JP6126727B1 - Ink supply system and ink jet printer equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to remove deposits adhering to the nozzle surface of an ink head and suppress nozzle ejection defects. In a first position P1, a cleaning device 100 is connected to a wiper 50 having a contact portion 50a1 in contact with a nozzle surface 41a, a rotary shaft 81 that supports the wiper 50, and the rotary shaft 81. A driving mechanism 80 that rotates 81, a cleaning liquid tank 60 that is disposed below the rotation shaft 81 and stores a cleaning liquid in which the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is immersed in the second position P2, and a third position P3. When the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 comes into contact with the wiper 50, the removal member 70 for removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper 50 and the drive mechanism 80 are controlled so that the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is moved to the first position P1 and the second position. A control device 90 for moving to P2 and the third position P3 is provided. [Selection] Figure 12

Description

The present invention relates to an ink supply system and an ink jet printer including the ink supply system .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ink jet printers (hereinafter referred to as ink jet printers) are known. The ink jet printer includes an ink head having a platen on which recording paper is placed and an ink jet nozzle (hereinafter also referred to as a nozzle) that is disposed above the platen and ejects ink toward the recording paper. The nozzles are arranged on the lower surface of the ink head (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle surface). Such nozzle surfaces may have ink or foreign matter attached thereto.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet printer that can remove deposits attached to the nozzle surface. The ink jet printer described in Patent Literature 1 includes a wiper that wipes the nozzle surface and a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored. By wiping the nozzle surface with a wiper, deposits adhered to the nozzle surface can be removed. The wiper after wiping the nozzle surface may have adhered matter that has adhered to the nozzle surface. In the ink jet printer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-228561, the deposits remaining on the wiper can be removed by immersing the wiper with deposits in the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution tank.

JP 2007-203660 A

An ink supply system according to the present invention is provided in an ink cartridge that contains ink, an ink head that ejects ink, an ink supply path that communicates the ink cartridge and the ink head, and the ink supply path. A pressure control valve; a liquid feeding device that is provided in the ink supply path and supplies ink from the ink cartridge toward the ink head; a damper that is provided in the ink supply path and stores ink; and the damper An ink storage amount detection device that detects the ink storage amount of the ink, and a control device that controls the operation and stop of the liquid feeding device based on the ink storage amount of the damper detected by the ink storage amount detection device. I have. The pressure control valve is a self-weight pressure control valve that is not electrically controlled, relaxes ink pressure fluctuation during printing, and maintains the ink supply path closed during non-printing.

1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to an embodiment. 2 is a plan view showing an internal configuration of the printer. FIG. It is a bottom view of the ink head. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a cap is attached to the ink head. It is a top view of a cleaning device. It is a front view of a cleaning device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which a wiper wipes a nozzle surface in a wiping position. It is a schematic diagram which shows the position of the wiper in a washing | cleaning position. It is a top view of a cleaning liquid tank. It is sectional drawing in the IX-IX cross section of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the XX cross section of FIG. It is the schematic diagram which showed the connection relation of a washing | cleaning liquid tank, a pump, and a cap. It is the schematic diagram which showed the positional relationship of a wiper and a pad in the removal position. It is a figure which shows a drive mechanism, Comprising: It is a rear view of a cleaning apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which performs primary stirring. It is a block diagram of a printer. It is sectional drawing in the front view of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ink head carriage according to a first modification. It is a top view of the ink head carriage which abbreviate | omitted the ink head. It is a back view of an ink head carriage. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the mode of rotation of a head plate. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a relationship between an operation amount of an adjustment screw and a change amount of an ink head position. It is a front view of the printer which concerns on a 2nd modification. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer with a cover member opened. (A) is a perspective view of a state in which an adapter is installed in the ink pack, and (b) is a perspective view of a state in which the ink pack with an adapter is arranged in the ink cartridge. It is a perspective view of an adapter. FIG. 26 is a sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 25 in a state where the adapter is attached to the ink cartridge. It is a top view of an ink pack. It is a top view which shows the contact point of the sensor lever on an ink pack. It is a perspective view of an inclined part and an ink fountain. It is a block diagram of a detection system for detecting the remaining ink amount. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which a cover member does not close. It is a top view of the ink pack which concerns on the further modification of a 2nd modification. It is sectional drawing of the support part of the ink cartridge which concerns on the further modification of a 2nd modification. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the ink remaining amount detection which concerns on the further modification of a 2nd modification. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the printer which concerns on a 3rd modification. It is a block diagram which shows the structure which supplies an ink from an ink cartridge to an ink head in the printer which concerns on a 3rd modification. It is a perspective view of a self-weight type pressure control valve. FIG. 38 is a vertical sectional view taken along line XXXVIII-XXXVIII of the self-weight type pressure control valve shown in FIG. 37. It is a figure which shows the state in which the communicating port of FIG. 38 is open. FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of the self-weight type pressure control valve shown in FIG. 37 taken along the line XL-XL. It is a modification of a pressure receiving plate. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the printer which concerns on a 4th modification. It is a block diagram which shows the structure which supplies an ink from an ink cartridge to an ink head in the printer which concerns on a 4th modification. It is a side view of a damper device. FIG. 45 is a vertical sectional view taken along line XLV-XLV of the damper device shown in FIG. 44. It is a pressure receiving plate of the damper apparatus shown in FIG. It is another example of a pressure receiving plate.

  Hereinafter, an inkjet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) including a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, members / parts having the same action are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the printer 1. Note that symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings indicate front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower, respectively. However, these are only directions for convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 1 at all. Symbol Y indicates the main scanning direction. The main scanning direction Y corresponds to the left-right direction. Reference numeral X indicates a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction Y in plan view. The sub-scanning direction X corresponds to the front-rear direction. However, the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the form of the printer 1 and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 performs printing on a recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 is a roll-shaped medium, so-called roll paper. Here, the recording paper 5 corresponds to the “recording medium” of the present invention. However, the recording medium of the present invention is not limited to the recording paper 5. For example, the recording medium may be a resin sheet. The recording medium is not limited to a flexible sheet, and may be a medium having a hard material such as a glass substrate.

  The printer 1 includes a main body 10, legs 11, an operation panel 12, and a cover 15. The main body 10 has a casing 10A extending in the main scanning direction Y. The legs 11 support the main body 10. The legs 11 are provided on the lower surface of the main body 10. The operation panel 12 is provided on the right front surface of the main body 10. The operation panel 12 is used by the user for operations related to printing. Although not shown, the operation panel 12 includes a display unit that displays information related to printing such as monochrome printing or color printing, resolution, and ink density, and an input unit that inputs information related to printing. Is provided.

  The cover 15 is provided on the main body 10. Here, the cover 15 is attached to the upper part of the main body 10 so as to be freely opened and closed. A discharge port 13 for discharging the recording paper 5 is formed below the cover 15 and below the main body 10. A guide 14 for guiding the recording paper 5 discharged from the discharge port 13 is provided at a position in front of and below the discharge port 13. The guide 14 extends forward and obliquely downward from the discharge port 13.

  Next, the internal configuration of the printer 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 includes a guide rail 20, a platen 25, a head driving mechanism 28, an ink head 40 (see FIG. 3), and a cleaning device 100. The guide rail 20 is disposed below the cover 15. The guide rail 20 extends in the main scanning direction Y.

  The platen 25 supports the recording paper 5 when printing on the recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 is placed on the platen 25. Printing on the recording paper 5 is performed on the platen 25. The platen 25 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The platen 25 is disposed below and in front of the central portion of the guide rail 20. The platen 25 is continuous with the guide 14.

  In this embodiment, a pair of upper and lower rollers 26 that convey the recording paper 5 in the sub-scanning direction X are shown at the left and right ends of the platen 25 (note that only the upper roller 26 is shown in FIG. The rollers 26 are omitted). However, the number and installation positions of the pair of upper and lower rollers 26 are not particularly limited. One of the pair of upper and lower rollers 26 is a driving roller (also referred to as a grid roller) that rotates by itself. The other roller 26 is a pinch roller for sandwiching the recording paper 5 together with the drive roller. The pinch roller is configured to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The head driving mechanism 28 is a mechanism that moves the ink head 40 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the head drive mechanism 28 includes a pulley 21, a pulley 22, an endless belt 23, a servo motor 24, and a carriage 30. The pulley 21 is provided at the right end portion of the guide rail 20. The pulley 22 is provided at the left end portion of the guide rail 20. The belt 23 is wound around the pulley 21 and the pulley 22. Here, the servo motor 24 is connected to the pulley 21, but may be connected to the pulley 22. When the servo motor 24 drives the pulley 21, the belt 23 travels between the pulley 21 and the pulley 22.

  The carriage 30 is attached to the belt 23. Although not shown, the carriage 30 is engaged with the guide rail 20. The carriage 30 moves in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20 as the belt 23 travels.

  The plurality of ink heads 40 eject ink onto the recording paper 5. The ink head 40 is disposed above the platen 25. The ink head 40 ejects ink downward toward the platen 25. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the ink head 40. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of ink heads 40 are mounted on a head holder 40a. The plurality of ink heads 40 are arranged in the main scanning direction X. Each ink head 40 includes a plurality of nozzles 41 formed on the bottom surface (nozzle surface) 41 a and arranged in the sub-scanning direction X. Since the nozzle 41 is very small, the plurality of nozzles 41 are represented by straight lines in FIG. The ink head 40 ejects ink downward from the nozzle 41. Here, an ink cartridge 45 is connected to the ink head 40 via a tube 46. The ink cartridge 45 contains ink. The ink in the ink head 40 is supplied from the ink cartridge 45 through the tube 46. A plurality of nozzles 41 eject different colors of ink. As shown in FIG. 2, the ink head 40 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 20. In the present embodiment, the ink head 40 is attached to the carriage 30 via the head holder 40 a and is slidably engaged with the guide rail 20 via the head holder 40 a and the carriage 30. The ink head 40 is moved in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20 by the head driving mechanism 28.

  Here, the ink head 40 is configured to stand by at a home position HP located on the right end side of the guide rail 20 when printing on the recording paper 5 is not performed or before cleaning is started. Has been. The head drive mechanism 28 is configured to move the ink head 40 to the home position HP. The position of the home position HP is not particularly limited, but is preferably a position excluding the platen 25 in plan view. For example, the home position HP may be located on the left end side of the guide rail 20.

  In the present embodiment, a cap 53 is disposed at the home position HP below the right end portion in the main body 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink head 40 is positioned above the cap 53 when waiting at the home position HP. At this time, at least the nozzle 41 is covered with a cap 53 from below. Thereby, drying of the nozzle 41 is suppressed. As will be described later in detail, the cap 53 has a suction function for sucking ink in the ink head 40.

  Next, the cleaning device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. When printing by the printer 1 is performed, ink or a foreign matter may adhere to the nozzle surface 41 a of the ink head 40. Due to this deposit, the recording paper 5 may become dirty during printing, and the print quality may deteriorate. Therefore, the cleaning device 100 removes deposits such as ink adhered to the nozzle surface 41 a of the ink head 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning device 100 is provided inside the printer 1. Here, the cleaning device 100 is provided between the platen 25 and the home position HP. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the cleaning device 100. FIG. 6 is a front view of the cleaning device 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning device 100 includes a wiper 50, a rotary shaft 81, a cleaning liquid tank 60, a pad 70, a drive mechanism 80, and a control device 90 (see FIG. 15).

  FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a at the wiping position P1. As shown in FIG. 7A, the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40. Here, the wiper 50 has a contact portion 50a1 that contacts the nozzle surface 41a. The contact portion 50a1 is, for example, the tip portion of the wiper 50. When the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a, the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 41a are removed. Here, the position P1 of the contact portion 50a1 when the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a is referred to as “wiping position P1”. The wiping position P1 is the position of the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 when the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 contacts the nozzle surface 41a. The wiping position P1 corresponds to the “first position” of the present invention. Then, when the ink head 40 moves in one direction Y1 from the right to the left in the main scanning direction Y in a state where the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is in contact with the nozzle surface 41a, the adhered matter attached to the nozzle surface 41a is The wiper 50 is removed by the contact portion 50a1. The deposit removed from the nozzle surface 41a typically adheres to the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50.

  In the present embodiment, the wiper 50 is supported by a rotating shaft 81 as shown in FIG. Here, a rotary shaft 81 is provided at one end of the wiper 50. The rotary shaft 81 is provided with a wiper 50 that can be replaced. The rotating shaft 81 is a member extending in the front-rear direction. As the rotating shaft 81 rotates, the wiper 50 rotates around the rotating shaft 81. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating shaft 81 is provided above the cleaning liquid tank 60 when the cleaning device 100 is disposed in the main body 10.

  The wiper 50 is a plate-like member extending in the front-rear direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, the wiper 50 includes a first side surface 50a, a second side surface 50b, and a front end surface 50c. The first side surface 50a and the second side surface 50b are surfaces extending from the rotation shaft 81 toward the tip. Here, when the wiper 50 is positioned at the wiping position P1, the first side surface 50a is positioned behind the second side surface 50b. Here, the first side surface 50a and the second side surface 50b are arranged so as to be parallel to each other, but the distance between the first side surface 50a and the second side surface 50b may increase toward the tip. It may be good or narrow toward the tip.

  The tip surface 50c is a surface that connects the tip of the first side surface 50a and the tip of the second side surface 50b. Here, the angle formed by the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c and the angle formed by the second side surface 50b and the front end surface 50c are each a right angle. However, the angle formed by the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c and the angle formed by the second side surface 50b and the front end surface 50c may each be an acute angle or an obtuse angle. The material of the wiper 50 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a flexible material. For example, the wiper 50 is made of rubber.

  The cleaning liquid tank 60 stores the cleaning liquid 55. Here, the “cleaning liquid” is a liquid for cleaning the wiper 50. The type of the cleaning liquid 55 is not particularly limited. As the cleaning liquid 55, for example, water or an organic solvent can be appropriately used.

  FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating the position of the wiper 50 at the cleaning position P2. As shown in FIG. 7B, the contact part 50 a 1 of the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, a portion of the wiper 50 that comes into contact with the nozzle surface 41 a during wiping is at least immersed in the cleaning liquid 55. By immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55, the cleaning liquid 55 is applied to the wiper 50. Here, the position P2 of the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 when the cleaning liquid 55 is immersed in the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is referred to as a “cleaning position P2.” The cleaning position P <b> 2 is a position where at least a part of the wiper 50 (here, a part where the nozzle surface 41 a is wiped) is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, the cleaning position P2 is the position of the contact portion 50a1 when the tip of the wiper 50 faces downward. In the present embodiment, the cleaning position P2 corresponds to the “second position” of the present invention.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view of the cleaning liquid tank 60. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning liquid tank 60 has a rectangular shape. Specifically, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a bottom plate 61, a front plate 62, a rear plate 63, a left plate 64, and a right plate 65. As shown in FIG. 9, the bottom plate 61 is disposed so as to be inclined toward the lower left in a front view. The front plate 62, the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, and the right plate 65 extend upward from the bottom plate 61, respectively. The front plate 62 is continuous with the front end of the bottom plate 61. The rear plate 63 is continuous with the rear end of the bottom plate 61. As shown in FIG. 8, the front plate 62 and the rear plate 63 are positioned so as to be parallel to each other. The lower end of the left plate 64 is continuous with the left end of the bottom plate 61. The front end of the left plate 64 is continuous with the left end of the front plate 62, and the rear end of the left plate 64 is continuous with the left end of the rear plate 63. The lower end of the right plate 65 is continuous with the right end of the bottom plate 61. Further, the front end of the right plate 65 is continuous with the right end of the front plate 62, and the rear end of the right plate 65 is continuous with the right end of the rear plate 63. The left plate 64 and the right plate 65 are positioned so as to be parallel to each other.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid tank 60 is provided with a region where the pad 70 is disposed. Here, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a first partition plate 66a and a second partition plate 66b. The first partition plate 66 a and the second partition plate 66 b extend upward from the bottom plate 61. The first partition plate 66 a is disposed so as to be parallel to the left plate 64 and the right plate 65. The second partition plate 66 b is disposed so as to be parallel to the front plate 62 and the rear plate 63. The rear end of the first partition plate 66 a is continuous with the rear plate 63. The front end of the first partition plate 66a is continuous with the left end of the second partition plate 66b. The right end of the second partition plate 66 b is continuous with the right plate 65. Here, the cleaning liquid 55 is stored in a space 68 surrounded by the bottom plate 61, the front plate 62, a part of the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, a part of the right plate 65, the first partition plate 66a and the second partition plate 66b. Has been. The space 68 is an L-shaped space in plan view.

  The cleaning liquid tank 60 employs an overflow type configuration. Here, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a partition wall 67. The partition wall 67 divides the space 68 into two spaces. The partition wall 67 extends upward from the bottom plate 61. Here, the front end of the partition wall 67 is continuous with the front plate 62, and the rear end of the partition wall 67 is continuous with the second partition plate 66b. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper end of the partition wall 67 is the upper end of the cleaning liquid tank 60 (ie, the front plate 62, the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, the right plate 65, the first partition plate 66a and the second partition plate 66b, respectively). Is located below the upper end).

  Here, the partition wall 67 divides the space 68 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 into two spaces, that is, a cleaning space 68a and a discharge space 68b. The cleaning space 68a is a space in which the cleaning liquid 55 is stored, and is a space in which the wiper 50 is immersed. The discharge space 68b is a space where the overflowed cleaning liquid 55 flows when the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning space 68a overflows. Here, a passage 68 c through which the cleaning liquid 55 passes is provided on the partition wall 67. The cleaning space 68a and the discharge space 68b communicate with each other through the passage 68c. The cleaning liquid 55 is added to the cleaning space 68a at a predetermined timing. When the cleaning liquid 55 overflows from the cleaning space 68a, the overflowing cleaning liquid 55 flows to the discharge space 68b through the passage 68c.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the 1st discharge hole 75 is formed in the site | part which forms the discharge space 68b among the site | parts which comprise the washing | cleaning-liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. Here, the 1st discharge hole 75 is formed in the lower part (part below the center of an up-down direction) of the site | part surrounding the discharge space 68b among the front plates 62. As shown in FIG. A first discharge tube 76 is connected to the first discharge hole 75. Here, one end of the first discharge tube 76 is inserted into the first discharge hole 75, and the drainage tank 77 is connected to the other end. The cleaning liquid 55 that has flowed into the discharge space 68 b flows from the first discharge hole 75 through the first discharge tube 76 to the discharge tank 77.

