Waste liquid system of inkjet printer

Abstract

To provide a waste liquid system of an inkjet printer that is capable of preventing ink dispersion.SOLUTION: A waste liquid system 40 of a printer 10 comprises: a suction pump 33; a discharge channel 44; a receiving member 60; a defoaming member 70; and a waste liquid tank 41. Air AR contained in ink K suctioned by the suction pump 33 flows out from an outflow port 44b of the discharge channel 44, and is collected by the defoaming member 70. Consequently, the ink K suctioned by the suction pump 33 forms foam at a discharge port 62a at a lower end of the receiving member 60, and the foam is prevented from bursting. Thus, ink K near the waste liquid tank 41 is prevented from being dispersed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a waste liquid system for an inkjet printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an inkjet printer that uses a suction pump to suck ink discharged by a cleaning operation and disposes the ink. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer that includes a head having a nozzle, a cleaning mechanism that performs a cleaning operation to discharge liquid from the nozzle, and a waste liquid tank. The cleaning mechanism includes a cap that is detachable from the ink head, a waste liquid path connected to the cap, and a suction pump provided in the waste liquid path. The waste liquid tank is disposed below the outlet of the waste liquid path. In such an inkjet printer, flushing is performed to remove clogging of the ink head. Flushing is an operation of discharging ink toward the cap, and is one of the cleaning operations. The ink discharged to the cap is sucked by the suction pump and flows into the waste liquid path. The ink that flows through the waste liquid path flows out from the outlet of the waste liquid path and flows into the waste liquid tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7245917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of the inkjet printer described above, when ink is sucked by the suction pump, air may also be sucked in. For example, when flushing is performed, the cap is removed from the ink head and is in an open state to the atmosphere. Therefore, when ink discharged into the cap is sucked in, air is also sucked in along with the ink. At this time, ink bubbles are generated when the ink containing air reaches the outlet of the waste liquid path. When the suction pump continues to suck in the ink bubbles, the ink bubbles burst when they grow to a certain size. When the ink bubbles burst, they scatter outside the waste liquid tank. Therefore, the user must wipe off the scattered ink, which is a burden for the user. Furthermore, the scattered ink is not desirable in appearance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waste liquid system for an inkjet printer that can prevent ink from scattering. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer of the present invention comprises a discharge flow path having an inlet through which ink flows in and an outlet through which the ink flows out, a suction pump provided in the discharge flow path, a receiving section that receives the ink flowing out of the outlet, a receiving member having a discharge outlet through which the ink that has flowed into the receiving section is disposed downstream of the outlet, a waste liquid tank disposed downstream of the outlet, and a defoaming member at least partially disposed inside the receiving section and below the outlet.

[0007] According to this inkjet printer waste liquid system, by driving the suction pump, the ink flows in through the inlet of the discharge flow path and flows out through the outlet. The ink flows out toward the receiving member. The receiving member has at least a portion of a defoaming member inside and below the outlet. Therefore, the ink passes through the defoaming member and flows to the discharge port of the receiving member. The ink that has flowed to the outlet flows into the waste liquid tank and is discharged. As a result, even if the ink that has passed through the outlet forms bubbles together with air, the bubbles disappear when the ink passes through the defoaming member. The disappearance of the bubbles makes it possible to prevent the ink from scattering. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waste liquid system for an inkjet printer that can prevent ink from scattering. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a part cut away from the right side; [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the waste liquid system and its surroundings. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the waste liquid system. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A preferred embodiment of an inkjet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a "printer") will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described here is, of course, not intended to limit the present invention in any particular way. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for members and parts that perform the same function, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printer 10 with a part cut away from the right side. FIG. 2 is a front view of the printer 10 with the front cover 13 open. In the following description, left, right, top, and bottom refer to the left, right, top, and bottom as seen from a user in front of the printer 10, respectively, and the side of the printer 10 approaching the user is the front, and the side moving away from the user is the rear. The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings represent the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom, respectively. The symbols X, Y, and Z in the drawings represent the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction, respectively. However, these directions are merely for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation form of the printer 10 in any way.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the printer 10 is a so-called flatbed type printer. The printer 10 includes a casing 12 and an openable and closable front cover 13. As shown in Fig. 2, the printer 10 includes a guide rail 18, a carriage 19, a carriage movement mechanism (not shown), an ink cartridge 21, an ink head 22, an ultraviolet lamp 23, a table 25, a table movement mechanism 26, a cap unit 30, a waste liquid system 40, and a control device 50 (see Fig. 1).

