JP2013173354A - Liquid container holding device, and liquid ejecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid container holding device capable of smoothly inserting a liquid supplying member without causing the liquid supplying member to impose stress on an outlet of the liquid container.SOLUTION: A liquid container holding device includes: a guide surface 32a provided extensively in the insert/pull-out direction of an ink cartridge 21; a supply needle 43 that faces in the insert direction an ink outlet 23 provided on a case unit 22a in the ink cartridge inserted in the extensively provided direction of the guide surface, to which the ink is supplied from the inside of the ink cartridge when the supply needle is inserted into the ink outlet; a leaf spring 35 for biasing the ink cartridge to be displaced to a direction crossing the extensively provided direction of the guide surface; and a displacement regulating section for regulating the displacement of ink cartridge to a direction of the ink cartridge by coming into abutment with the ink cartridge while it is biased by the leaf spring from the opposite direction to the direction biased by the leaf spring.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container holding device that holds a liquid container, and a liquid ejecting apparatus that includes the liquid container holding device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid ejecting apparatus that prints an image including characters and figures by ejecting ink as a kind of liquid from a liquid ejecting head (liquid ejecting unit) onto a sheet as a kind of ejecting target has been put into practical use. ing. This type of apparatus has an ink cartridge holder (liquid container holding device) in which an ink cartridge (liquid container) containing ink is inserted along the guide surface and held at a predetermined position. Then, the supply needle (liquid supply member) provided in the ink cartridge holder is inserted by being moved relative to the ink outlet provided in the ink cartridge in the direction opposite to the insertion direction. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the liquid ejecting head through the supply needle inserted into the liquid ejecting head.

  Therefore, in such a liquid ejecting apparatus, it is important to insert the ink cartridge in a state where the ink cartridge is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the supply needle provided in the ink cartridge holder. Otherwise, for example, ink leaks from between the outlet and the supply needle, and the ink is not supplied to the liquid ejecting head.

  Therefore, as a technique for positioning the ink cartridge with respect to the ink cartridge holder, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an IC chip for storing information about ink included in the ink cartridge and information on the IC chip provided in the ink cartridge holder. A positioning technique with a reading unit to be read is disclosed. According to this positioning technique, when the ink cartridge is inserted into the ink cartridge holder, the positioning portion is provided in the vicinity of the IC chip (connection electrode portion) in the ink cartridge. Then, a positioning member provided in the ink cartridge holder is inserted into the positioning portion, and the ink cartridge is positioned with respect to the ink cartridge holder.

JP 2010-58525 A

  However, in the positioning structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, the length of the inserted ink cartridge along the direction of insertion into the ink cartridge holder may be long. In such a case, when a long ink cartridge is inserted along the guide surface, the position variation with respect to the ink cartridge holder in the insertion direction front end portion of the ink cartridge becomes large.

  For this reason, the positioning unit that positions the ink cartridge with respect to the ink cartridge holder is likely to be largely displaced with respect to the positioning member of the ink cartridge holder. For this reason, the positioning part may not be inserted into the positioning member, or the positioning part may be inserted in a state where a large stress (bending stress) is applied to the positioning member. As a result, the supply needle is not smoothly inserted into the outflow port of the ink cartridge, and is in a state where it is locally pressed against a part of the inner peripheral surface of the outflow port by, for example, bending stress. There is a risk of ink leaking from between the outlet.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main object is to smoothly insert the liquid supply member into the outflow port of the liquid container without generating stress in the liquid supply member. A main object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container holding device that can be used. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid container holding device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid container holding device of the present invention is a liquid container holding device in which a liquid container is detachably held, and extends along the insertion / extraction direction of the liquid container. Opposite the liquid outlet provided in the insertion direction front end portion of the liquid container inserted along the extending direction of the guide part in the insertion direction, and to the outlet The liquid supply member to which the liquid is supplied from the liquid container by being inserted, and the liquid container is displaced in one direction intersecting with the extending direction of the guide portion as the liquid container is inserted. The urging portion that urges the urging portion, the liquid container that is urged by the urging portion, and the urging direction of the urging portion are in contact with each other from a direction opposite to the urging direction of the liquid container. Regulate displacement in one direction It includes a displacement restricting portion.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid container is displaced in one direction intersecting with the extending direction of the guide portion so as to contact the displacement restricting portion, the outlet provided in the liquid container is unidirectionally moved by the displacement restricting portion. It will be in the state positioned. As a result, the liquid supply member can be smoothly inserted into the outlet of the liquid container without generating stress in the liquid supply member.

