Liquid discharge device

Abstract

To suppress the concentration of liquid.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device comprises: a holding section that holds a tray on which a container that stores the liquid supplied to a discharge head is detachably mounted; first restricting means that can move to a restriction position where it restricts pulling-out from the holding section of the tray and a non-restriction position where it does not restrict pulling-out from the holding section of the tray; a connector that can contact a substrate in the container; and second restricting means that restricts the movement of the first restricting means to the non-restriction position when the substrate and the connector are in contact and the first restricting means is at the restriction position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device. [Background technology]

[0002] In some inkjet recording devices, an ink container formed of a flexible bag is placed on a tray, and the tray is then attached to the device. It is known that liquids such as ink used in recording contain coloring materials to form colors, and that the coloring material components settle over time.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that allows a user to pull out an ink container from the device in order to agitate the ink in the ink container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-188790 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, when the ink container is pulled out from the device while still containing ink, air gets into the ink container's supply port, causing the water content of the ink in the ink container to evaporate, which can cause the ink to thicken and become viscous, resulting in a deterioration in image quality.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a liquid ejection device that can suppress concentration of liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the liquid ejection device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a holding section that holds a tray to which a container for holding liquid to be supplied to an ejection head is removably attached, a first regulating means that is movable between a regulating position that regulates the withdrawal of the tray from the holding section and an unregulating position that does not regulate the withdrawal of the tray from the holding section, a connector that is capable of contacting a substrate of the container, and a second regulating means that regulates the movement of the first regulating means to the unregulating position when the substrate and the connector are in contact and the first regulating means is located in the regulating position. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection device capable of suppressing concentration of liquid. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of a liquid supply device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4A to 4C are side views illustrating a tray unlocked state and a tray locked state according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are top views illustrating a tray unlocked state and a tray locked state according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tray and an ink container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tray holding portion according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view of the stirring section according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stirring section according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 6 is a flowchart of ink container replacement control according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a liquid supply device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11]13A and 13B are side views illustrating a lever unlocked state and a lever locked state according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are top views illustrating a lever unlocked state and a lever locked state according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a side view of a stirring section according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart of ink container replacement control according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments do not limit the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. Furthermore, the relative arrangements, shapes, etc. of the components described in the embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to only those.

[0011] Incidentally, "recording" includes not only the formation of meaningful information such as characters and figures, but also the formation of images, patterns, designs, etc. on a recording medium, whether meaningful or insignificant, or the processing of the medium, regardless of whether it is manifested in a way that can be perceived by humans visually. In addition, although paper is assumed as the "recording medium" in this embodiment, it may also be cloth, plastic, film, etc.

[0012] In addition, "ink" (sometimes called "liquid") should be interpreted broadly in the same way as the definition of "recording" above. Therefore, it refers to a liquid that can be applied to a recording medium to form an image, design, pattern, etc., to process the recording medium, or to treat the ink (for example, to solidify or insolubilize the coloring material in the ink applied to the recording medium).

[0013] (First embodiment) 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a recording device 1 as a liquid ejection device. This recording device 1 is an inkjet recording device for sheets (cut paper) that produces a recorded matter by forming an ink image on a sheet S as a recording medium using two liquids, a reaction liquid and ink.

[0014] 1, the direction from bottom to top of the recording device 1 is defined as the Z direction, the conveying direction of the sheet S from right to left as the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction from the front to the back of the paper as the Y direction. Also, the directions opposite to each of these directions are defined as the -Z direction, -X direction, and -Y direction, respectively. That is, in each figure, the arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions perpendicular to each other, and the arrow Z indicates the up-down direction (direction of gravity).

[0015] The recording device 1 is composed of a paper feed module 1000, a print module 2000, a drying module 3000, a fixing module 4000, a cooling module 5000, an inverting module 6000, and a paper discharge stacking module 7000. A sheet S in the form of a sheet (cut paper) supplied from the paper feed module 1000 is transported along a transport path R indicated by a solid line in the figure, processed in each module, and discharged to the paper discharge stacking module 7000. Each of the modules 1000 to 7000 is covered with a cover (not shown), and casters 10 are provided at the bottom so that each of the modules 1000 to 7000 can move independently.

