JP2010208055A - Carriage unit, liquid-jet recording device, and method of using carriage unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carriage unit 3 easily performing maintenance of a liquid jet head 10 and positioning the liquid jet head 10 to a carriage 4. <P>SOLUTION: A moving mechanism 5 moves the liquid jet head 10 between a first position where maintenance is performed in a state of a jet hole pointing horizontally, and a third position where the liquid jet head 10 is positioned to the carriage 4 in a state of the jet hole facing a recording surface, and moves the liquid jet head 10 in X-Y directions immediately before reaching the third position to position the liquid jet head 10 in the X-Y directions to the carriage 4. A holding lever 130 is then turned to position the liquid jet head 10 in a Z-direction to the carriage 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a carriage unit, a liquid jet recording apparatus, and a method of using the carriage unit.

  In general, a liquid jet recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer includes a transport unit that transports a recording medium and a carriage unit in which a liquid jet head is mounted on a carriage. The liquid ejecting head includes a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are arranged. Then, while the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying means, ink is ejected from the nozzle row of the liquid ejecting head, thereby recording on the recording surface of the recording medium.

  In order to improve the recording accuracy of the liquid jet recording apparatus, it is important to position the liquid jet head with respect to the carriage. As a structure for fixing the liquid ejecting head to the carriage, screwing is generally used. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a fixing structure that locks the liquid ejecting head with respect to the carriage in order to easily and quickly perform the mounting operation of the ink jet head.

On the other hand, when performing maintenance of the liquid ejecting head such as initial filling of ink into the nozzle holes, it is necessary to collect excess ink overflowing from the nozzle holes. Therefore, a configuration in which a suction cap is provided in the liquid jet recording apparatus is known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). Then, a suction cap is attached so as to cover the nozzle hole of the liquid ejecting head, and the excess ink overflowing from the nozzle hole is collected by suction.
Note that an inkjet head that ejects ink in the horizontal direction discloses a configuration in which an ink absorber is disposed below the inkjet head to collect excess ink (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2003-170575 A JP 2002-210929A JP-A-6-218938 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-116338

  However, when the maintenance is performed with the suction cap attached to the liquid ejecting head, a moving mechanism for moving the liquid ejecting head and the suction cap relative to each other is required, and the liquid ejecting recording apparatus is complicated and enlarged. There is.

  On the other hand, when performing maintenance by removing the liquid ejecting head from the carriage, not only the work becomes complicated, but also positioning when the liquid ejecting head is re-fixed to the carriage becomes a problem. In the case of the above-described screw fixing structure, there is a possibility that the liquid ejecting head rotates due to the screw tightening torque to cause a minute positional shift. In addition, even with the fixing structures described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is difficult to ensure positioning accuracy.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, can easily perform maintenance of the liquid ejecting head, and can easily position the liquid ejecting head with respect to the carriage. An object is to provide a carriage unit, a liquid jet recording apparatus, and a method of using the carriage unit.

  In order to solve the above problems, a carriage unit according to the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head in which a plurality of ejection holes for ejecting liquid is arranged on a recording surface of a recording medium, and a moving mechanism that moves the liquid ejecting head. A carriage unit including a carriage to which the moving mechanism is fixed, wherein the moving mechanism has a first position in which the injection hole is directed horizontally or upward from the horizontal, and the injection hole is formed on the recording surface. The liquid ejecting head is moved between the second position directed and the third position positioned on the carriage in a state where the ejecting hole faces the recording surface, and the moving mechanism moves the second position to the second position. In the process of moving the liquid jet head from the third position to the third position, the liquid jet head is moved to the carriage by moving the liquid jet head in a direction parallel to the recording surface. Wherein the positioning in the direction parallel to.

  According to the present invention, by disposing the liquid jet head at the first position where the jet hole is oriented horizontally or upward from the horizontal, the liquid overflowing from the jet hole compared to the case where the jet hole is directed to the recording surface It becomes easy to collect. Accordingly, maintenance of the liquid ejecting head can be easily performed. In addition, by disposing the liquid ejecting head at the third position positioned on the carriage with the ejection holes facing the recording surface, the liquid is ejected with high precision onto the recording surface, and high-definition recording is performed on the recording medium. It can be performed. Then, by moving the liquid ejecting head in the direction parallel to the recording surface in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, the liquid ejecting head can be easily positioned in the parallel direction with respect to the carriage.

The liquid jet head is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the normal direction of the recording surface, with the arrangement direction of the plurality of jet holes as a longitudinal direction and a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction as a short direction. The mechanism includes a base plate fixed to the carriage, a moving plate that moves to the first position, the second position, and the third position with respect to the base plate, and a liquid ejecting head that is supported by the moving plate and that attaches the liquid ejecting head A mounting plate, and in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, the mounting plate moves in the parallel direction and abuts the carriage, thereby moving the liquid ejecting head to the carriage. In contrast, the positioning is performed in the parallel direction.
According to this aspect, the mounting plate for mounting the liquid ejecting head moves in the horizontal direction and contacts the carriage, whereby the liquid ejecting head can be easily positioned in the parallel direction with respect to the carriage.

The moving plate moves in the short direction with respect to the base plate in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, thereby moving the liquid ejecting head with respect to the carriage in the short direction. It is desirable to position the
Further, it is preferable that the base plate and the moving plate are provided with a fitting portion biased so as to be fitted in the short direction at the third position.
According to these inventions, the liquid jet head can be easily positioned in the short direction.

