Inkjet printer

Abstract

The present invention provides an inkjet printer in which inkjet head replacement work can be performed easily.　In this inkjet printer, a carriage 5, to which a head unit 4 having an inkjet head 3 is detachably attached, comprises a carriage body 11 on which the head unit 4 is mounted and an opening / closing unit 12 coupled to the carriage body 11. The opening / closing unit 12 comprises connecting parts 41, 42 which are joined to the ink tank and connectible to an ink inflow part 38 of the head unit 4. The opening / closing unit 12 is movable between a closed position at which the ink inflow part 38 and the connecting parts 41, 42 are connected to allow the inflow of ink from the connecting parts 41, 42 to the ink inflow part 38, and an open position 12B at which the ink inflow part 38 and the connecting parts 41, 42 are separated from each other to disallow the inflow of ink from the connecting parts 41, 42 to the ink inflow part 38.

Description

Inkjet printer

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

[0002] Conventionally, an inkjet printer for business use that performs printing on a printing medium is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 includes an inkjet head that discharges ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction, and an ink tank that stores the ink supplied to the inkjet head.

[0003] Further, the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 includes a pressure adjustment mechanism for adjusting the internal pressure of the inkjet head and an ink heating mechanism for heating the ink supplied to the inkjet head. The pressure adjustment mechanism is supplied with ink from the ink tank. The ink heating mechanism is disposed between the pressure adjustment mechanism and the inkjet head in the ink supply path to the inkjet head. The pressure adjustment mechanism and the ink heating mechanism are mounted on the carriage.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-94813

[0005] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, when the inkjet head deteriorates, the inkjet head is replaced. If the replacement work of the inkjet head is complicated, it becomes difficult for a person without expertise in inkjet printers to perform the replacement work. Therefore, it is preferable that the replacement work of the inkjet head is easy.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer capable of easily performing the replacement work of the inkjet head.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an inkjet printer comprising: a head unit having an inkjet head that ejects ink; a carriage to which the head unit is detachably mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that reciprocates the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; and an ink tank that contains ink supplied to the inkjet head. The carriage comprises a carriage body on which the head unit is mounted and an opening / closing unit connected to the carriage body. The head unit has an ink inlet where an ink inlet is formed, and the opening / closing unit is connected to the ink tank and has a connection part where an ink outlet is formed and which can be connected to the ink inlet. The opening / closing unit is movable between a closed position where the ink inlet and the connection part are connected and ink can flow from the connection part to the ink inlet, and an open position where the ink inlet and the connection part are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connection part to the ink inlet.

[0008] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the carriage on which a head unit having an inkjet head is detachably mounted comprises a carriage body on which the head unit is mounted and an opening / closing unit connected to the carriage body. Furthermore, in the present invention, the opening / closing unit has a connection part that can be connected to an ink tank and to the ink inlet of the head unit, and the opening / closing unit is movable between a closed position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are connected and ink can flow from the connection part to the ink inlet, and an open position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connection part to the ink inlet.

[0009] Therefore, in this invention, when removing the inkjet head attached to the carriage along with the head unit, the opening / closing unit, which is positioned in the closed position, can be moved to the open position, thereby separating the ink inlet and the connection part so that ink cannot flow from the connection part to the ink inlet part. Furthermore, in this invention, when attaching the inkjet head together with the head unit to the carriage, the opening / closing unit can be moved to the closed position while the head unit is mounted on the carriage body, thereby connecting the ink inlet and the connection part so that ink can flow from the connection part to the ink inlet part. In other words, in this invention, when replacing the inkjet head, it is possible to connect or disconnect the ink path on the carriage side and the ink path on the head unit side simply by moving the opening / closing unit. Thus, in this invention, the replacement of the inkjet head can be easily performed.

[0010] In the present invention, the opening / closing unit is preferably rotatably mounted on the upper end of the carriage body and rotatable relative to the carriage body with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, and the connection part is preferably connected to the ink inlet from above. With this configuration, when replacing the inkjet head, it is possible to connect or disconnect the ink path on the carriage side and the ink path on the head unit side simply by rotating the opening / closing unit. Furthermore, with this configuration, the person performing the inkjet head replacement work can rotate the opening / closing unit relative to the carriage body from the upper side of the carriage, making it easy to rotate the opening / closing unit relative to the carriage body.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the inkjet printer of the present invention comprises a head unit having an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage to which the head unit is detachably attached, a carriage drive mechanism that reciprocates the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and an ink tank that contains ink supplied to the inkjet head, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body on which the head unit is mounted and an opening / closing unit rotatably attached to the carriage body, the head unit has an ink inlet where an ink inlet is formed, and the opening / closing unit has a connection part that is connected to the ink tank and has an ink outlet where an ink outlet is formed and can be connected to the ink inlet, and is rotatable relative to the carriage body between a closed position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are connected and ink can flow from the connection part to the ink inlet, and an open position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connection part to the ink inlet.

[0012] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the carriage to which a head unit having an inkjet head is detachably mounted comprises a carriage body on which the head unit is mounted and an opening / closing unit rotatably attached to the carriage body. Furthermore, in the present invention, the opening / closing unit has a connection part that can be connected to an ink tank and to the ink inlet of the head unit, and the opening / closing unit is rotatable relative to the carriage body between a closed position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are connected and ink can flow from the connection part to the ink inlet, and an open position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connection part to the ink inlet.

[0013] Therefore, in this invention, when removing the inkjet head attached to the carriage along with the head unit, the opening / closing unit, which is positioned in the closed position, can be rotated to the open position to disconnect the ink inlet and the connection part, making it impossible for ink to flow from the connection part to the ink inlet part. Furthermore, in this invention, when attaching the inkjet head together with the head unit to the carriage, the opening / closing unit can be rotated to the closed position while the head unit is mounted on the carriage body to connect the ink inlet and the connection part, allowing ink to flow from the connection part to the ink inlet part. In other words, in this invention, when replacing the inkjet head, the ink path on the carriage side and the ink path on the head unit side can be connected or disconnected simply by rotating the opening / closing unit. Thus, in this invention, the replacement of the inkjet head can be easily performed.

[0014] In the present invention, the opening / closing unit is preferably attached to the upper end of the carriage body and is rotatable relative to the carriage body with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, and the connection part is preferably connected to the ink inlet from above. With this configuration, the person performing the inkjet head replacement work can rotate the opening / closing unit relative to the carriage body from the upper side of the carriage. Therefore, the operation of rotating the opening / closing unit relative to the carriage body can be easily performed.

[0015] In the present invention, it is preferable that the head unit is provided with multiple ink inlet sections, each having a single inlet, and that the connection section has multiple outlet sections, allowing ink to flow from the connection section to all ink inlet sections when the opening / closing unit is in the closed position, and preventing ink from flowing from the connection section to all ink inlet sections when the opening / closing unit is in the open position. With this configuration, even if the head unit is provided with multiple ink inlet sections, it becomes possible to easily replace the inkjet head.

[0016] In the present invention, for example, the ink inlet is formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as its axial direction, the inlet is formed at the upper end of the ink inlet, and when the opening / closing unit is positioned in the closed position, the entire ink inlet is inserted into the outlet.

[0017] In the present invention, the opening / closing unit preferably includes a unit frame that rotatably holds the connecting portion, the unit frame is rotatably attached to the carriage body, and if the axial direction of rotation of the unit frame relative to the carriage body is considered as the first direction, the connecting portion is preferably rotatable relative to the unit frame with the first direction as the axial direction of rotation. With this configuration, even when multiple ink inlets are inserted into the outlets of the connecting portion by rotating the opening / closing unit relative to the carriage body, it is possible to rotate the connecting portion relative to the unit frame to orient the connecting portion in a direction that makes it easier to insert the ink inlets into the outlets. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily connect the ink inlets and the connecting portion.

[0018] In the present invention, the unit frame is provided with a restricting member for restricting the rotation range of the connection portion relative to the unit frame, the connection portion comprises a shaft portion that constitutes the end of the connection portion in a first direction, and a restricting projection that protrudes radially outward from the shaft portion, and the restricting member is formed with an insertion hole into which the shaft portion is inserted and a restricting recess into which the restricting projection is arranged, and preferably the rotation range of the connection portion relative to the unit frame is restricted by the restricting projection and the restricting recess. With this configuration, even if the connection portion is rotatable relative to the unit frame, it is possible to prevent the connection portion from rotating excessively relative to the unit frame.

[0019] In the present invention, it is preferable that the carriage body includes a guide portion for guiding the head unit mounted on the carriage body to a predetermined mounting position, and a carriage-side positioning portion for positioning the head unit horizontally relative to the carriage body, and the head unit includes a unit-side positioning portion that engages with the carriage-side positioning portion for positioning the head unit horizontally relative to the carriage body. With this configuration, it becomes possible to easily mount the head unit in the correct position on the carriage body. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform inkjet head replacement work more easily.

[0020] In the present invention, the head unit comprises a head-side circuit board, which is a circuit board to which all inkjet heads of the head unit are electrically connected, and a head-side connector, which is a connector mounted on the head-side circuit board. The opening / closing unit comprises a carriage-side connector, which is a connector that can be connected to the head-side connector, and a carriage-side circuit board, which is a circuit board on which the carriage-side connector is mounted. Preferably, when the opening / closing unit is placed in the closed position, the head-side connector and the carriage-side connector are connected, and when the opening / closing unit is placed in the open position, the head-side connector and the carriage-side connector are disconnected.

[0021] With this configuration, when removing the inkjet head unit attached to the carriage, moving the opening / closing unit, which is in the closed position, to the open position allows for the electrical disconnection of all inkjet heads from the carriage. Conversely, when attaching the inkjet head unit to the carriage, moving the opening / closing unit to the closed position with the head unit mounted on the carriage body allows for the electrical connection of all inkjet heads from the carriage. In other words, simply moving the opening / closing unit during inkjet head replacement allows for the electrical connection or disconnection of all inkjet heads from the carriage. Therefore, the inkjet head replacement process becomes much easier.

[0022] In the present invention, the opening and closing unit comprises a unit frame that rotatably holds the connecting portion and is rotatably attached to the carriage body, and if the axial direction of rotation of the unit frame relative to the carriage body is defined as the first direction, the connecting portion is rotatable relative to the unit frame with the first direction as the axial direction of rotation, and preferably either the head unit or the connecting portion is provided with a guide shaft for orienting the connecting portion in a direction such that the outlet faces the inlet side when the opening and closing unit rotates toward the closed position, the axial direction of the guide shaft is parallel to the first direction, and preferably the other of the head unit or the connecting portion has a guide groove formed therein that engages with the guide shaft.

[0023] With this configuration, even when the opening / closing unit is rotated relative to the carriage body to connect the ink inlet and the connection part, it becomes possible to rotate the connection part relative to the unit frame to orient it in a way that facilitates connection between the ink inlet and the connection part. Therefore, even when the opening / closing unit is rotated relative to the carriage body to connect the ink inlet and the connection part, it becomes possible to easily connect the ink inlet and the connection part.

[0024] In the present invention, it is preferable that a gap is formed between the guide shaft and the guide groove when the opening / closing unit is in the closed position and the ink inlet and connection parts are connected. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent excessive load from being applied to the connection part between the ink inlet and connection parts due to the guide shaft contacting the side surface of the guide groove. Therefore, it is possible to properly connect the ink inlet and connection parts and to prevent damage to the ink inlet and connection parts.

