JP2015145133A - Liquid jet device and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet device in which a protruding part is correctly inserted into a joint part with an end part of the joint part facing the protruding part straight.SOLUTION: In an exhaust unit 30 of an ink jet printer, upstream side protruding parts 29 which communicate with an exhaust passage are formed on a lower surface of an extension member 25c provided at a sub tank unit. Further, downstream side protruding parts 36 which communicate with an opening/closing passage are formed on an upper surface of a lid part 33 which is disposed spaced away from the extension member 25c in a vertical direction and provided at a carriage. A tip of each upstream side protruding part 29 and a tip of each downstream side protruding part 36 face each other. A guide plate 43 is erected downward from the extension member 25c so as to be arranged parallel to the upstream side protruding parts 29. The guide plate 43 includes a guide surface 43a facing a part of a peripheral surface of each upstream side protruding part 29. The upstream side protruding part 29 is inserted into an upper end of a cylindrical part of joint rubber and the downstream side protruding part 36 is inserted into a lower end of the cylindrical part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid.

  In a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid, when the liquid supply flow path needs to be configured by two flow path members, the flow paths formed in these flow path members need to communicate with each other. As one of the methods, there is a method in which two different flow path members are connected by a cylindrical joint portion and the flow paths are communicated.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus as described above, Patent Document 1 filed by the applicant of the present application discloses an ink jet printer that ejects ink from a nozzle onto a recording medium to record characters and images. ing. The ink jet printer includes an ink jet head that ejects ink, a buffer tank that supplies ink to the ink jet head, and a carriage (holder) on which the ink jet head and the buffer tank are mounted.

  The buffer tank communicates with the flow path in the ink jet head and temporarily stores the ink introduced from the ink introduction port. And an exhaust passage for discharging the gas. The exhaust flow path formed in the buffer tank is connected to an open / close valve for opening and closing the ink storage chamber, but this open / close valve is not provided in the buffer tank integrally with the exhaust flow path. In addition, it may be provided in an opening / closing channel formed in another member such as a carriage.

JP2009-73120A (FIG. 13)

  Here, in Patent Document 1, although the other party's configuration is not clear, the exhaust channel is formed in the buffer tank, and the switching channel connected to the on-off valve is different from the buffer tank (for example, In the case of being provided on the carriage), the way of joint is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the buffer tank 125 is provided with a protrusion 129 communicating with the exhaust flow path, and the carriage 133 is provided with a protrusion 136 communicating with the opening / closing flow path. And the front-end | tips of these two protrusion parts 129 and 136 are arrange | positioned facing each other, and both are inserted and communicated with the both ends of the joint part which consists of a cylindrical elastic material.

  However, in this case, since the joint part is made of an elastic material and easily deforms, when inserting the protrusion into the joint part during assembly, the insertion direction of the joint part is inclined with respect to the tip direction of the protrusion. The protrusion may come into contact with the end surface or inner peripheral surface of the joint portion. If the protrusion is continuously inserted into the joint part as it is, the joint part may bend and the protrusion may not be inserted correctly. Then, even if both flow paths sandwiching the joint portion do not communicate with each other, even if they communicate, there is a risk of liquid leakage.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus in which the end of the joint portion is directed straight with respect to the protrusion and the protrusion is correctly inserted into the joint.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid, and a first flow path connected to the liquid ejecting head and communicating with the liquid flow path. A flow path member; a holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached; and a second flow path member provided on the holder and having a second flow path formed therein, the first flow The road member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip, and the second flow path member is the first protrusion of the first flow path member. The first protrusion has a second protrusion, the second protrusion is formed at the tip, and a second connection port that communicates with the second flow path is opposed to each other with a gap therebetween. Is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end to connect the first connection port and the second connection port. Further including a joint portion made of an elastic material, and extending along at least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member along the first protrusion or the second protrusion. A guide surface that guides the joint portion is formed, and the first flow path communicates with a damper chamber for suppressing pressure fluctuation of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and the damper chamber, and the damper An exhaust passage for discharging bubbles remaining in the chamber, and the first connection port of the first protrusion communicates with the exhaust passage, and the second passage member includes An opening / closing valve for opening and closing the second flow path is provided, and a suction means connected to the second flow path with the opening / closing valve interposed therebetween is further provided.

  According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are inserted into the cylindrical joint, the joint is directed toward the first protrusion and the second protrusion along the guide surface. Guided. Thereby, the edge part of a joint part can be turned straight with respect to a 1st protrusion part and a 2nd protrusion part, and a protrusion part can be correctly inserted in a joint part. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage.

  In addition, when the air bubbles staying in the damper chamber are discharged via the exhaust flow path by opening the on-off valve and suction by the suction means, the discharged liquid or gas leaks from the joint between the joint and the protrusion. The bubbles staying in the damper chamber can be sufficiently discharged.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid, and a first flow path connected to the liquid ejecting head and communicating with the liquid flow path. A flow path member; a holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached; and a second flow path member provided on the holder and having a second flow path formed therein, the first flow The road member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip, and the second flow path member is the first protrusion of the first flow path member. The first protrusion has a second protrusion, the second protrusion is formed at the tip, and a second connection port that communicates with the second flow path is opposed to each other with a gap therebetween. Is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end to connect the first connection port and the second connection port. Further including a joint portion made of an elastic material, and extending along at least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member along the first protrusion or the second protrusion. A guide surface for guiding the joint portion is formed, and the second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve for opening / closing the second flow path, and the second flow path is sandwiched between the open / close valves. The guide surface has a shape along the outer surface shape of the joint portion.

  According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are inserted into the cylindrical joint, the joint is directed toward the first protrusion and the second protrusion along the guide surface. Guided. Thereby, the edge part of a joint part can be turned straight with respect to a 1st protrusion part and a 2nd protrusion part, and a protrusion part can be correctly inserted in a joint part. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage. Moreover, since the guide surface has a shape along the outer surface shape of the joint portion, the joint portion can be guided more accurately along the guide surface toward the first protrusion and the second protrusion. Thereby, the insertion mistake of a joint part can be prevented more reliably.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid, and a first flow path connected to the liquid ejecting head and communicating with the liquid flow path. A flow path member; a holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached; and a second flow path member provided on the holder and having a second flow path formed therein, the first flow The road member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip, and the second flow path member is the first protrusion of the first flow path member. The first protrusion has a second protrusion, the second protrusion is formed at the tip, and a second connection port that communicates with the second flow path is opposed to each other with a gap therebetween. Is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end to connect the first connection port and the second connection port. Further including a joint portion made of an elastic material, and extending along at least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member along the first protrusion or the second protrusion. A guide surface for guiding the joint portion is formed, and the second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve for opening / closing the second flow path, and the second flow path is sandwiched between the open / close valves. The first flow path member and the second flow path member have two surfaces facing each other, and the first protrusion and the first protrusion are formed from the two surfaces. 2 projecting portions project from each other, and the first flow path member or the second flow path member is erected from one of the two surfaces, and a guide member having the guide surface formed on a side surface is provided. And the guide member includes the first protrusion or the second protrusion. Along, and Mashimashi longer extension than the total length of the first projection and the second projection.

  According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are inserted into the cylindrical joint, the joint is directed toward the first protrusion and the second protrusion along the guide surface. Guided. Thereby, the edge part of a joint part can be turned straight with respect to a 1st protrusion part and a 2nd protrusion part, and a protrusion part can be correctly inserted in a joint part. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage. Further, even when the first flow path member attached to the holder and the second flow path member provided on the holder receive a force in a direction approaching each other at the time of assembly, the guide surface is the first flow path member or the second flow path member. Since the first protrusion and the second protrusion do not collide with the flow path member, the first protrusion and the second protrusion are not easily damaged. Further, since the guide surface protrudes beyond the tip of the protrusion arranged in the vicinity, the tip of the protrusion is protected and is not easily damaged.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid, and a first flow path connected to the liquid ejecting head and communicating with the liquid flow path. A flow path member; a holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached; and a second flow path member provided on the holder and having a second flow path formed therein, the first flow The road member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip, and the second flow path member is the first protrusion of the first flow path member. The first protrusion has a second protrusion, the second protrusion is formed at the tip, and a second connection port that communicates with the second flow path is opposed to each other with a gap therebetween. Is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end to connect the first connection port and the second connection port. Further including a joint portion made of an elastic material, and extending along at least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member along the first protrusion or the second protrusion. A guide surface for guiding the joint portion is formed, and the second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve for opening / closing the second flow path, and the second flow path is sandwiched between the open / close valves. The holder further includes a wall that covers the joint portion, and an opening that exposes the joint portion is formed in the wall, and the guide surface is , And disposed on the opposite side of the opening across the joint.

