JP2011183776A - Fluid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid jet apparatus capable of suppressing backward flow of a fluid due to a change in posture of a recovery part without an absorbing material. <P>SOLUTION: In a printer including a recording head for jetting ink and a waste ink recovery part 50 for introducing waste ink via an ink flow path 53 to recover the waste ink, a configuration is adopted, having an opening/closing device 60 which is provided on the waste ink recovery part 50, and opens and closes the ink flow path 53 according to the posture of the waste ink recovery part 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a fluid to a target from a nozzle opening formed in a fluid ejecting head, for example, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) is widely known.
In such a printer, the nozzle opening is usually blocked by the thickened ink (fluid), and bubbles and dust mixed in the ink in the recording head (fluid ejecting head) are discharged from inside the recording head. So-called cleaning is performed, in which ink having increased viscosity is forcibly sucked and discharged.

  The waste ink forcibly sucked from the recording head by this cleaning is discharged to a waste ink tank disposed at a predetermined location in the printer via a flexible tube that functions as a liquid flow path. The ink is absorbed by the waste ink absorbing material accommodated therein. Note that there is a limit to the absorption capacity of the waste ink absorbing material, and when the absorption capacity is saturated, the absorption efficiency of the waste ink is lowered. Therefore, when the absorption capacity of the waste ink absorber is saturated, the waste ink tank is removed from the printer and replaced with a new waste ink tank (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-269208 A

By the way, since the waste ink tank is provided with a waste ink absorbing material and has a high component price, it is desirable to employ a waste ink tank that does not include the waste ink absorbing material in order to keep the replacement cost low.
However, waste ink tanks that do not have waste ink absorbers do not have a function to retain waste ink. For example, when a user stores a portable printer that can be carried vertically or upside down. In addition, the waste ink may flow backward from the waste ink tank through the tube and leak into the printer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fluid ejecting apparatus that can prevent a backflow of fluid due to a change in posture of a recovery unit that does not include an absorbent.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a fluid ejecting apparatus including a fluid ejecting head that ejects a fluid and a recovery unit that introduces and recovers the fluid through a predetermined flow path. A configuration is adopted in which an opening / closing device is provided in the collection unit and opens and closes the flow path according to the posture of the collection unit.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, the posture of the collecting unit is opened and closed according to the posture of the collecting unit that guides and collects the fluid through the predetermined channel. The back flow of the fluid through the flow path due to the change is prevented.

In the present invention, the opening / closing device includes a valve member movable between an open position for opening the flow path and a closed position for closing the flow path, and the valve member from the open position to the above position. An urging member that applies a predetermined urging force toward the closed position; and a position that provides a force that resists the urging force when the recovery unit is in a predetermined posture, and the valve member is positioned at the open position. The structure which has the weight member located in this is employ | adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, since the valve member is urged from the open position to the closed position by the urging member, when the force against the urging force does not act, A predetermined flow path is closed. When the collection unit is in a predetermined posture, the valve member moves from the closed position to the open position against the urging force because the weight member is positioned at a predetermined position that applies a force against the urging force. The predetermined flow path is opened.

In the present invention, the weight member has a substantially spherical shape, and the opening / closing device includes a support portion having a support surface that supports the weight member in a substantially horizontal plane when the predetermined posture is set. A configuration is adopted in which a lever member that contacts the valve member on the surface opposite to the support surface and receives the urging force is provided.
By adopting such a configuration, the present invention includes a lever member that supports the weight member on the surface opposite to the surface that contacts the valve member and receives the urging force. The support portion of the lever member supports the substantially spherical weight member in a substantially horizontal plane in the predetermined posture. Therefore, when the posture changes from the predetermined posture, the substantially horizontal surface is inclined, and the substantially spherical weight member is By rolling along the inclined surface, the weight member retreats from a predetermined position where a force against the urging force is applied. When the weight member rolls and retreats from the predetermined position, the lever member is lifted by the biasing force from the valve member, the valve member moves to the open position, and the predetermined flow path is closed.