  In this embodiment, the 2nd discharge hole 78 is formed in the site | part which forms the cleaning space 68a among the site | parts which comprise the washing | cleaning-liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. Here, the 2nd discharge hole 78 is formed in the lower part of the site | part surrounding the washing | cleaning space 68a among the front plates 62. FIG. The second discharge holes 78 are smaller than the first discharge holes 75, but may be the same or larger. A second discharge tube 79 is connected to the second discharge hole 78. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship among the cleaning liquid tank 60, the pump 71, and the cap 53. Here, one end of the second discharge tube 79 is inserted into the second discharge hole 78, and the other end is connected to the pump 71. The pump 71 is, for example, a trochoid pump. A valve 79 a that opens and closes the second discharge tube 79 is provided in the middle of the second discharge tube 79. Here, when the second discharge tube 79 is opened by the valve 79a, the pump 71 is driven so that the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning space 68a passes through the second discharge tube 79 from the second discharge hole 78. It is discharged outside.

  In the present embodiment, the tube 46 connecting the ink head 40 and the ink cartridge 45 is provided with a valve 47 for operating the tube 46 so as to be freely opened and closed. A suction tube 54 is connected to the cap 53 described above. One end of the suction tube 54 is connected to the cap 53, and the other end is connected to an intermediate portion of the second discharge tube 79. That is, the suction tube 54 is connected to the pump 71 via the second discharge tube 79. When the tube 46 is opened by the valve 47, when the pump 71 is driven, ink is sucked through the suction tube 54 from the nozzle 41 of the ink head 40 covered by the cap 53. In the present embodiment, the discharge of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 and the suction of the ink in the ink head 40 can be performed using one pump 71.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid tank 60 is accommodated in a predetermined space of the main body 10 of the printer 1. This predetermined space is, for example, a space located below the rotation shaft 81. Here, a handle 62 a is provided on the front plate 62 of the cleaning liquid tank 60. The user can hold the handle 62a and slide the cleaning liquid tank 60 in the front-rear direction so as to be accommodated in the predetermined space of the main body 10 or taken out from the predetermined space.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a filter 69 is disposed on at least a part of the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60 (here, the bottom plate 61) surrounding the cleaning space 68a. The filter 69 attaches the deposits removed from the wiper 50 when the wiper 50 is cleaned in the cleaning space 68 a of the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, the deposit removed in the cleaning liquid tank 60 moves downward and settles in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Then, the deposited deposit is adhered to the filter 69. The material of the filter 69 is not particularly limited. For example, the filter 69 is preferably a porous polyethylene fiber filter.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the pad 70 removes the cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper 50 when the contact portion 50 a 1 of the wiper 50 comes into contact. Here, “removing the cleaning liquid” includes not only removing all of the cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper 50 but also removing only a part of the cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper 50. Here, the pad 70 removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50. Here, the “predetermined amount” is not an amount in which the cleaning liquid 55 is completely removed from the wiper 50, but a state in which some cleaning liquid 55 remains in the wiper 50 (for example, the cleaning liquid 55 does not enter the nozzle 41). This is the amount that is left). Here, the pad 70 is provided in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Specifically, the pad 70 is disposed in a space excluding the cleaning space 68a and the discharge space 68b in the cleaning liquid tank 60 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 10, the pad 70 is disposed below the rotation shaft 81. When viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 81, the pad 70 is arranged so as to be aligned with the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. In other words, when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 81, the pad 70 is arranged in line with the cleaning space 68a that is a space in which the cleaning liquid 55 is stored. Here, the pad 70 is arranged on the right side of the cleaning space 68a. In the present embodiment, the “axial direction of the rotating shaft 81” is a direction when the cleaning device 100 is viewed from the front.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8, a table 72 is provided in the space surrounded by the first partition plate 66a, the second partition plate 66b, the rear plate 63 and the right plate 65 of the cleaning liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. 10, a pad 70 is arranged on the base 72. In the present embodiment, the base 72 is inclined. Specifically, the table 72 is inclined downward as it goes to the left, that is, toward the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Therefore, the upper surface 70 a of the pad 70 disposed on the table 72 is inclined downward toward the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is inclined diagonally to the left in front view. The upper surface 70 a of the pad 70 is disposed in an inclined state with respect to the liquid surface 55 a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. The upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is a flat surface. However, the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 may be disposed horizontally, that is, parallel to the liquid surface 55a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Further, the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is not limited to a flat surface.

  In the present embodiment, at least a part of the pad 70 is located above the liquid level 55 a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. In the present embodiment, a portion of the pad 70 that is away from the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 is located above the liquid level of the stored cleaning liquid 55. Note that all of the pads 70 may be disposed above or below the liquid surface 55 a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  The pad 70 is made of an absorptive material. Specifically, the pad 70 is made of a porous material. In the present embodiment, the pad 70 is formed of a polyolefin sheet. The polyolefin sheet has high absorbency and high solvent resistance. Therefore, it can be said that it is useful to use a polyolefin sheet as the pad 70 in which the cleaning liquid 55 is absorbed. In the present embodiment, the pad 70 corresponds to the “removal member” of the present invention.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the wiper 50 and the pad 70 at the removal position P3. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 is removed by the wiper 50 being pressed against the pad 70 at the removal position P3. The removed cleaning liquid 55 is absorbed by the pad 70. Here, the position P3 of the wiper 50 when a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 is removed by the pad 70 is referred to as a “removal position P3”. The removal position P3 corresponds to the “third position” of the present invention. At the removal position P3, at least a part of the wiper 50 contacts the pad 70. In other words, the wiper 50 is pressed against the pad 70 at the removal position P3. The wiper 50 is in contact with the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 at an angle. In the present embodiment, the wiper 50 is in point contact with the pad 70 when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 81, that is, in a front view. Specifically, when viewed from the front, the wiper 50 is in contact with the pad 70 at a point 50d. Here, the point 50d is an end point of the first side surface 50a when viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft 81, and is a point at a position that is a boundary between the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c. The point 50d is a part of the contact portion 50a1. Although illustration is omitted here, the wiper 50 is in line contact with the pad 70 at the removal position P3 in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft 81, the first side surface 50a that is a surface extending from the point 50d of the wiper 50 toward the rotary shaft 81 at the removal position P3, and the upper surface of the pad 70 The angle R11 formed by 70a is preferably 30 degrees or more. In the present embodiment, the angle R11 formed by the first side surface 50a and the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 at the removal position P3 is, for example, 45 degrees. Similarly, when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 81, the angle R12 formed by the tip surface 50c of the wiper 50 and the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 at the removal position P3 is preferably 30 degrees or more. In the present embodiment, the angle R12 formed by the tip surface 50c and the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 at the removal position P3 is, for example, 45 degrees.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drive mechanism 80 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 50. Here, the position of the tip of the wiper 50 is moved by rotating the wiper 50 by the drive mechanism 80. Here, the drive mechanism 80 is connected to the rotating shaft 81. The drive mechanism 80 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 50 to a wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7A), a cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 7B), and a removal position P3 (see FIG. 12). FIG. 13 is a view showing the drive mechanism 80 and is a rear view of the cleaning device 100. Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the drive mechanism 80 includes a driven pulley 82, a drive pulley 83, an endless belt 84, and a drive motor 85. As shown in FIG. 5, the driven pulley 82 is provided at the rear end of the rotation shaft 81. As shown in FIG. 13, a drive pulley 83 is rotatably provided with respect to the main body 10 at a position away from the driven pulley 82 by a predetermined distance. An endless belt 84 is wound around the driven pulley 82 and the driving pulley 83. A drive motor 85 is connected to the drive pulley 83. Here, when the drive motor 85 is driven, the drive pulley 83 rotates. As the drive pulley 83 rotates, the belt 84 travels. As the belt 84 travels, the driven pulley 82 rotates. As the driven pulley 82 rotates, the rotation shaft 81 rotates, so that the wiper 50 rotates about the rotation shaft 81. As the wiper 50 rotates, the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 moves to the wiping position P1, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3.

  In the present embodiment, at the cleaning position P2, the drive mechanism 80 is configured to rotate the wiper 50 as follows. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which primary stirring is performed. As shown in FIG. 14, here, the position above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 is defined as the first cleaning position P21, which is below the first cleaning position P21, and the cleaning liquid The position in 55 is defined as a second cleaning position P22. At this time, at the cleaning position P2, the drive mechanism 80 is configured to reciprocate the wiper 50 between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22 a predetermined first number of times. That is, the wiper 50 moves so as to pass the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 55 a plurality of times. Thus, the operation of the wiper 50 that reciprocates between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22 is referred to as “primary stirring”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, at the cleaning position P2, the drive mechanism 80 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60, and the wiper 50 is moved for a predetermined second number of times during a predetermined distance. It is configured to perform a reciprocating operation. That is, the wiper 50 performs a reciprocating operation at a predetermined interval while being placed in the cleaning liquid 55. In other words, the drive mechanism 80 vibrates the contact part 50a1 of the wiper 50 in the state where the contact part 50a1 of the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 at the cleaning position P2. The operation in which the wiper 50 reciprocates in the cleaning liquid 55 is referred to as “secondary stirring”. In addition, the 1st frequency | count of primary stirring mentioned above and the 2nd frequency | count of secondary stirring may be the same, and may differ.

  Next, the control device 90 will be described. FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the printer 1. As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 90 includes a microcomputer and is provided inside the main body 10. The control device 90 includes a CPU, a ROM storing a program executed by the CPU, a RAM, and the like. Here, control relating to printing and control relating to cleaning are performed using a program stored in the microcomputer.

  The control device 90 is connected to the servo motor 24 connected to the pulley 21, the ink head 40, the drive motor 85 of the drive mechanism 80 connected to the wiper 50, and the pump 71 connected to the cap 53 and the cleaning liquid tank 60. The servo motor 24, the ink head 40, the drive motor 85, and the pump 71 are controlled.

  The control device 90 controls the rotation of the pulley 21 and the traveling of the belt 23 (see FIG. 2) by controlling the servo motor 24. The control device 90 controls the timing at which the ink head 40 ejects ink. Further, the control device 90 controls the rotation of the drive pulley 83 and the travel of the belt 84 by controlling the drive motor 85. That is, the control device 90 controls the wiper 50 to move to the wiping position P1, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3 by controlling the drive motor 85. Further, the control device 90 controls the drive motor 85 of the drive mechanism 80 to perform the control related to the primary stirring and the secondary stirring described above. The control device 90 controls the pump 71 to control the timing for sucking ink in the ink head 40, the timing for discharging the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60, and the like.

  The configuration of the printer 1 including the cleaning device 100 has been described above. Next, a procedure for performing cleaning in the cleaning apparatus 100 will be described. First, the control device 90 controls the head driving mechanism 28 to move the ink head 40 to the home position HP (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4, the cap 53 is attached to the ink head 40 moved to the home position HP. In the present embodiment, cleaning is started with the cap 53 attached to the ink head 40.

  When cleaning is started, first, the drive mechanism 80 moves the wiper 50 to the cleaning position P2, as shown in FIG. 7B. Thereafter, at the cleaning position P2, the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 (typically, the cleaning space 68a). As a result, the cleaning liquid 55 is applied to the wiper 50. In the state where the cleaning liquid 55 is attached to the wiper 50, the wiper 50 is rotated clockwise R1 about the rotation shaft 81 in the front view by the driving mechanism 80, thereby being removed from the cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 12). ) As shown in FIG. 12, when moving from the cleaning position P2 to the removal position P3, by rotating in the direction R3, the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is above the cleaning position P2 and the removal position P3, and , Passing above the rotating shaft 81. When viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft 81 at the removal position P3, the point 50d of the wiper 50 contacts the pad 70. As described above, at the removal position P3, the angle R11 formed by the first side surface 50a and the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is 30 degrees or more, and the angle R2 formed by the tip surface 50c of the wiper 50 and the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is 30 degrees or more. At this time, the control device 90 stops the wiper 50 with the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 being in contact with the pad 70 at the removal position P3. Here, the control device 90 controls the drive mechanism 80 so that the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is brought into contact with the pad 70 for a predetermined time at the removal position P3. The predetermined time is stored in the control device 90 in advance. At the removal position P3, a part of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the first side surface 50a, the second side surface 50b, and the front end surface 50c flows downward and is absorbed by the pad 70.

  After removing a part of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 at the removal position P3, the wiper 50 is removed by rotating counterclockwise R2 about the rotation shaft 81 in the front view by the drive mechanism 80. The position moves from the position P3 to the wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7A). Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, at the wiping position P1, the wiper 50 is fixed so that the tip is directed upward. After the wiper 50 moves to the wiping position P1, the ink head 40 moves from the home position HP. Here, first, the cap 53 attached to the ink head 40 is removed. Thereafter, the ink head 40 is moved along the main scanning direction Y by the head driving mechanism 28 in one direction Y1 from right to left, that is, toward the cleaning device 100.

  When the ink head 40 reaches the wiping position P1, among the nozzles 41 of the ink head 40, the leftmost nozzle 41 and the portion of the nozzle surface 41a located near the leftmost nozzle 41 are wipers. 50 is wiped. At this time, the deposit attached to the wiped portion of the ink head 40 is removed by the wiper 50. The removed deposits adhere to the wiper 50, for example. In addition, after wiping is completed, the ink head 40 moves to the home position HP.

  Thereafter, the wiper 50 is rotated counterclockwise R2 around the rotation shaft 81 in the front view by the drive mechanism 80, thereby moving from the wiping position P1 to the cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 14). After moving to the cleaning position P2, after the above-described primary stirring is performed, secondary stirring is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, primary agitation is performed at the cleaning position P2 such that the wiper 50 reciprocates between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22. Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the wiper 50 is moved to a position where a part of the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Then, the secondary agitation is performed in such a manner that the wiper 50 reciprocates a predetermined interval a predetermined second number of times in the cleaning liquid 55. Deposits adhering to the wiper 50 are removed from the wiper 50 by the primary stirring and the secondary stirring. The removed deposit is precipitated in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Thereafter, the deposit adheres to the filter 69 (see FIG. 9) provided on the bottom plate 61 of the cleaning liquid tank 60. In addition, the frequency | count that primary stirring is performed and the frequency | count that secondary stirring is performed are not specifically limited. For example, secondary stirring may be performed after primary stirring is performed, and then primary stirring and secondary stirring may be performed in order again.

  Then, after the primary agitation and the secondary agitation are completed, the wiper 50 is removed and moved to the position P3 as shown in FIG. 12, and the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is removed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7A, the wiper 50 is moved to the wiping position P1, and the nozzle 41 located second from the left among the nozzles 41 of the ink head 40 is wiped. The wiping of the nozzle surface 41a is completed by performing wiping on the other nozzles 41 in the above procedure. In addition, after wiping by the wiper 50 is completed in all the nozzles 41, the ink head 40 is moved to the home position HP by the head driving mechanism 28.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid 55 is attached to the wiper 50 by immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. A predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 is removed from the wiper 50 attached with the cleaning liquid 55 by the pad 70 at the removal position P3. Therefore, the wiper 50 can wipe the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 with the predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 removed. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 41a and to prevent the cleaning liquid 55 from entering the nozzle 41 when wiping the nozzle surface 41a. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ejection failure of the nozzle 41.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 and the pad 70 are arranged side by side when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 81. The rotating shaft 81 is disposed above the cleaning liquid tank 60. The control device 90 controls the drive mechanism 80 to rotate the rotating shaft 81, thereby removing the wiper 50 from the wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7A), the cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 7B), and the removal position P3 (see FIG. 12). Has been moved to. When the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 moves between the cleaning position P2 and the removal position P3, the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 passes above the rotary shaft 81, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3. Accordingly, the wiper 50 can be moved to the wiping position P1, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3 with a simple configuration in which the wiper 50 is rotated about the rotation shaft 81. Compared with a cleaning device that slides in a straight line, the distance that the wiper 50 moves in the left-right direction can be shortened. Therefore, the cleaning device 100 can be reduced in size.

  In the present embodiment, the control device 90 controls the drive mechanism 80 to stop the wiper 50 in a state where the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 is in contact with the pad 70 at the removal position P3. When viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft 81, the wiper 50 is in contact with the pad 70 at a point 50d at the removal position P3. Further, when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 81, an angle R11 formed by the first side surface 50a extending from the point 50d to the rotating shaft 81 and the upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is 30 degrees or more at the removal position P3. As a result, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c of the wiper 50 can easily flow toward the pad 70 at the removal position P3. Therefore, it is easy to remove the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c.

  In the present embodiment, the upper surface 70 a of the pad 70 is inclined downward toward the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. The upper surface 70a of the pad 70 is a flat surface. At least a part of the upper surface 70 a of the pad 70 is located above the liquid surface 55 a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Accordingly, the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 can be easily brought into contact with the pad 70 while rotating the wiper 50 about the rotation shaft 81.

  The pad 70 is made of an absorbent material. In the present embodiment, the pad 70 is made of a porous material. Specifically, the pad 70 is formed of a polyolefin sheet. This makes it easier to remove the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the control device 90 causes the drive mechanism 80 to move at least a part of the wiper 50 between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22. Primary stirring is performed for reciprocal movement for the first number of times. Many bubbles are generated on the surface of the cleaning liquid 55 by the primary stirring. Therefore, when the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 due to the bubbles, dust floating on the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 55 can be made difficult to adhere to the wiper 50. Moreover, as the wiper 50 moves back and forth on the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 55 as in the case of primary stirring, water splashes rise. Therefore, the wiper 50 can be easily cleaned by the splash of water hitting the wiper 50.

