JP2002347303A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly reliable imaging apparatus exhibiting excellent operability and providing excellent convenience to a user. SOLUTION: A printer 1 comprises a front panel 20 having a substantially planar major surface constituting one side of a housing and provided with an opening for fixing a sheet feed tray 40 containing sheets being fed removably to the body and an opening for discharging a printed sheet, and a sheet discharge door 50 fixed to the front panel 20 to be opened/closed freely and being opened in order to discharge a printed sheet from the sheet discharge opening. The sheet discharge door 50 functions as an auxiliary sheet discharge tray under open state and stacks printed sheets discharged from the sheet discharge opening on the upper surface thereof.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an ink jet printer for forming an image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of terminal devices such as personal computers in general consumer life, printer devices for printing, as documents, image information including character information created by these terminal devices have become widespread. ing. An image forming apparatus typified by such a printer usually has a structure in which a sheet feeding tray for storing sheets to be fed is detachable. When the image forming apparatus is of a type that performs printing by an ink jet method, the ink tank is detachable so that the ink tank can be replaced. In the image forming apparatus, the printing operation can be performed in a state in which the paper feed tray storing the papers is mounted on the main body, and the printed paper fed from the paper feed tray is punched in a part of the main body. The paper is discharged from the paper discharge port. The user needs an operation of replenishing paper to the paper feed tray and replacing the ink tank as necessary.

[0003]

By the way, as a conventional image forming apparatus, for example, there is one in which a paper feed tray is provided outside a main body. Was not excellent. Further, even when a paper feed tray is provided inside the main body, the image forming apparatus has no airtightness from a paper discharge port to a printing unit such as a recording head.
There was a high possibility that dust and the like would get inside the main body. As a result, the image forming apparatus has a problem in that, due to dust and the like adhering to the inside of the main body, for example, the nozzles of the recording head, printing defects and an increase in the number of maintenances of the nozzles are caused, resulting in a lack of reliability. Was.

In recent years, so-called AV (Audio / Vi
sual) Attempts have been made to build a network connecting devices and personal computers. In view of such circumstances, an image forming apparatus such as a printer used as a peripheral device of a personal computer is also required.
It is desirable to use it in a rack or the like together with other AV equipment. Here, the AV equipment is usually stored in a rack or the like so as to be easily and organized, as can be seen as a typical example of the mounting relationship between a television and a VCR.
Many have a stackable structure.

[0005] However, the image forming apparatus does not have a structure on which an object can be placed on the upper surface, and does not have a structure capable of being stacked and stored like other AV equipment. Therefore, the image forming apparatus requires a large installation area. Further, as described above, the image forming apparatus needs to supply and replace the paper and the ink tank. However, in order to perform the maintenance, when the image forming apparatus is housed in the rack, the image forming apparatus may be removed from the rack. Need to be
The user is required to perform complicated work.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an image forming apparatus which is highly reliable, has excellent operability, and can provide excellent convenience to users. It is the purpose.

[0007]

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, and stores a sheet to be fed. A paper tray means for attaching and detaching the paper tray means to and from the main body, and a paper discharge port for discharging printed paper, are provided, and have a substantially planar main surface. An outer panel constituting one surface of an outer casing, and a paper discharge panel which is attached to the outer panel so as to be openable and closable so as to close at least the paper discharge port, and is opened to discharge printed paper from the paper discharge port. A door is provided, and the discharge door functions as auxiliary discharge tray means when opened, and stacks printed sheets discharged from the discharge port on the upper surface.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the paper feed tray is attached to and detached from the main body via the outer panel constituting one surface of the outer casing, and the paper discharge from the opened paper discharge door. It is possible to take out the paper from the mouth.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is of a type for printing by an ink jet system, and is applied to a printer device having a so-called serial head shorter than the page width of a recording medium. is there. As shown in FIG.
Forms a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing, and includes a front panel 20 which is an operation surface that requires user operations such as attachment and detachment of a paper feed tray, removal of paper from a paper ejection outlet, and replacement of an ink tank. An object can be placed on the upper surface by providing it on one surface facing the user and making the upper surface substantially flat. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, one side of the printer device 1 facing the user is the front side, and the right and left sides when the front panel 20 is viewed from the front are the right side and the left side, respectively. Surface.

As schematically shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 has a cover 10 which forms the upper surface and both side surfaces of the printer 1 when one surface facing the user is the front, and a front 10 , A main body 30 that forms the bottom and back of the printer device 1, a paper feed tray 40 that is a paper feed tray unit for storing paper to be fed, and a paper feed tray 40 that will be described later. A paper discharge door 50 that covers the paper discharge port 22, and an ink replacement door 6 for replacing ink tanks 100a and 100b described below.
0, and at least a paper discharge tray 70 that is a paper discharge tray means for discharging printed paper,
An optional device 80 for realizing various extended functions described later is provided as needed.

The cover 10 forms the upper surface and both side surfaces of the printer device 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and at least the surface forming the upper surface is substantially flat. Cover 10
Is mounted after being positioned with respect to the main body 30 to form an outer casing of the printer device 1.

The front panel 20 forms a front surface of the printer device 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a substantially planar main surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the front panel 20 includes a paper feed tray attaching / detaching opening 21 for attaching / detaching the paper feeding tray 40 to / from the main body 30, and a paper ejection opening 22 for discharging printed sheets. , Ink tanks 100a, 10
0b, an optional device attachment / detachment port 24 for attaching / detaching the optional device 80 to / from the main body 30, and a switch group 90 as at least one or more operators for various operations. A switch opening 25 for exposing, and a lamp group 9 as at least one or more light emitting elements for informing various states of the printer device 1
At least a lamp opening 26 for exposing the lamp 1 to the outside is provided.

The switch group 90 includes, for example, a power switch of the printer 1 and operation switches for performing various other operations such as mode switching. The lamp group 91 includes, for example, a status lamp indicating that the power is ON, a status lamp indicating that printing is being performed, a notification that a sheet is jammed in the main body 30, and the ink tanks 100a and 100b. It is composed of a warning lamp or the like for notifying that the replacement is necessary. For example, the printer device 1 detects that a paper jam has occurred by a sensor provided inside the main body 30, and controls lighting of a lamp that notifies that the paper has jammed inside the main body 30. At this time, as described later, the printer device 1 uses a blinking pattern, a lighting color, or the like to indicate whether a paper jam has occurred during the paper feeding operation or a paper jam has occurred during the paper discharging operation. It is equipped with a plurality of lamps corresponding to each situation. Further, the printer device 1 electrically counts the amount of ink discharged from the ink tanks 100a and 100b. When the counted amount of discharged ink becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity, the ink tanks 100a and 100b are counted.
The lamp for notifying that replacement of 00b is necessary is controlled. At this time, the printer device 1
A lamp which notifies that the replacement of the ink tanks 100a and 100b is necessary, blinks to indicate which of the color ink tank 100a and the black and white ink tank 100b needs to be replaced. Change the pattern, lighting color, etc., and change the ink tanks 100a, 100
A plurality of lamps corresponding to b are mounted. The printer device 1 may be provided with a lamp as a lamp group 91 for urging the opened paper discharge door 50 to be closed as needed. In this case, the printer device 1 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not sheets are stacked on the upper surface of the opened sheet discharging door 50, and turns on a lamp when the sheets are opened without being stacked. Lighting control may be performed.

The front panel 20 has a main body 3
The printer device 1 is mounted after being positioned with respect to 0, and forms an outer casing of the printer device 1. As will be described later, a paper discharge door 50 is attached to the front panel 20 so as to cover the paper discharge port 22, and an ink replacement door 60 is mounted so as to cover the ink exchange port 23.

