JP2023080244A - Liquid jet device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent occurrence of defect that opening of a supply flow passage is forgotten so that printing is resumed with the flow passage closed.SOLUTION: A liquid jet device comprises: a liquid jet part 50 having a nozzle 51 that jets ink towards a medium; a liquid storage part 13 that stores ink; a supply flow passage 40 through which the liquid storage part 13 is communicated with the liquid jet part 50; opening/closing mechanisms 60A that have an opening/closing part 63 that brings the supply flow passage 40 into an open state or a close state and an operation part 61 that operates the opening/closing part 63; a carriage 30, mounted with the liquid jet part 50 and the opening/closing mechanisms 60A, which can be reciprocatingly moved in a main scanning direction; a contact part 100 that contacts the opening/closing mechanisms 60A when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow passage 40 closed; and a detecting part 84 that detects contacting of the contact part 100 with the opening/closing mechanisms 60A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus and a detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a liquid ejecting apparatus that prints on a print medium such as print paper by ejecting liquid from a print head onto the print medium (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200011).
The liquid ejecting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a liquid supply device that supplies ink stored in a tank (liquid reservoir) to a print head through a supply tube, and a supply tube (flow path) that can be manually opened and closed. and a channel opening and closing device. By manually closing the flow path using the flow path opening/closing device, the liquid ejecting apparatus can be transported in a state in which ink does not leak even when the liquid ejecting apparatus is filled with ink. can be done.

JP 2015-134485 A

However, in order to manually open and close the flow path, the liquid ejecting apparatus is transported with the flow path closed, and the user forgets to open the flow path after transporting the liquid ejecting apparatus, resulting in printing with the flow path closed. There was a risk that a problem would occur that the

A liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present application includes a liquid ejecting section having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid reservoir that stores the liquid, and a supply flow path that communicates between the liquid reservoir and the liquid ejecting section. , an opening/closing unit that opens or closes the supply channel, and an operation unit that operates the opening/closing unit; and the liquid ejecting unit and the opening/closing mechanism. a movable carriage, a contact portion that contacts the opening/closing mechanism when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, and a detection portion that detects contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact portion; characterized by comprising

In the liquid ejecting apparatus described above, it is preferable that the contact portion is provided in a housing that accommodates the liquid ejecting portion and the carriage.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the contact portion contacts the operation portion when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the operating section includes a lever capable of rotating between an open position in which the supply channel is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel is closed. has a pressing member that closes the supply channel when the lever is at the closed position and opens the supply channel when the lever is at the open position, wherein the supply channel is It is preferable that the lever contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved in the closed state.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, the operation portion is movable between an open position in which the supply channel is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel is closed, and the contact portion is configured to move the The operation portion positioned at the open position is arranged outside a movement area in which the carriage moves, and the operation portion positioned at the closed position is positioned outside the movement area in which the carriage moves. It is preferably arranged inside.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the opening/closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation portion, and the contact portion causes the carriage to move while the supply channel is closed. Contact with the displacement member is preferred.

A liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present application includes a liquid ejecting section having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid reservoir that stores the liquid, and a supply flow path that communicates between the liquid reservoir and the liquid ejecting section. , an opening/closing mechanism having an opening/closing portion that opens or closes the supply channel, and an operation portion that operates the opening/closing portion; a carriage having a contact portion that can come into contact with the opening/closing mechanism when the supply channel is in a closed state; and a detection portion capable of detecting contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact portion. do.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the operation section comes into contact with the contact section when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the opening/closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation section, and the displacement member displaces the carriage when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. It is preferable to contact the contact portion.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the operating section includes a lever that can rotate about a shaft portion between an open position that opens the supply channel and a closed position that closes the supply channel. the opening/closing unit includes a pressing member that closes the supply channel when the lever is at the closed position and opens the supply channel when the lever is at the open position; and a shaft portion, and the displacement member is preferably displaced via the shaft portion in conjunction with the movement of the lever.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the displacement member is positioned within the movement area of the carriage when the supply channel is in the closed state.

The above-described liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a control unit that controls movement of the carriage, and the control unit moves the carriage in the first direction in the main scanning direction and detects the closed state of the supply flow path. In this case, it is preferable to move the carriage in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

It is preferable that the above liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a notification unit that notifies that the supply channel is in a closed state.

A detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present application includes a liquid ejecting portion having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid storage portion that stores the liquid, and a supply unit that communicates the liquid storage portion and the liquid ejecting portion. A detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a channel; an opening/closing mechanism that opens or closes the supply channel; and detecting that the supply channel is closed by the movement of the carriage.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus detection method described above, it is preferable to detect that the supply channel is in a closed state when movement of the carriage is obstructed when the carriage is moved.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus detection method described above, it is preferable that the liquid ejecting apparatus further include a carriage motor that moves the carriage, and that the closed state of the supply channel is detected by a driving load of the carriage motor. .

In the detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus described above, it is preferable that the carriage is moved when power is turned on, and the state of the supply channel is detected by the movement of the carriage.

1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus with the scanner removed according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the first embodiment when viewed from the Z(+) direction side; 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an opening/closing mechanism according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the opening/closing mechanism according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 6 of the opening/closing mechanism in a state where the supply channel according to the first embodiment is open; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 6 of the opening/closing mechanism in a state where the supply channel according to the first embodiment is blocked; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the second embodiment when viewed from the Z(+) direction side; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the second embodiment when viewed from the X(-) direction side; FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an opening/closing mechanism according to Embodiment 2;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
1 and 2 are perspective views of a liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the scanner 5 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 2, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the scanner 5 is opened with respect to the apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIG.
First, a schematic configuration of a liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

In the following description, the width direction of the liquid ejection device 1A is the X direction, the depth direction of the liquid ejection device 1A is the Y direction, and the height direction of the liquid ejection device 1A is the Z direction. The X direction and the Y direction are directions along the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is a direction orthogonal to the horizontal plane. Further, the tip side of the arrow indicating the direction is the (+) direction, and the base side of the arrow indicating the direction is the (-) direction.
Note that the X direction is an example of the “main scanning direction”.

<<<Liquid Injection Apparatus>>>
A liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment is, for example, an inkjet printer that ejects ink, which is an example of a "liquid," onto a medium such as paper for printing. In each drawing below, the scale of each layer and each member is different from the actual scale in order to make each layer and each member recognizable.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A includes an apparatus main body 2 and a scanner 5 arranged above the apparatus main body 2 and rotatable relative to the apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIGS. The apparatus main body 2 includes a liquid ejecting portion 50 (see FIG. 5), a carriage 30 (see FIG. 3), a transport mechanism 25 (see FIG. 5), a liquid storage unit 10, and a supply channel 40 (see FIG. 3). , an opening/closing mechanism 60A (see FIG. 6), an operation panel 6, and a control section 80 (see FIG. 5).
Note that the operation panel 6 is an example of the "notification unit".

The device main body 2 includes a housing 3 that is an exterior frame of the device main body 2 . A liquid ejecting section 50 , a carriage 30 , a supply channel 40 , and a control section 80 are arranged in the housing 3 .

The operation panel 6 is arranged on the front side (Y(+) direction side) of the apparatus main body 2 in the apparatus depth direction. The operation panel 6 is provided with a display unit 7 such as a liquid crystal panel, and an operation button 8 including a plurality of input buttons, a power switch, and the like. The operation panel 6 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 so as to be rotatable toward the front side in the apparatus depth direction (Y(+) direction side).

When the operation panel 6 is rotated to the front side (Y(+) direction side) in the depth direction of the apparatus with respect to the apparatus main body 2, a medium ejection tray (not shown) stored in the apparatus main body 2 is exposed. The medium ejection tray is configured to move back and forth between a position stored in the device main body 2 and a position pulled out from the device main body 2 toward the front side in the depth direction of the device.

A medium containing section 22 capable of containing a medium is provided on the lower side (Z(-) direction side) of the apparatus main body 2 in the apparatus height direction. The medium housing portion 22 can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 2 from the front side in the apparatus depth direction (Y(+) direction side).

The scanner 5 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the device main body 2 with the device depth direction rear side (Y(−) direction side) as a pivot point, and is closed with respect to the device main body 2 (see FIG. 1). ) and the open position (see FIG. 2). The scanner 5 is positioned above the carriage 30 (to be described later) in the device height direction (Z(+) direction side). By switching the scanner 5 between the closed posture and the open posture, the upper surface inside the apparatus main body 2 can be exposed or covered.
Note that the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>A may be configured without the scanner 5 . Instead of the scanner 5, a top cover that covers the inside of the apparatus main body 2 from the top may be provided.

The liquid storage unit 10 is provided on the right side (X(−) direction side) in the device width direction of the device main body 2 and on the device depth direction front side (Y(+) direction side). The liquid storage unit 10 includes a plurality of liquid storage portions 13 that store ink, a housing 12 that covers the plurality of liquid storage portions 13, and a cover 11 that is rotatably attached to the housing 12. ing.

The liquid storage unit 10 is arranged so as to be positioned below the scanner 5 which is at least partially closed in the apparatus width direction (X direction). In this embodiment, five liquid reservoirs 13 are provided. Each liquid reservoir 13 stores one of black ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, cyan ink, and photo black ink in order from the X(+) direction side. Further, the liquid reservoir 13 in which black ink is reserved is set to have a larger ink storage capacity than the other liquid reservoirs 13 . Further, a display section 14 that enables confirmation of the remaining amount of ink in each liquid storage section 13 is provided on the front side (Y(+) direction side) of the liquid storage section 13 in the device depth direction.

