JP2009066857A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor which can prevent unnecessary lock release of a carriage but can easily release the lock of the carriage for maintenance. <P>SOLUTION: A printer comprises a device main body 20 covered with a removable case. The device main body 20 is provided with a maintenance switch 88, which drives a carriage lock mechanism by a power supply for maintenance to release the lock of the carriage, at a position which is not exposed in the state where the case is mounted but is exposed in the state where the case is removed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a printer.

  An example of the information processing apparatus is a printer (printing apparatus) connected to a personal computer or the like.

  In a printer, a storage unit that stores media such as paper to be transported in a stacked state, a transport mechanism that separates media from the storage unit one by one and transports them along a predetermined path, The apparatus main body, in which a processing unit for recording an image such as a character or a figure on a sheet conveyed and incorporated, is covered with a removable case.

  In the case where an ink jet type that moves a carriage provided with a print head and ejects ink from the print head and prints on a sheet is adopted as the recording unit, generally, when the main power is turned off, the carriage is The capping operation is performed by the head cap in order to prevent the print head from drying in conjunction with the locking.

  In such a printer, during maintenance work, if the carriage remains locked, the work may be hindered. For this reason, the service person manually unlocks the carriage. However, due to the recent space-saving design, there is almost no such work space, for example, a tapered tool is inserted into the gap to release the lock. Naturally, such work is inefficient and there is a possibility that other parts may be damaged by the tool.

For this reason, there is one that can release the lock of the carriage by turning on the power while pressing a maintenance button that is exposed outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-326525 A

  By the way, if the carriage is unlocked by turning on the power while pressing the maintenance switch exposed to the outside as described above, it may be operated under unnecessary circumstances other than during maintenance work. Absent.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that can prevent unnecessary unlocking of the carriage and can easily perform maintenance by unlocking the carriage. And

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus of the present invention is an information processing apparatus in which an apparatus main body is covered with a detachable case, and a carriage lock mechanism is driven by a maintenance power source in the apparatus main body. A maintenance switch for releasing the lock of the carriage is provided at a position where the maintenance switch is not exposed when the case is attached but is exposed when the case is detached.

  According to the information processing apparatus having this configuration, the maintenance switch for releasing the carriage lock is provided at a position where the maintenance switch is not exposed when the case is attached but is exposed when the case is detached. Therefore, unnecessary unlocking of the carriage other than during maintenance can be prevented. Further, if the maintenance switch is operated and operated, the carriage lock mechanism is driven by the maintenance power source to release the carriage lock, so that the carriage lock can be easily released for maintenance.

  In the information processing apparatus, the apparatus main body is provided with a return switch for locking the carriage unlocked by the operation of the maintenance switch by driving the carriage lock mechanism again by the maintenance power source. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, after the maintenance work is completed, the carriage lock mechanism is driven again by the maintenance power source by the return switch to lock the carriage, so that the return work after the maintenance work is completed can be easily performed.

  In the information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the return switch is interlocked with attachment of the case to the apparatus main body.

  According to this configuration, since the return switch locks the carriage in conjunction with the mounting of the case on the apparatus main body, the carriage can be automatically locked if the case is mounted on the apparatus main body after maintenance work.

  In the information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the maintenance switch drives a driven roller release mechanism by the maintenance power source to release between the paper feed roller and the driven roller in contact therewith.

  According to this configuration, in conjunction with the unlocking of the carriage, it is possible to release between the paper feed roller and the driven roller that contacts this.

  In the information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the maintenance switch releases a paper discharge unit having a paper discharge roller by driving a paper discharge unit release mechanism by the maintenance power source.

  According to this configuration, the paper discharge unit having the paper discharge roller can be released together with the unlocking of the carriage.

  In the information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the maintenance switch releases a gap between the print head and the platen surface by driving a head-platen gap adjusting mechanism by the maintenance power source.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to release the space between the print head and the platen surface together with the unlocking of the carriage.

  In this information processing apparatus, the maintenance power source is preferably an internal power source.

  According to this configuration, the carriage can be unlocked without being connected to an external power source.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printer according to the present invention as seen obliquely from the front side, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main body of the printer with the paper discharge tray and upper case removed, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the belt driving mechanism of the printer. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a paper conveyance path by a conveyance device incorporated in the printer, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view around a processing unit of the conveyance device, and FIG. 6 shows a carriage lock mechanism of the printer. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are flowcharts showing control contents in the printer.