[0013] The guide rail 18 is provided above the table 25. The guide rail 18 extends in the left-right direction Y. A carriage 19 is slidably provided on the guide rail 18. The carriage 19 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) Y by a carriage movement mechanism. When printing is not being performed, the carriage 19 waits at a home position HP, which is a position at the right end inside the casing 12.

[0014] The carriage movement mechanism is configured to move the carriage 19 relative to the table 25 in the left-right direction Y. The carriage movement mechanism includes a pair of pulleys (not shown) arranged at the right and left ends of the guide rail 18, a belt (not shown), and a carriage motor (not shown). The carriage 19 is fixed to the belt. The belt is wound around the pair of pulleys. A carriage motor is connected to one of the pulleys. When the carriage motor is driven, the pulley rotates and the belt runs. This causes the carriage 19 to move in the left-right direction Y along the guide rail 18. However, the mechanism described here is merely an example, and the configuration of the carriage movement mechanism is not particularly limited.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the carriage 19 is equipped with six ink heads 22 and two ultraviolet lamps 23. The printer 10 is an ultraviolet curing printer. The ink heads 22 have nozzles 22a (see Fig. 3) that open downward. The ink heads 22 are configured to eject ink from the nozzles 22a toward a printing substrate 25a during printing. Each ink head 22 is in communication with an ink cartridge 21 by a flexible ink tube (not shown).

[0016] The ink cartridge 21 stores a photocurable ink (photocurable ink) containing a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator. The photocurable ink is an ultraviolet-curable ink (UV ink) that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. In this embodiment, the number of ink cartridges 21 is six, but the number of ink cartridges 21 and the type of ink are merely an example and are not particularly limited.

[0017] The ultraviolet lamp 23 is a light irradiation device for curing the ink on the printing substrate 25a. In this embodiment, one ultraviolet lamp 23 is disposed on each of the left and right ends of the ink head 22. The light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 23 has an ultraviolet wavelength capable of curing the photo-curable ink. Note that, although the number of ultraviolet lamps 23 is two in this embodiment, the number of ultraviolet lamps 23 is not particularly limited.

[0018] The table 25 is a platform on which a printing material 25a is placed during printing. The table 25 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction X by a table moving mechanism .

[0019] The table moving mechanism 26 is configured to move the table 25 in the front-rear direction X (see FIG. 1) relative to the ink head 22 and the ultraviolet lamp 23. The table moving mechanism 26 includes two slide rails 26a, 26b extending along the front-rear direction X, a transport member 26c slidable on the slide rails 26a, 26b, and a front-rear movement motor (not shown) for driving the transport member 26c. The table 25 is supported above the transport member 26c. When the front-rear movement motor is driven, the transport member 26c moves in the front-rear direction, and the table 25 moves in the front-rear direction X accordingly. However, the mechanism described here is merely an example, and the configuration of the table moving mechanism 26 is not particularly limited.

[0020] The cap unit 30 is a unit used during cleaning. The cap unit 30 is disposed directly below the carriage 19 at the home position HP (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the cap unit 30 includes a cap 31 and a cap moving mechanism 32.

[0021] The cap 31 is configured to cover the periphery of the nozzle 22a when attached to the ink head 22. The cap 31 is connected to a cap moving mechanism 32. The cap 31 is detachably attached to the nozzle 22a of the ink head 22 by the cap moving mechanism 32.

[0022] The cap moving mechanism 32 is a mechanism for mounting the cap 31 to the nozzles 22a of the ink head 22 and for separating the cap 31 from the nozzles 22a of the ink head 22. The cap moving mechanism 32 mounts and separates the cap 31 by moving the cap 31 in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, flushing is performed to eject ink from the ink head 22 in a state in which the cap 31 is separated from the ink head 22. When flushing is performed, the ink that has accumulated and adhered inside the ink head 22 is ejected into the cap 31, and the clogging of the nozzles 22a is eliminated. Here, in the following description, the ink that is discharged by cleaning such as flushing is referred to as ink K. The ink K includes the adhered ink and attached matter. The ink K ejected from the ink head 22 by flushing is accumulated inside the cap 31.

