JP2003231326A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sustain an appropriate paper gap constantly by moving a print head in the thickness direction of a recording sheet through a simple arrangement depending on the thickness of the recording sheet without moving a carrier shaft or a frame constituting the lower side face of a recording sheet carrying passage. <P>SOLUTION: Every time when a carrier 1 runs over a normal stop position Pa to a displacement stop position Pb in the direction of arrow C and the tip 6b of a latch 6 abuts against a frame 13b in the direction of arrow C, the carrier 1 displaces alternately between a state where the protrusion 6a of the latch 6 fits in the recess 4a of an abutting member 4 formed on a mover 3 from the underside and the mover 3 corresponds to a thin recording sheet placed at a lower position of the carrier body 2, and a state where the protrusion 6a of the latch 6 abuts against the protrusion 4b of the abutting member 4 from the underside and the mover 3 corresponds to a thick recording sheet placed at an upper position of the carrier body 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer that prints an image on a recording sheet with ink droplets ejected from the print head, and more particularly, the distance between the printing surface of the recording sheet and the print head is set to The present invention relates to an inkjet printer that adjusts according to the size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printers convey recording paper between a print head and a platen, and a carrier having the print head reciprocates along a carrier shaft in a direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction. Then, an image is printed on the printing surface of the recording paper by the ink droplets ejected from the print head. In such an inkjet printer, the paper gap, which is the distance between the print surface of the recording paper and the print head, affects the sharpness of the image printed on the recording paper. On the other hand, recording paper on which an image is printed in an inkjet printer includes not only plain paper but also various thicknesses such as postcards and envelopes. When the thickness of the recording paper on which the image is printed changes, a paper gap also occurs. It becomes impossible to form a clear image by changing.

Therefore, in the conventional ink jet printer, the print head or the platen is moved in the thickness direction of the recording paper according to the thickness of the recording paper on which the image is printed, and the paper gap is adjusted to be constant. A gap adjusting mechanism is provided. As this gap adjustment mechanism,
In the case of manual operation, the paper gap is adjusted by moving the carrier in the thickness direction of the recording paper together with the carrier shaft via an eccentric cam that interlocks with an operating member such as a lever exposed to the outside of the inkjet printer. I was doing.

On the other hand, the print head or the platen is moved in the thickness direction of the recording paper automatically according to the thickness of the recording paper or based on the setting data of the recording paper included in the print request from the personal computer. As a gap adjusting mechanism to be used, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-137395, a carrier equipped with a print head is reciprocally arranged together with a carrier shaft in a direction toward and away from a platen, and the carrier is provided in the carrier. By rotating the pinion gear meshing with the rack gear forward and backward by the motor, the carrier can be positioned at a position where a paper gap corresponding to the thickness of the recording paper passing between the print head and the platen can be provided. A configuration is disclosed.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-323408, there is disclosed a frame which constitutes a lower side surface over the entire area of a recording paper conveyance path passing through a printing area where a print head is located,
The recording paper is supported swingably below the upstream side of the printing area in the transport direction, and the frame is pressed from below to two rollers arranged upstream and downstream of the printing area in the transport direction of the recording paper. By supporting the roller, the frame is oscillated according to the thickness of the recording paper that passes between the upper and lower rollers on the downstream side of the printing area, so that the vertical position of the upper surface of the recording paper in the printing area can be adjusted. Regardless of this, there is disclosed a configuration in which the paper gap in the printing area is constantly maintained to be constant.

[0006]

However, in the structure in which the carrier shaft is moved through an eccentric cam which is interlocked with a manually operated lever or the like or the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 137395/1995, the recording paper is conveyed. It is necessary to move the carrier shaft on which the carrier that reciprocates in the direction orthogonal to the direction slides toward or away from the platen together with the carrier according to the thickness of the recording paper. It is necessary to be able to move over a predetermined range while maintaining the state orthogonal to the paper conveyance direction, which causes a problem that the mechanism for this becomes complicated.