The mounting plate moves in the longitudinal direction with respect to the rotating plate in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, whereby the liquid ejecting head is moved in the longitudinal direction with respect to the carriage. It is desirable to position the
In addition, the rotating plate and the mounting plate include a guide unit that guides the mounting plate in contact with the carriage in the normal direction in the process of moving from the second position to the third position in the longitudinal direction. It is desirable to be provided.
According to these inventions, the liquid jet head can be easily positioned in the longitudinal direction.

Further, the moving plate is continuously formed with an arc-shaped rack and a linear rack,
By rotating the arc-shaped rack with a pinion gear, the moving plate rotates with respect to the base plate between the first position and the second position, and the linear rack is moved with the pinion gear. Accordingly, it is preferable that the moving plate moves between the second position and the third position with respect to the base plate.
According to the present invention, the moving mechanism that moves the liquid ejecting head to the first position, the second position, and the third position can be constructed easily and at low cost.

Further, clamping means is provided for positioning the liquid ejecting head in the normal direction with respect to the carriage by clamping the mounting plate in the normal direction with the carriage at the third position. It is desirable.
According to the present invention, the liquid jet head can be easily positioned in the normal direction.

Preferably, the clamping means positions the liquid ejecting head in the normal direction relative to the carriage after the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the parallel direction with respect to the carriage.
According to the present invention, the liquid jet head can be accurately positioned in the parallel direction.

The liquid ejecting head includes an ejector guard that includes a slit that covers the periphery of the ejecting hole array and faces the ejecting hole array, and a suction port that sucks an inner space of the ejector guard. It is desirable.
According to this invention, the liquid overflowing from the ejection hole can be retained inside the ejector guard. In addition, by sucking the inner space of the ejector guard with the suction port, it is possible to discharge all the liquid overflowing inside the ejector guard. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the liquid from leaking from the liquid ejecting head, and the maintenance of the liquid ejecting head can be easily performed.

A liquid jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described carriage unit and a transport unit that transports the recording medium in a direction parallel to the recording surface.
According to the present invention, since the carriage unit capable of easily performing maintenance and positioning of the liquid ejecting head is provided, high-definition recording can be performed on the recording medium.

  The method of using the carriage unit of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head in which a plurality of ejection holes for ejecting liquid is arranged on a recording surface of a recording medium, a moving mechanism for moving the liquid ejecting head, and the moving mechanism being fixed. The moving mechanism includes a first position in which the injection hole is directed horizontally or upward from the horizontal, a second position in which the injection hole is directed to the recording surface, and the injection hole in the recording medium. A method of using a carriage unit configured to move the liquid ejecting head between a third position positioned on the carriage in a state facing the recording surface, wherein the liquid ejecting head is moved to the first position. And a filling step of filling the ejection hole with the liquid and a moving step of moving the liquid ejection head from the first position to the third position via the second position. In the moving step, in the process of moving the liquid ejecting head from the second position to the third position, the liquid ejecting head is moved in a direction parallel to the recording surface to move the liquid ejecting head to the carriage. It is characterized by positioning in the parallel direction with respect to.

  According to the present invention, the maintenance can be easily performed by disposing the liquid ejecting head at the first position and filling the ejecting hole with the liquid. Further, the liquid ejecting head can be easily positioned in the parallel direction by moving the liquid ejecting head in the direction parallel to the recording surface in the process of moving from the second position to the third position. By disposing the liquid ejecting head at the third position, it is possible to eject the liquid with high accuracy onto the recording surface and perform high-definition recording on the recording medium.

The liquid ejecting head includes an ejector guard having a slit facing the ejecting hole array while covering the periphery of the ejecting hole array, and a suction port for sucking an inner space of the ejector guard, In the filling step, the liquid jet head is disposed at the first position, and the liquid overflowing from the jet hole into the inner space of the jet guard is sucked by the suction port and filled with the liquid. It is desirable to do.
According to this invention, the liquid overflowing from the ejection hole can be retained inside the ejector guard. In addition, by sucking the inner space of the ejector guard with the suction port, it is possible to discharge all the liquid overflowing inside the ejector guard. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the liquid from leaking from the liquid ejecting head, and the maintenance of the liquid ejecting head can be easily performed.

  According to the carriage unit of the present invention, the liquid jet head is arranged at the first position where the jet holes are oriented horizontally or upward from the horizontal, so that the jet holes overflow from the jet holes as compared with the case where the jet holes are directed to the recording surface. It becomes easy to collect the liquid that comes out. Accordingly, maintenance of the liquid ejecting head can be easily performed. In addition, by disposing the liquid ejecting head at the third position positioned on the carriage with the ejection holes facing the recording surface, the liquid is ejected with high precision onto the recording surface, and high-definition recording is performed on the recording medium. It can be performed. The liquid ejecting head can be easily positioned in the parallel direction by moving the liquid ejecting head in the direction parallel to the recording surface in the process of moving from the second position to the third position.