  According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are inserted into the cylindrical joint, the joint is directed toward the first protrusion and the second protrusion along the guide surface. Guided. Thereby, the edge part of a joint part can be turned straight with respect to a 1st protrusion part and a 2nd protrusion part, and a protrusion part can be correctly inserted in a joint part. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage. Moreover, in order to confirm visually whether the 1st protrusion and the 2nd protrusion are correctly inserted in the joint part, the opening is formed in the part of the wall of the holder facing a joint part. And when the guide part is provided to prevent insertion errors in the joint part after making the joint part in the holder visible, place the guide surface on the opposite side of the opening across the joint part. It is preferable to do this.

  Further, the damper chamber is formed to extend in a plane on the first flow path member, and the first flow path member includes a film that covers one surface of the damper chamber, and a film standing from the film side. And a guide member having a guide surface formed on a side surface thereof, and the first protrusion is formed from a portion of the first flow path member that protrudes beyond an edge of the damper chamber, The guide member projects to the film side of the damper chamber in a direction perpendicular to the film, and the guide member is disposed between the first protrusion and the damper chamber and faces from the back side to the edge of the damper chamber. It is preferable that a plurality of ribs protrude, and the plurality of ribs are in contact with an edge of the film covering the one surface.

  According to this, although a film covers one surface of a damper chamber and is arrange | positioned planarly, the some rib is standingly arranged along the edge of this film. Therefore, when the film is disposed on one surface of the damper chamber, the film can be positioned easily by placing the film in contact with the plurality of ribs.

  At this time, the first flow path member and the second flow path member may be arranged side by side along a direction orthogonal to the surface direction in which the damper chamber spreads.

  The liquid ejecting head includes a plurality of the nozzles, the plurality of nozzles having a liquid ejecting surface disposed in a plane parallel to the surface direction, and the film includes the liquid You may spread in parallel with the injection surface.

  When the first protrusion and the second protrusion are inserted into the cylindrical joint, the joint is guided toward the first protrusion and the second protrusion along the guide surface. Thereby, the edge part of a joint part can be turned straight with respect to a 1st protrusion part and a 2nd protrusion part, and a protrusion part can be correctly inserted in a joint part. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage.

1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the subtank unit from the upper part. It is the perspective view which looked at the subtank unit from the lower part. It is sectional drawing regarding the up-down direction of an exhaust unit and a maintenance unit when a carriage exists in a maintenance position. It is the elements on larger scale near the joint rubber attachment position. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the joint part in a carriage. It is process drawing explaining attachment of a joint rubber. It is the elements on larger scale near the joint rubber attachment position in a modification. It is the elements on larger scale near the joint rubber attachment position in a prior art example.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is provided in an ink jet printer that records (prints) a desired character or image on a recording paper, and the present invention is applied to an ink jet head that ejects ink onto the recording paper.

<Schematic configuration of inkjet printer>
First, a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 (liquid ejecting apparatus) includes a carriage 2 (head holder) configured to reciprocate along one direction, and an ink jet head 3 (liquid ejecting) mounted on the carriage 2. Head) and sub tank unit 4 (first flow path member), a transport mechanism 5 for transporting the recording paper P, an ink cartridge 6 for storing ink, and the liquid ejection performance of the ink jet head 3 when the liquid ejection performance is reduced. A maintenance unit 7 for recovery is provided.

  The carriage 2 is configured to be able to reciprocate along two guide shafts 17 extending in parallel in the left-right direction (scanning direction) in FIG. An endless belt 18 is connected to the carriage 2, and when the endless belt 18 is driven to travel by the carriage drive motor 19, the carriage 2 moves in the scanning direction as the endless belt 18 travels. It has become.

  An ink jet head 3 and a sub tank unit 4 are mounted on the carriage 2. The inkjet head 3 reciprocates in the scanning direction together with the carriage 2, and from the nozzle 23 provided on the lower surface thereof (the surface on the opposite side of the paper surface in FIG. 1), the lower part of FIG. Ink is ejected onto the recording paper P conveyed in the paper feeding direction). As a result, desired characters and images are recorded on the recording paper P.

  The sub tank unit 4 is provided with a tube joint 20 (see FIG. 2) on its upper surface, and the sub tank unit 4 and the ink cartridge 6 are connected via a flexible tube 11 connected to the tube joint 20. It is connected. The four ink cartridges 6 store magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks in order from the left in FIG. 1, and these four ink cartridges 6 are detachably attached to the holder 10. Has been.

  The four color inks stored in the four ink cartridges 6 are temporarily stored in damper chambers 27 (see FIG. 2) described later of the sub tank unit 4 and then supplied to the inkjet head 3. Further, an exhaust unit 30 for exhausting air staying in the sub tank unit 4 is provided at one end portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) of the sub tank unit 4 in the scanning direction. Details of the exhaust unit 30 will be described later.

  The transport mechanism 5 includes a paper feed roller 15 disposed on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction from the inkjet head 3 and a paper discharge roller 16 disposed on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction from the inkjet head 3. The paper feed roller 15 and the paper discharge roller 16 are rotationally driven by a paper feed motor 21 and a paper discharge motor 22, respectively. The transport mechanism 5 supplies the recording paper P from the upper side of FIG. 1 to the ink jet head 3 by the paper feed roller 15, and records the characters and images recorded by the ink jet head 3 by the paper discharge roller 16. The paper P is configured to be discharged downward in FIG.

<Configuration of inkjet head>
The ink-jet head 3 causes the ink supplied from the sub tank unit 4 to be ejected from a plurality of nozzles 23 formed on the lower surface thereof through an internal liquid flow path by a piezoelectric actuator. The plurality of nozzles 23 are arranged in the paper feed direction to form a nozzle row, and four nozzle rows are arranged in the scanning direction. The lower surface of the inkjet head 3 (the surface on the back side in FIG. 1) is an ink ejection surface 3a (liquid ejection surface) in which a plurality of nozzles 23 are opened. In order from the left, magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks are ejected.

<Configuration of sub tank unit>
Next, the sub tank unit 4 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sub tank unit as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sub tank unit as viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of the exhaust unit and the maintenance unit when the carriage is in the maintenance position. In the following, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the direction along the scanning direction is the left-right direction, the direction from upstream to downstream in the paper feed direction is the direction from front to back, and the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. A direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is defined as the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sub tank unit 4 includes a unit main body 25 and four films 26 a to 26 d attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the unit main body 25, and has four colors. Four ink flow paths are formed corresponding to the ink. The unit main body 25 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyimide, and includes a plate-like member 25a extending in the front-rear direction and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped protruding member 25b protruding downward from the front end of the plate-like member 25a. Yes.

  Four damper chambers 27a to 27d are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-like member 25a of the unit main body 25 so as to expand in a planar manner and suppress pressure fluctuation of the ink inside. Further, the plate-like member 25a has a groove for defining a flow path for communicating the tube joint 20 and the damper chambers 27a to 27d, a flow path for communicating the damper chambers 27a to 27d and the flow path of the protruding member 25b, and the like. A recess or the like is formed.

  The damper chamber 27a is formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a in front of the tube joint 20, and is defined by being welded so as to block the opening of the recess formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a with the film 26a. ing. The damper chamber 27b is an upper surface of the plate-like member 25a in front of the tube joint 20 and is formed so as to overlap the damper chamber 27a in the vertical direction, and an opening of a recess formed in the upper surface of the plate-like member 25a. Is welded so as to be closed by the film 26b.

  The damper chamber 27c is formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a behind the tube joint 20, and is defined by being welded so as to close the opening of the recess formed in the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a with the film 26c. ing. The damper chamber 27d is the upper surface of the plate-like member 25a behind the tube joint 20, and is formed so as to overlap the damper chamber 27c in the vertical direction, and the opening of the recess formed on the upper surface of the plate-like member 25a. Is welded so as to be closed by the film 26d.

  The four films 26a to 26d have a rectangular shape, and have different sizes in order to close the corresponding damper chambers 27a to 27d and also close the surrounding grooves and through holes. More specifically, the film 26 b covers the damper chamber 27 b and also covers the upper surface of a projecting member 25 c (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, constituting a part of the exhaust unit 30. A flow path 28 is defined. Note that the damper chamber 27 and the exhaust flow path 28 in the present embodiment correspond to the first flow path in the present invention.

  Further, as will be described in detail later, the film 26a is positioned in the left-right direction by contacting the left ends of the four ribs 44 arranged in the front-rear direction, and the rear side surface extending in the left-right direction of the protruding member 25b. Is positioned with respect to the front-rear direction.

