Liquid jet device and detection method of liquid jet device

Abstract

To prevent trouble that opening of a supply flow path is forgotten so that printing is resumed with the flow path closed.SOLUTION: The liquid jet device comprises: a liquid jet part 50 having a nozzle 51 for jetting ink to a medium; a liquid accumulation part 13 that accumulates ink; a supply flow path 40 through which the liquid accumulation part 13 is communicated with the liquid jet part 50; an opening / closing mechanism 60A that has an opening / closing part 63 that brings the supply flow path 40 into an opened state or a closed state and an operation part 61 that operates te opening / closing part 63; a carriage 30, mounted with the liquid jet part 50 and the opening / closing mechanism 60A, which can reciprocate in a main scanning direction; a contact part 100 that contacts the opening / closing mechanism 60A when moving the carriage 30 with the supply flow path 40 closed; and a detection part 84 that detects contact of the opening / closing mechanism 60A with the contact part 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus and a detection method for the liquid ejection apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a liquid ejecting apparatus that prints on a print medium such as printing paper by ejecting liquid from a print head onto the print medium (for example, see Patent Document 1). The liquid ejection device described in Patent Document 1 has a liquid supply device that supplies ink stored in a tank (liquid storage section) to a print head via a supply tube, and a flow path opening and closing device that can manually open and close the supply tube (flow path).By manually closing the flow path using this flow path opening and closing device, even if the liquid ejection device is filled with ink, the liquid ejection device can be transported without ink leaking. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-134485 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to manually open and close the flow path, there was a risk that the liquid ejection device would be transported with the flow path closed, and then the flow path would be forgotten to be opened after the liquid ejection device was transported, resulting in a malfunction in which printing would resume with the flow path closed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The liquid ejection device of the present application is characterized by comprising: a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism that has an opening / closing unit that opens or closes the supply flow path; and an operating unit that operates the opening / closing unit; a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit and the opening / closing mechanism and is capable of moving back and forth in the main scanning direction; a contact unit that comes into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state; and a detection unit that detects contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact unit.

[0006] In the liquid ejecting device, it is preferable that the contact portion is provided on a housing that houses the liquid ejecting portion and the carriage.

[0007] In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the contact portion come into contact with the operation portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

[0008] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, the operating unit includes a lever that can rotate between an open position in which the supply flow path is open and a closed position in which the supply flow path is closed, and the opening / closing unit has a pressing member that blocks the supply flow path when the lever is in the closed position and opens the supply flow path when the lever is in the open position, and it is preferable that the lever contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0009] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, it is preferable that the operating unit is movable between an open position in which the supply flow path is open and a closed position in which the supply flow path is closed, and that the contact portion is positioned outside the movement area in which the operating unit in the open position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage, and is positioned inside the movement area in which the operating unit in the closed position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage.

[0010] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, it is preferable that the opening and closing mechanism has a displacement member that displaces in conjunction with the operating unit, and that the contact portion contacts the displacement member when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0011] The liquid ejection device of the present application is characterized by comprising: a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism that has an opening / closing unit that opens or closes the supply flow path; and an operating unit that operates the opening / closing unit; a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit, is movable back and forth in the main scanning direction, and has a contact unit that can come into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the supply flow path is in a closed state; and a detection unit that can detect contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact unit.

[0012] In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the operation portion come into contact with the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0013] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, it is preferable that the opening and closing mechanism has a displacement member that displaces in conjunction with the operating unit, and that the displacement member contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0014] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, the operating unit includes a lever that can rotate around a shaft between an open position in which the supply flow path is open and a closed position in which the supply flow path is closed, and the opening / closing unit has a pressing member that closes the supply flow path when the lever is in the closed position and opens the supply flow path when the lever is in the open position, and the shaft, and it is preferable that the displacement member displaces in conjunction with the movement of the lever via the shaft.

[0015] In the liquid ejecting apparatus, when the supply flow path is in a closed state, it is preferable that the displacement member is located within a movement area of ​​the carriage.

[0016] The above-mentioned liquid ejection device preferably further includes a control unit that controls the movement of the carriage, and the control unit moves the carriage in a first direction in the main scanning direction, and when it detects that the supply flow path is closed, moves the carriage in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

[0017] It is preferable that the liquid ejecting device further includes a notification unit that notifies the user that the supply flow path is in a closed state.

[0018] The detection method for a liquid ejection device of the present application is a detection method for a liquid ejection device that includes a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid, a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit to the liquid ejection unit, an opening / closing mechanism that opens or closes the supply flow path, and a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit and can move back and forth in the main scanning direction, and is characterized in that it detects that the supply flow path is in a closed state by the movement of the carriage.

[0019] In the detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that when the carriage is moved, the supply flow path is detected to be in a closed state if the movement of the carriage is obstructed.

[0020] In the detection method for the liquid ejecting device, it is preferable that the liquid ejecting device further includes a carriage motor that moves the carriage, and detects whether the supply flow path is in a closed state based on a driving load of the carriage motor.

[0021] In the detection method for the liquid ejecting device, it is preferable that the carriage is moved when power is turned on, and the state of the supply flow path is detected based on the movement of the carriage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the first embodiment when the scanner is removed. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting device according to the first embodiment when viewed from the Z(+) direction side. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the opening and closing mechanism according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the opening and closing mechanism according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8A] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the opening and closing mechanism according to the first embodiment, taken along the line BB in FIG. 6, in a state where the supply flow path is open. [Figure 8B] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the opening and closing mechanism according to the first embodiment, taken along the line BB in FIG. 6, in a state where the supply flow path is blocked. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a liquid ejecting device according to a second embodiment, as viewed from the Z(+) direction side. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a liquid ejecting device according to a second embodiment, as viewed from the X(-) direction side. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an opening / closing mechanism according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, but does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0024] (Embodiment 1) 1 and 2 are perspective views of a liquid ejecting device 1A according to embodiment 1. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates a state in which the scanner 5 is closed relative to the device main body 2, and Fig. 2 illustrates a state in which the scanner 5 is open relative to the device main body 2. First, the schematic configuration of a liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] In the following description, the width direction of the liquid ejection device 1A is referred to as the X direction, the depth direction of the liquid ejection device 1A as the Y direction, and the height direction of the liquid ejection device 1A as the Z direction. The X and Y directions are directions along a horizontal plane, and the Z direction is a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Furthermore, the tip side of the arrow indicating the direction is referred to as the (+) direction, and the base end side of the arrow indicating the direction is referred to as the (-) direction. The X direction is an example of the "main scanning direction."

[0026] <<<About liquid injection devices>>> The liquid ejection device 1A according to this embodiment is an inkjet printer that prints by ejecting ink, which is an example of a "liquid," onto a medium such as paper. Note that in the following figures, the scale of each layer and each component is different from the actual scale so that each layer and each component is large enough to be recognizable.

[0027] 1 and 2, the liquid ejecting device 1A includes a device main body 2 and a scanner 5 that is disposed on top of the device main body 2 and is rotatable relative to the device main body 2. The device main body 2 includes a liquid ejecting section 50 (see FIG. 5), a carriage 30 (see FIG. 3), a transport mechanism 25 (see FIG. 5), a liquid storage unit 10, a supply flow path 40 (see FIG. 3), an opening / closing mechanism 60A (see FIG. 6), an operation panel 6, and a control section 80 (see FIG. 5). The operation panel 6 is an example of a "notification unit."

[0028] The device main body 2 includes a housing 3 that is an exterior frame of the device main body 2. Inside the housing 3, a liquid ejection unit 50, a carriage 30, a supply flow path 40, and a control unit 80 are arranged.

[0029] The operation panel 6 is disposed on the front side of the device body 2 in the device depth direction (Y(+) direction side). The operation panel 6 is provided with a display unit 7 such as a liquid crystal panel, and operation buttons 8 including a plurality of input buttons, a power switch, etc. The operation panel 6 is attached to the device body 2 so as to be rotatable on the front side of the device depth direction (Y(+) direction side).

[0030] When the operation panel 6 is rotated toward the front side in the device depth direction (Y(+) direction) relative to the device body 2, a media ejection tray (not shown) stored in the device body 2 is exposed. The media ejection tray is configured to be able to move back and forth between a position stored inside the device body 2 and a position pulled out from the device body 2 toward the front side in the device depth direction.

[0031] A media storage section 22 capable of storing media is provided on the lower side in the device height direction (Z(-) direction side) of the device main body 2. The media storage section 22 can be inserted into and removed from the front side in the device depth direction (Y(+) direction side) of the device main body 2.

[0032] The scanner 5 is configured to be rotatable relative to the device body 2 with the rear side in the device depth direction (Y(-) direction side) as a rotation fulcrum, and can be switched between a closed position (see FIG. 1) and an open position (see FIG. 2) relative to the device body 2. The scanner 5 is located above the carriage 30 in the device height direction (Z(+) direction side), which will be described later. By switching the scanner 5 between the closed position and the open position, the upper surface inside the device body 2 can be exposed or covered. The liquid ejecting device 1A may not necessarily include the scanner 5. Instead of the scanner 5, a top cover that covers the inside of the device main body 2 from above may be provided.

[0033] The liquid storage unit 10 is provided on the front side (Y(+) direction side) of the device depth direction on the right side (X(-) direction side) of the device width direction of the device main body 2. The liquid storage unit 10 includes a plurality of liquid storage sections 13 for storing ink, a housing 12 that covers the plurality of liquid storage sections 13, and a cover 11 that is rotatably attached to the housing 12.

[0034] The liquid storage unit 10 is disposed so as to be located below the scanner 5, which is at least partially closed in the device width direction (X direction). In this embodiment, five liquid storage sections 13 are provided. Each liquid storage section 13 stores one of black ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, cyan ink, or photo black ink, in that order from the X(+) direction side. The liquid storage section 13 storing black ink is set to have a larger ink capacity than the other liquid storage sections 13. Furthermore, a display section 14 is provided on the front side of the liquid storage section 13 in the device depth direction (Y(+) direction side) to enable the remaining amount of ink in each liquid storage section 13 to be checked.

