Patent Grant
9908337
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting a liquid onto a target.
In the related art, as a kind of recording apparatus, an ink jet type printer that performs recording (printing) by ejecting ink, as an example of a liquid, from a liquid ejecting head onto a target such as a sheet of paper, is known. Further, in a case of performing a comparatively large amount of printing in such a printer, there is a demand for stable supply of ink to the liquid ejecting head in a continuous manner. Therefore, a configuration that supplies ink from ink tanks (liquid accommodation units), the ink accommodation capacity of which is relatively large, to the liquid ejecting head through liquid supply tubes, has been suggested (for example, refer to PTL 1). In addition, in this kind of printer, maintenance such as cleaning that discharges ink from a liquid ejecting head using suction, and flushing that discharges ink from the liquid ejecting head using forced ejection are performed in order to eject ink stably from the liquid ejecting head. In addition, during so-called borderless printing that records (prints) on an end unit of a target, ink is also spouted and flung out to a region that juts out from an end unit of a target. Therefore, an ink absorbing material that absorbs the flung out ink is arranged in a recording apparatus (for example, refer to PTL 2).
PTL 1: Chinese Utility Model Registration No. 2,825,289Y
PTL 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-305941
In a printer with this kind of configuration, ink tanks are disposed in a manner that does not obstruct operation in the printer. For example, ink tanks are not installed on a front surface side of a printer main body in which a discharge unit, at which sheets of paper are discharged, is positioned, and normally, may be installed on a lateral side of a printer main body that is a horizontal direction side when viewed from the front surface side, or installed on a rear side of a printer main body, which is a side that is in an opposite direction to the front surface side. Therefore, an installation area that is required in order to install the ink tanks in addition to the printer main body, is increased. For example, in a case in which ink tanks are installed on a lateral side of a printer main body, since the installation area is increased in a lateral direction, there is a technical problem in that installation locations are limited.
In addition, the ink tanks may also be positioned in a location that is separated from a front surface side of the printer main body, which serves as a position at which user access such as the recovery of sheets of paper that are discharged from the printer main body, is easy. Therefore, for example, in a case in which an operator sets a state in which such ink tanks are full by injecting ink into the ink tank, it is necessary to make access to the ink tanks easy for the operator by moving the ink tanks from the lateral side of the printer main body to the front surface side. At this time, in a case in which the ink tanks are attached to the printer main body, a troublesome operation of removing the ink tanks from the printer main body is required. In addition, in a case in which the ink tanks are not removed, an operation that involves a load such as moving the printer main body so that the ink tanks moves to the front surface side, is required. In addition, in this kind of printer, maintenance such as cleaning that discharges ink from a liquid ejecting head using suction, and flushing that discharges ink from the liquid ejecting head using forced ejection are performed in order to eject ink stably from the liquid ejecting head. In addition, during so-called borderless printing that records (prints) on an end unit of a target, ink is also spouted and flung out to a region that juts out from an end unit of a target. Therefore, an ink absorbing material that absorbs the flung out ink is arranged in a recording apparatus.
In a printer with this kind of configuration, an ink recovery tank (a separate unit) is installed in a location that does not obstruct operation in the printer. For example, an ink recovery tank is not installed on a front surface side of a printer main body at which recorded targets are discharged, and may be installed on a lateral side of a printer main body that is a horizontal direction side when viewed from the front surface side, or installed on a rear side of a printer main body, which is a side that is in an opposite direction to the front surface side. Therefore, when a user exchanges the ink recovery tank, a troublesome operation that involves a load such as moving the printer main body from an installation location to a location at which an exchange operation of the ink recovery tank is easy, is required.
Additionally, such circumstances are not limited to printers, and are largely common to recording apparatuses that are provided with liquid ejecting heads that perform recording by ejecting a liquid onto a target, discharge units at which targets are discharged, liquid accommodation units that are capable of accommodating a liquid, liquid supply tubes that supply a liquid from liquid accommodation units to a liquid ejecting head, liquid recovery units that are capable of recovering liquid that is discharged from a liquid ejecting head during maintenance of the liquid ejecting head.
The present invention is made by considering the above-described situations, and provides a recording apparatus in which exchange of a liquid recovery unit is easy, and in which it is possible to easily set a state in which liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid for recording while suppressing an increase in the installation area.
Hereinafter, means for solving the abovementioned technical problems and the functional effects thereof will be described.
In order to solve the abovementioned technical problems, there is provided a recording apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that performs recording by ejecting a liquid onto a target, a discharge unit in which a discharge opening that includes a discharge region at which the target, on which recording was performed by the liquid ejecting head, is discharged, is formed, and liquid accommodation units that are capable of accommodating the liquid that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, in an apparatus main body, the discharge unit is formed on a discharge direction side of the target from discharge means that include a discharge roller that discharges the target, and a driven roller that is disposed facing the discharge roller, and the liquid accommodation units are provided in positions that are below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction and overlap with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction when viewed from a direction in which the target is discharged, and are provided with injection openings through which it is possible to refill the liquid accommodation units with the liquid.
