Patent Publication Number: US-11390086-B2

Title: Liquid ejecting apparatus

Description:
The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2020-037835, filed Mar. 5, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus. 
     2. Related Art 
     JP-A-2018-187888 discloses a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a liquid ejecting head; a liquid container; a maintenance device; a waste liquid container; a supply flow path to which the liquid ejecting head and the liquid container are coupled; and a waste liquid flow path to which the maintenance device and the waste liquid container are coupled. 
     However, because the supply flow path and the waste liquid flow path are separately routed, the routing structure is complex, increasing the size of the liquid ejecting apparatus. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a liquid ejecting apparatus having a housing constituting an exterior and including: a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid; a liquid container that stores the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head; a maintenance device that performs maintenance of the liquid ejecting head; a waste liquid container that stores the liquid discharged in the maintenance device from the liquid ejecting head as waste liquid; a supply tube coupling the liquid container and the liquid ejecting head; a waste liquid tube coupling the maintenance device and the waste liquid container; and a guide along which the supply tube and the waste liquid tube are routed in parallel. Assuming that one side of the housing is a rear side and another side facing the one side is a front side in plan view, the maintenance device is disposed closer to a rear side than the liquid container is, the liquid ejecting head is disposed at a side of the maintenance device so as to be movable in the left-right direction, which intersects the front-rear direction in which the rear side and the front side face each other, the waste liquid container is disposed closer to a front side than the liquid ejecting head is and at a side of the liquid container, and the guide is disposed in an area between the maintenance device and the front side of the liquid container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the structure of a liquid ejecting apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the structure of the liquid ejecting apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the structure of the liquid ejecting apparatus. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view showing the structure of the liquid ejecting apparatus. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a maintenance device and a waste liquid tube coupled to each other. 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view showing the structure of a guide. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the structure of the guide. 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view showing routing of supply tubes and the waste liquid tube in the guide. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing routing of the supply tubes and the waste liquid tube in the guide. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     First, a schematic structure of a liquid ejecting apparatus  1  will be described. 
       FIGS. 1 to 3  are perspective views showing the structure of the liquid ejecting apparatus  1 . More specifically,  FIG. 1  shows a state in which a scanner  10  is closed with respect to a housing  2 , which constitutes the exterior of the liquid ejecting apparatus  1 .  FIGS. 2 and 3  show a state in which the scanner  10  is opened with respect to the housing  2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  includes: the housing  2  having a rectangular-parallelepiped shape; and the scanner  10  attached to the top of the housing  2 , and is disposed on a horizontal surface. 
     The longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped housing  2  is parallel to the X axis, the transverse direction (front-rear direction) of the housing  2  is parallel to the Y axis, and the height direction (top-bottom direction) of the housing  2  is parallel to the Z axis. The directions toward the heads of the direction-indicating arrows are positive (+) directions, and the directions toward the tails of the arrows are negative (−) directions. The plane parallel to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (XY plane) is a horizontal plane, and the −Z direction is the gravity direction. 
     The scanner  10  is provided on and is attached to the top of the housing  2  so as to be pivotable relative to the housing  2 . The scanner  10  includes a scanner housing  11 , on which an original document is placed to be read, and a document cover  12  disposed thereon. 
     The document cover  12  protects the scanner housing  11  and is pivotable relative to the scanner housing  11 . Furthermore, a display  15  is attached to the +Y side end of the document cover  12 . 
     The display  15  can pivot with the document cover  12  relative to the scanner housing  11  and can be tilted relative to the document cover  12 . In short, the display  15  is attached to an end of the scanner  10 , can pivot with the scanner  10 , and can be tilted. 
     The display  15  is formed of a liquid-crystal-display module having a touch panel function. The display  15  has a mechanism for guiding the operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  (display function) and a function for allowing a user to perform various settings to the liquid ejecting apparatus  1 . A user can perform various operations with the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  while viewing images displayed on the display  15  tilted to an easily viewable position. A user can also perform various settings to the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  through the display  15  tilted to a position where he/she can easily touch. 
     Furthermore, by pivoting the display  15  with the scanner  10  and opening the scanner  10 , to which the display  15  is attached, with respect to the housing  2 , liquids can be poured to liquid containers  40  from refill containers Pv, which store the liquids (see  FIG. 3 ). The liquid containers  40  store the liquids to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head  22 . There are six liquid containers  40  in this embodiment. The six liquid containers  40  include a liquid container and another liquid container. When there is no need to distinguish between the liquid container and the other liquid container, they are simply called the liquid containers  40 . 