[0035] The liquid storage section 13 has an atmosphere communication section (not shown) and a supply port (not shown) that communicate with the inside of the liquid storage section 13. The atmosphere communication section is an inlet for atmosphere into the liquid storage section 13. When the ink in the liquid storage section 13 is consumed and the amount of ink in the liquid storage section 13 decreases, the pressure inside the liquid storage section 13 becomes lower than atmospheric pressure. At this time, atmosphere can flow into the liquid storage section 13 from the atmosphere communication section, and the pressure inside the liquid storage section 13 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. The supply port is an outlet that can discharge ink inside the liquid storage section 13 to the outside of the liquid storage section 13. The liquid storage section 13 and the liquid ejection section 50 are communicated with each other by a supply flow path 40. The ink in the liquid storage section 13 is supplied to the liquid ejection section 50 via the supply port connected to the supply flow path 40.

[0036] 2, when scanner 5 is in an open position relative to device body 2, cover 11, which covers the top of liquid storage section 13 in liquid storage unit 10, is completely exposed. Cover 11 is rotatably attached to housing 12. Then, by putting cover 11 in a completely exposed state and then rotating cover 11 relative to housing 12, the top of liquid storage section 13 can be exposed.

[0037] An inlet (not shown) and a lid 16 that seals the inlet and is rotatable relative to the liquid storage portion 13 are provided at the top of the liquid storage portion 13. When the cover 11 is in a position that exposes the top of the liquid storage portion 13 and the lid 16 opens the inlet, a refill container (not shown) that contains ink is connected to the inlet, and the ink in the refill container is refilled into the liquid storage portion 13 via the inlet.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A when the scanner 5 is removed. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A when viewed from the Z(+) direction side. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the liquid ejecting device 1A as seen from the Y(+) direction (front side), while Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting device 1A as seen from the Y(-) direction (rear side). Also, Fig. 3 shows a state in which the carriage 30 is located at the home position HP. Fig. 4 shows a schematic illustration of the carriage 30, lever 62A (operation unit 61), housing 3, and liquid storage unit 10, with other components not shown. Furthermore, Fig. 4 shows the Y(+) direction side of the device main body 2, with the Y(-) direction side of the device main body 2 not shown.

[0039] 3 and 4, a carriage 30 is disposed on the Y (-) direction side of the liquid storage unit 10. The carriage 30 is capable of reciprocating in the X direction (main scanning direction) by a driving force applied from a carriage motor 31 (see FIG. 5). The carriage 30 is equipped with a liquid ejection unit 50 and an opening / closing mechanism 60A.

[0040] A drive pulley (not shown) is provided on a guide shaft (not shown) of the carriage motor 31. A driven pulley (not shown) is provided inside the device body 2 at a distance from the drive pulley in the device width direction (X direction). An endless belt (not shown) is looped around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. At least a portion of the endless belt grips the carriage 30 at a gripping portion (not shown) provided at the rear end of the carriage 30. When the carriage motor 31 is driven to rotate, the endless belt rotates in the same direction as the carriage motor 31, causing the carriage 30 to move back and forth in the device width direction (X direction).

[0041] A linear encoder 75 (see FIG. 5) for detecting the position and speed in the X direction (main scanning direction) of the reciprocating carriage 30 is also provided within the housing 3. The linear encoder 75 is composed of a linear code plate (not shown) that is provided in the housing 3 and parallel to the X direction (main scanning direction), and a photosensor 76 (see FIG. 5) that is provided on the carriage 30, and a predetermined electrical signal corresponding to the movement state of the carriage 30 is output from the photosensor 76.

[0042] In FIG. 4, the frame 4 that forms part of the housing 3 is hatched. The frame 4 is a component of the housing 3, and is disposed on the Z(+) direction side of the carriage 30. Therefore, in a side view seen from the Y direction, the frame 4 and the carriage 30 do not overlap, and when the carriage 30 is moved in the X direction, the carriage 30 and the frame 4 do not interfere with each other. On the other hand, in a side view seen from the Y direction side, the frame 4 and the lever 62A overlap.

[0043] Furthermore, an opening OA is provided in the frame 4. By providing the opening OA in the frame 4, the user can access the carriage 30 arranged inside the device main body 2, the lever 62A of the opening / closing mechanism 60A, and the like.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, when the carriage 30 moves back and forth along a guide axis extending in the X direction, the area in which the carriage 30 moves includes a printing area PA where the liquid ejection unit 50 performs printing, and a non-printing area RA where the liquid ejection unit 50 does not perform printing. The non-printing area RA includes a non-printing area RA1 located on the negative X-axis side of the printing area PA, and a non-printing area RA2 located on the positive X-axis side of the printing area PA. The printing area PA is disposed between the two non-printing areas RA1 and RA2.

[0045] In the non-printing area RA1, a home position HP where the carriage 30 waits when not printing is located. A side wall is provided on the X(-) direction side of the housing 3, and when not printing, the carriage 30 moving in the X(-) direction can come into contact with this side wall. The position of the carriage 30 when it comes into contact with the side wall becomes the reference position for the carriage 30 when it moves back and forth in the X direction.

[0046] The carriage 30 is equipped with a plurality of relay adapters (not shown). The relay adapters are containers that can temporarily store ink. The relay adapters are connected to the liquid storage unit 13 via the supply flow path 40, and temporarily store ink. The ink stored in the liquid storage unit 13 is supplied to the liquid ejection unit 50 via the supply flow path 40 and the relay adapters. The carriage 30 is a hollow container having a carriage cover 32 on the Z(+) direction side. In addition to the liquid ejecting unit 50 and the opening / closing mechanism 60A, the carriage 30 is also equipped with a relay adapter. The relay adapter is covered by the carriage cover 32 and is disposed inside the carriage 30.

[0047] Furthermore, the opening / closing mechanism 60A mounted on the carriage 30 has a lever 62A on the Z(+) direction side. The lever 62A of the opening / closing mechanism 60A protrudes upward from the carriage cover 32. In other words, the lever 62A of the opening / closing mechanism 60A is disposed outside the carriage 30, and the other parts of the opening / closing mechanism 60A are disposed inside the carriage 30.

[0048] A liquid ejection unit 50 is also provided below the carriage 30. The liquid ejection unit 50 has a pressure generation chamber (not shown), a piezoelectric element (not shown), and a nozzle 51 (see FIG. 3). The nozzle 51 is located on the Z (-) direction side of the liquid ejection unit 50 and is disposed facing the medium. The nozzle 51 is connected to a relay adapter via a flow path (not shown) provided in the liquid ejection unit 50. The piezoelectric element vibrates a diaphragm (not shown) that forms part of the pressure generation chamber, causing pressure fluctuations in the pressure generation chamber. These pressure fluctuations are used to eject ink from the nozzle 51 toward the medium. The bottom surface of the liquid ejection unit 50 is configured as a nozzle surface on which multiple nozzles 51 are provided. Although not shown in the figure, as an example, the multiple nozzles 51 are arranged along the device depth direction (Y direction) to form a nozzle row. In this manner, the liquid ejecting unit 50 has nozzles 51 that eject ink onto the medium.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a maintenance unit 55 (see FIG. 5) that performs maintenance on the liquid ejecting unit 50, including cleaning the nozzles 51, is disposed directly below the carriage 30 that has moved to the home position HP. The maintenance unit 55 includes, for example, a cap (not shown) that can come into contact with the liquid ejecting unit 50 so as to surround the nozzles 51, and cleans the nozzles 51 by reducing the pressure in the space formed when the cap comes into contact and discharging unnecessary ink and air bubbles from within the nozzles 51.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a liquid receiving portion (not shown) is provided directly below the carriage 30 when the carriage 30 has moved to the non-printing area RA2. The liquid receiving portion receives ink discharged from the nozzles 51 by idle discharge, which is a type of maintenance. The idle discharge is a process in which ink not used for printing is discharged from the nozzles 51 by driving the piezoelectric element, thereby eliminating thickening of the ink in the nozzles 51.

[0051] <<<About the control unit>>> FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 80 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, a memory 82, an interface unit (I / F) 83, a detection unit 84, and the like, which are provided on a control board.

[0052] The I / F 83 transmits and receives data between an external personal computer (PC) 110 and the liquid ejection apparatus 1A. The PC 110 and the liquid ejection apparatus 1A may be directly connected by a cable or the like, or may be indirectly connected via a network or the like. Data may also be transmitted and received between the PC 110 and the liquid ejection apparatus 1A via wireless communication.

[0053] The CPU 81 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire liquid ejection apparatus 1A. The memory 82 is a storage medium that ensures an area for storing programs that the CPU 81 operates on and an operating area for the programs to operate, and is formed by storage elements such as RAM and EPROM.

[0054] The control unit 80 creates print data based on image data output from the PC 110, and controls the liquid ejection unit 50, the transport mechanism 25, the carriage motor 31, and the like based on the print data. Alternatively, the PC 110 may create print data, and the control unit 80 may control the liquid ejection unit 50, the transport mechanism 25, the carriage motor 31, etc., based on the print data received from the PC 110. Furthermore, the control unit 80 may create print data based on an operation command input by the user using the operation buttons 8 on the operation panel 6, and may control the liquid ejection unit 50, the transport mechanism 25, the carriage motor 31, etc., based on the print data.

[0055] The control unit 80 also drives piezoelectric elements provided in the liquid ejection unit 50 to eject ink toward the medium from the multiple nozzles 51. The control unit 80 also supplies a drive signal to drive the carriage motor 31. The control unit 80 then controls the carriage motor 31, the transport mechanism 25, the liquid ejection unit 50, and the like to record an image on the medium.

[0056] Here, the printing operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A on a medium will be described. The medium contained in the medium storage unit 22 is transported by the transport mechanism 25 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction that intersects with the main scanning direction. The transport mechanism 25 then transports the medium to a platen (not shown) provided in an area facing the liquid ejecting unit 50 below the liquid ejecting unit 50. Ink is then ejected from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejecting unit 50 onto the surface of the medium supported by the platen that faces the liquid ejecting unit 50. This causes printing to be performed on the surface of the medium that faces the liquid ejecting unit 50. The printed medium is then ejected toward the medium ejection tray.

