JP2007260980A - Recorder and liquid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remove a clogging recording paper 170 without an actuator 400 being damaged in an ink-jet recorder 100. <P>SOLUTION: The recorder is equipped with a conveyance part 130 which includes a conveyance driving roller 132 and a conveyance following roller 134 rotated along with the conveyance driving roller 132, and conveys the recording paper 170 in a conveyance direction; a recording head 164 which forms an image by ejecting ink towards the recording paper 170 conveyed by the conveyance part 130; and the actuator 400 which includes a piezoelectric material plate 322 expanded and contracted when a driving voltage that changes periodically is applied, and which generates a rotational driving force to rotate the conveyance driving roller 132. The recorder has a driving action mode in which a contact part 318 rotates the conveyance driving roller 132, and a freeing action mode in which the actuator 400 operates and the contact part 318 periodically generates a term to permit its own rotation of the conveyance driving roller 132. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus that record an image on the surface of a recording medium by conveying the recording medium and discharging ink or liquid.

Devices called piezoelectric actuators, ultrasonic motors, and the like are known. The following Patent Document 1 describes the structure of an ultrasonic motor that drives an annular output member from the inside. Thereby, an ultrasonic motor capable of outputting a desired driving torque is provided. Further, as an application of the ultrasonic motor, Patent Document 2 below describes that the ultrasonic motor is used as a photosensitive member transport unit in an electrophotographic apparatus. However, Patent Document 2 only describes that an ultrasonic motor is used, and does not describe a specific configuration. Further, Patent Document 3 below describes that a paper to be conveyed can be conveyed by being pressed against a traveling wave type ultrasonic motor by a plate or a curved mold rib. Thereby, it is supposed that a sheet-like paper can be reliably conveyed using an ultrasonic motor.
JP 2004-166479 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-053452 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-20482

  The conveyance device using the vibration type actuator as described above has a structure in which the actuator itself is biased toward the drive target and maintains contact with the drive target even when the actuator is in a state. As a result, when the actuator is stopped, it is possible to brake the drive target that is about to continue to be displaced by inertia. Therefore, accurate drive control can be executed by synchronizing the operation stop of the actuator and the operation stop of the drive target.

  On the other hand, when a conveyance failure of the recording material occurs for some reason, the recording material that could not be conveyed remains inside the recording apparatus. In order to remove the recorded material, the recorded material itself is often grasped and pulled out. However, as described above, when the actuator brakes the drive target, it becomes an obstacle to take out the recording material. In addition, when the recording material is taken out against the braking of the actuator, the actuator may be damaged. Further, when the recording material is forcibly taken out, the recording material may be damaged.

  Therefore, for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, as a first embodiment of the present invention, the conveying drive roller that is rotationally driven around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveying direction and the urging toward the conveying drive roller are energized. A conveyance driven roller that is rotated while pressing the sheet-like recording material against the conveyance driving roller, and a conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction, and ink toward the recording material conveyed by the conveyance unit , A piezoelectric material plate that expands and contracts when a drive voltage that changes periodically is applied, an abutting portion that abuts on the transport driving roller in at least a part of the expansion and contraction motion of the piezoelectric material plate, and an abutting portion And an actuator including an urging means for urging the toner toward the conveyance driving roller, wherein the actuator operates and the contact portion transmits a rotational driving force to the conveyance driving roller. There is provided a recording apparatus having a drive operation mode for rotating the conveyance drive roller and an opening operation mode for periodically generating a period in which the actuator operates and the contact portion allows the rotation of the conveyance drive roller. . As a result, in the open operation mode, the actuator allows the rotation of the conveyance drive roller, so that, for example, when the recording material remaining on the conveyance path is forcibly pulled out due to conveyance failure, the load on the actuator is increased. There is nothing. Therefore, the actuator can be prevented from being damaged, and at the same time, the recorded material can be prevented from being damaged.

