JP2007118438A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent performance of an optical element from deteriorating due to mist in an inkjet printer using a light emitting and receiving device. <P>SOLUTION: The optical element is wiped by a wiping means operated by a mechanism linked with a covering operation operated by a user. As wiping is linked with an access cover opened and closed by the user during replacing ink, cleaning can be performed in accordance with the amount of use of the ink to make the timing of cleaning reasonable, and it is thereby possible to suppress increase in cost to the minimum as the operation is manually performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer having an optical element for transmitting / receiving an optical signal in the apparatus, and in order to prevent the surface of the optical element from being contaminated by recording means such as ink and preventing functional deterioration, The present invention relates to a printer having a mechanism for cleaning.

  In recent years, there has been a demand for beauty and quality comparable to silver halide photography in the image quality of color inkjet printers. In order to express this, it is essential to eject the ejected ink particles in a small and accurate manner, but as the ejected ink becomes smaller, so-called mist ink that floats around without reaching the paper surface The mist ink that has floated in the apparatus adheres to the internal components like dirt over time.

For example, Patent Document 1 can be cited as a conventional example.
JP 2004-188638 A

  The ink mist adheres to various parts such as the inner wall of the housing, chassis members, gear members, and sensors. Among them, it is particularly thickly deposited on the surface or passing surface of the optical element that transmits and receives optical signals. As a result, there is a problem that the amount of light passing therethrough is greatly reduced and the optical sensor does not function.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is provided with means for wiping and cleaning the surface of the optical element, and the wiping means is linked to the operation of the lid that opens and closes when replacing consumables such as ink. As a result, the ink mist on the surface of the optical element can be removed, so that the function of the optical element can always be maintained normally. In addition, if a lot of printing is performed, the ink mist increases and the amount of dirt increases accordingly. However, the consumption of ink etc. naturally increases and the frequency of replacement of consumables increases, and the number of cleanings is automatically increased accordingly. The frequency of cleaning increases and the frequency of cleaning is maintained properly, which is a very convenient mechanism. Moreover, since it can comprise without providing drive means, such as a motor, in order to clean, cost can be held down low.

  As described above, a means for wiping and cleaning the surface of the optical element or a member in the optical path is provided, and the wiping means is configured to be interlocked with the operation of the lid that opens and closes when replacing consumables such as ink and toner. . As a result, the ink and toner stains on the surface of the optical element can be removed, so that the function of the optical element can always be maintained normally. In addition, when a large number of prints are made, the ink and toner stains increase and the stains increase accordingly. However, the consumption of ink and toner naturally increases, and the frequency of replacement of consumables increases. The number of minute cleanings is automatically increased, and the cleaning frequency is appropriately maintained, which is a very convenient mechanism. Moreover, since it can comprise without providing drive means, such as a motor, in order to clean, cost can be held down low.

Example 1
Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  An overall perspective view of an ink jet printer to which the present invention is applied is shown in FIG.

  A recording sheet (not shown) loaded on the sheet feeding device 1 is fed to the recording unit 2, recorded on the recording unit 2, and then ejected to the sheet ejection tray 3 for printing. . An opening / closing lid 4 is disposed on the upper part of the ink jet printer body, and the user opens and closes the opening / closing lid 4 by operating the opening / closing lid 4 when the ink tank is replaced. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the opening / closing lid 4 is opened.

  When the opening / closing lid 4 is opened, an open state is detected by a cover detection sensor (not shown), and the carrier 5 moves to the opening 8 of the upper case 7 to stand by as an ink tank replacement position. An ink discharge nozzle (not shown) is formed on the carrier 5 so as to discharge ink downward toward the recording paper, thereby forming an image. The carrier 5 is equipped with a plurality of ink tanks 6 filled with ink. In general, a number of inks corresponding to the number of inks or a plurality of ink tanks filled with a plurality of colors are provided. In this figure, five examples of five colors are shown. In this state, the user removes the ink tank that has run out of ink inside, then installs a new ink tank therein, closes the open / close lid 4, and completes a series of replacement operation flow. The closing of the open / close lid 4 is detected by the above-described cover detection sensor, and the carrier 5 moves from the ink tank replacement position to the normal print standby state position.

  An enlarged view of the opening 8 of the upper case 7 is shown in FIG.

  A wiper bar 9 is disposed in front of the opening 8 so as to expose the upper portion 9a. The wiper bar upper portion 9a rotates in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing lid 4. The details of this movement will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4 to 7 show a state in which the upper case 7 is removed and the internal mechanism is exposed. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of FIG. The wiper bar 9 is supported by a wiper bar shaft 10 as a rotation shaft, and is urged in an upward direction by a wiper bar spring 11 which is a compression spring. The wipe holder 12 is pivotally supported with the wipe holder shaft 13 as a rotation shaft, and is biased in the CW direction when viewed from above in FIG. 4 by a holder spring 14 which is a tension spring. The wiper bar lower part 9b and the wipe holder lower part 12b are in contact with each other, and the two parts are interlocked with each other. The wiper bar shaft 10 and the wipe holder shaft 13 are fitted to a bearing (not shown) formed in the upper case 7 to rotate.

