Liquid dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a technique which is easy for a user to visually know whether a member to be opened / closed is positioned at a close position.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device includes: a container for storing liquid supplied to discharge means for discharging the liquid; a cap part which is attachably / detachably mounted on an injection part for injecting the liquid provided in the container, and can block the injection part; a first cover part which is movable between a close position for covering the cap part and an open position for exposing the cap part, and has a first engagement part; and a second engagement part which restricts movement of the first cover part from the close position to the open position by engagement with the first engagement part, and includes energization means for energizing the first cover part in an open direction in a state where engagement of the first engagement part with the second engagement part is released.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As an example of a liquid ejection device, a recording device that ejects ink onto a recording medium such as paper to record an image is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid ejection device that includes a liquid storage section 40 having an inlet for refilling the ink, a plug member 50 that can open and close the inlet, a cover 32 that covers the plug member 50, and an image reader 13 that covers the cover 32. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-69705 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the user does not properly move the opening / closing members such as the cover 32 and plug member 50 of Patent Document 1 to the closed position, the image reading device 13 and the cover 32 may not be closed properly, resulting in damage or liquid leakage from the liquid storage section 40. Even if the user thinks that they have moved the opening / closing member to the closed position, it may not be properly positioned in the closed position, and if the positional deviation is minute, the user may not notice it.

[0005] The present invention provides a technique that allows a user to easily visually tell whether a member to be opened or closed is in the closed position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, A container for containing a liquid to be supplied to a discharge means for discharging the liquid; a cap portion that is detachably attached to an injection portion for injecting a liquid provided in the container and that is capable of closing the injection portion; a closed position that covers the cap portion and an open position that exposes the cap portion; It is supported between the a first cover portion having a first engagement portion; The first cover portion is moved from the closed position to the open position by engaging with the first engaging portion. Swing A second engagement portion that regulates the engagement of the first engagement portion and the .... before a biasing means for biasing the first cover portion in an opening direction when the engagement between the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion is released; and, a second cover portion supported so as to be swingable between a closed position that covers the first cover portion and an open position that exposes the first cover portion in an openable and closable manner; Equipped with picture, the first engaging portion engages with the second engaging portion by abutting against the second engaging portion in an opening direction of the first cover portion, The first cover part in the closed position is pressed by the second cover part in the closed position such that the first engagement part is separated from the second engagement part in a closing direction of the first cover part. A liquid ejection device is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that allows a user to easily visually know whether or not a member to be opened and closed is in the closed position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of a liquid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal mechanism of the liquid ejection device of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a container and its surroundings. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of the liquid ejection device of FIG. [Diagram 5] 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing the ink refill procedure. [Figure 6] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the ink refilling procedure, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the open state of the injection part. [Figure 7]7(A) is a diagram showing a state in which the cap member and the cover part are in the middle of being moved to a closed position, and (B) is an enlarged view of a P1 portion in FIG. 7(A). [Figure 8] 8(A) is a diagram showing a state in which the cap member and the cover part have been moved to a closed position, and FIG. 8(B) is an enlarged view of part P2 in FIG. 8(A). [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the peripheral structure of each container, a valve, and a discharge head. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the surrounding structure of the open cover portion. [Figure 11] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the biasing unit. [Figure 12] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing an engagement state, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing when each cover portion is moved to a closed position. [Figure 13] (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the balance of forces. [Figure 14] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams of different biasing units. [Figure 15] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example in which a biasing unit is provided on a cap member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] First Embodiment <Outline of the liquid ejection device> 1 is an external view of a liquid ejection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front. The liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment is an inkjet recording device that ejects ink as a liquid to perform recording on a recording medium, but the present invention is also applicable to various liquid ejection devices other than inkjet recording devices. In the figure, arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions that are perpendicular to each other, and arrow Z indicates the up-down direction (direction of gravity). The X direction is the width direction (left-right direction) of the liquid ejection device 1. The Y direction is the depth direction of the liquid ejection device 1.

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

[0012] The liquid ejection device 1 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and includes a device main body 2 and a cover section 3. The cover section 3 is provided so as to cover the device main body 2, and constitutes the top section of the liquid ejection device 1. The cover section 3 of this embodiment is provided with a reading unit (scanner unit) 3a that reads images from a document. The front section of the liquid ejection device 1 is provided with an ejection section 10 from which recorded recording media are ejected. The front section of the liquid ejection device 1 is also provided with an operation unit 36 ​​that accepts user operations. The operation unit 36 ​​includes a touch panel display section, and in addition to accepting input operations from the user, displays information to the user.

