Liquid consumption devices

Abstract

To suppress an atmospheric chamber from being filled with ink due to opening of a gas valve in a state in which an injection port is not sealed by a cap.SOLUTION: In a printer section 11, ink is injected from an injection port 143 of a black tank 18 to a storage chamber 111. The storage chamber 111 is communicated with an atmospheric chamber 112. An atmosphere tube 34 connects the atmospheric chamber 112 to the outside of the black tank 18 and is opened / closed by a valve 170A. A cover 100A is movable to a position P1 which covers the injection port 143 and a position P2 which can expose the injection port 143 through a position P7. A valve opening / closing mechanism 160A opens the valve 170A when the cover 100A is located on the position P1 side of the position P7, and closes the valve 170A when the cover 100A is located between the position P7 and the position P2. When the cover 100A is moved from the position P7 to the position P1, a cap 104 is fitted into the injection port 143 and the storage chamber 111 is sealed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid consuming device including a tank having a storage chamber and an atmospheric chamber. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is an inkjet printer equipped with a head that ejects ink and a tank that stores the ink. When ink is ejected from the head, the ink is supplied from the tank to the head. The inside of the tank is open to the atmosphere, and an amount of gas equal to the amount of ink supplied to the head flows into the tank.

[0003] In addition, the tank has a configuration in which an atmospheric chamber is located below a storage chamber that stores ink (see Patent Document 1). The storage chamber and the atmospheric chamber are connected to each other, and the atmospheric chamber is also connected to the outside of the tank. When ink enters the atmospheric chamber from the storage chamber, the ink level is located below the ejection port formation surface of the head, which creates a head difference between the ink level and the ejection port formation surface of the head, and the space in the head where the ink exists is placed in a negative pressure state.

[0004] When ink is injected into the storage chamber, the inlet of the storage chamber must be open, but in order to open this inlet, the cover covering this inlet must be opened. When the user opens the cover, the liquid valve provided in the flow path from the storage chamber to the head and the gas valve provided in the flow path from the atmospheric chamber to the outside of the tank are both closed. After that, the user removes the cap sealing the inlet of the storage chamber and opens the inlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-81086 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Here, suppose that the user injects ink into the tank through the inlet, and then closes the cover without sealing the inlet of the storage chamber with a cap. When the cover is closed, each valve is opened, allowing ink to flow from the storage chamber to the head, and the atmospheric chamber is opened to the atmosphere. However, since the inlet is not sealed with a cap, the storage chamber is also open to the atmosphere. Then, due to the head difference, ink flows from the storage chamber to the atmospheric chamber, and the atmospheric chamber is filled with ink. In this state, if the ink level in the storage chamber is located above the ejection port formation surface of the head, the inside of the head is not in a negative pressure state. As a result, not only will problems occur when forming an image on a sheet, but there is also a risk of ink leaking from the head. Also, even if the inlet is sealed with a cap while the atmospheric chamber is still filled with ink, the inside of the head is not in a negative pressure state. Therefore, it is necessary to once discharge the ink filled in the atmospheric chamber.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a means for preventing ink from flowing out of the storage chamber into the atmospheric chamber and filling the atmospheric chamber with ink when the gas valve is opened with the injection port not sealed with a cap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The liquid consuming device according to the present invention comprises a liquid consuming section which consumes liquid, a tank having a storage chamber which stores liquid and an inlet for injecting liquid into the storage chamber, a cap which can fit with the inlet to seal the inlet, an atmospheric chamber which is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and which communicates with the storage chamber, a liquid flow path which connects the liquid consuming section and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therebetween, a gas flow path which connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough, and a gas valve which opens and closes the gas flow path. the gas valve is provided with a valve opening / closing mechanism that opens the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the first position than a third position between the first position and the second position, and closes the gas valve when the cover is positioned between the third position and the second position, and when the cover is moved from the third position to the first position, the cap is already fitted to the injection port to seal the storage chamber.

[0009] According to the above configuration, when the cover is moved from the third position to the first position, the cap is already fitted to the injection port, so the cover is not moved to the first position with the cap removed from the injection port, which prevents the gas valve from being opened with the injection port unsealed, thereby preventing liquid from flowing out of the storage chamber to the atmosphere chamber. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the gas valve is prevented from opening when the injection port is not sealed with a cap. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction peripheral 10 according to an embodiment, in which (A) shows a state in which a scanner unit 12 is in a closed position, and (B) shows a state in which the scanner unit 12 is in an open position. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of the printer unit 11. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the recording unit 21, the black tank 18, and the peripheral configuration of the black tank 18. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the valve 170A and the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of cover 100A, cap 104, and valve 170A, where (A) shows the state when cover 100A is in position P1, (B) shows the state when cover 100A is in position P7, and (C) shows the state when cover 100A is in position P2. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of the cover 100A and the cap 104. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the printer unit 11 according to a modified example, where (A) shows the state when the cap 147 is closed, and (B) shows the state when the cap 147 is open and the regulating member 181 regulates the movement of the cover 100A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Each embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that the embodiment described below is merely one example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the end point is expressed as a direction, and the movement on the line connecting the starting point and the end point of the arrow is expressed as a direction. In other words, a direction is one component of a direction. Furthermore, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the posture (see FIG. 1, sometimes written as "use posture") in which the multifunction device 10 and the black tank 18 and the three-color tank 19 installed in the multifunction device 10 are installed on a horizontal surface so as to be usable, the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface of the housing 14 of the multifunction device 10 where the opening 13 (see FIG. 1) is provided as the front, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front. The up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 are perpendicular to each other.