In the liquid container holding device of the present invention, the urging unit urges the liquid container in a direction away from the guide unit.
According to this configuration, since the liquid container is urged away from the guide part, for example, even if the guide part is displaced by the weight of the liquid container, the liquid container is affected by the displacement of the guide part when inserted. Is suppressed so as not to reach. As a result, the liquid supply member can be smoothly inserted into the outlet of the liquid container without generating stress in the liquid supply member.

  In the liquid container holding device of the present invention, the urging portion urges the insertion direction distal end portion of the liquid container, and the displacement restricting portion is disposed at the insertion direction distal end portion of the liquid container. Regulate displacement.

According to this configuration, the outlet can be positioned only by urging a part of the liquid container. Therefore, the configuration of the urging unit can be simplified.
In the liquid container holding device of the present invention, the one direction is an antigravity direction.

According to this configuration, since the urging unit pushes the liquid container in the antigravity direction, the displacement of the distal end portion in the insertion direction of the liquid container due to the displacement of the guide due to the weight of the liquid container is suppressed. .
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid container holding device configured as described above, a liquid ejecting unit that ejects the liquid, and the liquid that is supplied from the liquid container to the liquid supply member. A liquid flow path section.

  According to this configuration, the liquid that is stably supplied from the liquid container is ejected to the outlet of the liquid container by the liquid supply member that is smoothly inserted without generating stress in the liquid supply member. A liquid ejecting apparatus is obtained.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cartridge holding unit in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of a cartridge holding | maintenance part. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a cartridge holding unit in a state where an ink cartridge is held. The perspective view which shows the structure of the main body bottom member which comprises a holding | maintenance part main body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of an ink cartridge inserted into a cartridge holding unit. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a communication unit that communicates an information signal of an ink cartridge. The perspective view which shows the wiring board which electrically guides the information signal which a communication part communicates. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of a cartridge holding unit.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment embodying the present invention, from a liquid ejecting unit having a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid, an image including characters and figures is formed on the ejected object by ejecting the liquid onto the ejected object. The liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes a liquid ejecting unit 80 having a liquid ejecting head 81 that ejects ink as an example of supplied liquid, and a liquid container in which ink is stored. A cartridge holding unit 20 that functions as a liquid container holding device that holds the ink cartridge 21.

  The cartridge holding unit 20 includes a holding unit main body 30 in which a plurality of ink cartridges 21 are inserted and held, and a flow path unit 40 (on the rear end of the holding unit main body 30 on the back side in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 21. 2) and a mechanism driving device 50 are attached. The ink stored in the ink cartridge 21 is supplied from the flow path unit 40 to the ink supply tube 71 by the operation of the mechanism driving device 50 using the motor 15 as a driving source, and is further connected to the ink supply tube 71 by a connecting member such as a tube (not shown). As indicated by an arrow, the ink is supplied from the cartridge holding unit 20 side to the liquid ejecting unit 80 side.

  The liquid ejecting unit 80 includes an ink supply channel member 83 provided with an inflow pipe 84 into which supplied ink flows, a liquid ejecting head 81, and a fixed frame 82 to which these are fixed. In the liquid ejecting section 80, an ink flow path is formed from the inflow pipe 84 to the liquid ejecting head 81 via the ink supply flow path member 83, and the ink supplied from the inflow pipe 84 passes through the ink flow path. It is supplied to the liquid jet head 81. Then, the supplied ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 81 toward the paper P as an example of the ejection target, whereby an image or the like is formed on the paper P.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus 11, the liquid ejecting unit 80 (fixed frame 82) is attached to a carriage or the like (not shown) and reciprocated in the width direction (main scanning direction) X of the paper P, and the paper P is also shown in the figure. There is provided a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves (intermittently moves) in the transport direction (sub-scanning direction) Y that intersects the width direction of the paper P by a transport roller that does not. In addition, a control unit (not shown) that controls these moving mechanisms and controls the ejection of ink from the liquid ejecting head 81 is provided. The moving mechanism and the control unit are provided in the casing of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 (not shown) together with the cartridge holding unit 20 and the liquid ejecting unit 80.

