JP2008213272A - Liquid discharge cartridge and liquid discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge cartridge which can prevent the deterioration of image quality caused by the problems such that an impact position of liquid droplet may be shifted due to an object approaching the discharge surface too much or the object may contact the discharge surface, and to provide a liquid discharge apparatus loaded with the liquid discharge cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: Controlling sections 44a to 44c are projected up to the vicinity of recording paper P from the discharge surface 54 in the margin part of the recording paper P conveyed up to the position opposite to the discharge surface 54 at the time of printing. Thereby, the recording paper P is prevented from floating to the side of the discharge surface 54 and approaching the discharge surface 54, and the color gap caused when an ink i reaches the recording paper P can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid discharge cartridge that presses a liquid with a pressure generated by a pressure generating element, discharges the pressed liquid into droplets from a discharge port, and discharges the liquid onto an object, and a liquid discharge apparatus to which the liquid discharge cartridge is attached. .

  As an apparatus for ejecting liquid, there is an ink jet type liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects ink as a liquid from a liquid ejecting unit onto a recording paper as an object to record an image or a character. The liquid discharge apparatus using the ink jet method has advantages such as low running cost, small size of the apparatus, and easy colorization of printed images. In a liquid ejecting apparatus using an ink jet system, ink is supplied from an ink cartridge filled with ink of a plurality of colors (for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black, etc.) to an ink liquid chamber or the like of a liquid ejecting unit.

  The ink supplied to the ink liquid chamber or the like is pressed by pressure generated by a pressure generating element such as a heating resistor disposed in the ink liquid chamber. As a result, the ink in the ink liquid chamber is ejected from a minute ink ejection port, that is, a so-called nozzle provided in the liquid ejection section. Specifically, the ink in the ink chamber is heated with a heating resistor disposed in the ink liquid chamber, bubbles are generated in the ink on the heating resistor, and the ink is ejected from the nozzles with the pressure generated by the bubbles, The ejected ink is landed on a recording paper or the like as an object to print an image or a character.

  As an ink jet type liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink cartridge is mounted on a liquid ejecting head, and the liquid ejecting head moves in the width direction of the recording paper, that is, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording paper transport direction, thereby ink of a predetermined color. There is a serial type printer device that lands on the recording paper. Also, the ink ejection range is set to be approximately the same range as the width of the recording paper, that is, the ink is ejected at once in the width direction of the recording paper from a liquid ejection head having nozzles arranged in parallel in the width direction of the recording paper. There is a line head type liquid ejection device.

  The serial type liquid ejecting apparatus stops the traveling of the recording paper when the liquid ejecting head moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording paper transport direction, and moves the liquid ejecting head to the stopped recording paper while moving the ink. The printing is performed by repeating this process. On the other hand, the line head type liquid ejection device is fixed to the extent that the liquid ejection head is fixed or can be slightly moved to avoid uneven printing, and the liquid ejection head records on the continuously running recording paper. Printing is performed by ejecting and landing ink at once in the width direction of the paper.

  Therefore, unlike the serial type, this line head type liquid ejecting apparatus does not move the liquid ejecting head, so that high-speed printing can be performed as compared with the serial type liquid ejecting apparatus. In addition, since the line head type liquid ejection device does not need to move the liquid ejection head, each ink cartridge can be increased in size and the ink capacity of the ink cartridge can be increased. In such a line head type liquid ejecting apparatus, since the liquid ejecting head is not moved, the configuration can be simplified, and each ink cartridge and the liquid ejecting head can be provided integrally. .

  By the way, in the case of a multi-color printing type capable of multi-color printing, this line head type liquid ejection device is a so-called multi-line head in which liquid ejection heads for each color are integrated, so that recording is performed for each color. It will have a discharge surface provided with the nozzles arranged in a line substantially in the width direction of the paper, and the area of the discharge surface will increase.

  For this reason, in the liquid ejection apparatus 201 shown in FIG. 25, when printing on the recording paper P facing the ejection surface 202a of the liquid ejection head 202, the liquid ejection apparatus 201 is positioned upstream of the transport direction with respect to the liquid ejection head 202. 25, the feeding roller 203 that feeds the recording paper P conveyed in the direction of arrow X to the printing position, and the recording paper P printed on the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the liquid discharge head 202 is discharged. The front end of the recording paper P may come into contact with the nozzle surface having a large area between the paper discharge roller 204 and the paper discharge roller 204.

  Specifically, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 201, the recording paper P is warped in the thickness direction in advance, or when the recording paper P passes the feed roller 203, warping or bending occurs in the thickness direction of the recording paper P. Then, the recording paper P entered the printing position with the recording paper P warped or bent toward the ejection surface 202a, that is, the recording paper P floated to the ejection surface 202a, and landed on the floating portion of the recording paper P. A landing position shift, that is, a so-called color shift occurs in the ink, and image quality may deteriorate. Further, in this liquid ejection apparatus 201, the floating portion of the recording paper P may come into contact with the ejection surface 202 a while reaching from the feed roller 203 to the paper discharge roller 204, and printing failure may occur.

  In order to improve such a problem, the liquid ejection device 201 is provided with a spur 205 for preventing the recording paper P from coming into contact with the ejection surface 202a between the ejection surface 202a and the paper discharge roller 204. Yes. Further, in the liquid ejection devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a pressing member such as a sheet-like elastic resin, rubber, leaf spring, or the like that suppresses the trailing edge of the recording paper that has come off the feed roller from floating on the ejection surface side. Is arranged between the feed roller and the nozzle surface to suppress the floating of the recording paper P until just before entering the discharge position. However, even with these improvement measures, it is difficult to improve the above-described problem that printing failure occurs due to contact with the discharge surface while reaching from the feed roller to the paper discharge roller.

  In view of this, the liquid ejection device of Patent Document 3 is provided with a sheet pressing spur between the ejection surface and the landing surface of the recording paper. As a result, the liquid ejecting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3 can prevent the recording paper from being lifted while reaching from the feed roller to the paper discharge roller. However, in the liquid ejecting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, contact between the printing area on which ink is landed and the paper pressing spur results in a loss of image quality due to lack of flatness in the printing area, or ink adhering to the paper pressing spur is recorded. There is a risk of other parts of the paper being soiled.

JP-A-6-293168 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-40144 JP 2005-169850 A

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such a conventional situation, and occurs when the target object is too close to the discharge surface and the landing position of the liquid droplet is shifted, or the target object is in contact with the discharge surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid discharge cartridge capable of preventing the deterioration of image quality and a liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the liquid discharge cartridge.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent the suppression means from coming into contact with the print area, thereby preventing the print area from being flat and degrading the image quality, and further preventing other portions of the recording paper from being soiled. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid discharge cartridge that can be used, and a liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the liquid discharge cartridge.

  The liquid ejection cartridge according to the present invention that achieves the above-described object is detachably mounted on a liquid ejection apparatus that records by ejecting liquid in the form of droplets and adhering it to an object conveyed in a predetermined direction. A liquid discharge cartridge that discharges the liquid droplet toward the object, has a discharge surface provided with a discharge port for discharging the liquid droplet, and is transported to a position facing the discharge port A discharge unit that discharges the droplets from the discharge port to the target; a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a blank portion that is a non-printing area of the target; and a projection that is provided so as to protrude from the discharge surface. And a drive means for projecting the restraining means.

  When the liquid discharge cartridge according to the present invention determines that the target has a blank portion that becomes a non-printing area when the droplet is discharged from the discharge port to the target, The suppression means protrudes from the discharge surface with respect to the margin by the driving means and suppresses the lifting of the object.

  The liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention is a liquid ejection apparatus that performs recording by ejecting a liquid in a droplet state and adhering the liquid to an object conveyed in a predetermined direction. A transport unit that transports the object in a predetermined direction and a discharge surface provided with a discharge port for discharging the liquid droplets, and the object transported to a position facing the discharge port from the discharge port. An ejection unit that ejects the liquid droplets is provided at a position facing the ejection surface of the ejection unit, and supports the object conveyed by the conveyance unit to a position facing the ejection surface of the ejection unit. A supporting means; a judging means for judging the presence or absence of a blank portion to be a non-printing area of the object; a suppressing means provided so as to be able to protrude from the discharge surface; and suppressing the lifting of the object; and protruding the suppressing means Driving means to And control means for controlling the projection of said restraining means.

  When the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention determines that the object has a blank portion that becomes a non-printing area when the droplet is ejected from the ejection port to the object, The control means controls the drive means to cause the suppression means to protrude from the ejection surface with respect to the margin, thereby suppressing the lifting of the object from the support means.

  According to the present invention, the suppression means protrudes from the discharge surface with respect to the object conveyed to a position facing the discharge surface, so that the target object approaches the discharge surface when droplets are discharged from the discharge means. Since the droplets are landed on the object in a state where the distance to the ejection surface is substantially constant, the landing position deviation of the droplets that occurs when the object is too close to the ejection surface, It is possible to suppress contact with the ejection surface and to prevent deterioration of image quality.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the determination unit determines that there is a blank portion that is a non-printing area of the target, the suppression unit suppresses the target from approaching the ejection surface with respect to the blank portion of the target. As a result, it is possible to prevent contact with the print area and lack of flatness of the print area to impair image quality, and to prevent other portions of the recording paper from being stained.

  Hereinafter, an example in which a liquid discharge cartridge and a liquid discharge apparatus according to the present invention are applied to a printer apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid ejecting apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a printer apparatus) 1 to which the present invention is applied ejects a liquid such as ink onto a recording paper P traveling in a predetermined direction to produce images and characters. Is an inkjet printer apparatus for printing.

  This printer apparatus 1 is a so-called line head type in which ink discharge ports (nozzles) are arranged in a substantially line shape in the width direction of the recording paper P, that is, in the direction of the arrow W in FIG. Printer device. Specifically, the printer apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 inputs data from an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer by ejecting and landing ink on the recording paper P that is a target to be conveyed in a predetermined direction. An image, a character, or the like composed of ink dots corresponding to the print data such as the character data or the image data that has been recorded is recorded.

