JP2003326788A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent deterioration of recording quality or damage on an ink jet head by preventing the rear end part of a recording sheet 40 from warping upward when the recording sheet 40 is recorded using an ink jet printer. <P>SOLUTION: The printer sequentially comprises an ink jet head, a platen 34 disposed oppositely to the head face of the ink jet head, a sheet discharge roller 47 and a spur roller 48 for carrying the recording sheet 40 recorded on the platen 34 by means of the ink jet head, and a passage altering plate 50 for varying the carrying direction of the recording sheet 40 carried by means of the sheet discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48. The angle θ between the carrying direction D1 of the recording sheet 40 on the platen 34 and the carrying direction D2 of the recording sheet in the passage altering plate 50 is about 120°. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printers currently in widespread use have the following structure, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-242242.

As shown in FIG. 21, the printer 200 is
A paper feed unit 202, a recording unit 204, and a paper discharge unit 206 are provided. The paper feeding unit 202 includes an inclined plate 208 and a pickup roller 210. The recording unit 204 is a pinch roller 2
12, a drive roller 214, an ink tank 216, an inkjet head 218, and a platen 222. The paper discharge unit 206 includes a spur roller 224, a paper discharge roller 226, and a paper discharge tray 228. In addition, the output tray 228
Is provided at a position lower than the paper discharge roller 226, and is configured to convey the recording paper 230 in the recording unit 204 in the conveyance direction A and the paper discharge unit 20.
The angle (change angle) θ formed by the recording paper 230 with the conveyance direction B in No. 6 is 180 ° or more.

The recording paper 230 supplied from the paper supply unit 202 to the recording unit 204 is recorded by the inkjet head 218 in the recording unit 204. Then, the recording paper 230 on which recording has been performed passes between the spur roller 224 and the paper ejection roller 226, and then the paper ejection tray 22 is gravitated.
It is stored in 8.

[0005]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-68871

[0006]

Here, in the printer 200, the spur roller 224 and the paper discharge roller 226 are provided.
The recording paper 230 that has passed through the space between and is conveyed in the conveyance direction B in a cantilevered state. Therefore, the front end portion of the recording paper 230 is bent downward by receiving gravity, and the recording paper 230 on the platen 222, which does not pass between the spur roller 224 and the paper discharge roller 226, is located at the rear end of the recording paper 230. The upward restoring force C of 230 itself works. Therefore, the trailing edge of the recording paper 230 is pinched by the pinch roller 212.
After passing between the drive roller 214 and the drive roller 214, the rear end portion may jump up from the platen 222 due to the restoring force C. Therefore, when recording is performed by the printer 200, the printing on the recording paper 230 may be disturbed or the image quality of the printing may be deteriorated. In addition, the rear end portion jumps up, the rear end portion and the inkjet head 218 come into contact with each other, and the inkjet head 218
There was also a risk of damaging the.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to make a trailing end portion of a recording sheet a pinch roller and a recording sheet when recording on a recording sheet using an ink jet recording apparatus. The purpose is to prevent the trailing end portion from jumping up after passing through between the drive roller and the drive roller, thereby preventing deterioration in recording quality or damage to the inkjet head.

[0008]

A first ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises an ink jet head for recording on a recording medium, a platen provided so as to face a head surface of the ink jet head, and An inkjet provided on the platen, a discharge-side transporting unit that transports a recording medium on which recording is performed by the inkjet head, and a route changing unit that changes a transporting direction of the recording medium transported by the discharge-side transporting unit. In the recording apparatus, the change angle formed by the conveyance direction of the recording medium on the platen and the conveyance direction of the recording medium after the conveyance path is changed by the path changing unit is 0.
The angle is not less than 180 ° and less than 180 °.

As a result, the angle (change angle) between the recording medium conveyance direction on the platen and the recording medium conveyance direction after the path change is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °, so that the ejection side conveying means is used. The passing recording medium changes its transport direction,
That is, the conveyance direction changes to the recording surface side of the recording medium. Therefore, the restoring force of the recording medium itself is generated in the recording medium on the platen, and the restoring force pushes the recording medium to the platen side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording medium on the platen from jumping up from the platen. As a result, the position of the recording surface of the recording medium does not change, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of recording quality. Further, since the recording medium on the platen does not jump up from the platen, the recording medium and the inkjet head do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink jet head from being damaged by the recording medium.

In the second ink jet recording apparatus, the path changing means is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the platen, and is inclined from the platen side toward the ink jet head side toward the downstream side in the transport direction. It is composed of a plate-shaped body.

In the third ink jet recording apparatus, the path changing means is composed of a curved plate provided on the downstream side of the platen in the transport direction.

In the fourth ink jet recording apparatus, the path changing means is provided after the plate-shaped member provided on the downstream side of the platen in the transport direction and the head portion of the recording medium are moved onto the plate-shaped member. And a drive mechanism for changing the transport direction by rotating the plate-shaped body.

In the fifth ink jet recording apparatus, the path changing means is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the conveying direction and extends in parallel to the conveying direction of the discharging side conveying means, and the head of the recording medium. And a drive mechanism that changes the transport direction by rotating the plate-shaped body after the section moves onto the plate-shaped body.

In the sixth ink jet recording apparatus, the path changing means is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the conveying direction, and an introducing portion parallel to the conveying direction of the discharging side conveying means and a downstream side of the introducing portion. Located on the side and the change angle is 0
It is constituted by a curved plate having a direction change portion of not less than 180 ° and less than 180 °.

In a seventh ink jet recording apparatus, an ink jet head for recording on a recording medium, a platen provided so as to face the head surface of the ink jet head, and recording by the ink jet head on the platen is performed. An ink jet type recording apparatus comprising: a discharge side conveying means for conveying a broken recording medium; and a path changing means for changing a conveying direction of the recording medium conveyed by the discharge side conveying means, wherein the platen comprises: The change angle formed by the conveyance direction of the recording medium and the conveyance direction of the recording medium after the conveyance path is changed by the path changing unit is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °, and the path changing unit has a curved shape or A configuration including a shape in which a curved shape or a linear shape is combined to change the angle stepwise. It

As a result, the angle (change angle) between the recording medium conveyance direction in the platen and the recording medium conveyance direction after the path change is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °, so that the ejection side conveying means is used. The passing recording medium changes its transport direction,
That is, the conveyance direction changes to the recording surface side of the recording medium. Therefore, the restoring force of the recording medium itself is generated in the recording medium on the platen, and the restoring force pushes the recording medium to the platen side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording medium on the platen from jumping up from the platen. As a result, the position of the recording surface of the recording medium does not change, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of recording quality. Further, since the recording medium on the platen does not jump up from the platen, the recording medium and the inkjet head do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink jet head from being damaged by the recording medium.

In the eighth ink jet recording apparatus, an ink jet head for recording on a recording medium, a platen provided so as to face the head surface of the ink jet head, and recording by the ink jet head on the platen is performed. An ink jet type recording apparatus comprising: a discharge side conveying means for conveying a broken recording medium; and a route changing means for changing a conveying direction of the recording medium conveyed by the discharge side conveying means. The means changes the transport direction of the head of the recording medium after the head of the recording medium has entered the path changing means and before the head of the recording medium leaves the path changing means. It is a thing.

As a result, the conveying direction of the recording medium that has passed through the discharge side conveying means changes, and the conveying direction changes to the head surface side of the ink jet head, that is, the recording surface side of the recording medium. . Therefore, the restoring force of the recording medium itself is generated in the recording medium on the platen, and the restoring force pushes the recording medium to the platen side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording medium on the platen from jumping up from the platen. As a result, the position of the recording surface of the recording medium does not change, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of recording quality. Further, since the recording medium on the platen does not jump up from the platen, the recording medium and the inkjet head do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink jet head from being damaged by the recording medium.

