JP6536125B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus which performs printing using a liquid supplied from a liquid container capable of injecting a liquid such as ink.

  As an example of a printing apparatus, an ink jet printer is known which prints an image or the like by ejecting a liquid such as ink from a printing unit onto a medium. As such a printer, conventionally, a liquid container such as a tank capable of injecting a liquid such as ink used for printing is provided separately from the printer main body provided with the printing unit, and the liquid supply tube is There has been a printer that performs printing using a liquid supplied via the printer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2014-54824, A

  By the way, in the above-described printer, the operation of injecting the liquid into the liquid container is performed by the user. Therefore, such a printer is required to further improve the usability.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus with improved usability.

Hereinafter, the means for solving the above-mentioned subject and its operation effect are described.
A printing apparatus that solves the above problems includes a printing unit that performs printing using a liquid as a medium, a liquid storage chamber that can store the liquid supplied to the printing unit, and a liquid that can inject the liquid into the liquid storage chamber A liquid container having an inlet and a case for containing the liquid container and the printing unit therein, the case being provided at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the liquid container. It has an opening that exposes the inlet.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid container is accommodated in the housing, the installation area of the entire device can be reduced as compared with the case where the liquid container is located outside the housing, and the housing Since the opening is provided at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the internal liquid container, the liquid can be injected from the opening to the liquid inlet. Therefore, the liquid can be easily injected, and usability can be improved in that the possibility that the printing apparatus can be used is increased even in a place where a large installation area can not be secured.

  In the printing apparatus, a wiring area of a cable connected to an electric connection portion provided in the housing is provided on the upper surface of the housing, and the opening is at a position avoiding the wiring area. It is preferable to be provided.

  According to this configuration, in the housing, the opening that exposes the liquid inlet of the liquid container housed in the inside is provided at a position avoiding the wiring area of the cable provided on the upper surface of the housing Therefore, the possibility of contaminating the cable by the liquid which has fallen from the liquid inlet at the time of liquid injection can be reduced.

In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that a blocking unit capable of blocking the flow of the liquid from the opening to the electrical connection unit is provided on the top surface of the housing.
According to this configuration, when the liquid is injected into the liquid inlet of the liquid container through the opening of the housing, even if the liquid is dropped around the opening, the spilled liquid flows to the electrical connection Since it can be blocked by the blocking portion, the liquid can be prevented from adhering to the electrical connection portion.

  Further, in the printing apparatus, the upper side of the housing is opened and closed between a closed position where the image reading apparatus makes the lower surface of the apparatus face the upper surface of the housing and an open position where the upper surface of the housing is opened. Preferably, the opening is provided at a position exposed to the outside without facing the lower surface of the image reading device when the image reading device is in the closed position.

  According to this configuration, the liquid is injected from the liquid inlet into the liquid container through the opening exposed to the outside without having to take time and effort to open the image reader from the closed position to the open position. Can.

  In the printing apparatus, an inclined surface is provided between the front surface of the housing on which the medium printed by the printing unit is discharged and the top surface of the housing, and the opening is Preferably, it is provided on the inclined surface.

According to this configuration, the user can inject the liquid from the front side of the printing apparatus through the opening of the housing into the liquid inlet of the liquid container in a comfortable posture.
In the printing apparatus, an operation panel portion is provided on the front surface of the housing, the upper end of which is positioned above the upper surface of the housing in the vertical direction, and the opening is a front surface side of the housing It is preferable to be provided in the position which becomes the back side of the said operation panel part, when it sees from this.

According to this configuration, the operation panel portion is blindfolded from the front side of the printing apparatus, and the opening can be prevented from reaching the eyes, so that the appearance of the printing apparatus can be improved.
In the printing apparatus, the liquid container has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a longitudinal attachment direction along a depth direction from a front surface side of the housing, and a longitudinal direction is a side surface of the housing Side mounting mode along the left-right direction orthogonal to the depth direction from the side, the direction from the corner where the longitudinal direction intersects the front and the side of the casing is oblique to both the depth direction and the left-right direction It is preferable to be attached to the said housing in any attachment aspect among the oblique attachment aspects in alignment with.

  According to this configuration, the mounting mode of the liquid container is selected from the front mounting mode, the side mounting mode and the oblique mounting mode according to the environmental conditions such as the shape of the place where the printing apparatus is installed. Thus, usability can be improved.

In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the case is configured of an upper case and a lower case, and the opening is formed in the upper case.
In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that a part of the liquid container protrudes to the outside of the housing, and the protruding part is covered by a protective member fixed to the housing.

According to this configuration, the protective member can reduce the possibility of the positional displacement of the liquid container being caused by the fact that an object hits the portion of the liquid container protruding from the casing.
Further, in the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the protective member is provided with a visible portion that allows the liquid residual amount in the liquid container covered by the protective member to be visible.

  According to this configuration, even if the entire surface of the portion of the liquid container that protrudes outside the housing is covered by the protective member, the user can view the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid container from the viewing window.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a multifunction peripheral including a printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the printing apparatus in the multifunction peripheral of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid supply device provided in the printing apparatus. 5 is a partial sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2 in the printing apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows typically the positional relationship of the opening part formed in the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, and the liquid inlet of a liquid container. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the liquid supply device in the printing apparatus during liquid injection. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a multifunction peripheral including a printing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a printing apparatus in a multifunction peripheral according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 9 in the printing apparatus. Sectional drawing of the part in which the liquid supply apparatus in the printing apparatus of a modification was arrange | positioned. The partial sectional view on the AA line in FIG. (A), (b), (c) and (d) is a schematic diagram of each modification from which the position of the opening part for liquid injection | pouring formed in the housing | casing of the printing apparatus differs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the attachment aspect of the liquid container with respect to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, (a) and (b) is a schematic diagram of the modification of a side attachment aspect, (c) and (d) are diagonal attachment The schematic diagram of the modification of an aspect. FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of another modified example of the liquid container attached to the housing of the printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, Comprising: (a) is a front view, (b) is a right view. It is a figure which shows typically the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, Comprising: (a) is a front view of side protrusion type, (b) is a front view of side external attachment type. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view showing a modification of the opening formed in the housing of the printing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the positional relationship between the opening formed in the housing of the printing apparatus and the liquid inlet of the liquid container according to a modification. The schematic cross section of the liquid container of a modification. The perspective view of the protection member of a modification. It is a figure which shows typically the liquid supply apparatus of the modification externally attached to a printing apparatus, (a) is sectional drawing seen from the front, (b) is a right view. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a modification in which the image reading device of the multifunction machine functions as a liquid inlet cover lid member. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing which shows typically the positional relationship of the opening part formed in the housing | casing of the printing apparatus of a modification, and the liquid inlet of a liquid container. (A), (b) and (c) is a sectional view showing typically the composition in which the seal member was provided between the exterior member of the printer of a modification, and the liquid injection opening of a liquid container. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing which shows typically the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a multifunction peripheral including a printing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured of, for example, an ink jet printer that performs printing by ejecting ink, which is an example of a liquid, onto a sheet, which is an example of a medium. The printer is a so-called serial printer in which printing is performed by moving a liquid jet head that functions as a printing unit in the main scanning direction in which the printing system intersects the sheet conveyance direction. In the following description, the paper transport direction will be referred to as "longitudinal direction", the main scanning direction in which the printing unit moves will be referred to as "left-right direction", and the vertical direction along the gravity direction will be referred to as "vertical direction".

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 11 includes a printing device 12 having a printing function, an image reading device 13 having a reading function, and an automatic sheet feeding device 14 having a sheet feeding function for the image reading device 13. There is. The image reading device 13 is disposed on the printing device 12, and the automatic sheet feeding device 14 is disposed on the image reading device 13. The printing apparatus 12 has a rectangular parallelepiped casing 15. The casing 15 includes a rectangular parallelepiped lower casing 16 and a rectangular parallelepiped upper casing whose height in the vertical direction is lower than that of the lower casing 16. And 17). The lower housing 16 and the upper housing 17 are rectangular parallelepipeds having substantially the same shape in plan view from above, and the printing apparatus 12 is assembled by assembling the upper housing 17 on the lower housing 16. In the above, the case 15 which is the device body is formed.

  An operation panel unit 18 for operating various operations in the multifunction machine 11 is provided at a position substantially at the center in the left-right direction on the front upper portion of the upper housing 17 in the printing apparatus 12. The operation panel unit 18 has, for example, a power button 18a, a touch panel liquid crystal display screen 18b, an operation button 18c, and the like, and has a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the front side. There is. The upper end of the operation panel unit 18 is positioned above the upper surface of the upper housing 17 on the rear side of the printing apparatus 12 than the operation panel unit 18, and the front side of the image reading device 13 is nearer It is provided to overlap from.