[0023] The waste liquid system 40 is a system that recovers ink K generated by cleaning or the like. The waste liquid system 40 recovers ink K discharged into the cap 31 by flushing, for example. The waste liquid system 40 includes a discharge flow path 44, a suction pump 33, a waste liquid tank 41, a tank support mechanism 42 (see FIG. 4), a holding member 81 (see FIG. 5), an auxiliary member 82 (see FIG. 4), a receiving member 60, a contact member 65 (see FIG. 5), and a defoaming member 70 (see FIG. 5). FIG. 4 shows a side view of the waste liquid system 40. Note that the suction pump 33 is not shown in FIG. 4.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge flow path 44 is a flow path that guides the ink K from the cap 31 to the receiving member 60. The discharge flow path 44 is, for example, configured by a flexible ink tube. The discharge flow path 44 has an inlet 44a and an outlet 44b. The inlet 44a is a portion where the ink K flows into the inside of the discharge flow path 44, and the outlet 44b is a portion where the ink K flows out from the inside of the discharge flow path 44 to the outside. As shown in FIG. 3, the inlet 44a is connected to the cap 31. As shown in FIG. 5, the outlet 44b is disposed inside the receiving member 60. The shape of the inlet 44a may be the same as or different from the shape of the outlet 44b. In addition, although details will be described later, in this embodiment, the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b forms a bubble BU. The discharge flow path 44 is held by a holding member 81 at a position along the way. In this embodiment, only one discharge flow path 44 is illustrated, but multiple discharge flow paths 44 may be provided.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the suction pump 33 is provided in the discharge flow path 44. The suction pump 33 is a pump that sucks ink K from the upstream side and sends it toward the downstream side. When the suction pump 33 is driven, the ink K is sucked from inside the cap 31 connected to the inlet 44a. The sucked ink K flows inside the discharge flow path 44 and is sent toward the outlet 44b. The type of the suction pump 33 is not particularly limited, but the suction pump 33 is, for example, a diaphragm pump or a tube pump. The suction pump 33 is electrically connected to the control device 50 (see FIG. 1) and is controlled by the control device 50.

[0026] The waste liquid tank 41 is a tank in which the ink K that has passed through the receiving member 60 flows. The waste liquid tank 41 is disposed downstream of a discharge port 62a (see FIG. 5) of the receiving member 60, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the waste liquid tank 41 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A tank port 41a is formed in the left and upper part of the waste liquid tank 41. The tank port 41a is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the inside and outside of the waste liquid tank 41 are connected by an opening 41aa of the tank port 41a. In this embodiment, the shape of the waste liquid tank 41 is not particularly limited. The shape of the waste liquid tank 41 may be other shapes such as a cylindrical shape or a cube. The waste liquid tank 41 is made of a resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, silicone, or fluorine-based resin. The waste liquid tank 41 may be black and have light-shielding properties.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 4, the tank support mechanism 42 is a mechanism for supporting the waste liquid tank 41. The tank support mechanism 42 includes a base member 42a, a support stand 42b for supporting the waste liquid tank 41, a spring 42c for biasing the support stand 42b upward, a sensor 42d for detecting the support stand 42b, a swing plate 42e that can swing in the left-right direction, and a sensor 42f for detecting the swing plate 42e. Support shafts 42g and 42h extending in the front-rear direction are inserted into the base member 42a. The support shaft 42g supports the support stand 42b, and the support shaft 42h supports the swing plate 42e so that it can swing.