  A printer 11 serving as an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is a front feed / discharge type ink jet printer capable of manual feed and rear feed, and includes a lower case 12 and an upper case (case) as shown in FIG. A substantially box-shaped paper cassette 15 loaded with a plurality of sheets of sheet-like media in a stacked state is detachably mounted in a cassette housing portion 19 that opens in the center of the front surface of the device case 14 composed of 13. Yes. In addition, a paper discharge tray 16 for receiving the printed paper is provided so as to cover the open top portion of the paper cassette 15. Furthermore, a display unit 17 such as an indicator and an operation unit 18 such as a power switch are disposed on the left and right sides of the lower case 12.

  The paper discharge tray 16 and the upper case 13 are detachable from the apparatus main body 20 shown in FIG. 2 excluding these, and the apparatus main body 20 is separated from the paper cassette 15 by a pickup roller of the paper supply unit. A paper transport mechanism that transports the paper fed out along the U-shaped transport path, a belt drive mechanism 21 that supports the carriage 4 so as to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction by the paper transport mechanism, A print head mounted on the carriage 4 for printing by ejecting fine particles of recording ink onto the paper, ink tanks 22 and 24 storing recording ink to be supplied to the print head, and a paper transport mechanism A control unit (not shown) that controls the conveyance speed, the movement speed of the carriage 4, the ink ejection operation of the print head, and the like is provided.

The carriage 4 is supported by a pair of carriage shafts 26 extending in the paper width direction so as to be movable in the paper width direction, and is fixed to the timing belt 3 driven by the carriage motor 9. Accordingly, the sheet is reciprocated in the paper width direction. Here, in the vicinity of the timing belt 3, a scale of a carriage encoder (not shown) that detects the position of the carriage 4 extends in the paper width direction.
The printer 11 controls the ink ejection from the print head mounted on the carriage 4 with the paper transport direction as the sub-scanning direction and the carriage 4 movement direction as the main scanning direction, so that characters, graphics, and the like are printed on the paper. Perform image recording (printing).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the base frame 23 fixed to the lower case 12 is provided with a drive pulley 7 that is driven to rotate by the carriage motor 9 at a position closer to the right end toward the back plate portion 23a. A driven pulley 6 that is displaceable on the drive pulley 7 side via a slide mechanism (not shown) is provided near the left end. The carriage 4 is fixedly provided on the timing belt 3 wound between the driving pulley 7 and the driven pulley 6, and is moved between the driving pulley 7 and the driven pulley 6 by the travel of the timing belt 3 by the driving pulley 7. Reciprocate.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus main body 20 includes a paper transport mechanism 29 that forms an arc-shaped transport path A and a first linear transport path B that connects the arc-shaped transport path A to the paper discharge tray 16. The paper cassette 15, the arc-shaped transport path A, the first linear transport path B, and the paper discharge tray 16 process the paper fed from the paper discharge tray 16 and then return it to the front paper discharge tray 16. A conveyance path is formed.

The paper transport mechanism 29 has an ASF (auto sheet feeder) unit and a PF (paper feeder) unit.
The ASF unit feeds the sheets stored in the sheet cassette 15 one by one to the rear of the apparatus, and the arc-shaped conveyance that conveys the sheets fed by the sheet feeding mechanism 30 along the arc-shaped conveyance path. It comprises an intermediate roller 31 forming a part, a guide part 34 and the like.
As shown in FIG. 5, the PF unit sandwiches the paper conveyed from the arc-shaped conveyance unit and feeds it onto the platen surface 51 of the print processing unit 43, and the paper that has passed through the print processing unit 43. And a paper discharge unit 55 that conveys the paper by sandwiching it in the paper discharge tray 16 downstream thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet feeding mechanism 30 of the ASF unit is configured such that the rear end of a frame 37 provided with a pickup roller 36 for feeding at the front end can be rotated in the vertical direction in the figure by a support pin 38. . The sheet feeding mechanism 30 can bring the pickup roller 36 into contact with the uppermost sheet in the sheet cassette 15 by swinging the frame 37 in the vertical direction. In the paper feeding mechanism 30, when the printer 11 is stopped, the frame 37 is kept horizontal as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 4, and the pickup roller 36 is kept away from the paper on the paper cassette 15. When paper is fed, the pickup roller 36 is pressed against the paper on the paper cassette 15 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The sheet 36 on the sheet cassette 15 is brought into contact with the inclined friction pad 39 by the rotation of the sheet 36 and separated by the frictional force and the strength of the sheet, and is fed out between the intermediate roller 31 and the guide part 34 one by one. . When printing is started by the print processing unit 43 after the paper feeding is completed, the frame 37 is returned to the original horizontal state as shown by the solid line in FIG.

