Liquid discharge device

Abstract

To position a liquid supply device with respect to a body not only in a horizontal direction but also in a vertical direction.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device 1 includes: a liquid discharge section 5 which discharges liquid; a body 9 on which the liquid discharge section 5 is mounted; a liquid supply device 100 which is configured to be movable independently of the body 9 and supplies liquid to the liquid discharge section 5 through a liquid supply passage 12; a body side engaging section 110A which is provided in the body 9 and is engaged with the liquid supply device 100; and a liquid supply device side engaging section 110B which is provided in the liquid supply device 100 and is engaged with the body 9. The body side engaging section 110A has a lower receiving section 111 which receives the liquid supply device side engaging section 110B from a lower side in a vertical direction. The liquid supply device side engaging section 110B has an upper receiving section 112 which is engaged with the lower receiving section 111 and can be received by the body side engaging section 110A from the lower side in the vertical direction because the upper receiving section 112 is engaged with the lower receiving section 111 and is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various liquid ejection devices have been used. Among these, there is a liquid ejection device in which a main body that ejects liquid and a liquid supply device that supplies liquid to the main body are configured to be movable. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printer system that includes a printer that ejects ink for printing and a liquid supply device that supplies ink to the printer, where the printer and the liquid supply device are connected via a plurality of tubes and are configured to be movable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a conventional liquid ejection device in which a main body and a liquid supply device are configured to be movable, such as the printer system of Patent Document 1, for example, when the liquid ejection device is moved, there is a risk that the main body and the liquid supply device are too far apart and a liquid supply path such as a tube is damaged, or that the main body and the liquid supply device are too close and collide. Here, regarding the positional relationship between the main body and the liquid supply device, there is not only a horizontal positional relationship but also a vertical positional relationship.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The liquid ejection device of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a liquid ejection unit that ejects liquid, a main body on which the liquid ejection unit is mounted, a liquid supply device that is configured to be movable independently of the main body and supplies the liquid to the liquid ejection unit via a liquid supply path, a main body side engaging portion provided on the main body and engaging with the liquid supply device, and a liquid supply device side engaging portion provided on the liquid supply device and engaging with the main body. The main body side engaging portion has a lower receiving portion that receives the liquid supply device side engaging portion from below in the vertical direction, the liquid supply device side engaging portion has an upper receiving portion that engages with the lower receiving portion, and the upper receiving portion is received by engaging with the lower receiving portion, whereby the main body side engaging portion is received from below in the vertical direction.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] First, the present invention will be briefly described. The liquid ejection device according to the first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a liquid ejection unit that ejects a liquid, a main body on which the liquid ejection unit is mounted, a liquid supply device that is configured to be movable independently of the main body and supplies the liquid to the liquid ejection unit via a liquid supply path, a main body side engagement portion provided on the main body and engaging with the liquid supply device, and a liquid supply device side engagement portion provided on the liquid supply device and engaging with the main body. The main body side engagement portion has a lower receiving portion that receives the liquid supply device side engagement portion from below in the vertical direction, the liquid supply device side engagement portion has an upper receiving portion that engages with the lower receiving portion, and the upper receiving portion is received by engaging with the lower receiving portion, so that the main body side engagement portion is received from below in the vertical direction.

[0008] According to this aspect, the main body side engagement portion has a lower receiving portion that receives the liquid supply device side engagement portion from below in the vertical direction, the liquid supply device side engagement portion has an upper receiving portion that engages with the lower receiving portion, and the upper receiving portion is received by engaging with the lower receiving portion, so that the main body side engagement portion is received from below in the vertical direction. Therefore, the liquid supply device can be positioned horizontally with respect to the main body by the lower receiving portion and the upper receiving portion.

[0009] The liquid ejection device according to the second aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, and the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion extend in an intersecting direction that intersects both the facing direction in which the liquid supply device and the main body face each other and the vertical direction in the engaged state in which the main body and the liquid supply device are engaged.