[0016] The paper feed module 1000 is provided with three storage containers 1100a-c for storing sheets S, which can be pulled out in the -Y direction. The sheets S are fed one by one in each of the storage containers 1100a-c by a separation belt (not shown) and a transport roller (not shown), and transported to the print module 2000. The number of storage containers 1100a-c is not limited to three, and the configuration may include one, two, or four or more.

[0017] The print module 2000 has a pre-imaging registration correction section (not shown), a print belt unit 2200 which is a conveyor belt, and a recording section 2300. The sheet S conveyed from the paper feed module 1000 has its inclination and position corrected by the pre-imaging registration correction section, and is conveyed to the print belt unit 2200. The recording section 2300 is disposed at a position facing the print belt unit 2200 in the Z direction with respect to the conveyance path R. The recording section 2300 is a sheet processing section that performs recording processing (printing) on ​​the conveyed sheet S from above with a recording head (ejection head) 2301 to form an image. The sheet S is attracted and conveyed by the print belt unit 2200, thereby ensuring a clearance with the recording head 2301.

[0018] Liquid such as ink ejected from the recording head 2301 is supplied from a liquid supply device 2400. Various types of liquid are assumed to be supplied, including water-based ink, latex ink, and solvent-based ink such as eco-solvent. All of these inks have the problem that the moisture in the ink evaporates over time when they come into contact with air, causing an increase in viscosity and solidification. In addition, a reaction liquid is ejected from the recording head 2301 in the same way as the ink, and is supplied from the liquid supply device 2400 to react with the ink to fix the ink to the surface of the sheet S.

[0019] A plurality of recording heads 2301 are arranged along the X direction. In this example, in addition to the four colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black), there are a total of five line-type recording heads corresponding to the reaction liquids. Note that the number of colors and recording heads is not limited to five. The inkjet method may employ a method using a heating element, a method using a piezoelectric element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS element, or the like.

[0020] The maintenance unit 2600 is a unit equipped with a mechanism for recovering the ejection performance of the print head 2301. Examples of such mechanisms include a cap mechanism for protecting the ink ejection surface of the print head 2301, a wiper mechanism for wiping the ink ejection surface, and a suction mechanism for negatively sucking ink from the ink ejection surface inside the print head 2301. The maintenance unit also includes a drive mechanism and rails (not shown), and is capable of reciprocating horizontally along the rails. The maintenance unit moves to a position directly below the print head 2301 when maintenance is performed on the print head 2301, and moves to a position away from directly below the print head 2301 when maintenance is not performed.

[0021] The sheet S recorded by the recording unit 2300 is transported by the print belt unit 2200. Thereafter, an in-line scanner (not shown) arranged downstream in the transport direction of the recording unit 2300 detects misalignment and color density of the image formed on the sheet S and corrects the printed image.

[0022] The drying module 3000 has a decoupling section 3200, a drying belt unit 3300, and a hot air blowing section 3400, and is a unit that reduces the liquid content contained in the ink applied onto the sheet S by the recording section 2300 and improves the fixation of the ink to the sheet S. The sheet S printed by the recording section 2300 of the print module 2000 is transported to the decoupling section 3200 arranged in the drying module 3000.

[0023] The decoupling unit 3200 has a function of blowing air toward the sheet S. This air presses the sheet S against a belt (not shown) which is a conveying means of the decoupling unit, and this pressing force generates a frictional force between the sheet S and the belt, allowing the sheet S to be conveyed. Here, by weakly holding the sheet S on the belt by the frictional force and conveying it, the sheet S on the print belt unit 2200 on which the ink image is formed is prevented from shifting.

[0024] The sheet S conveyed from the decoupling section 3200 is adsorbed and conveyed by the drying belt unit 3300, and at the same time, hot air is blown from a hot air blowing section 3400 arranged above the belt to dry the ink-applied surface of the sheet S. Note that the drying method may be a combination of a method of applying hot air, a method of irradiating the surface of the sheet S with electromagnetic waves (ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, etc.), and a conductive heat transfer method by contact with a heating element.

[0025] The fixing module 4000 has a fixing belt unit 4100 having belts on both the upper and lower sides in the Z direction of the conveying path R. The sheet S conveyed from the drying module 3000 is caused to pass between a heated upper belt unit 4110 and a lower belt unit 4120, thereby fixing the ink to the sheet S.