[0013] A housing forming the outer wall of the device main body 2 has a plurality of windows 2a to 2d formed therein. A user can visually check the internal configuration of the device main body 2 through the windows 2a to 2d. In this embodiment, a user can visually check the remaining amount of liquid contained in the containers 5Bk, 5C, 5M, and 5Y (hereinafter, when collectively referred to or not distinguished, they will be referred to as containers 5) through the windows 2a to 2d. The containers 5 are ink tanks that contain ink as liquid, and the four containers 5 contain different types of ink. In this embodiment, the container 5Bk contains black ink, the container 5C contains cyan ink, the container 5M contains magenta ink, and the container 5Y contains yellow ink. The types of ink are not limited to four types as in this embodiment, but may be one type or multiple types other than four types, and the number of containers 5 may be greater than or equal to the number of types of liquid ink.

[0014] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal mechanism of the liquid ejection device 1. The liquid ejection device 1 includes an ejection head 4 that ejects liquid. In this embodiment, the ejection head 4 is a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink supplied from a container 5 onto a recording medium. The ejection head 4 has an ejection surface 4a (see FIG. 3) in which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are formed. Each nozzle is provided with, for example, an electrothermal conversion element (heater), which is heated by passing electricity through the element to cause the ink to bubble, and the resulting bubbling energy is used to eject the ink.

[0015] The ejection head 4 is mounted on a carriage 6. The carriage 6 is reciprocated in the X direction (main scanning direction) by a drive unit 7. The drive unit 7 includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley (only the driven pulley 7b is shown in FIG. 2) spaced apart in the X direction, an endless belt 7b wound around these pulleys, and a carriage motor 7a which is a drive source for rotating the drive pulley. The carriage 6 is connected to the endless belt 7b, and the carriage 6 moves in the X direction by running the endless belt 7b. During the movement of the carriage 6, an image is recorded by ejecting ink from the ejection head 4 onto a recording medium. This operation is sometimes called recording scanning.

[0016] Thus, the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment is a serial type inkjet recording device in which the ejection head 4 is mounted on a reciprocating carriage 6. However, the present invention is also applicable to other recording devices, such as an inkjet recording device equipped with a so-called full-line ejection head (recording head) in which multiple nozzles are provided to eject liquid in an area corresponding to the width of the recording medium.

[0017] The liquid ejection device 1 includes a feeding unit 8 and a transport unit 9 for transporting a recording medium. The feeding unit 8 includes a tray 8a on which sheet-shaped recording media are stacked, and a recording medium feeding mechanism (not shown). The feeding mechanism includes, for example, a feeding roller for feeding the recording media on the tray 8a, and a feeding motor 8b (FIG. 4) that is a drive source for rotating the feeding roller.

[0018] The transport unit 9 is a mechanism that transports the recording medium fed from the feeding unit 8 in the Y direction (sub-scanning direction). The transport unit 9 includes a transport roller 9a and a transport motor 9b (FIG. 4) that is a drive source for rotating the transport roller 9a. A pinch roller 9b (not shown) is pressed against the transport roller 9a, and the recording medium is sandwiched in the nip between them. The recording medium is intermittently transported to the ejection head 4 by the rotation of the transport roller 9a. The recording operation is performed by alternately repeating the transport operation of the recording medium by the transport unit 9 and recording scanning.

[0019] In this embodiment, the container 5 is a stationary container that is fixed to the liquid ejection device 1. When the remaining amount of ink is low, the user refills the container 5 with ink without removing the container 5 from the liquid ejection device 1.

[0020] The containers 5C, 5M, and 5Y have the same structure, and the container 5Bk has a larger capacity than the containers 5C, 5M, and 5Y. Therefore, the container 5Bk is wider in the X direction than the containers 5C, 5M, and 5Y. The container 5Bk is disposed at the left end in the front part of the liquid discharger 1. The containers 5C to 5Y are disposed side by side in the X direction at the right end in the front part of the liquid discharger 1. That is, the containers are disposed so that the discharge unit 10 is located between the container 5Bk and the containers 5C to 5Y. The top of the container 5Bk is covered with a cover part 13A, and the tops of the containers 5C to 5Y are covered with a cover part 13B common to these.