  In the present embodiment, after the primary agitation is performed, the control device 90 causes the drive mechanism 80 to vibrate the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 in a state where the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. That is, secondary agitation is performed by reciprocating a predetermined second number of times within a predetermined distance. As a result, even if the adhering matter adhering to the wiper 50 cannot be removed by the primary stirring, the adhering matter adhering to the wiper 50 may be removed by the secondary stirring. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deposits from remaining on the wiper 50. As a result of the primary agitation, a larger amount of the ink component adhering to the wiper 50 remains near the surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60 in the cleaning liquid 55 than in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60. Therefore, the ink component in the cleaning liquid 55 can be made uniform by performing the secondary stirring after the primary stirring.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cleaning position P2, which is a position where the cleaning liquid 55 is attached to the wiper 50, is at least part of the wiper 50 (here, the wiping position) in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. In P1, it is the position where the part in contact with the nozzle surface 41a is immersed. Thus, the wiper 50 can be cleaned by a simple procedure of immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a filter 69 is disposed on the bottom surface (here, the bottom plate 61) of the cleaning liquid tank 60. In the cleaning position P2, as shown in FIG. 7B, the deposits attached to the wiper 50 are removed by the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. The removed deposit is precipitated in the cleaning liquid 55 and is deposited on the filter 69. Therefore, the inside of the cleaning liquid tank 60 can be cleaned by a simple method of taking out the filter 69 to which the deposits are attached from the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the ink head 40 moves toward the wiper 50, and when the wiper 50 is located at the wiping position P1, the nozzle surface 41a and the wiper 50 come into contact with each other. As shown in FIG. 12, at the removal position P3, the pad 70 removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c of the wiper 50 on the ink head 40 intrusion side. The first side surface 50a of the wiper 50 is a portion of the wiper 50 that first contacts the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 during wiping. Therefore, by removing at least the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the first side surface 50a that is the part of the wiper 50 that first contacts the nozzle surface 41a, the cleaning liquid 55 is less likely to enter the nozzle 41 of the ink head 40 during wiping. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective discharge of the nozzle 41.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a partition wall 67 that divides an internal space 68 into a cleaning space 68 a in which the cleaning liquid 55 is stored and a discharge space 68 b in which the cleaning liquid 55 is discharged. ing. The upper end of the partition wall 67 is located below the upper ends of the front plate 62, the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, and the right plate 65, which are side surfaces of the cleaning liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. 6, a first discharge hole 75 through which the cleaning liquid 55 is discharged is formed in a portion surrounding the discharge space 68 b in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, the 1st discharge hole 75 is formed in the lower part of the site | part surrounding the discharge space 68b among the front plates 62. FIG. As a result, the cleaning liquid 55 can be prevented from accumulating above the upper end of the partition wall 67 in the cleaning space 68 a in the cleaning liquid tank 60. If the cleaning liquid 55 overflows from the cleaning space 68a, the cleaning liquid 55 flows to the discharge space 68b through the passage 68c on the partition wall 67. The cleaning liquid 55 in the discharge space 68b flows from the first discharge hole 75 to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a second discharge hole 78 through which the cleaning liquid 55 is discharged is formed in a portion of the cleaning liquid tank 60 surrounding the cleaning space 68a. Here, the 2nd discharge hole 78 is formed in the lower part of the site | part surrounding the washing | cleaning space 68a among the front plates 62. FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the cleaning device 100 includes a discharge tube 79 having one end inserted into the second discharge hole 78, and a pump 71 connected to the other end of the discharge tube 79. The pump 71 sucks the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Thus, when the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 is replaced with a new cleaning liquid 55, the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 can be preliminarily flowed to the outside from the second discharge hole 78. Therefore, the operation of replacing the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 with a new cleaning liquid 55 can be easily performed.

<Other embodiments>
Next, another embodiment of a printer provided with a cleaning device according to the present invention will be briefly described. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view in front view of a cleaning device 100A according to another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the cleaning device 100 </ b> A includes a plate-like base plate 91 and a lid 92. The cleaning liquid tank 60 is disposed on the base plate 91. The lid body 92 is detachably provided on the main body 10. The lid 92 is disposed above the base plate 91 and above the cleaning liquid tank 60. An opening 93 is formed in the lid 92. When the rotating shaft 81 rotates and the contact portion 50a1 of the wiper 50 moves to the cleaning position P1 (see FIG. 7A), the wiper 50 passes through the opening 93. The size of the opening 93 is a size that does not interfere with the wiper 50 when the wiper 50 rotates about the rotation shaft 81.

  In the present embodiment, a support portion 94 extending downward is provided at the rear portion of the lid body 92, which is a portion located behind the opening 93. Although illustration is omitted, a support portion similar to the support portion 94 is provided in the front portion of the lid body 92 that is located in front of the opening 93. Here, the support portion 94 and the support portion provided at the front portion of the lid 92 support the rotating shaft 81. The rotating shaft 81 is supported by the lid 92 through the support portion. The rotation shaft 81 rotates while being supported by the support portion 94 and the support portion at the front portion of the lid 92. The rotation shaft 81 is disposed below the opening 93.

  In the present embodiment, the entire upper surface 71 a of the pad 70 is located above the liquid level 55 a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. In the present embodiment, a part of the upper surface 71 a of the pad 70 may be located below the liquid surface 55 a of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  Next, a procedure for cleaning the ink head 40 according to another embodiment will be described. The procedure for cleaning the ink head 40 in the cleaning device 100 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the ink head 40 may be cleaned as follows. Even in other embodiments, as in the above-described embodiment, cleaning is started with the cap 53 attached to the ink head 40 at the home position HP (see FIG. 4). When cleaning is started, the wiper 50 is positioned at the cleaning position P2, as shown in FIG. 7B.

  When cleaning is started, the ink drive 40 moves to the left side of the cleaning device 100 in a front view by the head driving mechanism 28. Thereafter, the drive mechanism 80 moves the wiper 50 from the cleaning position P2 to the wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. 7A. The wiper 50 is fixed at the wiping position P1. At this time, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 is not removed by the pad 70. In a state where the wiper 50 is fixed at the wiping position P1, the head drive mechanism 28 causes the ink head 40 to move from the left side of the cleaning device 100 toward the home position HP. At this time, the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 is wiped by the wiper 50, whereby the deposits on the nozzle surface 41a are removed. After the ink head 40 has moved to the home position HP, the wiper 50 is moved to the cleaning position P2 by the drive mechanism 80 as shown in FIG. 14, and the primary stirring and secondary stirring as described above (see FIG. 7B). Is done. Thereafter, the wiper 50 is removed from the cleaning position P2 and moved to the position P3 by the drive mechanism 80 as shown in FIG. Then, at the removal position P3, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the first side surface 50a and the front end surface 50c of the wiper 50 is removed by the pad 70. Thereafter, the wiper 50 moves to the wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. 7A. The wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 by moving the ink head 40 in one direction Y1 of the main scanning direction Y by the head driving mechanism 28. Even with the procedure as described above, the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 can be removed.

  The printer embodiment and other embodiments according to the present invention have been described above. However, the above embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Hereinafter, modifications of the printer of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same name is used for a part having the same configuration as each part in the above-described embodiments, and the reference numerals are appropriately changed. In addition, descriptions of parts having the same configuration are omitted as appropriate.

<First Modification>
Next, the printer 200 according to the first modification will be described. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the ink head carriage 101. The printer according to the present invention may include the ink head carriage 101 provided in the printer 200 according to the present modification. Although not shown, the ink head carriage 101 is disposed above the platen 25 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 17, the ink head carriage 101 includes a head holder 110, a head plate 120, and a plurality of ink heads 130A to 130D. Although illustration is omitted, the head holder 110 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 20 (see FIG. 2) similarly to the carriage 30 (see FIG. 2) of the above-described embodiment. In FIG. 17, the portion of the head holder 110 that is engaged with the guide rail 20 (see FIG. 2) is not shown. The ink head carriage 101 is configured to eject ink from the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D onto the recording paper 5 while the head holder 110 moves in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the head holder 110 includes a rear plate 111 extending in the vertical direction, a left plate 112 fixed to the left end portion of the rear plate 111, and a right plate 113 fixed to the right end portion of the rear plate 111. I have. The left plate 112 and the right plate 113 extend forward from the rear plate 111. The head holder 110 includes a left base plate 114L fixed to the left plate 112 and a right base plate 114R fixed to the right plate 113. The base plates 114L and 114R extend in the front-rear direction and have a L-shaped cross section. The base plate 114L has a vertical portion 114La extending in the vertical direction and a horizontal portion 114Lb extending in the horizontal direction. The base plate 114R has a vertical portion 114Ra extending in the vertical direction and a horizontal portion 114Rb extending in the horizontal direction. Here, the base plates 114L and 114R are formed of sheet metal. However, the shape and material of the base plates 114L and 114R are not particularly limited. In this modification, the rear plate 111, the left plate 112, the right plate 113, the left base plate 114L, and the right base plate 114R are separately formed and assembled, but part or all of them are integrated. It may be formed automatically. The head holder 110 may be configured by assembling a plurality of members, or may be configured by a single member.

  FIG. 18 is a plan view of the ink head carriage 101 from which the ink heads 130A to 130D are omitted. As shown in FIG. 18, the head plate 120 is supported by the base plates 114L and 114R. The head plate 120 has a plurality of openings 121A, 121B, 121C, and 121D arranged in the main scanning direction Y. Ink heads 130A to 130D are attached to the openings 121A to 121D, respectively. Here, “the ink heads 130A to 130D are attached to the openings 121A to 121D” means that when the ink heads 130A to 130D are fitted into the openings 121A to 121D, the ink heads 130A to 130D are more than the openings 121A to 121D. The case where it installs so that it may be located upwards is included.

  FIG. 19 is a rear view of the ink head carriage 101. As shown in FIG. 19, the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D have a plurality of nozzles 131 arranged in the sub-scanning direction X. Since the nozzle 131 is very small, the plurality of nozzles 131 are represented by straight lines in FIG. The nozzles 131 of the ink heads 130A to 130D are located inside the openings 121A to 121D, respectively, when viewed from below.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a first contact portion 122 a against which the rear portions of the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D are pressed is provided behind the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D of the head plate 120. A second contact portion 122b and a third contact portion 122c to which the right portions of the ink heads 130A to 130D are pressed are provided to the right of the openings 121A to 121D. The third contact portion 122c is disposed in front of the second contact portion 122b. The second contact part 122b is pressed against the rear part of the right side of the ink heads 130A to 130D, and the third contact part 122c is pressed against the front part of the right side of the ink heads 130A to 130D. These first to third contact portions 122 a to 122 c are portions for positioning the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D with respect to the head plate 120. The ink heads 130A to 130D are attached to the openings 121A to 121D and pressed against the first to third contact portions 122a to 122c, so that the ink heads 130A to 130D are accurately arranged at predetermined positions on the head plate 120. It will be. In this modification, the number of contact portions is three, but the number is not particularly limited. Further, the position of the contact portion is not limited at all. Further, the contact portion is not always necessary and can be omitted.

  The openings 121A to 121D are formed in a shape in which the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length in the left-right direction. In this modification, the openings 121A to 121D are formed in the same shape and the same size. However, the shapes of the openings 121A to 121D may be different from each other. Moreover, the magnitude | size of opening 121A-121D is not specifically limited, Any one of opening 121A-121D may be larger than any other one. The positions of the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are not particularly limited, but the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are arranged at positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction X in the present modification. The front ends of the openings 121A to 121D are at the same position with respect to the sub-scanning direction X, and the rear ends of the openings 121A to 121D are at the same position with respect to the sub-scanning direction X. However, the openings 121A to 121D may be formed at positions shifted from each other with respect to the sub-scanning direction X. For example, any one front end of the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D may be located behind the other front end. The rear end of any one of the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D may be in front of any one of the other rear ends.

  The positional relationship between the ink heads 130A to 130D is the same as the positional relationship between the openings 121A to 121D. In this modification, the ink heads 130A to 130D are formed in the same shape and the same size, but their shape or size may be different. Although the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D are arranged at positions aligned with each other in the sub-scanning direction X, they may be arranged at positions shifted from each other with respect to the sub-scanning direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the right base plate 114R is provided with a rotating shaft 155 that rotatably supports the head plate 120. The rotating shaft 155 extends upward from the horizontal portion 114Rb of the base plate 114R, and is interposed between the base plate 114R and the head plate 120. By rotating the head plate 120 around the rotation shaft 155, the relative positions of the head plate 120 and the base plate 114R can be changed. That is, the arrangement direction of the openings 121A to 121D of the head plate 120 (see the dashed line 121L in FIG. 18; the arrangement direction of the openings 121A to 121D is also the arrangement direction of the ink heads 130A to 130D) and the main scanning direction Y. The angle can be changed. The rotating shaft 155 may be integrated with either the base plate 114R or the head plate 120, or may be separate from both of them. In this modification, the rotating shaft 155 is formed integrally with the base plate 114R.

  The rotation shaft 155 is disposed rearward of the most forward portion of the openings 121A to 121D, and is disposed forward of the rearmost portion of the openings 121A to 121D. As described above, in the present modification, the openings 121A to 121D are arranged at positions that are aligned with respect to the sub-scanning direction X. It arrange | positions ahead rather than the rear end of opening 121A-121D. The rotation shaft 155 is disposed behind the front ends of the ink heads 130A to 130D and ahead of the rear ends of the ink heads 130A to 130D.

  Further, the rotation shaft 155 is disposed on the one end side of the plurality of openings 121A to 121D with respect to the opening 121D located on the most end side in the main scanning direction Y. In the present modification, the rotation shaft 155 is disposed on the right side of the opening 121D located on the rightmost side among the openings 121A to 121D. In other words, the rotation shaft 155 is arranged on the right side of all the openings 121A to 121D. However, the position of the rotating shaft 155 is not limited to the above-described position.

  At the left end portion of the head plate 120, a concave portion 123 recessed to the right is formed. A screw hole 134 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in front of the recess 123. An adjustment screw 125 is inserted into the screw hole 134. A spiral groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the screw hole 134, and a spiral groove that engages with the spiral groove of the screw hole 134 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment screw 125. The front end portion (in other words, the rear end portion) of the adjustment screw 125 protrudes from the screw hole 134. At the base portion (in other words, the front end portion) of the adjustment screw 125, a + or − groove (not shown) that engages with a driver (not shown) is formed. The groove is an example of an engaging portion that engages with a tool that rotates the adjusting screw 125, but the tool is not limited to a driver. The engaging part is not limited to the groove as long as it engages with the tool.

  A contact member 115 is fixed to the left base plate 114L. The contact member 115 may be fixed to either the horizontal portion 114Lb or the vertical portion 114La of the base plate 114L. The contact member 115 may be separate from the base plate 114L or may be integrated. At least a part of the abutting member 115 is disposed inside the concave portion 123 of the head plate 120 as viewed from above. The contact member 115 includes a contact plate 116 located behind the adjustment screw 125. The adjustment screw 125 protrudes from the screw hole 134 toward the contact plate 116, and the front surface of the contact plate 116 is a contact surface 116a on which the adjustment screw 125 contacts. A first shaft 117 protrudes from the back surface of the contact surface 116 a, that is, from the rear surface of the contact plate 116.

  A portion of the head plate 120 facing the first shaft 117 is provided with a second shaft 118 extending toward the first shaft 117. The second shaft 118 is disposed behind the first shaft 117. The first shaft 117 and the second shaft 118 extend in the front-rear direction.

  A coil spring 119 is attached to the first shaft 117 and the second shaft 118. The coil spring 119 is interposed between the first shaft 117 and the second shaft 118. The coil spring 119 is more compressed than the natural length and functions as a so-called compression spring. The coil spring 119 biases the first shaft 117 and the second shaft 118 away from each other. Since the head plate 120 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 155, the coil spring 119 urges the head plate 120 in the clockwise direction when viewed from above. The clockwise direction is a direction in which the adjustment screw 125 approaches the contact plate 116. Therefore, the coil spring 119 biases the head plate 120 so that the adjusting screw 125 inserted into the screw hole 134 contacts the contact member 115. The adjustment screw 125 is always in contact with the contact member 115 by the coil spring 119. The coil spring 119 is an example of a spring that urges the head plate 120 so that the adjustment screw 125 contacts the contact member 115, but the spring is not limited to the coil spring 119. It is of course possible to use other types of springs such as torsion springs. Further, the first shaft 117 and the second shaft 118 are not always necessary, and can be omitted by attaching the coil spring 119 to the other part of the base plate 114L and the other part of the head plate 120.

  The adjustment screw 125 is disposed to the left of the openings 121A to 121D and the ink heads 130A to 130D. The openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D and the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D are disposed between the rotation shaft 155 and the adjustment screw 125 in the main scanning direction Y. When viewed from the main scanning direction Y, the rotation shaft 155 and the adjustment screw 125 are disposed at positions overlapping a part of the openings 121A to 121D and a part of the ink heads 130A to 130D. In this modification, a part of the adjustment screw 125 is arranged at a position aligned with the rotation shaft 155 and the sub-scanning direction X. That is, a part of the adjusting screw 125 is disposed behind the front end of the rotating shaft 155 and ahead of the rear end. However, it is not limited to this. The entire adjustment screw 125 may be disposed in front of the front end of the rotation shaft 155 or may be disposed in the rear of the rear end of the rotation shaft 155.

  At least a part of the adjustment screw 125 is disposed on the other end side of the openings 121A to 121D that are located closest to one end side in the sub-scanning direction X, and the opening 121A to 121D is located most in the sub-scanning direction X. It is arrange | positioned at the one end side rather than the part located in the other end side. As described above, the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are arranged at positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction X in the present modification. Therefore, at least a part of the adjustment screw 125 is disposed behind the front ends of the openings 121A to 121D and ahead of the rear ends of the openings 121A to 121D. Similarly, at least a part of the adjustment screw 125 is disposed on the other end side of the plurality of ink heads 130A to 130D and located closest to the one end side in the sub-scanning direction X, and the plurality of ink heads 130A to 130A. It is arranged on one end side of the portion of 130D that is located most on the other end side in the sub-scanning direction X. At least a part of the adjustment screw 125 is disposed behind the front ends of the ink heads 130A to 130D and ahead of the rear ends.

  First to fourth holes 141 to 144 are formed in the head plate 120. These first to fourth holes 141 to 144 are formed at the four corners of the head plate 120. Specifically, the first hole 141 is one end side of the openings 121A to 121D from the end on the most end side in the main scanning direction Y, and the end on the most end side in the sub-scanning direction X of the openings 121A to 121D. It is located on one end side from the part. The second hole 142 is the other end side of the openings 121A to 121D on the other end side in the main scanning direction Y and the end portion on the most end side in the sub-scanning direction X of the openings 121A to 121D. It is located at one end side. The third hole 143 is one end side of the openings 121A to 121D from the end on the most end side in the main scanning direction Y, and from the end of the openings 121A to 121D on the other end side in the sub-scanning direction X. Is also located on the other end side. The fourth hole 144 is the other end of the openings 121A to 121D on the other end side in the main scanning direction Y and the end on the other end side in the sub-scanning direction X of the openings 121A to 121D. It is located on the other end side from the part. As described above, the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are arranged at positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction X in the present modification. Therefore, the first hole 141 is located on the left side of the opening 121A located on the leftmost side and on the front side of the front ends of the openings 121A to 121D. The second hole 142 is located to the right of the rightmost opening 121D and ahead of the front ends of the openings 121A to 121D. The third hole 143 is located to the left of the leftmost opening 121A and to the rear of the rear ends of the openings 121A to 121D. The fourth hole 144 is located to the right of the rightmost opening 121D and to the rear of the rear ends of the openings 121A to 121D. The first hole 141 and the third hole 143 are long and narrow elongated holes. The second hole 142 and the fourth hole 144 are circular holes. However, not limited to this, any two of the first to fourth holes 141 to 144 may be long holes, and the other two may be circular holes.