In the present invention, the lever member has a rotation center at a position opposite to a position where the support portion is provided across a contact position where the valve member contacts.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, the distance from the rotation center position of the lever member to the position where the support portion is provided is greater than the distance from the rotation center position to the position where the valve member abuts. Accordingly, the weight of the weight member can be suppressed to a weight equal to or smaller than the urging force of the urging member by the lever principle.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of nozzles provided in a recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of a recording head according to an embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram which shows the capping mechanism in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the backflow prevention unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the motion according to the attitude | position change of the waste ink collection | recovery part of the backflow prevention unit in embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, each embodiment of the fluid ejection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size. In this embodiment, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) is illustrated as the fluid ejecting apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a recording head 2 that is a kind of fluid ejecting head, and a carriage 4 on which an ink cartridge 3 is detachably mounted, and a recording paper 6 disposed below the recording head 2. Is configured to include a platen 5 to which the recording paper 6 is conveyed, a carriage moving mechanism 7 for moving the carriage 4 in the paper width direction of the recording paper 6, and a paper feeding mechanism 8 for conveying the recording paper 6 in the paper feeding direction. In addition, the printer 1 has a control device (not shown) that controls the operation of the entire printer 1. The paper width direction is the main scanning direction (head scanning direction). The paper feeding direction is a sub-scanning direction (a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction).

  The ink cartridge 3 is not limited to the cartridge mounted on the carriage 4 as in the present embodiment, but a cartridge mounted on the housing side of the printer 1 and supplied to the recording head 2 via the ink supply tube is employed. May be. The ink cartridge 3 of this embodiment contains inks of different colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk).

  The guide rod 9 is a support member installed in the main scanning direction. The carriage 4 is attached while being supported by the guide rod 9. The carriage 4 is moved in the main scanning direction along the guide rod 9 by a carriage moving mechanism 7. The linear encoder 10 detects the position of the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction. This detection signal is transmitted to the control device as position information. The control device recognizes the scanning position of the recording head 2 based on the position information from the linear encoder 10 and controls the recording operation (ejection operation) and the like by the recording head 2.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the nozzles 17 provided in the recording head 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the recording head 2 has a nozzle forming surface 21A provided with a plurality of nozzles 17 for ejecting ink. A nozzle row 16 is formed for each of the plurality of nozzles 17 on the nozzle forming surface 21A. In each nozzle row 16, for example, different color inks can be ejected. In this embodiment, four rows (16 (Bk), 16 (M), 16 (C), and 16 (Y)) are provided corresponding to the color of the ink. One nozzle row 16 is composed of, for example, 180 nozzles 17.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the recording head 2 in the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the recording head 2 includes a head main body 18 and a flow path forming unit 22 connected to the head main body 18. The flow path forming unit 22 includes a vibration plate 19, a flow path substrate 20, and a nozzle substrate 21, and forms a common ink chamber 29, an ink supply port 30, and a pressure chamber 31. Further, the flow path forming unit 22 includes an island portion 32 that functions as a diaphragm portion, and a compliance portion 33 that absorbs pressure fluctuation in the common ink chamber 29. The head main body 18 is formed with an accommodation space 23 for accommodating the drive unit 24 together with the fixing member 26, and an internal flow path 28 for guiding ink to the flow path forming unit 22.

  According to the recording head 2 configured as described above, when a drive signal is input to the drive unit 24 via the cable 27, the piezoelectric element 25 expands and contracts. As a result, the diaphragm 19 is deformed (moved) in a direction toward and away from the cavity. For this reason, the volume of the pressure chamber 31 changes and the pressure of the pressure chamber 31 containing ink fluctuates. Ink is ejected from the nozzles 17 due to this pressure fluctuation.

  Returning to FIG. 1, a home position serving as a scanning start point of the recording head 2 is set in an area outside the platen 5 in the moving range of the recording head 2. At this home position, a capping mechanism 11 that performs a suction process for maintaining or restoring the good ejection characteristics of the recording head 2 is provided.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the capping mechanism 11 in the embodiment of the present invention.
The capping mechanism 11 includes a cap member 12, a tube pump 40, and a waste ink collection unit (collection unit) 50.
The cap member 12 has a substantially bowl shape that opens on the side facing the recording head 2. The opening edge portion of the cap member 12 is formed of an elastic member such as a rubber member, and has a configuration capable of forming a sealed space by contacting the recording head 2 so as to surround the nozzle forming surface 21A. Inside the cap member 12, an absorbent material 12 a that absorbs and holds a liquid is provided. The cap member 12 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by a lifting device (not shown). As the lifting device, for example, a known lifting means such as a mechanism in which a motor and a screw screw are combined, a cam mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, or the like can be used.

