Liquid flow channel forming apparatus, waste liquid collecting system, and liquid jetting apparatus

The present invention relates to a liquid flow path forming device for forming a liquid flow path, a waste liquid recovery system provided with the liquid flow path forming device, and a liquid injection device provided with the waste liquid recovery system.

Conventionally, as a liquid injection device that injects liquid to a target from a nozzle opening formed in a liquid injection head, for example, an inkjet printer (hereinafter, simply referred to as "printer") is widely known. In such a printer, usually, for the purpose of suppressing clogging of the nozzle opening due to thickened ink (liquid) and discharging air bubbles and dust mixed in the ink in the recording head (liquid injection head), the printing head is used. So-called cleaning is performed in which thickened ink is forcibly sucked and discharged as waste ink (waste liquid).

Then, the waste ink forcibly sucked from the recording head by cleaning is discharged to a waste ink tank (waste liquid collector) arranged at a predetermined position in the printer via a flexible tube that functions as a liquid flow path. It is absorbed by the waste ink absorber (waste liquid absorber) housed in the waste ink tank (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

That is, in the printer of Patent Document 1, the upper surface of the waste ink tank including a tongue piece portion horizontally projected outward from a part of the side wall of the waste ink tank containing the waste ink absorber inside. The whole is covered with a lid. On the back side of the lid, a guide plate extends from the protruding piece covering the tongue piece of the waste ink tank to the central position in the waste ink tank, and the guide plate has flexibility on the downstream side. A guide path is formed to guide the discharge tube to the central position in the waste ink tank.

In addition, a tube connection portion is projected vertically from each tongue piece of the lid, and the base end of the downstream discharge tube is connected to the lower protrusion of the tube connection portion, and the tube connection portion is connected. The tip of the flexible upstream discharge tube extending from the suction pump is connected to the upper protrusion of the. Then, the waste ink forcibly sucked from the recording head as the suction pump is driven is discharged from the upstream side discharge tube to the central position in the waste ink tank via the tube connection portion and the downstream side discharge tube. There is.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-218846 (Figs. 5 and 6)</text></patcit>

<p> By the way, in the printer of Patent Document 1, the tongue piece is projected from a part of the side wall of the waste ink tank, and the protruding piece is also projected from the side edge of the lid corresponding to the tongue piece. A guide plate having a guide path extends from the projecting piece to the central position in the waste ink tank. Then, a downstream discharge tube is arranged along the guide path of the guide plate, and the downstream discharge tube and the upstream discharge tube are connected to each other via a tube connecting portion provided on a projecting piece of the lid. It is designed to be connected.</p><p> Therefore, in the printer of Patent Document 1, since the liquid flow path for guiding the waste ink to the inside of the waste ink tank is composed of a plurality of members, there is a problem that the liquid flow path configuration becomes complicated. Further, in the waste ink tank, since the downstream discharge tube is only arranged along the guide path of the guide plate, there is a problem that the tip (downstream end) thereof becomes unstable. It has also been proposed to fasten such a downstream discharge tube to the guide plate by using, for example, a substantially U-shaped fastening member, but in that case, the member configuration becomes more complicated. ..</p><p> The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object of the present invention is a liquid flow path forming device capable of stably forming a liquid flow path with a simple configuration, and a waste liquid recovery system provided with the liquid flow path forming device. And to provide a liquid injection device including the waste liquid recovery system.</p>

<p> In order to achieve the above object, the liquid flow path forming apparatus of the present invention supports a flexible tube with a rigid support member, so that a liquid flow can be discharged from the downstream end of the flexible tube. In the liquid flow path forming device for forming a path, the support member includes a first support portion that supports the downstream end of the flexible tube so that the downstream end points in a predetermined direction, and the first support portion. The flexible tube provided with a second support portion for supporting a predetermined length portion on the downstream end side of the flexible tube supported by the downstream end.</p><p> According to this configuration, a liquid flow path capable of discharging a liquid from the downstream end is formed only by supporting the flexible tube by a support member having a first support portion and a second support portion. Then, the downstream end of the flexible tube, which is the downstream end of the liquid flow path, is supported in a state of being oriented in a predetermined direction by the first support portion provided in the support member. Therefore, the liquid flow path can be stably formed with a simple configuration.</p><p> Further, in the liquid flow path forming apparatus of the present invention, the first support portion is formed so as to form a cylindrical shape at the tip end portion of the support member formed to have a predetermined length, and the flexible tube is formed. Supports the downstream end of the in a mated state.</p><p> According to this configuration, when the downstream end of the flexible tube is inserted into the cylindrical first support portion of the support member, the downstream end of the flexible tube is supported in a fitted state by the first support portion. To. Since the first support portion that supports the downstream end of the flexible tube is formed at the tip of the support member having a predetermined length in this way, the downstream end of the flexible tube that serves as a liquid discharge port. Is also arranged at the tip of the support member, so that the liquid can be discharged satisfactorily.</p><p> Further, in the liquid flow path forming apparatus of the present invention, the second support portion is formed so as to have a predetermined length from the first support portion to the proximal end side of the support member, and is said to be flexible. A predetermined length portion on the downstream end side of the tube is supported so as to extend along the direction in which the downstream end of the flexible tube is directed.</p><p> According to this configuration, in the flexible tube, a predetermined length portion on the downstream end side is supported substantially linearly along the direction in which the downstream end is directed. Therefore, for example, when the liquid is discharged as a waste liquid, the downstream end of the liquid flow path can be easily guided to the waste liquid collection point.</p><p> Further, in the liquid flow path forming apparatus of the present invention, the support member supports the tip side tubular portion capable of supporting the downstream end of the flexible tube in a fitted state and the flexible tube so as to be insertable. A cylindrical portion on the base end side and a non-cylindrical portion connecting between the tubular portion on the tip end side and the tubular portion on the base end side are provided, and the first support portion is formed by the tubular portion on the tip end side. At the same time, the second support portion is formed by the base end side tubular portion and the non-cylindrical portion.</p><p> According to this configuration, when the flexible tube is supported by the support member, the downstream end of the flexible tube is first inserted from the proximal end side tubular portion of the support member and cueed to the non-cylindrical portion. Will be done. Next, the downstream end of the flexible tube is gripped in the non-cylindrical portion and further pulled out from the proximal end side tubular portion. Then, the downstream end of the flexible tube drawn out with a margin around the non-cylindrical portion is inserted into the distal end-side tubular portion. Then, the downstream end of the flexible tube is supported by the tubular portion on the distal end side of the support member in a fitted state, and the portion on the proximal end side of the downstream end by a predetermined length is the proximal end of the support member. It is supported by the side tubular part in the inserted state. Therefore, the predetermined length portion on the downstream end side of the flexible tube is supported in a stable state along the non-cylindrical portion connecting between the distal end side tubular portion and the proximal end side tubular portion of the support member. be able to.</p><p> Further, in the liquid flow path forming apparatus of the present invention, the non-cylindrical portion is formed with a fastening portion that can support the flexible tube in a state of being sandwiched from the side. According to this configuration, a predetermined length portion on the downstream end side of the flexible tube can be supported without bending downward from the support member.</p><p> Further, the waste liquid recovery system of the present invention includes a liquid flow path forming device having the above configuration and a waste liquid recovery body that can accept the liquid discharged from the downstream end of the flexible tube in the liquid flow path forming device as waste liquid. Equipped with.</p><p> According to this configuration, the liquid discharged as waste liquid from the downstream end of the flexible tube can be guided to the waste liquid collector and recovered. Further, the liquid injection device of the present invention includes a liquid injection head for injecting a liquid and a waste liquid recovery system having the above configuration for recovering the liquid discharged as waste liquid from the liquid injection head.</p><p> According to this configuration, when the liquid discharged as the waste liquid from the liquid injection head is recovered, the same action and effect as the invention related to the above-mentioned waste liquid recovery system can be enjoyed.</p>