[0021] <Container structure> FIG. 3 shows a schematic structure of the container 5 and its surroundings. As described above, the container 5Bk and the containers 5C to 5Y have different volumes, but basically have the structure shown in FIG. 3. The container 5 includes a storage section 54 for storing ink, an air-liquid exchange section 52, and a buffer chamber 53. The air-liquid exchange section 52 is a section into which the same amount of air as the ink ejected from the ejection head 4 is introduced, and the ink is usually held at the position shown in FIG. 3 by the meniscus of the ink. The buffer chamber 53 can store the ink pushed out by breaking the meniscus of the ink in the air-liquid exchange section 52 when the air in the storage section 54 expands due to changes in air pressure or temperature. An injection section 5a for refill liquid (refill ink) is provided at the top of the container 5. The injection section 5a is closed by a cap section 120. The cap section 120 is detachable from the injection section 5a, and when refilling ink, the user removes the cap section 120 from the injection section 5a and performs the ink refilling operation with the injection section 5a open. A cap portion 120 is provided for each container 5 (cap portions 120Bk, 120C, 120M, and 120Y, as described below).

[0022] Passages 14a and 15a communicate with the inside of the container 5. The passage 14a communicates with the storage portion 54, and is a liquid supply path (ink supply path) that supplies ink from the container 5 to the ejection head 4, and is formed by the supply tube 14, which is a flexible tube. The passage 15a communicates with the buffer chamber 53, and is an air communication path that connects the inside of the container 5 to the atmosphere, and is formed by the air communication tube 15, which is a flexible tube. The valve 16 opens and closes the passages 14a and 15a simultaneously. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the valve 16 includes a valve 16A for the container 5Bk and a valve 16B common to the containers 5C to 5Y. The valves 16A and 16B open the passages 14a and 15a when ink is replenished, and are basically closed otherwise.

[0023] The gas-liquid exchanger 52 is provided at a position lower than the ejection surface 4a of the ejection head 4 by a height H. In other words, the ejection surface 4a is configured to be subjected to a negative pressure caused by a head difference of height H. This makes it possible to prevent ink from leaking out from the ejection surface 4a. The buffer chamber 53 is also located at the bottom of the container 5. This makes it possible to prevent ink from leaking out from the atmosphere communication passage 15a.

[0024] The recovery unit 11 is a mechanism for maintaining the ink ejection performance of the ejection head 4, and is disposed at one end of the moving range of the carriage 6. The recovery unit 11 includes a cap 11a for covering the ejection surface 4a of the ejection head 4, and a pump 11b for sucking ink from the ejection head 4 through the cap 11a. The cap 11a can be displaced between a position covering the ejection surface 4a and a position spaced apart from the ejection surface 4a by a mechanism not shown. By covering the ejection surface 4a with the cap 11a (capping), the ink on the ejection surface 4a can be prevented from drying. In addition, by operating the pump 11b with the ejection surface 4a capped with the cap 11a, the thickened ink adhering to the ejection head 4 can be removed and the passage 14a and the ejection head 4 can be filled with ink. When a recording operation is performed with the passage 14a and the ejection head 4 filled with ink, the ink is supplied from the container 5 in an amount equivalent to the amount of ink that has been removed from the ejection head 4 (the amount of ink that has been ejected).

[0025] <Control unit> 4 is a block diagram of the control unit 30 of the liquid ejection device 1. The MPU 31 is a processor that controls each operation of the liquid ejection device 1 and processes data. The MPU 31 executes a program stored in a storage device 32 to control the entire liquid ejection device 1. The storage device 32 is composed of, for example, a ROM or a RAM. The storage device 32 stores various data required for processing, such as data received from the host computer 100, in addition to the program executed by the MPU 31.

[0026] The MPU 31 controls the ejection head 4 via a driver 34a. The MPU 31 controls the carriage motor 7a via a driver 34b. The MPU 31 also controls the transport motor 9b and the feed motor 8b via drivers 34c and 34d.

[0027] The MPU 31 also acquires detection results from a group of various sensors 35 provided in the liquid ejection device 1 and performs control operations. The group of sensors 35 includes a cover detection sensor 35a. The cover detection sensor 35a detects the position of the cover unit 3. For example, the cover detection sensor 35a is a mechanical switch that is pressed when the cover unit 3 is in the closed position, or an optical sensor that optically detects that the cover unit 3 is in the closed position. The MPU 31 also controls the display of a display unit of the operation unit 36 ​​and accepts user operations on the operation unit 36.

[0028] The host computer 100 is, for example, a personal computer or a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal) used by a user. A printer driver 101 that performs communication between the host computer 100 and the liquid ejection device 1 is installed in the host computer 100. The liquid ejection device 1 has an interface unit 33, and communication between the host computer 100 and the MPU 31 is performed via the interface unit 33. For example, when a user inputs an instruction to execute a recording operation to the host computer 100, the printer driver 101 collects data of an image to be recorded and settings related to recording (information such as the quality of the recorded image), and instructs the liquid ejection device 1 to execute the recording operation.

