Liquid discharge device

Abstract

To reduce size of a liquid discharge device.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device 1 includes: a liquid discharge unit 5 that discharges a liquid from a liquid discharge surface 5A to a medium M while moving in a movement direction B; a platen 3B that supports the medium M, and extends opposably to the liquid discharge surface 5A when the liquid discharge unit 5 moves in the movement direction B; and a housing 9 that accommodates the liquid discharge unit 5 and the platen 3B. The housing 9 is provided, therein, with: a maintenance region 101 that is a region where maintenance is performed on the liquid discharge unit 5 and faces the liquid discharge surface 5A when the maintenance is performed on the liquid discharge unit 5; and an overlapping region 102 where the maintenance region 101 and the platen 3B partially overlap each other in the movement direction B. In the platen 3B, a cutout portion 103 is formed in the overlapping region 102.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

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 including a liquid ejection unit capable of ejecting liquid while moving, a platen that supports a medium at a position facing the liquid ejection unit, and a maintenance area for maintaining the liquid ejection unit. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet recording device in which a recording head is movably supported in a printing area and a non-printing area, a paper guide member is provided in the printing area, and a maintenance area for cleaning the recording head is provided in the non-printing area.

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 including a liquid ejection unit, a platen, and a maintenance unit, such as the inkjet recording device of Patent Document 1, the liquid ejection device tends to be enlarged. This is because the platen that supports the medium and the maintenance area for maintaining the liquid ejection unit are provided side by side in the moving direction of the liquid ejection unit, and thus tend to be wide in the width direction, which is the moving direction of the liquid ejection unit.

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 onto a medium from a liquid ejection surface while moving in a moving direction, a platen that extends so as to be opposed to the liquid ejection surface when the liquid ejection unit moves in the moving direction and supports the medium, and a housing that houses the liquid ejection unit and the platen. In the housing, there are provided a maintenance region that is a region for maintaining the liquid ejection unit and that faces the liquid ejection surface when maintaining the liquid ejection unit, and an overlapping region where the maintenance region and the platen partially overlap in the moving direction. The platen is characterized in that a notch is formed in the overlapping region.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 10

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] First, the present invention will be briefly described. A liquid ejection device according to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a liquid ejection unit that ejects liquid from a liquid ejection surface to a medium while moving in a moving direction, a platen that extends so as to be opposed to the liquid ejection surface when the liquid ejection unit moves in the moving direction and supports the medium, and a housing that houses the liquid ejection unit and the platen. In the housing, there is provided a maintenance region that is a region for maintaining the liquid ejection unit and that faces the liquid ejection surface when maintaining the liquid ejection unit, and an overlapping region in which the maintenance region and the platen partially overlap in the moving direction. The platen is characterized in that a notch is formed in the overlapping region.

[0008] According to this aspect, an overlapping region is provided in which the maintenance region and the platen partially overlap in the moving direction, and a notch is formed in the overlapping region of the platen. Therefore, an operator can access the liquid ejection surface through the notch during maintenance or the like, and the liquid ejection device can be made narrower in the moving direction by the amount of the overlapping region between the maintenance region and the platen without sacrificing workability, and thus the liquid ejection device can be downsized accordingly.

[0009] A liquid ejection device according to a second aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, and in the housing, a pressing member that presses an end portion of the medium in the moving direction is provided. The platen has a pressing member attachment portion for attaching the pressing member, and the pressing member attachment portion allows the pressing member to move in the moving direction with respect to the platen and reaches the overlapping region.

[0010] According to this aspect, a pressing member is provided for pressing an end portion in the moving direction of the medium. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the lifting of the medium supported by the platen and the like, and it is possible to suppress the contact between the medium and the liquid discharge portion. Further, the platen has a pressing member attachment portion for attaching the pressing member, and the pressing member attachment portion allows the pressing member to move in the moving direction with respect to the platen and reaches the overlapping region. Therefore, even when a wide medium reaching the vicinity of the overlapping region is used, the pressing member can be brought to the overlapping region, and the end portion in the moving direction of the medium can be pressed.

[0011] The liquid discharge device according to the third aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first or second aspect, and the notch portion is characterized in that it has an end portion with a curved surface.

[0012] According to this aspect, the notch portion has an end portion with a curved surface. Therefore, when an operator accesses the liquid discharge surface through the notch portion during maintenance or the like, it is possible to suppress the operator from feeling pain when contacting the notch portion.