According to this configuration, when accessing the liquid accommodation units, an operator can access the liquid accommodation units from a discharge side of the target without moving the recording apparatus. Therefore, by refilling the liquid accommodation units with the liquid from the injection openings, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units, which are provided in the apparatus main body, are filled with a liquid while suppressing an increase in the installation area of a recording apparatus, by refilling the liquid accommodation units with the liquid from the injection opening.
In order to solve the abovementioned technical problems, there is provided a recording apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that performs recording by ejecting a liquid onto a target, a discharge unit in which a discharge opening that includes a discharge region at which the target, on which recording was performed by the liquid ejecting head, is discharged, is formed, and liquid accommodation units that are capable of accommodating the liquid that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, in an apparatus main body, the discharge unit is formed on a discharge direction side of the target from discharge means that include a discharge roller that discharges the target, and a driven roller that is disposed facing the discharge roller, and the liquid accommodation units are provided in positions that are below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction and overlap with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction when viewed from a direction in which the target is discharged, and are provided with liquid amount visual recognition sections through which it is possible to visually recognize amounts of liquid that are accommodated in the liquid accommodation units.
According to this configuration, since it is possible for an operator to perceive amounts of liquid that are accommodated in the liquid accommodation units by eyesight, for example, it is possible to easily notice a timing at which a state in which the liquid accommodation units are filled with the liquid such as a timing for injecting liquid into the liquid accommodation units should be set. Therefore, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid for recording while suppressing an increase in the installation area of the recording apparatus.
It is preferable that the abovementioned recording apparatus is further provided with a liquid recovery unit that is capable of recovering the liquid that is discharged from the liquid ejecting head during maintenance of the liquid ejecting head, in the apparatus main body, and that the liquid recovery unit is provided below the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction.
According to this configuration, the liquid recovery unit is provided in a position that is in a lower section of the discharge unit of the target and overlaps with the discharge unit. Therefore, in the recording apparatus, it is possible to easily perform an operation that exchanges the liquid recovery unit by accessing the liquid recovery unit from an occupied region of the discharge unit that is provided on the discharge side of a target without obstructing the discharge of the target, and without the user moving the recording apparatus. In addition, since the liquid recovery unit is provided inside the apparatus main body of the recording apparatus, it is possible to suppress an increase in the installation area of the recording apparatus.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that a supply cassette that is capable of accommodating the target that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head is provided in the apparatus main body in a position that is below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction and overlaps with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction when viewed from a direction in which the target is discharged, and that the liquid accommodation units and the liquid recovery unit are provided between the discharge unit and the supply cassette.
According to this configuration, even if the supply cassette is set to be a supply cassette in which the length in the perpendicular direction is large, and which is capable of supplying a relatively large number of sheets of paper P, the recording apparatus can suppress a loss in pressure inside the liquid supply tubes without a distance between the liquid accommodation units and the liquid ejecting head becoming long. The liquid recovery unit suppresses an increase in the installation area of the recording apparatus by overlapping with the discharge unit in a lower section of the discharge unit. In addition, since the liquid recovery unit is not separated from the liquid ejecting head as a result of being positioned in an upper section of the supply cassette, it is possible to easily recover liquid that is discharged from the liquid ejecting head.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that the supply cassette that is capable of accommodating the target that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head is provided in the apparatus main body in a position that is below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction and overlaps with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction when viewed from a direction in which the target is discharged, and that the liquid accommodation units are provided below the supply cassette.
According to this configuration, by changing the size of the liquid accommodation units, it is possible to easily change amounts of liquid that are accommodated in the liquid accommodation units without changing a supply pathway of the target. By changing the size (the thickness) of the liquid recovery unit while suppressing an increase in the installation area as a result of the liquid recovery unit overlapping with the discharge unit, it is possible to easily set an amount of liquid that can be recovered in the liquid recovery unit to be larger without changing a supply pathway of the target from the supply cassette.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid accommodation units and the liquid recovery unit are provided inside the apparatus main body on an end unit side of a discharge direction of the target.
According to this configuration, since it is possible for an operator to easily access the liquid accommodation units from the discharge direction of the target, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid. Since it is possible to move the liquid recovery unit from the apparatus main body to a position at which exchange is possible by pulling the liquid recovery unit out, it is possible for an operator to easily perform an exchange operation of the liquid recovery unit.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that a movement mechanism that is capable of moving the liquid accommodation units is provided in the apparatus main body.
