JP2014034192A - Liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid ejection device that can hold a cover member in a closed state even when liquid supply tubes are led out between an outside and an inside of the liquid ejection device.SOLUTION: Ink supply tubes 40 are inserted through an insertion hole 12c formed on a front surface portion of a housing 12H of a first printer and are led out along a flexible flat cable 60 wired in a main scanning direction inside the housing 12H. The first printer 11A comprises an accommodation portion that is a housing portion protrusively formed forward. A paper feeding cassette detachably accommodated in the accommodation portion is in a forward-protrusive state. The insertion hole 12c is formed at a position where the accommodation portion is avoided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a medium.

  Conventionally, as a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet printer that performs printing (recording) by ejecting ink from a liquid ejecting head onto a medium such as paper is known. In such a printer, in order to continuously and stably supply ink to the liquid ejecting head when a relatively large amount of printing is performed, ink is supplied from an ink tank having a relatively large ink storage capacity through an ink supply tube. A configuration for supplying ink to a cartridge has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the printer having such a configuration, the liquid ejecting head is mounted on a carriage that can move in the scanning direction inside the main body housing. An ink supply tube extending from an ink tank provided outside the main body housing is inserted into the carriage movement region through the upper opening of the main body housing, and is connected to an ink cartridge mounted on the carriage. In this case, the ink supply tube is inserted into the carriage movement region in the ink supply tube by fixing the middle portion in the length direction by a fixing member provided so as to cross the upper opening of the main body housing. The end is guided to the ink cartridge.

China Utility Model Registration Notice CN2825289Y

  Incidentally, a printer is usually provided with a cover member that can open and close the opening on the upper surface of the main body housing. In the printer described above, the ink supply tube supported by a dedicated fixing member provided across the opening is interposed between the main body housing and the cover member, and the cover member is interposed by the interposed ink supply tube. Cannot be closed. However, in order to suppress discharge of ink mist and the like outside the apparatus and noise, it is desirable that the printing operation be performed with the cover member closed. In addition, in a liquid ejecting apparatus having a configuration in which a printing operation is permitted only when it is detected that the cover member is in a state in which the opening of the main body housing is closed, the ink interposed between the main body housing and the cover member When the cover member is not closed by the supply tube, there is a problem that the printing operation cannot be performed. Of course, even in a model that does not have this type of detection function, problems such as ink mist leakage or noise caused by a gap between the main body housing and the cover member during the printing operation also apply.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its main object is to provide a liquid that can keep the cover member closed even when the liquid supply tube is routed between the outside and the inside of the apparatus. It is in providing an injection device.

  In a liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above-described problem, a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid to a target and a carriage including the liquid ejecting head are movably disposed, and at least a part of a moving region of the carriage A casing portion in which an opening to be exposed is formed; a liquid storage portion located outside the casing portion in a state in which the liquid is stored; and the liquid supplied from the liquid storage portion to the liquid ejecting head A flowable liquid supply tube, an insertion part formed so that the liquid supply tube can be inserted into the case part, and a case in which a feed cassette capable of accommodating the target is formed protruding in the discharge direction of the target A feeding cassette portion provided in a state of being detachably accommodated in the portion and projecting in the discharge direction together with the casing portion; and above the feeding cassette portion And the operation panel portion provided on the inclined surface of the casing portion that has an inclined surface that protrudes more toward the discharge direction than the upper side in the installation, and connected to the liquid ejecting head and accompanying the movement of the carriage And a flexible flat cable having a deformable movable part that deforms following, and the liquid supply tube inserted into the housing part via the insertion part is routed along the flexible flat cable and the liquid jet head The liquid is connected to the carriage in a state where it can be supplied.

  According to this configuration, even when the liquid supply tube is routed between the outside and the inside of the apparatus, the cover member can be held in a closed state. Further, since the liquid supply tube is a long member having flexibility similar to the tube and is routed along a flexible flat cable connected to the same carriage, the liquid supply tube routing path ( Space) is easy to secure.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid supply tube inserted into the casing is routed above the flexible flat cable in the casing.

  According to this configuration, even if the liquid supply tube and the flexible flat cable are deformed following the movement of the carriage, they are less likely to come into contact with each other as compared with a configuration in which both are overlapped.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid supply tube inserted into the housing portion is routed through a gap between the flexible flat cable and the housing.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid supply tube is routed using the gap between the flexible flat cable and the housing, it is possible to secure a relatively route for the liquid supply tube.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the insertion portion is provided at a position that avoids a protruding portion of the housing portion in which the feeding cassette is detachably accommodated in the housing portion.
According to this configuration, the portion of the liquid supply tube from the liquid supply portion to the insertion portion can be routed away from the protruding portion of the housing portion in which the feeding cassette is detachably accommodated. For this reason, the liquid supply tube is less likely to get in the way when the feeding cassette is attached or detached.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the flexible flat cable is wired along the moving direction of the carriage at a position on the opposite side of the carriage moving mechanism and the target conveying direction in the casing. It is preferable that it is formed in the surface part in which the discharge port of the target in the housing part is formed.

  According to this configuration, the liquid supply tube is drawn along the flexible flat cable wired along the carriage movement direction at a position opposite to the carriage movement mechanism and the target conveyance direction. It is easy to secure the routing space without being obstructed, and there is no worry of interference between the liquid supply tube and the moving mechanism.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the operation panel unit includes an operation panel unit projecting inward of the housing unit, and the insertion unit is provided at a position avoiding the operation panel unit in the housing unit. Preferably it is.

  According to this configuration, the liquid supply tube inserted from the insertion part into the housing part can avoid the operation panel unit in the housing part and secure a route to the vicinity of the flexible flat cable.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, a cover member that is displaceable in a direction to open and close the opening of the housing portion, a detection unit that detects a state in which the cover member is closed, and the detection unit that It is preferable that a control unit that does not allow the liquid ejection operation in a state where the closed state is not detected is provided.

According to this configuration, since the cover member can be closed, the liquid ejecting operation by the control unit is permitted, and the liquid ejecting apparatus can perform the liquid ejecting operation.
In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the liquid supply tube has a deformable movable portion that follows and deforms as the carriage moves, and the deformable movable portion is routed along the deformable movable portion of the flexible flat cable. Preferably it is.

