JP2017154508A - Attachment, waste liquid recovery unit, and liquid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An attachment, a waste liquid recovery unit, and a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of discharging more waste liquid from a discharge unit are provided.
An attachment 81 is provided with a mounting portion 52 having a discharge portion 55 for discharging the waste liquid and a projecting portion 54 provided with a substrate connection portion 57 in a waste liquid storage portion separate from the attachment 81. The chamber is accommodated in a state of being mounted on the mounting portion 52. Further, the attachment 81 is a mode in which the protrusion 54 can be inserted when the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52, and a connection recess 92 that opens in the attachment direction with respect to the attachment portion 52, and a substrate connection when attaching to the attachment portion 52 A circuit board 94 having a connection terminal 95 electrically connected to the portion 57 and attached to the connection recess 92. The connection recess 92 is provided with a pair of guide portions 96 that guide the protrusion 54 when mounted on the mounting portion 52 so as to sandwich the connection terminal 95 in the width direction intersecting the mounting direction.
[Selection] Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer, and an attachment and a waste liquid recovery unit applied to the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet printer that prints on a medium such as a sheet by ejecting ink from a liquid ejecting head is known. In such a printer, in order to maintain good ink ejection characteristics of the liquid ejecting head, maintenance (for example, suction cleaning) for discharging ink from the liquid ejecting head regardless of printing may be performed.

  For this reason, some of such printers include a waste liquid storage cartridge (waste liquid recovery body) that stores ink (hereinafter, also referred to as “waste liquid”) discharged regardless of printing in the above maintenance ( For example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-2161010 A

  By the way, the waste liquid storage cartridge as described above is mounted in a mounting portion provided in the storage chamber in a state of being stored in a storage chamber provided in the printer. The waste liquid storage cartridge stores the waste liquid discharged from the discharge portion provided in the mounting portion.

  Therefore, the amount of waste liquid that can be stored in the waste liquid storage cartridge depends on the volume (size) of the storage chamber in which the waste liquid storage cartridge is stored. Therefore, the smaller the volume of the storage chamber, the smaller the amount of waste liquid that can be stored in the waste liquid storage cartridge stored in the storage chamber. Therefore, the amount of waste liquid that can be discharged from the discharge unit without depending on the replacement of the waste liquid storage cartridge Less. In this case, if the amount of waste liquid discharged from the discharge unit increases, the frequency of replacement of the waste liquid storage cartridge increases, and the convenience for the printer user decreases.

Note that the above situation is not limited to ink jet printers, but is generally common in liquid ejecting apparatuses including a detachable waste liquid storage cartridge.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide an attachment, a waste liquid recovery unit, and a liquid ejecting apparatus that can discharge a larger amount of waste liquid from the discharge unit.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
An attachment that solves the above-described problem is accommodated in a state in which the attachment portion is mounted in a storage chamber provided with a mounting portion having a discharge portion that discharges waste liquid to the waste liquid storage portion and a protruding portion provided with a substrate connection portion. The waste liquid container is a separate attachment. Further, the attachment is an aspect that allows the protrusion to be inserted when mounted on the mounting portion, and a connection recess that opens in a mounting direction with respect to the mounting portion, and the substrate connection when mounted on the mounting portion. A circuit board having a connection terminal electrically connected to the connection portion and attached to the connection recess. The connection recess is provided with a pair of guide portions that guide the protrusion when mounted on the mounting portion so as to sandwich the connection terminal in a width direction intersecting the mounting direction.

  According to the above configuration, when the attachment is moved in the attachment direction and attached to the attachment portion, the protrusion is inserted into the connection recess of the attachment so that the attachment is attached to the connection terminal and the protrusion attached to the connection recess. The position with the board connecting portion can be roughly adjusted. Subsequently, in the connection concave portion, the protrusion is guided by the pair of guide portions, whereby the position of the connection terminal is accurately aligned with the substrate connection portion. Therefore, the attachment can be attached to the attachment part while aligning the position with respect to the board connection part provided in the attachment part.

  On the other hand, since the waste liquid storage part that stores the waste liquid discharged from the discharge part is separated from the attachment, the volume is not affected by the volume (size) of the storage chamber in which the attachment is stored. Can be increased. Therefore, by increasing the size of the waste liquid storage unit and increasing the amount of waste liquid that can be stored in the waste liquid storage unit, more waste liquid can be discharged from the discharge unit.

  The attachment further includes a waste liquid introduction part that is connected to the discharge part when attached to the attachment part, and one guide part of the pair of guide parts introduces the connection terminal and the waste liquid in the width direction. It is desirable to arrange between the two parts.

  According to the above configuration, when the attachment is attached to the attachment portion, the discharge portion of the attachment portion and the waste liquid introduction portion of the attachment are connected, so the waste liquid is discharged from the discharge portion to the waste liquid storage portion via the attachment. be able to. Here, since one of the pair of guide portions is disposed between the connection terminal and the waste liquid introduction portion in the width direction, the position of the waste liquid introduction portion can be aligned when aligning the connection terminal. it can.

  In the attachment, it is preferable that the one guide portion protrudes on the wall portion forming the waste liquid introduction portion and the connection recess so as to protrude toward the inside of the connection recess.

  According to the said structure, the distance of a waste-liquid introduction part and a guide part becomes short by protrudingly providing one guide part in the wall part which forms a waste-liquid introduction part and a connection recessed part. Thereby, the position of the waste liquid introduction part can be accurately adjusted by the guide part.

  In the attachment, the pair of guide portions have guide surfaces extending in the mounting direction and the width direction, the waste liquid introducing portion opens toward the mounting direction, and an opening center of the waste liquid introducing portion is the guide. It is desirable to lie on a plane that includes the surface.

  According to the above configuration, since the center of the opening of the waste liquid introduction part is located on a plane including the guide surfaces of the pair of guide parts, the guide direction provides a mounting direction by guiding the protrusion provided on the mounting part. Also in the direction intersecting with both the width direction and the width direction, the position of the waste liquid introducing portion can be adjusted.

  In the attachment, it is preferable that at least a part of the connection terminal is disposed so as to face a region between the one guide portion and the other guide portion constituting the pair of guide portions.

  According to the above configuration, according to this configuration, at least a part of the connection terminal is disposed so as to face the region between the one guide portion and the other guide portion constituting the pair of guide portions. The position of the connection terminal can be more accurately aligned with the board connection portion than when the region and the connection terminal are separated from each other in the mounting direction.

  A waste liquid recovery unit that solves the above problem includes the attachment described above, a waste liquid storage section that can store the waste liquid, and a connection channel that connects the attachment and the waste liquid storage section.

  According to the above configuration, since the connection from the attachment to the waste liquid storage part is connected by the connection flow path, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in disposing the waste liquid storage part by allowing the connection flow path to be freely routed.