[0029] <Operation when refilling liquid> The operation procedure for refilling the container 5 with ink will be described with reference to Figs. 5(A) to 6(B). When refilling the container 5 with ink, it is necessary to expose the injection part 5a. In the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment, the cover part 3 is configured to be movable between a closed position (position in Fig. 1) that covers the inside of the device body 2 and an open position that exposes the inside of the device body 2 by a manual operation by a user. Fig. 5(A) shows a state in which the cover part 3 has been moved to the open position. In this embodiment, the cover part 3 is supported by the device body 2 so as to be able to swing between the open position and the closed position. The swing center 3b of the cover part 3 is parallel to the X direction and is set at the rear of the cover part 3 (and the device body 2). In other words, the front part of the liquid ejection device 1 is opened by the cover part 3.

[0030] When the cover part 3 moves to the open position, the cover parts 13A and 13B that were covered by the cover part 3 in the closed position are exposed. In the liquid discharge device 1 of this embodiment, the cover parts 13A and 13B are configured to be movable between a closed position (position in FIG. 5(A)) that covers the upper part of the container 5 and an open position (position in FIG. 5(B)) that exposes the upper part of the container 5 by a manual operation by a user. FIG. 5(A) shows a state in which the cover parts 13A and 13B have each moved to the closed position. In this embodiment, the cover parts 13A and 13B are supported by the device body 2 so as to be freely swingable between the open position and the closed position. The swing center 13a of the cover parts 13A and 13B is parallel to the X direction and is set at the rear of the cover parts 13A and 13B. The cover part 13A covers the injection part 5a of the container 5Bk in its closed position, and exposes the injection part 5a in its open position (the injection part 5a is normally covered by the cap part 120Bk as shown in FIG. 5(B)). In other words, when the cover part 13A is in the open position, the user is allowed to access the injection part 5a. The cover part 13B covers each of the injection parts 5a of the containers 5C to 5Y in its closed position, and exposes each of the injection parts 5a in its open position (the injection parts 5a are normally covered by the corresponding cap parts 120C to 120Y as shown in FIG. 5(B)). In other words, when the cover part 13B is in the open position, the user is allowed to access the injection part 5a.

[0031] Then, by removing the cap portion 120 from the container 5 to be refilled with ink, the injection portion 5a is exposed, and ink can be refilled. FIG. 6(A) shows a state in which the cap portions 120 of all containers 5 are removed from the injection portions 5a. FIG. 6(B) shows a state in which the cover portion 13B is in the open position and the cap portion 120M is removed from the container 5M. The other containers 5Bk, 5C, and 5Y, the cover portion 13A, and the cap portions 120Bk, 120C, and 120Y are in the same state. In this state, the user can refill the container 5 with ink from the injection portion 5a. After refilling, the cap portion 120 closes the injection portion 5a, the cover portions 13A and 13B are moved to the closed position, and the cover portion 3 is further moved to the closed position. With the above, the ink refilling operation is completed and recording can be performed.

[0032] <Configuration of Cap Member and Cover Portion> The cap parts 120Bk to 120Y are provided on the cap members 12Bk to 12Y, respectively. The configurations of the cap members 12Bk to 12Y and the configurations of the cover parts 13A and 13B will be described with reference to Figs. 6(A) to 9. Fig. 7(A) is a diagram showing a state in which the cap member 12M and the cover part 13B are in the middle of being moved to the closed position, and Fig. 7(B) is an enlarged view of a P1 part in Fig. 7(A). Fig. 8(A) is a diagram showing a state in which the cap member 12M and the cover part 13B have been moved to the closed position, and Fig. 8(B) is an enlarged view of a P2 part in Fig. 8(A). Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the peripheral structure of each container 5, the valves 16A and 16B, and the discharge head 4.

[0033] Although the configurations of the cap member 12M and the cover portion 13B will be mainly described here, the cap members 12Bk, 12C, and 12Y and the cover portion 13A have the same configuration.

[0034] First, the cap member 12M will be described. The cap member 12M has an arm portion 121. The cap portion 120M is replaceably supported at one end of the arm portion 121, and a shaft portion 122 is formed at the other end. The arm portion 121 branches into two from a midpoint in the longitudinal direction to the other end. The cap member 12M is supported by the device body 2 at the shaft portion 122 so as to be freely swingable, and the swing center 12a (FIG. 6(A)) is parallel to the X direction.

[0035] Cap portion 120M is a cylindrical member that is open at the tip and closed at the base, with seal portion 123 formed in the middle of its axial direction, and tip portion 124 defining a circular opening. Injection portion 5a has a cylindrical injection hole 5b and a tube portion 5c erected inside injection hole 5b. An ink refill bottle is inserted into injection hole 5b, and ink in the bottle is injected into container 5M via tube portion 5c.