[0013] The liquid discharge device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first or second aspect, and the notch portion is characterized in that it has an end portion provided with an inclined surface facing the side facing the liquid discharge surface when viewed from the moving direction in the facing direction between the liquid discharge surface and the platen.

[0014] According to this aspect, the notch portion has an end portion provided with an inclined surface facing the side facing the liquid discharge surface when viewed from the moving direction in the facing direction between the liquid discharge surface and the platen. Therefore, when an operator accesses the liquid discharge surface through the notch portion during maintenance or the like, it becomes easier for the operator to access the liquid discharge surface, and the workability can be particularly improved.

[0015] The liquid ejection device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, and includes a negative pressure chamber on the side opposite to the side where the liquid ejection surface is located rather than the platen in the direction in which the liquid ejection surface faces the platen, and the platen has a suction hole communicating with the negative pressure chamber and is configured to be able to suck and support the medium.

[0016] When a negative pressure chamber is provided on the side opposite to the side where the liquid ejection surface is located rather than the platen in the direction in which the liquid ejection surface faces the platen, and the platen has a suction hole communicating with the negative pressure chamber and is configured to be able to suck and support the medium, the liquid ejection device is particularly likely to be enlarged. However, according to this aspect, by forming a notch in the platen to provide an overlapping region, the liquid ejection device can be miniaturized.

[0017] The liquid ejection device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, and the maintenance region is configured to be able to visually recognize the liquid ejection surface when performing maintenance on the liquid ejection unit.

[0018] According to this aspect, the maintenance region is configured to be able to visually recognize the liquid ejection surface when performing maintenance on the liquid ejection unit. Therefore, when an operator accesses the liquid ejection surface during maintenance or the like, it becomes easier for the operator to access the liquid ejection surface, and the workability can be particularly improved.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. First, an overview of the liquid ejection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, some constituent members are simplified and omitted for easier 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 ejection 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 ejection device 1 is the +Y direction, and the rear of the liquid ejection device 1 is the -Y direction.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 9, and leg frames 7 are attached to the vicinity of both ends of the housing 9 in the X-axis direction. A caster 13 and an adjuster 14 are provided below the leg frame 7. The liquid ejection device 1 can be easily moved using the caster 13, and the liquid ejection device 1 can be suitably installed on the installation surface G using the adjuster 14. Further, the liquid ejection 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 housing 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 ejection unit.

[0021] And in the liquid ejection device 1 of this 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, a roll body R1 wound so that the image formation surface M1 on which an image is formed faces outward is used, but 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.

[0022] Further, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a conveyance path for the medium M that includes a medium support portion 3 that supports the medium M on the support surface 30. The liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes, as the medium support portion 3, an upstream medium support portion 3A, a platen 3B, and a downstream medium support portion 3C from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction A. Although details will be described later, a maintenance area 101 represented in FIG. 3 and the like is provided on the +X direction side of the platen 3B. The maintenance area 101 in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment corresponds to a space where an operator can wipe the liquid ejection surface 5A of the head 5 moved to the maintenance area 101 using a cotton swab, cloth, or the like. Although details such as the detailed arrangement between the platen 3B and the maintenance area 101 will be described later, the operator can access the maintenance area 101 by opening the front cover 9A represented in FIG. 2.

[0023] Further, the liquid ejection device 1 includes a pair of rollers 8 including a drive roller 8A and a driven roller 8B 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.

[0024] 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 platen 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 (not shown) 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 the liquid supply device 50 represented in FIG. 2 via the liquid supply path. In the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the conveyance direction A at the position facing the head 5 on the platen 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.

[0025] 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 this 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.

[0026] Further, a heater 20 is provided as a heating unit for heating the supported surface M2 on the side opposite to the image formation surface M1 of the medium M in the downstream medium support portion 3C of the medium support portion 3. The heater 20 of this embodiment is composed of a heating wire or the like, but is not limited to such a configuration. Also, not only the downstream medium support portion 3C but also the upstream medium support portion 3A and the platen 3B may be provided with a medium heating unit for heating the supported surface M2 on the side opposite to the image formation surface M1 of the medium M.

[0027] Also, a blowing 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 formation surface M1 of the medium M by blowing an air current F. The blowing unit 10 of this embodiment includes a fan 11 that generates the air current F and is configured to be able to blow the gas as the air current F onto the image formation surface M1 of the medium M, but is not limited to such a configuration.

