JP2016190336A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer improved in user-friendliness.SOLUTION: A printer 12 is equipped with: a printing portion which performs printing by using a liquid as a medium; a liquid storage body 28 which has a liquid storage chamber 59 capable of storing the liquid supplied to the printing portion and a liquid injection port 61 capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber; and a housing 15 which stores a part of the liquid storage body and the printing portion inside. A part projecting to the outside of the housing 15 in the liquid storage body 28 is covered by a protection member 57A projecting out from the housing 15 in the same direction as the projecting direction of the liquid storage body 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

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

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

JP 2014-54824 A

  By the way, in the above printer, the operation of injecting the liquid into the liquid container is performed by the user. For this reason, there has been a demand for further improvement in usability of such printers.

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

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
A printing apparatus that solves the above problems includes a printing unit that performs printing using a liquid as a medium, a liquid storage chamber that can store the liquid supplied to the printing unit, and a liquid that can inject the liquid into the liquid storage chamber. A liquid container having a pouring port; and a housing for housing a part of the liquid container and the printing unit therein. A portion of the liquid container that protrudes to the outside of the housing includes the housing. It is covered with a protective member protruding from the body in the same direction as the protruding direction of the liquid container.

  According to this configuration, since a part of the liquid container is accommodated in the casing, the installation area of the entire apparatus is reduced as compared with the case where the entire liquid container is located outside the casing. it can. Therefore, usability can be improved in that the possibility that the printing apparatus can be used is increased even when the installation area cannot be secured widely. And since the part which protrudes outside the housing | casing in the liquid container is covered with the protection member which protrudes from the housing | casing in the same direction, it is liquid because an object hits the projecting part from the outside. The risk of the container being displaced can be reduced by the protective member.

In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid inlet is provided in a portion of the liquid container that protrudes outside the casing.
According to this configuration, since the liquid injection port is provided at the portion protruding from the housing, the user can easily inject the liquid.

In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the protection member has an opening that exposes the liquid inlet at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the liquid container.
According to this configuration, the protective member protects the portion of the liquid container that protrudes outside the casing, and when the liquid in the liquid container is low, the liquid container is exposed through the opening of the protective member. By injecting liquid from the liquid injection port, printing can be continued.

The printing apparatus preferably includes a plurality of the liquid containers, and the plurality of liquid containers are integrally formed.
In the printing apparatus, the liquid container has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, a longitudinal direction of the liquid container along the depth direction from the front surface side of the housing, and a longitudinal direction of the liquid container is a side surface of the housing. Side mounting mode along the left-right direction orthogonal to the depth direction from the side, the direction in which the longitudinal direction is oblique to both the depth direction and the left-right direction from the corner where the front surface and the side surface of the housing intersect It is preferable that it is attached to the said housing | casing with the any attachment aspect among the diagonal attachment aspects along.

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

  In the printing apparatus, the liquid container is attached to the casing in a front mounting manner in which the overall shape thereof is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the longitudinal direction thereof extends from the front side of the casing to the depth direction. The amount of protrusion of the container from the housing to the front side is equal to or less than the amount of protrusion from the housing to the front side of the discharge portion on which the medium discharged from the printing unit of the housing is placed. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, the liquid container can be prevented from protruding too much from the housing on the front side of the printing apparatus, and the liquid container can be displaced due to an object hitting the liquid container from the outside. The fear can be reduced.

  In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the protective member is formed integrally with the housing.

1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a multifunction machine including a printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a printing apparatus in the multifunction machine according to the first embodiment. The top view which shows the internal structure of a printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid supply device provided in the printing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2 in the printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a positional relationship between an opening formed in a casing of a printing apparatus and a liquid inlet of a liquid container. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view when liquid is injected into a liquid supply apparatus in the printing apparatus. The perspective view of 2nd Embodiment of the multifunctional machine containing a printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a printing apparatus in a multifunction machine according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 9 in the printing apparatus. Sectional drawing of the part by which the liquid supply apparatus in the printing apparatus of a modification is arrange | positioned. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 11 in the printing apparatus according to the modification. (A), (b), (c), and (d) are schematic diagrams of modifications in which the positions of the liquid injection openings formed in the casing of the printing apparatus are different. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the attachment aspect of the liquid container with respect to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, (a) And (b) is a schematic diagram of the modification of a side attachment aspect, (c) And (d) is diagonally attached. The schematic diagram of the modification of an aspect. The schematic plan view of the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, Comprising: (a) is a front view, (b) is a right view. It is a figure which shows typically the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, Comprising: (a) is a front view of a side protrusion type, (b) is a front view of a side external attachment type. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view showing a modification of the opening formed in the casing of the printing apparatus. The schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of the modification of the opening part formed in the housing | casing of a printing apparatus, and the liquid inlet of a liquid container. The schematic cross section of the liquid container of a modification. The perspective view of the protection member of a modification. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a liquid supply device according to a modified example that is externally attached to the printing apparatus, where (a) is a cross-sectional view viewed from the front, and (b) is a right side view. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a modified example in which the image reading device of the multifunction machine functions as a liquid inlet cover cover member. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing which shows typically the positional relationship of the opening part formed in the housing | casing of the printing apparatus of a modification, and the liquid inlet of a liquid container. (A), (b) and (c) is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure by which the sealing member was provided between the exterior member of the printing apparatus of a modification, and the liquid inlet of a liquid container. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing which shows typically the other modification of the liquid container attached to the housing | casing of a printing apparatus.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a multifunction machine including a printing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an ink jet printer that performs printing by ejecting ink, which is an example of a liquid, onto paper, which is an example of a medium. The printer is a so-called serial printer that performs printing by moving a liquid ejecting head that functions as a printing unit in a main scanning direction in which the printing method intersects the paper conveyance direction. In the following description, the sheet conveyance direction is referred to as “front-rear direction”, the main scanning direction in which the printing unit moves is referred to as “left-right direction”, and the vertical direction along the gravity direction is also referred to as “up-down direction”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 11 includes a printing device 12 having a printing function, an image reading device 13 having a reading function, and an automatic paper feeding device 14 having a paper feeding function for the image reading device 13. Yes. An image reading device 13 is disposed on the printing device 12, and an automatic paper feeding device 14 is disposed on the image reading device 13. The printing apparatus 12 includes a rectangular parallelepiped casing 15, which includes a rectangular parallelepiped lower casing 16 and a rectangular parallelepiped upper casing that is lower in height than the lower casing 16. 17. The lower housing 16 and the upper housing 17 are rectangular parallelepipeds having substantially the same shape when viewed from above, and the upper housing 17 is assembled on the lower housing 16 so that the printing apparatus 12 is assembled. A casing 15 serving as the apparatus main body is formed.