  The printer apparatus 1 includes a printer head cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a head cartridge) 2 that is a liquid discharge head, and a printer body 3 that is an apparatus body to which the head cartridge 2 is mounted.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the head cartridge 2 can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 3, so that the printer apparatus 1 can be easily replaced.

  First, the head cartridge 2 that can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 3 will be described. In the head cartridge 2, a plurality of nozzles 50a (see FIG. 5), which are ejection openings for ejecting ink, are arranged in a substantially line shape with a length corresponding to the width of the recording paper P in the arrow W direction in FIG. This is a so-called line type printer head.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head cartridge 2 includes a cartridge main body 12 to which an ink tank 11 that stores ink i is mounted. The cartridge main body 12 includes yellow, Ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k having four colors of cyan, magenta, and black are detachable (hereinafter, these ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are also simply referred to as ink tanks 11). .

  The ink tank 11 is a container formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by, for example, injection molding of a resin material or the like, and contains ink i corresponding to each color. The ink tank 11 has a long shape corresponding to the long side direction of the cartridge body 12 in order to store as much ink as possible. The ink tank 11 is arranged side by side in the short side direction of the cartridge body 12. In the following description, it is assumed that the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are arranged in order in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink tank 11 that stores the ink i includes an ink storage portion 21 that is a liquid storage portion that stores the ink i, and the ink i in the ink storage portion 21 to the cartridge body 12. An ink delivery part 22 that is a liquid delivery part to be delivered, an external communication hole 23 that allows the ink storage part 21 to communicate with the outside, and an air introduction tube 24 that introduces external air into the ink storage part 21 from the external communication hole 23. And have.

  The ink storage portion 21 forms a storage space for storing the ink i, and has an inner shape substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the ink tank 11 in order to store as much ink i as possible. Further, the ink containing portion 21 is formed so that the bottom surface portion of the ink containing portion 21 is the deepest at the ink sending portion 22 located at the substantially center, and the ink i contained therein flows into the ink sending portion 22 in a concentrated manner. It is made like that.

  The ink delivery unit 22 is a nozzle that supplies ink i from the ink tank 11 communicated with the ink storage unit 21 to the cartridge body 12, and is provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface central portion of the ink storage unit 21. Yes. The ink delivery part 22 has a tapered shape with an inner diameter increased toward the tip so that the ink delivery part 22 can be smoothly fitted into a connecting part 35 of the cartridge body 12 described later.

  The external communication hole 23 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the ink containing portion 21. Further, the external communication hole 23 is closed by a sealing member (not shown) having air permeability. Thereby, in the ink tank 11, the ink i is prevented from leaking outside from the external communication hole 23, and dust or the like is generated in the ink storage portion 21 when external air is taken in from the external communication hole 23. Preventing intrusion.

  The air introduction tube 24 extends downward from the external communication hole 23 to the inside of the ink containing portion 21. As a result, in the ink tank 11, when the ink i in the ink containing portion 21 is sent from the ink sending portion 22 to the cartridge body 12, the air corresponding to the decrease in the ink i in the ink containing portion 21. Is taken into the ink containing portion 21 from the external communication hole 23 through the air introduction tube 24.

  In addition, in the middle of the air introduction tube 24, a liquid storage unit that temporarily stores the ink i so that the ink i that has flowed back from the ink storage unit 21 does not suddenly flow out of the external communication hole 23. An ink reservoir 25 is provided. The ink storage portion 25 forms a substantially rhombus-shaped internal space in which the longer diagonal line when viewed from the front is aligned with the long side direction of the ink storage portion 21, and the upper corner portion is the air introduction tube 24. Are communicated with the external communication hole 23, and the lower corner portion is communicated with the ink containing portion 21 via the air introduction tube 24. As a result, in the ink tank 11, the ink storage unit 25 temporarily stores the ink i that has flowed back from the ink storage unit 21 through the air introduction tube 24, so that the ink i does not leak to the outside from the external communication hole 23. The ink i can be returned again to the ink container 21 side.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink tank 11 has an engaging step portion 26 and a locking protrusion 27 which are fixing means for fixing to a tank mounting portion 31 of the cartridge body 12 described later. is doing.

  The engagement step portion 26 is a step portion formed on one end side in the long side direction of the ink tank 11, and a horizontal surface portion 26 a that is parallel to the upper surface portion and lower than the upper surface portion from the side surface portion on the one end side. And an inclined surface portion 26b inclined from the horizontal surface portion 26a toward the upper surface portion.

  The locking projection 27 is a projection formed to project from the side surface portion on the other end side in the long side direction of the ink tank 11, and is positioned below the horizontal surface portion 27a and a horizontal surface portion 27a parallel to the upper surface portion. And an inclined surface portion 27b inclined toward the side surface portion.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cartridge main body 12 has a tank mounting portion 31 in which the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k corresponding to the above-described colors are mounted.

  The tank mounting portion 31 is a recess formed with a depth sufficient to accommodate each ink tank 11 from the upper surface portion of the cartridge main body 12 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the width of the recording paper P. The bottom surface of the cartridge body 11 is partitioned by a partition wall 31 a so that the ink tanks 11 are arranged in the short side direction of the cartridge body 12.

  The tank mounting portion 31 is provided with an engaged portion 32, a latch lever 33, and a leaf spring 34 which are fixing means for fixing the ink tank 11 described above.

  The engaged portion 32 is a portion that is engaged with the horizontal surface portion 26 a of the engagement step portion 26 formed in the ink tank 11 described above, and is an open end that is located on one end side in the long side direction of the tank mounting portion 31. Projecting by a predetermined width in the long side direction.

  The latch lever 33 is an elastic displacement piece that protrudes upward from a bottom corner portion located on the other end side in the long side direction of the tank mounting portion 31, and a tip portion of the latch lever 33 is a side portion of the tank mounting portion 31. Thus, it can be elastically displaced in the direction of approaching and separating. Further, a locking hole 33 a for locking the locking protrusion 27 of the ink tank 11 described above is formed in the leading end side of the latch lever 33. In the tank mounting portion 31 partitioned by the partition wall 31a, latch levers 33 corresponding to the respective ink tanks 11 are provided side by side in the short side direction of the cartridge main body 12.

  The leaf spring 34 is a pressing member that is provided on the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31 and presses the ink tank 11 mounted on the tank mounting portion 31 upward. The leaf spring 34 is disposed along the long side direction of the tank mounting portion 31, has one end fixed to the bottom surface portion of the tank mounting portion 31, and an intermediate portion thereof bent upward. ing. A plate spring 34 corresponding to each ink tank 11 is provided along the short side direction of the cartridge main body 12 on the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31 partitioned by the partition wall 31a.

  When the ink tank 11 is mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, one end side of the ink tank 11 where the engagement step portion 26 is provided is inserted obliquely into the tank mounting portion 31, and the engagement step portion 26 is inserted. While the horizontal surface portion 26a of the ink tank 11 is brought into contact with the engaged portion 32 of the tank mounting portion 31, the other end side of the ink tank 11 provided with the locking projection 27 is shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the tank mounting portion 31 while rotating in the direction of arrow A. At this time, the locking protrusion 27 of the ink tank 11 elastically displaces the latch lever 33 in a direction close to the side surface of the tank mounting portion 31 by the inclined surface portion 27 b coming into contact with the latch lever 33.

  As shown in FIG. 4, at the same time that the ink tank 11 is mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, the locking protrusion 27 is locked in the locking hole 33 a of the latch lever 33. At this time, the front end portion of the latch lever 33 presses the side surface portion of the ink tank 11 mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, and the leaf spring 34 provided on the bottom surface portion of the tank mounting portion 31 is the bottom surface portion of the ink tank 11. The horizontal surface portion 26a of the engaging step portion 26 is locked to the engaged portion 32 of the tank mounting portion 31, and the horizontal surface portion 27a of the locking protrusion 27 is latched to the latch lever 33. The locking hole 33a is locked. Thereby, the ink tank 11 can be appropriately fixed to the tank mounting portion 31 of the cartridge body 12.

  On the other hand, when removing the ink tank 11 mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, the tip end portion of the latch lever 33 is elastically displaced in a direction away from the side surface portion of the ink tank 11. Thereby, the latching state of the horizontal surface part 27a of the latching protrusion 27 mentioned above and the latching hole 33a of the latch lever 33 is cancelled | released. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the plate spring 34 presses the bottom surface of the ink tank 11 toward the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 3, so that the ink tank 11 can be easily removed from the tank mounting portion 31. it can.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cartridge main body 12 to which the ink tank 11 as described above is attached includes a connecting portion 35 connected to the ink delivery portion 22 of the ink tank 11 described above, and this connecting portion. The ink supply unit 36 is a liquid supply unit that supplies the ink i from the ink tank 11 connected to the ink tank 11, and the head unit 37 discharges the ink i supplied by the ink supply unit 36. .

  The connecting portion 35 is a nozzle provided at the center of the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31, and the tip of the connecting portion 35 is connected to the ink sending portion 22 described above, thereby being connected to the ink sending portion 22 of the ink tank 11. . Further, when the ink delivery part 22 of the ink tank 11 is connected to the connection part 35, an opening / closing pin (not shown) provided at the tip of the connection part 35 opens the ink delivery part 22. The connecting portion 35 is provided with a seal member 38 such as an O-ring to prevent the ink i from leaking from the connected ink delivery portion 22. In addition, you may make it the front-end | tip part serve as an opening-and-closing pin. That is, a configuration in which the distal end portion of the connecting portion 35 is fitted to the ink delivery portion 22 and the ink delivery portion 22 is opened may be employed. Further, the distal end portion of the connecting portion 35 has a tapered shape whose outer diameter is reduced toward the distal end so as to be smoothly fitted to the ink delivery portion 22 described above.

  A connecting portion 35 corresponding to each ink tank 11 is provided along the short side direction of the cartridge body 12 at the center of the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31 partitioned by the partition wall 31a.

  When ink i is ejected from a nozzle 50a of the head unit 37, which will be described later, the ink supply unit 36 opens a valve (not shown) due to the negative pressure generated on the head unit 37 side, and from the ink storage unit 21 of the ink tank 11. When the ink i is supplied to the head portion 37 and the ink i is supplied from the ink containing portion 21 of the ink tank 11 to the head portion 37 and the pressure on the head portion 37 side returns to the steady state, the valve is closed to close the ink. This is a valve mechanism that stops the supply of the ink i from the ink storage portion 21 of the tank 11 to the head portion 37.

