JP2005111677A - Recorder, liquid ejector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform home seek of a carriage quickly without intervention of inadvertent wiping operation. <P>SOLUTION: The recorder is arranged such that a protrusion 35a is formed on the side face of a carriage 35 being driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction, and a hole 4a capable of inserting the protrusion 35a is formed to the side frame right 4 facing the protrusion 35a. A cap unit 10 provided in the vicinity of the side frame right 4 can engage with the carriage 35 and being locked when it is slid to the side of the side frame right 4 by means of the carriage 35 so that a recording head can be wiped by means of a wiping member 12. When the carriage 35 is displaced to the uppermost position by a gap adjusting means, the protrusion 35a cannot be fitted in the hole 4a and since the cap unit 10 is not locked even if the carriage 35 abuts against the side frame right 4, inadvertent wiping can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus provided with a recording head for recording on a recording medium, represented by a FAX, a printer, or the like. The present invention also relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus uses an ink jet recording head, and is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine that discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device that ejects the liquid corresponding to the application from the liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to the ejected medium corresponding to the recording material, and adheres the liquid to the ejected medium. .
In addition to the recording head, as a liquid ejecting head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED) Examples thereof include an ejection head, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

  An ink jet printer as an example of a recording apparatus includes a carriage having an ink jet recording head for discharging ink onto a recording medium, a carriage guide shaft for guiding the carriage in the main scanning direction, and both sides of the main scanning area of the carriage. A side frame that supports the carriage guide shaft and a cap unit that includes a cap member that caps the recording head to prevent the recording head from being clogged.

  The cap unit is slidable in the main scanning direction in the vicinity of one end of the main scanning area of the carriage (generally, the home position), and engages with the carriage and is pushed by the carriage toward the side frame. The cap member caps the recording head at a position where it slides and moves close to the recording head, and eventually the carriage comes into contact with the side frame and stops.

  In addition, the ink jet printer is provided with a wiping member that wipes off dust and foreign matters adhering to the nozzle surface of the recording head by wiping. The wiping member needs to be provided so as to advance and retreat with respect to the reciprocating operation area of the recording head. However, if a dedicated mechanism for moving the wiping member forward and backward with respect to the recording head is separately provided, the cost increases. Become. As means for solving such a problem, an ink jet printer having a head cleaning mechanism described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

  In this head cleaning mechanism, a slider is disposed in the vicinity of the home position of the recording head, and a cap member and a wiping member are supported on the slider. When the recording head enters the home position, the slider approaches the recording head in conjunction with this, and the recording head is capped by the cap member. Then, when the recording head moves away from the home position, the slider is separated from the recording head and the cap is released, and the slide movement is locked to stop halfway. Along with this, the nozzle surface of the recording head is wiped by the wiping member mounted on the slider.

JP-A-10-193629

  In the ink jet printer, after power is turned on, a home seek operation is performed so that the carriage searches for the origin in the main scanning direction. In this home seek operation, for example, a lever that can be engaged with the carriage and a detector that detects the swinging operation of the lever are provided, and the carriage is moved in the main scanning direction, so that the carriage is engaged with the lever. There is a method of setting as the origin. However, with this method, it is difficult to obtain high accuracy for the home seek due to the lever mounting accuracy, etc., so it is detected that the carriage is abutted against the side frame and the abutting position is set as the origin in the main scanning direction. It is desirable from the viewpoint of accuracy.

  However, in this case, with the conventional configuration described above, the recording head is capped by moving the carriage to the home position, and when the carriage returns from the home position to the recording area side, the nozzle surface of the recording head is moved by the wiping member. It will always be wiped. The wiping operation is necessary from the viewpoint of removing dust and foreign matter on the nozzle surface.For example, when the wiping operation is performed in a state where the meniscus of the nozzle opening is arranged to perform the printing operation, the meniscus is destroyed, As a result, the ink may be bent or the dots may be missing. That is, the nozzle surface is wiped at an unintentional timing.