  A liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above-described problem includes a waste liquid recovery unit that includes the attachment described above, a waste liquid storage section that can store waste liquid, a connection flow path that connects the attachment and the waste liquid storage section, and a liquid. A liquid ejecting unit capable of ejecting; and a storage chamber provided with a mounting unit to which the attachment is mounted, wherein the mounting unit is a discharge unit for discharging the waste liquid, and a protruding unit to which the substrate connecting unit is attached And having.

  According to the above configuration, in the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as those of the attachment and the waste liquid recovery unit described above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus in which an opening / closing body is disposed at an open position. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration related to liquid ejection of the liquid ejection device. Sectional drawing which shows the structure which concerns on the maintenance of a liquid injection apparatus. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a bottom surface side of the liquid ejecting apparatus. The perspective view of a mounting part and an attachment. The front view which looked at the mounting part from the mounting direction. The perspective view of an attachment. The side view which looked at the attachment from the anti-mounting direction. The perspective view of the mounting part and attachment before mounting | wearing. The perspective view of the mounting part and attachment after mounting | wearing. The schematic diagram explaining the mounting aspect of a mounting part and an attachment. The partial top view which looked at the attachment from the perpendicular upper direction. The perspective view of the liquid ejecting apparatus of the second embodiment. The partial bottom view of the housing | casing part of a liquid ejecting apparatus. The partial top view of a waste liquid storage part. The perspective view which shows the mounting aspect of the attachment of 2nd Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the mounting aspect of the attachment of a modification.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus and an attachment attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The liquid ejecting apparatus is an ink jet printer that performs recording (printing) by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid, on a medium such as paper.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a rectangular box-shaped housing portion 12, an opening / closing body 13 attached to the housing portion 12, and a waste liquid storage portion 100 disposed on a side surface of the housing portion 12. And. The opening / closing body 13 includes a rectangular plate-like main body portion 13a that is rotatably attached to the housing portion 12, and a rectangular plate-like extension portion whose base end portion is rotatably attached to the main body portion 13a. 13b.

  The extending portion 13b is smaller than the main body portion 13a. Further, a handle portion 13c is recessed at the distal end side of the extending portion 13b. The opening / closing body 13 is disposed at the closed position shown in FIG. 1 and the open position shown in FIG. 2 by putting the hand on the handle portion 13c and rotating the extension portion 13b and the main body portion 13a to respective predetermined angles. The

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the opening / closing body 13 is disposed at the open position, an insertion port 14 for inserting the medium S into the housing unit 12 and a discharge port 15 for discharging the medium S from the housing unit 12. And are exposed. The opening / closing body 13 disposed in the open position functions as a support base (paper feed tray) that supports the medium S inserted into the insertion port 14.

  In the housing portion 12, the outer wall where the insertion port 14 opens is the upper wall 16, the outer wall opposite to the upper wall 16 is the bottom wall 17, the outer wall where the discharge port 15 opens is the front wall 18, and the opposite side of the front wall 18. The outer wall is called the rear wall 19. Further, in the housing portion 12, a pair of outer walls that intersect with the upper wall 16, the bottom wall 17, the front wall 18, and the rear wall 19 are referred to as outer walls 20. And in the housing | casing part 12, the upper wall 16 side may be called a top | upper surface side, and the bottom wall 17 side may be called a bottom face side.

  On the surface (top surface) side of the upper wall 16, an operation unit 61 for operating the liquid ejecting apparatus 11, and a display unit for displaying the operation result of the operation unit 61, the operation status of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11, and the like 62 is arranged. A control unit 63 for controlling the operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is disposed on the back surface (bottom surface) side of the upper wall 16. The operation unit 61 and the display unit 62 are electrically connected to the control unit 63.

  The opening / closing body 13 disposed in the closed position overlaps with a part of the upper wall 16 so that the main body portion 13 a covers the insertion port 14, the operation portion 61, and the display portion 62, and the extending portion 13 b covers the discharge port 15. Thus, it overlaps with a part of the front wall 18. In addition, the upper wall 16 and the front wall 18 are provided with recesses 16a and 18a for receiving the main body portion 13a and the extending portion 13b disposed at the closed positions, respectively. When the opening / closing body 13 is disposed at the closed position, the opening / closing body 13 is accommodated in the recesses 16 a and 18 a, so that the outer surface is substantially flush with the outer surface of the housing portion 12 and is integrated with the housing portion 12. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, a transport mechanism 21 that transports the medium S inserted from the insertion port 14 toward the discharge port 15 and a medium support unit 22 that supports the transported medium S in the housing unit 12. And is housed. In FIG. 3, illustration of a part of the configuration is omitted for easy understanding of the configuration related to the liquid ejection.

  The transport mechanism 21 includes a transport roller 23 that transports the medium S from the insertion port 14 toward the medium support unit 22, and a discharge roller 24 that transports the medium S from the medium support unit 22 toward the discharge port 15. Yes. Further, the transport mechanism 21 includes a transport motor 25 that is a drive source, and a power transmission mechanism 26 that includes a gear train for transmitting the driving force of the transport motor 25 to the transport roller 23 and the discharge roller 24. .

  The liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a liquid ejecting unit 31 that ejects liquid toward the medium S supported by the medium supporting unit 22, and a guide rail 32 that holds the liquid ejecting unit 31 and is installed in the housing unit 12. , And a carriage 33 that reciprocates along. The liquid ejecting unit 31 has a plurality of nozzles 34 that eject liquid as droplets.

  The liquid ejecting unit 31 ejects droplets from the nozzles 34 while reciprocating along the moving direction M intersecting the transport direction F of the medium S together with the carriage 33. The liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 31 is supplied from, for example, a liquid container (not shown) (for example, an ink cartridge) that is detachably attached to the carriage 33. In the present embodiment, the ejection direction J in which the nozzles 34 eject droplets is a gravity direction that intersects both the transport direction F and the movement direction M.

  In the movement region of the liquid ejecting unit 31, the first end E <b> 1 (right end in FIG. 3) side in the moving direction M is set as the home position of the liquid ejecting unit 31. Then, in the movement region, the liquid ejecting unit 31 moves in the forward direction in the moving direction M from the first end E1 toward the second end E2 (left end in FIG. 3), and the return path from the second end E2 toward the first end E1. Alternately move and move. In the present embodiment, the transport motor 25 is closer to the insertion port 14 than the medium support portion 22 in the transport direction F, and closer to the second end E2 than the first end E1 in the movement direction M. Be placed.

  A plurality of support protrusions 22 a that support the medium S are provided in the medium support portion 22 so as to be aligned in the movement direction M and the transport direction F. Further, the medium support portion 22 is provided with a sheet accommodating recess 22b on the first end E1 side in the movement direction M. A droplet receiving sheet 27 capable of absorbing liquid is accommodated in the sheet accommodating recess 22b.