     The liquid containers  40  have pouring ports  41  from which the liquids can be poured from the refill containers Pv. The liquid containers  40  have pivotable levers  50  having lids  54  for sealing (tightly closing) the pouring ports  41 . A cover  31  is provided on the levers  50 . The cover  31  can be opened and closed. When the cover  31  is opened, the liquid containers  40  are exposed and can be refilled with the liquids from the refill containers Pv. When the cover  31  is closed, the liquid containers  40  are protected by the cover  31 . When the cover  31  is closed, the cover  31  is parallel to the XY plane (horizontal plane). 
     The six liquid containers  40  include: a liquid container  40 K 1 , which stores a black liquid containing black pigment as colorant; a liquid container  40 K 2 , which stores a black liquid containing black dye as colorant; a liquid container  40 GR, which stores a gray liquid containing gray dye as colorant; a liquid container  40 C, which stores a cyan liquid containing cyan pigment as colorant; a liquid container  40 M, which stores a magenta liquid containing magenta pigment as colorant; and a liquid container  40 Y, which stores a yellow liquid containing yellow pigment as colorant. 
     The liquid container  40 K 1 , the liquid container  40 K 2 , the liquid container  40 GR, the liquid container  40 C, the liquid container  40 M, and the liquid container  40 Y are arranged in this order toward the +X side. 
     The number of the liquid containers  40  is not limited to six but is at least two. The colorant contained in the liquids stored in the liquid containers  40  may be either pigment or dye. Furthermore, the liquid containers  40  may store liquids that do not contain colorant. 
     The liquid containers  40  have view surfaces  43  on the +Y side. The view surfaces  43  have marks indicating whether the liquid containers are empty or full. 
     The liquid containers  40  are made of a semi-transparent or transparent material, so that the liquids stored in the liquid containers  40  can be viewed from outside. The view surfaces  43  are provided so as to correspond to openings  35  provided in the housing  2 , and a user grasps the states of the liquids stored in the liquid containers  40  through the view surfaces  43 . 
     The housing  2  has a cut-away portion  8  in the side surface on the +X side. The length of the cut-away portion  8  in the Y-axis direction is substantially the same as the length of the cover  31  in the Y-axis direction. The cut-away portion  8  is formed to have substantially the same height in the Z direction as the cover  31  in a closed state. The cut-away portion  8  provides a space for inserting the refill container Pv when refilling the liquid container  40 Y, which is located on the extreme +X side. 
     A recording unit  20  is disposed inside the housing  2 . The recording unit  20  can record an image on a medium (not shown) using the liquids. The recording unit  20  includes a carriage  21 , a liquid ejecting head  22  that is attached to the carriage  21  and ejects the liquids toward the medium, and supply tubes  23  through which the liquids are supplied from the liquid containers  40  to the liquid ejecting head  22  (see  FIG. 1 ). In this embodiment, the supply tubes  23  are coupled to the six liquid containers  40 . More specifically, a supply tube  23 K 1  is coupled to the liquid container  40 K 1 , a supply tube  23 K 2  is coupled to the liquid container  40 K 2 , a supply tube  23 GR is coupled to the liquid container  40 GR, a supply tube  23 C is coupled to the liquid container  40 C, a supply tube  23 M is coupled to the liquid container  40 M, and a supply tube  23 Y is coupled to the liquid container  40 Y (see  FIG. 8 ). The six supply tubes  23  include a supply tube and another supply tube. When there is no need to distinguish between the supply tube and the other supply tube, they are simply called the supply tubes  23 . 
     The carriage  21  is supported by a guide shaft (not shown) and is movable in the X-axis direction, which intersects the transport direction (Y-axis direction) in which the medium is transported. 
     The liquid ejecting head  22  can move with the carriage  21  in the X-axis direction. The liquid ejecting head  22  includes, for example, pressure generating chambers, nozzles communicating with the pressure generating chambers, and piezoelectric elements that can change the capacity of the pressure generating chambers, and, by changing the capacity of the pressure generating chambers, the liquid can be discharged from the nozzles. 
     The liquid ejecting apparatus  1  according to this embodiment records a desired image on a medium by alternately repeating an operation in which the liquid ejecting head  22  ejects the liquids onto a medium while reciprocating in the X-axis direction and an operation in which the medium is transported in the transport direction. 