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention embodied in an inkjet printer which is a kind of a liquid injection device including a waste liquid recovery system to which a waste liquid recovery body can be attached and detached will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the terms "front-back direction", "vertical direction", and "horizontal direction" are referred to as "front-back direction" and "up-down direction" indicated by arrows in each of FIGS. It shall mean "direction" and "left-right direction".

As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer (hereinafter, referred to as printer) 11 as the liquid injection device according to the present embodiment includes a frame 12 having a rectangular shape in a plan view. A platen 13 extends in the left-right direction in the frame 12, and the recording paper P is fed from the rear side to the front side by a paper feed mechanism having a paper feed motor 14 on the platen 13. ing. Further, above the platen 13 in the frame 12, a guide shaft 15 extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the platen 13 is erected.

The carriage 16 is supported on the guide shaft 15 so as to be reciprocally movable along the axial direction (left-right direction) of the guide shaft 15. Further, the drive pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 are rotatably supported at positions corresponding to both ends of the guide shaft 15 on the rear surface of the frame 12. A carriage motor 19 that serves as a drive source for reciprocating the carriage 16 is connected to the drive pulley 17, and a timing belt 20 that fixedly supports the carriage 16 is mounted between the pair of pulleys 17 and 18. .. Therefore, the carriage 16 is driven by the carriage motor 19 and moves in the left-right direction via the timing belt 20 while being guided by the guide shaft 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, a recording head 21 as a liquid injection head is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 16. On the other hand, a plurality of (five in this embodiment) ink cartridges 23 for supplying ink as a liquid to the recording head 21 are detachably mounted on the carriage 16. Each of these ink cartridges 23 individually corresponds to a plurality of nozzle opening rows (not shown) formed on the nozzle forming surface 21a (see FIG. 2) formed on the lower surface of the recording head 21, and corresponds to the recording head 21 individually. Ink is individually supplied to the corresponding nozzle rows via the ink flow path (not shown) formed inside.

Further, the carriage 16 is positioned at one end in the frame 12 (the right end in FIG. 1), that is, in the non-printing area where the recording paper P does not reach, when the printer 11 is turned off or when the recording head 21 is maintained. There is a home position HP that serves as a maintenance position for this. A maintenance unit 24 that performs various maintenance operations is provided at a position below the home position HP so that ink can be satisfactorily ejected from the recording head 21 onto the recording paper P.

The maintenance unit 24 includes a cap 25 having a substantially rectangular box shape corresponding to the lower surface (nozzle forming surface) of the recording head 21, and an elevating device (not shown) for raising and lowering the cap 25. When the cap 25 is raised based on the drive of the elevating device (not shown) while the carriage 16 is moved to the home position HP, the cap 25 is moved with respect to the nozzle forming surface 21a which is the lower surface of the recording head 21. It is designed to come into contact with the nozzle row surrounded.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a housing portion 26 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape along the front-rear direction is formed at a position below the home position HP at one end portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) in the frame 12. ing. In the housing portion 26, a storage chamber 30 for accommodating a waste liquid recovery system 29 including a waste ink tank 27 as a waste liquid recovery body and a tube support mechanism 28 as a liquid flow path forming device is formed, and the inside of the storage chamber 30 is formed. The mounting position 31 of the waste ink tank 27 is set at the lower part of the. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the height in the storage chamber 30 (distance between the bottom wall 32 and the upper wall 33) allows the posture of the waste ink tank 27 to be tilted in the storage chamber 30. As shown above, the height is set sufficiently higher than the height of the waste ink tank 27.

On the front side of the housing portion 26, a rectangular attachment / detachment port 34 is formed for passing the waste ink tank 27 when attaching / detaching to / from the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30. The attachment / detachment opening 34 is provided with an opening / closing door 36 whose upper end portion is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right shaft portions 35 provided on both sides of the upper edge portion of the attachment / detachment opening 34. Then, the opening / closing door 36 is opened and closed by gripping the knob portion 36a formed on the front surface thereof and centering on the shaft portion 35, so that the closing position shown by the solid line and the opening position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. It is designed to open and close with.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the housing chamber 30 of the housing portion 26, the front surface 37, the middle surface 38, and the rear surface 39 are stepped on the upper surface of the bottom wall 32 in the front-rear direction from front to rear. It is formed to form a housing. The front stage surface 37 is formed at the same height as the lower edge portion of the attachment / detachment port 34, and a locking step portion that lowers the middle stage surface 38 than the front stage surface 37 between the rear end and the front end of the middle stage surface 38. 40 is formed so as to extend in the left-right direction.

The middle surface 38 is formed to have a length in the front-rear direction that is slightly shorter than the length in the front-rear direction of the waste ink tank 27, and the mounting position of the waste ink tank 27 is formed by almost the entire area of the middle surface 38 and the rear half region of the front surface 37. 31 are configured. The rear surface 39 is formed slightly lower than the middle surface 38 via the step portion 41, and the ink forcibly sucked as waste ink (waste liquid) from the cap 25 as the suction pump 42 is driven on the rear surface 39. A tube support mechanism 28 that supports a flexible tube 43 for discharging the ink into the waste ink tank 27 is installed.