[0028] Further downstream of the downstream-side medium support portion 3C in the conveyance direction A, a winding portion 6 is provided for winding 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 this 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.

[0029] 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 arcuate contact surface 201 when viewed from the width direction B. Then, the guide bar 200 guides the conveyance of the medium M by bringing the contact surface 201 into contact with 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.

[0030] As described above, the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment includes a head 5 that ejects ink from the liquid ejection surface 5A onto the medium M while moving in the moving direction corresponding to the width direction B, a platen 3B that supports the medium M, and a housing 9 that houses the head 5 and the platen 3B. Here, the platen 3B extends in the X-axis direction so as to be opposed to the liquid ejection surface 5A when the head 5 moves in its moving direction. And in the housing 9, a maintenance region 101 is provided, which is a region for maintaining the head 5 and faces the liquid ejection surface 5A when maintaining the head 5. Hereinafter, the positional relationship between the platen 3B and the maintenance region 101, and the shape of the platen 3B on the side where the maintenance region 101 is located, etc., will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in order to shorten the length in the width direction B, in the housing 9 of the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, an overlapping region 102 where the maintenance region 101 and the platen 3B partially overlap in the width direction B is provided. And a notch 103 is formed in the platen 3B in the overlapping region 102. For this reason, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, an operator can access the liquid ejection surface 5A through the notch 103 during maintenance or the like, and the liquid ejection device 1 can be made narrower in the width direction B by the amount of the overlapping region 102 where the maintenance region 101 and the platen 3B overlap without sacrificing workability, and thus the liquid ejection device 1 can be miniaturized accordingly.

[0032] In the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the notch amount in the -X direction of the notch 103, or the overlapping amount of the maintenance region 101 and the platen 3B in the X-axis direction of the overlapping region 102 is from 5 mm to 6 mm. However, there is no particular limitation on the notch amount or the overlapping amount. Also, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the length of the notch 103 in the Y-axis direction is longer than the length of the liquid ejection surface 5A of the head 5 in the Y-axis direction. Thus, although it is preferable that the length of the notch 103 in the Y-axis direction is longer than the length of the liquid ejection surface 5A of the head 5 in the Y-axis direction, there is no particular limitation on the length of the notch 103 in the Y-axis direction.

[0033] Here, by opening the front cover 9A shown in FIG. 2, an operator can access the maintenance region 101 in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment. The maintenance region 101 is a space such that an operator can access the liquid ejection surface 5A when the head 5 is positioned on the +X direction side. Specifically, an operator can insert a hand holding a maintenance tool such as a cotton swab in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 7 to access.

[0034] From another perspective, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the maintenance area 101 is configured such that when an operator performs maintenance on the head 5, the liquid ejection surface 5A can be visually recognized by looking upward and rearward from the position of the opened front cover 9A. Therefore, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, when the operator accesses the liquid ejection surface 5A during maintenance or the like, it becomes easier for the operator to access the liquid ejection surface 5A, and the workability can be particularly improved. As shown in FIG. 7, when performing maintenance on the head 5, the -X direction side end of the liquid ejection surface 5A partially overlaps with the platen 3B in the X-axis direction when viewed from the Y-axis direction. However, since the platen 3B has a notch 103 formed in the overlapping area 102, the operator can also access the -X direction side end of the liquid ejection surface 5A.

[0035] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, two pressing members 110 for pressing each end in the width direction B of the medium M are provided in the housing 9, namely, a first pressing member 110A and a second pressing member 110B. Here, the first pressing member 110A and the second pressing member 110B have the same configuration, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, they have a pressing plate 111, a to-be-attached portion 112, and a to-be-attached portion 113.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressing plate 111 has a first plate portion 111A to which the to-be-attached portion 112 is attached, and a second plate portion 111B and a third plate portion 111C having a gap provided in the Z-axis direction with respect to the support surface 30 of the platen 3B. Specifically, the second plate portion 111B is located on the -X direction side of the pressing plate 111, and the third plate portion 111C is located on the +X direction side of the pressing plate 111. Then, the medium M supported and conveyed by the support surface 30 has both ends in the width direction B pressed in the Z-axis direction by the second plate portion 111B of the first pressing member 110A and the third plate portion 111C of the second pressing member 110B.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the attached portion 112 has an engaging portion 112A that engages with a groove 31 among a plurality of grooves extending in the width direction B provided in the platen 3B, and the attached portion 113 has an engaging portion 113A that engages with a groove 32 among the plurality of grooves extending in the width direction B provided in the platen 3B. Explaining from another perspective, the platen 3B has grooves 31 and 32 as a holding member attachment portion for attaching the holding member 110. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the grooves 31 and 32 as the holding member attachment portion are configured to allow the holding member to move in the width direction B with respect to the platen 3B and reach the overlapping region 102.