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

  Further, on the front side of the lower casing 16 in the printing apparatus 12, a rectangle that discharges the paper P printed in the casing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 to the front side at a position below the operation panel unit 18. The paper discharge port 19 is open. From below the paper discharge port 19, a rectangular plate-shaped paper discharge tray (discharge unit) 20 that supports the paper P discharged from the paper discharge port 19 protrudes forward in the paper discharge direction. It extends. A cassette mounting portion 21 having a rectangular opening is provided below the paper discharge tray 20 on the front surface of the lower housing 16. The cassette mounting portion 21 accommodates a plurality of sheets P used for printing in a stacked state. A possible paper feed cassette 22 is mounted so as to be freely inserted and removed in the front-rear direction. Note that, when the paper feed cassette 22 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 21, the front end thereof is formed in a size that is substantially the same position in the front-rear direction as the front end of the paper discharge tray 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, there is a rectangular shape at a position on the front surface of the lower casing 16 of the printing apparatus 12 and on the end side in the left-right direction from the cassette mounting portion 21 (right end side in FIG. 1). A plate-like open / close door 23 is provided so as to be freely openable and closable in the front-rear direction shown by solid line arrows in FIG. A part of the edge of the opening / closing door 23 opposite to the side where the rotation shaft 24 is provided is a notch-shaped finger hook that can be hooked with a fingertip when the user of the printing apparatus 12 opens / closes the opening / closing door 23. A portion 25 is formed. An ink absorbing material 26, which is an example of a liquid absorbing material made of polyurethane foam or the like that can absorb and hold ink, is attached to the rear surface of the opening / closing door 23 in the vicinity of the rotating shaft 24. In the open / close door 23, a portion where the ink absorbing material 26 is not provided on the back surface is formed of a transparent member so that the inside can be visually recognized with the open / close door 23 closed. In addition, without using a transparent member for the opening / closing door 23, the ink absorbing material 26 may be provided on the entire surface except the finger hooking portion 25 on the back surface of the opening / closing door 23, or the ink absorbing material may not be provided on the back surface of the opening / closing door 23. Also good.

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

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the upper surface of the upper casing 17 of the printing device 12 and the lower surface of the image reading device 13 are closer to the front surface and closer to the right edge when viewed from above. A concave portion 29a and a concave portion 29b having the same substantially rectangular shape are formed. On the upper surface of the upper casing 17 of the printing apparatus 12, a recess 29a that is recessed downward from the upper surface is formed. On the lower surface of the image reading device 13, a recess 29b that is recessed upward from the lower surface is formed. By these concave portions 29a and 29b, a manual feed portion 29 into which a human hand can be inserted from the front side or the right side is formed at the upper and lower boundary portions that become the joint surface between the printing device 12 and the image reading device 13. Has been. The manual feed portion 29 is composed of only one of the concave portion 29a and the concave portion 29b, and the other concave portion may not be formed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the image reading device 13 disposed on the printing device 12 has a closed position where the lower surface thereof faces the upper surface of the upper housing 17 and an open position where the upper surface of the upper housing 17 is opened. The hinge shaft (not shown) provided on the rear side of the image reading device 13 can be opened and closed with a center of opening and closing. Therefore, left and right for inserting hinge shafts (not shown) of the image reading device 13 at positions near the left and right ends of the rear part on the upper surface of the casing 15 (specifically, the upper casing 17) of the printing apparatus 12. A pair of hinge insertion openings 30 are provided. When the image reading device 13 in the closed position is opened to the open position, the image reading device 13 is opened by the user who has inserted his hand into the manual feed portion 29.

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

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

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

  A rectangular parallelepiped support base 43 that is long in the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, which is the conveyance direction of the paper P, is disposed in the lower housing 16 of the printing apparatus 12 at the front side of the timing belt 40. . The support base 43 is a base that supports the lower surface of the paper P when it is transported in the transport direction during printing. The surface of the support base 43 that faces the liquid ejecting head 42 has a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction. The porous ink absorbing material 44 is exposed over the region. A pair of front and rear rails 45 are provided on the front side and the rear side of the support base 43 so as to support the carriage 41 in a movable manner and extend in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the driving pulley 39 is driven to rotate by driving the motor, the driving force is transmitted to the connecting portion 41a through the timing belt 40, and the carriage 41 is guided by the pair of front and rear rails 45 to reciprocate in the left-right direction. To do.