It is a perspective view of a liquid jet recording apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of a liquid ejecting head and a liquid supply / discharge mechanism. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid jet head taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid jet head chip. It is a perspective view of the front side of a liquid ejecting head and a moving mechanism. It is a perspective view of the front side of a base plate. It is a perspective view of the back side of a base plate. It is a perspective view of the front side of the state which attached the movement plate to the base plate. It is a perspective view of the back side of a movement plate. It is a perspective view of the front side of the state which attached the slide plate to the movement plate. It is a front view of a slide board. It is a perspective view of the front side of the state which attached the positioning plate to the slide plate. (A) is a perspective view from the front upper side of a positioning plate, (b) is a perspective view from the front lower side of a positioning plate. It is a rear view of a base plate. It is a perspective view of a clamping lever, (a) is an assembly drawing, (b) is an exploded view. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting head and a moving mechanism at a first position. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid ejecting head at a first position. It is a perspective view of the movement plate of the 1st position. It is a perspective view of the movement plate of a 2nd position. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the part corresponding to the CC line of FIG. 8, (a) is just before the 3rd position, (b) is the 3rd position. It is sectional drawing of the part corresponded to the DD line | wire of FIG. 12, (a) is just before a 3rd position, (b) is a 3rd position. FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5, (a) is immediately before the third position, and (b) is the third position.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(Liquid jet recording device)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the liquid jet recording apparatus 1. The liquid jet recording apparatus 1 includes transport means (not shown) for transporting a recording medium 2 and a carriage unit 3 on which a plurality of liquid jet heads 10 are mounted on a carriage 4. Then, recording is performed on the recording surface S by ejecting ink from the liquid ejecting head 10 to the recording medium 2 while transporting the recording medium 2 in the X direction (main scanning direction). In addition to this, recording may be performed while moving the carriage unit 3 in the Y direction (sub-scanning direction).

(Carriage unit)
The carriage unit 3 includes a liquid ejecting head 10, a moving mechanism 5 that moves the liquid ejecting head 10, and a carriage 4 to which the moving mechanism 5 is fixed. The liquid ejecting head 10 has a nozzle hole (not shown) for ejecting ink directed toward the recording surface S of the recording medium 2 and is parallel to the recording surface S (XY direction) and normal direction with respect to the carriage 4. Positioned in the (Z direction). The moving mechanism 5 includes a first position in which the nozzle holes of the liquid jet head 10 are directed horizontally (−Y direction), a second position in which the nozzle holes are directed in the recording surface S (+ Z direction), and the nozzle holes as recording surfaces. The liquid ejecting head 10 is moved between the third position positioned on the carriage 4 in a state of being directed to S. The carriage 4 is formed in a flat plate shape and includes a through hole (not shown) through which ink ejected from the liquid ejecting head 10 passes.

(Liquid jet head)
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the liquid ejecting head 10 and the liquid supply / discharge mechanism 20. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid jet head 10 taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid ejecting head 10 mainly includes a liquid ejecting head chip 30, a base plate 11, and a housing 18.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid ejecting head chip 30. A liquid ejecting head chip (hereinafter referred to as “head chip”) 30 mainly includes an actuator plate 31, an ink chamber plate 33 and a nozzle plate 35, a nozzle guard 40 that covers the nozzle plate 35, and a nozzle cap 36 that supports each plate. And.

  The actuator plate 31 is made of a piezoelectric material such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT). A plurality of channels (grooves) 32 a are formed in the actuator plate 31. An electrode is formed on the side wall of each channel 32 a, and a lead wiring from the electrode extends to the end of the actuator plate 31. Thereby, the side wall of each channel 32a functions as a piezoelectric element. The upper opening of the channel 32 a is closed by the ink chamber plate 33, and the end opening of the channel 32 a is closed by the nozzle plate 35. Thereby, an ink chamber 32 is formed inside the channel 32a.

  A plurality of nozzle holes 34 communicating with the ink chamber 32 are arranged in the nozzle plate 35. A nozzle guard 40 is provided so as to cover the periphery of the nozzle hole row. The nozzle guard 40 is provided with a slit 42 at a position facing the nozzle hole row. The nozzle cap 36 is provided with a suction port 37 that opens into the inner space of the nozzle guard 40.

  In the liquid jet head, the arrangement direction of the nozzle holes 34 of the head chip 30 is the longitudinal direction, and the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is the short direction. That is, the liquid jet head is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the normal direction of the recording surface of the recording medium. In the present application, the longitudinal direction of the liquid jet head 10 is referred to as a Y direction, the lateral direction is referred to as an X direction, and the normal direction of the recording surface of the recording medium is referred to as a Z direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the head chip 30 is fixed to the tip of the base plate 11. A drive circuit 12 for the head chip 30 is fixed to the base plate 11. The drive circuit 12 is connected to the actuator plate 31 of the head chip 30 via the flexible substrate 13. As a result, the drive circuit 12 can drive the piezoelectric element on the side wall of the ink chamber 32. Further, a damper 14 that adjusts the pressure fluctuation of the ink supplied to the liquid ejecting head 10 is fixed to the base plate 11. The damper 14 is connected to the ink chamber 32 of the head chip 30 through a flow path formed inside the flow path substrate 15. The constituent members of the liquid jet head 10 described above are disposed inside the housing 18. From the housing 18, the tip surface of the nozzle guard 40 having the slit 42 is exposed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid ejecting head 10 is connected to a liquid supply / discharge mechanism 20 via an ink supply port 23 and a discharge port 24. Specifically, the supply flow path 21 extends from the damper 14 of the liquid ejecting head 10 to the outside of the housing 18 through the supply port 23. The supply flow path 21 is provided with a pressurizing pump P1 and a bypass valve V1 in parallel. On the upstream side, the supply flow path 21 is branched by the switching valve V2, one of which is connected to the ink tank I and the other is connected to the cleaning liquid tank W.
Further, a discharge passage 22 extends from the suction port 37 formed in the nozzle cap 36 to the outside of the housing 18 through the discharge port 24. A suction pump P2 and a waste liquid tank E are connected to the discharge flow path 22 in order.