[0028] The base member 42a is a substantially L-shaped member formed by a bottom wall 42aa extending in the left-right direction and a vertical wall 42ab extending vertically upward. A support shaft 42g is attached to the right side of the bottom wall 42aa. A support stand 42b is attached to the base member 42a. The support stand 42b includes a bottom stand 42ba, a vertical wall 42bb, and an extension plate portion 42bc attached to the left surface of the vertical wall 42bb and extending to the rear of the vertical wall 42ab. A hole (not shown) through which a part of the extension plate portion 42bc is inserted is formed in the vertical wall 42ab. The support stand 42b is a member that supports the waste liquid tank 41, and supports the waste liquid tank 41 by the bottom stand 42ba and the vertical wall 42bb. The bottom stand 42ba is supported by the support shaft 42g so as to be tiltable. A spring 42c extending in the up-down direction Z is arranged to the left of the base member 42a. The lower end of the spring 42c is hooked on the extension plate portion 42bc, and the upper end of the spring 42c is fixed. Therefore, the extension plate portion 42bc is urged upward by the spring 42c. That is, the support base 42b is urged upward by the spring 42c. When placing the waste liquid tank 41, the user can avoid contact between the tank mouth 41a and the receiving member 60 by placing the support base 42b while tilting it to the left. When the waste liquid tank 41 is placed, the support base 42b is urged upward by the urging force of the spring 42c, and the support base 42b is held in a position where the bottom wall 42aa and the bottom base 42ba are approximately horizontal. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the discharge portion 62 described later is located below the opening 41aa. As shown in FIG. 4, a sensor 42d is located to the left of the base member 42a. The sensor 42d is a sensor that detects the amount of ink K in the waste liquid tank 41. When the amount of ink K in the waste liquid tank 41 increases, the weight of the waste liquid tank 41 increases, so that the support base 42b tilts leftward about the support shaft 42g, and the position of the extension plate portion 42bc in the vertical direction Z changes. The sensor 42d is, for example, a photosensor, and measures the amount of ink K based on the position of the extension plate portion 42bc. The number of sensors 42d is not particularly limited. A swing plate 42e swingably supported by the support shaft 42h is disposed on the upper portion of the vertical wall 42ab of the base member 42a.The rocking plate 42e is disposed in a position that rocks to the left when the waste liquid tank 41 is placed on the support base. When the rocking plate 42e rocks to the left, the sensor 42f detects the rocking. That is, the sensor 42f detects the presence or absence of the waste liquid tank 41. The sensor 42f is, for example, a photosensor. However, the mechanism described here is merely an example, and the configuration of the tank support mechanism 42 is not particularly limited.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, the holding member 81 is disposed such that a part of it is located above the receiving member 60 and the other part is located below the receiving member 60 on the right side. The holding member 81 is a member that holds the discharge flow passage 44. The holding member 81 includes a horizontal portion 81a, a vertical portion 81b, a slant portion 81c, and an abutting portion 81d. The horizontal portion 81a is a plate-like portion extending in the horizontal direction and is disposed above the receiving member 60. As shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal portion 81a is formed with a first insertion hole 81aa penetrating in the up-down direction Z. Note that the receiving member 60 and the defoaming member 70 are omitted from the illustration in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the first insertion hole 81aa is disposed at the center position of the horizontal portion 81a in each of the left-right direction Y and the front-rear direction X, but is not limited thereto. In addition, when a plurality of discharge flow passages 44 (see FIG. 3) are provided, a plurality of first insertion holes 81aa may be formed according to the number of discharge flow passages 44. The first insertion hole 81aa is a hole that holds the discharge flow passage 44. The inner diameter of the first insertion hole 81aa is formed to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the discharge flow passage 44. When the discharge flow passage 44 is passed through the first insertion hole 81aa, the discharge flow passage 44 contacts the first insertion hole 81aa so as to protrude due to the flexibility of the discharge flow passage 44. As a result, the discharge flow passage 44 is held by the horizontal portion 81a, as shown in FIG. 5. An auxiliary member 82 is disposed below the horizontal portion 81a. In the vertical direction Z, a contact member 65 and a peripheral portion 63 of a receiving member 60, which will be described later, are disposed between the horizontal portion 81a and the auxiliary member 82. A screw 85 is screwed into the horizontal portion 81a and the auxiliary member 82. As a result, the contact member 65 and the peripheral portion 63 are fixed between the horizontal portion 81a and the auxiliary member 82. The horizontal portion 81a has an area larger than an opening 63a of the receiving member 60, which will be described later. That is, it is wider in the left-right direction Y and the front-rear direction X than the opening 63a. In this embodiment, the opening 63a is closed by the horizontal portion 81a. The vertical portion 81b is connected to the right end of the horizontal portion 81a and is a plate-like member extending in the vertical direction. The oblique side portion 81c is connected to the lower end of the vertical portion 81b. The oblique side portion 81c is a plate-like portion extending downward and leftward from the lower end of the vertical portion 81b. The abutting portion 81d is connected to the lower end of the oblique side portion 81c. The abutting portion 81d is a plate-like portion connected to the lower end of the oblique side portion 81c and extending in the vertical direction.The contact portion 81d contacts the tank mouth 41a of the waste liquid tank 41. The tank mouth 41a contacts the contact portion 81d, thereby suppressing movement of the waste liquid tank 41 in the left-right direction Y. The material from which the holding member 81 is formed is not particularly limited, but the holding member 81 is formed, for example, from sheet metal. Furthermore, the respective portions 81a-81d of the holding member 81 may be formed integrally or separately. In this embodiment, the respective portions 81a-81d of the holding member 81 are formed integrally.