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

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

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

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

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

  The plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d include a liquid container 28a that stores black ink, a liquid container 28b that stores cyan ink, a liquid container 28c that stores magenta ink, and a yellow ink. The liquid container 28d is made up of. When the liquid ejecting head 42 prints on the paper P such that the four liquid containers 28a to 28d are in the front mounting mode in which the longitudinal direction of each of the four liquid containers 28a to 28d extends from the front surface side of the housing 15 to the depth direction. Are set in the set member 56 in a state of being aligned in the left-right direction which is the main scanning direction. Then, at the time of the setting, when the liquid container 28a of black ink of a larger capacity type than the other three liquid containers 28b to 28d is mounted in the casing 15 of the printing apparatus 12, it is shown in FIG. Thus, it is set so as to be positioned at the right end side in the left-right direction. The liquid containers may all be the same size.

  As shown in FIG. 4, two liquid containers 28 (28 a to 28 d) arranged in the left-right direction are positioned at both ends in the alignment direction (in this case, the right-end liquid container 28 a and the left-end In the liquid container 28d), a columnar convex portion 58 projects outwardly at a substantially central portion of each outer side surface. That is, while the convex portion 58 protrudes from the substantially central portion of the right side surface of the black ink liquid container 28a toward the right side, the same applies from the substantially central portion of the left side surface of the yellow ink liquid container 28d. The convex part (not shown) protrudes toward the left.

  The plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d are arranged in parallel in the housing 15 via the set member 56 and the like, and the horizontal direction along the arrangement direction is the thickness direction, and the height direction along the vertical direction is short. The ink tank is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped ink tank whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction of the casing 15 along the hand direction and the conveyance direction of the paper P, and has a liquid storage chamber 59 in which ink can be stored. A liquid injection port 61 is formed in the upper wall portion 60 of the rectangle along the longitudinal direction in the liquid containers 28a to 28d so that ink can be injected into the liquid storage chamber 59 from the outside.

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

  Further, the liquid level of the ink in the liquid storage chamber 59 is visually recognized on the front wall portion 62 which is a wall portion exposed forward when the opening / closing door 23 on the front surface of the housing 15 is opened in the liquid storage bodies 28a to 28d. A visual recognition part 63 made of a transparent resin or the like is provided. In addition, a liquid supply port 65 that supplies ink from the liquid storage chamber 59 to the outside is formed at the lower end of the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid storage bodies 28a to 28d. The flow path forming member 55 is joined to the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d so that ink is supplied from the liquid supply port 65.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the flow path forming member 55 is a plate-like member formed of a resin material or the like with a predetermined thickness, and is joined to the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid containers 28 a to 28 d at the lower ends thereof. In this case, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) liquid inlets 66 connected to the liquid supply ports 65 are formed. From each liquid inlet 66, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of channels 67 are formed in the channel forming member 55 so as to extend upward. After each channel 67 extends upward from the liquid inlet 66, the channel 67 is bent sideways (in this case, left) so that the channels 67 are aligned in the vertical direction. It is connected to the liquid supply tube 50 via a liquid outlet (not shown) formed on the surface facing the left side near the upper end of the flow path forming member 55. Further, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 4, a pump 68 made of a diaphragm or the like is provided for each flow path 67 in the flow path forming member 55, and the liquid ejecting head is driven from the liquid containers 28 a to 28 d by driving the pump 68. Ink is supplied to the side 42.

  The set member 56 is a rectangular case in plan view with its upper side, front side, and rear side open, and has a bottom wall part 56a, a right wall part 56c, and a left wall part 56d. The distance between the inner side surfaces of the right wall portion 56c and the left wall portion 56d facing each other in the set member 56 is such that the right side surface and the left end of the right liquid storage body 28a in the four liquid storage bodies 28a to 28d arranged in the left-right direction. This is slightly larger than the distance from the left side of the liquid container 28d and slightly larger than the width in the left-right direction of the flow path forming member 55 with the front-rear direction as the thickness direction. Further, the length dimension of the set member 56 in the front-rear direction (depth direction) is based on the sum of the length dimension of the liquid container 28 in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) and the thickness dimension of the flow path forming member 55 in the front-rear direction. Also, it is longer by the length of the thickness dimension of the flow path forming member 55. Therefore, the four liquid containers 28a to 28d whose longitudinal directions are along the front-rear direction and the one flow path forming member 55 whose thickness direction is along the front-rear direction are arranged in a parallel manner as shown in FIGS. It is set in the set member 56 in a state where the flow path forming member 55 is joined to the rear wall portion 64 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d.

  A pair of left and right walls that extend vertically from the upper end surfaces of the left and right wall portions 56c and 56d to the substantially middle position in the vertical direction are provided on the inner surfaces of the right wall portion 56c and the left wall portion 56d facing each other in the set member 56. A guide groove 69 is formed. The guide groove 69 is a groove whose groove width is slightly wider than the diameter of the columnar convex portion 58 formed on each outer surface of the liquid containers 28a and 28d. Therefore, when the liquid containers 28a to 28d are set on the set member 56, the protrusions 58 protruding from the left and right ends of the liquid containers 28a to 28d arranged in parallel are aligned with the guide grooves 69 of the set member 56. Then, the liquid containers 28a to 28d are positioned in the front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions. In this respect, the convex portion 58 and the guide groove 69 function as an alignment mechanism.

  Further, on the outer surface of the right wall portion 56c and the outer surface of the left wall portion 56d of the set member 56, a cylindrical convex portion 70 projects outward. That is, on the right wall portion 56c, a columnar convex portion 70 protrudes at two positions separated by a certain distance in the front-rear direction at a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction, while the left wall portion 56d also has One convex portion 70 located between the two convex portions 70 on the right wall portion 56c side in the front-rear direction at a substantially intermediate position in the direction is projected. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the set member 56 is held in the holding member 57 in a state where the liquid containers 28 a to 28 d and the flow path forming member 55 are set therein.