According to this configuration, since it is also possible to move the liquid accommodation units to a position at which an operator can access the liquid accommodation units by moving the liquid accommodation units in the apparatus main body using a movement mechanism, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that a storage unit that stores the liquid accommodation units and the liquid recovery unit is provided in the apparatus main body, and that the movement mechanism moves the liquid accommodation units and the liquid recovery unit by moving the storage unit.
According to this configuration, by storing the liquid accommodation units and the liquid recovery unit in a freely moveable storage unit, it is possible to make movement of the liquid accommodation units possible in the apparatus main body with a simple configuration.
It is preferable that the abovementioned recording apparatus is further provided with liquid supply tubes that are connected to the liquid accommodation units, and are capable of supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head, and that the liquid supply tubes are arranged on an outer side of the discharge unit in a direction that intersects the discharge direction of the target, and supplies the liquid from a lower section side of the discharge unit to an upper section side thereof.
According to this configuration, it is possible to supply the liquid from the liquid accommodation units to the liquid ejecting head without obstructing the discharge of the target to the discharge unit.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid supply tubes are connected to the liquid accommodation units at an end unit of a side that in the opposite direction to the discharge direction of the target.
According to this configuration, since it is possible for an operator to access the liquid accommodation units from a discharge direction of the target without the liquid supply tubes becoming an obstruction, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid.
In the abovementioned recording apparatus, it is preferable that the supply cassette that is capable of accommodating the target, and that is capable of supplying an accommodated target to the liquid ejecting head is provided in the apparatus main body in a manner of being removable from below the discharge unit, and that the liquid recovery unit is provided inside the supply cassette.
According to this configuration, since the liquid recovery unit is provided inside the supply cassette in a lower section of the discharge unit, in addition to suppressing an increase in the installation area of the recording apparatus, it is possible to move the liquid recovery unit to the outside of the apparatus main body by pulling out the supply cassette from the apparatus main body.
Hereinafter, an ink jet type printer, which is provided with a liquid ejecting head that ejects ink as an example of a liquid for recording, and which prints (records) images that include characters, graphics and the like, by ejecting ink onto sheets of paper as an example of a target, will be described as an example of a recording apparatus with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
The liquid ejecting head 16 is positioned in an upper section, which serves as an antigravitational (the +Z direction) side, in the perpendicular direction with respect to the discharge unit 20, and ejects ink onto sheets of paper P that are transported through a lower section, which serves as a gravitational (the −Z direction) side, of the liquid ejecting head 16. In addition, the liquid ejecting head 16 is capable of moving in a scanning direction (a ±X direction), which intersects a transport direction (a +Y direction) of sheets of paper P. That is, the liquid ejecting head 16 is attached to a carriage 15 that slides along two guide rails 14A and 14B, which extend in the scanning direction, while being supported by the guide rails 14A and 14B. Therefore, the liquid ejecting head 16 moves in the scanning direction (the ±X direction) according to movement of the carriage 15 in the scanning direction as a result of a driving mechanism, which is not shown in the drawings.
In this manner, printing is performed on sheets of paper P that move in the transport direction by ejecting ink onto the sheets of paper P as appropriate from the liquid ejecting head 16 that moves in the scanning direction. Additionally, in the present embodiment, a discharge direction when printed sheets of paper P are discharged from the printer main body 12 is the same direction as the transport direction (the +Y direction) of the sheets of paper P, and a discharge direction side is set as a front section side of the printer main body 12, that is, a front surface side.
A plurality of liquid supply tubes 50 for supplying ink that is accommodated in the liquid accommodation units 30 are connected to the carriage 15 on a front section (the +Y direction) side that is opposite to a rear section side at which the carriage 15 is supported by the two guide rails 14A and 14B. Each connected liquid supply tube 50 includes a curved section 50R that functions as a deformed moveable section that follows deformation according to movement of the carriage 15, and supplies ink from the liquid accommodation units 30 to the liquid ejecting head 16 via a flow channel, which is not shown in the drawings, and which is provided in the carriage 15 which moves. Additionally, in the present embodiment, six liquid supply tubes 50 are connected to the carriage 15 lined up in a front-rear direction.
The liquid accommodation units 30 are provided in a position that is in a lower section, which serves as a gravitational (the −Z direction) side, in the perpendicular direction with respect to the discharge unit 20, and that overlaps with the discharge unit 20 in the perpendicular direction. The supply cassette 40 is positioned in a position that overlaps with the discharge unit 20 in the perpendicular direction, and is below the liquid accommodation units 30. That is, the liquid accommodation units 30 are provided between the discharge unit 20 and the supply cassette 40. Sheets of paper P that are accommodated in the supply cassette 40 are supplied (fed) from the supply cassette 40 to the liquid ejecting head 16 in the manner that is shown by the dotted line arrow K1 in
Next, the discharge unit 20, the supply cassette 40 and the liquid accommodation units 30 will be described.