Next, a waste liquid recovery system 29 provided in the printer 11 including the waste ink tank 27 and the tube support mechanism 28 will be described. First, the waste ink tank 27 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the waste ink tank 27 has a bottomed box-shaped container member 44 having an open top and a plurality of waste ink tanks 27 having an outer shape corresponding to the opening shape of the container member 44 (the present embodiment). 4 sheets) of ink absorbers (waste liquid absorbers) 45a to 45d, and a film member 46 as a gas-liquid permeable member whose outer shape is also formed to correspond to the opening shape of the container member 44. .. The inside of the container member 44 is a storage space 47, and the ink absorbers 45a to 45d are stored in a laminated state in the storage space 47. Then, the film member 46 is attached to the container member 44 so as to cover the opening 48 of the container member 44 in the state of accommodating the ink absorbers 45a to 45d, whereby the container member 44 is attached. The opening 48 of the is sealed.

Further, ribs 52 forming a thin plate are formed at a plurality of locations on the inner surfaces of the rear side wall 49 of the container member 44 and the left and right side walls 50 and 51 (two locations for the rear side wall 49 and three locations for each of the left and right side walls 50 and 51). Is formed along the vertical direction. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates only one rib 52 on the rear side wall 49 and three ribs 52 on the right side wall 51. A notch 53 is formed on the outer edge of each of the ink absorbers 45a to 45d so as to correspond to the position of each of the ribs 52.

In addition, a columnar pillar 54 is erected at a position slightly forward of the center of the inner bottom surface of the container member 44, and is slightly front of the center of each ink absorber 45 so as to correspond to this pillar 54. Circular holes 55 are formed through the positions of. Then, each of the ink absorbers 45a to 45d is accommodated in a laminated state in the accommodation space 47 of the container member 44 so that the rib 52 corresponding to each notch 53 is inserted and the pillar 54 is inserted into each hole 55. Has been done.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a recessed portion 56 is formed in a corner portion on the left side of the rear portion of the container member 44. As a result, the rear side wall 49 is separated into a main rear side wall 49a located relatively rearward and a sub-rear side wall 49b located relatively forward, and the left side wall 50 is relatively located on the left side. It is separated into a main left wall 50a and a sub left wall 50b located on the right side.

A circular connection port 57 is formed through the main rear side wall 49a, and a cylindrical tubular portion 58 is projected rearward from the secondary rear side wall 49b, and is positioned by a hole in the tubular portion 58. A mating hole 58a is configured. The connection port 57 is formed so that its diameter gradually decreases from the opening edge toward the inner back, and a member inserted into the connection port 57 from the outside is formed with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the connection port 57. When it is slidably contacted in the front-rear direction, it has a function of guiding the member toward the inner inner center of the connection port 57.

Further, a connection terminal 59 of a circuit board (not shown) that stores various information regarding the capacity of the waste ink tank 27 is attached to the outer surface of the sub-left wall 50b. Further, at a position slightly closer to the rear end than the front end of the bottom surface of the container member 44, a locked step that can be concavely engaged with the locking step 40 formed on the bottom wall 32 of the housing portion 26 in the front-rear direction. The portion 60 is formed so as to extend in the left-right direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in each of the ink absorbers 45a to 45d, the first ink absorber 45a in the lowermost layer and the fourth ink absorber 45d in the uppermost layer are formed in the same form with the same thickness. The second ink absorber 45b, which is the second from the bottom, and the third ink absorber 45c, which is the third from the bottom, are formed to have the same thickness. The second ink absorber 45b and the third ink absorber 45c are formed with square through holes 61 at each position slightly rearward of the center, and the third ink absorber 45c is formed with a square-shaped through hole 61. A notch groove 62 having a predetermined width is formed by cutting in the front-rear direction from the rear end edge toward the through hole 61.

Next, the tube support mechanism 28 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (a) and 5 (b), the tube support mechanism 28 has a substantially U-shaped plan view in which the front ends of the left and right side walls having a rectangular shape are connected by the front walls having a rectangular shape. It has a base portion 63 of the above. A rectangular plate-shaped horizontal plate portion 64 extends forward from the lower part of the front end of the base portion 63, and a pair of left and right screw holes 65 are formed through the horizontal plate portion 64. The base portion 63 is fixed to the rear surface 39 of the bottom wall 32 of the housing portion 26 by screwing a set screw 66 into each screw hole 65 of the horizontal plate portion 64. ..

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) through holes 67, 68, 69 are formed in the front wall of the base portion 63 so as to be arranged in the vertical direction. Of the through holes 67 to 69, the central through hole 68 is mounted at the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30 when the base portion 63 is fixed on the rear surface 39 of the bottom wall 32 of the housing portion 26. It is formed at a height that is coaxial with the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27. Further, an inward flange portion 70 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) is formed at an axially intermediate position on the inner peripheral surface of each of the upper through hole 67 and the lower through hole 69. Further, a substantially U-shaped tube stopper 71 that can sandwich and support the flexible tube 43 is formed at the substantially central portion of the upper end portion of the front wall of the base portion 63.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (a) and 5 (b), a support member 72 for linearly supporting the flexible tube 43 is assembled on the front surface side of the base portion 63. The support member 72 is a resin molded product having a rigidity of a predetermined length in the front-rear direction, which is formed mainly of a tubular body 73 that can be inserted and removed from the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27, and the tubular body. A rectangular plate-shaped flange portion 74 is integrally formed at a position slightly rearward (base end side) of the position 73 in the middle in the axial direction. Then, in the support member 72, the base end side tubular portion (second support portion) 75 formed so as to project rearward from the flange portion 74 of the tubular body 73 has an outer diameter of the base portion 63. The diameter of the central through hole 68 is smaller than the diameter of the central through hole 68, and the inner diameter thereof is formed so as to be a diameter through which the flexible tube 43 can be inserted.

On the other hand, in the support member 72, a predetermined length portion serving as a second support portion on the front side (tip side) of the tubular body 73 from the flange portion 74 is a third ink absorber 45c housed in the waste ink tank 27. The outer diameter is slightly smaller than the left and right width of the notch groove 62, and is formed to have a length approximately the same as the distance from the trailing edge of the third ink absorber 45c to the substantially center of the through hole 61. There is. The predetermined length portion of the tubular body 73 on the tip side of the flange portion 74 has a relatively short tip side that is cylindrical in order to internally fit the tip that is the downstream end of the flexible tube 43. Except for the tubular portion 76, the relatively long tubular portion from the distal end side tubular portion 76 to the rear flange portion 74 is formed so as to be a non-cylindrical portion 77 in which about half of the peripheral wall is hollowed out. Has been done. On the inner surface of the non-cylindrical portion 77, pinching claws (fastening portions) 78 paired with each other at a plurality of locations (three locations in the present embodiment) in the axial direction of the tubular body 73 face each other. The distance between the tube and the tube is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the flexible tube 43.