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

  Further, on each inner side surface of the right wall portion 57c and the left wall portion 57d facing each other, a vertical groove 73 that functions as a guide portion is formed from the upper end surfaces of the left and right wall portions 57c, 57d to a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction. Has been. The right wall portion 57c is formed with two vertical grooves 73 that are separated by a certain distance in the front-rear direction, while the left wall portion 57d is between the two vertical grooves 73 on the right wall portion 57c side in the front-rear direction. One vertical groove 73 located at is formed. And each lower end part of these three vertical grooves 73 is located in the horizontal plane at the same height position in the vertical direction, so that other ones that move downward in the vertical grooves 73 (this embodiment) Then, it is comprised so that it may function as the latching | locking part 74 latched from the downward direction with respect to the convex part 70) of the set member 56. FIG.

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

  Therefore, when the convex portions 70 protruding from the left and right wall portions 56c and 56d of the set member 56 are slid downward as sliding portions in a state where they are aligned with the left and right vertical grooves 73 of the holding member 57, the liquid is stored. The bodies 28a to 28d are positioned in the front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions with respect to the holding member 57 fixed in the housing 15 via the set member 56. In this respect, the convex portion 70 and the vertical groove 73 function as an alignment mechanism. When the liquid container 28 is thus attached to the housing 15 via the holding member 57 and the set member 56, the upper wall portion 60 is in a direction (horizontal direction in the present embodiment) intersecting the vertical direction. It will be in the extended state. In addition, when it is set as one positioning mechanism by the combination of one convex part 70 and one vertical groove 73, the positioning mechanism may have four or more, and the part or all is screwed etc. Positioning and positioning may be performed by other methods.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid container 28 is provided with a remaining amount detection unit 75 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the liquid storage chamber 59. The remaining amount detection unit 75 is configured by, for example, a photo interrupter having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and is provided for each of the four liquid containers 28a to 28d. For this reason, only one signal line 54 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 or the like, but in reality, a pair of signal lines connected to the light emitting elements and signal lines connected to the light receiving elements is a set of two. Since there are four sets of liquid containers 28a to 28d and one common signal line for grounding, a total of nine signal lines (= 2 x 4 groups + 1) are connected to the connector 48b. Has been.

  Further, in the state in which the liquid container 28 is housed in a position on the front side in the housing 15 and closer to the right end portion via the set member 56 and the holding member 57, the upper end portion of the liquid inlet 61 is the upper housing. 17 openings 32 are located. A circle that seals the gap between the liquid inlet 61 and the opening 32 between the periphery of the upper end of the liquid inlet 61 in the liquid container 28 and the periphery of the opening 32 of the upper housing 17. An annular seal member 76 is provided. That is, when the ink leaks to the outside of the liquid injection port 61 during the ink injection, the seal member 76 causes the leaked ink to flow and spread on the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28. It is provided so as not to get dirty. As can be understood from the cross-sectional shape, the seal member 76 is formed with a recess 77 that can prevent the leaked ink from flowing and spreading.

  Further, an air communication portion 78 that allows the liquid storage chamber 59 to communicate with the atmosphere is provided on the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28 on the rear side of the position where the liquid inlet 61 is formed. The atmosphere communicating portion 78 is, for example, a thin channel structure called a snake groove formed by meandering elongated grooves, a waterproof moisture-permeable material that allows passage of gas such as air but restricts passage of liquid, etc. Consists of.

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

  Therefore, at the time of ink injection, the liquid is constituted by the liquid injection port 61 having the inner end opening (first opening 61a) on the liquid storage chamber 59 side and the opening 32 having the outer end opening on the opposite side. Ink is injected into the liquid container 28 through the receiving portion. Normally, the liquid inlet 61 is always closed by a rubber plug 79 inserted from above through the opening 32. Further, the stopper 79 is hidden so that it cannot be seen from the outside when the image reading device 13 is in the closed position. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 5, a contact image sensor module (CISM) 13a is movably disposed in the image reader 13, and reads a document (not shown) placed on the transparent plate 13b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the funnel-shaped liquid inlet 61 in the liquid container 28, the opening 32 formed in the horizontal plane part 31 of the upper housing 17, and the one direction (the upper wall part 60 of the liquid container 28) In this case, the size in the main scanning direction of the liquid ejecting head 42 and the horizontal direction in which the liquid containers 28a to 28d are arranged or the short direction of the upper wall portion 60 is compared as follows. ing. That is, the opening width D1 of the first opening (inner end opening) 61a of the liquid inlet 61 is the smallest, the width D3 of the upper wall portion 60 in the left-right direction, and the first opening 61a of the liquid inlet 61 Are formed so that the dimensions gradually increase in the order of the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b on the opposite side and the opening width D4 of the opening 32 formed in the horizontal plane portion 31 of the upper housing 17. The opening 32 formed in the horizontal plane portion 31 of the upper housing 17 includes a third opening 32a on the side close to the liquid inlet 61 and a fourth opening (outer end opening) 32b on the side far from the liquid inlet 61. It is a cylindrical surface-shaped opening having the same opening width. In FIG. 6, a seal member 76 is mounted in the gap between the opening 32 and the liquid injection port 61 to prevent ink from entering the upper housing 17.

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

  In this case, the set member 56 is aligned with the holding member 57 by engaging the convex portion 70 with the vertical groove 73, and the engaging portion where the convex portion 70 is the lower end portion of the vertical groove 73. By engaging with 74, it is positioned so that it cannot move in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions. As a result, a plurality (four) of the liquid containers 28 are arranged in a row in the left-right direction with their longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction at a position closer to the front end and closer to the right end in the housing 15. Positioned and arranged. Then, ink is supplied from the liquid container 28 toward the liquid ejecting head 42 through the liquid supply tube 50 by driving the pump 68. In addition, without using the pump 68, the difference in water head between the height position of the ink surface in the liquid storage chamber 59 and the height position of the nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head 42 and the suction force of the nozzle are used. Then, ink (liquid) may be supplied.