[0038] In this way, by providing the holding member 110 for pressing the end portion of the medium M in the width direction B, it is possible to suppress the lifting of the medium M supported by the platen 3B, and it is possible to suppress the contact between the medium M and the head 5 during the liquid ejection operation and the like. Further, the grooves 31 and 32 are configured to reach the overlapping region 102. And because of that, even when using a wide medium M that reaches the vicinity of the overlapping region, the holding member 110 can be made to reach the overlapping region 102, and the end portion of the medium M in the width direction B can be pressed.

[0039] Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has a suction pump 12. And the suction pump 12 is connected to a negative pressure chamber 16 provided below the platen 3B shown in FIG. 7. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a plurality of suction holes 35 penetrating from the support surface 30 side to the negative pressure chamber 16 side in the Z-axis direction are provided in the grooves 37 and 38 among the plurality of grooves extending in the width direction B provided in the platen 3B.

[0040] Viewed from another perspective, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a negative pressure chamber 16 on the side opposite to the side where the liquid ejection surface 5A is located rather than the platen 3B in the Z-axis direction, which is the direction in which the liquid ejection surface 5A and the platen 3B face each other. The platen 3B has a suction hole 35 communicating with the negative pressure chamber 16 and is configured to be able to suck and support the medium M. Generally, when a negative pressure chamber 16 is provided on the side opposite to the side where the liquid ejection surface 5A is located rather than the platen 3B in the direction in which the liquid ejection surface 5A and the platen 3B face each other, and the platen 3B has a suction hole 35 communicating with the negative pressure chamber 16 and is configured to be able to suck and support the medium M, in the width direction B, the negative pressure chamber 16 extends in accordance with the extension range of the platen 3B, so the liquid ejection device is particularly likely to be enlarged. However, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, by forming a notch 103 in the platen 3B and providing an overlapping region 102, the liquid ejection device 1 can be miniaturized.

[0041] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, an absorption member 15 that also serves as a wall portion is provided on the +X direction side of the negative pressure chamber 16. For this reason, ink mist and the like generated in the housing 9 are adsorbed by the absorption member 15, suppressing the housing 9 from being soiled with ink or the like. However, the configuration is not limited to this.

[0042] Also, as shown in FIG. 8, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the side end portion 33 at the position corresponding to the notch 103 of the platen 3B has a rounded shape. In other words, the notch 103 has an end portion with a curved surface. Since the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has such a configuration, when an operator accesses the liquid ejection surface 5A through the notch 103 during maintenance or the like, it is possible to prevent the operator from feeling pain by contacting the notch 103. However, the shape of the notch 103 is not particularly limited.

[0043] [Embodiment 2] Next, the liquid ejection device 1 of Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. Note that FIG. 9 is a figure corresponding to FIG. 8 in the liquid ejection device 1 of Example 1. In FIG. 9, the constituent members common to the above-described Example 1 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 device 1 of Example 1 except for the configuration at the position corresponding to the notch 103 of the platen 3B. Therefore, except for the parts described below, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has the same features as the liquid ejection device 1 of Example 1.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 9, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the lower surface end portions 34, 36 and the side surface end portion 39 at the position corresponding to the notch 103 of the platen 3B also have a rounded shape similar to the side surface end portion 33. For this reason, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, when an operator accesses the liquid ejection surface 5A through the notch 103 during maintenance or the like, it is possible to prevent the operator from feeling pain when contacting the notch 103, as compared with the liquid ejection device 1 of Example 1.