[0057] The control unit 80 receives an electrical signal output from a linear encoder 75 (photo sensor 76) for detecting the position and speed of the carriage 30 that moves as the carriage motor 31 is driven.

[0058] The control unit 80 drives the transport mechanism 25 to move the medium in a transport direction that intersects with the X direction (main scanning direction). The control unit 80 controls the maintenance unit 55 to perform a maintenance operation on the liquid ejection unit 50.

[0059] The control unit 80 receives commands from the operation buttons 8 operated by the user and performs various controls. The control unit 80 receives the open / closed state of the scanner 5 from an open / closed detection unit 85 including an optical sensor (not shown) or the like.

[0060] The control unit 80 uses the electrical signal output from the linear encoder 75 (photo sensor 76) to calculate the position and movement speed of the carriage 30 in the X direction (main scanning direction). The detection unit 84 in the control unit 80 detects the rotational torque of the carriage motor 31, thereby detecting the drive load of the carriage motor 31. As will be described in detail later, the detection unit 84 detects contact between the opening / closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) and the contact unit 100 based on the drive load of the carriage motor 31.

[0061] The control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the negative X direction to bring it into contact with the side wall of the housing 3. When the carriage 30 comes into contact with the side wall of the housing 3, its movement in the negative X direction is hindered and it stops. Because the movement of the carriage 30 in the negative X direction is hindered, the driving load on the carriage motor 31 increases. The control unit 80 defines the position of the carriage 30 when the detection unit 84 detects an increase in the driving load on the carriage motor 31 as a reference position, and determines the respective positions of the home position HP, non-printing area RA1, non-printing area RA2, and printing area PA in the X direction. Note that the home position HP may be set at the position where the carriage 30 comes to a stop by coming into contact with the side wall of the housing 3, or may be set at a position where the carriage 30 moves in the positive X direction from the stop position of the carriage 30.

[0062] <<<About the opening and closing mechanism>>> Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the opening and closing mechanism 60A. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the opening and closing mechanism 60A. Figs. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the opening and closing mechanism 60A taken along the line BB in Fig. 6, as viewed from the Z(-) direction. 8A and 8B, the case 69 is not shown. Fig. 8A shows a state in which the supply flow path 40 is open, and Fig. 8B shows a state in which the supply flow path 40 is closed. Next, the opening / closing mechanism 60A will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8A, and 8B.

[0063] 6 and 7, the opening / closing mechanism 60A has an opening / closing unit 63 that opens or closes the supply flow path 40, and an operating unit 61 that operates the opening / closing unit 63. The opening / closing unit 63 has a supply flow path support unit 68, a shaft unit 64, a pressing member 66, a cam member 65, and a case 69. The operating unit 61 has a lever 62A. The case 69 and the supply flow path support part 68 form an exterior frame of the opening / closing part 63 (opening / closing mechanism 60A). Between the case 69 and the supply flow path support part 68, in this order from the case 69 side, there are arranged a shaft part 64, a cam member 65, and a pressing member 66. Furthermore, the supply flow path 40 is arranged between the pressing member 66 and the supply flow path support part 68.

[0064] The supply flow path support portion 68 is provided with a plurality of grooves 70 extending in the X direction. The plurality of grooves 70 are aligned along the Z direction. The supply flow paths 40 are inserted into the grooves 70. As a result, the five supply flow paths 40 are aligned along the Z direction in the supply flow path support portion 68. The pressing member 66 is positioned so as to be able to press the five supply flow paths 40 between itself and the supply flow path support portion 68. Shaft 64 is a member that is long in the Z direction, and a cam member 65 is provided at a portion of shaft 64 that faces pressing member 66. Furthermore, an operating unit 61 (lever 62A) is provided at the end of shaft 64 on the Z(+) direction side. In this embodiment, the shaft 64, the cam member 65, and the lever 62A are integrally molded from resin. The case 69, the pressing member 66, and the supply flow path support 68 are also molded from resin.

[0065] The lever 62A and the cam member 65 are rotatable about a rotation axis A of the shaft portion 64, which is indicated by a dashed line in the drawing. When the opening / closing mechanism 60A is mounted on the carriage 30, the rotation axis A is disposed along the Z direction. The lever 62A is disposed outside the carriage 30, so when the user grips the lever 62A with his or her hand and rotates the lever 62A, the cam member 65 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 62A.

[0066] The supply flow path support part 68 is provided with a recess 71 into which the pressing member 66 can be inserted. The pressing member 66 is inserted into the recess 71 of the supply flow path support part 68 and is movable along the recess 71. For example, the pressing member 66 can be moved to a position where it abuts against the bottom of the recess 71. That is, the recess 71 guides the direction in which the pressing member 66 moves.

[0067] The pressing member 66 is disposed between the supply flow path support portion 68 and the supply flow paths 40 disposed in the grooves 70. The five supply flow paths 40 are disposed between the supply flow path support portion 68 and the pressing member 66, and can be pressed by the supply flow path support portion 68 and the pressing member 66.

[0068] The shaft portion 64 extends along the Z direction and has a length that spans the five supply flow paths 40 that are aligned along the Z direction in the supply flow path support portion 68. Two cam members 65 are provided on the shaft portion 64 and aligned along the Z direction. The cam members 65 are positioned to abut against the pressing member 66.

[0069] 8A and 8B, the center of rotation of cam member 65 is different from the center of rotation (rotation axis A) of shaft portion 64, and the center of rotation of cam member 65 is eccentric with respect to shaft portion 64. When cam member 65 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of shaft portion 64, cam member 65 rotates in an eccentric state. As a result, the position of the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 65 that contacts the pressing member 66 changes, and the position of the pressing member 66 also changes. 8A in which supply flow path 40 is open, when lever 62A is rotated in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, and shaft 64 and cam member 65 are rotated clockwise, the position of pressing member 66 changes in a direction in which pressing member 66 approaches supply flow path support portion 68. When pressing member 66 approaches supply flow path support portion 68, as shown in FIG. 8B, supply flow path 40 is pressed by pressing member 66 and supply flow path support portion 68, and supply flow path 40 is crushed, and supply flow path 40 becomes blocked (closed state).

[0070] When the lever 62A shown in Fig. 8A is rotated clockwise, the pressing member 66 approaches the supply flow path support portion 68, and as shown in Fig. 8B, the supply flow path 40 is collapsed, the supply flow path 40 is blocked, and communication of ink between the liquid storage portion 13 and the liquid ejection portion 50 is cut off. In other words, the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. At this time, the supply flow path 40 does not have to be completely closed. 8B is rotated counterclockwise, the pressing member 66 moves away from the supply flow path support portion 68, and as shown in Fig. 8A, the collapse of the supply flow path 40 is resolved, the supply flow path 40 is opened, and ink communication between the liquid storage portion 13 and the liquid ejection portion 50 is permitted. In other words, the supply flow path 40 is in an open state. Thus, the opening / closing unit 63 has the pressing member 66 that closes the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62A is in the closed position, and opens the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62A is in the open position.

[0071] The position of lever 62A shown in FIG. 8A is the open position where supply flow path 40 is open. 8B is a closed position that closes the supply flow path 40. The lever 62A rotates around the rotation axis A of the shaft portion 64, thereby rotating between an open position that opens the supply flow path 40 and a closed position that closes the supply flow path 40. In this way, the operating unit 61 has the lever 62A that can rotate between an open position where the supply flow path 40 is opened and a closed position where the supply flow path 40 is closed. The operating unit 61 (lever 62A) can move between the open position where the supply flow path 40 is opened and a closed position where the supply flow path 40 is closed. In other words, the operating unit 61 includes the lever 62A that can rotate about the shaft 64 between the open position where the supply flow path 40 is opened and the closed position where the supply flow path 40 is closed.

[0072] 6 and 7, case 69 is configured to be able to engage with supply flow path support portion 68, and covers shaft portion 64, pressing member 66, and cam member 65 from the Y(-) direction side. As a result, shaft portion 64, pressing member 66, and cam member 65 are protected by case 69 and supply flow path support portion 68.

[0073] In this way, the opening and closing mechanism 60A opens and closes the five supply flow paths 40. For example, when the liquid ejecting device 1A is moved or transported, that is, when the liquid ejecting device 1A is transported, if the opening / closing mechanism 60A is closed, ink is less likely to leak from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejecting unit 50. More specifically, when the liquid ejection device 1A is transported, vibrations and impacts act on the ink in the liquid storage portion 13 and the supply flow path 40. When vibrations and impacts act on the ink in the liquid storage portion 13 and the supply flow path 40, pressure acts on the ink in the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejection unit 50, and there is a risk that the ink will leak from the nozzles 51 of the liquid ejection unit 50. If the supply flow path 40 is blocked by the opening / closing mechanism 60A before transporting the liquid injection device 1A, the pressure fluctuations acting on the ink in the liquid injection section 50 can be kept low when transporting the liquid injection device 1A, and the risk of ink leaking from the nozzle 51 of the liquid injection section 50 can be reduced.

[0074] In this embodiment, the user manually moves the lever 62A to the closed position and transports the liquid ejection device 1A in a state in which the supply flow path 40 is closed. After transportation of the liquid ejection device 1A is completed, the user manually moves the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position, and the supply flow path 40 is opened. However, because the user manually operates the lever 62A to the closed or open position, there is a risk that even after transportation of the liquid injection device 1A is completed, the user may forget to change the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position, which may result in the printing process being performed with the supply flow path 40 blocked, preventing ink from being ejected from the liquid injection unit 50 and resulting in an image not being formed on the medium.

[0075] This embodiment has an excellent configuration that makes it less likely that the user will forget to change the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position after transportation of the liquid injection device 1A has been completed, resulting in the printing process being performed with the supply flow path 40 blocked, and the details of this configuration will be described below.