[0013] [Overall configuration of multifunction device 10] 1A, the multifunction device 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction device 10 has a scanner unit 12 and a printer unit 11. The multifunction device 10 may also have a facsimile function.

[0014] [Scanner unit 12, housing 15] As shown in FIG. 1A, the scanner unit 12 is located at the top of the multifunction device 10. The scanner unit 12 is disposed in a housing 15. The housing 15 is generally rectangular parallelepiped in shape. The housing 15 is connected to the housing 14 by a connector 16 near the rear wall of the housing 14. The connector 16 allows the housing 15 to rotate relative to the housing 14. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the front part of the housing 15 is lifted by the user of the multifunction device 10, the housing 15 is opened relative to the housing 14. In the space between the scanner unit 12 and the printer unit 11, i.e., above the printer unit 11, the recording unit 21 (see FIG. 2) and covers 100A, 100B, etc., located inside the housing 14, are exposed to the outside. In this state, the user can operate the covers 100A, 100B, etc. As shown in FIG. 1A, when the housing 15 is closed, the recording unit 21, covers 100A and 100B, etc. are not exposed to the outside.

[0015] [Printer unit 11, housing 14] The printer unit 11 is an example of a liquid consumption device. The printer unit 11 is located at the bottom of the multifunction device 10, and records an image on a sheet-like recording medium 5 (see FIG. 2) by an inkjet recording method. The recording medium 5 is, for example, paper, cloth, a plastic sheet, an OHP sheet, an envelope, or the like.

[0016] The printer unit 11 includes a feed path 71 (see FIG. 1B) and a feed tray 17 (see FIG. 1A) in the housing 15. The feed path 71 is a path through which the recording medium 5 (see FIG. 2) on which an image is recorded passes. The feed tray 17 opens and closes the feed path 71 on the upper surface of the housing 15. The feed tray 17 closes the feed path 71 in a first state (a state shown by a solid line in FIG. 1) in which the feed tray 17 is rotated so as to form a part of the upper surface of the housing 15. On the other hand, the feed tray 17 opens the feed path 71 in a second state (a state shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) in which the feed tray 17 is rotated so as to protrude rearward from the housing 14. In the second state, the upper surface of the feed tray 17 becomes a tray surface that supports the recording medium 5 and guides it to the feed path 71.

[0017] The printer unit 11 has a housing 14. The housing 14 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape and a box shape that is open at the top. An opening 13 is formed in a front wall 14A of the housing 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 has two roller pairs 20, a conveying path 72, a recording unit 21 (an example of a consumption unit), and a discharge tray 22 in the internal space of the housing 14.

[0018] The roller pair 20 feeds the recording medium 5 on the feed tray 17 through a feed path 71 to a transport path 72, that is, below a head 21A provided in the recording unit 21.

[0019] The transport path 72 is a path along which the recording medium 5 that has passed through the feeding path 71 is transported. The transport path 72 is formed below the recording unit 21, extending from the rear to the front of the recording unit 21.

[0020] The recording unit 21 includes a head 21A and a guide rail 21B that guides the head 21A in the left-right direction 9. Ink stored in the black tank 18 and the three-color tanks 19 is supplied to the head 21A. The head 21A ejects ink toward the recording medium 5 from a plurality of nozzles formed on a lower surface 21C of the head 21A. This causes an image to be recorded on the recording medium 5. In other words, the recording unit 21 consumes ink.

[0021] 1, the discharge tray 22 is disposed in the opening 13 of the housing 14, below and in front of the recording unit 21. The discharge tray 22 supports a sheet on which an image has been recorded by the recording unit 21.

[0022] [Black Tank 18, 3-color Tank 19] 1, the printer unit 11 further includes a black tank 18 and a three-color tank 19 (an example of a tank) inside the housing 14. The black tank 18 and the three-color tank 19 are fixed inside the housing 14. The black tank 18 and the three-color tank 19 being fixed in the housing 14 means that the black tank 18 and the three-color tank 19 are not expected to be replaced by the user, and ink is replenished in a state where the black tank 18 and the three-color tank 19 are fixed to the housing 14.