On the other hand, in order to solve such a problem, it is also conceivable that the carriage is abutted against the side frame opposite to the home position side and the abutting position is set as the origin. However, in this case, for the home seek, the carriage needs to move over a long distance from the side frame on the home position side to the side frame on the opposite side, which requires time for the home seek operation.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to perform a home seek operation of a carriage quickly and accurately without an unintentional wiping operation.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention includes a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium, and stands on both sides of a carriage that is reciprocated in the main scanning direction and the main scanning area of the carriage. A side frame provided, and provided in a state of being slidable in the main scanning direction in the vicinity of an end portion on either side of the main scanning region of the carriage and being biased toward the recording region side of the carriage, The cap member that engages with the carriage and moves close to the recording head while sliding from the recording area side toward the side frame is configured so that a cap member that caps the recording head eventually caps the recording head. A cap unit, the cap unit sliding from the recording area side toward the side frame. The carriage is provided so as to be held at a predetermined position within the slide operation range by exceeding a lock position located within the slide operation range, and in a state of being held at the predetermined position. Is a recording apparatus having a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head by moving toward the recording area, wherein the carriage is attached to the side frame at a position where the cap unit exceeds the lock position. Carriage contact position switching means for switching between a first state where contact is possible and a second state where the carriage can contact the side frame at a position where the cap unit does not exceed the lock position. It is characterized by having.

  According to the first aspect, in the first state in which the carriage can come into contact with the side frame when the cap unit exceeds the lock position, and in the position where the cap unit does not exceed the lock position, the carriage Since the carriage contact position switching means for switching between the second state in which the frame can be contacted is provided, in the second state, the cap unit is in the locked state even if the carriage contacts the side frame. Therefore, since the wiping operation of the recording head by the wiping member is not performed, the home seek can be performed with high accuracy by abutting the carriage against the side frame without interposing the unintentional nozzle surface wiping operation. It becomes possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the carriage contact position switching unit adjusts a gap between the recording head and the recording medium by displacing the carriage in the vertical direction. Using the adjusting means, it is possible to fit a protrusion provided on the carriage on the side facing the side frame and a hole formed in the side frame into which the protrusion can be inserted in the first state. It is configured to switch between the first state and the second state by switching between a state and a non-fitting state.
According to the second aspect, the carriage contact position switching means is configured using the gap adjusting means for adjusting the gap between the recording head and the recording medium. A contact position switching means can be configured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect described above, the gap adjusting means includes a cam provided at the shaft end of the carriage shaft, a cam follower engageable with the cam, and the cam rotating. It is characterized by comprising a tooth wheel train to be driven and a motor for transmitting power to the tooth wheel train.
According to the said 3rd aspect, since the said gap adjustment means is comprised so that it may receive and receive the motive power of a motor, it is not necessary to perform a gap adjustment with a user's hand, and becomes user friendly.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto an ejection target medium, a carriage that is driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction, and side frames that are erected on both sides of the main scanning area of the carriage. And provided in a state of being slidable in the main scanning direction in the vicinity of an end portion on either side of the main scanning region of the carriage and biased toward the liquid ejecting region of the carriage, and engaged with the carriage. Then, the cap is configured such that a cap member that caps the liquid ejecting head eventually caps the liquid ejecting head while moving in proximity to the liquid ejecting head while sliding from the liquid ejecting area toward the side frame. The cap unit from the liquid ejecting region side toward the side frame. When sliding, it is provided so as to be held at a predetermined position within the slide operation range by exceeding the lock position located within the slide operation range, and in the state of being held at the predetermined position. In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the cap unit includes a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head by moving the carriage toward the liquid ejecting area, and the cap unit is located at a position beyond the lock position. A first state in which the carriage can come into contact with the side frame, and a second state in which the carriage can come into contact with the side frame at a position where the cap unit does not exceed the lock position; A carriage contact position switching means for switching between the two is provided.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is an external perspective view of the main body of the printer 1, FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the printer 1, FIGS. 3 to 5 are perspective views showing the configuration near the right side frame 4, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration near the left side frame 5, FIG. 8 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 9A is a side view of a carriage 35 ′ and a frame 3 ′ according to the prior art. FIG. 9B is a side view of the carriage 35 ′ and the frame 3 ′ according to the present embodiment.

  In the following, an outline of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an example of “recording apparatus” and “liquid ejecting apparatus” according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the following, the left direction (front side of the printer) in FIG. 2 is referred to as “downstream side” of the paper transport path, and the right direction (backward side of the printer) is referred to as “upstream side”.

