JP2019014266A - Liquid consuming device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid consuming device capable of suppressing a reduction in visibility of a transmission part provided in a cover to optically transmit information caused a liquid leaked from the inlet of a tank.SOLUTION: A device 10 includes an ink chamber 111, a front wall 101 defining the front end of the ink chamber 111 and making the inside of the ink chamber 111 visible, an ink tank 100 having an inlet 112 penetrating the front wall 101, a liquid consuming part for consuming ink stored in the ink chamber 111, and a cover 70 rotatable around a rotational axis 71 extending in a horizontal direction 9 below the inlet 112 in the injection posture of the ink tank 100 between a cover position covering the front wall 101 and an exposure position exposing the front wall 101. On the upper surface of the cover 70 at the exposure position, a transparent window 76 for optically transmitting information to the user of the device and a rib 81 for blocking the ink moving on the upper surface of the cover 70 from reaching the transparent window 76 are formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid consuming apparatus having a tank capable of replenishing liquid through an inlet.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid consuming apparatus including a tank that can be replenished with liquid through an inlet and a liquid consuming unit that consumes the liquid stored in the tank is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus that can open a cover having a visual recognition window and fill ink into an ink storage chamber from an inlet provided on the upper surface of an ink tank.

JP 2014-79909 A

  In the recording apparatus configured as described above, for example, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 of Patent Document 1, when the cover rotates around the rotation axis extending in the left-right direction below the ink tank, the ink leaked from the injection port May adhere to the cover and reduce the visibility of the viewing window. As another example, it is conceivable that the visibility of information described on the seal is reduced due to ink adhering to the seal attached to the cover.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to visually recognize a transmission portion provided on a cover in order to optically transmit information to a user by liquid leaking from an inlet of a tank. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid consuming device capable of suppressing a decrease in performance.

(1) A liquid consuming device according to the present invention defines a liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored, one end of the liquid storage chamber in a first direction intersecting the vertical direction, and the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is visually recognized from the outside. A possible standing wall, a tank having an injection port penetrating the standing wall to inject liquid into the liquid storage chamber, a liquid consuming unit for consuming the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber, and the first direction Between the covering position that covers the standing wall and the exposed position that exposes the standing wall, the vertical direction and the first direction intersect with the first direction below the inlet in the injection posture of the tank that can inject liquid from the inlet. A cover that is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in two directions. Then, on the upper surface of the cover at the exposed position, a transmission unit for optically transmitting information to a user of the liquid consuming device and a liquid moving on the upper surface of the cover reach the transmission unit. A blocking portion for blocking is formed.

  According to the above configuration, the liquid leaking from the inlet and adhering to the cover is blocked by the blocking unit. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the visibility of the transmission unit due to contamination with the liquid.

(2) For example, the damming portion is a rib, a groove, or a step provided on the upper surface of the cover at the exposed position.

  (3) Preferably, the damming part holds the liquid by surface tension.

  According to the said structure, it can prevent effectively that a liquid reaches | attains a transmission part. In addition, the specific shape of the damming part for holding the liquid by the surface tension is appropriately selected depending on the type of liquid (mainly viscosity), the wettability of the cover surface, and the like.

(4) Preferably, the damming portion extends along the outer edge of the transmission portion, and guides the liquid in the extending direction by capillary action.

  According to the above configuration, since the amount of liquid that attempts to exceed the damming portion can be reduced, it is possible to effectively prevent the liquid from reaching the transmission portion. The specific shape of the blocking portion for causing capillary action is appropriately selected depending on the type of liquid (mainly viscosity), the wettability of the cover surface, and the like.

(5) Preferably, the said damming part is extended in the said 2nd direction between the said standing wall in the said 1st direction, and the said transmission part.

  According to the said structure, the path | route which a liquid mainly moves on a cover can be interrupted | blocked.

  (6) Preferably, the damming portion surrounds the periphery of the transmission portion.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to more effectively prevent the liquid from reaching the transmission unit.