  Further, on the front side of the lower housing 16 of the printing apparatus 12, at the lower side of the operation panel section 18, a rectangle for discharging the sheet P printed in the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 to the front side The paper outlet 19 is open. From below the sheet discharge outlet 19, a rectangular plate-like sheet discharge tray (discharge unit) 20 for supporting the sheet P discharged from the sheet discharge outlet 19 protrudes forward in the sheet discharge direction. It extends. Below the discharge tray 20 on the front surface of the lower housing 16, a cassette mounting portion 21 having a rectangular opening shape is provided, and the cassette mounting portion 21 stores a plurality of sheets P used for printing in a stacked state A possible sheet feeding cassette 22 is mounted so as to be freely insertable and removable in the front and back direction. The sheet feeding cassette 22 is formed in a size such that the front end thereof is substantially at the same position as the front end of the sheet discharge tray 20 in the front-rear direction when the sheet feeding cassette 22 is attached to the cassette mounting portion 21.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular shape is located on the front side of the lower housing 16 of the printing apparatus 12 and on the end side (right end side in FIG. 1) of the cassette mounting portion 21 in the left-right direction. A plate-like opening / closing door 23 is provided so as to be able to open and close in the front-rear direction indicated by a solid arrow in FIG. 1 with a rotation shaft 24 (see FIG. 5) along the left-right direction provided at its lower end. A notch-shaped finger hook on a part of the edge of the open / close door 23 opposite to the side on which the rotary shaft 24 is provided when the user of the printing apparatus 12 can open and close the open / close door 23 The part 25 is formed. An ink absorbent 26, which is an example of a liquid absorbent made of polyurethane foam or the like capable of absorbing and holding ink, is attached to the back of the open / close door 23 in the vicinity of the rotary shaft 24. In the open / close door 23, a portion where the ink absorbing material 26 is not provided on the back surface is formed of a transparent member, so that the inside can be viewed visually with the open / close door 23 closed. Note that the ink absorbing material 26 may be provided on the entire surface of the back surface of the opening and closing door 23 except for the finger hooking portion 25 without using a transparent member in the opening and closing door 23. It is also good.

  In the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12, the dimensions in the vertical and horizontal directions are opened and closed at a position on the back side of the open / close door 23, that is, at a position close to the front and close to the end (in this case, close to the right end) A liquid supply unit 27 having a size substantially corresponding to the dimensions of the door 23 in the vertical and horizontal directions is accommodated. The liquid supply unit 27 is an integrally handleable structure including a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of liquid containers 28 (28a to 28d), and as described later, each liquid container Ink can be injected into the bodies 28a to 28d.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, when viewed from above at a position closer to the front and closer to the right end of the upper surface of the upper housing 17 of the printing device 12 and the lower surface of the image reading device 13, The recessed part 29a and the recessed part 29b which become the same substantially rectangular shape are formed. The upper surface of the upper housing 17 of the printing apparatus 12 is formed with a recess 29 a that is recessed downward from the upper surface, while the lower surface of the image reading device 13 is formed with a recess 29 b that is recessed upward from the lower surface. Then, by these concave portions 29a and 29b, a manual insertion portion 29 capable of inserting a hand of a person from the front side or the right side is formed at the upper and lower boundary portion which is the bonding surface between the printing device 12 and the image reading device 13. It is done. In addition, the manual insertion part 29 consists only of one of the recessed part 29a and the recessed part 29b, and the other recessed part does not need to be formed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the image reading device 13 disposed on the printing device 12 has a closed position in which the lower surface thereof faces the upper surface of the upper housing 17 and an open position in which the upper surface of the upper housing 17 is opened. And a hinge shaft (not shown) provided on the rear side of the image reading device 13 can be opened and closed. Therefore, the left and right sides for inserting the hinge shaft (not shown) of the image reading device 13 in the positions near the left and right ends of the rear in the upper surface of the housing 15 (specifically, the upper housing 17) of the printing device 12. A pair of hinge insertion openings 30 are provided. Then, when the image reading device 13 in the closed position is opened to the open position, the image reading device 13 is opened by the user who has inserted the hand in the manual insertion unit 29.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the upper surface of the upper housing 17 of the printing device 12, a surface portion along the horizontal direction which is the bottom surface of the recess 29 a is vertically separated from the lower surface of the image reading device 13. The horizontal portion 31 is formed to be positioned in the vertical direction. And the opening part 32 which consists of several (this embodiment four) holes is formed in the horizontal surface part 31. As shown in FIG. These openings 32 are not arranged in a straight line continuously in the lateral direction but in an offset arrangement in which a plurality of openings 32 continuous in the lateral direction are alternately displaced in the longitudinal direction. There is. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, among the four openings 32, the opening 32 positioned closest to the right end in the left-right direction is formed in a hole that is slightly larger than the other three openings 32. Furthermore, of the upper surface of the upper housing 17 in the printing apparatus 12, a surface portion along the vertical direction that defines the formation region of the recess 29a forms a vertical surface portion 33 that vertically rises vertically upward from the horizontal surface portion 31.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular opening 34 having a lateral direction as a main scanning direction as a longitudinal direction and a longitudinal direction as a lateral direction is provided substantially at the center of the upper surface of the upper housing 17 in the printing apparatus 12. It is formed. Then, in order to avoid the rectangular opening 34 and the opening 32 of the horizontal surface 31, a wiring area 36 for wiring a cable 35 extending from an external device such as a personal computer (PC) (not shown) on the upper surface of the upper housing 17. Is formed. The wiring area 36 guides the cable 35 straight from the rear right end of the upper housing 17 along the right side of the upper housing 17 by a predetermined distance, and then toward the central portion of the upper housing 17. It is comprised by the ditch part which can be guided so that it may bend in a substantially right angle. The groove portion of the wiring region 36 is formed in a groove shape which is expanded in a substantially central portion of the upper housing 17, and the electric connection portion 37 installed in the housing 15 is exposed in the expanded groove portion. . Therefore, the cable 35 wired in the wiring region 36 is electrically connected to the electrical connection portion 37 whose tip is exposed to the expanded groove-shaped portion in the wiring region 36.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a driven pulley 38 is provided at a position near the rear surface and in the vicinity of the left end in the housing 15 (specifically, the lower housing 16) of the printing apparatus 12. At a position near the right end, a drive pulley 39 that can be rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) is provided. An endless timing belt 40 is wound around both pulleys 38 and 39, and a part of the timing belt 40 is connected to a connecting portion 41 a provided at the rear of the carriage 41. On the lower surface side of the carriage 41, a liquid jet head 42, which is an example of a printing unit that performs printing by jetting a plurality of (four colors in this embodiment) ink onto the sheet P, is mounted.

  Further, at a position on the front side of the timing belt 40 in the lower housing 16 of the printing apparatus 12, a rectangular parallelepiped support stand 43 long in the left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction which is the conveyance direction of the sheet P is disposed. . The support table 43 is a table that supports the lower surface of the sheet P when it is conveyed in the conveyance direction at the time of printing, and the surface of the support table 43 facing the liquid jet head 42 has a substantially rectangular shape long in the left-right direction. The porous ink absorbing material 44 is exposed over the area. Further, on the front side and the rear side of the support stand 43, a pair of front and rear rails 45 which movably support the carriage 41 and extend in the left-right direction are provided. Therefore, when the driving pulley 39 is rotationally driven by the driving of the motor, the driving force is transmitted to the connecting portion 41a via the timing belt 40, and the carriage 41 is guided by the pair of front and rear rails 45 to reciprocate in the left and right direction. Do.

  Further, a rectangular support frame portion 46 in plan view is provided at a position on the front side of the front side rail 45 in the lower housing 16 of the printing apparatus 12, and a CPU or the like is provided on the support frame portion 46. A circuit board 47 functioning as a control unit provided is supported. Besides the electric connection portion 37 to which the tip end portion of the cable 35 is connected, a plurality of (only two are shown as an example in this embodiment) connectors 48 a and 48 b are fixed on the circuit board 47. In addition, a vertical guide wall 49 extending in the left-right direction is formed in a portion near the rear end edge along the rear side of the circuit board 47 in the support frame portion 46.

  A notch recess 49 a is formed at a substantially central position in the left-right direction of the guide wall 49. The middle portion of the flexible liquid supply tube 50 having one end connected to the liquid supply unit 27 is fixed to the rear surface of the guide wall 49 on the carriage 41 side closer to the right end than the cutout recess 49a. A fixing member 51 is provided. The portion on the other end side of the fixing member 51 in the liquid supply tube 50 is folded back after extending along the rear surface of the guide wall 49, and the other end is via the connection portion 41 b provided on the front of the carriage 41. Each sub tank 52 mounted on the carriage 41 is connected.