  And the ink supply part 36 repeats the supply operation | movement of the ink i, whenever the ink i is discharged from the nozzle 50a of the head part 37 mentioned later. On the other hand, in the ink tank 11, when the ink i in the ink storage unit 21 is supplied to the ink supply unit 36 side in conjunction with the supply operation of the ink i by the ink supply unit 36 described above, As the ink i decreases, air corresponding to the decreased ink i is introduced into the ink containing portion 21 from the external communication hole 23 through the air introduction tube 24. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately supply the ink i to the ink supply unit 36 side while keeping the pressure in the ink storage unit 21 in an equilibrium state.

  In addition, an ink supply unit 36 is provided below the connecting unit 35 corresponding to each color described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head unit 37 is supplied with ink i from the coupling unit 35 of the head cartridge 2, and the flow path plate 41 that guides the supplied ink i to each nozzle 50 a, and the flow path A head chip 42 that discharges the ink i supplied by the plate 41, a frame 43 that supports the flow path plate 41 and the head chip 42, and a suppression unit that is provided on the frame 43 and protrudes from the recording paper P 44 and a head cap 45 that protects a later-described ejection surface 54 of the head chip 42.

  The flow path plate 41 is provided for each color of the ink i, and is formed of a material such as metal that has rigidity that does not easily deform and ink resistance to the stored ink i. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the flow path plate 41 is configured so that the ink i is supplied to all the plurality of nozzles 50 a forming the nozzle lines 50 y, 50 m, 50 c, and 50 k of the respective colors. In the width direction of the recording sheets P arranged side by side, it is formed over a length corresponding to the width of the recording sheets P. The flow path plate 41 is formed toward the connecting part 35 side at the approximate center of the upper surface of the flow path forming part 47 and a flow path forming part 47 that forms an ink flow path 46 having a length corresponding to the width of the recording paper P. And a flow path connecting portion 48 that connects the connecting portion 35 and the flow path forming portion 47 provided in the cartridge main body 12. In the flow path forming portion 47, a head chip 42 to be described later for supplying ink i is disposed on the surface opposite to the side where the flow path connecting portion 48 is provided. In the flow path plate 41, the flow path connection portion 48 is connected to the connecting portion 35 provided in the cartridge main body 12, and the ink i supplied from the head cartridge 2 through the connecting portion 35 is supplied to the ink of the flow path forming portion 47. The ink i is supplied to the flow path 46 and the head chip 42 is supplied.

  The head chip 42 is provided for each set in which a predetermined number is set among a plurality of nozzles 50 a arranged in a line for each color in the width direction of the recording paper P. The head chips 42 are arranged so as to be alternately arranged in the width direction of the recording paper P across the ink flow path 46 for each color.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the head chip 42 includes a circuit board 49 as a base, a nozzle sheet 50 in which a plurality of nozzles 50a are formed, and a gap between the circuit board 49 and the nozzle sheet 50 for each nozzle 50a. It has a partitioning film 51, an ink liquid chamber 52 that pressurizes the ink i supplied through the ink flow path 46, and a heating resistor 53 that heats the ink i supplied to the ink liquid chamber 52.

  The circuit board 49 forms a control circuit including a logic IC (Integrated Circuit), a driver transistor, and the like on a semiconductor wafer made of silicon or the like, and forms an upper surface portion of the ink liquid chamber 52.

  The nozzle sheet 50 is reduced in diameter toward the discharge surface 54 and is provided with a nozzle 50a having a diameter of about 20 μm on the discharge surface 54 side, and is disposed opposite to the circuit board 49 with the film 51 interposed therebetween. The lower surface of the ink liquid chamber 52 is formed. Further, the nozzle sheet 50 is formed with a protruding hole 58 for allowing a later-described suppressing portion 44 to protrude from the ejection surface 54.

  The film 51 is made of, for example, an exposure-curing type dry film resist, and is formed so as to surround each nozzle 50a except for the portion communicating with the ink flow path 46 described above. Further, the film 51 forms a side surface portion of the ink liquid chamber 52 by being interposed between the circuit board 49 and the nozzle sheet 50.

  The ink liquid chamber 52 is surrounded by the circuit board 49, the nozzle sheet 50, and the film 51 described above, thereby forming a pressurizing space for pressurizing the ink i supplied from the ink flow path 46 for each nozzle 50a.

  The heating resistor 53 is disposed on the circuit board 49 facing the ink liquid chamber 52 and is electrically connected to a control circuit or the like provided on the circuit board 49. The heating resistor 53 generates heat by being controlled by a control circuit or the like, and heats the ink i in the ink liquid chamber 52.

  In the head chip 42, the control circuit of the circuit board 49 drives and controls the heating resistor 53, and supplies a pulse signal having a pulse interval of about 1 to 3 microseconds to the selected heating resistor 53, for example. To do. Thereby, in the head chip 42, the heating resistor 53 is rapidly heated. Then, in the head chip 42, as shown in FIG. 9A, bubbles b are generated in the ink i in the ink liquid chamber 52 in contact with the heating resistor 53. In the head chip 42, as shown in FIG. 9B, in the ink liquid chamber 52, the ink i is pressurized while the bubble b expands, and the pushed ink i becomes a droplet. It is discharged from the nozzle 50a. In the head chip 42, after the ink i droplet is ejected, the ink i is supplied to the ink liquid chamber 52 through the ink flow path 46, thereby returning to the state before ejection.

  The above-described head chip 42 employs an electrothermal conversion system in which the ink i is ejected while being heated by the heating resistor 53. However, the present invention is not limited to such a system. An electromechanical conversion method in which ink i droplets are ejected electromechanically by an element may be employed.

  A head unit 37 is provided below the ink supply unit 36 corresponding to each color described above. The bottom surface of the cartridge body 12 is provided with discharge surfaces 54 of the head portions 37 corresponding to the ink tanks 11 along the short side direction of the cartridge body 12, which are continuous discharge surfaces. 54 is formed. That is, the head portion 37 of the head cartridge 2 is a so-called multi-line head in which the head chips 42 corresponding to the respective colors are integrated to form a continuous ejection surface 54.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the frame 43 has an opening 43 a into which the flow path plate 41 and the head chip 42 are fitted. A nozzle sheet 50 is bonded to the surface of the frame 43 on which the head chip 42 is disposed. The frame 43 has a nozzle sheet so that the nozzle 50 a of the nozzle sheet 50 and the heating resistor 53 of the head chip 42 face each other and the head chip 42 and the flow path plate 41 can be bonded to the nozzle sheet 50. 50 is supported. Further, the frame 43 is formed with a recess 43b into which the suppressing portion 44 is fitted on the surface on which the nozzle sheet 50 is supported.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the suppressing unit 44 is provided between the nozzles 50 a arranged substantially in a line for each color on the ejection surface 54 in the recess 43 b of the frame 43, that is, the respective color nozzle lines 50 y, 50 m, 50 c, 50 k. It is provided between. Specifically, the suppressing unit 44 sequentially discharges the nozzle line 50y that discharges the yellow ink i and the magenta ink i from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper P that is transported in the arrow B direction in FIGS. The suppressing unit 44a discharges cyan ink i between the nozzle line 50m that discharges magenta ink i and the nozzle line 50c that discharges cyan ink i. Between the nozzle line 50c that discharges and the nozzle line 50k that discharges the black ink i, a suppressing portion 44c is juxtaposed in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIGS. The suppression units 44a, 44b, and 44c are also simply referred to as the suppression unit 44).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the suppressing unit 44 includes a circuit board 55 serving as a base, a driving element 56 disposed on the circuit board 55, a suppressing member 57 protruding from the driving element 56, and the suppressing member. And a projecting hole 58 for projecting 57 from the ejection surface.

  The circuit board 55 serving as a base constitutes a control circuit composed of a logic IC (Integrated Circuit), a driver transistor, etc. on a semiconductor wafer made of silicon or the like, and is electrically connected to the drive element 56 to Control.

  The drive element 56 disposed on the circuit board 55 is a piezoelectric element or the like, and is electrically connected to a control circuit or the like provided on the circuit board 55. Further, the drive element 56 is integrally connected to the suppressing member 57. The drive element 56 is integrated by applying a pulse signal or the like having a pulse interval of about 1 to 3 microseconds by a control circuit or the like of the circuit board 55 to change the shape or change the volume in the thickness direction. The restraining member 57 connected to is protruded from the discharge surface 54 or retracted in the discharge surface 54. The drive element 56 may cause the suppression member 57 to protrude from the ejection surface 54 or be retracted by a micro motor or the like.

  The restraining member 57 protruding from the drive element 56 is a plate-like member, and is conveyed substantially in parallel with the long side direction of the cartridge body 12, that is, in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. In the direction substantially orthogonal to the recording paper P to be recorded, the recording paper P is provided with a length substantially equal to the short side of the A4 size recording paper P. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the suppressing member 57 is provided with a taper 57 d at the tip that is opposite to the side connected to the drive element 56. With the taper 57d, the suppressing member 57 can prevent the recording paper P from being caught when the floating recording paper P is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the projection hole 58 for projecting the suppression member 57 from the ejection surface 54 is formed on the ejection surface 54 in correspondence with the arrangement position and shape of the suppression member 57.

  The suppression unit 44 is driven by the control circuit of the circuit board 55 driving and controlling the drive element 56, and a pulse signal having a pulse interval of about 1 to 3 microseconds is applied to the selected drive element 56. By changing the shape of the element 56 in the thickness direction or changing the volume, the tip of the restraining member 57 that is integrally connected to the drive element 56 is connected to the discharge surface via the projection hole 58 formed in the discharge surface 54. It protrudes from 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P. The suppressing member 57 has a leading edge that does not come into contact with the recording paper P, and an interval at which the landing position does not shift or come into contact with the ejection surface 54 when the recording paper P rises and approaches the ejection surface 54, specifically, It protrudes from the ejection surface 54 so that the gap between the leading edge and the recording paper P is about 2 mm.