[0026] The cooling module 5000 has a plurality of cooling sections 5100, and cools the high-temperature sheet S transported from the fixing module 4000. The cooling section 5100 is configured to take in outside air into a cooling box with a fan, increase the pressure inside the cooling box, and cool the sheet S by blowing air from nozzles formed in a transport guide onto the sheet S. A plurality of cooling sections 5100 are arranged on both the top and bottom sides in the Z direction with respect to the transport path R, and can cool the sheet S from both sides.

[0027] In addition, the cooling module 5000 includes a transport path switching unit 5200, which can switch the transport path of the sheet S depending on whether the sheet S is transported to the inversion module 6000 or to the double-sided transport path R2 used for double-sided printing. During double-sided printing, the sheet S is transported to the double-sided transport path R2 below the cooling module 5000, and is further transported along the double-sided transport path R2 through the fixing module 4000, the drying module 3000, the print module 2000, and the paper feed module 1000.

[0028] The sheet S is again transported to a pre-imaging registration correction unit (not shown) of the print module 2000, the print belt unit 2200, and the recording unit 2300, and is printed by the recording unit 2300. The double-sided transport unit of the fixing module 4000 has a first reversing unit 4200 that reverses the sheet S from front to back.

[0029] The reversing module 6000 has a second reversing section 6400, which can reverse the front and back of the sheet S being conveyed, and can freely change the front and back orientation of the sheet S to be discharged.

[0030] The discharge stacking module 7000 has a top tray 7200 and a stacking section 7500, and aligns and stacks the sheets S conveyed from the reversing module 6000.

[0031] The control unit 8000 is a unit that controls each part of the recording device 1. The control unit 8000 has a CPU, a storage device, a controller equipped with various control units, an external interface, and an operation unit 8001 through which the user performs input and output. The operation unit 8001 also functions as a display unit that displays notifications to the user. The operation of the recording device 1 is controlled based on commands from the controller or a host device 8002 such as a host computer connected to the controller via an external interface.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the liquid supply unit 2400. Fig. 3 is a side view (a) of the tray unlocked state and a side view (b) of the tray locked state, and Fig. 4 is a top view (a) of the tray unlocked state and a top view (b) of the tray locked state. The structure of the liquid supply unit 2400 will be described in more detail using these figures.

[0033] 2 shows a state where a part of the liquid supply device 2400 is not covered so that the internal structure can be seen. Also, a state where a part of the tray 251 is pulled out so that the relationship between the tray 251 and the tray holding portion 260 can be seen.

[0034] The liquid supply device 2400 has a plurality of tray holders 260, and an ink container 240 (described later) containing liquid such as ink is set in each tray holder 260. A flow path 281 formed of a flexible tube is connected to each tank, and is connected from the rear side of the liquid supply device 2400 to a buffer tank (not shown) of the recording device 1. A flow path formed of a tube from the buffer tank is connected to a flow path inside the recording device 1, and is connected to the recording head 2301. In this way, a flow path is formed from the ink container 240 to the buffer tank and recording head 2301.

[0035] The tray 251 has an ink container 240 removably attached to an attachment portion 252, and can be set in a tray holding portion 260. The tray 251 is provided with a protrusion 253 that protrudes upward from the bottom surface. In order to prevent the user from inadvertently pulling out the tray 251 when the tray 251 is set in the tray holding portion 260, a lock member 270a and a driving means 271 are provided to restrict the operation of the tray 251. The driving means 271 is, for example, a solenoid that can hold a push / pull state.

[0036] When the locking member 270a is moved in the -X direction by the driving means 271, the tray is locked, and when it is moved in the +X direction, the tray is unlocked. When the locking member 270a is moved in the -X direction, the locking member 270a engages with the protrusion 253 of the tray 251, so that the user cannot pull out the tray 251 from the tray holding portion 260. In the tray unlocked state, the locking member 270a does not engage with the protrusion 253 of the tray 251 and does not restrict the movement of the protrusion 253, so that the user can pull out the tray 251 from the tray holding portion 260.