The main body 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped printer device 1.
To form a bottom surface and a back surface. That is, the printer device 1 forms at least a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing by the cover 10, the front panel 20, and the main body 30. It should be noted that the printer 1 has a cover 1
It goes without saying that the specifications of the cover 10, the front panel 20, and the main body 30 are determined so that no trouble occurs even if the cover 10 is mounted on the upper surface of the main body 30. Body 30
Although details will be described later, the ink tank carriage 111 is used as an internal driving mechanism when performing the printing operation.
A head unit driving mechanism 31 for transporting and driving a head unit 110 configured by mounting ink tanks 100a and 100b in the paper width direction, and an ink tank 1
00a and 100b when replacing the ink tank 100
An ink tank driving mechanism 32 for transporting and driving the sheets a and 100b, and a sheet reversing driving mechanism 33 for reversing the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray 40 and sending it to the printing unit by the head unit 110 are provided. Also, the main body 30
Although not shown here, as an additional mechanism, a paper discharge door opening mechanism for opening the paper discharge door 50 in a state where the paper discharge port 22 is closed is provided therein, A lock mechanism is provided for preventing the user from manually opening the ink replacement door 60 with the ink replacement port 23 closed. Furthermore, the main body 30
Has an electric control unit 34 for supplying and controlling power to at least the switch group 90 and the lamp group 91 described above, and various other electric systems (not shown). Further, the main body 30 may have an automatic paper discharge mechanism for automatically discharging jammed paper, though not shown, as described later.

The main body 30 is, as shown in FIG.
Inside, from the front surface where the front panel 20 is mounted to the printing section, the paper feed tray 40 is formed so as to have at least a space where the paper feed tray 40 is mounted and a space where the paper is discharged. That is, in the main body 30, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 is disposed on the right side and along the right side inside the main body 30, and the electric control unit 34 is disposed on the left side and along the left side. The head unit driving mechanism 31 and the sheet reversing driving mechanism 33 are disposed on the rear side and along the rear side, so that the central unit can feed and discharge paper. Is provided. In the printer device 1,
The space in which the paper feed tray 40 is mounted is the front panel 20.
Has a structure in which the space through which paper is discharged communicates with the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20.

Further, in the printer 1, the space where the paper is discharged is a space where the user inserts his hand to take out the paper when the paper is jammed inside the main body 30. That is, when a paper jam occurs in the process of discharging paper inside the main body 30,
The paper can be removed by inserting a hand through the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. Furthermore, as will be described later, a jammed paper removal opening 35 for removing the paper when the paper jam occurs in the process of feeding the paper is formed in the main body 30 on the rear side. Have been. The main body 30 has a maintenance lamp, which is a light emitting element that emits light when a paper jam occurs, as described later. That is, the main body 30 illuminates the interior when a paper jam occurs with this lamp so that the user can easily recognize the inside when the user inserts his hand to remove the jammed paper. This lamp can be replaced by light emission of a sensor provided inside the main body 30 such as a sensor (not shown) for detecting the type of paper to be printed, specifically, the width of the paper.

As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed tray 40 is provided through the paper feed tray attaching / detaching opening 21 of the front panel 20.
It is attached to the main body 30. Further, the paper feed tray 40 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), it can be detachably detached from the main body 30 by being pulled out to the front through the paper feed tray attaching / detaching opening 21. As shown in the figure, the paper feed tray 40 has a substantially box shape and stores a plurality of sheets. At this time, the paper is positioned in accordance with the size and stored in the paper feed tray 40. The printer device 1 is in a state in which paper can be replenished by pulling out the paper feed tray 40, and in a state in which printing can be performed by mounting the paper feed tray 40 in the state shown in FIG. Is done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge door 50 has a flat plate shape having a substantially planar main surface, and is provided so as to cover the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. Specifically, the paper discharge door 50 is magnetically attracted by a magnet provided inside the main body 30 so as to face the back side (not shown) of the button 51, and comes into contact with the front panel 20,
The paper discharge port 22 is covered. Printer device 1
By providing the paper discharge door 50, the possibility that dust and the like enter the inside of the main body 30 from the paper discharge port 22 can be remarkably reduced, and a sense of quality can be visually felt. . Further, as described later, when the printing operation is started, a driving force in a direction against the magnetic attraction force of the magnet is applied to the paper discharge door 50 by the paper discharge door opening mechanism inside the main body 30, as described later. As shown in FIG.
Is released by its own weight in the direction of arrow a with the fulcrum as a fulcrum. That is, the paper discharge door 50 has the gear portion 52 rotatably attached to the front panel 20 via a pin (not shown), and can be opened and closed about the pin as a rotation center.
When the paper discharge door 50 is opened, the paper discharge port 22 is exposed to the printer device 1. In the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 6, in a state where the paper discharge door 50 is opened, the printed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port 22 and is released from a paper discharge tray 70 described later. The sheets are stacked over the upper surface of the paper discharge door 50. Therefore, when the sheet discharging door 50 is opened, it also plays a role as an auxiliary sheet discharging tray in cooperation with the sheet discharging tray 70. The opened paper discharge door 50 is manually closed by the user at a desired time after the printing operation is completed, but is automatically closed after confirming that the paper is not placed. Such a configuration may be adopted.

Here, the paper printed by the printer 1 is discharged based on the right side when the front panel 20 is viewed from the front. In other words, in the printer apparatus 1, although printing is performed on a sheet having a width that is significantly shorter than the width in the longitudinal direction of the paper discharge port 22, such as a postcard-size sheet, although not illustrated, By storing the paper based on the right side of the paper feed tray 40, FIG.
As shown in (1), the printed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port 22 on the basis of the right side. For this reason, in the printer device 1, when a paper jam occurs in the process of discharging the paper, there is a variation depending on the paper size and other conditions. Expected to be high. Therefore, in the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge port 22 is formed in a shape in which the length of the right side in the height direction is increased. That is, in the printer device 1, the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 is provided on the front panel 20.
Is provided not in the right side area of the opening part which is originally a part of the paper discharge port 22 but in the upper left area, so that the volume of the right side part of the paper discharge port 22 is provided large. As described above, in the printer device 1, the maintenance space for removing the jammed paper in the process of discharging the paper can be made larger, and even if the paper having the minimum size is jammed, the user can use it. The paper can be easily taken out. The printer device 1 is provided with a configuration for guiding external illumination light to the inside of the main body 30 such that all or part of the back surface of the paper discharge door 50 is a mirror surface, as described later. be able to. That is, the printer device 1 guides external illumination light to the inside of the main body 30 so that the user can easily recognize the inside when the user inserts his / her hand to remove the jammed paper. Can be illuminated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink replacement door 60 has a substantially planar main surface and is provided so as to cover the ink replacement port 23 of the front panel 20. Specifically, the ink replacement door 60 is configured such that the support portion 62 shown in FIG. 8 is rotatably attached to the front panel 20 via a pin (not shown), and is openable and closable about the pin as a rotation center. When the push button 61 is fitted into the notch 27 provided in the front panel 20, the ink exchange port 23 is covered. FIG. 8 shows a view of the ink replacement door 60 as viewed from the back side. When replacing the ink tanks 100a and 100b, the ink replacement door 60 is opened in the direction of arrow b with the support 62 as a fulcrum, as shown in FIG. Specifically, in the printer device 1, the ink tanks 100a, 100
When the user presses the push button 61 at the time of replacing b, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 inside the main body 30 is operated as described later, and the ink tanks 100a and 100a are provided inside the main body 30. The ink replacement box 120 on which the ink cartridge 100b is mounted is moved toward the ink replacement port 23. Then, in the printer device 1, the side wall 120 a facing the ink exchange port 23 side of the ink exchange box 120 abuts on the ink exchange door 60 to push the ink exchange door 60 to the outside. And exert a force. Along with this,
In the printer 1, the ink replacement door 60 is opened as shown in FIG.
a is also released from the other side wall of the ink replacement box 120 and opened, and the ink replacement box 120 equipped with the ink tank 100a (and / or the ink tank 100b) is exposed to the outside. In this state, the user can replace a desired ink tank.

The printer device 1 is, for example, CMY
A color ink tank 100a filled with (cyan, magenta, yellow) ink and a black / white ink tank 100b filled with K (black) ink can be mounted in the ink replacement box 120.