The liquid reservoir 13 has an atmosphere communication part (not shown) communicating with the liquid reservoir 13 and a supply port (not shown). The air communication portion is an air inlet to the liquid reservoir 13 . When the ink in the liquid reservoir 13 is consumed and the amount of ink in the liquid reservoir 13 decreases, the pressure in the liquid reservoir 13 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure. At this time, air can flow into the liquid reservoir 13 from the air communication portion, and the pressure in the liquid reservoir 13 is maintained at the atmospheric pressure. The supply port is a discharge port capable of discharging the ink in the liquid reservoir 13 to the outside of the liquid reservoir 13 . The liquid storage section 13 and the liquid ejection section 50 are communicated with each other by the supply channel 40 . The ink in the liquid reservoir 13 is supplied toward the liquid ejector 50 through the supply port connected to the supply channel 40 .

As shown in FIG. 2, when the scanner 5 takes an open position with respect to the apparatus main body 2, the cover 11 that covers the upper portion of the liquid reservoir 13 in the liquid reservoir unit 10 is completely exposed. The cover 11 is rotatably attached to the housing 12 . By making the cover 11 completely exposed and additionally rotating the cover 11 with respect to the housing 12, the upper portion of the liquid reservoir 13 can be exposed.

An injection port (not shown) and a lid 16 that seals the injection port and is rotatable with respect to the liquid storage portion 13 are provided above the liquid storage portion 13 . When the cover 11 takes a position exposing the upper part of the liquid storage part 13 and the lid 16 opens the inlet, a replenishment container (not shown) containing ink and the inlet can be connected. Then, ink in the replenishment container is replenished into the liquid reservoir 13 through the inlet.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A with the scanner 5 removed. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is viewed from the Z(+) direction side.
1 and 2 are perspective views of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A viewed from the Y(+) direction side (front side). On the other hand, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A viewed from the Y(-) direction side (rear side).
FIG. 3 also shows a state in which the carriage 30 is positioned at the home position HP. In FIG. 4, the carriage 30, the lever 62A (the operating portion 61), the housing 3, and the liquid storage unit 10 are schematically illustrated, and the illustration of other components is omitted. Furthermore, in FIG. 4, the Y(+) direction side of the device main body 2 is illustrated, and the Y(−) direction side of the device main body 2 is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a carriage 30 is arranged on the Y(−) side of the liquid storage unit 10 . The carriage 30 can reciprocate in the X direction (main scanning direction) by driving force applied from a carriage motor 31 (see FIG. 5). The carriage 30 is mounted with the liquid ejector 50 and the opening/closing mechanism 60A.

A guide shaft (not shown) of the carriage motor 31 is provided with a drive pulley (not shown). In addition, a driven pulley (not shown) is provided inside the device main body 2 with a gap in the device width direction (X direction) from the driving pulley. An endless belt (not shown) is wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. At least part of the endless belt grips the carriage 30 at a gripping portion (not shown) provided at the rear end of the carriage 30 . When the carriage motor 31 is driven to rotate, the endless belt rotates in the same direction as the carriage motor 31, and reciprocates the carriage 30 in the device width direction (X direction).

A linear encoder 75 (see FIG. 5) for detecting the position and speed in the X direction (main scanning direction) of the reciprocating carriage 30 is provided in the housing 3 . The linear encoder 75 is composed of a linear code plate (not shown) provided on the housing 3 and parallel to the X direction (main scanning direction), and a photosensor 76 (see FIG. 5) provided on the carriage 30. A predetermined electrical signal corresponding to the movement state of the carriage 30 is output from the photosensor 76 .

In FIG. 4, the frame 4 forming part of the housing 3 is hatched.
The frame 4 is a component of the housing 3 and is arranged on the Z(+) direction side with respect to the carriage 30 . Therefore, the frame 4 and the carriage 30 do not overlap when viewed from the side in the Y direction, and the carriage 30 and the frame 4 do not interfere when the carriage 30 is moved in the X direction.
On the other hand, the frame 4 and the lever 62A overlap each other when viewed from the side in the Y direction.

Furthermore, the frame 4 is provided with an opening OA. By providing the frame 4 with the opening OA, the user can access the carriage 30 arranged inside the apparatus main body 2, the lever 62A of the opening/closing mechanism 60A, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the carriage 30 is reciprocated along the guide shaft extending in the X direction, the areas where the carriage 30 moves are the printing area PA where the liquid ejecting unit 50 prints and the liquid ejecting area PA. and a non-printing area RA where the portion 50 does not print.
The non-printing area RA includes a non-printing area RA1 positioned on the X(-) direction side with respect to the printing area PA, and a non-printing area RA2 positioned on the X(+) direction side with respect to the printing area PA. The print area PA is arranged between two non-print areas RA1 and RA2.

A home position HP, which is a position where the carriage 30 waits during non-printing, is arranged in the non-printing area RA1.
A side wall is provided on the X(-) direction side of the housing 3, and the carriage 30 moving in the X(-) direction side can come into contact with this side wall during non-printing. The position of the carriage 30 when it contacts the side wall becomes the reference position when the carriage 30 reciprocates in the X direction.

A plurality of relay adapters (not shown) are mounted on the carriage 30 . A relay adapter is a container that can temporarily store ink. The relay adapter is connected to the liquid storage section 13 via the supply channel 40 and temporarily stores ink. The ink stored in the liquid storage section 13 is supplied to the liquid ejection section 50 via the supply channel 40 and the relay adapter.
The carriage 30 is a hollow container having a carriage cover 32 on the Z(+) direction side. A relay adapter is mounted on the carriage 30 in addition to the liquid ejector 50 and the opening/closing mechanism 60A. The relay adapter is covered with a carriage cover 32 and arranged inside the carriage 30 .

Furthermore, the opening/closing mechanism 60A mounted on the carriage 30 has a lever 62A on the Z(+) direction side. A lever 62A of the opening/closing mechanism 60A protrudes upward from the carriage cover 32 . That is, the lever 62A of the opening/closing mechanism 60A is arranged outside the carriage 30, and the other parts of the opening/closing mechanism 60A are arranged inside the carriage 30. As shown in FIG.

Further, a liquid ejecting section 50 is provided below the carriage 30 . The liquid ejector 50 has a pressure generation chamber (not shown), a piezoelectric element (not shown), and a nozzle 51 (see FIG. 3). The nozzle 51 is positioned on the Z(−) direction side of the liquid ejecting portion 50 and arranged to face the medium. The nozzle 51 communicates with the relay adapter via a channel (not shown) provided in the liquid ejecting section 50 . A piezoelectric element vibrates a vibration plate (not shown) that forms part of the pressure generating chamber to generate pressure fluctuations in the pressure generating chambers. be jetted. A lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 50 is configured as a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles 51 are provided. Although illustration is omitted, as an example, the plurality of nozzles 51 are arranged along the device depth direction (Y direction) to form a nozzle row.
Thus, the liquid ejector 50 has nozzles 51 that eject ink onto the medium.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a maintenance unit 55 (see FIG. 5) that performs maintenance of the liquid ejecting section 50 including cleaning of the nozzles 51 is arranged directly below the carriage 30 that has moved to the home position HP. The maintenance unit 55 includes, for example, a cap (not shown) that surrounds the nozzles 51 and can come into contact with the liquid ejecting section 50 . The nozzle 51 is cleaned by discharging air bubbles.

Further, in this embodiment, a liquid receiving portion (not shown) is provided directly below the carriage 30 that has moved to the non-printing area RA2. The liquid receiving portion receives ink discharged from the nozzles 51 by idle discharge, which is a type of maintenance. The idle ejection is to discharge ink that is not used for printing from the nozzles 51 by driving the piezoelectric element, thereby eliminating the thickening of the ink in the nozzles 51 .

<<<About the control unit>>>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 80 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, a memory 82, an interface unit (I/F) 83, a detection unit 84, and the like provided on the control board.

The I/F 83 transmits and receives data between an external personal computer (PC) 110 and the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A. The PC 110 and the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A may be directly connected via a cable or the like, or may be indirectly connected via a network or the like. Data may also be transmitted and received between the PC 110 and the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A via wireless communication.

The CPU 81 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire liquid ejecting apparatus 1A.
The memory 82 is a storage medium that secures an area for storing a program for the CPU 81 to operate, an operating area for the operation, and the like, and is formed by storage elements such as RAM and EPROM.

The control unit 80 creates print data based on image data output from the PC 110, and controls the liquid ejecting unit 50, the transport mechanism 25, the carriage motor 31, etc. based on the print data.
Note that the PC 110 may create print data, and the control unit 80 may control the liquid ejecting unit 50, the transport mechanism 25, the carriage motor 31, etc. based on the print data received from the PC 110. FIG. Further, based on the operation command input by the user through the operation button 8 of the operation panel 6, the control unit 80 creates print data, and based on the print data, the liquid ejecting unit 50, the transport mechanism 25, and the carriage motor 31 are operated. and so on may be used.

The control unit 80 also drives the piezoelectric element provided in the liquid ejecting unit 50 to eject ink from the plurality of nozzles 51 toward the medium. Furthermore, the control unit 80 supplies a drive signal to drive the carriage motor 31 . Furthermore, the control unit 80 controls the carriage motor 31, the transport mechanism 25, the liquid ejecting unit 50, etc., and records an image on the medium.

Here, the printing operation of the medium of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A will be described.
The medium stored in the medium storage unit 22 is transported by the transport mechanism 25 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction that intersects the main scanning direction. Then, the transport mechanism 25 transports the medium to a platen (not shown) provided in a region facing the liquid ejecting unit 50 below the liquid ejecting unit 50 . Ink is ejected from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejecting unit 50 onto the surface of the medium supported by the platen that faces the liquid ejecting unit 50 . As a result, printing is performed on the surface of the medium facing the liquid ejecting section 50 . Then, the printed medium is ejected toward the medium ejection tray.

The control unit 80 receives electrical signals output from a linear encoder 75 (photosensor 76 ) for detecting the position and speed of the carriage 30 that moves as the carriage motor 31 is driven.