[0010] According to this aspect, the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion extend in the intersecting direction. Therefore, the liquid supply device can be positioned with respect to the main body in a long region in the intersecting direction, and it is possible to suppress the liquid supply device from moving in the rotational direction around the vertical axis with respect to the main body.

[0011] The liquid ejection device according to the third aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the second aspect, wherein one of the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion is an inner rail extending in the intersecting direction, and the other of the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion is an outer rail extending in the intersecting direction and covering the inner rail when viewed from the intersecting direction.

[0012] According to this aspect, one of the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion is an inner rail, and the other of the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion is an outer rail. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the main body side engaging portion and the liquid supply device side engaging portion from accidentally disengaging in the engaged state, and it is possible to position the liquid supply device with high accuracy with respect to the main body in the opposing direction.

[0013] The liquid ejection device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the second aspect, wherein the upper receiving portion has an upper rail received from below in the vertical direction by the lower receiving portion, and the lower receiving portion has a lower rail received from above in the vertical direction by the upper receiving portion.

[0014] According to this aspect, the upper receiving portion has an upper rail received from below in the vertical direction by the lower receiving portion, and the lower receiving portion has a lower rail received from above in the vertical direction by the upper receiving portion. With such a configuration, the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion extending in the intersecting direction can be easily formed.

[0015] The liquid ejection device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion are engaged by relatively moving the main body and the liquid supply device along the intersecting direction.

[0016] According to this aspect, the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion are engaged by relatively moving the main body and the liquid supply device along the intersecting direction. By adopting such a configuration, the main body and the liquid supply device can be easily brought into an engaged state.

[0017] The liquid discharge device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the lower receiving portion has an upward protruding portion that extends in the intersecting direction and protrudes upward in the vertical direction toward the upper receiving portion, and the upper receiving portion has a downward protruding portion that extends in the intersecting direction and protrudes downward in the vertical direction toward the lower receiving portion, and the length in the vertical direction from the upward protruding portion to the upper receiving portion is the same as the length in the vertical direction from the downward protruding portion to the lower receiving portion.

[0018] According to this aspect, the length in the vertical direction from the upward protruding portion to the upper receiving portion is the same as the length in the vertical direction from the downward protruding portion to the lower receiving portion. By adopting such a configuration, when the liquid supply device moves in the vertical direction with respect to the main body in the engaged state, the impact force when the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion collide can be dispersed. Therefore, damage to the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion can be suppressed.

[0019] The liquid discharge device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, and in the engaged state where the main body and the liquid supply device are engaged, the connection portion between the main body and the liquid supply device is configured to be able to be in a usable state connected by the liquid supply path, and in the usable state, the relative movable range of the main body and the liquid supply device at the connection portion is wider than the relative movable range of the main body-side engaging portion and the liquid supply device-side engaging portion.

[0020] According to this aspect, in the usable state, the relative movable range between the main body and the liquid supply device at the connection part is wider than the relative movable range between the main body-side engaging part and the liquid supply device-side engaging part. That is, the play between the main body and the liquid supply device at the connection part of the liquid supply path is larger than the play between the main body-side engaging part and the liquid supply device-side engaging part. Therefore, even when the main body and the liquid supply device move relative to each other to the maximum extent, it is possible to suppress the liquid supply path coming off from the main body or the liquid supply device at the connection part, or the connection part being damaged.

[0021] The liquid ejection device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, characterized in that the main body-side engaging part and the liquid supply device-side engaging part have a strength that does not break even when the liquid supply device is separated from the installation surface in the engaged state where the main body and the liquid supply device are engaged.

[0022] According to this aspect, the main body-side engaging part and the liquid supply device-side engaging part have a strength that does not break even when the liquid supply device is separated from the installation surface in the engaged state. Therefore, for example, even when the liquid supply device hangs down relative to the main body when the liquid ejection device is moved, it is possible to suppress the main body-side engaging part and the liquid supply device-side engaging part from being damaged and the main body or the liquid supply device from being damaged.