[0025] In the present invention, for example, the opening / closing unit comprises a plurality of connecting parts, and the plurality of connecting parts are arranged adjacent to each other in a second direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction and the first direction when the opening / closing unit is in the closed position.

[0026] In the present invention, it is preferable that the inkjet printer includes a plurality of ink tubes connecting the ink tank and the connection part, and the unit frame includes a tube holding member for holding a portion of the plurality of ink tubes. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ink tubes detaching from the connection part, ink tubes getting caught, excessive twisting of ink tubes, and excessive bending of ink tubes when the opening and closing unit is rotated.

[0027] As described above, the inkjet printer of the present invention makes it possible to easily replace the inkjet head.

[0028] This is a perspective view of an inkjet printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the inkjet printer shown in Figure 1. This is a perspective view of the head unit and carriage shown in Figure 2. This is a perspective view of the head unit and carriage shown in Figure 3 with the opening / closing unit and the main body side cover open. This is a side view of the head unit and carriage shown in Figure 3. This is a plan view of the head unit and carriage shown in Figure 3 with the main body side cover and the unit side cover removed. This is a front view of the carriage shown in Figure 4. This is a side view of the carriage shown in Figure 4. This is a plan view of the carriage shown in Figure 4. This is a front view of the head unit shown in Figure 4. This is a plan view of the head unit shown in Figure 4. This is an enlarged view of section E in Figure 4. This is an enlarged side view of the connection section and unit frame taken from the F-F direction in Figure 7. This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state before the ink inlet section and the connection section shown in Figure 11 are connected. This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state before the ink inlet section and the connection section shown in Figure 11 are connected. This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state after the ink inlet section and the connection section shown in Figure 11 are connected. This is an enlarged front view of the connection section between the head side connector and the carriage side connector taken from the G-G direction in Figure 6. This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the fastener shown in Figure 3. This is a perspective view of the head unit and carriage according to Embodiment 2. This is a perspective view of the head unit and carriage shown in Figure 19 with the opening / closing unit and the main body side cover open. This is a side view of the upper end portion of the head unit and carriage shown in Figure 20. This is a perspective view of the head unit shown in Figure 20. This is an enlarged view of section K in Figure 20. This is a diagram showing the connection part and unit frame, etc., from the M-M direction in Figure 21. This is a diagram showing the tube holding member, etc., from the N-N direction in Figure 21. This is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the tube holding member from the H-H direction in Figure 25. This is an enlarged view of section J in Figure 21. This is a diagram for explaining the arrangement relationship between the guide shaft and the guide groove when the opening / closing unit shown in Figure 21 rotates from the open position to the closed position. This is a diagram for explaining the arrangement relationship between the guide shaft and the guide groove when the opening / closing unit shown in Figure 21 rotates from the open position to the closed position.

[0029] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0030] [Embodiment 1] (Schematic configuration of inkjet printer) Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the inkjet printer 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0031] The inkjet printer 1 of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "printer 1") is, for example, a commercial inkjet printer that prints on a printing medium 2. The printing medium 2 is, for example, printing paper, fabric, or a resin film. The printer 1 includes a head unit 4 having an inkjet head 3 (hereinafter referred to as "head 3") that ejects ink toward the printing medium 2, a carriage 5 to which the head unit 4 is detachably attached, a carriage drive mechanism 6 that moves the carriage 5 back and forth in the main scanning direction (Y direction in Figure 1, etc.) perpendicular to the vertical direction (vertical direction, Z direction in Figure 1, etc.), a guide rail 7 for guiding the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction, and a plurality of ink tanks 8 that contain the ink supplied to the head 3. Note that the printer 1 may also have a guide shaft instead of the guide rail 7.

[0032] The print head 3 ejects ink downwards. The lower surface of the print head 3 has a nozzle surface (ink ejection surface) where multiple nozzles are arranged. The print head 3 is equipped with piezoelectric elements (piezo elements) that eject ink from the nozzles. Below the print head 3 is a platen 9. The printing medium 2 is placed on the platen 9 during printing. The carriage drive mechanism 6 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is stretched between the two pulleys and partly fixed to the carriage 5, and a motor that rotates the pulleys. The printer 1 also has a media transport mechanism that transports the printing medium 2 in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction.

[0033] In the following explanation, the main scanning direction (Y direction) will be referred to as the "left-right direction," and the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction (Z direction) and the main scanning direction (X direction in Figure 1, etc.) will be referred to as the "front-back direction." Furthermore, one side of the left-right direction, the Y1 direction side in Figure 1, etc., will be referred to as the "right" side, the opposite side of the right side, the Y2 direction side in Figure 1, etc., will be referred to as the "left" side, one side of the front-back direction, the X1 direction side in Figure 1, etc., will be referred to as the "front" side, and the opposite side of the front side, the X2 direction side in Figure 1, etc., will be referred to as the "back" side.

[0034] (Outline configuration of the carriage) Figure 3 is a perspective view of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 shown in Figure 3 with the opening / closing unit 12 and the main body side cover 13 open. Figure 5 is a side view of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 shown in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a top view of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 shown in Figure 3 with the main body side cover 13 and the unit side covers 37 and 47 removed.

[0035] The carriage 5 comprises a carriage body 11 on which the head unit 4 is mounted, an opening / closing unit 12 connected to the carriage body 11, a body-side cover 13 rotatably attached to the carriage body 11, and a fastener 14 for fixing the opening / closing unit 12 and the body-side cover 13 to each other. The head unit 4 is mounted on the carriage body 11 from above.

[0036] The opening / closing unit 12 is rotatably mounted on the carriage body 11. The opening / closing unit 12 is attached to the upper end of the carriage body 11. The opening / closing unit 12 is also connected to the rear upper end of the carriage body 11. The opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation. Specifically, the opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction, which is the main scanning direction, as the axis of rotation. The opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the rear upper end of the carriage body 11 as the pivot point. The opening / closing unit 12 is positioned above the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage body 11.

[0037] The main body cover 13 is attached to the lower end of the carriage body 11. Specifically, the main body cover 13 is connected to the front lower end of the carriage body 11. More specifically, the main body cover 13 is connected to the front end of the head unit mounting section 17, which will be described later and constitutes part of the carriage body 11. The main body cover 13 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. Furthermore, the main body cover 13 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the front lower end (front lower end) of the carriage body 11 as the pivot point.

[0038] The main body cover 13 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between an upright position 13A (see Figure 3) that covers the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage body 11 from the front, and an open position 13B (see Figure 4) that tilts forward from the upright position 13A. In other words, the main body cover 13 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between an open position 13B that opens the front of the head unit 4, and an upright position 13A that rises from the open position 13B. The carriage 5 is equipped with a sensor for detecting when the main body cover 13 is in the upright position 13A.

[0039] (Structure of the carriage body) Figure 7 is a front view of the carriage 5 shown in Figure 4. Figure 8 is a side view of the carriage 5 shown in Figure 4. Figure 9 is a top view of the carriage 5 shown in Figure 4.

[0040] The carriage body 11 includes a head unit mounting section 17 on which the head unit 4 is mounted, an opening / closing unit holding section 18 to which the opening / closing unit 12 is attached, a carriage base 19 to which the head unit mounting section 17 and the opening / closing unit holding section 18 are attached, and a tilt adjustment mechanism 20 for adjusting the tilt of the head 3 relative to the carriage base 19 in the rotational direction with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation.

[0041] The carriage base 19 comprises a carriage bottom portion 21 that forms the lower end of the carriage 5 and a carriage rear portion 22 that forms the rear part of the carriage 5. A head unit mounting portion 17 is mounted on the carriage bottom portion 21. The head unit mounting portion 17 is fixed to the carriage bottom portion 21. When the fixing state of the head unit mounting portion 17 to the carriage bottom portion 21 is released, the head unit mounting portion 17 becomes rotatable relative to the carriage bottom portion 21 in a rotational direction with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. An opening is formed in the carriage bottom portion 21 that penetrates the carriage bottom portion 21 in the vertical direction. The ink ejection portion 3a, which will be described later and is formed at the lower end of the head 3, is located inside this opening. The carriage rear portion 22 rises upward from the rear end of the carriage bottom portion 21.

[0042] As described above, the head unit 4 is mounted on the head unit mounting section 17. In this embodiment, the tilt adjustment mechanism 20 adjusts the tilt of the head unit mounting section 17 relative to the carriage bottom 21 in the rotational direction with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, thereby adjusting the tilt of the head 3 relative to the carriage base 19. The tilt adjustment mechanism 20 includes an eccentric cam 23 for adjusting the tilt of the head unit mounting section 17 relative to the carriage bottom 21, and a compression coil spring 24 (see Figure 9) that biases the head unit mounting section 17 to one side in the rotational direction with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation.

[0043] The head unit mounting section 17 includes a contact section 17a into which the eccentric cam 23 and the compression coil spring 24 make contact. The contact section 17a is located at the right front end of the head unit mounting section 17. The contact section 17a protrudes forward. The head unit mounting section 17 has an opening 17b that penetrates the head unit mounting section 17 in the vertical direction (see Figure 9). The opening 17b is located in the central part of the head unit mounting section 17. The ink ejection section 3a, which will be described later, is located at the lower end of the head 3.

[0044] The head unit mounting portion 17 includes a carriage-side positioning portion 17c for positioning the head unit 4 with respect to the carriage main body 11 in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 9). The carriage-side positioning portion 17c is a columnar convex portion that protrudes upward from the bottom of the head unit mounting portion 17. Therefore, hereinafter, the carriage-side positioning portion 17c will be referred to as the "convex portion 17c". The convex portions 17c are formed at two locations on both sides in the left-right direction of the opening 17b. The convex portion 17c is formed in a round hole-shaped hole 17d that recesses downward from the upper surface of the head unit mounting portion 17. The convex portion 17c rises upward from the center of the bottom surface of the hole 17d.

[0045] Further, the head unit mounting portion 17 includes two guide portions 17e for guiding the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage main body 11 to a predetermined mounting position (see FIG. 7). The two guide portions 17e are formed outside the two holes 17d in the left-right direction. The guide portion 17e is a flat plate-shaped wall that protrudes upward from the bottom of the head unit mounting portion 17. The guide portion 17e guides the head unit 4 to a predetermined mounting position in the left-right direction.

[0046] The eccentric cam 23 is disposed on the upper surface side of the carriage bottom 21. The eccentric cam 23 is fixed to the cam lever 27. The cam lever 27 is attached to the carriage bottom 21 so as to be rotatable with respect to the carriage bottom 21 in a rotation direction having the vertical direction as the axis direction of rotation. The eccentric cam 23 and the cam lever 27 are attached to the right front end portion of the carriage bottom 21. The outer peripheral surface (cam surface) of the eccentric cam 23 is in contact with the right side surface of the contact portion 17a of the head unit mounting portion 17. The lever portion of the cam lever 27 is disposed above the eccentric cam 23. When this lever portion is tilted down, the eccentric cam 23 is fixed so that the eccentric cam 23 does not rotate with respect to the carriage bottom 21. On the other hand, when the lever portion is raised, the eccentric cam 23 can be rotated with respect to the carriage bottom 21.