The tube pump 40 includes a flexible tube body 41 that forms a flow path between the cap member 12 and the waste ink collection unit 50, and a substantially cylindrical pump case that curves a part of the tube body 41 in an annular shape. 42, a pump wheel 43 provided in the pump case 42 and having its axis as the center of rotation, a roller body 44 rotatably supported on the outer edge of the pump wheel 43, and the pump wheel 43 being driven to rotate forward. And a motor 45 (counterclockwise in FIG. 4). When the pump wheel 43 is rotated forward, the tube pump 40 is driven to revolve while crushing the inner diameter side of the tube body 41 in which the roller body 44 is formed in an annular shape, so that the cap member 12 moves toward the waste ink collecting unit 50. A suction drive for sucking the inside of the flow path is executed.
The tube pump 40 has a leak point X at a part of the revolution path of the roller body 44 where the crushing amount of the tube body 41 by the roller body 44 is insufficient. The tube pump 40 is configured such that the roller body 44 is positioned at the leak point X when suction driving is not performed or when the pump release is performed.

The waste ink collecting unit 50 includes a waste ink tank 51 that stores the waste ink sucked by the tube pump 40. The waste ink tank 51 of the present embodiment does not include an absorbent material that absorbs and holds waste ink, and is configured to store the waste ink in a liquid state.
The waste ink collection unit 50 includes a backflow prevention unit 52 to which a waste ink tank 51 is detachably attached. The backflow prevention unit 52 is connected to the end of the tube body 41.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the backflow prevention unit 52 in the embodiment of the present invention.
The backflow prevention unit 52 is connected to the tube body 41 and opens and closes the ink flow path 53 for introducing the waste ink into the waste ink tank 51 and the ink flow path 53 according to the posture of the waste ink collection unit 50. And an opening / closing device 60.

  One end 53 a of the ink flow path 53 communicates with the tube body 41, and the other end 53 b of the ink flow path 53 communicates with the waste ink tank 51. The ink flow path 53 has a substantially U-shape, the one end portion 53a and the other end portion 53b extend substantially in parallel, and the direction therebetween is perpendicular to the extending direction of the one end portion 53a and the other end portion 53b. Are connected by a linear portion 53c extending to The straight portion 53c is provided with a throttle member 54 for reducing the flow channel area by a predetermined amount. The diaphragm member 54 is made of, for example, a flexible rubber member.

The opening / closing device 60 includes a valve member 61, an urging member 62, a weight member 63, and a lever member 64.
The valve member 61 includes a guide portion 61 a that is supported by a housing 55 that forms the ink flow path 53 so as to be linearly movable along the linear portion 53 c of the ink flow path 53. The guide portion 61a is configured to be able to appear and retract in an accommodation space S formed by the housing 55 in which the weight member 63 and the lever member 64 are arranged. The valve member 61 includes a shaft portion 61b having a diameter smaller than the throttle diameter of the throttle member 54, and a diameter-expanded portion 61c provided at the tip of the shaft portion 61b and having a diameter larger than the throttle diameter of the throttle member 54. The enlarged diameter portion 61c is disposed on the downstream side of the throttle member 54 in the linear portion 53c.

The valve member 61 has an open position (position shown in FIG. 5) where the enlarged diameter portion 61c and the throttle member 54 are not in contact with each other, and the enlarged diameter portion 61c and the throttle member 54 are in contact with each other. It is configured to be movable between a closing position for closing the ink flow path 53 (a position shown in FIG. 6 (described later)).
The urging member 62 is configured to apply a predetermined urging force from the open position to the closed position with respect to the valve member 61. The urging member 62 of the present embodiment is configured by a coil spring, and is provided on the straight portion 53 c of the ink flow path 53. One end of the urging member 62 is connected to the housing 55, and the other end is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 61c. The biasing member 62 is configured to bias the enlarged diameter portion 61c toward the throttle member 54 in a normal state.

The weight member 63 and the lever member 64 are movably accommodated in a box-shaped accommodation space S surrounded by a plane.
The weight member 63 is located at a predetermined position (position shown in FIG. 5) that applies a force against the urging of the urging member 62 when the waste ink collecting unit 50 is in a predetermined posture, and the valve member 61 is opened. It is the composition to be located in. Here, the predetermined posture of the present embodiment is a posture of the waste ink collecting unit 50 (hereinafter referred to as a reference posture) when the printer 1 is installed on a horizontal plane in a normal posture as shown in FIG. Say.
The weight member 63 of the present embodiment has a substantially spherical shape in which a through hole penetrating the center of gravity is formed.