  Next, the cartridge holding unit 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 21 is illustrated in a state where the ink cartridge 21 is removed from the holding unit main body 30 and removed, and the flow path unit 40 is illustrated in a state where it is removed from the holding unit main body 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge holding unit 20 includes a holding unit main body 30 having a substantially box shape with an insertion side (front side) into which a plurality of ink cartridges 21 are inserted, and the ink cartridge 21 in the holding unit main body 30. And a plurality of flow path units 40 attached on the opposite side (rear side) to the insertion side.

  In the present embodiment, an ink pack containing four different types of ink (in this case, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks) is provided inside a cartridge case 22 as a casing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Ink cartridges 21 </ b> C, 21 </ b> M, 21 </ b> Y, and 21 </ b> K are inserted into the holding body 30 as the ink cartridge 21. Each of the ink cartridges 21 (21C, 21M, 21Y, 21K) is configured such that, of the case surfaces of the cartridge case 22, the surface having the narrowest width in the direction intersecting the insertion direction is the bottom surface positioned on the gravity direction side. The holders 30 are inserted side by side so as to be adjacent to each other.

  The cartridge cases 22 of the respective ink cartridges 21 to be inserted all have the same shape, and in the insertion direction that is the longitudinal direction, the case unit 22a that is the front end side portion in the insertion direction and the rear end side portion in the insertion direction. The case unit 22b is formed of a housing divided into two bodies. A gap (also referred to as “backlash”) between the case unit 22a and the case unit 22b that allows the case unit 22a to move relative to the case unit 22b at least in the normal direction to the bottom surface located on the gravity direction side. ) Is provided. In addition, the case unit 22a is provided with an ink outlet 23 on the surface facing the flow path unit 40 when inserted.

  The holding unit main body 30 has a main body bottom member 32 having a sliding contact surface with which the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 21 slides when the ink cartridge 21 is inserted, and the ink cartridge 21 is inserted into the main body bottom member 32. The main body front frame member 31 is assembled on the front side in the direction. Further, main body side plate members 33 are assembled to both ends in the arrangement direction (left and right direction) of the held ink cartridges 21, and the main body upper member is disposed on the opposite side (upper side) of the main body bottom member 32 across the ink cartridge 21. 34 is assembled to the main body front frame member 31 and the main body side plate member 33.

  In the holder main body 30 having a substantially box shape in which the respective members are assembled and opened on the front side in the insertion direction as described above, the ink cartridge 21 side from the ink cartridge 21 side to the liquid ejecting unit 80 side is disposed at the back end in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 21. A flow path unit 40 that functions as a liquid flow path portion in which the flow path of the ink flowing to is formed is attached. In the present embodiment, four flow path units 40 (40C, 40M, 40Y, 40K) are held corresponding to the respective ink cartridges 21 (21C, 21M, 21Y, 21K) held by the holding unit body 30. The main body 30 is provided.

  Each flow path unit 40 is provided with a diaphragm 45 that constitutes a flow mechanism for flowing ink to be supplied to the liquid ejecting unit 80, and a mechanism driving device 50 that drives the diaphragm 45 is provided in each flow path unit 40. It is attached to. In the present embodiment, four mechanism driving devices 50 are attached, and a motor 15 as a driving source is attached to any one of these mechanism driving devices 50. In addition, an ink supply tube 71 (71C, 71M, 71Y, 71K) that supplies ink to the liquid ejecting unit 80 side is connected to each flow path unit 40 (40C, 40M, 40Y, 40K).