  In FIG. 1, the main body of the printer 1 is a main frame 3 that extends in the width direction and is erected vertically, and a side frame right 4 and a side frame left that form surfaces intersecting the main frame 3 on both sides of the main frame 3. 5, a base member is formed by a frame member formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view, and a recording sheet (hereinafter referred to as “recording medium”) as an example of “recording medium” or “jetting medium” is formed at the rear part. A sheet feeding device 2 that can be set in an inclined posture, and the sheet P is fed from the feeding device 2 toward the front of the device and discharged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding device 2 includes a hopper 21, a feeding roller 23, a retard roller 27, and guide rollers 25 and 26, and conveys the paper P to the ink jet recording head 39. The set paper P is fed one by one toward the transport driving roller 33 and the transport driven roller 34 to be transported.
More specifically, the hopper 21 is formed of a plate-like body as shown in FIG. 1, is provided in an inclined posture, and is configured to be swingable around an upper swing fulcrum (not shown). Then, the paper P supported on the hopper 21 is brought into pressure contact with the feeding roller 23 or separated from the feeding roller 23. The feeding roller 23 has a substantially D shape when viewed from the side, and feeds the paper P pressed by the arc portion to the downstream side. On the other hand, the paper P is fed by the transport driving roller 33 and the transport driven roller 34. During conveyance, the flat portion is controlled so as to face the paper P as shown in the figure so as not to cause a conveyance load.

A retard roller 27 as a “separating means” that separates the uppermost sheet P to be fed from the next and subsequent sheets P is provided so as to be in press contact with the arc portion of the feeding roller 23 and has a predetermined rotation. It is provided in a state where resistance is applied. Here, in the case where only one sheet of paper P is fed without occurrence of double feeding of the paper P, the retard roller 27 is driven to rotate (clockwise in FIG. 2) accordingly, and the paper is fed. When there are a plurality of P between the feeding roller 23 and the retard roller 27, the rotation is stopped because the friction coefficient between the sheets is low. Therefore, this prevents the next and subsequent sheets P, which are to be double-fed by the uppermost sheet P to be fed, from being fed downstream from the feeding roller 23 and is prevented from being double-fed.
The guide rollers 25 and 26 are provided so as to be freely rotatable, and as shown in the drawing, the paper P is in contact with the feeding roller 23 while the paper P is being transported by the transport driving roller 33 and the transport driven roller 34, so that no transport load is generated. Have a role.

  The sheet P fed by the feeding device 2 is guided by the guide 29 and reaches the conveyance drive roller 33 that is rotationally driven by the motor and the conveyance driven roller that is driven to rotate while being in pressure contact with the conveyance drive roller 34. . The transport driven roller 34 is pivotally supported by the holder 31, and the holder 31 is attached to the main frame 3 via a spring (not shown). The paper P that has reached the transport driving roller 33 is transported downstream at a predetermined pitch by the rotation of the transport driving roller 33.

  An ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as “recording head”) 39 and a platen 41 are arranged on the downstream side of the transport driving roller 33 so as to face the recording head. The recording head 39 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 35 and is configured to mount independent ink cartridges (not shown) for each of a plurality of colors and to supply ink to the recording head 39. The carriage 35 extends in the main scanning direction, and is driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction while being guided by a carriage guide shaft 37 that is pivotally supported by the right side frame 4 and the left side frame 5. Reference numeral 36 denotes a linear scale for detecting the position of the carriage 35 in the main scanning direction. A detection unit (not shown) for detecting a change in the state of the linear scale 36 is attached to the carriage 35.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a drive motor 19 is attached to the side frame right 4 side, and a drive pulley 20 a is attached to the drive motor 19. Further, a driven pulley 20b is provided on the left side of the side frame 5 as shown in FIG. 7, and an endless belt 38 is entrained between the driving pulley 20a and the driven pulley 20b. The carriage 35 is attached to a part of the endless belt 38, receives the power of the drive motor 19, and operates in the main scanning direction while being guided by the carriage guide shaft 37.

  In the present embodiment, the driven pulley 20 b is pivotally supported by the holder 49 as shown in FIG. The holder 49 is slidably attached to a long hole 3a formed in the main frame 3, and as shown in FIG. 8, a tension spring 53 is hung between the hook 52 and the hook 3a formed in the main frame 3. Thus, the endless belt 38 is urged so as to be tensioned.