[0037] If the configuration were such that the user could pull out the tray 251 at any time, the ink container 240 would be pulled out of the tray 251, and air would enter the flow path 281 from the supply needle 280. This could cause ink to solidify in the flow path 281 or cause ejection problems in the recording head 2301. Furthermore, if the ink container 240 is pulled out during printing on a recording medium or during a maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 2600, the supply of ink would stop, and the recording device 1 could come to an abnormal stop.

[0038] For this reason, in this embodiment, the tray 251 is locked by a locking member 270a so that it cannot be pulled out from the tray holding portion 260, and the lock is released by a command from the control unit 8000 when the ink container 240 needs to be replaced.

[0039] An alarm unit 276 and a label 277 are disposed on the right side (+X side) when viewed from the front of the liquid supply device 2400. The alarm unit 276 is composed of two-color LEDs, and is provided for each tray holder 260. The two colors of the LEDs can be switched between lighting, blinking, and turning off, and a combination of these can inform the user of the state of the ink container 240 in each tray holder 260. In addition, the label 277 allows the user to recognize which tray holder 260 to set the ink container 240 in accordance with the type of liquid.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tray 251 and the ink container 240. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tray holder 260. The top and bottom surfaces of the ink container 240 are both made of flexible materials. In addition, both sides of the ink container 240 are provided with gusseted portions 241 that are folded inward to increase the amount of liquid that can be held. A bag-shaped container is formed by welding the flexible material and the gusseted portions 241. When the amount of liquid contained inside is large, the gusseted portions 241 expand, and when the amount of liquid contained inside is small, the gusseted portions 241 are folded in. Therefore, the shape of the ink container 240 changes depending on the amount of liquid contained inside.

[0041] Normally, the material of the ink container 240 is a multi-layered structure such as PET, but if the liquid inside reacts with air and solidifies, or if evaporation causes changes in concentration or remaining amount, the flexible member is made to have a layered structure including an aluminum layer to prevent these. Also, the ink container 240 is provided with a supply port 242, which is connected to a water intake port 243 inside the container.

[0042] A spring-loaded valve (not shown) is provided inside the supply port 242, and the valve is opened by inserting a supply needle 280 provided in a supply needle holder 282, thereby connecting the liquid in the ink container 240 to a downstream flow path 281, thereby allowing the liquid to be supplied to the recording head 2301.

[0043] When the user mounts a new ink container 240 in the mounting portion 252 of the tray 251 and inserts the tray 251 into the tray holding portion 260, the tray 251 enters a set state in which it is set in the tray holding portion 260. When the tray 251 enters the set state, the container substrate 244 having a contact provided near the supply port 242 comes into contact with the connector 283 provided on the supply needle holder 282, enabling an electrical connection.

[0044] Through the electrical connection, individual information such as the amount of ink in the set ink container 240 and the type of liquid contained therein is read out. This allows for determination as to whether the installed ink container 240 is new or has been used once and then reinstalled. Furthermore, it is determined whether the installed ink container 240 is incompatible with the tray holder 260 or whether the installed ink container 240 has an extremely low ink remaining amount.

[0045] Fig. 7(a) is a side view of a pressure-released state in which the ink container 240 is not pressed by the pressure plate 298, and (b) is a side view of a pressed state in which the ink container 240 is pressed by the pressure plate 298. Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ink container 240 and the pressing portion.

[0046] An agitation drive unit 290 for agitating the ink in the ink container 240 is provided on the side of the liquid supply device 2400. The configuration of the agitation drive unit 290 will now be described. A pressing part lifting motor (not shown) transmits drive to a cam 292. A cam follower (not shown) that is connected to a drive transmission lever 293 is disposed on the cam 292.

[0047] When the cam follower moves up and down due to the rotation of cam 292 in the direction of arrow A, drive transmission lever 293 rotates in the direction of arrow B around pivot shaft 294. Since drive transmission lever 293 is connected to a lifting plate shaft portion 296 provided on lifting plate 295, the operation of drive transmission lever 293 is converted into lifting and lowering operation of lifting plate 295. When cam 292 rotates once, the cam follower makes one reciprocating motion in the lifting and lowering direction (Z direction), so that lifting plate 295 similarly makes one reciprocating lifting motion via drive transmission lever 293. Lifting plate 295 is attached to side plate 297 so as to be able to move up and down in the Z direction.