The lever member 64 has a support portion 65 including a support surface 64a that supports the weight member 63 in a substantially horizontal plane when the waste ink collection portion 50 is in the reference posture. The lever member 64 is configured to receive the biasing force of the biasing member 62 by contacting the guide portion 61a of the valve member 61 on the surface 64b opposite to the support surface 64a.
The lever member 64 has a rotation shaft 67 that is rotatably supported by the housing 55. A rotation shaft (rotation center) 67 of the lever member 64 is provided at a position opposite to the side on which the support portion 65 is provided, with the contact portion 66 with which the valve member 61 contacts. According to this configuration, the distance from the rotation shaft 67 to the support portion 65 of the lever member 64 is longer than the distance from the rotation shaft 67 to the contact portion 66. Thus, the weight can be suppressed to a weight equal to or smaller than the urging force of the urging member 62. As a result, the energy of collision caused by the weight member 63 colliding with the lever member 64 and the housing 55 along with the movement of the weight member 63 can be reduced, and noise associated with the collision can be reduced.

Next, the operation of the backflow prevention unit 52 according to the change in the posture of the waste ink collecting unit 50 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a movement according to a change in posture of the waste ink collection unit 50 of the backflow prevention unit 52 in the embodiment of the present invention.

  When the printer 1 changes from the normal posture shown in FIG. 1 to a posture other than the normal posture in which the side portion, the top portion, and the like face downward, the waste ink collection unit 50 also changes to a posture other than the reference posture accordingly. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the backflow prevention unit 52 closes the ink flow path 53 and prevents the backflow of waste ink from the waste ink tank 51 through the ink flow path 53.

  More specifically, when the posture of the waste ink collecting unit 50 changes, for example, when the direction of gravity changes from the lower side of the paper surface shown in FIG. 5 to the rear side in the vertical direction of the paper surface shown in FIG. 6, the weight member 63 is supported substantially horizontally in the reference posture. The position shown in FIG. 5 in which the weight member 63 applies a force against the urging force of the urging member 62 when the supporting surface 64a is inclined and the weight member 63 moves along the inclined surface by its own weight. Evacuate from. Since the weight member 63 of the present embodiment has a substantially spherical shape, it can easily roll in the direction of gravity due to the inclination of the support surface 64a. In FIG. 6, since the plane portion of the accommodation space S denoted by reference numeral 70 is in the direction of gravity, the weight member 63 moves from the support surface 64a to the plane portion 70, and instead of the support surface 64a, the plane portion 70 is moved. Will support the load of the weight member 63.

When the support surface 64a does not support the load of the weight member 63, the balance of force is lost, and the lever member 64 is pushed by the guide portion 61a of the valve member 61 protruding into the accommodation space S by the urging force of the urging member 62. Thus, it rotates around the rotation shaft 67. Even when the lever member 64 comes into contact with the weight member 63 supported by the flat portion 70 during the rotation, the weight member 63 of the present embodiment has a substantially spherical shape and can be easily pushed away.
Since the valve member 61 is urged from the open position to the closed position by the urging member 62, the support surface 64 a does not support the load of the weight member 63 and a force against the urging force of the urging member 62 acts. When it stops, the valve member 61 moves from the open position to the closed position, and the enlarged-diameter portion 61c comes into contact with the throttle member 54 as shown in FIG. For this reason, even if the waste ink collecting unit 50 changes to a posture other than the reference posture and the waste ink tries to flow backward from the waste ink tank 51 due to a water head difference, the waste ink collecting unit 50 may be blocked by the straight portion 53c of the ink flow path 53. Therefore, it is possible to prevent waste ink from leaking from the cap member 12 via the tube body 41.

  On the other hand, when the printer 1 is in the normal posture illustrated in FIG. 1, the waste ink collection unit 50 provided in the printer 1 is in the reference posture. At this time, the backflow prevention unit 52 opens the ink flow path 53 as shown in FIG. More specifically, the load of the weight member 63 is applied to the lever member 64, and the lever member 64 pushes the valve member 61 downward against the urging force of the urging member 62, so that the valve member 61 is brought into the open position. To position. When the valve member 61 is in the open position, the enlarged diameter portion 61c and the throttle member 54 are not in contact with each other, and a gap is created between the throttle member 54 and the shaft portion 61b. The end portion 53b communicates with the end portion 53b. Therefore, the waste ink sucked by the tube pump 40 is introduced into the waste ink tank 51 via the ink flow path 53.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 includes the recording head 2 that ejects ink, and the waste ink collection unit 50 that introduces and collects waste ink through the ink flow path 53. By adopting a configuration including an opening / closing device 60 provided in the waste ink collecting unit 50 and opening and closing the ink flow path 53 according to the posture of the waste ink collecting unit 50, By opening and closing the ink flow path 53, it is possible to prevent the backflow of ink through the ink flow path 53 due to a change in the posture of the waste ink collection unit 50. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide the waste ink tank 51 with an absorbing material that absorbs and holds the waste ink, and the replacement cost of the waste ink tank 51 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the opening / closing device 60 is open to the valve member 61, which is movable between an open position for opening the ink flow path 53 and a closed position for closing the ink flow path 53. An urging member 62 that applies a predetermined urging force from the position toward the closed position, and a valve member 61 that is positioned at a predetermined position that applies a force that resists the urging force when the waste ink collection unit 50 is in the reference posture. Since the valve member 61 is urged from the open position to the closed position by the urging member 62 by adopting the configuration in which the weight member 63 is positioned at the open position, the urging force is resisted. When the force to act does not act, the ink flow path 53 can be closed. When the waste ink collection unit 50 is in the reference posture, the weight member 63 is positioned at a predetermined position that applies a force against the urging force, so that the valve member 61 is released from the closed position against the urging force. The ink flow path 53 can be opened by moving to the position.