  The holder 49 is formed with sliding portions 50a, 51a and 50b, 51b that sandwich the inner edge of the elongated hole 3a, and the holder 49 can slide by sandwiching the inner edge of the elongated hole 3a. It has become. 8 shows the sliding portion formed on the upper portion of the holder 49. However, as shown in FIG. 7 in part (sliding portion 50d), the lower portion of the holder 49 also shows the sliding portion. 8 is configured such that the inner edge of the elongated hole 3a is sandwiched by a sliding portion similar to that of FIG.

  Here, when the tension of the endless belt 38 acts on the holder 49, a moment force in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8 acts, and the protrusion 51a and the protrusion 50b come into pressure contact with the main frame 3, and the protrusion 50a and the main A space C is formed between the frame 3 and the protrusion 51 b and the main frame 3. In such a state, the rotational axis of the driven pulley 20b is not precisely perpendicular to the direction in which the endless belt 38 extends (the direction parallel to the surface of the main frame 3, that is, the main scanning direction). When the driven pulley 20b rotates, the endless belt 38 may come into contact with the flange portion of the driven pulley 20b to generate an abnormal noise, or the endless belt 38 may get over the flange portion and come off. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sliding portions 51a and 50b are offset in advance so that the rotational axis of the driven pulley 20b is accurately perpendicular to the main scanning direction in a state where the sliding portions 51a and 50b are in pressure contact with the main frame 3. 51a, 50a and 51b, 50b are provided. That is, in the state where the interval C is formed, the rotational axis of the driven pulley 20b is configured to be accurately perpendicular to the main scanning direction. Accordingly, even when the endless belt 38 is tensioned, the rotational axis of the driven pulley 20b is precisely perpendicular to the main scanning direction, and the endless belt 38 can be driven in an appropriate state.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the guide frame 6 is provided above the main frame 3 so that the carriage 35 can reciprocate stably in the main scanning direction. FIG. 9 is a diagram for comparing the prior art with the present embodiment. FIG. 9A is a side view of the carriage 35 ′ and the main frame 3 ′ according to the prior art, and FIG. 9B is a carriage 35 according to the present embodiment. 2 is a side view of the main frame 3. FIG.

  In FIG. 9A, the main frame 3 ′ has an L-shape in which the upper end is bent toward the rear side of the printer, and the slider 40 ′ provided on the carriage 35 ′ contacts the main frame 3 ′ from the back surface. Thus, rotation about the carriage guide shaft 37 (counterclockwise direction in the figure) is stopped.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 9B, a guide frame 6 having a substantially U-shape when viewed from the side is located near the both ends of the main frame 3 with the opening side directed downward at the upper end of the main frame 3. (See FIG. 1). The carriage 35 is provided with a slider 40. When the slider 40 contacts the inside of the guide frame 6, rotation about the carriage guide shaft 37 (counterclockwise direction in the figure) is stopped.

  Therefore, in the prior art, when the carriage 35 ′ reciprocates in the main scanning direction, an external force acts on the upper end of the main frame 3 ′ in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, thereby generating a bending moment. Although the upper end of the main frame 3 ′ may be bent and the recording accuracy may be lowered, in the present embodiment, the guide frame 6 whose secondary moment is increased due to the substantially U-shaped shape is separated from the main frame 3. Since this is provided on the main frame 3 so that the weight (moment) of the carriage 35 acts on the guide frame 6, the bending phenomenon of the frame is reduced, and the carriage 35 can be stably provided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in recording accuracy.

  Subsequently, in the present embodiment, there is provided a gap adjusting means for changing the distance between the recording head 39 and the paper P (paper gap: hereinafter referred to as “PG”) by displacing the carriage guide shaft 37 in the vertical direction. Yes. The gap adjusting means includes a motor (not shown), a cam provided at the shaft end of the carriage guide shaft 37, and a cam follower that engages with the cam. The carriage guide shaft 37 is displaced in the vertical direction when the cam is rotated by the motor, and the PG is moved in four stages (in order from the smallest, "-" (for exclusive paper), "Typ" (plain paper). ), “+” (For head rubbing avoidance), and “++” (for optical disc)), the details of the configuration are omitted here. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 7 denotes a slider attached to the shaft end of the carriage guide shaft 37, and a linear scale 36 for detecting the current position of the carriage 35 is attached to the slider. Synchronously with this, the linear scale 36 is displaced upward and downward.