The controller 80 drives the transport mechanism 25 to move the medium in the transport direction intersecting the X direction (main scanning direction).
The control unit 80 performs maintenance operations on the liquid ejecting unit 50 by controlling the maintenance unit 55 .

The control unit 80 receives commands from the operation buttons 8 operated by the user and performs various controls.
The control unit 80 receives the open/close state of the scanner 5 by an open/close detection unit 85 including an optical sensor (not shown) or the like.

The control unit 80 calculates the position and movement speed of the carriage 30 in the X direction (main scanning direction) using the electrical signal output from the linear encoder 75 (photosensor 76). That is, the controller 80 controls movement of the carriage 30 .
A detection unit 84 in the control unit 80 detects the driving load of the carriage motor 31 by detecting the rotational torque of the carriage motor 31 . Although details will be described later, the detection unit 84 detects contact between the opening/closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) and the contact unit 100 by the drive load of the carriage motor 31 .

The control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(−) direction to bring it into contact with the side wall of the housing 3 . When the carriage 30 contacts the side wall of the housing 3, the carriage 30 is prevented from moving in the X(-) direction and stops. The drive load of the carriage motor 31 increases due to the inhibition of the movement of the carriage 30 in the X(-) direction. The control unit 80 sets the position of the carriage 30 when the detection unit 84 detects an increase in the drive load of the carriage motor 31 as a reference position, and sets the home position HP in the X direction, the non-printing area RA1, the non-printing area RA2, the printing area Define the position of each of the PAs. The home position HP may be provided at a position where the carriage 30 stops by contacting the side wall of the housing 3, or at a position moved in the X(+) direction from the stop position of the carriage 30. may

<<<About the opening and closing mechanism>>>
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the opening/closing mechanism 60A. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the opening/closing mechanism 60A. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB in FIG. 6 of the opening/closing mechanism 60A viewed from the Z(-) direction side.
Illustration of the case 69 is omitted in FIGS. 8A and 8B. 8A shows a state in which the supply channel 40 is open, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the supply channel 40 is closed.
Next, the opening/closing mechanism 60A will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8A, and 8B.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the opening/closing mechanism 60A has an opening/closing portion 63 that opens or closes the supply channel 40, and an operation portion 61 that operates the opening/closing portion 63. FIG. The opening/closing portion 63 has a supply channel support portion 68 , a shaft portion 64 , a pressing member 66 , a cam member 65 and a case 69 . The operating portion 61 has a lever 62A.
The case 69 and the supply channel support portion 68 are an exterior frame of the opening/closing portion 63 (the opening/closing mechanism 60A). A shaft portion 64 , a cam member 65 , and a pressing member 66 are arranged in order from the case 69 side between the case 69 and the supply channel support portion 68 . Furthermore, the supply channel 40 is arranged between the pressing member 66 and the supply channel support portion 68 .

A plurality of grooves 70 extending in the X direction are provided in the supply channel support portion 68 . The plurality of grooves 70 are arranged along the Z direction. The supply channel 40 is inserted into the groove 70 . Thereby, the five supply channels 40 are arranged along the Z direction in the supply channel support portion 68 . The pressing member 66 is arranged so as to be able to press the five supply channels 40 with the supply channel support portion 68 .
The shaft portion 64 is a member elongated in the Z direction, and a cam member 65 is provided at a portion facing the pressing member 66 of the shaft portion 64 . Further, the operating portion 61 (lever 62A) is provided at the end of the shaft portion 64 on the Z(+) direction side.
In this embodiment, the shaft portion 64, the cam member 65, and the lever 62A are integrally molded using resin. Further, the case 69, the pressing member 66, and the supply channel support portion 68 are all resin moldings.

The lever 62A and the cam member 65 are rotatable around the rotation axis A of the shaft portion 64 indicated by the dashed line in the drawing. When the opening/closing mechanism 60A is mounted on the carriage 30, the rotation axis A is arranged along the Z direction.
Since the lever 62A is arranged outside the carriage 30, when the user picks up the lever 62A and rotates the lever 62A, the cam member 65 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 62A.

A concave portion 71 into which the pressing member 66 can be inserted is provided in the supply channel support portion 68 . The pressing member 66 is inserted into the concave portion 71 of the supply channel support portion 68 and is movable along the concave portion 71 . For example, the pressing member 66 can move to a position where it contacts the bottom of the recess 71 .
That is, the concave portion 71 guides the moving direction of the pressing member 66 .

The pressing member 66 and the supply channel support portion 68 are arranged so as to sandwich the supply channel 40 arranged in the groove 70 . The five supply channels 40 are arranged between the supply channel support portion 68 and the pressing member 66 and can be pressed by the supply channel support portion 68 and the pressing member 66 .

The shaft portion 64 extends along the Z direction and has a length that spans five supply channels 40 aligned along the Z direction in the supply channel support portion 68 . The two cam members 65 are provided on the shaft portion 64 and arranged side by side along the Z direction. The cam member 65 is arranged at a position where it abuts against the pressing member 66 .

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the rotation center of the cam member 65 differs from the rotation center (rotational axis A) of the shaft portion 64, and the rotation center of the cam member 65 is eccentric with respect to the shaft portion 64. FIG. When the cam member 65 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft portion 64, the cam member 65 rotates in an eccentric state.
Then, the position of the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 65 that contacts the pressing member 66 changes, and the position of the pressing member 66 changes.
In the state shown in FIG. 8A in which the supply channel 40 is open, when the lever 62A is rotated in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in the figure and the shaft portion 64 and the cam member 65 are rotated clockwise, the pressing member The position of the pressing member 66 changes in the direction in which the pressing member 66 approaches the supply channel support portion 68 . When the pressing member 66 approaches the supply channel support portion 68, the supply channel 40 is pressed by the pressing member 66 and the supply channel support portion 68 as shown in FIG. The path 40 is blocked (closed).

When the lever 62A shown in FIG. 8A is rotated clockwise, the pressing member 66 approaches the supply channel support portion 68, and as shown in FIG. It is blocked, and communication of ink between the liquid reservoir 13 and the liquid ejector 50 is cut off. That is, the supply channel 40 is closed. At this time, the supply channel 40 may not be completely closed.
When the lever 62A shown in FIG. 8B is rotated counterclockwise, the pressing member 66 moves away from the supply channel support portion 68, and as shown in FIG. is opened, allowing communication of ink between the liquid reservoir 13 and the liquid ejector 50 . That is, the supply channel 40 is opened.
Thus, the opening/closing part 63 has a pressing member 66 that closes the supply channel 40 when the lever 62A is at the closed position and opens the supply channel 40 when the lever 62A is at the open position.

The position of the lever 62A shown in FIG. 8A is the open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened.
The position of the lever 62A shown in FIG. 8B is the closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. The lever 62</b>A rotates around the rotation axis A of the shaft portion 64 to rotate between an open position that opens the supply channel 40 and a closed position that closes the supply channel 40 .
In this manner, the operating portion 61 has a lever 62A that can rotate between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. The operating portion 61 (lever 62A) is movable between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. In other words, the operation unit 61 operates a lever 62A that can rotate about the shaft portion 64 between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. include.

6 and 7, the case 69 is configured to be engageable with the supply channel support portion 68, and the shaft portion 64, the pressing member 66, and the cam member 65 are arranged on the Y (−) direction side. covered from Thereby, the shaft portion 64 , the pressing member 66 and the cam member 65 are protected by the case 69 and the supply channel support portion 68 .

Thus, the opening/closing mechanism 60A opens and closes the five supply channels 40. As shown in FIG.
For example, when the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is moved or transported, that is, when the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is transported, if the opening/closing mechanism 60A is closed, ink leaks from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejecting section 50. become difficult.
Specifically, when the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>A is transported, the ink in the liquid reservoir 13 and the supply channel 40 is subjected to vibrations and shocks. When vibration or shock acts on the ink in the liquid reservoir 13 and the supply channel 40, pressure acts on the ink in the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejector 50, and the ink may leak from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejector 50. be.
If the supply channel 40 is closed by the opening/closing mechanism 60A before the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is transported, the pressure fluctuation acting on the ink inside the liquid ejecting section 50 is suppressed when the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is transported. As a result, the risk of ink leaking from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejecting section 50 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the user manually moves the lever 62A to the closed position and transports the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A with the supply channel 40 closed. After transportation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is completed, the user manually changes the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position to open the supply channel 40 .
However, since the user manually operates the lever 62A to the closed position or the open position, the user forgets to change the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position even after the transportation of the liquid injection device 1A is completed. In addition, the printing process is performed with the supply channel 40 blocked, and ink is not ejected from the liquid ejecting section 50, so that an image may not be formed on the medium.

In the present embodiment, the user forgets to change the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position after transportation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is completed, and printing is performed in a state where the supply channel 40 is blocked. Since it has an excellent configuration that makes it difficult to cause such a problem, the details will be described below.

<<<How to detect the open/closed state of the supply channel>>>
In FIG. 4, the lever 62A in the open position is illustrated with a solid line, and the lever 62A in the closed position is illustrated with a two-dot chain line. The lever 62A at the open position is the lever 62A arranged at the position where the supply channel 40 is opened. The lever 62A at the closed position is the lever 62A that is arranged at a position that closes the supply channel 40 . That is, the supply channel 40 is opened when the lever 62A is positioned as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4, and the supply channel 40 is closed when the lever 62A is positioned as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
Further, in FIG. 4, when the opening/closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved together with the carriage 30 from the home position HP in the X(+) direction, the movement area TA where the lever 62A at the open position moves is indicated by a dashed line. A movement region TB in which the lever 62A in the closed position moves is illustrated by a dashed line.
Further, in the following description, a movement area TA in which the lever 62A at the open position moves with movement of the carriage 30 is referred to as a movement area TA of the lever 62A at the open position. A movement region TB in which the closed position lever 62A moves as the carriage 30 moves is referred to as a movement region TB of the closed position lever 62A.
A method of detecting the open/closed state of the supply flow path 40, that is, a method of detecting the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the lever 62A in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure is rotated 180° counterclockwise, it becomes the lever 62A in the closed position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the figure. Furthermore, when the lever 62A in the closed position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the drawing is rotated 180 degrees clockwise, the lever 62A in the open position indicated by the solid line in the drawing is obtained. Thus, the positions of the lever 62A at the open position and the lever 62A at the closed position are different.