When the open / close lid 4 is opened (the state shown in FIG. 3), the wiper bar 9 is positioned in a state where the wiper bar upper portion 9 a protrudes from the upper case 7 by the biasing force of the wiper bar spring 11. At this time, since the spring force of the holder spring 14 is set to be weaker than that of the wiper spring 11, the wipe holder 12 moves to a position rotated in the CCW direction against the holder spring 14 by the action of the wiper bar 9, and stops. It is supposed to do. (States of FIGS. 4 and 5)
Next, a state when the opening / closing lid 4 is closed will be described. When the open / close lid 4 is closed, a part of the open / close lid comes into direct contact with the wiper bar upper portion 9a and is pressed down. The wiper bar 9 is rotated against the wiper bar spring 11 by this action. As a result, the wiper bar lower portion 9b moves away from the wipe holder lower portion 12b, so that the wipe holder 12 is rotated and stopped in the CW direction by the action of the holder spring 14. (States of FIGS. 6 and 7)
Next, the wipe holder 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. A wiper 16 formed of a member such as a nonwoven fabric, sponge, or rubber is attached to the lower surface of the wipe holder 12. On the other hand, an optical sensor 15 is disposed at a portion facing the wiper 16. The light sensor 15 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The light sensor 15 detects a light emitted upward by the light emitting element and reflected by an ink tank described later, and determines the state thereof. Yes. The ink mist accumulated on the surface of the optical sensor 15 can be removed by wiping the surface of the optical sensor 15 with the wiper 16.

In a normal ink tank replacement operation in which the opening / closing lid 4 is opened from the closed state and then closed again,
The state of FIG. 6 → FIG. 4 → FIG. 6 is transitioned, and thereby the wiper 16 can make a single reciprocating cleaning on the optical sensor 15.

  Next, the function of the optical sensor 15 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows the ink tank 6 as viewed obliquely from below. A prism 17 is formed on the lower surface of the ink tank 6. The ink tank is molded of a transparent material, and when the light is applied to this prism part, it is a mechanism that detects the remaining amount of ink using the characteristics that change depending on whether the state of the reflected light is with or without ink inside It has become. Details of this principle and the like are not directly related to the present invention, and will be omitted.

(Example 2)
In the above-described embodiment, an example of an ink jet printer has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a printer in which dirt due to toner in an LBP using an electrophotographic technology or a copying machine is replaced with ink mist. In this case, the opening / closing lid 4 can be applied by replacing the lid that opens and closes when the toner cartridge, which is a consumable item, is replaced.

  In addition, although the sensor has been described for the ink remaining amount detection application, it is not limited to the application, but can be widely applied if it is a sensor using an optical element, and further, not directly wiping the sensor member, The present invention can also be applied to wiping a filter in the middle of an optical path by an optical element, for example, when a transparent filter or the like is in the optical path.

1 is an overall perspective view of an ink jet printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer with an opening / closing lid opened. It is an enlarged view of an upper case opening. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing (opening-closing cover: open state) of the wiping mechanism part. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing (opening-closing cover: open state) of the wiping mechanism part. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing (opening-closing cover: closed state) of the wiping mechanism part. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing (opening-closing cover: closed state) of the wiping mechanism part. It is detail drawing which shows the detail of a wiper holder. FIG. 3 is a detail view showing details of an ink tank.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feeder 2 Recording part 3 Paper discharge tray 4 Opening / closing lid 5 Carrier 6 Ink tank 7 Upper case 8 Opening part 9 Wiper bar 10 Wiper bar shaft 11 Wiper bar spring 12 Wipe holder 13 Wipe holder shaft 14 Holder spring 15 Optical sensor 16 Wiper 17 Prism

Claims (4)

  An optical element that emits or receives an optical signal, a recording unit that records on a recording medium, a replaceable consumable that contains a recording material to be supplied to the recording unit, and an open / close lid that opens and closes when the consumable is replaced A printer comprising: wiping means for cleaning a light passage surface by the optical element; and interlocking means for operating the wiping means in conjunction with the opening / closing lid.   The recording means is an ink jet recording method in which ink is ejected to form an image on a medium, and the consumable is an ink tank containing ink or a recording head in which ink and an ejection nozzle are integrally formed. The printer according to claim 1.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the user manually operates the opening / closing lid.   4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking unit is formed by a mechanism unit.

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