  According to one embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the actuator includes a longitudinal vibrator that periodically expands and contracts in a direction including a component parallel to and intersecting a surface of the transport driving roller, and a driving operation mode. , The contact portion driven by the longitudinal vibrator periodically transmits a part of the expansion and contraction motion to the transport driving roller. As a result, the transport drive roller is driven by a constant drive amount in a short cycle, so that more precise rotation control can be performed than with a continuously rotating electromagnetic motor.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the actuator further includes a bending vibrator that periodically displaces the contact portion in a direction including a component parallel to the surface of the transport driving roller, and a driving operation mode , The abutting portion driven by the longitudinal vibrator and the bending vibrator displaces on a trajectory forming a circle or an ellipse on a surface orthogonal to the surface of the transport driving roller. As a result, the actuator not only makes contact but also pushes the conveyance drive roller in the direction to be driven, so that the conveyance drive roller can be rotationally driven with high efficiency.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, in the release operation mode, the actuator operates such that a period during which the pressure applied to the conveyance driving roller by the contact portion is low occurs longer. As a result, the load applied to the actuator is further reduced when removing the recording material remaining on the conveyance path due to conveyance failure or the like.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, in the release operation mode, the actuator does not generate a rotational driving force for the transport driving roller while periodically changing the pressure of the contact portion with the transport driving roller. Accordingly, since the driving force of the actuator is released, arbitrary rotation of the transport driving roller is allowed. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the recording material remaining on the conveyance path due to conveyance failure or the like without applying a load to the actuator.

  According to another embodiment, the recording apparatus includes means for starting the opening operation mode at an arbitrary time. As a result, the opening operation mode is activated at any time desired by the user, and an excessive load on the actuator can be avoided.

  According to another embodiment, the recording apparatus further includes load fluctuation detecting means for detecting a load fluctuation with respect to the actuator in the driving operation mode, and the release operation mode is activated when the load fluctuation is detected. Thereby, when a conveyance failure occurs for some reason, the opening operation mode can be automatically activated. Alternatively, an alarm can be generated to prompt the user to start the open operation mode.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the load fluctuation detecting means includes voltage detecting means for detecting voltage fluctuation generated in the piezoelectric material plate. As a result, the occurrence of conveyance failure can be detected by a simple electric circuit. Further, the actuator can be effectively protected by directly detecting an increase in load generated on the actuator.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the load fluctuation detecting means includes a measuring means for measuring an actual conveyance amount of the recording material in the driving operation mode, and a recording material predicted from the operation amount of the actuator. A predicted transport amount calculation unit that calculates the predicted transport amount and a difference detection unit that detects a change in the difference between the predicted transport amount and the actual rotation amount. Thereby, since the occurrence of a conveyance failure can be detected at the stage where an increase in the load on the actuator begins to occur, the release operation mode can be activated without causing an excessive load on the actuator.

  According to another embodiment, in the opening operation mode of the recording apparatus, the actuator is operated in a direction that cancels the fluctuation of the load on the actuator. Thereby, the increase in the load of the actuator due to the occurrence of the conveyance failure can be further reduced.

  Further, as a second embodiment of the present invention, a sheet-like recording material is urged toward the conveyance driving roller that is rotated around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveyance direction. A transport driven roller that is rotated while being pressed against the transport driving roller, transports the recording material in the transport direction, and a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid toward the recording material transported by the transport unit; Piezoelectric material plate that expands and contracts when a drive voltage that changes periodically is applied, an abutting portion that abuts the conveyance driving roller in at least a part of the expansion and contraction movement of the piezoelectric material plate, and the abutting portion toward the conveyance driving roller And an actuator including an urging means for urging the actuator, wherein the actuator operates, and the contact portion transmits a rotational driving force to the conveyance driving roller to rotate the conveyance driving roller. A drive operation mode in which the actuator is operated, the liquid ejecting apparatus is provided having an open mode of operation abutment generates the period that permits unique rotating periodically in the transport driving roller. Thereby, each of the above-described effects can be enjoyed also in the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  Note that the summary of the invention described above does not enumerate all necessary features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a mechanism formed on a lower case 110 by removing an upper case of an ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. As shown in the figure, at the rear of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, a paper feed unit 120 rises. The paper feeding unit 120 includes a paper support 122 that supports the recording paper 170 from the rear, and a side support 124 and a slide support 126 that position side edges of the recording paper 170 on both sides of the paper support 122. Here, the side support 124 is fixed to a side end portion of the paper support 122. On the other hand, the slide support 126 can be slid and moved on the paper support 122 and is in close contact with the side edge of the recording paper 170 even when the recording paper 170 having a different width is loaded. Although not shown in the drawing, a feeding unit that takes in the recording paper 170 loaded on the paper support 122 into the ink jet recording apparatus 100 one by one is provided near the lower end of the paper support 122.

  A frame 112 stands upright on the lower case 110 over substantially its entire width. A carriage 160 is disposed on the front surface of the frame 112. The carriage 160 can move horizontally along the guide portion 116 that is a part of the frame 112. A timing belt 146 stretched around a pair of pulleys 148 is disposed between the carriage 160 and the frame 112, and a part of the timing belt 146 is coupled to the back surface of the carriage 160. Further, since at least one of the pulleys 148 is rotationally driven by a carriage motor, the timing belt 146 travels horizontally between the pulleys 148. Therefore, the carriage 160 reciprocates horizontally as the timing belt 146 travels.