  Further, in this case, the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 has an opening width of the second opening 61b on the upper end side in the left-right direction (one direction) in which the liquid containers 28 are arranged. Since it is larger than the width dimension of the upper wall part 60 which is a formation wall part, the liquid injection inlets 61 of the adjacent liquid container 28 contact, and there exists a possibility that a clearance gap may be formed between adjacent liquid containers 28. . However, in the present embodiment, the liquid inlets 61 of the adjacent liquid containers 28 are offset from each other, so that such a gap is formed between the adjacent liquid containers 28. In addition, the plurality of liquid containers 28 are in a compact overlapping manner in which the side surfaces are joined to each other, contributing to space saving of the entire apparatus.

  Further, when the ink amount of the liquid container 28 is in a near-end state based on the detection result of the remaining amount detection unit 75, the user opens the image reading device 13 as shown in FIG. After removing the stopper 79, ink is injected into the liquid storage chamber 59 through the opening 32 and the liquid injection port 61. That is, the user inserts an ink bottle 80, which is an example of a liquid injection member, into the liquid injection port 61 through the opening 32 and replenishes ink into the liquid storage chamber 59 from the ink bottle 80. Then, the ink amount is confirmed through the transparent member of the open / close door 23 and the transparent visual recognition portion 63 of the liquid containers 28a to 28d. When the ink amount is full as indicated by the upper limit portion 63a, the ink injection is finished. The plug 79 is inserted into the liquid inlet 61, and the image reader 13 is returned to its original position.

  When the ink is injected, the plurality of openings 32 and the liquid injection ports 61 are offset and have an opening width larger than the width dimension of the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28. The alignment of the bottle 80 is also facilitated. Further, at the time of ink injection, the rise of the liquid level of the ink injected into the liquid container 28 is visible from the visual recognition part 63, and when the liquid level rises to the upper limit part 63a provided in the visual recognition part 63, the ink Injection is terminated.

  Further, even when the ink spills around the opening 32 in the upper housing 17 that functions as an exterior member that covers the liquid container 28 from above when the ink is injected, the ink flows into the wiring region 36 of the cable 35 or the circuit board. 47 and the electric connection portion 37 are blocked by the vertical surface portion 33 of the concave portion 29a having a step shape. In this respect, the vertical surface portion 33 of the recess 29a in the upper housing 17 functions as a blocking portion capable of blocking the flow of ink (liquid).

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

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

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

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

  (7) Even if ink leaks from the liquid container 28 held in the holding member 57, the leakage ink flows and spreads outside the holding member 57 as a partition wall in the holding member 57. It can be blocked by the functioning wall portions 57a to 57d. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the portions other than the holding member 57 in the housing 15 from being stained with ink.

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

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

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

  (13) In the housing 15, the opening 32 that exposes the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 housed therein is a wiring area of the cable 35 provided on the upper surface of the housing 15 (upper housing 17). Since it is provided at a position avoiding 36, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the cable 35 being soiled by ink spilled from the liquid inlet 61 when ink is injected.

  (14) Even if the ink spills around the opening 32 when the ink is injected into the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 through the opening 32 of the housing 15, the spilled ink remains in the electrical connection portion. Since the vertical surface portion 33 functioning as a blocking portion can be blocked from flowing up to 37, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the electrical connecting portion 37.

  (15) The liquid receiving portion (opening 32 and liquid inlet 61) for the liquid container 28 has an outer end opening (fourth) opposite to the inner end opening (first opening 61a) on the liquid storage chamber 59 side. The size of the opening 32b) is in one direction (for example, the direction in which the liquid containers 28 are arranged or the short direction of the upper wall 60, which is an opening forming wall in which the inner end opening of the liquid container 28 is formed). In FIG. 5, the opening is not less than the width of the opening forming wall portion (upper wall portion 60) of the liquid container 28 in which the inner end opening is formed. Therefore, when ink is injected, for example, the liquid injection member (ink bottle 80) can be easily aligned with the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion. Therefore, the injection operation can be easily performed, and the usability is improved.

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

  (17) The liquid inlets 61 of the plurality of liquid containers 28 arranged side by side in one direction are offset with respect to the liquid inlets 61 of other adjacent liquid containers 28 in a direction crossing one direction. Therefore, the occupied area in the arrangement direction of the plurality of liquid containers 28 can be reduced, and the increase in the size of the printing apparatus 12 can be suppressed accordingly.

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

  (19) Since the seal member 76 that seals the gap between the liquid inlet 61 and the opening 32 of the upper housing 17 is provided, the holding member that also functions as an exterior member that covers the liquid container 28 It is possible to suppress the ink leaking from the liquid injection port 61 from entering the inside 57 and causing the stain.

  (20) When ink leaks from the liquid inlet 61 onto the seal member 76 during the ink injection, the leaked ink accumulates in the recess 77 on the seal member 76, so that the leaked ink flows unnecessarily. Can be suppressed.

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

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

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

  The liquid supply unit 27 configured to include the liquid container 28 and the set member 56 is held by a holding member 57 that covers the liquid container 28 from the right side surface, the left side surface, and the bottom surface of the liquid container body 28. Yes. The holding member 57 also functions as a protective member 57A for protecting the liquid container 28 from an external impact outside the housing 15. Further, the protective member 57A is configured such that the front surface and the upper surface thereof are opened, and is configured not to cover the visual recognition portion 63 formed in the liquid container 28 when viewed from the front. And from the upper surface of the protective member 57A, the liquid inlet 61 which the liquid container 28 has is exposed.