[0023] [Example 1] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. First, the outline of the liquid discharge device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, some constituent members are simplified and omitted for easy understanding of the configuration. Here, in FIG. 1, the X-axis direction in the figure is the horizontal direction and is the direction in which the support portion of the supply unit 2 that holds the roll body R1 around which the medium M is wound in a roll shape extends, the Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction and is the front-rear direction of the liquid discharge device 1 and is a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. Also, hereinafter, the direction in which the arrow points is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the direction in which the arrow points is the - direction. For example, in FIG. 1, the vertically upward direction is the +Z direction, the vertically downward direction is the -Z direction, the front of the liquid discharge device 1 is the +Y direction, and the rear of the liquid discharge device 1 is the -Y direction.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid discharge device 1 of this embodiment includes a main body 9, and leg frames 7 are attached to the vicinity of both ends of the main body 9 in the X-axis direction. Note that the main body 9 can be regarded as including the supply unit 2, the leg frames 7, the medium support unit 3, the winding unit 6, etc. described later. A caster 13 and an adjuster 14 are provided below the leg frame 7. The liquid discharge device 1 can be easily moved using the caster 13, and the heights of a plurality of locations can be adjusted using the adjuster 14, and the liquid discharge device 1 can be suitably installed on the installation surface G. Further, the liquid discharge device 1 of this embodiment includes a supply unit 2 that holds the roll body R1 on the -Y direction side, which is the rear side of the main body 9. The supply unit 2 supports the paper tube of the roll body R1 around which the medium M is wound so as to sandwich it in the X-axis direction, and supplies the medium M to a position facing the head 5 as the liquid discharge unit.

[0025] In the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, when the medium M is conveyed in the conveyance direction A, the supply unit 2 rotates the roll body R1 in the rotation direction C. In FIG. 1, the roll body R1 wound so that the image formation surface M1 on which an image is formed faces outward is used. However, when a roll body R1 wound so that the image formation surface M1 faces inward is used, the supply unit 2 can rotate the roll body R1 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C to send out the medium M.

[0026] Further, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a conveyance path for the medium M including a medium support unit 3 that supports the medium M on the support surface 30. The liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes an upstream medium support unit 3A, a medium support unit 3B, and a downstream medium support unit 3C from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction A as the medium support unit 3. Further, the liquid ejection device 1 includes a pair of rollers 8 including a driving roller and a driven roller as a conveyance unit for conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction A in the conveyance path. However, the configuration of the conveyance unit is not particularly limited.

[0027] Further, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a head 5 as a liquid ejection unit that is provided with a plurality of nozzles at a position facing the medium support unit 3B and ejects ink, which is a liquid, from the nozzles to form an image, and a carriage 4 that mounts the head 5 and is reciprocally movable in the width direction B. A liquid supply path 12 made of a tube or the like is connected to the head 5, and ink is supplied to the head 5 from an ink cartridge mounted on a liquid supply device 100 represented in FIG. 2 or the like, which will be described in detail later, via the liquid supply path 12. In the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the conveyance direction A at the position facing the head 5 on the medium support unit 3B is the +Y direction, the width direction B, which is the moving direction of the head 5, is a direction along the X-axis direction, and the ink ejection direction is the -Z direction.

[0028] With the above configuration, the head 5 can form an image by discharging ink from a nozzle (not shown) onto the medium M being conveyed while reciprocating in the width direction B, which is a direction intersecting the conveyance direction A. The liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment can form a desired image on the medium M by repeating the steps of conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction A at a predetermined conveyance amount and discharging ink while moving the head 5 in the width direction B with the medium M stopped.

[0029] Further, a heater 20 is provided as a heating unit for heating the supported surface M2 on the side opposite to the image forming surface M1 of the medium M in the downstream medium support portion 3C of the medium support portion 3. The heater 20 of the present embodiment is composed of a heating wire or the like, but is not limited to such a configuration. Further, not only the downstream medium support portion 3C but also the upstream medium support portion 3A and the medium support portion 3B may be provided with a medium heating unit for heating the supported surface M2 on the side opposite to the image forming surface M1 of the medium M.