  The sub tank 52 temporarily stores each ink supplied by the liquid supply tube 50 and then supplies the ink to the liquid jet head 42. In this case, the liquid supply tube 50 may be connected to the liquid jet head 42 via an adapter (not shown) without mounting the sub tank 52 on the carriage 41. Note that a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of the liquid supply tubes 50 which are equal to the number of the plurality of (four in the present embodiment) liquid containers 28a to 28d included in the liquid supply unit 27 are drawn. However, in FIG. 3 etc., three of four are omitted and only one is drawn in order to simplify the drawing. In addition, these four liquid supply tubes may be configured by four continuous multiple tubes integrally formed with each other.

  Further, a signal line 53 whose one end side is connected to the liquid jet head 42 or the like is led out from the connection portion 41 b of the carriage 41, and the other end side of the signal line 53 extends along the rear surface of the guide wall 49 on the carriage 41 side. After passing through the notched recess 49a, the circuit board 47 is connected to the circuit board 47 via the connector 48a. Further, the other connector 48 b on the circuit board 47 is connected to the other end of the signal line 54 whose one end is connected to the liquid supply unit 27.

Next, the liquid supply unit 27 that functions as a liquid supply device that supplies ink to the liquid jet head 42 in the printing apparatus 12 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid supply unit 27 includes a plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d, and a flow path forming member 55 in which a plurality of ink flow paths for each of the liquid containers 28a to 28d are formed. And a set member 56 configured to set the plurality of liquid containers 28 a to 28 d together with the flow path forming member 55 in a state of being arranged so as to overlap in the thickness direction. The liquid supply unit 27 is positioned near the front in the housing 15 in a state where the plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d are set together with the flow path forming member 55 on the setting member 56 and can be handled integrally. It is held in a positioned state with respect to a holding member 57 fixed as a holding portion at a position closer to the right end. The holding member 57 is fixed to the lower housing 16 via a screwing mechanism (not shown), and the liquid supply unit 27 is also fixed to the lower housing 16 with a screwing mechanism (not shown) or It is positioned immovably by being fixed using an adhesive (not shown) or the like.

  The plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d contain a liquid container 28a for containing black ink, a liquid container 28b for containing cyan ink, a liquid container 28c for containing magenta ink, and a yellow ink. And a liquid container 28d. When the liquid jet head 42 prints on the sheet P such that each of the four liquid containers 28 a to 28 d has a front attachment aspect along the front-rear direction, which is the depth direction from the front side of the housing 15. It is set in the set member 56 in a state of being aligned in the lateral direction which is the main scanning direction of Then, when the liquid container 28a of the black ink of a capacity larger than that of the other three liquid containers 28b to 28d is attached in the case 15 of the printing apparatus 12, it is shown in FIG. It is set to be positioned at the rightmost end in the left-right direction. In addition, all the liquid containers may have the same size.

  As shown in FIG. 4, of the four liquid containers 28 (28a to 28d) arranged in the left and right direction, two liquid containers positioned at both ends in the arranging direction (in this case, the liquid container 28a at the right end and the left end) A cylindrical convex portion 58 is provided so as to protrude outward at a substantially central portion of each outer side surface of the liquid container 28d). That is, from the approximate center of the right side surface of the liquid container 28a of black ink, the convex portion 58 is protruded toward the right, and the same applies from the approximate center of the left side surface of the liquid container 28d of yellow ink. The convex part (not shown) of the [4] protrudes leftward.

  The plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d are arranged in parallel in the housing 15 via the set member 56 or the like, and the horizontal direction along the alignment direction is the thickness direction, and the height direction along the vertical direction is short. The ink container is a substantially rectangular ink tank whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction of the housing 15 along the hand direction and the conveyance direction of the sheet P, and has a liquid storage chamber 59 capable of storing ink therein. A liquid inlet 61 is formed on the rectangular upper wall portion 60 along the longitudinal direction of the liquid containers 28a to 28d so that ink can be injected into the liquid storage chamber 59 from the outside.

  The liquid inlet 61 has a first opening 61a, which is an example of an inner end opening on the liquid storage chamber 59 side, and a second opening 61b having a diameter larger than that of the first opening 61a at the opposite opening. The first opening 61a, which has a funnel shape and is an inner end opening, is formed at a position closer to the front end in the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d. In this point, the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d corresponds to an opening forming wall portion in which the inner end opening (first opening 61a) of the liquid inlet 61 is formed in the liquid containers 28a to 28d.

  Further, the liquid surface of the ink in the liquid storage chamber 59 is visually recognized on the front wall portion 62 which is a wall portion exposed forward when the open / close door 23 on the front surface of the housing 15 is opened in the liquid containers 28a to 28d. A visible portion 63 made of a transparent resin or the like to be made possible is provided. Further, a liquid supply port 65 for supplying ink from the inside of the liquid storage chamber 59 to the outside is formed at the lower end portion of the rear wall portion 64 in the liquid containers 28a to 28d. Then, the flow path forming member 55 is joined to the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid containers 28 a to 28 d so that the ink is supplied from the liquid supply port 65.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the flow path forming member 55 is a plate-like member formed of a resin material or the like to a predetermined thickness, and is joined to the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d at its lower end. A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) liquid inlets 66 connected to the liquid supply port 65 at this time are formed. And from each liquid inlet 66, a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) flow channels 67 are formed in the flow channel forming member 55 so as to extend upward. Each of the channels 67 is bent toward the side (in this case, the left side) so that the channels 67 are vertically aligned after extending upward from the liquid inlet 66, It is connected to the liquid supply tube 50 via a liquid outlet (not shown) formed on a surface facing the left side near the upper end portion of the flow path forming member 55. Further, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 4, a pump 68 comprising a diaphragm or the like is provided in the flow path forming member 55 for each flow path 67, and driving of the pump 68 drives the liquid jet head from the liquid containers 28a to 28d. The ink is supplied to the 42 side.

  The setting member 56 is a case of a rectangular shape in a plan view which is open at the upper side, the front side and the rear side, and has a bottom wall 56a, a right wall 56c and a left wall 56d. The distance between the inner wall surfaces of the right wall 56c and the left wall 56d opposite to each other in the set member 56 is the right side and the left end of the liquid container 28a at the right end of the four liquid containers 28a to 28d aligned in the left and right direction. The gap dimension with the left side surface of the liquid container 28d is slightly larger, and the width dimension in the lateral direction of the flow path forming member 55 in which the thickness direction is the longitudinal direction is slightly larger. The length dimension of the set member 56 in the front-rear direction (depth direction) is the sum of the length dimension in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the liquid container 28 and the thickness dimension in the front-rear direction of the flow path forming member 55 Also, the length of the flow path forming member 55 is as long as the length dimension thereof. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the four liquid containers 28a to 28d whose longitudinal directions are along the longitudinal direction and the flow passage forming members 55 whose thickness direction is along the longitudinal direction are, as shown in FIGS. It is set in the set member 56 in a state in which the flow path forming member 55 is joined to the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid containers 28 a to 28 d.

  A pair of right and left wall portions 56c and 56d vertically extend from the upper end surfaces of the left and right wall portions 56c and 56d to a substantially middle position on the inner surfaces of the set member 56 facing each other. The guide groove 69 is formed. The guide groove 69 is a groove whose groove width is slightly wider than the diameter of the cylindrical convex portion 58 formed on each outer side surface of the liquid containers 28a and 28d. Therefore, when setting the liquid containers 28a to 28d to the setting member 56, the convex portions 58 protruding from the left and right ends of the liquid containers 28a to 28d arranged in parallel are aligned with the guide grooves 69 of the setting member 56. When sliding downward as the sliding portion, the liquid containers 28a to 28d are positioned in the front-rear, left-right, and upper-lower directions. At this point, the convex portion 58 and the guide groove 69 function as an alignment mechanism.

  In addition, a cylindrical convex portion 70 is provided so as to protrude outward from the outer side surface of the right wall portion 56 c and the outer side surface of the left wall portion 56 d in the setting member 56. That is, while cylindrical convexes 70 are provided on the right wall portion 56c at two positions separated by a fixed distance in the front-rear direction at a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction, the left wall portion 56d also One convex portion 70 positioned between two convex portions 70 on the right wall portion 56c side in the front-rear direction at a substantially intermediate position in the direction is provided in a protruding manner. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the setting member 56 is held in the holding member 57 in a state where the liquid containers 28 a to 28 d and the flow path forming member 55 are set therein.

  The holding member 57 is a case of a rectangular shape in a plan view which is open at the upper side and the front side, and has a bottom wall portion 57a, a rear wall portion 57b, a right wall portion 57c and a left wall portion 57d. The bottom wall portion 57a, the rear wall portion 57b, the right wall portion 57c, and the left wall portion 57d function as partition walls that partition the inside and the outside of the holding member 57. A square through hole 71 is formed at a position on the upper left side of the rear wall portion 57b, and the liquid supply tube 50 and the signal line 54 are inserted through the through hole 71. In that case, a sealing member 72 (see FIG. 5) made of an ink absorbing material or the like is sealed as a sealing material between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 71 and the liquid supply tube 50 and the like. The holding member 57 also has a function as an exterior member that covers at least a part of the liquid containers 28a to 28d.