  Subsequently, referring back to FIG. 2, the platen 41 that defines the distance between the paper P and the recording head 39 has ribs 43, 43, 43 formed on the surface facing the recording head 39, and the concave portions 42, 42. Is formed. The concave portion 42 is for discarding ink ejected to an area off the edge of the paper P, so that so-called borderless printing can be performed in which printing is performed without margins on the edge of the paper P. Yes. In addition, an ink absorbing material (not shown) that absorbs the discarded ink is disposed in the concave portion 42, and from the ink absorbing material to a waste liquid tray (not shown) provided below the platen 41. Ink is guided.

  An auxiliary roller 46, a discharge driving roller 44 and a discharge driven roller 45 are provided on the downstream side of the recording head 39. A plurality of discharge driving rollers 44 are provided in the main scanning direction, and a discharge driven roller 45 is provided on a frame 47 formed of a metal plate that is long in the main scanning direction, and is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge driving roller 44. The sheet P on which recording has been performed by the recording head 39 is nipped by these rollers and discharged outside the apparatus. The auxiliary roller 46 located on the upstream side of these rollers contacts and rotates the paper P from above, and prevents the paper P from being lifted, thereby maintaining a constant distance between the paper P and the recording head 39.

  The above is the outline of the paper conveyance path. The printer 1 is configured to be capable of ink jet recording directly on the label surface of an optical disk represented by a compact disk in addition to the paper P as a recording medium. This optical disc is transported along a paper transport path in a state of being set on a tray T having a plate shape. The tray T is configured separately from the printer 1 and is inserted while being supported by the tray guide 18 from the front side of the printer 1.

  The tray guide 18 is provided on the downstream side of the discharge drive roller 44 and the discharge driven roller 45 so as to be openable and closable (rotatable). As shown in FIG. 2, the tray guide 18 is opened toward the front of the apparatus to support the tray T. It can be changed by rotating the state and the storage state (not shown) closed so as to change from the open state to a substantially vertical standing state. Thereby, it is not necessary to attach or detach the tray guide 18 or separately manage the removed tray guide 18, and recording onto an optical disk or the like can be executed easily.

The above is the schematic configuration of the printer 1, and the cap unit 10 and the carriage contact position switching means will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.
In FIG. 3, the code | symbol 10 has shown the cap unit. The cap unit 10 includes a cap 11 and a wiping member 12, and is configured to be slidable in the main scanning direction. The cap unit 10 is urged toward the recording area (left direction in the figure) by an urging means (not shown). Yes.

  Further, the cap unit 10 is formed with engaging pins 13 and 13 that protrude upward, and the engaging pins 13 and 13 can engage with the carriage 35. The cap unit 10 engages with the carriage 10 and slides toward the side frame right 4 side and is displaced upward, that is, moves close to the recording head 39, and the cap 11 eventually becomes a nozzle of the recording head 39. The surface is capped (the state shown in FIG. 4: the carriage 35 is not shown). In a state where the cap 11 caps the nozzle surface of the recording head 39, negative pressure is generated in the cap 11 by pump means (not shown), and ink is sucked from the nozzle opening to prevent clogging of the ink. Even when the apparatus is not used for a long period of time, the recording head 39 is capped, thereby preventing clogging due to ink drying of the nozzle openings.

  On the other hand, the cap unit 10 has a lock position within the slide operation range in the main scanning direction. That is, the cap 10 is returned to the recording area side by the urging force of the urging means even if it is moved by the carriage 35 to the right side frame 4 side (state of FIG. 3). The lock means is configured to be locked so as not to return completely to the recording area side.

  In this locked state, the cap 10 does not cap the recording head 39 and is at a height position spaced apart from the recording head 39 by a predetermined distance. However, the wiping member 12 records from the right side frame 4 in the locked state. The nozzle surface of the recording head 39 moving to the area side is provided so as to be wiping.