  The flow path unit 40 has a supply needle 43 as a liquid supply member connected to the ink cartridge 21 and supplied with ink at a position facing the ink cartridge 21 to be inserted, and the ink supplied from the supply needle 43. An ink outflow portion 49 through which the ink flows out is provided. An ink supply tube 71 that supplies ink to the liquid ejecting unit 80 side is connected to the ink outflow portion 49 in the flow path unit 40.

  Each flow path unit 40 is provided with a part of the ink cartridge 21 for an information signal related to the inserted ink cartridge 21 when the ink cartridge 21 is inserted and held in the holding body 30. A communication unit 42 that communicates with the electrical connection unit 24 is provided. The information signal received by the communication unit 42 is input to the control unit provided in the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 via the wiring board provided in the holding unit main body 30, and the control unit converts the input information signal into the input information signal. Accordingly, the ejection of ink from the moving mechanism or the liquid ejecting head 81 is controlled.

  Next, a holding structure for holding the ink cartridge 21 in the cartridge holding unit 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, in the holding unit main body 30, the holding structures of the ink cartridges 21 (21C, 21M, 21Y, 21K) are all configured similarly. For ease of explanation here, in FIG. 3, the cartridge holding unit 20 is illustrated with one ink cartridge 21 (21 </ b> C) being removed from the four ink cartridges 21. Further, for convenience of explanation, the holding unit main body 30 is illustrated in a state where the right main body side plate member 33 is removed as viewed from the insertion direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the holding part main body 30 provided in the cartridge holding part 20 is provided with a slide knob 31 a provided on the upper side of the main body front frame member 31 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The slide knob 31a is positioned upward when the ink cartridge 21 is inserted, and is moved from the upper side to the lower side after the ink cartridge 21 is inserted, so that the ink cartridge 21 is inserted without coming out of the holding portion main body 30 forward. Hold on. Further, the slide knob 31 a is moved from the lower side to the upper side when the ink cartridge 21 is extracted, so that the ink cartridge 21 can be extracted from the holding portion main body 30.

  In the present embodiment, the holding unit main body 30 is configured to be able to hold another ink cartridge 21 in addition to the four ink cartridges 21, and the main body front frame member 31 has five ink cartridges 21 on the front side in the insertion direction. An insertable opening is formed. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, an opening into which another ink cartridge 21 can be inserted is formed on the left side of the ink cartridge 21K. This opening is closed by the cover member 31b.

  A main body bottom member 32 constituting the holding portion main body 30 is provided with a guide surface 32 a that extends along the insertion / extraction direction of the ink cartridge 21 and functions as a guide portion when the ink cartridge 21 is inserted. The guide surface 32a functions as a sliding contact surface with which the bottom surface slides when the ink cartridge 21 is inserted. Then, in the extending direction, that is, the back side in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 21, the ink cartridge 21 is urged so as to be displaced in one direction intersecting the extending direction of the guide surface 32a as the ink cartridge 21 is inserted. A leaf spring 35 is provided as an urging portion.

  In the present embodiment, the leaf spring 35 has a shape that rises toward the insertion direction, and is in an antigravity direction in which the ink cartridge 21 moves away from the guide surface 32a, that is, in a substantially normal direction of the guide surface 32a. The ink cartridge 21 is energized. Accordingly, the ink cartridge 21 inserted into the holding unit main body 30 is inserted while being urged in the antigravity direction by the leaf spring 35.