  Further, vertical grooves 73 functioning as a guide are formed on the respective inner side surfaces of the right wall portion 57c and the left wall portion 57d facing each other from upper end surfaces of the left and right wall portions 57c and 57d to a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction. It is done. The right wall portion 57c is formed with two longitudinal grooves 73 separated by a fixed distance in the front and rear direction, while the left wall portion 57d is between the two longitudinal grooves 73 on the right wall portion 57c side in the front and rear direction One longitudinal groove 73 is formed at the The lower end portions of these three longitudinal grooves 73 move downward from above in the longitudinal groove 73 by being positioned in the horizontal plane at the same height position in the vertical direction (this embodiment) In this case, it is configured to function as a locking portion 74 that locks the convex portion 70) of the setting member 56 from below.

  The distance between the inner surface of the right wall 57c and the inner surface of the left wall 57d of the holding member 57 is the distance between the outer surface of the right wall 56c and the outer surface of the left wall 56d of the set member 56. Slightly larger than. Further, the length dimension of the holding member 57 in the front-rear direction (depth direction) is longer than the length dimension of the setting member 56 in the front-rear direction (depth direction) by about the thickness dimension of the rear wall 57b of the holding member 57. It's just as long

  Therefore, when the convex portions 70 protruding from the left and right wall portions 56c and 56d of the setting member 56 are aligned with the vertical grooves 73 on the left and right of the holding member 57, the liquid is accommodated as a sliding portion. The bodies 28 a to 28 d are positioned with respect to the holding member 57 fixed in the housing 15 in the front, rear, left, right, upper and lower directions via the setting member 56. At this point, the convex portion 70 and the longitudinal groove 73 function as an alignment mechanism. When the liquid container 28 is thus mounted in the housing 15 via the holding member 57 and the setting member 56, the upper wall portion 60 intersects the vertical direction (horizontal direction in the present embodiment). It will be in the extended state. In addition, when it is set as one alignment mechanism by the combination of one convex part 70 and one vertical groove 73, the alignment mechanism may have four or more, screwing a part or all or the like Alignment and positioning may be performed in other manners.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid container 28 is provided with a remaining amount detection unit 75 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the liquid storage chamber 59. The remaining amount detection unit 75 is configured by, for example, a photo interrupter having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and is provided for each of the four liquid containers 28 a to 28 d. Therefore, although only one signal line 54 is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, etc., actually, a pair of a signal line connected to the light emitting element and a signal line connected to the light receiving element is There are four pairs of liquid containers 28a to 28d, and there is one shared signal line for grounding, so a total of nine (= 2 lines × 4 groups + 1) signal lines are connected to connector 48b. It is done.

  The upper end portion of the liquid inlet 61 is the upper case in a state where the liquid container 28 is accommodated at the front side in the housing 15 and at a position near the right end through the setting member 56 and the holding member 57. Located within the 17 openings 32. Then, a circle that seals the gap between the liquid inlet 61 and the opening 32 between the periphery of the upper end of the liquid inlet 61 in the liquid container 28 and the peripheral edge of the opening 32 of the upper housing 17 An annular seal member 76 is provided. That is, when the ink leaks to the outside of the liquid injection port 61 at the time of ink injection, the seal member 76 spreads the flow of the leaked ink onto the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28 and the liquid container 28. It is provided to keep the Further, as understood from the cross-sectional shape, the seal member 76 is formed with a concave portion 77 capable of suppressing the flow of the leaked ink thereon.

  Further, on the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28, an air communication portion 78 for communicating the liquid storage chamber 59 with the atmosphere is provided on the rear side of the position where the liquid inlet 61 is formed. The air communication portion 78 is, for example, a thin flow path structure called a serpentine groove formed by meandering long and thin grooves, a waterproof moisture-permeable material which allows passage of gas such as air while restricting passage of liquid, etc. It consists of

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, at least a part (in the present embodiment, all) of the liquid container 28 is covered by a housing 15 which is an example of an exterior member. Then, in the horizontal surface portion 31 which is the bottom surface of the recess 29 a in the upper case 17 of the case 15, the liquid at a position facing the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 covered from above by the upper case 17. An opening 32 is formed to expose the inlet 61.

  Therefore, when injecting ink, a liquid constituted of a liquid inlet 61 having an inner end opening (first opening 61a) on the liquid storage chamber 59 side and an opening 32 having an outer end opening on the opposite side thereof The ink is injected into the liquid container 28 through the receiving unit. In addition, normally, the liquid inlet 61 is always closed by a plug 79 such as rubber inserted from above through the opening 32. Further, the plug 79 is concealed so as not to be seen from the outside when the image reading device 13 is in the closed position. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 5, a contact image sensor module (CISM) 13a is movably disposed in the image reading device 13, and reads an original (not shown) placed on the transparent plate 13b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, one direction of the funnel-shaped liquid inlet 61 in the liquid container 28, the opening 32 formed in the horizontal surface 31 of the upper housing 17, and the upper wall 60 of the liquid container 28 ( In this case, the sizes in the main scanning direction of the liquid jet head 42 and the horizontal direction which is the alignment direction of the liquid containers 28a to 28d or the short side direction of the upper wall portion 60 are compared as follows. ing. That is, the opening width D1 of the first opening (inner end opening) 61a of the liquid inlet 61 is the smallest, and the width dimension D3 of the upper wall 60 in the lateral direction than that, and the first opening 61a of the liquid inlet 61 In the second embodiment, the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b on the opposite side and the opening width D4 of the opening 32 formed in the horizontal surface portion 31 of the upper housing 17 are formed in order of increasing size. The opening 32 formed in the horizontal surface portion 31 of the upper housing 17 has a third opening 32 a closer to the liquid inlet 61 and a fourth opening (outer end opening) 32 b farther from the liquid inlet 61. It is an opening of the cylindrical surface shape where the opening width becomes the same. Further, in FIG. 6, a seal member 76 is attached to a gap between the opening 32 and the liquid inlet 61 to prevent the infiltration of the ink into the inside of the upper housing 17.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 12 and the liquid supply unit 27 will be described.
When the liquid supply unit 27 functioning as a liquid supply device is housed in the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12, first, the holding member 57 is fixed to the lower housing 16 of the housing 15 by screwing or the like. That is, the holding member 57 is fixed at a position closer to the front and to the right in the lower housing 16. On the other hand, a plurality of (four) liquid containers 28 a to 28 d and a flow path forming member 55 are set to the setting member 56 outside the housing 15. Then, the set member 56 in which the liquid container 28 and the flow path forming member 55 are set is attached to the holding member 57.

  In this case, the set member 56 is aligned by the engagement of the convex portion 70 with the vertical groove 73 with respect to the holding member 57, and the locking portion where the convex portion 70 is the lower end portion of the vertical groove 73. By locking to 74, it is positioned so as not to move in the front, back, left, right, up and down directions. As a result, a plurality of (four) liquid containers 28 are arranged continuously in the left-right direction with their longitudinal directions in the front-rear direction at positions near the front and in the right end in the housing 15. Positioning is arranged. Then, the ink is supplied from the liquid container 28 to the liquid jet head 42 through the liquid supply tube 50 by the drive of the pump 68. It should be noted that without using the pump 68, the difference in head position between the level of the ink surface in the liquid storage chamber 59 and the height position of the nozzle surface of the liquid jet head 42 and the suction force of the nozzle are used. The ink (liquid) may be supplied.

  Further, in this case, the opening width of the second opening 61b on the upper end side of the liquid injection port 61 of the liquid container 28 is the opening of the liquid container 28 in the lateral direction (one direction) in which the liquid container 28 is aligned. Because it is larger than the width dimension of the upper wall portion 60 which is the forming wall portion, there is a risk that the liquid inlets 61 of the adjacent liquid containers 28 contact with each other to form a gap between the adjacent liquid containers 28. . However, in the present embodiment, since the liquid inlets 61 of the adjacent liquid containers 28 are offset from each other, the gaps are formed between the adjacent liquid containers 28. Instead, the plurality of liquid containers 28 form a compact overlapping aspect in which the side surfaces are joined to each other, which also contributes to space saving of the entire apparatus.

  Further, when the ink amount of the liquid container 28 is in the near-end state based on the detection result of the remaining amount detection unit 75, the user opens the image reading device 13 as shown in FIG. After the plug 79 is removed, the ink is injected into the liquid storage chamber 59 through the opening 32 and the liquid inlet 61. That is, the user inserts the ink bottle 80, which is an example of the liquid injection member, into the liquid inlet 61 through the opening 32 and refills the ink from the ink bottle 80 into the liquid storage chamber 59. Then, the amount of ink is confirmed through the transparent member of the opening / closing door 23 and the transparent visualizing portion 63 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d, and when the amount of ink reaches the full indicated by the upper portion 63a, the ink injection is ended. The plug 79 is inserted into the liquid inlet 61, and the image reading device 13 is returned.