[0076] <<<Method for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path>>> In Fig. 4, the lever 62A in the open position is shown by a solid line, and the lever 62A in the closed position is shown by a two-dot chain line. The lever 62A in the open position is the lever 62A that is positioned to open the supply flow path 40. The lever 62A in the closed position is the lever 62A that is positioned to close the supply flow path 40. In other words, when the lever 62A is positioned as shown by the solid line in Fig. 4, the supply flow path 40 is opened, and when the lever 62A is positioned as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4, the supply flow path 40 is closed. Furthermore, in Figure 4, when the opening / closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved in the X(+) direction from the home position HP together with the carriage 30, the movement area TA through which the lever 62A moves in the open position is shown by a dashed line, and the movement area TB through which the lever 62A moves in the closed position is shown by a dotted line. In the following description, the movement area TA through which the lever 62A in the open position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 30 will be referred to as the movement area TA of the lever 62A in the open position. The movement area TB through which the lever 62A in the closed position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 30 will be referred to as the movement area TB of the lever 62A in the closed position. Hereinafter, a method for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40, that is, a detection method of the liquid ejecting device 1A according to this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0077] 4, when lever 62A in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise, it becomes lever 62A in the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure. Furthermore, when lever 62A in the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure is rotated 180 degrees clockwise, it becomes lever 62A in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure. In this way, lever 62A in the open position and lever 62A in the closed position are in different positions.

[0078] The Y(-) direction end 4A of the frame 4 is located on the Y(-) direction side of the opening OA, and the Y(+) direction end 4B of the frame 4 is located on the Y(+) direction side of the opening OA. The opening OA is provided between the Y(-) direction end 4A of the frame 4 and the Y(+) direction end 4B of the frame 4. The Y(+) direction end 4B of the frame 4 has a portion 91 located on the home position HP side (X(-) direction side) and a portion 92 located on the opposite side (X(+) direction) from the home position HP. At the Y(+) direction end 4B of the frame 4, the portion 92 is located near the Y(-) direction end 4A of the frame 4, and the portion 91 is located far from the Y(-) direction end 4A of the frame 4. In other words, the distance between the portion 92 and the Y(-) direction end 4A of the frame 4 is shorter than the distance between the portion 91 and the Y(-) direction end 4A of the frame 4. Therefore, at the end 4B on the Y(+) direction side of the frame 4, the portion 92 protrudes further in the Y(-) direction than the portion 91. Furthermore, at the end 4B on the Y(+) direction side of the frame 4, the end on the X(-) direction side of the portion 92 protruding in the Y(-) direction is the contact portion 100. In this way, the contact part 100 is provided on the frame 4. Furthermore, since the frame 4 is a component of the housing 3, the contact part 100 is provided on the housing 3 that houses the liquid ejection part 50 and the carriage 30.

[0079] When viewed from above from the Z(+) direction, parts 91, 92 (contact part 100) of frame 4 are positioned outside the movement area TA of lever 62A in the open position, and when opening / closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved in the X(+) direction from the home position HP together with carriage 30, lever 62A in the open position does not overlap parts 91, 92 of frame 4. Therefore, when the opening / closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved in the X(+) direction together with the carriage 30 from the home position HP, the lever 62A in the open position does not interfere with (contact with) the frame 4. As a result, the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered. In other words, the contact portion 100 is positioned outside the movement area TA in which the operating portion 61 (lever 62A) positioned in the open position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 30, so that the contact portion 100 and the operating portion 61 (lever 62A) do not interfere with each other and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered. In this way, the lever 62A (operating portion) does not come into contact with the contact portion 100 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in an open state.

[0080] When viewed from above from the Z(+) direction, part 91 of frame 4 is positioned outside the movement area TB of lever 62A in the closed position, and part 92 (contact portion 100) of frame 4 is positioned inside the movement area TB of lever 62A in the closed position, and when opening / closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) is moved in the X(+) direction from the home position HP together with carriage 30, lever 62A in the closed position does not overlap part 91 of frame 4, but overlaps part 92 (contact portion 100) of frame 4. In this way, the contact portion 100 is disposed inside the movement area TB in which the operation portion 61 (lever 62A) positioned at the closed position moves as the carriage 30 moves. Furthermore, in a side view seen from the Y direction, the frame 4 and the lever 62A overlap, so when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(+) direction, the lever 62A in the open position does not contact the portion 91 of the frame 4, but the lever 62A in the closed position contacts the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4. This inhibits the movement of the carriage 30. That is, when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state (when the lever 62A in the closed position is moved together with the carriage 30), the lever 62A in the closed position (opening / closing mechanism 60A) comes into contact with the contact portion 100. In other words, when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, the contact portion 100 comes into contact with the operation portion 61 (lever 62A). In this way, the lever 62A (operating portion) comes into contact with the contact portion 100 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state.

[0081] Furthermore, when viewed from the side in the Y direction, the carriage 30 and the frame 4 do not overlap, so when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(+) direction, the carriage 30 and the frame 4 do not interfere with each other, and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered. When the carriage 30 positioned at the home position HP is moved in the X(+) direction, the carriage 30 and the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4 overlap when viewed from above in the Z(+) direction, but even when the carriage 30 is moved in the X(+) direction, there is no interference between the carriage 30 and the portion 92 (contact portion 100) of the frame 4, and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.

[0082] In this manner, in this embodiment, the opening OA is provided in the frame 4 so that when the opening / closing mechanism 60A is moved in the X(+) direction together with the carriage 30 located at the home position HP, the lever 62A located at the open position does not come into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, and the lever 62A located at the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4. Then, when the opening / closing mechanism 60A is moved in the X(+) direction together with the carriage 30 located at the home position HP, the lever 62A located at the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, and movement of the carriage 30 is hindered.

[0083] In this embodiment, the user turns off the power to the liquid ejection device 1A, shifts the lever 62A from the open position to the closed position, and transports the liquid ejection device 1A. With this configuration, even if the user transports the liquid ejection device 1A while it is filled with ink, ink will not leak. Furthermore, when transportation of the liquid ejection device 1A is complete, the user shifts the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position, shifts the power to the liquid ejection device 1A, and resumes printing on a medium such as paper.

[0084] In this embodiment, when the power of the liquid ejection device 1A is turned off, the carriage 30 enters a standby state at the home position HP. Furthermore, when the transportation of the liquid ejection device 1A is completed and the power of the liquid ejection device 1A is turned on, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30, which is located at the home position HP, in the X(+) direction (first direction).

[0085] If the user forgets to change the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position and the lever 62A is in the closed position, when the carriage 30, which is in the home position HP, is moved in the X(+) direction, the lever 62A, which is in the closed position, will come into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, preventing the carriage 30 from moving, causing the carriage 30 to come to a halt and increasing the driving load on the carriage motor 31.

[0086] The detection unit 84 constantly detects the driving load of the carriage motor 31. More specifically, the detection unit 84 moves the carriage 30, on which the opening / closing mechanism 60A is mounted, from the home position HP in the X(+) direction, and when the driving load of the carriage motor 31 exceeds a predetermined threshold value (a threshold value stored in the memory 82) and the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed, detects contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A. When the detection unit 84 detects contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A, the control unit 80 determines that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. Furthermore, when the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 on which the opening / closing mechanism 60A is mounted in the X(+) direction from the home position HP and the driving load of the carriage motor 31 does not exceed a predetermined threshold, the control unit 80 determines that the contact portion 100 is not in contact with the lever 62A and that the supply flow path 40 is in an open state. In this way, when transportation of the liquid ejecting device 1A is completed and the power of the liquid ejecting device 1A is turned on, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 and determines whether the supply flow path 40 is in an open state or a closed state. In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejecting device 1A according to this embodiment moves the carriage 30 when the power is turned on, and detects the state of the supply flow path 40 based on the movement of the carriage 30.

[0087] Additionally, the detection method of the liquid ejection device 1A according to this embodiment detects that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state by the movement of the carriage 30. In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejection device 1A according to this embodiment detects that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state if the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed when the carriage 30 is moved. In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejection device 1A according to this embodiment detects that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state by the drive load of the carriage motor 31, since the liquid ejection device 1A is equipped with a carriage motor 31 that moves the carriage 30. The threshold value used as the reference for determining that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state is set between the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the carriage 30 is moved in the X direction and the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed. In other words, the threshold value used as the reference for determining that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state is greater than the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the carriage 30 is moved in the X direction, and less than the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed.

[0088] The control unit 80 may be configured to determine that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state when the driving load of the carriage motor 31 detected by the detection unit 84 exceeds a predetermined threshold value for a certain period of time. The driving load of the carriage motor 31 may suddenly increase due to a malfunction and exceed a threshold value. In such a case, the control unit 80 may erroneously detect that the movement of the carriage 30 is being obstructed. If the control unit 80 is configured to determine that the supply flow path 40 is closed when the driving load exceeds a predetermined threshold value for a certain period of time, the control unit 80 is less likely to make an erroneous detection even if the driving load of the carriage motor 31 suddenly increases due to a malfunction. Therefore, the control unit 80 can properly detect that the lever 62A in the closed position has come into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, obstructing the movement of the carriage 30 and causing the supply flow path 40 to be closed. The above-mentioned certain period of time is, for example, one second or more.

[0089] Furthermore, when the supply flow path 40 is in an open state, that is, when the lever 62A is in the open position, even if the carriage 30 is moved in the X(+) direction (first direction), the lever 62A in the open position does not come into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, so the driving load of the carriage motor 31 is smaller than the threshold value and does not exceed the threshold value. In such a case, the control unit 80 determines that the supply flow path 40 is open.

[0090] When the control unit 80 detects that the supply flow path 40 is blocked (closed), it moves the carriage 30 in the X(-) direction. That is, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction (first direction) in the X direction (main scanning direction), and when it detects that the supply flow path 40 is closed, it moves the carriage 30 in the X(-) direction (second direction), which is the opposite direction to the X(+) direction (first direction), and moves the carriage 30 to the home position HP. In this embodiment, the X(+) direction corresponds to the "first direction in the main scanning direction," and the X(-) direction corresponds to the "second direction opposite to the first direction." When the carriage 30 is moved in the X(-) direction (second direction) to the home position HP, the contact between the opening / closing mechanism 60A (lever 62A) mounted on the carriage 30 and the contact portion 100 of the frame 4 is released, and no extra force is applied to the carriage 30 or the opening / closing mechanism 60A. Furthermore, when the contact between the lever 62A and the contact portion 100 is released, it becomes easier to change the position of the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position. Furthermore, when the control unit 80 detects that the supply flow path 40 is closed, i.e., when the opening / closing mechanism 60A mounted on the carriage 30 comes into contact with the contact portion 100 of the frame 4, it is preferable that the control unit 80 temporarily stops driving the carriage motor 31 so as to prevent excessive force from being applied to the carriage 30 or the opening / closing mechanism 60A.