[0047] At the rear end of the carriage bottom 21, a fulcrum portion serving as the rotation center of the head unit mounting portion 17 with respect to the carriage bottom 21 is arranged. This fulcrum portion is arranged at the central portion in the left - right direction of the carriage bottom 21. The compression coil spring 24 is arranged at the front side portion of the carriage bottom 21. The left end of the compression coil spring 24 abuts against a spring abutting portion formed on the carriage bottom 21, and the right end of the compression coil spring 24 contacts the left side surface of the contact portion 17a of the head unit mounting portion 17. The compression coil spring 24 biases the head unit mounting portion 17 toward the eccentric cam 23 with the fulcrum portion as the fulcrum.

[0048] When adjusting the inclination of the head unit mounting portion 17 with respect to the carriage bottom 21 by the inclination adjustment mechanism 20, after releasing the fixed state of the head unit mounting portion 17 to the carriage bottom 21, the eccentric cam 23 is rotated. When the eccentric cam 23 is rotated, the head unit mounting portion 17 rotates with respect to the carriage bottom 21, and the inclination of the head 3 with respect to the carriage base 19 is adjusted. When the inclination of the head 3 with respect to the carriage base 19 is adjusted, the head unit mounting portion 17 is fixed to the carriage bottom 21.

[0049] The opening - closing unit holding portion 18 includes a holding member 28 to which the opening - closing unit 12 is rotatably attached, and a connecting member 29 to which the holding member 28 is fixed and which is fixed to the head unit mounting portion 17. The connecting member 29 is fixed to the rear end portion of the head unit mounting portion 17. The connecting member 29 rises upward from the rear end portion of the head unit mounting portion 17. The connecting member 29 is arranged on the front side of the carriage back surface 22.

[0050] The connecting member 29 is equipped with two guide portions 29a for guiding the head unit 4, which is mounted on the carriage body 11, to a predetermined mounting position. The guide portions 29a are formed above the guide portion 17e. The guide portion 29a is a flat, plate-shaped wall that protrudes forward and guides the head unit 4 to a predetermined mounting position in the left-right direction. The right-hand guide portion 29a has a notch 29c formed in it. The notch 29c is formed on the front and upper part of the guide portion 29a. The left-hand guide portion 29a may also have a notch 29c formed in it.

[0051] The upper end surface of the connecting member 29 is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The upper end surface of the connecting member 29 is also a fixing surface to which the holding member 28 is fixed. A positioning projection 29b for positioning the holding member 28 in the left-right direction is formed on the upper end surface of the connecting member 29 (see Figure 6). The positioning projection 29b is formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes upward. A screw hole is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the positioning projection 29b.

[0052] The retaining member 28 consists of a fixed portion 28a that is fixed to the connecting member 29 and two support portions 28b that support the opening / closing unit 12. The fixed portion 28a is formed in the shape of a long, narrow rectangular plate in the left-right direction. The thickness direction of the fixed portion 28a coincides with the up-down direction. The support portions 28b rise upward from both ends of the fixed portion 28a in the left-right direction. The support portions 28b are formed in the shape of a flat plate with the left-right direction as the thickness direction. The fixed portion 28a is placed on the upper end surface of the connecting member 29. The fixed portion 28a has a through hole 28c in which a positioning projection 29b is positioned (see Figure 6). The through hole 28c is an elongated hole with the front-back direction as its longitudinal direction. The fixed portion 28a is fixed to the connecting member 29 by screws 30 that engage with screw holes on the inner circumferential surface of the positioning projection 29b.

[0053] (Head Unit Configuration) Figure 10 is a front view of the head unit 4 shown in Figure 4. Figure 11 is a top view of the head unit 4 shown in Figure 4.

[0054] The head unit 4 includes, in addition to the head 3, a pressure adjustment mechanism 33 for adjusting the pressure of the ink supplied to the head 3, a circuit board 34 to which the head 3 is electrically connected, a connector 35 mounted on the circuit board 34, a unit frame 36 to which these components are attached, and a unit-side cover 37 that covers the circuit board 34. In this embodiment, the head unit 4 includes, for example, one head 3. In this embodiment, the head unit 4 also includes, for example, four pressure adjustment mechanisms 33. In this embodiment, the head unit 4 also includes one circuit board 34. In this embodiment, the circuit board 34 is the head-side circuit board, and the connector 35 is the head-side connector.

[0055] Furthermore, the head unit 4 is equipped with an ink heating mechanism that heats the ink supplied to the head 3. The ink heating mechanism is located between the pressure adjustment mechanism 33 and the head 3 in the ink supply path to the head 3. Note that the head unit 4 does not necessarily have to be equipped with an ink heating mechanism. Also, the head unit 4 may be equipped with two or more heads 3, or with three or fewer pressure adjustment mechanisms 33, or five or more pressure adjustment mechanisms 33.

[0056] The left side of the unit frame 36 is a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. The right side of the unit frame 36 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped protrusion 36a that projects to the right. The right side of the unit frame 36, excluding the protrusion 36a, is a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. The unit frame 36 is positioned between two guide portions 29a in the left-right direction. The protrusion 36a is positioned in the notch 29c of the guide portion 29a. The protrusion 36a and the notch 29c serve as markers when mounting the head unit 4 onto the carriage body 11. If the guide portion 29a on the left side has a notch 29c, then the left side of the unit frame 36 also has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped protrusion 36a that projects to the left.

[0057] The head 3 is fixed to the lower end of the unit frame 36 and constitutes the lower end of the head unit 4. As described above, a nozzle surface is formed on the lower surface of the head 3, on which multiple nozzles are arranged. In this embodiment, an ink ejection section 3a that protrudes downward is formed at the lower end of the head 3, and the lower surface of the ink ejection section 3a is the nozzle surface. The ink ejection section 3a is located in the opening of the carriage bottom 21 and the opening 17b of the head unit mounting section 17.

[0058] The sides of the ink ejection section 3a in the left-right direction are planes perpendicular to the vertical direction. As shown in Figure 10, projections 3b and 3c are formed on both sides of the ink ejection section 3a in the left-right direction, projecting downwards. In this embodiment, projection 3b is located on the left side of the ink ejection section 3a, and projection 3c is located on the right side of the ink ejection section 3a. Projection 3b is formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as its axis. Projection 3c is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as its axis. When viewed from above, the outer shape of projection 3c is an elongated oval shape that is long in the left-right direction.

[0059] The inner circumference of the projection 3b is a recess 3d into which the convex portion 17c of the head unit mounting portion 17 engages. The inner circumference of the projection 3c is a recess 3e into which the convex portion 17c of the head unit mounting portion 17 engages. In this embodiment, the head 3 is positioned horizontally relative to the head unit mounting portion 17 by the convex portion 17c and the recesses 3d and 3e. The recesses 3d and 3e in this embodiment are unit-side positioning portions that engage with the convex portion 17c, which is a carriage-side positioning portion, to position the head unit 4 horizontally relative to the carriage body 11. That is, the head unit 4 is equipped with recesses 3d and 3e, which are unit-side positioning portions.

[0060] The recess 3d is a circular hole whose shape is circular when viewed from above. The inner diameter of the recess 3d is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the protrusion 17c. The recess 3e is an elongated hole whose shape is oblong when viewed from above. The recess 3e is also an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is left to right. The width of the recess 3e in the short direction (width in the front-to-back direction) is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the protrusion 17c. The protrusion 17c is inserted into the recesses 3d and 3e. The projections 3b and 3c are inserted into the hole 17d.

[0061] The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 is a mechanical pressure damper configured similarly to the pressure adjustment mechanism disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1. The ink supplied to the head 3 is housed inside the pressure adjustment mechanism 33. An ink channel is formed inside the pressure adjustment mechanism 33 through which the ink flows. The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 includes, for example, a thin film and a spring that biases the thin film, which are arranged in contact with the ink channel. The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 mechanically adjusts the pressure of the ink supplied to the head 3 without using a pressure adjustment pump. The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 also adjusts the pressure of the ink supplied to the head 3 so that the ink chamber formed inside the head 3 becomes negative pressure.

[0062] Ink is supplied to the pressure adjustment mechanism 33 from the ink tank 8 via connection parts 41 and 42, which are part of the opening / closing unit 12 and will be described later. Specifically, the ink tank 8 is positioned above the pressure adjustment mechanism 33, and ink is supplied from the ink tank 8 to the pressure adjustment mechanism 33 via connection parts 41 and 42 due to the difference in water head. The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 is formed in the shape of a flat rectangular parallelepiped with a thin thickness in the left-right direction. Four pressure adjustment mechanisms 33 are positioned above the head 3. Also, the four pressure adjustment mechanisms 33 are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0063] The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 includes an ink inlet 38 into which an ink inlet 38a is formed. That is, the head unit 4 includes an ink inlet 38. Ink flows into the pressure adjustment mechanism 33 from the inlet 38a. The ink inlet 38 is formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as its axial direction. The ink inlet 38 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The inlet 38a is formed at the upper end of the ink inlet 38, and one inlet 38a is formed in the ink inlet 38. The ink inlet 38 protrudes above the upper end of the unit frame 36 and the upper end of the unit side cover 37.

[0064] The pressure adjustment mechanism 33 is equipped with a plurality of ink inlet sections 38 arranged at regular intervals in the front-to-back direction. As shown in Figure 11, in this embodiment, the rightmost pressure adjustment mechanism 33 is equipped with four ink inlet sections 38. The remaining three pressure adjustment mechanisms 33 are equipped with two ink inlet sections 38 each. In other words, the head unit 4 is equipped with a total of ten ink inlet sections 38. In the three pressure adjustment mechanisms 33 each equipped with two ink inlet sections 38, the two ink inlet sections 38 are positioned in the front half of the pressure adjustment mechanism 33. Of the four or two ink inlet sections 38 in the four pressure adjustment mechanisms 33, the frontmost ink inlet section 38 is positioned in the same location in the front-to-back direction, and the second ink inlet section 38 from the front is also positioned in the same location in the front-to-back direction.

[0065] The circuit board 34 is a rigid substrate such as a glass epoxy substrate. The circuit board 34 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. The circuit board 34 is fixed to the unit frame 36 or unit-side cover 37 such that the thickness direction of the circuit board 34 coincides with the front-to-back direction. The circuit board 34 is located on the front side of the unit frame 36. All the heads 3 of the head unit 4 are electrically connected to the circuit board 34. In this embodiment, one head 3 is electrically connected to the circuit board 34.

[0066] The head 3 is connected to the circuit board 34 via wiring such as an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable). Heaters and thermistors, which constitute part of the ink heating mechanism, are also electrically connected to the circuit board 34 via wiring. The circuit board 34 functions as a relay board. For example, if the head unit 4 has four heads 3, all four heads 3 are electrically connected to the circuit board 34.

[0067] A single connector 35 is mounted on the circuit board 34. The connector 35 is mounted on the front of the circuit board 34. The connector 35 is also mounted on the upper end of the circuit board 34. A connector 45, described later, which is part of the opening / closing unit 12, is inserted into the connector 35 from above and connected to it. The connector 35 in this embodiment is a floating connector with a floating mechanism. In the connector 35, the part into which the connector 45 is inserted is rotatable with respect to the circuit board 34 in the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. The unit-side cover 37 is fixed to the front end of the unit frame 36. The unit-side cover 37 covers the circuit board 34 from both sides in the left-right direction and from the front.

[0068] (Configuration of the opening / closing unit) Figure 12 is an enlarged view of section E in Figure 4. Figure 13 is an enlarged side view showing the connection sections 41, 42 and the unit frame 44 from the F-F direction in Figure 7. Figures 14 and 15 are cross-sectional views illustrating the state before the ink inlet section 38 and connection sections 41 and 42 shown in Figure 11 are connected. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state after the ink inlet section 38 and connection sections 41 and 42 shown in Figure 11 are connected. Figure 17 is an enlarged front view showing the connection between connector 35 and connector 45 from the G-G direction in Figure 6.