  When the ink is injected, the plurality of openings 32 and the liquid injection port 61 have an opening width larger than the width dimension of the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28 in the offset arrangement, so the ink as the liquid injection member Alignment of the bottle 80 is also facilitated. Furthermore, when the ink is injected, the rise of the liquid surface of the ink injected into the liquid container 28 can be visually recognized from the visible portion 63, and when the liquid surface rises to the upper limit portion 63a provided in the visible portion 63, the ink Injection is terminated.

  In addition, even if the ink is dropped around the opening 32 in the upper housing 17 which functions as an exterior member covering the liquid container 28 from the upper side at the time of injecting the ink, the ink does not flow in the wiring area 36 of the cable 35 or the circuit board The flow and spreading to the electrical connection portion 47 and the electrical connection portion 37 are blocked by the vertical surface portion 33 of the recessed portion 29a having a step-like shape. At this point, the vertical surface portion 33 of the recess 29a in the upper housing 17 functions as a blocking portion capable of blocking the flow of ink (liquid).

According to the printing apparatus 12 of the present embodiment and the liquid supply unit 27 as the liquid supply apparatus, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the liquid supply unit 27 is held in the positioned state by the holding member 57 of the housing 15 and accommodated in the housing 15, the entire liquid supply unit 27 is disposed outside the housing 15. Compared to the case, the installation area of the entire device can be reduced. Therefore, the liquid can be injected into the liquid container 28 in the stably held state, and the usability can be improved in that the possibility that the printing apparatus 12 can be used is increased even in a place where a large installation area can not be secured.

(2) The liquid supply unit 27 is fixedly held in the positioned state, so that the ink can be injected in the stable state.
(3) The liquid supply unit 27 which can be handled integrally including the liquid container 28 has a convex portion 70 and a vertical groove 73 which function as an alignment mechanism with respect to the holding member 57 provided in the housing 15. It is aligned and attached by the function of. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the liquid container 28 is held in a displaced state with respect to the holding member 57.

  (4) In a state where the convex portion 70 as the sliding portion provided on the liquid supply unit 27 side is in contact with the longitudinal groove 73 as the guide portion provided on the holding member 57 side, the convex portion 70 By sliding along the longitudinal groove 73, the liquid container 28 can be easily attached to the holding member 57.

(5) The liquid supply unit 27 can be positioned with respect to the holding member 57 at at least two points on one end side and the other end side in the arrangement direction of the plurality of liquid containers 28.
(6) The movement of the plurality of liquid containers 28 set in the set member 56 in the downward direction intersecting the plane is restricted by the three locking portions 74 located in the plane along the direction in which they are arranged. Therefore, for example, in the case where the horizontal direction is the alignment direction, positioning is performed in a plane along the horizontal direction.

  (7) Even if ink leaks from the liquid container 28 held in the holding member 57, the leaked ink flows and spreads to the outside of the holding member 57 as a partition wall in the holding member 57 It can be intercepted by each wall part 57a-57d which functions. Therefore, it is possible to suppress that the portion other than the holding member 57 in the housing 15 is contaminated with the ink.

  (8) The ink can be supplied from the liquid container 28 in the holding member 57 to the liquid jet head 42 located outside the holding member 57 through the liquid supply tube 50 inserted through the through hole 71 of the rear wall 57 b On the other hand, the sealing member 72 can prevent the ink, which should leak from the liquid container 28 in the holding member 57, from flowing out of the holding member 57 through the through hole 71.

(9) Based on the detection result of the remaining amount by the remaining amount detection unit 75, it is possible to easily know the necessity of the injection of the ink to the liquid container 28.
(10) The ink injected from the liquid inlet 61 and contained in the liquid container 28 can be supplied toward the liquid jet head 42 as the pump 68 is driven.

(11) Since the air communication portion 78 is provided in the liquid container 28, the ink can be smoothly supplied from the liquid container 28 toward the liquid jet head 42.
(12) Since the liquid container 28 is accommodated in the housing 15, the installation area of the entire apparatus can be reduced as compared with the case where the liquid container 28 is located outside the housing 15, and the housing An opening 32 is provided at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 inside, so that the ink can be injected from the opening 32 to the liquid inlet 61. Therefore, the ink can be easily injected, and the usability can be improved in that the possibility that the printing apparatus 12 can be used is increased even in a place where a large installation area can not be secured.

  (13) In the housing 15, the opening 32 for exposing the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 accommodated therein is a wiring area of the cable 35 provided on the upper surface of the housing 15 (upper housing 17). Since the position is provided so as to avoid 36, it is possible to reduce the possibility of contaminating the cable 35 with the ink that has fallen from the liquid inlet 61 when the ink is injected.

  (14) Even when the ink is poured around the opening 32 when the ink is injected into the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 through the opening 32 of the housing 15, the spilled ink is electrically connected Since the flow to the position 37 can be blocked by the vertical surface portion 33 functioning as a blocking portion, the adhesion of the ink to the electrical connection portion 37 can be suppressed.

  (15) The liquid receiving portion (the opening 32 and the liquid inlet 61) for the liquid container 28 has an outer end opening (fourth) opposite to the inner end opening (first opening 61a) on the liquid storage chamber 59 side. The size of the opening 32b is one direction (for example, the alignment direction of the liquid containers 28 or the short direction of the upper wall 60 which is an opening forming wall in which the inner end opening of the liquid container 28 is formed) The size is larger than the width of the opening forming wall (upper wall 60) of the liquid container 28 in which the inner end opening is formed. Therefore, when the ink is injected, for example, the liquid injection member (ink bottle 80) can be easily aligned with the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion. Therefore, the injection work can be easily performed, and the usability is improved.

  (16) The surface of the opening forming wall (upper wall 60) in which the inner end opening (first opening 61a) is formed in the liquid receiving portion (the opening 32 and the liquid inlet 61) is formed by an upward horizontal surface Therefore, the liquid receiving portion (the opening 32 and the liquid inlet 61) can be set at a position where the ink can be easily injected.

  (17) The liquid inlets 61 of the plurality of liquid containers 28 arranged in line in one direction are offset in the direction intersecting the one direction with the liquid inlets 61 of the other adjacent liquid containers 28. Since the plurality of liquid containers 28 are arranged in the arrangement direction, the occupied area in the arrangement direction of the plurality of liquid containers 28 can be reduced, and the increase in size of the printing apparatus 12 can be suppressed.

  (18) The user confirms the rise of the liquid level in the liquid storage chamber 59 with respect to the upper limit portion 63a provided in the visual recognition portion 63 so that the ink does not overflow from the liquid injection port 61 when the ink is injected. Ink can be injected.

  (19) Since the sealing member 76 for sealing the gap between the liquid inlet 61 and the opening 32 of the upper housing 17 is provided around the liquid inlet 61, the holding member also functions as an exterior member covering the liquid container 28. It is possible to suppress that the ink leaked from the liquid injection port 61 enters inside of 57 to cause the contamination.

  (20) When the ink leaks from the liquid inlet 61 onto the seal member 76 at the time of injection of the ink, the leaked ink is accumulated in the concave portion 77 on the seal member 76, so that the leaked ink flows unnecessarily. It can be suppressed.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of a multifunction peripheral including a printing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, only the attachment aspect of the liquid supply unit 27 to the housing 15 and the position of the liquid inlet 61 are different from the attachment aspect of the liquid supply unit 27 shown in the first embodiment. The other points are the same as the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid supply unit 27 as a liquid supply device is closer to the right end on the front side of the lower housing 16 of the printing apparatus 12 and is adjacent to the sheet discharge tray 20 and the sheet feeding cassette 22. It is provided at the matching position. The liquid supply unit 27 is provided such that a portion thereof protrudes forward from the lower housing 16. That is, in the plurality of liquid containers 28 a to 28 d and the setting member 56 that constitute the liquid supply unit 27, a part that is closer to the rear surface is accommodated in the lower housing 16 and a part that is closer to the front is from the lower housing 16 It is provided to be exposed. The front end of the liquid supply unit 27 is provided at substantially the same position or closer to the housing 15 as compared to the front end of the paper discharge tray 20 and the front end of the paper feed cassette 22 in the front-rear direction. There is. That is, in the forward direction, the projection amount of the liquid supply unit 27 is configured to be equal to or less than the projection amount of the sheet discharge tray 20 and the sheet feeding cassette 22. From the above configuration, it can be said that the liquid supply unit 27 shown in the second embodiment is slightly pulled out in the forward direction so that a part of the liquid supply unit 27 is exposed outside the housing 15 as compared with the first embodiment. . Further, as the liquid supply unit 27 protrudes, the holding member 57 also protrudes similarly.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, outside the housing 15, the liquid inlets 61 are arranged in a line along the left-right direction on the upper surfaces of the plurality of liquid containers 28 projected from the lower housing 16. It is formed. The liquid inlets 61 are formed such that the opening width of the second opening 61 b in the left-right direction is smaller than the width dimension of the upper wall portion 60 in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the opening width of the second opening 61b in the front-rear direction is larger than the opening width of the second opening 61b in the left-right direction, and larger than the width dimension of each upper wall portion 60 in the left-right direction. . That is, the liquid inlet 61 is formed to have an elliptical shape extending in the front-rear direction.