[0030] Further, a blower unit 10 is provided at a portion of the conveyance path facing the downstream medium support portion 3C for drying the ink discharged from the head 5 onto the image forming surface M1 of the medium M by blowing an air flow F. The blower unit 10 of the present embodiment includes a fan 11 that generates the air flow F and is configured to be able to blow the gas as the air flow F onto the image forming surface M1 of the medium M, but is not limited to such a configuration.

[0031] Further downstream of the downstream-side medium support portion 3C in the conveyance direction A, there is provided a winding portion 6 that winds the medium M conveyed in the conveyance direction A into a roll shape to form a roll body R2. In the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the supply portion 2 and the winding portion 6 have the same configuration. The medium M conveyed from the supply portion 2 to the winding portion 6 is conveyed in a state where a predetermined tension is applied by the winding portion 6 or the like. The winding portion 6 supports the paper tube, which is the winding core of the roll body R2, so as to sandwich it in the X-axis direction, and winds the medium M into a roll shape by rotating the paper tube. In FIG. 1, the winding portion 6 winds the roll body R2 in the rotation direction C so that the image formation surface M1 faces outward, but the medium M may be wound so that the image formation surface M1 faces inward. In that case, the winding portion 6 rotates the roll body R2 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C.

[0032] Note that a guide bar 200 is provided between the downstream-side medium support portion 3C and the winding portion 6 in the conveyance direction A. The guide bar 200 has an arc-shaped contact surface 201 when viewed from the width direction B. Then, the guide bar 200 guides the conveyance of the medium M by the contact surface 201 contacting the supported surface M2 of the medium M wound by the winding portion 6. However, the configuration of the guide bar 200 is not particularly limited, and further, a configuration without the guide bar 200 may be adopted.

[0033] As described above, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a head 5 that ejects ink, and the head 5 is mounted on the main body 9. And the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a liquid supply device 100 that supplies ink to the head 5. Hereinafter, the details of the liquid supply device 100 and the engaging portion 110 between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9.

[0034] The liquid supply device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be movable independently of the main body 9 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and the like, and is configured to be able to supply ink to the head 5 via the liquid supply path 12. The liquid supply device 100 can mount a plurality of ink cartridges filled with ink, and can connect each of the plurality of ink cartridges and the plurality of liquid supply paths 12 provided corresponding to each ink cartridge. And the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment can eject the ink of each of the plurality of ink cartridges from the head 5 onto the image formation surface M1 of the medium M to be conveyed.

[0035] Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the engaging portion 110 has a main body side engaging portion 110A provided on the main body 9 and capable of engaging with the liquid supply device 100, and a liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B provided on the liquid supply device 100 and capable of engaging with the main body 9. And as shown in FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, the main body side engaging portion 110A has a lower receiving portion 111 that receives the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B from the lower side in the vertical direction. Also, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B has an upper receiving portion 112 that engages with the lower receiving portion 111. And as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B is received from the lower side in the vertical direction by the main body side engaging portion 110A when the upper receiving portion 112 engages with and is received by the lower receiving portion 111. Since the liquid supply device 100 of this embodiment has such a configuration, the liquid supply device 100 can be positioned horizontally with respect to the main body 9 by the lower receiving portion 111 and the upper receiving portion 112.

[0036] Here, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, both the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111 extend in the Y-axis direction. In other words, in the engaged state where the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 are engaged as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111 extend in the intersecting direction corresponding to the Y-axis direction, which intersects both the X-axis direction, which is the facing direction in which the liquid supply device 100 and the main body 9 face each other, and the Z-axis direction corresponding to the vertical direction. Therefore, the engaging portion 110 of the present embodiment can position the liquid supply device 100 with respect to the main body 9 in a long region in the intersecting direction, and can suppress the liquid supply device 100 from moving in the rotational direction with the vertical direction as the rotation axis with respect to the main body 9. Furthermore, by configuring the engaging portion 110 in such a manner, the positional relationship between the liquid supply device 100 and the main body 9 in the X-axis direction, which is the facing direction in which the liquid supply device 100 and the main body 9 face each other, can be determined with high precision, and for example, like the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, an appearance can be achieved such that the liquid supply device 100 and the main body 9 seem to be integrally formed.