[0030] As described above, the auxiliary member 82 is disposed below the horizontal portion 81a of the holding member 81, and is a plate-like member which, together with the horizontal portion 81a, holds the contact member 65 and a peripheral portion 63 described later. As shown in Fig. 6, the auxiliary member 82 is formed with a second insertion hole 82a penetrating in the up-down direction Z. As shown in Fig. 5, the inner diameter of the second insertion hole 82a is R2, which is formed to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the upper end of a reduced diameter portion 61 of the receiving member 60 described later.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the receiving member 60 is disposed downstream of the outlet 44b of the discharge flow passage 44. In this embodiment, the receiving member 60 is disposed below the horizontal portion 81a of the holding member 81. The outlet 44b of the discharge flow passage 44 is disposed inside the receiving member 60. The receiving member 60 has a funnel shape and includes a reduced diameter portion 61, a discharge portion 62, and a peripheral portion 63. An inner wall 61a provided in the circumferential direction inside the peripheral portion 63 forms a storage space HS for storing a defoaming member 70 described later, an opening 63a is formed at the upper edge of the peripheral portion 63, and an outlet 62a is formed at the lower end of the outlet 62. An inner diameter R1 of the opening 63a is larger than an inner diameter R3 of the outlet 62a. The material for forming the receiving member 60 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the receiving member 60 is formed of, for example, a resin material.

[0032] The reduced diameter portion 61 has a shape in which the inner diameter decreases from the opening 63a toward the bottom. The outer diameter of the upper end (the portion that abuts against the auxiliary member 82) of the reduced diameter portion 61 is R2, which is the same as the inner diameter of the second insertion hole 82a. Here, the receiving member 60 is inserted from above to below into the second insertion hole 82a (see FIG. 6) of the auxiliary member 82 and attached. Since the outer diameter of the upper end of the reduced diameter portion 61 is R2, the upper end of the reduced diameter portion 61 and the upper end of the auxiliary member 82 are at the same height. As will be described in detail later, of the receiving member 60, only the peripheral portion 63 connected to the upper end of the reduced diameter portion 61 is disposed above the auxiliary member 82. The inner diameter of the lower end of the reduced diameter portion 61 is R3, which is the same as the inner diameter of the discharge port 62a. A defoaming member 70, which will be described later, is disposed in the storage space HS inside the reduced diameter portion 61. The reduced diameter section 61 is a section that receives the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b, and in this embodiment, receives the ink K that has passed through the defoaming member 70. An inner wall 61a of the reduced diameter section 61 is a wall surface through which the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b flows.

[0033] The discharge portion 62 extends downward from the lower end of the reduced diameter portion 61. In this embodiment, the discharge portion 62 extends downward along the vertical direction from the lower end of the reduced diameter portion 61. However, the discharge portion 62 may extend downward along a direction inclined relative to the vertical direction. The discharge portion 62 is a portion through which the ink K received by the reduced diameter portion 61 flows downward. A portion of the discharge portion 62 is disposed inside the tank mouth 41a of the waste liquid tank 41.

[0034] The peripheral portion 63 is connected to the upper end of the reduced diameter portion 61 and is a portion that protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the reduced diameter portion 61. The peripheral portion 63 is located at the upper end of the receiving member 60. As described above, the receiving member 60 is attached by being inserted from above to below into the second insertion hole 82a (see FIG. 6) of the auxiliary member 82. At this time, the lower end of the peripheral portion 63 abuts against the auxiliary member 82, so that only the peripheral portion 63 of the receiving member 60 is located above the auxiliary member 82. An opening 63a is formed on the inside of the peripheral portion 63. In this embodiment, the opening 63a is entirely closed by the horizontal portion 81a of the holding member 81. In addition, the horizontal portion 81a is arranged above the peripheral portion 63 via the contact member 65 described later, and the auxiliary member 82 is arranged below the peripheral portion 63. Since the screw 85 is screwed into the horizontal portion 81a and the auxiliary member 82, the peripheral portion 63 is sandwiched between the horizontal portion 81a and the auxiliary member 82. In this way, the receiving member 60 is fixed to the downstream side of the outlet 44b.