  The liquid supply unit 27 configured to include the liquid container 28 and the setting member 56 is held by the holding member 57 covering the liquid container 28 from the right side surface, the left side surface, and the bottom surface of the liquid container 28. There is. In addition, the holding member 57 also functions as a protection member 57A for protecting the liquid container 28 from external impact outside the housing 15. Further, the protective member 57A is configured such that the front surface and the upper surface thereof are open, and is configured not to cover the visible portion 63 formed on the liquid container 28 when viewed from the front. The liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 is exposed from the top surface of the protective member 57A.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 12 and the liquid supply unit (liquid supply apparatus) 27 shown in the second embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the liquid inlet 61 formed in the upper wall portion 60 which is the upper surface of the liquid container 28 has a configuration in which the second opening 61b which is far from the liquid storage chamber 59 opens largely in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the ink is supplied to the liquid container 28, the ink bottle 80 can be inserted obliquely to the liquid inlet 61 from the front direction. That is, the liquid container 28 in the second embodiment is configured to supply the ink more easily than in the case where the ink bottle 80 is inserted straight downward to the liquid inlet 61 as in the first embodiment. ing.

According to the printing apparatus 12 and the liquid supply unit 27 as a liquid supply apparatus in the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(21) Since a part of the liquid container 28 is accommodated in the housing 15, the installation area of the entire device is greater than when the whole of the liquid container 28 is located outside the housing 15. Can be reduced. Therefore, usability can be improved in that the possibility that the printing apparatus 12 can be used is increased even in a place where a large installation area can not be secured.

(22) The presence of the liquid inlet 61 in the portion of the liquid container 28 that protrudes from the housing 15 facilitates the user to inject the liquid.
(23) In the liquid container 28, the portion of the liquid container 28 that protrudes forward from the housing 15 is covered by the holding member 57 that similarly protrudes from the housing 15 in the forward direction. That is, the holding member 57 functions as a protection member 57A for protecting the liquid container 28, and the protection member 57A causes the position of the liquid container 28 to shift due to an object from the outside hitting the protruding portion. It is possible to reduce the risk of

  (24) The protective member 57A for protecting the liquid container 28 has a configuration in which the upper surface is open, so when the ink in the liquid container 28 becomes small, the protective member 57A is exposed through the upper surface of the protective member 57A. Printing can be continued by injecting the ink from the liquid inlet 61.

  (25) The projection amount of the liquid supply unit 27 projecting forward from the housing 15 is smaller than the projection amounts of the sheet discharge tray 20 and the sheet feeding cassette 22, and hence the liquid container 28 is external to the liquid container 28. As a result, the risk of displacement of the liquid container 28 can be reduced.

  (26) The second opening 61b opposite to the first opening 61a, which is the inner end opening in the liquid inlet 61, has an opening width in the direction intersecting the arranging direction than the opening width in the arranging direction of the liquid containers 28. Since the size is larger, the size of the liquid containers 28 in the arrangement direction can be reduced, and the enlargement of the printing apparatus 12 can be suppressed.

The first embodiment and the second embodiment may be modified as follows.
In the printing apparatus 12 according to the first embodiment, the operation panel unit 18 extends rightward to the front side of the manual insertion unit 29, and the opening is located at the back side of the operation panel unit 18 when viewed from the front side of the housing 15. 32 may be provided. According to this configuration, the operation panel portion 18 is blindfolded from the front side of the printing device 12 so that the opening 32 can be prevented from reaching the eyes, so that the appearance of the printing device 12 can be improved.

  In the printing apparatus 12 according to the second embodiment, the second opening 61b opposite to the first opening (inner end opening) 61a of the liquid inlets 61 of the plurality of liquid containers 28 is the alignment direction of the liquid containers 28. The width of the opening may be larger than the width of the opening in the direction intersecting the alignment direction. According to this configuration, for example, the liquid jet head 42 is configured to print on the sheet P while moving in the main scanning direction, and when the plurality of liquid containers 28 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction, Since the opening width of the second opening 61 b opposite to the first opening (inner end opening) 61 a in the liquid inlet 61 is large, it is easy to inject the liquid into the liquid inlet 61.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the seal member 76 is not provided between the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 and the opening 32 of the upper housing 17, it becomes the root of the liquid inlet 61. The liquid absorbing material 81 may be disposed at a location. According to this configuration, even if the ink spills around when the ink is poured into the liquid container 28 via the liquid inlet 61, the spilled ink can be absorbed and held by the liquid absorbing material 81. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 is positioned immediately below the opening 32 of the upper housing 17, and the seal member 76 is interposed between the liquid inlet 61 and the opening 32. Without interposing, the opening width D4 of the fourth opening 32b of the opening 32 may be larger than the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b of the liquid inlet 61. In this case, when the user injects the ink into the liquid container 28, it is an opening forming wall portion in which the alignment direction of the liquid containers 28 or the inner end opening of the liquid container 28 is formed. The liquid injection member or the like is easily aligned by aligning the liquid injection member or the like with the opening 32 of the upper housing 17 (exterior member) whose size in the short side direction of the upper wall portion 60 is larger than the liquid injection port 61. Work can be done.

  For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 13A to 13D, the printing device 12 may have a configuration in which the image reading device 13 and the document cover member 13A are provided on the housing 15. That is, instead of the automatic sheet feeder 14, it may be a multifunction machine provided with the document cover member 13 </ b> A.

  In the printing apparatus 12, the opening position of the liquid injection opening 32 formed in the housing 15 is not limited to the mode shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, the opening 32 (the fourth opening 32b which is the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion) does not face the lower surface of the image reading device 13 in the closed position. The opening forming surface 15a may extend in the horizontal direction at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the document cover member 13A in front of the reading device 13. Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, the opening 32 (the fourth opening 32b which is the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion) does not face the lower surface of the image reading device 13 in the closed position, You may form in the opening formation surface 15a made into the inclined surface of front downward slope ahead rather than the reader 13. As shown in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13C, the opening 32 is formed in an opening forming surface 15a which is a horizontal surface facing the lower surface of the image reading device 13 in the closed position and the front surface of the housing 15 It is also good. Further, as shown in FIG. 13D, the opening 32 (the fourth opening 32b which is the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion) does not face the lower surface of the image reading device 13 in the closed position, It may be formed on the opening forming surface 15a of the horizontal plane facing the front side of the reading device 13 and facing the lower surface of the front end portion of the document cover member 13A at a distance.

  In the case of FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the opening 32 exposed to the outside (the outer end of the liquid receiving unit is not required to open the image reading device 13 from the closed position to the open position). The ink (liquid) can be injected from the liquid inlet 61 into the liquid container 28 through the fourth opening 32 b) which is an opening. Further, in the case of FIG. 13C, since the liquid inlet 61 can always be covered by the image reading device 13 in the closed position, it is possible to prevent the user from inadvertently touching the liquid receiving portion. . Further, in the case of FIG. 13C, a stopper 79 of the liquid inlet 61 may be provided on the side of the document cover member 13A facing the liquid inlet 61. Further, in the case of FIG. 13D, since the manual insertion portion is formed between the opening forming surface 15a and the document cover member 13A, the document cover member 13A can be easily opened.

  The attachment mode of the liquid container 28 to the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 is not limited to the mode as shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 14 (a) or 14 (b), the liquid containers 28 (28a to 28d) have their longitudinal directions orthogonal to the front-rear direction which is the depth direction from the side of the housing 15 The whole or a part thereof may be accommodated in the housing 15 in a side attachment mode along the left-right direction.

  And in this case, the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion (in the case of FIG. 14A, the outer end opening of the opening formed in the upper case, and in the case of FIG. The opening on the opposite side to the inner end opening of the liquid inlet is disposed closer to the side of the housing 15, so that the ink can be easily injected from the side. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion (the outer end opening of the opening 32 formed in the upper housing 17 or the front of the housing 15) The opening on the opposite side to the inner end opening of the liquid inlet 61 is disposed closer to the front of the housing 15, so that the ink injection operation from the front can be easily performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14C or FIG. 14D, the liquid container 28 has a longitudinal direction from the corner where the longitudinal direction intersects the front surface and the side surface of the housing 15 and the depth direction, and The configuration may be such that the whole or a part thereof is accommodated in the housing 15 in a diagonal attachment mode along a direction that is oblique to any of the right and left directions orthogonal to each other.