[0091] Furthermore, the control unit 80 inputs a signal to the operation panel 6 to notify the user that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state, and the operation panel 6 displays information based on the signal, i.e., an alarm that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state, on the display unit 7 of the operation panel 6. In other words, the operation panel 6 functions as a "notification unit" that notifies the user that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. In other words, the liquid ejecting device 1A according to this embodiment includes the operation panel 6 (notification unit) that notifies that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. The "alarm unit" that notifies the user that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state may be a flashing lamp (Patlite (registered trademark)) that issues an alarm by light that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. The "alarm unit" that notifies the user that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state may be a buzzer that issues an alarm by sound that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state.

[0092] The user is sure to understand that the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state based on the information (alarm) displayed on the display unit 7 of the operation panel 6. Then, the user rotates the lever 62A 180° clockwise when viewed from the Z(+) direction while the lever 62A is at the home position HP, changing the lever 62A from the closed position to the open position, thereby opening the supply flow path 40. In addition, when the lever 62A and the contact portion 100 are in contact with each other, it is difficult to rotate the lever 62A in the closed position clockwise. Therefore, in this embodiment, the carriage 30 is moved toward the X(-) direction (second direction) in order to rotate the lever 62A in the closed position clockwise.

[0093] Furthermore, the lever 62A located at the closed position may be configured to rotate in the X(+) direction (first direction) and not rotate in the X(-) direction (second direction). With this configuration, even if the lever 62A located at the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100, it is possible to prevent the lever 62A located at the closed position from rotating in the X(-) direction (second direction) and thereby preventing the carriage motor 31 from losing its driving load.

[0094] Furthermore, the contact portion 100 is provided on the X(-) direction side (second direction side) in the X direction in which the carriage 30 moves. Therefore, when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A can be detected earlier than when the contact portion 100 is provided on the X(+) direction side (first direction side) in the X direction of the movement area TA of the carriage 30. Therefore, the throughput of the operation for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 can be improved.

[0095] Furthermore, the opening / closing mechanism 60A is provided on the X(+) direction side (first direction side) of the carriage 30. Therefore, contact between the contact portion 100 and the lever 62A can be detected earlier than when the opening / closing mechanism 60A is provided on the X(-) direction side (second direction side) of the carriage 30. Therefore, the throughput of the operation for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 can be improved.

[0096] Furthermore, the movement speed of the carriage 30 when detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 is set slower than the movement speed of the carriage 30 when printing. This prevents a large force from acting on the lever 62A and the contact part 100 when the contact part 100 and the lever 62A come into contact with each other, thereby preventing problems such as deformation of the contact part 100.

[0097] <<<About the timing of detection>>> Here, the timing at which the control unit 80 detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 will be described. The timing at which the control unit 80 detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 may be any time between when the liquid ejection device 1A is powered on and when ink is first discharged from the nozzles 51 after powering on. Specifically, the timing may be any of the following times: between when the liquid ejection device 1A is powered on and when the first idle discharge is performed after powering on, between when the liquid ejection device 1A is powered on and when ink is discharged during the first cleaning after powering on, and between when the liquid ejection device 1A is powered on and when ink is ejected for the first printing after powering on. Furthermore, at any of the above-mentioned timings, the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 may be detected by the movement of the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction (first direction) in response to a drive signal sent from the control unit 80 to the carriage motor 31 when the liquid injection device 1A is turned on.

[0098] Another timing for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 will be described. When the scanner 5 is powered on, the open / close operation of the scanner 5 can be detected by the open / close detection unit 85. When the scanner 5 is opened, the user may operate the operation unit 61, potentially blocking the supply flow path 40. This may result in the user closing the scanner 5 while the supply flow path 40 remains blocked. Therefore, the period from the time when the scanner 5 is opened and closed to the time when ink is first ejected from the nozzles 51 after the open / close operation is desirable. Specifically, the period may be any of the following: from the time when the scanner 5 is opened and closed to the time when ink is first ejected from the nozzles 51 after the open / close operation; from the time when the scanner 5 is opened and closed to the time when ink is first ejected by the first cleaning operation after the open / close operation; or from the time when the scanner 5 is opened and closed to the time when ink is first ejected for printing after the open / close operation. By detecting the open / close state of the supply flow path 40 at the above timing, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to close the supply flow path 40. For this reason, in this embodiment, when the transportation of the liquid injection device 1A is completed and the power of the liquid injection device 1A is turned on, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 located at the home position HP in the X(+) direction (first direction) and detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40.

[0099] As described above, in the liquid ejection device 1A according to this embodiment, when the carriage 30 is moved in the main scanning direction (X direction) with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, the opening / closing mechanism 60A comes into contact with the contact portion 100, and when the carriage 30 is moved in the main scanning direction (X direction) with the supply flow path 40 in an open state, the opening / closing mechanism 60A does not come into contact with the contact portion 100. Therefore, the control unit 80 can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 from the contact between the opening / closing mechanism 60A and the contact portion 100. The liquid ejection device 1A according to this embodiment reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40, and further reduces the problem of printing with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state.

[0100] Additionally, in this embodiment, of the components of the liquid ejecting device 1A, the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 is detected using the opening / closing mechanism 60A, the housing 3 (frame 4), the carriage 30, the control unit 80 (detection unit 84), and the operation panel 6. Furthermore, the components that detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 (open / close mechanism 60A, housing 3, carriage 30, control unit 80, and operation panel 6) are components that the liquid ejecting device 1A uses to print on a medium. In other words, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1A detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 by utilizing the components used to print on the medium, so no new components are required to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40, and the cost of the liquid ejection device 1A can be reduced compared to when new components are required to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40.

[0101] The effects achieved by the liquid ejecting apparatus 1A according to this embodiment will be described below. (1-1) Because the supply flow path 40 is opened and closed by manually operating the operation unit 61, there is a possibility that the liquid ejecting device 1A may be transported with ink filled inside, and the user may forget to open the supply flow path 40 when resuming printing. In this regard, the detection unit 84 can detect that the opening / closing mechanism 60A comes into contact with the contact unit 100 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 closed. This reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0102] (1-2) The contact part 100 is provided on the housing 3 (frame 4) that houses the liquid ejection part 50 and the carriage 30. Because the housing 3 has high rigidity, the contact part 100 is less likely to deform, and the detection part 84 can stably detect contact between the opening / closing mechanism 60A and the contact part 100.

[0103] (1-3) When the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, the contact portion 100 comes into contact with the operation portion 61 (the lever 62A in the closed position). As a result, when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, the detection portion 84 can detect that the operation portion 61 and the contact portion 100 come into contact with each other, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0104] (1-4) The operation unit 61 includes a lever 62A that can rotate between an open position where the supply flow path 40 is open and a closed position where the supply flow path 40 is closed, and the opening / closing unit 63 has a pressing member 66 that closes the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62A is in the closed position and opens the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62A is in the open position, and when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in the closed state, the lever 62A comes into contact with the contact portion 100. As a result, when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in the closed state, the detection unit 84 can detect that the lever 62A in the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0105] (1-5) The operating unit 61 (lever 62A) is movable between an open position where the supply flow path 40 is open and a closed position where the supply flow path 40 is closed. The contact portion 100 is disposed outside a movement area TA (movement area TA of the lever 62A in the open position) through which the operating unit 61 in the open position moves in association with the movement of the carriage 30, and is disposed inside a movement area TB (movement area TB of the lever 62A in the closed position) through which the operating unit 61 in the closed position moves in association with the movement of the carriage 30. Because the contact portion 100 is disposed inside the movement area TB through which the operating unit 61 in the closed position moves in association with the movement of the carriage 30, the contact portion 100 comes into contact with the operating unit 61 when the carriage 30 moves in the X direction. Therefore, the detection unit 84 can detect contact between the operating unit 61 and the contact portion 100, which reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0106] (1-6) The printer further includes a control unit 80 that controls the movement of the carriage 30. The control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction (first direction) in the main scanning direction, and when it detects that the supply flow path 40 is closed, moves the carriage 30 in the X(-) direction (second direction), which is the opposite direction to the X(+) direction (first direction). This allows the user to operate the operation unit 61. This allows the user to prevent printing defects.

[0107] (1-7) The device further includes a notification unit that notifies the user that the supply flow path 40 is closed. This allows the user to know that the supply flow path 40 is closed, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0108] (1-8) The detection method of the liquid ejecting device 1A can detect that the supply flow path 40 is closed by the movement of the carriage 30. This reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0109] (1-9) The detection method of the liquid ejecting device 1A can detect that the supply flow path 40 is closed if the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed when the carriage 30 is moved. This reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0110] (1-10) The detection method of the liquid ejecting device 1A can detect that the supply flow path 40 is closed by the driving load of the carriage motor 31. This reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0111] (1-11) The detection method of the liquid ejection device 1A is to move the carriage 30 when the power is turned on, and detect the state of the supply flow path 40 by the movement of the carriage 30. When the opening / closing mechanism 60A (supply flow path 40) is closed, the power is not turned on, such as when the device is being transported, so the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 can be detected when the power is turned on. By configuring in this way, the number of detections can be reduced, thereby improving throughput.

