JP7275970B2 - Waste liquid recovery device, liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a waste liquid recovery device and a device for discharging liquid.

2. Description of the Related Art In a device that ejects liquid, such as a printing device, waste liquid is generated by performing idle ejection (including flushing, purging, etc.) of ejecting liquid that does not contribute to printing as maintenance of the liquid ejection head.

Conventionally, by attaching the waste ink collection box to the box attachment/detachment case, the attitude change lever rotates around the shaft, and the ink disposal nozzle is in the disposal position where the waste ink can be disposed of in the waste ink collection box. A waste ink recovery device is known in which the attitude of the ink disposal nozzle is changed to the standby position when the waste ink recovery box is removed (Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2000-127453

However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, as the collection box is put in and taken out, the posture changing lever rotates around the shaft portion and the disposal nozzle is inserted into and removed from the collection box. There is a problem that the nozzle rubs against each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce damage to the cover member that accompanies the insertion and removal of the waste liquid tank.

In order to solve the above problems, the waste liquid recovery device according to the present invention includes:
A waste liquid recovery device capable of inserting and removing a waste liquid tank for recovering waste liquid,
a slider member that moves in a loading/unloading direction as the waste liquid tank is loaded/unloaded;
a cover member that abuts on the waste liquid intake portion of the waste liquid tank and covers the waste liquid intake portion;
The covering member is provided so as to be movable between a position covering the waste liquid intake and a position opening the waste liquid intake in conjunction with movement of the slider member.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce damage to the cover member that accompanies the insertion and removal of the waste liquid tank.

FIG. 2 is a side explanatory view of the waste liquid recovery device according to the first embodiment of the present invention before tank setting; Similarly, it is a side explanatory view of the tank set. Similarly, it is a side explanatory view after the tank is set. It is similarly an exploded perspective explanatory view of each slider member. It is a perspective explanatory view similarly in the assembly|attachment state of each slider member. It is a perspective explanatory view with which the movement of the 1st slider member and the 2nd slider member with which it uses for operation|movement description of the same embodiment is demonstrated. It is also a timing explanatory diagram. It is side explanatory drawing with which description of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is presented. FIG. 11 is a side explanatory view before setting a waste liquid tank for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention; Similarly, it is a side explanatory view of a state in which the waste liquid tank is set. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an example of a device for ejecting liquid according to the present invention; FIG. It is a plane explanatory view of an example of the head unit of the apparatus.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of the waste liquid recovery apparatus according to the same embodiment before tank setting, FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view during tank setting, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view after tank setting. 4 is an exploded perspective explanatory view of each slider member, and FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory view of each slider member in an assembled state.

The waste liquid recovery device 100 has a tank storage section 2 into which a waste liquid tank 1, which is a waste liquid storage container for storing the waste liquid, can be taken in and out.

The waste liquid tank 1 has a tank body 11 for containing the waste liquid, and a waste liquid intake portion 12 that protrudes from the tank body 11 and forms a waste liquid intake port 12 a leading into the tank body 11 .

The waste liquid tank 1 can be inserted into and removed from (inserted into and removed from) the tank accommodating portion 2 in the direction of arrow A. The direction of insertion is the direction of arrow A1, and the direction of withdrawal is the direction of arrow A2.

A first slider member 3 is arranged in the tank accommodating portion 2 so as to be movable along the direction of taking in and out of the waste liquid tank 1 (direction of arrow A).

Here, the side wall surface 2a of the tank accommodating portion 2 is provided with guide grooves 21 along the direction of the arrow A, and the first slider member 3 is provided with a guide shaft 31 movably fitted into the guide grooves 21. is provided. On the other hand, a biasing member 5 that biases the first slider member 3 in the arrow A2 direction is arranged on the back side of the first slider member 3 (the side opposite to the side where the waste liquid tank 1 is taken in and out).

As a result, by inserting the waste liquid tank 1 into the tank housing portion 2, the first slider member 3 moves backward in the direction of the arrow A1 against the biasing member 5, and the waste liquid tank 1 is extracted from the tank housing portion 2. As a result, the first slider member 3 moves forward in the arrow A2 direction due to the biasing force of the biasing member 5 .

A cover member 6 that covers the waste liquid intake portion 12 of the waste liquid tank 1 is held by a second slider member 4 that is a holding member.

The second slider member 4 is held on the front surface of the first slider member 3 (the surface on the side facing the waste liquid tank 1) so as to be movable toward and away from the waste liquid intake section 12. there is

A guide shaft 41 is provided on the second slider member 4 , and the guide shaft 41 is movably fitted in a cam groove 22 provided on the side wall surface 2 a of the tank housing portion 2 .

Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the protrusion 43 provided on the second slider member 4 is passed through the guide groove 33 provided on the first slider member 3 to extend the rear surface of the first slider member 3. A guide shaft 41 is held by a projecting portion 43 that protrudes to the side and protrudes to the rear side.