An end 4A of the frame 4 on the Y(-) direction side is arranged on the Y(-) direction side of the opening OA, and an end 4B on the Y(+) direction side of the frame 4 is arranged on the Y(+) direction side of the opening OA. are placed. The opening OA is provided between an end 4A of the frame 4 on the Y(−) direction side and an end 4B of the frame 4 on the Y(+) direction side. The end 4B on the Y(+) direction side of the frame 4 has a portion 91 arranged on the home position HP side (X(-) direction side) and a portion 91 arranged on the side opposite to the home position HP (X(+) direction side). and a portion 92 where the At the Y(+) direction end 4B of the frame 4, the portion 92 is arranged near the Y(−) direction end 4A of the frame 4, and the portion 91 is arranged at the Y(−) direction end 4A of the frame 4. placed far from That is, the distance between the portion 92 and the Y(−) direction end 4A of the frame 4 is shorter than the distance between the portion 91 and the Y(−) direction end 4A of the frame 4 .
Therefore, at the end 4B of the frame 4 on the Y(+) direction side, the portion 92 protrudes further in the Y(−) direction than the portion 91 does. Further, at the end 4B of the frame 4 on the Y(+) direction side, the contact portion 100 is the end on the X(−) direction side of the portion 92 projecting in the Y(−) direction side.
Thus, the contact portion 100 is provided on the frame 4 . Furthermore, since the frame 4 is a component of the housing 3 , the contact section 100 is provided in the housing 3 that accommodates the liquid ejecting section 50 and the carriage 30 .

When viewed from the top in the Z(+) direction, the portions 91 and 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4 are arranged outside the movement area TA of the lever 62A in the open position, and operate the opening/closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A). When moved together with the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction from the home position HP, the lever 62A at the open position does not overlap the portions 91 and 92 of the frame 4. FIG.
Therefore, when the opening/closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved together with the carriage 30 from the home position HP in the X(+) direction, the lever 62A at the open position and the frame 4 do not interfere (contact). As a result, movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.
In other words, since the contact portion 100 is arranged outside the movement area TA in which the operation portion 61 (lever 62A) positioned at the open position moves along with the movement of the carriage 30, the contact portion 100 and the operation portion 61 ( It does not interfere with the lever 62A), and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.
Thus, the lever 62A (manipulation portion) does not contact the contact portion 100 when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is open.

When viewed from above in the Z(+) direction, the portion 91 of the frame 4 is arranged outside the movement area TB of the lever 62A at the closed position, and the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4 is located at the lever 62A at the closed position. , and when the opening/closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved together with the carriage 30 from the home position HP in the X (+) direction, the lever 62A at the closed position is positioned inside the movement area TB of the frame 4. It does not overlap the portion 91, but overlaps the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4.
Thus, the contact portion 100 is arranged inside the movement area TB where the operation portion 61 (lever 62A) positioned at the closed position moves as the carriage 30 moves.
Furthermore, since the frame 4 and the lever 62A overlap when viewed from the side in the Y direction, when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X (+) direction, the lever 62A at the open position moves from the frame 4. Although it does not contact portion 91, lever 62A in the closed position contacts portion 92 (contact portion 100) of frame 4. FIG. Then, the movement of the carriage 30 is hindered.
That is, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed (when the lever 62A at the closed position is moved together with the carriage 30), the lever 62A at the closed position (the opening/closing mechanism 60A) is moved to the contact portion 100. Contact. In other words, the contact portion 100 contacts the operation portion 61 (lever 62A) when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed.
Thus, the lever 62A (manipulation portion) contacts the contact portion 100 when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed.

Furthermore, since the carriage 30 and the frame 4 do not overlap when viewed from the side in the Y direction, when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X (+) direction, the carriage 30 and the frame 4 interfere with each other. Therefore, the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.
When the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(+) direction, the carriage 30 overlaps the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4 in a top view from the Z(+) direction. Even if the carriage 30 is moved in the X(+) direction, the carriage 30 does not interfere with the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4, and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the opening/closing mechanism 60A is moved in the X(+) direction together with the carriage 30 located at the home position HP, the lever 62A located at the open position moves toward the contact portion 100 of the frame 4. The frame 4 is provided with an opening OA so that the lever 62A located at the closed position contacts the contact portion 100 of the frame 4 without contacting the . When the opening/closing mechanism 60A is moved in the X(+) direction together with the carriage 30 located at the home position HP, the lever 62A located at the closed position contacts the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, and the carriage 30 movement is inhibited.

In this embodiment, the user turns off the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A, changes the lever 62A from the open position to the closed position, and transports the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A. With such a configuration, even if the user transports the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A filled with ink, the ink does not leak out. Further, when transportation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is completed, the user changes the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position, turns on the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A, and resumes printing on a medium such as paper.

In this embodiment, when the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is powered off, the carriage 30 is in the standby state at the home position HP. Further, when transportation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is completed and the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 positioned at the home position HP in the X(+) direction (first direction). .

If the user forgets to change the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position and the lever 62A is positioned at the closed position, moving the carriage 30 positioned at the home position HP in the X (+) direction causes the closing position to close. Since the lever 62A at the position contacts the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, the movement of the carriage 30 is hindered, the carriage 30 is stopped, and the driving load of the carriage motor 31 increases.

The detector 84 constantly detects the driving load of the carriage motor 31 . Specifically, the detection unit 84 moves the carriage 30 on which the opening/closing mechanism 60A is mounted from the home position HP in the X(+) direction, and the driving load of the carriage motor 31 is set to a predetermined threshold value (stored in the memory 82). contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A is detected when the movement of the carriage 30 is hindered.
The controller 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is closed when the detector 84 detects contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A. Further, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 on which the opening/closing mechanism 60A is mounted in the X(+) direction from the home position HP, and if the driving load of the carriage motor 31 does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, the contact unit 100 and the lever 62A are not in contact with each other, and the supply channel 40 is determined to be open.
In this way, when the transportation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is completed and the power supply of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 to determine whether the supply channel 40 is open or not. It is determined whether the channel 40 is closed. In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>A according to the present embodiment moves the carriage 30 when the power is turned on, and detects the state of the supply channel 40 by the movement of the carriage 30 .

In addition, the detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>A according to the present embodiment detects that the supply channel 40 is closed by movement of the carriage 30 . In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment detects that the supply channel 40 is closed when the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed when the carriage 30 is moved. In other words, the detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment is such that the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A includes the carriage motor 31 that moves the carriage 30, and the drive load of the carriage motor 31 causes the supply channel 40 to close. detect that there is
The threshold used as the reference for determining that the supply channel 40 is in the closed state is the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the carriage 30 is moved in the X direction, and the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed. is set between the driving load of In other words, the threshold used as the reference for determining that the supply channel 40 is in the closed state is greater than the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the carriage 30 is moved in the X direction, and the movement of the carriage 30 is hindered. is smaller than the drive load of the carriage motor 31 of .

The control unit 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is closed when the driving load of the carriage motor 31 detected by the detection unit 84 exceeds a predetermined threshold value for a certain period of time. may
The drive load of the carriage motor 31 may momentarily rise sharply and exceed the threshold value due to malfunction. In such a case, the controller 80 erroneously detects that the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed. When the controller 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is closed when a predetermined threshold value is exceeded for a certain period of time, the drive load of the carriage motor 31 suddenly increases due to malfunction. Also, the possibility of erroneous detection by the control unit 80 is reduced, and the control unit 80 contacts the contact portion 100 of the frame 4 with the lever 62A located at the closed position, hindering the movement of the carriage 30, and the supply channel 40 is closed. The closed state can be properly detected.
It should be noted that the predetermined period of time described above is, for example, 1 second or longer.

When the supply channel 40 is open, that is, when the lever 62A is at the open position, even if the carriage 30 is moved in the X(+) direction (first direction), the lever 62A at the open position Since the contact portion 100 of the frame 4 is not contacted, the drive load of the carriage motor 31 is smaller than the threshold and does not exceed the threshold. In such a case, the controller 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is open.

When the control unit 80 detects that the supply channel 40 is blocked (closed state), the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(−) direction. That is, when the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction (first direction) in the X direction (main scanning direction) and detects the closed state of the supply channel 40, the X(+) direction ( The carriage 30 is moved in the X(-) direction (second direction) opposite to the first direction) to move the carriage 30 to the home position HP.
In this embodiment, the X(+) direction corresponds to the "first direction in the main scanning direction", and the X(-) direction corresponds to the "second direction opposite to the first direction".
When the carriage 30 is moved in the X(−) direction (second direction) to the home position HP, the opening/closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) mounted on the carriage 30 contacts the contact portion 100 of the frame 4. is eliminated, and no extra force is applied to the carriage 30 and the opening/closing mechanism 60A. Furthermore, when the contact between the lever 62A and the contact portion 100 is eliminated, it becomes easier to change the position of the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position.
When the control unit 80 detects the closed state of the supply channel 40, that is, when the opening/closing mechanism 60A mounted on the carriage 30 and the contact portion 100 of the frame 4 come into contact with each other, the carriage 30 and the opening/closing mechanism 60A are Preferably, the control unit 80 temporarily stops driving the carriage motor 31 so that excessive force is not applied.