Further, in the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-323408, since the lower side surface of the recording paper conveyance path swings according to the thickness of the recording paper, the recording paper is conveyed depending on the thickness of the recording paper. There is a problem that the state changes and it becomes difficult to always stably convey the recording paper. Further, if the pressure contact force applied from the lower roller supported by the frame to the upper roller on the downstream side of the printing region in the recording paper conveyance direction is too weak, only the lower roller is displaced downward, If it passes, the recording paper will be deformed and the lower roller will not be displaced, and in any case the frame will not swing, making it difficult to set the appropriate pressure contact force to act on the lower roller. There is. Further, since the frame does not swing until the recording paper is sandwiched by the rollers arranged on the downstream side of the printing area in the conveying direction of the recording paper, the roller arranged on the downstream side of the printing area from the front end of the recording paper. There is a problem that a clear image cannot be formed in the range up to the distance from the print area.

An object of the present invention is to provide a print head with a simple structure in accordance with the thickness of the recording paper without moving the carrier shaft or the frame constituting the lower surface of the recording paper conveyance path. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printer that can be moved to a desired position and can always maintain a proper paper gap based on the setting data of the thickness of the recording paper input together with the print request.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following constitution.

(1) A carrier shaft is arranged between a pair of frames parallel to the recording paper conveyance direction with the longitudinal direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction, and the print head is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the carrier shaft. In an inkjet printer that reciprocates a carrier equipped with a carrier, the carrier is movably moved to a plurality of positions in a thickness direction of a recording paper in a portion facing a carrier body fitted onto a carrier shaft and a print head. And a movable body that holds the print head and is
A movable body moving mechanism that changes the position of the movable body in the thickness direction of the recording paper in the carrier body each time the carrier moves to one frame side beyond the normal movement range is provided. It is characterized in that the carrier is moved to the one frame side over the normal movement range only the number of times.

In this structure, the carrier moves to one frame side beyond the normal movement range a number of times corresponding to the thickness of the recording paper, and the carrier of the recording paper at the portion facing the print head is moved according to the number of movements. The position of the movable body with respect to the carrier body in the thickness direction changes. A print head is mounted on the movable body, and when the position of the movable body in the thickness direction of the recording paper changes, the paper gap changes at the interval between the print head and the printing surface of the recording paper. At this time,
The carrier body fitted onto the carrier shaft does not move. Therefore, by moving the carrier to the one frame side beyond the normal movement range a number of times according to the thickness of the recording paper, only the movable body equipped with the print head is appropriate for the thickness of the recording paper. The carrier main body and the carrier shaft are not displaced in the thickness direction of the recording paper by moving to the position where the paper gap is realized, and the structure for displacing the carrier shaft in the thickness direction of the recording paper is unnecessary.

In the movable body moving mechanism, the concave portion and the convex portion in the thickness direction of the recording paper, which are continuously provided in the movable body in the moving direction of the carrier, and the concave portion provided in the carrier body in the moving direction of the carrier. A projection in the thickness direction of the recording paper, which is made movable between a position where it is fitted into the housing and a position where it abuts against the convex portion, and which is integrally formed with a protruding portion protruding from the carrier body toward one frame side. And a displacement mechanism that alternately displaces the protrusion into a position where the protrusion is fitted into the recess and a position where the protrusion is in contact with the protrusion each time the protrusion contacts the one frame.

(2) The movable body is held by the carrier body so as to be movable between two positions in the thickness direction of the recording paper, and the movable body moving mechanism changes the thickness of the recording paper. Each time, the carrier is moved to one frame side beyond the normal movement range.

In this structure, the carrier moves to the one frame side beyond the normal movement range every time the thickness of the recording paper is changed, and the position of the movable body with respect to the carrier body is in the portion facing the print head. It changes from one of the two positions in the thickness direction of the recording paper to the other. Therefore, each time the thickness of the recording paper is changed between thin and thick, the carrier is moved to one frame side beyond the normal movement range, so that only the movable body equipped with the print head can change the recording paper. Moves to one of two positions that achieves an appropriate paper gap according to the thickness, the carrier body and carrier shaft do not move in the thickness direction of the recording paper, and the carrier shaft moves in the thickness direction of the recording paper. There is no need for a configuration to do this.