  That is, when discharging the ink i to the recording paper P, the suppression unit 44 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B in FIG. The suppression members 57a, 57b, 57c (hereinafter referred to as the suppression members 57a, 57b, 57c) of the respective suppression portions 44 arranged in parallel between the nozzle lines 50y, 50m, 50c, 50k, that is, in the short side direction of the cartridge body 12 are simply , Also referred to as a restraining member 57.) by selectively projecting from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P, for example, the recording paper P is fed by the feed roller 94 and the discharge roller 101 The recording paper P is kept away from the ejection surface 54 even if it is bent during the conveyance between the recording paper and the ejection surface 54, and the distance between the recording paper P and the ejection surface 54 is kept substantially constant. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head cap 45 is a cover provided to protect the ejection surface 54 and retracts from the ejection surface 54 during a printing operation. The head cap 45 has a pair of engagement protrusions 45a provided in the opening / closing direction at both ends in the direction of arrow W in FIG. 2, and a cleaning roller 45b provided in the long side direction to absorb excess ink i attached to the ejection surface 54. And have. The head cap 45 is engaged with a pair of engagement grooves 54a in which the engagement protrusions 45a are provided on the ejection surface 54 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrow W direction in FIG. 2, and the pair of engagement grooves 54a. The ink tank 11 is opened and closed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the short side direction of the ink tank 11, that is, the arrow W direction in FIG. In the head cap 45, during the opening / closing operation, the cleaning roller 45 b rotates while being in contact with the ejection surface 54, so that the excess ink i is absorbed and the ejection surface 54 is cleaned. For the cleaning roller 45b, for example, a highly hygroscopic member, specifically, a sponge, a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, or the like is used. Further, the head cap 45 closes the ejection surface 54 so that the ink i exposed from the nozzles 50a of the ejection surface 54 does not dry when the printing operation is not performed.

  The head cartridge 2 configured as described above, when ejecting the ink i onto the recording paper P, when the recording paper P is conveyed to a position facing the ejection surface 54 by a paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 described later. For example, even if warping or bending occurs in the thickness direction of the recording paper P due to a roller or the like that transports the recording paper P, the margin portion P1 of the recording paper P conveyed to the position facing the ejection surface 54 is suppressed. Since the portion 44 protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P, the recording paper P is prevented from being bent toward the ejection surface 54, that is, lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54.

  Therefore, the head cartridge 2 can land the ink i ejected from the nozzle 50a on the recording paper P conveyed in a state where the distance between the ejection surface 54 and the landing surface of the recording paper P is substantially constant. In addition, the landing position deviation caused by the landing of the ink i on the recording paper P deflected in the thickness direction, so-called color misregistration, and the printing failure caused by the recording paper P deflected in the thickness direction contacting the ejection surface 54 are prevented. To do.

  In the head cartridge 2, since the taper 57 d is provided at the tip of the suppressing member 57 when the recording paper P is transported to a position facing the ejection surface 54, the recording paper P is suppressed by the suppressing unit 44. Even if this occurs, it is possible to prevent problems such as the conveyance speed of the recording paper P slowing down due to friction or the like, and scratches or the like occurring on the recording paper P.

  In addition to the configuration described above, the head cartridge 2 has a remaining amount detection unit (not shown) that detects the remaining amount of ink i in the ink storage unit 21, an ink tank identification unit (not shown) that identifies the ink tank 11, and the like. It has.

  Next, the printer main body 3 to which the head cartridge 2 configured as described above is mounted will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer body 3 has a structure assembled inside an outer casing 61 composed of an upper casing 61a and a lower casing 61b in order to prevent dust and the like from entering the inside. is doing.

  Further, in the printer main body 3, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the front side of the outer casing 61 is a pair of supports provided on both side surfaces of the upper casing 61a on a frame (not shown) in the lower casing 61b. By supporting the shaft 62, the upper housing 61a can be opened and closed with respect to the lower housing 61b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a paper supply / discharge port 63 through which the recording paper P is supplied / discharged is provided on the front surface of the outer casing 61. The storage tray 64 for storing the recording paper P is attached to the paper supply / discharge port 63, so that paper can be fed. The recording paper P passes through the paper supply / discharge port 63 and is out of the open end of the storage tray 64. The paper is discharged onto the lid tray 65 that closes the front side.

  The upper housing 61a is provided with a head mounting portion 66 to which the above-described head cartridge 2 is mounted. When the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66, the ejection surface 54 of the head cartridge 2 faces a printing position in the lower housing 61b described later. As shown in FIG. 1, a handle portion 67 is attached to the head cartridge 2. Thereby, the head cartridge 2 can be easily attached to and detached from the head mounting portion 66 at the time of replacement.

  A lid 61c that closes the head mounting portion 66 is attached to the upper housing 61a so as to be openable and closable. The lid 61c forms an upper surface continuous with the upper housing 61a when the head mounting portion 66 is closed. Further, the lid 61c can be closed even when the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66.

  Further, on the upper surface portion of the upper housing 61a, the operation button 68 for performing various operations, the printing state, and the like are displayed on the front side where the recording paper P to be described later is supplied and discharged. A display panel 69 is provided.

  Furthermore, a head cartridge holding mechanism 70 that detachably holds the head cartridge 2 with respect to the head mounting portion 66 when the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66 is provided on the upper surface portion of the upper housing 61a. ing. Specifically, the head cartridge holding mechanism 70 includes a biasing member such as a spring (not shown) in a locking hole 70b provided around the head mounting portion 66 of the upper housing 61a. The reference surface 3a provided around the head mounting portion 66 in the printer main body 3 and the outer peripheral surface 2a facing the reference surface 3a of the head cartridge 2 are pressure-bonded to each other. The head cartridge 2 is positioned relative to 61a so that it can be held and fixed. As a result, the ejection surface 54 of the cartridge body 12 and the main surface of the recording paper P conveyed to the printing position by a paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 described later can be arranged opposite to each other at a predetermined interval.

  13 and 14, when the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66, the head cap 45 attached to the ejection surface 54 of the head cartridge 2 is opened and closed. A head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 that feeds the recording paper P in a predetermined direction and feeds / discharges the recording paper P to / from the head unit 37.

  The head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 has a drive unit that opens and closes the head cap 45 of the head cartridge 2. When performing printing, the head cap 45 is exposed from the ejection surface 54 so that the head chip 42 is exposed to the recording paper P. When the printing is completed, the head cap 45 is opened and closed with respect to the ejection surface 54 so that the ejection surface 54 is closed with the head cap 45 in order to protect the head chip 42 and prevent the ink i from drying.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 supplies the recording paper P to the head cartridge 2 and discharges the recording paper P printed by the head cartridge 2 to the outside. Is a sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet in a predetermined direction. Specifically, the paper feed / discharge mechanism 72 feeds the recording paper P into the printer body 3 and transports the recording paper P fed by the paper feed unit 81 to the printing position. And a paper discharge unit 83 that discharges the recording paper P conveyed by the conveyance unit 82.

  The paper feed unit 81 serves as a paper feed unit for feeding the recording paper P from the storage tray 64 to the transport unit 82. A paper feed roller 91 that feeds the recording paper P in the storage tray 64 to the transport unit 82; A pair of separation rollers 92a and 92b for feeding the recording paper P delivered by the paper feed roller 91 to the transport unit 82 one by one are provided, and these are driving units provided in the lower casing 61b. It is rotationally driven in the directions of arrows D1, D2, and D3 in FIG. 14 while interlocking with each other by a mechanism (not shown).

  The paper feed roller 91 is disposed above the recording paper P facing the opening end on the back side of the storage tray 64, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is a paper push-up mechanism (not shown) provided in the storage tray 64. ) Can be brought into contact with the recording paper P pushed up.

  The pair of separation rollers 92a and 92b are positioned in the vicinity of the back side of the paper feed roller 91, and are rotationally driven in the same direction while sandwiching the recording paper P fed by the paper feed roller 91 between the rollers. . As a result, even when the paper feed roller 91 mistakenly feeds two sheets of recording paper P at the same time, one separation roller 92a feeds one sheet of recording paper P in contact with the outer peripheral surface to the transport unit 82 side, The other separation roller 92b sends another sheet of recording paper P in contact with the outer peripheral surface thereof back to the storage tray 64 on the front side, whereby only one sheet can be sent to the back side.

  The conveyance unit 82 is a conveyance unit for conveying the recording paper P from the paper supply unit 81 to the paper discharge unit 83, and a reversing roller 93 that reverses the feeding direction of the recording paper P and the reversing roller 93. It has a feed roller 94 that conveys the recording paper P to the printing position.

  The reversing roller 93 is disposed on the back side in the printer main body 3 and is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 14 by a drive mechanism (not shown) provided in the lower housing 61b. Further, on the back side of the reversing roller 93, a plurality of restraining rollers 95 a, 95 b, and 95 c that press the recording paper P that is reversed along the outer circumferential surface of the reversing roller 93 and the outer circumferential surface of the reversing roller 93 are opposed. A curved first regulating plate 96 that regulates the movement of the recording paper P is provided.

  A first guide plate 97 for guiding the recording paper P is provided between the reversing roller 93 and the pair of separation rollers 92a and 92b so as to be positioned on the lower housing 61b side. Further, between the reversing roller 93 and the feed roller 94, a second guide plate 98 that guides the recording paper P, and a plane that faces the second guide plate 98 and restricts the movement of the recording paper P. A second restriction plate 99 is provided on the upper housing 61a side.

  The feed roller 94 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P with respect to the head portion 37, that is, on the reversing roller 93 side, and on the lower housing 61b side with respect to the recording paper P being conveyed. The recording paper P is conveyed by contacting the main surface opposite to the main surface to be printed while rotating in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

  A pinch roller 100 is provided on the upper housing 61 a side of the feed roller 94 so as to face the feed roller 94 and press the recording paper P against the feed roller 94. As a result, the recording paper P comes into contact with the feed roller 94 so as to be pressed by the pinch roller 100 and is properly gripped by the feed roller 94, that is, properly gripped by the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 94. Are appropriately transported to a printing position opposite to. Note that the pinch roller 100 is rotatable about the axis, and rotates as the recording paper P is conveyed.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the paper discharge unit 83 opposes the paper discharge roller 101 that conveys the recording paper P printed by the head unit 37 to the paper supply / discharge port 63 side, and the paper discharge roller 101. And a spur 102.