Furthermore, the control unit 80 inputs a signal to the operation panel 6 to notify the user that the supply channel 40 is closed, and the operation panel 6 outputs information based on the signal, that is, the supply channel 40 is in the closed state is displayed on the display section 7 of the operation panel 6 . That is, the operation panel 6 functions as a "notification unit" that notifies the user that the supply channel 40 is closed.
In other words, the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment includes the operation panel 6 (informing section) for informing that the supply channel 40 is in the closed state.
The “notification unit” that notifies the user that the supply channel 40 is closed is a blinking lamp (Patlight (registered trademark)), which emits an alarm that the supply channel 40 is closed. may be notified. The “notification unit” that notifies the user that the supply channel 40 is closed may be a buzzer, and may issue an alarm that the supply channel 40 is closed by sound.

Based on the information (alarm) displayed on the display section 7 of the operation panel 6, the user can surely grasp that the supply channel 40 is closed. Then, at the home position HP, the user rotates the lever 62A clockwise by 180° when viewed from the Z(+) direction side, changes the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position, and opens the supply channel 40. state.
Since it is difficult to rotate the lever 62A in the closed position clockwise when the lever 62A is in contact with the contact portion 100, in the present embodiment, the lever 62A in the closed position is rotated clockwise. For this purpose, the carriage 30 is moved in the X(-) direction (second direction).

Also, the lever 62A located at the closed position should be rotated in the X(+) direction (first direction) and should not be rotated in the X(-) direction (second direction). . According to such a configuration, even if the lever 62A positioned at the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100, the lever 62A positioned at the closed position can be rotated in the X(−) direction (second direction). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the carriage motor 31 from being freed from the driving load.

Further, the contact portion 100 is provided on the X(−) direction side (second direction side) in the X direction in which the carriage 30 moves. Therefore, when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, the contact portion 100 is provided on the X(+) direction side (first direction side) in the X direction of the movement area TA of the carriage 30. , the contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A can be quickly detected. Therefore, it is possible to improve the throughput of the detection operation of the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 .

The opening/closing mechanism 60A is provided on the X(+) direction side (first direction side) of the carriage 30 . Therefore, contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A can be detected earlier than when the opening/closing mechanism 60A is provided on the X(-) direction side (second direction side) of the carriage 30. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to improve the throughput of the detection operation of the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 .

Further, the moving speed of the carriage 30 when detecting the open/close state of the supply channel 40 is set slower than the moving speed of the carriage 30 when printing. By doing so, when the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A come into contact with each other, it is possible to prevent a large force from acting on the lever 62A and the contact portion 100, and for example, to prevent the deformation of the contact portion 100. can be done.

<<< Timing of detection >>>
Here, the timing at which the control unit 80 detects the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 will be described.
The timing at which the control unit 80 detects the open/closed state of the supply flow path 40 may be any time from when the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on until ink is first discharged from the nozzles 51 after the power is turned on. . Specifically, during the period from when the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on until the first idle ejection after the power is turned on, the ink is discharged by the first cleaning after the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on. may be any of the period from when the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on until the ink is ejected for the first printing after the power is turned on.
Further, at any of the timings described above, the carriage 30 is moved in the X(+) direction (first direction) by a drive signal sent from the control unit 80 to the carriage motor 31 when the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on. The open/closed state of the supply channel 40 may be detected by the movement operation.

Another timing for detecting the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 will be described.
When the power is on, the opening/closing operation of the scanner 5 can be detected by the opening/closing detector 85 . When the scanner 5 is opened, the operation unit 61 may be operated by the user and the supply channel 40 may be blocked. Then, the user may close the scanner 5 while the supply channel 40 is closed. Therefore, it is preferable that the scanner 5 is opened and then closed after the scanner 5 is opened and the ink is first discharged from the nozzles 51 after the opening and closing operation when the power is on. Specifically, the period from after the opening/closing operation of the scanner 5 to the first idle ejection after the opening/closing operation with the power on, and from after the opening/closing operation of the scanner 5 with the power on to after the opening/closing operation. or until the ink is ejected by the first cleaning, or after the opening/closing operation of the scanner 5 while the power is on until the ink is ejected for the first printing after the opening/closing operation. I wish I had. By performing the operation of detecting the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 at the timing described above, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to close the supply channel 40 .
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when transportation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is completed and the power of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A is turned on, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 positioned at the home position HP in the X(+) direction (first 1 direction) to detect the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 .

As described above, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, when the carriage 30 is moved in the main scanning direction (X direction) while the supply channel 40 is closed, the opening/closing mechanism 60A contacts the contact portion 100. When the carriage 30 is moved in the main scanning direction (X direction) while the supply channel 40 is open, the opening/closing mechanism 60A does not come into contact with the contact portion 100. The open/closed state of the supply channel 40 can be detected by the contact. In addition, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, the possibility that the user forgets to open the supply channel 40 is suppressed, and further, the inconvenience of printing with the supply channel 40 closed is suppressed. be.

In addition, in the present embodiment, among the constituent elements of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A, the opening/closing mechanism 60A, the housing 3 (frame 4), the carriage 30, the control section 80 (detection section 84), and the operation panel 6 are used. The open/closed state of the supply channel 40 is detected. Furthermore, the components (the opening/closing mechanism 60A, the housing 3, the carriage 30, the control unit 80, the operation panel 6) that detect the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 are components for the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A to print on the medium. be.
That is, in the present embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>A utilizes the components for printing on the medium to detect the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 . The cost of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A can be reduced as compared with the case where a new component is required to detect the open/closed state of the supply flow path 40 without requiring such a component.

Effects of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment will be described below.
(1-1) In order to open and close the supply channel 40 by manually operating the operation unit 61, the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A filled with ink is transported and printing is resumed. In some cases, the user may forget to open the supply channel 40 . In this regard, the detection section 84 can detect that the opening/closing mechanism 60A contacts the contact section 100 when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed. This can prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(1-2) The contact portion 100 is provided in the housing 3 (frame 4) that accommodates the liquid ejecting portion 50 and the carriage 30 . Since the housing 3 has high rigidity, the contact portion 100 is less likely to deform, and the detection portion 84 can stably detect the contact between the opening/closing mechanism 60A and the contact portion 100 .

(1-3) The contact portion 100 contacts the operation portion 61 (the lever 62A at the closed position) when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed. Accordingly, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the operation unit 61 and the contact unit 100 are in contact with each other. It is possible to suppress the possibility of forgetting to release the

(1-4) The operation unit 61 includes a lever 62A that can rotate between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. , a pressing member 66 that closes the supply channel 40 when the lever 62A is at the closed position and opens the supply channel 40 when the lever 62A is at the open position, so that the supply channel 40 is closed. , the lever 62A contacts the contact portion 100 when the carriage 30 is moved in . As a result, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the lever 62A located in the closed position contacts the contact unit 100. It is possible to suppress the risk of forgetting to open the flow path 40 .

(1-5) The operating portion 61 (lever 62A) is movable between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. , the operation portion 61 positioned at the open position is arranged outside the movement area TA (the movement area TA of the lever 62A at the open position) in which the operation portion 61 positioned at the open position moves along with the movement of the carriage 30, and the operation portion 61 positioned at the closed position It is arranged inside the movement area TB (the movement area TB of the lever 62A at the closed position) that moves with the movement of the carriage 30 . Since the contact portion 100 is arranged inside the movement region TB in which the operation portion 61 positioned at the closed position moves along with the movement of the carriage 30, the contact portion 100 comes into contact with the operation portion 61 when the carriage 30 moves in the X direction. do. Therefore, since the detection portion 84 can detect the contact between the operation portion 61 and the contact portion 100 , it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(1-6) A controller 80 for controlling movement of the carriage 30 is further provided. The controller 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction (first direction) in the main scanning direction, When the closed state is detected, the carriage 30 is moved in the X(-) direction (second direction) opposite to the X(+) direction (first direction). Thereby, the user can operate the operation unit 61 . Therefore, the user can suppress printing defects.