In the ninth ink jet recording apparatus, the path changing means introduces the recording medium substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the discharge side conveying means until the leading end of the recording medium enters the path changing means. However, the transport direction of the leading portion of the recording medium is changed before the leading portion of the recording medium leaves the path changing means.

Thus, the head of the recording medium is substantially parallel to the conveying direction conveyed by the discharge side conveying means until the head of the recording medium enters the path changing means. There is little impact when it collides with the route changing means. Therefore, it is not necessary to reduce the transport speed of the recording medium.

In the tenth ink jet recording apparatus, the change angle is 110 ° or more and 130 ° or less.

As a result, the angle formed by the conveyance direction of the recording medium on the platen and the conveyance direction of the recording medium after the conveyance route has been changed by the above-mentioned changing means is 110 ° or more and 130 ° or less. The restoring force of the recording medium itself generated on the recording medium on the platen becomes larger than that when the angle formed by the recording medium conveying direction on the platen and the recording medium conveying direction on the path changing means is about 180 °. . Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the recording medium on the platen from jumping up from the platen. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the ink jet recording apparatus compared to the case where the angle formed between the recording medium conveyance direction in the platen and the recording medium conveyance direction in the path changing means is approximately 180 °.

In the eleventh ink jet recording apparatus, the discharge side conveying means conveys the recording medium on the platen on which the recording is performed by the ink jet head to the path changing means, and the conveying roller is opposed to the conveying roller. And a facing roller provided so as to do so.

Here, in the ink jet type recording apparatus,
The ink droplets land on the recording medium to form ink dots, but when the ink droplets land on the recording medium, the solvent contained in the ink evaporates immediately. Then, the recording medium contracts, and if it remains as it is, wrinkles and waviness occur in the recording medium, and the interval between the inkjet head and the recording medium fluctuates, and the recording quality is likely to deteriorate.

However, in this ink jet recording apparatus, since the facing roller is provided so as to face the conveying roller, tension in the conveying direction is applied to the recording medium. Therefore, the recording medium on the platen tends to be flat. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the recording quality.

In the twelfth ink jet recording apparatus, the facing roller is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the conveying direction and is composed of a plurality of rollers arranged at intervals in the axial direction. .

Here, since the facing roller is in direct contact with the recording surface of the recording medium immediately after recording, there is a risk that the quality of the recording will deteriorate due to bleeding of the printing. But,
In this ink jet recording apparatus, since the facing roller is composed of a plurality of rollers arranged at intervals in the axial direction, compared with the case where the facing roller is composed of a single roller, the facing roller is And the contact area with the recording surface becomes smaller. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the recording quality.

The thirteenth ink jet recording apparatus further includes an ejecting side accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting side conveying means, and an ejecting side accommodating portion for the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting side conveying means. And a pushing means for pushing into.

As a result, the recording medium after recording does not remain on the delivery side of the ejecting side conveying means, and when the ejecting side conveying means conveys a new recording medium, paper jam due to contact between recording mediums occurs. There is no danger of it occurring.

A fourteenth ink jet recording apparatus is the same as the first to twelfth ink jet recording apparatus,
Further, a device casing in which a supply port and a discharge port opening upward or obliquely upward are formed and extends in the vertical direction, and a recording medium which extends in the vertical direction or the oblique vertical direction and is continuous with the supply port and is supplied from the supply port A supply side accommodating portion for accommodating a medium, a supply side conveying means for feeding the recording medium in the supply side accommodating portion from the supply side accommodating portion and conveying the recording medium to the platen, and the discharge port extending in the vertical direction or diagonally the vertical direction. And a discharge side accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium conveyed by the discharge side conveying means, and the conveying path from the supply side accommodating portion to the discharge side accommodating portion through the platen is substantially U-shaped. It is formed in.

As a result, the supply-side accommodating portion and the discharge-side accommodating portion extend in the vertical direction or in the obliquely vertical direction, and the transport path of the recording medium is formed in a substantially U shape, so that the center of gravity of the apparatus is on one side. Hard to bias. Therefore, the device does not easily fall. Further, since the vibration during the recording operation is small, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the recording quality.

Further, since the supply-side accommodating portion and the discharge-side accommodating portion are provided inside the apparatus casing, it is not necessary to provide a portion projecting from the apparatus casing unlike the conventional paper feed tray and paper ejection tray. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus can be downsized, and the installation space of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced accordingly.

The fifteenth ink jet recording apparatus is the same as the first to twelfth ink jet recording apparatus,
Furthermore, it has an introduction wall for introducing a recording medium on which recording is performed by an inkjet head, and a discharge side accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium partly partitioned by the introduction wall is provided. Is also provided on the downstream side in the transport direction, is inclined from the platen side toward the inkjet head side toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the path changing means is constituted by the introduction wall.

Thus, since the path changing means is constituted by the introduction wall, the path from the platen to the discharge side accommodating section is shortened, and the time for transporting the recording medium from the platen to the discharge side accommodating section can be shortened. it can. In addition, since it is not necessary to separately provide a route changing unit, it is possible to reduce the number of components related to the inkjet recording apparatus or reduce the size of the inkjet recording apparatus.

The sixteenth ink jet recording apparatus is the same as the fifteenth ink jet recording apparatus,
An apparatus casing in which a supply port and a discharge port that open upward or obliquely upward are formed and extend in the up-down direction, and which extends in the up-down direction or diagonally up-down direction and is continuous with the supply port,
A discharge side, which includes a supply-side accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium supplied from the supply port, and a supply-side conveying means for discharging the recording medium in the supply-side accommodating portion from the supply-side accommodating portion and conveying it to the platen. The accommodating portion extends vertically or diagonally in the vertical direction and is continuous with the discharge port, and a transport path from the supply-side accommodating portion to the discharge-side accommodating portion through the platen is formed in a substantially U shape. Is.

As a result, the supply-side accommodating portion and the discharge-side accommodating portion extend vertically or diagonally up and down, and the recording medium conveyance path is formed in a substantially U shape, so that the center of gravity of the apparatus is on one side. Hard to bias. Therefore, the device does not easily fall. Further, since the vibration during the recording operation is small, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of recording quality.

Further, since the supply side accommodation section and the discharge side accommodation section are provided inside the apparatus casing, it is not necessary to provide a portion projecting from the apparatus casing unlike the conventional paper feed tray and paper ejection tray. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus can be downsized, and the installation space of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced accordingly.

The seventeenth ink jet recording apparatus is the same as the fourteenth to sixteenth ink jet recording apparatuses, and further includes a pushing means for pushing the recording medium conveyed by the discharge side conveying means into the discharge side accommodating portion. There is something.

The eighteenth ink-jet recording apparatus is the same as the thirteenth or seventeenth ink-jet recording apparatus, wherein the ejection-side accommodating portion has a wall surface which comes into contact with a part of the recording medium conveyed by the ejection-side conveying means. The pushing means pushes the recording medium into the ejection side accommodation portion after the recording medium comes into contact with the wall surface.

The nineteenth ink jet recording apparatus is the same as the thirteenth or seventeenth ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ejection side conveying means conveys the recording medium laterally or obliquely laterally, and the ejection side accommodating portion, It has a wall surface that extends in the up-down direction or diagonally up-down direction and that contacts the leading portion of the recording medium sent out by the discharge-side conveying means, and the pushing means pushes the rear end portion of the recording medium into the wall surface side. Thus, the non-contact portion of the recording medium is rotated around the rearmost portion of the contact portion of the recording medium as an axis.

[0041]

According to the present invention, the angle formed by the conveying direction of the recording medium in the platen and the conveying direction of the recording medium after the conveying path is changed by the changing means is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °. Therefore, the recording medium that has passed through the discharge-side conveying means changes its conveying direction toward the printing surface side of the recording medium. Therefore, the restoring force of the recording medium itself is generated in the recording medium on the platen, and the restoring force pushes the recording medium to the platen side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording medium on the platen from jumping up from the platen, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of the recording quality.
Further, since the recording medium on the platen does not jump up from the platen, the recording medium and the inkjet head do not come into contact with each other, and the inkjet head can be prevented from being damaged.