(3) The movable body moving mechanism moves the carrier to one frame side beyond the normal movement range at the start and end of the printing process on either the thick recording paper or the thin recording paper. It is characterized by moving.

In this structure, at the start and end of the printing process on either the thick recording paper or the thin recording paper, the carrier moves to the one frame side beyond the normal movement range, and the movable body moves. The printing process is performed on the thick recording paper or the thin recording paper while moving from the position corresponding to the thin recording paper or the thick recording paper to the position corresponding to the thick recording paper or the thin recording paper. After the processing is completed, the movable body again moves to a position corresponding to the thin recording paper or the thick recording paper. Therefore, the movable body is displaced according to the thickness of the recording paper with the position corresponding to either the thin recording paper or the thick recording paper as the initial position, and the control of the position of the movable body is simplified.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an external view showing the configuration of the main part of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inkjet printer 10 internally includes a pair of left and right frames 13 on the upper surface of the lower cabinet 12.
a and 13b are provided upright in parallel, and a cylindrical carrier shaft 14 is installed between the frames 13a and 13b. A paper feed tray 11 is attached to the rear side of the lower cabinet 12, and the recording papers set in the paper feed tray 11 are fed one by one toward the front side of the lower cabinet 12 and ejected. The paper roller 15 is rotated to be ejected to the outside of the inkjet printer 10.

The carrier shaft 14 extends in the longitudinal direction of the recording paper (arrow A above the recording paper conveyance path).
Direction). A part of the carrier 1 on which an ink cartridge 16 having a print head exposed at the bottom is mounted is externally fitted to the carrier shaft 14. The timing belt 1 arranged in parallel with the carrier shaft 14 is provided on a part of the back side of the carrier 1.
Part of 7 is fixed. This timing belt 17
The rotation of a carrier motor (not shown) in both forward and reverse directions is transmitted to the drive motor 18 via a drive pulley 18. Therefore, the carrier 1 reciprocates in the direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction indicated by arrow A (arrows B and C) with the print head facing the upper surface of the recording paper by the rotation of the carrier motor.

A flat platen 19 is arranged at a position on the upstream side of the paper discharge roller 15 in the recording paper conveying direction indicated by an arrow A. The print head mounted on the carrier 1 faces the upper surface of the platen 19 and constitutes a print position.

In the ink jet printer 10,
As an example, two types of recording papers having different thicknesses, that is, a thin recording paper such as plain paper and a thick recording paper such as a postcard or an envelope, can be printed. When the thickness of the recording paper to be printed changes, the vertical position of the upper surface of the recording paper changes at the portion (printing position) facing the print head mounted on the carrier 1.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the structure of the carrier in the ink jet printer. Carrier 1
Are roughly divided into a carrier body 2 and a movable body 3. The carrier body 2 has a substantially flat plate shape, and the bearing portions 21 and 22 formed in the lower portion on the back side have the above-mentioned carrier shaft 1
It is fitted on the outer circumference of 4. The movable body 3 has a substantially L-shaped cross-sectional shape consisting of a vertical surface 3a parallel to the carrier body 2 and a horizontal surface 3b continuous with the lower end thereof, and as an example, two ink cartridges 16 are placed on the horizontal surface 3b. Hold. At this time, the print head disposed on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 16 is exposed below the horizontal surface 3b of the movable body 3.