(1-7) Further provided is a notification unit for notifying that the supply channel 40 is in a closed state. As a result, the user can know that the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, so that it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(1-8) The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A can detect that the supply channel 40 is closed by the movement of the carriage 30 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(1-9) The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A can detect that the supply channel 40 is closed when the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed when the carriage 30 is moved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(1-10) The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A can detect that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state by the drive load of the carriage motor 31 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(1-11) The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A moves the carriage 30 when the power is turned on, and detects the state of the supply channel 40 by the movement of the carriage 30 . When the opening/closing mechanism 60A (supply channel 40) is closed, the power is not turned on, such as when the apparatus is being transported. With such a configuration, the number of times of detection can be reduced, so throughput can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, and is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment when viewed from the Z(+) direction side. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment when viewed from the X(-) direction side. FIG. 11 corresponds to FIG. 7 and is an exploded perspective view of the opening/closing mechanism 60B according to the second embodiment.
In FIG. 9, a region TC in which the carriage 30 moves (hereinafter referred to as a movement region TC of the carriage 30) is illustrated by broken lines. Furthermore, illustration of the frame 4 is omitted in FIG. In FIG. 10, the carriage 30, the lever 62B, and the liquid storage unit 10 are schematically illustrated, and illustration of other components is omitted. Further, in FIGS. 9 and 10, the displacement member 67 when the supply channel 40 is in the open state is illustrated by solid lines, and the displacement member 67 when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state is illustrated by two-dot chain lines. ing.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the opening/closing mechanism 60A is mounted on the carriage 30 and moves together with the carriage 30 . A contact portion 100 that contacts the opening/closing mechanism 60A when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state is provided on the frame 4 and is stationary. Then, when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, the opening/closing mechanism 60A moves and comes into contact with the contact portion 100. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the contact portion 101 is provided on the carriage 30 and moves. The opening/closing mechanism 60B, which contacts the contact portion 101 when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, does not move and remains stationary. Then, when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, the contact portion 101 moves and comes into contact with the opening/closing mechanism 60B.
This point is the main difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment.
9 to 11, the outline of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B according to the present embodiment will be described with a focus on the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the first embodiment, and redundant explanations are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, the home position HP where the carriage 30 waits during non-printing is arranged in the non-printing area RA2. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the home position HP, which is the position where the carriage 30 waits during non-printing, is arranged in the non-printing area RA1.
The liquid storage unit 10 is arranged in the non-printing area RA1.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the carriage 30 is mounted with the liquid ejector 50 and is not mounted with the opening/closing mechanism 60B. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the carriage 30 is mounted with the liquid ejector 50 and the opening/closing mechanism 60A, and the opening/closing mechanism 60A moves together with the carriage 30. FIG.
The opening/closing mechanism 60B is arranged above the liquid storage unit 10 so as to be in contact with the surface located on the Z(−) direction side of the Z(+) direction side surfaces (upper surfaces) of the two liquid storage units 10. ing. Therefore, the opening/closing mechanism 60B does not move and remains stationary.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the opening/closing mechanism 60B has an opening/closing portion 63 that opens or closes the supply channel 40 , an operating portion 61 that operates the opening/closing portion 63 , and a displacement member 67 . The opening/closing portion 63 has a supply channel support portion 68 , a shaft portion 64 , a pressing member 66 , a cam member 65 and a case 69 . The operating portion 61 includes a lever 62B that can rotate about a shaft portion 64 between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. The pressing member 66 closes the supply channel 40 when the lever 62B is at the closed position, and opens the supply channel 40 when the lever 62B is at the open position.
The opening/closing mechanism 60B is arranged inside the housing 3 of the device main body 2 except for the lever 62B. Therefore, the lever 62B protrudes outside the housing 3 from the side surface of the housing 3 on the X(-) direction side.
Note that the lever 62B may be configured to be provided inside the housing 3 . In such a case, for example, it is preferable to provide an opening (not shown) in the frame 4 of the housing 3 so that the lever 62B can be accessed with the scanner 5 opened.
The displacement member 67 is attached to the end of the shaft portion 64 opposite to the side on which the lever 62B is attached, and is displaced in conjunction with the movement of the lever 62B. On the other hand, in Embodiment 1, the opening/closing mechanism 60A has the opening/closing portion 63 and the operating portion 61, and does not have the displacement member 67. FIG.
Furthermore, the lever 62B of the present embodiment is shorter in size than the lever 62A of the first embodiment, and the shaft portion 64 is arranged at the center of the lever 62B in the longitudinal direction. It's becoming

The lever 62B rotates about the rotation axis A along the X direction of the shaft portion 64. As shown in FIG. The lever 62B is attached to the end of the shaft portion 64 in the X(-) direction, and the displacement member 67 is attached to the end of the shaft portion 64 in the X(+) direction. As a result, the displacement member 67 can be rotated in conjunction with the lever 62B that rotates about the rotation axis A through the shaft portion 64. As shown in FIG. Thus, the opening/closing mechanism 60B has a displacement member 67 that is displaced in conjunction with the lever 62B.
In this embodiment, the angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the lever 62B and the longitudinal direction of the displacement member 67 is 45 degrees. The angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the lever 62B and the longitudinal direction of the displacement member 67 can be changed as appropriate.

When the user picks up the lever 62B and turns the lever 62B in the direction in which the supply channel 40 is closed, the pressing member 66 crushes the supply channel 40 and the supply channel 40 is closed. When the user picks up the lever 62B and turns the lever 62B in the direction in which the supply channel 40 is opened, the crushing of the supply channel 40 by the pressing member 66 is released, and the supply channel 40 is opened.

The displacement member 67 has an open position (the position of the displacement member 67 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10) when the supply channel 40 is in the open state, and a closed position (in FIG. 10) when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state. position of the displacement member 67 indicated by a two-dot chain line).
In the following description, the displacement member 67 when the supply channel 40 is closed is referred to as the displacement member 67 at the closed position, and the displacement member 67 when the supply channel 40 is opened is referred to as the displacement member 67 at the open position. Referred to as member 67 .
In FIG. 10, when the displacement member 67 in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise, it becomes the displacement member 67 in the closed position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the figure. When the displacement member 67 in the closed position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the figure is rotated 180 degrees clockwise, it becomes the displacement member 67 in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure.
Further, in FIG. 10, when the displacement member 67 is viewed from the X direction side, the displacement member 67 at the open position indicated by the solid line does not overlap the carriage 30, and the displacement member 67 is at the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line. , the displacement member 67 overlaps the carriage 30 .

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, the displacement member 67 in the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the drawing is arranged inside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, When the carriage 30 located at the position HP is moved in the X(-) direction, the X(-) side surface (contact portion 101) of the carriage 30 comes into contact with the displacement member 67 at the closed position, and the carriage 30 moves. Movement is hindered.
That is, when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(-) direction, the contact portion 101 is the X(-) side surface of the carriage 30 that contacts the displacement member 67 at the closed position. Thus, in this embodiment, the contact portion 101 is provided on the carriage 30 .
The displacement member 67 contacts the contact portion 101 provided on the carriage 30 when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed. In other words, the carriage 30 mounts the liquid ejector 50, is capable of reciprocating in the X direction, and is a contact portion capable of contacting the displacement member 67 (opening/closing mechanism 60B) when the supply channel 40 is closed. 101.
The contact portion 101 may be provided on the carriage 30 as in the present embodiment, or may be fixed to the housing of the carriage 30 and may be a cushioning material capable of cushioning contact with the displacement member 67. It may be provided as a member separate from the carriage 30 .

On the other hand, when the supply channel 40 is in the open state, the displacement member 67 in the open position indicated by solid lines in the drawing is arranged outside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, and moves the carriage 30 positioned at the home position HP to X ( When the carriage 30 is moved in the -) direction, the X(-) direction side surface (contact portion 101) of the carriage 30 does not contact the displacement member 67 at the open position, and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.

<<<How to detect the open/closed state of the supply channel>>>
Next, a method for detecting the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 will be described.
As described above, the control unit 80 detects the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 at a specific timing. Further, since the lever 62B of the present embodiment is provided outside the housing 3, it is not necessary to detect the opening/closing state of the supply channel 40 after the opening/closing operation of the scanner 5. FIG. In the case where the lever 62B is provided inside the housing 3, it is preferable to detect the opening/closing state of the supply channel 40 after the opening/closing operation of the scanner 5. FIG.

First, the controller 80 moves the carriage 30 located at the home position HP in the X(-) direction (first direction).
When the supply channel 40 is open, the displacement member 67 positioned at the open position is positioned outside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, so the carriage 30 is moved in the X(−) direction (first direction). However, the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 do not come into contact with each other. In this case, the drive load of the carriage motor 31 does not exceed the threshold value, and the detection section 84 does not detect contact between the contact section 101 and the displacement member 67 . Then, the controller 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is open.

When the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, the displacement member 67 located at the closed position is located inside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, so that the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(−) direction (first direction), the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 come into contact with each other, hindering the movement of the carriage 30 and increasing the driving load of the carriage motor 31 . The detection section 84 detects contact between the contact section 101 and the displacement member 67 when the drive load of the carriage motor 31 exceeds a threshold value. Then, the controller 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is closed.
As described above, the detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>B according to the present embodiment detects that the supply channel 40 is closed by the movement of the carriage 30 . In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B according to the present embodiment detects that the supply channel 40 is closed when the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed when the carriage 30 is moved. In other words, the detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>B according to the present embodiment is such that the liquid ejecting apparatus 1</b>B includes the carriage motor 31 that moves the carriage 30 , and the driving load of the carriage motor 31 causes the supply channel 40 to close. detect that there is
Further, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(−) direction (first direction) in the X direction (main scanning direction), and when the closed state of the supply channel 40 is detected, the X(−) direction ( The carriage 30 is moved in the X(+) direction (second direction) opposite to the first direction) to move the carriage 30 to the home position HP.
Thus, in this embodiment, the X(-) direction corresponds to the "first direction in the main scanning direction", and the X(+) direction corresponds to the "second direction opposite to the first direction". .

In addition, the present embodiment uses the opening/closing mechanism 60B, the housing 3 (frame 4), the carriage 30, the control unit 80 (detection unit 84), and the operation panel 6 among the constituent elements of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B. The open/closed state of the supply channel 40 is detected. The components (the opening/closing mechanism 60B, the housing 3, the carriage 30, the controller 80, the operation panel 6) that detect the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 are components for the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B to print on the medium. .
This embodiment detects the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 by utilizing the components for the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B to print on the medium. The cost of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B can be reduced compared to the case where a new component is required to detect the open/closed state of the supply channel 40 without requiring any component.

The effects of this embodiment will be described below.
(2-1) In order to open and close the supply channel 40 by manually operating the operation unit 61, the liquid ejecting apparatus 1B filled with ink is transported and printing is restarted. In some cases, the user may forget to open the supply channel 40 . In this respect, the detection section 84 can detect that the opening/closing mechanism 60B contacts the contact section 101 when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed. This can prevent the user from forgetting to open the supply channel 40 .