When the ink is initially filled into the nozzle holes of the liquid ejecting head 10, the bypass valve V1 is closed and the pressure pump P1 is driven to supply ink from the ink tank I to the nozzle holes. At this time, the ink overflowing from the nozzle hole into the nozzle guard 40 is sucked from the suction port 37 by driving the suction pump P <b> 2 and discharged to the waste liquid tank E. Further, when cleaning the nozzle holes, the cleaning liquid is similarly supplied from the cleaning liquid tank W to the nozzle holes.
On the other hand, when the ink is ejected from the nozzle hole to the recording medium, the pressure pump P1 is stopped and the bypass valve V1 is opened. As a result, ink is supplied from the ink tank to the ink chamber as the pressure in the ink chamber varies.

(Movement mechanism)
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the liquid ejecting head 10 and the moving mechanism 5. The moving mechanism 5 mainly includes a base plate 50 (base plate 51 and guide plate 60) fixed to the carriage 4, a moving plate 70 that moves to the first position, the second position, and the third position with respect to the base plate 50, and movement. And an attachment plate 80 (slide plate 88 and positioning plate 81) to which the liquid jet head 10 is attached.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the base plate 50, and FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view. FIG. 6 shows a state where the gear cover 59 shown in FIG. 5 is removed.
As shown in FIG. 6, the base plate 50 mainly includes a base plate 51 and a guide plate 60 fixed to the front side of the base plate 51. A fixing plate 51a bent in the horizontal direction is formed at the lower end portion of the base plate 51, and the fixing plate 51a is fixed to the carriage.

  A first motor 52 is fixed to the front side of the main plate 51. As shown in FIG. 7, the output of the first motor 52 is transmitted to the first gear 53 disposed on the back side of the main plate 51. The first gear 53 is connected to a second gear 55 disposed on the front side of the main plate 51 shown in FIG. A torque limiter is built in the center shaft 54 to prevent an excessive torque input to the first gear 53 from being transmitted to the second gear 55. The second gear 55 is meshed with a pinion gear 56 that is also arranged on the front side of the main plate 51. The rotational speed of the first motor is decelerated in the process of being transmitted to the pinion gear 56.

As shown in FIG. 6, the guide plate 60 is formed with three slits. First, three linear slits 62 (62a, 62b, 62c) are formed in the center portion of the guide plate 60 along the Z direction. Among them, arc-shaped slits 61b and 61c centering on the upper end of the intermediate linear slit 62a are extended from the upper ends of the linear slits 62b and 62c at both ends. On the other hand, a recess 64 (64a, 64b, 64c) is formed around the lower end of the three linear slits 62 from the surface of the guide plate 60.
As shown in FIG. 7, the base plate 51 is also formed with slits communicating with the above-described linear slit and arc-shaped slit.

8 is a front perspective view of the base plate 50 with the moving plate 70 attached thereto, and FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the moving plate 70.
As shown in FIG. 9, the moving plate 70 has a rectangular upper half and a semicircular lower half. A chamfer 70a is provided at one corner of the upper end to avoid interference with an adjacent moving mechanism. An arc-shaped rack 71 is formed on the peripheral edge of the lower half of the moving plate. A linear linear rack 72 is formed on the edge of the upper half of the moving plate 70 continuously from the arc-shaped rack 71. Three guide pins 73 (73a, 73b, 73c) are erected on the back side of the moving plate 70. Convex portions 74 (74a, 74b, 74c) are formed on the surface of the moving plate 70 around the guide pins 73. The convex portion 74 of the moving plate 70 and the concave portion 64 of the guide plate 60 form a fitting portion 94 that is fitted to each other (see FIG. 20).

As shown in FIG. 8, the moving plate 70 is attached to the base plate 50 so as to face the guide plate 60. At this time, the linear rack 72 of the moving plate 70 is meshed with the pinion gear 56 supported by the main plate 51.
As shown in FIG. 7, the three guide pins 73 a, 73 b and 73 c are inserted into the slits 62 a, 62 b and 62 c of the base plate 50, respectively, and the moving plate 70 is attached to the base plate 50. A sliding washer 75 is mounted between the head 73 t of the guide pin 73 and the main plate 51 (and between the main plate 51 and the convex portion 74).

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a state in which the slide plate 88 is attached to the moving plate 70, and FIG. 11 is a front view of the slide plate 88.
As shown in FIG. 11, the slide plate 88 is formed with three slide holes 86 (86a, 86b, 86c). The slide hole 86 extends obliquely from the (−Y, + Z) direction to the (+ Y, −Z) direction.

As shown in FIG. 10, the slide plate 88 is attached so as to face the moving plate 70. Specifically, three slide pins 76 (76a, 76b, 76c) are provided upright on the front side of the moving plate 70. These slide pins 76a, 76b, and 76c are inserted into the slide holes 86a, 86b, and 86c, respectively, and the slide plate 88 is supported by the moving plate 70. The slide pin 76 and the slide hole 86 function as a guide portion 96 that guides the slide plate 88 in the + Y direction as the moving plate 70 descends (see FIG. 21).
A slide washer 77 is mounted between the head of the slide pin 76 shown in FIG. 10 and the slide plate 88 (and between the slide plate 88 and the moving plate 70). As a result, the slide plate 88 is slidably supported along the slide hole 86.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the slide plate 88 with the positioning plate 81 attached thereto. FIG. 12 shows a part of the carriage 4 to which the moving mechanism 5 is fixed.
As shown in FIG. 12, the positioning plate 81 is fixed to the slide plate 88 with screws or the like, and the mounting plate 80 is formed. The liquid ejecting head is fixed to the positioning plate 81 with screws or the like. The carriage 4 is formed with a rectangular through hole 4h for allowing ink ejected from the liquid ejecting head toward the recording medium to pass therethrough.