[0069] The opening / closing unit 12 has ink outlets (ports) 41a and 42a formed therein, and also has connection parts 41 and 42 that can be connected to the ink inlet 38. The opening / closing unit 12 in this embodiment has two connection parts 41 and 42. The connection parts 41 and 42 are connected to the ink tank 8. Specifically, the connection parts 41 and 42 are connected to the ink tank 8 via a plurality of ink tubes 43, and ink is supplied to the connection parts 41 and 42 from the ink tank 8. The ink tank 8 is positioned above the connection parts 41 and 42, and ink is supplied from the ink tank 8 to the connection parts 41 and 42 by head difference.

[0070] The opening / closing unit 12 also includes a unit frame 44 that rotatably holds the connecting parts 41 and 42, a connector 45 that can be connected to the connector 35, a circuit board 46 on which the connector 45 is mounted, and a unit-side cover 47 fixed to the unit frame 44. In this embodiment, the connector 45 is a carriage-side connector, and the circuit board 46 is a carriage-side circuit board.

[0071] As described above, the opening / closing unit 12 is rotatably attached to the carriage body 11. Specifically, the unit frame 44 is rotatably attached to the carriage body 11. The unit frame 44 is connected to the rear upper end of the carriage body 11. Specifically, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A described later, the rear end of the unit frame 44 is connected to the support portion 28b of the holding member 28. In this embodiment, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, the rear end of the unit frame 44 constitutes the rear end of the opening / closing unit 12, and when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, the rear end of the opening / closing unit 12 is connected to the rear upper end of the carriage body 11.

[0072] The unit frame 44 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. In this embodiment, the left-right direction (Y direction) is the first direction, which is the axis of rotation of the unit frame 44 relative to the carriage body 11. The front-rear direction (X direction) is the second direction, which is perpendicular to the up-down direction and the first direction, and the front side (X1 direction) is the third direction side, which is one side of the second direction.

[0073] The opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between a closed position 12A (see Figure 3), where the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are connected, allowing ink to flow from the connecting parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38, and an open position 12B (see Figure 4), where the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are disconnected, preventing ink from flowing from the connecting parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38. In other words, the opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between a closed position 12A, where ink can be supplied from the ink tank 8 to the head unit 4, and an open position 12B, where the supply of ink from the ink tank 8 to the head unit 4 is cut off. When printing on the printing medium 2, the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A.

[0074] In this configuration, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, all of the ink inlet sections 38 (i.e., 10 ink inlet sections 38) of the head unit 4 are connected to the connection sections 41 and 42, allowing ink to flow from the connection sections 41 and 42 to all of the ink inlet sections 38. Conversely, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the open position 12B, all of the ink inlet sections 38 are disconnected from the connection sections 41 and 42, making it impossible for ink to flow from the connection sections 41 and 42 to all of the ink inlet sections 38.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, the cylindrical ink inlet portion 38 is inserted into the outlets 41a and 42a. Specifically, as will be described later, multiple outlets 41a and 42a are formed in the connection portions 41 and 42, and when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, all of the ink inlet portions 38 of the head unit 4 are inserted into the outlets 41a and 42a.

[0076] When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the open position 12B, the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned above the opening / closing unit holding portion 18 and the carriage rear portion 22. Also, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the open position 12B, the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned above the head unit 4 which is mounted on the head unit mounting portion 17. When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the open position 12B, the head unit 4 can be attached to and detached from the carriage body 11.

[0077] When the opening / closing unit 12, positioned in the open position 12B (i.e., the opening / closing unit 12 positioned above the opening / closing unit holding portion 18 and the carriage rear portion 22), is rotated 90° so as to tilt forward with the lower end of the opening / closing unit 12 as the pivot point and the left-right direction as the axis of rotation, the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A. When the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, the connecting portions 41 and 42 are connected to the ink inlet portion 38 from above. The opening / closing unit 12, positioned in the closed position 12A, covers the head unit 4 from above.

[0078] The unit frame 44 comprises a frame body 48 and restricting members 49 for restricting the rotation range of connection parts 41 and 42 to the unit frame 44. In this embodiment, the unit frame 44 comprises two restricting members 49. The frame body 48 includes a first frame portion 48a that constitutes the front part of the frame body 48 when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A. The first frame portion 48a is formed in the shape of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the left-right direction. The first frame portion 48a constitutes the upper part of the frame body 48 when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the open position 12B.

[0079] Furthermore, the frame body 48 includes two second frame portions 48b extending backward from both left and right ends of the first frame portion 48a when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, and guide portions 48c extending downward from the midpoint of each of the two second frame portions 48b in the front-rear direction. The left and right outer surfaces of the two second frame portions 48b are planes perpendicular to the left-right direction. The rear ends of the second frame portions 48b when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A are connected to the support portion 28b of the holding member 28.

[0080] The second frame portion 48b has two notches 48d formed therein, on which shaft portions 41c and 42c, which will be described later and constitute part of the connecting portions 41 and 42, are arranged. The notches 48d are cut out from the lower surface of the second frame portion 48b toward the upper side when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A. The guide portion 48c is formed in a flat plate shape with the left-right direction as the thickness direction. The guide portion 48c is formed between the two notches 48d. When the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, the two guide portions 48c are positioned on the outside of the left-right side surfaces of the unit frame 36 of the head unit 4. The guide portions 48c serve to guide the opening / closing unit 12 relative to the head unit 4 when the opening / closing unit 12 rotates from the open position 12B to the closed position 12A.

[0081] The restricting member 49 is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate. One of the two restricting members 49 is fixed to the right side of the second frame portion 48b located on the right side, and the other restricting member 49 is fixed to the left side of the second frame portion 48b located on the left side. The thickness direction of the restricting member 49 coincides with the left-right direction. The restricting member 49 has two insertion holes 49a and 49b into which the shaft portions 41c and 42c, which will be described later and constitute part of the connecting portions 41 and 42, are inserted. The insertion holes 49a and 49b are round holes that penetrate the restricting member 49 in the left-right direction.

[0082] The connecting parts 41 and 42 are made of resin. The connecting parts 41 and 42 are formed to be the same shape. The connecting parts 41 and 42 are rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. The two connecting parts 41 and 42 are located behind the first frame part 48a when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. Also, the two connecting parts 41 and 42 are located adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. In this embodiment, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the connecting part 41 is located behind the connecting part 42, and the connecting part 41 is located closer to the center of rotation of the unit frame 44 relative to the carriage body 11 than the connecting part 42. In this embodiment, the connecting part 41 is the first connecting part, and the connecting part 42 is the second connecting part.

[0083] Each connecting portion 41 and 42 includes an annular sealing member 51 that contacts the outer circumferential surface of the ink inlet portion 38 inserted into the outlets 41a and 42a with a predetermined contact pressure, and a check valve 52 that prevents ink leakage from the outlets 41a and 42a when the ink inlet portion 38 is disconnected from the connecting portions 41 and 42. The connecting portion 41 has a rectangular parallelepiped base portion 41b on which a plurality of outlets 41a are formed. The connecting portion 42 has a rectangular parallelepiped base portion 42b on which a plurality of outlets 42a are formed. In other words, each connecting portion 41 and 42 has a plurality of outlets 41a and 42a formed thereon.

[0084] The base portions 41b and 42b are positioned between two second frame portions 48b in the left-right direction. The connecting portion 41 has two shaft portions 41c that form the end of the connecting portion 41 in the left-right direction, and the connecting portion 42 has two shaft portions 42c that form the end of the connecting portion 42 in the left-right direction. The shaft portions 41c and 42c are formed in a cylindrical shape with the left-right direction as their axial direction. That is, the axial direction of the shaft portions 41c and 42c is parallel to the left-right direction. The shaft portion 41c protrudes from the base portion 41b toward both sides in the left-right direction, and the shaft portion 42c protrudes from the base portion 42b toward the left-right direction toward the outside.

[0085] As shown in Figure 13, the shaft portion 41c has a restricting projection 41d that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 41c, and the shaft portion 42c has a restricting projection 42d that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 42c. That is, the connecting portions 41 and 42 are equipped with restricting projections 41d and 42d. The shaft portion 41c is inserted into the insertion hole 49a of the restricting member 49 and is rotatably held by the restricting member 49. The shaft portion 42c is inserted into the insertion hole 49b of the restricting member 49 and is rotatably held by the restricting member 49. The connecting portion 41 is rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the shaft portion 41c as the pivot point. The connecting portion 42 is rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the shaft portion 42c as the pivot point.

[0086] The restricting member 49 has a restricting recess 49c where a restricting projection 41d is positioned, and a restricting recess 49d where a restricting projection 42d is positioned. The restricting recess 49c is recessed from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 49a toward the radially outward direction of the insertion hole 49a, and the restricting recess 49d is recessed from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 49b toward the radially outward direction of the insertion hole 49b. In this embodiment, the rotation range of the connection portion 41 to the unit frame 44 is restricted by the restricting projection 41d and the restricting recess 49c, and the rotation range of the connection portion 42 to the unit frame 44 is restricted by the restricting projection 42d and the restricting recess 49d.

[0087] In other words, the restricting member 49 restricts the rotational range of the two connection parts 41 and 42 to the unit frame 44. As shown in Figure 13, the width of the restricting recess 49c in the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 49a is wider than the width of the restricting recess 49d in the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 49b. Therefore, the rotational range of the connection part 41 to the unit frame 44 is wider than the rotational range of the connection part 42 to the unit frame 44.

[0088] Eight outlets 41a are formed in the base portion 41b, and eight outlets 42a are formed in the base portion 42b. In the base portion 41b, four outlets 41a are arranged at a constant pitch in the left-right direction, and these four outlets 41a arranged in the left-right direction are arranged in two rows in the front-rear direction when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. Similarly, in the base portion 42b, four outlets 42a are arranged at a constant pitch in the left-right direction, and these four outlets 42a arranged in the left-right direction are arranged in two rows in the front-rear direction when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A.

[0089] When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the base 42b is connected to the frontmost ink inlet 38 and the second ink inlet 38 from the front, which are among the four or two ink inlet 38s of the four pressure adjustment mechanisms 33. In other words, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, ink inlet 38s are inserted into all eight outlets 42a. On the other hand, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the base 41b is connected to the rearmost ink inlet 38 and the second ink inlet 38 from the rear of the rightmost pressure adjustment mechanism 33. In other words, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, ink inlet 38s are inserted into the two outlets 41a.

[0090] The base portion 41b has an ink channel 41e leading to the outlet 41a, and the base portion 42b has an ink channel 42e leading to the outlet 42a. In other words, the base portion 41b has eight channels 41e, and the base portion 42b has eight channels 42e. The base portion 41b is equipped with a cylindrical tube connection portion 41f to which an ink tube 43 can be connected. The base portion 42b is equipped with a cylindrical tube connection portion 42f to which an ink tube 43 can be connected.

[0091] The inner circumference of the tube connection portion 41f constitutes part of the flow path 41e, and the base portion 41b is equipped with eight tube connection portions 41f. Similarly, the inner circumference of the tube connection portion 42f constitutes part of the flow path 42e, and the base portion 42b is equipped with eight tube connection portions 42f. In the base portion 42b, ink tubes 43 are connected to all eight tube connection portions 42f. On the other hand, in the base portion 41b, ink tubes 43 are connected only to two tube connection portions 41f corresponding to the two outlets 41a into which the ink inlet portion 38 is inserted.