[0037] Further, as shown in Fig. 9 and the like, the lower receiving portion 111 has a main body mounting portion 111A and a lower rail 111B protruding vertically upward. The lower receiving portion 111 also has a plate-shaped portion 111C that faces in the Z-axis direction and connects the main body mounting portion 111A and the lower rail 111B. And, as shown in Fig. 9 and the like, the upper receiving portion 112 has a liquid supply device mounting portion 112A and an upper rail 112B protruding vertically downward. The upper receiving portion 112 also has a plate-shaped portion 112C that faces in the Z-axis direction and connects the liquid supply device mounting portion 112A and the upper rail 112B. Explaining from another perspective, the upper rail 112B can be regarded as the upper receiving portion 112 received from the lower side in the vertical direction by the lower receiving portion 111, and the lower rail 111B can be regarded as the lower receiving portion 111 received from the upper side in the vertical direction by the upper receiving portion 112. That is, the upper receiving portion 112 has the upper rail 112B received from the lower side in the vertical direction by the lower receiving portion 111, and the lower receiving portion 111 has the lower rail 111B received from the upper side in the vertical direction by the upper receiving portion 112. With such a configuration, the engaging portion 110 of the present embodiment can easily form the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111 extending in the intersecting direction (Y-axis direction).

[0038] Here, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111 are configured to engage by relatively moving the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 along the intersecting direction (Y-axis direction). In other words, the liquid supply device 100 is moved from the +Y direction side to the -Y direction side with respect to the main body 9 to engage the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111. With such a configuration, the engaging portion 110 of the present embodiment can easily bring the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 into an engaged state.

[0039] Note that, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower receiving portion 111 has a contact plate-shaped portion 111D that connects the -Y direction side end of the main body mounting portion 111A and the -Y direction side end of the lower rail 111B, and is configured to be able to contact the -Y direction side end of the upper rail 112B. Therefore, when the engaging portion 110 of this embodiment moves the liquid supply device 100 from the +Y direction side to the -Y direction side with respect to the main body 9 and engages the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111, the contact plate-shaped portion 111D restricts the movement of the upper rail 112B in the -Y direction, and it is possible to prevent the liquid supply device 100 from being moved too far in the -Y direction with respect to the main body 9.

[0040] Here, the preferable lengths of the lower rail 111B and the upper rail 112B in the vertical direction will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, in the engaged state where the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 are engaged, when the length of the region where the lower rail 111B and the upper rail 112B overlap in the vertical direction is defined as length L1, and the distance between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 in the vertical direction is defined as length L2, it is preferable that length L1 > length L2. The liquid supply device 100 is configured to be disposed in the space below the main body 9 in the engaged state where the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 are engaged. The height of the main body 9 can be adjusted by an adjuster 14 or the like, and within the range of length L2, the distance from the liquid supply device 100 in the vertical direction can be reduced. That is, when the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 come into contact, it becomes the limit of the approach between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100. However, when separating the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 in the vertical direction, the distance tends to increase. Therefore, by providing the lower receiving portion 111 on the main body side engaging portion 110A and the upper receiving portion 112 on the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B, the lower receiving portion 111 and the upper receiving portion 112 are configured to come into contact before the separation between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 in the vertical direction exceeds the limit point. When the lower receiving portion 111 and the upper receiving portion 112 come into contact, even if the main body 9 moves in the +Z direction side by a predetermined amount or more, the liquid supply device 100 will also move together.