[0036] The cap member 120M is movable between an open position shown in Fig. 6(B) and a closed position shown in Fig. 8(A). In the closed position, the cap portion 120M is inserted into the injection hole 5b to close the injection portion 5a. In the open position, the cap portion 120M is removed from the injection hole 5b to open the injection portion 5a.

[0037] A user can manually move the cap member 12M from the closed position to the open position by pulling it up, and can also manually move the cap member 12M from the open position to the closed position by pushing it down.

[0038] In this embodiment, the cap member 12M is disposed in the swing space of the cover portion 13B, and the swing center 12a is located between the swing center 13a and the injection portion 5a in the Y direction. Therefore, when the cover portion 13B is in the closed position, the cap member 12M is covered by the cover portion 13B. Therefore, the cap member 12M cannot be moved to the open position unless the cover portion 13B is moved to the open position. By covering the cap member 12M with the cover portion 13B, it is possible to prevent the cap member 12M from unexpectedly moving to the open position, opening the injection portion 5a, and causing ink to leak from the injection portion 5a.

[0039] The cap member 12M can be moved from the open position to the closed position by itself, but the cap member 12M can be moved from the open position to the closed position by moving the cover portion 13B from the open position to the closed position. The inner wall surface of the cover portion 13B forms a pressing portion 134 that abuts against the cap member 12M when moving from the open position to the closed position. As shown in FIG. 7(A), the pressing portion 134 abuts against the cap member 12M in the middle of moving the cover portion 13B from the open position to the closed position, and moves the cap member 12M to the closed position. After refilling with ink, the user can simultaneously move the cap member 12M (and the cap members 12C and 12Y) to the closed position and close the injection portion 5a. This configuration can also prevent the user from forgetting to move the cap member 12M to the closed position (forgetting to close the injection portion 5a).

[0040] Next, the cover part 13B will be described. The cover part 13B has an engagement part 130 at one end (tip end) and a pair of bearing parts 132 at the other end (base end). The shaft part 18 is inserted into the bearing parts 132, and the cover part 13B is supported around the shaft part 18 so as to be freely swingable. The shaft part 18 is a cover Part 1 3A compatible and cover Part 1 There are corresponding ones for 3B, respectively.

[0041] The engaging portion 130 engages with the engaging portion 20 on the side of the device body 2. The engaging portion 20 is formed on a frame member 22 provided on the inside of the outer wall of the device body 2, and its position is immovable. By engaging with the engaging portion 130, the engaging portion 20 restricts the movement of the cover portion 13B from the closed position to the open position, and maintains the cover portion 13B in the closed position.

[0042] The engaging portion 130 in this embodiment has a hook shape or a hook shape with a protrusion 130a at its tip end protruding toward the swing center 13a in the Y direction. On the other hand, the engaging portion 20 is a protrusion protruding toward the opposite side of the swing center 13a in the Y direction, and is formed by forming a recess below the protrusion. The protrusion 130a comes into contact with the lower surface 20a of the engaging portion 20, thereby restricting the movement of the cover portion 13B from the closed position to the open position. Figures 7(A) to 8(B) show the engagement between the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20 when the cover portion 13B is moved from the open position to the closed position.

[0043] When the user operates the cover part 13B from the open position to the closed position, as shown in Fig. 7(A) and Fig. 7(B), the protrusion 130a abuts against the engagement part 20, and the engagement part 130 elastically deforms in the direction of the arrow D1 (the opposite direction to the swing center 13a in the Y direction). Then, when the protrusion 130a overcomes the engagement part 20 downward, the engagement part 130 elastically returns in the direction of the arrow D2 (towards the swing center 13a in the Y direction) as shown in Fig. 8(A) and Fig. 8(B). This engages the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20. When the user operates the cover part 13B from the closed position to the open position, the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20 are released from engagement by the reverse phenomenon. In this embodiment, the engagement part 130 side is configured to be elastically deformed, but conversely, the engagement part 20 side may be configured to be elastically deformed. Or, both may be configured to be elastically deformed.

[0044] When engaging portion 130 elastically deforms from the state shown in Fig. 7(B) to the state shown in Fig. 8(B), a suitable clicking sensation can be given to the user performing the operation, which allows the user to feel that cover portion 13B has moved to the closed position and entered an engaged state (that each injection portion 5a has been blocked by the corresponding cap portion 120C to 120Y).