  According to this configuration, the deformable movable portion of the liquid supply tube that deforms following the movement of the carriage is deformed in the same direction together with the deformable movable portion of the flexible flat cable. Therefore, even when the carriage is moved, the liquid supply tube and the flexible flat portion are deformed. Cables are less likely to interfere with each other.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid supply tube is connected to a plurality of tubes via a joint that connects the tubes.
According to this configuration, the liquid supply tube can be adjusted to an optimum length for routing by connecting a plurality of tubes.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that one or a plurality of the liquid supply tubes are provided.
According to this configuration, the liquid can be supplied from the respective liquid storage units to the liquid jet heads by the number of liquid supply tubes corresponding to the number of the liquid storage units.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first printer in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first printer in a state where a stacker and a manual paper feed mechanism are opened. The perspective view which shows the printer in the state which opened the cover part. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing an ink supply tube routing structure in the first printer. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing an ink supply tube routing structure in the first printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view showing an ink supply tube routing structure. FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing an ink supply tube routing structure in a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing an ink supply tube routing structure in the first printer. The perspective view which shows the 2nd printer in 3rd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, as a first embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet that includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects ink as an example of liquid and ejects ink onto paper as an example of a target to print an image including characters and figures The type printer will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 11 </ b> A according to the present embodiment includes a printing function unit 12 </ b> A (printer unit) including an apparatus main body 12 having a printing function, and a lid 75 on the upper side of the apparatus main body 12. In the following description, this printer will be referred to as a first printer 11A in order to distinguish it from a printer composed of a multifunction machine in other embodiments described later. The first printer 11A includes a device main body 12 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an ink tank 19T as an example of a liquid storage portion that is a separate body from the device main body 12 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the first printer 11A, the ink from the ink tank 19T located outside the apparatus main body 12 passes through the ink supply tube 40 inserted in the housing 12H, and the adapter AD on the carriage 21 in the apparatus main body 12. And supplied to the liquid jet head 22.

  The apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A) on the ink supply side includes a printing unit 20 inside. A lid 75 as an example of a cover member is disposed on the upper side of the printing function unit 12A on the side opposite to the gravity direction. The lid 75 is configured to be capable of opening and closing by rotating (displacement) about a hinge 75a provided at one end (rear side). The user of the first printer 11A can lift the lid 75 during maintenance, for example. This lifting exposes an opening 12K (see FIG. 3) that is provided above the printing unit 20 and exposes at least a part of the movement region of the carriage 21 that is disposed in the printing function unit 12A so as to be reciprocally movable.

  The apparatus main body 12 on the ink supply side has a housing 12H that houses the printing unit 20. The lid portion 75 as an example of a cover member rotates (displaces) around a hinge 75a provided at one end (rear side) of the apparatus main body 12, and is opposite to the hinge 75a with respect to the apparatus main body 12. The front end portion side (the front end portion side in FIG. 3) is lifted. The user of the first printer 11A can lift the lid 75 during maintenance, for example. This lifting exposes an opening 12K (see FIG. 3) that is provided above the printing unit 20 and exposes at least a part of the movement region of the carriage 21 that is disposed in the printing function unit 12A so as to be reciprocally movable.

  Further, a manual paper feed mechanism 35 is provided on the rear side of the lid 75 in the apparatus main body 12. This manual paper feed mechanism 35 is of an open / close type in which a cover 35e also serving as a paper feed tray 35a (see FIG. 2) can be rotated around its rear end, and when not in use, as shown in FIG. It is kept closed. A concave gripping portion 35f is formed at the front end portion of the cover 35e in the closed state, and the user grips the gripping portion 35f and rotates the cover 35e rearward so that the paper feed tray 35a rises diagonally. To the open position when in use (see FIG. 2). The configuration of the manual paper feed mechanism 35 in the open state will be described later.

  A sheet feeding cassette 15 that can store a plurality of sheets of paper P is detachably provided at the lower portion of the apparatus main body 12. The paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 15 is fed one by one from the rear to the front to the printing unit 20 provided in the printing function unit 12A, and the printing unit is applied to the fed paper P. The printing is performed by 20. The configuration of the printing unit 20 is basically the same as that of the first printer 11A in the first embodiment. The printed paper P that has been printed by the printing unit 20 is discharged from a paper discharge port 16 provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A).

  A stacker 17 as an example of a discharge tray is accommodated at a position on the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12 </ b> A) above the paper feed cassette 15 and below the paper discharge outlet 16. The stacker 17 is used by being pulled from the apparatus main body 12 by a length corresponding to the size of the paper P in the paper P discharge direction (conveyance direction).

  The housing portion 12S having a housing recess for housing the paper feed cassette 15 and the stacker 17 at the center in the width direction is configured by a housing portion that is formed to protrude in the paper P discharge direction (here, the sub-scanning direction Y). Yes. The container 12S is protruded in this way because the length required in the sub-scanning direction Y of the paper feed cassette 15 is longer than the length of the housing 12H required for the printing unit 20 in the sub-scanning direction. Because. For this reason, the paper feed cassette 15 and the stacker 17 are accommodated so that the front end faces are aligned in the accommodating portion 12S in a state of protruding from the apparatus main body 12 in the sub-scanning direction Y (forward). Specifically, when the length of the apparatus main body 12 in the sub-scanning direction Y is determined in accordance with the length of the paper feed cassette 15 required to accommodate the paper P of a predetermined size (for example, A4 size). Since the apparatus main body 12 is increased in size (increase in the bottom area), only the accommodating portion of the paper feed cassette 15 is protruded in order to avoid this as much as possible. Further, since the front position when the stacker 17 is stored is determined in accordance with the front position where the paper feed cassette 15 protrudes, the protruding length when the stacker 17 is pulled out is secured relatively long. Further, the protrusion enables the stacker 17 to be easily pulled out from the apparatus main body 12 by the gripping portion 17a. In this way, the first printer 11A can be enlarged (particularly the bottom of the printer) while the paper feed cassette 15 is detachably provided on the front face of the apparatus main body 12 and can feed paper from the front side of the apparatus main body 12. (Increase in area) is relatively suppressed. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 12S and the paper feed cassette 15 constitute an example of a feeding cassette unit.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel unit 18 for performing various operations such as causing the printing unit 20 to execute a printing operation is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A). . The operation panel portion 18 is configured by a housing portion that has an inclined surface whose lower side protrudes from the upper side toward the paper P discharge direction (that is, the sub-scanning direction Y). An operation button 18 b is provided on the inclined surface of the operation panel unit 18. Examples of the operation button 18b include a power button and a print start button. Since the operation surface of the operation panel 18 is an inclined surface that is lowered toward the front, the operability of the operation button 18b is ensured satisfactorily for the user. In addition, a concave portion 75b is formed at a portion corresponding to the operation panel portion 18 at the rotation tip portion of the lid portion 75. When the lid portion 75 is closed, the presence of the concave portion 75b causes the lid portion 75 and the operation panel portion 18 to Interference is avoided.