Long holes 3 are provided at three locations on the vertical surface 3a of the movable body 3.
1-33 are formed with the longitudinal direction being the vertical direction,
The long holes 31 of the movable body 3 are provided at three positions on the front surface of the carrier body 2.
Cylindrical projections 21 to 23 which are fitted into the respective Nos. To 33 are formed. These protrusions 21-23 are long holes 31-33.
The movable body 3 is mounted on the front surface side of the carrier body 2 in a state in which it is movably fitted in the up and down direction. Therefore, the movable body 3 is held by the carrier body 2 so as to be movable in the vertical direction within the range of the difference between the opening length of the elongated holes 31 to 33 in the longitudinal direction and the diameter of the protrusions 21 to 23. This long hole 31
The difference between the longitudinal opening lengths of .about.33 and the diameters of the protrusions 21 to 23 is equal to the difference between the thickness of thin recording paper such as plain paper and the thickness of thick recording paper such as postcards and envelopes. .

On the other hand, the carrier body 2 is externally fitted to the carrier shaft 14 supported by the frames 13a and 13b provided upright from the lower cabinet 12 of the ink jet printer 10 as described above, and the carrier body 2 is vertically moved in the ink jet printer 10. There is no displacement. Therefore, as the vertical position of the movable body 3 in the carrier body 2 changes, the vertical position of the print head mounted on the movable body 3 in the inkjet printer 10 changes. Therefore, when the thin recording paper is the printing target, the movable body 3 is positioned at the lower limit of the vertical movement range with respect to the carrier body 2, and when the thick recording paper is the printing target, the movable body 3 is movable. By positioning the body 3 at the upper limit of the vertical movement range with respect to the carrier body 2, the paper gap, which is the distance between the print head and the upper surface of the recording paper, is always maintained regardless of the thickness of the recording paper to be printed. Can be kept constant.

As described above, by displacing the vertical position of the movable body 3 in the carrier body 2 according to the change in the thickness of the recording paper to be printed, the paper gap is always kept constant. The inkjet printer 10 according to this embodiment includes a movable body moving mechanism described below.

That is, the concave portion 4a and the convex portion 4b facing downward are provided on the one side surface side of the upper end portion of the movable body 3.
The contact member 4 continuously formed in the longitudinal direction of the carrier shaft 14, which is the reciprocating direction of the above, extends upward through the support portion 4c. On the other hand, a holder 24 to which the case 5 is attached is formed on one side surface side of the upper end of the carrier body 2. In this case 5, a latch 6 having a protrusion 6 a on the upper side and a protrusion 6 b on one side surface side is housed together with a latch spring 7. The case 5 is open on the upper surface and one side surface, and when the latch 6 is housed in the case 5, the latch 6
A part of the upper surface including the protrusion 6 a is exposed above the case 5, and the protrusion 6 b of the latch 6 is exposed from one side surface of the case 5.

As described above, the projections 21 are formed in the long holes 31-33.
When the movable body 3 is held by the carrier body 2 in a state in which ˜23 are fitted, the upper surface of the latch 6 housed in the case 5 of the carrier body 2 faces below the concave portions 4a and the convex portions 4b of the abutting member 4. To do. In the reciprocating direction of the carrier 1, the width of the protrusion 6a formed on the latch 6 is substantially equal to the width of the convex portion 4b formed on the contact member 4. The latch 6 is movable within the predetermined range in the reciprocating direction of the carrier 1 while being biased to one side surface side by the latch spring 7 in the case 5. Therefore, by moving the latch 6 in the reciprocating direction of the carrier 1 in the case 5, the projection 6a of the latch 6 is selectively moved to a position where the projection 6a of the latch 6 fits into the recess 4a of the contact member 4 or a position where the projection 6b contacts the projection 4b. Moving.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the structure and operation of the displacement mechanism in the above ink jet printer. Note that each of FIGS. 3A to 3D is obtained by vertically arranging a front sectional view and a top sectional view. As an example, the displacement mechanism in the inkjet printer 10 according to this embodiment includes a groove cam 8 formed in the latch 6 and a lever 9 swingably supported in the case 5. The lever 9 is swingably supported by the case 5 at a fulcrum 9b at one end, and has a shaft 9a protruding from the other end that fits into the groove cam 8.