[0023] The black tank 18 is placed in the tank housing section 101A in a usage position and stores black ink (an example of liquid). The tank housing section 101A is disposed to the left of the opening 13 at the front end of the housing 14. The space within the tank housing section 101A is partitioned by the bottom (not shown) of the housing 14, the front wall 14A, the right wall 14B, the top wall 14C, etc. The top wall 14C is disposed at the top ends of the front wall 14A and the right wall 14B, etc., and closes the top end of the space within the tank housing section 101A. An opening 14D is formed in the center of the top wall 14C. An inlet 143 of the black tank 18 is exposed from the opening 14D.

[0024] The black tank 18 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a housing 141, an inlet 143, a liquid outlet 144, a gas inlet 145, and a communication flow path 146, as shown in FIG.

[0025] [Chassis 141] The housing 141 is made of a resin material such as polypropylene. The resin material has a degree of translucency that allows the amount of ink stored in the black tank 18 to be visually confirmed from the outside through a window formed in the front wall 14A (see FIG. 1). The housing 141 is integrally molded by injection molding the resin material. Note that the housing 141 does not have to be integrally molded, and may instead be configured by combining a plurality of members.

[0026] The housing 141 includes a front wall 151, a right wall 152, an upper wall 153, a lower wall 154, a rear wall 155, and a partition wall 156. The left end of the housing 141 is closed by a left wall (not shown). Note that the left side of the housing 141 may be open due to reasons related to the molding of the housing 141. In this case, the left side of the housing 141 is sealed by welding a film (not shown) to the left end face of the housing 141.

[0027] [Inlet 143] The inlet 143 is disposed at a position forward of the center on the upper surface of the upper wall 153. The inlet 143 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the upper wall 153. An opening is formed at the upper end of the inlet 143. The inlet 143 communicates between the storage chamber 111 and the outside of the black tank 18. A user can inject ink into the storage chamber 111 from the outside through the inlet 143.

[0028] [Storage chamber 111, Atmospheric chamber 112] The storage chamber 111 is partitioned by a front wall 151, a right wall 152, an upper wall 153, a rear wall 155, a partition wall 156, and a left wall. The storage chamber 111 is capable of storing ink. The storage chamber 111 communicates with the outside of the black tank 18 via a communication flow path 146 (described later), an atmospheric chamber 112, a communication flow path 145A (described later), and an atmospheric tube 34A.

[0029] The atmospheric chamber 112 is defined by a front wall 151, a right wall 152, a lower wall 154, a rear wall 155, a partition wall 156, and a left wall. The atmospheric chamber 112 is located below the storage chamber 111. In the black tank 18, the storage chamber 111 and the atmospheric chamber 112 are defined by the partition wall 156.

[0030] The internal space of the air chamber 112 may be partitioned by a partition wall (not shown). This divides the air chamber 112 into a plurality of chambers. The plurality of chambers are connected to each other by thin communication paths (not shown) so that ink and air can communicate with each other.

[0031] 3 shows a configuration in which the entire atmospheric chamber 112 is located below the storage chamber 111. However, the configuration is not limited to the above, and the black tank 18 may have any configuration as long as at least a part of the atmospheric chamber 112 is located below the storage chamber 111.

[0032] The communicating flow path 146 communicates between the storage chamber 111 and the atmospheric chamber 112 so that ink and atmospheric air can flow between them. One end of the communicating flow path 146 is a communicating port that opens at the bottom surface of the storage chamber 111 toward the inside of the storage chamber 111. The other end of the communicating flow path 146 is a communicating port that opens at the bottom surface of the atmospheric chamber 112 toward the inside of the atmospheric chamber 112.

[0033] The bottom surface and partition wall 156 of the atmospheric chamber 112 are located lower in the vertical direction 7 than the lower surface 21C (see FIG. 2) of the head 21A when the multifunction device 10 is in the usage position. In other words, the entire atmospheric chamber 112 is located lower in the vertical direction 7 than the nozzle surface 41 when in the usage position. Therefore, when the storage chamber 111 is sealed, unless there is a change in external pressure, the ink stored in the storage chamber 111 will not continue to flow into the atmospheric chamber 112 through the communication flow path 146.

[0034] [Liquid outlet 144, ink tube 32A] The liquid outlet 144 protrudes rearward from a portion of the rear wall 155 slightly above the partition wall 156. A communication flow path 144A is formed in the liquid outlet 144. One end of the communication flow path 144A communicates with the storage chamber 111. The communication flow path 144A extends rearward from the storage chamber 111.

[0035] The ink tube 32A is made of an elastically deformable resin material. One end of the ink tube 32A is connected to the other end of the communicating flow path 144A and extends upward along the rear wall 155 of the black tank 18. The ink tube 32A is fixed to the rear wall 155 at a predetermined position near the upper wall 153 in the vertical direction 7. The other end of the ink tube 32A is connected to the head 21A. The ink in the storage chamber 111 flows out from the liquid outflow section 144 through the communicating flow path 144A to the ink tube 32A, and is supplied to the head 21A through the ink tube 32A.