In the printer device 1, when the replacement of the ink tank 100a (or the ink tank 100b) is completed, the user presses the push button 61 to cause the ink tank driving mechanism 3 inside the main body 30 to be described later.
2 is activated, and the ink replacement box 120 is
Ink tank carriage 111 provided inside
, The ink replacement door 60 closes the ink replacement port 23 as shown in FIG. In the printer device 1, when the ink replacement box 120 reaches the ink tank carriage 111 inside the main body 30, the ink tanks 100 a, 1
00b is mounted on the ink tank carriage 111.
The printer 1 has a structure in which the ink exchange door 60 with the ink exchange port 23 closed is not opened even if the user tries to manually open the ink exchange door 23 by a lock mechanism inside the main body 30 described later. .

As shown schematically in FIG. 10, the paper discharge tray 70 is generally disposed above the paper feed tray 40 mounted inside the main body 30 (not shown) so as to cover the main surface thereof. Together with the paper ejection door 50 in the state, the paper ejection path of the printed paper sent out from the right side in FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the sheet ejection tray 70 has an area where the edge on the side where the sheet ejection door 50 is provided overlaps the edge of the opened sheet ejection door 50 in the vertical direction. And the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 70 is disposed above the upper surface of the open paper discharge door 50. As described above, the printer apparatus 1 vertically overlaps the edge of the paper discharge tray 70 and the edge of the opened paper discharge door 50, thereby allowing the paper discharge tray 70 and the paper discharge door 50 to overlap each other. It is possible to prevent a gap from being generated therebetween, and by positioning the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 70 above the upper surface of the open paper discharge door 50, the printed paper can be discharged from the paper discharge tray 70. The step at the boundary of the paper door 50 can be prevented from being blocked as a barrier. Therefore, in the printer device 1, it is possible to smoothly discharge the sheet to the outside. As shown in FIG. 12, the paper discharge tray 70 can be detachably detached from the main body 30 by being pulled out through the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. In the printer device 1, as shown in the figure, the paper discharge tray 70 is adjusted and mounted so that a part thereof is exposed from the main body 30, so that the length of the paper in the paper discharge direction is long, for example. When performing printing on a sheet, it is possible to prevent the discharged sheet from falling off the printer device 1.

The optional device 80, which will be described later in detail, is attached to the main body 30 as necessary, and is, for example, an extension unit that functions as an interface between the printer device 1 and an external device. The optional device 80 is configured by covering a substrate (not shown) with a metal case having a shielding property. The optional device 80 is, as shown in FIG.
Through an optional device attachment / detachment port 0, the slot is detachably attached to a slot attached to the front panel 20 inside the main body 30 (not shown). Here, as will be described later, a panel 28 having substantially the same shape as the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 is attached to the optional device 80, and the panel is used to attach / detach the slot.

As shown in FIG. 14, the printer 1 is provided with a cover 36 on the back of the printer 1 to cover the above-described jammed paper removing port 35.
The lid 36 is detachable from the main body 30.
In the printer device 1, when the lid 36 is removed, as shown in FIG. 15, the above-described paper inversion drive mechanism 33 for sending out the paper fed from the paper feed tray 40 to the paper discharge path is externally provided. It is made visible. If the paper jams inside the main body 30 before the paper is sent to the paper ejection path, the user removes the cover 36 and inserts a hand through the jammed paper removal port 35 to remove the paper. Can be.

Further, the printer device 1 is provided with a power cord insertion section 37 for inserting a power cord on the back surface.
In the printer device 1, the power cord insertion portion 37
Power is supplied from a household outlet (outlet) via the. Further, the printer device 1 is, for example, a so-called USB (Universal Serial Bus) or IEEE (Inst
IEEE Std. 13 approved by the itute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
94-1995: IEEE Standard for a High Performance seria
l A bus connection unit 38 for connecting a serial bus conforming to IEEE 1394 in which various standards are drafted based on the Bus standard is provided. The printer device 1 can be connected to a host computer or the like via the bus connection unit 38 and can receive image data to be printed and transmit and receive various control signals.

Next, various driving mechanisms inside the main body 30 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, the main body 30 includes a head unit driving mechanism 3 as various driving mechanisms inside.
1, an ink tank driving mechanism 32, and a paper reversing driving mechanism 33.

The head unit driving mechanism 31 includes a main body 30
The head unit 110 is reciprocated in a direction indicated by an arrow c in FIG. 3 using a drive motor or the like (not shown) as a drive source around a shaft 31a provided on both side surfaces of the head. More specifically, when the printing operation is not performed, the head unit driving mechanism 31 is disposed on the right side of the main body 30 where an ink tank driving mechanism 32 described later is disposed, as shown in FIG. The head unit 110 is moved so that the unit 110 is located. Head unit 11
0 means that the position is the home position. The head unit driving mechanism 31 reciprocates the head carriage 111 in the direction of arrow c in FIG. That is, in the printer device 1, the ink tanks 100a, 100a,
The serial head type printing operation is performed by reciprocatingly driving the head unit 110 on which 0b is mounted in the paper width direction. In the printer device 1, the ink tanks 100a and 100b are provided with a main body 30.
Is provided with a driving element (not shown) that is driven under the control of a control section (not shown) provided in the inside of the ink tank. Discharge ink.

The ink tank driving mechanism 32 moves the ink exchange box 120 in the direction of arrow d in FIG. Drive back and forth. Specifically, as described above, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 operates when the user presses the push button 61, and operates the ink tanks 100a and 100b mounted on the head unit 110 and requiring replacement. The ink exchange box 120 is mounted on the ink exchange box 120 and is moved toward the ink exchange port 23. At this time, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 can expose the ink replacement box 120 to the outside in about several seconds from the state where the ink replacement box 120 is closest to the head unit 110. When the replacement of the ink tanks 100a and 100b is completed, the user presses the push button 61 again to operate the ink tank drive mechanism 32 to move the ink replacement box 120 toward the head unit 110. When a predetermined load is applied when moving the ink replacement box 120 toward the head unit 110, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 detects the load and detects the load. A mechanism for stopping the movement is provided. Accordingly, in the printer device 1, even if the ink replacement door 60 is about to be closed while the user inserts a finger into the ink replacement port 23, the movement of the ink replacement box 120 is promptly performed. Is stopped, and the ink tank driving mechanism 32 is opened so that the ink replacement door 60 is opened.
Can be activated.

During the printing operation, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 controls the ink exchanging box 120 to operate the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130, a part of which is shown in FIG. It reciprocates in the direction of arrow d in the figure.
That is, in the printer device 1, as described above, when the printing operation is started, the paper discharge door 50 is opened, and a driving force for this opening is generated by the movement of the ink replacement box 120. . The paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 will be described later.

Further, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 has the above-described lock mechanism, and opens the ink replacement door 60 in accordance with the transport position of the ink replacement box 120. That is, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 prevents the ink replacement door 60 from being opened even when the user manually opens the ink replacement door 60 except when the ink tanks 100a and 100b are replaced. This lock mechanism will also be described later.

When the printing operation is started, the paper reversing drive mechanism 33 uses a driving motor or the like (not shown) as a driving source and a roller 33b supported by a shaft 33a extending over both side surfaces of the main body 30 as a driving source. Rotate in the direction of e. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33 rotates the roller 33b in the direction of arrow f in FIG.
The paper P is turned over by being wound from the lower part of the roller 3b and sent out from the upper part of the roller 33b to the printing part PL by the head unit 110. The paper reversing drive mechanism 33 includes:
The head unit 1 is driven by the head unit driving mechanism 31.
10 is moved, and when the ink droplets ejected from the ink tanks 100a and 100b print one line on the paper P, the rollers 33b are rotated by a predetermined angle. Each time, the roller 33b is sequentially rotated and sent out to the paper discharge path.

A printer 1 having such components
Performs the printing operation as follows.