  The printing unit 20 included in the first printer 11A of the present embodiment includes a carriage 21 as an example of a moving body that reciprocates in the main scanning direction X, and a liquid ejecting head 22 that ejects ink onto the carriage 21 is provided. Provided. The carriage 21 is guided by a guide frame 30 that is a plate member extending along the main scanning direction X, and is arranged to be movable (reciprocating) in the main scanning direction X. The guide frame 30 has an upper rail 31A and a lower rail 31B formed by bending the members into a substantially U shape at both upper and lower end portions of the plate member orthogonal to the main scanning direction X. The carriage 21 reciprocates in the main scanning direction X with its rear end supported by the upper rail 31A and the lower rail 31B. Then, ink supplied from the ink supply tube 40 is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 22 provided in the carriage 21 that reciprocates, and printing on the paper P is performed.

  The carriage 21 has a substantially square box shape with the upper part opened, and an adapter AD that relays ink supplied via the ink supply tube 40 to the liquid ejecting head 22 is mounted on the concave mounting portion of the carriage 21. Has been. Ink is supplied to the liquid jet head 22 from the adapter AD mounted on the carriage 21. Accordingly, when the ink supply tube 40 that supplies ink from the ink tank 19T is connected to the adapter AD, the ink supply tube 40 allows the ink to flow between the ink tank 19T and the liquid ejecting head 22. Form a road.

  The first printer 11A of this example is capable of color printing. In the example of FIG. 1, the adapter AD is mounted with a plurality (for example, four) of the same number of ink colors (for example, four colors) necessary for color printing. . Of course, only the black adapter AD can be attached and used as a printer capable of monochrome printing. The carriage 21 can be used with an ink cartridge mounted thereon, and the adapter AD has a square plate shape that matches the shape and size of the ink cartridge corresponding to the first printer 11A. However, since the ink volume may be smaller than that of the ink cartridge, the shape and size of the adapter AD may be appropriately changed as long as it can be mounted on the mounted portion of the carriage 21.

  The first printer 11A can perform printing based on data received from a host device via USB communication or the like, or can read image data such as a photograph from a memory card and print a photograph.

  FIG. 2 shows the first printer 11A when the stacker 17 and the manual paper feed mechanism 35 are in the open state. As shown in FIG. 2, a manual paper feed mechanism 35 is provided on the back side of the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A). The manual paper feed mechanism 35 is a mechanism for the user to manually set and feed a single sheet P. The manual paper feed mechanism 35 includes a substantially square plate-like paper feed tray 35a, a pair of paper guides 35b for positioning the paper in the width direction on the paper feed tray 35a, and an open state of the manual paper feed mechanism 35. And a protective plate 35c provided for the purpose of preventing foreign matter or the like from dropping into a feeding port (not shown). The paper feed tray 35a is provided so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range around its base end (lower end in FIG. 2), and is in an open state shown in FIG. And, it is arranged in a closed state in which it is rotated from this open state to the near side in FIG. The protection plate 35c is biased in the direction approaching the paper feed tray 35a side by the elastic force of a torsion coil spring (not shown). When the paper feed tray 35a is opened, the foreign matter that has fallen to the opened position is supplied. It arrange | positions in the protection position shown in FIG. 2 which prevents entering a feeding port.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stacker 17 is a three-stage type as an example, and includes a first tray 17b, a second tray 17c, and a third tray 17d. The first tray 17b is slidably connected to the apparatus body 12, and the second tray 17c is slidably connected to the first tray 17b. The third tray 17d is pivotally connected to the tip of the second tray 17c, and is in a closed position in which the third tray 17d is stored so as to overlap the second tray 17c. It is placed in an open position that rises in posture and also functions as a paper stopper.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a detection projection 37 is formed on the back surface of the lid 75 so as to protrude at a position on the left side in the width direction on the rotation tip side. When the lid 75 is closed, the projection 37 is inserted into a detected recess 38 that is recessed in the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12. In the apparatus main body 12, a sensor 39 (see FIG. 4) as an example of a detection unit that detects the protrusion 37 inserted into the detected recess 38 is provided at a position corresponding to the detected recess 38. The controller C (see FIG. 4) as an example of the control unit in the first printer 11A starts a printing operation for performing instructed printing when the sensor 39 detects the closed state of the lid 75. However, when the sensor 39 does not detect the closed state of the lid 75, the printing operation is not started even if there is an instructed printing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the housing 12H, a position facing the lower surface (nozzle formation surface) of the liquid jet head 22 (see FIG. 1) provided on the lower surface side of the carriage 21 is arranged in the main scanning direction X. A long support base 23 extending along the line is disposed. A transport roller 24 and a paper discharge roller 25 are disposed at positions upstream and downstream of the support base 23 in the sub-scanning direction Y. The paper P accommodated in the paper feed cassette 15 is in a state where a pickup roller (not shown) is in contact with the upper surface thereof. By rotating the pickup roller, the uppermost one of the sheets P is fed backward, and the route of the fed sheet P is the sub-scanning direction Y along the outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller (not shown). Then, when it reaches the transport roller 24, it is fed onto the support base 23 by the rotation of the transport roller 24.

  Further, an endless timing belt 27 is wound around a pair of pulleys 26 along a guide frame 30 located on the back side of the carriage 21 in the housing 12H, and the back surface of the carriage 21 is placed on the timing belt 27. It is fixed to a part of. A linear encoder 28 extending in parallel with the timing belt 27 is stretched under the timing belt 27, and the position of the carriage 21 is detected based on the detection signal.

  A carriage motor (not shown) having an output shaft connected to one pulley 26 is driven forward and backward, and the timing belt 27 rotates forward and backward, whereby the carriage 21 reciprocates in the main scanning direction X along the rails 31A and 31B. To do. A recording operation in which ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 22 during the movement of the carriage 21 to record one line (one pass) on the paper P, and a transport operation in which the paper P is transported to the next recording position. By alternately performing the above, a document or an image is printed on the paper P. At this time, ink ejection / non-ejection for each nozzle according to the ink color of the liquid ejecting head 22 is controlled according to the carriage position detected based on the detection signal of the linear encoder 28.