  On the other hand, in the holder main body 30 of the present embodiment, the main body upper member 34 is applied to the ink cartridge 21 in a state of being biased by the leaf spring 35 from a direction opposite to the biasing direction by the leaf spring 35. A displacement regulating portion that regulates displacement in one direction of the ink cartridge 21, that is, the anti-gravity direction, is formed by contact. The configuration of the displacement restricting portion will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 21, the holding unit main body 30, and a part of the flow path unit 40 are shown in cross section. Further, the illustration of the ink pack accommodated in the ink cartridge 21 is also omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the main body upper member 34 abuts a protruding portion 26 provided on the lower surface side that is the inner side of the holding unit main body 30 so as to protrude upward (in the antigravity direction) above the case unit 22 a. Thus, a displacement restricting portion 36 for restricting the upward displacement of the inserted ink cartridge 21 is formed. On the other hand, the case unit 22a is provided with a protruding portion 25 that protrudes downward (in the direction of gravity) on the lower side that is the main body bottom member 32 side. A configuration in which a leaf spring 35 in which a rear end portion on the front side in the insertion direction is fixed to the main body bottom member 32 with a screw 37 as an example of a fixing member abuts against the protruding portion 25 so as to be urged from below. It is said that. The leaf spring 35 is provided with a bent portion 35a having a shape that is bent from a shape that is advanced in the insertion direction to a position that is downward in the insertion direction at the tip portion opposite to the fixed side. In a state of being inserted and held in 30, the protruding portion 25 provided in the case unit 22a is urged by the bent portion 35a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the flow path unit 40 is fixedly attached to the main body bottom member 32 together with the mechanism driving device 50 to the holding portion main body 30. In the present embodiment, the supply needle 43 of the attached flow path unit 40 is located at a position facing the outlet 23 provided in the case unit 22a of the ink cartridge 21 that is inserted while contacting the displacement restricting portion 36. Arranged. In other words, the displacement restricting portion 36 is formed so that the outlet 23 of the ink cartridge 21 faces the supply needle 43 in the insertion direction.

  Further, on the main body bottom member 32, the supply needle 43 of the flow path unit 40 is located on the back side in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 21 from the position where the leaf spring 35 is disposed, and the ink cartridge corresponding to the flow path unit 40 is provided. The erroneous insertion preventing shape portions 38 that are allowed to be inserted only into the 21 outlets 23 are provided in different specific shapes. An entry shape portion 28 having a specific shape that allows the ink cartridge 21 to move in the insertion direction without engaging with the erroneous insertion prevention shape portion 38 formed in the main body bottom member 32 and allows the ink cartridge 21 to move in the insertion direction. Each is provided in a corresponding ink cartridge 21. Thereby, erroneous insertion of the ink cartridge 21 is prevented, and each ink cartridge is correctly inserted into the supply needle 43 of the corresponding flow path unit 40.

  Incidentally, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, in the main body bottom member 32, the number of ribs formed along the extending direction of the guide surface 32a and the position of the ribs are changed to change the ink cartridges 21C and 21M. , 21Y, and 21K are provided with erroneous insertion preventing shape portions 38 having specific shapes different from each other. Further, an erroneous insertion preventing shape portion 38 corresponding to another ink cartridge 21 that can be increased is also provided.

  In the present embodiment, the main body bottom member 32 is manufactured by injection molding of resin or the like, and the portion of the erroneous insertion preventing shape portion 38 is formed by a mold SK1 that constitutes a molding die of the main body bottom member 32. The mold SK1 is a so-called nested mold, and the misinsertion preventing shape portion 38 can be easily changed by exchanging with a different mold. For example, when it is not necessary to provide the erroneous insertion preventing shape portion 38 as in the main body bottom member 32, a part of which is shown on the left side of FIG. 5, the die SK2 in which no rib is formed on the main body bottom member 32 is provided. It is possible to easily manufacture the main body bottom member 32 provided with the wrong insertion preventing shape portion 38 having a different shape, for example, by exchanging the main body bottom member 32.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, each ink cartridge 21 (21C, 21M, 21Y, 21K) has an erroneous insertion preventing shape portion 38 (38C, 38M, 38Y, 38K) formed in the main body bottom member 32. In particular, an entry shape portion 28 (28C, 28M, 28Y, 28K) having a specific shape that engages and enters without being brought into contact with each other is provided. Of course, in each ink cartridge 21, each entry shape portion 28 (28C, 28M, 28Y, 28K) is provided on the insertion direction side with respect to the protruding portion 25.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, each ink cartridge 21 has an upper side opposite to the bottom where the projecting portion 25 is provided on the back side in the insertion direction of the case unit 22 a provided with the outlet 23. An inclined surface is provided on the insertion direction side with respect to the protruding portion 26, and the electrical connection portion 24 is provided on the inclined surface. Each of the ink cartridges 21 has a guide portion 27a in sliding contact with the guide surface 32a of the main body bottom member 32 at the lower portion on the gravity direction side when inserted in the case unit 22b, and the upper portion opposite to the lower portion. Guide portions 27b guided by the upper body member 34 at the time of insertion are each formed in a rib shape extending in the insertion direction.