  Between the sheet accommodating recess 22 b of the medium support portion 22 and the bottom wall 17, an absorbent material 28 that can absorb liquid is disposed. The absorbent 28 preferably has a larger liquid absorption capacity than the droplet receiving sheet 27. In addition, the medium support portion 22 is provided with a plurality of openings at positions corresponding to the inner bottom portion of the sheet receiving recess 22 b, and the droplet receiving sheet 27 hangs down through the openings so that the tip contacts the absorbent 28. A plurality of extending portions 27a are provided.

  The droplet receiving sheet 27 receives droplets that protrude from the edge of the medium S when performing borderless printing, such as L-size photographic paper or postcards, for printing without margins up to the edge of the small-sized medium S. Then, the liquid received by the droplet receiving sheet 27 is transferred to the absorbing material 28 through the extending portion 27 a and absorbed by the absorbing material 28.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a maintenance mechanism 41 for performing maintenance on the liquid ejecting unit 31. In FIG. 4, illustration of a part of the configuration is omitted for easy understanding of the configuration related to maintenance, and the configurations of the medium support unit 22, the carriage 33, the liquid ejecting unit 31, and the like are illustrated by a two-dot chain line. Yes.

  The maintenance mechanism 41 includes a cap 42 disposed at a position corresponding to the home position in the moving direction M, a suction mechanism 44 connected to the cap 42 via a suction tube 43, and a vent whose base end side is connected to the cap 42. A tube 45 and an air release valve 46 provided on the distal end side of the ventilation tube 45 are provided.

  The cap 42 is movable along the ejection direction J, and moves between a capping position that contacts the liquid ejecting unit 31 that has moved to the home position and a retreat position that does not contact the liquid ejecting unit 31.

  When the cap 42 moves to the capping position where it comes into contact with the liquid ejecting unit 31, the cap 42 forms a closed space where the nozzle 34 is opened. Forming a closed space in which the nozzle 34 is opened by the cap 42 in this way is called “capping”. Note that when the cap 42 moves from the capping position to the retracted position, the capping is released. When the power is turned off without ejecting liquid, the liquid ejecting unit 31 moves to the home position and stands by in a capped state.

  When the atmosphere release valve 46 is displaced to the valve opening position where the tip of the ventilation tube 45 is opened, the closed space formed by the cap 42 is in a state communicating with the atmosphere. Further, when the air release valve 46 is displaced to the valve closing position where the tip of the ventilation tube 45 is closed, the closed space is sealed and the drying of the nozzle 34 is suppressed.

  The suction mechanism 44 is, for example, a suction pump including a tube pump or the like that generates suction force by rotating and moving an elastically deformable tube while a pressing member in an eccentric state is crushed. When the suction mechanism 44 is driven when the air release valve 46 is in the closed position, the closed space is depressurized and becomes negative pressure. Accordingly, suction cleaning is performed in which the liquid is discharged from the liquid ejecting unit 31 through the nozzle 34. In the case where the suction mechanism 44 is a tube pump, the closed space can be communicated with the atmosphere by releasing the crushing of the tube by the pressing member. The ventilation tube 45 may not be provided.

  The suction cleaning is performed as a maintenance operation for eliminating such ejection failure when, for example, the nozzle 34 is clogged or the like, causing liquid ejection failure. Therefore, the liquid discharged from the nozzle 34 by suction cleaning is treated as a waste liquid containing bubbles mixed in the liquid ejecting unit 31 and a solute component of the thickened liquid.

  After the suction cleaning is performed, the atmospheric release valve 46 is displaced to the open position to eliminate the negative pressure in the closed space, and then the cap 42 is moved relative to the direction away from the liquid ejecting unit 31 to release the capping. . Thereafter, the suction mechanism 44 is driven to perform empty suction for discharging the liquid remaining in the cap 42.

  As a maintenance operation for eliminating the ejection failure, the liquid ejecting unit 31 may perform flushing for ejecting droplets toward the cap 42 at the retracted position. After flushing, the suction mechanism 44 is driven to perform empty suction for discharging the liquid received by the cap 42.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a mounting portion 52 connected to the suction mechanism 44 via the connection tube 51. The mounting portion 52 is a position that is sandwiched between the medium support portion 22 and the bottom wall 17 in the ejection direction J, and is disposed at a position closer to the second end E2 (the left end in FIG. 4) in the moving direction M than the absorbent material 28. Has been. An attachment 81 that guides the waste liquid discharged from the mounting part 52 to the waste liquid storage part 100 is detachably mounted on the mounting part 52.

  The attachment 81 of the present embodiment is attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 by moving from the second end E2 side toward the first end E1 with respect to the attachment portion 52. Further, the attachment 81 attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is detached from the attachment portion 52 by moving from the first end E1 side toward the second end E2. In this respect, the direction from the second end E2 toward the first end E1 (the direction opposite to the moving direction M) is also referred to as the “mounting direction X” of the attachment 81, and the direction from the first end E1 toward the second end E2 (moving) The direction M) is also referred to as the “anti-mounting direction” of the attachment 81. Further, in the attachment 81, one end portion (right end portion in FIG. 4) that is the front side in the mounting direction X (the side that is attached to the mounting portion 52) is the front end portion, and the other end portion that is the opposite side of the one end portion (in FIG. 4). The left end) may be referred to as the rear end.

  A direction intersecting with the attachment direction X of the attachment 81 is referred to as a width direction Y, and a direction intersecting both the attachment direction X and the width direction Y is referred to as a thickness direction Z. Note that the width direction Y of the present embodiment is a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction X, and coincides with the transport direction F in a state where the attachment 81 is mounted on the mounting portion 52. Further, the thickness direction Z of the present embodiment is a direction orthogonal to both the mounting direction X and the width direction Y, and coincides with the injection direction J when the attachment 81 is mounted on the mounting portion 52.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the accommodation chamber 48 is recessed in the bottom wall 17 of the housing 12 so as to open in the injection direction J (bottom surface side). The storage chamber 48 is longer in the mounting direction X than the attachment 81.

  The accommodation chamber 48 is provided with the mounting portion 52 described above and a space for accommodating the attachment 81. The accommodation chamber 48 is provided with a movement guide portion 49 that guides the attachment 81 that is attached to and detached from the attachment portion 52 so as to extend in the attachment direction X. On the other hand, guide protrusions 81 a and 81 b that protrude from the both ends in the width direction Y of the attachment 81 are provided so as to engage with the movement guide part 49 when attached to the attachment part 52.