  Further, the carriage 160 mounts an ink cartridge 162 containing ink, and suspends a recording head 164 on the bottom surface thereof. The recording head 164 ejects ink supplied from the ink cartridge 162 downward. Accordingly, the recording head 164 can eject ink at an arbitrary position downward while reciprocating with the carriage 160. On the other hand, a platen 140 is disposed below the reciprocating range of the carriage 160. The platen 140 supports a recording sheet 170 conveyed by a conveying unit 130 and a discharge unit 150, which will be described later, from below, and maintains a constant interval between the recording sheet 170 and the recording head 164. Therefore, on the platen 140, the recording head 164 can form an image by attaching ink to an accurate position on the recording paper 170.

  In addition, a conveyance unit 130 is disposed behind the platen 140, and a discharge unit 150 is disposed in front of the platen 140. The conveyance unit 130 includes a conveyance driving roller 132 that is rotationally driven, and a conveyance driven roller 134 that is rotated by the conveyance driving roller 132. The discharge unit 150 also includes a discharge driven roller 154 that is rotationally driven and a discharge driven roller 154 that is rotated with the discharge driven roller 154. However, in FIG. 1, the discharge driven roller 154 supported by the discharge unit frame 155 can be seen.

  The frame 112 extends forward at both ends thereof to form a frame side portion 114. The frame side portion 114 supports the conveyance driving roller 132 and the like, and also supplements the rigidity of the frame 112 itself. Further, a home position including a cap member 166 and the like is formed on the side portion of the platen 140. When the ink jet recording apparatus 100 is not operating, the carriage 160 moves to the home position and the recording head 164 is covered with the cap member 166. This prevents clogging of the recording head 164 due to ink drying.

  An electronic circuit 190 housed in a case is mounted on the back surface of the frame 112. The electronic circuit 190 controls the operation of each part of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. Also, processing of recorded images supplied from outside is executed. Further, an operation for handling a conveyance failure, which will be described later, is also executed under the control of a control circuit included in the electronic circuit 190.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conveyance path 200 of the recording paper 170 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the recording paper 170 taken into the inside from the paper feeding unit 120 is first sandwiched between the transport driving roller 132 and the transport driven roller 134. In the conveyance unit 130, as will be described later, the conveyance drive roller 132 is rotationally driven. Further, the transport driven roller 134 is urged toward the transport driving roller 132. Therefore, the recording paper 170 sandwiched between the transport driving roller 132 and the transport driven roller 134 is pressed against the rotating transport driving roller 132, moves according to the rotation, and is fed onto the platen 140.

  The front end of the recording paper 170 that has passed over the platen 140 eventually reaches the discharge unit 150 and is sandwiched between the discharge drive roller 152 and the discharge driven roller 154. Again, the discharge drive roller 152 is driven to rotate, and the discharge driven roller 154 is urged toward the discharge drive roller 152 and is rotated along with the discharge drive roller 152. Accordingly, the recording paper 170 sandwiched between the discharge drive roller 152 and the discharge driven roller 154 moves according to the rotation of the discharge drive roller 152 and is finally sent out of the ink jet recording apparatus 100.

  As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the recording paper 170 is transported in the transport direction from the paper feeding unit 120 to the discharge unit 150. Therefore, the recording head 164 can form an image by ejecting ink to a desired area on the surface of the recording paper 170 by appropriately combining the reciprocating movement of the carriage 160 and the conveyance of the recording paper 170 to the above-described conveyance.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 includes an actuator 400 that rotationally drives the transport driving roller 132. The structure and operation of the actuator 400 will be described later. In addition, a pair of paper edge sensors 131 and 133 are disposed immediately before and after the conveyance driving roller 132 in the conveyance path 200 of the recording paper 170. The paper edge sensors 131 and 133 notify the control system 500 described later when the front edge of the recording paper 170 passes immediately above it.

  Further, the transport driving roller 132 includes a rotary encoder 138 that is coaxially mounted and rotates integrally, and a counter 139 that counts the scale of the rotated rotary encoder 138. Thereby, the amount of actual rotation of the conveyance drive roller 132 can be measured. The measurement result of the counter 139 is notified to the control system 500 described later.