  An ink supply port (not shown) of the inkjet head 3 is connected to the lower surface of the protruding member 25b. And the flow path which connects the four damper chambers 27a-27d and the liquid flow path of the inkjet head 3 is formed in the protrusion member 25b. As a result, the four color inks stored in the four ink cartridges 6 are temporarily stored in the corresponding damper chambers 27, and the pressure fluctuation of the ink inside is suppressed, and then supplied to the inkjet head 3. The

<Exhaust unit configuration>
Next, the exhaust unit 30 will be described. FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged perspective view in the vicinity of the joint rubber mounting position, and illustrates a state where the joint rubber is removed. FIG.5 (b) is a side view when Fig.5 (a) is seen from A direction. When air is mixed into the ink supply flow path including the sub tank unit 4 and the tube 11, most of the air stays in the upper portion of the damper chamber 27.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an exhaust unit 30 for discharging the air accumulated in the damper chamber 27 in cooperation with the maintenance unit 7 is provided at the right end portion of the sub tank unit 4. The exhaust unit 30 communicates with the upper portions of the four damper chambers 27a to 27d through a through hole (not shown) provided in the upper end portion of the side wall of the sub tank unit 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the exhaust unit 30 has an overhang member 25 c that projects from the right end of the unit main body 25 (plate-like member 25 a), and a gap in the vertical direction from the overhang member 25 c. The valve mechanism 31 (second flow path member) disposed on the carriage 2, the joint rubber 37 (joint portion) connecting the overhang member 25c and the valve mechanism 31, and the lower surface of the overhang member 25c. And a guide plate 43.

  The projecting member 25c is formed integrally with the plate-like member 25a, and has four exhaust passages branched from the passages that connect the four damper chambers 27a to 27d of the plate-like member 25a and the inkjet head 3, respectively. 28 is formed. The projecting member 25c protrudes from the lower surface 52 thereof, and has four upstream protrusions 29 (first protrusions) formed with connection ports 29a (first connection ports) communicating with the exhaust passage 28 at the tip 50. ) Is formed. The upstream protrusion 29 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the tip 50.

  The guide plate 43 is formed integrally with the projecting member 25c, is disposed between the four upstream protrusions 29 and the film 26a, and is erected downward in parallel with the upstream protrusion 29. Yes. The guide plate 43 has a guide surface 43a facing rightward. The guide surface 43a extends in the front-rear direction and faces a part of the peripheral surface of the four upstream protrusions 29. doing. And the guide surface 43a is carrying out the shape along the outer surface shape of the joint rubber 37 (upstream side protrusion 29). That is, since the joint rubber 37 (upstream side protrusion 29) has a circular cross section in the horizontal direction, the guide surface 43a is formed in a circular arc shape and is arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. It is slidably in contact with the peripheral surface.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the guide surface 43a is between the surface from which the upstream protrusion 29 of the overhang member 25c protrudes and the surface from which the downstream protrusion 36 of the lid 33 protrudes. Has been placed. The vertical length X of the guide surface 43a is longer than the total length of the length Y1 of the upstream protrusion 29 and the length Y2 of the downstream protrusion 36, which will be described later. The side protrusions 36 are shorter than the distance Z between the protruding surfaces.

  Furthermore, four ribs 44 that support the guide plate 43 are provided on the surface of the guide plate 43 opposite to the guide surface 43a. The four ribs 44 are erected downward from the projecting member 25 c and protrude leftward, and are arranged in the front-rear direction at the same interval as the four upstream protrusions 29. And as shown in FIG. 3, the left end part of the four ribs 44 is contacting the edge of the film 26a. Moreover, the film 26a is also in contact with the rear side surface of the protruding member 25b, and the film 26a can be easily positioned by making contact with these.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the valve mechanism 31 includes four cases 32 that open upward, four lids 33 that respectively close the openings of the four cases 32, and each of the four cases 32 that extend vertically. There are four open / close channels 34 (second channels), and four normally open / close valves 35 that open and close the four open / close channels 34. Note that four of these members are provided corresponding to four colors of ink, and only the configuration of the portion corresponding to one color will be described below. The four cases 32 and the four lids 33 are attached to the carriage 2. The lid 33 has four downstream protrusions 36 (second protrusions) that protrude from the upper surface 53 and have a connection port 36 a (second connection port) that communicates with the opening / closing channel 34 at the tip 51. Is formed. The downstream protrusion 36 has the same shape as the upstream protrusion 29, and has a tapered shape that tapers toward the tip 51. The upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 have their tips 50 and 51 facing each other along the vertical direction.

  The joint rubber 37 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and has four cylindrical portions 37a extending in the vertical direction and a connecting portion 37b connecting the four cylindrical portions 37a. The four cylindrical portions 37a are arranged in the front-rear direction at the same interval as the four upstream protrusions 29, and the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 protrude in the vertical direction. It is almost the same as the distance Z (see FIG. 5B). The connecting portion 37b connects the lower half of the four cylindrical portions 37a, and the upper half of the four cylindrical portions 37a can be bent independently.

  And as for the four cylinder parts 37a, the upstream protrusion 29 is inserted in the upper end, and the downstream protrusion 36 is inserted in the lower end. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 37a is slightly smaller than the outer diameters of the upstream protruding portion 29 and the downstream protruding portion 36, which are the same diameter, and is inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 37a by contact pressure. A gap between the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion can be sealed.

  The exhaust passage 28 branched from the passage connecting the damper chamber 27 and the inkjet head 3 communicates with the opening / closing passage 34 through the inside of the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 and is connected to the lower end of the case 32. It communicates with the formed exhaust port 38. As described above, the upstream protrusion 29 of the overhang member 25c provided in the sub tank unit 4 and the downstream protrusion 36 of the valve mechanism 31 provided in the carriage 2 are provided in separate members arranged separately from each other. And is connected via a joint rubber 37.

  The on-off valve 35 is disposed so as to be movable in the up-down direction in the opening / closing channel 34, and can close the opening / closing channel 34, and the valve member 39 is disposed below (the opening / closing channel 34). A coil spring 40 biasing in the closing direction). The valve member 39 includes a bottomed cylindrical valve body 39a that can move in the vertical direction in the opening / closing channel 34, and a valve rod 39b that extends downward from the bottom of the valve body 39a. The outer diameter of the valve body 39a is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening / closing channel 34, and ink can flow between the valve body 39a and the inner wall surface of the opening / closing channel 34. Further, an annular sealing material 41 is mounted on the lower surface of the valve body 39a, and the valve body 39a is disposed on the valve seat surface 42 provided in the step portion in the middle of the opening / closing channel 34 via the sealing material 41. It is configured to close the opening / closing channel 34 by abutting.

  The coil spring 40 is disposed in a compressed state between the lower surface of the lid portion 33 and the upper surface of the valve body 39a of the valve member 39, and the valve member 39 is moved downward by the coil spring 40 (in the closing direction of the opening / closing channel 34). To be energized. When the valve body 39a is driven upward against the biasing force of the coil spring 40 by a pin 24 of the maintenance unit 7 described later, the valve body 39a is separated from the valve seat surface 42, and the opening / closing channel 34 is opened. Opened.

<Configuration of maintenance unit>
Next, the maintenance unit 7 will be described. The maintenance unit 7 performs a suction purge for forcibly discharging ink from the nozzles 23 of the inkjet head 3 and an exhaust purge for discharging the air staying in the upper portion of the damper chamber 27 of the sub tank unit 4 from the exhaust unit 30. As shown in FIG. 1, it is arranged in an area (maintenance position) on the outer side (right side in FIG. 1) of the printing area facing the recording paper P in the movement range of the carriage 2 in the scanning direction. Details of the suction purge and the exhaust purge will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the maintenance unit 7 is disposed adjacent to the suction cap 12 that can be in close contact with the ink ejection surface 3 a of the inkjet head 3, and adjacent to the suction cap 12 in the scanning direction, and can be in close contact with the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30. Exhaust cap 13, suction cap 12 and suction pump 14 (suction means) that can be selectively connected to the exhaust cap 13, switching means 9 for switching the connection destination of the suction pump 14, and waste sucked by the suction pump 14. A waste liquid tank 8 for storing ink is provided.

  The suction cap 12 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin. When the carriage 2 (inkjet head 3) has moved to the maintenance position, the suction cap 12 faces the ink ejection surface 3a on which the plurality of nozzles 23 of the inkjet head 3 are arranged. The suction cap 12 is driven upward by a cap drive motor (not shown) in a state of facing the ink ejection surface 3a, thereby closely contacting the ink ejection surface 3a and covering the plurality of nozzles 23. As a result, a sealed space is formed that includes the suction cap 12 and the region where the plurality of nozzles 23 are formed on the ink ejection surface 3a.

  When a plurality of nozzles 23 are covered by the suction cap 12 and the suction cap 14 is driven by the switching means 9 so that the suction cap 12 and the suction pump 14 are communicated with each other, Air is sucked to reduce the pressure, and ink in the inkjet head 3 is discharged from the plurality of nozzles 23 (suction purge). Thereby, it is possible to discharge the thickened ink in the plurality of nozzles 23 and the air bubbles mixed in the ink flow path in the inkjet head 3 from the nozzle 23 together with the ink. The liquid is stored in the waste liquid tank 8.