  The arcuate conveyance path A includes a guide portion 34 that is provided outside the arcuate conveyance path A (on the back side of the printer 11) and has a guide surface curved in a substantially arcuate shape, and an inner side of the arcuate conveyance path A (the The intermediate roller 31 is provided on the front surface side and feeds the paper from the lower side to the upper side of the guide portion 34. The guide portion 34 is provided with a retard roller 32 provided on the lower side and an assist roller 33 arranged on the upper side. The sheet sent out by the pickup roller 36 is nipped and conveyed by the intermediate roller 31 and the retard roller 32, and further nipped and conveyed by the intermediate roller 31 and the assist roller 33. As a result, the sheet is conveyed along an arcuate conveyance path A formed as a gap between the intermediate roller 31 and the guide part 34, and its leading end is directed to the front side of the printer to form a U-shaped conveyance path. It is sent out to the first linear transport path B.

  Further, an auxiliary guide member 35 is provided above the intermediate roller 31. The auxiliary guide member 35 is rotatably supported at the rear end side with respect to the guide portion 34, and the front end side is swung. The auxiliary guide member 35 presses the sheet conveyed from the arcuate conveyance path A to the first linear conveyance path B by its own weight from the upper side, and causes the printer 11 to move along the first linear conveyance path B. Guide to the front side.

  The paper feed means 40 of the PF unit is composed of a pair of paper feed rollers 41 and a driven roller 42 that can contact each other. The paper feed roller 41 and the driven roller 42 are provided at a position a predetermined distance away from the exit end of the arcuate conveyance path A (downstream end of the guide portion 34) on the front side of the apparatus, and from the arcuate conveyance path A. The sheet fed to the substantially linear path (first linear transport path B) is nipped and transported under the print processing unit 43 which is the printing position. The paper can be positioned with respect to the print processing unit 43 by controlling the rotational drive amount. The driven roller 42 is supported by a driven roller release mechanism 48, and the driven roller release mechanism 48 is driven by a motor (not shown) to separate the driven roller 42 upward from the paper feed roller 41. The release is performed, and the driven roller 42 is returned to the position in contact with the paper feed roller 41.

  The print processing unit 43 as a processing unit includes a carriage 4 having a print head 44, and the carriage 4 is supported so as to be movable in the width direction with respect to the fed paper.

  The print head 44 has a discharge nozzle 46 that discharges ink droplets toward the paper. The print head 44 detects the paper on the front side of the printer 11 with respect to the discharge nozzle 46 and detects its width. A PW sensor 47 is provided. The PW sensor 47 detects the presence or absence of a sheet by detecting reflected light of light irradiated toward the sheet, and detects the width of the sheet by moving the carriage 4.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a paper guide assist 70 is attached to the tip of a holder 71 disposed above the paper transport path by the paper feed means 40. Since the paper guide assist 70 needs to change the pressing width in accordance with the paper size (paper width), it is divided into a plurality of pieces in the paper width direction, and each of them is configured to move independently. .

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the paper discharge unit 55 includes three rows of guide rollers (paper discharge rollers) 75 that hold the upper surface of the paper that has passed through the print processing unit 43 to a conveyance reference position 73 having a predetermined height. 76, 77 and the guide rollers 76, 77 in cooperation with the guide rollers 76, 77, two rows of pinch rollers (paper discharge rollers) 78, 79 that convey and hold the paper, and the guide rollers 75, 76, 77 in a predetermined positional relationship. And a first roller frame 81 to be supported.

  The two rows of pinch rollers 78 and 79 are arranged corresponding to the two downstream rows of guide rollers 76 and 77 excluding the most upstream guide roller 75, and cooperate with these guide rollers 76 and 77. The paper is nipped and transported.

  Of the two rows of pinch rollers 78 and 79, the upstream pinch roller 78 is supported by a support frame 74 that is continuously provided on the substrate 61 that provides the platen surface 51. The upper surface of the support frame 74 is set to be flush with the platen surface 51.

  The carriage 4 having the print head 44 is supported by a head / platen gap adjusting mechanism 72. The head-platen gap adjusting mechanism 72 is driven by a motor (not shown) to raise and lower the carriage 4, and the carriage 4 is lifted to release between the print head 44 and the platen surface 51.