Firstly, as shown in
That is, the discharge unit 20 is drawn out by firstly sliding the second support platform 22 to a front section from the first support platform 21 (the printer main body 12) in the manner that is shown by the dotted line arrow in
In addition, as shown in
In addition, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
In the present embodiment, each liquid accommodation body 31 is set as a so-called ink tank, a substantially box type container that is formed by a rigid material (a resin or a metal) that is capable of accommodating ink in an inner section thereof. Additionally, each liquid accommodation body 31 may be stored in the storage unit 32 in a state of being mutually joined to one another. In addition, each liquid accommodation body 31 need not necessarily accommodate six mutually different kinds of ink, and may accommodate two or more or five or less kinds of ink. Furthermore, one kind of ink (for example, black) may be accommodated in a plurality (a maximum of six in this instance) of liquid accommodation bodies 31. Furthermore, in this case, a plurality of liquid accommodation bodies 31 in which the same kind of ink (for example, black) is accommodated may be connected and set as a single liquid accommodation body 31.
A sliding mechanism, which is not shown in the drawings, and which makes movement of the storage unit 32 in the front-rear direction (the ±Y direction) with respect to the printer main body 12 possible, is provided in the storage unit 32, which stores the liquid accommodation units 30, on both side surfaces in the horizontal direction (the ±X direction) as a movement mechanism. Therefore, the liquid accommodation units 30 are set so as to be capable of being drawn out to the outside of the printer main body 12 and capable of being stored inside the printer main body 12 as a result of the storage unit 32 freely sliding in the front-rear direction (the ±Y direction) with respect to the printer main body 12.
In addition, the liquid accommodation units 30 are provided with a liquid amount visual recognition section 33 through which it is possible to visually recognize a liquid amount (a remaining amount) of ink that is accommodated in each liquid accommodation body 31. The liquid amount visual recognition section 33 is a region of the liquid accommodation units 30 (the liquid accommodation body 31) through which visual recognition is possible through a substantially square shaped through hole 32H that is provided on a front side surface of the storage unit 32, and is formed so that it is possible to visually recognize a liquid surface of ink inside the liquid accommodation body 31 at the liquid amount visual recognition section 33. Furthermore, in the liquid accommodation units 30, a lower limit liquid surface line 34b that shows that the injection of ink into the liquid accommodation body 31 is required, and an upper limit liquid surface line 34a that shows an injection limit of ink inside the liquid accommodation body 31, are formed on the liquid amount visual recognition section 33.
In addition, the liquid accommodation units 30 are provided with six injection openings 35 through which it is possible to respectively inject ink inside each liquid accommodation body 31. Each injection opening 35 is set to be an aperture on an inner side of a cylindrical section 36 that protrudes toward an upper section in an upper surface front end unit of each liquid accommodation body 31. That is, each cylindrical section 36 is set to be a communication hole in which the inside of the cylinder is open between an end side that is in communication with air, and another end side that is inside the liquid accommodation body 31, and it is possible to inject ink inside the liquid accommodation body 31 as a result of the aperture functioning as the injection opening 35 on an inner side of the cylindrical section 36, which is in communication with air of the communication hole.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a bellows section that is capable of expanding and contracting is formed inside the cylindrical section 36, and the injection opening 35 is provided so as to be capable of being displaced with respect to the printer main body 12 as a result of the bellows section expanding and contracting. For example, the injection opening 35 is capable of being displaced so as to become separated from the printer main body 12 as a result of the bellows section expanding in the manner that is shown by the dashed-two dotted line in
Additionally, although illustration has been omitted from
In addition, the liquid accommodation units 30 are provided with a first cover member 37 and a second cover member 38, which cover an upper surface of each liquid accommodation body 31, in order to suppress the adhesion of the foreign matter to the injection openings 35 and the vicinity of the injection openings 35. The first cover member 37 is provided so as to be detachable with respect to an upper surface of each liquid accommodation body 31 while being positioned on a front section side of the second cover member 38 in a manner that covers the injection openings 35. That is, the first cover member 37 is configured so that the injection opening 35 of each liquid accommodation body 31 is exposed by removing the first cover member 37 in the manner that is shown by the solid line arrow in
In addition, six substantially triangular separation walls 38a are formed in the second cover member 38 to correspond to the cylindrical section 36 of each liquid accommodation unit 30. The separation wall 38a controls the flow of ink so that spilt ink from the injection openings 35 does not flow into a separate injection opening 35, and so that spilt ink from the injection openings 35 remains in the periphery of the cylindrical section 36 that is provided in the injection openings 35.