[0048] The mechanism of power transmission from the lift plate 295 to the pressure plate 298 will be described. The pressure plate 298 provided on each tray holder 260 receives a load from a spring 291 and presses the ink container 240. The pressure plate 298 is attached to the tray holder 260 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 299 as the center of rotation. Both of these springs 291 apply a load in a direction that rotates the pressure plate 298 clockwise in FIG. 7.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 7(a), when the pressure plate 298 is in the released state, the lift plate 295 contacts the pressure plate 298 and lifts it up. As shown in Fig. 7(b), when the pressure plate 298 is in the pressed state, the cam 292 is in the opposite phase by 180 degrees from the released state, and the pressure plate 298 contacts the ink container 240 and presses it.

[0050] The ink container replacement control flow will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the ink container replacement control, which is executed by the control unit 8000.

[0051] The flow starts when the remaining amount of ink in the ink container 240 falls below a predetermined amount (S101). The control unit 8000 issues an unlock command to the driving means 271 (S102), and the lock detection sensor 272 detects whether the lock member 270a is in the tray unlocked state (S103).

[0052] When the tray unlocked state is detected, the control unit 8000 displays a user guide screen on the operation unit 8001, which prompts the user to replace the ink container 240 with a new one (S104). A control signal is also sent from the host device 8002 to the notification unit 276, which turns on an LED indicating a warning (S105). The notification to the user is not limited to a display on the operation unit 8001, and may be made using sound or vibration. Furthermore, the notification may be made via the host device 8002.

[0053] The user pulls out the tray 251 from the tray holding portion 260 (S106), mounts a new ink container 240 in the mounting portion 252 of the tray 251 (S107), and inserts the tray 251 into the tray holding portion 260 to set it (S108). As described above, steps S106 to S108 are manual operations performed by the user.

[0054] After the tray 251 is set, the container substrate 244 comes into contact with the connector 283 provided on the supply needle holder 282 to establish an electrical connection, and the control unit 8000 reads the information on the container substrate 244 (S109). The control unit 8000 determines from the information on the container substrate 244 whether the installed ink container 240 is new or has been reinstalled and has a predetermined amount of ink remaining (S110). If it is determined that the ink container 240 is new or has a predetermined amount of ink remaining, the control unit 8000 drives the drive means 271 to move the lock member 270a in the -X direction to set the tray in a locked state (S111).

[0055] Then, the control unit 8000 detects, by the lock detection sensor 272, that the lock member 270a is in a tray lock state that restricts the operation of the tray 251 (S112). If the remaining amount of ink in the attached ink container 240 is less than a predetermined amount, the process returns to S104, and the user guide screen remains in a state in which the user is prompted to replace the ink container with a new one.

[0056] Thereafter, depending on the type of liquid, settling of the contained components needs to be eliminated, so it is determined whether the ink container contains a liquid that requires stirring (S113). If the ink container 240 does not require stirring, an LED indicating "normal" is turned on in the notification unit 276 in S118. On the other hand, if the ink container 240 requires stirring, a user guide screen is displayed indicating that the ink container is being stirred (S114).

[0057] The control unit 8000 continues to drive the pressing unit lifting motor until a predetermined time has elapsed (S115), and when the predetermined time has elapsed (S116), stops the pressing unit lifting motor (S117). Note that, although the method of managing the stirring operation over time has been described, the stirring operation may also be managed by a pulse count using a pulse motor or an encoder sensor, or by the number of presses based on the number of detections by a rotation detection sensor. After stirring is completed, the control unit 8000 turns off the warning display for replacing the ink container, and lights up the LED indicating "normal" in the notification unit 276 (S118).

[0058] The above is the ink container replacement flow of this embodiment. In this way, once the replacement flow is completed, the tray 251 is kept in a tray-locked state locked by the locking member 270a. Therefore, unless the amount of liquid in the ink container 240 falls below a predetermined amount and a command to release the tray lock is issued by the control unit 8000, the user cannot pull out the tray 251 (ink container 240) at any time. This allows the supply port 242 and supply needle 280 of the ink container 240 to come into contact with air, causing the moisture in the liquid inside to evaporate, preventing ink concentration in the flow path 281 and ejection defects in the recording head 2301.