  In the paper discharge unit 55, a first roller frame 81 that supports guide rollers 75, 76, 77 is supported by a paper discharge unit release mechanism 82. The paper discharge unit release mechanism 82 is driven by a motor (not shown) to swing the first roller frame 81 about the guide roller 77 side on the most downstream side. The paper discharge unit release mechanism 82 swings the first roller frame 81 in one direction to release the upstream guide rollers 75 and 76 from the platen surface 51 and the pinch roller 78, and releases between them. By swinging the first roller frame 81 in the opposite direction, the guide rollers 75 and 76 on the upstream side are returned to the positions where they contact the platen surface 51 and the pinch roller 78.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the apparatus main body 20 is provided with a carriage lock mechanism 85 that locks the carriage 4 at the home position (predetermined position) so as not to move. The carriage lock mechanism 85 includes a lock portion 86 that moves up and down by driving a motor (not shown). The lock portion 86 is located at the home position and directly above the carriage lock mechanism 85 when ascending as shown in FIG. The carriage 4 is locked by fitting into a lock hole (not shown) of the carriage 4 to be operated. Further, the lock portion 86 comes out of the lock hole of the carriage 4 and moves away from the carriage 4 when lowered as shown in FIG.

  In addition, the carriage lock mechanism 85 is provided with a head cap (not shown) that moves up and down integrally with the lock portion 86 when the lock portion 86 moves up and down. The head cap abuts against the print head 44 of the carriage 4 when ascending to cover the discharge nozzle 46, and is separated from the print head 44 when descending.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 20 is provided with a maintenance switch 88 and a maintenance end switch (return switch) 89. The maintenance switch 88 and the maintenance end switch 89 are not exposed to the outside when the upper case 13 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the apparatus main body 20 and covers the apparatus main body 20, and the upper case 13 is not exposed to the apparatus. When in the detached state removed from the main body 20, it is provided at a position exposed to the outside.

Next, a case where maintenance is performed by operating the maintenance switch 88 and the maintenance end switch 89 will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the operation unit 18 is turned on while the printer 11 is connected to an external power source, the power is supplied to each unit of the printer 11. When the operation unit 18 is turned OFF, the carriage 4 is returned to the home position, the carriage 4 is locked by the carriage lock mechanism 85, and the discharge nozzle 46 is covered with the head cap.

  When the service person performs maintenance of the printer 11, the main power supply is turned off by the operation unit 18 and the upper case 13 is removed from the apparatus main body 20. In this state, a pressing operation is input to the maintenance switch 88. . Then, the control shown in FIG. 7 is started based on the ON operation of the maintenance switch 88.

  First, only the carriage lock mechanism 85, the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, the driven roller release mechanism 48, and the head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72 are energized from an external power source (step Sa1). That is, a maintenance power source is configured by the external power source and the circuit that energizes only the carriage lock mechanism 85, the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, the driven roller release mechanism 48, and the head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72.

  Next, the time during which the maintenance switch 88 is ON is counted, and it is determined whether or not this time is a predetermined time or more (step Sa2). If the maintenance switch 88 is not turned on for a predetermined time or longer, the maintenance power source drives a motor (not shown) of the carriage lock mechanism 85 to unlock the carriage 4, and the head cap is attached to the print head 44. (Step Sa3). When the carriage 4 is unlocked, energization from the maintenance power supply to the carriage lock mechanism 85, the driven roller release mechanism 48, the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, and the head-platen gap adjustment mechanism 72 is stopped (step Sa4). ).

  As a result, the lock of the carriage 4 is released, so that it is possible to change the scale of the carriage encoder, remove the paper jam, and the like that require the carriage 4 to move. Moreover, since the maintenance power supply is automatically turned off after the lock is released, there is no problem in the subsequent maintenance work.

  In step Sa2, when the maintenance switch 88 is ON for a predetermined time or more (that is, when the switch is pressed for a long time), the maintenance power supply drives a motor (not shown) of the carriage lock mechanism 85 to drive the carriage 4. The lock is released and the head cap is separated from the print head 44 (step Sa5). Further, the maintenance power source drives a motor (not shown) of the driven roller release mechanism 48 to release the paper feed roller 41 and the driven roller 42, that is, the driven roller 42 is separated from the paper feed roller 41 (step Sa6). Further, the maintenance power source drives a motor (not shown) of the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82 to release the paper discharge unit 55, that is, the guide rollers 75 and 76 are separated from the platen surface 51 and the pinch roller 78 (step Sa7). Further, the maintenance power source drives a motor (not shown) of the head-platen gap adjusting mechanism 72 to release between the print head 44 and the platen surface 51 (step Sa8). Thereafter, energization from the maintenance power supply to the carriage lock mechanism 85, the driven roller release mechanism 48, the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, and the head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72 is stopped (step Sa4).