  As with the suction cap 12, the exhaust cap 13 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin. The exhaust cap 13 faces the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30 when the carriage 2 (inkjet head 3) has moved to the maintenance position. The exhaust cap 13 is in close contact with the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30 by being driven upward together with the suction cap 12 (front side in FIG. 1) by a cap drive mechanism (not shown) in a state of facing the exhaust unit 30. Then, the exhaust port 38 of the exhaust unit 30 is covered at a time.

  The exhaust port 30 of the exhaust unit 30 is covered with the exhaust cap 13, and the exhaust cap 13 and the suction pump 14 are in communication with each other by the switching means 9. When the four pins 24 that pass through in a state of being airtight and are integrally movable in the vertical direction are driven upward with respect to the exhaust cap 13, the on-off valve 35 is pushed upward by the pins 24. The opening / closing channel 34 is opened.

  In this state, when the suction operation of the suction pump 14 is performed, the air in the sealed space formed by the exhaust cap 13 and the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30 is sucked and the pressure is reduced. At this time, the air staying in the upper portion of the damper chamber 27 from the exhaust unit 30 is exhausted through the open / close channel 34 (exhaust purge). The discharged ink and the like are stored in the waste liquid tank 8.

  Next, the process of attaching the joint rubber 37 to the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 will be described. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the arrangement of the joint portion in the carriage. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the carriage on which the sub tank unit is mounted, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the joint rubber. It is. FIG. 7 is a process diagram for explaining the attachment of the joint rubber.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the sub tank unit 4 is mounted on the carriage 2 and covered with the side wall 2 a of the carriage 2. There is only a slight gap between the side wall 2a of the carriage 2 and the joint rubber 37, and an opening 2b that includes the joint rubber 37 is formed in a portion of the side wall 2a facing the joint rubber 37. . The guide plate 43 is disposed on the opposite side of the opening 2b across the joint rubber 37, and it is visually checked whether the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 are correctly inserted into the joint rubber 37 from the opening 2b. Can be confirmed.

  As described above, after the inkjet head 3 and the sub tank unit 4 are attached to the carriage 2, it is difficult to attach the joint rubber 37 because there is only a small gap between the side wall 2a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the end of the joint rubber 37 that is not connected by the connecting portions 37 b of the four cylindrical portions 37 a after the joint rubber 37 is held. Four upstream protrusions 29 provided on the overhang member 25c of the sub tank unit 4 are inserted into the portion. At this time, the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 is guided toward the upstream protrusion 29 along the guide surface 43 a of the guide plate 43. Accordingly, the upstream protrusion 29 can be correctly inserted into the joint rubber 37 with the end of the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 being directed straight with respect to the upstream protrusion 29.

  Although not shown, after the sub tank unit 4 and the inkjet head 3 are connected, as shown in FIG. 7B, the operator holds the sub tank unit 4 and then the four cylindrical portions of the joint rubber 37. The four downstream protrusions 36 provided on the lid portion 33 of the carriage 2 are inserted into the end portion of the side connected by the connecting portion 37b of 37a. At this time, the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 is guided toward the downstream protrusion 36 along the guide surface 43 a of the guide plate 43. Accordingly, the downstream protrusion 36 can be correctly inserted into the joint rubber 37 with the mouth of the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 facing the downstream protrusion 36 straight. Therefore, the exhaust flow path 28 communicating with the damper chamber 27 and the open / close flow path 34 connected to the open / close valve 35 can be communicated without causing liquid leakage.

  As a result, when the on-off valve 35 is opened and the exhaust purge is performed to exhaust the air bubbles in the damper chamber 27 through the exhaust passage 28 by suction by the suction pump 14, the discharged ink and gas are exchanged with the joint rubber 37. It is possible to sufficiently discharge the bubbles in the damper chamber 27 by suppressing leakage from the connection portion with the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36).

  Further, since the guide surface 43a has a shape along the outer surface shape of the cylindrical portion 37a of the joint rubber 37, the upstream side protrusion 29 and the downstream side of the cylindrical portion 37a of the joint rubber 37 are more accurately aligned along the guide surface 43a. It can guide toward the side protrusion 36. Thereby, the insertion mistake of the joint rubber 37 can be prevented more reliably. In addition, since the tips 50 and 51 of the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 are tapered, the joint rubber 37 can be easily guided, and an insertion error of the joint rubber 37 can be prevented more reliably. .

  Further, as described above, the guide surface 43a is disposed between the surface from which the upstream protrusion 29 of the overhang member 25c protrudes and the surface from which the downstream protrusion 36 of the lid 33 protrudes, It extends longer than the total length of the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36. As a result, when the sub tank unit 4 is attached to the carriage 2, even if the sub tank unit 4 is pressed too far toward the carriage 2, the guide surface 43a comes into contact with the carriage 2 (lid portion 33) first. The upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 do not collide, and the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 are not easily damaged. Further, since the guide surface 43a protrudes from the tip 50 of the upstream protrusion 29, the tip 50 of the upstream protrusion 29 is protected and is not easily damaged.

  In addition, in the joint rubber 37, the lower half of the four cylindrical portions 37a are connected by the connecting portion 37b, and the upper half can be bent independently. Thereby, since it becomes possible to insert the four cylinder parts 37a in the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36) at once, work efficiency improves. Further, as compared with the case where the four cylindrical portions 37a are connected over the entire length, the bending stress of each cylindrical portion 37a is less likely to be transmitted to the other cylindrical portion 37a, so that the joint rubber 37 can be more upstream without a gap. The protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36) can be sealed and sealed.

  Further, when the guide rubber 43 is provided in order to prevent the insertion error in the joint rubber 37 after the joint rubber 37 in the carriage 2 is visible, it is opposite to the opening 2b sandwiching the joint rubber 37. It is preferable to arrange the guide plate 43 on the side.

  Further, when the joint rubber 37 is viewed from the opening 2b of the carriage 2, the insertion state of the front side of the joint rubber 37 can be visually confirmed, but the insertion state of the back side can be visually observed even by the carriage 2. Even if the opening is formed, the upper surface is sandwiched between the plate-like member 25a and the lower surface is sandwiched between the ink-jet heads 3, so that it cannot be seen. Therefore, by arranging the guide plate 43 on the opposite side of the opening 2b with the joint rubber 37 interposed therebetween, insertion errors are eliminated and the necessity for visual observation is reduced.

  Next, modified examples in which various changes are made to the present embodiment will be described. However, the same reference numerals are given to those having the same configuration as in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the guide plate 43 is provided on the sub tank unit 4 (extending member 25c) side, but may be provided on the carriage 2 (lid portion 33) side. However, as described above, in the configuration in which the joint rubber 37 is attached to the sub tank unit 4 side and then attached to the carriage 2 side, the guide plate 43 is provided on the sub tank unit 4 side so that the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream side are provided. The joint rubber 37 can be guided along the guide plate 43 even when the joint rubber 37 is inserted into any of the side protrusions 36.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical length of the guide surface 43a is longer than the total length of the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36, but the upstream protrusion The total length of the length 29 and the length of the downstream protrusion 36 may be shorter. As shown in FIG. 8, the guide plate 143 is provided on each of the sub tank unit 4 (extension member 25c) side and the carriage 2 (lid portion 33) side, and the length of each guide surface 143a is set. The length of the upstream protrusion 29 and the length of the downstream protrusion 36 may be less than or equal to each other.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the guide surface 43a is disposed so as to face a part of the peripheral surface of the joint rubber 37 (upstream protrusion 29). 29) or between the wall of the carriage 2 and the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36). In this case, even if the opening 2b is formed in the carriage 2, the joint rubber 37 is covered with the guide surface 43a and cannot be visually confirmed. Therefore, it is not necessary to form the opening 2b.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the guide surface 43a is slidably disposed in contact with the joint rubber 37, but may be disposed with a slight gap. Also in this case, when the joint rubber 37 tries to bend in contact with the end surface or inner peripheral surface of the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36), the bent portion contacts the guide surface 43a. Therefore, bending can be suppressed. Therefore, an effect similar to that of the present invention can be achieved.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the four cylinder parts 37a of the joint rubber 37 were connected via the connection part 37b, the connection part 37b does not need to be provided.

  In the present embodiment, a portion where the exhaust flow path 28 branched from the flow path from the damper chamber 27 to the inkjet head 3 and the open / close flow path 34 connected to the open / close valve 35 for purging exhaust is communicated. Although the present invention is applied, the object of application of the present invention is not limited to such an exhaust portion, but may be applied to a portion that connects the flow paths formed in the flow path members arranged separately from each other. Is possible.

  The embodiment described above and the modification thereof are applied to an ink jet printer that records characters and images by ejecting ink onto recording paper. However, the application target of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to what is used for various purposes. That is, the present invention can be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject various types of liquids other than ink according to their uses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Carriage 3 Inkjet head 4 Sub tank unit 23 Nozzle 27 Damper chamber 28 Exhaust flow path 29 Upstream protrusion 29a Connection port 31 Valve mechanism 34 Opening / closing channel 36 Downstream protrusion 36a Connection port 37 Joint rubber 43 Guide plate 43a Guide surface 50, 51 Tip

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid and a method of manufacturing the liquid ejecting apparatus .