  Further, the discharge drive roller 152 is driven by a drive gear 136 attached to the end of the transport drive roller 132. That is, the relay gear 180 includes a large diameter gear 182 that meshes with the teeth 137 of the drive gear 136 and a small diameter gear 184 that meshes with the driven gear 156. Since the drive gear 136 rotates integrally with the conveyance drive roller 132, when the conveyance drive roller 132 is driven to rotate by the actuator 400, the discharge drive roller 152 also rotates at the same time. The large-diameter gear 182 has fewer teeth than the drive gear 136, but the driven gear 156 has more teeth than the small-diameter gear 184, and the driven gear 156 has a larger diameter than the discharge drive roller 152. The conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 move the recording paper 170 at substantially the same speed.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus 100 that performs the operation as described above, the conveyance drive roller 132 is rotationally driven by the vibrator 300 via the drive gear 136. That is, the vibrator 300 is included in the actuator 400 lifted from the lower case 110 via the spacer 412, and a contact portion 318 described later drives near the outer periphery of the drive gear 136 in the circumferential direction of the drive gear 136. To do.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the vibrator 300 mounted on the actuator 400 that rotationally drives the transport driving roller 132 in the transport unit 130. As shown in the figure, the vibrator 300 is formed by fixing a reinforcing plate 310 and a pair of piezoelectric elements 320 that sandwich the reinforcing plate 310 together to a base plate 330 with screws 340.

  The reinforcing plate 310 is a single metal plate formed in the illustrated shape, and has a rectangular reinforcing portion 312 having substantially the same shape and dimensions as the piezoelectric element 320, and a contact protruding from one of the short sides of the reinforcing portion 312. Part 318. Further, from substantially the center of each long side of the reinforcing portion 312, a pair of arm portions 314 extending outward from the reinforcing portion 312, and a round hole 316 formed at the tip of each of the arm portions 314, and A long hole 317 is provided.

  Each of the piezoelectric elements 320 includes a piezoelectric material plate 322 having substantially the same shape and size as the reinforcing portion 312 of the reinforcing plate 310, a common electrode 329 formed over one surface of the piezoelectric material plate 322, and a piezoelectric material plate A central electrode 324 and side electrodes 321, 233, 235, and 237 are formed by dividing the other surface of the 322. Here, the center electrode 324 is formed over the entire length of the piezoelectric material plate 322 in the longitudinal direction. Further, the center electrode 324 is arranged at the center in the short side direction of the piezoelectric material plate 322. On the other hand, the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 are formed along the long side edges of the piezoelectric material plate 322, respectively. In other words, the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 are all formed so as to be biased laterally in the short side direction of the piezoelectric material plate 322. The central electrode 324 and the side electrodes 321, 233, 235, and 237 are formed separately from each other and are electrically independent. Therefore, when a voltage is applied between the common electrode 329 and one of the electrodes, the voltage is applied to the piezoelectric material plate 322 in the region occupied by the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327, and expands or contracts. .

  The piezoelectric element 320 formed as described above is bonded and integrated with the reinforcing plate 310 over the entire surface. Therefore, when the piezoelectric element 320 is deformed, the reinforcing plate 310 is also deformed integrally. Further, the reinforcing plate 310 integrated with the piezoelectric element 320 is fixed to the base plate 330 by screws 340 inserted through the round holes 316 and the elongated holes 317 at the tips of the arm portions 314.

  Here, after the round hole 316 is screwed first, the screw 340 inserted through the elongated hole 317 is fastened, whereby the reinforcing plate 310 can be fixed without applying stress. In addition, the region where the screw hole 332 is formed in the base plate 330 is formed thicker than the central portion by the step 338. Therefore, even in a state of being fixed to the base plate 330, the piezoelectric element 320 is floating from the base plate 330 and can be freely deformed.

