the wiping position, and controls the confronting-member lifting mechanism 93 such that the confronting member 91, 92 takes the third position. After that, as shown in
Next, the second wiping operation is performed. The controller 100 controls the confronting-member lifting mechanism 93 such that the confronting member 91, 92 takes the second position. After that, as shown in
Next, the controller 100 controls the head lifting mechanism 35 such that the head 10 takes the print position. After that, the cap mechanism 95 seals a space facing the ejection surface 10a from the external space, so that the head 10 becomes a standby state. Then, the maintenance operation ends.
The cap mechanism 95 includes the confronting member 91, 92 and the annular member 96 (schematically shown in
As described above, according to the printer 101 of the present embodiment, even when the upper casing 1a is pivotally moved (relatively moved) with respect to the lower casing 1b such that the upper casing 1a takes the spaced position, the heads 10, the cartridges 4, and the liquid conveying sections 72 move together with the upper casing 1a as a unit. Hence, the pipes 76 and 81 of the liquid conveying sections 72 are not pulled and strained, and thus are not damaged easily. Further, because the liquid receiving section 90, the waste-liquid tank 99, and the waste-liquid conveying section 97 are arranged at the lower casing 1b, the pipe 97b of the waste-liquid conveying section 97 is not pulled and strained, and thus is not damaged easily, either.
While the invention has been described in detail with reference to the above aspects thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the claims.
For example, the upper casing 1a and the lower casing 1b may be coupled with each other such that the upper casing 1a can slide relative to the lower casing 1b, and that the upper casing 1a can take an adjacent position and a spaced position. That is, other configurations may be adopted, as long as the upper casing 1a is coupled with the lower casing 1b such that the upper casing 1a can move relative to the lower casing 1b.
It is not necessary that the waste-liquid tank 99 and the liquid receiving section 90 be arranged in the main scanning direction X. It is not necessary that the subsidiary tanks 80 and the heads 10 be arranged in the main scanning direction X. Further, it is not necessary that the subsidiary tanks 80 and the waste-liquid tank 99 overlap in the vertical direction Z.
It is not necessary that the cartridges 4 and the heads 10 be arranged in the sub-scanning direction Y. It is not necessary that the subsidiary tanks 80 overlap the waste-liquid tank 99 (the vertical section 99b) in the sub-scanning direction Y when the upper casing 1a and the lower casing 1b take the adjacent position. It is not necessary that the moving mechanism 75 and the waste-liquid tank 99 overlap each other in the vertical direction Z.
Some of the paper feed tray 20, the platens 44 and 45, the heads 10, and the paper discharging section 31 may overlap each other in the vertical direction Z, or it may be so configured that none of these components overlap each other in the vertical direction Z.
It is not necessary that the paper feed tray 20 and the waste-liquid tank 99 be arranged in the main scanning direction X. Further, it is not necessary that the supporting surface 31a of the paper discharging section 31 be slanted. It is not necessary that the path R1 and the cartridge mount sections 70 overlap each other in the vertical direction Z.
It is not necessary that the liquid conveying section 72 have the subsidiary tanks 80 and the pump 82. In this case, the cartridge mount sections 70 are so arranged that the inner liquid surface of the mounted cartridge 4 is within a predetermined level range that is lower than the ejection surface 10a.
Further, the liquid conveying section 72 may include only a pipe for connecting the cartridge 4 with the head 10. In this case, it is so configured that liquid is supplied from the cartridge 4 to the head 10 as liquid is ejected from the head 10.
Further, in a case where the subsidiary tanks 80 are not provided, liquid may be supplied from the cartridge 4 to the head 10 with a pump. Further, the liquid conveying section 72 need not have the moving mechanism 75. In this case, it may be so configured that a hollow needle is connected with the cartridge 4 when the cartridge 4 is mounted on the cartridge mount section 70.
Further, the liquid conveying section 72 need not have a hollow needle. The waste-liquid conveying section 97 need not have the pump 97a, and may only include the pipe 97b. In a case where the waste-liquid conveying section 97 does not have the pump 97a, gravity causes liquid to be conveyed from the waste-liquid tray 94 via the pipe 97b to the waste-liquid tank 99.
In the above-described embodiment, the platens 44 and 45 are described as an example of the supporting section that supports a recording medium. However, another configuration such as a conveying belt may be adopted as the supporting section.
The invention can be applied not only to a monochromatic printer but also to a color printer. The invention is not limited to a printer, but can be applied to a facsimile apparatus, a copier, and the like. The heads may eject any liquid other than ink and pretreatment liquid. The number of heads included in the liquid ejecting device may be one or greater than two. A recording medium is not limited to paper P, but may be any medium on which recording can be performed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-262893 | Nov 2011 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/101,395, filed on Nov. 23, 2020; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/542,498 filed on Aug. 16, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,870,280 B2 issued on Dec. 22, 2020; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/190,674 filed on Nov. 14, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,384,453 B2 issued on Aug. 20, 2019; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/819,627 filed on Nov. 21, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,137,689 B2 issued on Nov. 27, 2018; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/592,858 filed on May 11, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,827,768 B2 issued on Nov. 28, 2017; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/173,949 filed on Jun. 6, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,649,866 B2 issued on May 16, 2017; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/516,534 filed on Oct. 16, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,375,934 B2 issued on Jun. 28, 2016; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/043,712 filed on Oct. 1, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,882,248 B2 issued on Nov. 11, 2014; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/626,779 filed on Sep. 25, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,573,738 B2 issued on Nov. 5, 2013; which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-262893 filed on Nov. 30, 2011. The entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220348018 A1 | Nov 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 17101395 | Nov 2020 | US |
Child | 17747202 | US | |
Parent | 16542498 | Aug 2019 | US |
Child | 17101395 | US | |
Parent | 16190674 | Nov 2018 | US |
Child | 16542498 | US | |
Parent | 15819627 | Nov 2017 | US |
Child | 16190674 | US | |
Parent | 15592858 | May 2017 | US |
Child | 15819627 | US | |
Parent | 15173949 | Jun 2016 | US |
Child | 15592858 | US | |
Parent | 14516534 | Oct 2014 | US |
Child | 15173949 | US | |
Parent | 14043712 | Oct 2013 | US |
Child | 14516534 | US | |
Parent | 13626779 | Sep 2012 | US |
Child | 14043712 | US |