[0092] The sealing member 51 is a rubber packing. The sealing member 51 is positioned at the outlets 41a and 42a and functions to prevent ink from leaking between the connection parts 41 and 42 and the ink inlet 38. The check valve 52 comprises a sphere 53 positioned in the flow paths 41e and 42e and a compression coil spring 54 that biases the sphere 53 toward the sealing member 51. The compression coil spring 54 is positioned in the flow paths 41e and 42e. The check valve 52 functions to prevent ink from leaking from each of the multiple outlets 41a and 42a.

[0093] When the ink inlet 38 is not inserted into the outlets 41a and 42a, the biasing force of the compression coil spring 54 causes the sphere 53 to contact the sealing member 51 with a predetermined contact pressure, preventing ink leakage from the outlets 41a and 42a (see Figures 14 and 15). When the ink inlet 38 is inserted into the outlets 41a and 42a, the ink inlet 38 pushes the sphere 53 toward the back of the flow paths 41e and 42e, causing the sphere 53 to separate from the sealing member 51 (see Figure 16). Once the sphere 53 separates from the sealing member 51, ink can flow from the connection parts 41 and 42 into the ink inlet 38.

[0094] The circuit board 46 is a rigid substrate such as a glass epoxy substrate. The circuit board 46 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the thickness direction of the circuit board 46 coincides with the front-to-back direction. The circuit board 46 is located on the front side of the unit frame 44 when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. A control circuit for controlling the head unit 4 is mounted on the circuit board 46. The circuit board 46 is electrically connected to the main body of the printer 1 via wiring such as an FFC. One connector 45 is mounted on the circuit board 46. The connector 45 is mounted on the front of the circuit board 46 when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, and is also mounted on the lower end of the circuit board 46.

[0095] In this configuration, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, connectors 35 and 45 are connected (see Figures 16 and 17). When the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the open position 12B, connectors 35 and 45 are disconnected. In other words, the opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between the closed position 12A, where connectors 35 and 45 are connected, and the open position 12B, where connectors 35 and 45 are disconnected.

[0096] The unit-side cover 47 covers the circuit board 46 from both sides and the front when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. A portion of the unit-side cover 47 constitutes the front surface of the opening / closing unit 12 when it is in the closed position 12A. The unit-side cover 47 has a notch 47a for arranging a receiving member 58, which will be described later and constitute part of the fixing member 14. The notch 47a is cut out from the lower end of the unit-side cover 47 upwards when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A.

[0097] (Configuration of the fastener) Figure 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the fastener 14 shown in Figure 3.

[0098] The fixing device 14 is a draw latch comprising a hook 57 attached to the main body side cover 13 and a receiver 58 fixed to the unit side cover 47. For example, the fixing device 14 is a draw latch that is a slightly improved version of the "Draw Catch" product specified by model number "TL-241" manufactured by Tochigi-ya Co., Ltd. In the following description, the fixing device 14 will be referred to as "Draw Latch 14". The hook 57 is attached to the upper end of the front surface of the main body side cover 13, which is positioned in the upright position 13A. The hook 57 is also attached to the center of the main body side cover 13 in the left-right direction. The hook 57 is positioned in front of the pivot center C1 (see Figure 5) of the main body side cover 13 relative to the carriage body 11.

[0099] The receiving member 58 is attached to the lower end of the front surface of the unit-side cover 47 when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. A part of the receiving member 58 is positioned in the notch 47a. As shown in Figure 18, the receiving member 58 has a contact surface 58a into which the engaging portion 57a ​​of the hook 57 makes contact from above with a predetermined contact pressure. A projection 58b for hooking the engaging portion 57a ​​is formed on the front side of the contact surface 58a when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. The amount of protrusion t of the projection 58b relative to the contact surface 58a (see Figure 18) is, for example, about 0.3 (mm). Note that the receiving member 58 is not shown in Figure 16. Also, the receiving member 58 does not necessarily have to have the projection 58b formed on it.

[0100] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 18(A), when the draw latch 14 is locked and the main body cover 13 and the unit cover 47 are fixed to each other, the opening / closing unit 12 is held in the closed position 12A. In other words, the draw latch 14 performs the function of holding the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, in the closed position 12A by fixing the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, to the main body cover 13, which is positioned in the upright position 13A.

[0101] As described above, the hook 57 is positioned in front of the pivot center C1 of the main body cover 13 relative to the carriage body 11. Also, the hook 57 is positioned above the pivot center C1. Furthermore, the amount of protrusion t of the convex portion 58b relative to the contact surface 58a is very small, for example, about 0.3 (mm). Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, as shown in Figure 18(B), even if the engaging portion 57a ​​of the hook 57 is caught on the convex portion 58b of the receiving portion 58, if the draw latch 14 is not locked, the main body cover 13, which is positioned in the upright position 13A, will fall to the open position 13B.

[0102] (Head unit replacement procedure) When replacing the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage body 11, first remove the hook 57 from the receiving device 58, and then rotate the opening / closing unit 12 from the closed position 12A to the open position 12B. When the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated from the closed position 12A to the open position 12B, all ink inlet parts 38 and connection parts 41 and 42 are disconnected, and connectors 35 and 45 are disconnected. In this state, remove the head unit 4 to be replaced from the carriage body 11.

[0103] After that, the new head unit 4 is placed on the head unit mounting section 17, and then the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated from the open position 12B to the closed position 12A. When the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated to the closed position 12A, all the ink inlet sections 38 and the connection sections 41 and 42 are connected. In the process of rotating the opening / closing unit 12 from the open position 12B to the closed position 12A, first the ink inlet section 38 and the connection section 41 are connected (see Figure 14), and then the ink inlet section 38 and the connection section 42 are connected (see Figure 15). Also, when the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated to the closed position 12A, the connector 35 and the connector 45 are connected. After rotating the opening / closing unit 12 to the closed position 12A, the draw latch 14 is locked.

[0104] In this configuration, a series of simple actions—placing the new head unit 4 on the head unit mounting section 17, rotating the opening / closing unit 12 from the open position 12B to the closed position 12A, and then locking the draw latch 14—complete the connection of the ink supply path between the opening / closing unit 12 and the head unit 4, the electrical connection between the opening / closing unit 12 and the head unit 4, and the fixing of the head unit 4 to the carriage 5 with the head 3 in the correct position.

[0105] (Main effects of this embodiment) As described above, in this embodiment, the carriage 5 to which the head unit 4 is detachably attached comprises a carriage body 11 on which the head unit 4 is mounted, and an opening / closing unit 12 that is rotatably attached to the carriage body 11. In addition, in this embodiment, the opening / closing unit 12 is equipped with connecting parts 41 and 42 that can be connected to the ink inlet 38 of the head unit 4, and is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between a closed position 12A in which the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are connected, allowing ink to flow from the connecting parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38, and an open position 12B in which the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are disconnected, making it impossible for ink to flow from the connecting parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38.

[0106] Therefore, in this embodiment, when removing the head 3 attached to the carriage 5 together with the head unit 4, the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42 can be disconnected by rotating the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, to the open position 12B, thereby preventing ink from flowing from the connection parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38. Also, in this embodiment, when attaching the head 3 together with the head unit 4 to the carriage 5, the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42 can be connected by rotating the opening / closing unit 12 to the closed position 12A while the head unit 4 is mounted on the carriage body 11, thereby allowing ink to flow from the connection parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38. In other words, in this embodiment, when replacing the head 3, it is possible to connect or disconnect the ink path on the carriage 5 side and the ink path on the head unit 4 side simply by rotating the opening / closing unit 12. Therefore, in this embodiment, the replacement of the head 3 can be easily performed.

[0107] In particular, in this embodiment, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, all ink inlet ports 38 of the head unit 4 are connected to the connection ports 41 and 42, allowing ink to flow from the connection ports 41 and 42 to all ink inlet ports 38. When the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the open position 12B, all ink inlet ports 38 are disconnected from the connection ports 41 and 42, making it impossible for ink to flow from the connection ports 41 and 42 to all ink inlet ports 38. Therefore, even if the head unit 4 has multiple ink inlet ports 38, the head 3 can be easily replaced.

[0108] In this embodiment, the head unit 4 includes a circuit board 34 to which all the heads 3 of the head unit 4 are electrically connected, and a connector 35 mounted on the circuit board 34. In this embodiment, when the opening / closing unit 12 is placed in the closed position 12A, the connector 45 of the opening / closing unit 12 and the connector 35 are connected, and when the opening / closing unit 12 is placed in the open position 12B, the connector 35 and the connector 45 are disconnected.

[0109] Therefore, in this embodiment, when removing the head 3 attached to the carriage 5 together with the head unit 4, the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, is rotated to the open position 12B, thereby electrically disconnecting all heads 3 from the carriage 5. Conversely, when attaching the head 3 together with the head unit 4 to the carriage 5, the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated to the closed position 12A with the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage body 11, thereby electrically connecting all heads 3 from the carriage 5. In other words, in this embodiment, when replacing the head 3, it is possible to electrically connect or disconnect all heads 3 from the carriage 11 simply by rotating the opening / closing unit 12. Consequently, in this embodiment, the head 3 replacement work can be made easier.

[0110] In this configuration, the opening / closing unit 12 is attached to the upper end of the carriage body 11 and is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. Therefore, in this configuration, the person performing the head 3 replacement work can rotate the opening / closing unit 12 relative to the carriage body 11 from the upper side of the carriage 5. Consequently, in this configuration, the operation of rotating the opening / closing unit 12 relative to the carriage body 11 can be easily performed.

[0111] In this embodiment, the connecting parts 41 and 42 are rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. Therefore, in this embodiment, by rotating the opening / closing unit 12 relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation, even when inserting multiple ink inlet parts 38 into the outlets 41a and 42a of the connecting parts 41 and 42, it is possible to rotate the connecting parts 41 and 42 relative to the unit frame 44 to orient the connecting parts 41 and 42 in a direction that makes it easier to insert the ink inlet parts 38 into the outlets 41a and 42a. Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to easily connect the ink inlet parts 38 to the connecting parts 41 and 42.

[0112] In this embodiment, the rotational range of the connection portions 41 and 42 relative to the unit frame 44 is restricted by the restricting protrusions 41d and 42d formed on the connection portions 41 and 42 and the restricting recesses 49c and 49d formed on the restricting member 49. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the connection portions 41 and 42 are rotatable relative to the unit frame 44, it is possible to prevent the connection portions 41 and 42 from rotating excessively relative to the unit frame 44.

[0113] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotatable range of the connection part 41, which is positioned closer to the pivot center of the unit frame 44 relative to the carriage body 11 than the connection part 42, is wider than the rotatable range of the connection part 42 relative to the unit frame 44. Therefore, even though the opening / closing unit 12 has two connection parts 41 and 42, it is possible to orient each of the connection parts 41 and 42 in a direction that makes it easier to insert the ink inlet 38 into the outlets 41a and 42a. Thus, in this embodiment, even though the opening / closing unit 12 has two connection parts 41 and 42, it is possible to easily connect the ink inlet 38 to the connection part 41 and the ink inlet 38 to the connection part 42 while preventing the connection parts 41 and 42 from rotating excessively relative to the unit frame 44.