[0036] [Gas inlet 145, atmospheric tube 34A] The gas inlet 145 is a portion of the rear wall 155 near the partition wall 156, and is disposed in a portion different from the liquid outlet 144 in the left-right direction 9 (specifically, at a position to the left of the liquid outlet 144). The gas inlet 145 protrudes rearward from this portion. A communication flow path 145A is formed in the gas inlet 145. One end of the communication flow path 145A communicates with the atmospheric chamber 112. The communication flow path 145A extends from the atmospheric chamber 112 along the rear wall 155 to a position above the partition wall 156 in the up-down direction 7 and closer to the partition wall 156 than the upper end of the rear wall 155.

[0037] The atmospheric tube 34A (an example of an atmospheric flow path) is made of an elastically deformable resin material. One end of the atmospheric tube 34A is connected to the other end of the communicating flow path 145A. The atmospheric tube 34A extends upward along the rear wall 155 from the other end of the communicating flow path 145A. The atmospheric tube 34A extends along the ink tube 32A to the right of the ink tube 32A that extends along the rear wall 155. The other end of the atmospheric tube 34A reaches a position near the upper wall 153 in the up-down direction 7. The atmospheric tube 34A is fixed to the rear wall 155 near the other end. The other end of the atmospheric tube 34A is open to the atmosphere. The atmospheric chamber 112 and the outside of the black tank 18 are in communication with each other via the gas inlet portion 145 and the atmospheric tube 34A.

[0038] When ink is discharged from head 21A, the ink stored in storage chamber 111 flows out to head 21A through communicating flow path 144A of liquid outflow section 144 and ink tube 32A. As the volume of ink in storage chamber 111 decreases, the air pressure in storage chamber 111 decreases. As the air pressure in storage chamber 111 decreases, air flows into storage chamber 111 from atmosphere chamber 112 through communicating flow path 146. Then, outside air flows into atmosphere chamber 112 through gas inflow section 145 and atmosphere tube 34A.

[0039] In the black tank 18, the air in the storage chamber 111 may expand due to changes in air pressure or temperature. The expansion of the air in the storage chamber 111 may cause the ink in the storage chamber 111 to flow into the atmospheric chamber 112 through the communicating flow path 146. The air that has flowed into the atmospheric chamber 112 may return to the storage chamber 111 through the communicating flow path 146 due to the ink flowing out of the storage chamber 111 to the head 21A or due to changes in air pressure or temperature.

[0040] In FIG. 1, the three-color tank 19 is placed in the tank housing section 101B (see FIG. 1). The three-color tank 19 stores three colors of ink (one example of liquid), namely cyan, magenta, and yellow. The three-color tank 19 has a storage chamber 111, an air chamber 112, an inlet 143, a liquid outlet section 144, a gas inlet section 145, and a communication flow path 146 for each of the three colors, and has the same configuration as the black tank 18 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, a detailed description of the configuration of the three-color tank 19 will be omitted. Compared with the tank housing section 101A, the tank housing section 101B has a similar configuration to the tank housing section 101A, except that the tank housing section 101B is disposed to the right of the opening 13 at the front end of the internal space of the housing 14, the size of the internal space is different, and three openings for the inlet 143 are formed in the upper wall 14C. Therefore, a detailed description of the configuration of the tank housing section 101B will be omitted.

[0041] [Cover 100A, 100B, Cap 104] 1(B), the printer unit 11 further includes covers 100A and 100B inside the housing 14. The cover 100A is exposed to the outside when the scanner unit 12 is opened relative to the printer unit 11. The cover 100A is disposed above the upper wall 14C of the tank housing unit 101A.

[0042] The cover 100A is movable between position P1 (see FIG. 5(A)) and position P2 (see FIG. 5(C)). Positions P1 and P2 are examples of a first position and a second position. The cover 100A in position P1 covers the top wall 14C of the tank accommodating section 101A and the filler port 143 of the black tank 18 (see FIG. 1). The cover 100A in position P2 exposes the top wall 14C of the tank accommodating section 101A and the filler port 143 of the black tank 18 to the outside.

[0043] A shaft 102A is disposed near the rear end of the cover 100A at position P1. The shaft 102A extends in the left-right direction 9. The shaft 102A is supported by the housing 14 (see FIG. 1) so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the shaft 102A. The cover 100A rotates together with the shaft 102A so that the front end portion of the cover 100A moves upward, and thereby the cover 100A moves from position P1 to position P2. The cover 100A rotates together with the shaft 102A so that the front end portion of the cover 100A moves downward, and thereby the cover 100A moves from position P2 to position P1.

[0044] A cap 104 is connected to the lower surface 103A of the cover 100A at position P1. The cap 104 protrudes downward from the lower surface 103A in the up-down direction 7. The cap 104 can fit into the filler port 143 of the black tank 18 to seal the filler port 143. The cover 100A is moved from position P2 to position P1 by a user's operation. In conjunction with this user's operation, the cap 104 fits into the filler port 143 to seal the filler port 143. Also, the cover 100A is moved from position P1 to position P2 by a user's operation. In conjunction with this user's operation, the cap 104 is removed from the filler port 143 to open the filler port 143.