Then, the support member 72 is inserted from the proximal end side opening of the proximal end side tubular portion 75 in a state where the proximal end side tubular portion 75 of the tubular body 73 is loosely inserted into the central through hole 68 of the base portion 63. A predetermined length portion on the tip side including the tip (downstream end) of the inserted flexible tube 43 is supported by the tip side tubular portion 76 and the non-cylindrical portion 77. That is, since the inner diameter of the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 is formed to be equal to the outer diameter of the flexible tube 43, the tip of the flexible tube 43 is supported in a fitted state. The non-cylindrical portion 77 is fastened so as to sandwich a plurality of portions (three locations in the present embodiment) of the flexible tube 43 from the tip end side to the proximal end side by the pinching claws 78 from the side. Therefore, the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 supports the flexible tube 43 so that the predetermined length portion on the tip end side extends along the direction in which the tip end of the flexible tube 43 is directed. ..

Further, on the left side edge of the support member 72 on the front surface of the flange portion 74, a alignment pin 85 that can be inserted and removed with respect to the alignment hole 58a of the cylinder portion 58 of the waste ink tank 27 is projected forward. .. Similarly, a rectangular plate-shaped vertical plate portion 86 is formed so as to project forward from a position below the alignment pin 85 on the left side edge of the front surface of the flange portion 74. A connection terminal 87 corresponding to the connection terminal 59 provided on the sub-left wall 50b of the waste ink tank 27 is attached to one side surface (right side) of the vertical plate portion 86, and the connection terminal 87 is shown in the figure. It is connected to the control device (not shown) of the printer 11 via a harness that does not.

On the other hand, on the rear surface of the flange portion 74 of the support member 72, the upper through hole 67 and the lower through hole 69 of the base portion 63 can be inserted from the upper side and the lower side of the base end side cylindrical portion 75, respectively. A pair of upper and lower cylindrical portions 79 formed in the above are projected in parallel toward the rear. Then, each of the upper and lower columnar portions 79 is inserted into the corresponding upper through hole 67 and lower through hole 69 of the base portion 63 with the coil spring 80 functioning as an urging means penetrating the peripheral surface thereof. It has become like. In this case, the front end of the coil spring 80 comes into contact with the rear surface of the flange portion 74 of the support member 72, and the rear end is provided in the middle of each inner peripheral surface of the upper through hole 67 and the lower through hole 69. It comes into contact with the flange portion 70. Further, screw holes (not shown) are formed on the tip surface of each cylindrical portion 79.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (a) and 5 (b), an assembling plate 81 for assembling the support member 72 to the base portion 63 is arranged on the rear surface side of the base portion 63. The assembly plate 81 is formed so as to form a rectangular plate that can come into contact with the rear surface of the front wall in a state of being arranged between the left and right side walls of the base portion 63 having a substantially U-shaped plan view, and the substantially central portion thereof. A through hole 82 corresponding to the central through hole 68 of the base portion 63 is formed in the base portion 63. Further, screw insertion holes 83 are formed at two locations on the upper side and the lower side of the through hole 82 in the assembly plate 81, which correspond to the upper through hole 67 and the lower through hole 69 of the base portion 63. Then, the assembling plate 81 is inserted into the screw insertion hole 83 for each columnar portion 79 of the support member 72 whose tip portion protrudes rearward from the upper and lower through holes 67 and 69 of the base portion 63. It is screwed by the inserted set screw 84.

Therefore, next, the operations of the waste liquid recovery system 29 and the printer 11 configured as described above will be described below. First, a liquid flow path forming method in the case where the flexible tube 43 for discharging the waste ink to the waste ink tank 27 in the waste liquid recovery system 29 is supported by the tube support mechanism 28 to form the liquid flow path will be described.

When forming a liquid flow path for discharging the ink (liquid) discharged from the recording head 21 as waste ink (waste liquid) to the waste ink tank 27, first, the base portion 63 in the tube support mechanism 28 is used. It is fixed by a set screw 66 on the rear surface 39 in the storage chamber 30. Then, the tip (downstream end) of the flexible tube 43 whose base end (upstream end) is connected to the cap 25 is inserted into the through hole 82 of the assembling plate 81 from the rear side, and then penetrates the center of the base portion 63. It is also inserted into the hole 68 from the rear side, and further pulled out to some extent forward from the central through hole 68.

Next, the tip of the flexible tube 43 thus pulled forward from the central through hole 68 of the base portion 63 is inserted into the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 that has not yet been assembled with respect to the base portion 63. To do. That is, the tip of the flexible tube 43 is inserted into the proximal end side tubular portion 75 of the tubular body 73, and the tip of the inserted flexible tube 43 is also inserted into the distal end side tubular portion of the tubular body 73. Pull it out from the non-cylindrical part 77 in front of 76.

Then, a predetermined length portion on the tip end side of the flexible tube 43 is provided with a slack to the extent that it can be easily gripped outside the non-cylindrical portion 77, and the tip of the flexible tube 43 is tubular in that state. It is inserted into the distal end side tubular portion 76 of the body 73 from the rear side (base end side). Then, the tip of the flexible tube 43 is aligned with the tip of the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 in the front-rear direction, and the flexible tube 43 is fitted and supported in a stable state by the tip-side tubular portion 76. Will be done.

Then, the flexible tube 43 formed on the lateral outside of the non-cylindrical portion 77 by pulling the proximal end side of the flexible tube 43 in the direction of pulling out from the proximal end side tubular portion 75 of the tubular body 73. Try to eliminate the slack part of. Then, the predetermined length portion on the tip side of the flexible tube 43 having almost no slack is sequentially pressed against the inner surface of the non-cylindrical portion 77 from the tip side, and between the pinching claws 78 facing each other. Push it in. Then, the flexible tube 43 is in a stable support state in which the flexible tube 43 is fastened by the pinching claw 78 so that the predetermined length portion on the tip end side extends substantially linearly along the non-cylindrical portion 77.

When the flexible tube 43 is supported by the support member 72 as described above, the support member 72 in such a state of supporting the flexible tube 43 is then assembled to the base portion 63. That is, the base end side tubular portion 75 of the tubular body 73 is loosely inserted into the central through hole 68 of the base portion 63 in which the base end side of the flexible tube 43 is inserted at that time, and the base portion 63 Each columnar portion 79 projecting rearward from the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 is inserted into the upper through hole 67 and the lower through hole 69. At that time, the coil spring 80 is pierced in advance for each columnar portion 79.