First, in the printer device 1, the user operates the switch group 90 exposed from the front panel 20.
Turn on the power by pressing the power switch at
By pulling out the paper feed tray 40 from the paper feed tray attachment / detachment opening 21 of the front panel 20, storing a predetermined number of sheets, and pushing the paper feed tray 40 in, the paper feed tray 40
Is attached to the main body 30. Then, in the printer device 1, one end of the sheet is pressed against the reversing roller 33 b of the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33. Further, in the printer device 1, if necessary, the user presses the push button 6
By pressing 1, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 is operated, and the ink tanks 100a and 100b are replaced via the ink replacement door 60 of the opened front panel 20.

In the printing apparatus 1, when the preparation for the printing operation is completed in this way and the printing operation is started,
The sheet discharging door opening mechanism 130 is operated to open the sheet discharging door 50, and the roller 33 b is rotated by the operation of the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33, so that one sheet is sent out from the sheet feeding tray 40. It is.

Subsequently, in the printer 1, the sheet which has been inverted and sent out by the operation of the sheet inversion drive mechanism 33 is sent out to the printing section. Then, in the printer device 1, the head unit drive mechanism 31 operates at a predetermined timing to move the head unit 110, and ejects ink droplets from nozzles (not shown) of the ink tanks 100a and 100b to land on paper. By doing so, information including characters and / or images is printed on the paper by dots. In the printer device 1, the sheets are sequentially sent out by the operation of the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33, discharged from the discharge port 22 of the front panel 20, and the upper surface of the discharge door 50 opened from the discharge tray 70. Stacked over.

The printer device 1 generates a print by performing such an operation. As described above, since the printer device 1 can perform all main operations via the front panel 20, the printer device 1 can freely use the upper surface which is a flat surface. Can be. That is, the printer device 1 can be stored in a stack with other AV devices.

As described above, the printer apparatus 1 has, as the lamp group 91, a warning lamp for notifying that a sheet is jammed inside the main body 30. This warning lamp is capable of notifying whether paper has been jammed before printing or whether the paper has jammed during or after printing. That is, the warning lamp can identifiably notify whether a paper jam has occurred during the paper feeding operation or a paper jam has occurred during the paper discharging operation. On this occasion,
The printer device 1 detects whether a paper jam has occurred before printing, during printing, or after printing by at least one detecting means such as a sensor. The following can be considered as this detection method.

First, in the first method, at least one sensor is provided as a detecting means, which is capable of discriminating the front / rear position of the printing portion PL in the traveling direction of the sheet, and the position at which the paper jam has occurred by this sensor is provided. It is to detect.

[0043] For example, the printer apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 18, a portion of the feed path of the sheet P is reversed by the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33, it is conceivable to provide a sensor SS _BF. The sensor SS _BF is capable of detecting whether or not the sheet P exists at the corresponding position where the sheet P has been installed. When the sheet P is not sent out from the corresponding position, an error signal is generated.

When the paper P is fed from the paper feed tray 40, the printer 1 is normally sent out for a predetermined time.
Therefore, the printer apparatus 1 detects that the sheet P has not reached the corresponding position within a predetermined time after the start of feeding of the sheet P from the sheet feed tray 40 by the sensor SS _BF , and Even after the lapse of a predetermined time, the sensor P determines that the sheet P has not been sent out from the corresponding position.
When it is detected by the S _BF is before printing, that is, determines that the paper jam during the sheet feeding operation has occurred and generates an error signal by the sensor SS _BF. The printer apparatus 1 controls the lighting operation of the warning lamp in the lamp group 91 by the electric control unit 34 based on the error signal from the sensor SS _BF .

On the other hand, the printer 1 has a sensor SS _BF
When the sheet P that has passed the corresponding position reaches the printing section PL, the head unit 110 is moved by the head unit driving mechanism 31, and printing is started. At that time, if an abnormal situation occurs during printing and the printing operation and the paper discharging operation are stopped, the printer apparatus 1 determines that a paper jam has occurred during printing, that is, during the paper discharging operation, The electric control unit 34 controls to perform a lighting operation different from the above-described lighting operation of the warning lamp when a paper jam occurs during the paper feeding operation. For example, in the printer 1, as described above, the blinking pattern such as the blinking interval of the warning lamp and / or the lighting color or the like changes depending on whether the paper jam has occurred before or during printing. Let it. Further, the printer device 1 may be provided with a plurality of lamps that are turned on depending on whether a paper jam has occurred before or during printing as a warning lamp.

It should be noted that the printer 1 has a sensor SS _BF
The paper reversing drive mechanism 33 is provided at a part of the paper feeding path of the paper P to be reversed by the paper reversing drive mechanism 33 so that it is not possible to detect whether the paper P exists at the corresponding position. May be used to detect a load applied to a drive motor (not shown) that supplies a drive source for driving the motor. That is, in the printer device 1, the operation of the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33 is usually hindered due to the bending of the sheet due to a paper jam, and as a result, the load on the drive motor increases. When the printer SS 1 uses the sensor SS _BF to detect that a load greater than or equal to a predetermined allowable value is applied to the drive motor, the printer 1 determines that a paper jam has occurred before printing and supplies The paper operation may be stopped, and an error signal generated by the sensor SS _BF may be generated.

As described above, the printing apparatus 1 includes the printing section P
L, at least one sensor SS _BF that can determine the front-back position of the sheet in the traveling direction of the sheet L.
S _{B F} by can detect the position where the paper jam has occurred, based on the error signal by the sensor SS _BF, by controlling the lighting operation of the warning lamp, the paper at any state during the printing before or printing It can be notified whether clogging has occurred.

Next, the second method is to use
Sensor SS according to the first method described _BFIn addition to
At least one sensor is provided and these sensors
The position where the paper jam has occurred is detected.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, the printer apparatus 1 includes a sensor SS _BF at a part of the paper feed path of the paper P to be inverted by the paper inversion drive mechanism 33 and a printing unit. The sensor SS _AF is provided near the PL.
Each of the sensors SS _BF and SS _AF is capable of detecting whether or not the sheet P exists at the corresponding position where the sensor P is located. If the paper P is not sent out from the corresponding position even after the elapse, an error signal is generated.

As described above, when detecting that a paper jam has occurred before printing using the sensor SS _BF , the printer 1 generates an error signal by the sensor SS _BF .

On the other hand, the printer 1 has a sensor SS _BF
When the sheet P that has passed the corresponding position reaches the corresponding position of the sensor SS _AF , the head unit 110 is moved by the head unit driving mechanism 31 and printing is started.
Therefore, the printer device 1, although the paper P sheet P has reached the printing unit PL within a predetermined time, by what the sensor SS _AF even after a predetermined time has elapsed the sheet P is not fed out from the corresponding position If it is detected, it is determined that a paper jam has occurred during or after printing, that is, during the paper discharging operation, and an error signal is generated by the sensor _SSAF .

Note that the printer 1 has a sensor SS _AF
For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the above-described sensor for detecting the type of paper to be printed can be used instead. That is, the printer device 1 includes the head unit 1
A sensor SS _AF for detecting the width of a sheet to be printed is provided at a position corresponding to the printing section PL, which is a part of the ink tank carriage 111 in FIG.
_The head unit drive mechanism 31 moves the head unit 110 to a corresponding position based on the detection result by _AF , and starts printing. The printer 1 may use the sensor SS _AF to detect whether or not a paper jam has occurred during the paper discharging operation.

Further, the printer 1 is provided with a sensor SS _AF
A drive motor (not shown) that is provided near the printing unit PL and does not detect whether or not the sheet P exists at the corresponding position but supplies a drive source for driving the head unit drive mechanism 31 What detects the applied load may be used. That is, as described above, when a paper jam occurs, the printer apparatus 1 causes trouble not only in the operation of the paper inversion drive mechanism 33 but also in the operation of the head unit drive mechanism 31, and as a result, the load on the drive motor becomes large. Become. When the printer SS 1 uses the sensor _SSAF to detect that a load greater than or equal to a predetermined allowable value is applied to the drive motor, the printer 1 determines that a paper jam has occurred during or after printing. Alternatively, the sheet discharging operation may be stopped, and an error signal may be generated by the sensor SS _AF .