As shown in FIG. 3A, from the state where the projection 6a is exposed from the case 5 to one side surface side, the latch 6 is moved in the direction of arrow B against the elastic force of the latch spring 7 (not shown).
When it is moved in the direction, the shaft 9a moves into the inclined portion 8 in the groove cam 8.
The lever 9 swings counterclockwise in the figure as it moves downward along the line a to the lower end 8b, and the state changes to the state shown in FIG. 3B. A horizontal step is formed on the inclined portion 8a in the groove cam 8, and the lever 9 is elastically deformed in the horizontal direction while the shaft 9a reaches the lower end 8b. Further, due to the contact with the step portion, the shaft body 9a is prevented from moving upward in the inclined portion 8a.

After that, when the acting force on the latch 6 in the direction of the arrow B is released, the latch 6 moves in the direction of the arrow C by the elastic force of the latch spring 7 (not shown), and the shaft 9a.
The lever 9 swings clockwise as shown in FIG. 3 (C) along with the upward movement of the groove cam 8 along the inclined portion 8c to the intermediate portion 8d, and as shown in FIG. Change to the state of being located within 5.

At this time, the latch 6 is the latch spring 7
Is urged in the direction of arrow C by the elastic force of, and the rotational force in the clockwise direction in the figure continuously acts on the latch 9 from the inclined portion 8c of the groove cam 8 via the shaft 9a. However, the intermediate portion 8d of the groove cam 8 is shaped such that the shaft body 9a is fitted obliquely from below, and as long as the latch 6 is biased in the direction of arrow C, the shaft body 9a moves from the intermediate portion 8d. Never,
The lever 9 does not swing clockwise in the figure. Also,
The movement of the latch 6 in the arrow C direction is also restricted by fitting the shaft body 9a into the intermediate portion 8d of the groove cam 8. Therefore, unless an external force against the elastic force of the latch spring 7 acts on the latch 6, the state shown in FIG. 3C is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 3C, when the latch 6 is moved in the direction of the arrow B against the elastic force of the latch spring 7 (not shown) from the state where the projection 6a is located inside the case 5, the shaft body is moved. The lever 9 swings in the clockwise direction in the figure as 9a is disengaged from the intermediate portion 8d of the groove cam 8 and exposed to the horizontal portion 8f along the inclined surface 8e of the groove cam 8, and the lever 9 swings clockwise in FIG.
The state changes to.

After that, when the acting force on the latch 6 in the arrow B direction is released, the latch 6 moves in the arrow C direction by the elastic force of the latch spring 7 (not shown), and the shaft 9a.
Moves relative to the horizontal portion 8f in the groove cam 8 in the direction of arrow B, and returns to the state shown in FIG. The groove cam 8
A horizontal step is formed in the inner horizontal portion 8f, and the lever 9 elastically deforms in the horizontal direction while the shaft 9a moves in the horizontal portion 8f. Further, the shaft body 9a is prevented from moving along the horizontal portion 8f in the arrow C direction due to the contact with the step portion.

As described above, according to the displacement mechanism of the ink jet printer 10 according to this embodiment, the shaft body 9a of the arm 9 supported by the case 5 moves in the groove cam 8 formed in the latch 6. As a result, each time the external force in the direction of the arrow B is applied to the latch 6, the latch 6 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
The protrusions 6a shown in FIG. 3 are alternately displaced from the case 5 exposed to one side surface side, and the protrusions 6a shown in FIG.