Then, the coil spring 80 penetrating each column 79 is sandwiched between the rear surface of the flange 74 and the flange 70 in each of the upper and lower through holes 67, 69, and contracts slightly, and each column shrinks slightly. The tip of the portion 79 protrudes rearward from the corresponding through holes 67 and 69. Therefore, the assembling plate 81 is brought into contact with the tip of each cylindrical portion 79 protruding so as to be cueed from the through holes 67 and 69 while aligning the screw insertion holes 83, and screwed with the set screw 84. Then, the intermediate position on the base end side of the flexible tube 43, which is pulled out rearward from the through hole 82 of the assembling plate 81, is fixed by the tube stopper 71 provided on the upper portion of the substrate 63.

As a result, the work of supporting the flexible tube 43 by the tube support mechanism 28 is completed. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 (a), the tube support mechanism 28 supports the flexible tube 43 in a state where the mounting position 31 of the waste ink tank 27 is directed to the front side, while supporting the home. It is installed below the cap 25 at position HP. Further, in the installed state, the coil spring 80 pierced by each columnar portion 79 of the support member 72 is maintained in a slightly contracted state, and the flange portion 74 is pressed toward the front side by the accumulated pressure. The support member 72 is held so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with the tubular body 73 facing forward.

Here, the support member 72 of the tube support mechanism 28 is in a state of accumulating pressure in which the coil spring 80 pierced in each columnar portion 79 is slightly contracted, and is urged to the front side by the urging force of the coil spring 80. It is in. Therefore, when a pressing force is applied to the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 from the front side to the rear side, the flange portion 74 retracts to the rear side in response to the pressing pressure, and thus the flange portion 74 retracts to the rear side. As shown in (b), the support member 72 retracts to the rear side while further contracting the coil spring 80 while supporting the flexible tube 43 together with the assembly plate 81.

Further, in the support member 72 of the tube support mechanism 28, each columnar portion 79 projecting rearward from the base end side tubular portion 75 and the flange portion 74 of the tubular body 73 corresponds to each through hole 67 in the base portion 63, It is loosely inserted in the radial direction with respect to 68 and 69. Therefore, when an external force is applied to the tubular body 73 (particularly, the distal end side tubular portion 76) of the support member 72 from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the tubular body 73, the external force is received. The support member 72 swings around the base end side (specifically, the contact portion of the columnar portion 79 with the flange portion 70) as a fulcrum.

That is, when an external force is applied from below to upward on the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73, the support member 72 is the tip of the tubular body 73 as shown in FIG. 6A. It swings so as to move the side tubular portion 76 upward. On the other hand, when an external force is applied from above to downward with respect to the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73, the support member 72 is the tip of the tubular body 73 as shown in FIG. 6 (b). It swings so as to move the side tubular portion 76 downward. Although not shown, when an external force is applied to the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 from the left-right direction, the support member 72 left and right the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73. Swing to move in the direction. As described above, the support member 72 that supports the flexible tube 43 in the tube support mechanism 28 has a configuration in which the tip side can swing freely with the base end side as a fulcrum.

Next, a method of attaching / detaching the waste ink tank 27 to / from the mounting position 31 provided in the accommodation chamber 30 of the housing portion 26 of the printer 11 will be described. When mounting the waste ink tank 27 at the mounting position 31 in the housing chamber 30, first, the opening / closing door 36 on the front side of the housing portion 26 is opened. Then, the waste ink tank 27 is inserted into the opened attachment / detachment port 34 from the rear end side where the connection port 57 is formed, and the waste ink tank 27 is moved toward the rear side, which is the mounting direction to the mounting position 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the waste ink tank 27 is a cylinder of the support member 72 in the tube support mechanism 28 in the connection port 57 of the main rear side wall 49a before the entire waste ink tank 27 can enter the storage chamber 30. The tip-side tubular portion 76 of the body 73 is inserted.

Here, when the waste ink tank 27 is moved to the inner part of the storage chamber 30 via the attachment / detachment port 34, the front end portion of the waste ink tank 27 is usually gripped by the user of the printer 11. , It is manually moved in the mounting direction by the user. Therefore, in the waste ink tank 27 whose front end is gripped by the user, it is rare that the posture of the container member 44 is in the horizontal state before the entire waste ink tank 27 fits into the storage chamber 30, but rather, as shown in FIG. As shown, the posture of the container member 44 is often tilted so that the rear end portion is lower than the front end portion. Therefore, when the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 of the tube support mechanism 28 is fixed in a horizontally oriented state, the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27 that moves in the mounting direction in an inclined posture. It becomes difficult to insert the tip-side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 to the inner part of the cylinder.

However, in this respect, the tube support mechanism 28 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the support member 72 has a base end side as a fulcrum and the tip end side can swing freely. Therefore, when the support member 72 of the tube support mechanism 28 is inserted into the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27 that has moved in a state where the tip side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 is tilted, the tilt thereof. Swing the tip side so as to correspond with. Therefore, the tubular portion 76 on the tip end side of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72 is inserted into the inner part of the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27 without any trouble.

Further, the support member 72 of the tube support mechanism 28 is displaced from the center of the connection port 57 when the tip side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 is inserted into the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27. It is possible that there is. However, in this respect, since the inner peripheral surface of the connection port 57 in the waste ink tank 27 of the present embodiment is a tapered surface whose diameter becomes smaller toward the inner back side of the connection port 57, the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 Is slid-guided toward the center of the connection port 57 as it is inserted into the connection port 57. As a result, the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 is placed in the notch groove 62 of the third ink absorber 45c in which the tip side tubular portion 76 is arranged in the waste ink tank 27 at a position corresponding to the connection port 57. It is inserted smoothly.

Then, when the waste ink tank 27 is further moved toward the inner inner side of the storage chamber 30 from the state shown in FIG. 7, the rear side wall 49 of the waste ink tank 27 and the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 come into contact with each other. , The tubular body 73 of the support member 72 reaches the position of the through hole 61 in which the tip side tubular portion 76 is formed in the third ink absorbing material 45c. In this case, when the rear side wall 49 of the waste ink tank 27 and the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 come into contact with each other, the alignment pin 85 projecting from the collar portion 74 of the support member 72 is used as the waste ink tank. By being inserted into the alignment hole 58a of the tubular portion 58 provided in the sub-rear side wall 49b of 27, the waste ink tank 27 is aligned vertically and horizontally with respect to the mounting position 31. In this respect, the alignment pin 85 and the alignment hole 58a function as holding means for holding the waste ink tank 27 in the positioning state so as to restrict the movement in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction at the mounting position 31.