(7) As an example, the transmission unit is a transmission window that allows the standing wall to be visually recognized from the outside of the liquid consuming device at the covering position.

  (8) As another example, characters, figures, or symbols are drawn on the transmission unit.

  According to the present invention, since the liquid leaking from the inlet and adhering to the cover is blocked by the blocking portion, it is possible to suppress a reduction in the visibility of the transmission unit due to contamination with the liquid.

1A and 1B are external perspective views of the multifunction machine 10, in which FIG. 1A is a state in which the cover 70 is closed, FIG. 1B is a state in which the cover 70 is open, and FIG. A perspective view is shown. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the carriage 23 and the ink tank 100. FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the ink tank 100. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the ink tank 100. 6A and 6B are perspective views of the cover 70, where FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the cover 70 viewed from the outer surface side of the main wall 72, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the cover 70 viewed from the inner surface side of the main wall 72. It is. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cover 70 and the ink tank 100 at the covering position. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cover 70 and the ink tank 100 in the exposed position.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the advance from the starting point of the arrow to the ending point is expressed as the direction, and the traffic on the line connecting the starting point and the ending point of the arrow is expressed as the direction. That is, the direction is a component of the direction. The upward and downward directions are each a component of the vertical direction 7 and are opposite to each other. The left direction and the right direction are each a component of the left-right direction 9 and are opposite to each other. The forward direction and the backward direction are each one component of the front-rear direction 8 and are opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the up-down direction 7 corresponds to the vertical direction, and the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 correspond to the horizontal direction.

  Further, the state in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed so as to be usable (the state shown in FIG. 1 and may be referred to as “use state”) or the posture (the posture in FIG. 1 and “use posture”). The vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the front side (front surface) as the front side (front side) of the multifunction device 10 where the opening 13 is provided, and the multifunction device 10 is defined as the front side (front side). A left-right direction 9 is defined as viewed from the front. The front-rear direction 8 is an example of a first direction, and the left-right direction 9 is an example of a second direction.

[Overall configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The multifunction machine 10 includes a printer unit 11 that records an image on a sheet 12 (see FIG. 2) by an inkjet recording method at a lower portion of a casing. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feeding unit 15, a feeding tray 20, a discharge tray 21, a transport roller unit 54, a recording unit 24, a discharge roller unit 55, and a platen 42. And an ink tank 100 (an example of a tank). The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The multifunction machine 10 is an example of a liquid ejection device or a liquid consumption device.

[Feed tray 20, discharge tray 21]
As shown in FIG. 1, the feeding tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the multifunction device 10 in the front-rear direction 8 through the opening 13 formed in the front surface of the multifunction device 10 and in the central portion in the left-right direction 9. The feeding tray 20 can support a plurality of stacked sheets 12. The discharge tray 21 is disposed above the feeding tray 20 and is inserted and removed together with the feeding tray 20. The discharge tray 21 supports the paper 12 discharged from between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42 by the discharge roller unit 55.

[Feeding unit 15]
The feeding unit 15 feeds the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 to the conveyance path 65. As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding unit 15 includes a feeding roller 25, a feeding arm 26, and a shaft 27. The feeding roller 25 is rotatably supported on the leading end side of the feeding arm 26. The feeding roller 25 rotates in a direction in which the paper 12 is conveyed in the conveyance direction 16 by a reverse rotation of a conveyance motor (not shown). Hereinafter, the rotation of the feeding roller 25, the conveyance roller 60, and the discharge roller 62 in the direction in which the paper 12 is conveyed in the conveyance direction 16 is referred to as “normal rotation”. The feeding arm 26 is rotatably supported on a shaft 27 supported by the frame of the printer unit 11. The feeding arm 26 is urged to rotate toward the feeding tray 20 by its own weight or an elastic force by a spring or the like.