The displacement mechanism configured as described above has the contact member 4 having the concave portion 4a and the convex portion 4b, and the protrusion 6a.
Together with the latch 6 having the protrusion 6b, the movable body moving mechanism of the present invention is configured.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a moving state of the movable body with respect to the carrier body by the displacement mechanism. In addition,
4 (A) and 4 (B), a partially cutaway side view is arranged on the left side and a front partial sectional view is arranged on the right side. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the latch 6 is in the state shown in FIG. 3A and the protrusion 6a is exposed from the case 5 to one side surface side, the protrusion 6a is attached to the movable body 3. The convex portion 4b of the formed contact member 4 is contacted from below. As a result, the movable body 3 moves upward in the carrier body 2,
The print head 16a mounted on the movable body 3 has a platen 19
Away from.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When the latch 6 is in the state shown in FIG. 3C and the protrusion 6a is located inside the case 5, the protrusion 6a is inserted into the concave portion 4a of the contact member 4 formed on the movable body 3 from below. Get in. As a result, the movable body 3 moves downward in the carrier body 2, and the print head 16 a mounted on the movable body 3 is moved.
Approaches platen 19.

Therefore, when the thick recording paper is to be printed, the latch 6 is in the state shown in FIG. 3A, and when the thin recording paper is to be printed, the latch 6 is shown in FIG.
With the state shown in (C), the paper gap can always be kept constant regardless of the change in the thickness of the recording paper to be printed. At this time, since the vertical position of the carrier body 2 does not change, the carrier shaft 14
Since it is not necessary to provide a structure for vertically displacing the ink jet printer, the structure of the inkjet printer 10 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In this example, in order to move the latch 6 between the state shown in FIG. 3 (A) and the state shown in FIG. 3 (C), an external force in the direction of arrow B is applied to the latch 6, The carrier 1 is moved to one frame 13b side beyond the normal movement range, and the protrusion 6b of the latch 6 is moved to the frame 13b side.
It is made to abut.

That is, in the carrier 1, during the normal printing process, the arrow B orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction is in the range where the print head 16a faces the printing area on the upper surface of the recording paper.
, And the carrier 1 reciprocates in the C direction, and on the frame 13b side, the carrier 1 stops the forward movement in the arrow C direction at the normal stop position Pa and returns in the arrow B direction. On the other hand, when it is necessary to move the movable body 3 in the vertical direction with respect to the carrier body 2 according to the thickness of the recording paper to be printed, the frame 1
On the 3b side, the carrier 1 is overrun in the direction of arrow C beyond the normal stop position Pa to the displacement stop position Pb. As a result, the protrusion 6b of the latch 6 abuts the frame 13b in the direction of arrow C, and the latch 6 receives the frame 1b.
External force in the direction of arrow B is applied from 3b, and the state of the latch 6 is changed from the state shown in FIG. 4 (A) or the state shown in FIG. 4 (B) to the state shown in FIG. 4 (B) or shown in FIG. 4 (A). Change to state.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control section of the ink jet printer. The control unit 20 of the inkjet printer 10 includes a ROM 22 and a RAM 23.
A head driver 24, a carrier motor driver 25, a carry motor driver 26, an interface 27 and an image memory 28 are connected to a CPU 21 provided with. When a print request including image data is input from an external terminal device such as a personal computer (not shown) via the interface 27, the CPU 21 temporarily stores the image data in the image memory 28, and then the carrier motor driver 25 and the conveyance motor driver. While outputting the drive data to 26, the drive data is output to the head driver 24 based on the image data read from the image memory 28.

The head driver 24 drives the print head 16a based on the drive data output from the CPU 21 to eject the ink in the ink cartridge 16.
The carrier motor driver 25 drives the carrier motor 29 based on the drive data output from the CPU 21, and reciprocates the carrier 1 in the direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction. The carry motor driver 26 drives the carry motor 30 based on the drive data output from the CPU 21, rotates the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller 15 not shown, and carries the recording paper set in the paper feed tray 11. .

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control section of the ink jet printer. When a print request is input from the external terminal device (s1), the CPU 21 of the control unit 20 determines whether or not thick recording paper is selected as a print target based on the paper thickness selection data included in the print request. Perform (s2). When the thick recording paper is selected as the print target, the CPU 21 causes the carrier 1 to overrun from the normal stop position Pa to the displacement stop position Pb on the frame 13b side (s3), and then the thin recording paper is When it is selected as the print target, the carrier 1 is positioned at the home position at the start of printing as it is (s4).