  Now, in the cartridge holding unit 20 of the present embodiment, when the ink cartridge 21 is inserted and held in the holding unit main body 30, the control unit obtains an information signal related to the inserted ink cartridge 21. The This configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, for ease of explanation, in the cartridge holding unit 20, the members constituting the holding unit main body 30, one ink cartridge 21, the ink supply tube 71, and the motor 15 are removed. It is shown in the figure.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the communication unit 42 receives the information signal related to the inserted ink cartridge 21 by communicating with the electrical connection unit 24 provided in a part of the ink cartridge 21. Prepared for. The holding unit body 30 is provided with four wiring boards 61 (61C, 61M, 61Y, 61K) having one end connected to the communication unit 42 and formed with a wiring unit through which an information signal received by the communication unit 42 flows. . Also, the holding unit main body 30 is similarly provided with a relay part 62 that is connected to the other end of the wiring board 61 and houses a relay board 63 (see FIG. 8) to which information signals are relayed. An electrical wiring member (not shown) that transmits an information signal from the relay substrate 63 of the relay unit 62 to the control unit provided in the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is provided. As a result, the control unit controls the ejection of ink from the moving mechanism or the liquid ejecting head 81 in accordance with the transmitted information signal.

The configuration of the wiring board 61 and the relay unit 62 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the wiring board 61 of this embodiment, the four wiring boards 61 to be used are each formed of a belt-like foldable board (for example, a flexible board) and bent in a predetermined direction at a predetermined position. Is formed. For example, like the wiring board 61C and the wiring board 61K indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure, each wiring board 61 is formed of a band-like board having a predetermined length with a width dimension L, a mountain fold or a valley fold, and a right angle or a diagonal. Are each formed into a predetermined shape. In other words, even when another ink cartridge 21 is inserted, it is possible to easily add the wiring substrate 61 by using a belt-shaped substrate having a predetermined width L that can be bent.

  Each wiring board 61 is bound and held by the binding members 65 and 66 in the relay section 62, and the other end opposite to the one end connected to the communication section 42 is connected to a connection terminal 64 provided on the relay board 63. Is done. Therefore, even if a restoring force is applied to return the bent portion to its original state, it is suppressed by the binding members 65 and 66 and is held in a stable state.

  In addition, when connecting to each communication part 42 with one board | substrate, the shape of the wiring board 69 shown with the dashed-two dotted line in FIG. 8 is required. Therefore, in this case, the width dimension H of the wiring board 69 is larger than the width dimension L of the wiring board 61. Although not shown in the figure, the wiring board 69 also requires a connection length until it is connected to the relay board 63 in a direction crossing the width direction. Therefore, in order to manufacture the wiring substrate 69, it is necessary to use a substrate having a large flat area, each having a predetermined length in the vertical and horizontal directions. On the other hand, since the wiring board 61 of this embodiment can be manufactured by changing the board length in the belt-like board having the same width L, it is possible to suppress the board area to be used as much as possible.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, in a state where the ink cartridge 21 is inserted and held in the holding portion main body 30, the case unit 22a of the ink cartridge 21 is bent by the bent portion 35a that is provided in the leaf spring 35 and is lowered in the insertion direction. As shown by the arrow F in the figure, the projecting portion 25 provided in is biased obliquely upward. That is, the protruding portion 25 is urged in the antigravity direction (upward), and is also urged in the direction side (insertion direction side) in which the outlet 23 provided in the case unit 22a approaches the supply needle 43. The

  Then, the case unit 22a urged in the antigravity direction by the leaf spring 35 is lifted and moved upward while being separated from the case unit 22b by the backlash provided between the case unit 22b and the case unit 22b. Then, with respect to the case unit 22a urged by the leaf spring 35 and lifted upward, the displacement restricting portion 36 provided on the main body upper member 34 of the holding portion main body 30 is protruded from the case unit 22a. It contacts the part 26. By the abutment between the protruding portion 26 and the displacement restricting portion 36, the displacement of the ink cartridge 21 in one direction, that is, the antigravity direction is restricted and positioned.