  Ink used by the liquid ejecting head 22 in this printing is supplied from each ink tank 19T in the external tank unit 19 to the liquid ejecting head 22 via each ink supply tube 40 and each adapter AD. In the tank unit 19 of this example, for example, four ink tanks 19T for storing four different colors of ink are accommodated. Examples of these four colors include black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). In the example of FIG. 3, of the four ink tanks 19T, one that stores black ink, which consumes a relatively large amount of ink, is a large tank with a wide width, and a small number of three each store three colors of color ink. It is a narrow small tank.

  The adapter AD that can be mounted on the carriage 21 is thicker for black ink and thinner than that for the shape and size of the ink cartridge of the corresponding ink color. The carriage 21 has a plurality of (four) recesses for mounting ink cartridges, and when the adapter AD is mounted in these recesses, the terminal on the back surface comes into contact with the terminal on the carriage 21 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ink tank 19 </ b> T accommodated in the tank unit 19 is disposed outside the apparatus main body 12. The ink tank 19T is arranged at the left outer side of the housing 12H, that is, at a position opposite to the home position in the main scanning direction X when the first printer 11A is viewed from the front side (the front side in the sub scanning direction Y). Yes. One end of the ink supply tube 40 is connected to the ink tank 19T, and the ink supply tube 40 is inserted into the apparatus main body 12 through an insertion hole 12c formed in the front part of the apparatus main body 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are configured by connecting a plurality of tubes via joints 40J. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are connected via a joint 40J at a portion between the tank unit and the first printer 11A, but at the portion within the housing 12H. It may be connected via.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of ink supply tubes 40 inserted into the apparatus main body 12 are drawn along the flexible flat cable 60 in the main scanning direction X, and other downstream sides of the ink supply direction. The end is connected to an adapter AD mounted on the carriage 21. Specifically, a discharge pipe (not shown) communicating with the ink tank 19T protrudes from the lower part of the tank unit 19, and one end of the ink supply tube 40 is connected to each discharge pipe. The other end of the ink supply tube 40 drawn around the housing 12H is connected to a supply pipe (not shown) on the upper surface of the adapter AD mounted on the carriage 21. Note that a protrusion 37 provided on the back surface of the image reading unit 13 is inserted when the image reading unit 13 is closed at a position slightly apart to the left of the locking recess 12d on the upper surface 12U of the apparatus main body 12. A detected recess 38 is formed. In addition, vent holes 47 are formed at predetermined positions around the opening 12K on the upper surface 12U of the housing 12H. Further, the portion near the adapter AD in the ink supply tube 40 is fixed in a state where a plurality of the members are bundled in a row by a holding member 44 fixed to the front surface portion of the carriage 21, and is downstream of the fixing position. The end portions on the side are each connected to a supply pipe (not shown) on the upper surface of the adapter AD.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an ink supply tube 40 having one end connected to an ink tank 19T in a tank unit 19 disposed outside the apparatus main body 12 has an insertion portion formed through the front surface of the housing 12H. Is inserted into the housing 12H through the insertion hole 12c as an example. The inserted ink supply tube 40 passes through a position on the outer side in the width direction of the operation panel unit 70 protruding to the rear surface side of the operation panel unit 18, and a flexible flat cable 60 (hereinafter referred to as “FFC 60”) is connected to the rear side of the operation panel unit 70. Is also routed along.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the ink supply tube 40 is wired using a gap between the FFC 60 and the housing 12H. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 8, a plurality of (for example, four) ink supply tubes 40 are routed along the FFC 60 at a height position above the FFC 60. A portion on the leading end side of the ink supply tube 40 routed along a path passing through the outside (outer peripheral side) of the multiple FFCs 60 routed is fixed to a holding member (not shown) attached to the carriage 21. After that, the other end portion on the downstream side is further connected to each adapter AD on the carriage 21.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ink supply tube 40 inserted into the housing 12 </ b> H is supported in a state extending in the main scanning direction X by a plurality of fixtures 41 and 42. The fixing device 42 that fixes the most downstream portion in the ink supply direction among the plurality of fixing portions by the fixing devices 41 and 42 is the ink at a position slightly upstream from the central portion in the main scanning direction X of the carriage movement region. A part of the supply tube 40 is fixed. A portion of the ink supply tube 40 on the downstream side of the portion fixed by the fixing tool 42 is a deformable movable portion 40H. For the fixtures 41 and 42, for example, an adhesive tape or a clip is used.

  A main substrate 45 is disposed inside the left end (right end in FIG. 4) of the apparatus main body 12 of the first printer 11A. A controller C is provided on the main board 45. The base end portion of the FFC 60 is directly connected to the controller C or connected to the controller C via a relay board (not shown). The FFC 60 extending from the controller C is disposed so that the surface thereof is orthogonal to the transport direction Y and wired along the movement direction of the carriage 21. The FFC 60 is hooked in a state of being sandwiched between a plurality of hook portions 51 and 52 formed on the front frame 50. A portion on the downstream side of the latching portion 52 that latches at the most downstream latching location among the plurality of latching locations is the deformable movable portion 60H.

  The ink supply tube 40 is routed along the FFC 60 on the outside of the FFC 60 so that the respective deformable movable portions 40H and 60H are routed along the other side. The front end portion of the FFC 60 is connected to a wiring terminal (not shown) provided on the carriage 21 and is electrically connected to the liquid ejecting head 22. The controller C performs ink ejection control of the liquid ejection head 22 by transmitting ejection data and a drive signal to the liquid ejection head 22 via the FFC 60.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an insertion hole 12c as an example of an insertion portion is formed in the front surface portion, which is the surface portion where the paper discharge port 16 (see FIG. 1) is formed in the housing 12H. That is, the insertion hole 12c is formed at a position avoiding the housing portion 12S which is a housing portion protruding from the front surface portion of the housing 12H. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the insertion hole 12 c is disposed at a position avoiding the operation panel unit 70 that protrudes to the back side of the operation panel portion 18 in the front surface portion of the housing 12 </ b> H. Further, the insertion hole 12 c is located at a height that is slightly higher than the wiring height position of the flexible flat cable 60. A portion of the ink supply tube 40 that passes through the rear side (left side in FIG. 6) of the operation panel unit 70 is fixed by a fixture 42 with a substantially triangular prism-shaped member 43 sandwiched between inclined surfaces on the back surface of the operation panel unit 70. . For this reason, the plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are held so that their surfaces are orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction Y.