An angle between the conveying direction of the recording medium on the platen and the conveying direction of the recording medium after the conveying path is changed by the path changing means is 110 ° or more and 130 degrees or more.
When the angle is 0, the restoring force of the recording medium itself generated in the recording medium on the platen can be increased, and the recording medium on the platen can be further prevented from jumping up from the platen. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the ink jet recording apparatus. A discharge side transport means, a transport roller for transporting the recording medium on the platen on which the recording is performed by the inkjet head to the path changing means,
If the recording medium is composed of a facing roller provided so as to face the conveying roller, a tension in the direction of the recording medium in the conveying direction is applied to the recording medium, so that the recording medium on the platen becomes flatter. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent deterioration of recording quality.

If the facing roller is composed of a plurality of rollers arranged at intervals in the axial direction and is provided on the downstream side of the platen, the contact area between the facing roller and the recording surface is small, and the recording is performed. It is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the quality.

If the path changing means is constituted by the introduction wall, the path from the platen to the discharge side accommodating section is shortened, and the time for transporting the recording medium from the platen to the discharge side accommodating section can be shortened. . In addition, since it is not necessary to separately provide a route changing unit, it is possible to reduce the number of components related to the inkjet recording apparatus or reduce the size of the inkjet recording apparatus.

Assuming that the supply-side accommodating portion and the discharge-side accommodating portion extend vertically or obliquely in the vertical direction and the recording medium conveyance path is formed in a substantially U shape, the center of gravity of the apparatus is biased to one side. It is difficult and the device does not easily fall. Further, since the vibration during the recording operation is small, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the recording quality. Further, if the supply side accommodation section and the discharge side accommodation section are provided inside the apparatus casing, it is not necessary to provide a portion projecting from the apparatus casing unlike the conventional paper feed tray or paper ejection tray, and the inkjet recording The apparatus can be downsized, and the installation space of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced accordingly.

[0046]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording apparatus according to Embodiment 1 is an ink jet printer 1 as an ink jet recording apparatus that can be installed vertically. Although the printer 1 can be installed in a so-called horizontal position, the case where the printer 1 is installed in a vertical position will be described below.

The casing 10 of the printer 1 is formed in a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape. Top plate 25 of casing 10
A paper feed port 11 is provided on the left side and a paper discharge port 12 is provided on the right side. The paper feed port 11 and the paper ejection port 12 are
Each of them has an elongated opening in the front-rear direction and opens upward. The paper feed port 11 and the paper discharge port 12 have a lid 2
3, 24 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 10 includes
Two partition plates 19 and 20 extending downward from the top plate 25
A partition plate 21 that extends rightward from the left side plate 26 in the lower portion of the casing 10 and a partition plate 22 that extends leftward from the right side plate 27 in the lower portion of the casing 10 are provided. The inside of the casing 10 is the partition plate 1
Partitioned by 9, 20, 21, 22 and inside the casing 10, a paper feed unit 13, a control unit 16, a recording unit 17, and a paper discharge unit 15 are formed. That is, the left side plate 26 and the partition plate 19 are provided on the left side portion of the casing 10.
The sheet feeding section 13 is formed by the partition plate 21 and the partition plate 21. On the right side inside the casing 10, the right side plate 2
A sheet discharge section 15 is formed which is partitioned by 7, the partition plate 20, and the partition plate 22. A recording unit 17 having an inkjet head 18 is formed in the lower portion of the central portion of the casing 10. On the upper side of the recording unit 17, the control unit 16 partitioned by the partition plate 19 and the partition plate 20 is formed. The control unit 16 and the recording unit 17 are
The main body 70 is configured.

The left side plate 26, the partition plate 19 and the partition plate 21 of the paper supply unit 13 form a supply side storage unit for storing the recording paper before printing. The partition plate 19 is provided with a paper fall prevention mechanism 54 for preventing the recording paper 40 from falling. The paper falling prevention mechanism 54 includes a spring 55 fixed to the partition plate 19 and a roller 56 fixed to the tip of the spring 55. The paper collapse prevention mechanism 54 prevents the paper collapse by pressing the upper end of the recording paper 40 toward the left side plate 26 by the urging force of the spring 55, while the roller 56 is prevented.
The rotation of the recording sheet 40 facilitates the conveyance of the recording paper 40.

The sheet feeder 13 includes a partition plate 21 and a left side plate 26.
An inclined plate 28 leaning against the base plate and an embeddable protrusion 29 provided on the tip side (right side in FIG. 2) of the partition plate 21 are provided. A pickup roller 30 is provided at a position facing the lower end of the inclined plate 28. The inclined plate 28, the protrusion 29, and the pickup roller 30 are
A sheet feeding unit for feeding the recording sheet 40 in the sheet feeding unit 13 toward the recording unit 17 side by sheet is configured. When the paper in the paper feed unit 13 is fed out, the projection 29 is embedded in the partition plate 21 and the inclination of the inclined plate 28 increases, and the lower end of the recording paper 40 on the inclined plate 28 becomes the pickup roller 30. Contact. Then, as the pickup roller 30 rotates, only the recording paper 40 located on the uppermost side on the inclined plate 28 is sent to the recording unit 17 side.

Below the pickup roller 30, there are a plurality of pinch rollers (divided rollers) 31 arranged in the front-rear direction (front-back direction in FIG. 2) and drive rollers arranged so as to face the pinch rollers 31. And a paper feeding roller 32. The pickup roller 30, the pinch roller 31, and the paper feed roller 32 are aligned in the vertical direction. Therefore, the pickup roller 3
0 and the paper feed roller 32 overlap in the vertical direction. The vertically projected images of the pickup roller 30, the paper feed roller 32, and the pinch roller 31 overlap with each other. On the left side of the pinch roller 31, a guide plate 33 extending from the paper feeding unit 13 toward the recording unit 17 is provided. The guide plate 33 guides the leading end of the recording paper 40 conveyed from the paper supply unit 13 between the paper supply roller 32 and the pinch roller 31. The pick-up roller 30, the pinch roller 31, and the paper feed roller 32 form a feeding side conveying unit.

As shown in FIG. 3 (the detailed structure of the recording unit 17 is omitted in FIG. 2), the recording unit 17 includes an ink jet head 1 as a recording head.
8 and an ink tank 36 that supplies ink to the inkjet head 18. The inkjet head 18 of the present embodiment is a piezo type inkjet head. However, other heads such as a bubble type inkjet head may be used as the recording head. The ink tank 36 is integrally attached to the inkjet head 18. The inkjet head 18 and the ink tank 36 are reciprocally attached to a carriage shaft 37 extending in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3). A platen 34 is provided below the carriage shaft 37 so as to face the head surface of the inkjet head 18.

On the rear side of the platen 34, there is provided a cap 38 for covering the head surface of the ink jet head 18 when the ink jet head 18 is in the non-recording position. A tube 39 for ejecting ink is attached to the cap 38, and the tube 39 is provided with an ink suction mechanism 41. The ink suction mechanism 41 sucks and removes the ink of the inkjet head 18 into the cap 38, and further removes the ink in the cap 38 from the tube 39.
Through the ink container 42. The configuration of the ink suction mechanism 41 is not particularly limited, and as shown in, for example, FIGS. 4A and 4B, it is configured by a bellows-shaped expandable body 45 including a suction valve 43 and a discharge valve 44. It may be a pump.