Further, the second slider member 4 is provided with a guide shaft 42 that is movably fitted into the guide groove 32 provided in the first slider member 3 . After the guide shaft 42 is passed through the guide groove 32, an E-ring or retaining ring 44 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) is attached to the guide shaft 42 to control the movement of the second slider member 4 with respect to the first slider member 3 in the direction of arrow A. is regulated.

As the first slider member 3 moves in the direction of arrow A as the waste liquid tank 1 is inserted and removed, the guide shaft 41 is guided by the cam groove 22 and the second slider member 4 moves toward the waste liquid intake port. It moves linearly in a direction approaching the portion 12 (direction of arrow B1) and in a direction of separation (direction opposite to the direction of arrow B1).

As a result, the cover member 6 moves linearly between the position covering the waste liquid intake portion 12 and the position opening the waste liquid intake portion 12 by moving the second slider member 4 in conjunction with the movement of the first slider member 3 . provided to be movable.

In addition, the cover member 6 and the second slider member 4 are provided integrally, and the cover member 6 itself moves in a straight line with respect to the first slider member 3 between the position covering the waste liquid intake portion 12 and the position opening it. It can also be configured to be physically movable.

The cover member 6 holds a waste liquid discharge member (tube) 8 having a waste liquid discharge port 8a for discharging the waste liquid. Also, the cover member 6 is provided with an air hole 7 .

As the covering member 6, a member such as mylar having high smoothness and a low coefficient of friction is preferable, but the covering member 6 is not limited to this. Furthermore, the cover member 6 may be in contact with the entire area of the upper end of the waste liquid intake portion 12 to seal the waste liquid intake port 12a, or may have a predetermined gap between the cover member 6 and the portion. and covers the waste liquid intake port 12a.

1, the waste liquid recovery apparatus 1 has an opening/closing door 101 on the near side in the insertion direction (arrow A1 direction) of the waste liquid tank 1. As shown in FIG. The opening/closing door 101 is rotatable around a rotating shaft 102, and a protrusion 103 provided inside the opening/closing door 101 presses the waste liquid tank 1 toward the inner side in the insertion direction. After the waste liquid tank 1 is completely inserted into the waste liquid recovery device 100, the protrusion 103 prevents the waste liquid tank 1 from being pushed back toward the insertion direction (arrow A2 direction) by the biasing force of the biasing member 5.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 as well. FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the movements of the first slider member and the second slider member, and FIG. 7 is a timing view for explaining the operation.

7, the horizontal axis indicates the position of the first slider member 3 in the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 6, and the vertical axis indicates the position of the second slider member 4 (the position of the cover member 6) in the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. ing.

When housing the waste liquid tank 1 in the tank housing portion 2, by inserting the waste liquid tank 1 in the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. The member 4 is brought into contact. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the first slider member 3 is at the initial position P0, and the second slider member 4 is at the initial position P11.

By further pushing the waste liquid tank 1 in the direction of the arrow A1 from this state, the first slider member 3 moves in the direction of the arrow A1 as shown in FIG. 4 also moves in the direction of arrow A1.

At this time, since the guide shaft 41 of the second slider member 4 is engaged with the cam groove 22, the guide shaft 41 moves downward following the shape of the cam groove 22, so that the second slider member 4 While moving in the direction of arrow A1, it moves in the direction of arrow B1 (FIG. 6) with respect to the first slider member 3, that is, in the direction of approaching the waste liquid intake portion 12. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the covering member 6 also moves toward the waste liquid intake portion 12 .

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the first slider member 3 moves to position P1, the guide shaft 41 of the second slider member 4 enters the oblique shaped portion of the cam groove 22, causing the first slider member 3 to move. As it moves, the second slider member 4 moves toward the waste liquid intake portion 12 .

By further pushing the waste liquid tank 1 in the direction of the arrow A1, the first slider member 3 moves in the direction of the arrow A1, and the guide shaft 41 of the second slider member 4 follows the cam groove 22 as shown in FIG. Further, the second slider member 4 moves closer to the waste liquid intake portion 12 by moving with the .

As a result, the cover member 6 held by the second slider member 4 is pressed against the waste liquid intake portion 12 of the waste liquid tank 1 , and the waste liquid intake portion 12 is sealed (capped) with the cover member 6 .

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the first slider member 3 moves to position P2, the second slider member 4 moves to position P12 (solid line position in FIG. It is pressed against the inlet section 12 to seal the waste liquid inlet section 12 . Then, in this state, the first slider member 3 is pushed to the position P3.

As described above, when the cover member 6 seals the waste liquid intake portion 12 of the waste liquid tank 1, the cover member 6 is configured to advance and retreat (move) linearly with respect to the waste liquid intake portion 12. It is possible to reduce the friction between the member 6 and the waste liquid intake portion 12 . This reduces damage to the cover member 6 over time.

Since the waste liquid discharge port 8a faces the inside of the waste liquid tank 1 while the waste liquid intake port 12 of the waste liquid tank 1 is sealed with the cover member 6, the waste liquid discharge port 8a is not exposed to the external environment.

As a result, even if the waste liquid remains in the waste liquid tank 1 without dripping from the waste liquid discharge port 8a when recovering a liquid that is easy to dry such as a high-viscosity liquid, drying of the remaining waste liquid is suppressed. Therefore, clogging of the waste liquid discharge port 8a is suppressed.

Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory side view for explaining the same embodiment.

In this embodiment, an installation table 23 for installing the housing portion 2 is provided. The mounting table 23 is inclined in the direction in which the weight of the waste liquid tank 1 is applied so as to push the first slider member 3 in the direction of the arrow A1.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the set position of the waste liquid tank 1 from shifting.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory side view before setting the waste liquid tank for explaining the same embodiment, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory side view of the state in which the waste liquid tank is similarly set.

In this embodiment, a waste liquid receiving member 9 is disposed facing the waste liquid discharge port 8 a of the cover member 6 . The waste liquid receiving member 9 is positioned below the waste liquid discharge port 8a of the cover member 6 when the waste liquid tank 1 is not set, as shown in FIG. When the waste liquid tank 1 is set, the covering member 6 moves from the position facing the waste liquid receiving member 9 to the position covering the waste liquid tank 1 as shown in FIG.

As a result, even when the waste liquid drips from the waste liquid discharge port 8a when the waste liquid tank 1 is replaced, the waste liquid can be received by the waste liquid receiving member 9. Therefore, the waste liquid tank 1 and its surroundings that are touched by the user can be It is possible to prevent the tank housing portion 2 from being contaminated with the waste liquid.

Next, an example of an apparatus for ejecting liquid according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the same device, and FIG. 12 is a plan explanatory view of an example of a head unit of the same device.

A printing apparatus 500, which is a device for ejecting liquid, includes loading means 501 for loading a continuous body 510; It includes printing means 505 for printing to form an image by ejecting liquid onto 510 , drying means 507 for drying the continuous body 510 , carrying out means 509 for carrying out the continuous body 510 , and the like.

The continuous body 510 is sent out from the main winding roller 511 of the carrying-in means 501, guided and carried by rollers of the carrying-in means 501, the guide-conveying means 503, the drying means 507, and the carrying-out means 509. is taken up by

This continuum 510 is conveyed in the printing means 505 facing the head unit 550 and the head unit 555 , an image is formed by the liquid ejected from the head unit 550 , and the processing liquid ejected from the head unit 555 is used. Post-processing is done.

Here, the head unit 550 includes, for example, full-line head arrays 551A, 551B, 551C, and 551D for four colors from the upstream side in the transport direction (hereinafter referred to as "head array 551" when the colors are not distinguished). are placed.

Each head array 551 is a liquid ejecting means, and ejects black K, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y liquids onto the conveyed continuous body 510 . Note that the types and number of colors are not limited to this.

The head array 551 is formed by, for example, arranging liquid ejection heads (also simply referred to as “heads”) 100 on a base member 552 in a zigzag pattern, but is not limited to this.

A waste liquid recovery device 100 according to the present invention is provided in the printing means 505 .

As a result, the waste liquid recovery device 100 can recover the waste liquid over a long period of time without clogging the waste liquid discharge port 8a.

In this case, the waste liquid recovered by the waste liquid recovery apparatus 100 includes, for example, ink and processing agent waste liquid generated by idle ejection (including flushing, purging, etc.) of ejecting liquid that does not contribute to printing as maintenance of the liquid ejection head. be.

Note that the printing apparatus 500 may be an apparatus that prints on a sheet, that is, a cut sheet, instead of an apparatus that prints on a continuous material.

Further, in the present application, image formation, recording, printing, printing, printing, modeling, etc. are all synonymous.

1 waste liquid tank 2 tank storage section 3 first slider member 4 second slider member 6 cover member 8 waste liquid outlet member 9 waste liquid receiving member 12 waste liquid intake section 22 cam groove 100 waste liquid recovery device 500 printing device (device for ejecting liquid )
550 head unit

Claims (9)

A waste liquid recovery device capable of inserting and removing a waste liquid tank for recovering waste liquid,
a slider member that moves in a loading/unloading direction as the waste liquid tank is loaded/unloaded;
a cover member that abuts on the waste liquid intake portion of the waste liquid tank and covers the waste liquid intake portion;
The waste liquid recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering member is provided so as to be movable between a position covering the waste liquid intake portion and a position opening the waste liquid intake portion in conjunction with movement of the slider member. The covering member is held by a holding member that is movable in directions approaching and separating from the waste liquid intake,
2. A waste liquid recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding member is held by said slider member. 3. A waste liquid recovery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said holding member moves linearly. 3. A waste liquid recovery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said holding member is guided by a cam groove to move. 5. The waste liquid recovery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a waste liquid discharge port portion that passes through the covering member and discharges the waste liquid to the waste liquid tank. 6. The waste liquid recovery apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a waste liquid receiving member arranged below the waste liquid discharge port when the covering member is in a position to open the waste liquid intake section. A device for ejecting liquid, comprising the waste liquid recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 7, wherein waste liquid of ink that does not contribute to printing is collected in the waste liquid tank. 9. The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 7, wherein waste liquid of the processing liquid is collected in the waste liquid tank.

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