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

According to the printing apparatus 12 and the liquid supply unit 27 as the liquid supply apparatus in the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(21) Since part of the liquid container 28 is housed in the housing 15, the installation area of the entire apparatus is larger than when the entire liquid container 28 is located outside the housing 15. Can be reduced. Therefore, usability can be improved in that the possibility that the printing apparatus 12 can be used even when the installation area cannot be secured widely is increased.

(22) In the liquid container 28, the liquid injection port 61 is provided at a portion protruding from the housing 15, so that the user can easily inject liquid.
(23) In the liquid container 28, a portion protruding forward from the housing 15 toward the outside is covered with a holding member 57 that also protrudes forward from the housing 15. In other words, the holding member 57 functions as a protective member 57A that protects the liquid container 28, and the protective member 57A causes a position shift of the liquid container 28 due to an object hitting the protruding portion from the outside. It is possible to reduce the risk of being lost.

  (24) Since the upper surface of the protective member 57A that protects the liquid container 28 is open, when the amount of ink in the liquid container 28 decreases, the protective member 57A is exposed through the upper surface of the protective member 57A. Printing can be continued by injecting ink from the liquid inlet 61.

  (25) Since the protrusion amount of the liquid supply unit 27 protruding forward from the housing 15 is configured to be smaller than the protrusion amount of the paper discharge tray 20 and the paper feed cassette 22, the liquid container 28 is externally provided. Therefore, the possibility that the liquid container 28 will be displaced can be reduced.

  (26) The second opening 61b opposite to the first opening 61a, which is the inner end opening of the liquid inlet 61, has an opening width in the direction intersecting the alignment direction rather than the opening width in the alignment direction of the liquid containers 28. Therefore, the size of the printing apparatus 12 can be prevented from being increased by reducing the size of the liquid containers 28 in the arrangement direction.

In addition, you may change 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment as follows.
In the printing apparatus 12 according to the first embodiment, the operation panel unit 18 extends rightward to the front side of the manual feed unit 29, and an opening is formed at a position on the back side of the operation panel unit 18 when viewed from the front side of the housing 15. 32 may be provided. According to this configuration, the operation panel unit 18 is hidden from the front side of the printing apparatus 12 so that the opening 32 is not visible to the human eye, so that the appearance of the printing apparatus 12 can be improved.

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

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the seal member 76 is not provided between the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 and the opening 32 of the upper housing 17, it becomes the root of the liquid inlet 61. You may make it arrange | position the liquid absorption material 81 in a location. According to this configuration, even if ink spills around when the ink is injected into the liquid container 28 via the liquid injection port 61, the spilled ink can be absorbed and held by the liquid absorbent material 81. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the liquid inlet 61 of the liquid container 28 is positioned immediately below the opening 32 of the upper housing 17, and the seal member 76 is interposed between the liquid inlet 61 and the opening 32. A configuration may be adopted in which the opening width D4 of the fourth opening 32b of the opening 32 is larger than the opening width D2 of the second opening 61b of the liquid injection port 61 without being interposed. In this case, when the user injects the ink into the liquid container 28, the user is one direction (for example, the arrangement direction of the liquid containers 28 or the opening forming wall portion in which the inner end opening of the liquid container 28 is formed. By injecting the liquid injection member or the like with respect to the opening 32 of the upper casing 17 (exterior member) whose size in the short direction of the upper wall portion 60 is larger than that of the liquid injection port 61, injection is easily performed. Work can be done.

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

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

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13C, the opening 32 is formed in the opening forming surface 15 a that is a horizontal surface facing the lower surface of the image reading device 13 in the closed position and a position near the front surface of the housing 15. Also good. Further, as shown in FIG. 13D, the opening 32 (the fourth opening 32b which is the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion) does not face the lower surface of the image reading device 13 in the closed position, and the image You may form in the opening formation surface 15a of the horizontal surface which opposes the front-end | tip part lower surface of 13 A of document cover members in front of the reading apparatus 13, and distances.

  In the case of FIGS. 13A and 13B, the opening 32 exposed to the outside (the outer end of the liquid receiving portion) can be used without the trouble of opening the image reading device 13 from the closed position to the open position. Ink (liquid) can be injected into the liquid container 28 from the liquid inlet 61 via the fourth opening 32b). In the case of FIG. 13C, since the liquid inlet 61 can be always covered by the image reading device 13 in the closed position, it is possible to prevent the user from inadvertently touching the liquid receiving portion. . Further, in the case of FIG. 13C, a plug 79 of the liquid inlet 61 may be provided on the side of the document cover member 13A facing the liquid inlet 61. In the case of FIG. 13D, since the manual feed portion is formed between the opening forming surface 15a and the document cover member 13A, the opening operation of the document cover member 13A is facilitated.

  The attachment mode of the liquid container 28 to the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 is not limited to the mode shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A or FIG. 14B, the liquid containers 28 (28a to 28d) are orthogonal to the front-rear direction in which the longitudinal direction is the depth direction from the side surface side of the housing 15. A configuration in which the entirety or a part thereof is accommodated in the housing 15 in a side surface mounting manner along the left-right direction may be employed.