FIG. 13A is a perspective view from above the front of the positioning plate 81, and FIG. 13B is a perspective view from below the front.
As illustrated in FIG. 13A, the positioning plate 81 includes a flat plate-like main body portion 82. A pair of tongue pieces 83 (83a, 83b) are extended from both ends of the + Z direction edge of the main body 82 toward the -X direction. The interval in the Y direction between the pair of tongue pieces 83 is formed to be equal to the length in the Y direction of the through hole of the carriage. Then, the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the Z direction with respect to the carriage by clamping a tongue piece 83 of the positioning plate 81 between a clamping lever and a carriage, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 13B, a pair of first protrusions 84 (84a, 84b) are erected on the inner side of the pair of tongue pieces 83 from the edge in the + Z direction of the main body 82 toward the + X direction. ing. Further, the second protrusion 85 is erected from the edge in the −Y direction of the tongue piece 83a in the + Y direction toward the + Z direction.
Then, the first protrusion 84 of the positioning plate 81 contacts the inner surface in the X direction of the through hole of the carriage, so that the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the X direction with respect to the carriage. Further, the second protrusion 85 of the positioning plate 81 contacts the inner surface in the Y direction of the through hole of the carriage, so that the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the Y direction with respect to the carriage.

(Pinch lever and its drive mechanism)
Returning to FIG. 6, the base plate 51 is provided with a clamping lever 130 (130 a, 130 b) and a driving mechanism for the clamping lever. Specifically, the second motor 112 is fixed to the front side of the main plate 51. As shown in FIG. 7, the output of the second motor 112 is sequentially transmitted to the third gear 113 and the fourth gear 114 arranged on the back side of the main plate 51. The fourth gear 114 is connected to a drive pinion gear 116 disposed on the front side of the main plate 51 shown in FIG. A torque limiter is built in the central shaft 115 to prevent an excessive torque input to the fourth gear 114 from being transmitted to the drive pinion gear 116. The drive pinion gear 116 is meshed with a drive rack 122 disposed on the front side of the main plate 51.

  FIG. 14 is a rear view of the base plate 50. On the back side of the main plate 51, a first slider 121a and a second slider 121b that slide in the Y direction and a common pinion gear 125 disposed therebetween are disposed as a driving mechanism 120 for the clamping lever. The drive rack 122 described above is connected to the first slider 121a. The first slider 121a is formed with a first rack 123a that meshes with the common pinion gear 125, and the second slider 121b is formed with a second rack 123b that meshes with the common pinion gear 125. Each slider 121 (121a, 121b) is formed with a crank hole 124 (124a, 124b). The crank hole 124 includes an inclined portion 128 that extends obliquely in the (Y, Z) direction, and a horizontal portion 129 that extends in the Y direction from the + Z side end of the inclined portion 128.

15 is a perspective view of the clamping lever 130, FIG. 15 (a) is an assembly view, and FIG. 15 (b) is an exploded view. As shown in FIG. 15, the sandwiching lever 130 mainly includes an arm portion 132 and a claw portion 136. The arm part 132 includes a shift pin 134 that is offset from the central axis C of the holding lever 130.
A base pin 57 is erected in the −X direction on the base plate 51 of the base plate, and an arc-shaped hole 58 is formed around the base pin 57. A center hole 133 of the arm portion 132 and a center hole 137 of the claw portion 136 are fitted to the base pin 57. A torsion coil spring (not shown) is disposed between the arm portion 132 and the claw portion 136, and the claw portion 136 is urged in the direction of the arrow 91. The shift pin 134 of the arm portion 132 is inserted into the arc-shaped hole 58 of the main plate 51 and the crank hole 124 of the slider.

  Then, the liquid ejecting head 10 is fixed to the positioning plate 81 described above, and the carriage unit 3 shown in FIG. 5 is configured.

(Ink initial filling method)
A method for using the carriage unit 3 will be described.
First, a method for initially filling ink into the nozzle holes of the liquid ejecting head 10 will be described. Filling the nozzle holes with ink is performed by supplying ink until ink overflows from the nozzle holes. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, when ink is filled with the nozzle hole facing downward (+ Z direction), the ink overflowing from the nozzle hole falls to the recording medium or the like, and around the liquid ejecting head 10 Will be soiled.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the liquid ejecting head 10 is disposed at the first position with the nozzle holes oriented horizontally (in the −Y direction) to fill the ink.

16 is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting head 10 and the moving mechanism 5 in the first position, and FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid ejecting head 10 in the first position.
As shown in FIG. 17A, when the nozzle hole 34 is filled with ink, the ink I overflowing from the nozzle hole 34 moves downward (+ Z direction) along the surface of the nozzle plate 35. Since the liquid ejecting head 10 according to the present embodiment includes the nozzle guard 40 that covers the nozzle hole row, the ink I overflowing from the nozzle hole 34 can be retained inside the nozzle guard 40. In addition, a suction port 37 is provided at the + Z direction end of the nozzle hole row. By sucking the inner space of the nozzle guard 40 from the suction port 37, all of the ink I overflowing into the nozzle guard 40 can be discharged. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking from the liquid ejecting head 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 17B, all the nozzle holes 34 can be filled with the ink I.