[0112] (Embodiment 2) Fig. 9 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 4 and is a schematic diagram of a liquid ejecting device 1B according to embodiment 2 when viewed from the Z(+) direction side. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a liquid ejecting device 1B according to embodiment 2 when viewed from the X(-) direction side. Fig. 11 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 7 and is an exploded perspective view of an opening / closing mechanism 60B according to embodiment 2. In Figure 9, the area TC where the carriage 30 moves (hereinafter referred to as the movement area TC of the carriage 30) is shown by a dashed line. Furthermore, the frame 4 is not shown in Figure 9. In Figure 10, the carriage 30, the lever 62B, and the liquid storage unit 10 are schematically shown, and other components are not shown. Furthermore, in Figures 9 and 10, the displacement member 67 when the supply flow path 40 is in the open state is shown by a solid line, and the displacement member 67 when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0113] In the above-described first embodiment, the opening and closing mechanism 60A is mounted on the carriage 30 and moves together with the carriage 30. The contact portion 100 that comes into contact with the opening and closing mechanism 60A when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state is provided on the frame 4 and is stationary. When the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, the opening and closing mechanism 60A moves and comes into contact with the contact portion 100. In this embodiment, the contact portion 101 is provided on the carriage 30 and moves. The opening / closing mechanism 60B, which comes into contact with the contact portion 101 when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, does not move but remains stationary. When the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, the contact portion 101 moves and comes into contact with the opening / closing mechanism 60B. This is the main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment. 9 to 11, an overview of a liquid ejecting device 1B according to this embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from embodiment 1. Furthermore, the same components as those in embodiment 1 will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0114] 9, the home position HP, where the carriage 30 waits when not printing, is located in the non-printing area RA2. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the home position HP, where the carriage 30 waits when not printing, is located in the non-printing area RA1. The liquid storage unit 10 is disposed in the non-printing area RA1.

[0115] 9 and 10, the carriage 30 is equipped with the liquid ejecting unit 50, but is not equipped with the opening and closing mechanism 60B. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the carriage 30 is equipped with the liquid ejecting unit 50 and the opening and closing mechanism 60A, and the opening and closing mechanism 60A moves together with the carriage 30. The opening and closing mechanism 60B is disposed on the upper part of the liquid storage unit 10 so as to contact the surface located on the Z(-) direction side of the surfaces (upper surfaces) on the Z(+) direction sides of the two liquid storage units 10. Therefore, the opening and closing mechanism 60B does not move and remains stationary.

[0116] 11 , the opening / closing mechanism 60B has an opening / closing unit 63 that opens or closes the supply flow path 40, an operating unit 61 that operates the opening / closing unit 63, and a displacement member 67. The opening / closing unit 63 has a supply flow path support unit 68, a shaft 64, a pressing member 66, a cam member 65, and a case 69. The operating unit 61 includes a lever 62B that is rotatable about the shaft 64 between an open position that opens the supply flow path 40 and a closed position that closes the supply flow path 40. The pressing member 66 closes the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62B is in the closed position, and opens the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62B is in the open position. The opening / closing mechanism 60B, except for the lever 62B, is arranged inside the housing 3 of the device main body 2. Therefore, the lever 62B protrudes from the side surface of the housing 3 on the X(-) direction side to the outside of the housing 3. The lever 62B may be configured to be provided inside the housing 3. In such a case, it is preferable to provide an opening (not shown) in the frame 4 of the housing 3 so that the lever 62B can be accessed when the scanner 5 is open, for example. The displacement member 67 is attached to the end of the shaft 64 opposite to the side on which the lever 62B is attached, and is displaced in conjunction with the movement of the lever 62B. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 60A has the opening / closing unit 63 and the operating unit 61, but does not have the displacement member 67. Furthermore, the lever 62B of this embodiment is shorter than the lever 62A of the first embodiment, and the shaft 64 is positioned at the center of the length of the lever 62B, making it easier for the user to grip and rotate the lever 62B.

[0117] The lever 62B rotates around a rotation axis A along the X direction of the shaft 64. The lever 62B is attached to the end of the shaft 64 facing the negative X direction, and the displacement member 67 is attached to the end of the shaft 64 facing the positive X direction. As a result, the displacement member 67 can rotate in conjunction with the lever 62B, which rotates around the rotation axis A, via the shaft 64. In this way, the opening / closing mechanism 60B has the displacement member 67 that displaces in conjunction with the lever 62B. In this embodiment, the angle formed between the longitudinal direction of the lever 62B and the longitudinal direction of the displacement member 67 is 45 degrees. The angle formed between the longitudinal direction of the lever 62B and the longitudinal direction of the displacement member 67 can be changed as appropriate.

[0118] When the user pinches lever 62B and turns lever 62B in a direction that closes supply flow path 40, pressing member 66 compresses supply flow path 40, closing supply flow path 40. When the user pinches lever 62B and turns lever 62B in a direction that opens supply flow path 40, pressing member 66 no longer compresses supply flow path 40, opening supply flow path 40.

[0119] The displacement member 67 is displaced between an open position (the position of the displacement member 67 shown by the solid line in Figure 10) when the supply flow path 40 is in an open state, and a closed position (the position of the displacement member 67 shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 10) when the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. In the following description, the displacement member 67 when the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state will be referred to as the displacement member 67 in the closed position, and the displacement member 67 when the supply flow path 40 is in an open state will be referred to as the displacement member 67 in the open position. 10, when the displacement member 67 in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise, it becomes the displacement member 67 in the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure. When the displacement member 67 in the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure is rotated 180 degrees clockwise, it becomes the displacement member 67 in the open position indicated by the solid line in the figure. Furthermore, in Figure 10, when the displacement member 67 is viewed from the X-direction side, the displacement member 67 in the open position shown by the solid line in the figure does not overlap with the carriage 30, and the displacement member 67 in the closed position shown by the dotted line in the figure overlaps with the carriage 30.

[0120] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, when the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state, the displacement member 67 in the closed position, indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure, is positioned inside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, and when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(-) direction, the surface (contact portion 101) on the X(-) direction side of the carriage 30 comes into contact with the displacement member 67 in the closed position, and movement of the carriage 30 is hindered. That is, when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(-) direction, the surface of the carriage 30 on the X(-) side that comes into contact with the displacement member 67 in the closed position is the contact portion 101. In this manner, in this embodiment, the contact portion 101 is provided on the carriage 30. When the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, the displacement member 67 comes into contact with a contact portion 101 provided on the carriage 30. In other words, the carriage 30 has the liquid ejecting unit 50 mounted thereon, is capable of reciprocating in the X direction, and has the contact portion 101 that can come into contact with the displacement member 67 (opening / closing mechanism 60B) when the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state. The contact portion 101 may be provided on the carriage 30 as in this embodiment, or may be provided as a separate member from the carriage 30, such as a cushioning material that is fixed to the housing of the carriage 30 and can cushion contact with the displacement member 67.

[0121] On the other hand, when the supply flow path 40 is in an open state, the displacement member 67 in the open position shown by the solid line in the figure is positioned outside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, and when the carriage 30 located at the home position HP is moved in the X(-) direction, the surface (contact portion 101) on the X(-) direction side of the carriage 30 does not come into contact with the displacement member 67 in the open position, and the movement of the carriage 30 is not hindered.

[0122] <<<Method for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path>>> Next, a method for detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 will be described. As described above, the control unit 80 detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 at a specific timing. Furthermore, since the lever 62B in this embodiment is provided outside the housing 3, it is not necessary to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 after the opening / closing operation of the scanner 5. Note that, in a configuration in which the lever 62B is provided inside the housing 3, it is preferable to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 after the opening / closing operation of the scanner 5.

[0123] First, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30, which is located at the home position HP, in the X(-) direction (first direction). When the supply flow path 40 is in the open state, the displacement member 67, which is in the open position, is located outside the movement region TC of the carriage 30, and therefore, even if the carriage 30 is moved in the X(-) direction (first direction), the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 do not come into contact with each other. In this case, the driving load of the carriage motor 31 does not exceed the threshold value, and the detection unit 84 does not detect contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67. The control unit 80 then determines that the supply flow path 40 is in the open state.

[0124] When the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, the displacement member 67, which is in the closed position, is located inside the movement region TC of the carriage 30. Therefore, when the carriage 30, which is located at the home position HP, is moved in the X(-) direction (first direction), the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 come into contact, hindering the movement of the carriage 30 and increasing the driving load of the carriage motor 31. The detection unit 84 detects the contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67 when the driving load of the carriage motor 31 exceeds a threshold value. The control unit 80 then determines that the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state. In this way, the detection method of the liquid ejection device 1B according to this embodiment detects that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state by the movement of the carriage 30. In other words, the detection method of the liquid ejection device 1B according to this embodiment detects that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state if the movement of the carriage 30 is obstructed when the carriage 30 is moved. In further other words, the detection method of the liquid ejection device 1B according to this embodiment detects that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state by the drive load of the carriage motor 31, since the liquid ejection device 1B is equipped with a carriage motor 31 that moves the carriage 30. Furthermore, the control unit 80 moves the carriage 30 in the X(-) direction (first direction) in the X direction (main scanning direction), and when it detects that the supply flow path 40 is closed, moves the carriage 30 in the X(+) direction (second direction), which is the opposite direction to the X(-) direction (first direction), and moves the carriage 30 to the home position HP. In this embodiment, the X(-) direction corresponds to the "first direction in the main scanning direction," and the X(+) direction corresponds to the "second direction opposite to the first direction."

[0125] Additionally, this embodiment detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 using the opening / closing mechanism 60B, the housing 3 (frame 4), the carriage 30, the control unit 80 (detection unit 84), and the operation panel 6, among the components of the liquid ejecting device 1B. The components that detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 (open / close mechanism 60B, the housing 3, the carriage 30, the control unit 80, and the operation panel 6) are components that allow the liquid ejecting device 1B to print on a medium. In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1B detects the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 by utilizing the components used for printing on the medium, so no new components are required to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40, and the cost of the liquid ejection device 1B can be reduced compared to when new components are required to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40.

[0126] The effects of this embodiment will be described below. (2-1) Because the supply flow path 40 is opened and closed by manually operating the operation unit 61, there is a possibility that the liquid ejecting device 1B may be transported with ink filled inside, and the user may forget to open the supply flow path 40 when resuming printing. In this regard, the detection unit 84 can detect that the opening / closing mechanism 60B comes into contact with the contact portion 101 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 closed. This reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0127] (2-2) The opening / closing mechanism 60B has a displacement member 67 that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit 61, and the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact portion 101 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state. This allows the detection unit 84 to detect that the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact portion 101 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0128] (2-3) The operation unit 61 includes a lever 62B that can rotate about a shaft 64 between an open position where the supply flow path 40 is open and a closed position where the supply flow path 40 is closed, and the opening / closing unit 63 has a pressing member 66 that closes the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62B is in the closed position and opens the supply flow path 40 when the lever 62B is in the open position, and the shaft 64, and the displacement member 67 is displaced in conjunction with the movement of the lever 62B via the shaft 64. As a result, the detection unit 84 can detect that the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact portion 101 when the carriage 30 is moved with the supply flow path 40 in a closed state, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0129] (2-4) When the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, the displacement member 67 is located within the movement area TC of the carriage 30. As a result, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact portion 101. Therefore, the detection unit 84 can detect the contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67, which reduces the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0130] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the spirit or concept of the invention as can be read from the entire specification, and various modifications other than the above-described embodiment are conceivable. Modifications will be described below.