  The guide protrusions 81a and 81b are different in position in the thickness direction Z (see FIG. 6). The guide protrusion 81a engages with the movement guide part 49 from the bottom side, while the guide protrusion 81b moves. Engage with the guide portion 49 from the top side. That is, when the attachment 81 is moved to the mounting direction X in the storage chamber 48 so that the attachment 81 is mounted on the mounting portion 52, the guide protrusions 81a and 81b are engaged with the movement guide portion 49, so that the injection direction of the attachment 81 is reached. Movement to J is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of support leg portions 12 a are provided on the bottom wall 17 of the housing portion 12 so as to protrude. As a result, when the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is placed on an arbitrary placement surface (plane), a gap is formed between the placement surface and the bottom wall 17 of the housing portion 12.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the mounting wall 17 a for mounting the attachment 81 on the mounting portion 52 of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is provided on the bottom wall 17 of the housing unit 12 in a manner communicating with the storage chamber 48. ing. An opening / closing lid 47 having a pair of locking claws 47a is attached to the mounting opening 17a so as to be opened and closed by rotation.

  The opening / closing lid 47 is provided with a protruding protrusion 47 b for restricting the movement of the attachment 81 attached to the attachment part 52 in the anti-attachment direction. Further, the opening / closing lid 47 is formed with a notch 47c at a portion where the locking projection 47b is provided. Even when the opening / closing lid 47 is closed, the cutout portion 47 c allows the storage chamber 48 and the outside of the housing portion 12 to communicate with each other. On the other hand, a movement restricting portion 82 that can be engaged with the locking protrusion 47 b is provided at the rear end of the attachment 81.

  After the attachment 81 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 48 from the attachment opening 17 a, the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52 when the attachment 81 is moved toward the attachment portion 52 in the attachment direction X. Here, in a state where the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52, the attachment 81 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 48.

  Further, after the attachment 81 is mounted on the mounting portion 52 in this way, when the opening / closing lid 47 is rotated to lock the locking claw 47a to the mounting port 17a, the locking protrusion 47b and the movement restricting portion 82 are formed. Engagement restricts the movement of the attachment 81 in the anti-mounting direction.

  The attachment 81 is recessed with a finger hooking portion 83 that can be hooked with a finger or the like when the attachment 81 is removed from the mounting portion 52. When the attachment 81 is removed from the mounting portion 52, the opening / closing lid 47 is opened to release the engagement between the locking projection 47b and the movement restricting portion 82, and then the attachment 81 is attached by placing a finger on the finger hanging portion 83 or the like. Move in the anti-mounting direction. Thus, the attachment 81 can be taken out from the storage chamber 48 through the mounting opening 17a.

Next, the configuration of the mounting portion 52 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the mounting portion 52 is provided with a connection recess 53 that opens in the anti-mounting direction (the direction opposite to the mounting direction X) and the thickness direction Z. In addition, a protruding portion 54 that protrudes in the anti-mounting direction and a cylindrical discharge portion 55 that discharges the waste liquid are provided in the connecting recess 53 so as to be aligned in the width direction Y. A connection hole 56 communicating with the connection tube 51 is formed in the discharge portion 55.

  A board connecting portion 57 that is electrically connected to the control portion 63 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the protruding portion 54. The board connecting portion 57 has a movable contact portion 57a that can be elastically displaced according to the contact pressure. The movable contact portion 57a protrudes in the thickness direction Z from the protruding portion 54 when receiving no external force, and is elastically displaced in a direction approaching the protruding portion 54 by receiving the external force.

  The protrusion 54 has a pair of engaging protrusions 58 provided so as to protrude along the width direction Y. The pair of engaging protrusions 58 are arranged at positions sandwiching the board connecting portion 57 in the width direction Y. The board connecting portion 57 protrudes in the anti-mounting direction from the engaging protrusion 58, and the engaging protrusion 58 protrudes in the thickness direction Z from the board connecting portion 57.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the engaging protrusion 58 includes engaging surfaces 58 a and 58 c that extend in the mounting direction X and the width direction Y and face each other, and an engaging surface that extends in the mounting direction X and the thickness direction Z. A recess having an engagement surface 58b intersecting with 58a and 58c is provided. The engagement surface 58a faces the thickness direction Z, while the engagement surface 58c faces the direction opposite to the thickness direction Z. Further, the front end surface 58d of the engaging protrusion 58 that intersects with the engaging surfaces 58a, 58b, and 58c extends in the width direction Y and the thickness direction Z. And the center of the connection hole 56 is located on the plane (the virtual surface shown with a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7) including the engagement surface 58c.

Next, the configuration of the attachment 81 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.
In this embodiment, when the length in the mounting direction X of the attachment 81 is L1, the length in the width direction Y is L2, and the length (thickness) in the thickness direction Z is L3, L1>L2> L3. That is, the attachment 81 has a thin outer shape with the mounting direction X being the longitudinal direction and the length in the thickness direction Z being short. Therefore, the attachment 81 is preferably attached to the thin liquid ejecting apparatus 11.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the attachment 81 includes a discharge tube 85 that causes the waste liquid discharged from the discharge unit 55 to flow to the waste liquid storage unit 100, and a case member 86 that stores the discharge tube 85.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the case member 86 includes a bottom wall portion 86a that forms an inner bottom surface that extends in a direction that intersects the thickness direction Z, and extends in the mounting direction X and the thickness direction Z and intersects the bottom wall portion 86a. And a pair of side wall portions 86b and 86c, and a front wall portion 86d and a rear wall portion 86e that intersect with the wall portions 86a, 86b, and 86c. And the tube accommodating part 87 is formed of wall part 86a, 86b, 86c, 86d, 86e.

  The case member 86 has a convex portion 91 that protrudes from the tube housing portion 87 in the mounting direction X at one end (front end) in the mounting direction X. Both end portions in the width direction Y of the convex portion 91 are disposed on the inner side in the width direction Y with respect to the side wall portions 86 b and 86 c forming both end portions in the width direction Y of the tube housing portion 87. Further, an escape portion 81c is formed at the other end portion (rear end portion) in the mounting direction X of the case member 86 so as to cut out one corner portion in the width direction Y.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52 and the opening / closing lid 47 is closed, the pair of locking claws 47 a provided on the opening / closing lid 47 are provided with the convex portion 91 and the relief portion on the case member 86. 81c is provided in the gap formed. For this reason, in order to accommodate the storing of the locking claws 47a, the front end portion of the case member 86 is cut out at a corner portion that becomes a connection portion between the side wall portion 86c and the convex portion 91.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an insertion hole 86 f that communicates the inside and the outside of the tube housing portion 87 is formed through the rear wall portion 86 e of the case member 86 along the mounting direction X. A discharge tube 85 is inserted through the insertion hole 86f.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the guide protrusions 81 a and 81 b protrude from the side wall portions 86 b and 86 c of the case member 86 so as to protrude outward in the width direction Y. The guide protrusion 81b is disposed in the vicinity of the opening of the tube housing portion 87 in the thickness direction Z. Further, the guide protrusion 81a is disposed in a position closer to the convex portion 91 than the guide protrusion 81b in the mounting direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the convex portion 91, a connection concave portion 92 that opens in a direction opposite to the thickness direction Z and the mounting direction X and a waste liquid introduction portion 93 that extends in the mounting direction X are arranged in the width direction Y. It is provided as follows. The waste liquid introducing portion 93 has an end portion in the anti-mounting direction communicating with the tube housing portion 87, and an end portion in the mounting direction X is open to the tip surface of the convex portion 91. The waste liquid introduction part 93 has an introduction port 93a that opens in the mounting direction X. An end of the discharge tube 85 is fitted into the introduction port 93 a of the waste liquid introduction portion 93.

