JP2006130708A - Cover opening/closing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cover opening/closing structure improving reliability wherein a cover is not floated even when the cover which is deformed in the molding is attached to a device body. <P>SOLUTION: The device body is equipped with a sensor for detecting an opening or closing condition of the cover. The cover is rotatably attached to an outer case with a hinge member. A pawl section for engaging the cover to the outer case and a projection for pushing the sensor attached to the device body are provided to the cover and a reverse spring for urging the hinge member is provided to the device body. The reverse spring is attached to a gap between a rib formed on the hinge member and a rib attached to the outer case. While the cover is closed, the reverse spring urges the hinge member in the direction of closing movement. While the cover is opened, the reverse spring urges the hinge member in the direction of opening movement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cover opening / closing structure provided in an inkjet printer or the like.

  The ink jet printer is provided with a cover that can be opened and closed for ink tank replacement and head replacement. As a first conventional technique, there is a cover that is provided with a shaft (or a bearing), a bearing (or a shaft) in an outer case, and the shaft is coupled to the bearing so that the cover can be rotated. Furthermore, many of the above-described cover open / close structures have a sensor for detecting the open / close state of the cover in order to prevent the cover from being inadvertently opened during printing and causing a problem.

  Further, in the above embodiment, since the external design of the printer and the opening / closing angle of the cover are limited, as a second conventional technique, the cover is not directly fixed to the exterior case, but the exterior case via an arbitrary hinge member. There was something to attach to. In this case as well, in order to prevent the cover from being inadvertently opened during printing and causing a malfunction, many have a sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the cover.

  Further, as a third conventional technique, there is a technique in which the cover is prevented from being inadvertently opened during printing by providing the first and second cover opening / closing structures with an arbitrary locking mechanism.

  The above cover opening / closing structure is not limited to the ink jet printer, and is also used in other electronic devices.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-348376

  However, the conventional techniques described above have the following problems.

  That is, in the first and second prior arts, when the cover is deformed due to residual stress generated at the time of molding, when the cover is attached to the exterior case, the deformed portion does not appear even though the cover is closed. There was a problem that the cover sensor could not be pushed because it floated up. In this case, the printer cannot perform a normal printing operation.

  In the third prior art, since the cover is pressed by an arbitrary locking mechanism, the cover can be prevented from floating. However, in this case, there is a problem that the lock mechanism is often complicated and the cost is increased. Furthermore, since a space for inserting the lock mechanism is required inside the exterior case, there is a problem that the apparatus main body becomes large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to improve the reliability without the cover being lifted even when the cover deformed at the time of molding is attached to the apparatus main body. The object is to provide a cover opening / closing structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus main body is provided with a sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the cover, and the cover is rotated to the exterior case via a hinge member. The cover is provided with a claw for engaging with the exterior case, and a protrusion for pressing the sensor provided in the apparatus main body. The apparatus main body is provided with the hinge member. A reversing spring for urging is provided, and the reversing spring is attached to a gap between a rib formed on the hinge member and a rib formed on the exterior case, and the reversing spring includes the cover When the cover is closed, the hinge member is urged in the direction in which the cover is closed, and the reversing spring urges the hinge member in the direction in which the cover is opened when the cover is open. And wherein the door.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion of the cover and the outer case is substantially in the same position as the position where the sensor is provided.

  According to the present invention, when the cover is in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body, the reversing spring biases the cover in the closing direction. As a result, even if a cover that has been deformed at the time of molding is attached to the apparatus main body, the cover is not lifted and reliability is improved.

  On the other hand, when the cover was in an open state with respect to the apparatus main body, the cover was biased in the opening direction by a reversing spring. As a result, the cover does not rub against other covers and the outer case during rotation, and the quality is improved.

  Furthermore, in the prior art, there has been a technique using an arbitrary lock mechanism as a countermeasure against floating when the cover is closed with respect to the apparatus main body. However, since the structure of the lock mechanism is complicated, the number of parts is increased and the cost is increased. Also, since the space for storing the lock mechanism is necessary in the apparatus main body, there is a problem that the apparatus main body becomes large. .

  However, according to the present invention, since the problem of the floating of the cover can be solved by adding only one reversing spring, it is possible to solve the problem of cost increase and the problem that the apparatus main body becomes large.

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

  Based on FIG.1 and FIG.2, the external appearance of the cover opening / closing structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention is closed, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the cover according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, an upper case 1 and a lower case 2 constitute an exterior case, and an apparatus main body (not shown) is fixed therein. The upper case 1 is provided with a tank replacement cover 3 that is opened and closed when replacing the ink tank, an operation panel 4 for performing various operations of the printer, a jam cover 5 that is opened and closed during jam processing, and the like. Yes.

  When the tank replacement cover 3 is opened, the ink tank holding unit 13 appears on the exterior so that the ink tank can be replaced. The ink tank holding unit 13 is provided with tank replacement levers 7, 8, 9, 10 and the like used when replacing the ink tank (not shown).

  Further, the tank replacement cover 3 is rotatably attached to the upper case 1 via a hinge member 6. This is because the tank replacement cover 3 is placed on the jam cover 5 when the tank replacement cover 3 is completely opened. Thus, when a static pressure is applied to the tank replacement cover 3, the bearing 11 of the tank replacement cover 3. 12 and the shafts 14 and 15 of the hinge member are prevented from being damaged. The tank replacement cover 3 is placed on the jam cover 5 so that the operation of the tank replacement levers 7, 8, 9, and 10 is not hindered when the user replaces the ink tank (not shown). ing.