[0131] (Variation 1) The liquid ejecting device 1A of the first embodiment may be configured to include the opening and closing mechanism 60B of the second embodiment instead of the opening and closing mechanism 60A. In other words, the displacement member 67 and the contact portion 100 may be in contact with each other in the closed position.

[0132] The contact portion 100 in Modification 1 is located outside the movement area where the displacement member 67 in the open position moves as the carriage 30 moves in the X direction. In other words, the contact portion 100 in Modification 1 is located outside the movement area of ​​the displacement member 67 in the open position. Therefore, when the supply flow path 40 is in the open state, the displacement member 67 in the open position and the contact portion 100 do not come into contact with each other even if the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(+) direction).

[0133] Furthermore, the contact portion 100 is located inside the movement area through which the displacement member 67 in the closed position moves as the carriage 30 moves in the X direction. That is, the contact portion 100 in Modification 1 is located inside the movement area of ​​the displacement member 67 in the closed position. Therefore, when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, if the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(+) direction), the displacement member 67 in the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100, and movement of the carriage 30 is hindered.

[0134] By adopting such a configuration, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply flow path 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the displacement member 67 comes into contact with the contact portion 100, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0135] (Variation 2) The liquid ejecting device 1B of the second embodiment may have a configuration including the opening / closing mechanism 60A of the first embodiment instead of the opening / closing mechanism 60B. That is, the contact portion 101 and the lever 62A may be in contact with each other. In the second modification, the lever 62A in the closed position is disposed inside the movement area TC of the carriage 30, and the lever 62A in the open position is disposed outside the movement area TC of the carriage 30.

[0136] Therefore, when the supply flow path 40 is in the open state, even if the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(-) direction), the lever 62A in the open position does not come into contact with the contact portion 101. Furthermore, when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, if the carriage 30 moves in the first direction (X(-) direction), the lever 62A in the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 101, and movement of the carriage 30 is hindered.

[0137] By configuring in this manner, when the carriage 30 is moved while the supply flow path 40 is closed, the detection unit 84 can detect that the operating unit 61 comes into contact with the contact unit 101, thereby reducing the risk that the user will forget to open the supply flow path 40.

[0138] (Variation 3) The cam member 65, the shaft portion 64, and the pressing member 66 may be integrally formed. This reduces the number of parts. The shaft portion 64 and the lever 62A may also be integrally formed. Furthermore, the shaft portion 64, the lever 62B, and the displacement member 67 may also be integrally formed.

[0139] (Variation 4) In the first embodiment described above, the control unit 80 may set in advance a deceleration position for decelerating the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction between the home position HP and a stop position, which is the position of the carriage 30 when the lever 62A in the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 100 to stop the movement of the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction. That is, when the carriage 30 moves to the deceleration position to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40, the movement speed of the carriage 30 is decelerated. Therefore, the movement speed of the carriage 30 can be increased up to the deceleration position, thereby improving throughput.

[0140] (Variation 5) In the second embodiment described above, the control unit 80 may set in advance a deceleration position for decelerating the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction between the home position HP and a stop position, which is the position of the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction when the displacement member 67 located at the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion 101 to stop the movement of the carriage 30. That is, when the carriage 30 moves to the deceleration position to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40, the movement speed of the carriage 30 is decelerated. Therefore, the movement speed of the carriage 30 can be increased up to the deceleration position, thereby improving throughput.

[0141] (Variation 6) In each of the above embodiments, the detection unit 84 detects that the drive load of the carriage motor 31 exceeds a threshold value due to the movement of the carriage 30 being inhibited in the first direction. Then, the control unit 80 determines that the supply flow path 40 is in a closed state based on the detection result of the detection unit 84. The movement of the carriage 30 being inhibited in the first direction includes not only the case where the movement of the carriage 30 stops, but also the case where the speed at which the carriage 30 moves in the first direction slows down. In other words, the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction being inhibited due to contact between the contact unit 100 and the operation unit 61 or the contact unit 101 and the displacement member 67 includes not only the case where the movement of the carriage 30 stops, but also the case where the movement speed of the carriage 30 slows down.

[0142] Even in such a case, the drive load of the carriage motor 31 increases while the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction is inhibited. Note that the change in the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement speed of the carriage 30 slows is smaller than the change in the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement of the carriage 30 stops. Therefore, by setting the threshold value of the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement speed of the carriage 30 slows lower than the threshold value of the drive load of the carriage motor 31 when the movement of the carriage 30 stops, it is possible to detect contact between the contact portion 100 and the operation portion 61, or contact between the contact portion 101 and the displacement member 67, not only when the movement of the carriage 30 stops but also when the movement speed of the carriage 30 slows.

[0143] (Variation 7) The operating unit 61 may be a slide-type operating unit 61 instead of the levers 62A and 62B that rotate around the shaft 64. Also, the operating unit 61 may be configured so that the displacement member 67 is displaced by turning a knob.

[0144] (Variation 8) As a configuration for blocking the supply flow path 40 other than crushing the supply flow path 40 with the pressing member 66, a configuration may be adopted in which a flexible diaphragm is pressurized with air by operating the operating unit 61, thereby blocking the supply flow path 40.

[0145] (Variation 9) The above-described embodiments are not limited to a configuration in which the open / closed state of the supply flow path 40 is detected by detecting the drive load of the carriage motor 31. An optical sensor that detects the operation unit 61 or the displacement member 67 positioned in the closed position may be provided at a position where the movement of the carriage 30 in the first direction is stopped when the supply flow path 40 is in the closed state, thereby detecting contact between the operation unit 61 and the contact unit 100, or contact between the displacement member 67 and the contact unit 101.

[0146] (Variation 10) In the above-described first embodiment, the contact unit 100 may be configured as a part of the device main body 2 other than the frame 4 of the housing 3. For example, the contact unit 100 may be provided on the housing of a maintenance box (not shown) that is provided on the device main body 2 and that collects waste liquid discharged for maintenance of the liquid ejection unit 50.

[0147] (Variation 11) The direction in which the supply flow passages 40 are arranged by the supply flow passage support portion 68 may be changed as appropriate.

[0148] (Variation 12) In the second embodiment described above, the opening and closing mechanism 60B is disposed on the liquid storage unit 10, but it may be disposed at any position inside the device main body 2.

[0149] (Variation 13) Although the above embodiments employ five types of ink, any number of types of ink may be employed. In this case, the number of liquid storage portions 13, supply flow paths 40, etc. may be adjusted to correspond to the number of types of ink employed.

[0150] (Variation 14) The liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B may eject liquids other than ink. The liquid ejected from the liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B in the form of minute droplets includes granular, teardrop-like, and string-like droplets. The liquid referred to here may be any material that can be ejected from the liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B. For example, the liquid may be any liquid phase, including fluids such as high or low viscosity liquids, sols, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals, and metal melts. The liquid may refer not only to a single state of matter, but also to particles of functional materials, such as solid pigments and metal particles, dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent. Typical examples of liquids include inks and liquid crystals, as described in the above embodiments. Here, ink includes various liquid compositions, such as general water-based inks and oil-based inks, as well as gel inks and hot-melt inks. Specific examples of the liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B include devices that eject liquids containing dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, electroluminescent displays, surface-emitting displays, and color filters. The liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B may also be devices that eject bioorganic materials used in biochip manufacture, devices used as precision pipettes to eject sample liquids, textile printing devices, microdispensers, etc. The liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B may also be devices that eject lubricating oil with pinpoint accuracy onto precision machinery such as watches and cameras, or devices that eject transparent resin liquids such as ultraviolet-curing resins onto substrates to form micro-hemispherical lenses, optical lenses, etc. used in optical communication devices, etc. The liquid ejection devices 1A and 1B may also be devices that eject etching liquids such as acids or alkalis to etch substrates, etc.

[0151] The following describes the results derived from the embodiments.

[0152] The liquid ejection device of the present application is characterized by comprising: a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism that has an opening / closing unit that opens or closes the supply flow path; and an operating unit that operates the opening / closing unit; a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit and the opening / closing mechanism and is capable of moving back and forth in the main scanning direction; a contact unit that comes into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state; and a detection unit that detects contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact unit.

[0153] According to this configuration, since a contact portion is provided that comes into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state, the detection portion can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact portion. Furthermore, if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is suppressed.

[0154] In the liquid ejecting device, it is preferable that the contact portion is provided on a housing that houses the liquid ejecting portion and the carriage.

[0155] According to this configuration, since the housing has high rigidity, when the contact portion is provided on the housing, the contact portion is less likely to deform, and the detection portion can stably detect contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact portion.

[0156] In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the contact portion come into contact with the operation portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

[0157] When the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed, if the contact portion comes into contact with the operation portion, the detection portion can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not the operation portion is in contact with the contact portion. Furthermore, if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path closed can be prevented.

[0158] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, the operating unit includes a lever that can rotate between an open position in which the supply flow path is open and a closed position in which the supply flow path is closed, and the opening / closing unit has a pressing member that blocks the supply flow path when the lever is in the closed position and opens the supply flow path when the lever is in the open position, and it is preferable that the lever contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0159] When the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed, the lever in the closed position comes into contact with the contact portion, so the detection portion can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the lever and the contact portion. Furthermore, if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path closed is suppressed.

[0160] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, it is preferable that the operating unit is movable between an open position in which the supply flow path is open and a closed position in which the supply flow path is closed, and that the contact portion is positioned outside the movement area in which the operating unit in the open position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage, and is positioned inside the movement area in which the operating unit in the closed position moves in conjunction with the movement of the carriage.