[0035] The contact member 65 is disposed between the peripheral portion 63 and the horizontal portion 81a. As shown in FIG. 6, the contact member 65 is formed in a hexagonal plate shape, for example. In the contact member 65, a through hole (not shown) having an inner diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the first through hole 81aa is formed at a position directly below the first through hole 81aa. The discharge flow path 44 (see FIG. 5) is inserted into the through hole, similarly to the first through hole 81aa. The contact member 65 is a member that fills the gap between the peripheral portion 63 (see FIG. 5) and the horizontal portion 81a (see FIG. 5). When the horizontal portion 81a and the auxiliary member 82 are fixed by the screw 85 with the contact member 65 disposed between the peripheral portion 63 and the horizontal portion 81a in the vertical direction Z, the gap between the peripheral portion 63 and the horizontal portion 81a is filled by the contact member 65. The contact member 65 is formed of a flexible material, for example, silicone rubber. However, the material forming the contact member 65 is preferably a flexible material, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0036] The defoaming member 70 shown in FIG. 5 is a sponge-like member having many holes therein. The defoaming member 70 is disposed in the storage space HS of the reduced diameter portion 61 of the receiving member 60. The defoaming member 70 is disposed in contact with the inner wall 61a of the reduced diameter portion 61. In this embodiment, the defoaming member 70 is in contact with the entire circumference of the inner wall 61a in the radial direction. More specifically, the defoaming member 70 in this embodiment has a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter R1 of the opening 63a. Since the defoaming member 70 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter R1 of the opening 63a, the defoaming member 70 is disposed in the storage space HS while being pushed into the reduced diameter portion 61. As a result, the defoaming member 70 is disposed in a radially compressed state at a portion of the defoaming member 70 below the opening 63a. Due to the elasticity of the defoaming member 70, the defoaming member 70 is disposed in contact with the inner wall 61a so as to overhang it. Therefore, the defoaming member 70 can be in contact with the entire circumference of the inner wall 61a in the radial direction. However, the defoaming member 70 does not have to be cylindrical with an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter R1 of the opening 63a. That is, as long as the defoaming member 70 can be placed and the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b passes through the defoaming member 70, the defoaming member 70 may be a cylindrical member or a spherical member with an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter R1 of the opening 63a. Also, as long as the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b passes through the defoaming member 70, the defoaming member 70 may be a cylindrical member with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter R1 of the opening 63a. Furthermore, as long as the defoaming member 70 can be placed in the storage space HS so that the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b can pass through the defoaming member 70, the defoaming member 70 may not be a cylindrical member, but may be a spherical member or a rectangular member. The defoaming member 70 may be in contact with part of the inner wall 61a, or may not be in contact with the inner wall 61a as long as it is disposed in the storage space HS so that the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b can pass through the defoaming member 70. The outlet 44b is disposed inside the defoaming member 70. In other words, a part of the defoaming member 70 is disposed below the outlet 44b. The outlet 44b is disposed at approximately the middle of the defoaming member 70 in the up-down direction Z.However, the defoaming member 70 may be disposed below the outlet 44b as long as the ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b passes through the defoaming member 70. The ink K flowing out from the outlet 44b passes through the defoaming member 70 and reaches the inner wall 61a of the reduced diameter section 61. In this embodiment, the defoaming member 70 is made of urethane foam and is a filter with 16 to 24 cells per inch (25.4 mm).

[0037] The control device 50 (see FIG. 1) controls the operation of each part of the printer 10. There are no particular limitations on the hardware configuration of the control device 50. The control device 50 includes, for example, an interface (I / F) that receives print data from an external device such as a host computer, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions of a control program, a read only memory (ROM) that stores the program executed by the CPU, a random access memory (RAM) that is used as a working area for expanding the program, and a storage device such as a memory that stores the above-mentioned program and various data.

[0038] Above, we have described the configuration of the printer 10. Next, we will explain the operation of the printer 10 when the ink K used in cleaning is discharged. Note that in this embodiment, it is assumed that the ink K discharged in flushing is discharged.

[0039] First, as shown in Fig. 3, the control device 50 (see Fig. 1) controls the carriage motor (not shown) to move the ink head 22 directly above the cap 31. At this time, the cap 31 is kept separated from the ink head 22. In this state, the control device 50 controls the ink head 22 to eject ink K into the cap 31. The ejected ink K accumulates inside the cap 31. At this time, the ink K accumulated in the cap 31 is open to the atmosphere.