[0114] In this embodiment, the carriage body 11 includes guide portions 17e and 29a for guiding the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage body 11 to a predetermined mounting position, and a protrusion 17c for positioning the head unit 4 with respect to the carriage body 11 in the horizontal direction. The head unit 4 includes recesses 3d and 3e that engage with the protrusion 17c to position the head unit 4 with respect to the carriage body 11 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the head unit 4 can be easily mounted in the correct position on the carriage body 11. In particular, in this embodiment, the protrusion 36a of the unit frame 36 and the notch 29c of the guide portion 29a serve as markers when mounting the head unit 4 on the carriage body 11, making it even easier to mount the head unit 4 in the correct position on the carriage body 11. Consequently, in this embodiment, the replacement of the head 3 can be performed more easily.

[0115] In this embodiment, the carriage 5 is equipped with a draw latch 14 for holding the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, in the closed position 12A. When the draw latch 14 is locked and the main body cover 13 and the unit cover 47 are fixed to each other, the opening / closing unit 12 is held in the closed position 12A. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to fix the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, in the closed position 12A.

[0116] In this configuration, since the latch 57 is positioned in front of the pivot center C1 of the body-side cover 13 relative to the carriage body 11, the body-side cover 13 will fall to the open position 13B unless the draw latch 14 is locked. When the body-side cover 13 is in the open position 13B, it obstructs the operation of the carriage 5, and printing by the printer 1 cannot be performed. In other words, unless the draw latch 14 is locked and the opening / closing unit 12 is fixed in the closed position 12A, that is, unless the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42 are securely connected and ink is reliably supplied to the head unit 4, printing by the printer 1 cannot be performed. As a result, in this configuration, malfunctions during printing are suppressed.

[0117] Furthermore, for example, even if the draw latch 14 is not locked, but the receiving device 58 is hooked onto the hooking device 57, if the main body cover 13 is maintained in the upright position 13A, there is a risk that printing may be performed by the printer 1 while the opening / closing unit 12 is not fixed in the closed position 12A. In other words, in this case, there is a risk that printing may be performed by the printer 1 while the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42 are not securely connected. Therefore, in this case, there is a risk that a malfunction may occur during printing.

[0118] (Modification of Embodiment 1) In Embodiment 1, a restricting projection 41d may be formed on only one of the two shaft portions 41c, and a restricting projection 42d may be formed on only one of the two shaft portions 42c. In this case, for example, restricting recesses 49c and 49d may be formed on only one of the two restricting members 49. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the rotatable range of the connection portion 41 to the unit frame 44 and the rotatable range of the connection portion 42 to the unit frame 44 may be equal. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the connection portions 41 and 42 do not need to be rotatable relative to the unit frame 44.

[0119] In Embodiment 1, the opening / closing unit 12 does not need to be rotatable relative to the carriage body 11, as long as it is movable relative to the carriage body 11 between a closed position 12A in which the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are connected and ink can flow from the connecting parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38, and an open position 12B in which the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connecting parts 41 and 42 to the ink inlet 38.

[0120] [Embodiment 2] (Schematic configuration of an inkjet printer) Figure 19 is a perspective view of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figure 20 is a perspective view of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 shown in Figure 19 with the opening / closing unit 12 and the main body side cover 13 open. Figure 21 is a side view of the upper end portion of the head unit 4 and carriage 5 shown in Figure 20. Figure 22 is a perspective view of the head unit 4 shown in Figure 20. Figure 23 is an enlarged view of section K in Figure 20.

[0121] The printer 1 in this embodiment, like the printer 1 in Embodiment 1, is, for example, a commercial inkjet printer that prints on a printing medium 2. The configuration of the printer 1 in this embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the printer 1 in Embodiment 1. In Figures 19 to 29 used in the following description, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those in the printer 1 in Embodiment 1. Also, the Z1 direction side in Figure 19, etc., is the "up" side, which is one side in the vertical direction, and the Z2 direction side in Figure 19, etc., is the "down" side, which is the opposite side of the up side.

[0122] Similar to Embodiment 1, the carriage 5 comprises a carriage body 11, an opening / closing unit 12, a body-side cover 13, and a draw latch 14. Also similar to Embodiment 1, the carriage body 11 comprises a head unit mounting section 17 (see Figure 20), an opening / closing unit holding section 18, a carriage base 19, and a tilt adjustment mechanism 20. Note that the draw latch 14 is not shown in Figures 20 and 21.

[0123] Furthermore, similar to Embodiment 1, the head unit 4 includes a pressure adjustment mechanism 33, a circuit board 34, a connector 35, a unit frame 36, a unit-side cover 37, and an ink heating mechanism. The head unit 4 in this embodiment also includes a guide member 39 for orienting the connection parts 41 and 42 in a predetermined direction. The specific configuration of the guide member 39 will be described later.

[0124] (Configuration of the opening / closing unit) Figure 24 is a diagram showing the connecting parts 41, 42 and the unit frame 44, etc., from the M-M direction of Figure 21. Figure 25 is a diagram showing the tube holding member 50, etc., from the N-N direction of Figure 21. Figure 26 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the tube holding member 50 from the H-H direction of Figure 25. Figure 27 is an enlarged view of section J of Figure 21.

[0125] Similar to Embodiment 1, the opening / closing unit 12 includes two connection parts 41 and 42, a unit frame 44, a connector 45 (see Figure 20), a circuit board 46, and a unit-side cover 47 (see Figure 19). Similar to Embodiment 1, the connection parts 41 and 42 are connected to the ink tank 8 via a plurality of ink tubes 43. That is, the printer 1 includes a plurality of ink tubes 43 connecting the ink tank 8 to the connection parts 41 and 42. In this embodiment, 10 ink tubes 43 are drawn out from the connection parts 41 and 42. Note that the unit-side cover 47 is not shown in drawings other than Figure 19.

[0126] The unit frame 44 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. A pivot axis 40, which serves as the rotation center of the unit frame 44 relative to the carriage body 11, is attached to the unit frame 44 and the support portion 28b. The pivot axis 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The axial direction of the pivot axis 40 is parallel to the left-right direction. The pivot axis 40 is located at both ends of the unit frame 44 in the left-right direction.

[0127] Similar to Embodiment 1, the opening / closing unit 12 is rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 between a closed position 12A (see Figure 19) and an open position 12B (see Figure 20). When the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, all ink inlet ports 38 of the head unit 4 are connected to the connection ports 41 and 42, allowing ink to flow from the connection ports 41 and 42 to all ink inlet ports 38. Also, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A, connector 35 and connector 45 are connected. When the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the open position 12B, all ink inlet ports 38 are disconnected from the connection ports 41 and 42, making it impossible for ink to flow from the connection ports 41 and 42 to all ink inlet ports 38. Also, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the open position 12B, connector 35 and connector 45 are disconnected.

[0128] When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the open position 12B, the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned above the opening / closing unit holder 18. When the opening / closing unit 12 positioned in the open position 12B (i.e., the opening / closing unit 12 positioned above the opening / closing unit holder 18) rotates so as to tilt forward with its lower end as the pivot point and the left-right direction as the axis of rotation, the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A.

[0129] Similar to Embodiment 1, the unit frame 44 comprises a frame body 48 and a restricting member 49. In addition to the frame body 48 and the restricting member 49, the unit frame 44 of this embodiment also comprises a tube holding member 50 for holding a portion of the 10 ink tubes 43. The frame body 48 is formed by bending a metal plate of a predetermined shape into a predetermined shape. The frame body 48 comprises a first frame portion 48a and two second frame portions 48b.

[0130] The second frame portion 48b is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate with the left-right direction being the thickness direction. The second frame portion 48b has two through holes in which parts of the shaft portions 41c and 42c are arranged. The frame body 48 also includes a third frame portion 48e that extends upward from the upper end of the first frame portion 48a when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. The third frame portion 48e is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate. Note that the frame body 48 in this embodiment does not have a guide portion 48c.

[0131] The restricting member 49 is fixed to the frame body 48. The restricting member 49 is formed by bending a metal plate of a predetermined shape into a predetermined shape. The restricting member 49 has two restricting portions 49e that are formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate. The thickness direction of the restricting portions 49e coincides with the left-right direction. One of the two restricting portions 49e is positioned to the right of the second frame portion 48b which is positioned on the right side, and the other restricting portion 49e is positioned to the left of the second frame portion 48b which is positioned on the left side.

[0132] The restricting portion 49e has two insertion holes 49f into which the shaft portions 41c and 42c of the connecting portions 41 and 42 are inserted. The insertion holes 49f are round holes that penetrate the restricting portion 49e in the left-right direction. The shaft portions 41c and 42c are inserted into the insertion holes 49f and are rotatably held by the restricting member 49. The connecting portion 41 is rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the shaft portion 41c as the pivot point. The connecting portion 42 is rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the shaft portion 42c as the pivot point.

[0133] Similar to Embodiment 1, a restricting projection 41d is formed on the shaft portion 41c, and a restricting projection 42d is formed on the shaft portion 42c. A restricting recess 49g is formed on the restricting portion 49e, where the restricting projections 41d and 42d are located. The restricting recess 49g is recessed from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 49f toward the radially outward direction of the insertion hole 49f. In this embodiment, the rotational range of the connection portion 41 to the unit frame 44 is restricted by the restricting projection 41d and the restricting recess 49g, and the rotational range of the connection portion 42 to the unit frame 44 is restricted by the restricting projection 42d and the restricting recess 49g. In other words, the restricting member 49 restricts the rotational range of the two connection portions 41 and 42 to the unit frame 44.

[0134] The tube holding member 50 is fixed to the left end of the third frame portion 48e. The tube holding member 50 is located on the rear side of the third frame portion 48e when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. The tube holding member 50 has five tube holding portions 50a formed therein, each holding two of the ink tubes 43. When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the five tube holding portions 50a are arranged in the vertical direction.

[0135] Furthermore, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, portions of the two ink tubes 43 are positioned adjacent to each other in the front-to-back direction in the tube holding portion 50a. Portions of the two ink tubes 43 positioned in the tube holding portion 50a are surrounded by the tube holding portion 50a and the third frame portion 48e. When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the ink tubes 43 are pulled upward from the base portions 41b and 42b and then routed toward the left. An elbow 60 is positioned in the middle of the ink tube 43.

[0136] When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, a portion of the two ink tubes 43 connected to the tube connection portion 41f is held by the uppermost tube holder portion 50a, a portion of the two ink tubes 43 connected to the rightmost tube connection portion 42f is held by the second-to-last tube holder portion 50a, a portion of the two ink tubes 43 connected to the second-to-last tube connection portion 42f is held by the third-to-last tube holder portion 50a, a portion of the two ink tubes 43 connected to the second-to-last tube connection portion 42f is held by the fourth-to-last tube holder portion 50a, and a portion of the two ink tubes 43 connected to the leftmost tube connection portion 42f is held by the lowest tube holder portion 50a (see Figures 25 and 26).

[0137] The connecting portion 41 includes a projection 41g that protrudes below the outlet 41a when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, and a guide shaft 41h for orienting the connecting portion 41 in a direction that the outlet 41a faces the inlet 38a when the opening / closing unit 12 rotates toward the closed position 12A. Similarly, the connecting portion 42 includes a projection 42g that protrudes below the outlet 42a when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, and a guide shaft 42h for orienting the connecting portion 42 in a direction that the outlet 42a faces the inlet 38a when the opening / closing unit 12 rotates toward the closed position 12A. Specifically, the connecting portion 41 includes two projections 41g and two guide shafts 41h, and the connecting portion 42 includes two projections 42g and two guide shafts 42h.