  In this case, the outer end opening of the liquid receiving portion (in the case of FIG. 14 (a), the outer end opening of the opening formed in the upper casing, in the case of FIG. 14 (b), located outside the casing). The opening on the side opposite to the inner end opening of the liquid injection port is a configuration arranged closer to the side surface of the housing 15, so that an effect of facilitating the ink injection operation from the side surface can be obtained. In the case of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the outer end opening of the liquid receiving part (the outer end opening of the opening 32 formed in the upper casing 17 or the front end of the casing 15 is located. The opening of the liquid injection port 61 opposite to the inner end opening) is arranged closer to the front surface of the housing 15, so that an effect of easy ink injection operation from the front surface can be obtained.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 14C or FIG. 14D, the liquid container 28 has a longitudinal direction in which each longitudinal direction is a depth direction from a corner portion where the front surface and the side surface of the housing 15 intersect with each other. A configuration in which the entirety or a part thereof is accommodated in the housing 15 in an oblique attachment manner along a direction that is oblique with respect to any of the orthogonal left and right directions may be adopted.

  The shape of the liquid container 28 attached to the casing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 is not limited to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the liquid container 28 attached to the housing 15 extends in the right direction from the inside of the housing 15 to the outside of the housing 15, and outside the housing 15, the right side surface of the housing 15. The structure which has the shape bent in the back direction so that it may follow may be sufficient. Further, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the liquid container 28 attached to the housing 15 extends rightward from the inside of the housing 15 to the outside of the housing 15, and the housing 15 A configuration having an outwardly bent shape along the right side surface of the housing 15 may be employed. The liquid container 28 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 can contain more ink compared to the liquid container 28 having the configuration as shown in the first and second embodiments. it can. Although not shown, each of the liquid containers 28 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is also provided with a liquid inlet.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 17A, when a part of the liquid container 28 having a larger capacity than that in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is accommodated in the casing 15, In this case, a functional member 82 such as an ink absorbing material that absorbs ink may be disposed at a position above the liquid container 28. In addition, as shown in FIG. 17B, in the case where a large-capacity liquid container 28 as a liquid supply device is attached to the outside of the casing 15 while being covered with a liquid container housing 83 that functions as an exterior member. Alternatively, the functional member 82 such as an ink absorbing material may be disposed at a position above the liquid container 28 in the housing 15. Although not shown, the liquid container 28 shown in FIG. 17 is also provided with a liquid inlet.

  The opening 32 that is formed in the upper housing 17 of the housing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 and from which the liquid inlet 61 is exposed when viewed from above is a single opening 32 as shown in the first embodiment. On the other hand, it is not limited to a mode in which one liquid inlet 61 is exposed. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, the four liquid inlets 61 included in the four liquid containers 28 are formed by one rectangular opening 32 formed in the upper housing 17 when viewed from above. A configuration in which everything is exposed may be used. Note that the opening 32 in this case has an opening width in the left-right direction, which is an arrangement direction of the plurality of liquid containers 28, larger than an opening width in the front-rear direction intersecting the arrangement direction, so that ink is injected into the liquid injection port 61. Easy to operate.

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

  In the printing apparatus 12, the liquid container 28 may have a configuration in which a flow restricting portion 60 a that slightly protrudes forward from the upper wall portion 60 of the liquid container 28 is provided, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 20. Good. According to this configuration, if the ink absorbing material 26 is not provided on the back surface of the open / close door 23, if ink flows into the front wall portion 62 of the liquid container 28, the visual recognition portion formed on the front wall portion 62. The ink adheres to 63 and becomes dirty, and the remaining amount of ink stored in the liquid container 28 cannot be visually recognized. Therefore, by providing the flow restricting portion 60a that protrudes forward from the upper wall portion 60 to the position where it contacts the open / close door 23, it is possible to suppress the ink from flowing to the front wall portion 62, and the visual recognition portion 63 is soiled. This reduces the risk of

  In the printing apparatus 12, when the holding member 57 that holds the liquid container 28 is protruded to the front side of the housing 15 to function as the protection member 57 </ b> A, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, the structure shown in FIG. 8 is used. The structure which covers the front and upper part of the liquid container 28 may also be used. At this time, the opening 32 is formed on the upper surface of the holding member (protective member 57A), and the visual recognition portion 63 that can visually recognize the remaining amount of ink stored in the liquid container 28 is provided on the holding member 57 (protective member 57A). It is preferable to provide a transparent window portion 57B that is visible from the outside of the member 57A) on the front surface of the holding member 57. In this case, an upper limit portion 63a for notifying the user of the upper limit of ink injection may be provided in the window portion 57B.

  In the printing apparatus 12, for example, as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, the liquid supply unit 27 as a liquid supply apparatus attached to the outside of the housing 15 is sealed when ink is injected into the liquid container 28. A mechanism may be provided that causes the ink leaking onto the member 76 to flow out of the liquid supply unit 27. Specifically, a liquid container housing 83 that is an example of an exterior member that is configured separately from the casing 15 of the printing apparatus 12 and that holds the liquid supply unit 27 inside and is attached to the right side surface of the casing 15. , A plurality of groove-like liquid guide paths 85 extending in the vertical direction are formed from the upper part of the right side surface opposite to the left side surface in contact with the printing device 12. As a result, when the leaked ink accumulates on the seal member 76 and is about to overflow, the ink is led out to the right side surface of the liquid container housing 83 and flows downward along the right side surface. FIG. 22A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 22a-22a in FIG. 22B.

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

  Further, in the liquid supply unit 27 (liquid supply device) shown in FIG. 22, a liquid container housing 83 that is an example of an exterior member that is attached to the right side surface of the housing 15 while holding the liquid supply unit 27 inside, There may be no wall portion constituting the left side surface, and the liquid container 28 may be covered together with the wall portion constituting the right side surface of the housing 15. That is, a part of the casing 15 that houses the liquid ejecting head 42 and the like may be used as a part of the exterior member of the liquid supply unit 27 (liquid supply apparatus).