The printer device 1 has such a sensor SS
The lighting operation of the warning lamp in the lamp group 91 is controlled by the electric control unit 34 based on the error signal by _BF , SS _AF . For example, in the printer device 1,
As described above, a blinking pattern such as a blinking interval of a warning lamp and / or a lighting color or the like is changed depending on whether a paper jam occurs before printing, during printing, or after printing. Further, the printer device 1 may include a plurality of warning lamps that are turned on depending on whether a paper jam has occurred before printing, during printing, or after printing.

As described above, the printing apparatus 1 includes the printing section P
At least two sensors _SS BF allows determining the longitudinal position of the traveling direction of the paper with respect to L, and provided _{SS AF,} these sensors _SS BF, it is possible to detect the position where the paper jam has occurred by _{SS AF,} these Sensor SS
By controlling the lighting operation of the warning lamp based on the error signal by the _BF and SS _AF , it is possible to notify whether the paper jam has occurred before printing, during printing, or after printing.

The third method is as follows.
The position at which the paper jam has occurred is detected by combining the detection result of at least one sensor for detecting that a paper jam has occurred with the detection result of the sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a print signal.

Specifically, the printer device 1 is, for example,
Using a sensor provided at a part of the above-described paper feeding path or paper discharging path, a sensor for detecting a load applied to a driving motor for driving the above-described head unit driving mechanism 31 or the paper reversing driving mechanism 33, or the like. Then, it is detected that a paper jam has occurred. The printer device 1 does not need to determine the position where the paper jam has occurred by using this sensor alone, but only needs to detect the occurrence of the paper jam. The printer device 1 determines whether or not a print signal has been generated, that is,
Whether or not the ink is discharged from the ink tanks 100a and 100b is detected by a control unit (not shown) or the like.

When only an error signal is generated by a sensor for detecting that a paper jam has occurred, the printer 1 determines that a paper jam has occurred before printing, and the electric control unit 34 causes the lamp group 91 to emit light. The lighting operation of the warning lamp is controlled. On the other hand, when the printer 1 detects that an error signal is generated by a sensor that detects that a paper jam has occurred and that a print signal is also being generated, a paper jam occurs during or after printing. Then, the electric control unit 34 controls the lighting operation different from the lighting operation of the warning lamp when a paper jam occurs before printing.

As described above, the printer device 1 combines the detection result of at least one sensor for detecting that a paper jam has occurred with the detection result of the sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a print signal, thereby obtaining a paper The position where the paper jam has occurred can be detected, and by controlling the lighting operation of the warning lamp according to each situation, it is notified whether the paper jam has occurred before printing, during printing, or after printing. be able to.

By applying the first to third methods described above, for example, the printer apparatus 1 can determine whether the paper is jammed before printing, or whether the paper is jammed during printing or after printing. Can be notified in an identifiable manner. Therefore, when a paper jam occurs during or after printing, the user can know that fact.When removing the paper, the user may come into contact with the ink before drying attached to the paper. The risk of soiling hands, clothes, and the like can be reduced.

As described above, the printer device 1 may have an automatic paper discharge mechanism for automatically discharging the jammed paper from the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. That is, although not shown, the printer device 1 is configured to have an automatic printer provided inside the main body 30 under the control of a control unit (not shown) when the paper that caused the paper jam can be discharged to the outside. The paper discharge mechanism is operated to discharge the paper to the outside. On the other hand, when it is not possible to discharge the paper that caused the paper jam to the outside, the printer 1 notifies the above-mentioned warning lamp without operating the automatic paper discharge mechanism.

As described above, the printer 1 changes the subsequent processing according to the paper jam situation,
Even when a paper jam occurs during or after printing, the user does not need to insert his / her hand into the main body 30 when the paper can be automatically ejected. Can be greatly reduced. Note that such an automatic paper discharge mode can also be realized by, for example, a user pressing a switch (not shown) in the switch group 90 described above.

As described above, the printer device 1 illuminates the inside of the main body 30 in order to improve the convenience of a user who inserts his hand into the main body 30 when a paper jam occurs. Means can be provided.

Specifically, as described above, the printer device 1 can be provided with a light guide member for guiding external illumination light into the main body 30 as described above. For example, the printer device 1 can provide external illumination light by making the back surface of the paper ejection door 50, that is, all or a part of the upper surface of the opened paper ejection door 50 a mirror surface installed at a predetermined angle. Can be guided inside the main body 30. Also,
The printer device 1 may use a method other than making the back surface of the paper discharge door 50 a mirror surface. The light may be guided inside 30.

As described above, the printer device 1 has at least one maintenance lamp, which is a light-emitting element that emits light when a paper jam occurs, inside the main body 30 as described above. Is also good. For example, as shown in FIG.
A lamp LM is provided in a part of the transport path, and when the detection unit detects that a paper jam has occurred, the electric control unit 34 turns on the lamp LM. In addition,
The lamp LM is, for example, also be replaced by light emission of the sensor provided in the main body 30 such sensors for detecting the type of paper to be printed, such as a sensor SS _{A F} described above. Needless to say, the printer device 1 may be provided with a separate lamp LM in addition to the light emission of the sensor, and illuminate the inside of the main body 30 with both of them.

As described above, the printer device 1 is
By illuminating the inside, the user who removes the jammed paper can contribute to the recognition of the inside. Therefore, the user can easily remove the paper, and can further reduce the risk of soiling the hands, clothes, and the like. Note that the printer 1 is
As the illumination means, both the light guide member and the light emitting element may be provided.

Next, the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 for opening the paper discharge door 50 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 20, the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 includes a support portion 131 fixed to a side wall 39 provided inside the main body 30, and a pin 1
Rotating lever 1 rotatably mounted via 31a
32, a rotating member 133 that is rotatably attached to the support 131 via a pin 131a, and that rotates with the rotation of the rotation lever 132. A latching piece 134 and a latching piece 13 that is rotatably attached to the support portion 131 via a pin 131a and that rotates with the rotation of the rotation lever 132.
1b and the hook 134, and the hook 13
The tension coil spring 135 that urges the rotation lever 1b in the direction of arrow g in the figure and the lower end of the rotation lever 132 that is not attached to the support portion 131 are provided so as to be in contact with each other. A leaf spring 136 biasing in the direction of arrow h, and a pin 133a
And a connecting arm 137 for converting the turning operation of the turning member 133 into a linear operation, and a button 54 connected to the connecting arm 137 and provided on the sheet discharging door 50. And a latch member 138 for holding and releasing engagement with a notch hole 139b provided in a support plate 139 described later, and a support plate 139 for supporting the closed sheet discharging door 50.

In such a paper discharge door opening mechanism 130, the rotation lever 132 is attached not so as to be perpendicular to the support 131 but at a predetermined angle. Here, the rotation lever 132 is attached such that the lower end is inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical direction toward the front panel 20. In this state, the rotating lever 132 is in a steady state by the urging force acting in the direction of the arrow g in the figure by the tension coil spring 135 and the urging force acting in the direction of the arrow h in the figure by the leaf spring 136. It is said. The paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 rotates the rotation lever 132 attached to the support 131 in the direction of the arrow i in FIG.
The connecting arm 137 is pulled in the direction of arrow g in FIG.
A driving force for releasing the engagement with 39b is generated. Specifically, in the sheet discharge door opening mechanism 130, when the rotation lever 132 is rotated leftward in the drawing, the rotation member 133 also rotates leftward in the drawing. As a result, the connecting arm 137 is pulled, so that the
Driving force is applied to 38. On the other hand, in the sheet discharging door opening mechanism 130, when the rotating lever 132 is rotated rightward in the drawing, the rotating member 133 also rotates rightward in the drawing. When the connection arm 137 is pulled, a driving force is applied to the latch member 138. Here, in the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130, the driving force applied to the latch member 138 is adjusted by adjusting the distance that the connecting arm 137 is pulled according to the turning operation of the turning lever 132. Then, it is possible to switch between holding and releasing the engagement between the button 54 and the cutout portion 139b.