[0138] The protruding portion 41g protrudes from both ends of the base portion 41b in the left-right direction. The protruding portion 42g protrudes from both ends of the base portion 42b in the left-right direction. The protruding portions 41g and 42g are formed in a pentagonal flat plate shape with the left-right direction as the thickness direction. The guide shafts 41h and 42h are formed in a cylindrical shape. The axial directions of the guide shafts 41h and 42h are parallel to the left-right direction. The guide shafts 41h and 42h are formed in the same shape. In this embodiment, the guide shaft 41h is the first guide shaft, and the guide shaft 42h is the second guide shaft.

[0139] The guide shaft 41h protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the protruding portion 41g. That is, the guide shaft 41h located on the right end of the base portion 41b protrudes to the right from the protruding portion 41g located on the right end of the base portion 41b, and the guide shaft 41h located on the left end of the base portion 41b protrudes to the left from the protruding portion 41g located on the left end of the base portion 41b. Similarly, the guide shaft 42h protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the protruding portion 42g. That is, the guide shaft 42h located on the right end of the base portion 42b protrudes to the right from the protruding portion 42g located on the right end of the base portion 42b, and the guide shaft 42h located on the left end of the base portion 42b protrudes to the left from the protruding portion 42g located on the left end of the base portion 42b.

[0140] The guide shafts 41h and 42h are positioned inside the two second frame portions 48b in the left-right direction. Guide shaft 41h is connected to one vertex of the pentagonal projection 41g, which becomes the lower end of the projection 41g when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. Similarly, guide shaft 42h is connected to one vertex of the pentagonal projection 42g, which becomes the lower end of the projection 42g when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A. Guide shafts 41h and 42h are positioned at the same location in the left-right direction.

[0141] When the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the guide shafts 41h and 42h are positioned at the same location in the vertical direction. Also, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the guide shaft 41h is positioned directly below the shaft portion 41c, and the guide shaft 42h is positioned directly below the shaft portion 42c (see Figure 29(B)). In other words, when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A, the shaft portion 41c and the guide shaft 41h are positioned at the same location in the front-rear direction, and the shaft portion 42c and the guide shaft 42h are positioned at the same location in the front-rear direction.

[0142] (Configuration of guide members) Figures 28 and 29 are diagrams illustrating the arrangement relationship between the guide shafts 41h and 42h and the guide grooves 39a and 39b when the opening / closing unit 12 shown in Figure 21 rotates from the open position 12B to the closed position 12A.

[0143] The guide member 39 is fixed to the upper end of the unit frame 36. The upper end of the guide member 39 is positioned above the upper end of the unit frame 36. The guide member 39 has two guide groove forming portions 39c in which a guide groove 39a, into which the guide shaft 41h engages, and a guide groove 39b, into which the guide shaft 42h engages, are formed. That is, the head unit 4 has guide grooves 39a and 39b into which the guide shafts 41h and 42h engage. In this embodiment, the guide groove 39a is the first guide groove, and the guide groove 39b is the second guide groove.

[0144] The guide groove forming section 39c is formed in a flat plate shape with the left-right direction as the thickness direction. The guide groove forming section 39c is located outside the four pressure adjustment mechanisms 33 in the left-right direction. The guide groove forming section 39c is also located inside the two second frame sections 48b in the left-right direction. The guide grooves 39a and 39b penetrate the guide groove forming section 39c in the left-right direction. The guide grooves 39a and 39b are formed from the upper end surface of the guide groove forming section 39c downwards. The guide groove 39a is located behind the guide groove 39b. The shapes of the guide groove 39a and the guide groove 39b are different.

[0145] The guide groove 39a is composed of a first groove 39d which forms the lower part of the guide groove 39a and a second groove 39e which forms the upper part of the guide groove 39a. The first groove 39d is inclined so that it moves towards the rear as it moves downward. For example, when viewed from the left or right, the first groove 39d is inclined at an angle of about 10° to 20° with respect to the vertical direction. The shape of the bottom surface of the first groove 39d when viewed from the left or right is semi-circular. The width of the first groove 39d gradually widens as it moves downward. The width of the second groove 39e gradually widens as it moves upward. The width of the guide groove 39a is narrowest at the boundary between the first groove 39d and the second groove 39e. The front surface of the second groove 39e is composed of two planes 39f and 39g with different inclination angles (see Figure 28(A)). Plane 39g is positioned above plane 39f.

[0146] The guide groove 39b is composed of a first groove 39h which constitutes the lower part of the guide groove 39b, and a second groove 39j which constitutes the upper part of the guide groove 39b. The first groove 39h is formed parallel to the vertical direction. When viewed from the left and right directions, the bottom surface of the first groove 39h is semi-circular. The width of the first groove 39h gradually widens towards the bottom. The width of the second groove 39j gradually widens towards the top. The width of the guide groove 39b is narrowest at the boundary between the first groove 39h and the second groove 39j. The front surface of the second groove 39j is composed of a flat surface 39k and a curved surface 39p (see Figure 28(A)). The curved surface 39p is positioned above the flat surface 39k.

[0147] The width of the first groove 39d and the width of the first groove 39h are approximately equal. The radius of curvature of the bottom surface of the semi-circular first groove 39d and the radius of curvature of the bottom surface of the semi-circular first groove 39h are approximately equal. The radii of curvature of the bottom surfaces of the first grooves 39d and 39h are larger than the radii of the outer shape of the cylindrical guide shafts 41h and 42h. The degree of widening of the second groove 39j is smaller than the degree of widening of the second groove 39e. The width of the upper end of the second groove 39j (i.e., the width of the upper end of the guide groove 39b) is narrower than the width of the upper end of the second groove 39e (i.e., the width of the upper end of the guide groove 39a).

[0148] The guide shaft 41h and guide groove 39a restrict the rotational range of the connection portion 41 to the unit frame 44, and serve to orient the connection portion 41 so that the outlet 41a faces the inlet 38a when the opening / closing unit 12 rotates toward the closed position 12A. The guide shaft 42h and guide groove 39b restrict the rotational range of the connection portion 42 to the unit frame 44, and serve to orient the connection portion 42 so that the outlet 42a faces the inlet 38a when the opening / closing unit 12 rotates toward the closed position 12A.

[0149] Furthermore, the rotatable range of the connecting portion 41 restricted by the restricting projection 41d and the restricting recess 49g is wider than the rotatable range of the connecting portion 41 restricted by the guide shaft 41h and the guide groove 39a. Similarly, the rotatable range of the connecting portion 42 restricted by the restricting projection 42d and the restricting recess 49g is wider than the rotatable range of the connecting portion 42 restricted by the guide shaft 42h and the guide groove 39b.

[0150] With the head unit 4 mounted on the head unit mounting section 17, when the opening / closing unit 12, positioned in the open position 12B, begins to rotate toward the closed position 12A, as shown in Figure 28(A), first, the guide shaft 41h begins to engage with the second groove 39e of the guide groove 39a. At this time, the guide shaft 42h is positioned above the guide groove 39b. Subsequently, as the opening / closing unit 12 rotates further toward the closed position 12A, as shown in Figure 28(B), the guide shaft 42h begins to engage with the second groove 39j of the guide groove 39b. At this time, the guide shaft 41h is positioned at the lower end of the second groove 39e.

[0151] Subsequently, as the opening / closing unit 12 rotates further toward the closed position 12A, the guide shaft 41h begins to engage with the first groove 39d, as shown in Figure 29(A). At this time, the guide shaft 42h is positioned at the lower end of the second groove 39j. Also, around the time the guide shaft 41h begins to engage with the first groove 39d, the outlet 41a is facing the inlet 38a side, and insertion of the ink inlet 38 into the outlet 41a begins (see Figure 14). Subsequently, as the opening / closing unit 12 rotates further toward the closed position 12A, the guide shaft 42h begins to engage with the first groove 39h. Around the time the guide shaft 42h begins to engage with the first groove 39h, the outlet 42a is facing the inlet 38a side, and insertion of the ink inlet 38 into the outlet 42a begins (see Figure 15).

[0152] When the opening / closing unit 12 moves to the closed position 12A, the guide shaft 41h is positioned at the lower end of the first groove 39d, and the guide shaft 42h is positioned at the lower end of the first groove 39h (see Figure 29(B)). As shown in Figure 29(B), when the opening / closing unit 12 is in the closed position 12A and the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42 are connected, a gap is formed between the guide shaft 41h and the guide groove 39a (specifically, between the guide shaft 41h and the first groove 39d), and a gap is formed between the guide shaft 42h and the guide groove 39b (specifically, between the guide shaft 42h and the first groove 39h).

[0153] (Head unit replacement procedure) Similar to Embodiment 1, when replacing the head unit 4 mounted on the carriage body 11, first remove the hook 57 from the receiving device 58, then rotate the main body side cover 13 from the upright position 13A to the open position 13B, and rotate the opening / closing unit 12 from the closed position 12A to the open position 12B. In this state, remove the head unit 4 to be replaced from the carriage body 11. After that, place the new head unit 4 on the head unit mounting section 17, and then rotate the opening / closing unit 12 from the open position 12B to the closed position 12A.

[0154] At this time, the guide shaft 41h and guide groove 39a direct the connection portion 41 so that the outlet 41a faces the inlet 38a, and the guide shaft 42h and guide groove 39b direct the connection portion 42 so that the outlet 42a faces the inlet 38a. After rotating the opening / closing unit 12 to the closed position 12A, the main body cover 13 is rotated from the open position 13B to the upright position 13A, and then the draw latch 14 is locked.

[0155] (Main effects of this embodiment) As described above, in this embodiment, the connecting parts 41 and 42 are rotatable relative to the unit frame 44 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. In addition, in this embodiment, the connecting parts 41 and 42 are provided with guide shafts 41h and 42h for orienting the connecting parts 41 and 42 so that when the opening / closing unit 12 rotates toward the closed position 12A, the outlets 41a and 42a of the connecting parts 41 and 42 face toward the inlet 38a side of the head unit 4, and the axial direction of the guide shafts 41h and 42h is parallel to the left-right direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, guide grooves 39a and 39b are formed in the head unit 4, into which the guide shafts 41h and 42h engage.

[0156] Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated relative to the carriage body 11 with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation to connect the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42 (specifically, even when multiple ink inlet 38s are inserted into the outlets 41a and 42a of the connection parts 41 and 42), the connection parts 41 and 42 can be rotated relative to the unit frame 44 to orient the connection parts 41 and 42 in a direction that facilitates connection between the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42. Thus, in this embodiment, even when the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated relative to the carriage body 11 to connect the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42, it becomes possible to easily connect the ink inlet 38 and the connection parts 41 and 42.

[0157] In this embodiment, when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A and the ink inlet 38 is connected to the connecting parts 41 and 42, gaps are formed between the guide shaft 41h and the guide groove 39a, and between the guide shaft 42h and the guide groove 39b. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent excessive load from being applied to the connection between the ink inlet 38 and the connecting part 41 due to the guide shaft 41h contacting the side surface of the guide groove 39a, and it is possible to prevent excessive load from being applied to the connection between the ink inlet 38 and the connecting part 42 due to the guide shaft 42h contacting the side surface of the guide groove 39b. Consequently, in this embodiment, it is possible to properly connect the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42, and to prevent damage to the ink inlet 38 and the connecting parts 41 and 42.