  Here, the deformation | transformation movable part 40H is demonstrated easily. The ink supply tube 40 shown in FIG. 4 is when the carriage 21 is in the home position, and the ink supply tube 40 shown in FIG. 5 is when the carriage 21 is in the non-home position. is there. The plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are arranged in a planar shape by being arranged in a row in the radial direction so that the respective center lines are substantially located on the same plane. The plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are curved so as to draw a circular arc surface in the middle, and the portions (tube surfaces) on both sides sandwiching the curved portion are arranged so as to extend substantially in parallel in the vertical direction. .

  When the carriage 21 moves, the curved portion 40C of the ink supply tube 40 moves in the carriage movement direction at a movement distance (in other words, movement speed) that is approximately half the movement distance (that is, movement speed) of the carriage 21. At this time, in the process in which the carriage 21 moves from the home position to the non-home position, the ink supply tube 40 follows the movement of the carriage 21 while moving the bending portion 40C to the right in FIG. In this way, the ink supply tube 40 is deformed while the position of the bending portion 40C is changed in the main scanning direction X during the movement of the carriage 21. For this reason, the ink supply tube 40 is unlikely to be violated or bent during the movement of the carriage 21. Therefore, even during the movement of the carriage 21, the ink can be smoothly supplied to the adapter AD on the carriage 21 through the ink supply tube 40. In addition, it is easy to avoid a situation in which the ink supply tube 40 is in contact with the moving mechanism of the carriage 21 such as the paper P or the conveyance system roller 24 and the timing belt 27 and causes defective printing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, from the position where the carriage 21 is closest to the bending portion 40C (the home position in FIG. 4) to the position where the bending portion 40C is farthest from the carriage 21 (the end position on the anti-home position side). Moving. In the process in which the carriage 21 moves throughout the moving region, the portion that contributes to the formation of the curved portion 40C in the ink supply tube 40 becomes the deformable movable portion 40H. A portion on the upstream side in the ink supply direction from the position of the bending portion 40C shown in FIG. 5 is a non-movable portion that does not contribute to the formation of the bending portion. Here, the boundary portion between the deformable movable portion 40H and the non-deformable portion may be fixed by a fixed portion. However, in the present embodiment, a slight margin is provided, and at a position upstream by a predetermined distance from the boundary portion. A part of the ink supply tube 40 is fixed. As an example, the predetermined distance is preferably set to a value equal to or less than the longer distance of the distance corresponding to 30% of the tube length of the deformable movable portion 40H and 5 cm. This is because, when the ink supply tube 40 is fixed at a position that greatly exceeds a predetermined distance from the boundary portion to the upstream side, the portion that does not contribute to the formation of the curved portion is not fixed and the length of the deformable movable portion 40H is increased. This is in order to avoid as much as possible the situation in which the holding becomes unstable and the tube part forming the deformable movable part 40H is somewhat violent. Of course, the fixing position of the ink supply tube 40 may be the aforementioned boundary portion.

Next, the operation of the first printer 11A of the first embodiment will be described.
In the first printer 11A, since the ink supply tube 40 is inserted into the housing 12H through the insertion hole 12c, the lid 75 can be closed until the sensor 39 detects the closed state. For this reason, if the user instructs printing, the controller C starts the instructed printing operation, so that the first printer 11A can perform printing on the paper P.

  Following the movement of the carriage 21 during the printing operation, the deformable movable portions 40H and 60H of the FFC 60 and the ink supply tube 40 are deformed while changing the positions of the curved portions 40C and 60C in the main scanning direction X. As described above, since the positions of the curved portions 40C and 60C are deformed while being changed in the main scanning direction X, the ink supply tube 40 is prevented from being violated or bent during the deformation. Further, when maintenance is performed with the lid 75 opened, the ink supply tube 40 does not pass through the opening surface of the opening 12K, so that maintenance is facilitated.

According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Even if the liquid supply tube is routed between the outside and the inside of the apparatus, the cover member can be kept closed. Further, since the liquid supply tube is similarly a long member having flexibility and is routed along a flexible flat cable connected to the same carriage, the liquid supply tube is routed (space). Easy to secure.

  (2) Since the ink supply tube 40 inserted into the housing 12H is routed above the flexible flat cable 60 in the housing 12H, the ink supply tube 40 and the flexible flat cable 60 are connected to the carriage 21. Even if it is deformed following the movement, it becomes difficult for them to come into contact with each other as compared to the configuration in which both are overlapped.

  (3) Since the insertion hole 12c is provided at a position avoiding the accommodating portion 12S that is a protruding portion of the casing in which the paper feed cassette 15 is detachably accommodated in the casing 12H, the insertion hole extends from the ink tank 19T. The portion of the ink supply tube 40 until it is inserted through 12c can be routed around the housing 12S protruding from the housing 12H. For this reason, the ink supply tube 40 is unlikely to become an obstacle when the paper feed cassette 15 is attached or detached.

  (4) The flexible flat cable 60 is wired along the moving direction of the carriage 21 in a position opposite to the target conveying direction with respect to the moving mechanism such as the guide frame 30, the timing belt 27, and the linear encoder 28 of the carriage 21 in the housing 12H. Has been. The insertion hole 12c is formed in the surface portion (that is, the front surface portion) where the paper discharge port 16 for the paper P is formed in the housing 12H. Therefore, since the ink supply tube 40 is routed along the flexible flat cable to a position opposite to the moving mechanism of the carriage 21 in the target transport direction, it is easy to secure the routing space without being obstructed by the moving mechanism. There is no worry of interference between the ink supply tube 40 and the moving mechanism.

  (5) Since the insertion hole 12c is provided at a position avoiding the operation panel unit 70 protruding to the back side (inside) of the housing 12H, the ink supply tube inserted into the housing 12H from the insertion hole 12c. 40, a route to the vicinity of the flexible flat cable by avoiding the operation panel unit 70 can be secured. For this reason, the drawing operation of the ink supply tube 40 is relatively easy for the structure to be inserted through the insertion hole 12c.

  (6) A lid 75 (cover member) provided to be rotatable in a direction to open and close the opening 12K of the housing 12H, a sensor 39 for detecting the closed state of the lid 75, and the sensor 39 as the lid And a controller C that does not allow the printing operation (liquid ejecting operation) under the state where the closed state of 75 is not detected. In this embodiment, since the ink supply tube 40 is not interposed, the ink can be displaced. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ink supply tube 40 is not interposed between the apparatus main body 12 and the lid portion 75, and the lid portion 75 can be closed. Therefore, the printing operation by the controller C is permitted, and the first printer 11A can perform printing.