     The liquid ejecting apparatus  1  further includes a maintenance device  60 . The maintenance device  60  is provided closer to the +X side than the area, in the X-axis direction, in which the medium is transported. The maintenance device  60  performs various maintenance on the liquid ejecting head  22 . The maintenance device  60  includes a cap unit  61 . The cap unit  61  includes a cap  62  having a recess. The cap unit  61  has a lifting/lowering mechanism including a driving motor (not shown) so as to be able to move the cap  62  in the Z-axis direction. When the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  is not operating, the cap  62  is brought into tight contact with the liquid ejecting head  22  so as to cap the area having the nozzles. This prevents the inconvenience, such as clogging of nozzles with dried liquids. 
     The maintenance device  60  has a function of cleaning the nozzles. More specifically, for example, when the liquids have not been ejected from the nozzles for a long time or when foreign matter, such as paper dust, is attached to the nozzles, the nozzles may be clogged. If the nozzles are clogged, the liquids are not ejected when the liquids should be ejected from the nozzles, leading to a phenomenon called “missing nozzle”, in which droplet dots are not formed on an area of a medium where the droplet dots should be formed. The missing nozzle degrades the image quality. To prevent this problem, the liquids are forcedly discharged from the nozzles toward the recess in the cap  62  (flushing). By doing the flushing, the nozzles are cleaned, improving the discharge condition of the nozzles. The waste liquid discharged in the cap  62  is collected in the waste liquid container  70 . 
     The maintenance device  60  also includes a suction pump that sucks the liquids inside the liquid ejecting head  22  in a state in which the liquid ejecting head  22  is capped with the cap unit  61  and discharges the sucked liquid as waste liquid. By forcedly causing the liquids to be discharged from the inside of the liquid ejecting head  22 , it is possible to recover the nozzles that have become unable to eject the liquids due to thickening of the liquids, destruction of meniscus, and clogging of the nozzles with paper dust, and to prevent thickening of the liquids in the nozzles. The waste liquid forcedly discharged from the liquid ejecting head  22  is collected in the waste liquid container  70 . 
     The maintenance device  60  also includes a plate-shaped wiper  63  that wipes a nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head  22 . By wiping the nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head  22  after various maintenance, the liquid, etc., can be removed from the nozzle surface. 
     Next, the layout of the components in the housing  2  will be described. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , in plan view, assuming that one side of the housing  2  is a rear side (−Y side), and the other side facing the one side is a front side (+Y side), the maintenance device  60  is disposed closer to the rear side (+Y side) than the liquid containers  40  are. The liquid ejecting head  22  is disposed at the side of the maintenance device  60  so as to be movable in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), which intersects the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) in which the rear side and the front side face each other. The waste liquid container  70  is disposed closer to the front side (+Y side) than the liquid ejecting head  22  is and is disposed at the side of the liquid containers  40 . 
     A guide  80  is disposed in the area between the maintenance device  60  and the front side (+Y side) of the liquid containers  40 . 
     In other words, in this embodiment, in plan view, the maintenance device  60 , the liquid containers  40 , and the guide  80  are disposed on the +X side in the housing  2 . The guide  80  and the liquid containers  40  are disposed to the +Y side of the maintenance device  60 . The liquid ejecting head  22  is disposed at a side of the maintenance device  60  so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. The waste liquid container  70  is disposed to the −X side of the liquid containers  40 . 
     The liquid containers  40  and the liquid ejecting head  22  are coupled to each other by the supply tubes  23 . In this embodiment, the supply tubes  23  are coupled to the liquid containers  40 . Hence, six supply tubes  23  are routed between the liquid containers  40  and the liquid ejecting head  22 . More specifically, the supply tubes  23  are routed from the +X side, on which the liquid containers  40  are disposed in the housing  2 , toward the −X side. 
     The cap unit  61  of the maintenance device  60  and the waste liquid container  70  are coupled to each other by a waste liquid tube  66 . More specifically, the waste liquid tube  66  is routed from the +X side and the −Y side, where the cap unit  61  is disposed in the housing  2 , toward the +Y side and is then toward the waste liquid container  70 , which is disposed to the −X side of the liquid containers  40 . The waste liquid tube  66  is coupled to an introduction member  71  of the waste liquid container  70 . With this structure, the waste liquid produced in the maintenance device  60  is collected in the waste liquid container  70  through the waste liquid tube  66 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the cap unit  61  of the maintenance device  60  has a coupling tube  64  through which the liquid received with the cap unit  61  is guided outside, and a joint  65  coupled to the coupling tube  64 . The joint  65  is coupled to the waste liquid tube  66 . The joint  65  is tube-shaped. The liquid received with the cap unit  61  flows through the joint  65  to the waste liquid tube  66 . The waste liquid tube  66  is not directly coupled to the cap unit  61 , but the waste liquid tube  66  is coupled to the cap unit  61  via the joint  65  provided on the cap unit  61 . This structure makes the maintenance device  60  compact and allows the maintenance device  60  to be used in other models of liquid ejecting apparatuses in which, for example, the length of the waste liquid tube  66  is different. 