The ink jet head 18 is constructed to intermittently eject ink from all nozzles at the non-recording position in order to prevent the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles from increasing. As shown in FIG. 3, on the front side of the platen 34, an ink container 35 for collecting the ink thus ejected is provided. The cap 38 and the ink container 42
In addition, inside the ink container 35, the ink absorber 4 made of sponge or the like is mainly provided to prevent the ink from scattering.
6 is provided. In order to prevent ink from leaking from the ink container 42 when the printer 1 is placed horizontally,
The ink container 42 is preferably hermetically sealed except for the opening for inserting the tube 39.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the right side of the platen 34, there are provided a paper discharge roller 47 composed of a drive roller and a spur roller 48 as a facing roller arranged so as to face the paper discharge roller 47. Has been. The discharge roller 47 is
It is composed of a single round bar extending in the front-rear direction.
The outer peripheral surface of the paper discharge roller 47 is covered with rubber.
On the other hand, the spur roller 48 is composed of a plurality of small rollers arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction. Spur roller 48
Holds the recording paper 40 at a predetermined interval to give an appropriate tension to the recording paper 40 and jam (paper jam).
To prevent the occurrence of.

In the ink jet recording, the recording paper 4
An ink dot is landed on 0 to form an ink dot,
When the ink droplets land on the recording paper 40, the solvent contained in the ink evaporates immediately. Then, the recording paper 40 contracts, and if the recording paper 40 is left as it is, wrinkles and corrugations occur,
The distance between the inkjet head 18 and the recording paper 40 fluctuates, and the quality of recording easily deteriorates. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the spur roller 48 is used as the facing roller of the paper discharge roller 47, and a certain amount of tension is applied to the recording paper 40 to make the area of the recording paper 40 on the platen 34 a flat surface. Further, since the spur roller 48 directly contacts the recording surface immediately after the ink dots are formed, the contact area with the recording surface is preferably small. Therefore, this printer 1
Then, the spur roller 48 is formed by a so-called divided spur roller composed of a plurality of small rollers.

A guide plate 49 for guiding the recording paper 40 between the paper discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48 is provided above the right side of the platen 34. The guide plate 49 is composed of a plate-shaped member extending in the horizontal direction, and its left end portion is inclined upward so that the recording paper 40 can be easily introduced.

On the right side of the paper discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48, there is provided a path changing plate 50 for changing the conveying path of the recording paper 40 obliquely upward to the right toward the paper discharge section 15. The material of the route changing plate 50 is not particularly limited, and for example, metal or plastic can be preferably used. Further, in the present embodiment, the route changing plate 50 is formed in a flat plate shape, but it may be formed of a curved plate or the like. The curved plate includes a bent plate and a curved plate.

A drive roller 51 and a counter roller 52 are provided above and to the right of the path changing plate 50. Above the drive roller 51 and the counter roller 52, a pusher 53 that is movable in the left-right direction is provided. Push body 53
Is for pushing the rear end portion (a portion having a size of about ⅓ of the entire recording paper from the end of the recording paper) of the recording paper 40 conveyed by the driving roller 51 and the counter roller 52 into the paper discharge section 15. . In the present embodiment, the pusher 53 has the axial center 4 at the rearmost portion of the contact portion 401 of the recording paper 40 with the right side plate 27.
As 03, the non-contact portion 402 of the recording paper 40 is rotated. Here, the pushing body 53 is formed in a flat plate shape, but the shape of the pushing body 53 is not particularly limited, and may be another shape such as a columnar shape or a prismatic shape. The pusher 53 is provided with a drive mechanism 151. The paper discharge roller 47, the spur roller 48, the path changing plate 50, the drive roller 51, and the counter roller 52 form a discharge side conveying unit.

The right side plate 27, the partition plate 20, and the partition plate 22 of the paper discharge portion 15 form a box-shaped paper discharge side storage portion for storing the recording paper 40 after recording. Similar to the paper feeding unit 13, the partition plate 20 of the paper discharging unit 15 is also provided with a paper falling prevention mechanism 54 having a spring 55 and a roller 56. The leading end of the partition plate 22 is bent upward so as not to drop the contained recording paper 40.

The inner surface of the right side plate 27 has the recording paper 40 being conveyed.
It is a wall surface that comes into contact with the beginning part of. Recording paper 40
When the leading portion of the sheet comes into contact with the inner surface of the right side plate 27, the conveying direction is changed to the upward direction. The recording paper 40 is
The sheet is accommodated in the paper output unit 15 while being in contact with the right side plate 27.

Further, the paper discharge section 15 is provided with a movable plate 57 which is vertically movable. The upper surface of the moving plate 57 is a smooth surface and forms a support surface that supports the rear end of the recording paper 40. The moving plate 57 is located at the bottom of the paper discharge unit 15 (that is, on the surface of the partition plate 22) at the time of recording, and moves upward when the recording paper 40 is taken out from the paper discharge port 12. As the moving plate 57 moves upward in this manner, the recording paper 40 projects from the paper exit 12 by a predetermined length. Therefore, the user can easily take out the recording paper 40 by inserting the upper end of the recording paper 40 and pulling it out without inserting a hand inside the paper discharge unit 15.

As shown in FIG. 5, the paper discharge section 15 is provided with a paper partition wall 60 for supporting the side edges of the recording paper 40. The sheet partition wall 60 is a flat plate that is movable in the front-rear direction (that is, the width direction of the recording sheet 40), and is manually or automatically moved in the above direction according to the sheet size of the recording sheet 40.

The moving plate 57 has first and second insertion openings 6 through which the sheet partition 60 is inserted when the moving plate 57 is moved up and down.
4, 65 are formed. The first insertion opening 64 is formed at a position where the sheet partition 60 is set when the recording sheet 40 is an A6 size sheet. The second insertion opening 65 is formed at a position where the paper partition 60 is set when the recording paper 40 is A5 size paper. Thus, the insertion openings 64, 6
5 is formed, a collision between the moving plate 57 and the sheet partition 60 is prevented when the recording sheet 40 is taken out,
A smooth lifting operation of the moving plate 57 is ensured.

The control unit 16 includes a paper size detector 71 for detecting the size of the paper stored in the paper feeding unit 13,
An alarm mechanism 72 is provided for issuing a warning when the set position of the sheet partition 60 does not correspond to the sheet size of the recording sheet 40. The paper size detector 71 may be one that detects the paper size by manual setting input by the user, or one that automatically detects the paper size. As the alarm mechanism 72, a mechanism for emitting a warning sound, a mechanism for displaying a predetermined warning on a display unit (not shown) of the printer 1, or the like can be used. Further, the alarm mechanism 72 prevents the printer 1 from being damaged and forcibly stops the movement of the moving plate 57 when the set position of the sheet partition 60 does not correspond to the sheet size of the recording sheet 40. May be provided.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rising position of the moving plate 57 differs depending on the paper size of the recording paper 40 so that the protruding length L of the recording paper 40 protruding from the paper exit 12 is constant. ing. That is, the moving plate 57 is configured to rise to a higher position as the sheet size is smaller. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the recording paper 40a is A6 size paper, the moving plate 57 is raised to the uppermost first position. As shown in FIG. 6B, when the recording paper 40b is A5 size paper, the moving plate 57
Rises to a second position which is lower than the first position. As shown in FIG. 6C, when the recording paper 40c is an A4 size paper, the moving plate 57 is raised to the lowest third position. Therefore, even when a plurality of types of recording papers 40a to 40c having different paper sizes are used, the protruding length of each of the recording papers 40a to 40c from the paper exit 12 is constant, and the recording papers 40a to 40c are taken out. Work becomes easy. Further, even when the recording paper 40c having a large paper size is taken out, the space required above the printer 1 can be small. Therefore, the installation space can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 1, a discharge switch 58 and a discharge completion display portion 59 are provided on the front surface of the casing 10. The user can set the discharge switch 58 to the discharge unit 1
This is a switch to be input when the recording paper 40 of No. 5 is taken out. By inputting the discharge switch 58, the lid 24 of the paper discharge unit 15 is opened, the moving plate 57 is raised, and a part of the recording paper 40 is projected from the paper discharge port 12. This allows
The user can easily take out the recording paper 40. The discharge switch 58 can be configured by a publicly known switch such as a push button switch, or various switches remotely operated by a remote controller or the like. The discharge completion display unit 59 is a display unit for notifying the presence / absence of the recording paper 40 in the paper discharge unit 15. The discharge completion display unit 59 is turned on when the recording paper 40 remains in the paper discharge unit 15, and the recording paper 40 is taken out. Turns off when complete. However, the display method of the discharge completion display unit 59 is not particularly limited, and may be configured to turn on when the recording paper 40 is completely taken out. Further, the discharge completion display unit 59 may be an independent display unit, and may also be used as a display unit (not shown) used for various settings of the printer 1.