  (7) The ink supply tube 40 has a deformable movable portion 40H that follows and deforms as the carriage 21 moves, and the deformable movable portion 40H is routed along the deformable movable portion 60H of the flexible flat cable 60. . Therefore, the deformation movable portion 40H of the ink supply tube 40 that deforms following the movement of the carriage 21 is deformed in the same direction together with the deformation movable portion 60H of the flexible flat cable 60. Therefore, the ink supply tube 40 is also moved when the carriage 21 is moved. And the flexible flat cable 60 are less likely to interfere with each other.

  (8) Since the ink supply tube 40 is routed along the FFC 60, it is relatively easy to secure a routing space. For example, in order to reduce the size of the printer, it is easy to secure a space for drawing the ink supply tube 40 even if the structural parts including the printing unit 20 are relatively densely arranged in the housing 12H.

  (9) The ink supply tube 40 and the FFC 60 are routed so as to form the deformable movable portions 40H and 60H having the curved portions 40C and 60C on the same side. Therefore, when the deformable movable portion 40H of the ink supply tube 40 is deformed so as to move the curved portion 40C in the main scanning direction X following the movement of the carriage 21, the deformable movable portion 60H of the FFC 60 is also adapted to the deformation. The bending portion 60C is deformed so as to be displaced in the same direction. For this reason, it is possible to avoid interference with other members while drawing the ink supply tube 40 along the other member called FFC 60 in the vicinity thereof.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the structure of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. In the description of FIGS. 7 and 8, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ink supply tube 40 having one end connected to the ink tank 19T in the tank unit 19 disposed outside the apparatus main body 12 has an insertion hole 12c that penetrates through the front surface of the housing 12H. And is inserted into the housing 12H. The inserted ink supply tube 40 passes through a position on the outer side in the width direction of the operation panel unit 70 protruding to the back side of the operation panel unit 18, and is routed along the flexible flat cable on the rear side of the operation panel unit 70. ing. As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the ink supply tube 40 is wired using a gap between the FFC 60 and the housing 12H. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 8, a plurality of (for example, four) ink supply tubes 40 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the FFC 60, that is, the moving direction of the carriage 21 on the back side (front side) of the FFC 60 as viewed from the opening 12K. Have been drawn around. Then, after being routed and passing through the outside (outer peripheral side) of the plurality of FFCs 60, the leading end portion is fixed to a holding member (not shown) attached to the carriage 21. Further, the downstream end portion is connected to each adapter AD.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ink supply tube 40 inserted into the housing 12 </ b> H is supported in a state extending in the main scanning direction X by a plurality of fixtures 41 and 42. The fixing device 42 that fixes the most downstream portion among the plurality of fixing portions fixes a part of the ink supply tube 40 at a position slightly upstream of the central portion in the main scanning direction X of the carriage movement region. ing. A portion of the ink supply tube 40 on the downstream side of the fixed portion by the fixing device 42 on the most fixed side is a deformable movable portion 40H. For the fixtures 41 and 42, an adhesive tape or a clip is used.

  The base end portion of the FFC 60 is directly connected to the controller C or connected to the controller C via a relay board (not shown). The FFC 60 extending from the controller C is arranged with its surface orthogonal to the transport direction Y, wired along the moving direction of the carriage 21, and sandwiched between a plurality of latching portions 51 and 52 formed on the front frame 50. It is locked in the state. A portion of the ink supply tube 40 on the downstream side of the fixing portion by the locking portion 52 on the most downstream side among the plurality of fixing portions by the locking portions 51 and 52 is the deformable movable portion 60H. The ink supply tube 40 is routed along the FFC 60 on the outside of the FFC 60 so that the respective deformable movable portions 40H and 60H are routed along the other side. The front end portion of the FFC 60 is connected to a wiring terminal (not shown) provided on the carriage 21 and is electrically connected to the liquid ejecting head 22.

  As shown in FIG. 7, an insertion hole 12 c as an example of an insertion portion similar to that of the first embodiment is formed on the front surface portion of the housing 12 </ b> H where the paper discharge port 16 (see FIG. 1) is formed. Is formed. In other words, the insertion hole 12c is formed at a position that avoids the housing portion 12S that is a housing portion protruding from the front portion of the housing 12H. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the insertion hole 12 c is arranged at a position avoiding the operation panel unit 70 protruding inward of the housing 12 H on the back side of the operation panel portion 18 in the main scanning direction X. Further, the insertion hole 12 c is positioned higher than the wiring height position of the flexible flat cable 60. Since the plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are held by the fixtures 41 and 42 including a plurality of clips, the surfaces of the plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are held in a state orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction Y. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the fixtures 41 and 42 are fixed to the front frame 50 via arms.

According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) and (3) to (9) in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(10) Since the ink supply tube 40 inserted into the housing 12H is routed using the gap between the flexible flat cable 60 and the housing 12H, it is relatively easy to secure a route for routing the ink supply tube 40. .

(Third embodiment)
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the printer 11 </ b> B according to the present embodiment includes a print function unit 12 </ b> A (printer unit) including an apparatus body 12 having a print function, and an image reading unit 13 (scanner) having a scan function above the apparatus body 12. Unit). In the following description, this printer composed of a multifunction machine is referred to as a second printer 11B. As shown in FIG. 9, the second printer 11 </ b> B includes a device main body 12 that has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an ink tank 19 </ b> T as an example of a liquid storage unit that is a separate body from the device main body 12 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. ing. Although not shown in FIG. 9, in the second printer 11B, the ink stored in the ink tank 19T passes through the ink supply tube 40 inserted from the insertion hole 12c of the housing 12H, and the main body 12 of the apparatus. Is supplied to the liquid ejecting head 22 through the adapter AD on the carriage 21 in the apparatus main body 12.

  First, the overall configuration of the second printer 11B will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the apparatus main body 12 on the ink supply side is provided with a printing function unit 12 </ b> A that houses the printing unit 20 on the lower side in the gravitational direction, and on the antigravity direction side. An image reading unit 13 having an image reading mechanism such as a scanner for reading a document (image) is disposed as an example of a cover member on the upper side. The image reading unit 13 is rotatable (displaced) about a hinge (not shown) provided at the rear portion of the apparatus main body 12, and can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12. For example, the user of the first printer 11 </ b> A can lift the image reading unit 13 by inserting his / her hand into the handle portion 13 </ b> T that is recessed in the side surface (both left and right side surfaces) of the image reading unit 13 during maintenance, for example. It is. By this lifting, an opening 12K that exposes at least a part of the moving region of the carriage 21 that is provided above the printing unit 20 and is reciprocally arranged in the printing function unit 12A is exposed.