  In the base plate 330, a pair of elongated holes 331 and 336 formed in the same direction are formed in a thin portion sandwiched between the steps 338. The base plate 330 is positioned on a pedestal 410 (to be described later) by screws inserted through the long holes 331 and 336. Therefore, even after the positioning, the longitudinal direction of the long holes 331 and 336 can be displaced.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation when a periodically changing voltage is applied between the common electrode 329 and the central electrode 324 of the piezoelectric element 320 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when a voltage is applied via a central electrode 324 disposed at the center of the piezoelectric material plate 322, the piezoelectric element 320 vibrates so that its length in the longitudinal direction changes. Accordingly, the contact portion 318 of the reinforcing plate 310 also vibrates with an amplitude parallel to the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric material plate 322. In the following description, vibration generated by the voltage applied to the center electrode 324 is referred to as “longitudinal vibration”.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation when a periodically changing voltage is applied to the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 of the piezoelectric element 320 shown in FIG. 3. Here, of the four side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327, the side electrodes 321 and 325 and the side electrodes 323 and 327 that are located diagonally to each other are used as electrode pairs, and the electrodes that form each electrode pair A voltage that changes with the period of the in-phase is applied between the common electrode 329 and a voltage that changes with the period of the opposite phase with respect to the common electrode 329 is applied between the electrode pairs. As described above, since the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 are disposed at positions deviated from the center of the piezoelectric material plate 322, the piezoelectric material plate 322 undulates as a result of each electrode extending or contracting. Bend like so. As a result, the contact portion 318 of the reinforcing plate 310 vibrates with an amplitude substantially parallel to the short side of the piezoelectric material plate 322. In the following description, vibration generated by the voltage applied to the side electrodes 321, 233, 235, 237 is referred to as “flexural vibration”.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the displacement of the contact portion 318 when the longitudinal vibration and the bending vibration are generated simultaneously. As shown in the drawing, by appropriately setting the phase difference and the amplitude difference between the longitudinal vibration and the bending vibration, the contact portion 318 rotates in a substantially elliptical orbit. Therefore, the conveyance drive roller 132 can be driven in a specific direction by transmitting vibrations in a part of the elliptical orbit. In the drive operation mode in which the ink jet recording apparatus 100 performs a recording operation, the vibrator 300 operates as described above.

  The vibrator 300 directly contributes to the displacement of the recording paper 170 that is a conveyed object in a portion between the arm portion 314 and the contact portion 318 in the reinforcing plate 310. However, by operating the side opposite to the contact part 318 symmetrically with respect to the arm part 314, the moments of inertia on both sides of the arm part 314 cancel each other, and a quiet and high-speed operation is realized.

  Here, as the frequency of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 320, a frequency between the resonance frequencies of longitudinal vibration and bending vibration is appropriately selected. The voltage waveform is not particularly limited, and for example, a sine wave, a rectangular wave, a trapezoidal wave, a sawtooth wave, or the like can be employed.

  The characteristics of the piezoelectric element 320 vary depending on the size and shape of the piezoelectric material plate 322 and the division form of each electrode. That is, in the piezoelectric element 320, the resonance frequencies of longitudinal vibration and bending vibration are preferably equal or close to each other, and more specifically, the difference between the resonance frequencies is preferably 3% or less. If the difference between the resonance frequencies of both vibrations is greater than 3%, the resonance point of the longitudinal vibration and the resonance point of the bending vibration are greatly separated, and it becomes difficult to set a vibration frequency at which the amplitudes of both vibrations increase simultaneously.

  Furthermore, the length ratio of the long side to the short side of the piezoelectric material plate 322 is preferably near 0.274 when the long side is 1. That is, if the ratio of the short side to the long side of the piezoelectric material plate 322 is greatly deviated, the resonance frequency of the longitudinal vibration and the resonance frequency of the bending vibration are different, and a desirable elliptical orbit cannot be formed in the contact portion 318.

  The composition of the piezoelectric material plate 322 is not particularly limited, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT (registered trademark)), crystal, lithium niobate, barium titanate, lead titanate, lead metaniobate, polyvinylidene fluoride, zinc niobate Preferred examples include lead and lead scandium niobate. Moreover, the material of each electrode can be formed by nickel, gold, or the like by a method such as plating, sputtering, vapor deposition, or thick film printing. Further, as a material of the reinforcing plate 310, phosphor bronze can be preferably exemplified.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of the actuator 400 including the vibrator 300 having the structure and function as described above. As shown in the figure, an actuator 400 includes the vibrator 300 and a pedestal 410 that elastically supports the vibrator 300.

  As described above, the base plate 330 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the long holes 331 and 336 by positioning with screws (not shown) inserted into the long holes 331 and 336. However, on the base 410, it is urged by a spring 446 inserted between the spring guide 442 on the base 410 side and the spring guide 334 on the base plate 330 side. As a result, the base plate 330 is biased toward the contact portion 318 side of the vibrator 300 as indicated by an arrow A in the drawing. Note that the spring guides 442 and 334 also abut when the vibrator 300 is largely retracted, and also serve as a bump stop that prevents extreme displacement. The spring guide 442 is fixed to the pedestal 410 by a locking piece 440 fixed by a screw 444.

  The pedestal 410 includes a pair of terminals 430. Each terminal 430 has a pair of terminals and is coupled to the electrodes of the piezoelectric element 320 by lead wires (not shown). Thereby, a favorable electrical connection with the outside can be obtained for the elastically supported vibrator 300. Further, the pedestal 410 has screw holes at its four corners and can be fixed to other members by screws 420. Therefore, mounting on the spacer 412 and the like is facilitated.