Next, an arrangement state of the liquid supply tubes 50 that supply ink from the liquid accommodation units 30 to the liquid ejecting head 16 will be described with reference to
As shown in
Furthermore, after being arranged in a manner that extends in an upper section of the discharge unit 20 from the bent flow channel unit 52C toward a left direction (the −X direction), the other end of each the liquid supply tube 50 is connected to the carriage 15 by forming the curved section 50R, which curves in a substantially semi-circular shape. Therefore, after flowing through the bent flow channel unit 52C, which is positioned in an outer side end unit in the right direction (the +X direction) of the discharge unit 20, from a lower section to an upper section, ink that flows out from the liquid accommodation units 30 flows on through the curved section 50R of the liquid supply tube 50, and flows into the carriage 15.
As a result of this, in the liquid supply tubes 50, the curved section 50R functions as a deformed moveable section that follows deformation while changing a formation position thereof according to movement of the carriage 15, and supplies ink from the liquid accommodation units 30 to the carriage 15 which moves. Ink that is supplied to the carriage 15 is supplied to the liquid ejecting head 16 via an ink flow channel, which is not shown in the drawings, and which is provided in the carriage 15. In this manner, in the printer 11, it is possible to supply ink from the liquid accommodation units 30 that are provided in a lower section side of the printer main body 12 to the liquid ejecting head 16 that is provided in an upper section side of the printer main body 12 using the liquid supply tubes 50 which are flexible.
In the present embodiment, the length with which the liquid supply tubes 50, which supply ink from the liquid accommodation units 30 to the liquid ejecting head 16, are arranged is constant regardless of the size of the supply cassette 40. For example, as shown by the dashed-two dotted line in
Additionally, in the present embodiment, each liquid supply tube 50 is connected to at least two tubes in which isolation and connection is possible. That is, as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
Next, a liquid recovery unit 60 will be described.
The liquid recovery unit 60 recovers ink that is discharged from the liquid ejecting head 16 during maintenance of the liquid ejecting head 16 via an ink recovery flow channel that is not shown in the drawings. Alternatively, for example, in borderless printing or the like, among ink that is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 16, the liquid recovery unit 60 may recover ink that is not used in printing through a paper sheet support section that supports sheets of paper P from below during printing.
As shown in
In the present embodiment, the liquid recovery unit 60 is stored in a position that is close to the liquid ejecting head 16, or a position that is close to the paper sheet support section, that is, the case body 61 is stored in the storage unit 32 in a position that is on a rear section side of the liquid accommodation units 30, in order to efficiently recover ink without the ink recovery flow channel becoming long. Therefore, a supply pathway KK through which sheets of paper P, which are accommodated in the supply cassette 40 that is positioned on a lower (the −Z direction) side of the liquid recovery unit 60, are supplied to the liquid ejecting head 16, is formed between the liquid recovery unit 60 and the lower unit side housing 12B that is positioned in a rear section of the liquid recovery unit 60.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the printer 11 has a configuration in which it is possible to exchange the ink absorbing material 62 in the liquid recovery unit 60. That is, the liquid recovery unit 60 is provided on a lower side of the discharge unit 20 in the same manner as the liquid accommodation units 30, and is set so that it is possible to draw the liquid recovery unit 60 out to a drawing-out direction side of the discharge unit 20, that is, a front section (the +Y direction) side of the printer main body 12, as a result of sliding the storage unit 32. Further, the liquid recovery unit 60 is set so that it is possible to position the liquid recovery unit 60 to the outside of the printer main body 12 (the lower unit side housing 12B) in the manner that is shown by the dashed-two dotted line in
Therefore, the liquid recovery unit 60, which can be drawn out to the outside of the printer main body 12 in this manner, is formed so that a length thereof in the horizontal direction of the case body 61 (the ±X direction) is less than or equal to the length of the liquid accommodation units 30. In other words, it is possible to increase the length of the case body 61 in the horizontal direction up to the same length as the length of the liquid accommodation units 30. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the length of the case body 61 in the horizontal direction is set to be substantially the same length as the length of the liquid accommodation units 30.
In addition, as shown in
Next, a function of the present embodiment, that is, an exchange action (a function) that exchanges the ink absorbing material 62 in the liquid recovery unit 60 with a new ink absorbing material 62, will be described with reference to
Meanwhile, as shown in
At this time, in the front surface side of the printer main body 12, normally, a discharge space that the discharge unit 20, which is drawn out in order to receive discharged sheets of paper P, occupies, is secured as an occupied region. Therefore, the operator can pull the liquid recovery unit 60 out to the outside of the printer main body 12 from the front surface side (the front section side) of the printer main body 12, which includes the discharge space (the occupied region) in a manner in which it is possible to access the liquid recovery unit 60 without moving the printer 11.