[0059] Second embodiment The configuration according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below, with the description of the configuration overlapping with the first embodiment being omitted.

[0060] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a liquid supplying apparatus 2400 in this embodiment. Fig. 11 is a side view (a) of the lever unlocked state and a side view (b) of the lever locked state, and Fig. 12 is a top view (a) of the lever unlocked state and a top view (b) of the lever locked state.

[0061] In the first embodiment, the tray 251 is locked by the locking member 270a. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the tray 251 is locked by the operating lever 261 via the locking member 270b. Note that the same components as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0062] An operation lever 261 is provided to prevent the user from accidentally pulling out the tray 251 when the tray 251 is set in the tray holding section 260. The operation lever 261 is installed so as to be movable in the X direction by the user's operation, and becomes a lever locked state (restricted position) when moved in the -X direction, and becomes a lever unlocked state (unrestricted position) when moved in the +X direction.

[0063] In the lever locked state where the operating lever 261 is moved in the -X direction, the operating lever 261 engages with the projection 253 of the tray 251, restricting the movement of the tray 251. In the lever unlocked state, the operating lever 261 does not restrict the movement of the projection 253 of the tray, so the user can pull out the tray 251.

[0064] A lever detection sensor 262 is provided on the right side (+X side) as viewed from the front of the tray holding part 260, and is capable of detecting a lever locked state and a lever unlocked state depending on the positional relationship with a sensor flag connected to the operation lever 261. In other words, the lever detection sensor 262 is configured to be able to detect whether the operation lever 261 is in either the restricted position or the non-restricted position.

[0065] A lock member 270b and a drive means 271 are provided to restrict the operation of the operating lever 261 so that the user does not inadvertently pull out the tray 251 in the lever-locked state. The drive means 271 is, for example, a solenoid capable of holding a push / pull state. When the drive means 271 moves the lock member 270b in the +Y direction, the lever is locked, and when the drive means 271 moves the lock member 270b in the -Y direction, the lever is unlocked. A lock detection sensor 272 is provided near the drive means 271. The lock detection sensor 272 can detect whether the lock member 270b is in the lever-locked state restricting the operation of the operating lever 261 or in the lever-locked state, depending on the positional relationship with a sensor flag connected to the lock member 270b.

[0066] If the configuration were such that the user could move the operation lever 261 in the +X direction at any time to set the lever lock release state, there is a risk that the ink container 240 would be pulled out and air would enter the flow path 281 from the supply needle 280. This could cause problems such as ink solidification in the flow path 281 and ejection defects in the recording head 2301. Furthermore, if the ink container 240 is pulled out during printing on a recording medium or during a maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 2600, the supply of ink would stop, and the recording device 1 could come to an abnormal stop.

[0067] For this reason, in this embodiment, the tray 251 is locked by an operating lever 261, and the lever lock is released by a command from the control unit 8000 when necessary.

[0068] 13A is a side view of the pressure plate 298 in a released state where the ink container 240 is not being pressed by the pressure plate 298, and FIG. 13B is a side view of the pressure plate 298 in a pressed state where the ink container 240 is being pressed by the pressure plate 298. As in the first embodiment, when the pressure plate 298 is in the released state as shown in FIG. 13A, the lift plate 295 comes into contact with the pressure plate 298 and lifts it up.

[0069] On the other hand, when the pressure plate 298 is in the pressing state as shown in FIG. 13(b), the cam 292 is in the phase 180 degrees opposite to that in the released state, and the pressure plate 298 comes into contact with the ink container 240 and presses the ink container 240.

[0070] The ink container replacement control flow will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flowchart of ink container replacement control in this embodiment, which is executed by the control unit 8000.

[0071] The flow starts when the remaining amount of ink in the ink container 240 falls below a predetermined amount (S201). The control unit 8000 issues an unlock command to the driving means 271 (S202), and the lock detection sensor 272 detects whether the lock member 270b is in the lever unlocked state (S203).