  By supplying the actuator 400 including the pedestal 410 as described above, the elastically supported vibrator 300 can be easily mounted and a good contact state with respect to the driven body can be obtained. Further, by using the screw hole for attaching the base 410, the vibrator 300 itself can be easily mounted and electrically connected.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating the structure of the control system 500 mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus 100 including the actuator 400 described above. As shown in the figure, the control system 500 is formed by combining a plurality of elements included in the electronic circuit 190, a rotary encoder 138, a counter 139, and paper edge sensors 131, 133 arranged on the conveyance path 200. Is done.

  The electronic circuit 190 generates longitudinal vibrations in the rotation amount detection unit 510 that receives the count value from the counter 139, the paper end passage detection unit 530 that receives the paper end passage timing detected by the paper end sensors 131 and 133, and the vibrator 300. The potential difference generated in the electrodes, that is, the longitudinal vibration voltage detecting means 552 that measures the voltage between the common electrode 329 and the central electrode 324, and the potential difference generated in the electrode that generates bending vibration in the vibrator 300, that is, the common electrode 329 and A bending vibration voltage detecting means 554 for detecting a voltage between the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 is provided as an input unit.

  The rotation amount detection unit 510 inputs the acquired rotation amount of the conveyance drive roller 132 to the predicted conveyance amount calculation unit 520. The predicted transport amount calculation unit 520 outputs the transport amount of the recording paper 170 predicted from the rotation amount of the transport driving roller 132 to the transport failure detection unit 562 as the predicted transport amount. The paper edge passage detection unit 530 acquires the timing at which the paper edge of the recording paper 170 has passed the positions of the pair of paper edge sensors 131 and 133 and inputs the timing to the actual conveyance amount calculation unit 540. The actual transport amount calculation unit 540 calculates the actual transport amount (transport speed) of the recording paper 170 by comparing the timings detected by the paper edge sensors 131 and 133. The calculated actual conveyance amount is input to the conveyance defect detection unit 562.

  In addition to the predicted conveyance amount and the actual conveyance amount, the conveyance failure detection unit 562 also receives the outputs of the longitudinal vibration voltage detection unit 552 and the bending vibration voltage detection unit 554. Based on these pieces of information, the conveyance failure detection unit 562 detects a conveyance failure by a method described later, and notifies the driver control unit 564 of the detection. The driver control unit 564 controls operations of a longitudinal vibration driver 572 that generates a longitudinal vibration voltage that generates longitudinal vibration in the actuator 400 and a bending vibration driver 574 that generates a bending vibration voltage that generates bending vibration in the actuator 400. .

  Furthermore, the control circuit 190 includes a switch 580 that can be activated at any time in an open operation mode to be described later. Accordingly, for example, when a conveyance failure cannot be detected or when the user wants to pull out with the intention of the user, the user activates the release operation mode with the switch 580, so that no load is applied to the actuator 400 and the actuator 400 is not loaded. The remaining recording paper 170 can be removed.

  In the control system 500 including the above-described elements, the conveyance defect detection unit 562 can detect the occurrence of conveyance defects by detecting a variation in the conveyance load on the actuator 400 by several methods. For example, if there is a large gap between the predicted transport amount calculated by the predicted transport amount calculation unit 520 and the actual transport amount calculated by the actual transport amount calculation unit 540, the recording paper 170 is not transported smoothly. I can judge. Further, if one of the pair of paper edge sensors 131 and 133 detects the passage of the paper edge and the other does not detect the paper edge after a considerable time has elapsed, the value of the predicted transport amount is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to detect a conveyance failure without comparing with the actual conveyance amount. Further, even when the count value measured by the counter 139 is remarkably reduced, it can be determined that the conveyance driving roller 132 is not smoothly rotated due to conveyance failure.

  Further, when the longitudinal vibration voltage detection means 552 and the bending vibration voltage detection means 554 detect a large voltage fluctuation between the electrodes of the actuator 400, it can be determined that a conveyance failure has occurred. This is based on the fact that an unexpected voltage is generated between the electrodes due to the electromotive force of the piezoelectric element 320 of the actuator 400 when the conveyance load changes greatly due to conveyance failure such as a paper jam. Further, even when an unexpected load is applied to the actuator 400 due to the drawing of the recording paper 170 or the like, a voltage different from the voltage applied to the actuator 400 by the longitudinal vibration driver 572 and the bending vibration driver 574 by the piezoelectric element 320. Occurs. Therefore, even when the actuator 400 is not operating, when the recording paper 170 is pulled out, an increase in the load on the actuator 400 can be detected. As the longitudinal vibration voltage detection means 552 and the bending vibration voltage detection means 554, the common electrode 329 and the center electrode 324 or the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 of the vibrator 300 can be directly used. . Further, a voltage detection electrode may be separately provided in the vicinity of these electrodes.