[Conveyance path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance path 65 indicates a space formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that are partially opposed to each other at a predetermined interval inside the printer unit 11. The conveyance path 65 is a path extending from the rear end portion of the feeding tray 20 to the rear side of the printer unit 11. The conveyance path 65 is a path that makes a U-turn while extending upward from below on the rear side of the printer unit 11, and reaches the discharge tray 21 through a space between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveyance path 65 between the conveyance roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 is provided at a substantially central portion of the multifunction machine 10 in the left-right direction 9, and in the front-rear direction 8. It extends. Note that the conveyance direction 16 of the paper 12 in the conveyance path 65 is indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow in FIG.

[Conveying roller unit 54]
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport roller unit 54 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction 16 from the recording unit 24. The conveyance roller unit 54 includes a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 that face each other. The conveyance roller 60 is driven by a conveyance motor. The pinch roller 61 is rotated along with the rotation of the conveyance roller 60. The sheet 12 is nipped by a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 that are normally rotated by the normal rotation of the conveyance motor, and is conveyed in the conveyance direction 16.

[Discharge roller section 55]
As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge roller portion 55 is disposed downstream of the recording portion 24 in the transport direction 16. The discharge roller unit 55 includes a discharge roller 62 and a spur 63 that face each other. The discharge roller 62 is driven by a transport motor. The spur 63 is rotated along with the rotation of the discharge roller 62. The sheet 12 is nipped by a discharge roller 62 and a spur 63 that are normally rotated by the normal rotation of the conveyance motor, and is conveyed in the conveyance direction 16.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is disposed between the conveyance roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 in the conveyance direction 16. The recording unit 24 is disposed so as to face the platen 42 in the up and down direction 7 with the conveyance path 65 interposed therebetween. That is, the recording unit 24 is disposed above the transport path 65 in the vertical direction 7 and at a position facing the transport path 65. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 23 and a recording head 39 (an example of a head or a liquid consumption unit).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 23 is supported by guide rails 43 and 44 that extend in the left-right direction 9 at positions spaced in the front-rear direction 8. The guide rails 43 and 44 are supported by the frame of the printer unit 11. The carriage 23 is connected to a known belt mechanism provided on the guide rail 44. This belt mechanism is driven by a carriage motor (not shown). That is, the carriage 23 connected to the belt mechanism reciprocates in the left-right direction 9 by driving the carriage motor. The movement range of the carriage 23 extends from the conveyance path 65 to the right and left in the left-right direction 9 as indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG.

  Also, from the carriage 23, an ink tube 32 that connects the ink tank 100 and the recording head 39, a control board on which a control unit (not shown) is mounted, and a flexible flat cable 33 that electrically connects the recording head 39 are provided. It has been extended. The ink tube 32 supplies the ink stored in the ink tank 100 to the recording head 39. More specifically, four ink tubes 32B, 32M, 32C, and 32Y through which ink of each color (black, magenta, cyan, and yellow) circulates (these may be collectively referred to as “ink tube 32”). .) Are extended from the ink tank 100 and connected to the carriage 23 in a bundled state. The flexible flat cable 33 transmits a control signal output from the control unit to the recording head 39.

  The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 23 as shown in FIG. A plurality of nozzles 40 are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39. The tips of the plurality of nozzles 40 are exposed from the lower surface of the recording head 39 and the carriage 23 on which the recording head 39 is mounted. Hereinafter, the surface where the tip of the nozzle 40 is exposed may be referred to as a “nozzle surface”. The recording head 39 ejects ink from the nozzle 40 as fine ink droplets. In the process of moving the carriage 23, the recording head 39 ejects ink droplets toward the paper 12 supported by the platen 42. As a result, an image is recorded on the paper 12.

[Platen 42]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the platen 42 is disposed between the transport roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 in the transport direction 16. The platen 42 is disposed so as to face the recording unit 24 in the vertical direction 7 and supports the paper 12 conveyed by the conveyance roller unit 54 from below.