[0072] When the lever lock release state is detected, the control unit 8000 displays a user guide screen on the operation unit 8001, which prompts the user to replace the ink container 240 with a new one (S204). A control signal is also sent from the host device 8002 to the notification unit 276, which turns on an LED indicating a warning (S205). The notification to the user is not limited to a display on the operation unit 8001, and may be made by using sound or vibration. Furthermore, the notification may be made via the host device 8002.

[0073] The user moves the operating lever 261 in the +X direction to bring the lever into the unlocked state (S206). After that, the control unit 8000 detects that the operating lever 261 is in the unlocked state by the lever detection sensor 262 (S207).

[0074] Next, the user pulls out the tray 251 from the tray holding portion 260 (S208), mounts a new ink container 240 in the mounting portion 252 of the tray 251 (S209), and inserts the tray 251 into the tray holding portion 260 to set it (S210). As described above, S206 and S208 to S210 are manual operations performed by the user.

[0075] After the tray 251 is set, the container substrate 244 and the connector 283 provided on the supply needle holder 282 come into contact with each other to establish an electrical connection, and the control unit 8000 reads the information on the container substrate 244 (S211). The control unit 8000 determines from the information on the container substrate 244 whether the installed ink container 240 is new or has been reinstalled and has a predetermined amount of ink remaining (S212).

[0076] If it is determined that the ink container 240 is new or has a predetermined amount of ink remaining or more, the control unit 8000 displays a user guide screen on the operation unit 8001, which urges the user to lock the operation lever 261 (S213). If the amount of ink remaining in the attached ink container 240 is less than the predetermined amount, the process returns to S204, and the user guide screen remains in a state in which the user is urged to replace the ink container with a new one. The notification to the user is not limited to a display on the operation unit 8001, and may be made by sound or vibration. Furthermore, the notification may be made via the host device 8002.

[0077] The user manually moves the operation lever 261 in the -X direction to set the lever to the locked state (S214). This action causes the operation lever 261 to engage with the protrusion 253 of the tray 251, and the tray 251 cannot be pulled out even if the user operates the tray handle 254. The control unit 8000 then detects, via the lever detection sensor 262, that the operation lever 261 is in the locked state (S215). Note that even if the control unit 8000 detects that the operation lever 261 is in the locked state when the ink container 240 is not installed, the user guide screen maintains the state encouraging replacement with a new ink container.

[0078] When the ink container 240 is attached and the operating lever 261 is in the locked state, the driving means 271 moves the locking member 270 in the +Y direction to set the lever in the locked state (S216). The control unit 8000 detects through the lock detection sensor 272 that the locking member 270b is in the lever locked state in which the operation of the lever is restricted (S217).

[0079] Thereafter, depending on the type of liquid, settling of the contained components may need to be eliminated, so it is determined whether the ink container contains a liquid that requires stirring (S218). If the ink container 240 does not require stirring, an LED indicating "normal" is turned on in the notification unit 276 in S223. If the ink container 240 requires stirring, a user guide screen is displayed indicating that the ink container is being stirred (S219).

[0080] The control unit 8000 continues to drive the pressing unit lifting motor until a predetermined time has elapsed (S220), and when the predetermined time has elapsed (S221), stops the pressing unit lifting motor (S222). Note that, although the method of managing the stirring operation over time has been described, the stirring operation may also be managed by a pulse count using a pulse motor or an encoder sensor, or by the number of presses based on the number of detections by a rotation detection sensor. After stirring is completed, the control unit 8000 turns off the warning display for replacing the ink container, and lights up the LED indicating "normal" in the notification unit 276 (S223).

[0081] The above is the ink container replacement flow of the second embodiment. After this, once the replacement flow is completed, the tray 251 is held in the lever-locked state locked by the lock member 270a. Therefore, unless the amount of liquid in the ink container 240 falls below a predetermined amount and a command is issued by the control unit 8000 to release the lever lock, the user cannot pull out the tray 251 (ink container 240) at any time. This allows the supply port 242 and the supply needle 280 of the ink container 240 to come into contact with air, causing the moisture in the liquid inside to evaporate, preventing ink concentration in the flow path 281 and ejection defects in the recording head 2301.

[0082] The disclosure of the above-described embodiment includes the following configurations.