Next, the operator accesses the pulled out liquid recovery unit 60, takes the ink absorbing material 62 out from the case body 61, and exchanges the ink absorbing material 62 with a new ink absorbing material 62. Further, as shown in
In the printer 11 that is in the printable state, the liquid recovery unit 60 is provided inside the printer main body 12 in a position that is below (in the −Z direction) the discharge unit 20 in the perpendicular direction and overlaps with the discharge unit 20 in the perpendicular direction. Therefore, the printer 11 of the present embodiment is provided with a liquid recovery unit 60 in which the area that is occupied in order to install the printer 11, that is, the area of the printer main body 12 when viewed from the perpendicular direction, is not increased.
Next, a function of the present embodiment, that is, an injection action (a function) that injects ink into the liquid accommodation units 30 (the liquid accommodation bodies 31) from the injection openings 35 in a case in which there is no ink to supply from the liquid accommodation units 30 to the liquid ejecting head 16, or the like, will be described with reference to
Meanwhile, as shown in
At this time, in the front surface side of the printer main body 12, normally, a discharge space that the discharge unit 20, which is drawn out in order to receive discharged sheets of paper P, occupies, is secured. Therefore, the operator can perform a drawing-out operation of the liquid accommodation units 30 from the front surface side (the front section side) of the printer main body 12, which includes the discharge space without moving the printer 11. As a result of the drawing-out operation, it is possible for the operator to pull the liquid accommodation units 30 out to the front section side (the front surface side) of the printer main body 12 by a predetermined amount.
Next, the operator exposes the injection openings 35 by opening the first cover member 37 of the liquid accommodation units 30, which has been pulled out by a predetermined amount, and displaces the injection openings 35 toward an upper section by stretching the bellows section of the cylindrical section 36 according to necessity. Further, the operator sets a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30 are filled with ink by injecting ink into the liquid accommodation bodies 31 from the injection openings 35, which are exposed or displaced in the abovementioned manner.
At this time, it is possible for the operator to confirm liquid amounts of ink that are injected into the liquid accommodation units 30 (the liquid accommodation bodies 31) using the liquid amount visual recognition section 33 that is provided on the front surface side of the printer main body 12. Therefore, it is possible for the operator to easily inject ink up to the upper limit liquid surface line 34a that shows an injection limit of ink inside each liquid accommodation body 31 of the liquid accommodation units 30.
As shown in
According to the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain the following effects.
(1) When accessing the liquid accommodation units 30 (the liquid accommodation bodies 31), the operator can access the liquid accommodation units 30 from the discharge side of sheets of paper P without moving the printer 11. Therefore, by injecting ink from the injection openings 35, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30, which are provided in the printer main body 12, are filled with an ink for printing (recording). In addition, since the liquid accommodation units 30 are provided in a manner that overlaps with the discharge unit 20 inside the printer main body 12 when viewed from the perpendicular direction, an increase in the installation area of the printer 11 are even suppressed if a liquid accommodation units 30 in which the ink accommodation capacity is relatively large, are provided.
(2) It is possible to facilitate an operation that injects ink into the liquid accommodation units 30 by displacing the injection openings 35 to positions at which it is easy to inject ink into the printer main body 12.
(3) Since it is possible for the operator to perceive amounts of ink that are accommodated in the liquid accommodation units 30 by eyesight, for example, it is possible to easily notice a timing for injecting ink into the liquid accommodation units 30 or the like, or a timing at which a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30 are filled with ink should be set. Therefore, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30, which are provided in the printer main body 12, are filled with ink for printing (recording) while suppressing an increase in the installation area of the printer 11.
(4) Even if the supply cassette 40 is set to be a supply cassette in which the length in the perpendicular direction is large, and which is capable of supplying a relatively large number of sheets of paper P, the printer 11 can suppress a loss in pressure inside the liquid supply tubes 50 without a distance between the liquid accommodation units 30 and the liquid ejecting head 16 becoming long. In other words, it is possible for the printer 11 to be provided with a supply cassette 40 in which it is possible to arbitrarily change the number of sheets of paper P that can be accommodated without causing a change in the loss of pressure inside the liquid supply tubes 50.
(5) Since the discharge unit 20 is positioned on the discharge direction side of sheets of paper P in the printer main body 12, easy access to the liquid accommodation units 30 from the discharge side of sheets of paper P is made possible.
(6) Since it is possible for the operator to easily access the liquid accommodation units 30 from the discharge direction of sheets of paper P, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30 are filled with ink.
(7) Since it is possible to move the liquid accommodation units 30 inside the printer main body 12 to a position at which it is possible for an operator to access the liquid accommodation units 30 by the sliding mechanism that is provided in the storage unit 32, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30 are filled with ink.
(8) By storing the liquid accommodation units 30 in the freely moveable storage unit 32, it is possible to make movement of the liquid accommodation units 30 in the printer main body 12 possible with a simple configuration.