The nozzle hole 34 can be filled with the cleaning liquid in the same manner as described above. As described above, the maintenance of the liquid ejecting head 10 is performed by arranging the liquid ejecting head 10 at the first position with the nozzle hole 34 oriented horizontally.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid jet head 10 is disposed at the first position where the nozzle hole 34 is horizontally oriented, so that the nozzle hole 34 overflows compared to the case where the nozzle hole 34 faces the recording surface. It becomes easy to collect the ink. Therefore, maintenance of the liquid jet head 10 can be easily performed.

(Positioning method of liquid jet head)
Next, a method for performing recording by ejecting ink from a liquid ejecting head after maintenance to a recording medium will be described. The ink ejection needs to be performed by positioning the liquid ejection head on the carriage with the nozzle holes of the liquid ejection head facing the recording surface. Therefore, the liquid ejecting head is rotated from the first position described above to the second position where the nozzle hole faces the recording surface, and further the liquid is moved to the third position positioned on the carriage with the nozzle hole facing the recording surface. Move the jet head.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the moving plate 70 in the first position. At the first position, the moving plate 70 is disposed in a state where the tip of the moving plate 70 faces the + Y direction and the moving plate 70 is tilted. The pinion gear 56 meshes with the arc-shaped rack 71 of the moving plate 70. The guide pin 73 of the moving plate 70 is located at the end of the arc-shaped slit 61 of the guide plate 60.
When the first motor 52 is driven from this state, the pinion gear 56 rotates the arc-shaped rack 71. The guide pin 73 moves along the arcuate slit 61 of the guide plate 60. Thereby, the moving plate 70 rotates in the direction of the arrow 92 toward the second position.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the moving plate in the second position. In the second position, the movable plate 70 is disposed in a state where the distal end of the movable plate 70 faces the −Z direction and the movable plate 70 stands up. The pinion gear 56 meshes with the intersection of the arc-shaped rack 71 and the linear rack 72 of the moving plate 70. The guide pin 73 of the moving plate 70 is located at the intersection of the arc-shaped slit 61 and the linear slit 62 of the guide plate 60.
When the first motor 52 is continuously driven from this state, the pinion gear 56 moves the linear rack 72 in the + Z direction. The guide pin 73 moves along the linear slit 62 of the guide plate 60. Accordingly, the moving plate 70 moves in the + Z direction toward the third position shown in FIG.

20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line CC in FIG. 8, FIG. 20 (a) is immediately before the third position, and FIG. 20 (b) is the third position.
As shown in FIG. 20A, the guide pin 73 of the moving plate 70 protrudes on the back side of the base plate 50. A compression spring 76 is disposed between the head 73 t of the guide pin 73 and the sliding washer 75. Thereby, the moving plate 70 and the base plate 50 are urged so as to approach each other. Therefore, the moving plate 70 moves in the + Z direction toward the third position with the base plate 50 sandwiched between the convex portion 74 and the sliding washer 75.

The convex portion 74 of the moving plate 70 and the concave portion 64 of the guide plate 60 function as a fitting portion 94 that is urged to fit in the X direction at the third position.
As shown in FIG. 20B, when the moving plate 70 reaches the third position, the convex portion 74 fits into the concave portion 64 while the inclined portion 74 s of the convex portion 74 is guided by the inclined portion 64 s of the concave portion 64. . Accordingly, the moving plate 70 moves in the + X direction toward the base plate 50. That is, the moving plate 70 moves in the X direction with respect to the base plate 50 immediately before reaching the third position from the second position.

21 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to the line DD in FIG. 12, FIG. 21 (a) is immediately before the third position, and FIG. 21 (b) is the third position. In FIG. 21, the positioning plate 81 is indicated by imaginary lines.
As shown in FIG. 21A, when the slide plate 88 is suspended by its own weight with respect to the moving plate 70, the slide pin 76 of the moving plate 70 is (+ Y, − of the slide hole 86 of the slide plate 88. Z) It is located at the end in the direction. When the moving plate 70 is lowered to just before the third position, the tongue piece 83 (83a, 83b) of the positioning plate 81 comes into contact with the surface of the carriage 4.

  As shown in FIG. 21B, when the moving plate 70 is further lowered to the third position, the slide pin 76 of the moving plate 70 moves to the (−Y, + Z) direction end portion of the slide hole 86 of the slide plate 88. To do. Accordingly, the slide plate 88 moves in the + Y direction while the tongue piece 83 of the positioning plate 81 slides on the surface of the carriage 4. That is, the slide pin 76 and the slide hole 86 function as a guide portion 96 that guides the mounting plate 80 that is in contact with the carriage 4 in the + Z direction in the + Y direction. Thereby, the attachment plate 80 moves in the Y direction with respect to the moving plate 70 immediately before reaching the third position from the second position.

22 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5, FIG. 22A is immediately before the third position, and FIG. 22B is the third position.
As shown in FIG. 22A, immediately before the third position, the first protrusion 84 of the positioning plate 81 is separated from the inner surface 4x facing the −X direction of the through hole 4h of the carriage 4. The second protrusion 85 of the positioning plate 81 is separated from the inner surface 4 y of the through hole 4 h of the carriage 4 facing the −Y direction.