[Ink tank 100]
As shown in FIG. 1, the ink tank 100 is accommodated in the multifunction machine 10. The ink tank 100 is fixed to the multifunction device 10 so that it cannot be easily removed from the multifunction device 10. More specifically, the ink tank 100 is accommodated in the multifunction peripheral 10 through an opening 22 formed on the front surface of the casing of the multifunction peripheral 10 and at the right end in the left-right direction 9. The opening 22 is adjacent to the opening 13 in the left-right direction 9. However, the front surface of the ink tank 100 (a part of a base wall 101A and an inclined wall 101B described later) is in front of the opening 22 in the front-rear direction 8 (more specifically, in front of the front wall of the casing that defines the opening 22). To position.

  The multifunction machine 10 is provided with a box-shaped cover 70 that can cover the front surface of the ink tank 100 positioned in front of the opening 22. The cover 70 covers the opening 22 and the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 (see FIG. 1A), and the exposure position (exposes the opening 22 and the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 to the outside of the multifunction machine 10). It is supported by the casing of the multi-function device 10 so as to be rotatable between FIG. The upper surface of the cover 70 at the covering position is substantially horizontal or is inclined downward from the rotation proximal end side toward the rotation distal end side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8, the cover 70 is supported by the casing of the multifunction machine 10 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis 71 extending in the left-right direction 9 on the lower end side in the up-down direction 7. ing. The rotation axis 71 in the present embodiment is located in front of the front wall 101 in the front-rear direction 8 (that is, on the opposite side of the ink chamber 111 with respect to the front wall 101) and below the ink tank 100 in the vertical direction 7. . However, the position of the rotation axis 71 may be at least below the injection port 112. The ink tank 100 and the rotation axis 71 may be in the above-described positional relationship when the ink tank 100 is in the injection posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink tank 100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The ink tank 100 includes a front wall 101, a right wall 102, a left wall 103, an upper wall 104, and a lower wall 105. On the other hand, the rear surface of the ink tank 100 is open. The film 106 is welded to the rear end surfaces of the right wall 102, the left wall 103, the upper wall 104, and the lower wall 105, whereby the rear surface of the ink tank 100 is sealed. That is, the film 106 forms the rear wall of the ink tank 100. The ink tank 100 having the above configuration is integrally formed by, for example, injection molding of a resin material. For example, the internal shape of the ink tank 100 to be described later is defined by a mold (not shown) that is pulled backward from the opened rear surface of the ink tank 100.

  The upper wall 104 defines the upper end of the ink chamber 111 in the vertical direction 7. The lower wall 105 defines the lower end of the ink chamber 111 in the vertical direction 7. The front wall 101, the right wall 102, and the left wall 103, which are examples of standing walls, are erected between the upper wall 104 and the lower wall 105 so as to intersect the upper wall 104 and the lower wall 105. Each of the walls 101 to 105 has at least translucency so that the ink in the ink chamber 111 is visible from the outside of the ink tank 100.

  The front wall 101 includes a base wall 101A extending in a generally vertical direction 7 from the lower wall 105, and an inclined wall 101B that is continuous with the base wall 101A at the upper end of the base wall 101A and is inclined with respect to the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. It consists of The inclined wall 101B is formed with an inlet 112 that penetrates the inclined wall 101B in the thickness direction. The inclined wall 101B is inclined rearward (that is, the ink chamber 111 side) with respect to the base wall 101A.

[Ink chamber 111]
Inside the ink tank 100, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of partition walls 107, 108, and 109 are provided to partition the internal space. Each of the partition walls 107, 108, and 109 extends in the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8, and is connected to the front wall 101, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, and the film 106. Further, the partition walls 107 to 109 are spaced apart in the left-right direction 9. As a result, the internal space of the ink tank 100 is partitioned into four ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C, and 111Y adjacent in the left-right direction 9. The ink chamber 111 is an example of a liquid storage chamber that stores ink discharged from the nozzles 40.