  Therefore, for example, a distance along the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction between the contact portion of the protruding portion 26 with the displacement restricting portion 36 and the outlet 23 is inserted from the displacement restricting portion 36 to the center of the supply needle 43. By setting the distance TH to be the same as the distance TH along the direction orthogonal to the direction, the center of the supply needle 43 and the center of the outflow port 23 can be matched.

  For example, when the ink cartridge 21 is heavy, the case unit 22b formed with the guide portion 27a that is in sliding contact with the guide surface 32a at the time of insertion causes the body bottom member 32 to bend by the load G acting on the center of gravity. To bend downward. However, the case unit 22a on the insertion direction side in the ink cartridge 21 is urged in the antigravity direction by a leaf spring 35 having a shape that rises in the insertion direction attached to the main body bottom member 32. Therefore, even if the case unit 22b is displaced along with the bending of the main body bottom member 32, the case unit 22a is displaced in the gravity direction along with the displacement by the biasing of the leaf spring 35 in the anti-gravity direction. However, the positioning state of the case unit 22a is maintained.

  Even in the process of inserting the ink cartridge 21 into the holding unit main body 30, the main body bottom member 32 is bent downward by the load G acting on the center of gravity. However, the case unit 22a on the insertion direction side in the ink cartridge 21 is similarly urged in the antigravity direction by the leaf spring 35 after the contact with the leaf spring 35 is started. Therefore, even if the case unit 22b is displaced along with the bending of the main body bottom member 32, the case unit 22a is displaced in the gravity direction along with the displacement by the biasing of the leaf spring 35 in the anti-gravity direction. Instead, the supply needle 43 is inserted into the outlet 23 in a state in which the contact state between the protruding portion 26 and the displacement restricting portion 36 is maintained.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the ink cartridge 21 (protruding portion 26) is displaced in one direction so as to contact the displacement restricting portion 36, the outlet 23 provided in the ink cartridge 21 is moved in one direction (vertical direction) by the displacement restricting portion 36. It will be in the state positioned. As a result, the supply needle 43 can be smoothly inserted into the outlet 23 of the ink cartridge 21 without generating stress on the supply needle 43.

  (2) Since the leaf spring 35 urges the ink cartridge 21 (case unit 22a) in the direction away from the guide surface 32a, the leaf spring 35 is inserted into the ink cartridge 21 even if the guide surface 32a is displaced by the weight of the ink cartridge 21, for example. It is suppressed so that the influence of the displacement of the guide part does not reach at the time. As a result, the supply needle 43 can be smoothly inserted into the outlet 23 of the ink cartridge 21 without generating stress on the supply needle 43.

  (3) Since the displacement restricting part 36 restricts the displacement of the case unit 22a of the ink cartridge 21 to be urged, the outlet 23 can be positioned only by urging a part of the ink cartridge 21. Accordingly, the configuration of the leaf spring 35 can be simplified.

  (4) Since the leaf spring 35 pushes the ink cartridge 21 in the antigravity direction, the displacement of the case unit 22a of the ink cartridge 21 due to the displacement of the guide surface 32a due to the weight of the ink cartridge 21 is suppressed.

  (5) Liquid ejection for ejecting ink stably supplied from the ink cartridge 21 by the supply needle 43 smoothly inserted into the outlet 23 of the ink cartridge 21 without generating stress in the supply needle 43 Device 11 is obtained.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge 21 is not necessarily formed in the insertion direction, but is formed of a case body divided into two bodies, that is, the case unit 22a serving as the front end portion in the insertion direction and the case unit 22b serving as the rear end portion. It does not have to be. For example, it may be an integral case that is not divided in the insertion direction. For example, when the ink cartridge 21 is considerably long in the insertion direction, even if the guide surface 32a is bent due to the load of the ink cartridge 21, there is little influence on the bending on the leading end side in the insertion direction. The same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the one direction in which the leaf spring 35 biases the ink cartridge 21 is not necessarily limited to the antigravity direction. For example, it may be in the horizontal direction. This is preferable when the outlet 23 needs to be positioned with respect to the supply needle 43 in the horizontal direction. Needless to say, it may be biased both in the anti-gravity direction and in the horizontal direction.