[0158] In this embodiment, the rotational range of the connection portions 41 and 42 relative to the unit frame 44 is restricted by the restricting protrusions 41d and 42d formed on the connection portions 41 and 42 and the restricting recess 49g formed on the restricting member 49. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the connection portions 41 and 42 are rotatable relative to the unit frame 44, it is possible to prevent the connection portions 41 and 42 from rotating excessively relative to the unit frame 44 before the guide shafts 41h and 42h engage with the guide grooves 39a and 39b.

[0159] In this embodiment, some of the 10 ink tubes 43 connected to the connection parts 41 and 42 are held by the tube holding member 50. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the ink tubes 43 detaching from the connection parts 41 and 42, the ink tubes 43 getting caught, the ink tubes 43 excessively twisting, and the ink tubes 43 excessively bending when the opening / closing unit 12 is rotated. Furthermore, in this embodiment as in the first embodiment, it is possible to easily replace the print head 3.

[0160] (Modification of Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 2, the head unit 4 may be provided with guide shafts corresponding to guide shafts 41h and 42h, and guide grooves corresponding to guide grooves 39a and 39b may be formed in the connecting portions 41 and 42.

[0161] [Other Embodiments] The embodiments described above are examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, but are not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0162] In the above-described configuration, the ink inlet 38 does not have to be formed in a cylindrical shape. In this case, for example, the connecting parts 41 and 42 have cylindrical insertion parts, which are inserted into the inlet 38a of the ink inlet 38. Also, in the above-described configuration, the rotational range of the connecting parts 41 and 42 with respect to the unit frame 44 does not have to be restricted.

[0163] In the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing unit 12 may have one or three or more connection parts. When the opening / closing unit 12 has three or more connection parts, the multiple connection parts are arranged in the front-rear direction when the opening / closing unit 12 is positioned in the closed position 12A. In this case, in embodiment 2, for example, each of the three or more connection parts is provided with a guide shaft, and the guide member 39 has multiple guide grooves that engage with the guide shafts of each of the three or more connection parts.

[0164] In the configuration described above, the connection part 41 is connected to the ink tank 8, but the connection part 41 may also be connected to a circulation path for circulating the ink supplied to the head 3. In this case as well, when removing the head 3 attached to the carriage 5 together with the head unit 4, the ink supply path and circulation path between the opening / closing unit 12 and the head unit 4 can be disconnected by rotating the opening / closing unit 12, which is positioned in the closed position 12A, to the open position 12B. Also, when attaching the head 3 together with the head unit 4 to the carriage 5, the ink supply path and circulation path between the opening / closing unit 12 and the head unit 4 can be connected by rotating the opening / closing unit 12 to the closed position 12A while the head unit 4 is mounted on the carriage body 11.

[0165] In the above-described configuration, the number of connectors 35 mounted on the circuit board 34 may be two or more. In this case, for example, the same number of connectors 45 as the number of connectors 35 mounted on the circuit board 34 are mounted on the circuit board 46. In this case, when the switching unit 12 is placed in the closed position 12A, all connectors 35 and all connectors 45 are connected, and when the switching unit 12 is placed in the open position 12B, all connectors 35 and all connectors 45 are disconnected.

[0166] In the above-described configuration, the circuit board 34 may be divided into two or more boards. That is, the head unit 4 may have two or more circuit boards 34. In this case, all the heads 3 of the head unit 4 are electrically connected to the divided circuit boards 34. Also, in the above-described configuration, the connector 35 does not have to be a floating connector. In this case, the connector 45 may be a floating connector. Furthermore, in the above-described configuration, the head unit 4 does not have to have a circuit board 34 and a connector 35. In this case, the switching unit 12 may, for example, have wiring such as an FFC connected to the head 3 instead of a circuit board 46 and a connector 45.

[0167] In the above-described configuration, the hook 57 may be attached to the unit-side cover 47, and the receiving device 58 may be fixed to the main body-side cover 13. Also, in the above-described configuration, the opening / closing unit 12 may be rotatable relative to the carriage body 11, for example, with the front-to-back direction as the axis of rotation. In this case, the front-to-back direction becomes the first direction. Furthermore, the opening / closing unit 12 may be rotatable relative to the carriage body 11 with a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal as the axis of rotation. Moreover, in the above-described configuration, the opening / closing unit 12 may be attached to a part of the carriage body 11 other than the upper end.

[0168] In the above-described configuration, the head unit 4 may have a sub-tank containing ink supplied to the head 3 instead of the pressure adjustment mechanism 33. Also, in the above-described configuration, the printer 1 may have a pump that supplies ink from the ink tank 8 to the pressure adjustment mechanism 33. Furthermore, in the above-described configuration, the printer 1 may have a table on which the printing medium 2 is placed and a table drive mechanism that moves the table in the front-back direction instead of the platen 9. Also, in the above-described configuration, the printer 1 may be a 3D printer that creates three-dimensional objects.

[0169] 1 Printer (inkjet printer) 3 Head (inkjet head) 3d, 3e Recess (unit-side positioning part) 4 Head unit 5 Carriage 6 Carriage drive mechanism 8 Ink tank 11 Carriage body 12 Opening / closing unit 12A Closed position 12B Open position 13 Body-side cover 13A Upright position 13B Open position 14 Draw latch (fixing device) 17c Protrusion (carriage-side positioning part) 17e, 29a Guide part 34 Circuit board (head-side circuit board) 35 Connector (head-side connector) 38 Ink inlet 38a Inlet 39a Guide groove (first guide groove) 39b Guide groove (second guide groove) 41 Connection part (first connection part) 41a, 42a Outlet 41c, 42c Shaft part 41d, 42d Restrictive projection 41h Guide shaft (first guide shaft) 42 Connection part (second connection part) 42h Guide shaft (second guide shaft) 43 Ink tube 44 Unit frame 45 Connector (carriage-side connector) 46 Circuit board (carriage-side circuit board) 47 Unit-side cover 49 Restricting members 49a, 49b, 49f Insertion holes 49c, 49d, 49g Restricting recesses 50 Tube holding member 57 Hanging device 58 Receiving device C1 Center of rotation of the main body-side cover relative to the carriage body X Second direction X1 Third direction side Y Main scanning direction, first direction Z Up and down direction

Claims

1. An inkjet printer comprising: a head unit having an inkjet head for ejecting ink; a carriage to which the head unit is detachably mounted; a carriage drive mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; and an ink tank containing ink supplied to the inkjet head, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body on which the head unit is mounted and an opening / closing unit connected to the carriage body; the head unit has an ink inlet where an ink inlet is formed; the opening / closing unit has a connection part connected to the ink tank and having an ink outlet where an ink outlet is formed and which can be connected to the ink inlet, and is movable between a closed position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are connected and ink can flow from the connection part to the ink inlet, and an open position in which the ink inlet and the connection part are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connection part to the ink inlet.

2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing unit is rotatably attached to the upper end of the carriage body and is rotatable relative to the carriage body with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, and the connecting portion is connected to the ink inlet portion from above.

3. An inkjet printer comprising: a head unit having an inkjet head for ejecting ink; a carriage to which the head unit is detachably mounted; a carriage drive mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; and an ink tank containing ink supplied to the inkjet head, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body on which the head unit is mounted and an opening / closing unit rotatably mounted on the carriage body, the head unit has an ink inlet portion where an ink inlet is formed, the opening / closing unit has a connection portion connected to the ink tank and where an ink outlet is formed and which can be connected to the ink inlet portion, and the opening / closing unit is rotatable relative to the carriage body between a closed position where the ink inlet portion and the connection portion are connected and ink can flow from the connection portion to the ink inlet portion, and an open position where the ink inlet portion and the connection portion are disconnected and ink cannot flow from the connection portion to the ink inlet portion.

4. The inkjet printer according to claim 3, wherein the opening / closing unit is attached to the upper end of the carriage body and is rotatable relative to the carriage body with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, and the connecting portion is connected to the ink inlet portion from above.

5. The inkjet printer according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that the head unit comprises a plurality of ink inlet sections, each having one inlet, the connection section has a plurality of outlet sections, when the opening / closing unit is positioned in the closed position, ink can flow from the connection section to all of the ink inlet sections, and when the opening / closing unit is positioned in the open position, ink cannot flow from the connection section to all of the ink inlet sections.

6. The inkjet printer according to claim 5, characterized in that the ink inlet is formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as the axial direction, the inlet is formed at the upper end of the ink inlet, and when the opening / closing unit is positioned in the closed position, the entire ink inlet is inserted into the outlet.

7. The inkjet printer according to claim 6, wherein the opening / closing unit comprises a unit frame that rotatably holds the connecting portion, the unit frame is rotatably attached to the carriage body, and, with the axial direction of rotation of the unit frame relative to the carriage body as a first direction, the connecting portion is rotatable with respect to the unit frame with the first direction as the axial direction of rotation.

8. The inkjet printer according to claim 7, wherein the unit frame is provided with a restricting member for restricting the rotation range of the connection portion with respect to the unit frame, the connection portion comprises a shaft portion constituting the end of the connection portion in the first direction, and a restricting projection projecting radially outward from the shaft portion, the restricting member is formed with an insertion hole into which the shaft portion is inserted and a restricting recess into which the restricting projection is positioned, and the rotation range of the connection portion with respect to the unit frame is restricted by the restricting projection and the restricting recess.

9. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carriage body comprises a guide portion for guiding the head unit mounted on the carriage body to a predetermined mounting position and a carriage-side positioning portion for positioning the head unit with respect to the carriage body in the horizontal direction, and the head unit comprises a unit-side positioning portion that engages with the carriage-side positioning portion for positioning the head unit with respect to the carriage body in the horizontal direction.

10. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the head unit comprises a head-side circuit board, which is a circuit board to which all the inkjet heads of the head unit are electrically connected, and a head-side connector, which is a connector mounted on the head-side circuit board, and the opening / closing unit comprises a carriage-side connector, which is a connector that can be connected to the head-side connector, and a carriage-side circuit board, which is a circuit board on which the carriage-side connector is mounted, and when the opening / closing unit is placed in the closed position, the head-side connector and the carriage-side connector are connected, and when the opening / closing unit is placed in the open position, the head-side connector and the carriage-side connector are disconnected.

11. The opening / closing unit comprises a unit frame that rotatably holds the connecting portion and is rotatably attached to the carriage body, and the axial direction of rotation of the unit frame relative to the carriage body is defined as a first direction, the connecting portion is rotatable with respect to the unit frame with the first direction as the axial direction of rotation, and either the head unit or the connecting portion is provided with a guide shaft for orienting the connecting portion in a direction such that the outlet faces the inlet side when the opening / closing unit rotates toward the closed position, the axial direction of the guide shaft is parallel to the first direction, and the other of the head unit or the connecting portion is provided with a guide groove into which the guide shaft engages.

12. The inkjet printer according to claim 11, characterized in that a gap is formed between the guide shaft and the guide groove when the opening / closing unit is positioned in the closed position and the ink inlet and the connection part are connected.

13. The inkjet printer according to claim 11, wherein the opening / closing unit comprises a plurality of connection parts, and the plurality of connection parts are adjacent to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the first direction when the opening / closing unit is in the closed position.

14. The inkjet printer according to claim 11, comprising a plurality of ink tubes connecting the ink tank and the connection part, wherein the unit frame comprises a tube holding member for holding a portion of the plurality of ink tubes.

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