  The convex portion 91 includes a first wall portion 91a extending from the bottom wall portion 86a, a second wall portion 91b that intersects the first wall portion 91a and forms a part of the wall surface of the waste liquid introducing portion 93, and a first wall portion 91b. A third wall portion 91c that is disposed at a position that intersects the first wall portion 91a and faces the second wall portion 91b, and a fourth wall portion 91d that forms part of the wall surface of the waste liquid introducing portion 93 (see FIG. 9). And have. The walls 91a, 91b, 91c and the front wall 86d form a connection recess 92.

  A circuit board 94 having a connection terminal 95 is detachably attached to the first wall portion 91 a so as to be positioned in the connection recess 92. The circuit board 94 includes a storage element that stores information on the amount of waste liquid discharged from the discharge unit 55 (= information on the amount of waste liquid stored in the waste liquid storage unit 100).

  In addition, a pair of guide portions 96 (96F, 96S) are provided in the connection recess 92 so as to sandwich the connection terminal 95 in the width direction Y. Of the pair of guide portions 96F and 96S, one guide portion 96F is projected from the second wall portion 91b so as to protrude toward the inside of the connection recess 92, and the other guide portion 96S is connected to the connection recess 92. It protrudes from the third wall 91c so as to protrude inward. That is, at one end portion (front end portion) of the case member 86, the guide portion 96 </ b> F is disposed between the connection terminal 95 and the waste liquid introducing portion 93 in the width direction Y.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the pair of guide portions 96 (96F, 96S) has a guide surface 96a extending in the mounting direction X and the width direction Y. The guide surface 96a faces in a direction opposite to the connection terminal 95 (thickness direction Z). Further, the opening center of the waste liquid introduction part 93 (the center of the introduction port 93a) is located on a plane (a virtual plane indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 9) including the two guide surfaces 96a.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a pair of restricting protrusions 97 that protrude in the mounting direction X from the front wall portion 86 d are provided on the inner flange side of the connection recess 92 from the connection terminal 95. . The restricting projection 97 is located between the guide portion 96 and the front wall portion 86d in the mounting direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the connection recess 92 of the attachment 81 opens in the mounting direction X, and allows the protrusion 54 to be inserted when the mounting portion 52 is mounted, in the mounting direction X of the attachment 81. It is formed at one end (front end). On the other hand, the connection concave portion 53 of the mounting portion 52 opens in the anti-mounting direction in such a manner that the convex portion 91 provided at one end portion of the attachment 81 can be inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the waste liquid storage unit 100 has a substantially rectangular box shape and is provided separately from the attachment 81. Further, the waste liquid storage unit 100 has a waste liquid storage chamber 101 for storing the waste liquid therein. As shown in FIG. 4, the waste liquid storage unit 100 is formed with an introduction port 102 communicating with the inside and outside of the waste liquid storage chamber 101 on the side surface of the housing unit 12 side. A discharge tube 85 extending from the attachment 81 is fitted into the introduction port 102. Thus, the waste liquid discharged from the discharge part 55 of the mounting part 52 is stored in the waste liquid storage part 100 via the discharge tube 85 of the attachment 81. In this respect, in this embodiment, an example of the “waste liquid recovery unit” is configured including the attachment 81, the discharge tube 85, and the waste liquid storage unit 100.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the discharge tube 85 is attached along the bottom surface of the housing portion 12. The discharge tube 85 is attached at a position corresponding to the notch 47 c of the opening / closing lid 47, and connects the attachment 81 and the waste liquid storage portion 100 even when the opening / closing lid 47 is disposed at the closed position. Can be maintained.

  Note that a leakage suppressing member such as a seal member may be provided in the introduction port 102 so that the waste solution stored in the waste solution storage unit 100 does not leak from the introduction port 102, or the waste solution that absorbs the waste solution in the waste solution storage unit 100. An absorber may be provided.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 will be described by focusing on the mounting portion 52 and the attachment 81.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the attachment 81 is moved toward the attachment portion 52 in the attachment direction X in order to attach the attachment 81 to the attachment portion 52, the convex portion of the attachment 81 is connected to the connection concave portion 53 of the attachment portion 52. 91 is inserted, and the protrusion 54 is inserted into the connection recess 92 of the attachment 81. As a result, the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52 as shown in FIG.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, the pair of guide portions 96 provided in the connection recess 92 guides the protruding portion 54, whereby the position of the connection terminal 95 is aligned with the substrate connection portion 57. The position of the waste liquid introduction portion 93 (discharge tube 85) is aligned with the discharge portion 55.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, a guide portion 96 is inserted into a recess formed by the engagement surfaces 58 a, 58 b, 58 c of the engagement protrusion 58 provided on the protrusion 54, and the guide portion 96 is guided. The convex guide part 96 moves in the mounting direction X along the concave engagement surfaces 58a, 58b, and 58c in such a manner that the surface 96a faces the engagement surface 58c. That is, the guide portion 96 is restrained from moving in the direction opposite to the thickness direction Z by the engagement surface 58a, is restrained from moving in the thickness direction Z by the engagement surface 58c, and is further moved in the width direction by the engagement surface 58b. It moves straight in the mounting direction X with the movement along Y suppressed.

  Here, since the pair of guide portions 96 are provided so as to sandwich the connection terminal 95 in the width direction Y, the pair of guide portions 96 guide the protrusion 54 with respect to the substrate connection portion 57. The position of the connection terminal 95 is adjusted. Moreover, since one guide part 96F is arrange | positioned between the connection terminal 95 and the waste-liquid introduction part 93 (end part of the discharge tube 85) in the width direction Y, it guides the protrusion part 54 with the guide part 96F. Thus, the position of the waste liquid introducing portion 93 is aligned with the discharging portion 55. Thus, the pair of guide portions 96 aligns the connection terminal 95 with the substrate connection portion 57 and aligns the waste liquid introduction portion 93 (the end portion of the discharge tube 85) with respect to the discharge portion 55.

  When the restricting protrusion 97 of the attachment 81 hits the tip surface 58d of the engaging protrusion 58, the movement of the attachment 81 in the attachment direction X is restricted, and the attachment of the attachment 81 to the attachment part 52 is completed. Note that the position of the attachment 81 at this time is referred to as a “mounting position”.