Here, as shown by a broken line in FIG.
The metal piece 53 provided on the back side of the button 51 is magnetically attracted by the 39a, and the metal piece 53 is arranged in parallel with the metal piece 53 on the back side of the button 51 with respect to the notch hole 139b provided on the support plate 139. When the button 54 is fitted, it comes into contact with the support plate 139 and covers the paper discharge port 22. In this state, as shown in FIG. 21A, the rotation lever 132 is rotated by a predetermined angle α from the perpendicular shown by the chain line in FIG. When the rotating lever 132 is rotated so as to be in the state, since the rotating lever 132 is attached to the support portion 131 at a predetermined angle β, the rotating lever 132 is actually The rotation angle is α-β, and the distance by which the connecting arm 137 is pulled is small, and the driving force applied to the latch member 138 causes the button 54 and the notch 139b to be disengaged from each other. Absent. On the other hand, in this state, the discharge lever opening mechanism 130 causes the rotation lever 132 to rotate from the vertical line by a predetermined angle α to the right in the figure, as shown in FIG. And the rotating lever 13
2 is rotated, the angle at which the rotation lever 132 is actually rotated is α + β, the distance by which the connecting arm 137 is pulled is large, and the driving force applied to the latch member 138 causes the button 54 and the button 54 to rotate. The engagement with the notch 139b is released. As a result, the paper discharge door 50 is opened by its own weight in the direction of arrow j in FIG.

Now, in order to generate a driving force for opening such a paper discharge door 50, it is necessary to rotate the rotation lever 132. Therefore, the printer device 1
, The reciprocating drive of the ink replacement box 120 by the ink tank drive mechanism 32 is used as a drive source for rotating the rotation lever 132. That is, in the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 20, a contact claw member 121 is provided to protrude from a part of the side wall of the ink replacement box 120, and this contact claw member 121 The pivot lever 132 is pivoted by passing over and contacting the pivot lever 132.

For a more specific description, FIG.
As shown in (A), the rotating lever 132 which is brought into a steady state by the urging force acting in the right direction in the figure by the tension coil spring 135 (not shown) and the urging force acting in the thickness direction by the leaf spring 136 is shown here. On the other hand, it is assumed that the contact claw member 121 moves from the right side in the direction of arrow k in FIG. In this case, in the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 4B, the contact claw member 121 contacts and pushes the rotating lever 132 so that the rotating lever 132 is moved in the direction of the arrow l in FIG. Rotate. However, in the printer device 1, as described above, since the rotation lever 132 is attached to the support portion 131 at a predetermined angle, the connecting arm 137 is pulled only a small distance, and the latch member The engagement between the button 54 and the notch 139b is not released by the driving force applied to the 138. Therefore, in this case, the discharge door 50 does not open, and remains in a state of covering the discharge port 22. In the printer device 1, when the contact claw member 121 passes through the rotation lever 132, the rotation lever 132 returns to the steady state position by the restoring force of the tension coil spring 135 described above.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7C, it is assumed that the contact claw member 121 moves from the left side to the rotating lever 132 in the steady state in the direction of arrow m in FIG. I do. In this case, in the printer 1, as shown in FIG.
By pressing the contact 32, the rotation lever 132 is rotated in the direction of arrow n in FIG. Then, in the printer device 1, as described above, the connecting arm 13
7 is long, and the button 54 and the notch 1 are driven by the driving force applied to the latch member 138.
The engagement with 39b is released. As a result, the discharge door 5
0 is released by its own weight so that the printed sheet can be discharged to the outside. At this time, in the printer device 1, the leaf spring 136 bends downward due to the rotation of the rotation lever 132. In the printer device 1, when the contact claw member 121 passes through the rotation lever 132, the rotation lever 132 returns to the steady state position by the restoring force of the tension coil spring 135 and the restoring force of the leaf spring 136.

As described above, in the printer device 1,
When the printing operation is started, the ink-exchange box 120 is reciprocally driven by the ink-tank drive mechanism 32, so that the paper-discharge door opening mechanism 130 is operated, and the paper-discharge door 50 can be opened. With such a mechanism, in the printer device 1, the discharge door 50 is always opened when the printing operation is started.
The user does not have to worry about the open / close state of the paper discharge door 50 before the printing operation. In the printer 1, while the printing operation is being performed, the ink exchange box 120 is not used.
May be continuously driven, but it is only necessary to perform the reciprocating drive at least once before the printed sheet is discharged.

Next, a lock mechanism for locking the ink replacement door 60 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 23, the lock mechanism 140
Is provided along an ink tank drive mechanism 32 (not shown) and is connected to the ink replacement door 60.
The lock mechanism 140 has a link member 141 whose one end is rotatably attached to the support portion 63 of the ink replacement door 60 via a pin (not shown), and one end with respect to the other end of the connection arm 141. Is rotatably mounted via a pin 141a, an operation piece 143 is rotatably mounted on the operation arm 142 via a pin 141a, and an operation piece 143.
Are rotatably mounted via a rotation support shaft 144a, and the arrows o and p in FIG.
Operating member 144 that rotates in the direction of
A hooking piece 145 provided on an extension of the other end side of 2;
Hook 142a formed at the other end of operation arm 142
And the operation arm 14
2 has a tension coil spring 146 for urging the coil spring 2 in the direction of arrow q in FIG.

In such a lock mechanism 140, the operating arm 142 and the connecting arm 141 are pulled in the direction of the arrow q in FIG. It has a configuration. In the lock mechanism 140, the distal end portion of the operating member 144 is bent at a substantially right angle to form the lock claw member 144b, and a part of the operation arm 142 in the longitudinal direction is projected in a T-shape. An engagement claw member 142b that engages with the lock claw member 144b is formed. Further, the locking mechanism 140
Although not shown, for example, a torsion coil spring or the like is attached to the rotation support shaft 144a to urge the operating member 144 in the direction of the arrow o in FIG. The pawl member 142b is configured to be engaged.

As described above, the lock mechanism 140 can lock the ink exchange door 60 with the ink exchange port 23 closed by the engagement between the lock claw member 144b and the engagement claw member 142. .

On the other hand, when replacing the ink tanks 100a and 100b, the lock mechanism 140 must release the lock and open the ink replacement door 60. Therefore, in the printer device 1, the lock is released by using the contact claw member 122 projecting from the bottom surface of the ink replacement box 120 toward the ink replacement door 60. That is, in the printer 1, the slope portion 143a is provided on the upper surface of the operation piece 143 of the lock mechanism 140, and the ink exchange box 120 is moved by the ink tank driving mechanism 32 in the direction of arrow r in FIG. The lock is released by the lower surface of the contact claw member 122 abutting on the slope portion 143a.

More specifically, in the lock mechanism 140, the lower surface of the contact claw member 122 contacts the slope portion 143a, and the ink replacement box 120
By moving along the direction 3a, the operating piece 143 is rotated about the pin 141a in the direction of the arrow p in FIG. Accordingly, in the lock mechanism 140,
The operating member 144 also rotates about the rotation support shaft 144a in the direction of the arrow p in the drawing, and the engagement between the lock claw member 144b and the engagement claw member 142b is released.

In the printer 1, when the lock is released in this manner, the side wall 120 a of the ink replacement box 120 comes into contact with the ink replacement door 60, and the Is released. On the other hand, in the printer device 1, the ink exchange box 120 is
Starts moving in the direction of the arrow q in the drawing, the operating arm 142 and the connecting arm 141 are pulled in the direction of the arrow q in the drawing by the restoring force of the tension coil spring 146, and accordingly, the ink replacement door 60 is moved. Is closed.
At this time, as the lower surface of the abutment claw member 122 passes through the slope portion 143a, the lock member 140 is urged again in the direction of arrow o in FIG. The state returns to the state where the engagement claw member 142b is engaged.

As described above, in the printer device 1,
The lock mechanism 140 locks the ink replacement door 60 in a state where the ink replacement port 23 is closed, so that even if the user tries to open it manually, it can be prevented from being opened. Therefore, in the printer device 1, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the user unnecessarily opens the ink replacement door 60, and dust and the like can be removed from the ink replacement port 23 through the
It is also possible to reduce the possibility of being mixed into the inside.