  In the above embodiment, the plug 79 for closing the liquid inlet 61 provided in the liquid container 28 is configured as a plug 79A integrally formed on the lower surface of the image reading device 13 as shown in FIG. Also good. According to this configuration, when injecting ink into the liquid container 28, the plug 79 </ b> A that has closed the liquid inlet 61 simply by displacing the image reading device 13 that functions as a liquid inlet cover lid member to the open position. Is removed. Since the plug 79A in this case is integrated with the image reading device 13, the possibility of losing the plug 79A when the user removes the plug 79A can be reduced. Further, in this case, if the plug 79A integrated with the image reading device 13 has a plurality of plugs 79A individually corresponding to the plurality of liquid injection ports 61 of the plurality of liquid containers 28a to 28d, one plug 79A is provided. All the liquid inlets 61 can be opened and closed simultaneously by the opening and closing operation. In addition, since the positional relationship between the liquid inlet 61 and the plug 79A is determined, it is possible to reduce the possibility of color mixing when the plug 79A of one liquid inlet 61 is capped with another liquid inlet 61.

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

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

  -In above-mentioned embodiment, even if the liquid container 28 is the structure provided with the liquid supply valve part 90 and the air | atmosphere communication valve part 91 in the rear surface side, for example, as shown to Fig.26 (a) and (b). Good. In this case, the liquid supply valve portion 90 is inserted into and removed from the inner back side (right side in FIG. 26) of the holding space portion 57C that is a holding portion capable of holding the liquid container 28 in the positioning state in the casing 15. An atmospheric communication needle 93 that can be inserted into and removed from the free liquid supply needle 92 and the atmospheric communication valve portion 91 is disposed. The liquid supply needle 92 is connected to the other end of the liquid supply tube 50 whose one end is connected to the liquid ejecting head 42, and the atmosphere communication needle 93 is connected to the other end of the atmosphere communication tube 94 whose one end is open to the atmosphere. ing.

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

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

In the above embodiment, the convex portion 70 and the vertical groove 73 constituting the alignment mechanism may be provided with the convex portion 70 on the holding member 57 side and the vertical groove 73 on the liquid container 28 side.
In the above-described embodiment, the alignment mechanism is not limited to the configuration including the convex portion 70 and the vertical groove 73, and may be a combination of a male screw and a female screw, a printed identification mark, or the like.

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

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

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

  In each of the above embodiments, the printing apparatus 12 has been described using four colors of ink. However, only one color of ink may be used, and two, three, or more than five colors of ink are used. It may be a thing. The number of liquid storage chambers 59 and the number of liquid supply tubes 50 and the like may correspond to the number of colors of ink used.

The liquid container 28 may be formed independently for each ink color, or the liquid containers 28 of a plurality of colors (or all colors) may be integrally formed. May be,
The medium is not limited to the paper P, 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 the above embodiment, the printing apparatus 12 may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or ejects liquid other than ink. 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.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Printing apparatus, 13 ... Image reading apparatus (Liquid inlet cover cover member), 15 ... Housing | casing, 17 ... Upper housing | casing (exterior member), 18 ... Operation panel part, 20 ... Paper discharge tray (discharge part), 26 ... Ink absorbing material (liquid absorbing material), 27 ... Liquid supply unit (liquid supplying device), 28, 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d ... Liquid container, 32 ... Opening, 32b ... Fourth opening (outer end opening) , 33 ... Vertical surface part (blocking part), 35 ... Cable, 36 ... Wiring region, 37 ... Electrical connection part, 42 ... Liquid ejecting head, 50 ... Liquid supply tube, 57 ... Holding member, 57A ... Protection member, 57B ... Window part, 57a-57d ... Wall part (partition wall), 59 ... Liquid storage chamber, 60 ... Upper wall part (opening formation wall part), 60a ... Flow control part, 61 ... Liquid injection port, 61a ... 1st opening ( Inner end opening), 63 ... visual recognition part, 63a ... upper limit part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Pump, 70 ... Convex part (sliding part) which comprises positioning mechanism, 71 ... Through-hole, 72 ... Sealing member, 73 ... Vertical groove (guide part) which comprises positioning mechanism, 74 ... Locking 75, a remaining amount detection unit, 76, a sealing member, 77, a recess, 78, an air communication unit, 79, 79A, a plug, 81, a liquid absorbent, 83, a liquid container housing (exterior member).

Claims (7)

A printing unit that performs printing using a liquid as a medium;
A liquid storage chamber capable of storing the liquid supplied to the printing unit, and a liquid storage body having a liquid injection port capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber;
A part of the liquid container and a housing that houses the printing unit therein, and a portion of the liquid container that protrudes to the outside of the housing is a protruding direction of the liquid container from the housing The printing apparatus is characterized by being covered with a protective member protruding in the same direction.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid inlet is provided in a portion of the liquid container that protrudes to the outside of the housing.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protection member has an opening that exposes the liquid inlet at a position corresponding to the liquid inlet of the liquid container.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the liquid containers, wherein the plurality of liquid containers are integrally formed.   The liquid container has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a longitudinal mounting direction of the liquid container along the depth direction from the front surface side of the housing. The longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the depth direction from the side surface of the housing. Of the side mounting mode along the left-right direction, the diagonal mounting mode along the direction in which the longitudinal direction is oblique to both the depth direction and the left-right direction from the corner where the front surface and the side surface of the housing intersect The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the printing apparatus is attached to the housing in any one of the attachment modes.   The overall shape of the liquid container is a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the longitudinal direction of the liquid container is attached to the casing in a front mounting manner along the depth direction from the front side of the casing. The amount of protrusion to the front side is equal to or less than the amount of protrusion from the housing to the front side of the discharge portion on which the medium discharged from the printing unit in the housing is placed. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 5.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is formed integrally with the housing.