(9) It is possible to supply ink from the liquid accommodation units 30 to the liquid ejecting head 16 without obstructing the discharge of sheets of paper P to the discharge unit 20. In addition, since, normally, in sheets of paper P, the length in the discharge direction is longer than the length in a direction that intersects the discharge direction, it is possible to suppress the lengths of the liquid supply tubes 50 by setting arrangement positions of the liquid supply tubes 50 to the direction that intersects the discharge direction of sheets of paper P.
(10) Since it is possible for the operator to access the liquid accommodation units 30 from the discharge direction of sheets of paper P without the liquid supply tubes 50 becoming an obstruction, it is possible to easily set a state in which the liquid accommodation units 30 are filled with ink.
(11) The liquid recovery unit 60 is provided in a position that is in a lower section of the discharge unit 20 of sheets of paper P, and overlaps with the discharge unit 20. Therefore, in the printer 11, it is possible to easily perform an operation that exchanges the liquid recovery unit 60 by accessing the liquid recovery unit 60 from an occupied region of the discharge unit 20 that is provided on a discharge side of sheets of paper P without obstructing the discharge of sheets of paper P, and without the operator moving the printer 11. In addition, since the liquid recovery unit 60 is provided inside the printer main body 12 of the printer 11, it is possible to suppress an increase in the installation area of the printer 11.
(12) In the printer 11 that is provided with the supply cassette 40, the liquid recovery unit 60 suppresses an increase in the installation area of the printer 11 by overlapping with the discharge unit 20 in a lower section of the discharge unit 20. In addition, since the liquid recovery unit 60 is not separated from the liquid ejecting head 16 as a result of being positioned in an upper section of the supply cassette 40, it is possible to easily recover ink that is discharged from the liquid ejecting head 16.
(13) Since it is possible to move the liquid recovery unit 60 from the printer main body 12 to a position at which exchange of the ink absorbing material 62 is possible by pulling the liquid recovery unit 60 out, it is possible for the operator to easily perform an exchange operation of the liquid recovery unit 60 (the ink absorbing material 62).
(14) Since the discharge unit 20 is positioned on the discharge direction side of sheets of paper P in the printer main body 12, easy access to the liquid recovery unit 60 from the discharge side of sheets of paper P is made possible.
(15) Even if a liquid recovery unit 60 that is not provided with a movement mechanism is provided, it is possible to move the liquid recovery unit 60 to a position in the printer main body 12 at which exchange is easy by storing the liquid recovery unit 60 in the storage unit 32 that is freely moveable.
The printer 11 of the second embodiment has a configuration in which the liquid recovery unit 60 (the liquid accommodation units 30) in the abovementioned first embodiment is provided in a lower section of the supply cassette 40 instead of between the discharge unit 20 and the supply cassette 40. The printer 11 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Additionally, in the drawings that are referred to in this instance, like symbols are given to constituent members that are the same as those of the abovementioned first embodiment, and the description thereof has been omitted.
As shown in
Therefore, although illustration has been omitted in this instance, it is not necessary to provide the supply pathway KK of sheets of paper P in a rear section of the liquid recovery unit 60, and the supply pathway KK of sheets of paper P does not change depending on the shape of the liquid recovery unit 60. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide the supply pathway KK of sheets of paper P in a rear section of the liquid recovery unit 60, it is possible to increase the occupied region of the liquid recovery unit 60, which is permitted in the lower unit side housing 12B of the printer main body 12, to be larger than that of the abovementioned first embodiment in the front-rear direction (the ±Y direction), which is the discharge direction of sheets of paper P.
Additionally, since the liquid recovery unit 60 (the liquid accommodation units 30) are positioned on the lower section of the supply cassette 40, the length of the bent flow channel unit 52C in a vertical direction is increased in comparison with the case of the abovementioned embodiment in the manner that is shown by the broken line in
According to the second embodiment, the following effect is exhibited in place of effect (12) in the abovementioned first embodiment.
(16) By changing the size (the thickness) of the liquid recovery unit 60 while suppressing an increase in the installation area as a result of the liquid recovery unit 60 overlapping with the discharge unit 20, it is possible to easily set an amount of ink that can be recovered in the liquid recovery unit 60 to be larger without changing the supply pathway KK of sheets of paper P from the supply cassette 40.
The printer 11 of the third embodiment has a configuration in which the liquid recovery unit 60 in the abovementioned first embodiment is provided inside the supply cassette 40. An example of the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Additionally, in the drawings that are referred to in this instance, like symbols are given to constituent members that are the same as those of the abovementioned first embodiment, and the description thereof has been omitted.