  In the above embodiment, the leaf spring 35 does not necessarily urge the case unit 22a that is the front end side portion of the ink cartridge 21 in the insertion direction. For example, the leaf spring 35 may bias the guide portion 27a in the case unit 22b, or may bias both the case unit 22a and the case unit 22b. In short, the ink cartridge 21 may be configured to be urged in the antigravity direction, which is the normal direction of the guide surface 32a, at the distal end side in the insertion direction where the outflow port 23 is provided.

  In the above embodiment, the urging direction of the leaf spring 35 is not necessarily limited to the normal direction of the guide surface 32a as long as the case unit 22a is away from the guide surface 32a, and may be an oblique direction inclined from the normal direction. Good. Or the urging | biasing direction of the leaf | plate spring 35 is good also as urging | biasing not only the direction which the case unit 22a leaves | separates from the guide surface 32a but the direction along the guide surface 32a, ie, a horizontal direction, for example. For example, when the ink cartridge 21 is positioned in the horizontal direction along the guide surface 32a, it is preferable that the ink cartridge 21 is urged in the horizontal direction as one direction.

  In the above embodiment, the ink cartridge 21 may be an ink cartridge 21 that directly stores ink in the cartridge case 22 instead of storing an ink pack. In this case, a seal structure that does not allow ink to leak may be provided between the case unit 22a and the case unit 22b.

  In the above embodiment, the injection target is not limited to the paper P, and may be a plate member made of a metal plate, a resin plate, a cloth, or the like. That is, any member that can be transported and can be printed with the ink ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 80 can be used as the ejecting object.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting unit 80 is not limited to a serial type printer in which the liquid ejecting head 81 reciprocates with the carriage, and can perform printing in the maximum paper width range even when the liquid ejecting head 81 is fixed. A line head type printer may also be used.

In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is embodied as a form including the liquid ejecting head 81 that ejects ink. However, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is embodied as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink. May be. Various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that discharges a minute amount of liquid droplets can be used. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape.
The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And liquids as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid materials such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks.
As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid 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. There is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting. Alternatively, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and a sample, a printing apparatus, a micro dispenser, or the like.
In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Liquid ejecting apparatus, 20 ... Cartridge holding part as a liquid container holding | maintenance apparatus, 22a ... Case unit as insertion side front end side part, 23 ... Outlet, 36 ... Displacement restricting part, 40 ... Liquid channel part Flow path unit, 80... Liquid ejecting unit.

Claims (5)

A liquid container holding device in which the liquid container is held so as to be insertable / removable,
A guide portion extending along the insertion / extraction direction of the liquid container;
By facing the liquid outlet provided at the distal end portion in the insertion direction of the liquid container inserted along the extending direction of the guide portion in the insertion direction and being inserted into the outlet. A liquid supply member to which the liquid is supplied from the liquid container;
An urging unit that urges the liquid container so as to be displaced in one direction intersecting with the extending direction of the guide part with the insertion of the liquid container;
Displacement regulation that regulates displacement of the liquid container in the one direction by contacting the liquid container in a state of being urged by the urging unit from a direction opposite to the urging direction of the urging unit. And a liquid container holding device. The liquid container holding device according to claim 1,
The urging unit urges the liquid container in a direction away from the guide unit. In the liquid container holding device according to claim 1 or 2,
The urging portion urges the insertion direction front end side portion of the liquid container,
The liquid container holding device, wherein the displacement restricting part restricts displacement of the liquid container at a distal end side in the insertion direction. In the liquid container holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The liquid container holding device according to claim 1, wherein the one direction is an antigravity direction. The liquid container holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A liquid ejecting section for ejecting the liquid;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a liquid flow path section that supplies the liquid supplied from the liquid container to the liquid supply member to the liquid ejecting section.