  The ink chamber 111 </ b> B is a space defined by the front wall 101, the right wall 102, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106, and the partition wall 107. The ink chamber 111M is a space defined by the front wall 101, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106, and the partition walls 107 and 108. The ink chamber 111 </ b> C is a space defined by the front wall 101, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106, and the partition walls 108 and 109. The ink chamber 111 </ b> Y is a space defined by the front wall 101, the left wall 103, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106, and the partition wall 109.

  Hereinafter, the ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C, and 111Y may be collectively referred to as “ink chamber 111”. Further, four constituent elements corresponding to each ink chamber 111 are given different reference numbers only in the last alphabet (B, M, C, Y). Sometimes abbreviated.

  Each ink chamber 111 stores different colors of ink. Specifically, black ink is stored in the ink chamber 111B, cyan ink is stored in the ink chamber 111C, magenta ink is stored in the ink chamber 111M, and yellow ink is stored in the ink chamber 111Y. Each color ink is an example of a liquid. However, the number of ink chambers 111 and the ink color are not limited to the above example. The ink chamber 111 is arranged along the left-right direction 9. Of the four ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C, and 111Y, the ink chamber 111B is disposed on the rightmost side, and the ink chamber 111Y is disposed on the leftmost side. Further, the ink chamber 111B has a larger volume than the other ink chambers 111M, 111C, and 111Y.

[Inlet 112]
The inclined wall 101B of the ink tank 100 is provided with inlets 112B, 112M, 112C, and 112Y for injecting ink into the ink chambers 111. The inlet 112 penetrates the inclined wall 101B in the thickness direction, and connects the corresponding ink chamber 111 to the outside of the ink tank 100. The inclined wall 101 </ b> B has an inner surface facing the ink chamber 111 and an outer surface facing the outside of the ink tank 100. The inclined wall 101B is inclined so that the outer surface is located above the inner surface. Accordingly, the inlet 112 directly connects the ink chamber 111 and the outside of the ink tank 100. That is, there is no flow path between the injection port 112 and the ink chamber 111 that has a smaller sectional area than the injection port and is bent. Further, the inlet 112 may be provided in the upper wall 104 instead of the inclined wall 101B.

  The inclined wall 101B and the inlet 112 provided in the inclined wall 101B are exposed to the outside of the multifunction machine 10 by positioning the cover 70 at the exposed position, as shown in FIG. The injection port 112 is provided in the inclined wall 101 </ b> B in front of the opening 22. In the present embodiment, the posture (injection posture) of the ink tank 100 that can inject ink into the ink chamber 111 through the injection port 112 coincides with the posture of the ink tank 100 when the multifunction machine 10 is in the use posture. That is, ink is injected into the ink chamber 111 through the injection port 112 when the multifunction machine 10 is in the use posture. Although the injection port 112 in this embodiment is circular, the shape of the injection port 112 is not limited to this, and may be elliptical, polygonal, or the like.

  The ink tank 100 includes caps 113B, 113M, 113C, and 113Y that can be attached to and detached from the inlet 112. As shown in FIG. 1A, the cap 113 attached to the injection port 112 is in close contact with the periphery of the injection port 112 to close the injection port 112. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, the cap 113 removed from the injection port 112 opens the injection port 112. The cap 113 is attached to and detached from the inlet 112 with the cover 70 positioned at the exposed position. In addition, by removing the cap 113 from the injection port 112, ink can be injected into the ink chamber 111.

  An ink outflow path (not shown) is connected to each of the ink chambers 111B to 111Y. The ink outflow passage is a passage through which the ink stored in the corresponding ink chamber 111 flows out of the ink tank 100. One end of the ink outflow path is connected to the corresponding ink chamber 111, and the ink tube 32 corresponding to the other end of the ink outflow path is connected. Accordingly, the ink stored in the ink chamber 111 is supplied to the recording head 39 via the corresponding ink outflow path and the ink tube 32.