Next, the optional device 80 will be described.

The optional device 80 is a unit for expanding the function of the printer device 1 and, for example, a USB
An interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device through wired communication such as IEEE 1394 or IEEE 1394 or wireless communication such as infrared or Bluetooth is conceivable. Further, the optional device 80 may be a drive device that allows a recording medium such as a memory card to be detachable.
The printer device 1 can also perform a process of converting data supplied from an external device or data recorded on a recording medium via the optional device 80 into a format suitable for printing. Here, the explanation will be made assuming that the optional device 80 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data by wire communication.

Specifically, the optional device 80 is
As shown in FIG.
1 and a lower half 83 and a substrate 82.

The board 82 is provided with a bus connecting portion 82a for connecting a bus and a connector portion 82b for electrically connecting to the main body 30. When the optional device 80 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data by wireless communication, the substrate 82 is provided with a light receiving unit for receiving a signal instead of the bus connection unit 82a.

On the side wall of the lower half 83, a notch 83a for exposing the bus connecting portion 82a of the substrate 82 to the outside of the lower half 83, and a connector portion 82b of the substrate 82 to the outside of the lower half 83. And a notch 83b for causing the notch 83b to be provided. Also, lower half 83
Are provided with openings 83c and 83d for mounting a panel 28 described later.

The optional device 80 as described above includes the substrate 8
2 is screwed inside the lower half 83, and the upper half 81 covers the lower half 83.
As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 82 is sandwiched between the upper half 81 and the lower half 83 to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing. Thus, the option device 80 has high resistance to static electricity, noise, and the like, and can be hardly broken.

Further, the panel 28 shown in FIG. As described above, the panel 28 has a main surface having substantially the same shape as the optional device attachment / detachment port 24 of the front panel 20. On the main surface of the panel 28, when the optional device 80 is attached to the main body 30, the bus connection portion 8 facing from the cutout portion 83a is provided.
An opening 28a for exposing 2a to the outside is formed. The panel 28 has flexible mounting members 28b and 28c on the back surface. Panel 2
8, as shown in FIG. 26, these mounting members 28b,
28c are attached to the optional device 80 by being inserted into the openings 83c and 83d of the optional device 80, respectively. Here, the mounting member 28b,
Each of the optional devices 80c has a generally T-shaped cross section with a wide end portion.
The tip has a function as a stopper so that it does not come off easily when inserted into the openings 83c and 83d. Further, the panel 28 has claw members 28 d and 28 e which have a substantially L-shaped cross section at both ends on the back surface and which are fitted into the optional device attachment / detachment opening 24 of the front panel 20.

As shown in the figure, such a panel 28 is provided with a play between the flexible mounting members 28b and 28c and the openings 83c and 83d in the optional device 80. It is attached to the device 80 with a degree of freedom. The optional device 80 to which the panel 28 is attached is detachable from the main body 30 via the optional device opening 24 of the front panel 20. At this time, when the optional device 80 is mounted on the main body 30, the panel 28 is mounted on the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 after the optional device 80 is mounted on the main body 30. 20 and used as an exterior. When the optional device 80 is to be removed from the main body 30, the panel 28 is pulled out from the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 and is used as a handle for removing the optional device 80 from the main body 30.

Such an optional device 80 can be detachably attached to a slot 150 shown in FIG.
The slot 150 is attached to the main body 30 in communication with the optional device attachment / detachment port 24, and biases and stores the optional device 80 by spring members 151 and 152 provided on the upper surface and both side surfaces. The slot 150 is provided for the spring member 15.
When the optional device 80 is urged by the components 152, the upper half 81 and the lower half 83 of the optional device 80 can be brought into close contact with each other, so that the ground can be reliably grounded. Further, the slot 150 is provided with a connector portion 153 on the inner side wall into which the optional device 80 is inserted. The main body 30 is electrically connected to the optional device 80 by inserting the connector portion 82b of the optional device 80 into the connector portion 153.

As described above, by attaching the panel 28 to the optional device 80, the operability of the printer device 1 is greatly improved, and the printer device 1 visually gives a sense of quality. Further, in the printer device 1, by integrating the optional device 80 and the panel 28 with an easy configuration, the risk of losing each single component can be avoided, and the cost can be reduced. The panel 28 is attached to the main body 30 by the optional device 8.
When 0 is not attached, the optional device can be attached to the optional device attachment / detachment port 24 independently, and can also serve as an exterior together with the front panel 20. As a result, the printer device 1 allows dust or the like
In addition to reducing the possibility of being mixed in the inside of 0, it gives a sense of high-grade appearance visually.

As described above, the panel 28 is attached to the optional device 80 with a degree of freedom, and is movable with respect to the optional device 80. This is for easily and reliably mounting the optional device 80 in the slot 150. That is, in consideration of mass production of the optional device 80 and the slot 150, individual differences usually occur between the optional device 80 and the slot 150 due to variations in production. In other words, the optional device 8
0 and the slot 150 have a predetermined dimensional tolerance. Here, when the panel 28 is not movable but integrated with the optional device 80, the positional relationship between the panel 28 and the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 is uniquely determined. , Optional equipment 8
0, the installation position of the connector portion 82b and the slot 1
It is conceivable that the position of the connector portion 153 in the position 50 is shifted and the optional device 80 cannot be mounted in the slot 150. Therefore, in the printer device 1, the panel 28 is attached to the optional device 80 with a degree of freedom, and the connector portion 82b and the connector portion 153 are securely inserted. It is moved and adjusted to match the optional device attachment / detachment opening 24.

The printer device 1 has such a panel 28
Is attached to the main body 30, the image data transmitted from the external device can be received, and the image data can be printed. More specifically, after the optional device 80 is mounted on the main body 30, the printer 1
Bus connection part 8 which can be seen through opening 28a
By connecting the cable 201 to which the digital still camera 200 is connected to 2a, image data shot and recorded by the digital still camera 200 is directly received without a host computer or the like, and printing is performed. can do.

That is, as described above, the printer device 1 can receive image data via the bus connection unit 38 provided in the main body 30, but can also receive the image data via the optional device 80 mounted on the main body 30. Image data can be received. Therefore, the printer device 1
Each time an external device is connected, it is not necessary to perform wiring to the rear surface of the main body 30 provided with the bus connection portion 38, and the connection can be performed from the front surface. Convenience can be provided. Needless to say, the printer device 1 is always connected to a stationary external device such as a computer via the bus connection unit 38, so that the convenience can be further improved.

As described above, the printer device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with the operation surfaces for performing all the main operations collectively on the front panel 20, so that the operation is performed via the front panel 20. It is possible to perform all main operations. Therefore, the printer device 1 is excellent in operability and can place an object on the upper surface. Therefore, when the printer device 1 is stored together with other AV devices, the printer device 1 can be stacked and stored. It is possible to provide high convenience without complicated work for the user. In addition, the printer device 1 can greatly reduce the possibility that dust or the like gets into the inside of the main body 30 and is excellent in the storability of paper, so that it can provide the user with high reliability. As described above, the printer device 1 is highly reliable, excellent in operability, and provides excellent convenience.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, in order to open the paper discharge door 50, ink exchange by the ink tank driving mechanism 32 is performed. It has been described that the paper ejection door opening mechanism 130 that is operated by the movement of the ink box 120 is provided. However, the paper ejection door 50 may be opened by another mechanism that does not use the movement of the ink replacement box 120. Good.

In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the contact claw member 122 of the ink replacement box 120 is used to release the lock of the ink replacement door 60. You may make it cancel without using it.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printer device 1 has been described as forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing. However, the present invention is, for example, shown in FIG. The printer device may have a shape formed by cutting down a straight line connecting the two points in the height direction. In such a printer device, the user can perform a main operation from the front by giving a function equivalent to that of the above-described front panel to the substantially flat surface S formed by cutting down. That is, the present invention can be applied to any shape of the outer casing as long as one surface facing the user is a substantially flat surface and this one surface is an operation surface.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printer device 1 has been described as being provided with a serial head and performing printing by an ink jet method. It can be applied to a printer device having a line head in which a plurality of driving elements are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the printer, and also applicable to a type in which printing is performed by thermal transfer instead of printing by an ink jet method. It is possible. When the present invention is applied to a type in which printing is performed by thermal transfer, each unit for replacing an ink ribbon is provided instead of each unit for replacing an ink tank.