[0040] Next, the control device 50 drives the suction pump 33. When the suction pump 33 is driven, the ink K accumulated in the cap 31 is sucked from the inlet 44a. At this time, the suction pump 33 sucks in air together with the ink K. As shown in FIG. 5, the ink K flowing inside the discharge flow path 44 contains air AR. When the ink K containing the air AR flows out from the outlet 44b, the ink K forms a bubble BU. In this embodiment, the outlet 44b is disposed inside the defoaming member 70. The bubble BU flowing out from the outlet 44b comes into contact with the defoaming member 70. At this time, the bubble BU cannot pass through the defoaming member 70 and is burst inside the defoaming member 70. Therefore, the bubble BU is separated into the ink K and the air AR, and the air AR is collected in the defoaming member 70. When the air AR is collected in the defoaming member 70, only the ink K passes through the defoaming member 70. The ink K that has passed through the defoaming member 70 flows along the inner wall 61a, through the discharge section 62, and through the discharge port 62a into the waste liquid tank 41. When all of the ink K accumulated inside the cap 31 shown in FIG. 3 has been discharged into the waste liquid tank 41, the operation of the suction pump 33 is stopped.

[0041] As described above, in the printer 10 of this embodiment, by driving the suction pump 33, the ink K flows in from the inlet 44a of the discharge flow passage 44 and flows out from the outlet 44b. At this time, the ink K flows out toward the receiving member 60 arranged on the downstream side of the discharge flow passage 44. The defoaming member 70 is provided inside the reduced diameter portion 61 of the receiving member 60. The ink K passes through the defoaming member 70 and flows to the discharge port 62a of the receiving member 60. At this time, the air AR mixed in the ink K is collected by the defoaming member 70. The ink K that has flowed to the discharge port 62a flows to the waste liquid tank 41 arranged downstream of the discharge port 62a. Since the air AR contained in the ink K is collected by the defoaming member 70, the ink K that has reached the discharge port 62a does not form bubbles at the discharge port 62a. Therefore, bubbles are prevented from forming and bursting at the discharge port 62a. In other words, it is possible to prevent the ink K from exploding within the waste liquid tank 41 and scattering outside the waste liquid tank 41 .

[0042] In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the defoaming member 70 is disposed in contact with the inner wall 61a of the receiving member 60. If the defoaming member 70 is not in contact with the inner wall 61a, a gap will be created between the defoaming member 70 and the inner wall 61a. For example, if the defoaming member 70 is disposed below the outlet 44b and there is a gap between the defoaming member 70 and the inner wall 61a, the foam BU may pass through the gap and flow to the discharge port 62a. That is, the foam BU may reach the discharge port 62a without passing through the defoaming member 70. Since the defoaming member 70 is in contact with the inner wall 61a as in this embodiment, the foam BU flowing out from the outlet 44b can be reliably brought into contact with the defoaming member 70 and collected by the defoaming member 70.

[0043] In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the outlet 44b is disposed inside the defoaming member 70. Therefore, the foam BU flowing out from the outlet 44b reliably comes into contact with the defoaming member 70. This allows the defoaming member 70 to reliably collect the air AR.

[0044] In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the receiving member 60 has a funnel shape. More specifically, the defoaming member 70 is disposed inside the reduced diameter section 61, the inner diameter of which decreases from the opening 63a of the receiving member 60 toward the bottom, and the discharge section 62, which extends downward from the bottom end of the reduced diameter section 61, has a discharge port 62a formed at its lower end. Therefore, even if a relatively large amount of ink K passes through the defoaming member 70, a certain amount of ink K can be stored in the storage space HS until the ink K flows from the discharge port 62a. That is, the ink K is unlikely to overflow from the opening 63a. In addition, the space inside the discharge section 62 is narrower in the radial direction than the storage space HS. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the variation in the position of the ink K flowing from the discharge port 62a of the discharge section 62 in the left-right direction Y and the front-back direction X. This structure makes it relatively easy to guide the ink K to the tank port 41a of the waste liquid tank 41. That is, since the receiving member 60 has a funnel shape, the ink K is less likely to overflow from the opening 63a of the receiving member 60, and the ink K is easily guided from the discharge port 62a of the receiving member 60 to the waste liquid bottle.

[0045] According to the printer 10 of this embodiment, the outlet 44b side of the discharge flow passage 44 is held by a first insertion hole 81aa formed through the holding member 81. The holding member 81 is formed in a plate shape having an area larger than the opening 63a. Therefore, the opening 63a of the receiving member 60 is closed in an airtight state by the holding member 81 that holds the outlet 44b side of the discharge flow passage 44. This prevents, for example, outside air from entering through a gap between the holding member 81 and the receiving member 60 when the suction pump 33 is driven. Here, when the suction pump 33 is driven and the ink K flows into the discharge flow passage 44, the inside of the discharge flow passage 44 becomes positive pressure. If the gap between the holding member 81 and the opening 63a cannot be made airtight, outside air will enter through the gap between the holding member 81 and the receiving member 60, and the outside air will also enter the discharge flow passage 44. At this time, the positive pressure in the discharge flow passage 44 cannot be maintained, and the flow of the ink K may be obstructed. In this embodiment, the holding member 81 that holds the outlet 44b side of the discharge flow path 44 at the first insertion hole 81aa can easily prevent outside air from entering through the gap between the holding member 81 and the receiving member 60. This allows the suction pump 33 to reliably suck up the ink K.