More specifically, when the carriage abutment position switching means, which will be described later, is in a first state in which the carriage 35 can abut on the right side frame 4 at a position where the cap unit 10 exceeds the lock position, the carriage 35 is moved to the side. The cap unit 10 also slides while moving to the frame right 4 side, and the cap 11 caps the recording head 39 with the carriage 35 in contact with the side frame right 4. When the carriage 35 moves to the recording area side from this state, the cap unit 10 also returns to the recording area side and the cap 11 moves away from the recording head 39, but the recording does not return completely to the original position. The head 39 and the cap 11 are stopped in a state where they are separated by a predetermined amount. When the carriage 35 further moves to the recording area side in this state, the nozzle surface is wiped by the recording head 39 passing through the wiping member 12, thereby removing foreign matters and dust adhering to the nozzle surface.
3 and 4 is a lock release lever. When the recording head 39 moves to the recording area side, it engages with the carriage 35 so that the cap unit 10 is unlocked. It is configured.

  In the printer 1, after the power is turned on, a home seek operation is performed so that the carriage 35 searches for the origin in the main scanning direction. This home seek operation is performed by bringing the carriage 35 into contact with the side frame right 4. If a sensor that can be engaged with the carriage 35 is provided on the main scanning region of the carriage 35 and the origin of the carriage 35 is set by the sensor, it is highly effective for home seeking due to the mounting accuracy and detection accuracy of the sensor. This is because it becomes difficult to obtain accuracy.

  However, only by bringing the carriage 35 into contact with the right side frame 4 so as to perform the home seek operation of the carriage 35 with high accuracy, the cap unit 10 is locked as described above, and the carriage 35 returns to the recording area side again. The recording head 39 is unintentionally wiped by the wiping member 12. In other words, the wiping operation is necessary from the viewpoint of removing dust and foreign matters on the nozzle surface. For example, if the wiping operation is performed in a state where the meniscus of the nozzle opening is prepared to perform the printing operation, the meniscus is destroyed. As a result, the flying curve of the ink and the missing dots are caused. That is, the nozzle surface is wiped at an unintentional timing. On the other hand, in order to solve such a problem, if the carriage 35 is brought into contact with the side frame left 5 side, in this case, the carriage 35 moves to the side frame right 4 on the home position side for the home seek operation. To the left side frame 5 on the opposite side, it is necessary to move over a long distance, which requires time for the home seek operation.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first state where the carriage 35 can come into contact with the right side frame 4 at the position where the cap unit 10 exceeds the lock position, and the position where the cap unit 10 does not exceed the lock position. Thus, carriage contact position switching means for switching the carriage 35 to the second state in which the carriage 35 can contact the right side frame 4 is provided.
Carriage contact position switching means is formed on the gap adjusting means for adjusting PG by displacing the carriage guide shaft 37 in the vertical direction and on the surface of the carriage 35 facing the right side frame 4 as shown in FIG. And a hole 4a formed on the right side frame 4 of the side frame.

  The hole 4a formed on the right side frame 4 is formed in a shape in which the protrusion 35a formed on the carriage 35 can be inserted, and has a height that can be inserted only when PG is “++” which is the largest. Is formed. Therefore, when PG is in one of the three steps (− / Typ / +) on the small side, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), the projection 35a can be fitted into the hole 4a. In the state of contacting the right side frame 4 (first state), the cap unit 10 is in a state beyond the lock position. Therefore, when the carriage 35 moves to the recording area side, the recording head 39 is wiped by the wiping member 23.

  On the other hand, when PG is the largest, “++”, as shown in FIG. 6B, the protrusion 35a is positioned on the hole 4a and cannot be inserted into the hole 4a. As a result, when the carriage 35 (protrusion 35a) is in contact with the right side frame 4 (second state), the cap unit 10 does not exceed the lock position. Accordingly, when the carriage 35 moves to the recording area side, the wiping of the recording head 39 by the wiping member 23 is not performed.

  As described above, in the first state in which the carriage 35 can come into contact with the side frame right 4 when the cap unit 10 exceeds the lock position, and in the position where the cap unit 10 does not exceed the lock position, the carriage 35. In the second state, the cap unit 10 is locked even if the carriage 35 comes into contact with the right side frame 4 by the carriage contact position switching means for switching between the second state in which the right side 4 can come into contact with the right side frame 4. Therefore, since the wiping operation of the recording head 39 by the wiping member 23 is not performed, the carriage 35 can be attached to the side frame without causing an unintentional wiping operation of the nozzle surface without causing a decrease in recording quality. By abutting against the right 4, the carriage 35 home seek can be performed with high accuracy.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a recording apparatus typified by a FAX, a printer, or the like, or a liquid ejecting apparatus, that is, an apparatus that ejects liquid onto an ejected medium from a liquid ejecting head and attaches the liquid to the ejected medium It is.