As described above, it goes without saying that the present invention can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0102]

As described above in detail, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, and includes a sheet feeder for storing a sheet to be fed. An outer casing having a substantially flat main surface is provided with a paper feeding tray means attaching / detaching opening for attaching / detaching the tray means to / from the main body, and a paper ejection opening for ejecting printed sheets. An exterior panel that constitutes one surface, and a paper ejection door that is attached to the exterior panel so as to close at least the paper ejection opening and that is openably and closably opened to eject printed paper from the paper ejection opening. The discharge door functions as auxiliary discharge tray means in an open state, and stacks printed sheets discharged from the discharge port on the upper surface.

Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the paper feed tray is attached to and detached from the main body via the outer panel constituting one surface of the outer casing, and the paper discharge port exposed from the opened paper discharge door. Paper can be taken out from the printer. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus can perform a main operation via the exterior panel, so that excellent operability can be exhibited. In addition, since the image forming apparatus can perform main operations via the exterior panel, the upper surface of the outer casing can be freely used, and when the image forming apparatus is stored together with other devices, the image forming apparatus can be stacked. It can be stored, space saving of an installation place can be achieved, and a user can be provided with high convenience without complicated work. In addition, the image forming apparatus can greatly reduce the possibility that dust or the like enters the inside of the main body, and is excellent in the storability of paper, so that high reliability can be provided to the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of the printer device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a configuration of a front panel provided in the printer device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, and is a diagram illustrating a state in which a paper feed tray included in the printer device can be detachably detached from a main body.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining an appearance of the printer device, and for explaining a state in which a paper discharge door provided in the printer device is opened.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, illustrating a state in which a printed sheet is discharged from a discharge port with a discharge door opened. is there.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, in which when printing is performed on a sheet having a width that is significantly shorter than the width of the paper discharge port in the longitudinal direction, the printed sheet is FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a state in which paper is discharged from a paper discharge port.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ink replacement door provided in the printer apparatus, and is a view of the ink replacement door as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining an appearance of the printer device, illustrating a state in which an ink replacement door is opened and an ink replacement box in which an ink tank is mounted is exposed to the outside. .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of the printer, illustrating a paper discharge tray provided in the printer.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the printer device, illustrating a paper discharge tray.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view for explaining an appearance of the printer device, and for explaining a state in which a sheet discharge tray can be detachably detached from a main body.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining an external appearance of the printer device, and for explaining a state in which an optional device is detachable from a main body.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the printer device, as viewed from the back side of the printer device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, in which a cover is removed and a sheet reversing drive mechanism provided inside the main body is made visible from the outside. FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a main body of the printer.

FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of a main part of the printer device, for explaining the operation of the sheet reversing drive mechanism.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the printer device, illustrating a state in which a sensor for detecting that a paper jam has occurred and a maintenance lamp that emits light when a paper jam has occurred are provided. FIG.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a head unit included in the main body of the printer device, as a substitute for a sensor for detecting that a paper jam has occurred during or after printing.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a sensor for detecting the type of paper to be printed is provided.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a paper discharge door opening mechanism included in the main body of the printer apparatus.

21A and 21B are cross-sectional views illustrating the operation of the paper ejection door opening mechanism. FIG. 21A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a rotation lever is rotated to the left. (B) is a diagram for explaining a state in which the rotating lever is rotated rightward.

FIGS. 22A and 22B are main-part sectional views for explaining the operation of the paper discharge door opening mechanism. FIG. 22A is a diagram in which a contact claw member moves from the right side with respect to a rotating lever in a steady state. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the rotating lever is rotated by the contact claw member pressing the rotating lever from the state illustrated in FIG. And (C)
(D) is a diagram for explaining how the contact claw member moves from the left side with respect to the rotating lever that is in a steady state.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the rotating lever is rotated by the contact claw member pressing the rotating lever from the state illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a lock mechanism provided inside the main body of the printer apparatus.

FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of an optional device.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an optional device and a panel attached to the optional device.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an optional device and a panel attached to the optional device, and is a diagram illustrating a state where the panel is attached to the optional device.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a main part of the printer, illustrating a configuration of a slot in which an optional device is mounted.

FIG. 28 is a diagram for describing a usage example of an optional device.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a printer device different from the printer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer device, 10 cover, 20 front panel, 21 paper tray insertion / detachment port, 22 paper output port,
Reference Signs List 23 ink exchange port, 24 optional device attachment / detachment port, 25 switch opening, 26 lamp opening, 28 panel, 28a, 83c, 83d opening, 28b, 28c mounting member, 28d, 28e
Claw member, 30 main body, 31 head unit driving mechanism, 32 ink tank driving mechanism, 33 paper inversion driving mechanism, 34 electric control section, 35 jammed paper removing port,
36 cover, 37 power cord insertion part, 38 bus connection part, 40 paper feed tray, 50 paper ejection door,
60 Ink replacement door, 70 paper discharge tray, 80 optional device, 81 upper half, 82 substrate, 8
2a bus connection part, 82b, 153 connector part,
83 lower half, 83a, 83b notch, 90
Switch group, 91 lamp group, 100a, 100b
Ink tank, 110 Head unit, 111
Ink tank carriage, 120 ink replacement box, 130 paper ejection door opening mechanism, 140 lock mechanism, 150 slot, 151, 152 spring member, LM lamp, SS _AF , SS _BF sensor

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shinobu Hidaka 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term in Sony Corporation (reference) 2C056 EA22 EB13 EB45 EC26 HA28 KC22 2C061 AQ05 BB10 BB13 CD07 CD14 CD21 EE04 EE08 EE16 3F054 AA01 AC05 BA02 BC04

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, comprising a sheet feeding tray means for attaching and detaching a sheet feeding tray means for storing the sheet to be fed to and from a main body. An exterior panel that has a substantially flat main surface and forms one surface of an outer casing, and at least the above-described paper exit is closed. A paper discharge door that is openably and closably attached to the exterior panel and that is opened to discharge the printed sheet from the paper discharge port. The paper discharge door is opened An image forming apparatus which functions as an auxiliary discharge tray unit in the folded state, and stacks the printed sheets discharged from the discharge port on an upper surface. 2. An ink tank in which the ink is sealed in the exterior panel, wherein an image is printed on the paper by dots by discharging ink droplets and landing on the paper. In order to replace the ink tank through the ink exchange port, an ink exchange port for exchanging the ink tank is provided. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ink replacement door that is opened. 3. A paper discharge tray means constituting a paper discharge path of the printed sheet inside the main body, wherein the paper discharge door is sent out from the paper discharge tray means in an open state. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printed sheets discharged from the discharge port are stacked on an upper surface. 4. The sheet discharging tray means has an area in which an edge on the side where the sheet discharging door is provided vertically overlaps an edge of the opened sheet discharging door, 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an upper surface of the paper discharge tray is located above an upper surface of the open paper discharge door. 5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said paper discharge tray means is detachably attached to said main body through said paper discharge port. 6. An operation panel opening for exposing at least one or more operators for various operations to the outside, and at least one or more light emitting elements for informing various states to the outside on the exterior panel. 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting element opening is formed. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the paper is jammed inside the main body, the jammed paper can be removed from the paper discharge port. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body has an illuminating means for illuminating the inside of the main body. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the illuminating means is a light guiding member for guiding external illuminating light to the inside of the main body. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the light guide member is a mirror surface installed at a predetermined angle on all or a part of the upper surface of the open paper discharge door. . 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the illuminating means is at least one light emitting element that emits light when the sheet is jammed inside the main body. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the light emitting element is provided in a part of the paper conveyance path. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the light emitting element is provided in a sensor that detects a type of the sheet. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior panel forms one surface facing a user of the outer casing. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the outer casing is substantially flat.