  Thus, the front end surface 58d of the restricting protrusion 97 and the engaging protrusion 58 functions as a positioning portion that stops the attachment 81 moving in the mounting direction X at the mounting position. The movement of the attachment 81 in the mounting direction X can be restricted by causing the protrusion 54 to abut against the front wall 86d without providing the restriction protrusion 97. The positioning accuracy is higher when the portion 58 is provided to reduce the area where the attachment 81 and the protruding portion 54 are in contact with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the connection terminal 95 includes an area AR (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 13) between one guide portion 96 </ b> F and the other guide portion 96 </ b> S that constitute the pair of guide portions 96. It is preferable to arrange so as to face each other. In this way, the position of the connection terminal 95 is more accurately aligned with the board connection portion 57 than when the area AR and the connection terminal 95 are separated from each other in the mounting direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the attachment 81 is in the mounting position, the movable contact portion 57a of the board connecting portion 57 comes into contact with the connection terminal 95 with a predetermined contact pressure and is elastically displaced, and the connection terminal 95 is connected to the board. It will be in the state electrically connected with the part 57. FIG. As a result, the circuit board 94 and the control unit 63 are electrically connected, and information regarding the amount of waste liquid stored in the waste liquid storage unit 100 can be transmitted between the circuit board 94 and the control unit 63.

  When the attachment 81 is in the mounting position, the guide surfaces 96a provided on the pair of guide portions 96 are provided on the projecting portion 54 by the elastic restoring force of the movable contact portion 57a that is elastically displaced by being pressed by the connection terminals 95. The engagement surface 58c is engaged. Therefore, even if the connection terminal 95 tries to move away from the board connection portion 57 by the elastic restoring force of the movable contact portion 57a, the movement of the connection terminal 95 is caused by the guide surface 96a being locked to the engagement surface 58c. Is suppressed. As a result, the state where the connection terminal 95 and the movable contact portion 57a are in contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure is maintained.

  Further, since the connection terminal 95 is arranged in a plane so as to be parallel to a plane including a pair of guide surfaces 96a (a virtual plane indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 12), a plurality of connection terminals 95 project in the thickness direction. The contact pressure with the movable contact portion 57a becomes equal.

  Further, the center of the connection hole 56 of the discharge portion 55 is located on a plane including two engagement surfaces 58c (a virtual plane indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 12), while the center of the opening of the waste liquid introduction portion 93 is two. It is located on a plane including the guide surface 96a (a virtual plane indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 12). Therefore, when the attachment 81 moves to the mounting position, the engaging surface 58c and the guide surface 96a facing each other come into contact with each other by the elastic restoring force of the movable contact portion 57a, so that the center position of the connection hole 56 and the waste liquid introducing portion are The center position of 93 is arrange | positioned on the same plane. Thereby, since the center position of the connection hole 56 and the center position of the waste liquid introduction part 93 can be aligned in the thickness direction Z, the position of the waste liquid introduction part 93 and the discharge part 55 can be adjusted more accurately, and the discharge part 55 can be It becomes possible to insert into the waste liquid introduction part 93 (end part of the discharge tube 85).

  Then, as the attachment 81 is moved to the mounting position, the discharge part 55 is inserted into the end of the discharge tube 85 through the introduction port 93a, and the discharge part 55 and the waste liquid storage part 100 are connected via the attachment 81. It becomes a state. As a result, the waste liquid discharged from the discharge unit 55 can be introduced into the waste liquid storage unit 100.

  Here, information on the amount of waste liquid discharged from the discharge unit 55 to the attachment 81 is transmitted from the control unit 63 to the circuit board 94 every time maintenance such as suction cleaning is performed, and stored in a storage element included in the circuit board 94. Is done. On the other hand, the control unit 63 reads information on the amount of waste liquid stored in the storage element of the circuit board 94 at a predetermined timing, and can determine that the amount of waste liquid stored in the waste liquid storage unit 100 has reached a predetermined value. The user is prompted to replace the waste liquid storage unit 100 by displaying the fact on the display unit 62. Here, the specified value is, for example, the maximum amount of waste liquid that can be stored in the waste liquid storage unit 100.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the attachment 81 has the waste liquid introduction portion 93 and the connection terminal 95 arranged in the width direction Y, so that the attachment 81 is placed so that the thickness direction Z is the gravity direction. Even if the waste liquid leaks from the waste liquid introduction part 93, the leaked waste liquid is difficult to adhere to the connection terminal 95. Therefore, when the attachment 81 is removed from the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 and the attachment 81 is attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 again, the connection terminal 95 and the substrate connecting portion 57 are caused by the waste liquid adhering to the connection terminal 95. Occurrence of poor contact is suppressed.

  Further, the connection terminal 95 and the substrate connection part 57 are connected, so that the control part 63 is allowed to discharge the waste liquid from the discharge part 55, and the maintenance for discharging the waste liquid to the cap 42 can be executed. Then, when the waste liquid is discharged from the liquid ejecting unit 31 to the cap 42 by suction cleaning or flushing, the waste liquid is driven through the connection tube 51, the discharge unit 55, and the discharge tube 85 as the suction mechanism 44 is driven. It is discharged to the waste liquid storage unit 100. Thus, in this embodiment, by attaching the attachment 81 provided with the discharge tube 85 to the attachment portion 52, the discharge portion 55 is added to the large waste liquid storage portion 100 provided separately from the housing portion 12 and the attachment 81. It becomes possible to accommodate the waste liquid discharged from the tank.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the attachment 81 is moved in the attachment direction X and attached to the attachment portion 52, the projection 54 is inserted into the connection recess 92 of the attachment 81, so that the connection terminal 95 attached to the connection recess 92 and The position of the board connecting portion 57 attached to the protruding portion 54 is roughly adjusted. Subsequently, in the connection recess 92, the protruding portion 54 is guided by the pair of guide portions 96, so that the position of the connection terminal 95 is accurately aligned with the substrate connection portion 57. Therefore, the attachment 81 can be mounted on the mounting portion 52 while being aligned with the waste liquid discharge portion 55 and the substrate connection portion 57 provided in the mounting portion 52.

  In a state where the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52, the waste liquid can be discharged from the discharge portion 55 by accurately connecting the connection terminal 95 and the substrate connection portion 57. As a result, the waste liquid discharged from the discharge part 55 is discharged to the waste liquid storage part 100 that is separate from the casing part 12. Therefore, a larger amount of waste liquid can be discharged from the discharge section 55 to the waste liquid storage section 100 that can be made larger by being separated from the attachment 81.

  (2) Since one of the pair of guide portions 96 is disposed between the connection terminal 95 and the waste liquid introduction portion 93 in the width direction Y, the waste liquid introduction portion 93 is aligned when the connection terminal 95 is aligned. Can be aligned.

  (3) The distance between the waste liquid introduction part 93 and the guide part 96 is shortened by projecting one guide part 96F on the second wall part 91b forming the waste liquid introduction part 93 and the connection concave part 92. Thereby, the position of the waste liquid introduction part 93 can be accurately adjusted by the guide part 96.