  Each of the ink chambers 111B to 111Y is provided with an air communication hole (not shown). The atmosphere communication hole allows the corresponding ink chamber 111 to communicate with the atmosphere. Thereby, the internal pressure of each ink chamber 111 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. As a result, an excessive supply of ink due to an increase in the internal pressure of the ink chamber 111 or a backflow of ink due to a decrease in the internal pressure of the ink chamber 111 is suppressed. The air communication hole is provided with a semipermeable membrane or the like for suppressing ink leakage.

[Cover 70]
As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 70 has a box shape having a main wall 72 that has a substantially rectangular shape, and side walls 73, 74, and 75 that protrude from the outer edge of the main wall 72 in the thickness direction of the main wall 72. . The side wall 73 extends along the outer edge of the main wall 72 on the rotating front end side of the cover 70. The side wall 74 extends from the end of one side of the side wall 73 in the left-right direction 9 along the outer edge of the main wall 72. The side wall 75 extends from the other end of the side wall 73 in the left-right direction 9 along the outer edge of the main wall 72. That is, the side walls 74 and 75 are provided to face each other in the left-right direction 9. The outer surface of the cover 70 (in other words, the outer surface of the main wall 72 and the side walls 73 to 85) is continuous with the outer surface of the multifunction machine 10. That is, the outer surface of the cover 70 constitutes a part of the outer surface of the multifunction machine 10.

  The cover 70 is provided with a transmission window 76. The transmission window 76 makes the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 visible from the outside of the multifunction device 10 in a state where the cover 70 is located at the covering position. The transmission window 76 is an example of a transmission unit for optically transmitting information to the user of the multifunction machine 10.

  In the present embodiment, the optically transmitted information indicates the position of the ink liquid level that can be confirmed through the front wall 101. That is, the transmission unit in the present embodiment does not have the information to be transmitted, but the object having the information to be transmitted (in this embodiment, the front wall 101) can be visually recognized from the outside. It is to make.

  The transmission window 76 includes a substantially rectangular opening 77 that penetrates the main wall 72 in the thickness direction, and a film 78 that closes the opening 77. The film 78 is made of a light transmissive material. The film 78 in this embodiment is attached to the periphery of the opening 77 on the outer surface of the main wall 72 (that is, the surface opposite to the inner surface of the cover 70 facing the front wall 101).

  The side walls 74 and 75 are provided with bearing portions 79 and 80 at the end of the cover 70 on the rotation base end side. The bearing portions 79 and 80 are disposed on the rotation axis 71 in a state where the cover 70 is attached to the casing. Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, a pair of support shafts 91 and 92 that protrude in directions away from each other on the rotation axis 71 are provided on the casing that defines the lower side of the opening 22. In a state where the cover 70 is attached to the casing, the bearing portions 79 and 80 receive the support shafts 91 and 92. Thereby, the cover 70 can be rotated around the rotation axis 71 with respect to the casing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a rib 81 is provided on the inner surface of the main wall 72 at a position surrounding the periphery of the opening 77. The rib 81 protrudes from the inner surface of the main wall 72 and extends along the periphery of the opening 77. The inner surface of the main wall 72 refers to the surface on the side facing the ink tank 100 when the cover 70 is in the covering position. In other words, the inner surface of the main wall 72 refers to the upper surface of the main wall 72 when the cover 70 is in the exposed position. The rib 81 is an example of a blocking portion that prevents ink moving on the upper surface of the cover 70 from reaching the transmission window 76.