  Further, the tank replacement cover 3 is provided with a protruding rib 24 and a claw 25, which function when the tank replacement cover 3 is in a closed state. ) For pressing the sensor 26 for detecting the open / closed state of the tank replacement cover 3, and the claw 25 is for lightly engaging the rib 27 provided on the upper cover 1.

  Next, main parts related to the cover opening / closing structure of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the main components of the opening / closing structure of the tank replacement cover 3.

  As described above, the tank replacement cover 3 is attached to the upper case 1 via the hinge member 6. The hinge member 6 has shafts 14, 15, 16, and 17. The shafts 14 and 15 are coupled to the bearings 11 and 12 of the tank replacement cover, and the shafts 16 and 17 are the bearings 18 of the upper case 1. , 19. A reversing spring 20 is attached to the gap between the side wall 21 of the hinge member 6 and the rib 22 of the upper case 1. In the reversing spring 20, the tips of the spring arms form L-shapes 29 and 30, and the L-shapes 29 and 30 are not caught in the holes 31 and 32 provided in the side wall 21 and the rib 22. So that it is fixed. The reversing spring 20 biases the hinge member 6 in an arbitrary direction, and the biasing direction of the hinge member 6 by the reversing spring 20 changes depending on the open / close state of the tank replacement cover 3. These will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  4 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part when the tank replacement cover 3 is in a closed state, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part when the tank replacement cover 3 is in an open state.

  When the tank replacement cover 3 is closed, the reversing spring 20 is held at the position shown in FIG. By holding the reversing spring 20 in this way, the hinge member 6 is biased in the direction of the arrow 23. At this time, a force acts on the hinge member 6 in the clockwise direction around the shaft 16 as a rotation center. Further, since the tank replacement cover is coupled to the hinge member 6, the ink tank holding unit 13. It is urged to the side. The main body of the apparatus is provided with a sensor 26 for detecting the open / closed state of the tank replacement cover. By urging the tank replacement cover 3 toward the ink tank holding unit 13 side, the rib 24 moves in the direction of the sensor 26. Will be pushed. As a result, the tank replacement cover 3 does not float unintentionally, and the sensor can be prevented from erroneously recognizing the open / closed state of the tank replacement cover 3.

  On the other hand, when the tank replacement cover 3 is opened, the reversing spring 20 is held at the position shown in FIG. By holding the reversing spring 20 in such a state, the hinge member 6 is urged in the direction of the arrow 28. At this time, the hinge member 6 receives a force in the counterclockwise direction about the shaft 16 as a rotation center. It is working. The reversing spring 20 moves from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5 when the tank replacement cover 3 is opened at an arbitrary angle from the closed state. As described above, when the tank replacement cover 3 is opened at an arbitrary angle, the reversing spring 3 pushes up the hinge member 6 and lifts the rotation center of the tank replacement cover 3 upward. It can rotate smoothly without rubbing against an exterior cover such as the cover 5. FIG. 6 shows this state, and FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the tank replacement cover 3 is in the middle of opening.

  As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the tank replacement cover 3 is in a closed state, the tank replacement cover 3 is pressed against the ink tank holding unit 13 by the reversing spring 20 and the tank replacement cover 3 is pressed. When the replacement cover 3 is open, the rotation center of the hinge member 6 is lifted by the reversing spring 20 so that the tank replacement cover can rotate smoothly without rubbing against other exterior covers.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which the cover which concerns on embodiment of this invention closed. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which the cover concerning embodiment of this invention opened. It is a back perspective view which shows the main components of the opening / closing structure of the tank replacement cover which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part when the tank replacement cover which concerns on embodiment of this invention exists in the closed state. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part when the tank replacement cover which concerns on embodiment of this invention exists in the open state. It is an appearance perspective view showing the state where the tank exchange cover concerning an embodiment of the invention is in the middle of opening.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper case 2 Lower case 3 Tank replacement cover 4 Operation panel 5 Jam cover 6 Hinge member 7, 8, 9, 10 Tank replacement lever 11, 12, 18, 19 Bearing 13 Ink tank holding unit 14, 15, 16, 17 Shaft 20 Reversing spring 21 Side wall 22 Rib 23 Arrow 24 Rib 25 Claw 26 Sensor 27 Rib 28 Arrow 29, 30 L-shaped 31, 32 Hole

Claims (2)

  The apparatus main body is provided with a sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the cover, and the cover is rotatably attached to the outer case via a hinge member, and the cover is engaged with the outer case. And a protrusion for pushing the sensor provided in the apparatus main body. The apparatus main body is provided with a reversing spring for urging the hinge member. A spring is attached to a gap between a rib formed on the hinge member and a rib formed on the exterior case, and the reversing spring is configured to close the hinge in a direction in which the cover is closed when the cover is closed. A cover opening / closing structure characterized by biasing a member, and the reversing spring biases a hinge member in a direction in which the cover is opened when the cover is open.   2. The cover opening / closing structure according to claim 1, wherein an engagement portion between the cover and the outer case is substantially in the same position as the position where the sensor is provided.

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