  The paper discharge roller 101 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper P with respect to the head unit 37, that is, on the paper supply / discharge port 63 side, and on the lower housing 61b side with respect to the transported recording paper P. The recording paper P is conveyed by contacting the main surface opposite to the main surface on which the recording paper P is printed while rotating in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

  The spur 102 includes substantially disk-shaped plate materials arranged in parallel in the long side direction of the cartridge body 12 at predetermined intervals, and protrusions are provided at predetermined intervals over the entire outer periphery of the plate material. The spur 102 faces the paper discharge roller 101 on the upper housing 61a side, and is arranged so that a protrusion provided over the entire outer periphery contacts the outer peripheral surface of the paper discharge roller 101. The printing paper P is brought into contact with the printing surface of the recording paper P at a point so that the printed ink is not transferred as much as possible, and the recording paper P is sent out from between the paper discharge rollers 101 onto the lid tray 65 on the paper supply / discharge port 63 side. The spur 102 is rotatable about the axis, and rotates as the recording paper P is conveyed.

  In the feed / discharge mechanism 72 having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, the feed roller 94 and the discharge roller 101 have pulse motors 103a and 103b serving as driving sources such as a belt pulley (not shown) such as an endless drive belt. And the power is transmitted from each of the pulse motors 103a and 103b. The feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 are pivoted in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 15 so that the recording paper P conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. Driven to the center.

  The feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 rotate at different rotational speeds, that is, rotate at different rotational speeds. The rotational speeds are controlled by pulse signals supplied to the pulse motors 103a and 103b. The Specifically, the rotation of the discharge roller 101 that prints and discharges the recording paper P at the rotational speed of the feed roller 94 that feeds the recording paper P conveyed in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 15 to the printing position. The speed has been increased.

  As a result, in the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72, when printing is performed on the recording paper P facing the ejection surface 54 of the head unit 37, if the recording paper P reaches the paper discharge roller 101 from the feed roller 94. The recording paper P can be made to be in a tensioned state in the conveying direction without slack. Accordingly, in the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72, the recording paper P is prevented from being slackened and bent at the printing position, so that the distance between the ejection surface 54 of the head portion 37 and the main surface of the recording paper P is kept substantially constant. be able to. Note that a pulse signal and the like supplied to the pulse motors 103a and 103b are controlled by a control unit 119 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a platen plate 104 is provided between the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 so that the recording paper P conveyed to the printing position faces the ejection surface 54 of the head unit 37.

  The platen plate 104 functions as a guide plate that guides the leading edge of the recording paper P from the feed roller 94 to the paper discharge roller 101. The platen plate 104 is disposed opposite to the ejection surface 54 of the head unit 37 at a printing position of the recording paper P, parallel to each other and having a predetermined distance. When the recording paper P is conveyed to a position facing the ejection surface 54, the platen plate 104 is raised to a predetermined position suitable for printing by an elevator mechanism (not shown) as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, it is lowered by an elevating mechanism (not shown) to return to the original position and is in a standby state.

  Next, the control circuit 110 shown in FIG. 16 that controls printing by the printer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The control circuit 110 includes a printer driver 111 that drives and controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 and the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 described above, and an ejection control unit that controls the current supplied to the head chip 42 corresponding to the ink i of each color. 112, a suppression control unit 113 that controls the suppression unit 44, a sensor unit 114 that detects various states of the printer device 1, a notification unit 115 that notifies the user of the remaining amount of ink i of each color, and an external device The input / output terminal 116 for inputting / outputting signals, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 117 in which a control program or the like is recorded, and a RAM (Random) that temporarily stores the read control program or the like and reads it out as necessary. Access Memory) 118 and a control unit 119 for controlling each unit.

  The printer drive unit 111 drives a drive motor (not shown) constituting the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 based on a control signal from the control unit 119 to open / close the head cap 45. To control. The printer drive unit 111 drives a drive motor (not shown) constituting the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 and pulse motors 103 a and 103 b based on a control signal from the control unit 119, thereby The paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 is controlled so that the recording paper P is fed from the storage tray 64 and the recording paper P is discharged from the paper supply / discharge port 63 onto the lid tray 65 after printing.

  The ejection control unit 112 is a switching element that turns on / off an electrical connection with an external power source that supplies a pulse signal or the like to the heating resistor 53 provided in the head chip 42, a pulse signal that is supplied to the heating resistor 53, or the like. It is an electric circuit having a control circuit unit for controlling switching of ON / OFF of a resistor, a switching element, and the like. The ejection control unit 112 adjusts a pulse signal and the like supplied to the heating resistor 53 provided in the head chip 42 based on the control signal from the control unit 119, and ejects ink i from the nozzle 50a of the head chip 42. Control the discharge timing.

  The suppression control unit 113 is an electric circuit including a power source that supplies a pulse signal to be applied to the drive element 56, a control circuit that adjusts a pulse signal to be applied to the drive element 56, and the like. The suppression control unit 113 adjusts a pulse signal or the like to be applied to the drive element 56 provided in the suppression unit 44 via the circuit board 55 based on the control signal from the control unit 119, and is connected to the drive element 56 integrally. The protrusion timing at which the restraining member 57 is protruded from the discharge surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P, or the retract timing at which it is retracted within the discharge surface is controlled.

  The sensor unit 114 includes a remaining amount detection unit, an ink tank identification unit, and the like. The sensor unit 114 is arranged in a plurality of other types in the printer apparatus 1. For example, whether each tank mounting unit 31 has a predetermined color ink tank 11 mounted thereon, Whether the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66 of the printer body 3, whether the remaining amount of ink i in the ink tank 11 is less than a predetermined amount, whether there is sufficient recording paper P, or a paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 detects where the front end and the rear end of the recording paper P being conveyed by the current position in the printer 1 are present, and transmits a detection signal to the control unit 119.

  The notification unit 115 is a display unit including a display panel 69 of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example. In addition, the notification unit 115 notifies notification information such as a detection signal detected by the above-described sensor unit 114 such as a printing condition, a printing state, an ink remaining amount, or a recording paper P shortage. The notification unit 115 may be an audio output unit such as a speaker. In this case, notification information such as a detection signal such as a printing condition, a printing state, an ink remaining amount, or a recording paper P shortage is audio. To output. Further, the notification unit 115 may be configured to have both display means and sound output means. Furthermore, this notification information may be performed by a monitor or a speaker of the information processing apparatus 120.

  The input / output terminal 116 transmits information such as the above-described printing condition, printing state, ink remaining amount, and the like to the external information processing apparatus 120 and the like via the interface. The input / output terminal 116 receives a control signal for outputting information such as the above-described printing condition, printing state, ink remaining amount, print data, and the like from an external information processing device 120 or the like. Here, the information processing apparatus 120 described above is an electronic device such as a personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

  The ROM 117 is a memory such as an EP-ROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), for example, and stores a program for each process performed by the control unit 119. The stored program is loaded into the RAM 118 by the control unit 119.

  The RAM 118 stores a program read from the ROM 117 by the control unit 119.

  The control unit 119 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example, and print data input from the information processing apparatus 120 via the input / output terminal 116, print data stored in advance in the ROM 117, and the sensor unit 114. Based on the remaining amount data of the ink i input from the cartridge 2 and the front end position data of the recording paper P, a processing program for controlling each unit is read from the ROM 117 and stored in the RAM 118. Process.

  Specifically, the control unit 119 determines that the processing program is based on the print data input from the information processing apparatus 120 via the input / output terminal 116, the size of the recording paper P such as A4, B5, A5 size, etc. The presence or absence of the front or rear margin P1 of P, the presence or absence of the left or right margin P1 of the recording paper P, the presence or absence of a margin in the print area P2, the size of the width of the margin P1, or the like is determined. When the control unit 119 determines that the margin P1 does not exist on the recording paper P, the control unit 119 calculates the ejection timing when the ink i is ejected from the nozzle 50a of the head chip 42 based on the print data, and is provided in the head unit 37. Each unit is controlled to start the printing operation without driving the suppressing unit 44.

  Further, when the control unit 119 determines that the recording paper P has the margin P1, the ejection timing when ejecting the ink i from the nozzle 50a of the head chip 42 based on the print data, and the driving element 56 are integrated. The protrusion timing at which the connected suppression member 57 protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P, and the printing area P2 where the ink i is discharged onto the recording paper P and the suppression. A retreat timing or the like for retracting the suppression member 57 in the ejection surface 54 so as not to contact the member 57 is calculated. Then, the control unit 119 controls the head chip 42 and the suppression unit 44 via the discharge control unit 112 and the suppression control unit 113 based on the calculated discharge timing, protrusion timing, retreat timing, and the like, and performs a printing operation. Control each part to start. The margin portion P1 of the recording paper P is not limited to the front end or the rear end, the left end or the right end of the recording paper P, and may be a portion that becomes a margin portion in the print area P2.

  Further, the control unit 119 controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 so that the head cap 45 opens and closes based on a processing program stored in the ROM 117, or feeds the recording paper P from the storage tray 64, and after printing. The paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 is controlled to send the recording paper P onto the lid tray 65 of the paper supply / discharge port 63.

  In the control circuit 110, the processing program is stored in the ROM 117. However, the medium for storing the processing program is not limited to the ROM 117. For example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a magneto-optical disk on which the processing program is recorded. Alternatively, various recording media such as an IC card can be used. In this case, the control circuit 110 is connected to a drive for driving various recording media directly or via the information processing apparatus 120 and is configured to read the processing program from these recording media.

  Here, the printing operation of the printer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This operation is executed by arithmetic processing of a CPU (not shown) in the control unit 119 based on a processing program stored in a storage unit such as the ROM 117.

  First, the operation button 68 provided on the printer main body 3 is operated, or an operation input is performed from the external information processing apparatus 120 via the input / output terminal 116, and the printer apparatus 1 executes a printing operation to the control unit 119. Command signal to be input.