  In the base plates 114L and 114R, fifth to eighth holes 145 to 148 corresponding to the first to fourth holes 141 to 144 of the head plate 120 are formed. The fifth hole 145 and the seventh hole 147 are formed in the front end portion and the rear end portion of the left base plate 114L, respectively. The sixth hole 146 and the eighth hole 148 are formed in the front end portion and the rear end portion of the right base plate 114R, respectively. The fifth to eighth holes 145 to 148 are circular holes. In this modification, the first hole 141 and the third hole 143 are long holes among the first to eighth holes 141 to 148. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any two that do not overlap each other are long. It may be a hole.

  Next, a method for adjusting the positions of the ink heads 130A to 130D will be described. The position adjustment of the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D is performed by rotating the adjustment screw 125. In this modification, when the adjustment screw 125 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the amount of protrusion of the adjustment screw 125 from the screw hole 134 increases, and the head plate 120 is rotated in the clockwise direction around the rotation shaft 155 as viewed from above. Rotate to. Conversely, when the adjustment screw 125 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the amount of protrusion of the adjustment screw 125 from the screw hole 134 is reduced, and the head plate 120 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 155 as viewed from above. Rotate to. Thereby, the inclination of the arrangement direction 121L of the ink heads 130A to 130D with respect to the main scanning direction Y is adjusted. While the adjustment screw 125 is rotated, the head plate 120 is biased by the coil spring 119, and the adjustment screw 125 is always in contact with the contact member 115, so that the position of the head plate 120 fluctuates in an unstable manner. Never do. Therefore, the positions of the ink heads 130A to 130D can be stably adjusted.

  After positioning the head plate 120 with respect to the base plate 114R, the first hole 141 and the fifth hole 145, the second hole 142 and the sixth hole 146, the third hole 143 and the seventh hole 147, and Screws 150 are fastened to the fourth hole 144 and the eighth hole 148, respectively. Thereby, the head plate 120 is fixed to the base plates 114L and 114R. As a result, the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D fixed to the head plate 120 are fixed to the head holder 110.

  FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram showing how the head plate 120 rotates. As shown in FIG. 20, the head plate 120 rotates along an arc 161 centered on the axis 155 c of the rotation shaft 155, but the axis 125 c of the adjustment screw 125 is tangent to the arc 161. According to this modification, the rotating shaft 155 and the adjusting screw 125 are disposed behind the front ends of the openings 121A to 121D and ahead of the rear ends. Therefore, the amount of change in the position of the ink heads 130A to 130D with respect to the amount of operation of the adjustment screw 125 does not vary greatly depending on the rotational position of the ink heads 130A to 130D. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the operation amount of the adjustment screw 125 and the amount of change in the position of the ink heads 130A to 130D. As shown in FIG. 21, for example, the change amount of the center position 130c of the ink head 130 when the adjustment screw 125 is operated by the operation amount A11 is B11, and the change amount of the center position 130c when the adjustment screw 125 is operated by the operation amount A12 is B12. In this case, their ratio, that is, B11 / A11 and B12 / A12 are not greatly different. Therefore, according to this modification, the followability of the position change of the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D with respect to the operation of the adjustment screw 125 becomes good. Therefore, the position adjustment work can be made easier than before.

  Further, according to the present modification, the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are arranged at positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction X as shown in FIG. 18. Thereby, compared with the case where the openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are arranged at uneven positions in the sub-scanning direction X, the positional change of the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D with respect to the operation of the adjustment screw 125 can be made uniform. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the followability of the position change of the ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D with respect to the operation of the adjustment screw 125, and the position adjustment work can be facilitated.

  Although the rotation shaft 155 may be provided between two adjacent openings among the openings 121A to 121D, in the present modification, the rotation shaft 155 is disposed on the right side of the opening 121D located on the rightmost side. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a space for providing the rotation shaft 155 between the two openings, and the distance between the two adjacent openings can be shortened. Therefore, the ink heads 130A to 130D can be arranged at positions close to each other, and the ink head carriage 101 can be downsized.

  In addition, the adjustment screw 125 may be provided between two adjacent openings among the openings 121A to 121D, but in the present modification, the adjustment screw 125 is disposed on the left side of the opening 121A located on the leftmost side. . The openings 121 </ b> A to 121 </ b> D are disposed between the rotation shaft 155 and the adjustment screw 125 in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a space for providing the adjustment screw 125 between the two openings, and the distance between the two adjacent openings can be shortened. Therefore, the ink heads 130A to 130D can be arranged at positions close to each other, and the ink head carriage 101 can be downsized.

  Further, according to the present modification, the spring (coil spring 119) that biases the head plate 120 so that the adjustment screw 125 always abuts against the abutting member 115 is provided. Since the adjustment screw 125 is always in contact with the contact member 115, the position of the head plate 120 can be prevented from changing when the adjustment screw 125 is operated. Therefore, the adjustment operation of the positions of the ink heads 130A to 130D can be stably performed.

  According to this modification, the first shaft 117 provided on the contact member 115 and the second shaft 118 provided on the head plate 120 are provided, and the spring is provided with the first shaft 117 and the second shaft 118. The coil spring 119 is attached to the shaft 118. With such a configuration, the coil spring 119 can be stably disposed at a predetermined position. Therefore, the adjustment screw 125 can be stably brought into contact with the contact member 115.

  Further, according to this modification, the head plate 120 and the base plates 114L and 114R are fixed by the screws 150 inserted into the first to fourth holes 141 to 144. The first to fourth holes 141 to 144 are formed at the four corners of the head plate 120. That is, the first hole 141, the second hole 142, the third hole 143, and the fourth hole 144 are formed at the left diagonal front, right diagonal front, left diagonal rear, and right diagonal rear of the openings 121A to 121D, respectively. Has been. Thereby, the head plate 120 can be stably fixed to the base plates 114L and 114R. In addition, it is possible to more reliably prevent the positional displacement of the head plate 120 over time.

  In this modification, the rotating shaft 155 and the adjusting screw 125 are arranged on the right and left sides of the openings 121A to 121D, respectively, but they may be reversed. That is, the rotating shaft 155 and the adjustment screw 125 may be arranged on the left and right sides of the openings 121A to 121D, respectively.

  In this modification, all of the rotating shaft 155 and all of the adjusting screw 125 are disposed behind the front ends of the openings 121A to 121D and ahead of the rear ends. However, a part of the rotating shaft 155 may be arranged behind the front end of the openings 121A to 121D and ahead of the rear end, and a part of the adjusting screw 125 is behind and behind the front end of the openings 121A to 121D. You may arrange | position ahead of an edge.

  In this modification, screws 150 are inserted into the first to fourth holes 141 to 144, and the head plate 120 and the base plates 114 </ b> L and 114 </ b> R are fixed by the screws 150. However, the fixture for fixing the head plate 120 and the base plates 114L and 114R is not limited to the screw 150. Other fixing tools such as screws, bolts, and pins may be inserted into the first to fourth holes 141 to 144, and the head plate 120 and the base plates 114L and 114R may be fixed by other fixing tools.

  In this modification, the adjustment screw 125 and the screw hole 134 are rotated in the counterclockwise direction by increasing the protrusion amount of the adjustment screw 125 when the adjustment screw 125 rotates clockwise in the traveling direction (backward). Although the projecting amount of the adjusting screw 125 is configured to be reduced, they may be reversed. That is, the protruding amount of the adjusting screw 125 is increased by rotating the adjusting screw 125 counterclockwise in the advancing direction (rear), and the protruding amount of the adjusting screw 125 is decreased by rotating clockwise. It may be.

  In this modification, the adjustment screw 125 is attached to the head plate 120 and the abutting member 115 is fixed to the base plate 114L, but they may be reversed. That is, the adjustment screw 125 may be attached to the base plate 114L and the contact member 115 may be fixed to the head plate 120. The contact member 115 may be separate from the base plate 114L or the head plate 120, but may be integrated.

  The ink heads 130 </ b> A to 130 </ b> D may eject the same color ink or may eject different color inks.

  In this modification, the number of openings in the head plate 120 is four, but the number of openings is not particularly limited. The number of openings may be 2 or 3, or 5 or more. Further, the number of ink heads can be changed according to the number of openings. The number of ink heads is not limited to four.

<Second Modification>
Next, a printer 300 according to a second modification will be described. FIG. 22 is a front view of the printer 300 according to this modification. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the printer 300 with the cover member opened. The printer according to the present invention may be a printer such as the printer 300 according to the present modification, and may be a printer provided with cartridge accommodating portions 308 and 309 that respectively accommodate a plurality of ink cartridges 201.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the printer 300 includes a main body portion 301, side portions 302 and 303, a platen 304, leg portions 305 and 306, an ink head unit 307 on which a plurality of ink heads are mounted, and will be described later. Cartridge accommodating portions 308 and 309 that respectively accommodate the plurality of ink cartridges 201 (see FIG. 23). The main body 301 is a housing extending in the left-right direction. A platen 304 that supports the recording paper 5 is provided inside the main body 301. A side part 302 formed of a housing is connected to the left of the front part of the main body part 301. A side part 303 formed of a housing is connected to the right side of the front part of the main body part 301. Leg portions 305 and 306 that support the main body 301 are attached to the lower portion of the main body 301. The leg portion 306 is located on the right side of the leg portion 305. The ink head unit 307 is disposed inside the main body 301. The cartridge housing portions 308 and 309 are provided on the left side of the upper portion of the main body portion 301. The cartridge housing portion 309 is arranged alongside the cartridge housing portion 308 on the right side of the cartridge housing portion 308. In this modification, the two cartridge housing portions 308 and 309 are provided, but one or three or more cartridge housing portions may be provided.

  In FIG. 22, the area in the main scanning direction Y of the area where the recording paper 5 is arranged (that is, the printing area) is R21, the area in the main scanning direction Y of the cartridge storage unit 308 is R22, and the cartridge storage unit 309 The region in the main scanning direction Y is R23. A part of the region R22 overlaps the region R21 in the main scanning direction Y of the printer 300. The entire region R23 overlaps the region R21 in the main scanning direction Y of the printer 300. In other words, a part of the region R22 is located above the region R21, and the whole region R23 is located above the region R21.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the cartridge housing portion 308 extends in the main scanning direction Y, that is, in the left-right direction. The cartridge housing part 308 includes an inclined part 202, a left wall part 203, a right wall part 204, a top surface part 205, and a cover member 206. Note that since the configuration of the cartridge housing portion 309 is the same as that of the cartridge housing portion 308, only the cartridge housing portion 308 will be described below. The inclined portion 202 supports the ink cartridge 201 holding the ink pack 310 filled with ink. The ink pack 310 is filled with yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K) or other ink. The inclined portion 202 is inclined downward as it goes rearward. As shown in FIG. 29, the inclination angle θ20 of the inclined portion 202 with respect to the horizontal plane HS is, for example, 5 degrees. Accordingly, the ink cartridge 201 supported by the inclined portion 202 is disposed so as to be inclined downward as it goes rearward. As shown in FIG. 23, the left wall 203 is connected to the left end of the inclined portion 202. The right wall portion 204 is connected to the right end of the inclined portion 202. The top surface portion 205 is connected to the upper end of the left wall portion 203 and the upper end of the right wall portion 204. The inclined portion 202, the left wall portion 203, the right wall portion 204, and the top surface portion 205 form an opening 207 for inserting the ink cartridge 201 from the front to the rear. In FIG. 23, four ink cartridges 201 are accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion 308, and a total of eight ink cartridges 201 are accommodated in the printer 300 of this modification together with the cartridge accommodating portion 309. The number of ink cartridges 201 to be accommodated is not particularly limited.

  The cover member 206 is opened forward by a hinge 208 connected to the lower portion of the cover member 206. Accordingly, the cover member 206 is configured to be rotatable between a first position P21 that closes the opening 207 and a second position P22 that opens the opening 207. The cover member 206 is in contact with the upper portion of the side portion 302 when the cover member 206 is in the second position P22. As a result, the cover member 206 is restricted so as not to open any more at the second position P22. Here, as shown in FIG. 31, the position when the ink cartridge 201 is appropriately disposed in a cartridge receiving portion 211 (described later) of the cartridge housing portion 308 (see FIG. 23) is defined as P23. Further, the position when the ink cartridge 201 is not properly arranged in the cartridge receiving portion 211 is set as P24. When the ink cartridge 201 is at the position P24, the front end 201b of the ink cartridge 201 is disposed in front of the rear surface 206a of the cover member 206 when the cover member 206 is at the first position P21 (see FIG. 23). It has come to be. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 201 is not disposed at the appropriate position P23, the rear surface 206a of the cover member 206 comes into contact with the front end 201b of the ink cartridge 201 when the cover member 206 is closed. For this reason, the cover member 206 is not closed.

  As shown in FIG. 24B, the cartridge storage portion 308 (see FIG. 23) is provided with a cartridge receiving portion 211 corresponding to the ink cartridge 201 to be stored. The ink cartridge 201 is accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion 308 by being disposed at a predetermined position of the cartridge receiving portion 211. As described above, the ink cartridge 201 is disposed in the cartridge housing portion 308 via the cartridge receiving portion 211. The cartridge receiving portion 211 includes a lower surface portion 211a, a left wall portion 211b connected to the left end of the lower surface portion 211a, a right wall portion 211c connected to the right end of the lower surface portion 211a, a rear end and a left wall of the lower surface portion 211a. A rear surface portion 211d connected to the rear end of the portion 211b and the rear end of the right wall portion 211c. With such a configuration, an opening 211e is formed in front of the cartridge receiving portion 211, and an opening 211f is formed above the cartridge housing portion 211. In the left wall portion 211b and the right wall portion 211c, grooves 211h are formed for fitting ribs 212a1 (described later) of the adapter 212 when the adapter 212 is positioned with respect to the ink cartridge 201, respectively. The ink cartridge 201 is inserted into the cartridge receiver 211 from the opening 211 e of the cartridge receiver 211. At the time of this insertion, the lower surface portion 201 a of the ink cartridge 201 slides on the lower surface portion 211 a of the cartridge receiving portion 211. This makes it easy to insert the ink cartridge 201 into the cartridge receiving portion 211. In the center of the rear surface portion 211d of the cartridge receiving portion 211, a needle material 211g extending forward and having a flow path therein is provided.

  Here, an adapter mounted on the ink pack 310 (see FIG. 23) in this modification will be described. Before the ink pack 310 is placed in the ink cartridge 201, an adapter 212 as shown in FIG. Then, the ink pack 310 with the adapter 212 attached is arranged at a predetermined position of the ink cartridge 201. The adapter 212 is detachable from the ink pack 310. Specifically, the adapter 212 can be attached to and detached from the ink pack cap 311 (see FIG. 27) of the ink pack 310.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the adapter 212 includes a rear surface portion 212a, an upper surface portion 212b connected to the upper end of the rear surface portion 212a, and a lower surface connected to the lower end of the rear surface portion 212a and extending forward from the front end of the upper surface portion 212b. 212c, a left wall portion 212d connected to the left end of the upper surface portion 212b, and a right wall portion 212e connected to the right end of the upper surface portion 212b. Ribs 212a1 are formed on the left and right portions of the rear surface portion 212a, respectively. The left wall portion 212d includes a left protrusion portion 212d1 that protrudes forward with a space above the left portion of the lower surface portion 212c. Thereby, a gap 213 is formed between the lower end of the left protrusion 212d1 and the left portion of the lower surface 212c. Similarly, the right wall portion 212e includes a right protruding portion 212e1 that protrudes forward while being spaced upward with respect to the right portion of the lower surface portion 212c. Thus, a gap 214 is formed between the lower end of the right protrusion 212e1 and the right portion of the lower surface 212c. On the lower surface of the upper surface portion 212b, a plurality of ribs 212g formed in a thin plate shape are provided side by side at substantially equal intervals in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 26, the lengths of the ribs 212g in the vertical direction are substantially the same as the lengths of the left protrusion 212d1 and the right protrusion 212e1, respectively. As shown in FIG. 25, the lengths of the ribs 212g in the front-rear direction are shorter than the lengths of the left protrusion 212d1 and the right protrusion 212e1, respectively. With the ink pack cap 311 (see FIG. 27) installed at a predetermined position on the rear surface portion 212a of the adapter 212, the rear portion of the pack body 312 (see FIG. 24A) described later is disposed in the gap 213 and the gap 214. The Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26, the left portion of the rear portion of the upper surface portion 312b (described later) of the pack body 312 is inserted into the gap 213 without contacting the left protrusion 212d1. In addition, the right part at the rear part of the upper surface part 312b is inserted into the gap 214 in a state where it does not contact the right protrusion 212e1. Further, the upper surface portion 312b of the pack body 312 is not in contact with each rib 212g. With such a configuration, the rear portion of the pack body 312 is positioned with respect to the adapter 212 in a free state without receiving a pressing force from the adapter 212. In FIG. 26, the arrangement state of the upper surface of the upper surface portion 312b of the pack body 312 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  A circular hole 215 is provided in the left part of the rear surface part 212a of the adapter 212, and a long hole 216 is provided in the right part of the rear surface part 212a. In addition, positioning pins (not shown) extending forward are provided on the left and right portions of the rear surface portion 211d of the cartridge receiving portion 211 (see FIG. 24B). The ink cartridge 201 (see FIG. 24B) in which the adapter 212 with the ink pack 310 is disposed is placed in the cartridge receiving portion 211 (see FIG. 24B) provided in the cartridge housing portion 308 (see FIG. 23). When placing, one of the positioning pins is inserted into the hole 215, and the other positioning pin is inserted into the long hole 216. With such a configuration, the ink cartridge 201 is positioned with respect to the cartridge receiving portion 211. A circular hole 217 is provided at the center of the rear surface 212 a of the adapter 212. When the adapter 212 is attached to the ink pack 310 (see FIG. 27), the ink pack cap 311 (see FIG. 27) is inserted into the hole 217. In such a configuration, when the ink pack 310 having a portion of the ink pack cap 311 protruding from the hole 217 of the adapter 212 is arranged in the ink cartridge 201 and the ink cartridge 201 is installed in the cartridge receiving portion 211. The needle material 211g is stuck into the ink pack cap 311. Thereby, the ink in the pack main body 312 flows into the flow path in the needle material 211g and flows out.