  Further, an automatic document feeder 14 (Auto document feeder) that automatically supplies a read document to the image reading unit 13 is disposed above the image reading unit 13. The automatic document feeder 14 can be opened and closed by rotating around a hinge on the rear side. When the automatic document feeder 14 is lifted, a document table (not shown) of the image reading unit 13 is exposed, and the user can manually supply the read document to the image reading unit 13.

  Here, the automatic document feeder 14 is a square plate-shaped document tray 14d for setting a document on the upper side of the main body 14c, and a guide member operated to position the document on the document tray 14d in the width direction. 14e. The automatic document feeder 14 further includes a feeding mechanism unit 14f, and the documents set on the document tray 14d are fed one by one onto the document table of the image reading unit 13 by the operation of the feeding mechanism unit 14f. After the original image is read, it is discharged onto the main body 14c.

  A sheet feeding cassette 15 that can store a plurality of sheets of paper P is detachably provided at the lower portion of the apparatus main body 12. The paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 15 is fed one by one from the rear to the front to the printing unit 20 provided in the printing function unit 12A, and the printing unit is applied to the fed paper P. The printing is performed by 20. That is, the paper P fed from the paper feed cassette 15 is transported to the printing unit 20 by a transport mechanism including rollers 24, 25 and the like similar to the first printer 11A. In the printing unit 20, ink is ejected onto the paper P from the liquid ejecting head 22 that reciprocates integrally with the carriage 21 along the main scanning direction X that intersects the transport direction Y of the paper P. Printed. The printed paper P that has been printed by the printing unit 20 is discharged from a paper discharge port 16 provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A).

  In the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A), a stacker 17 as an example of a discharge tray that receives the paper P discharged from the paper discharge port 16 is positioned above the paper feed cassette 15 and below the paper discharge port 16. Is stored. The storage portion 12S having a storage recess for storing the paper feed cassette 15 and the paper discharge tray at the center in the width direction is configured by a housing portion that is formed to project in the paper P discharge direction (here, the sub-scanning direction Y). ing. The container 12S is protruded in this way because the length required in the sub-scanning direction Y of the paper feed cassette 15 is longer than the length in the sub-scanning direction Y of the housing 12H required for the printing unit 20. This is because it is long. For this reason, the paper feed cassette 15 and the stacker 17 are accommodated so that the front end faces are aligned in the accommodating portion 12S in a state of protruding from the apparatus main body 12 in the sub-scanning direction Y (forward). Specifically, when the length of the apparatus main body 12 in the sub-scanning direction Y is determined in accordance with the length of the paper feed cassette 15 required to accommodate the paper P of a predetermined size (for example, A4 size). Since the apparatus main body 12 is increased in size (increase in the bottom area), in order to avoid this as much as possible, only the housing portion of the paper feed cassette 15 is protruded and both sides thereof are cut. Further, since the front position when the stacker 17 is stored is determined in accordance with the front position where the paper feed cassette 15 protrudes, the protruding length when the stacker 17 is pulled out is secured relatively long. In this way, the second printer 11B is made larger (especially the bottom of the printer) while the paper feed cassette 15 is detachably provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 12 and can feed paper from the front side of the apparatus main body 12. (Increase in area) is relatively suppressed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, operations for performing various operations such as causing the printing unit 20 to perform a printing operation at a position above the paper discharge port 16 in the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A). A panel portion 18 is disposed. The base 12 </ b> B of the operation panel unit 18 is configured by a housing portion that has an inclined surface that protrudes toward the discharge direction of the paper P (that is, the sub-scanning direction Y) from the upper side thereof. A display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display) 18a and operation buttons 18b for displaying a menu screen and the like are attached to the inclined surface of the base 12B. The operation buttons 18b include, for example, a power button, a selection button for selecting a desired item from the menu screen, a print start button for instructing start of printing, and a copy button. The operation panel unit 18 protrudes forward of the apparatus main body 12 and the display surface and the operation surface thereof are inclined to the front, so that the visibility of the display unit 18a and the operability of the operation buttons 18b are good for the user. Secured.

  The printing unit 20 included in the first printer 11A of the present embodiment includes a carriage 21 as an example of a moving body that reciprocates in the main scanning direction X, and a liquid ejecting head 22 that ejects ink onto the carriage 21 is provided. Provided. The carriage 21 is guided by a guide frame 30 that is a plate member extending along the main scanning direction X, and is arranged to be movable (reciprocating) in the main scanning direction X. The guide frame 30 has an upper rail 31A and a lower rail 31B formed by bending the members into a substantially U shape at both upper and lower end portions of the plate member orthogonal to the main scanning direction X. The carriage 21 reciprocates in the main scanning direction X with its rear end supported by the upper rail 31A and the lower rail 31B. Then, ink supplied from the ink supply tube 40 is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 22 provided in the carriage 21 that reciprocates, and printing on the paper P is performed.

  In the first printer 11 </ b> A of the present embodiment, the carriage 21 has a substantially square box shape with the top opened, and the ink supplied via the ink supply tube 40 is ejected to the concave mounting portion on the upper side of the carriage 21. An adapter AD that relays to the head 22 is attached. Ink is supplied to the liquid jet head 22 from the adapter AD mounted on the carriage 21. Accordingly, when the ink supply tube 40 that supplies ink from the ink tank 19T is connected to the adapter AD, the ink supply tube 40 allows the ink to flow between the ink tank 19T and the liquid ejecting head 22. Form a road.

  The second printer 11B of this example is compatible with color printing. In the example of FIG. 1, the adapter AD is mounted with a plurality (for example, four) of the same number of ink colors (for example, four colors) necessary for color printing. . Of course, only the black adapter AD can be attached and used as a printer capable of monochrome printing. The carriage 21 can be used with an ink cartridge mounted thereon, and the adapter AD has a square plate shape that matches the shape and size of the ink cartridge corresponding to the second printer 11B. However, since the ink volume may be smaller than that of the ink cartridge, the shape and size of the adapter AD may be appropriately changed as long as it can be mounted on the mounted portion of the carriage 21.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a slot 32 for inserting a card such as a memory card or a communication card, and a communication port corresponding to a predetermined communication method such as USB communication, are provided at the left end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 12. 33 (connector) is provided. The second printer 11B can perform printing based on data received from the host device via USB communication or the like, or can read image data such as a photograph from a memory card and print a photograph. A manual paper feed mechanism similar to that of the first printer 11A is provided on the back side of the apparatus main body 12 (printing function unit 12A).