[0041] Also, as shown in FIG. 9, in the engaged state where the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 are engaged, the shorter of the length L3 which is the vertical distance between the tip of the lower rail 111B and the plate-like portion 112C, and the length L4 which is the vertical distance between the tip of the upper rail 112B and the plate-like portion 111C, that is, the play in the vertical direction between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 is preferably 5 mm or more. By satisfying these conditions, sufficient play is achieved on the installation surface G that meets the floor deflection standard of the Building Standards Law. Explaining from another perspective, it is preferable that the shorter of the length L3 and the length L4 is set to a length such that sufficient play is obtained even when the installation surface G has an inclination of 6 / 1000°. Note that it is preferable that the length L1 > the length L3 and the length L4 so that the main body-side engaging portion 110A and the liquid supply device-side engaging portion 110B do not accidentally disengage in the engaged state.

[0042] Also, in the engaging portion 110 of the present embodiment, the lower receiving portion 111 can be expressed as having a lower rail 111B as an upward protruding portion that extends in the intersecting direction (Y-axis direction) and protrudes upward in the vertical direction toward the upper receiving portion 112. And the upper receiving portion 112 can be expressed as having an upper rail 112B as a downward protruding portion that extends in the intersecting direction (Y-axis direction) and protrudes downward in the vertical direction toward the lower receiving portion 111. Here, it is preferable that the length L3 corresponding to the vertical length from the upward protruding portion (lower rail 111B) to the plate-like portion 112C of the upper receiving portion 112 is the same as the length L4 corresponding to the vertical length from the downward protruding portion (upper rail 112B) to the plate-like portion 111C of the lower receiving portion 111. By adopting such a configuration, when the liquid supply device 100 moves in the vertical direction with respect to the main body 9 in the engaged state, the impact force when the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111 collide can be dispersed, and damage to the upper receiving portion 112 and the lower receiving portion 111 can be suppressed. Note that the fact that the length L3 and the length L4 are the same means that they may be substantially the same, and may include manufacturing tolerances and the like.

[0043] Further, in the engaged state where the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 of the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment are engaged, by changing from the state shown in FIG. 4 to the state shown in FIG. 5, the connection portion 120 between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 can be configured to be in a usable state connected by the liquid supply path 12. And, in the usable state, the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment is configured such that relative movement between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 is possible at the connection portion 120. That is, the connection portion 120 is provided with a play that allows relative movement between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100.

[0044] Here, it is preferable that the relative movement range between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 at the connection portion 120 is wider than the relative movement range between the main body-side engaging portion 110A and the liquid supply device-side engaging portion 110B. That is, it is preferable that the play between the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 at the connection portion 120 of the liquid supply path 12 is larger than the play between the main body-side engaging portion 110A and the liquid supply device-side engaging portion 110B. By adopting such a configuration, even when the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 move relatively to the maximum extent, it is possible to prevent the liquid supply path 12 from detaching from the main body 9 or the liquid supply device 100 at the connection portion 120 or the connection portion 120 from being damaged.

[0045] Note that, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a main body-side connection joint portion 121 on the main body 9 and a liquid supply device-side connection joint portion 122 on the liquid supply device 100. And, it is configured such that the liquid supply path 12 can be extended and connected from the main body-side connection joint portion 121 toward the liquid supply device-side connection joint portion 122.

[0046] Here, in the engaging portion 110 of the present embodiment, the main body side engaging portion 110A and the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B have a strength such that they will not be damaged even when the liquid supply device 100 is in a state of being separated from the installation surface G in the engaged state where the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 are engaged. For example, even when the liquid supply device 100 is in a state of hanging down with respect to the main body 9 at the engaging portion 110. Therefore, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, even when the liquid supply device 100 is in a state of hanging down with respect to the main body 9, such as when the liquid ejection device 1 is moved, the main body side engaging portion 110A and the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B are prevented from being damaged and the main body 9 and the liquid supply device 100 are prevented from being damaged.