1 is an external perspective view of an apparatus main body of a printer according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a printer according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the side frame right vicinity. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the side frame right vicinity. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the side frame right vicinity. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the side frame left vicinity. It is a top view which shows the structure of the side frame left vicinity. It is a side view of a carriage and a frame.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 Feeding device, 3 Main frame, 4 Side frame right, 4a hole, 5 Side frame left, 6 Guide frame, 7 Slider, 10 Cap unit, 11 Cap, 12 Wiping member, 13 Engagement pin, 14 Lever, 18 tray guide, 19 drive motor, 20a drive pulley, 20b driven pulley, 21 hopper, 23 feed roller, 25, 26 guide roller, 27 retarder, 29 guide, 31 holder, 33 transport drive roller, 34 transport driven roller , 35 Carriage, 36 Linear scale, 37 Carriage guide shaft, 38 Endless belt, 39 Inkjet recording head, 40 Slider, 41 Platen, 42 Recess, 43 Rib, 44 Ejection drive roller, 45 Ejection driven roller, 46 Auxiliary roller, 47 frame, 49 holder, 50a, 50b, 50c sliding part, 51a, 51b sliding part, 52 hook, P recording paper, T tray

Claims (4)

A carriage having a recording head for recording on a recording medium and driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction;
Side frames erected on both sides of the main scanning region of the carriage;
In the main scanning area of the carriage, provided near the end on either side so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction and urged toward the recording area of the carriage, and engaged with the carriage. A cap unit configured to move close to the recording head while sliding toward the side frame from the recording area side, and a cap member configured to cap the recording head eventually caps the recording head; and
When the cap unit slides from the recording area side toward the side frame, the cap unit is held at a predetermined position within the slide operation range by exceeding the lock position located within the slide operation range. A recording apparatus provided with a wiping member provided in the cap unit for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head by moving the carriage toward the recording area while being provided and held at the predetermined position. ,
A first state in which the carriage can come into contact with the side frame at a position where the cap unit exceeds the lock position;
Carriage contact position switching means for switching between a second state in which the cap unit can contact the side frame at a position where the cap unit does not exceed the lock position;
A recording apparatus. In Claim 1, the carriage contact position switching means uses gap adjustment means for adjusting the gap between the recording head and the recording medium by displacing the carriage in the vertical direction.
A protrusion provided on a side of the carriage facing the side frame;
A hole formed in the side frame and into which the protrusion can be inserted in the first state;
Is configured to switch between the first state and the second state by switching between the matable state and the unfit state.
A recording apparatus. The cam according to claim 2, wherein the gap adjusting means is provided at an end of the carriage shaft.
A cam follower engageable with the cam;
A tooth wheel train for rotating the cam;
A motor for transmitting power to the tooth wheel train;
A recording apparatus comprising: A carriage that includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto a medium to be ejected and is driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction;
Side frames erected on both sides of the main scanning region of the carriage;
Provided in the main scanning area near the end of either side of the carriage so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction and biased toward the liquid ejecting area of the carriage and engaged with the carriage. A cap unit configured to move close to the liquid ejecting head while sliding from the liquid ejecting region side toward the side frame, and eventually the cap member that caps the liquid ejecting head caps the liquid ejecting head. And comprising
When the cap unit slides from the liquid ejecting region side toward the side frame, the cap unit is held at a predetermined position within the slide operation range by exceeding a lock position located within the slide operation range. The cap unit is provided with a wiping member that wipes the nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head when the carriage moves toward the liquid ejecting region while being held in the predetermined position. A device,
A first state in which the carriage can come into contact with the side frame at a position where the cap unit exceeds the lock position;
Carriage contact position switching means for switching between a second state in which the cap unit can contact the side frame at a position where the cap unit does not exceed the lock position;
A liquid ejecting apparatus.

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