  Next, in step S1, the control unit 119 performs a print preparation operation. That is, based on the detection signal input from the sensor unit 114, the control unit 119 determines whether the ink tank 11 of a predetermined color is installed in each tank mounting unit 31 or the head cartridge 2 is the head mounting unit of the printer main body 3. 66, whether or not the remaining amount of ink i in the ink tank 11 is a predetermined amount or less is determined.

  Then, the control unit 119 appropriately mounts the ink tank 11 of a predetermined color on all the tank mounting units 31, mounts the head cartridge 2 on the head mounting unit 66 of the printer main body 3, and stores the ink cartridge 11 in the ink tank 11. When it is determined that the remaining amount of the ink i is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S2, when the ink tank 11 is not properly mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, and / or the head mounting portion of the printer main body 3. When the head cartridge 2 is not attached to 66 and / or when it is determined that there is no ink, the notification unit 115 notifies that fact, and the printing operation is prohibited in step S6.

  Next, in step S <b> 2, the control unit 119 determines the presence or absence of a front end or rear end margin P <b> 1 of the recording paper P based on print data input from the information processing apparatus 120 via the input / output terminal 116.

  If the control unit 119 determines that the margin P1 does not exist on the recording paper P, the control unit 119 proceeds to step S5 and calculates the ejection timing when ejecting the ink i from the nozzle 50a of the head chip 42 based on the print data. Then, without driving the suppressing unit 44 included in the head unit 37, each unit is controlled to execute the printing operation.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 119 determines that the recording paper P has the margin portion P1, the control unit 119 proceeds to step S3, and discharge timing and driving when ink i is discharged from the nozzle 50a of the head chip 42 based on the print data. The protrusion timing at which the suppressing member 57 integrally connected to the element 56 protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P, and the ink i on the suppressing member 57 and the recording paper P. The evacuation timing for evacuating the suppression member 57 in the ejection surface 54 is calculated so as not to contact the print area P2 from which the ink is ejected. Then, the control unit 119 controls the head chip 42 and the suppression unit 44 via the discharge control unit 112 and the suppression control unit 113 based on the calculated discharge timing, protrusion timing, and retreat timing, and controls each other unit. Control and execute printing operation.

  In the control unit 119, the control unit 119 drives and controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 and the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 by the printer driving unit 111, and transports the recording paper P to a printable position. Specifically, when the printing operation is started, the control unit 119 controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 to drive the head cap 45 in a state in which the ejection surface 54 is closed, as shown in FIG. It moves to the retracted position on the front side of the device 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 119 drives and controls a lifting mechanism (not shown) to raise the feed roller 94, the paper discharge roller 101, and the platen plate 104 from the retracted position to the transport position, and the pulse motor 103a. , 103b and the like are driven to transport the recording paper P in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

  Next, in step S3, the control unit 119 performs drive control so that the suppression unit 44 protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the blank portion P1 of the recording paper P, so that the printing position is reached. The discharge control unit is based on print data input from the input / output terminal 116 or print data stored in advance in the ROM 117 or the like while suppressing the conveyed recording paper P from rising toward the discharge surface 54 and approaching the discharge surface 54. 112 is driven to eject ink i from the nozzle 50a, print data is printed to the end, and printing is terminated.

  Here, an operation in which the control unit 119 prevents the recording sheet P from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the suppressing unit 44 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 18A, the control unit 119 detects the front end position of the recording paper P using the sensor unit 114, and the front end and the rear end margin P1 of the recording paper P are suppressed by the suppression units 44a and 44b. , 44c, for example, how much the pinch roller 100 and the feed roller 94 have reached after the rotation is calculated.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 18B, the control unit 119, when the front end margin P1 of the recording paper P conveyed by the pinch roller 100 and the feed roller 94 reaches a position facing the suppression unit 44a, The suppressing member 57a is projected from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the suppressing member 57a with respect to the front margin P1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 18C, the control unit 119 moves the suppression member 57b from the ejection surface 54 to the recording paper P when the front end margin P1 of the recording paper P reaches the position facing the suppression unit 44b. Project to the vicinity of. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the restraining member 57a and the restraining member 57b with respect to the front margin P1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 18D, the control unit 119 avoids contact between the suppression member 57a and the printing region P2 immediately before the printing region P2 of the recording paper P reaches the suppression unit 44a. The restraining member 57 a is retracted in the ejection surface 54.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19E, the control unit 119 moves the suppression member 57c from the ejection surface 54 to the recording paper P when the front end margin P1 of the recording paper P reaches a position facing the suppression unit 44c. Project to the vicinity of. Further, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 57b in the ejection surface 54 in order to avoid contact between the suppression member 57b and the print area P2 immediately before the print area P2 of the recording paper P reaches the suppression section 44b. Let At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side by the suppressing member 57c with respect to the front margin P1, and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19F, the control unit 119 immediately before the print area P2 of the recording paper P reaches the suppression unit 44c after the front end of the recording paper P reaches the paper discharge roller 101 and the spur 102. In addition, the restraining member 57c is retracted in the ejection surface 54 in order to avoid contact between the restraining member 57c and the printing region P2.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19G, the control unit 119 increases the rotation speed of the paper discharge roller 101 that prints on the recording paper P and discharges it from the rotation speed of the feed roller 94, thereby recording. The paper P is not slackened and is tensioned in the transport direction, and the distance between the ejection surface 54 and the main surface of the recording paper P is kept substantially constant.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19H, the control unit 119 moves the suppression member 57a from the ejection surface 54 to the recording paper when the trailing edge margin P1 of the recording paper P reaches a position facing the suppression unit 44a. Project to the vicinity of P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the suppressing member 57a for the trailing edge margin P1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20I, the control unit 119 moves the suppression member 57b from the ejection surface 54 to the recording paper when the trailing edge margin P1 of the recording paper P reaches the position facing the suppression unit 44b. Project to the vicinity of P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the restraining member 57a and the restraining member 57b with respect to the trailing edge margin P1.

  Then, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 57a in the ejection surface 54 when the recording paper P passes the suppression unit 44a. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side and approaching the discharge surface 54 by the suppressing member 57b with respect to the trailing edge margin P1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20J, the control unit 119 moves the suppression member 57c from the ejection surface 54 to the recording paper when the trailing edge margin P1 of the recording paper P reaches the position facing the suppression unit 44c. Project to the vicinity of P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the restraining member 57b and the restraining member 57c with respect to the trailing edge margin P1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20K, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 57b in the ejection surface 54 when the recording paper P passes the suppression unit 44b. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side by the suppressing member 57c with respect to the trailing edge margin P1, and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20L, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 57c in the ejection surface 54 when the recording paper P passes the suppression unit 44c.

  Therefore, the suppression unit 44 warps or bends in the thickness direction during printing, suppresses the recording paper P from rising to the discharge surface 54 side and approaching the discharge surface, and the landing surface on which the ink i is landed is opposed to the discharge surface 54. By maintaining a substantially constant distance, it is possible to prevent color misregistration caused by the landing of ink i on a portion bent in the thickness direction and printing defects caused by the portion bent in the thickness direction contacting the ejection surface 54. To do. Further, the suppression unit 44 suppresses the recording paper P from being lifted and approaching the ejection surface 54 with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P, thereby contacting the printing area P2 of the recording paper P and the flatness of the printing area P2. This prevents the image quality from being lost, and further prevents the other portions of the recording paper P from being soiled. Further, the suppressing member 57 is provided with a taper 57d at the tip, thereby preventing the recording paper P that has been lifted from being caught and scratching the recording paper P.

  Next, in step S4, the control unit 119 controls the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 to discharge the recording paper P, which has been printed, onto the lid tray 65 by the paper discharge roller 101 and the spur 102, and ends the printing operation. .

  Then, in the printer apparatus 1, the steps until the recording paper P in the storage tray 64 runs out or a print stop command signal is input from the external information processing apparatus 120 via the operation button 68 or the input / output terminal 116. The printing operation of 1, 2, 3, 4 or steps 1, 2, 5, 4 is repeated.

  Although the printer apparatus 1 has been described with respect to the A4 size recording paper P, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the recording paper P having the B5 and A5 size smaller than the A4 size is similarly used. The restraining member 57 can be protruded from the front and rear margins P1 and the margins in the print area P2 to prevent the recording paper P from rising toward the ejection surface 54 and approaching the ejection surface 54.

  In the printer apparatus 1 that performs the printing operation by the method as described above, the suppression member 57 of the suppression unit 44 is in the vicinity of the recording paper P on the landing surface of the recording paper P that has been transported to a position facing the ejection surface 54 during printing. Thus, printing can be performed in a state where the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Therefore, in this printer apparatus 1, the recording paper P is prevented from rising to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54, and the distance between the ejection surface 54 and the landing surface of the recording paper P is substantially constant. Since printing is performed on the recording paper P conveyed in step S1, the color shift caused by the landing of the ink i on the recording paper P bent in the thickness direction, or the recording paper P bent in the thickness direction on the ejection surface 54. Printing defects caused by contact can be prevented, and high-quality printing can be performed.

  In addition, the printer device 1 prevents the recording sheet P from rising and approaching the ejection surface 54 with respect to the margin P1 of the recording sheet P, so that the flatness of the printing area P2 comes into contact with the printing area P2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the image quality from being lost and to prevent other portions of the recording paper P from being soiled.

  Further, since the leading end of the restraining member 57 is provided on the taper 57d, the printer device 1 has a lower conveyance speed of the recording paper P due to friction or the like when the floating recording paper P comes into contact with the leading end. It is possible to prevent problems such as scratches on the paper P.

  Furthermore, in this printer apparatus 1, since the head portion 37 is a multi-line head in which the head chips 42 corresponding to the respective colors are integrated, it is possible to reduce the size and cost.

  Note that the printer device 1 is not limited to the suppression member 57 having a length that is substantially the same as the short side of the A4 size recording paper P. For example, the suppression device 57 is similar to an A3 size larger than the A4 size. It may be provided and can be changed as appropriate.