  In a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid, when the liquid supply flow path needs to be configured by two flow path members, the flow paths formed in these flow path members need to communicate with each other. As one of the methods, there is a method in which two different flow path members are connected by a cylindrical joint portion and the flow paths are communicated.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus as described above, Patent Document 1 filed by the applicant of the present application discloses an ink jet printer that ejects ink from a nozzle onto a recording medium to record characters and images. ing. The ink jet printer includes an ink jet head that ejects ink, a buffer tank that supplies ink to the ink jet head, and a carriage (holder) on which the ink jet head and the buffer tank are mounted.

  The buffer tank communicates with the flow path in the ink jet head and temporarily stores the ink introduced from the ink introduction port. And an exhaust passage for discharging the gas. The exhaust flow path formed in the buffer tank is connected to an open / close valve for opening and closing the ink storage chamber, but this open / close valve is not provided in the buffer tank integrally with the exhaust flow path. In addition, it may be provided in an opening / closing channel formed in another member such as a carriage.

JP2009-73120A (FIG. 13)

  Here, in Patent Document 1, although the other party's configuration is not clear, the exhaust channel is formed in the buffer tank, and the switching channel connected to the on-off valve is different from the buffer tank (for example, In the case of being provided on the carriage), the way of joint is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the buffer tank 125 is provided with a protrusion 129 communicating with the exhaust flow path, and the carriage 133 is provided with a protrusion 136 communicating with the opening / closing flow path. And the front-end | tips of these two protrusion parts 129 and 136 are arrange | positioned facing each other, and both are inserted and communicated with the both ends of the joint part which consists of a cylindrical elastic material.

  However, in this case, since the joint part is made of an elastic material and easily deforms, when inserting the protrusion into the joint part during assembly, the insertion direction of the joint part is inclined with respect to the tip direction of the protrusion. The protrusion may come into contact with the end surface or inner peripheral surface of the joint portion. If the protrusion is continuously inserted into the joint part as it is, the joint part may bend and the protrusion may not be inserted correctly. Then, even if both flow paths sandwiching the joint portion do not communicate with each other, even if they communicate, there is a risk of liquid leakage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus in which the end of the joint portion is directed straight with respect to the projecting portion and the projecting portion is correctly inserted into the joint portion, and a method for manufacturing the liquid ejecting apparatus .

A liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid, a liquid supply flow path for communicating with the liquid flow path and supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head, The liquid supply channel includes a first channel member in which a first channel is formed, a second channel member in which a second channel is formed, and a first channel communicating with the first channel. A first connection part having a communication path; a second connection part having a second communication path communicating with the second flow path; and a cylindrical shape, wherein the first connection part is inserted on one end side, An internal flow path that is inserted into the other end side of the second connection portion and communicates with the first flow path via the first communication path and communicates with the second flow path via the second communication path. having, with a joint made of an elastic material, and wherein the first flow path member, opposed to the outer surface of the joint portion, before Are arranged so as to sandwich the joint portion together with the first connecting portion, characterized in that deflectable suppression guide surface of the joint portion in contact with the joint portion.

According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, when the first connection portion is inserted into the cylindrical joint portion, the joint portion is guided toward the first connection portion along the guide surface. This makes it possible toward straight end portion of the joint portion with respect to the first connecting portion, inserting the first connecting portion to the joint portion correctly. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the guide surface is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the joint portion.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the guide surface has a shape along the outer surface shape of the joint portion.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the guide surface has a shape that covers the entire circumference of the joint portion.

Furthermore, with the guide surface as a first guide surface, the second flow path member is disposed so as to face the outer surface of the joint portion and sandwich the joint portion together with the second connection portion, It is preferable that the 2nd guide surface which can contact and suppress the bending of the said joint part is formed.

Further, the first connection part is formed integrally with the first flow path member, and the tip of the first connection part on the opposite side to the first flow path member communicates with the first communication path. A first connection port is formed, the second connection portion is formed integrally with the second flow path member, and a tip of the second connection portion on the side opposite to the first flow path member is provided with the first connection port. It is preferable that a second connection port communicating with the two communication paths is formed, and the tip of the first connection part and the tip of the second connection part are arranged with a space therebetween.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: a liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid; and a liquid supply flow for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head. The liquid supply channel includes a first channel member in which a first channel is formed, a second channel member in which a second channel is formed, and the first channel member. A first connection portion that is integrally formed and has a first communication path that communicates with the first flow path, and a second connection that is integrally formed with the second flow path member and communicates with the second flow path. A second connection portion having a passage, and a cylindrical shape, wherein the first connection portion is inserted into one end portion side, the second connection portion is inserted into the other end portion side, and It is made of an elastic material having an internal flow path that communicates with the first flow path and communicates with the second flow path via the second communication path. A joint portion, and the first flow path member is disposed so as to face the outer surface of the joint portion and sandwich the joint portion together with the first connection portion. A method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting apparatus in which a guide surface capable of suppressing bending of the joint portion is formed, wherein the first connection portion is inserted into the one end portion side of the joint portion, and the joint portion and the first flow path A first connecting step for connecting a member, and after the first connecting step, the second connecting portion on the other end side of the joint portion in a state where the joint portion and the first flow path member are connected. And a second connection step of connecting the joint portion and the second flow path member by inserting a connection portion.

When inserting a 1st connection part in a cylindrical joint part, a joint part is guided toward a 1st connection part along a guide surface. This makes it possible toward straight end portion of the joint portion with respect to the first connecting portion, inserting the first connecting portion to the joint portion correctly. Therefore, the first channel and the second channel can be communicated with each other without causing liquid leakage.

1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the subtank unit from the upper part. It is the perspective view which looked at the subtank unit from the lower part. It is sectional drawing regarding the up-down direction of an exhaust unit and a maintenance unit when a carriage exists in a maintenance position. It is the elements on larger scale near the joint rubber attachment position. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the joint part in a carriage. It is process drawing explaining attachment of a joint rubber. It is the elements on larger scale near the joint rubber attachment position in a modification. It is the elements on larger scale near the joint rubber attachment position in a prior art example.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is provided in an ink jet printer that records (prints) a desired character or image on a recording paper, and the present invention is applied to an ink jet head that ejects ink onto the recording paper.

<Schematic configuration of inkjet printer>
First, a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 (liquid ejecting apparatus) includes a carriage 2 (head holder) configured to reciprocate along one direction, and an ink jet head 3 (liquid ejecting) mounted on the carriage 2. Head) and sub tank unit 4 (first flow path member), a transport mechanism 5 for transporting the recording paper P, an ink cartridge 6 for storing ink, and the liquid ejection performance of the ink jet head 3 when the liquid ejection performance is reduced. A maintenance unit 7 for recovery is provided.

  The carriage 2 is configured to be able to reciprocate along two guide shafts 17 extending in parallel in the left-right direction (scanning direction) in FIG. An endless belt 18 is connected to the carriage 2, and when the endless belt 18 is driven to travel by the carriage drive motor 19, the carriage 2 moves in the scanning direction as the endless belt 18 travels. It has become.

  An ink jet head 3 and a sub tank unit 4 are mounted on the carriage 2. The inkjet head 3 reciprocates in the scanning direction together with the carriage 2, and from the nozzle 23 provided on the lower surface thereof (the surface on the opposite side of the paper surface in FIG. 1), the lower part of FIG. Ink is ejected onto the recording paper P conveyed in the paper feeding direction). As a result, desired characters and images are recorded on the recording paper P.

  The sub tank unit 4 is provided with a tube joint 20 (see FIG. 2) on its upper surface, and the sub tank unit 4 and the ink cartridge 6 are connected via a flexible tube 11 connected to the tube joint 20. It is connected. The four ink cartridges 6 store magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks in order from the left in FIG. 1, and these four ink cartridges 6 are detachably attached to the holder 10. Has been.

  The four color inks stored in the four ink cartridges 6 are temporarily stored in damper chambers 27 (see FIG. 2) described later of the sub tank unit 4 and then supplied to the inkjet head 3. Further, an exhaust unit 30 for exhausting air staying in the sub tank unit 4 is provided at one end portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) of the sub tank unit 4 in the scanning direction. Details of the exhaust unit 30 will be described later.

  The transport mechanism 5 includes a paper feed roller 15 disposed on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction from the inkjet head 3 and a paper discharge roller 16 disposed on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction from the inkjet head 3. The paper feed roller 15 and the paper discharge roller 16 are rotationally driven by a paper feed motor 21 and a paper discharge motor 22, respectively. The transport mechanism 5 supplies the recording paper P from the upper side of FIG. 1 to the ink jet head 3 by the paper feed roller 15, and records the characters and images recorded by the ink jet head 3 by the paper discharge roller 16. The paper P is configured to be discharged downward in FIG.