[0045] In this embodiment, when the cover portion 13B is in the open position, as illustrated in FIG. 5B and FIG. 6B, the cover portion 13B is positioned rearward of the vertical position. Part 1 The cover portion 3B is tilted and stands up in the same manner. Department When trying to move 3 from the open position to the closed position, the cover Part 1 It is not possible for the cover part 3 to move to the closed position due to interference with the cover parts 13A and 13B. In other words, the movement of the cover part 3 to the closed position is restricted by the open cover parts 13A and 13B. This makes it possible to prevent the cover part 3 from being closed accidentally while refilling ink.

[0046] <Power supply unit> Even if the user thinks that he or she has moved cover portion 13A or cover portion 13B to the closed position, if the operation is insufficient and the cover portion has not been moved to the closed position (for example, in the state of FIG. 7(A) or FIG. 7(B)), inconveniences may occur. For example, the cap portion 120 may not close the injection portion 5a, causing ink leakage. Also, if the cover portion 3 cannot be moved completely to the closed position and the user operates the cover portion 3 strongly to forcibly move it to the closed position, damage may occur. Also, if the cover detection sensor 5a detects that the cover portion 3 has not been moved to the closed position and a closing error is reported, the user may not know the cause.

[0047] In this embodiment, the cover portion 13A and the cover portion 13B are provided with biasing units 17A and 17B that bias them toward the open position, respectively (FIG. 5(B)). The biasing units 17A and 17B bias the cover portion 13A and the cover portion 13B so that they are maintained in a position away from the closed position in the open direction when the engagement portion 130 and the engagement portion 20 are disengaged. The cover portion 13A and the cover portion 13B are in a pop-up state, making it visually clear to the user that they have not been moved to the closed position.

[0048] The structure and function of the urging unit 17B will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11(A) to 11(C). Note that the urging unit 17A has the same structure.

[0049] The biasing unit 17B is provided on the frame member 22 at the side of the cover portion 13B in the X direction. This position has the advantage that the biasing unit 17B is unlikely to interfere with the user's operation when refilling ink. The biasing unit 17B includes a contact member 170 and an elastic member 171. The elastic member 171 is, for example, a coil spring or rubber, and biases the contact member 170 upward. The contact member 170 is inserted into an opening formed in the frame member 22 and is supported so as to be displaceable in the Z direction. A stopper 170a is provided at the lower end of the contact member 170, and this stopper 170a defines the upper limit position of the contact member 170. The cover portion 13B has a contact piece 131 that contacts the contact member 170. The contact piece 131 is a plate-shaped member that protrudes laterally in the X direction of the cover portion 13B.

[0050] Fig. 11(A) shows the state in which the cover part 13B is in the open position. The abutment piece 131 and the abutment member 170 are separated, and the abutment member 170 is in its upper limit position. Fig. 11(B) shows the state in which the cover part 13B is in the middle of moving from the open position to the closed position. The abutment piece 131 abuts against the abutment member 170, and is biased in the opening direction by the biasing unit 17B. Fig. 11(C) shows the state in which the cover part 13B further swings to the closed position, and the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20 are engaged (not shown). The abutment member 170 is pressed down, and the elastic member 171 is compressed.

[0051] User Covered DepartmentIf the engagement between the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20 is insufficient when the cover portion 13B is moved to the closed position, the biasing unit 17B biases the cover portion 13B to a pop-up state as shown in FIG. 11(B) when the user releases his / her hand. Therefore, the user visually recognizes that the cover portion 13B has not been moved to the closed position. As a result, the user moves the cover portion 13B to the closed position again to reliably engage the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20. In this way, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the cover portion 13B from being forgotten to be closed, and to guide the user to operate the cover portion 13B to the closed position.

[0052] The position of the popped-up cover part 13B may be the open position, or a position halfway between the open position and the closed position. However, in a configuration in which the cover part 13B pops up to the open position, it is necessary to widen the biasing range of the biasing unit 17B and to strengthen the biasing force. To simplify the device configuration, the popped-up position may be a position halfway between the open position and the closed position, particularly a position within 50% or 25% of the movement range from the closed position.

[0053] 13A is a diagram showing the balance of forces acting on the cover portion 13B. The distance from the swing center 13a of the cover portion 13B to the biasing position P3 by the biasing unit 17B is Lt, the biasing force of the biasing unit 17B is T, the distance from the swing center 13a to the engagement portion 130 is Lf, and the force required to release the engagement between the engagement portion 130 and the engagement portion 20 is F.