  The rib 81 includes a first rib 82 provided on the rotation proximal end side of the cover 70, a second rib 83 provided on the rotation distal end side of the cover 70, and a third rib provided on the side wall 74 side. 84 and a fourth rib 85 provided on the side wall 75 side. The end portions of the first rib 82 and the second rib 83 and the third rib 84 and the fourth rib 85 are connected to each other. The 1st rib 82 and the 2nd rib 83 are extended in the left-right direction 9 (an example of the extending direction). The third rib 84 and the fourth rib 85 extend in the up-down direction 7 (another example of the extending direction) when the cover 70 is at the covering position, and the front-rear direction 8 (extends) when the cover 70 is at the exposed position. Other examples of directions).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first rib 82 to the fourth rib 85 protrude rearward from the inner surface of the main wall 72 when the cover 70 is in the covering position. Therefore, the protruding amount of the first rib 82 to the fourth rib 85 is set in a range where the cover 70 is not in contact with the front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 when the cover 70 is at the covering position. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the first rib 82 to the fourth rib 85 protrude upward from the inner surface of the main wall 72 when the cover 70 is in the exposed position. The first rib 82 protrudes substantially perpendicular to the main wall 72. On the other hand, the second rib 83 is inclined with respect to the main wall 72. Thus, the angle of the rib 81 with respect to the main wall 72 is not particularly limited. In addition, the thickness of the first rib 82 is gradually reduced (that is, tapered) from the protruding proximal end side toward the protruding distal end side. On the other hand, the thickness of the second rib 83 is substantially the same in the protruding direction. Thus, the thickness of the rib 81 in the protruding direction is not particularly limited.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
In the multifunction machine 10 of the above embodiment, a user who wants to replenish ink in the ink tank 100 rotates the cover 70 to the exposed position, removes the cap 113 from the inlet 112, and inks from the opened inlet 112. Inject. At this time, ink that has not entered the injection port 112 or overflowed from the injection port 112 flows down along the front wall 101 and adheres to the inner surface (upper surface) of the cover 70. However, according to the above embodiment, the ink attached to the inner surface of the cover 70 is blocked by the ribs 81 and guided in the extending direction of the ribs 81. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the visibility of the front wall 101 due to the transmission window 76 being contaminated with the ink.

  In the above embodiment, an example of the rib 81 having the first rib 82 to the fourth rib 85 surrounding the periphery of the transmission window 76 has been described. Thereby, it is possible to effectively suppress the ink from adhering to the transmission window 76. Further, the rib 81 also functions as a reinforcing portion that reinforces the rigidity of the cover 70 that has been lowered by providing the opening 77. As a result, the cover 70 can be prevented from being twisted when the cover 70 is rotated. However, the arrangement of the ribs 81 is not limited to this. For example, when the cover 70 is in the exposed position, only the first rib 82 located between the front wall 101 and the transmission window 76 in the front-rear direction 8 need be provided. Thereby, it is possible to block the path on which the ink mainly moves on the cover 70. Alternatively, the second rib 83 located farthest from the ink tank 100 when the cover 70 is in the exposed position may be omitted, and the rib 81 may be configured by the first rib 82 to the fourth rib 85.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, although the rib 81 was demonstrated as an example of a damming part, the specific example of a damming part is not limited to this. For example, instead of the rib 81, a groove or a step may be provided on the inner surface of the main wall 72. The groove may be realized by recessing the inner surface of the main wall 72, or may be formed between a pair of ribs standing in parallel to the inner surface of the main wall 72. The step may be a step that becomes higher on the side closer to the transmission window 76. Further, the blocking portion may be a combination of ribs, grooves, steps, and the like.

  Further, an ink absorbing member that absorbs ink may be disposed around the damming portion. The ink absorbing member is made of a porous material such as foamed polyurethane, for example. When the damming portion is a rib 81 or a step, an ink absorbing member may be disposed along the rib 81 or the step. Further, when the damming portion is a groove, an ink absorbing member may be filled in the groove. As a result, the ink traveling toward the transmission window 76 can be blocked more effectively.

  The damming portion may hold the ink by surface tension, for example. Thereby, it is possible to effectively prevent the ink from reaching the transmission window 76. The specific shape of the blocking portion for holding the ink by the surface tension is appropriately selected depending on the type of ink (mainly viscosity), the wettability of the surface of the cover 70, and the like.

  Further, the damming portion may guide the ink in the left-right direction 9 by capillary action, for example. As a result, the amount of ink that attempts to exceed the damming portion can be reduced, so that the ink can be effectively prevented from reaching the transmission window 76. The specific shape of the damming portion for causing capillary action is appropriately selected depending on the type of ink (mainly viscosity), the wettability of the surface of the cover 70, and the like. It is desirable that the damming portion for causing capillary action is realized by a groove.