Then, from that state, when the waste ink tank 27 is pushed backward so as to further press the flange portion 74 of the support member 72, the support member 72 retracts while further contracting the coil spring 80. Then, when the support member 72 retracts to the position where the flange portion 74 is closest to the front wall of the base portion 63, as shown in FIG. 8, the posture of the waste ink tank 27 is set to the horizontal state, and the waste ink tank 27 is placed. The bottom surface of the container member 44 in the above is brought into surface contact with the middle surface 38 forming a part of the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30. At this time, the locked step portion 60 formed on the bottom surface of the container member 44 in the waste ink tank 27 is closer to the storage chamber 30 than the locking step portion 40 formed at the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30. It is located on the inner back side. In other words, at this point, the waste ink tank 27 is in a state of passing the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30 in the mounting direction.

Then, when the force acting to move the waste ink tank 27 in the mounting direction (for example, the force of the user's hand) is released from the state shown in FIG. 8, the waste ink tank 27 is accumulated. Since the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 advances due to the urging force of the coil spring 80, the flange portion 74 pushes the support member 72 forward (that is, the direction in which the waste ink tank 27 is taken out). Then, in response to this pressing force, the waste ink tank 27 slides forward on the middle surface 38 of the mounting position 31, and as shown in FIG. 2, the locked step portion 60 of the container member 44 is mounted at the mounting position 31. Locks to the locking step 40. That is, the locking step 40, which could not be locked when the waste ink tank 27 moved in the mounting direction opposite to the taking-out direction with respect to the locked step 60 of the container member 44, is the waste ink tank 27. When the slide moves in the take-out direction, it functions as a locking means for locking the waste ink tank 27 from the take-out direction side so as to restrict the movement in the take-out direction.

Therefore, the waste ink tank 27 receives the urging force of the coil spring 80 from the rear through the flange portion 74 of the support member 72, and is engaged with the locked step portion 60 on the bottom surface of the container member 44 from the front at the mounting position 31. The stop portion 40 is locked, and as shown in FIG. 2, it is positioned at the mounting position 31 in the accommodation chamber 30 so as not to be movable in the front-rear direction. In this respect, the coil spring 80 as the urging means and the locking step portion 40 as the locking means function as holding means for holding the waste ink tank 27 in the positioning state at the mounting position 31. Then, when the opening / closing door 36 of the attachment / detachment port 34 is returned to the closed position, the mounting work of the waste ink tank 27 at the mounting position 31 is completed.

Then, from the state shown in FIG. 2, when the cap 25 rises based on the drive of the elevating device (not shown) and comes into contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21, and then the suction pump 42 is driven, the cap 25 is driven. Ink thickened from the recording head 21 due to the negative pressure generated in the 25 is forcibly sucked and discharged (discharged) as waste ink into the cap 25 through the nozzle opening (not shown). Then, when the inside of the cap 25 is opened to the atmosphere while the suction pump 42 is continuously driven and the air suction state is reached, waste ink is discharged from the inside of the cap 25 to the downstream end which is the tip of the flexible tube 43. Is guided to and discharged into the waste ink tank 27.

In this case, the tip of the flexible tube 43 reaches from the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27 to the through hole 61 of the third ink absorbent 45c. Therefore, the waste ink discharged into the through hole 61 diffuses into each of the ink absorbers 45a to 45d and is well absorbed and held. In addition, when the opening 48 of the container member 44 is opened, the ink solvent evaporates and volatilizes the waste ink absorbed and held by the ink absorbents 45a to 45d, and the ink residue is the surface of the ink absorbents 45a to 45d. There is a risk that the ink will solidify and the absorption efficiency of waste ink will decrease.

However, in this respect, the opening 48 of the container member 44 in the waste ink tank 27 of the present embodiment is sealed by a film member (gas-liquid impermeable member) 46 that functions as a sealing member. Therefore, the absorption efficiency of the waste ink in the ink absorbers 45a to 45d does not decrease, and the storage efficiency of the waste ink in the waste ink tank 27 does not decrease.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when the waste ink tank 27 mounted on the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30 is removed from the printer 11, the opening / closing door 36 of the mounting / detaching port 34 is opened again. The user of the printer 11 inserts his / her hand into the attachment / detachment opening 34 and grips the front end portion of the waste ink tank 27. Then, the posture of the waste ink tank 27 is tilted so as to lift the front end portion of the waste ink tank 27 upward to release the locked state of the locking step portion 40 and the locked step portion 60. Then, in that state, the urging force of the coil spring 80 acts on the waste ink tank 27 via the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 in the take-out direction (forward), so that the urging force acts in the take-out direction (forward). The waste ink tank 27 is easily taken out from the attachment / detachment port 34 as a force to assist the movement of the ink tank 27.

Then, in that case, when the tubular portion (tip side tubular portion 76 and non-cylindrical portion 77) of the support member 72 on the distal end side is pulled out from the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27, the tubular portion 72 is removed. The notch groove 62 of the third ink absorber 45c is slidably contacted with the tubular portion so as to wipe it off. Therefore, the tubular portion on the tip end side of the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 is wiped off by the third ink absorber 45c to remove the waste ink adhering to the tubular portion 73 when it is taken out from the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27. Will be done. In this respect, the third ink absorber 45c on which the notch groove 62 is formed functions as a wiping member.

After the old waste ink tank 27 is taken out, the new waste ink tank 27 is mounted at the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30 in the same procedure as described above. In this way, since the waste ink tank 27 can be attached to and detached from the predetermined mounting position 31, the old and new waste ink tanks 27 can be easily replaced. Further, the main body of the liquid flow path that guides the waste ink to the waste ink tank 27 is a flexible tube 43 that is excellent in gas-liquid impermeable but has no rigidity, and such a flexible tube 43 is a rigid support. Since the member 72 is linearly supported by the tubular body 73 and is inserted into the connection port 57 of the waste ink tank 27 together with the tubular body 73, the waste ink in which the ink absorbers 45a to 45d are laminated and stored is stored. It can be reliably inserted to a position closer to the center (the position of the through hole 61) in the tank 27.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) In the waste ink tank 27, the connection port 57 is supported by the support member 72 by moving the container member 44 to the rear side in the mounting direction or the front side in the taking-out direction with respect to the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30. Since it is connected to or disconnected from the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 supported by the ink tank 43, the old and new waste ink tanks 27 can be easily replaced.