<Configuration of inkjet head>
The ink-jet head 3 causes the ink supplied from the sub tank unit 4 to be ejected from a plurality of nozzles 23 formed on the lower surface thereof through an internal liquid flow path by a piezoelectric actuator. The plurality of nozzles 23 are arranged in the paper feed direction to form a nozzle row, and four nozzle rows are arranged in the scanning direction. The lower surface of the inkjet head 3 (the surface on the back side in FIG. 1) is an ink ejection surface 3a (liquid ejection surface) in which a plurality of nozzles 23 are opened. In order from the left, magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks are ejected.

<Configuration of sub tank unit>
Next, the sub tank unit 4 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sub tank unit as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sub tank unit as viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of the exhaust unit and the maintenance unit when the carriage is in the maintenance position. In the following, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the direction along the scanning direction is the left-right direction, the direction from upstream to downstream in the paper feed direction is the direction from front to back, and the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. A direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is defined as the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sub tank unit 4 includes a unit main body 25 and four films 26 a to 26 d attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the unit main body 25, and has four colors. Four ink flow paths are formed corresponding to the ink. The unit main body 25 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyimide, and includes a plate-like member 25a extending in the front-rear direction and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped protruding member 25b protruding downward from the front end of the plate-like member 25a. Yes.

  Four damper chambers 27a to 27d are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-like member 25a of the unit main body 25 so as to expand in a planar manner and suppress pressure fluctuation of the ink inside. Further, the plate-like member 25a has a groove for defining a flow path for communicating the tube joint 20 and the damper chambers 27a to 27d, a flow path for communicating the damper chambers 27a to 27d and the flow path of the protruding member 25b, and the like. A recess or the like is formed.

  The damper chamber 27a is formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a in front of the tube joint 20, and is defined by being welded so as to block the opening of the recess formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a with the film 26a. ing. The damper chamber 27b is an upper surface of the plate-like member 25a in front of the tube joint 20 and is formed so as to overlap the damper chamber 27a in the vertical direction, and an opening of a recess formed in the upper surface of the plate-like member 25a. Is welded so as to be closed by the film 26b.

  The damper chamber 27c is formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a behind the tube joint 20, and is defined by being welded so as to close the opening of the recess formed in the lower surface of the plate-like member 25a with the film 26c. ing. The damper chamber 27d is the upper surface of the plate-like member 25a behind the tube joint 20, and is formed so as to overlap the damper chamber 27c in the vertical direction, and the opening of the recess formed on the upper surface of the plate-like member 25a. Is welded so as to be closed by the film 26d.

  The four films 26a to 26d have a rectangular shape, and have different sizes in order to close the corresponding damper chambers 27a to 27d and also close the surrounding grooves and through holes. More specifically, the film 26 b covers the damper chamber 27 b and also covers the upper surface of a projecting member 25 c (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, constituting a part of the exhaust unit 30. A flow path 28 is defined. Note that the damper chamber 27 and the exhaust flow path 28 in the present embodiment correspond to the first flow path in the present invention.

  Further, as will be described in detail later, the film 26a is positioned in the left-right direction by contacting the left ends of the four ribs 44 arranged in the front-rear direction, and the rear side surface extending in the left-right direction of the protruding member 25b. Is positioned with respect to the front-rear direction.

  An ink supply port (not shown) of the inkjet head 3 is connected to the lower surface of the protruding member 25b. And the flow path which connects the four damper chambers 27a-27d and the liquid flow path of the inkjet head 3 is formed in the protrusion member 25b. As a result, the four color inks stored in the four ink cartridges 6 are temporarily stored in the corresponding damper chambers 27, and the pressure fluctuation of the ink inside is suppressed, and then supplied to the inkjet head 3. The

<Exhaust unit configuration>
Next, the exhaust unit 30 will be described. FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged perspective view in the vicinity of the joint rubber mounting position, and illustrates a state where the joint rubber is removed. FIG.5 (b) is a side view when Fig.5 (a) is seen from A direction. When air is mixed into the ink supply flow path including the sub tank unit 4 and the tube 11, most of the air stays in the upper portion of the damper chamber 27.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an exhaust unit 30 for discharging the air accumulated in the damper chamber 27 in cooperation with the maintenance unit 7 is provided at the right end portion of the sub tank unit 4. The exhaust unit 30 communicates with the upper portions of the four damper chambers 27a to 27d through a through hole (not shown) provided in the upper end portion of the side wall of the sub tank unit 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the exhaust unit 30 has an overhang member 25 c that projects from the right end of the unit main body 25 (plate-like member 25 a), and a gap in the vertical direction from the overhang member 25 c. The valve mechanism 31 (second flow path member) disposed on the carriage 2, the joint rubber 37 (joint portion) connecting the overhang member 25c and the valve mechanism 31, and the lower surface of the overhang member 25c. And a guide plate 43.

  The projecting member 25c is formed integrally with the plate-like member 25a, and has four exhaust passages branched from the passages that connect the four damper chambers 27a to 27d of the plate-like member 25a and the inkjet head 3, respectively. 28 is formed. The projecting member 25c protrudes from the lower surface 52 thereof, and has four upstream protrusions 29 (first protrusions) formed with connection ports 29a (first connection ports) communicating with the exhaust passage 28 at the tip 50. ) Is formed. The upstream protrusion 29 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the tip 50.

  The guide plate 43 is formed integrally with the projecting member 25c, is disposed between the four upstream protrusions 29 and the film 26a, and is erected downward in parallel with the upstream protrusion 29. Yes. The guide plate 43 has a guide surface 43a facing rightward. The guide surface 43a extends in the front-rear direction and faces a part of the peripheral surface of the four upstream protrusions 29. doing. And the guide surface 43a is carrying out the shape along the outer surface shape of the joint rubber 37 (upstream side protrusion 29). That is, since the joint rubber 37 (upstream side protrusion 29) has a circular cross section in the horizontal direction, the guide surface 43a is formed in a circular arc shape and is arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. It is slidably in contact with the peripheral surface.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the guide surface 43a is between the surface from which the upstream protrusion 29 of the overhang member 25c protrudes and the surface from which the downstream protrusion 36 of the lid 33 protrudes. Has been placed. The vertical length X of the guide surface 43a is longer than the total length of the length Y1 of the upstream protrusion 29 and the length Y2 of the downstream protrusion 36, which will be described later. The side protrusions 36 are shorter than the distance Z between the protruding surfaces.

  Furthermore, four ribs 44 that support the guide plate 43 are provided on the surface of the guide plate 43 opposite to the guide surface 43a. The four ribs 44 are erected downward from the projecting member 25 c and protrude leftward, and are arranged in the front-rear direction at the same interval as the four upstream protrusions 29. And as shown in FIG. 3, the left end part of the four ribs 44 is contacting the edge of the film 26a. Moreover, the film 26a is also in contact with the rear side surface of the protruding member 25b, and the film 26a can be easily positioned by making contact with these.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the valve mechanism 31 includes four cases 32 that open upward, four lids 33 that respectively close the openings of the four cases 32, and each of the four cases 32 that extend vertically. There are four open / close channels 34 (second channels), and four normally open / close valves 35 that open and close the four open / close channels 34. Note that four of these members are provided corresponding to four colors of ink, and only the configuration of the portion corresponding to one color will be described below. The four cases 32 and the four lids 33 are attached to the carriage 2. The lid 33 has four downstream protrusions 36 (second protrusions) that protrude from the upper surface 53 and have a connection port 36 a (second connection port) that communicates with the opening / closing channel 34 at the tip 51. Is formed. The downstream protrusion 36 has the same shape as the upstream protrusion 29, and has a tapered shape that tapers toward the tip 51. The upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 have their tips 50 and 51 facing each other along the vertical direction.

  The joint rubber 37 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and has four cylindrical portions 37a extending in the vertical direction and a connecting portion 37b connecting the four cylindrical portions 37a. The four cylindrical portions 37a are arranged in the front-rear direction at the same interval as the four upstream protrusions 29, and the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 protrude in the vertical direction. It is almost the same as the distance Z (see FIG. 5B). The connecting portion 37b connects the lower half of the four cylindrical portions 37a, and the upper half of the four cylindrical portions 37a can be bent independently.

  And as for the four cylinder parts 37a, the upstream protrusion 29 is inserted in the upper end, and the downstream protrusion 36 is inserted in the lower end. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 37a is slightly smaller than the outer diameters of the upstream protruding portion 29 and the downstream protruding portion 36, which are the same diameter, and is inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 37a by contact pressure. A gap between the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion can be sealed.

  The exhaust passage 28 branched from the passage connecting the damper chamber 27 and the inkjet head 3 communicates with the opening / closing passage 34 through the inside of the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 and is connected to the lower end of the case 32. It communicates with the formed exhaust port 38. As described above, the upstream protrusion 29 of the overhang member 25c provided in the sub tank unit 4 and the downstream protrusion 36 of the valve mechanism 31 provided in the carriage 2 are provided in separate members arranged separately from each other. And is connected via a joint rubber 37.