[0045] [Example 3] Next, the liquid ejection device 1 of Example 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. Note that FIG. 10 is a figure corresponding to FIG. 7 in the liquid ejection device 1 of Example 1. In FIG. 10, the constituent members common to the above-described Example 1 and Example 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 device 1 of Example 1 except for the configuration of the notch 103. Therefore, except for the parts described below, the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment has the same features as the liquid ejection devices 1 of Example 1 and Example 2.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 10, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the negative pressure chamber 16 has a configuration in which the absorption member 15 that also serves as a wall portion on the +X direction side has an inclined surface 15A when viewed from the Y-axis direction, and the overlapping region 102 is widened in the X-axis direction. Explaining from another perspective, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the aspect of the present embodiment, the notch portion 103 has an end portion provided with an inclined surface 15A that faces the side (+Z direction) facing the liquid ejection surface 5A when viewed from the +X direction side corresponding to the moving direction of the head 5 to the -X direction side in the facing direction (Z-axis direction) between the liquid ejection surface 5A and the platen 3B.

[0047] That is, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, the notch amount in the -X direction of the notch portion 103 and the overlapping amount between the maintenance region 101 in the X-axis direction of the overlapping region 102 and the platen 3B are larger than those of the liquid ejection device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the space along the inclined surface 15A becomes wider as it approaches the liquid ejection surface 5A. For this reason, in the liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, when an operator accesses the liquid ejection surface 5A through the notch portion 103 during maintenance or the like, it becomes easier for the operator to access the liquid ejection surface 5A, and the workability can be particularly improved.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. Further, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the summary of the invention can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve part or all of the above-described problems or to achieve part 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

[0049] 1... Liquid ejection device, 2... Supply unit, 3... Medium support unit, 3A... Upstream medium support unit, 3B... Platen, 3C... Downstream medium support unit, 4... Carriage, 5... Head (liquid ejection unit), 6... Take-up unit, 7... Leg frame, 8... Roller pair, 8A... Driving roller, 8B... Driven roller, 9... Housing, 9A... Front cover, 10... Blowing unit, 11... Fan, 12... Suction pump, 13... Caster, 14... Adjuster, 15... Absorbing member, 15A... Inclined surface, 16... Negative pressure chamber, 20... Heater, 30... Support surface, 31... Groove (member mounting part), 32... Groove (member mounting part), 33... Side end part, 34... Bottom end part, 35... Suction hole, 36... Bottom end part, 37... Groove, 38... Groove, 39... Side end part, 50... Liquid supply device, 101... Maintenance area, 102... Overlap area, 103... Notch part, 110... Pressing member, 110A... First pressing member, 110B... Second pressing member, 111... Pressing plate, 111A... First plate part, 111B... Second plate part, 111C... Third plate part, 112... Mounted part, 112A... Engaging part, 113... Mounted part, 113A... Engaging part, 200... Guide bar, 201... Contact surface, G... Installation surface, M... Medium, M1... Image formation surface, M2... Supported surface, R1... Roll body, R2... Roll body

Claims

1. a liquid ejection unit that ejects liquid from a liquid ejection surface onto a medium while moving in a movement direction; a platen that extends so as to be able to face the liquid ejection surface when the liquid ejection unit moves in the movement direction and supports the medium; a housing that houses the liquid ejection unit and the platen; Equipped with a maintenance area in which maintenance of the liquid ejection unit is performed and which faces the liquid ejection surface when maintenance of the liquid ejection unit is performed; and an overlap area in which the maintenance area and the platen partially overlap in the movement direction, The liquid ejection apparatus is characterized in that the platen has a notch formed in the overlapping region.

2. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, a pressing member that presses an end of the medium in the moving direction is provided within the housing; the platen has a presser member mounting portion for mounting the presser member; The liquid ejection device is characterized in that the presser member attachment portion allows the presser member to move in the movement direction relative to the platen and reaches the overlapping region.

3. 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, The liquid ejection device is characterized in that the cutout portion has a curved end portion on the surface.

4. 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, A liquid ejection device characterized in that the cutout portion has an end portion on which an inclined surface facing the side opposite the liquid ejection surface when viewed from the movement direction is provided in the direction in which the liquid ejection surface faces the platen.

5. 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, a negative pressure chamber is provided on the opposite side of the platen from the side where the liquid ejection surface is located in the opposing direction between the liquid ejection surface and the platen; The liquid ejection device is characterized in that the platen has a suction hole communicating with the negative pressure chamber, and is configured to be able to support the medium by suction.

6. 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, The liquid ejection device is characterized in that the maintenance area is configured so that the liquid ejection surface can be seen when maintenance of the liquid ejection section is performed.

Images