(2) In the waste ink tank 27, since the opening 48 of the container member 44 is sealed by the film member 46 as a sealing member, the solvent component of the waste ink received inside is suppressed from evaporating and volatilizing. Therefore, the residue of waste ink does not accumulate on the surfaces of the ink absorbers 45a to 45d laminated and housed inside. Therefore, by suppressing the decrease in the absorption capacity of the ink absorbers 45a to 45d, it is possible to avoid the decrease in the storage efficiency of the waste ink in the waste ink tank 27. Moreover, since the film member 46 that seals the opening 48 of the container member 44 of the waste ink tank 27 is attached to the container member 44, the waste ink tank 27 opens even when it is taken out from the mounting position 31. Since the portion 48 is covered, it is possible to prevent the hands and the like of the attacher / detacher from being soiled during attachment / detachment.

(3) When the waste ink tank 27 is mounted at the mounting position 31, the downstream end side flow path portion of a predetermined length connected to the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 for discharging the waste ink is connected together with the support member 72 at the connection port 57. Since it is inserted into the container member 44, waste ink can be discharged from the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 to a position closer to the center in the container member 44. As a result, the waste ink is absorbed so as to be diffused in the ink absorbers 45a to 45d, and the storage efficiency of the waste ink is improved.

(4) Downstream end side flow path portion of the liquid flow path extracted from the connection port 57 of the container member 44 when the waste ink tank 27 is removed from the mounting position 31 (the tip end side of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72). Even if the tubular portion 76, the non-cylindrical portion 77, and the portion of the flexible tube 43 exposed in the non-cylindrical portion 77) are contaminated in the container member 44 due to the adhesion of waste ink, such waste ink is still present. Remove by sliding so that the notch groove 62 of the third ink absorber 45c is wiped off. Therefore, when the waste ink tank 27 is removed from the printer 11, the flexible tube 43 exposed in the tip-side tubular portion 76 and the non-cylindrical portion 77 and the non-cylindrical portion 77 of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72. It is possible to prevent the waste ink from flowing down from the part and polluting the surroundings.

(5) Since the ink absorbers 45a to 45d are housed in the waste ink tank 27, the waste ink discharged into the waste ink tank 27 from the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 is collected from the ink absorbers 45a to 45d. Can be absorbed and retained. Since the third ink absorbent 45c out of the ink absorbents 45a to 45d is also used as the wiping member, it is possible to contribute to the simplification of the configuration of the waste ink tank 27 by reducing the number of parts.

(6) Even when the liquid flow path for discharging waste ink is formed with the flexible tube 43 as the main component, the flexible tube 43 is linearly supported by the rigid support member 72. Since the waste ink tank 27 is inserted and removed from the connection port 57 of the container member 44 in the waste ink tank 27, the waste ink tank 27 can be attached and detached satisfactorily.

(7) The liquid flow path for discharging waste ink into the waste ink tank 27 is a tubular portion 76 on the tip side as a first support portion, a tubular portion 75 on the base end side as a second support portion, and a non-cylinder. It is formed only by supporting the flexible tube 43 by the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 provided with the shape portion 77. Then, the downstream end of the flexible tube 43, which is the downstream end of the liquid flow path thus formed, is oriented in a certain direction of the mounting position 31 by the distal end side tubular portion 76 of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72. It is supported by the state of being. Therefore, a liquid flow path mainly composed of the flexible tube 43 whose behavior is unstable can be stably formed with a simple configuration.

(8) When forming a liquid flow path for discharging waste ink, when the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 is inserted into the cylindrical tip-side tubular portion (first support portion) 76 of the support member 72, The downstream end of the flexible tube 43 is supported in a fitted state. Further, since the tip-side tubular portion 76 that supports the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 is formed at the tip of the tubular body 73 having a predetermined length in the support member 72, it serves as a waste ink discharge port. The downstream end of the flexible tube 43 is also arranged at the tip of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72, so that waste ink can be discharged satisfactorily.

(9) Further, in the flexible tube 43, a predetermined length portion on the downstream end side of the flexible tube 43 is supported substantially linearly by the tubular body 73 of the support member 72 along the direction in which the downstream end is directed. Therefore, for example, when the waste ink is discharged into the waste ink tank 27, the downstream end of the flexible tube 43 can be easily guided to the vicinity of the center in the waste ink tank 27.

(10) The downstream end of the flexible tube 43 is supported by the distal end side tubular portion 76 of the support member 72 in a fitted state, and the portion on the proximal end side of the downstream end is supported by a predetermined length. It is supported by the proximal end side tubular portion 75 of the member 72 in an inserted state, and is also sandwiched by the pinching claw 78 of the non-cylindrical portion 77. Therefore, the predetermined length portion on the downstream end side of the flexible tube 43 is stabilized by the tubular body 73 (tip side tubular portion 76, non-cylindrical portion 77, base end side tubular portion 75) on the support member 72. Can support the condition.

(11) Since the urging force of the coil spring 80 acts on the waste ink tank 27 at the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30 toward the removal direction, the waste ink tank 27 tends to move in the removal direction due to the urging force. However, since the locking step portion 40 is locked to the waste ink tank 27 to restrict the movement in the take-out direction, the locking step portion 40 is held in the positioning state at the mounting position 31. Therefore, the waste ink tank 27 can be easily attached and detached, and the attached state can be stabilized at the attached position 31.

(12) Since the locking step 40 provided at the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30 is configured to lock when the waste ink tank 27 moves in the take-out direction, when the waste ink tank 27 is mounted. Can easily perform the mounting work regardless of the presence of the locking step portion 40. Further, when trying to remove the waste ink tank 27 from the mounting position 31, if the posture of the waste ink tank 27 is displaced so that the locked state by the locking step 40 is released, the waste ink tank 27 can be removed. The urging force of the coil spring 80 can be easily removed as an aid.

(13) Even if the posture of the container member 44 is tilted when the waste ink tank 27 is attached or detached, the flexible tube 43 is inserted and removed while being supported by the connection port 57 of the container member 44 with respect to the tilt. Since the tubular body 73 of the member 72 swings to follow, the waste ink tank 27 can be easily attached and detached without any trouble.

(14) When the waste ink tank 27 is mounted at the mounting position 31, the posture of the waste ink tank 27 is adjusted so that the alignment pin 85 is inserted into the alignment hole 58a, so that the waste ink tank 27 is mounted at the mounting position 31. The waste ink tank 27 can be mounted and held in an accurate positioning state.

The above embodiment may be changed as follows. The printer 11 may be embodied as a so-called full-line type printer having an overall shape corresponding to the entire width of the recording paper P in the direction in which the recording head intersects the conveying direction of the recording paper P.