  The on-off valve 35 is disposed so as to be movable in the up-down direction in the opening / closing channel 34, and can close the opening / closing channel 34, and the valve member 39 is disposed below (the opening / closing channel 34). A coil spring 40 biasing in the closing direction). The valve member 39 includes a bottomed cylindrical valve body 39a that can move in the vertical direction in the opening / closing channel 34, and a valve rod 39b that extends downward from the bottom of the valve body 39a. The outer diameter of the valve body 39a is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening / closing channel 34, and ink can flow between the valve body 39a and the inner wall surface of the opening / closing channel 34. Further, an annular sealing material 41 is mounted on the lower surface of the valve body 39a, and the valve body 39a is disposed on the valve seat surface 42 provided in the step portion in the middle of the opening / closing channel 34 via the sealing material 41. It is configured to close the opening / closing channel 34 by abutting.

  The coil spring 40 is disposed in a compressed state between the lower surface of the lid portion 33 and the upper surface of the valve body 39a of the valve member 39, and the valve member 39 is moved downward by the coil spring 40 (in the closing direction of the opening / closing channel 34). To be energized. When the valve body 39a is driven upward against the biasing force of the coil spring 40 by a pin 24 of the maintenance unit 7 described later, the valve body 39a is separated from the valve seat surface 42, and the opening / closing channel 34 is opened. Opened.

<Configuration of maintenance unit>
Next, the maintenance unit 7 will be described. The maintenance unit 7 performs a suction purge for forcibly discharging ink from the nozzles 23 of the inkjet head 3 and an exhaust purge for discharging the air staying in the upper portion of the damper chamber 27 of the sub tank unit 4 from the exhaust unit 30. As shown in FIG. 1, it is arranged in an area (maintenance position) on the outer side (right side in FIG. 1) of the printing area facing the recording paper P in the movement range of the carriage 2 in the scanning direction. Details of the suction purge and the exhaust purge will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the maintenance unit 7 is disposed adjacent to the suction cap 12 that can be in close contact with the ink ejection surface 3 a of the ink jet head 3 and the suction cap 12 in the scanning direction, and can be in close contact with the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30. Exhaust cap 13, suction cap 12 and suction pump 14 (suction means) that can be selectively connected to the exhaust cap 13, switching means 9 for switching the connection destination of the suction pump 14, and waste sucked by the suction pump 14. A waste liquid tank 8 for storing ink is provided.

  The suction cap 12 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin. When the carriage 2 (inkjet head 3) has moved to the maintenance position, the suction cap 12 faces the ink ejection surface 3a on which the plurality of nozzles 23 of the inkjet head 3 are arranged. The suction cap 12 is driven upward by a cap drive motor (not shown) in a state of facing the ink ejection surface 3a, thereby closely contacting the ink ejection surface 3a and covering the plurality of nozzles 23. As a result, a sealed space is formed that includes the suction cap 12 and the region where the plurality of nozzles 23 are formed on the ink ejection surface 3a.

  When a plurality of nozzles 23 are covered by the suction cap 12 and the suction cap 14 is driven by the switching means 9 so that the suction cap 12 and the suction pump 14 are communicated with each other, Air is sucked to reduce the pressure, and ink in the inkjet head 3 is discharged from the plurality of nozzles 23 (suction purge). Thereby, it is possible to discharge the thickened ink in the plurality of nozzles 23 and the air bubbles mixed in the ink flow path in the inkjet head 3 from the nozzle 23 together with the ink. The liquid is stored in the waste liquid tank 8.

  As with the suction cap 12, the exhaust cap 13 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin. The exhaust cap 13 faces the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30 when the carriage 2 (inkjet head 3) has moved to the maintenance position. The exhaust cap 13 is in close contact with the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30 by being driven upward together with the suction cap 12 (front side in FIG. 1) by a cap drive mechanism (not shown) in a state of facing the exhaust unit 30. Then, the exhaust port 38 of the exhaust unit 30 is covered at a time.

  The exhaust port 30 of the exhaust unit 30 is covered with the exhaust cap 13, and the exhaust cap 13 and the suction pump 14 are in communication with each other by the switching means 9. When the four pins 24 that pass through in a state of being airtight and are integrally movable in the vertical direction are driven upward with respect to the exhaust cap 13, the on-off valve 35 is pushed upward by the pins 24. The opening / closing channel 34 is opened.

  In this state, when the suction operation of the suction pump 14 is performed, the air in the sealed space formed by the exhaust cap 13 and the lower surface of the exhaust unit 30 is sucked and the pressure is reduced. At this time, the air staying in the upper portion of the damper chamber 27 from the exhaust unit 30 is exhausted through the open / close channel 34 (exhaust purge). The discharged ink and the like are stored in the waste liquid tank 8.

  Next, the process of attaching the joint rubber 37 to the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 will be described. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the arrangement of the joint portion in the carriage. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the carriage on which the sub tank unit is mounted, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the joint rubber. It is. FIG. 7 is a process diagram for explaining the attachment of the joint rubber.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the sub tank unit 4 is mounted on the carriage 2 and covered with the side wall 2 a of the carriage 2. There is only a slight gap between the side wall 2a of the carriage 2 and the joint rubber 37, and an opening 2b that includes the joint rubber 37 is formed in a portion of the side wall 2a facing the joint rubber 37. . The guide plate 43 is disposed on the opposite side of the opening 2b across the joint rubber 37, and it is visually checked whether the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 are correctly inserted into the joint rubber 37 from the opening 2b. Can be confirmed.

  As described above, after the inkjet head 3 and the sub tank unit 4 are attached to the carriage 2, it is difficult to attach the joint rubber 37 because there is only a small gap between the side wall 2a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the end of the joint rubber 37 that is not connected by the connecting portions 37 b of the four cylindrical portions 37 a after the joint rubber 37 is held. Four upstream protrusions 29 provided on the overhang member 25c of the sub tank unit 4 are inserted into the portion. At this time, the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 is guided toward the upstream protrusion 29 along the guide surface 43 a of the guide plate 43. Accordingly, the upstream protrusion 29 can be correctly inserted into the joint rubber 37 with the end of the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 being directed straight with respect to the upstream protrusion 29.

  Although not shown, after the sub tank unit 4 and the inkjet head 3 are connected, as shown in FIG. 7B, the operator holds the sub tank unit 4 and then the four cylindrical portions of the joint rubber 37. The four downstream protrusions 36 provided on the lid portion 33 of the carriage 2 are inserted into the end portion of the side connected by the connecting portion 37b of 37a. At this time, the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 is guided toward the downstream protrusion 36 along the guide surface 43 a of the guide plate 43. Accordingly, the downstream protrusion 36 can be correctly inserted into the joint rubber 37 with the mouth of the cylindrical portion 37 a of the joint rubber 37 facing the downstream protrusion 36 straight. Therefore, the exhaust flow path 28 communicating with the damper chamber 27 and the open / close flow path 34 connected to the open / close valve 35 can be communicated without causing liquid leakage.

  As a result, when the on-off valve 35 is opened and the exhaust purge is performed to exhaust the air bubbles in the damper chamber 27 through the exhaust passage 28 by suction by the suction pump 14, the discharged ink and gas are exchanged with the joint rubber 37. It is possible to sufficiently discharge the bubbles in the damper chamber 27 by suppressing leakage from the connection portion with the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36).

  Further, since the guide surface 43a has a shape along the outer surface shape of the cylindrical portion 37a of the joint rubber 37, the upstream side protrusion 29 and the downstream side of the cylindrical portion 37a of the joint rubber 37 are more accurately aligned along the guide surface 43a. It can guide toward the side protrusion 36. Thereby, the insertion mistake of the joint rubber 37 can be prevented more reliably. In addition, since the tips 50 and 51 of the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 are tapered, the joint rubber 37 can be easily guided, and an insertion error of the joint rubber 37 can be prevented more reliably. .

  Further, as described above, the guide surface 43a is disposed between the surface from which the upstream protrusion 29 of the overhang member 25c protrudes and the surface from which the downstream protrusion 36 of the lid 33 protrudes, It extends longer than the total length of the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36. As a result, when the sub tank unit 4 is attached to the carriage 2, even if the sub tank unit 4 is pressed too far toward the carriage 2, the guide surface 43a comes into contact with the carriage 2 (lid portion 33) first. The upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 do not collide, and the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36 are not easily damaged. Further, since the guide surface 43a protrudes from the tip 50 of the upstream protrusion 29, the tip 50 of the upstream protrusion 29 is protected and is not easily damaged.