[0045] The cover 100B has a similar configuration to the cover 100A, except that it is a different size from the cover 100A, is disposed above the upper wall 14C of the tank housing portion 101B, and is connected to the caps 104 for each of the three colors. Therefore, a detailed description of the cover 100B will be omitted.

[0046] [Valves 170A, 170B, valve opening / closing mechanisms 160A, 160B] The printer unit 11 further includes, inside the housing 14 (see FIG. 1), a valve 170A and a valve opening / closing mechanism 160A (see FIG. 3), and a valve 170B and a valve opening / closing mechanism 160B (see FIG. 2).

[0047] The valve 170A is an example of a liquid valve and a gas valve. The valve 170A is a tube valve that opens and closes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A that are arranged along the rear wall 155 of the black tank 18. For convenience of illustration, the valve 170A of the ink tube 32A and the valve 170A of the atmospheric tube 34A are shown separately in Figs. 3 and 5. However, as shown in Fig. 4, the valve 170A opens and closes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A at the same position in the up-down direction 7.

[0048] In FIG. 4, the valve 170A is specifically a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction 9. The valve 170A has a length in the left-right direction 9 that allows it to abut against both the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A on the rear wall 155. The valve 170A is supported by a support member (not shown) provided on the housing 14 or the like so as to be movable in the front-rear direction 8. The front end of the valve 170A is movable in the front-rear direction 8 between position P5 (see FIG. 4(A)) and position P6 (see FIG. 4(B)). Position P5 is behind position P6 in the front-rear direction 8. In the position P5, the front end of the valve 170A contacts the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A from the rear or moves away from them to the rear. In the position P5, the valve 170A opens the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A without elastically deforming them (see FIG. 5(A)). As a result, liquid or gas can flow through the internal spaces of the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A. At the front end of the valve 170A in position P6 elastically crushes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A (see FIG. 5(B)). As a result, the valve 170A in position P6 closes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A. As a result, liquid or gas cannot flow through the internal spaces of the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4A, the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A has a pressing portion 162A. The pressing portion 162A is fixed to the shaft 102A and rotates around the central axis of the shaft 102A as the cover 100A rotates. The pressing portion 162A extends radially from the central axis of the shaft 102A. When the cover 100A is in position P1, the pressing portion 162A extends obliquely downward and forward from the shaft 102A, and a tip portion 164A of the pressing portion 162A is in contact with or separated from the valve 170A. At this time, the valve 170A is held in position P5 by the elastic forces of the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A. 4(B), when the cover 100A is in position P2, the pressing portion 162A extends generally forward from the shaft 102A, and the tip portion 164A abuts against the valve 170A. The valve 170A with which the tip portion 164A abuts is held in position P6 against the elastic forces of the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A.

[0050] The tip portion 164A forms a part of the outer surface of a columnar shape whose axis is the central axis of the shaft 102A. The tip portion 164A rotates around the central axis together with the shaft 102A in response to the movement of the cover 100A between positions P1 and P2. Therefore, even if the cover 100A rotates slightly from position P2 toward position P1, the tip portion 164A abuts against the valve 170A.

[0051] [Operation of cover 100A, cap 104, and valve 170A] In the process of moving the cover 100A from position P1 to position P2 by the user's operation, the cover 100A passes through position P7 (see FIG. 5B). Position P7 is an example of a third position. Position P7 is a position between positions P1 and P2.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 5(A), with the cover 100A at position P1, the cap 104 fits completely into the inlet 143 of the black tank 18. At this time, the tip 164A of the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A is in slight contact with the valve 170A, and the front end of the valve 170A is at position P5 (see Fig. 4(A)). At this time, the valve 170A at position P5 opens the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A.

[0053] As the cover 100A moves from position P1 to position P7, the tip 164A starts to press the valve 170A, and the front end of the valve 170A starts to displace from position P5 (see FIG. 4A) to position P6 (see FIG. 4B). That is, when the cover 100A is located closer to position P1 than position P7, the valve 170A opens at least a portion of the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A and does not close them completely. When the cover 100A is located closer to position P1 than position P7, the cap 104 still seals the injection port 143 and hermetically seals the inside of the storage chamber 111.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 5(B), when the cover 100A reaches position P7, the front end of the valve 170A reaches position P6 (see FIG. 4(B)). The valve 170A in position P6 completely closes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A. Even when the cover 100A is located between positions P7 and P2, the valve 170A is in position P6 and continues to close the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A. In this case, ink does not flow between the storage chamber 111 and the head 21A. Furthermore, gas does not flow between the atmospheric chamber 112 and the outside of the black tank 18.

[0055] After the cover 100A reaches position P7, when the valve 170A completely closes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A, at least a part of the cap 104 is removed from the inlet 143, and the inlet 143 is opened to the atmosphere. In the process of the cover 100A moving from position P7 to position P2, as shown in FIG. 5C, the cap 104 is completely removed from the inlet 143, and the user can inject ink into the storage chamber 111. At this time, since gas does not flow between the atmospheric chamber 112 and the outside of the black tank 18, ink does not flow from the storage chamber 111 to the atmospheric chamber 112. In addition, even if the liquid level of the ink in the storage chamber 111 is located above the nozzle surface 41 of the head 21A, ink does not flow from the storage chamber 111 to the head 21A.