[0046] According to the printer 10 of this embodiment, a sealing member 65 made of silicone rubber is sandwiched between the peripheral portion 63 and the holding member 81. This makes it possible to create an airtight state between the holding member 81 and the opening 63a. This allows the suction pump 33 to more reliably suck up the ink K.

[0047] In addition, since the contact member 65 sandwiched between the holding member 81 and the receiving member 60 is made of a flexible material, it is possible to prevent a gap from being generated between the holding member 81 and the opening 63a. Even if the amount of ink K flowing out to the receiving member 60 increases and the ink K reaches the opening 63a, the ink K is unlikely to spill out from the gap.

[0048] In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the defoaming member 70 is a filter made of urethane foam and has 16 to 24 cells per inch. Here, as the number of cells decreases, the mesh of the defoaming member 70 becomes coarse, and the ability of the defoaming member 70 to capture the air AR decreases. Therefore, when the foam BU flowing out from the outlet 44b comes into contact with the defoaming member 70, there is a possibility that the defoaming member 70 will not be able to capture all of the air AR. On the other hand, as the number of cells of the defoaming member 70 increases, the mesh of the defoaming member 70 becomes finer, and the ability of the defoaming member 70 to capture the air AR improves. However, at this time, it becomes difficult for the ink K to pass through the defoaming member 70. When it becomes difficult for the ink K to pass through the defoaming member 70, the ink K gradually accumulates inside the defoaming member 70, and there is a possibility that the ink K will overflow from the upper part of the defoaming member 70. When the ink K overflows from the upper part of the defoaming member 70, there is a possibility that the ink K will overflow from the opening 63a. Therefore, the defoaming member 70 needs to have a number of cells that is sufficient to sufficiently collect the air AR and prevent the ink K from overflowing from the openings 63a. The defoaming member 70 in this embodiment has 16 to 24 cells per inch, which is a specific embodiment that sufficiently collects the air AR and prevents the ink K from overflowing from the openings 63a.

[0049] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to various types of printers. In addition to the flatbed type printer described in the above embodiment, the technology can also be applied to so-called roll-to-roll type printers that transport a roll-shaped printing material in the front-rear direction X. The technology can also be applied to so-called gantry type printers that place the printing material on a table and move the carriage in the left-right direction Y and the front-rear direction X relative to the table to print. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10 Printer (inkjet printer) 33 Suction Pump 40 Wastewater System 41 Waste liquid tank 44 Exhaust flow path 44a Inlet 44b Outlet 60 Supporting member 62a Outlet 70 Antifoaming material

Claims

1. a discharge flow path having an inlet through which ink flows in and an outlet through which the ink flows out; A suction pump provided in the discharge flow path; a receiving member including a receiving portion for receiving the ink flowing out from the ink outlet and a discharge port for discharging the ink that has flowed into the receiving portion, the receiving member being disposed downstream of the ink outlet; A waste liquid tank disposed downstream of the discharge port; and a defoaming member disposed at least partially inside the receiving portion and below the outlet.

2. the receiving portion has an inner wall through which the ink flows, The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the defoaming member is disposed in contact with an inner wall of the receiving portion.

3. The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet is disposed inside the defoaming member.

4. The receiving portion is a reduced diameter portion whose inner diameter decreases downward, The receiving member is an opening located above the reduced diameter portion; The reduced diameter portion; a discharge portion extending downward from a lower end of the reduced diameter portion and having the discharge port formed at the lower end thereof; The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the defoaming member is disposed inside the reduced diameter portion.

5. a holding member for holding the outlet side of the discharge flow path in an insertion hole formed therethrough, The holding member is formed in a plate shape having an area larger than an area of ​​the opening, 5. The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer according to claim 4, wherein the opening is airtightly closed by the holding member.

6. The receiving member has a peripheral portion located on a peripheral edge of the opening, 6. The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer according to claim 5, wherein a contact member made of a flexible material is sandwiched between the holding member and the peripheral edge portion.

7. 2. The waste liquid system of an inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the defoaming member is a filter made of urethane foam and having 16 to 24 cells per inch.

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