As shown in
In the present embodiment, the liquid recovery unit 60 is provided inside the supply cassette 40 on a side of a pull-out direction from the printer main body 12, and is provided so as to capable of sliding inside the supply cassette 40 in the front-rear direction (the ±Y direction) as a result of a sliding structure, which is not shown in the drawing, and which is provided in the case body 61. Additionally, in the liquid recovery unit 60, a sliding mechanism is directly provided in the case body 61 without providing the storage unit 32 of the abovementioned first embodiment. Naturally, a configuration in which the case body 61 is stored in the storage unit 32 that is capable of sliding, may also be used in the present embodiment.
Further, in a case in which sheets of paper P are accommodated inside the supply cassette 40, a portion of the supply cassette 40 is pulled out from the printer main body 12 (the lower unit side housing 12B) in the manner that is shown by the broken line arrow in
Subsequently, as shown in
Therefore, by sliding the liquid recovery unit 60 to a front section following the supply cassette 40 in the manner that is shown by the broken line arrow in
Furthermore, in the printer 11 of the third embodiment, in addition to the liquid recovery unit 60, the liquid accommodation units 30 that are capable of accommodating ink that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head 16, may also be provided inside the supply cassette 40. For example, although illustration has been omitted in this instance, as shown in
According to the third embodiment, the following effects are exhibited in addition to effects (1) to (15) of the abovementioned first embodiment.
(17) Since the liquid recovery unit 60 is provided inside the supply cassette 40 in a lower section of the discharge unit 20, in addition to suppressing an increase in the installation area of the printer 11, it is possible to move the liquid recovery unit 60 to the outside of the printer main body 12 by pulling out the supply cassette 40 from the printer main body 12.
(18) Since it is possible for the operator to easily move the liquid recovery unit 60, which is positioned on the front section side of the printer main body 12 to the outside of the printer main body 12 by pulling a portion of the supply cassette 40 out from the printer main body 12, it is possible to easily exchange the liquid recovery unit 60.
(19) In addition to supplying ink from the supply cassette 40 to the liquid ejecting head 16, the printer 11 can recover ink that has been discharged from the liquid ejecting head 16 to the supply cassette 40 using the liquid recovery unit 60 that is provided inside the supply cassette 40.
Additionally, the abovementioned embodiments may be changed to other embodiments such as those below.
As shown in
Additionally, since the liquid accommodation units 30 are disposed in the lower section of the supply cassette 40, in comparison with the cases of the abovementioned embodiments, the length in the vertical direction of the bent flow channel unit 52C is elongated in the manner that is shown by the broken line in
According to the present modification example, the following effect is exhibited in place of effect (4) in embodiment 1.
(20) Although flow loss is increased by the liquid supply tubes 50 being elongated, by changing the size of the liquid accommodation units 30, it is possible to easily change amounts of ink that are accommodated in the liquid accommodation units 30 without changing the supply pathway KK of sheets of paper P.
As shown in
In a case in which the liquid accommodation bodies 31 are configured by ink pouches 39 in the liquid accommodation units 30 in the manner of the present modification example, it is possible to visually recognize the shape of the pouch unit of the ink pouch 39 via the substantially square shaped through hole 32H that is provided on the front side surface of the storage unit 32. That is, by visually recognizing a changed shape of a pouch unit that has changed to a manner that is crushed, it is possible to recognize a decreased condition of ink that is accommodated in the ink pouch 39. Therefore, in the present modification example, the through hole 32H functions as the liquid amount visual recognition section 33.
Additionally, in the present modification example, an operation that sets a state of being filled with ink is performed on an ink pouch 39 that has been visually recognized as an ink pouch 39 in which there is no ink. With respect to this operation, in a case in which an injection opening through which it is possible to inject ink into the ink pouch 39, is provided, ink is injected inside the pouch unit from the injection opening in the same manner as the abovementioned embodiments. Alternatively, in a case in which an injection opening through which it is possible to inject ink into the ink pouch 39, is not provided, the connection of the liquid supply tubes 50 is unfastened, and the liquid supply tubes 50 are connected again after replacing the ink pouch 39 with a separate ink pouch 39 which is in a state of being filled with ink. Naturally, during these operations, it is preferable that the operator perform drawing-out of the liquid accommodation units 30 (the ink pouch 39) from the printer main body 12.
In the abovementioned embodiments, the injection openings 35 need not necessarily be provided so as to be capable of being displaced with respect to the printer main body 12. For example, it is not necessary to displace the injection openings 35 if it is possible to inject ink from the injection openings 35 without displacing the injection opening 35.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-236600 | Nov 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-236602 | Nov 2013 | JP | national |
This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/021,811 filed Mar. 14, 2016, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. The entire disclosures of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2013-236602, filed Nov. 15, 2013 and 2013-236600, filed Nov. 15, 2013 are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170232754 A1 | Aug 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15021811 | US | |
| Child | 15451197 | US |