(2-2) The opening/closing mechanism 60B has a displacement member 67 that is displaced in conjunction with the operation portion 61, and the displacement member 67 displaces the contact portion when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed. contact 101; Accordingly, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact part 101 . It is possible to suppress the possibility of forgetting to release the

(2-3) The operation part 61 is a lever 62B that can rotate about the shaft part 64 between an open position in which the supply channel 40 is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel 40 is closed. The opening/closing portion 63 includes a pressing member 66 that closes the supply channel 40 when the lever 62B is at the closed position and opens the supply channel 40 when the lever 62B is at the open position; 64, and the displacement member 67 is displaced via the shaft portion 64 in conjunction with the movement of the lever 62B. Accordingly, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact part 101 . It is possible to suppress the possibility of forgetting to release the

(2-4) When the supply channel 40 is closed, the displacement member 67 is positioned within the movement area TC of the carriage 30 . As a result, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact portion 101 . Therefore, the detection portion 84 can detect the contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67, so that the possibility that the user forgets to open the supply channel 40 can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope not contrary to the gist or idea of the invention that can be read from the scope of claims and the entire specification, and there are various modifications other than the above-described embodiments. Conceivable. A modified example will be described below.

(Modification 1)
The liquid ejecting apparatus 1A of Embodiment 1 may be configured to mount the opening/closing mechanism 60B of Embodiment 2 instead of the opening/closing mechanism 60A. That is, the displacement member 67 in the closed position and the contact portion 100 may be in contact with each other.

The contact portion 100 in Modification 1 is positioned outside the movement area where the displacement member 67 in the open position moves as the carriage 30 moves in the X direction. That is, the contact portion 100 in Modification 1 is located outside the movement area of the displacement member 67 in the open position. Therefore, when the supply channel 40 is open, even if the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(+) direction), the displacement member 67 in the open position does not contact the contact portion 100 .

Further, the contact portion 100 is located inside the movement area where the displacement member 67 in the closed position moves as the carriage 30 moves in the X direction. That is, the contact portion 100 in Modification 1 is positioned inside the movement area of the displacement member 67 in the closed position. Therefore, when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, when the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(+) direction), the displacement member 67 in the closed position contacts the contact portion 100, and the movement of the carriage 30 is stopped. inhibited.

With such a configuration, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the detection section 84 can detect that the displacement member 67 contacts the contact section 100. It is possible to suppress the possibility that the operator forgets to open the supply channel 40 .

(Modification 2)
The liquid ejecting apparatus 1B of the second embodiment may have the opening/closing mechanism 60A of the first embodiment instead of the opening/closing mechanism 60B. That is, the contact portion 101 and the lever 62A may contact each other. In Modification 2, the lever 62A at the closed position is arranged inside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, and the lever 62A at the open position is arranged outside the movement area TC of the carriage 30. FIG.

Therefore, when the supply channel 40 is in the open state, even if the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(-) direction), the lever 62A at the open position and the contact portion 101 do not come into contact with each other. Furthermore, when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, when the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(-) direction), the lever 62A in the closed position contacts the contact portion 101, and the movement of the carriage 30 is impeded. be done.

With such a configuration, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply channel 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the operation unit 61 contacts the contact unit 101. It is possible to suppress the possibility that the operator forgets to open the supply channel 40 .

(Modification 3)
The cam member 65, the shaft portion 64, and the pressing member 66 may be integrally formed. By doing so, the number of parts can be reduced. Also, the shaft portion 64 and the lever 62A may be integrally formed. Furthermore, the shaft portion 64, the lever 62B and the displacement member 67 may be integrally formed.

(Modification 4)
In the first embodiment described above, the control unit 80 has a stop position, which is the position of the carriage 30 when the lever 62A in the closed position and the contact portion 100 come into contact with each other to stop the movement of the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction; A deceleration position for decelerating the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction may be set in advance between the home position HP and the home position HP. That is, when the open/close state of the supply channel 40 is detected, if the carriage 30 moves to the deceleration position, the moving speed of the carriage 30 is reduced. Therefore, since the moving speed of the carriage 30 can be increased up to the deceleration position, the throughput can be improved.

(Modification 5)
In the second embodiment described above, the control unit 80 controls the stop position, which is the position of the carriage 30 when the displacement member 67 positioned at the closed position and the contact portion 101 come into contact with each other in the main scanning direction to stop the movement of the carriage 30 . A deceleration position for decelerating the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction may be set in advance between the position and the home position HP. That is, when the open/close state of the supply channel 40 is detected, if the carriage 30 moves to the deceleration position, the moving speed of the carriage 30 is reduced. Therefore, since the moving speed of the carriage 30 can be increased up to the deceleration position, the throughput can be improved.

(Modification 6)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the detection unit 84 detects that the drive load of the carriage motor 31 exceeds the threshold value due to obstruction of movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction. Based on the detection result of the detection unit 84, the control unit 80 determines that the supply channel 40 is closed. The obstruction of the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction includes not only the case where the movement of the carriage 30 stops but also the case where the speed of movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction slows down. In other words, blocking movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction due to contact between the contact portion 100 and the operating portion 61 or contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 means that the movement of the carriage 30 is stopped. In addition, it includes slowing down the movement speed of the carriage 30 .

Even in such a case, the driving load of the carriage motor 31 increases while the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction is blocked. The change in the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the moving speed of the carriage 30 slows down is smaller than the change in the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the carriage 30 stops moving. Therefore, by setting the threshold value of the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the moving speed of the carriage 30 becomes slower than the threshold value of the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the carriage 30 stops, the movement of the carriage 30 can be prevented. If the contact between the contact portion 100 and the operation portion 61 or the contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 can be detected even when the moving speed of the carriage 30 slows down, in addition to when the carriage 30 stops. good.

(Modification 7)
As the operation portion 61, a slide-type operation portion 61 may be employed instead of the levers 62A and 62B that rotate around the shaft portion 64. As shown in FIG. Alternatively, the displacement member 67 may be displaced by turning a knob as the operation portion 61 .

(Modification 8)
As a configuration for closing the supply channel 40 other than crushing the supply channel 40 by the pressing member 66, by operating the operation part 61, the flexible diaphragm is pressurized with air to close the supply channel 40. Such a configuration may be adopted.

(Modification 9)
The embodiments described above are not limited to the configuration in which the open/closed state of the supply flow path 40 is detected by detecting the drive load of the carriage motor 31 . By providing an optical sensor for detecting the operating portion 61 or the displacement member 67 positioned at the closed position at a position where the carriage 30 stops moving in the first direction when the supply channel 40 is in the closed state, the operating portion 61 and the contact portion 100 or contact between the displacement member 67 and the contact portion 101 may be detected.

(Modification 10)
In Embodiment 1 described above, the contact portion 100 may be configured by components other than the frame 4 of the housing 3 that configure the apparatus main body 2 . For example, the contact portion 100 may be provided in a housing of a maintenance box (not shown) that is provided in the apparatus main body 2 and collects waste liquid discharged for maintenance of the liquid ejecting portion 50 .

(Modification 11)
The direction in which the plurality of supply channels 40 are arranged by the supply channel support portion 68 may be changed as appropriate.

(Modification 12)
Although the opening/closing mechanism 60B is arranged on the liquid storage unit 10 in the second embodiment, it may be arranged at an arbitrary position inside the apparatus main body 2 .

(Modification 13)
Although each of the above embodiments employs five types of ink, any number of types of ink may be employed. In that case, the numbers of the liquid reservoirs 13, the supply channels 40, etc. may be made to correspond to the number of arbitrary types of ink to be employed.

(Modification 14)
The liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B may be liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B that eject liquid other than ink. The state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B in the form of minute droplets includes granular, tear-like, and thread-like trailing liquids. The liquid referred to here may be any material as long as it can be ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B. For example, the liquid may be in a state when the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a high or low viscosity liquid, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals, It is intended to include fluids such as metal melts. The term "liquid" includes not only a liquid as one state of a substance, but also a solution, dispersion, or mixture of particles of a functional material made of a solid substance such as a pigment or metal particles dissolved in a solvent. Typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiments. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks, oil-based inks, gel inks, hot-melt inks, and various other liquid compositions. Specific examples of the liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B include, for example, liquid crystal displays, electroluminescence displays, surface-emitting displays, liquids containing materials such as electrode materials and coloring materials used in the manufacture of color filters in a dispersed or dissolved form. There is a device that ejects The liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B may be apparatuses for ejecting bioorganic substances used for manufacturing biochips, apparatuses for ejecting sample liquid used as precision pipettes, printing apparatuses, microdispensers, and the like. The liquid ejecting devices 1A and 1B are devices for pinpoint-discharging lubricating oil to precision machines such as watches and cameras, micro-hemispherical lenses used in optical communication devices, optical lenses, and the like, and are made of UV curable resin or the like. It may be a device for discharging the transparent resin liquid of (1) onto the substrate. The liquid ejecting apparatuses 1A and 1B may be apparatuses for ejecting an etching liquid such as acid or alkali to etch a substrate or the like.

The contents derived from the embodiment are described below.

A liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present application includes a liquid ejecting section having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid reservoir that stores the liquid, and a supply flow path that communicates between the liquid reservoir and the liquid ejecting section. , an opening/closing unit that opens or closes the supply channel, and an operation unit that operates the opening/closing unit; and the liquid ejecting unit and the opening/closing mechanism. a movable carriage, a contact portion that contacts the opening/closing mechanism when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, and a detection portion that detects contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact portion; characterized by comprising

According to this configuration, when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, the contact portion is provided to contact the opening/closing mechanism. , the open/closed state of the supply channel can be detected. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus described above, it is preferable that the contact portion is provided in a housing that accommodates the liquid ejecting portion and the carriage.

According to this configuration, since the housing has high rigidity, when the contact portion is provided in the housing, the contact portion is less likely to deform, and the detection portion can stably detect the contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact portion. can.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the contact portion contacts the operation portion when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed.

When the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed and the contact portion contacts the operation portion, the detection portion detects whether the supply channel is open or closed based on whether or not the operation portion contacts the contact portion. can be done. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the operating section includes a lever capable of rotating between an open position in which the supply channel is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel is closed. has a pressing member that closes the supply channel when the lever is at the closed position and opens the supply channel when the lever is at the open position, wherein the supply channel is It is preferable that the lever contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved in the closed state.