[0047] [Embodiment 2] Next, the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. Note that FIG. 10 is a figure corresponding to FIG. 9 in the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 1. In FIG. 10, the constituent members common to the above-described Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Here, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 1 except for the configuration of the portion described below in the engaging portion 110. Therefore, except for the portion described below, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has the same characteristics as the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 1.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 10, in the engaging portion 110 of the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, with respect to the engaging portion 110 of the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 1, the lower receiving portion 111 provided in the main body side engaging portion 110A further includes a rail 111E having a plate-shaped portion 111F, and the upper receiving portion 112 provided in the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B further includes a rail 112D extending in the +Z direction from the plate-shaped portion 112C. The rail 111E and the plate-shaped portion 112C face each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), the rail 112D and the plate-shaped portion 111F face each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and the rail 111E and the rail 112D face each other in the X-axis direction.

[0049] Viewed from another perspective, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the upper receiving portion 112 has inner rails (upper rail 112B and rail 112D) extending in the crossing direction (Y-axis direction), and the lower receiving portion 111 has outer rails (lower rail 111B and rail 111E) extending in the crossing direction and covering the inner rails when viewed from the crossing direction. Further, the upper rail 112B constituting the inner rail can be regarded as the upper receiving portion 112, and the lower rail 111B constituting the outer rail can be regarded as the lower receiving portion 111. With such a configuration, the liquid ejection device of the present embodiment can position the liquid supply device 100 with high accuracy with respect to the main body 9 in both the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and the opposing direction (X-axis direction). Note that the outer rail covering the inner rail means that it is not necessary for the outer rail to cover the entire inner rail when viewed from the crossing direction.

[0050] [Embodiment 3] Next, the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. Note that FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 9 in the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 1. In FIG. 11, the constituent members common to the above-described Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. Here, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the liquid ejection devices 1 of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 except for the configuration of the portion in the engagement portion 110 described below. Therefore, except for the portion described below, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has the same characteristics as the liquid ejection devices 1 of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 11, the engaging portion 110 of the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the engaging portion 110 of the liquid ejection device 1 of Embodiment 2, except that the inner rail and the outer rail are formed in reverse. Specifically, in the engaging portion 110 of the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment, inner rails (rail 111G and rail 111I) are provided on the main body side engaging portion 110A, and outer rails (rail 112F and rail 112H) are provided on the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B. Here, the rail 111G and the rail 111I are connected by the main body mounting portion 111A and the plate-like portion 111H, the rail 112F is connected by the liquid supply device mounting portion 112A and the plate-like portion 112G, and the rail 112H is connected by the liquid supply device mounting portion 112A and the plate-like portion 112I.

[0052] Then, the rail 111G and the plate-like portion 112G face each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), the rail 111I and the plate-like portion 112I face each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and the rail 112F and the plate-like portion 111H and the rail 112H and the plate-like portion 111H face each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Further, the rail 111G and the rail 112F face each other in the X-axis direction, and the rail 111I and the rail 112H face each other in the X-axis direction. Here, in the engaging portion 110 of this embodiment, the rail 111I receives the plate-like portion 112I of the rail 112H from below, which corresponds to the main body side engaging portion 110A having the lower receiving portion 111, and the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B having the upper receiving portion 112.

[0053] From another perspective, in the liquid ejection device of this embodiment, the lower receiving portion 111 has inner rails (rail 111G and rail 111I) extending in the crossing direction (Y-axis direction), and the upper receiving portion 112 has outer rails (rail 112F and rail 112H) extending in the crossing direction and covering the inner rails when viewed from the crossing direction. Furthermore, rail 111I constituting the inner rail can be regarded as the lower receiving portion 111, and rail 112H constituting the outer rail can be regarded as the upper receiving portion 112. With such a configuration, the liquid ejection device of this embodiment can suppress the accidental disengagement of the main body side engaging portion 110A and the liquid supply device side engaging portion 110B in the engaged state, and can position the liquid supply device 100 with high accuracy with respect to the main body 9 in the facing direction (X-axis direction).