In this state, the CPU 21 conveys the recording paper, and while reciprocating the carrier 1, drives the print head 16a based on the image data included in the print request to perform the printing process on the recording paper ( s5). When the print processing related to the print request is completed, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the print processing is for thick recording paper (s
6) If the printing process is for thick recording paper, the carrier 1 is overrun to the frame 13b side from the normal stop position Pa to the displacement stop position Pb (s
8) If the print processing is for thin recording paper, the process returns to the state of waiting for input of a print request.

With the above processing, in this example, a thick recording paper such as a postcard or envelope is selected as a print target in the setting screen displayed on the display of the external terminal device by the printer driver installed in the external terminal device. By selecting, the carrier 1 is overrun to the frame 13b side at the start and end of the printing process on the thick recording paper, and the protruding portion 6b of the latch 6 is made to the frame 13b.
The movable body 3 can be displaced vertically with respect to the carrier body 2 by abutting against.

Therefore, in the initial state, the movable body 3 is set to the lower position (the position shown in FIG. 4B) of the carrier body 2 corresponding to the thin recording paper, and is movable only during the printing process on the thick recording paper. The body 3 is positioned above the carrier body 2 corresponding to thick recording paper (see FIG. 4).
(Position shown in (A)), and the movable body 3 is arranged to keep the paper gap constant according to the thickness of the recording paper to be printed.
It is possible to simplify the control for displacing.

When a thick recording paper is selected as a print target more frequently than a thin recording paper is selected, the movable body 3 corresponds to the thick recording paper in the initial state. The upper position of the carrier body 2 (see FIG.
(Position shown in (A)), and when thin recording paper is selected, by performing the processing of s3 and s7,
The number of times the movable body is displaced can be reduced.

As the displacement mechanism provided in the ink jet printer of the present invention, the shaft 9a of the lever 9 supported by the case 5 is engaged with the groove cam 8 formed in the latch 6 as shown in FIG. The present invention is not limited to this, and the latch 6 can be displaced alternately between the position where the projection 6a is fitted into the concave portion 4a of the contact member 4 and the position where the protrusion 6a abuts the convex portion 4b each time an external force in the direction of the arrow B acts on the latch 6. Can be used.

Further, beyond the normal movement range, the carrier 1
In order to apply an external force to the latch 6 in the direction of the arrow B when the latch 6 moves, the protrusion 6b of the latch 6 is attached to the frame 13b.
Although a method other than the method of contacting with the above is conceivable, some kind of member needs to be added, which may lead to an increase in size of the device and an increase in cost. It is also conceivable to apply an external force in the direction of arrow B to the latch 6 while the carrier 1 is within the normal movement range, but in this case as well, some kind of member needs to be added, increasing the size of the device and increasing the cost. May cause rise. Therefore, when the carrier 1 moves beyond the normal movement range, it is possible to bring the protruding portion 6b of the latch 6 into contact with the frame 13b and to apply an external force in the direction of the arrow B to the latch 6 to reduce the size and cost of the device. This is the best configuration for low cost.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the movable body 3 is alternately arranged in two positions with respect to the carrier body 2, that is, an upper position corresponding to thick recording paper and a lower position corresponding to thin recording paper. I explained the configuration that was displaced to
Latch 6 for 3 or more types of recording paper with different thickness
It is also possible to circulate and displace the movable body 3 at three or more positions in the vertical direction with respect to the carrier body 2 each time an external force in the direction of arrow B is applied.

[0050]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The carrier body and the carrier shaft are displaced in the thickness direction of the recording paper by moving the carrier to one frame side over the normal movement range a number of times corresponding to the thickness of the recording paper. Instead, only the movable body equipped with the print head can be moved to a position that realizes an appropriate paper gap corresponding to the thickness of the recording paper, and a structure for displacing the carrier shaft in the thickness direction of the recording paper is provided. It is possible to reduce the size of the device and reduce the cost by making it unnecessary.