  In the present embodiment, the weight member 63 has a substantially spherical shape, and the opening / closing device 60 includes a support portion 65 having a support surface 64a that supports the weight member 63 in a substantially horizontal plane when in the reference posture. By adopting a configuration in which the lever member 64 that receives the urging force by contacting the valve member 61 on the surface 64b opposite to the support surface 64a is employed, the support portion 65 of the lever member 64 has a substantially spherical shape in a reference posture. Since the weight member 63 is supported in a substantially horizontal plane, when the posture changes from the reference posture, the substantially horizontal plane is inclined, and the substantially spherical weight member 63 rolls along the inclined surface, whereby the weight member 63 is Retreat from a predetermined position to apply a force against the urging force. When the weight member 63 rolls and retreats from the predetermined position, the lever member 64 is lifted by the urging force from the valve member 61, the valve member 61 moves to the open position, and the ink flow path 53 can be closed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lever member 64 employs a configuration in which the rotation shaft 67 is provided at a position opposite to the position where the support portion 65 is provided across the contact position where the valve member 61 contacts. Thus, the distance from the position of the rotation shaft 67 of the lever member 64 to the position where the support portion 65 is provided is longer than the distance from the position of the rotation shaft 67 to the position where the valve member 61 abuts. Accordingly, the weight of the weight member 63 can be suppressed to be equal to or less than the weight that balances the urging force of the urging member 62.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring drawings, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer. However, the fluid ejecting apparatus may be applied to a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink. That is, the present invention can be applied to various fluid ejecting apparatuses including a fluid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the fluid discharged from the above-mentioned fluid ejecting apparatus, and includes one that has a tail in a granular shape, a tear shape, or a thread shape. The fluid here may be a material that can be ejected by the fluid ejecting apparatus.

  For example, it may be in the state when the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid state with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a fluid as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid substances such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. A typical example of the fluid is ink as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various fluid compositions such as gel inks and hot-melt inks.

  As a specific example of the fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, a fluid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. It may be a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a fluid used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like.

  In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form fluid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. A fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate, or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate or the like may be employed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (fluid ejecting apparatus), 2 ... Recording head (fluid ejecting head), 50 ... Waste ink collection | recovery part (collection part), 53 ... Ink flow path (flow path), 60 ... Opening / closing device, 61 ... Valve member, 62 ... biasing member, 63 ... weight member, 64 ... lever member, 64a ... support surface, 64b ... surface, 65 ... support portion, 67 ... rotation axis (rotation center)

Claims (4)

A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid; and a recovery unit that introduces and recovers the fluid through a predetermined flow path.
A fluid ejecting apparatus, comprising: an opening / closing device that is provided in the recovery unit and opens and closes the flow path according to a posture of the recovery unit. The switchgear is
A valve member movable between an open position for opening the flow path and a closed position for closing the flow path;
A biasing member that applies a predetermined biasing force from the open position to the closed position with respect to the valve member;
A weight member that is positioned at a predetermined position that applies a force against the urging force when the recovery unit is in a predetermined posture and that positions the valve member at the open position. 2. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to 1. The weight member has a substantially spherical shape,
The opening / closing device includes a support portion having a support surface that supports the weight member in a substantially horizontal plane in the predetermined posture, and abuts the valve member on a surface opposite to the support surface to generate the urging force. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a lever member that receives the lever member.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lever member has a rotation center at a position opposite to a position where the support portion is provided across a contact position where the valve member contacts.

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