[0056] On the other hand, in the process of the cover 100A moving from position P2 to position P1 by the user's operation, the cap 104 starts to fit into the injection port 143 when it is at a position slightly closer to position P2 than position P7, and seals the injection port 143 just before the cover 100A reaches position P7. This seals the storage chamber 111. After that, that is, while the cover 100A reaches position P7 and then position P1, the cap 104 completely fits into the injection port 143 and maintains the state in which the storage chamber 111 is sealed.

[0057] When the cover 100A reaches position P7 after the cap 104 seals the inlet 143, the front end of the valve 170A starts to move from position P6 to position P5, and the valve 170A starts to open the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A. Then, as the cover 100A moves from position P7 to position P1, the front end of the valve 170A reaches position P5, and the valve 170A completely opens the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A.

[0058] The valve 170B (see FIG. 2) has a similar configuration to the valve 170A, except that it is disposed behind the rear wall 155 of the three-color tank 19 and has a length capable of contacting the three ink tubes 32B and the three atmospheric tubes 34B disposed on and along the rear wall 155 of the three-color tank 19. The valve opening / closing mechanism 160B (see FIG. 2) has a similar configuration to the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A, except that it is disposed on the cover 100B and is capable of opening and closing the ink tubes 32B and the atmospheric tube 34B (see FIG. 2). Therefore, detailed descriptions of the configurations and operations of the valve 170B and the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A will be omitted.

[0059] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the above configuration, when the cover 100A is at position P1, the cap 104 fits into the injection port 143, so the cover 100A will not be at position P1 with the cap 104 removed from the injection port 143. This prevents the valve 170A from being opened with the injection port 143 unsealed, causing ink to flow from the storage chamber 111 of the black tank 18 to the atmospheric chamber 112, or from the storage chamber 111 to the head 21A.

[0060] Furthermore, cap 104 is connected to cover 100A, and engages with injection port 143 in conjunction with the operation of moving cover 100A from position P2 to position P1. Also, cap 104 is disengaged from injection port 143 in conjunction with the operation of moving cover 100A from position P1 to position P2. This allows the user to engage and disengage cap 104 with injection port 143 without operating cover 100A and cap 104 individually.

[0061] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the cover 100A rotates around the shaft 102A, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the cover 100A may be slidable in the front-rear direction 8 relative to the housing 14. In this case, the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A converts the front-rear direction 8 into a force in the up-down direction 7, thereby moving the valve 170A in the up-down direction 7.

[0062] In addition, in the above embodiment, the valve opening / closing mechanism 160A moves the valves 170A in conjunction with the movement of the cover 100A, but this configuration is not limited to the above. The valve opening / closing mechanism 160A may move the valves 170A in the vertical direction 7 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the housing 15 (i.e., the scanner unit 12), thereby opening or closing the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the valve 170A opens or closes both the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A, but this is not limiting, and the valve 170A only needs to be able to open and close at least the atmospheric tube 34A. In this case, the ink tube 32A is opened and closed by another valve.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the cap 104 is connected to the cover 100A, but the timing at which the valve 170A closes and the timing at which the cap 104 opens do not necessarily have to coincide as long as the time difference is within a range of a few seconds. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6, the cap 104 does not have to be connected to the cover 100A. In this case, the cover 100A is movable between positions P1 and P2 as shown in Fig. 6, and the valve 170A opens and closes the ink tube 32A and the atmospheric tube 34A in conjunction with the opening and closing of the cover 100A.

[0065] Furthermore, the multifunction device 10 may be provided with a locking mechanism 180A as shown in Fig. 7. The locking mechanism 180A will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 7. In the following description, differences from the above embodiment will be described, and components equivalent to the above embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as the above embodiment.

[0066] [Cover 100A] The cover 100A does not have a cap connected to the lower surface 103A (see FIG. 7).

[0067] [Black Tank 18] The black tank 18 further includes a cap 147. As shown in FIG. 7(A), the cap 147 can be fitted to the injection port 143 to seal the injection port 143. Also, as shown in FIG. 7(B), the cap 147 is removed from the injection port 143 by being pulled upward by the user. The cap 147 is connected to the injection port 143 via a lock mechanism 180A, and can move between a position P10 (see FIG. 7(A)) and a position P11 (see FIG. 7(B)). The position P10 is an example of an engagement position, where the cap 147 is fitted to the injection port 143. The position P11 is an example of a detachment position, where the cap 147 is detached from the injection port 143.

[0068] [Lock mechanism 180A] In a state in which cap 147 is removed from injection port 143, lock mechanism 180A locks cover 100A so that cover 100A cannot move from position P7 to position P1. Lock mechanism 180A includes a regulating member 181 and a rotating member 182.