  (4) Since the center of the opening of the waste liquid introduction part 93 is located on a plane including the guide surfaces 96a of the pair of guide parts 96, the guide part 96a guides the protruding part 54 provided in the mounting part 52 by guiding the projecting part 96a. In the thickness direction Z that intersects both the mounting direction X and the width direction Y, the position of the waste liquid introducing portion 93 can be aligned.

  (5) Since at least a part of the connection terminal 95 is disposed so as to face the area AR between the guide part 96F and the guide part 96S, the area AR and the connection terminal 95 are separated in the mounting direction X. The position of the connection terminal 95 can be more accurately aligned with the board connection portion 57 than in the case.

  (6) When the attachment 81 is attached to the attachment portion 52, the guide portion 96 and the protruding portion 54 are engaged by the elastic restoring force of the movable contact portion 57a pressed by the connection terminal 95, whereby the movable contact portion 57a. Can be kept in contact with the connection terminal 95 at a predetermined contact pressure. Thereby, even when the attachment 81 is slightly moved due to vibration or the like, the connection terminal 95 and the board connection portion 57 can be maintained in an electrically connected state.

  (7) Since the attachment 81 to the waste liquid storage unit 100 are connected by the discharge tube 85, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the waste liquid storage unit 100 with respect to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 can be increased by allowing the discharge tube 85 to be freely routed. it can.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the second embodiment is mainly different from the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the first embodiment in the shape of the attachment and the arrangement of the waste liquid storage unit. Therefore, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the member configurations common to the first embodiment, and the description is simplified and omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 14, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 </ b> A according to the second embodiment includes a casing 12 and a waste liquid storage unit 110 provided vertically below the casing 12 (ejection direction J). . That is, in the second embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 </ b> A is configured by placing the casing 12 vertically above the waste liquid storage unit 110.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a mounting opening 17 a is opened on the bottom surface of the housing portion 12. That is, since the opening / closing lid 47 that closes the mounting opening 17a is not provided on the bottom wall 17 of the housing unit 12, a partial configuration of the mounting unit 52 and the attachment 81A mounted on the mounting unit 52 are exposed. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, the waste liquid storage unit 110 has a substantially rectangular box shape in which the length in the movement direction M and the conveyance direction F is substantially the same as that of the housing unit 12. As shown in FIG. 16, the waste liquid storage unit 110 has a waste liquid storage chamber 111 that can store the waste liquid. In addition, an opening 112a that is slightly larger than the mounting port 17a is formed in the top surface portion 112 of the waste liquid storage unit 110 that faces the bottom wall 17 of the housing unit 12 at a position corresponding to the mounting port 17a. Yes. Thus, the waste liquid storage chamber 111 communicates with the outside through the opening 112a. In FIG. 16, in order to show the positional relationship between the mounting opening 17a and the discharge portion 55 when the casing 12 is placed on the top surface portion 112 of the waste liquid storage portion 110, these member configurations are shown by two-dot chain lines. Show.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the attachment 81 </ b> A in the second embodiment has a case member 86 </ b> A that cannot accommodate the discharge tube 85 in the first embodiment. The case member 86A includes a bottom wall portion 86a that forms an inner bottom surface that extends in a direction that intersects the thickness direction Z, and a pair of side wall portions 86b that extend in the mounting direction X and the thickness direction Z and intersect the bottom wall portion 86a. 86g, and the front wall part 86d and the rear wall part 86e which cross | intersect wall part 86a, 86b, 86g.

  Here, the side wall 86g of the case member 86A is integrated with the second wall 91b that forms the connection recess 92. For this reason, the case member 86A in the second embodiment cannot accommodate the discharge tube. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, even when the attachment 81A is attached to the attachment portion 52, the discharge portion 55 is exposed.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11A related to the mounting portion 52 and the attachment 81A will be described.
As shown in FIG. 17, in order to attach the attachment 81A to the attachment portion 52, when the attachment 81A is moved toward the attachment portion 52 in the attachment direction X, the convex portion of the attachment 81A is connected to the connection concave portion 53 of the attachment portion 52. 91 is inserted, and the protrusion 54 is inserted into the connection recess 92 of the attachment 81A. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the pair of guide portions 96 provided in the connection recess 92 guides the protruding portion 54, whereby the position of the connection terminal 95 is aligned with the substrate connection portion 57.

  Further, the connection terminal 95 and the substrate connection part 57 are connected, so that the control part 63 is allowed to discharge the waste liquid from the discharge part 55, and the maintenance for discharging the waste liquid to the cap 42 can be executed. When the waste liquid is discharged from the liquid ejecting unit 31 to the cap 42 by suction cleaning or flushing, the waste liquid is discharged from the discharge unit 55 via the connection tube 51 as the suction mechanism 44 is driven.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 16, in the second embodiment, an opening 112 a of the waste liquid storage unit 110 is opened vertically below the discharge unit 55. For this reason, the waste liquid discharged from the discharge part 55 drops (flows down) into the waste liquid storage part 110 through the opening 112a and is stored in the waste liquid storage chamber 111. Thus, in this embodiment, by attaching the attachment 81A to the mounting portion 52, it is possible to store waste liquid in the large waste liquid storage portion 110 provided separately from the housing portion 12 (mounting portion 52). It becomes. In this respect, in the second embodiment, an example of the “waste liquid recovery unit” is configured including the attachment 81A and the waste liquid storage unit 110.

According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects (1), (5), and (6) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(8) Since the attachment 81A and the waste liquid storage unit 110 are provided as separate bodies without being physically connected, when the waste liquid storage unit 110 cannot store the waste liquid, only the waste liquid storage unit 110 is replaced. Just do it. For this reason, since it is not necessary to remove attachment 81A from mounting part 52, the effort concerning exchange of waste liquid storage part 110 can be reduced more.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment like the modification shown below.
As shown in FIG. 18, the attachment 81 </ b> A and the discharge tube 120 may be individually attached to the attachment portion 52. In this case, the discharge tube 120 desirably connects the discharge unit 55 and the waste liquid storage units 100 and 110.

  The waste liquid storage units 100 and 110 may be open type containers or closed type containers. In addition, the waste liquid storage units 100 and 110 may be bag-shaped containers or dish-shaped containers.

  The waste liquid storage units 100 and 110 may be configured to be fixed so as not to move with respect to the housing unit 12. For example, the waste liquid storage units 100 and 110 may be fixed to the outer wall 20 of the housing unit 12 with a fastening member such as a bolt.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus 11 may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that detachably mounts a waste liquid storage cartridge capable of storing waste liquid on the mounting portion 52. Then, instead of the waste liquid storage cartridge attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11, attachments 81 and 81A may be attached. According to this, even in the liquid ejecting apparatus in which the waste liquid is discharged to the waste liquid storage cartridge, the waste liquid can be discharged to the waste liquid storage portions 100 and 110 via the attachments 81 and 81A. That is, even in such a liquid ejecting apparatus, more waste liquid can be discharged from the discharge unit 55.