[0161] When the contact portion is positioned outside the movement area through which the operation portion in the open position moves in conjunction with carriage movement, and when the operation portion in the closed position is positioned inside the movement area through which the operation portion in the closed position moves in conjunction with carriage movement, the contact portion does not come into contact with the operation portion in the open position, but comes into contact with the operation portion in the closed position. This allows the detection portion to detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the operation portion and the contact portion. Furthermore, by opening the supply flow path when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is prevented.

[0162] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, it is preferable that the opening and closing mechanism has a displacement member that displaces in conjunction with the operating unit, and that the contact portion contacts the displacement member when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0163] When the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed, the displacement member comes into contact with the contact portion. The detection unit can then detect whether the supply flow path is open or closed based on whether or not there is contact between the displacement member and the contact portion. Furthermore, by opening the supply flow path when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path closed is prevented.

[0164] The liquid ejection device of the present application is characterized by comprising: a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism that has an opening / closing unit that opens or closes the supply flow path; and an operating unit that operates the opening / closing unit; a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit, is movable back and forth in the main scanning direction, and has a contact unit that can come into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the supply flow path is in a closed state; and a detection unit that can detect contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact unit.

[0165] The carriage has a contact portion that can come into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the supply flow path is closed, so the detection portion can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact portion. Furthermore, by opening the supply flow path when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is suppressed.

[0166] In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the operation portion come into contact with the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0167] According to this configuration, when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state, the operating part of the opening / closing mechanism comes into contact with the contact part, and the detection part can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not the operating part of the opening / closing mechanism comes into contact with the contact part. Furthermore, if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is suppressed.

[0168] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, it is preferable that the opening and closing mechanism has a displacement member that displaces in conjunction with the operating unit, and that the displacement member contacts the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0169] With this configuration, when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path in a closed state, the displacement member comes into contact with the contact portion, and the detection portion can detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the displacement member and the contact portion. Furthermore, if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is suppressed.

[0170] In the above-mentioned liquid injection device, the operating unit includes a lever that can rotate around a shaft between an open position in which the supply flow path is open and a closed position in which the supply flow path is closed, and the opening / closing unit has a pressing member that closes the supply flow path when the lever is in the closed position and opens the supply flow path when the lever is in the open position, and the shaft, and it is preferable that the displacement member displaces in conjunction with the movement of the lever via the shaft.

[0171] According to this configuration, by providing a displacement member that displaces in conjunction with the movement of the lever, the displacement member and the contact portion can be brought into contact when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed, and the displacement member and the contact portion can be brought into a non-contact state when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path open. The detection unit can then detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the displacement member and the contact portion. Furthermore, by opening the supply flow path when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path closed is prevented.

[0172] In the liquid ejecting apparatus, when the supply flow path is in a closed state, it is preferable that the displacement member is located within a movement area of ​​the carriage.

[0173] When the supply flow path is closed, if the displacement member is located within the carriage movement area, the displacement member and the contact portion come into contact when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed. The detecting unit can then detect the open / closed state of the supply flow path based on whether or not there is contact between the displacement member and the contact portion. Furthermore, by opening the supply flow path when it is closed, it is possible to prevent printing from being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state.

[0174] The above-mentioned liquid ejection device preferably further includes a control unit that controls the movement of the carriage, and the control unit moves the carriage in a first direction in the main scanning direction, and when it detects that the supply flow path is closed, moves the carriage in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

[0175] When the carriage is moved in a first direction in the main scanning direction and a closed state of the supply flow path is detected, moving the carriage in a second direction, which is the opposite direction to the first direction, creates a working space on the second direction side for changing the supply flow path from a closed state to an open state, and the work of changing the supply flow path from a closed state to an open state can be carried out properly.

[0176] It is preferable that the liquid ejecting device further includes a notification unit that notifies the user that the supply flow path is in a closed state.

[0177] If the device has a notification unit that notifies the user that the supply flow path is closed, the user can more easily and reliably recognize that the supply flow path is closed.

[0178] The detection method for a liquid ejection device of the present application is a detection method for a liquid ejection device that includes a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a medium, a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid, a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit to the liquid ejection unit, an opening / closing mechanism that opens or closes the supply flow path, and a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit and can move back and forth in the main scanning direction, and is characterized in that it detects that the supply flow path is in a closed state by the movement of the carriage.

[0179] With this configuration, it is possible to detect that the supply flow path is closed by the movement of the carriage, so that if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is prevented.

[0180] In the detection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that when the carriage is moved, the supply flow path is detected to be in a closed state if the movement of the carriage is obstructed.

[0181] With this configuration, if the movement of the carriage is obstructed, it is detected that the supply flow path is closed, and if the supply flow path is closed, the supply flow path is opened, thereby preventing the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path closed.

[0182] In the detection method for the liquid ejecting device, it is preferable that the liquid ejecting device further includes a carriage motor that moves the carriage, and detects whether the supply flow path is in a closed state based on a driving load of the carriage motor.

[0183] With this configuration, the open / closed state of the supply flow path can be detected by detecting the driving load of the carriage motor, so that if the supply flow path is opened when it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path in a closed state is suppressed.

[0184] In the detection method for the liquid ejecting device, it is preferable that the carriage is moved when power is turned on, and the state of the supply flow path is detected based on the movement of the carriage.

[0185] By moving the carriage when the power is turned on, detecting the open / closed state of the supply flow path, and opening the supply flow path if it is closed, the problem of printing being resumed with the supply flow path closed is prevented. [Explanation of symbols]

[0186] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B...liquid ejection device, 2...device main body, 3...housing, 4...frame, 5...scanner, 6...operation panel, 7...display unit, 8...operation button, 10...liquid storage unit, 11...cover, 12...housing, 13...liquid storage unit, 14...display unit, 16...lid, 22...medium storage unit, 25...transport mechanism, 30...carriage, 31...carriage motor, 32...carriage cover, 40...supply flow path, 50...liquid ejection unit, 51...nozzle, 55...maintenance unit, 60A, 60B...opening / closing mechanism, 61...operation unit, 62A, 62B...levers, 63...opening / closing unit, 64... Shaft portion, 65...cam member, 66...pressure member, 67...displacement member, 68 supply flow path support member, 69...case, 70...groove, 71...recess, 75...linear encoder, 76...photosensor, 80...control unit, 81...CPU, 82...memory, 83...interface unit (I / F), 84...detection unit, 85...open / close detection unit, 91...part, 92...part, 100...contact portion, 101...contact portion, 110...PC, HP...home position, PA...printing area, RA...non-printing area, RA1...non-printing area, RA2...non-printing area, TA...movement area, OA...opening, A...rotating axis.

Claims

1. a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto the medium; a liquid storage section that stores the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism including an opening / closing unit that opens or closes the supply flow path and an operating unit that operates the opening / closing unit; a carriage that is mounted with the liquid ejecting unit and the opening / closing mechanism and is capable of reciprocating in a main scanning direction; a contact portion that comes into contact with the opening / closing mechanism when the carriage is moved in a state in which the supply flow path is closed; a detection unit that detects contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact unit.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion is provided on a housing that houses the liquid ejecting portion and the carriage.

3. 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion comes into contact with the operation portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

4. the operating unit includes a lever that is rotatable between an open position that opens the supply flow path and a closed position that closes the supply flow path, the opening / closing unit has a pressing member that closes the supply flow path when the lever is located at the closed position and opens the supply flow path when the lever is located at the open position, 4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lever comes into contact with the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

5. the operating unit is movable between an open position where the supply flow path is opened and a closed position where the supply flow path is closed, The liquid injection device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the contact portion is positioned outside the movement area through which the operating portion, when positioned in the open position, moves in accordance with the movement of the carriage, and is positioned inside the movement area through which the operating portion, when positioned in the closed position, moves in accordance with the movement of the carriage.

6. the opening / closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit, 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion comes into contact with the displacement member when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

7. a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto the medium; a liquid storage section that stores the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism having an opening / closing unit that opens or closes the supply flow path and an operating unit that operates the opening / closing unit; a carriage that carries the liquid ejecting unit, is movable back and forth in a main scanning direction, and has a contact portion that can come into contact with the opening and closing mechanism when the supply flow path is in a closed state; a detection unit capable of detecting contact between the opening / closing mechanism and the contact unit.

8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the operation portion comes into contact with the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

9. the opening / closing mechanism has a displacement member that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit, The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the displacement member comes into contact with the contact portion when the carriage is moved with the supply flow path closed.

10. the operating unit includes a lever that is rotatable about a shaft between an open position where the supply flow path is in an open state and a closed position where the supply flow path is in a closed state, the opening / closing unit includes a pressing member that closes the supply flow path when the lever is located at the closed position and opens the supply flow path when the lever is located at the open position, and the shaft portion; The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the displacement member is displaced via the shaft portion in conjunction with the movement of the lever.

11. 11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the supply flow path is in a closed state, the displacement member is located within a movement area of ​​the carriage.

12. a control unit that controls the movement of the carriage; A liquid ejection device as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the control unit moves the carriage in a first direction in the main scanning direction, and when a closed state of the supply flow path is detected, moves the carriage in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

13. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that notifies the user that the supply flow path is in a closed state.

14. A method for detecting a liquid ejection device including: a liquid ejection unit having a nozzle for ejecting liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage unit for storing the liquid; a supply flow path that connects the liquid storage unit and the liquid ejection unit; an opening / closing mechanism that opens or closes the supply flow path; and a carriage that carries the liquid ejection unit and is capable of reciprocating in a main scanning direction, A detection method for a liquid ejecting device, comprising detecting whether the supply flow path is in a closed state by movement of the carriage.

15. 15. The detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the supply flow path is detected to be in a closed state if movement of the carriage is obstructed when the carriage is moved.

16. the liquid ejection device further includes a carriage motor that moves the carriage; 16. The detection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the closed state of the supply flow path is detected by a driving load of the carriage motor.

17. 17. The detection method for a liquid ejecting device according to claim 14, wherein the carriage is moved when power is turned on, and the state of the supply flow path is detected based on the movement of the carriage.

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