  When a conveyance failure is detected as described above, the driver control unit 564 changes the control of the longitudinal vibration driver 572 and the bending vibration driver 574 to cause the actuator 400 to perform an operation in the open operation mode. That is, when the operation of the actuator 400 is stopped due to a conveyance failure, the vibrator 300 is biased toward the conveyance drive roller 132 as described above, and thus the rotation of the conveyance drive roller 132 is braked. If the recording paper 170 is pulled out as it is, it is difficult to take out because the conveyance driving roller 132 is stopped, and a large load may be applied to the actuator 400 by the conveyance driving roller 132 rotated along with the recording paper 170. Further, when the operation of the actuator 400 is not stopped in a state where a conveyance failure has occurred, a larger load is applied to the actuator 400 when the recording paper 170 is pulled out against the conveyance direction.

  Therefore, when the direction in which the recording paper 170 that has been stopped due to a conveyance failure is pulled out is known, the load applied to the actuator 400 is adjusted by adjusting the driving direction of the conveyance driving roller 132 to the direction in which the recording paper 170 is pulled out. The increase can be suppressed. Also, the recording paper 170 can be easily pulled. For example, when one of the paper edge sensors 131 and 133 detects the presence of the recording paper 170 and the other does not detect it, the paper edge sensors 131 and 133 are detected with respect to the conveyance drive roller 132. The recording paper 170 is pulled out. Therefore, the removal of the recording paper 170 can be assisted by matching the rotation direction of the transport driving roller 132 with the drawing direction of the recording paper 170.

  Further, when the drawing direction of the recording paper 170 is not known, the actuator 400 is operated so that the time during which the contact portion 318 of the actuator 400 and the transport driving roller 132 are separated from each other is longer. At this time, it is preferable that the actuator 400 does not generate a transport force in a specific direction with respect to the transport drive roller 132.

  Specifically, the operation of the bending vibration driver 574 is stopped, and the entire actuator 400 is operated by longitudinal vibration. As a result, the actuator 400 does not generate a rotational driving force with respect to the transport driving roller 132 and, at the same time, continues to periodically reduce the pressure of the contact portion 318 against the surface of the transport driving roller 132. Further, by changing the phase and frequency of the drive voltage generated by the longitudinal vibration driver 572 and the bending vibration driver 574, the locus drawn by the contact portion 318 can be changed, and the contact period with respect to the transport drive roller 132 can be further shortened. In this way, the recording paper 170 can be extracted without applying a load to the actuator 400 during the period in which the contact portion 318 and the transport driving roller 132 are separated from each other. Note that the opening operation mode in which no driving force is generated with respect to the conveyance driving roller 132 as described above is effective in increasing the load on the actuator 400 even when the direction in which the recording paper 170 is pulled out is known as described above. Can be prevented.

  As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 uses the actuator 400 when the recording paper 170 left on the transport path 200 due to a transport failure or the like is forcibly removed by a unique operation in the open operation mode. An excessive load can be prevented from occurring. Therefore, the actuator 400 and the entire ink jet recording apparatus 100 equipped with the actuator 400 can be protected, and the recording paper 170 can be prevented from being damaged.