     In the guide  80 , the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  are routed in parallel. More specifically, the six supply tubes  23  are routed to the guide  80 , and the waste liquid tube  66  is routed so as to be parallel to one of the six supply tubes  23 , that is, so as to extend in the same direction as the direction in which the aforementioned supply tube  23  is routed in the guide  80 . 
     With this structure, the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  are not separately routed but are routed as a bundle gathered at the guide  80 , located in the middle of the routing paths of the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66 . This simplifies the routing structure of the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66 , compared with a structure in which the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  are separately routed. Because the routing structure of the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  is compact, the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  can be made compact. 
     Next, the structure of the guide  80  and the routing state of the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  routed to the guide  80  will be described. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show states in which the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  are not routed in the guide  80 , and  FIGS. 8 and 9  show states in which the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  are routed in the guide  80 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the guide  80  is located at a position overlapping the liquid containers  40  in plan view. This reduces the distance between the liquid containers  40  and the maintenance device  60 , and thus makes the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  compact. 
     More specifically, the guide  80  is located to the −Y side and −Z side of the levers  50  of the liquid containers  40 . Hence, the levers  50  can be smoothly opened and closed without interfering with the guide  80 . 
     In plan view, the guide  80  has a substantially rectangular shape with the long sides extending in the X-axis direction and the short sides extending in the Y-axis direction. The guide  80  is located above the six liquid containers  40 . The guide  80  is fixed to the housing  2 . 
     With this structure, for example, even when vibration occurs due to movement of the carriage  21 , the guide  80  is not displaced and can reliably hold the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  in place. 
     The guide  80  has areas in which the respective supply tubes  23  are routed, and each area has a lane  81 . The lanes  81  are divided by partition walls  82 . 
     Supply ports  45  in the liquid containers  40 , to which the supply tubes  23  are coupled, are provided below the guide  80 . The lanes  81  are formed so as to guide the supply tubes  23 , coupled to the supply ports  45 , initially toward the +Z side and then toward the −X side. The width of the lanes  81  is substantially the same as the diameter of the supply tubes  23 . In plan view, the partition walls  82  have curved surfaces, and the supply tubes  23  are routed along the lanes  81 . 
     In the housing  2 , the lane  81  corresponding to the supply tube  23  ( 23 Y) coupled to the liquid container  40  ( 40 Y), which is disposed on the extreme +X side among the six liquid containers  40 , is the longest, and the lengths of the lanes  81  gradually decrease from the +X side toward the −X side. Because the respective supply tubes  23  are routed along the corresponding lanes  81 , the supply tubes  23  do not interfere with each other, thus simplifying the routing structure of the supply tubes  23 . 
     Furthermore, gaps  85  are provided between the lanes  81 . In this embodiment, the gaps  85  are provided between the partition walls  82  and have a groove shape. The gaps  85  are provided corresponding to the positions of the supply ports  45  in the liquid containers  40 . More specifically, the lanes  81  are formed substantially directly above the supply ports  45 , and the gaps  85  are formed substantially directly above the areas between the adjoining supply ports  45 . This structure makes routing of the supply tubes  23  from the supply ports  45  to the lanes  81  easy. By making the gaps  85  have a groove shape, the weight of the guide  80  is reduced. 
     Each lane  81  has tabs  84  that restrict protrusion of the supply tube  23  or the waste liquid tube  66  from the lane  81 . 
     The tabs  84  are projections that partially cover the upper portions of the supply tubes  23  or the waste liquid tube  66  routed along the lanes  81 . The tabs  84  are provided on the top surfaces of the partition walls  82 . In this embodiment, the tabs  84  include: tabs  84   a  provided at first ends of the lanes  81 , the first ends being closer to the supply ports  45 ; tabs  84   b  provided at second ends of the lanes  81 ; and tabs  84   c  provided between the first ends and the second ends of the lanes  81 . With this structure, protrusion of the supply tubes  23  or the waste liquid tube  66  from the lanes  81  is suppressed, and the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  can be reliably routed. Because the tabs  84  do not entirely cover the lanes  81 , routing of the supply tubes  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  along the lanes  81  is easy. 