(2) Each time the thickness of the recording paper is changed, the carrier is moved to one frame side beyond the normal movement range, and the position of the movable body with respect to the carrier body is changed to the recording paper at the portion facing the print head. By changing from one of the two positions in the thickness direction of the recording paper to the other, the movable body equipped with the print head can be changed to the recording paper thickness without displacing the carrier body and the carrier shaft in the recording paper thickness direction. It can be moved to one of two positions that realizes an appropriate paper gap, and does not require a structure for displacing the carrier shaft in the thickness direction of the recording paper, thus reducing the size and cost of the apparatus. Can be realized.

(3) At the start and end of the printing process on either the thick recording paper or the thin recording paper, the carrier is moved to one frame side beyond the normal movement range, and the movable body is made thin. Perform the printing process on the thick recording paper or thin recording paper while moving from the position corresponding to the recording paper or thick recording paper to the position corresponding to the thick recording paper or thin recording paper. After the end, move the movable body again to the position corresponding to the thin recording paper or the thick recording paper, so that the position corresponding to either the thin recording paper or the thick recording paper is set as the initial position. The movable body can be displaced according to the height, and the control of the position of the movable body can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of a main part of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a configuration of a carrier in the inkjet printer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of a displacement mechanism in the inkjet printer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a moving state of a movable body with respect to a carrier body by the displacement mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the inkjet printer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a control unit of the inkjet printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1-career 2-Carrier body 3-Movable body 4- Contact member 4a-recess 4b-convex part 6-latch 6a-protrusion 6b-projection 7-latch spring 8-groove cam 9-lever 9a-shaft 10-inkjet printer 13a, 13b-frame 14-carrier shaft

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A carrier shaft is arranged between a pair of frames parallel to a recording paper conveyance direction with a longitudinal direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction, and a print head is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the carrier shaft. In an inkjet printer that reciprocates a mounted carrier, the carrier is movably mounted between the carrier body that is fitted onto the carrier shaft and two positions in the thickness direction of the recording paper at the portion facing the print head. A movable body that is held and has a print head mounted thereon, and the movable body is provided with recesses and protrusions in the thickness direction of the recording paper continuously in the moving direction of the carrier. In the moving direction, it is movable between a position where it is fitted into the concave portion and a position where it is brought into contact with the convex portion, and at the same time, it is provided with one flap from the carrier body. A projection in the thickness direction of the recording paper integrally formed with a projection protruding toward the comb side, and a position where the projection is fitted into the recess and the projection each time the projection contacts one frame. An inkjet printer, comprising: a displacement mechanism that alternately displaces a contact position, and the protrusion is brought into contact with the one frame a number of times according to the thickness of the recording paper. 2. A carrier shaft is arranged between a pair of frames parallel to the recording paper conveyance direction with the longitudinal direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction, and the print head is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the carrier shaft. In an inkjet printer that reciprocates a mounted carrier, the carrier is movably mounted at a plurality of positions in the thickness direction of the recording paper in a portion facing the carrier body that is fitted onto a carrier shaft and a print head. A movable body that is held and has a print head mounted thereon, and the position of the movable body in the thickness direction of the recording paper in the carrier body each time the carrier moves to one frame side beyond the normal movement range. A movable body moving mechanism for changing the carrier is provided to normally move the carrier to one frame side a number of times according to the thickness of the recording paper. An inkjet printer characterized by being moved beyond the enclosure. 3. The movable body is movably held between two positions in the thickness direction of the recording paper and held by the carrier body, and the movable body moving mechanism changes the thickness of the recording paper. The inkjet printer according to claim 2, wherein the carrier is moved to the one frame side for each time, exceeding the normal movement range. 4. The movable body moving mechanism moves the carrier to one frame side beyond a normal moving range at the start and end of a printing process on either thick recording paper or thin recording paper. The inkjet printer according to claim 3, wherein the inkjet printer is provided.