  As described above, the carriage 4 is unlocked, the paper feed roller 41 and the driven roller 42 are released, the paper discharge unit 55 is released, and the print head 44 and the platen surface 51 are released. It is possible to perform mechanism-related cleaning, replacement of parts, removal of paper jam, and the like. Of course, in this case as well, the maintenance power supply is automatically turned off after unlocking and releasing, so there is no problem in maintenance work.

  On the other hand, when the maintenance work is completed, the service person performs a pressing operation input to the maintenance end switch 89. Then, the control shown in FIG. 8 is started based on the ON operation of the maintenance end switch 89.

  First, the time during which the maintenance end switch 89 is turned on is counted, and it is determined whether or not this time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step Sb1). If the time during which the maintenance end switch 89 is ON is not longer than the predetermined time, it is determined that the maintenance end switch 89 has been touched by mistake, and the control is ended.

  In step Sb1, when the maintenance end switch 89 has been ON for a predetermined time or longer (that is, when the switch is pressed for a long time), first, the carriage motor 9, carriage encoder, carriage lock mechanism 85, exhaust, Only the paper unit release mechanism 82, the driven roller release mechanism 48, and the head / platen gap adjusting mechanism 72 are energized (step Sb2). In other words, maintenance at the end is performed by an external power source and a circuit that energizes only the carriage motor 9, carriage encoder, carriage lock mechanism 85, paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, driven roller release mechanism 48, and head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72. Power supply is configured.

  Next, the carriage motor 9 is driven by the maintenance power source to return the carriage 4 to the home position (step Sb3), and then the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, the driven roller release mechanism 48, and the head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72. Is in the release state based on the determination in step Sa2 executed immediately before (step Sb4). If they are not in the release state, a capping operation for driving a motor (not shown) of the carriage lock mechanism 85 to lock the carriage 4 and bringing the head cap into contact with the print head 44 is performed by the maintenance power supply (step Sb5). When the carriage 4 is locked, power is supplied from the maintenance power source to the carriage motor 9, carriage encoder, carriage lock mechanism 85, driven roller release mechanism 48, paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, and head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72. Stop (step Sb6).

  If it is determined in step Sb4 that the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, the driven roller release mechanism 48, and the head / platen gap adjustment mechanism 72 are in the release state, a motor (not shown) of the carriage lock mechanism 85 is supplied by the maintenance power supply. Is driven to lock the carriage 4 and perform a capping operation to bring the head cap into contact with the print head 44 (step Sb7). Further, the maintenance power supply drives a motor (not shown) of the driven roller release mechanism 48 to return the driven roller 42 to return the contact between the paper feed roller 41 and the driven roller 42 (step Sb8). Further, the maintenance power source drives a motor (not shown) of the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82 to return the paper discharge unit 55. That is, the guide rollers 75 and 76 are brought into contact with the platen surface 51 and the pinch roller 78 (step Sb9). Further, the maintenance power source drives a motor (not shown) of the head-platen gap adjusting mechanism 72 to return the print head 44 to bring the print head 44 and the platen surface 51 closer to a predetermined gap (step Sb10). . Thereafter, energization from the maintenance power supply to the carriage motor 9, the carriage encoder, the carriage lock mechanism 85, the driven roller release mechanism 48, the paper discharge unit release mechanism 82, and the head / platen gap adjusting mechanism 72 is stopped (step Sb6).

  As described above, according to the printer 11 according to the present embodiment, the maintenance switch 88 for releasing the lock of the carriage 4 is not exposed in the mounted state of the upper case 13 in the apparatus main body 20 and the upper case 13 is removed. Since it is provided at a position exposed in the state, it is not operated when the upper case 13 is mounted. Therefore, unnecessary unlocking of the carriage 4 other than during maintenance can be prevented. Further, if an operation is input to the maintenance switch 88, the carriage lock mechanism 85 is driven by the maintenance power source to release the lock of the carriage 4, so that the carriage 4 can be easily unlocked.

  In addition, after the maintenance work is completed, the carriage lock mechanism 85 is again driven by the maintenance power source by the maintenance end switch 89 to lock the carriage 4, so that the return work after the maintenance work is completed can be easily performed.