  In addition, the ink tank 100 according to the present embodiment includes the four ink chambers 111B to 111Y that store the four colors of ink, but the specific configuration of the ink tank 100 is not limited thereto. For example, the ink tank may contain only one color of black ink.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, although the permeation | transmission window 76 was demonstrated as an example of a transmission part, the specific example of a transmission part is not limited to this. For example, the transmission unit according to the modification may be a character, a figure, a symbol, or the like drawn on the inner surface of the main wall 72 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “characters”). More specifically, the transmission unit may be visible to the user when the cover 70 is in the exposed position, and may include a procedure for refilling ink, precautions for refilling ink, and the like.

  That is, the transmission unit according to the modification is different from the transmission unit according to the above-described embodiment in that the transmission unit itself has information to be transmitted. And the transmission part which concerns on a modification optically transmits the information which the transmission part itself has to a user, when the cover 70 is an exposure position. In other words, the user can see characters and the like drawn on the transmission unit by setting the cover 70 according to the modification to the exposed position.

  And by damming the ink which goes to the character etc. which were drawn on the main wall 72 with the above-mentioned damming part, the fall of the visibility of the said character etc. can be suppressed. Note that characters or the like may be expressed by unevenness formed on the inner surface of the main wall 72 or may be drawn on a sticker attached to the inner surface of the main wall 72.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ink is described as an example of the liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, instead of ink, pretreatment liquid discharged onto the recording paper prior to ink at the time of printing, water sprayed in the vicinity of the nozzle 40 of the recording head 39 in order to prevent the nozzle 40 of the recording head 39 from drying, etc. May be a liquid. Note that the present invention has a particularly advantageous effect when applied to a liquid consuming apparatus including a tank that stores colored liquid.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... MFP 24 ... Recording part 70 ... Cover 71 ... Turning axis 76 ... Transmission window 81 ... Rib 82 ... 1st rib 83 ... 2nd rib 84 ... 3rd rib 85 ... 4th rib 100 ... ink tank 101 ... front wall 111 ... ink chamber 112 ... inlet

Claims (8)

A liquid storage chamber in which liquid is stored, a standing wall that defines one end of the liquid storage chamber in a first direction that intersects the vertical direction and in which the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is visible from the outside, and liquid is supplied to the liquid storage chamber A tank having an inlet through the standing wall for injection;
A liquid consumption unit for consuming the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber;
Between the covering position that covers the standing wall in the first direction and the exposed position that exposes the standing wall, the vertical direction and the first direction are below the inlet in the injection position of the tank that can inject liquid from the inlet. A liquid consuming device comprising a cover that is rotatable about a rotation axis that extends in a second direction intersecting the direction,
On the upper surface of the cover in the exposed position, a transmission unit for optically transmitting information to the user of the liquid consuming device is formed,
In the upper surface of the cover at the exposed position, the liquid moving on the upper surface of the cover is prevented from reaching the transmission unit outside the transmission unit and inside the outer edge of the cover upper surface. A liquid consuming device in which a blocking portion is formed.   The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the damming portion is a rib, a groove, or a step provided on the upper surface of the cover at the exposed position.   The liquid consuming device according to claim 2, wherein the damming portion holds liquid by surface tension.   The liquid consuming device according to claim 2, wherein the damming portion extends along an outer edge of the transmission portion and guides the liquid in the extending direction by capillary action.   5. The liquid consuming device according to claim 1, wherein the damming portion extends in the second direction between the standing wall and the transmission portion in the first direction.   The liquid consuming device according to claim 1, wherein the damming portion surrounds the periphery of the transmission portion.   The liquid consuming device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is a transmission window that allows the standing wall to be visually recognized from the outside of the liquid consuming device at the covering position.   The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein characters, graphics, or symbols are drawn on the transmission unit.

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