     Furthermore, recesses  86  are provided in support surfaces  81   a,  which support the supply tubes  23  in the lanes  81 . The support surfaces  81   a  are surfaces in areas other than the partition walls  82 , in the areas constituting the lanes  81 . In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the recesses  86  are provided at the −X side ends of the lanes  81  in the guide  80 . With this structure, for example, even when a supply tube  23  has a length larger than a predetermined dimension, by routing the supply tube  23  so as to extend along the recess  86 , fine dimension adjustments of the supply tube  23  can be easily performed. In other words, the recesses  86  serve as buffer areas for adjusting the lengths of the supply tubes  23 . The number and size of the recesses  86  provided in each lane  81  can be set as appropriate. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , eaves  88  projecting obliquely downward are provided at the −Y side and −Z side end of the guide  80 . The eaves  88  press films  48 , which constitute portions of the exteriors of the liquid containers  40 , downward from above. The films  48  constitute portions of the exteriors of the liquid containers  40  and are bonded to the −X side. Because the films  48  are bonded so as to protrude from the exteriors of the liquid containers  40 , the portions protruding from the exteriors of the films  48  can come into contact with the carriage  21  moving in the X-axis direction. To prevent this, the eaves  88  are provided above the films  48  and between the lanes  81 . In other words, the eaves  88  are provided at positions where the gaps  85  are provided. With this structure, by holding the films  48  with the eaves  88 , the amount by which the films  48  protrude from the exteriors is reduced, preventing contact between the films  48  and the carriage  21 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , in the guide  80 , a supply tube  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  are routed so as to be vertically stacked. In this embodiment, from the standpoint of the routing efficiency of the supply tube  23  and the waste liquid tube  66  in the guide  80 , the waste liquid tube  66  is routed above the supply tube  23 . Because there is no need to increase the width of the lanes  81 , the size of the guide  80  in the X-axis direction can be reduced. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , a space  90  in which the waste liquid tube  66  can freely move is provided between the maintenance device  60  and the guide  80 . More specifically, the space  90  is provided in the area below the guide  80  in which the waste liquid tube  66  is routed. With this structure, for example, when the waste liquid tube  66  is slightly long, the excess portion of the waste liquid tube  66  can be routed to the space  90 . Furthermore, a tube-bending prevention/protection member, which suppresses bending (kink) of the waste liquid tube  66 , may be provided on the outer circumferential portion of the waste liquid tube  66  routed to the space  90 . With this structure, even when the space  90  is narrow, bending of the waste liquid tube  66  is suppressed, allowing the waste liquid to smoothly flow. 
     Furthermore, in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the guide  80 , the waste liquid tube  66  is routed to the lane  81  of the supply tube  23  that is routed at a position away from the waste liquid container  70 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , when the supply tube  23 Y is routed to the guide  80  at a position farther from the waste liquid container  70  than the other supply tubes  23 M,  23 C,  23 GR,  23 K 2 , and  23 K 1  are, the waste liquid tube  66  is routed to the lane  81  for the supply tube  23 Y. With this structure, when, for example, the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  is placed in a wrong orientation such that the waste liquid container  70  is located below the liquid containers  40 , the waste liquid tube  66  routed to the guide  80  can be located at a position higher than the liquid level in the liquid container  40 Y. Hence, flow of the liquid from the six liquid containers  40  to the waste liquid container  70  through the liquid ejecting head  22  and the maintenance device  60  is suppressed, and leakage of the waste liquid to the outside from the waste liquid container  70  is prevented. 
     A portion of the waste liquid tube  66  extending between the guide  80  and the waste liquid container  70  is routed so as to be located closer to the front side (+Y side) than the introduction member  71 , serving as a coupling portion coupling the waste liquid container  70  and the waste liquid tube  66 , is. With this structure, when the liquid ejecting apparatus  1  is placed so as to stand on the rear side thereof, leakage of the waste liquid from the waste liquid container  70  is prevented. The tube-bending prevention/protection member for preventing bending (kink) of the waste liquid tube  66  is provided on the outer circumferential portion of the waste liquid tube  66  routed between the guide  80  and the waste liquid container  70 . With this structure, even when the space between the guide  80  and the waste liquid container  70  is small, bending of the waste liquid tube  66  is suppressed, enabling smooth flow of the waste liquid.