  The shape of the liquid container 28 attached to the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 is not limited to the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the liquid container 28 attached to the housing 15 extends from the inside of the housing 15 to the outside of the housing 15 to the right, and outside the housing 15, the right side surface of the housing 15 It may be configured to have a shape bent in a backward direction so as to be along. Further, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the liquid container 28 attached to the housing 15 extends from the inside of the housing 15 to the outside of the housing 15 to the right, It may be configured to have a shape bent upward along the right side surface of the housing 15 outside. The liquid container 28 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 can contain more ink than the liquid container 28 configured as shown in the first and second embodiments. it can. Although not shown, a liquid inlet is also provided in each of the liquid containers 28 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 17A, when a part of the liquid container 28 having a large capacity is accommodated in the housing 15 as compared with the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the inside of the housing 15 is obtained. A functional member 82 such as an ink absorbing material that absorbs ink may be disposed at a position above the liquid container 28 in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 17B, in the case where the large capacity liquid container 28 as a liquid supply device is attached to the outside of the housing 15 in a state covered with the liquid container housing 83 functioning as an exterior member. Also, the functional member 82 such as an ink absorbing material may be disposed at a position above the liquid container 28 in the housing 15. Although not shown, a liquid inlet is also provided in the liquid container 28 shown in FIG.

  The opening 32 formed in the upper housing 17 of the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 and from which the liquid inlet 61 is exposed when viewed from above is one opening 32 as shown in the first embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the mode in which one liquid inlet 61 is exposed. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, when viewed from above, one rectangular opening 32 formed in the upper housing 17 allows four liquid inlets 61 of four liquid containers 28 to have one each. All may be exposed. In this case, since the opening 32 in the horizontal direction, which is the direction in which the plurality of liquid containers 28 are arranged, is larger than the opening in the front-rear direction which intersects the arranging direction, the ink is injected into the liquid inlet 61. Easy to operate.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the opening 32 provided in the upper housing 17 and the liquid inlet 61 provided in the liquid container 28 may be formed in a continuous funnel shape. Specifically, after the lower surface of the upper housing 17 is in close contact with the upper end of the liquid inlet 61, the opening 32 provided in the upper housing 17 is substantially the same as the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b. It is formed to have an inner third opening 32a opening at a diameter and a fourth opening 32b opening at an opposite outer end opening with an opening width D4 larger than the width dimension D3 of the liquid container 28. . According to this configuration, the ink can be easily injected from the wide opening 32. Further, in this configuration, it is preferable to separately attach a seal portion 84 for suppressing ink leakage at a position where the upper housing 17 and the upper end of the liquid inlet 61 are in contact with each other.

  In the printing apparatus 12, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, the liquid container 28 has a configuration in which the flow restricting portion 60a slightly protrudes in the forward direction from the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28. Good. According to this configuration, if the ink does not flow on the front wall portion 62 of the liquid container 28 if the ink absorbing material 26 is not provided on the back surface of the open / close door 23, the visible portion formed on the front wall portion 62 The adhesion of the ink to the ink 63 causes the ink to be contaminated, and the remaining amount of the ink contained in the liquid container 28 can not be visually recognized. Therefore, by providing the flow restricting portion 60a projecting in the forward direction from the upper wall portion 60 to a position in contact with the opening / closing door 23, the flow of ink to the front wall portion 62 is suppressed, and the visible portion 63 is stained. Risk of being reduced.

  In the case where the holding member 57 for holding the liquid container 28 is made to project to the front side of the housing 15 to function as the protection member 57A in the printing apparatus 12, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition to the case, the front and upper sides of the liquid container 28 may also be covered. At this time, the opening 32 is formed on the upper surface of the holding member (protective member 57A), and the visible portion 63 capable of visually recognizing the remaining amount of the ink stored in the liquid container 28 is It is preferable to provide a transparent window 57B visible on the outside of the member 57A) on the front surface of the holding member 57. Then, in this case, the window portion 57B may be provided with an upper limit portion 63a for notifying the user of the upper limit of ink injection.

  In the printing apparatus 12, for example, as shown in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b), the liquid supply unit 27 as a liquid supply apparatus attached outside the housing 15 is sealed when ink is injected to the liquid container 28. A mechanism may be provided to cause the ink leaked on the member 76 to flow out of the liquid supply unit 27. Specifically, a liquid container housing 83 which is an example of an exterior member which is separately configured from the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 and which is attached to the right side surface of the housing 15 with the liquid supply unit 27 held therein. A plurality of groove-like liquid guide paths 85 extending in the vertical direction are formed from the upper part of the right side surface opposite to the left side surface in contact with the printing apparatus 12. As a result, when the leaked ink is accumulated on the seal member 76 and overflows, the ink is drawn out to the right side surface of the liquid container housing 83, and flows downward along the right side surface. FIG. 22 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22a-22a in FIG. 22 (b).

  Here, assuming that a part (a left part in the case of FIG. 22) of the liquid supply unit 27 (liquid supply device) shown in FIG. 22 is provided in the housing 15, the left side of the liquid supply unit 27. Because the sheet discharge tray 20 and the circuit board 47 are positioned, it is not preferable that the ink flow out to the left side of the liquid supply unit 27. Therefore, the liquid supply unit 27 (liquid supply device) shown in FIG. 22 causes the ink accumulated on the seal member 76 to flow out to the right side of the liquid container housing 83, which is an example of the exterior member, thereby the seal member 76. The possibility of the ink accumulated on the upper side flowing out to the left side of the liquid container housing 83 is reduced. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility of printing failure in the printing apparatus 12.

  In the liquid supply unit 27 (liquid supply device) illustrated in FIG. 22, a liquid container housing 83, which is an example of an exterior member that holds the liquid supply unit 27 inside and is attached to the right side surface of the housing 15, is The liquid container 28 may be covered in cooperation with the wall portion constituting the right side surface of the housing 15 without the wall portion constituting the left side surface. That is, a part of the housing 15 containing the liquid jet head 42 and the like may be used as a part of the exterior member of the liquid supply unit 27 (liquid supply device).

  In the above embodiment, the plug 79 for closing the liquid inlet 61 provided in the liquid container 28 has a configuration of the plug 79A integrally formed on the lower surface of the image reading device 13 as shown in FIG. 23, for example. It is also good. According to this configuration, when the ink is injected into the liquid container 28, the plug 79A which closes the liquid inlet 61 only by displacing the image reading device 13 functioning as the liquid inlet cover lid member to the open position. Is removed. Further, since the plug 79A in this case is integrated with the image reading device 13, when the user removes the plug 79A, the risk of losing the plug 79A can be reduced. Further, in this case, if the plug 79A integrated with the image reading device 13 has a plurality of liquid inlets 61 of the plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d and the plurality of plugs 79A individually corresponding to each other, one plug 79A is provided. All liquid inlets 61 can be simultaneously opened and closed by the opening and closing operation. Moreover, since the positional relationship between the liquid inlet 61 and the plug 79A is fixed, the possibility that color mixing may occur can be reduced by capping the plug 79A of one liquid inlet 61 to the other liquid inlet 61.

  In the printing apparatus 12, as shown in FIG. 6 of the first embodiment, the opening width D2 in the left-right direction of the second opening 61b which is the opening outside the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 is the liquid container It is not restricted to the aspect formed so that it may become longer than the width dimension D3 in the left-right direction of the upper wall part 60 of FIG. For example, as shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b may be shorter than the width D3 of the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28. . Specifically, after the lower surface of the upper housing 17 is in close contact with the upper end of the liquid inlet 61, the opening 32 provided in the upper housing 17 is substantially the same as the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b. It is formed to have an inner third opening 32a opening at a diameter and a fourth opening 32b opening at an opposite outer end opening with an opening width D4 larger than the width dimension D3 of the liquid container 28. . Also in these cases, the ink can be easily injected from the wide opening 32. The liquid receiving portion may be formed of only the liquid container 28 or may be formed of the liquid container 28 and the opening 32 of the upper housing 17 continuous to the liquid container 28. Furthermore, only the liquid container 28 side of the liquid inlet 61 may be funnel-shaped, or only the upper housing 17 may be funnel-shaped, or both the liquid container 28 and the upper housing 17 may be funnel-shaped. good. Furthermore, the funnel shape is not limited to a smooth cone shape as shown in FIG. 24 (a), but may be a step shape as shown in FIG. 24 (b), a cone shape and a step shape It may be a combination of