As described above, in the printer 1 according to this embodiment, the paper feed unit 13 and the paper discharge unit 15 extend upward, and the main body unit 70 is located between the paper feed unit 13 and the paper discharge unit 15. It is provided (see FIG. 2). Further, the transport path from the paper feed unit 13 to the recording unit 17 and the transport path from the recording unit 17 to the paper discharge unit 15 are formed so as to change the transport direction of the recording paper 40 to a substantially right angle direction. The entire transport path from the paper feed unit 13 to the paper discharge unit 15 is formed in a substantially U shape.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the change angle θ of the conveyance path from the recording unit 17 to the paper discharge unit 15, that is, the conveyance direction D1 in the recording unit 17 and the conveyance direction D2 toward the paper discharge unit 15. The angle θ formed is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °. The angle θ is preferably close to 0 ° in order to increase the restoring force F of the recording paper 40, and is preferably close to 90 ° from the viewpoint of downsizing the apparatus. However,
The angle θ can be freely set within the range of 0 ° or more and less than 180 ° according to the form of the device. Here, the angle θ is preferably 90 ° to 150 °, and 110 ° to 1
Most preferred is 30 °. In this embodiment, the angle θ is set to about 120 °. Thus, the angle θ is 0 °
The reason why the angle is set to 180 degrees is to flatten the recording surface by pressing the recording paper 40 against the platen 34 by the restoring force of the recording paper 40 itself.

In FIG. 7 (a), the route changing plate 50 is composed of a linear plate member. However, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), (c) or (d), the route changing plate 50 is curved. It may be constituted by a plate. The curved plate referred to here also includes a bent plate and a curved plate. The change angle θ may be gradually changed or may be gradually decreased. The route changing plate 50 may have a configuration in which the changing angle θ is 0 ° or more and less than 180 ° and includes a curved shape or a shape in which a curved shape or a linear shape is combined to change the angle stepwise.

In particular, the recording paper 40 on the path changing plate 50
If the protruding portion of the recording paper is close to parallel to the transport direction D1, the recording paper 40
It is preferable that the front end of the recording medium 40 has a small impact when it collides with the path changing plate 50 and the conveyance speed of the recording paper 40 is not reduced. In this case, the transport speed can be increased. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7E and 7F, a drive mechanism 153 for rotating the route changing plate 50 is provided, and the route changing plate 5 is provided.
0 may be movable. When the leading edge of the recording paper 40 enters the path changing plate 50, the path changing plate 50 is placed in a state substantially parallel to the transport direction D1 (see FIG. 7 (e)), and thereafter,
Before the beginning of the recording paper 40 leaves the route changing plate 50,
The conveyance path of the recording paper 40 may be changed by making the direction of the path changing plate 50 substantially parallel to the conveyance direction D2 (see FIG. 7F).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed port 11 of the paper feed unit 13 and the paper ejection port 12 of the paper ejection unit 15 are provided at the same height as the top plate 25. Further, the upper surface of the casing 10 is flush with the lids 23 and 24 closed.
Therefore, the recording paper or the like can be temporarily placed on the casing 10, and the space above the printer 1 can be effectively used.

Next, the operation from sheet feeding to sheet ejection will be described with reference to FIG.

When feeding the paper, first, the lid 23 of the paper feeding unit 13 is fed.
Is opened, and the recording paper 40 is inserted from the paper feed port 11.
The inserted recording paper 40 is accommodated in the paper feeding unit 13 with the lower side portions thereof being supported by the protrusions 29.
Normally, a plurality of recording papers 40 are accommodated, but it goes without saying that only one recording paper 40 may be accommodated.

In the recording operation, the projection 29 is buried, and at the same time, the tilt plate 28 moves so that the lower end of the tilt plate 28 moves to the right. As a result, the uppermost recording sheet 40 on the inclined plate 28 comes into contact with the pickup roller 30, and the recording sheet 40 is taken out by the rotation of the pickup roller 30. The recording paper 40 is
The paper is fed to the recording unit 17 by the paper feed roller 32.

In the recording section 17, ink droplets are ejected from the ink jet head 18 toward the recording paper 40. These ink droplets land on the recording paper 40, and the recording paper 40
Form a plurality of ink dots on top. Then, with these ink dots, a desired image or the like is formed on the recording paper 40.

The recording paper 40 on which an image or the like is formed is conveyed by the paper discharge roller 47, and after changing the conveyance path by the path changing plate 50, the paper discharge unit 15 is driven by the drive roller 51.
Be transported to. The recording paper 40 conveyed to the paper discharge unit 15 is
The rear end portion is pushed to the right by the pushing body 53, and is accommodated in the paper discharge portion 15 in an upright state.

The above-described transporting operation and recording operation are performed on the recording paper 40.
As a result, a plurality of recording papers 40 are accommodated in the paper output unit 15. After that, when the user turns on the discharge switch 58, the lid 24 of the paper discharge unit 15 is turned on.
Is released, and the recording sheet 40 is lifted up by the rise of the moving plate 57. As a result, a part of the recording paper 40 is projected from the paper exit 12, and the user can
Can be taken out easily.

In the above description, the printer 1 is installed vertically, but the printer 1 can also be installed horizontally. In the case of horizontal installation, the moving plate 5
7 moves horizontally instead of moving vertically. Specifically, as shown in FIG.
Can be horizontally placed so as to be supplied and discharged in a horizontal state, and as shown in FIG. 9, the recording paper 40 can be horizontally placed so as to be supplied and discharged in a vertical state. The printer 1 can freely select either vertical installation or horizontal installation according to the installation space and installation environment.

As described above, in the printer 1, the change angle θ of the conveying path from the recording unit 17 to the paper discharge unit 15 is 1
The discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 4 are smaller than 80 °.
The recording paper 40 that has passed 8 changes its conveying direction toward the printing surface side of the recording paper 40. Therefore, the restoring force F of the recording sheet 40 itself is generated on the recording sheet 40 on the platen 34, and the restoring force F pushes the recording sheet 40 toward the platen 34 side. Therefore, the recording paper 40 on the platen 34 can be prevented from jumping up from the platen 34,
It is possible to prevent deterioration of recording quality. Also, recording paper 4
0 and the inkjet head 18 do not come into contact with each other, and damage to the inkjet head 18 can be prevented.

Particularly, in the printer 1, since the changing angle θ of the transport path is about 120 °, the restoring force F of the recording paper 40 itself generated on the recording paper 40 on the platen 34 can be increased. It is possible to effectively prevent the recording paper 40 on the platen 34 from jumping up from the platen 34. Further, the size of the printer 1 can be reduced.

In ink jet recording, ink droplets are deposited on the recording paper 40 to form ink dots. When the ink droplets land on the recording paper 40, the solvent contained in the ink evaporates immediately. Then, the recording paper 40 contracts, and if it is left as it is, wrinkles and waviness occur in the recording paper 40, and the interval between the inkjet head 18 and the recording paper 40 fluctuates, and the recording quality is likely to deteriorate. However, by making the angle θ formed by the transport direction D1 and the transport direction D2 toward the paper discharge section 15 smaller than 180 °, the recording paper 40 is pressed against the platen 34 side by the restoring force of the recording paper 40 itself. Therefore, it is possible to prevent wrinkles and waviness from occurring on the recording paper 40.