-The gas-liquid impermeable member may be a resin plate material or the like as long as it is a member having gas-liquid impermeable other than the film member 46. -The container member 44 of the waste ink tank 27 may have a configuration in which the opening 48 is sealed by the sealing member when the waste ink tank 27 is mounted at the mounting position 31. That is, for example, when the lid member that opens and closes with the rear end edge of the opening 48 of the container member 44 as a fulcrum moves in the mounting direction of the container member 44, the lid member slides into contact with the contact member provided in the storage chamber 30 to complete the mounting. At this point, the opening 48 may be displaced in a sealed state.

The tube support mechanism 28 may dispose the coil spring 80 between the flange portion 74 of the support member 72 and the front wall of the base portion 63. In this case, the cylindrical portion 79 may not be provided on the rear surface side of the flange portion 74.

-The non-cylindrical portion 77 of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72 is not formed by hollowing out the peripheral wall of the tubular body 73, but is formed into a cylindrical shape at the tip side tubular portion 76 and the proximal end side tubular portion, respectively. It may be composed of a connecting member connecting between two tubular bodies forming the 75 individually.

-A wiping member may be attached in an annular shape on the inner peripheral surface of the connection port 57 of the container member 44 in the waste ink tank 27. When the waste ink tank 27 is attached / detached to / from the mounting position 31, the tubular portion 76 on the tip side of the tubular body 73 in the support member 72 is not inserted or removed from the connection port 57 of the container member 44, but simply. It may be configured to be contacted or disconnected.

-The tube support mechanism 28 has a plurality of tube stoppers provided at a predetermined length on the downstream end side of the flexible tube 43 together with a linear support member on the upper surface of the base portion 63 or the like at intervals in the front-rear direction. It may be supported by 71. In this case, the support member 72 may be composed of only a simple tubular body or a non-cylindrical member.

-The tubular body 73 of the support member 72 may be formed of a non-cylindrical portion on the tip side of the flange portion 74. In this case, it is desirable that the non-cylindrical portion is also provided with a pinching claw 78 as a fastening portion at the tip portion.

-The tubular body 73 of the support member 72 may have a tubular portion on the base end side composed of a non-cylindrical portion. In this case, it is desirable that the non-cylindrical portion is also provided with a pinching claw 78 as a fastening portion at the base end portion.

-The alignment pin 85 and the alignment hole 58a are configured such that the alignment pin 85 is provided on the container member 44 side of the waste ink tank 27, while the alignment hole 58a is provided at the mounting position 31 in the storage chamber 30. You may. The alignment pin 85 and the alignment hole 58a may be omitted.

-The support member 72 in the tube support mechanism 28 may be fixed in a horizontal state so as not to swing with respect to the base portion 63. -The flexible tube 43 has a linear morphology even if it is not supported by the support member 72, such as a predetermined length portion on the downstream end side thereof being vapor-deposited with metal to impart rigidity. May be good.

-The locking means for locking the waste ink tank 27 from the take-out direction side at the mounting position 31 may have a configuration in which a locking convex portion is formed so as to protrude from the bottom wall 32 of the storage chamber 30 in addition to the locking step portion 40. .. Further, the locking means may be configured to frictionally lock the side walls 50 and 51 of the container member 44 in the waste ink tank 27 from the side.

The locking step portion 40 may be configured to be locked to the rear side wall 49 of the waste ink tank 27. In the above embodiment, the liquid injection device is embodied in an inkjet printer, but the present invention is not limited to this, such as liquids other than ink, liquids in which particles of functional materials are dispersed or mixed in liquids, and gels. It can also be embodied in a device that injects and discharges a streamlined body. For example, a liquid material injection device that injects a liquid material containing materials such as electrode materials and coloring materials (pixel materials) used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, surface emitting displays, etc. in the form of dispersion or dissolution. , A liquid injection device that injects a bioorganic substance used for producing a biochip, or a liquid injection device that is used as a precision pipette and injects a liquid as a sample. Furthermore, a transparent resin liquid such as an ultraviolet curable resin is used to form a liquid injection device that injects lubricating oil pinpointly into precision machinery such as watches and cameras, and a microhemispherical lens (optical lens) used for optical communication elements. A liquid injection device that injects light onto a substrate, a liquid injection device that injects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch a substrate, a fluid injection device that injects a fluid such as a gel (for example, a physical gel). It may be. Then, the present invention can be applied to any one of these devices. In addition, in this specification, "liquid" includes, for example, an inorganic solvent, an organic solvent, a solution, a liquid resin, a liquid metal (metal melt) and the like, and also includes a liquid body, a fluid body and the like.

<figref num="1">The perspective view of the inkjet printer of an embodiment.</figref><figref num="2">The cross-sectional view which partially omitted the housing part in a printer.</figref><figref num="3">An exploded perspective view of a waste ink tank.</figref><figref num="4">An exploded perspective view of the tube support mechanism.</figref><figref num="5">(a) is a partially broken front view of the tube support mechanism in a normal state, and (b) is a partially broken front view of the tube support mechanism showing a state in which the support member is retracted.</figref><figref num="6">(a) is a partially broken front view of the tube support mechanism showing a state of swinging upward, and (b) is a partially broken front view of a tube support mechanism showing a state of the support member swinging downward.</figref><figref num="7">A partially omitted cross-sectional view showing the state of the storage chamber when the waste ink tank is installed.</figref><figref num="8">Similarly, a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing the state of the storage chamber when the waste ink tank is installed.</figref>

Code description

11 ... Printer (liquid injection device), 21 ... Recording head (liquid injection head), 27 ... Waste ink tank (waste liquid collector), 28 ... Tube support that functions as a liquid flow path forming device Mechanism, 29 ... Waste liquid recovery system, 31 ... Mounting position, 40 ... Locking step (locking means) that functions as a holding part, 43 ... Flexible tube that constitutes the liquid flow path , 44 ... Container member, 45a ~ 45d ... Ink absorbent (waste liquid absorbent) that functions as a wiping member, 46 ... Film member (gas-liquid permeable member) as a sealing member, 48. .. Opening, 57 ... Connection port, 58a ... Alignment hole that functions as a holding part, 72 ... Support member, 75 ... Base end side tubular part that functions as a second support part, 76 ... Tip side tubular part that functions as the first support part, 77 ... Non-cylindrical part that functions as the second support part, 78 ... Pinching claw (fastening part), 80 ... Holding Coil spring (biasing means) that functions as a part, 85 ... Alignment pin that functions as a holding part.