[0054] When the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20 are not engaged as shown in FIG. 11B, the force F is not generated. Therefore, the cover portion 13B pops up to a position where the moment due to the urging force T on the cover portion 13B and the moment due to the weight of the cover portion 13B are balanced. Since the urging position P3 is closer to the base end 13c than to the tip end 13b, the operating force of the user who presses down the tip end 13b from here to operate the cover portion 13B to the closed position can be made smaller. Another advantage is that the urging unit 17B is less likely to get in the way of the user's operation when refilling ink.

[0055] 11(C), in order for the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20 to be engaged and maintained, it is necessary that Lf×F>Lt×T. That is, the moment that engages the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20 is designed to be larger than the moment that the biasing unit 17B tries to open the cover portion 13B. Since the biasing position P3 is closer to the base end 13c than to the tip end 13b, the engaged state is maintained even if the engagement force between the engaging portion 130 and the engaging portion 20 is relatively small.

[0056] The position and biasing force of the biasing position P3, the shapes of the cover parts 13A and 13B, the position of the contact piece 131, and the like may be common to the cover parts 13A and 13B or may be different.

[0057] <Relaxed engagement> In the state where the cover portion 13B is in the closed position shown in FIG. 11C, the cover portion 13 is biased by the biasing unit 17B. B A force is constantly acting to swing the cover part 13B in the opening direction. This force is received by the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20. FIG. 12(A) shows the engagement state between the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20. The protrusion 130a of the engagement part 130 engages with the engagement part 20 by abutting against the lower surface 20a of the engagement part 20 in the opening direction of the cover part 13B, and receives the biasing force of the biasing unit 17B. When the liquid ejection device 1 is used for a long period of time, the engagement part 130 or the engagement part 20 may deform over time, causing the engagement force to decrease. Although measures to increase the durability of the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20 may be considered, the operating force required by the user to move the cover part 13B to the closed position may increase, which may deteriorate usability.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the cover part 3 is in the closed position, the cover parts 13A and 13B are pushed down, and the engagement part 130 is slightly separated from the engagement part 20 in the closing direction of the cover parts 13A and 13B. Fig. 12(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the cover part 3 in the closed position and the cover part 13B.

[0059] The lower surface of the cover part 3 is provided with an abutment part 3c. The abutment part 3c is, for example, an elastic member such as rubber, but may be composed of an abutment part and an elastic member, as in the case of the biasing unit 17B. When the cover part 3 is in the closed position, the abutment part 3c abuts on the upper surface of the cover part 13B and presses the cover part 13B to the swing limit position on the closing direction side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the protrusion part 130a and the lower surface 20a are separated from each other to form a gap G therebetween. As a result, when the cover part 3 is in the closed position, the biasing force of the biasing unit 17B is borne by the cover part 3, and it is possible to prevent the engagement force from acting on the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20. As a result, it is possible to prevent the engagement force between the engagement part 130 and the engagement part 20 from decreasing due to aging.

[0060] 13B is a diagram showing the balance of forces acting on the cover portion 13B when the cover portion 3 is in the closed position. The distance from the swing center 13a of the cover portion 13B to the pressing position P4 by the contact portion 3c is La, and the pressing force is Fa. It is configured so that La×Fa>Lt×T. That is, it is configured so that the moment of closing the cover portion 13B by the contact portion 3c is larger than the moment of opening the cover portion 13B by the biasing unit 17B.

[0061] If the user leaves the cover part 3 in the open position, a warning can be issued to the user. For example, if the cover detection sensor 35a detects that the cover part 3 is not in the closed position for a certain period of time, a display is displayed on the operation unit 36 ​​urging the user to move the cover part 3 to the closed position.

[0062] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the biasing units 17A and 17B are exemplified by a contact member 170 and an elastic member 17 1The above-mentioned configuration example is not limited to this. Fig. 14(A) and Fig. 14(B) respectively show other examples of the urging unit. In the example of Fig. 14(A), the urging unit 17C is composed only of an elastic member such as rubber arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the abutment piece 131. In the example of Fig. 14(B), the urging unit 17D is a torsion coil spring provided on the shaft portion 18 that defines the swing center 13a of the cover portion 13B. The urging unit 17D exerts a urging force that swings the cover portion 13B in the opening direction.

[0063] <Third embodiment> In the first embodiment, a configuration example in which the cover parts 13A and 13B are popped up by the biasing units 17A and 17B has been described, but a biasing unit may be provided on another member that opens and closes to pop it up. Figures 15(A) to 15(C) show one such example, in which a cap member is biased by a biasing unit.