  As described above, the moving plate moves in the + X direction immediately before reaching the third position. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 22B, the first protrusion 84 of the positioning plate 81 moves in the + X direction and comes into contact with the inner surface 4x of the through hole 4h of the carriage 4. At the time when the first protrusion 84 comes into contact with the inner surface 4x, the tip surface of the convex portion 74 is not in contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion 64 as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22B, the first protrusion 84 comes into contact with the inner surface 4 x, whereby the liquid ejecting head 10 is positioned in the X direction with respect to the carriage 4.

  Further, as described above, the mounting plate 80 moves in the + Y direction immediately before reaching the third position. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 22B, the second protrusion 85 of the positioning plate 81 moves in the + Y direction and comes into contact with the inner surface 4 y of the through hole 4 h of the carriage 4. When the second protrusion 85 contacts the inner surface 4y, the slide pin 76 does not contact the end of the slide hole 86 as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22B, the second protrusion 85 contacts the inner surface 4 y, whereby the liquid ejecting head 10 is positioned in the Y direction with respect to the carriage 4.

  As described above, the carriage unit 3 of the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 is configured such that the liquid ejecting head 10 moves in the XY direction in the process of moving in the + Z direction from the second position to the third position. Thereby, positioning of the liquid ejecting head 10 in the XY directions can be easily performed. In the carriage unit 3 of the present embodiment, the liquid jet head is automatically driven only by driving the first motor 52 from the first position where the maintenance is performed to the third position positioned in the XY direction with respect to the carriage 4. 10 can be moved.

(Pinch lever rotation)
Next, the clamping lever 130 is rotated from the open state shown in FIG. 18 to the closed state shown in FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the tongue piece 83 of the positioning plate 81 is clamped between the clamping lever 130 and the carriage 4.
When the second motor 112 is driven from the state shown in FIG. 18, the drive pinion gear 116 moves the drive rack 122 in the + Y direction as shown in FIG. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 14, the first slider 121a moves in the + Y direction, and the second slider 121b moves in the −Y direction via the common pinion gear. That is, the pair of sliders 121 (121a, 121b) move so as to approach in the Y direction.

When the pair of sliders 121 are separated from each other in the Y direction, the shift pin 134 of the clamping lever 130 is disposed above the inclined portion 128 of the crank hole 124. In this case, since the shift pin 134 is disposed above the arcuate hole 58 shown in FIG. 15A, the clamping lever 130 is in an open state.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, when the pair of sliders 121 approach the Y direction, the shift pin 134 of the clamping lever 130 moves to the horizontal portion 129 at the lower end of the crank hole 124. In this case, since the shift pin 134 moves to the lower end of the arcuate hole 58 shown in FIG. 15A, the clamping lever 130 is rotated and closed.

  As described above, the torsion coil spring (not shown) is disposed between the arm portion 132 and the claw portion 136 shown in FIG. Is biased in the direction. Even when the claw portion 136 is in contact with the tongue piece portion, a sufficient gap is provided between the rotation stopper 135 of the arm portion 132 and the rotation stopper 138 of the claw portion 136. Accordingly, a strong pressing force can be applied in the + Z direction from the clamping lever 130 shown in FIG. 5 to the tongue piece portion 83, and the tongue piece portion 83 is firmly fixed between the clamping lever 130 and the carriage 4. Can be held in.

As shown in FIG. 15A, when a force in the direction of the arrow 91 is applied from the arm portion 132 to the claw portion 136, a reverse force is applied from the claw portion 136 to the arm portion 132. . However, since the shift pin 134 is disposed not in the inclined portion 128 but in the horizontal portion 129, the sandwiching lever 130 can be kept closed.
As described above, in the carriage unit 3 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to automatically rotate the clamping lever 130 only by driving the second motor 112. The tongue piece 83 of the positioning plate 81 can be held between them. Accordingly, the liquid ejecting head 10 can be positioned in the Z direction with respect to the carriage 4.

  Note that when the tongue piece portion 83 is sandwiched by the sandwiching lever 130, it is difficult to move the liquid ejecting head 10 in the XY directions. Therefore, after the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the XY direction, the tongue piece portion 83 is clamped by the clamping lever 130 to perform positioning in the Z direction. As a result, the liquid jet head can be accurately positioned in the XY directions.

  Then, ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 10 at the third position shown in FIG. 5 onto the recording surface to perform recording on the recording medium. At this time, since the liquid ejecting head 10 is accurately positioned in the XYZ directions with respect to the carriage 4, high-definition recording can be performed on the recording medium.

When maintenance is performed again after recording on the recording medium, the liquid ejecting head 10 is automatically moved from the third position to the first position only by reversely rotating the second motor 112 and the first motor 52. Can be made.
As described above, the ink supply port 23 and the discharge port 24 are provided on the upper surface of the liquid ejecting head 10 shown in FIG. 1, and the ink supply channel and the discharge channel (both not shown) extend from these. Yes. When the liquid jet head 10 is rotated near the surface of the carriage 4, the supply flow path and the discharge flow path interfere with peripheral members such as the first motor 52 and the second motor 112. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the liquid jet head 10 is raised from the third position to the second position and then rotated to the first position, interference between the supply flow path and the discharge flow path and the peripheral member is avoided. can do.

It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the specific materials and layer configurations described in the embodiments are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate.
For example, specific configurations of the liquid ejecting head, the moving mechanism, the clamping mechanism, and the like are not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments.