  The second printer 11 </ b> B formed of such a multifunction machine includes an apparatus main body 12 and an ink tank 19 </ b> T as an example of a liquid storage unit that is separate from the apparatus main body 12 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the second printer 11B, the ink stored in the ink tank 19T passes from the ink tank 19T positioned outside the apparatus main body 12 through the ink supply tube 40 inserted from the insertion hole 12c of the housing 12H. 12 is supplied to the liquid ejecting head 22 via the adapter AD on the carriage 21 in the body 12.

  The plurality of ink supply tubes 40 connected to the ink tank 19T in the tank unit 19 are inserted from insertion holes 12c formed at positions avoiding the accommodating portion 12S that is a protruding portion of the housing 12H. The ink supply tube 40 inserted into the housing 12H is routed along the FFC 60 wired in the main scanning direction X to the housing 12H by the same routing structure as in each of the above embodiments. It is connected to the adapter AD on the carriage 21.

Therefore, the effects (1) to (10) in the respective embodiments can be similarly obtained by the second printer 11B in the third embodiment.
In addition, you may change said each embodiment into another embodiment as follows.

-An insertion part may be a side part instead of the front part of the housing | casing 12H.
-The insertion part may be a notch instead of an insertion hole.
In the case of a printer having a configuration in which the FFC is wired along the guide frame 30, the ink supply tube may be routed along the guide frame 30 to be routed along the FFC. In this case, the insertion portion may be formed on the side portion of the housing or may be the rear portion (back side).

  The ink supply tube is composed of a plurality of tubes and a joint 40J that connects the plurality of tubes, but a single tube that is not connected by the joint 40J may be used. Moreover, the place connected with the joint 40J is not limited to one place, and a plurality of places may be connected with the plurality of joints 40J.

  -One ink supply tube may be used. For example, only the black ink adapter AD is mounted on the carriage 21, and the ink tank 19 </ b> T that stores the black ink is disposed outside the apparatus main body 12. A single ink supply tube that connects the ink tank 19T and the adapter AD is routed along the routing path of each of the embodiments through the insertion hole 12c. According to this configuration, the printer can be used as a monochrome printing machine.

  The plurality of ink supply tubes 40 may have a configuration in which a plurality of separate ink tubes are arranged in a row in the radial direction, or a multiple tube integrally formed in a state in which a plurality of ink supply tubes 40 are arranged in a row in the radial direction and connected. But you can.

  In the second printer 11B of the third embodiment, the cover member disposed on the upper side of the print function unit 12A may not be provided with the automatic document feeder 14, but only the image reading unit 13.

  The target is not limited to paper, and may be a resin film, a metal foil, a metal film, a resin-metal composite film (laminate film), a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, a ceramic sheet, or the like.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied as a printer. However, the liquid ejecting apparatus is not limited to a printer used for printing, and other liquids other than ink (the particles of the functional material are dispersed or mixed in the liquid). And a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges a liquid material or a fluid material such as a gel). Note that the state of the liquid ejected as a minute amount of liquid droplets from the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a granular shape, a tear shape, and a thread-like shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ). Further, not only a liquid as one state of a substance but also a substance in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or a metal particle are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent is included. Typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. There is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting the liquid. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid as a sample that is used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a micro dispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. May be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects the liquid onto the substrate. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali in order to etch a substrate or the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11A ... 1st printer as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, 11B ... 2nd printer as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, 12 ... Apparatus main body, 12A ... Printing function part, 12c ... Insertion hole as an example of insertion part, 12H A housing as an example of a housing portion, 12S... An image as an example of a cover member, 12K... An opening portion, 13. A reading unit, 15... Constituting an example of a feeding cassette unit and a sheet feeding cassette as an example of a feeding cassette, 16... A discharging port as an example of a discharging port, 18. Tank unit, 19T... Ink tank as a liquid storage unit, 21... Carriage, 22... Liquid ejection head, 39... Sensor as an example of detection unit, 40. Ink supply tube as an example, 40C: curved portion, 40H: deformation movable portion, 40J: joint, 60 ... flexible flat cable (FFC), 60C ... curved portion, 60H: deformation movable portion, 70: operation panel unit, P: paper as an example of medium, C: controller as an example of control unit, X: main scanning direction, Y: sub-scanning direction.

Claims (10)

A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto a target;
A casing having the liquid ejecting head disposed in a movable manner, and a housing formed with an opening that exposes at least a part of the moving region of the carriage;
A liquid container located outside the casing in a state of containing the liquid;
A liquid supply tube capable of flowing the liquid supplied from the liquid container to the liquid jet head;
An insertion part formed so that the liquid supply tube can be inserted into the housing part;
The feeding cassette capable of accommodating the target is detachably accommodated in a casing part that protrudes in the discharge direction of the target so that the feeding cassette projects in the discharging direction together with the casing part. And
An operation panel portion provided on the inclined surface of the housing portion that presents an inclined surface in which the lower side protrudes more toward the discharge direction side than the upper side at a position above the feeding cassette unit;
A flexible flat cable having a deformable movable part that is connected to the liquid ejecting head and deforms following the movement of the carriage;
With
The liquid supply tube inserted into the housing through the insertion part is connected to the carriage so as to be able to supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting head by being routed along the flexible flat cable. A liquid ejecting apparatus.   2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply tube inserted into the casing is routed above the flexible flat cable in the casing.   2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply tube inserted into the housing is drawn through a gap between the flexible flat cable and the housing.   The said insertion part is provided in the position which avoided the protrusion part of the housing | casing part in which the said feeding cassette part is detachably accommodated in the said housing | casing part. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to one item. The flexible flat cable is wired along the movement direction of the carriage at a position opposite to the carriage movement mechanism and the target transport direction in the casing.
5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the insertion portion is formed on a surface portion of the housing portion on which the discharge port of the target is formed. The operation panel unit has an operation panel unit that protrudes to the inside of the housing unit,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the insertion portion is provided at a position where the operation panel unit is avoided in the housing portion. A cover member provided so as to be displaceable in a direction to open and close the opening of the housing part;
A detection unit for detecting the closed state of the cover member;
A control unit that does not allow the liquid ejection operation under a state in which the detection unit does not detect the closed state of the cover member;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The liquid supply tube has a deformable movable portion that follows and deforms as the carriage moves, and the deformable movable portion is routed along the deformable movable portion of the flexible flat cable. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply tube is connected to a plurality of tubes via a joint that connects the tubes.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of the liquid supply tubes are provided.