  As shown in FIG. 25, a fixing portion 212f that is slidable in the front-rear direction is provided at the center of the lower surface portion 212c of the adapter 212. The fixing portion 212f is formed in a flat plate shape. The fixing part 212f is formed in a rectangular shape. When the adapter 212 is attached to the ink pack 310 (see FIG. 27), the fixing portion 212f has a center in the longitudinal direction D21 (see FIG. 27) of the ink pack 310 and an ink pack cap 311 (see FIG. 27). It is set so as to be positioned between the provided end 312a (see FIG. 27). Further, an adhesive portion 218 is provided on the fixing portion 212f. In this modification, for example, a double-sided tape can be used as the bonding portion 218. However, the adhesive is not limited to the double-sided tape, and other adhesive materials can be used. When the adapter 212 is attached to the ink pack 310 (see FIG. 27), the fixing portion 212f is positioned below the lower surface portion of the ink pack 310. Thus, when the adapter 212 is attached to the ink pack 310, the lower surface portion of the ink pack 310 is fixed to the fixing portion 212f by the adhesive portion 218. As a result, the ink pack 310 is positioned with respect to the adapter 212. Further, as shown in FIG. 24B, a shape along the outer shape of the fixing portion 212f of the adapter 212, that is, a rectangular cutout portion 210a is formed at the rear portion of the support portion 210 described later of the ink cartridge 201. ing. When the adapter 212 positioned with respect to the ink pack 310 is disposed at a predetermined position of the ink cartridge 201, the fixing portion 212f is disposed in the notch portion 210a.

  Next, the ink cartridge 201 will be described. As shown in FIG. 24B, the ink cartridge 201 holds a portion of the pack body 312 in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pack body 312. The ink cartridge 201 has an ink pack such that the longitudinal direction D21 (see FIG. 27) of the pack body 312 is along the sub-scanning direction X (see FIG. 23), and the ink pack cap 311 (see FIG. 27) faces rearward. 310 is held. The ink cartridge 201 is formed with a support portion 210 for arranging the pack main body 312 in a horizontal state. The length of the support part 210 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the support part 210 in the left-right direction (that is, the width). Such a support part 210 is formed such that the central part 210C in the main scanning direction Y (see FIG. 23) is lower in height than the left part 210L and the right part 210R of the support part 210. As shown in FIG. 26, the left portion 210L of the support portion 210 is connected to the left plate member 201c disposed on the left side of the ink cartridge 201, and the right portion 210R of the support portion 210 is connected to the right plate member 201d disposed on the right side. ing. The support part 210 is formed in an arc shape. As shown in FIG. 24B and FIG. 26, the support portion 210 is formed by bending between the left portion 210L and the central portion 210C so that the height decreases toward the central portion 210C. Part 210BL. The support part 210 includes a curved part 210BR formed between the right part 210R and the central part 210C. The curved part 210BR is curved so that the height decreases toward the central part 210C. When the ink pack 310 is arranged on the support portion 210 having such a shape, a later-described welding region WR21 (see FIG. 27) of the ink pack 310 is supported by the curved portion 210BR, and a later-described welding region WR22 (see FIG. 27). ) Is supported by the curved portion 210BL. The ink in the pack body 312 tends to gather at the center in the left-right direction of the pack body 312 as the remaining amount decreases. The welding areas WR21 and WR22 of the ink pack 310 will be described in detail later. In FIG. 26, for easy understanding, the ink pack 310 is illustrated by a two-dot chain line, and the ink cartridge 201 is illustrated by a cross-sectional view and a two-dot chain line.

  Next, the ink pack 310 of this modification will be described. As shown in FIG. 27, the ink pack 310 includes an ink pack cap 311 and a pack body 312 filled with ink. The ink pack cap 311 is connected to the center of one end 312a in the longitudinal direction D21 of the pack body 312. A part of the ink pack cap 311 is inserted into the pack body 312. The pack body 312 is formed in a rectangular shape. The pack body 312 includes an upper surface portion 312b and a lower surface portion 312c each formed in a rectangular shape.

  In the pack body 312, an ink filling unit 313, an ink outflow unit 314 connected to the ink filling unit 313, and an ink supply unit 315 connected to the ink outflow unit 314 are formed. The ink filling unit 313 has a certain width. The ink outflow portion 314 is set to have a width that decreases as the ink outflow portion 314 moves away from the ink filling portion 313. The ink outflow portion 314 is located closer to the ink pack cap 311 than the center of the pack body 312 in the longitudinal direction D21. The ink supply unit 315 has a constant width smaller than the width of the ink filling unit 313 in which a part of the ink pack cap 311 is inserted. The ink outflow portion 314 and the ink supply portion 315 are formed by welding the upper surface portion 312b and the lower surface portion 312c of the pack body 312. As shown in FIG. 27, the pack body 312 is provided with two welding regions WR21 and WR22 indicated by oblique lines. The welding regions WR21 and WR22 are each formed in a trapezoidal shape in plan view.

  Next, a method for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the pack body 312 (see FIG. 27) will be described. As shown in FIG. 24B, a plate member 211 b 1 that protrudes to the right is connected to the left wall portion 211 b of the cartridge receiving portion 211. The plate member 211b1 is provided with a sensor lever mechanism 220 that detects the remaining amount of ink in the pack body 312. Hereinafter, the sensor lever mechanism 220 will be described.

  The sensor lever mechanism 220 is connected to the plate-like shaft support portions 221 and 222 that extend upward with a space from each other on the plate member 211b1, and the shaft support portion 221 and the shaft support portion 222, and is rotatable about the axis. A rotating shaft 223 and a sensor lever 224 fixed to the rotating shaft 223 and capable of rotating around the rotating shaft 223. The sensor lever mechanism 220 is fixed to the rear end portion of the rotation shaft 223 and can detect the detection lever 225 that can rotate around the rotation shaft 223 as the sensor lever 224 rotates. A metal piece 228 (see FIG. 29) that contacts the tip of the lever 225 and elastically deforms by receiving a force from the detection lever 225. Further, as shown in FIG. 30, the sensor lever mechanism 220 includes a strain gauge 229 and an ink remaining amount detection unit 230 made of, for example, a microcomputer.

  As shown in FIG. 24B, the sensor lever 224 extends in a diagonally lower right direction. The tip 224 a of the sensor lever 224 is disposed in contact with the upper surface portion 312 b of the pack body 312. The tip 224a of the sensor lever 224 is in contact with the contact region SR shown in FIG. The contact region SR is a portion of the upper surface 312 b of the pack body 312 that is in front of the front end 311 a of the ink pack cap 311 inserted into the pack body 312. More specifically, the contact region SR is a portion in front of the front end 311 a of the ink pack cap 311 in the ink supply unit 315 located behind the ink outflow portion 314. In the pack body 312, the vicinity of the front end 311 a of the ink pack cap 311 is an area that remains until immediately before the ink in the pack body 312 runs out. As described above, the front end 224a of the sensor lever 224 is brought into contact with the portion close to the front end 311a of the ink pack cap 311 so that the remaining in the pack main body 312 is not affected by the swelling of the pack main body 312 due to the front end 311a. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately detect the amount of the ink that is being used. The front end 224a of the sensor lever 224 is in contact with a portion of the upper surface portion 312b that is behind the boundary line L21 between the ink outflow portion 314 and the ink supply portion 315 and ahead of the front end 311a of the ink pack cap 311. If you do.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the detection lever 225 extends in the diagonally lower right direction, like the sensor lever 224. Here, a plate-like support member 231 is fixed to the rear surface portion 211 d of the cartridge receiving portion 211. On the support member 231, a pair of block-shaped holding members 226 and 227 are provided with a space therebetween. A metal piece 228 is sandwiched between the holding member 226 and the holding member 227. The thickness of the metal piece 228 is set to a thickness that can be elastically deformed by receiving an external force. The tip 225 a of the detection lever 225 is in contact with the upper surface of the metal piece 228. The strain gauge 229 (see FIG. 30) is provided on the lower surface of the metal piece 228. When the metal piece 228 is deformed by receiving a force from the tip 225 a of the detection lever 225, the strain gauge 229 outputs a voltage according to the strain generated in the metal piece 228. The ink remaining amount detection unit 230 detects the remaining amount of ink in the pack body 312 (see FIG. 28) based on the voltage output from the strain gauge 229.

  In such a configuration, in the initial state, the tip 224a (see FIG. 24B) of the sensor lever 224 is in contact with the contact region SR (see FIG. 28), and the metal piece 228 is bent at the tip of the detection lever 225. It is in contact with the upper surface of the metal piece 228 to a certain extent. When the remaining amount of ink in the pack body 312 decreases, the sensor lever 224 rotates while maintaining a contact state with the pack body 312. For this reason, the detection lever 225 also rotates as the sensor lever 224 rotates. As a result, the tip 225a of the detection lever 225 bends the metal piece 228 downward. The strain gauge 229 (see FIG. 30) outputs a voltage corresponding to the strain amount of the metal piece 228 bent downward. Thereby, the ink remaining amount detection unit 230 can detect the ink remaining amount based on the voltage.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 29, an ink tube joint 240 is provided in the cartridge housing portion 308 (see FIG. 23). Specifically, the ink tube joint 240 is provided on the rear surface portion 211 d of the cartridge receiving portion 211 disposed in the cartridge housing portion 308. An ink tube 241 connected to the ink head unit 107 (see FIG. 22) is connected to the rear portion of the ink tube joint 240. In FIG. 29, only a part of the ink tube 241 is shown. The above-described needle material 211g (see FIG. 24B) is provided at the front portion of the ink tube joint 240. As described above, a flow path communicating with the ink tube 241 is formed inside the needle material 211g. When the ink cartridge 201 (see FIG. 24B) holding the ink pack 310 (see FIG. 27) is inserted into the cartridge receiving portion 211, the needle material 211g causes the ink pack cap 311 (see FIG. 27) to be inserted. Through the pack main body 312. Thereby, the ink in the pack body 312 flows into the ink tube 241 through the flow path of the needle material 211g.

  As shown in FIG. 29, an ink tub 242 is provided below the ink tube joint 240. The ink fountain 242 is disposed behind the cartridge receiving portion 211. Note that a part of the ink fountain 242 and a part of the cartridge receiver 211 may overlap in the front-rear direction. An upper portion of the ink fountain 242 is opened. The ink tub 242 receives and stores ink leaking downward from a connection portion between the ink tube joint 240 and the ink tube 241. The ink fountain 242 extends in the left-right direction. The ink fountain 242 has a length that is substantially the same as the length of the main body 301 (see FIG. 23) in the left-right direction.

  An ink absorber 243 that absorbs ink is provided in the ink tub 242. The ink absorber 243 is, for example, a sponge. The ink absorber 243 is disposed at the bottom of the ink tub 242. The ink absorber 243 extends in the left-right direction. The ink absorber 243 has substantially the same length as the inner dimension of the ink tub 242 in the left-right direction. Note that a plurality of ink absorbers 243 having a reduced length may be prepared, and these ink absorbers 243 may be provided in the ink tub 242 at intervals from each other. If the ink accumulated in the ink tub 242 is sufficiently absorbed by the ink absorber 243, the ink absorber 243 may be replaced, or the ink absorber 243 from which the absorbed ink has been removed may be used repeatedly. Good.

  As described above, according to this modification, the central portion 210C of the support portion 210 that supports the ink pack 310 is lower than the left portion 210L and the right portion 210R, so that the ink is leftward in the pack body 312. And it is easy to gather from the right to the center. That is, the ink can be collected in one point in the pack body 312. As a result, a large amount of ink does not remain in the pack body 312, and the ink is sufficiently discharged from the ink pack cap 311. Therefore, the ink in the pack body 312 can be used up sufficiently. Therefore, the cost of ink can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present modification, it becomes easier for ink to gather from the left and right sides in the pack body 312 to the center. This suppresses a large amount of ink from remaining in the pack body 312.

  Further, according to this modification, the lower surface portion 312 c of the pack body 312 can be fixed to the fixing portion 212 f of the adapter 212 by the adhesive portion 218. Thus, after the adapter 212 attached to the ink pack 310 is installed in the ink cartridge 201, the position of the ink pack 310 with respect to the ink cartridge 201 is shifted even when the ink cartridge 201 is moved or dropped, for example. Can be prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ink from being dispersed in the pack main body 312 due to the above-described positional deviation.

  Further, according to the present modification, a portion between the center of the lower surface 312c of the pack body 312 in the longitudinal direction D21 of the ink pack 310 and the end 312a on which the ink pack cap 311 is provided, for example, the pack body A portion near the exit of 312 can be fixed to the fixing portion 212 f of the adapter 212 by the adhesive portion 218. Thereby, the height position of the part near the exit of the pack body 312 can be lowered. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent ink from being accumulated in the pack main body 312.

  Further, according to this modification, the fixing portion 212f of the adapter 212 is disposed in the notch portion 210a. As a result, the movement of the fixing portion 212f is blocked by the peripheral wall of the notch portion 210a, so that the displacement of the fixing portion 212f can be suppressed.

  Further, according to this modification, the ink cartridge 201 is supported by the inclined portion 202, so that the ink cartridge 201 can be inclined downward toward the ink tube joint 240. As a result, the ink in the pack body 312 can be easily collected near the ink pack cap 311.

  Further, according to the present modification, as shown in FIG. 29, when the state where the needle material 211g of the ink tube joint 240 is stuck in the ink pack cap 311 is released, that is, when the ink cartridge 201 is removed together with the ink pack 310. In addition, ink that hangs down from the ink pack 310 and flows along the inclined portion 202 of the cartridge housing portion 308 can be received by the ink fountain 242. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ink from flowing toward the main body of the inkjet printer 300.

  Further, according to this modification, the ink absorber 243 that absorbs ink is provided in the ink tub 242. Thereby, the ink in the ink tub 242 can be absorbed by the ink absorber 243. Thereby, the ink storage capacity of the ink tub 242 can be increased.

  Further, according to this modification, as shown in FIG. 24B, when the ink in the pack main body 312 decreases, the sensor lever 224 that contacts the pack main body 312 rotates. When the sensor lever 224 is rotated, the detection lever 225 is rotated accordingly, and the metal piece 228 is deformed, and the metal piece 228 is distorted. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily detect the amount of ink remaining in the pack body 312 according to the strain of the metal piece 228.

  Further, according to this modification, when the ink cartridge 201 is not disposed at a predetermined position of the cartridge receiving portion 211 of the cartridge housing portion 308, the rear surface 206a of the cover member 206 is brought into contact with the front end 201b of the ink cartridge 201. The cover member 206 cannot be closed. Thereby, the operator can easily recognize the positional deviation of the ink cartridge 201.

  In addition, according to the present modification, a portion of the pack body 312 near the ink pack cap 311 can be formed in a narrowed shape. As a result, an ink pool is less likely to occur at the corner in the pack body 312, and the ink in the ink filling unit 313 is easily collected in the ink outflow unit 314. That is, the ink can be collected in one point in the pack body 312. As a result, a large amount of ink does not remain in the pack body 312, and the ink is sufficiently discharged from the ink pack cap 311. Therefore, the ink in the pack body 312 can be sufficiently used.

  Further, according to this modification, the upper surface portion 212b and the lower surface portion 212c of the pack body 312 are welded to easily form a shape in which the portion of the pack body 312 near the ink pack cap 311 is constricted. Can do.

  In this modification, an ink outflow portion whose width is set smaller as the distance from the ink filling portion 313 is increased by forming the welding regions WR21 and WR22 in which the upper surface portion 312b and the lower surface portion 312c of the pack body 312 are welded. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 32, an ink pack 310a in which a trapezoidal ink outflow portion 314 is previously formed in a plan view may be employed.

  In this modification, the support portion 210 of the ink cartridge 201 is formed in an arc shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 33, in the cross section, a plate-like first support member 251 inclined downward as it goes from the left to the center, and a plate-like second support inclined downward as it goes from the right to the center. You may make it employ | adopt the support part 250 provided with the member 252. FIG. Employing such a support portion 250 makes it easier for ink to gather from the left and right sides in the pack body 312 to the center. This suppresses a large amount of ink from remaining in the pack body 312.

  In this modification, the strain gauge 229 is used to detect the amount of ink remaining in the pack body 312, but the present invention is not limited to this. A photo sensor 229a (see FIG. 34) that detects the position of the tip of the detection lever 225 by projecting light toward the tip of the detection lever 225 and receiving light reflected from the tip of the detection lever 225. Good. The photosensor 229a may be disposed so as to be sandwiched between the holding member 226 and the holding member 227 described above. In such a case, the remaining amount of ink in the pack body 312 is detected according to the voltage output by the photosensor 229a by an ink remaining amount detection unit 230a (see the figure) made of, for example, a microcomputer. Thereby, the amount of ink remaining in the pack body 312 can be easily detected according to the position of the tip of the detection lever 225.

  Further, the first support member 251 may be formed in a step shape, and the second support member 252 may be formed in a step shape.

  In addition, when the ink cartridge 201 is not arranged at the predetermined position P23 of the cartridge receiving portion 211, for example, by turning on the indicator lamp, it is indicated to the operator that the positioning of the ink cartridge 201 with respect to the cartridge receiving portion 211 is not appropriate. You may comprise so that it may alert | report.

  In the present modification, the inclined portion 202 of the cartridge housing portion 308 is fixed at a predetermined angle, but is not limited thereto. A movable configuration in which the inclination angle of the inclined portion 202 can be changed according to the amount of ink remaining in the pack body 312 may be employed.

  In this modification, the remaining amount of ink in the pack body 312 is detected by the sensor lever 224 and the detection lever 225, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the remaining ink amount may be detected by an optical position sensor or the like.

  In this modification, the support portion 210, the left plate material 201c, the right plate material 201d, and the lower surface portion 201a of the ink cartridge 201 are separately formed. It may be formed. Further, in this modification, the adapter 212 and the fixing portion 212f are formed separately, but they may be formed integrally with, for example, plastic.