[0083] (Configuration 1) a holder that holds a tray on which a container that contains a liquid to be supplied to the ejection head is removably attached; a first restricting means movable between a restricting position for restricting the tray from being pulled out from the holding portion and a non-restricting position for not restricting the tray from being pulled out from the holding portion; a connector capable of contacting a substrate of the container; a second regulating means that regulates the movement of the first regulating means to the non-regulating position when the substrate and the connector are in contact and the first regulating means is located at the regulating position.

[0084] (Configuration 2) The liquid ejection device according to configuration 1, wherein, when the substrate and the connector are not in contact with each other, the second restricting means does not restrict the movement of the first restricting means to the non-restricting position.

[0085] (Configuration 3) 3. The liquid ejection device according to configuration 1 or 2, further comprising a detection means for detecting whether the first regulating means is in the regulating position or the non-regulating position.

[0086] (Configuration 4) 4. The liquid ejection device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the second regulating means is driven by a solenoid.

[0087] (Configuration 5) 5. The liquid ejection device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the first restricting means is operated by a user.

[0088] (Configuration 6) A liquid ejection device described in any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that when the substrate and the connector are in contact and the first regulating means is located in the non-regulating position, a notification is given urging the user to move the first regulating means to the regulating position.

[0089] (Configuration 7) 7. The liquid ejection device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, further comprising a display unit that displays a notification to a user.

[0090] (Configuration 8) 8. The liquid ejection device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, further comprising an agitating means for agitating the container in a state in which the movement of the first regulating means is regulated by the second regulating means.

[0091] (Configuration 9) The liquid ejection device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that when the amount of liquid contained in the container becomes less than a predetermined amount, the movement of the first regulating means by the second regulating means is released.

[0092] (Configuration 10) a holder that holds a tray on which a container that contains a liquid to be supplied to the ejection head is removably attached; a connector capable of contacting a substrate of the container; a restricting means for restricting the tray from being pulled out from the holding portion when the substrate and the connector are in contact with each other.

[0093] (Configuration 11) A liquid ejection device as described in configuration 10, characterized in that the regulating means is provided with a detection means for detecting whether the regulating means is in a regulating position that regulates the withdrawal of the tray from the holding portion, or a non-regulating position that does not regulate the withdrawal of the tray from the holding portion.

[0094] (Configuration 12) 12. The liquid ejection device according to configuration 10 or 11, wherein the regulating means is driven by a solenoid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1 Recording device 240 Ink container 244 Container Substrate 251 Tray 260 Tray holder 261 Operating lever 270b Locking member 283 Connector 2301 Recording head (ejection head)

Claims

1. a holder that holds a tray on which a container that contains a liquid to be supplied to the ejection head is removably attached; a first restricting means movable between a restricting position for restricting the tray from being pulled out from the holding portion and a non-restricting position for not restricting the tray from being pulled out from the holding portion; a connector capable of contacting a substrate of the container; a second regulating means for regulating the movement of the first regulating means to the non-regulating position when the substrate and the connector are in contact and the first regulating means is located at the regulating position.

2. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein, when the substrate and the connector are not in contact with each other, the second restricting means does not restrict the movement of the first restricting means to the non-restricting position.

3. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects whether the first regulating unit is in the regulating position or the non-regulating position.

4. 2. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second restricting means is driven by a solenoid.

5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first restricting means is operated by a user.

6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, when the substrate and the connector are in contact and the first regulating means are located in the non-regulating position, a notification is given urging the user to move the first regulating means to the regulating position.

7. 7. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays a notification to a user.

8. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, further comprising an agitating means for agitating the container in a state in which the movement of the first regulating means is regulated by the second regulating means.

9. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the first regulating means by the second regulating means is released when the amount of liquid contained in the container falls below a predetermined amount.

10. a holder that holds a tray on which a container that contains a liquid to be supplied to the ejection head is removably attached; a connector capable of contacting a substrate of the container; a restricting means for restricting the tray from being pulled out from the holding portion when the substrate and the connector are in contact with each other.

11. A liquid ejection device according to claim 10, further comprising a detection means for detecting whether the regulating means is in a regulating position that regulates the withdrawal of the tray from the holding portion or a non-regulating position that does not regulate the withdrawal of the tray from the holding portion.

12. 12. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the regulating means is driven by a solenoid.

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