  In this case, the circuit board 94 attached to the connection recess 92 of the attachments 81 and 81A may be a circuit board to which a waste liquid storage cartridge is attached, or another circuit board.

  Here, when the same circuit board as the circuit board attached to the waste liquid storage cartridge is attached to the attachments 81 and 81A, the control unit of the liquid ejecting apparatus attaches to the attachment part 52 to the attachments 81 and 81A. Is erroneously recognized that the waste liquid storage cartridge is mounted in the mounting portion 52.

  Then, in this case, it is assumed that the replacement of the waste liquid storage cartridge is promoted in a state where there is still a sufficient amount of waste liquid that can be stored in the waste liquid storage portions 100 and 110 connected to the attachments 81 and 81A. Therefore, in such a case, the attachments 81 and 81A are removed from the mounting portion 52, the circuit board attached to the attachments 81 and 81A is replaced with a circuit board on which information on the amount of waste liquid is not written, and again. The attachments 81 and 81A may be attached to the attachment part 52. Alternatively, when the attachments 81 and 81A are attached and detached, the information regarding the amount of waste liquid written in the storage element of the circuit board attached to the attachments 81 and 81A may be rewritten.

  According to this, it is necessary to periodically attach and detach the attachments 81 and 81A. However, when the detachment is performed, the waste liquid storage units 100 and 110 that store the waste liquid do not need to be replaced. Compared with attaching / detaching the waste liquid storage cartridge, it is possible to reduce time and effort required to return to a state in which the waste liquid can be discharged again.

  -In 1st Embodiment, you may change freely the routing aspect of the discharge tube 85 at the time of connecting from the attachment 81 to the waste liquid storage part 100. FIG. For example, the discharge tube 85 may be routed so as to be connected to the waste liquid storage unit 100 from the bottom thereof, or the discharge tube 85 may be routed so as to be connected to the waste liquid storage unit 100 from the top thereof. Alternatively, the discharge tube 85 may be inserted through the outer wall 20 of the housing 12 and connected to the waste liquid storage 100 by providing a hole or a notch in the housing 12.

  -In the second embodiment, a substantially L-shaped joint is attached to the discharge part 55 so that the downstream end faces the waste liquid storage part 110 so that the waste liquid discharged from the discharge part 55 is not scattered in the anti-attachment direction. May be. In this case, the opening area of the opening 112a of the waste liquid storage unit 110 may be an area corresponding to the cross-sectional area of the joint.

  -The engaging protrusion 58 provided in the mounting part 52 may not be provided with a concave part, and the convex engaging protrusion and the convex guide part may be engaged with each other. Or the guide part 96 which attachment 81,81A has may be formed in a concave shape, and a convex engagement protrusion may be inserted in a concave guide part.

-Attachment 81,81A does not need to be provided with the convex part 91 or the escape part 81c.
-In attachment 81,81A, you may provide the guide part 96F in the wall part different from the 2nd wall part 91b which forms the waste liquid introduction part 93 and the connection recessed part 92. As shown in FIG. Further, the pair of guide portions 96F and 96S may be provided so as to protrude outward from the convex portion 91 in the width direction Y. For example, in the attachments 81 and 81A, the guide portion 96F may be provided on the fourth wall portion 91d forming the waste liquid introduction portion 93 so as to protrude outward in the width direction Y. In this case, the guide portion 96S may be provided on the third wall portion 91c so as to protrude outward in the width direction Y.

  In the attachments 81 and 81A, the pair of guide portions 96F and 96S are provided on the second wall portion 91b and the fourth wall portion 91d forming the waste liquid introduction portion 93 so as to protrude outward in the width direction Y, respectively. May be.

  The liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 31 is not limited to ink, and may be, for example, a liquid material in which functional material particles are dispersed or mixed in the liquid. For example, recording is performed by ejecting a liquid material in which a material such as an electrode material or a color material (pixel material) used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, and a surface emitting display is dispersed or dissolved. It may be configured.

  The medium is not limited to paper, and may be a plastic film, a thin plate, or the like, or may be a fabric used in a printing apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 11A ... Liquid injection apparatus, 31 ... Liquid injection part, 48 ... Storage chamber, 52 ... Mounting part, 54 ... Projection part, 55 ... Discharge part, 57 ... Substrate connection part, 57a ... Movable contact part, 81, 81A ... Attachment: 85 ... Discharge tube (an example of connection flow path), 86 ... Case member, 91 ... Projection, 91b ... Second wall (example of wall), 92 ... Connection recess, 93 ... Waste liquid introduction part, 94 ... Circuit board, 95 ... connection terminal, 96 (96F, 96S) ... guide part, 96a ... guide surface, 100, 110 ... waste liquid container, X ... mounting direction, Y ... width direction, AR ... area.

Claims (7)

The waste liquid storage part is stored in a state of being mounted on the mounting part in a storage chamber provided with a mounting part having a discharge part for discharging waste liquid and a protruding part provided with a substrate connection part. A separate attachment,
In a mode that allows the protrusion to be inserted at the time of mounting on the mounting portion, a connection recess opening toward the mounting direction with respect to the mounting portion;
A circuit board that has a connection terminal that is electrically connected to the board connection portion when attached to the attachment portion and is attached to the connection recess,
The attachment is characterized in that the connection recess is provided with a pair of guide portions for guiding the protrusion when mounted on the mounting portion so as to sandwich the connection terminal in a width direction intersecting the mounting direction. A waste liquid introduction unit connected to the discharge unit when mounted on the mounting unit;
The attachment according to claim 1, wherein one guide portion of the pair of guide portions is disposed between the connection terminal and the waste liquid introduction portion in the width direction. The attachment according to claim 2, wherein the one guide portion is provided on a wall portion that forms the waste liquid introduction portion and the connection recess so as to protrude toward the inside of the connection recess. The pair of guide portions have guide surfaces extending in the mounting direction and the width direction,
The attachment according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the waste liquid introduction part is opened toward the mounting direction, and an opening center of the waste liquid introduction part is located on a plane including the guide surface. The at least one part of the said connection terminal is arrange | positioned so that the area | region between said one guide part and the other guide part which comprises said pair of guide part may be opposed. The attachment according to item 1. The attachment according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A waste liquid storage section capable of storing waste liquid;
A waste fluid recovery unit, comprising: a connection flow path that connects the attachment and the waste fluid container. A waste liquid recovery unit comprising: the attachment according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a waste liquid storage unit capable of storing a waste liquid; and a connection flow path connecting the attachment and the waste liquid storage unit. When,
A liquid ejecting section capable of ejecting liquid;
A storage chamber provided with a mounting portion to which the attachment is mounted;
The mounting portion includes a discharge portion that discharges the waste liquid, and a protruding portion to which a substrate connection portion is attached.

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