  In the first embodiment and the modification of FIG. 22, the recess 77 formed by the seal member 76 is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 25 (a), (b) and (c), a liquid containing an example of an exterior member. The body housing 83 and the seal member 76 may be formed jointly.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid container 28 has the liquid supply valve unit 90 and the atmosphere communication valve unit 91 on the rear surface side as shown in FIGS. 26 (a) and 26 (b), for example. Good. In this case, the liquid supply valve unit 90 is inserted into and removed from the inner side (the right side in FIG. 26) of the holding space portion 57C which is a holding portion capable of holding the liquid container 28 in the positioning state in the housing 15 An air communication needle 93 which can be freely inserted into and removed from the flexible liquid supply needle 92 and the air communication valve portion 91 is disposed. The liquid supply needle 92 is connected to the other end of the liquid supply tube 50 whose one end is connected to the liquid jet head 42, and the atmosphere communication needle 93 is connected to the other end of the atmosphere communication tube 94 whose one end is open to the atmosphere. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 26 (a), the liquid container 28 of this modification is in a state where the open / close door 23 on the front surface of the housing 15 is open, as shown by the outlined arrow in FIG. It is inserted into the holding space 57C in the body 15. Then, as shown in FIG. 26 (b), the liquid supply needle 92 is inserted into the liquid supply valve unit 90, and the air communication needle 93 is inserted into the air communication valve unit 91, and the inside of each valve unit 90, 91 is The valve body (not shown) of the valve is opened. As a result, ink is supplied from the liquid container 28 to the liquid jet head 42 through the liquid supply valve unit 90, the liquid supply needle 92 and the liquid supply tube 50. Further, the inside of the liquid container 28 is open to the atmosphere via the atmosphere communication valve portion 91, the atmosphere communication needle 93 and the atmosphere communication tube 94.

  As shown in FIGS. 26 (a) and 26 (b), at the upper part of the holding space 57C in the housing 15, the lever member 95 is in a horizontal posture centering on the shaft 96 (see FIG. 26 (a)). And the vertical posture (the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 26 (b)). The lever member 95 is rotated, for example, by the operation of an operation member (not shown), and the liquid container 28 is inserted into the holding space portion 57C and the needles 92, 93 are inserted into the valve portions 90, 91. It is turned so as to be in the vertical posture, and is engaged with the concave portion 97 formed on the upper wall surface of the liquid container 28. And, by the locking of the lever member 95 with respect to the concave portion 97, the liquid container 28 is in the positioning state in which the retaining of the holding space portion 57C is restricted.

In the embodiment described above, the convex portion 70 and the longitudinal groove 73 constituting the alignment mechanism may be provided on the holding member 57 side and the longitudinal groove 73 may be provided on the liquid container 28 side.
In the embodiment, the alignment mechanism is not limited to the configuration including the convex portion 70 and the vertical groove 73, and may be, for example, a combination of an external thread and an internal thread, a printed identification mark, or the like.

In the second embodiment, the amount of projection of the liquid supply unit 27 from the front surface of the housing 15 may be larger or smaller than the amount of projection of the sheet discharge tray 20.
In the second embodiment in which a part of the liquid container 28 protrudes from the housing 15, the liquid inlet 61 may be located inside the housing 15. In this case, it is preferable that the opening 32 be formed at a position above the liquid inlet 61. Also in this case, the ink storage capacity can be increased.

  The flow restricting portion 60 a and the upper limit portion 63 a may not be provided in the liquid container 28. Furthermore, a lower limit (not shown) indicating the near end of the ink amount may be provided in the visual recognition unit 63. Further, for example, a scale or the like indicating a half amount may be provided in the visual recognition unit 63.

  In each of the above embodiments, the printing apparatus 12 may be a dot impact printer or a laser printer as long as it can print on a medium. In addition, the printing apparatus 12 may be an independent configuration having only a printing function, and may not be included in the multifunction peripheral. Furthermore, the printing device 12 is not limited to a serial printer, and may be a line printer or a page printer.

  In each of the above embodiments, the printing apparatus 12 uses four colors of ink, but may use only one color of ink or may use two, three or five or more colors of ink. It may be one. The number of liquid storage chambers 59 and the number of liquid supply tubes 50 may be made to correspond to the number of colors of ink to be used.

The liquid container 28 may be formed independently for each color of ink, or liquid containers 28 of a plurality of colors (may be all colors) are integrally formed and integrated May be
The medium is not limited to the paper P, and may be a resin film, a metal foil, a metal film, a composite film of resin and metal (laminated film), a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a ceramic sheet or the like.

  In the embodiment, the printing apparatus 12 may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges a liquid other than ink. In addition, as a state of the liquid discharged as a microdroplet droplet from a liquid injection apparatus, the thing which draws a granular form, teardrop shape, and threadlike tail shall also be included. Further, the liquid referred to here may be any material that can be ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in the state when the substance is in the liquid phase, and high or low viscosity liquids, sols, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melt Should contain a fluid such as). Further, not only liquid as one state of substance but also particles of functional material consisting of solid matter such as pigment and metal particles are considered to be dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Representative examples of the liquid include the ink described in the above embodiment, liquid crystal, and the like. Here, the ink includes general aqueous inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks.

  12: printing apparatus, 13: image reading apparatus (liquid inlet cover lid member), 15: housing, 17: upper housing (exterior member), 18: operation panel unit, 20: paper discharge tray (discharge unit), 26: ink absorbing material (liquid absorbing material) 27: liquid supply unit (liquid supply device) 28, 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d: liquid container, 32: opening, 32b: fourth opening (outer end opening , 33: vertical surface portion (cut-off portion), 35: cable, 36: wiring area, 37: electrical connection portion, 42: liquid jet head, 50: liquid supply tube, 57: holding member, 57A: protection member, 57B: Window portion 57a to 57d: wall portion (partition wall) 59: liquid storage chamber 60: upper wall portion (opening formation wall portion) 60a: flow restricting portion 61: liquid inlet port 61a: first opening (part 1) Inner end opening), 63 ... visual recognition part, 63 a ... upper limit part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Pump, 70 ... Convex part (sliding part) which comprises an alignment mechanism, 71 ... Through-hole, 72 ... Sealing member, 73 ... Longitudinal groove (guide part) which comprises alignment mechanism, 74 ... Locking Portions 75: remaining amount detection portion 76: sealing member 77: recessed portion 78: air communication portion 79, 79A: plug 81, liquid absorbent material 83: liquid container housing (exterior member).

Claims (8)

A printing unit that performs printing using liquid on a medium;
A liquid storage chamber capable of containing the liquid to be supplied to the printing unit, and a liquid container having a liquid inlet capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber;
And a case for housing the liquid container and the printing unit therein.
Wherein the housing, have a opening for exposing the liquid inlet at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the liquid container,
On the upper surface of the housing, a wiring area of a cable connected to the electrical connection section provided in the housing, and a blocking section capable of blocking the flow of the liquid from the opening side to the electrical connection section The printing apparatus , wherein the opening is provided at a position avoiding the wiring area . An image reading device is provided on the upper side of the case so as to be able to open and close between a closed position where the lower surface of the device faces the upper surface of the device and an open position where the upper surface of the case is opened. parts the printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that are provided at positions exposed to the outside without the image reading apparatus faces the lower surface of the image reading apparatus in the case in the closed position. An inclined surface is provided between a front surface of the housing on which the medium printed by the printing unit is discharged, and an upper surface of the housing, and the opening is provided on the inclined surface. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , characterized in that: A printing unit that performs printing using liquid on a medium;
A liquid storage chamber capable of containing the liquid to be supplied to the printing unit, and a liquid container having a liquid inlet capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber;
A housing that accommodates the liquid container and the printing unit therein;
Equipped with
The housing has an opening for exposing the liquid inlet at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the liquid container,
The front surface of the housing is provided with an operation panel portion whose upper end is positioned above the upper surface of the housing in the vertical direction, and the opening portion is the operation when viewed from the front side of the housing printing device you characterized in that it is provided on the back side and a position of the panel portion. A printing unit that performs printing using liquid on a medium;
A liquid storage chamber capable of containing the liquid to be supplied to the printing unit, and a liquid container having a liquid inlet capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber;
A housing that accommodates the liquid container and the printing unit therein;
Equipped with
The housing has an opening for exposing the liquid inlet at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the liquid container,
The liquid container, the overall shape is a rectangular parallelepiped shape, its longitudinal direction the housing side attachment manner along a lateral direction perpendicular to the depth direction from the side surface side of the housing, the longitudinal direction of the housing From the corner where the front and side of the body intersect, it is attached to the housing in any of the attachment modes among the diagonal attachment modes along the direction that is oblique to any of the depth direction and the left-right direction printing device you wherein a. The said housing | casing is comprised by the upper housing | casing and the lower housing | casing, The said opening part is formed in the said upper housing | casing, The any one of the Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Printing device. The liquid container protrudes partially outside the housing, of claims 1 to 6, protruded portion thereof is characterized in that it is covered with a protective member fixed to the housing The printing apparatus according to any one of the above. The printing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the protective member is provided with a visual recognition unit which can visually recognize the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid container covered by the protective member.