  In addition, the printer device 1 is not limited to the suppression unit 44 including the suppression member 57 provided with a length substantially the same as the short side of the A4 size recording paper P. And a plurality of restraining members 57 arranged substantially parallel to each other. As a result, the printer apparatus 1 has a print area in the vicinity of the left end and the right end of the recording paper P with respect to a blank area that is not provided in the width direction of the recording paper P in the printing area P2, for example, the width direction of the recording paper P. It is possible to prevent the recording paper P from rising toward the ejection surface 54 and approaching the ejection surface 54 by protruding the suppressing portion 44 with respect to the blank portion provided at the center of the recording paper P.

  Further, the printer device 1 is not limited to the suppression member 57 being a plate-like member, and a plurality of pin members are arranged in parallel substantially in the long side direction of the cartridge main body 12 so that the front end of the recording paper P Further, it may be prevented that the recording paper P protrudes toward the ejection surface 54 and protrudes toward the ejection surface 54 by protruding from the rear edge margin P1 or the margin in the printing area P2.

  As described above, in the printer device 1 to which the present invention is applied, the front end and the rear end margin P1 of the recording paper P conveyed by the pinch roller 100 and the feed roller 94 reach a position facing the suppressing unit 44. In this case, the restraining member 57 is protruded from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the front end and rear end margin P1, and the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54. 21, as shown in FIG. 21, the suppression portions 140, 141, and 142 are disposed from the ejection surface 54 to the left end and right end margins P 1, P 3, and P 5 of the recording paper P. The recording paper P may be protruded to the vicinity to prevent the recording paper P from rising toward the ejection surface 54 and approaching the ejection surface 54.

  Hereinafter, the suppressing member 57 is protruded from the ejection surface 54 with respect to the left end and right end margins P1, P3, and P5 of the recording paper P to prevent the recording paper P from rising toward the ejection surface 54 and approaching the ejection surface 54. The head cartridge 130 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, what has the structure and function similar to the head cartridge 2 mentioned above attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits description.

  The suppressing portions 140, 141, 142 of the head cartridge 130 are arranged between the nozzles 50a arranged in a substantially line shape for each color on the ejection surface 54 in the concave portion 43b of the frame 43, that is, the respective color nozzle lines 50y, 50m, 50c, It is provided between 50k. Specifically, the suppression units 140, 141, and 142 are arranged in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper P transported in the direction of arrow B in FIG. The control unit 140 discharges the magenta ink i between the nozzle line 50m and the nozzle line 50c discharges the magenta ink i and the nozzle line 50c discharges the cyan ink i. Between the nozzle line 50c and the nozzle line 50k that discharges the black ink i, a suppressing portion 142 is provided in parallel in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the suppression units 140, 141, and 142 are in the vicinity of the left end of the A4 size recording paper P, that is, the left end margin, with respect to the direction substantially orthogonal to the transporting direction of the transported recording paper P. Suppressing members 140a, 141a, 142a are provided at positions facing P1, and there are suppressing members 140b, 141b, 142b in the vicinity of the left end of the B5 size recording paper P, that is, at the position facing the left end margin P3. Suppressing members 140c, 141c, 142c are provided in the vicinity of the left end of the recording paper P, that is, the position facing the left end margin P5, and the vicinity of the right end of the recording paper P of A4, B5, A5 size, that is, the right end margin P1, P3. , P5 have restraining members 140d, 141d, 142d.

  The restraining portions 140, 141, 142 include the circuit board 55 serving as a base, the driving element 56 disposed on the circuit board 55, and restraining members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, 142a protruding from the driving element 56. To 142d and a protrusion hole 58 for projecting these suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d from the ejection surface 54.

  The protrusion hole 58 is formed in the discharge surface 54 corresponding to each arrangement position and shape of the suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d.

  Note that. Since the circuit board 55 and the drive element 56 have the same configuration as described above, description thereof is omitted.

  The suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are plate-like members, and are provided substantially parallel to the conveyance direction of the recording paper P to be conveyed and the arrow B direction in FIG. 21, as shown in FIG. ing. In addition, the suppression members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are provided with tapers 140e, 141e, and 142e at the tips that are opposite to the side connected to the drive element 56. With the tapers 140e, 141e, 142e, the restraining members 140a-140d, 141a-141d, 142a-142d can be prevented from being caught by the recording paper P when the floating recording paper P is restrained.

  The suppression units 140, 141, and 142 control the drive element 56 to be controlled by the control circuit of the circuit board 55, and a pulse signal having a pulse interval of about 1 to 3 microseconds with respect to the selected drive element 56. Suppressing members 140a to 140d and 141a to 141d that are integrally connected to the driving element 56 by applying a voltage to the driving element 56 to deform the shape or change the volume of the driving element 56 in the thickness direction. , 142 a to 142 d are projected from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P through the projection holes 58 formed in the ejection surface 54.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22A, the suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are configured such that when the A4 size recording paper P is conveyed, the suppressing members 140a, 141a, and 142a are A4 size. The suppression member 140d, 141d, 142d protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the left end margin P1 of the recording paper P, and the suppressing members 140d, 141d, 142d from the ejection surface 54 to the right end margin P1 of the A4 size recording paper P. It protrudes to the vicinity of the recording paper P.

  Similarly, the suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are, as shown in FIG. 22B, when the recording paper P of B5 size is conveyed, the suppressing members 140b, 141b, and 142b are B5 size. The left end margin P3 of the recording paper P protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P, and the suppressing members 140d, 141d and 142d are ejected from the right end margin P3 of the B5 size recording paper P. To the vicinity of the recording paper P.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22C, the restraining members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are such that when the A5 size recording paper P is conveyed, the restraining members 140c, 141c, and 142c are A5 size. The suppression member 140d, 141d, 142d protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the left end margin P5 of the recording paper P, and the suppressing members 140d, 141d, 142d from the ejection surface 54 to the right end margin P5 of the A5 size recording paper P. It protrudes to the vicinity of the recording paper P.

  That is, when the recording paper P is transported to a position facing the recording paper P when the ink i is ejected onto the recording paper P, the suppressing units 140, 141, and 142 are placed near the left end and the right end of the transported recording paper P. Correspondingly provided suppression members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d of the suppression units 140, 141, and 142 are selectively recorded from the ejection surface 54 to the margins P1, P3, and P5 of the recording paper P. By projecting to the vicinity of the paper P, for example, even if the recording paper P is bent during conveyance between the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 and is lifted to the ejection surface 54 side, the recording paper P is ejected to the ejection surface. It keeps holding so that it may not approach 54.

  When the control unit 119 determines that the recording paper P has margins P1, P3, and P5, based on the print data, the ejection timing when ejecting the ink i from the nozzle 50a of the head chip 42, the drive element 56, Suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d corresponding to the size of the recording paper P to be transported integrally connected to the margin P1 of the recording paper P from the discharge surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P And a retract timing for retracting the restraining members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d in the ejection surface 54 are calculated. The control unit 119 controls the head chip 42 and the suppression units 140, 141, and 142 via the discharge control unit 112 and the suppression control unit 113 based on the calculated discharge timing, protrusion timing, retreat timing, and the like. At the same time, each unit is controlled to start the printing operation.

  Here, the printing operation of the printer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. Here, a printing operation when printing on A4 size recording paper P will be described. Moreover, about step S1-step S2 shown in FIG. 17, since it is the same as that of what was mentioned above, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step S3, the control unit 119 performs drive control so that the suppression units 140, 141, and 142 protrude from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P. The discharge control is performed based on the print data input from the input / output terminal 116 or the print data stored in advance in the ROM 117 or the like while suppressing the recording sheet P conveyed to the discharge surface 54 from rising toward the discharge surface 54. The unit 112 is driven to discharge ink i from the nozzle 50a, print data is printed to the end, and printing is terminated.

  Here, an operation in which the control unit 119 prevents the A4 size recording paper P from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the suppression units 140, 141, and 142 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 23A, the control unit 119 detects the front end position of the recording paper P using the sensor unit 114, and when the front end of the recording paper P reaches the suppression units 140, 141, 142. For example, it is calculated how much the pinch roller 100 and the feed roller 94 will reach after reaching.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 23B, when the recording paper P conveyed by the pinch roller 100 and the feed roller 94 reaches a position facing the suppressing unit 140, the control unit 119 The suppressing member 140d is projected from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 by the restraining member 140a and the restraining member 140d with respect to the left end and right end margin P1.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 23C, the control unit 119 records the suppression member 141 b and the suppression member 141 d from the ejection surface 54 when the front end of the recording paper P reaches a position facing the suppression unit 141. Project to the vicinity of the paper P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side by the suppression members 140a and 140d and the suppression members 141a and 141d with respect to the left end and right end margin P1, and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 24D, the control unit 119 records the suppression member 142a and the suppression member 142d from the ejection surface 54 when the front end of the recording paper P reaches a position facing the suppression unit 142. Project to the vicinity of the paper P. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side by the restraining members 140a and 140d, the restraining members 141a and 141d, and the restraining members 142a and 142d with respect to the left end and right end margin P1. Has been. At this time, the control unit 119 prevents the recording paper P from being lifted by the suppression units 140, 141, and 142, and after the front end of the recording paper P reaches the paper discharge roller 101 and the spur 102, the feed roller 94 By increasing the rotation speed of the discharge roller 101 that discharges paper from the rotation speed of the recording paper P, the recording paper P is not slackened and is tensioned in the transport direction, and the distance between the ejection surface 54 and the main surface of the recording paper P is increased. It is kept almost constant.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 24E, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 140 a and the suppression member 140 d in the ejection surface 54 when the trailing edge of the recording paper P passes the suppression unit 140. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side by the suppression members 141a and 141d and the suppression members 142a and 142d with respect to the left end and right end margin P1, and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Then, when the trailing edge of the recording paper P passes the suppression unit 141, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 141 a and the suppression member 141 d in the ejection surface 54. At this time, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the discharge surface 54 side by the suppressing members 142a and 142d with respect to the left end and right end margin P1, and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 24E, the control unit 119 retracts the suppression member 142 a and the suppression member 142 d in the ejection surface 54 when the trailing edge of the recording paper P passes the suppression unit 142.