<Third Modification>
Next, a printer 400 according to a third modification will be described. In the following description, the terms “upper”, “lower”, and “height” are based on the direction of gravity when a self-weight type pressure control valve, which will be described later, is normally placed in a predetermined position at a predetermined position. It is.

  FIG. 35 is a partial perspective view of the printer 400 according to this modification. FIG. 36 is a schematic diagram showing a structure for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 421 to the ink head 425. Here, the direction of ink flow during printing is indicated by arrows. The printer according to the present invention may be a printer 400 as shown in FIG. 35 and a printer including an ink supply system 450. The printer 400 includes a guide rail 418 extending in the main scanning direction Y, a carriage 413 engaged with the guide rail 418, and a platen 414 that supports the recording paper 5. The printer 400 is a printer that can eject a plurality of colors of ink. The printer 400 has an ink supply system 450 for each color of ink. In FIG. 35, only one ink supply system 450 is shown, and the other ink supply systems 450 are omitted. In practice, the printer 400 has as many ink supply systems 450 as there are ink types. The ink supply system 450 includes an ink cartridge 421, a self-weight pressure control valve 411, an ink head 425, an ink supply path 426, a supply pump 423, a damper 424, and a control device 428.

  The ink head 425 and the damper 424 are mounted on the carriage 413 and reciprocate in the main scanning direction Y. On the other hand, the ink cartridge 421 is not mounted on the carriage 413 and does not reciprocate in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, even if the carriage 413 moves in the main scanning direction Y, most of the ink supply path 426 (at least half of the entire length) extends in the main scanning direction Y so that the ink supply path 426 is not damaged. Has been placed. For example, when five types of ink are used, a total of five ink supply paths 426 are provided. The ink supply paths 426 are covered with a cable protection guide device (not shown). The cable protection guide device is, for example, a cable bear (registered trademark).

  The ink head 425 ejects ink. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) for discharging ink are formed on the lower surface of the ink head 425. An actuator (not shown) made of a piezoelectric element or the like is provided inside the ink head 425. When this actuator is driven, ink is ejected from the nozzle.

  The ink cartridge 421 and the ink head 425 communicate with each other through an ink supply path 426. The ink supply path 426 forms a flow path that guides ink from the ink cartridge 421 to the ink head 425. The ink supply path 426 has flexibility and flexibility. The configuration of the ink supply path 426 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a resin-made easily deformable tube.

  The damper 424 is provided in the ink supply path 426. The damper 424 communicates with the ink head 425 and supplies ink to the ink head 425. The damper 424 relaxes ink pressure fluctuation and stabilizes the ink ejection operation of the ink head 425.

  The supply pump 423 is provided in the ink supply path 426. The supply pump 423 is a liquid feeding device that supplies ink from the ink cartridge 421 toward the ink head 425. The supply pump 423 is, for example, a so-called tube pump of a trochoid pump type.

  The control device 428 controls the operation and stop of the supply pump 423. Accordingly, the control device 428 controls the supply of ink from the ink cartridge 421 to the ink head 425.

  The self-weight pressure control valve 411 functions to relieve ink pressure fluctuations during printing (for example, during ink ejection). Further, the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 functions to keep the ink supply path 426 closed when not printing (for example, when ink is not ejected). FIG. 37 is a perspective view of a self-weight type pressure control valve 411 according to this modification. 38 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XXXVIII-XXXVIII of the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 shown in FIG. FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a state where the communication port of FIG. 38 is open.

  The self-weight type pressure control valve 411 of the present modification includes a hollow case body 401 having an opening and a pressure-sensitive film 402b attached to the case body 401 so as to cover the opening of the case body. . The case body 401 is typically made of resin. Here, the case main body 401 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The pressure-sensitive film 402b is configured to be able to bend and deform in the film thickness direction by a load of pressure. Specifically, the pressure-sensitive film 402b is configured to bend upward and deform when the lower pressure becomes larger than the upper pressure. That is, the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 of this modification is a so-called diaphragm type. As shown in FIG. 38, a partition wall 407 a that divides the height direction into two space regions is disposed inside the case main body 401. In other words, the case main body 401 is partitioned into two space regions in the vertical direction.

  In this modification, the upper surface of the case main body 401 is open, and a thin film member 402a is attached so as to cover the opening. The thin film member 402 a is attached to the edge of the upper surface of the case main body 401. The thin film member 402a is, for example, a resin film. The thin film member 402a may have flexibility or may not have flexibility. Here, the thin film member 402a has a substantially disk shape. The thin film member 402a is disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity. A space region surrounded by the case body 401 and the thin film member 402 a is the first pressure chamber 403. An ink inflow port 404 through which ink flows is formed in the left wall of the first pressure chamber 403. The ink inlet 404 communicates with the ink cartridge 421 (see FIG. 35) via the ink supply path 426.

  A filter 410 is disposed in the first pressure chamber 403. By providing the filter 410 in the first pressure chamber 403, for example, when foreign matters are mixed in the ink or when solid content in the ink is aggregated, they can be suitably removed. The filter 410 is, for example, a nonwoven fabric entangled with resin or metal fibers, or a mesh knitted with resin or metal fibers. In this modification, the filter 410 has a substantially disk shape having the same size as the thin film member 402a. The surface of the filter 410 in the thickness direction is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the thin film member 402a. In other words, the filter 410 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Accordingly, the surface of the filter 410 on the ink inflow side can be widened, and even when foreign matter or the like is collected on the filter, it is possible to prevent the flow of ink from being hindered. The first pressure chamber 403 is partitioned into two space regions 403 a and 403 c by a filter 410 in the vertical direction.

  The lower surface of the case body 401 is open, and a pressure sensitive film 402b is attached so as to cover the opening. The pressure sensitive film 402b is made of a material having flexibility and low gas permeability and water vapor permeability. The surface of the pressure sensitive film 402b on the side in contact with the ink may be made of a material excellent in ink corrosion resistance. The pressure sensitive film 402b is, for example, a resin film. Here, the pressure-sensitive film 402b has a substantially disk shape. The pressure sensitive film 402b is disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity. A space area surrounded by the case body 401 and the pressure sensitive film 402b is a second pressure chamber 405. The pressure-sensitive film 402b is attached to the edge of the lower surface of the case body 401 with a tension that can bend to the inside of the second pressure chamber 405 (on the rod portion 408a side). An ink outlet 406 through which ink flows out is formed on the left wall of the second pressure chamber 405. The ink outlet 406 communicates with the ink head 425 (see FIG. 35) via the ink supply path 426.

  A part of the partition wall 407 a is provided with a communication port 407 b that communicates the first pressure chamber 403 and the second pressure chamber 405. A valve rod (valve member) 408 is disposed in the communication port 407b. The valve rod 408 moves up and down in the direction of gravity in conjunction with the displacement (deflection) of the pressure sensitive film 402b. Thereby, the communication port 407b is opened and closed. The valve rod 408 is connected to the pressure sensitive film 402b. The valve rod 408 includes a valve rod body 408ab and a seal member 408c. The valve rod body 408ab has a T-shaped longitudinal section. That is, the valve rod main body 408ab includes an I-shaped (long axis) rod portion 408a and a horizontal rod-shaped valve portion 408b.

  The rod portion 408a has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the communication port 407b. The rod portion 408a is inserted into the communication port 407b so as to penetrate the partition wall 407a. The rod portion 408a extends from the first pressure chamber 403 through the communication port 407b to the second pressure chamber 405 (downward in FIG. 35). The tip of the rod portion 408a is connected to the pressure sensitive film 402b. The rod portion 408a is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the direction of gravity. As a result, the rod portion 408a and the pressure sensitive film 402b are arranged substantially vertically, and the displacement of the pressure sensitive film 402b can be efficiently transmitted to the valve rod 408. Further, stable operation of the valve rod 408 is ensured. The valve portion 408b has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the communication port 407b. The valve unit 408b is disposed inside the first pressure chamber 403. The valve portion 408b plays a role as a so-called weight.

  The seal member 408c is interposed between the valve rod body 408ab and the partition wall 407a. In this modification, the seal member 408c is arranged in an annular shape (O-ring shape) around the periphery of the rod portion 408a. The seal member 408c is in close contact with the valve rod body 408ab and the partition wall 407a, and the communication port 407b is closed by the seal member 408c and the valve rod body 408ab. The seal member 408c may be made of an elastic material. The seal member 408c may be made of a material excellent in ink corrosion resistance. The seal member 408c is made of rubber here.

The valve rod 408 is made of a material excellent in ink corrosion resistance. The valve rod body 408ab is typically made of metal, for example, brass, copper, silver, platinum, gold, stainless steel, or the like. Among them, the specific gravity is preferably about 8 g / cm ³ , preferably 8.4 g / cm ³ or more. This increases the weight (self-weight) of the valve rod 408 itself. Therefore, when the pressure sensitive film 402b is not bent and deformed, the buoyancy of the valve rod 408 is suppressed, and the valve rod 408 is pressed in the direction of gravity by its own weight. Thereby, the closed state of the communication port 407b is suitably maintained. In this modification, the valve rod body 408ab is made of brass from the viewpoint of securing its own weight and reducing the cost. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The specific gravity of brass may vary depending on the composition ratio, but is about 8.4 to 8.6 g / cm ³ .

  In this modification, the valve rod 408 (particularly, the valve portion 408b) is larger than the conventional one in order to increase the weight of the valve rod 408. The valve rod 408 occupies most of the volume of the space region 403 c of the first pressure chamber 403. Thereby, the buoyancy of the valve rod 408 is suppressed, and the closed state of the communication port 407b is better maintained by the weight of the valve rod 408. From the standpoint of suitably securing its own weight by suppressing the buoyancy of the valve rod 408, the volume of the valve portion 408b is preferably about 30% or more, for example, 40% or more of the total volume of the first pressure chamber 403. Further, from the viewpoint of smoothly flowing ink inside the self-weight type pressure control valve 411, the volume of the valve unit 408b is approximately 80% or less, typically 70% or less of the total volume of the first pressure chamber 403, For example, it may be 60% or less. In this modification, when the total volume of the first pressure chamber 403, that is, the sum of the volumes of the two spaces 403a and 403c partitioned by the filter 410 is 100%, the volume of the valve portion 408b is approximately 41%. The combined volume of the valve portion 408b and the seal member 408c occupies about 48%.

  40 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XL-XL of the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 shown in FIG. FIG. 40 shows a cross section of the space region 403 c portion of the first pressure chamber 403 of the case body 401. In this modification, the case body 401 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. The space region 403 c of the first pressure chamber 403 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape having a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the case main body 401. A rod portion 408a of the valve rod main body 408ab is disposed at the center of the cross section of the first pressure chamber 403. The rod portion 408a has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape having a diameter slightly smaller than the space region 403c of the first pressure chamber 403 from the viewpoint of smoothly flowing ink.

  In the present modification, the valve rod 408 occupies most of the volume of the first pressure chamber 403 as shown in FIG. For this reason, in the first pressure chamber 403, the flow of ink from the ink inlet 404 toward the communication port 407b tends to be slower than when the valve rod 408 is small. Therefore, in this modification, as shown in FIG. 40, four linear convex portions 403b are formed on the inner side surface of the first pressure chamber 403. As shown in FIG. 38, the linear protrusions 403b are formed in a substantially straight line at substantially equal intervals along the direction in which the valve rod 408 moves, that is, in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the rod part 408a. The linear convex portion 403b is in contact with the rod portion 408a. Accordingly, for example, even in a mode in which the ink flow path in the first pressure chamber 403 is narrow as shown in FIG. Ink reaches 407b without delay. Therefore, when the communication port 407b is opened, the ink can be smoothly moved from the first pressure chamber 403 to the second pressure chamber 405. Further, the linear convex portion 403b has a function of stabilizing the position of the valve rod 408. That is, by providing the linear convex portion 403b, for example, the valve rod 408 is prevented from being biased to the left or right or front and rear in FIG. As a result, the valve rod 408 can be stably moved in the vertical direction, and the ink flow can be stabilized.

  Note that a general pressure control valve (for example, see International Publication No. 2003/041964 pamphlet) requires a biasing member (for example, a seal spring) for biasing the valve rod to the closed position. However, according to the configuration disclosed herein, for example, by adjusting the material and size of the valve rod 408, the closed state (self-sealing) of the communication port 407b can be achieved without using a biasing member that has been essential in the past. State) can be suitably maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 38, the rod portion 408a of the valve rod body 408ab has an end surface on the pressure-sensitive film 402b side. A pressure receiving plate 409a is disposed between the pressure sensitive film 402b and the end face of the rod portion 408a. The pressure receiving plate 409a is placed on the surface of the pressure sensitive film 402b. The pressure receiving plate 409a and the rod portion 408a of the valve rod body 408ab are disposed substantially vertically. In other words, the pressure receiving plate 409a is disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity. By providing the pressure receiving plate 409a, the displacement based on the bending deformation of the pressure sensitive film 402b can be stably transmitted to the valve rod 408. In this modification, the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving plate 409a (that is, the area where the displacement of the pressure sensitive film 402b acts) is relatively larger than the end face of the rod portion 408a on the pressure sensitive film 402b side. Further, the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving plate 409a is smaller than the surface area of the pressure sensitive film 402b so as not to hinder the deformation of the pressure sensitive film 402b. Thereby, the bending of the pressure-sensitive film 402b can be efficiently and stably transmitted to the valve rod 408.

  The pressure receiving plate 409a is made of a lighter material so as to be harder than the pressure sensitive film 402b and not to disturb the displacement of the pressure sensitive film 402b. The pressure receiving plate 409a may be made of a material excellent in ink corrosion resistance. The pressure receiving plate 409a is made of a resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. The shape of the pressure receiving plate 409a is not particularly limited, but here is a substantially disk-like body that is slightly smaller than the pressure sensitive film 402b. FIG. 41 is a modification of the pressure receiving plate 409a. 41 (a) and 41 (b) has a lotus root shape, and has an annular outer peripheral portion 491 having a substantially constant width, and an intersecting portion 492 having a substantially constant width spanned inside thereof. doing. In the pressure receiving plate 409a of FIG. 41 (c), the inner side of the annular outer peripheral portion 491 has a mesh shape. In the pressure receiving plate 409a of FIG. 41 (d), the inner side of the annular outer peripheral portion 491 has a honeycomb shape. Each of the pressure receiving plates 409a illustrated in FIG. 41 has a through-opening 493 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction from the surface on the pressure sensitive film 402b side to the surface on the valve rod 408 side. By using the pressure receiving plate 409a having the through hole 493 on the surface, it is possible to reduce the weight of the pressure receiving plate 409a while maintaining a large pressure receiving area. As a result, the pressure-sensitive film 402b follows the pressure change in the second pressure chamber 405 and bends and deforms more quickly.

  As shown in FIG. 38, a coil spring 409b is disposed between the pressure receiving plate 409a and the rod portion 408a of the valve rod 408. Specifically, a ring-shaped protrusion 409c is formed on the surface of the pressure receiving plate 409a on the valve rod 408 side. One end of a cylindrical coil spring 409b is fixed to the surface of the pressure receiving plate 409a on the rod portion 408a side by the protrusion 409c. More specifically, a coil spring 409b is wound around the protrusion 409c. By integrating the pressure receiving plate 409a and the coil spring 409b, these members are in stable contact. Further, by arranging the coil spring 409b between the pressure receiving plate 409a and the valve rod 408, the pressure sensitive film 402b is prevented from being bent outside the second pressure chamber 405 (downward in FIG. 35). Thereby, the inside of the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 is maintained at a negative pressure. That is, the coil spring 409b functions as a negative pressure holding member that pulls the pressure sensitive film 402b upward. During non-printing, the pressure in the second pressure chamber 405 is substantially equal to the pressure in the nozzles (not shown) of the ink head 425. Since the nozzle is released to the atmosphere, ink leakage from the nozzle can be prevented by setting the pressure of the second pressure chamber 405 to a negative pressure.

  The coil spring 409b has a winding length that is slightly larger than the end surface of the rod portion 408a on the pressure-sensitive film 402b side. The coil spring 409b is formed so that the end surface of the rod portion 408a on the pressure sensitive film 402b side can be inserted. By inserting the end of the valve rod body 408ab into the coil spring 409b, the valve rod 408 and the pressure receiving plate 409a come into stable contact. Further, the valve rod 408 can be moved smoothly in the vertical direction. Thereby, the pressure fluctuation (pulsation) of the ink can be reduced. That is, the coil spring 409b also functions as a buffer member.

  When not printing, that is, when ink is not ejected from the ink head 425, a predetermined amount or more of ink is stored in the second pressure chamber 405. Therefore, the seal member 408c of the valve rod 408 is pressed against the partition wall 407a by its own weight as shown in FIG. Thereby, the self-sealing state in which the communication port 407b is closed is maintained. In other words, the communication port 407b is not opened unless the ink in the second pressure chamber 405 is reduced to a predetermined amount and the second pressure chamber 405 becomes negative pressure. In the configuration disclosed here, a so-called self-sealing state is realized by utilizing the self-weight of the valve rod 408. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a biasing member such as a seal spring, and the self-sealing function can be appropriately maintained over a long period of time.

  On the other hand, when printing by the printer 400 is started, the supply pump 423 is driven by the control device 428. At the same time, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the ink head 425 toward the recording paper 5. When ink is ejected, the ink stored in the damper 424 is supplied to the ink head 425. When the ink storage amount detection device detects that the ink storage amount of the damper 424 has decreased, the control device 428 drives the supply pump 423. As a result, the ink in the second pressure chamber 405 of the self-weight pressure control valve 411 is sucked out to the ink head 425 side and sent to the damper 424. At this time, the amount of ink stored in the second pressure chamber 405 decreases, and the inside of the second pressure chamber 405 becomes negative pressure. As a result, as shown in FIG. 39, the pressure-sensitive film 402b is pushed to the atmospheric pressure and bent inside the second pressure chamber 405 (upward in FIG. 39). By the movement of the pressure-sensitive film 402b, the valve rod 408 is pushed upward against its own weight (self-weight). When the seal member 408c of the valve rod 408 is separated from the partition wall 407a and the communication port 407b is opened, the ink flows from the first pressure chamber 403 to the second pressure chamber 405. In FIG. 39, the direction of ink flow during printing is indicated by arrows.