By the way, in a device using a split spur roller as the spur roller 48 for giving tension to the recording paper 40, the tension applied to the recording paper 40 is likely to be small only with the spur roller 48. Further, the tension applied to the recording paper 40 tends to be non-uniform. However, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the recording paper 4 is not restored by the restoring force of the recording paper 40 itself.
0 is pressed to the platen 34 side, so recording paper 4
The entire 0 is pressed against the platen 34 uniformly and with moderate force. Therefore, the recording surface of the recording paper 40 can be sufficiently flattened even though the split spur roller is used.

In the conventional recording apparatus, in order to give sufficient tension to the recording paper 40, as shown in FIG. 10A, other than the paper discharge roller 301 and the spur roller 302 facing the paper discharge roller 301, In addition, the spur roller 303 that does not face the paper discharge roller 301 is provided. Then, the discharge roller 30
1 and the spur roller 302 generate the driving force for conveyance, and the spur roller 303 generates the tension.

On the other hand, in the printer 1, as described above, the tension is mainly generated by the restoring force of the recording paper 40 itself, and therefore the paper discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48 need only generate the conveyance driving force. . Therefore, unlike the conventional recording apparatus, the spur roller that does not face the paper discharge roller is unnecessary. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10B, the paper discharge roller 47 can be formed by one continuous round bar. Unlike the conventional recording apparatus, it is not necessary to form the paper discharge roller by a plurality of rollers, and the number of spur rollers can be reduced. Therefore, cost reduction of the device can be promoted.

Since the surface of the paper discharge roller 47 is covered with rubber, the recording paper 40 is less likely to slip and the driving force for conveyance can be improved.

Since the spur roller 48 is composed of a plurality of rollers arranged at intervals in the axial direction, the contact area between the spur roller 48 and the recording surface of the recording paper 40 becomes small, and the quality of recording deteriorates. Can be further prevented.

Further, since the supply-side accommodating portion and the discharge-side accommodating portion extend in the vertical direction and the conveyance path of the recording paper 40 is formed in a substantially U shape, the center of gravity of the printer 1 is unlikely to be biased to one side, The printer 1 does not easily fall. Further, since the vibration during the recording operation is small, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the recording quality.

Further, since the supply side accommodation portion and the discharge side accommodation portion are provided inside the casing 10, the printer 1 can be downsized, and the installation space of the printer 1 can be reduced accordingly.

-Modified Example-The moving plate 57 for raising the recording paper 40 has a plurality of moving plates separated from each other as shown in FIG. 11, instead of providing the insertion openings 64 and 65 in one plate. It may be composed of 61, 62, 63. In this case, all the moving plates 61, 62, 63 may be moved up and down, or only one or two moving plates may be moved up and down according to the paper size.

The changing angle θ of the conveying path is not limited to the above-mentioned value, and may be any value as long as the rear end of the recording paper 40 receives a downward force, within the range of 0 ° or more and less than 180 °. It can take any value.

In the above-described embodiment, the recording paper 40 is taken out by the user turning on the discharge switch 58, but the present invention is not limited to such a manual operation, and the lid 24 is opened when a predetermined recording operation is completed. Also, the moving plate 57 may be automatically moved.

Further, the left side plate 26 of the sheet feeding section 13 and the partition plate 1
9 and the partition plate 21 form a supply-side storage portion that stores the recording paper 40 before printing, but the supply-side storage portion may be configured by a cassette. Further, the right side plate 27, the partition plate 20, and the partition plate 22 of the paper discharge unit 15 form a paper discharge side storage unit that stores the recording paper 40 after printing, but the paper discharge side storage unit is configured by a cassette. May be. By doing so, the recording paper 4
Convenience is improved when 0s are collectively accommodated at once or are collectively taken out.

<Embodiment 2> As shown in FIG. 12, the printer 100 according to Embodiment 2 includes a partition plate 2 of the paper discharge unit 15.
2 is provided at a position lower than the surface of the platen 34 of the recording unit 17, and the drive roller 51 and the opposing roller 52 that guide the recording paper 40 from the recording unit 17 to the paper discharge unit 15 (see FIG. 2) are omitted. It was done.

In the printer 100, the paper discharge port 12 of the paper discharge unit 15 is provided at a position lower than the paper supply port 11 of the paper supply unit 13, and a stepped portion is provided above the paper discharge unit 15. ing. However, it goes without saying that the sheet discharge port 12 may be provided at the same height as the sheet feed port 11 as in the first embodiment. The partition plate 22 of the paper discharge unit 15 is provided at a position lower than the partition plate 21 of the paper feed unit 13.

The printer 100 does not use the slide-moving pusher 53 as in the first embodiment as the pushing means for pushing the recording paper 40 conveyed from the recording portion 17 to the paper discharging portion 15 into the paper discharging portion 15, As shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), a rotary pushing plate 101 is provided. The pressing plate 101 is composed of a plurality of plates divided according to the paper size of the recording paper 40, that is, a first pressing plate 102, a second pressing plate 103, and a third pressing plate 104. The upper ends of the push-in plates 102 to 104 are fixed to the rotary shaft 105. Thereby, the rotating shaft 10
By rotating 5, the pushing plate 101 rotates around the upper end. When the recording paper 40 is conveyed to the paper output unit 15, the push-in plate 101 is tilted toward the recording unit 17 side (see FIG. 13B), and the space at the introduction portion of the paper output unit 15 is increased to increase the recording paper. To facilitate the transport of 40. On the other hand, after the recording paper 40 is accommodated in the paper discharge unit 15, the pushing plate 101 is tilted toward the right side plate 27 (see FIG. 13A), and the paper fall prevention mechanism 54 (not shown in FIG. 12) is used. The recording paper 40 is pressed against the right side plate 27 side of the paper output unit 15.

The paper discharge section 15 is provided with a paper partition wall 106 that is movable in the front-rear direction (that is, the width direction of the paper). The paper partition wall 106 is for adjusting the accommodation space of the paper discharge unit 15 to a size corresponding to the size of the recording paper 40. In order to prevent the pressing plates 102 to 104 from colliding with the sheet partition 106 during the pressing operation of the pressing plates 102 to 104, the pressing plates 102 to 104 are provided between the pressing plates 102 to 104.
A gap wider than the thickness of the sheet partition 106 is formed.

The first pushing plate 102 has a size corresponding to the recording paper 40 of A6 size. The second pushing plate 103 is formed in a size corresponding to the A5 size recording paper 40 by cooperating with the first pushing plate 102. The third pushing plate 104 is formed in a size corresponding to the A4 size recording paper 40 by cooperating with the first pushing plate 102 and the second pushing plate 103. When the recording paper 40 is an A6 size paper, the paper partition wall 106 includes the first pushing plate 102 and the second pressing plate 102.
It is set between the push-in plate 103. On the other hand, recording paper 4
When 0 is A5 size paper, the paper partition wall 106 is set between the second pressing plate 103 and the third pressing plate 104. If the recording paper 40 is A4 size paper,
The sheet partition 106 is located on the rear side of the third pushing plate 104 (see FIG. 13).
(Left side shown in (a)).

In the printer 100, the moving plate 57 is used.
Is also divided into a first moving plate 107, a second moving plate 108, and a third moving plate 109 according to the paper size. The paper partition wall 10 is also provided between the first to third moving plates 107 to 109.
A gap having a width larger than 6 is formed.

The plates 102 to 1 of the pushing plate 101 are
04 may be formed to rotate integrally, or may be formed to rotate individually. Further, each of the plates 107 to 109 of the moving plate 57 may be formed so as to move integrally, or may be formed so as to move individually.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition to this, in this embodiment, since the partition plate 22 is provided at a position lower than the surface of the platen 34, the recording paper 4 conveyed from the paper discharge roller 47 is provided.
An introduction mechanism for introducing 0 into the paper discharge unit 15 (Embodiment 1)
Drive roller 51 and counter roller 52, etc.) in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and further downsize the printer. Further, since the paper discharge path is shortened, the time required for paper discharge can be shortened.