[0064] In the illustrated example, the cap member 12M' corresponding to the container 5M is popped up by the biasing unit 17E, and the cap members corresponding to the containers 5Bk, 5C, and 5Y are popped up in the same manner. In this embodiment, the biasing unit 17E is an elastic member such as rubber. The configuration of the cap member 12M' is basically the same as the configuration of the cap member 12M described above. The cap member 12M' has a cap portion 120M capable of closing the injection portion 5a, and is supported by a shaft portion 122 so as to be freely swingable. An engagement portion 123 is provided at the tip of the cap member 12M', and the engagement portion 123 engages with an engagement portion 20' on the device side to restrict the cap member 12M' from moving from the closed position to the open position and maintain it in the closed position.

[0065] FIG. 15(A) shows the cap member 12M' in the open position. The biasing unit 17E and the cap member 12M' are separated. FIG. 15(B) shows the cap member 12M' in the middle of moving from the open position to the closed position. The biasing unit 17E abuts against the cap member 12M', and the cap member 12M' is biased in the opening direction by the biasing unit 17E. FIG. 15(C) shows the cap member 12M' further swinging to reach the closed position, where the engagement portion 123 and the engagement portion 20' are engaged. The biasing unit 17E is in a compressed state.

[0066] When the user moves the cap member 12M' to the closed position, if the engagement between the engagement portion 123 and the engagement portion 20' is insufficient, the cap member 12M' will pop up as shown in FIG. 15(B) due to the biasing force of the biasing unit 17E when the user releases his / her hand. Therefore, the user visually recognizes that the cap member 12M' has not been moved to the closed position. As a result, the user moves the cap member 12M' to the closed position again to reliably engage the engagement portion 123 and the engagement portion 20'. In this way, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the cap member 12M' from being forgotten to be closed, and to guide the user to operate the cap member 12M' to the closed position.

[0067] In this embodiment, the cover Part 1 3A and 13B may be omitted, and the cap member may be pushed downward by the cover part 3 by moving the cover part 3 to the closed position as described with reference to FIG. 12(B).

[0068] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the cover 3 is provided with a reading unit (scanner unit) 3a, but the cover 3 may not have such a reading function, as typified by an access cover of an SFP (single function printer). In the above embodiment, the cover 3, 13A, and 13B are all moved by swinging, but they may be moved between the open position and the closed position by translation. In the above embodiment, the cover 13B is used commonly for the containers 5C to 5Y, but each container may be provided with an individual cover.

[0069] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0070] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 liquid ejection device, 4 ejection head, 5 container, 13A cover portion, 13B cover portion, 17A urging unit, 17B urging unit, 20 engagement portion, 120 cap portion, 130 engagement portion

Claims

1. A container for containing a liquid to be supplied to a discharge means for discharging the liquid; a cap portion that is detachably attached to an injection portion for injecting a liquid provided in the container and that is capable of closing the injection portion; a first cover portion supported so as to be pivotable between a closed position that covers the cap portion and an open position that exposes the cap portion, the first cover portion having a first engagement portion; a second engaging portion that, by engaging with the first engaging portion, restricts the first cover portion from pivoting from the closed position to the open position; a biasing means for biasing the first cover portion in an opening direction when the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are disengaged from each other; a second cover portion supported so as to be swingable between a closed position that covers the first cover portion and an open position that exposes the first cover portion in an openable and closable manner; the first engaging portion engages with the second engaging portion by abutting against the second engaging portion in an opening direction of the first cover portion, The first cover part in the closed position is pressed by the second cover part in the closed position such that the first engagement part is separated from the second engagement part in a closing direction of the first cover part. A liquid ejection device comprising:

2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 , a cap member having the cap portion and supported so as to be swingable between a closed position in which the cap portion closes the injection portion and an open position in which the cap portion opens the injection portion, the first cover portion covers the cap member in the closed position when the first cover portion is in the closed position; the first cover portion has a pressing portion that presses the cap member to the closed position when the first cover portion swings to the closed position; A liquid ejection device comprising:

3. 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, The first cover portion has a base end portion that serves as a swing center of the first cover portion and a tip end portion opposite to the base end portion, The biasing means biases the first cover portion at a position closer to the base end portion than to the tip end portion. A liquid ejection device comprising:

4. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The second cover portion includes an abutment portion that abuts against the first cover portion to press the first cover portion in a closing direction. A liquid ejection device comprising:

5. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the liquid is ink, the liquid ejection device is a recording device that performs recording by ejecting the ink onto a recording medium using the ejection means; A liquid ejection device comprising:

6. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The container includes a first container and a second container, The first cover portion is provided on each of the first container and the second container, The second cover portion is provided in common to the first container and the second container. A liquid ejection device comprising:

7. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The device includes a main body, the second cover portion forms a top portion of the liquid ejection device and is supported by the device body so as to be able to swing freely; A liquid ejection device comprising:

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