  As ink flows from the first pressure chamber 403 into the second pressure chamber 405, the negative pressure in the second pressure chamber 405 is eliminated. Accordingly, the upward deflection of the pressure sensitive film 402b is alleviated. As a result, the valve rod 408 is returned downward by its own weight. And if the sealing member 408c of the valve rod 408 and the partition 407a contact, the communicating port 407b will be closed. The valve rod 408 moves up and down relatively slowly by utilizing its own weight. For this reason, the pressure fluctuation of the ink accompanying opening and closing of the communication port 407b can be suppressed small. Moreover, according to the said structure, the communicating port 407b opens and closes in response to the bending deformation of the pressure-sensitive film 402b. For this reason, it is not necessary to control the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 electrically, and it is simple.

  The first pressure chamber 403 of the self-weight pressure control valve 411 is in communication with the ink cartridge 421. For this reason, the ink reduced in the first pressure chamber 403 is replenished from the ink cartridge 421. As described above, at the time of printing, ink is stably supplied from the ink cartridge 421 to the ink head 425, and high print quality can be stably exhibited.

  In the present modification, the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 closes the communication port 407b using the self-weight of the valve rod 408 as described above. Therefore, from the viewpoint of ensuring stable operation of the valve rod 408, the self-weight pressure control valve 411 is preferably fixed so as not to move. In other words, a support portion that supports the self-weight pressure control valve 411 may be provided so that the axial direction of the rod portion 408a of the valve rod 408 is the vertical direction. For example, the self-weight pressure control valve 411 may be mounted on a horizontal mounting table by a fixture. As a result, the stable operation of the valve rod 408 can be better secured.

  The surface (outer surface) opposite to the rod portion 408a side of the pressure-sensitive film 402b is preferably in contact with the atmosphere. Thus, when the atmospheric pressure changes, the pressure on the outer surface of the pressure sensitive film 402b automatically changes accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately cope with a change in atmospheric pressure without performing complicated control. Therefore, it is possible to accurately prevent ink from leaking from the nozzle. Further, at the time of printing, ink can be smoothly discharged from the nozzle. In that respect, it is preferable that the mounting table has a through-hole that is equal to or larger than the pressure-sensitive film 402b in the portion where the pressure-sensitive film 402b is disposed. For example, the self-weight pressure control valve 411 may be attached to the edge portion of the through hole formed in the mounting table by the fixing portion 401a (see FIG. 37).

  As described above, in this modified example, as shown in FIG. 39, in the self-weight type pressure control valve 411, the communication port 407b opens and closes in conjunction with the bending deformation (displacement in the film thickness direction) of the pressure sensitive film 402b. For this reason, since it is not necessary to control electrically, it is simple. Further, according to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 38, when the pressure-sensitive film 402b does not bend and deform, the communication port 407b is maintained in a closed state (self-sealed state) by the dead weight of the valve rod 408. For this reason, an urging member such as a seal spring, which has been essential in the past, becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the problem accompanying the corrosion deterioration of the urging member as described above can be prevented. That is, according to the said structure, a self-sealing function can be maintained appropriately over a long period of time, and high print quality can be exhibited stably.

  In this modification, the rod portion 408a of the valve rod 408 has an end surface. The self-weight pressure control valve 411 includes a pressure receiving plate 409a that is interposed between the pressure-sensitive film 402b and the end face of the rod portion 408a and has an area larger than the area of the end face of the rod portion 408a. As a result, the bending deformation of the pressure-sensitive film 402b is stably and efficiently transmitted to the valve rod 408. Therefore, the valve rod 408 can be moved more quickly and accurately.

  In this modified example, the self-weight pressure control valve 411 includes a coil spring 409b as a buffer member disposed between the pressure receiving plate 409a and the rod portion 408a of the valve rod 408. As a result, the valve rod 408 can be smoothly moved in the vertical direction. For this reason, the pressure fluctuation (pulsation) of the liquid accompanying the opening and closing of the communication port 407b can be further suppressed.

  In this modification, the coil spring 409b is attached to the surface of the pressure receiving plate 409a on the valve rod 408 side. As a result, the coil spring 409b and the pressure receiving plate 409a are integrated so that these members come into stable contact. As a result, the displacement of the pressure sensitive film 402b can be more accurately transmitted to the valve rod 408. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the valve rod 408 can be moved more stably.

  In this modification, the valve rod 408 is made of brass. As a result, corrosion due to ink can be prevented to a high degree. Further, the weight of the valve rod 408 can be ensured appropriately.

  In the present modification, the volume of the valve portion 408 b of the valve rod 408 occupies 30% or more of the total volume of the first pressure chamber 403. As a result, the weight of the valve rod 408 can be appropriately secured. When the pressure sensitive film 402b is not elastically deformed, the buoyancy of the valve rod 408 can be suppressed and the self-sealing state can be suitably maintained.

  In this modification, the first pressure chamber 403 includes a filter 410. As a result, when foreign matters are mixed in the ink, or when solids in the ink are aggregated, they can be suitably removed. Therefore, it is possible to realize better print quality.

  In the present modification, a linear convex portion 403 b is formed on the inner side surface of the first pressure chamber 403 in the case body 401 along the direction parallel to the axial direction of the rod portion 408 a of the valve rod 408. Thus, the valve rod 408 can be stably moved in the vertical direction. When the communication port 407b is opened, the liquid in the first pressure chamber 403 passes through the gap between the portion where the linear convex portion 403b is not formed and the valve rod 408, and does not stagnate to the communication port 407b. To reach. For this reason, the ink can be smoothly moved from the first pressure chamber 403 to the second pressure chamber 405.

  In the present modification, the pressure receiving plate 409a has a through-opening 493 (see FIG. 41A) that penetrates in a direction from the surface on the pressure-sensitive film 402b side toward the surface on the valve rod 408 side. As a result, the pressure receiving plate 409a can be reduced in weight while maintaining a large pressure receiving area. As a result, the pressure sensitive film 402b follows the pressure change in the second pressure chamber 405 and elastically deforms more quickly. Therefore, the valve rod 408 can be moved more efficiently and stably.

  In addition, although the self-weight type pressure control valve 411 which concerns on this modification was mounted in the inkjet recording device, it is not limited to this. The self-weight-type pressure control valve 411 according to the present modification can be used in various applications including a liquid supply system, such as various manufacturing apparatuses that employ an ink-jet method, measuring instruments such as a micropipette, and the like.

<Fourth Modification>
Next, a printer 500 according to a fourth modification will be described. FIG. 42 is a partial perspective view of a printer 500 according to this modification. FIG. 43 is a schematic view showing a structure for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 511 to the ink head 515. The printer according to the present invention may be a printer 500 as shown in FIG. 42 and a printer provided with an ink supply system 550. The printer 500 includes a guide rail 503 extending in the main scanning direction Y, a carriage 501 engaged with the guide rail 503, and a platen 504 that supports the recording paper 5. The printer 500 is a printer that can eject inks of a plurality of colors, like the printers described above. The printer 500 includes an ink supply system 550 for each color of ink, similarly to the printer 400 of the third modified example. In FIG. 42, only one ink supply system 550 is shown, and the other ink supply systems 550 are omitted. In practice, the printer 500 has as many ink supply systems 550 as there are ink types. The ink supply system 550 includes an ink cartridge 511, an ink supply path 512, a supply pump 513, a damper device 514, an ink head 515, an ink circulation path 516, and a control device 518.

  The ink supply path 512 is an ink flow path that guides ink from the ink cartridge 511 to the ink head 515. The ink supply path 512 is formed of the same material as the ink supply path 426 of the third modified example.

As shown in FIG. 43, the ink supply path 512 includes tubes 512a, 512b, and 512c. The tube 512 a communicates the ink cartridge 511 and the supply pump 513. The tube 512b allows the supply pump 513 and the damper device 514 to communicate with each other. The tube 512c allows the damper device 514 and the ink head 515 to communicate with each other. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 511 to the ink head 515 through such a path.

In the aspect shown in FIG. 43, the lower surface 515 a of the ink head 515 is provided at a position lower than the ink cartridge 511. However, the lower surface 515 a of the ink head 515 may be provided at substantially the same height as the ink cartridge 511. The ink head 515 may be provided at a position higher than the ink cartridge 511.

  The ink circulation path 516 is an ink flow path that returns ink from the damper device 514 to the tube 512a side. One end of the ink circulation path 516 is connected to the damper device 514. The other end of the ink circulation path 516 is connected between the ink cartridge 511 and the supply pump 513 of the ink supply path 512, that is, the tube 512a. A three-way valve 517 is disposed at a portion where the ink circulation path 516 and the tube 512a communicate with each other. The ink circulation path 516 is made of the same material as the ink supply path 512, for example.

  The three-way valve 517 is connected to the tube 512 a, connected to the ink cartridge 511, connected to the tube 512 a, connected to the tube 512 a, connected to the supply pump 513, and connected to the ink circulation path 516. The damper device 514 and the tube 512a are provided with a third connection port 517c. The three-way valve 517 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, an electromagnetic valve. Although not shown, the three-way valve 517 is connected to the control device 518. Switching of the communication state of the three connection ports 517a, 517b, and 517c is controlled by the control device 518.

  The control device 518 controls the supply of ink from the ink cartridge 511 to the ink head 515. The control device 518 is connected to the supply pump 513, the damper device 514, and the three-way valve 517. The control device 518 controls driving and stopping of the supply pump 513. The control device 518 drives the supply pump 513 when, for example, the ink storage amount of the damper device 514 reaches a predetermined lower limit value. The control device 518 stops the supply pump 513 when, for example, the ink storage amount of the damper device 514 reaches a predetermined upper limit value (full tank). Further, the control device 518 switches between opening and closing of the three-way valve 517. Thereby, the ink can be circulated in the system.

  The damper device 514 communicates with the ink head 515 and plays a role of supplying ink to the ink head 515. Further, the damper device 514 plays a role of stabilizing the ink ejection operation of the ink head 515 by relaxing the pressure fluctuation of the ink. The damper device 514 is provided in the ink supply path 512. In the present modification, a damper device 514 is disposed in the vicinity of the ink head 515. Thereby, ink dynamic pressure fluctuations can be absorbed immediately before ink ejection, and ink ejection stability can be further enhanced.

  FIG. 44 is a side view of a damper device 514 according to this modification. FIG. 45 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the damper device 514 shown in FIG. 44 taken along the line XLV-XLV. As shown in FIG. 45, the damper device 514 includes a hollow case main body 521 having an open surface (the right surface in FIG. 45), and a damper attached to the outer wall surface of the case main body 521 so as to cover the opening. A film 522. The case main body 521 is typically made of resin. A region surrounded by the case main body 521 and the damper film 522 is an ink storage chamber 523. A detection lever 527 is disposed on the surface of the damper film 522 opposite to the ink storage chamber 523. Note that the damper device 514 of this modification has no so-called valve structure.

  As shown in FIG. 44, an ink inlet 520 through which ink flows is formed on the wall surface of the case main body 521 (upper surface in FIG. 44). The ink inflow port 520 is connected to the tube 512 b and communicates with the ink cartridge 511. On the other wall surface (the lower surface in FIG. 44) of the case main body 521, an ink discharge outlet 529a through which ink flows out is formed. The ejection ink outlet 529a is connected to the tube 512c and communicates with the ink head 515. A circulation ink outlet 529b is formed on the wall surface of the case main body 521 (the upper surface in FIG. 44). The circulation ink outlet 529 b is connected to the ink circulation path 516 and communicates with the tube 512 a via the three-way valve 517. The ink inflow port 520, the discharge ink outflow port 529a, and the circulation ink outflow port 529b communicate with the ink storage chamber 523, respectively. In this modification, the ink storage chamber 523 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A predetermined amount of ink is temporarily stored in the ink storage chamber 523.

  In this modification, the tip (lower end) of the circulation ink outlet 529b is disposed below the tip (lower end) of the ink inlet 520 in the gravity direction. In this modification, the tip (lower end) of the ink inlet 520 is disposed at a height of about ½ from the lower surface of the ink storage chamber 523. Further, the tip (lower end) of the circulation ink outlet 529b is disposed at a height of about ¼ from the lower surface of the ink storage chamber 523. Further, the inner diameter d5 of the circulation ink outlet 529b is smaller than the inner diameter D5 of the ink inlet 520. That is, d5 <D5.

  The damper film 522 is affixed to the edge of the case main body 521 by, for example, thermal welding with a tension that can bend inward and outward of the ink storage chamber 523. The damper film 522 is an example of a pressure-sensitive film, and is configured to be able to bend and deform according to the pressure in the ink storage chamber 523. The damper film 522 is typically a resin film having flexibility. The damper film 522 may have a single layer structure or a multilayer structure in which films of different materials are laminated and integrated. The surface on the ink storage chamber 523 side of the damper film 522 may be coated, for example, for the purpose of improving ink corrosion resistance.

  As shown in FIG. 45, one end of a taper spring 524 is attached to a surface 521a of the case main body 521 facing the damper film 522 inside the ink storage chamber 523. The other end of the taper spring 524 is connected to the pressure receiving plate 525. The taper spring 524 is connected to the damper film 522. The taper spring 524 is an example of an elastic member that presses the damper film 522 to the outside of the ink storage chamber 523. The taper spring 524 is maintained in a compressed state. As a result, the damper film 522 is pressed toward the outside (right side in FIG. 45) of the ink storage chamber 523 and is in a bent state. When the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 523 is reduced to a predetermined amount and the inside of the ink storage chamber 523 is depressurized to some extent, the damper film 522 resists the spring force (elastic force) of the taper spring 524 and the ink storage chamber 523. Bends inside.

  The taper spring 524 has a truncated cone shape when not compressed, and is configured such that the inner diameter gradually changes in the height direction of the truncated cone shape. The taper spring 524 contracts in the height direction as it is compressed, and becomes a substantially flat plate shape when fully compressed. In this modification, the taper spring 524 is disposed so that the inner diameter becomes smaller from the wall surface 521a of the case body 521 toward the damper film 522. The material of the taper spring 524 is not particularly limited. The taper spring 524 may be coated for the purpose of improving ink corrosion resistance, for example.

  Inside the ink storage chamber 523, a pressure receiving plate 525 is disposed between the damper film 522 and the taper spring 524. The pressure receiving plate 525 is disposed substantially at the center of the damper film 522 so as to uniformly press the damper film 522 toward the outside of the ink storage chamber 523. In this modification, the pressure receiving plate 525 has a disk shape. The pressure receiving plate 525 may be selected in consideration of ease of joining with the damper film 522. The pressure receiving plate 525 may be made of a material harder than the damper film 522. The pressure receiving plate 525 may be relatively lightweight so as not to hinder the bending deformation of the damper film 522. In this modification, the pressure receiving plate 525 is made of polyacetal resin.

  In this modification, the surface of the pressure receiving plate 525 facing the damper film 522 has a surface area of approximately 10% or more, typically 10 to 30%, for example, about 15 to 20% of the entire surface of the pressure receiving plate 525. Have. By increasing the area of the surface facing the damper film 522, the damper film 522 can be uniformly pressed toward the outside of the ink storage chamber 523. Further, the bending deformation of the damper film 522 is transmitted to the pressure receiving plate 525 with high accuracy. On the other hand, if a pressure receiving plate 525 having a large area is attached to the damper film 522, the movable range of the damper film 522 may be extremely limited. Therefore, in the technique disclosed herein, the pressure receiving plate 525 and the damper film 522 are intermittently bonded without being bonded to the entire surface. Thereby, the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving plate 525 can be increased while maintaining the movable range of the damper film 522. As a result, the damper film 522 bends and deforms smoothly as the ink capacity changes. Here, “intermittent bonding” means that the pressure receiving plate 525 and the damper film 522 are not bonded to the entire surface, and the part not bonded to the damper film 522 is intentionally left (actively). Say.

  The intermittently bonded portion 526 includes a bonded portion 5261 bonded to the damper film 522 and a non-bonded portion 5269 that is not bonded to the damper film 522. At least a part of the non-joining portion 5269 is located closer to the center of the pressure receiving plate 525 than the portion closest to the edge portion of the joining portion 5261. The non-joining part 5269 is not closed by the joining part 5261. That is, the non-joining part 5269 is opened so that bubbles are not easily collected in the intermittent joining part 526. The joint portion 5261 occupies an area of approximately 90% or less, typically 80% or less, for example, 70% or less, of the entire surface of the pressure receiving plate 525 facing the damper film 522. The non-joining portion 5269 occupies an area of approximately 10% or more, typically 20% or more, for example, 30% or more of the entire surface of the pressure receiving plate 525 facing the damper film 522.

  FIG. 46 shows the pressure receiving plate 525 of the damper device 514 shown in FIG. An intermittent joint 526 is provided on the surface of the pressure receiving plate 525 facing the damper film 522. The intermittent joint portion 526 includes four joint portions 5261. All of the four joint portions 5261 are dotted. These four dotted joints 5261 are arranged on the same circumference (on the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 46) that is slightly smaller than the pressure receiving plate 525 with the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. The opening portion of the case main body 521 and the damper film 522 are quadrangular (specifically, rectangular). The distances from the vertices of the damper film 522 and the ink storage chamber 523 to the dotted junctions 5261 closest to the vertices are substantially equal.

  In addition, although the intermittent junction part 526 of this modification has the four dotted | punctate junction parts 5261, it is not limited to this. The number of the joint portions 5261 may be one, for example, two or more, three or more, four or more, or five or more. Further, the joint portions 5261 may be regularly arranged at a predetermined pitch on the surface of the pressure receiving plate 525, or may be irregularly arranged. Further, the joint 5261 is not limited to a dot shape (dot shape), but may be, for example, a linear shape, a bow shape, a wavy shape, or a linear shape, a circular shape, a polygonal shape, an alphabet shape, a gear shape, or the like. Good.

  In the intermittent bonding portion 526, the arrangement of the bonding portion 5261 and the non-bonding portion 5269 may be determined in consideration of, for example, the shape of the damper film 522 and the ink storage chamber 523. In one example, the joint portion 5261 is arranged so that the distance from the edge of the damper film 522 and / or the ink storage chamber 523 to the center (center) of the pressure receiving plate 525 is substantially equal. For example, as shown in FIG. 44, when the damper film 522 and / or the ink storage chamber 523 has a polygonal shape, the joint portion is arranged so that the distance from the polygonal vertex to the center (center) of the pressure receiving plate 525 is substantially equal. 5261 may be arranged.