Since the push-in plate 101 is formed in a rotary type, unlike the first embodiment, the recording unit 17 and the paper discharge unit 15 are provided.
It is not necessary to provide a space for housing the push-in body between and. Therefore, the printer can be further downsized.

The printer 100 of this embodiment can be installed vertically or horizontally, as in the printer 1 of the first embodiment.

-Modification- In the above-described embodiment, the partition plate 22 and the moving plate 57 of the paper discharge unit 15 are formed in a flat plate shape extending in the horizontal direction.
However, as shown in FIG. 14, the partition plate 22 and the moving plate 5
7 may be formed by an inclined plate that inclines upward toward the recording unit 17 side. By forming the partition plate 22 and the moving plate 57 so as to incline upward toward the recording unit 17, the lower end of the recording paper 40 receives a force to move to the right side plate 27 side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bending of the recording paper 40 as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), it becomes easy to hold the recording paper 40 in the upright state.

As shown in FIG. 16, the paper falling prevention mechanism 54
May be provided between the pushing plate 101 and the control unit 16. In this way, the paper fall prevention mechanism 54 is pushed in and the plate 101 is pressed.
When the printer 100 is placed horizontally, the upper surface of the pushing plate 101 (the right side plate 2
It becomes easy to place the recording paper 40 on the (7-side surface).
That is, the paper falling prevention mechanism 54
Since the sheet is not provided, the upper surface of the pressing plate 101 is a flat surface, and the recording paper 40 can be easily stacked. Therefore, the recording paper 40 can be accommodated in an organized state, and the accommodation condition of the recording paper 40 can be improved.

In the case of the horizontal installation, when the recording paper 40 is introduced from between the paper discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48 toward the paper discharge section 15, the moving plate 57 is horizontally moved by a slight amount. It is preferable to push the trailing edge of the recording paper 40 into the paper discharge unit 15 by moving it. This allows
The recording paper 40 will be guided to an appropriate position in the paper output unit 15.

In the case of the horizontal installation, the recording paper 40 may be installed in the paper discharge section 15 depending on the size of the recording paper 40.
The leading end of the recording paper 40 may come into contact with the lid 24 of the paper discharge unit 15, and the leading end of the recording paper 40 may be bent. In such a case, it is preferable to introduce the recording paper 40 into the paper discharge section 15 with the lid 24 opened. The lid 24 may be configured to automatically open when the recording paper 40 is introduced into the paper output unit 15.

<Third Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 17, in the printer 110 according to the present embodiment, the partition plate 2 is provided in the paper discharge section 15.
2 is formed so as to incline downward toward the recording unit 17 side, and the partition plate 22 as an introduction wall is provided with a function of changing the transport path of the recording paper 40, so that the path change plate 50 (see FIG. 2). Is omitted.

The partition plate 22 of the printer 110 extends to the vicinity of the right side of the paper discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48, and the tip of the partition plate 22 is located at a position lower than the surface of the platen 34. Therefore, the recording paper 40 that has passed between the paper discharge roller 47 and the spur roller 48 has its transport path gradually changed from the rightward direction to the upward direction as the leading edge of the recording paper 40 moves on the partition plate 22. As described above, in this embodiment, the partition plate 22 of the paper discharge unit 15 forms a part of the transport path.

The partition plate 22 may also serve as the moving plate 57. In this case, the protruding length of a plurality of recording papers having different paper sizes can be made constant, and the take-out work becomes easy. Further, the configuration is simplified, the device can be further downsized, and the cost can be reduced.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in this embodiment, since the partition plate 22 also serves as the path changing plate 50, the path from the platen 34 to the paper discharge unit 15 is shortened, and the time for transporting the recording paper 40 from the platen 34 to the paper discharge unit 15 is reduced. It can be shortened. Further, since it is not necessary to separately provide the path changing plate 50, it is possible to reduce the number of parts related to the printer 1 or downsize the printer 1.

The printer 110 can be installed both vertically and horizontally.

<Fourth Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 18, the printer 111 according to the fourth embodiment inserts the recording paper 40 from the recording unit 17 into the paper discharge unit 15 from the right side of the paper discharge unit 15. It is the one.

In the present embodiment, the paper feeding means of the paper feeding unit 13 is provided with a pushing plate 112 for pushing the lower end of the recording paper 40 to the recording unit 17 side instead of the inclined plate 28. Therefore, the paper feeding means in the present embodiment is composed of the pushing plate 112, the protrusion 29 and the pickup roller 30. The pushing plate 11
2 moves horizontally when the printer 111 is installed vertically, and vertically when the printer 111 is installed horizontally.

Guide plates 113 and 114 for guiding the recording paper 40 between the ink jet head 18 and the platen 34 are provided above the platen 34 of the recording unit 17.

Below the right side plate 117 of the paper discharge unit 15, the recording paper 40 whose conveyance path is changed by the path changing plate 50 is provided.
An introduction port 118 for introducing is formed. In the present embodiment, the drive roller 51 and the counter roller 52 are the inlet 1
18 is provided.

In this embodiment, the printed recording paper 40 is printed.
Are accumulated on the partition plate 20 of the paper discharge unit 15. Therefore, when the surface on which the recording paper 40 is deposited is referred to as a storage side wall surface, the storage side wall surface of the paper feed unit 13 (that is, the left side plate 26) and the storage side wall surface of the paper discharge unit 15 (the partition plate 20) are the same. Will be located on the side (left side of FIG. 17). Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 19, when the printer 111 is placed horizontally, both the accommodation side wall surface of the paper feeding unit 13 and the accommodation side wall surface of the paper ejection unit 15 can be the lower surface. Further, in the case of horizontal installation, the introduction portion of the paper discharge unit 15 is located on the upper side, so that the recording paper 40 can be easily transported to the paper discharge unit 15. Since the gravity can be used when the recording paper 40 is conveyed to the paper discharge unit 15, the recording paper 40 can be more reliably accommodated in the paper discharge unit 15.

In order to facilitate the taking out of the recording paper 40 in the horizontal installation, the partition plate 20 of the paper discharge unit 15 is used.
The inclined plate 11 that inclines upward toward the paper exit 12.
5 may be provided. Further, a protrusion 116 for lifting the leading end of the recording paper 40 may be provided on the inner surface of the lid 24 so that the leading end of the recording paper 40 can be easily grasped with the lid 24 open.

The printer 111 according to the present embodiment can be installed in both vertical and horizontal positions.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Other Embodiments> In each of the above embodiments, the longitudinal direction of the paper feed unit 13 and the paper discharge unit 15 was orthogonal to the bottom surface of the casing 10. However, for example, as shown in FIGS. 20A to 20C, the longitudinal direction of the paper feed unit 13 and the paper discharge unit 15 may be inclined from the bottom surface of the casing 10. However, in order to improve the stability of the apparatus, it is preferable that the paper feed unit 13 and the paper discharge unit 15 are not inclined in the same longitudinal direction. That is, it is preferable that only one of the longitudinal direction of the sheet feeding unit 13 and the longitudinal direction of the sheet discharging unit 15 is inclined or the directions are opposite to each other. In particular,
The angle θ1 formed by the longitudinal direction of the paper feed unit 13 and the bottom surface 90 of the casing 10 is preferably 90 ° to 120 °, and the angle θ2 formed by the longitudinal direction of the paper ejection unit 15 and the bottom surface 90 of the casing 10 is also set. 90 ° to 120 ° is preferable. If the angles θ1 and θ2 are the same value, the left-right symmetry is maintained, and the stability is further improved (FIG. 20).
(See (c)). The paper feed port 11 or the paper discharge port 12 may be opened diagonally upward, and the paper feed unit 13 or the paper discharge unit 15 may extend diagonally upward.

The recording medium is not limited to the recording paper 40, and may be other sheet recording medium such as a film for OHP.