  In the above embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 has been described. However, the liquid ejecting apparatus is not limited to this. Specifically, the LCD color filter manufacturing apparatus, the organic EL electrode forming apparatus, the biochip manufacturing sample ejecting head may be exemplified by a liquid ejecting head. In addition, the conveying device in such an apparatus conveys a circuit board, an optical recording medium, a preparation, and the like.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. In addition, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a structure of an ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conveyance path 200 of a recording paper 170 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a vibrator 300. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a longitudinal vibration operation of a vibrator 300. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a bending vibration operation of a vibrator 300. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a locus of displacement of a contact portion 318 of a vibrator 300. 5 is a plan view showing a structure of an actuator 400 that elastically supports a vibrator 300 with respect to a base 410. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a control system 500 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Inkjet recording device, 110 Lower case, 112 frame, 114 frame side part, 116 Guide part, 120 Paper feed part, 122 Paper support, 124 Side support, 126 Slide support, 130 Conveyance part, 132 Conveyance drive roller, 134 Conveyance driven Roller, 136 drive gear, 137 teeth, 140 platen, 146 timing belt, 148 pulley, 150 discharge unit, 152 discharge drive roller, 154 discharge driven roller, 155 discharge unit frame, 156 driven gear, 160 carriage, 162 ink cartridge, 164 recording head, 170 recording paper, 180 relay gear, 182 large diameter gear, 184 small diameter gear, 200 conveying path, 300 vibrator, 310 reinforcing plate, 312 reinforcing portion, 314 arm portion, 316 Round hole, 317, 331, 336 Long hole, 318 Contact part, 320 Piezo element, 322 Piezoelectric material plate, 321, 323, 325, 327 Side electrode, 324 Central electrode, 329 Common electrode, 330 Base plate, 332 Screw hole 334, 442 Spring guide, 338 Step, 340, 420, 444 Screw, 400 Actuator, 410 Base, 412 Spacer, 430 Terminal, 440 Locking piece, 446 Spring, 500 Control system, 510 Rotation amount detection unit, 520 Predictive conveyance Amount calculation unit, 530 Paper edge passage detection unit, 540 Actual conveyance amount calculation unit, 552 Longitudinal vibration voltage detection unit, 554 Bending vibration voltage detection unit, 562 Conveyance failure detection unit, 564 Driver control unit, 572 Vertical vibration driver, 574 Bending Vibration driver, 580 switch

Claims (11)

A conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the conveyance drive roller and is pressed against the conveyance drive roller. A conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction;
A recording head that ejects ink toward the recording material conveyed by the conveying unit;
A piezoelectric material plate that expands and contracts when a drive voltage that changes periodically is applied, a contact portion that contacts the transport driving roller in at least a part of the expansion and contraction motion of the piezoelectric material plate, and the transport driving the contact portion An actuator including an urging means for urging toward the roller,
A driving operation mode in which the actuator operates, and the contact portion transmits a rotational driving force to the transport driving roller to rotate the transport driving roller;
A recording apparatus having an opening operation mode in which the actuator operates and the contact portion periodically generates a period during which the conveyance driving roller is allowed to rotate independently; The actuator includes a longitudinal vibrator that periodically expands and contracts in a direction including a component parallel to and intersecting a surface of the transport driving roller;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the driving operation mode, the abutting portion driven by the longitudinal vibrator periodically transmits a part of the expansion and contraction motion to the transport driving roller. The actuator further includes a bending vibrator that periodically displaces the contact portion in a direction including a component parallel to a surface of the transport driving roller;
The contact portion driven by the longitudinal vibrator and the bending vibrator in the drive operation mode displaces on a trajectory forming a circle or an ellipse on a surface orthogonal to the surface of the transport drive roller. 2. The recording apparatus according to 2.   2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the release operation mode, the actuator operates such that a period during which the pressure applied to the transport driving roller by the abutting portion decreases is longer.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the opening operation mode, the actuator does not generate a rotational driving force with respect to the transport driving roller while periodically changing a pressure of the contact portion with respect to the transport driving roller.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for starting the release operation mode at an arbitrary time.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising load fluctuation detection means for detecting a load fluctuation with respect to the actuator in the drive operation mode, wherein the release operation mode is activated when the load fluctuation is detected.   The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the load fluctuation detection unit includes a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage fluctuation generated in the piezoelectric material plate.   The load fluctuation detection means measures the actual conveyance amount of the recording material in the drive operation mode, and the predicted conveyance that calculates the predicted conveyance amount of the recording material predicted from the operation amount of the actuator The recording apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: an amount calculation unit; and a difference detection unit that detects a difference in difference between the predicted transport amount and the actual rotation amount.   The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the release operation mode, the actuator is operated in a direction that cancels a change in load on the actuator. A conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the conveyance drive roller and is pressed against the conveyance drive roller. A conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction;
A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid toward the recording material conveyed by the conveying unit;
A piezoelectric material plate that expands and contracts when a drive voltage that changes periodically is applied, a contact portion that contacts the transport driving roller in at least a part of the expansion and contraction motion of the piezoelectric material plate, and the transport driving the contact portion A liquid ejecting apparatus including an actuator including an urging means for urging the roller,
A driving operation mode in which the actuator operates, and the contact portion transmits a rotational driving force to the transport driving roller to rotate the transport driving roller;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: an opening operation mode in which the actuator is operated and the contact portion periodically generates a period during which the contact driving roller allows a unique rotation of the transport driving roller.

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