  Accordingly, the restraining portions 140, 141, and 142 prevent the recording paper P from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 due to warping or bending in the thickness direction during printing, and the landing surface on which the ink i is landed By maintaining a substantially constant distance from the ejection surface 54, the color deviation caused by the ink i landing on the portion bent in the thickness direction and the portion bent in the thickness direction contacted the ejection surface 54. Prevents printing defects that occur. In addition, the suppression unit 44 contacts the print area P2 of the recording paper P by suppressing the recording paper P from rising to the discharge surface 54 side and approaching the discharge surface 54 with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P. This prevents the flatness of the area P2 from being lost and impairs the image quality, and further prevents the other portions of the recording paper P from being soiled. Further, the suppressing members 140a to 141d, 141a to 142d, and 142a to 142d are provided with tapers 140e, 141e, and 142e at their tips, thereby preventing the recording paper P that has been lifted from being caught and scratching the recording paper P. .

  In the printer apparatus 1 that performs the printing operation by the above method, the size of the recording paper P, that is, the left end of the recording paper P and the landing surface of the recording paper P conveyed to the position facing the ejection surface 54 at the time of printing. The restraining member 57 of the restraining portions 140, 141, 142 provided so as to face the right end margin P1 protrudes to the vicinity of the recording paper P, and the recording paper P rises to the ejection surface 54 side and approaches the ejection surface 54. Printing can be performed in a suppressed state.

  Accordingly, in this printer apparatus 1 as well, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54, and the distance between the ejection surface 54 and the landing surface of the recording paper P is made substantially constant. Since printing is performed on the recording paper P conveyed in the state, the color shift caused by the ink i landing on the recording paper P bent in the thickness direction, or the recording paper P bent in the thickness direction is discharged on the discharge surface 54. This prevents printing defects and the like caused by contact with the printer, and enables high-quality printing.

  Further, the printer device 1 suppresses the recording paper P from being lifted to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54 with respect to the margin P1 of the recording paper P, so that the printing area P2 of the recording paper P It is possible to prevent contact and lack of flatness of the print area P2 to impair image quality, and to prevent other portions of the recording paper P from being soiled.

  Further, in the printer apparatus 1, since the leading ends of the suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are provided on the tapers 140e, 141e, and 142e, the recording paper P that has floated to the ejection surface 54 side is at the leading end. When they come into contact, it is possible to prevent problems such as the conveyance speed of the recording paper P slowing down due to friction or the like, and scratches or the like occurring on the recording paper P.

  Furthermore, in this printer apparatus 1, since the head portion 37 is a multi-line head in which the head chips 42 corresponding to the respective colors are integrated, it is possible to reduce the size and cost.

  The printer apparatus 1 protrudes from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the left and right margins P1, P3, and P5 of the recording paper P by the suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d. It is not limited to preventing the recording paper P from rising to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54, and the ejection surface 54 to one of the left end or right end margins P1, P3, P5 of the recording paper P. It is also possible to prevent the recording paper P from projecting to the vicinity of the recording paper P and rising to the ejection surface 54 side and approaching the ejection surface 54. Specifically, the printer device 1 is provided so as to face the right end margins P1, P3, and P5 of the recording paper P of all sizes, for example, when printing the recording paper P having a short side such as A5 size. It is possible to prevent only the restraining members 140d, 141d, and 142d from protruding so as to be lifted toward the ejection surface 54 and approach the ejection surface 54, and is provided to face the left end margin P5 of the A5 size recording paper P. Only the restraining members 140c, 141c, and 142c that are formed may be protruded to be lifted toward the ejection surface 54 and prevented from approaching the ejection surface 54.

  Further, the printer apparatus 1 is not limited to printing on the A4, B5, and A5 size recording paper P. For example, the suppressing members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d may be connected to the A4 size. You may provide so that it may oppose with the large A3 size left end and right end margin part, and it can change suitably.

  Furthermore, the printer apparatus 1 is not limited to being provided in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording paper P on which the suppression members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d are conveyed, and the suppression members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d and 142a to 142d project from the ejection surface 54 to the vicinity of the recording paper P with respect to the left and / or right margins P1, P3, and P5 of the recording paper P and the margins in the printing areas P2, P4, and P6. The recording paper P may be provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the transported recording paper P as long as the recording paper P can be prevented from being lifted toward the ejection surface 54 and approaching the discharge surface 54.

  Further, the printer device 1 is not limited to the suppression members 140a to 140d, 141a to 141d, and 142a to 142d being plate-like members, and a pin member is provided so that the left end and / or the right end of the recording paper P is provided. It may be prevented that the recording paper P protrudes toward the margins P1, P3, P5 and the margins in the print areas P2, P4, P6 and rises to the ejection surface 54 side and approaches the ejection surface 54.

  The printer apparatus 1 is not limited to a so-called multiline head in which one head cartridge is provided with yellow, cyan, magenta, and black head cartridges, and a head cartridge is provided for each color. It may be a thing.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. It is an exploded perspective view showing a printer head cartridge provided in a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the head cartridge to which the present invention is applied, it is a cross-sectional view showing a state where an ink tank is mounted on the cartridge body. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the head cartridge to which this invention was applied. It is a figure which shows typically the head cartridge to which this invention was applied. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of a head part. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a suppression part. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the head chip with which the head cartridge with which this invention was applied is equipped. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state where bubbles are generated in the heating resistor, and FIG. 9B is a schematic view showing a state where ink is ejected from the nozzle. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the suppression part with which the head cartridge to which this invention was applied is equipped. It is a top view which shows a suppression part typically. It is a top view which shows a suppression part typically. It is a see-through | perspective side view which shows the structure of the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. It is a see-through | perspective side view for demonstrating the printing operation | movement of the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a feed roller and a paper discharge roller that transport recording paper at a printing position in a paper supply / discharge mechanism provided in a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows typically the control circuit of the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a printing operation of a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram explaining a series of operation | movement of the suppression part of the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. It is a schematic diagram explaining a series of operation | movements following the FIG. 18 of the suppression part of the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating a series of operations subsequent to FIG. 19 of the suppressing unit of the liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a top view which shows a suppression part typically. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a suppression unit and a recording sheet of a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram explaining a series of operation | movement of the suppression part of the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram illustrating a series of operations subsequent to FIG. 23 of the suppressing unit of the liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is the side view which showed typically the principal part of the conventional liquid discharge apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer apparatus, 2 Head cartridge, 3 Printer main body, 12 Cartridge main body, 37 Head part, 41 Flow path plate, 42 Head chip, 43 Frame, 43a Opening part, 43b Recessed part, 44 Inhibiting part, 44a Inhibiting part, 44b Inhibiting part 44c Suppression part, 46 ink flow path, 47 flow path forming part, 48 flow path connection part, 49 circuit board, 50 nozzle sheet, 50a nozzle, 51 film, 52 ink liquid chamber, 53 heating resistor, 54 discharge surface, 55 circuit board, 56 drive element, 57 restraining member, 57a restraining member, 57b restraining member, 57c restraining member, 57d taper, 58 projecting hole, 94 feed roller, 100 pinch roller, 101 delivery roller, 102 spur, 104 platen plate , 130 Head cartridge, 140 Suppression part, 140a Suppression member, 140b Suppression member, 140c Suppression member, 140d Suppression member, 140e Taper, 141 Suppression part, 141a Suppression member, 141b Suppression member, 141c Suppression member, 141d Suppression member, 141e Taper, 142 Suppression part, 142a Suppression member, 142b Suppression member, 142c Suppression member, 142d Suppression member, 142e Taper

Claims (12)

A liquid that is detachably attached to a liquid ejection device that performs recording by ejecting liquid in the form of droplets and adhering to an object conveyed in a predetermined direction, and ejects the liquid droplets toward the object In the discharge cartridge,
An ejection means having an ejection surface provided with an ejection port for ejecting the droplet, and ejecting the droplet from the ejection port to the object conveyed to a position facing the ejection port;
A judging means for judging the presence or absence of a blank portion which becomes a non-printing area of the object;
A suppression means provided so as to be able to project from the discharge surface, and suppressing lifting of the object;
Drive means for projecting the suppression means,
When the determination unit determines that the object has a blank portion that becomes a non-printing area when the droplet is ejected from the discharge port to the object, the suppression unit is configured to use the drive unit to A liquid discharge cartridge, wherein the liquid discharge cartridge is protruded from the discharge surface with respect to a portion to suppress the lifting of the object.   2. The liquid discharge cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the discharge means has the discharge ports arranged side by side in a substantially line shape.   3. The liquid ejection cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the ejection means is a multi-head in which ejection openings of a plurality of colors are arranged in parallel in a substantially line shape.   4. The liquid ejection cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing unit protrudes from the ejection surface with respect to a margin part at a front end or a rear end of the object.   4. The liquid ejection cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the suppression unit protrudes from the ejection surface with respect to a left end and / or a right end margin of the object. 5.   6. The liquid ejection cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing means is a plate-like member. In a liquid ejection apparatus that performs recording by ejecting liquid in the form of droplets and attaching it to an object conveyed in a predetermined direction,
Transport means for transporting the object to which the droplets are attached in a predetermined direction;
An ejection means having an ejection surface provided with an ejection port for ejecting the droplet, and ejecting the droplet from the ejection port to the object conveyed to a position facing the ejection port;
A support means provided at a position facing the ejection surface of the ejection means and supporting the object conveyed by the conveyance means to a position facing the ejection surface of the ejection means;
A judging means for judging the presence or absence of a blank portion which becomes a non-printing area of the object;
A suppression means provided so as to be able to project from the discharge surface, and suppressing lifting of the object;
Drive means for projecting the suppression means;
Control means for controlling the protrusion of the suppression means,
When the liquid droplets are ejected from the discharge port to the object, the control means controls the driving means when the determination means determines that the object has a blank portion that becomes a non-printing area. The liquid ejecting apparatus is characterized in that the suppression means protrudes from the ejection surface with respect to the blank portion to suppress the lifting of the object from the support means.   8. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the discharge means has the discharge ports arranged side by side in a substantially line shape.   9. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the ejection means is a multi-head in which ejection openings of a plurality of colors are arranged in parallel in a substantially line shape.   10. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the suppressing unit protrudes from the ejection surface with respect to a blank portion at a front end or a rear end of the object.   10. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the suppression unit protrudes from the ejection surface with respect to a left end and / or a right margin of the object. 10.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the suppressing unit is a plate-like member.

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