[0069] [Regulatory Item 181] The restricting member 181 is a member for locking the movement of the cover 100A so that the cover 100A cannot move from position P7 (an example of the third position) toward position P1 (an example of the first position) when the cap 147 is located at position P11 (see FIG. 7(B)). When the cap 147 is located at position P11, the restricting member 181 extends obliquely upward and rearward from a portion of the surface of the cap 147 near the upper end by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is the distance at which the tip of the restricting member 181 abuts against the lower surface 103A when the cover 100A is located at position P7 (an example of the third position).

[0070] [Rotating member 182] The rotating member 182 rotatably supports the cap 147 between positions P10 and P11 in conjunction with the movement of the cap 147 relative to the injection port 143 by the above-mentioned user operation.

[0071] The shaft 183 is located on a portion of the surface of the cap 147 at position P11 near the rear lower end, and extends along the left-right direction 9. The bearing 184 is located on the surface of the filler port 143 of the black tank 18 in the above-mentioned use posture. Specifically, the bearing 184 is disposed at a position near the rear end on the surface of the filler port 143. The bearing 184 supports the shaft 183 rotatably around its central axis. The stopper member 185 protrudes rearward from a position on the surface of the filler port 143 below the bearing 184. The upper end of the stopper member 185 abuts against a portion of the surface of the cap 147 at position P11 that is rearward of the shaft 183, thereby restricting the cap 147 from moving from position P11.

[0072] The three-color tank 19 includes a cap 147 for each of the three colors, and the three-color tank 19 may also include a locking mechanism having a similar configuration to the locking mechanism 180A, which is provided for each of the caps 147.

[0073] [Effects of modified form] According to the above modification, in the lock mechanism 180A, the regulating member 181 rotates between positions P10 and P11 in conjunction with the movement of the cap 147, and stops at position P11. In this case, the tip of the regulating member 181 abuts against the lower surface 103A of the cover 100A, thereby locking the movement of the cover 100B so that the cover 100A cannot move from position P7 to position P1. This prevents the valve 170A from being opened with the inlet 143 not sealed, and prevents ink from flowing out from the storage chamber 111 to the atmospheric chamber 112. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10...Multifunction device 11 Printer unit (liquid consumption device) 21A···Head (liquid consumption part) 18···Black Tank (Tank) 19. 3-color tank (tank) 141... Enclosure 111...Storage chamber 143...Inlet 104... Cap 112 Atmospheric chamber 32A, 32B: Ink tube (liquid flow path) 34A, 34B: Atmospheric tube (gas flow path) 170A···Valve (Gas valve, Liquid valve) 100A, 100B... Cover 160A···Valve opening and closing mechanism 180A···Lock mechanism 181 Regulating member 182... Rotating member P1...Position (1st position) P2...Position (2nd position) P7...Position (3rd position)

Claims

1. A liquid consuming unit that consumes liquid; A tank having a storage chamber for storing a liquid and an inlet for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber; A cap capable of sealing the injection port; an atmospheric chamber that is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and communicates with the storage chamber; a liquid flow path that connects the liquid consuming portion and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therethrough; a gas flow path that connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough; a gas valve that opens and closes the gas flow path; a cover that is movable to a first position that covers an upper portion of the injection port and a second position that is farther from the injection port than the first position, the cap is not connected to the cover; A liquid consuming device in which, when the cover is moved from the second position to the first position with the cap not sealing the injection port, the cap seals the injection port.

2. an outer cover movable to a closed position over the injection port and covering the cover, and an open position exposing the cover; 2. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a valve opening and closing mechanism that opens the gas valve when the outer cover is positioned closer to the closed position than the open position.

3. 2. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a valve opening / closing mechanism that closes the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the second position than the first position.

4. 4. The liquid consuming device according to claim 3, further comprising an outer cover movable between a closed position covering the upper part of the inlet and the cover, and an open position exposing the cover.

5. the valve opening / closing mechanism closes the gas valve when the cover is located between the second position and a third position between the first position and the second position, The liquid consumption device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein when the cover is moved from the third position to the first position while the cap is not sealing the injection port, the cap seals the injection port.

6. 2. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a valve opening / closing mechanism that opens the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the first position than the second position.

7. the valve opening / closing mechanism opens the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the first position than a third position between the first position and the second position, The liquid consumption device according to claim 6, wherein when the cover is moved from the third position to the first position while the cap is not sealing the injection port, the cap seals the injection port.

8. A liquid consuming section that consumes liquid; A tank having a storage chamber for storing a liquid and an inlet for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber; A cap capable of sealing the injection port; an atmospheric chamber that is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and communicates with the storage chamber; a liquid flow path that connects the liquid consuming portion and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therethrough; a gas flow path that connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough; a gas valve that opens and closes the gas flow path; a cover that is movable to a first position that covers an upper portion of the injection port and a second position that is farther from the injection port than the first position; a valve opening / closing mechanism that closes the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the second position than the first position, the valve opening / closing mechanism closes the gas valve when the cover is located between the second position and a third position between the first position and the second position, A liquid consuming device in which, when the cover is moved from the third position to the first position with the cap not sealing the injection port, the cap seals the injection port.