When the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, the lever in the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion. can be detected. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, the operation portion is movable between an open position in which the supply channel is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel is closed, and the contact portion is configured to move the The operation portion positioned at the open position is arranged outside a movement area in which the carriage moves, and the operation portion positioned at the closed position is positioned outside the movement area in which the carriage moves. It is preferably arranged inside.

The contact portion is arranged outside a movement area in which the operating portion positioned at the open position moves with the movement of the carriage, and inside the movement area where the operating portion positioned at the closed position moves with the movement of the carriage. , the contact portion does not come into contact with the operating portion located at the open position, but comes into contact with the operating portion located at the closed position. Then, the detection section can detect the open/closed state of the supply flow path depending on whether or not the operation section and the contact section are in contact with each other. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the opening/closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation portion, and the contact portion causes the carriage to move while the supply channel is closed. Contact with the displacement member is preferred.

When the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, the displacement member comes into contact with the contact portion. Then, the detection section can detect the open/closed state of the supply channel based on the presence or absence of contact between the displacement member and the contact section. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

A liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present application includes a liquid ejecting section having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid reservoir that stores the liquid, and a supply flow path that communicates between the liquid reservoir and the liquid ejecting section. , an opening/closing mechanism having an opening/closing portion that opens or closes the supply channel, and an operation portion that operates the opening/closing portion; a carriage having a contact portion that can come into contact with the opening/closing mechanism when the supply channel is in a closed state; and a detection portion capable of detecting contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact portion. do.

Since the carriage has a contact portion that can contact the opening/closing mechanism when the supply channel is closed, the detection portion detects the open/closed state of the supply channel based on whether or not the contact portion contacts the opening/closing mechanism. be able to. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the operation section comes into contact with the contact section when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed.

According to this configuration, when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, the operating portion of the opening/closing mechanism contacts the contact portion. The open/close state of the supply channel can be detected based on the presence/absence. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the opening/closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation section, and the displacement member displaces the carriage when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. It is preferable to contact the contact portion.

According to this configuration, when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, the displacement member comes into contact with the contact portion. can detect the open/closed state of Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the operating section includes a lever that can rotate about a shaft portion between an open position that opens the supply channel and a closed position that closes the supply channel. the opening/closing unit includes a pressing member that closes the supply channel when the lever is at the closed position and opens the supply channel when the lever is at the open position; and a shaft portion, and the displacement member is preferably displaced via the shaft portion in conjunction with the movement of the lever.

According to this configuration, when the displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the movement of the lever is provided, when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed, the displacement member and the contact portion are brought into contact with each other, and the supply channel is closed. When the carriage is moved in the open state, the displacement member and the contact portion can be placed in a non-contact state. Then, the detection section can detect the open/closed state of the supply channel based on the presence or absence of contact between the displacement member and the contact section. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the displacement member is positioned within the movement area of the carriage when the supply channel is in the closed state.

When the supply channel is closed, if the displacement member is positioned within the movement area of the carriage, the displacement member and the contact portion come into contact with each other when the carriage is moved with the supply channel closed.
Then, the detection section can detect the open/closed state of the supply channel based on the presence or absence of contact between the displacement member and the contact section. Furthermore, if the supply channel is opened when the supply channel is closed, the inconvenience of restarting printing while the supply channel is closed can be suppressed.

The above-described liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a control unit that controls movement of the carriage, and the control unit moves the carriage in the first direction in the main scanning direction and detects the closed state of the supply flow path. In this case, it is preferable to move the carriage in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

When the carriage is moved in the first direction in the main scanning direction and the closed state of the supply channel is detected, moving the carriage in the second direction opposite to the first direction causes the supply channel to move in the second direction. can be changed from the closed state to the open state, and the operation of opening the supply channel from the closed state can be performed properly.

It is preferable that the above liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a notification unit that notifies that the supply channel is in a closed state.

Having a notification unit that notifies that the supply channel is in a closed state makes it easier for the user to reliably grasp that the supply channel is in a closed state.

A detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present application includes a liquid ejecting portion having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid storage portion that stores the liquid, and a supply unit that communicates the liquid storage portion and the liquid ejecting portion. A detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a channel; an opening/closing mechanism that opens or closes the supply channel; and detecting that the supply channel is closed by the movement of the carriage.

According to this configuration, it is possible to detect that the supply channel is closed by the movement of the carriage. The problem that printing is restarted in the closed state is suppressed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus detection method described above, it is preferable to detect that the supply channel is in a closed state when movement of the carriage is obstructed when the carriage is moved.

According to this configuration, when the movement of the carriage is obstructed, it is detected that the supply channel is closed, and when the supply channel is closed, the supply channel is opened. The problem that printing is restarted in the closed state is suppressed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus detection method described above, it is preferable that the liquid ejecting apparatus further include a carriage motor that moves the carriage, and that the closed state of the supply channel is detected by a driving load of the carriage motor. .

According to this configuration, the open/closed state of the supply channel can be detected by detecting the drive load of the carriage motor. This suppresses the problem that printing is restarted while the flow path is closed.

In the detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus described above, it is preferable that the carriage is moved when power is turned on, and the state of the supply channel is detected by the movement of the carriage.

If the carriage is moved when the power is turned on, the open/close state of the supply channel is detected, and if the supply channel is closed, the supply channel is opened, printing resumes with the supply channel closed. This reduces the problem of

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B... liquid injection apparatus, 2... apparatus main body, 3... housing, 4... frame, 5... scanner, 6... operation panel, 7... display part, 8... operation button, 10... liquid storage unit, 11... cover , 12... Housing, 13... Liquid storage section, 14... Display section, 16... Lid, 22... Medium storage section, 25... Transport mechanism, 30... Carriage, 31... Carriage motor, 32... Carriage cover, 40... Supply flow Path 50 Liquid injection section 51 Nozzle 55 Maintenance unit 60A, 60B Opening/closing mechanism 61 Operation section 62A, 62B Lever 63 Opening/closing section 64 Shaft 65 Cam member 66... Pressing member 67... Displacement member 68 Supply channel support member 69... Case 70... Groove 71... Recessed part 75... Linear encoder 76... Photo sensor 80... Control part 81... CPU 82... Memory 83 Interface unit (I/F) 84 Detector 85 Open/close detector 91 Portion 92 Portion 100 Contact portion 101 Contact portion 110 PC, HP Home position, PA...printing area, RA...non-printing area, RA1...non-printing area, RA2...non-printing area, TA...moving area, OA...opening, A...rotating shaft.

Claims (17)

a liquid ejector having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto a medium;
a liquid reservoir that stores the liquid;
a supply channel communicating between the liquid reservoir and the liquid ejector;
an opening/closing mechanism having an opening/closing portion that opens or closes the supply channel, and an operation portion that operates the opening/closing portion;
a carriage on which the liquid ejecting portion and the opening/closing mechanism are mounted and which can reciprocate in a main scanning direction;
a contact portion that contacts the opening/closing mechanism when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed;
and a detection unit that detects contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact unit. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is provided in a housing that accommodates the liquid ejecting portion and the carriage. 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion contacts the operation portion when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. the operation unit includes a lever capable of rotating between an open position in which the supply channel is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel is closed;
the opening/closing unit has a pressing member that closes the supply channel when the lever is at the closed position and opens the supply channel when the lever is at the open position;
4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lever contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. The operation unit is movable between an open position in which the supply channel is opened and a closed position in which the supply channel is closed,
The contact portion is arranged outside a movement area in which the operation portion positioned at the open position moves along with the movement of the carriage, and the operation portion positioned at the closed position moves along with the movement of the carriage. 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus is arranged inside a moving area that moves by moving with the moving area. The opening and closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit,
3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion contacts the displacement member when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. a liquid ejector having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto a medium;
a liquid reservoir that stores the liquid;
a supply channel communicating between the liquid reservoir and the liquid ejector;
an opening/closing mechanism having an opening/closing portion that opens or closes the supply channel, and an operation portion that operates the opening/closing portion;
a carriage on which the liquid ejecting portion is mounted, which is reciprocally movable in the main scanning direction, and which has a contact portion capable of coming into contact with the opening/closing mechanism when the supply channel is in a closed state;
and a detection unit capable of detecting contact between the opening/closing mechanism and the contact unit. 8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the operation portion contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. The opening and closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit,
8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the displacement member contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved while the supply channel is closed. the operation unit includes a lever that can rotate about a shaft between an open position that opens the supply channel and a closed position that closes the supply channel;
The opening/closing part includes a pressing member that closes the supply channel when the lever is at the closed position and opens the supply channel when the lever is at the open position; , has
10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the displacement member is displaced via the shaft in conjunction with the movement of the lever. 11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the displacement member is positioned within a movement area of the carriage when the supply channel is closed. further comprising a control unit for controlling movement of the carriage;
The control unit moves the carriage in a first direction in the main scanning direction, and moves the carriage in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the closed state of the supply channel is detected. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: 13. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a notification unit that notifies that the supply channel is closed. a liquid ejection portion having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage portion for storing the liquid; a supply channel communicating between the liquid storage portion and the liquid ejection portion; A detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: an opening/closing mechanism for setting a state or a closed state; and a carriage on which the liquid ejecting portion is mounted and capable of reciprocating in a main scanning direction, the method comprising:
A detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising detecting that the supply channel is closed by movement of the carriage. 15. The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when the carriage is moved, it is detected that the supply channel is in a closed state when the movement of the carriage is obstructed. The liquid ejecting device further includes a carriage motor that moves the carriage,
16. The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the closed state of the supply passage is detected by a drive load of the carriage motor. 17. The detection method of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the carriage is moved when power is turned on, and the state of the supply channel is detected by the movement of the carriage.

Images