  When the shape of the damper film 522 and / or the ink storage chamber 523 has rotational symmetry, for example, as shown in FIG. 44, when the damper film 522 and / or the ink storage chamber 523 has a polygonal shape, The joint 5261 may also have rotational symmetry with the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. For example, the joining parts 5261 may be arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference with the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. Alternatively, the joints 5261 may be arranged radially with the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. Thereby, the bending deformation of the damper film 522 is uniformly transmitted to the pressure receiving plate 525, and the pressure receiving plate 525 is stably displaced. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the ink storage amount can be increased.

  As an example, when the opening portion of the case body 521 and the damper film 522 have a polygonal shape such as a triangular shape, a quadrangular shape, a pentagonal shape, or a hexagonal shape, the number n of the joint portions 5261 is a divisor of the number of vertices ( However, it is preferable that n ≧ 3). As shown in FIG. 44, when the opening portion of the case main body 521 and the damper film 522 have a quadrangular shape, the number n of the joint portions may be four. Moreover, when the opening part of the case main body 521 is hexagonal shape, it is good in the number n of a junction part being three or six. Especially, it is preferable to have the number of joint portions 5261 equal to the number of polygonal vertices. When the number of the joining parts 5261 satisfying the above is arranged so as to have rotational symmetry, and the other part becomes the non-joining part 5269 and the intermittent joining part 526 is formed, the bending deformation of the damper film 522 is caused by the pressure receiving plate 525. Can be reflected stably in the displacement.

  FIG. 47 shows another example of the pressure receiving plate 525. In this modification, a linear or patterned joint is provided on the surface of the pressure receiving plate 525 facing the damper film 522. In FIG. 47A, six linear joints 5262 are arranged radially with the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. In FIG. 47 (b), the six linear joints arranged radially and the circular joint arranged in the central portion of the pressure receiving plate 525 are combined to form one gear-like joint 5263. . In FIG. 47 (c), four arcuate joints 5264 are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference with the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. In FIG. 47 (d), four arcuate joints 5264 arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference and one circular joint 5265 arranged at the central portion of the pressure receiving plate 525 are arranged. . In FIG. 47 (e), four linear joints arranged radially and four arcuate joints arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference overlap each other, and four T-shaped joints 5266 are provided. I am doing. 47A to 47E, portions other than the joint portions 5262, 5263, 5264, 5265, and 5266 are non-joint portions 5269, and intermittent joint portions 526 are respectively configured.

  As shown in FIG. 44, a detection lever 527 is disposed outside the ink storage chamber 523. The detection lever 527 is an ink storage amount detection device that detects the ink storage amount from the degree of bending deformation (position change) of the damper film 522. The detection lever 527 is fixed to the wall surface of the case main body 521 by two fixing portions 527b. The detection lever 527 is connected to the center 525 c of the pressure receiving plate 525 via the damper film 522. The detection lever 527 is disposed so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the damper film 522 by a spring member 527c, and is always in contact with the damper film 522. The detection lever 527 is displaced based on the bending deformation of the damper film 522.

  For example, when the amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 523 decreases, the damper film 522 bends by a predetermined amount inside the ink storage chamber 523. As the damper film 522 is bent and deformed, the detection lever 527 is also displaced by a predetermined amount toward the ink storage chamber 523. Conversely, when ink is supplied to the ink storage chamber 523 and the ink storage amount increases, the damper film 522 bends to the outside of the ink storage chamber 523 by a predetermined amount. As the damper film 522 is bent and deformed, the detection lever 527 is also displaced by a predetermined amount away from the ink storage chamber 523. Therefore, based on the displacement information of the detection lever 527, it can be determined whether or not the ink storage amount in the ink storage chamber 523 is within a predetermined range. For example, it can be determined whether the ink storage amount in the ink storage chamber 523 has reached a predetermined lower limit value and / or whether the ink storage amount has reached a predetermined upper limit value (full tank). .

  A signal is sent to the control device 518 based on the displacement of the detection lever 527. The control device 518 drives or stops the supply pump 513 when receiving this signal. According to the above configuration, the supply pump 513 can be operated according to the amount of ink stored in the damper device 514. Accordingly, a predetermined amount of ink can be maintained in the ink storage chamber 523, and ink can be stably supplied to the ink head 515.

  As shown in FIG. 45, in this modification, the detection lever 527 is connected to the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525. A convex portion 527 a is provided at a position where the detection lever 527 is connected to the pressure receiving plate 525. On the other hand, a concave portion 525a is formed at the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525 connected to the convex portion 527a. The recess 525a protrudes to the inside of the ink storage chamber 523 so that the tip (projection 527a) of the detection lever 527 on the ink storage chamber 523 side can be inserted. Thereby, the detection lever 527 and the pressure receiving plate 525 are stably connected. Therefore, the degree of bending deformation of the damper film 522 is accurately transmitted to the detection lever 527, and the detection lever 527 is stably moved.

  When printing is not performed, that is, when ink is not ejected from the ink head 515, a predetermined amount or more of ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 523 of the damper device 514. At this time, the damper film 522 is bent outside the ink storage chamber 523 by the spring force of the taper spring 524. As a result, the inside of the ink storage chamber 523 is maintained at a negative pressure, and the lower surface 515a of the ink head 515 communicating with the ink storage chamber 523 is also maintained at a negative pressure. Therefore, ink leakage from the nozzles of the ink head 515 is prevented.

  When the ink is circulated in the system, a cap 519 is first attached to the lower surface 515a of the ink head 515 as shown in FIG. Next, the control device 518 opens the second connection port 517b and the third connection port 517c of the three-way valve 517, and closes the first connection port 517a. That is, the three-way valve 517 is switched to a state where the second connection port 517b and the third connection port 517c are connected. In this state, the motor is driven, and the supply pump 513 is driven. At this time, ink flows from the damper device 514 toward the three-way valve 517 through the ink circulation path 516. The ink that has passed through the ink circulation path 516 flows again toward the damper device 514 through the ink supply path 512. The arrows in FIG. 43 indicate the flow of ink during ink circulation. Thus, by circulating the ink in the system, the ink can be kept homogeneous. As a result, it is possible to highly prevent the solid content (for example, coloring material) in the ink from being separated or precipitated. Also, waste of ink can be reduced.

  On the other hand, when printing is performed by the printer 500, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the ink head 515 toward the recording paper 5. At the time of printing, the control device 518 opens the first connection port 517a and the second connection port 517b of the three-way valve 517, and closes the third connection port 517c. The three-way valve 517 is switched to a state where the first connection port 517a and the second connection port 517b are connected. When ink is ejected from the nozzles, the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 523 of the damper device 514 is sucked out and supplied to the ink head 515. As a result, the amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 523 decreases, and the inside of the ink storage chamber 523 becomes negative pressure. As the pressure in the ink storage chamber 523 becomes negative, the damper film 522 is bent and deformed inside the ink storage chamber 523. In response to the bending deformation of the damper film 522, the pressure receiving plate 525 that is intermittently joined to the damper film 522 is also displaced. This displacement is transmitted to the detection lever 527 connected to the pressure receiving plate 525 with high accuracy. Information on the displacement of the detection lever 527 is sent to the control device 518. When the displacement amount of the detection lever 527 reaches a predetermined value, the control device 518 determines that the ink storage amount is a predetermined lower limit value, and drives the supply pump 513. As a result, ink is sent from the ink cartridge 511 toward the damper device 514.

  As ink flows into the ink storage chamber 523 of the damper device 514, the negative pressure in the ink storage chamber 523 is eliminated. At the same time, the bending of the damper film 522 is relaxed, and the pressure receiving plate 525 that is intermittently joined to the damper film 522 is also displaced. This displacement is transmitted to the detection lever 527 connected to the pressure receiving plate 525 with high accuracy. When the displacement amount of the detection lever 527 reaches a predetermined value, the control device 518 determines that the ink storage amount is a predetermined upper limit value (full tank), and stops the supply pump 513. In this manner, by driving the supply pump 513 based on the displacement of the detection lever 527, a predetermined amount of ink is maintained in the ink storage chamber 523. This prevents the inside of the ink storage chamber 523 from becoming too negative, and ink is stably supplied from the ink cartridge 511 to the ink head 515. Therefore, ink can be stably ejected from the ink head 515 during printing.

  As described above, in the damper device 514 of this modified example, as shown in FIGS. 44 and 46, the pressure receiving plate 525 and the damper film 522 are joined intermittently without being joined to the entire surface. Thereby, the pressure receiving area (contact area with the damper film 522) of the pressure receiving plate 525 can be increased while maintaining the movable range of the damper film 522. Further, due to the intermittent joining, air confinement hardly occurs on the joining surface between the damper film 522 and the pressure receiving plate 525. Accordingly, the pressure change in the ink storage chamber 523 can be accurately reflected in the bending deformation of the damper film 522. The elastic deformation of the damper film 522 is transmitted to the pressure receiving plate 525. For this reason, the detection lever 527 can be stably displaced, and the amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 523 can be detected with higher accuracy. Therefore, in the ink supply system including the damper device 514 and the printer 500, the ink ejection stability is improved, and the ink can be stably ejected from the ink head 515.

  In the present modification, the intermittent joint portion 526 includes a joint portion 5261 joined to the damper film 522 and a non-joint portion 5269 not joined to the damper film 522. At least a part of the non-joining portion 5269 is located closer to the center of the pressure receiving plate than the joining portion 5261. Further, the non-joining portion 5269 is not closed by the joining portion 5261. Thereby, bubbles are better discharged from the intermittent joint portion 526.

  In the present modification, the intermittent joint 526 has the same number of joints 5261 as the number of polygonal vertices of the damper film 522. Thereby, the distance from each vertex of the damper film 522 to the closest joint portion 5261 can be made substantially equal. The joint portion 5261 constituting the intermittent joint portion 526 is disposed so as to have rotational symmetry with the center of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. Specifically, the joint portions 5261 are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference with the center of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. In another modified example, as shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B, the joint portions 5262 and 5263 constituting the intermittent joint portion 526 are radially arranged with the center of the pressure receiving plate 525 as the center point. According to each of these other modified examples, the bending deformation of the damper film 522 is more stably transmitted to the pressure receiving plate 525 and consequently the detection lever 527. Therefore, the amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 523 can be detected with higher accuracy.

  In this modification, a taper spring 524 is used as an elastic member that presses the damper film 522 to the outside of the ink storage chamber 523. The length of the taper spring 524 in the expansion / contraction direction during compression is significantly smaller than that of, for example, a general coil spring. For this reason, by using the taper spring 524, the distance between the damper film 522 and the wall surface 521a of the case main body 521 can be shortened. Therefore, the freedom degree of the external shape of the damper apparatus 514 can be raised. Further, the joining with the pressure receiving plate 525 can be easily and accurately performed. Therefore, it is preferable also in terms of manufacturability and production efficiency.

  In the present modification, the detection lever 527 is disposed so as to be connected to the center 525c of the pressure receiving plate 525. As a result, for example, the bending deformation of the damper film 522 can be transmitted to the detection lever 527 with higher accuracy than in the case where the pressure receiving plate 525 is connected at substantially the entire portion or at a portion other than the center 525c. The detection lever 527 has a convex portion 527 a at a position where it is connected to the pressure receiving plate 525. The pressure receiving plate 525 has a concave portion 525a formed at the center 525c so that the convex portion 527a of the detection lever 527 can be inserted. As a result, the pressure receiving plate 525 and the detection lever 527 are more stably connected. For this reason, the ink storage amount in the ink storage chamber 523 can be detected with higher accuracy.

  In this modification, as shown in FIG. 43, the ink supply system 550 includes an ink circulation path 516 that communicates the ink supply path 512 and the damper device 514. The ink is a mixture of a solvent and a solid content (for example, a coloring material). By circulating the ink, it can be maintained in a homogeneous state. Therefore, it can suppress highly that solid content isolate | separates or precipitates.

  In this modification, as shown in FIG. 44, the inner diameter d5 of the circulation ink outlet 529b of the damper device 514 is smaller than the inner diameter D5 of the ink inlet 520. Generally, the larger the inner diameter of the ink flow path, the larger the dynamic pressure fluctuation tends to be. Therefore, by reducing the inner diameter d5 of the circulation ink outlet 529b that does not directly contribute to the ink supply, it is possible to suppress the dynamic pressure fluctuation derived from the ink on the circulation side. Therefore, stable supply of ink and suppression of dynamic pressure fluctuation can be balanced at a high level.

  In this modification, as shown in FIG. 44, the lower end of the circulation ink outlet 529b of the damper device 514 is disposed below the lower end of the ink inlet 520 in the gravity direction. Thus, when a predetermined amount of ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 523, the tip of the circulation ink outlet 529b is arranged better in the ink. For this reason, it is difficult for bubbles to flow into the ink circulation path 516, and problems such as defective printing can be highly prevented.

  In this modification, the liquid stored in the liquid supply unit (ink cartridge 511) is ink, but the present invention is not limited to this. The liquid may be a cleaning liquid used for maintenance of the printer 500, for example.

  In this modification, the elastic member that bends the damper film 522 to the outside of the ink storage chamber 523 is the taper spring 524, but is not limited thereto. The elastic member may be, for example, a plate spring, a coil spring, a rubber member (for example, a plate rubber), or the like.

  In this modification, the damper device 514 is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. The damper device 514 can be used in various applications including a liquid supply system, such as various manufacturing apparatuses that employ an inkjet method, and measuring instruments such as a micropipette.

  You may combine the said embodiment and said each modification suitably.

  <Other inventions>
  In the ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1, when the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid is attached to the wiper. Therefore, the wiper may wipe the nozzle surface in a state where the cleaning liquid is attached to the wiper. For this reason, the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper may enter the nozzle disposed on the nozzle surface. As a result, there is a possibility that nozzle ejection failure may occur.

  Therefore, in another invention, in an ink jet printer having an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed, deposits adhering to the nozzle surface are removed and nozzle ejection defects occur. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device capable of suppressing this and an ink jet printer including the same.

  Another aspect of the invention relates to a cleaning device that removes deposits adhered to the nozzle surface in an ink jet printer including an ink head having a nozzle that ejects ink onto a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed. Device. The cleaning device includes a wiper, a rotating shaft, a drive mechanism, a cleaning liquid tank, a removing member, and a control device. The wiper has a contact surface that contacts the nozzle surface. The rotating shaft supports the wiper. The drive mechanism is connected to the rotating shaft and rotates the rotating shaft. The cleaning liquid tank is disposed below the rotating shaft and stores cleaning liquid in which the contact portion of the wiper is immersed. The removing member removes the cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper when the contact portion of the wiper comes into contact. The control device has a position where the contact portion of the wiper contacts the nozzle surface as a first position, and a position where the contact portion of the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank as a second position. And when the position where the contact portion of the wiper contacts the removal member is a third position, the wiper is connected to the drive mechanism, and the drive mechanism is driven to rotate the rotating shaft, The contact portion of the wiper is moved to the first position, the second position, and the third position.

  According to the cleaning device, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank is attached to the contact portion of the wiper. When the contact portion of the wiper to which the cleaning liquid is applied comes into contact with the removing member in the third position, the cleaning liquid is removed. Therefore, the wiper can wipe the nozzle surface of the ink head with the cleaning liquid removed. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the deposits attached to the nozzle surface, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective nozzle discharge due to the cleaning liquid entering the nozzle when the nozzle surface is wiped.

  According to another aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device capable of removing deposits attached to the nozzle surface of the ink head and suppressing occurrence of defective nozzle discharge, and an ink jet printer including the same.

1 Printer (inkjet printer)
40 Ink head 41 Nozzle 41a Nozzle surface 50 Wiper 55 Cleaning liquid 60 Cleaning liquid tank 70 Pad (removal member)
80 Drive mechanism 81 Rotating shaft 90 Control device 100 Cleaning device P1 Wiping position (first position)
P2 Cleaning position (second position)
P3 removal position (third position)

Claims (7)

An ink cartridge for containing ink;
An ink head for ejecting ink;
An ink supply path for communicating the ink cartridge and the ink head;
A pressure control valve provided in the ink supply path;
A liquid feeding device provided in the ink supply path and configured to supply ink from the ink cartridge toward the ink head;
A damper provided in the ink supply path for storing ink;
An ink storage amount detection device for detecting the ink storage amount of the damper;
A control device for controlling the operation and stop of the liquid feeding device based on the ink storage amount of the damper detected by the ink storage amount detection device;
With
The pressure control valve is a self-weighting pressure control valve that is not electrically controlled, relaxes ink pressure fluctuation during printing, and maintains the ink supply path closed during non-printing. . An ink cartridge for containing ink;
An ink head for ejecting ink;
An ink supply path for communicating the ink cartridge and the ink head;
A pressure control valve provided in the ink supply path;
A liquid feeding device provided in the ink supply path and configured to supply ink from the ink cartridge toward the ink head;
A damper provided in the ink supply path for storing ink;
An ink storage amount detection device for detecting the ink storage amount of the damper;
A control device for controlling the operation and stop of the liquid feeding device based on the ink storage amount of the damper detected by the ink storage amount detection device;
With
The pressure control valve is
A hollow case body in which an opening is formed;
A partition wall disposed inside the case body, and partitioning the inside of the case body into a first pressure chamber and a second pressure chamber;
An ink inflow port formed in the case body and communicating with the first pressure chamber;
An ink outlet formed in the case body and in communication with the second pressure chamber;
A communication port formed in the partition wall for communicating the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber;
A valve rod having a rod portion inserted into the communication port so as to penetrate the partition, and a valve portion having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the communication port and disposed inside the first pressure chamber; ,
A pressure-sensitive membrane that is attached to the case body so as to cover the opening, is connected to a tip portion of the rod portion of the valve rod, and can be bent and deformed toward the rod portion;
With
The pressure control valve is arranged such that the first pressure chamber is positioned above the second pressure chamber, and the pressure sensitive film is not deformed by bending toward the rod portion. An ink supply system configured to be maintained in a closed state by the valve portion by the weight of the rod. The rod portion of the valve rod has an end surface;
The ink according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure control valve includes a pressure receiving plate that is interposed between the pressure-sensitive film and the end surface of the rod portion and has a larger area than the end surface of the rod portion. Supply system. The ink supply system according to claim 3 , wherein the pressure control valve includes a buffer member disposed between the pressure receiving plate and the rod portion of the valve rod. The valve rod is made of brass, the ink supply system described in any one of claims 2 to 4. The ink supply system according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , wherein a filter is disposed in the first pressure chamber. An ink jet printer comprising the ink supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .

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