The target of application of the present invention is not limited to the printer, and may be another recording device such as a copying machine or a FAX.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer installed vertically.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of a recording unit.

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of an ink suction mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of a paper discharge unit.

6 (a) to 6 (c) are conceptual diagrams for explaining a raised position of a support plate according to a sheet size.

7A to 7F are front views in the vicinity of a recording unit for explaining a recording paper conveyance path.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view when the printer is installed horizontally.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view when the printer is installed horizontally.

FIG. 10A is a front view of a conventional discharge-side transport mechanism, and FIG. 10B is a front view of the discharge-side transport mechanism according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a modified example of the paper discharge unit.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

13A and 13B are perspective views of a main part of a paper discharge unit.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a flexure state of the recording paper in the paper discharge unit, where (a) is a case where the support plate is horizontal,
(B) shows the case where the support plate is inclined.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer.

20A to 20C are schematic diagrams illustrating the positional relationship among the paper feed unit, the paper discharge unit, and the casing bottom surface.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the vicinity of a recording unit in a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Printer (inkjet recording device) 13 Paper feeder 15 Paper output section 17 Recording section 18 inkjet head 22 Partition board 34 Platen 40 Recording paper (recording medium) 47 paper ejection roller (ejection side conveying means) 48 spur roller (delivery side transport means) 49 Guide plate 50 Route change board (route change means)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B65H 29/20 B65H 29/52 3F101 29/52 31/26 3F102 31/26 B41J 3/04 101Z (72) Inventor Yofuku Yosuke 1006, Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Kazuyuki Nakajima, Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka 1006 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Masaichiro Tachikawa Kadoma, Osaka Daiji Kadoma 1006 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F Term (reference) 2C056 EA21 FA02 FA10 HA28 HA29 HA34 2C058 AB17 AC07 AC11 AE02 AE09 AF25 AF31 AF37 DA11 2C059 BB07 BB10 BB12 BB13 BB13 BB22 DD05 DD13 DD19 3F012 A054 A05A5A4 BA02 BA11 BB01 BG02 3F101 FB12 FE02 FE11 LA07 LB03 3F102 AA11 AB01 BA06 BB02 DA05 EA03 EB02

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet head for performing recording on a recording medium, a platen provided so as to face a head surface of the inkjet head, and a recording medium on which the inkjet head performs recording is conveyed on the platen. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ejecting side conveying means; and a path changing means for changing a conveying direction of the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting side conveying means, wherein the conveying direction of the recording medium in the platen and the conveying direction An ink jet recording apparatus in which a change angle formed by a conveyance direction of a recording medium after the conveyance path is changed by a path changing unit is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °. 2. The path changing means is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the carrying direction, and is constituted by a plate-like member inclined toward the inkjet head side from the platen side toward the downstream side of the carrying direction. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the path changing unit is constituted by a curved plate provided on the downstream side of the platen in the transport direction. 4. The path changing means rotates the plate-like body provided downstream of the platen in the transport direction and the plate-like body after the head portion of the recording medium moves onto the plate-like body. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism that changes a transport direction. 5. The path changing means is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the carrying direction and extends in parallel to the carrying direction of the discharge-side carrying means, and the leading portion of the recording medium is on the plate. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a drive mechanism that rotates the plate-shaped body after the movement to change a transport direction. 6. The route changing means is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the conveying direction and is located at the introduction portion parallel to the conveying direction of the discharge side conveying means, and is located on the downstream side of the introducing portion and has a change angle. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is configured by a curved plate having a direction changing portion of 0 ° or more and less than 180 °. 7. An inkjet head for performing recording on a recording medium, a platen provided so as to face the head surface of the inkjet head, and a recording medium on which the inkjet head has performed recording is conveyed on the platen. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ejecting side conveying means; and a path changing means for changing a conveying direction of the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting side conveying means, wherein the conveying direction of the recording medium in the platen and the conveying direction The change angle formed by the conveyance direction of the recording medium after the conveyance route is changed by the route changing unit is 0 ° or more and less than 180 °, and the route changing unit combines a curved shape or a curved shape or a linear shape. An inkjet recording apparatus having a configuration including a shape in which the angle gradually changes. 8. An inkjet head for performing recording on a recording medium, a platen provided so as to face a head surface of the inkjet head, and a recording medium on which the inkjet head has performed recording is conveyed on the platen. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ejection-side conveying means; and a path changing means for changing a conveying direction of the recording medium conveyed by the discharging-side conveying means, wherein the path changing means is a head of the recording medium. An ink jet recording apparatus that changes the transport direction of the leading portion of a recording medium after a unit has entered the route changing unit and before the leading portion of the recording medium leaves the route changing unit. 9. The path changing means introduces the recording medium substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the discharge side conveying means until the leading portion of the recording medium enters the path changing means, and the leading portion of the recording medium is The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transport direction of the leading portion of the recording medium is changed before the path changing unit is removed. 10. The change angle is 110 ° or more and 130 °
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: 11. The discharge-side conveying means conveys a recording medium on the platen on which a recording has been performed by the inkjet head to the path changing means, and a facing roller provided so as to face the conveying roller. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the facing roller is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the transport direction and is constituted by a plurality of rollers arranged at intervals in the axial direction. 13. An ejecting-side accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting-side conveying means, and a pushing-in means for pushing the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting-side conveying means into the ejecting-side accommodating portion. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1. 14. A device casing having a supply port and a discharge port opening upward or obliquely upward and extending in the up-down direction; and a device casing extending in the up-down direction or obliquely up-down direction and being continuous with the supply port, and supplied from the supply port. A supply side accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium, a supply side conveying means for conveying the recording medium in the supply side accommodating portion from the supply side accommodating portion and conveying the recording medium to the platen, and extending in a vertical direction or an obliquely vertical direction. And a discharge-side accommodating portion that is continuous with the discharge outlet and accommodates the recording medium conveyed by the discharge-side conveying means, and a conveyance path from the supply-side accommodating portion through the platen to the discharge-side accommodating portion is substantially The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, which is formed in a U shape. 15. An introduction wall is provided, which has an introduction wall for introducing a recording medium on which recording is performed by an inkjet head, and a discharge-side accommodation section for partially accommodating the recording medium, the introduction wall being provided. Is provided on the downstream side of the platen in the transport direction and is inclined toward the downstream side of the transport direction from the platen side toward the inkjet head side, and the path changing means is constituted by the introduction wall. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of 1 to 12. 16. A device casing having a supply port and a discharge port opening upward or obliquely upward and extending in the up-down direction; and a device casing extending in the up-down direction or obliquely up-down direction and continuous with the supply port, and is supplied from the supply port. And a supply side conveying means for sending out the recording medium in the supply side accommodating section from the supply side accommodating section and conveying it to the platen. 16. The transport path that extends in the vertical direction or diagonally up and down and is continuous with the discharge port, and has a substantially U-shaped transport path extending from the supply-side storage section to the discharge-side storage section via the platen. Inkjet recording device. 17. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a pushing unit that pushes the recording medium conveyed by the discharge side conveying unit into the discharge side containing unit. 18. The ejecting-side accommodating portion has a wall surface that comes into contact with a part of the recording medium conveyed by the ejecting-side conveying means, and the pushing means removes the recording medium after the recording medium comes into contact with the wall surface. 2. Pushing into the discharge side accommodation section.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to 3 or 17. 19. A discharge side conveying means conveys a recording medium in a horizontal direction or a diagonal horizontal direction, and a discharge side accommodating portion extends vertically or obliquely in a vertical direction, and the recording medium is sent out by the discharge side conveying means. The pressing means has a wall surface that comes into contact with the head portion of the medium, and the pushing means pushes the rear end portion of the recording medium toward the wall surface side, so that the trailing end portion of the contact portion of the recording medium is an axis center of the recording medium. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 13 or 17, wherein the contact portion is rotated.