  Further, if the maintenance switch 88 is pressed for a long time when an operation is input to the maintenance switch 88, the carriage 4 can be unlocked and the paper feed roller 41 and the driven roller 42 in contact therewith can be released. .

  Further, when the maintenance switch 88 is pressed and held during operation input to the maintenance switch 88, the paper discharge unit 55 having the guide rollers 75 to 79 can be released together with the unlocking of the carriage 4.

  Further, when the maintenance switch 88 is pressed for a long time when an operation is input to the maintenance switch 88, the carriage 4 can be unlocked and the print head 44 and the platen surface 51 can be released.

  Of course, if the maintenance switch 88 is not pressed for a long time when an operation is input to the maintenance switch 88, the carriage 4 is unlocked, but the above-mentioned release is not performed, so that power is not wasted.

  In the above embodiment, in order to prevent forgetting to operate the maintenance end switch 89, an alarm is displayed on the display unit 17 when the maintenance end switch 89 is not turned on even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the ON operation of the maintenance switch 88. The display may be displayed.

  Further, the maintenance end switch 89 may be turned on in conjunction with the attachment of the upper case 13 to the apparatus main body 20. For example, a protrusion that protrudes in the mounting direction is provided on the upper case 13, and a maintenance end switch 89 is provided at a position that is turned on by the protrusion when the upper case 13 of the apparatus main body 20 is mounted. With this configuration, the maintenance end switch 89 locks the carriage 4 in conjunction with the mounting of the upper case 13 on the apparatus main body 20, and therefore, if the upper case 13 is mounted on the apparatus main body 20 after maintenance work, the carriage 4 is moved. Can be locked automatically.

  In the above embodiment, the external power source is used as a maintenance power source by controlling the circuit of the control unit. However, the maintenance power source may be a dedicated internal power source, that is, a battery. In this way, the carriage 4 can be unlocked without being connected to an external power supply, and the maintainability is further improved.

  In addition, instead of providing the two switches of the maintenance switch 88 and the maintenance end switch 89, for example, only one switch is provided, and when it is operated once, it is determined that the maintenance is started, and when it is operated next, it is determined that the maintenance is ended. Alternatively, a switch that performs only the unlocking, a switch that performs only the release, a switch that performs only the locking, and a switch that performs only the return from the release may be provided separately.

It is the perspective view seen from the front side slanting upper part of the printer concerning the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the apparatus main body from which a paper discharge tray and an upper case of the printer are removed. It is an expansion perspective view of the belt drive mechanism of a printer. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a paper conveyance path by a conveyance device incorporated in a printer. It is an enlarged view of the periphery of the processing unit of the transport device. It is a perspective view which shows the carriage lock mechanism of a printer. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control contents in a printer. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control contents in a printer.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Carriage, 11 ... Printer (information processing apparatus), 13 ... Upper case (case), 20 ... Apparatus main body, 41 ... Feed roller, 42 ... Driven roller, 44 ... Print head, 48 ... Driven roller release mechanism, 51 ... Platen surface, 55 ... Paper discharge unit, 72 ... Head-platen gap adjustment mechanism, 75 to 77 ... Guide rollers (paper discharge rollers), 78, 79 ... Pinch rollers (paper discharge rollers), 82 ... Paper discharge unit release Mechanism 85: Carriage lock mechanism 88 ... Maintenance switch 89 ... Maintenance end switch (return switch)

Claims (7)

An information processing apparatus that covers the apparatus main body with a removable case,
A maintenance switch for driving the carriage lock mechanism by a maintenance power source to release the carriage lock is provided in the apparatus body at a position where the maintenance switch is not exposed when the case is attached but is exposed when the case is detached. An information processing apparatus characterized by comprising: The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The apparatus main body is provided with a return switch for locking the carriage, which has been unlocked by the operation of the maintenance switch, by driving the carriage lock mechanism again by the maintenance power source. Information processing apparatus. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the return switch is interlocked with the mounting of the case on the apparatus main body. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the maintenance switch drives a driven roller release mechanism by the maintenance power source to release between the paper feed roller and the driven roller in contact therewith. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the maintenance switch releases a paper discharge unit having a paper discharge roller by driving a paper discharge unit release mechanism by the maintenance power source. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the maintenance switch releases a gap between a print head and a platen surface by driving a head-platen gap adjusting mechanism by the maintenance power source. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the maintenance power source is an internal power source.

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