9. A liquid consuming section that consumes liquid; A tank having a storage chamber for storing a liquid and an inlet for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber; A cap capable of sealing the injection port; an atmospheric chamber that is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and communicates with the storage chamber; a liquid flow path that connects the liquid consuming portion and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therethrough; a gas flow path that connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough; a gas valve that opens and closes the gas flow path; a cover that is movable to a first position that covers an upper portion of the injection port and a second position that is farther from the injection port than the first position; a valve opening / closing mechanism that opens the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the first position than the second position, the valve opening / closing mechanism opens the gas valve when the cover is positioned closer to the first position than a third position between the first position and the second position, A liquid consuming device in which, when the cover is moved from the third position to the first position with the cap not sealing the injection port, the cap seals the injection port.

10. The liquid consumption device of claim 8 or 9, wherein the cap engages with the injection port in conjunction with an operation of moving the cover from the second position to the first position, and disengages from the injection port in conjunction with an operation of moving the cover from a third position between the first position and the second position to the second position.

11. A liquid consuming section that consumes liquid; A tank having a storage chamber for storing a liquid and an inlet for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber; A cap capable of sealing the injection port; an atmospheric chamber that is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and communicates with the storage chamber; a liquid flow path that connects the liquid consuming portion and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therethrough; a gas flow path that connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough; a gas valve that opens and closes the gas flow path; a cover that is movable to a first position that covers an upper portion of the injection port and a second position that is farther from the injection port than the first position, The cap engages with the injection port to seal the injection port in response to an operation of moving the cover from the second position to the first position, and disengages from the injection port in response to an operation of moving the cover from a third position between the first position and the second position to the second position.

12. The liquid consumption device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the cap is connected to the cover.

13. The liquid consumption device of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism that locks movement of the cover so that the cover cannot be moved from a third position between the first position and the second position to the first position when the cap is removed from the injection port.

14. A liquid consuming section that consumes liquid; A tank having a storage chamber for storing a liquid and an inlet for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber; A cap capable of sealing the injection port; an atmospheric chamber that is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and communicates with the storage chamber; a liquid flow path that connects the liquid consuming portion and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therethrough; a gas flow path that connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough; a gas valve that opens and closes the gas flow path; a cover that is movable to a first position that covers an upper portion of the injection port and a second position that is farther from the injection port than the first position; a locking mechanism that locks the movement of the cover so that the cover cannot move from a third position between the first position and the second position to the first position when the cap is removed from the injection port, The liquid consuming device, wherein the cap seals the injection port when the cover is moved from the second position to the first position.

15. The liquid consumption device of claim 13 or 14, wherein the locking mechanism is linked to the movement of the cap relative to the injection port, and is movable between an engagement position in which the cap engages with the injection port and a disengagement position in which the cap is disengaged from the injection port.

16. The liquid consumption device of claim 15, wherein the locking mechanism is a rotating member that rotates between the engagement position and the disengagement position, and in the disengagement position is capable of abutting the cover that is positioned between the third position and the second position.

17. a liquid valve that opens and closes the liquid flow path; a valve opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the liquid valve, A liquid consumption device as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the valve opening and closing mechanism opens the liquid valve when the cover is positioned closer to the first position than a third position between the first position and the second position, and closes the liquid valve when the cover is positioned between the third position and the second position.

18. A liquid consuming section that consumes liquid; A tank having a storage chamber for storing a liquid and an inlet for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber; A cap capable of sealing the injection port; an atmospheric chamber that is at least partially located below the storage chamber in a usage position and communicates with the storage chamber; a liquid flow path that connects the liquid consuming portion and the storage chamber so that liquid can flow therethrough; a gas flow path that connects the atmospheric chamber and the outside of the tank so that gas can flow therethrough; a gas valve that opens and closes the gas flow path; a cover that is movable to a first position that covers an upper portion of the injection port and a second position that is farther from the injection port than the first position; a liquid valve that opens and closes the liquid flow path; a valve opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the liquid valve, the valve opening / closing mechanism opens the liquid valve when the cover is located closer to the first position than a third position between the first position and the second position, and closes the liquid valve when the cover is located between the third position and the second position, The liquid consuming device, wherein the cap seals the injection port when the cover is moved from the second position to the first position.

19. 19. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the usage position, a bottom surface of the atmospheric chamber is located lower than a lower surface of the liquid consumption portion.

20. 20. The liquid consuming device according to claim 1, wherein the storage chamber and the atmospheric chamber are in communication with each other through communication ports that open on the bottom sides of the respective chambers, allowing liquid to flow therebetween.

21. 21. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1, wherein the tank has a housing that separates the storage chamber and the atmospheric chamber.

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