  In addition, in the joint rubber 37, the lower half of the four cylindrical portions 37a are connected by the connecting portion 37b, and the upper half can be bent independently. Thereby, since it becomes possible to insert the four cylinder parts 37a in the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36) at once, work efficiency improves. Further, as compared with the case where the four cylindrical portions 37a are connected over the entire length, the bending stress of each cylindrical portion 37a is less likely to be transmitted to the other cylindrical portion 37a, so that the joint rubber 37 can be more upstream without a gap. The protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36) can be sealed and sealed.

  Further, when the guide rubber 43 is provided in order to prevent the insertion error in the joint rubber 37 after the joint rubber 37 in the carriage 2 is visible, it is opposite to the opening 2b sandwiching the joint rubber 37. It is preferable to arrange the guide plate 43 on the side.

  Further, when the joint rubber 37 is viewed from the opening 2b of the carriage 2, the insertion state of the front side of the joint rubber 37 can be visually confirmed, but the insertion state of the back side can be visually observed even by the carriage 2. Even if the opening is formed, the upper surface is sandwiched between the plate-like member 25a and the lower surface is sandwiched between the ink-jet heads 3, so that it cannot be seen. Therefore, by arranging the guide plate 43 on the opposite side of the opening 2b with the joint rubber 37 interposed therebetween, insertion errors are eliminated and the necessity for visual observation is reduced.

  Next, modified examples in which various changes are made to the present embodiment will be described. However, the same reference numerals are given to those having the same configuration as in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the guide plate 43 is provided on the sub tank unit 4 (extending member 25c) side, but may be provided on the carriage 2 (lid portion 33) side. However, as described above, in the configuration in which the joint rubber 37 is attached to the sub tank unit 4 side and then attached to the carriage 2 side, the guide plate 43 is provided on the sub tank unit 4 side so that the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream side are provided. The joint rubber 37 can be guided along the guide plate 43 even when the joint rubber 37 is inserted into any of the side protrusions 36.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical length of the guide surface 43a is longer than the total length of the upstream protrusion 29 and the downstream protrusion 36, but the upstream protrusion The total length of the length 29 and the length of the downstream protrusion 36 may be shorter. As shown in FIG. 8, the guide plate 143 is provided on each of the sub tank unit 4 (extension member 25c) side and the carriage 2 (lid portion 33) side, and the length of each guide surface 143a is set. The length of the upstream protrusion 29 and the length of the downstream protrusion 36 may be less than or equal to each other.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the guide surface 43a is disposed so as to face a part of the peripheral surface of the joint rubber 37 (upstream protrusion 29). 29) or between the wall of the carriage 2 and the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36). In this case, even if the opening 2b is formed in the carriage 2, the joint rubber 37 is covered with the guide surface 43a and cannot be visually confirmed. Therefore, it is not necessary to form the opening 2b.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the guide surface 43a is slidably disposed in contact with the joint rubber 37, but may be disposed with a slight gap. Also in this case, when the joint rubber 37 tries to bend in contact with the end surface or inner peripheral surface of the upstream protrusion 29 (downstream protrusion 36), the bent portion contacts the guide surface 43a. Therefore, bending can be suppressed. Therefore, an effect similar to that of the present invention can be achieved.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the four cylinder parts 37a of the joint rubber 37 were connected via the connection part 37b, the connection part 37b does not need to be provided.

  In the present embodiment, a portion where the exhaust flow path 28 branched from the flow path from the damper chamber 27 to the inkjet head 3 and the open / close flow path 34 connected to the open / close valve 35 for purging exhaust is communicated. Although the present invention is applied, the object of application of the present invention is not limited to such an exhaust portion, but may be applied to a portion that connects the flow paths formed in the flow path members arranged separately from each other. Is possible.

  The embodiment described above and the modification thereof are applied to an ink jet printer that records characters and images by ejecting ink onto recording paper. However, the application target of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to what is used for various purposes. That is, the present invention can be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject various types of liquids other than ink according to their uses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Carriage 3 Inkjet head 4 Sub tank unit 23 Nozzle 27 Damper chamber 28 Exhaust flow path 29 Upstream protrusion 29a Connection port 31 Valve mechanism 34 Opening / closing channel 36 Downstream protrusion 36a Connection port 37 Joint rubber 43 Guide plate 43a Guide surface 50, 51 Tip

Claims (7)

A liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid;
A first flow path member connected to the liquid jet head and having a first flow path communicating with the liquid flow path;
A holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached;
A second flow path member provided in the holder and formed with a second flow path,
The first flow path member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip thereof.
The second flow path member has the first protrusion and the tip of the first flow path member facing each other with a gap therebetween, and a second connection port communicating with the second flow path is formed at the tip. Having a second protrusion,
It has a cylindrical shape, and the first protrusion is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end so that the first connection port and the second connection port communicate with each other. It further comprises a joint made of an elastic material,
At least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member is formed with a guide surface that extends along the first protrusion or the second protrusion and guides the joint. ,
The first flow path includes a damper chamber for suppressing pressure fluctuations of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, an exhaust flow path for discharging bubbles remaining in the damper chamber and communicating with the damper chamber. Contains
The first connection port of the first protrusion communicates with the exhaust flow path,
The second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve that opens and closes the second flow path,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising suction means connected to the second flow path with the opening / closing valve interposed therebetween. A liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid;
A first flow path member connected to the liquid jet head and having a first flow path communicating with the liquid flow path;
A holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached;
A second flow path member provided in the holder and formed with a second flow path,
The first flow path member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip, and the second flow path member is formed of the first flow path member. The first protrusion and the tip are opposed to each other with a space between them, and a second connection port communicating with the second flow path is formed at the tip.
It has a cylindrical shape, and the first protrusion is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end so that the first connection port and the second connection port communicate with each other. It further comprises a joint made of an elastic material,
At least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member is formed with a guide surface that extends along the first protrusion or the second protrusion and guides the joint. ,
The second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve that opens and closes the second flow path,
Further comprising suction means connected to the second flow path across the on-off valve;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide surface has a shape along an outer surface shape of the joint portion. A liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid;
A first flow path member connected to the liquid jet head and having a first flow path communicating with the liquid flow path;
A holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached;
A second flow path member provided in the holder and formed with a second flow path,
The first flow path member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip thereof.
The second flow path member has the first protrusion and the tip of the first flow path member facing each other with a gap therebetween, and a second connection port communicating with the second flow path is formed at the tip. Having a second protrusion,
It has a cylindrical shape, and the first protrusion is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end so that the first connection port and the second connection port communicate with each other. It further comprises a joint made of an elastic material,
At least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member is formed with a guide surface that extends along the first protrusion or the second protrusion and guides the joint. ,
The second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve that opens and closes the second flow path,
Further comprising suction means connected to the second flow path across the on-off valve;
The first flow path member and the second flow path member have two surfaces facing each other, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion protrude from the two surfaces, respectively.
The first flow path member or the second flow path member has a guide member that is erected from one of the two surfaces, and the guide surface is formed on a side surface.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member extends along the first protrusion or the second protrusion longer than a total length of the first protrusion and the second protrusion. . A liquid ejecting head having a liquid flow path including a nozzle for ejecting liquid;
A first flow path member connected to the liquid jet head and having a first flow path communicating with the liquid flow path;
A holder to which the liquid jet head and the first flow path member are attached;
A second flow path member provided in the holder and formed with a second flow path,
The first flow path member has a first protrusion with a first connection port communicating with the first flow path formed at a tip thereof.
The second flow path member has the first protrusion and the tip of the first flow path member facing each other with a gap therebetween, and a second connection port communicating with the second flow path is formed at the tip. Having a second protrusion,
It has a cylindrical shape, and the first protrusion is inserted into one end and the second protrusion is inserted into the other end so that the first connection port and the second connection port communicate with each other. It further comprises a joint made of an elastic material,
At least one of the first flow path member and the second flow path member is formed with a guide surface that extends along the first protrusion or the second protrusion and guides the joint. ,
The second flow path member is provided with an open / close valve that opens and closes the second flow path,
Further comprising suction means connected to the second flow path across the on-off valve;
The holder has a wall that covers the joint portion;
The wall is formed with an opening that exposes the joint.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide surface is disposed on a side opposite to the opening across the joint portion. The damper chamber is formed to expand in a plane on the first flow path member,
The first flow path member is provided with a film that covers one surface of the damper chamber, and a guide member that is erected from the film side and in which the guide surface is formed on a side surface,
The first protrusion protrudes from the portion of the first flow path member that protrudes beyond the edge of the damper chamber toward the film side of the damper chamber in a direction orthogonal to the film,
The guide member is disposed between the first protrusion and the damper chamber, and a plurality of ribs protrude from the back side toward the edge of the damper chamber,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ribs are in contact with an edge of the film that covers the one surface.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first flow path member and the second flow path member are arranged side by side along a direction orthogonal to a surface direction in which the damper chamber expands. The liquid ejecting head has a plurality of the nozzles, and the plurality of nozzles have a liquid ejecting surface arranged in a plane parallel to the surface direction,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the film extends in parallel with the liquid ejecting surface.

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