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. Also, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1... Liquid ejection device, 2... Supply unit, 3... Medium support unit, 3A... Upstream medium support unit, 3B... Medium support unit, 3C... Downstream medium support unit, 4... Carriage, 5... Head (liquid ejection unit), 6... Take-up unit, 7... Leg frame, 8... Roller pair, 9... Main body, 10... Blower unit, 11... Fan, 12... Liquid supply path, 13... Caster, 14... Adjuster, 20... Heater, 30... Support surface, 100... Liquid supply device, 110... Engagement part, 110A... Main body side engagement part, 110B... Liquid supply device side engagement part, 111... Lower receiving part, 111A... Main body mounting part, 111B... Lower rail (upward protruding part), 111C... Plate-like part, 111D... Contact plate-like part, 111E... Rail, 111F... Plate-like part, 111G... Rail, 111H... Plate-like part, 111I... Rail, 112... Upper receiving part, 112A... Liquid supply device mounting part, 112B... Upper rail (downward protruding part), 112C... Plate-like part, 112D... Rail, 112F... Rail, 112G... Plate-like part, 112H... Rail, 112I... Plate-like part, 121... Main body side connection joint part, 122... Liquid supply device side connection joint part, 200... Guide bar, 201... Contact surface, G... Installation surface, L1... Length, L2... Length, L3... Length, L4... Length, M... Medium, M1... Image formation surface, M2... Supported surface, R1... Roll body, R2... Roll body

Claims

1. A liquid discharge unit that discharges a liquid, A main body on which the liquid discharge unit is mounted, A liquid supply device that is configured to be movable independently of the main body and supplies the liquid to the liquid discharge unit via a liquid supply path, A main body side engaging portion provided on the main body and engaging with the liquid supply device, A liquid supply device side engaging portion provided on the liquid supply device and engaging with the main body, Comprising: The main body side engaging portion has a lower receiving portion that receives the liquid supply device side engaging portion from below in the vertical direction, The liquid supply device side engaging portion has an upper receiving portion that engages with the lower receiving portion, and the liquid discharge device is characterized in that the upper receiving portion is received by the lower receiving portion from below in the vertical direction by engaging with the lower receiving portion.

2. In the liquid discharge device according to Claim 1, The liquid discharge device is characterized in that the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion extend in an intersecting direction that intersects both the facing direction in which the liquid supply device and the main body face each other and the vertical direction in the engaged state where the main body and the liquid supply device are engaged.

3. In the liquid discharge device according to Claim 2, One of the upper receiving portion or the lower receiving portion is an inner rail extending in the intersecting direction, The liquid discharge device is characterized in that the other of the upper receiving portion or the lower receiving portion is an outer rail extending in the intersecting direction and covering the inner rail when viewed from the intersecting direction.

4. In the liquid discharge device according to Claim 2, The upper receiving portion has an upper rail received from below in the vertical direction by the lower receiving portion, The liquid discharge device is characterized in that the lower receiving portion has a lower rail received from above in the vertical direction by the upper receiving portion.

5. In the liquid discharge device according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, The liquid discharge device is characterized in that the upper receiving portion and the lower receiving portion are engaged by relatively moving the main body and the liquid supply device along the intersecting direction.

6. In the liquid discharge device according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, The lower receiving portion has an upward protruding portion that extends in the intersecting direction and protrudes upward in the vertical direction toward the upper receiving portion, The upper receiving portion has a downward protruding portion that extends in the intersecting direction and protrudes downward in the vertical direction toward the lower receiving portion. A liquid ejection device, characterized in that a vertical length from the upward protruding portion to the upper receiving portion is the same as a vertical length from the downward protruding portion to the lower receiving portion.

7. In the liquid ejection device according to claim 1, in an engaged state in which the main body and the liquid supply device are engaged, a connection portion between the main body and the liquid supply device is configured to be in a usable state connected by the liquid supply path, a liquid ejection device, characterized in that in the usable state, a relative movable range of the main body and the liquid supply device at the connection portion is wider than a relative movable range of the main body-side engaging portion and the liquid supply device-side engaging portion.

8. In the liquid ejection device according to claim 1, a liquid ejection device, characterized in that the main body-side engaging portion and the liquid supply device-side engaging portion have a strength that does not break even when the liquid supply device is separated from the installation surface in an engaged state in which the main body and the liquid supply device are engaged.

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