  In the embodiment, the liquid ejecting head is maintained at the first position where the nozzle hole is horizontally oriented. However, it is also possible to perform maintenance on the liquid ejecting head with the nozzle hole facing upward from the horizontal. is there. Even in this case, it is easier to collect the liquid overflowing from the ejection holes than when the ejection holes are directed to the recording surface. Accordingly, maintenance of the liquid ejecting head can be easily performed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS I ... Ink (liquid) S ... Recording surface X ... Short direction Y ... Longitudinal direction Z ... Normal direction 1 ... Liquid jet recording apparatus 2 ... Recording medium 3 ... Carriage unit 4 ... Carriage 5 ... Moving mechanism 10 ... Liquid jet Head 34 ... Nozzle hole (injection hole) 37 ... Suction port 40 ... Nozzle guard (injection body guard) 42 ... Slit 50 ... Base plate 56 ... Pinion gear 70 ... Moving plate 71 ... Arc-shaped rack 72 ... Linear rack 80 ... Mounting plate 94 ... Fitting part 96 ... Guide part 130 ... Holding lever (clamping means)

Claims (13)

A liquid ejecting head in which a plurality of ejection holes for ejecting liquid onto the recording surface of the recording medium are arranged;
A moving mechanism for moving the liquid jet head;
A carriage unit including a carriage to which the moving mechanism is fixed,
The moving mechanism has a first position in which the injection hole is directed horizontally or upward from the horizontal, a second position in which the injection hole is directed to the recording surface, and the injection hole is directed to the recording surface. Moving the liquid jet head between a third position positioned on the carriage;
The moving mechanism moves the liquid ejecting head in a direction parallel to the recording surface in the process of moving the liquid ejecting head from the second position to the third position, thereby moving the liquid ejecting head to the carriage. The carriage unit is positioned in the parallel direction with respect to the carriage unit. The liquid ejecting head is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the normal direction of the recording surface, with the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection holes as a longitudinal direction and a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction as a short direction.
The moving mechanism includes a base plate fixed to the carriage, a moving plate that moves to the first position, the second position, and the third position with respect to the base plate, and the liquid ejecting head supported by the moving plate. A mounting plate for attaching,
The mounting plate moves in the parallel direction and contacts the carriage in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, thereby positioning the liquid ejecting head in the parallel direction with respect to the carriage. The carriage unit according to claim 1.   The moving plate moves in the short direction with respect to the base plate in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, thereby moving the liquid ejecting head in the short direction with respect to the carriage. The carriage unit according to claim 2, wherein the carriage unit is positioned.   4. The carriage unit according to claim 3, wherein the base plate and the moving plate are provided with a fitting portion that is biased so as to be fitted in the lateral direction at the third position. 5.   The mounting plate moves in the longitudinal direction with respect to the rotating plate in the process of moving from the second position to the third position, thereby moving the liquid ejecting head in the longitudinal direction with respect to the carriage. The carriage unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the carriage unit is positioned.   The rotating plate and the mounting plate have a guide portion that guides the mounting plate in contact with the carriage in the normal direction in the longitudinal direction in the process of moving from the second position to the third position. The carriage unit according to claim 5, wherein the carriage unit is provided. In the moving plate, an arc-shaped rack and a linear rack are continuously formed,
By rotating the arc-shaped rack with a pinion gear, the moving plate rotates with respect to the base plate between the first position and the second position, and the linear rack is moved with the pinion gear. The carriage unit according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the moving plate moves between the second position and the third position with respect to the base plate.   A clamping means for positioning the liquid ejecting head in the normal direction relative to the carriage by clamping the mounting plate in the normal direction with the carriage at the third position; The carriage unit according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the carriage unit is characterized in that:   9. The clamping device according to claim 8, wherein the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the normal direction with respect to the carriage after the liquid ejecting head is positioned in the parallel direction with respect to the carriage. The carriage unit described.   The liquid ejecting head includes an ejector guard that covers a periphery of the ejecting hole array and includes a slit that faces the ejecting hole array, and a suction port that sucks an inner space of the ejector guard. The carriage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: A carriage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a direction parallel to the recording surface;
A liquid jet recording apparatus comprising: A liquid ejecting head in which a plurality of ejection holes for ejecting liquid onto the recording surface of the recording medium are arranged;
A moving mechanism for moving the liquid jet head;
A carriage to which the moving mechanism is fixed,
The moving mechanism has a first position in which the injection hole is directed horizontally or upward from the horizontal, a second position in which the injection hole is directed to the recording surface, and the injection hole is directed to the recording surface. A method of using a carriage unit configured to move the liquid ejecting head between a third position positioned on a carriage,
A filling step of disposing the liquid jet head at the first position and filling the jet holes with liquid;
Moving the liquid ejecting head from the first position to the third position via the second position,
In the moving step, in the process of moving the liquid ejecting head from the second position to the third position, the liquid ejecting head is moved in a direction parallel to the recording surface to move the liquid ejecting head to the carriage. A method of using a carriage unit, wherein the carriage unit is positioned in the parallel direction. The liquid ejecting head includes an ejector guard having a slit facing the ejecting hole row while covering the periphery of the ejecting hole row, and a suction port for sucking the inner space of the ejector guard,
In the filling step, the liquid jet head is disposed at the first position, and the liquid overflowing from the jet hole into the inner space of the jet guard is sucked by the suction port, and the liquid is poured into the jet hole. 13. The method of using a carriage unit according to claim 12, wherein filling is performed.

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