JP2010228252A - Fluid jet device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid jet device which is excellent in jet performance. <P>SOLUTION: The fluid jet device includes: a fluid jet head disposed so as to be movable and used for jetting a fluid to a medium; and a support sheet metal for supporting the fluid jet head so as to be movable. The support metal sheet includes: a base portion provided with a plurality of dimples and forming a surface on which the fluid jet head is moved; and a fixed portion bent relative to the base portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus.

  The fluid ejecting apparatus is an apparatus that includes an ejecting head capable of ejecting a fluid and ejects various fluids from the ejecting head toward a recording material or the like. As a typical fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, an ink jet ejecting head (hereinafter simply referred to as an ejecting head) is provided, and liquid ink is ejected from the nozzles of the ejecting head as ink droplets toward a recording medium such as a recording medium. 2. Related Art Inkjet recording apparatuses that perform recording by forming dots by jetting and landing are known.

  The ejection head is mounted on a carriage and used so as to be movable as the carriage moves. The carriage is movably attached to the support substrate via, for example, a pulley mechanism and a belt member. Since the support substrate is a portion that supports the ejection head via the carriage, the support substrate is required to have a structure that is resistant to deformation such as twisting and bending. For this reason, the strength is improved by forming the support substrate using a metal material resistant to such deformation.

  On the other hand, in recent years, there is a demand for downsizing and weight reduction of fluid ejecting apparatuses. In response to such a demand, for example, it is considered to reduce the thickness of each constituent member constituting the fluid ejecting apparatus. In particular, when a support substrate formed using a metal material is used, the weight is increased, and therefore, studies have been made to reduce the thickness.

JP 2007-216647 A

  However, when the support substrate is made thin, resistance to deformation such as twisting or bending may be weakened. When the support substrate is deformed, the ejection head cannot be moved stably, and the ejection performance is deteriorated.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid ejecting apparatus having excellent ejecting performance.

  A fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head that is movably provided by ejecting a fluid to a medium, and a support metal plate that movably supports the fluid ejecting head. A dimple portion is provided, and includes a base portion that forms a moving surface of the fluid ejecting head, and a fixed portion that is bent with respect to the base portion.

  The inventor of the present invention has found that the strength against twisting and bending of the supporting sheet metal that supports the fluid ejecting head is improved by providing the base portion with a plurality of dimple portions. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the base portion forming the moving surface of the fluid ejecting head is provided with the plurality of dimple portions, the strength of the base portion can be improved. As a result, the ejection head can be moved stably, and a fluid ejection apparatus having excellent ejection performance can be obtained.

The fluid ejecting apparatus includes a transport mechanism that holds and transports the medium, a pressing member that presses a part of the transport mechanism toward the medium, and tension between the base portion and the pressing member. And a spring member that is generated and presses the pressing member with the tension.
According to the present invention, since the tension is generated between the base member and the pressing member using the base portion having excellent strength against deformation, the pressing force can be reliably applied to the medium. Can be prevented sufficiently.

The fluid ejecting apparatus further includes a belt mechanism that moves the fluid ejecting head, and the base portion supports the belt mechanism.
According to the present invention, since the belt mechanism is supported using the base portion having excellent strength against deformation, the base portion is hardly deformed even when the fluid ejecting head is moved. For this reason, the fluid ejecting head can be moved stably.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the fluid ejecting head includes an ejecting surface that ejects the fluid, and the base portion is disposed orthogonal to the ejecting surface.
According to the present invention, the fluid ejecting head has the ejecting surface for ejecting the fluid, and the base portion is arranged orthogonal to the ejecting surface, so that the fluid ejecting head is stably supported Can do.

The fluid ejecting apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of dimple portions are formed in a circular shape in plan view.
According to the present invention, since the dimple portion is formed in a circular shape in plan view, the base portion can be easily processed.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the plurality of dimple portions are formed such that a surface of the base portion opposite to the moving surface protrudes.
According to the present invention, since the plurality of dimple portions are formed so that the surface of the base portion opposite to the moving surface protrudes, it is possible to obtain a supporting metal plate that is resistant to deformation.

The fluid ejecting apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of the dimple portions are formed so that the moving surface protrudes from the base portion.
According to the present invention, since the plurality of dimple portions are formed so that the moving surface protrudes from the base portion, it is possible to obtain a supporting sheet metal that is resistant to deformation.

The fluid ejecting apparatus is characterized in that a plurality of the dimple portions are formed on both the moving surface and the opposite surface of the moving surface in the base portion.
According to the present invention, since the plurality of dimple portions are formed on both the moving surface and the opposite surface of the moving surface in the base portion, it is possible to obtain a support metal plate that is more resistant to deformation.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the plurality of dimple portions are arranged in a plurality of rows in a predetermined direction in a plan view, and the dimple portions are arranged between the dimple portions in adjacent rows. .
According to the present invention, the plurality of dimple portions are arranged in a plurality of rows in a predetermined direction in a plan view, and the dimple portions are disposed between the dimple portions in the adjacent rows. Sheet metal can be obtained.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the plurality of dimple portions are arranged such that an arrangement density of a central portion in plan view of the base portion is higher than an arrangement density of a peripheral edge portion in plan view of the base portion. And
According to the present invention, the plurality of dimple portions are arranged such that the arrangement density of the central portion in plan view of the base portion is higher than the arrangement density of the peripheral portion in plan view of the base portion. The central portion of the base portion where deformation such as bending is likely to concentrate can be reliably made strong against deformation.

The fluid ejecting apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of dimple portions are formed to have the same size.
According to the present invention, since the plurality of dimple portions are formed to have the same size, processing can be easily performed.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the size of the dimple portion disposed in the central portion in plan view of the base portion is larger in plan view than the dimple portion disposed in the plan view peripheral portion of the base portion. It is formed so that it may become.
According to the present invention, the dimple portion disposed in the center portion in plan view of the base portion is formed so that the size in plan view is larger than the dimple portion disposed in the peripheral edge portion in plan view of the base portion. Therefore, the central portion of the base portion where deformation such as torsion and bending is likely to concentrate can be reliably strengthened against deformation.

The figure which shows the structure of an inkjet type recording apparatus provided with the sheet metal for support which concerns on this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus. The figure which shows the structure of the sheet metal for support. The figure which shows the structure of the sheet metal for support. The figure which shows the structure of the sheet metal for support.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are included. It is not necessarily essential for the solution of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus 10 which is an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 viewed from the conveyance roller drive gear 49 side.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 10 includes an apparatus main body 11, a paper feeding unit 13 on which a recording medium 19 is placed, a conveyance roller 40 that conveys the recording medium 19 of the paper feeding unit 13, and a recording medium that is conveyed by the conveyance roller 40. A platen 600 that supports 19 from below, a recording unit 20 that is provided above the platen 600 and that records on the recording medium 19, a discharge unit 60 that discharges the recording medium 19 to the discharge port 17, a transport roller 40, and And a drive unit 100 (see FIG. 2) for driving the discharge unit 60.

  The recording unit 20 includes a multicore cable 27, an electronic circuit 25, a carriage motor 32, a timing belt 30, a carriage 22, an ejection head 24, an ink cartridge 26, and a support member 70. The support member 70 is formed using, for example, a metal material, and is a member that supports the carriage 22 so as to be movable. As the support member 70, a support metal plate according to the present invention is used.

  The carriage 22 is connected to the timing belt 30. The timing belt 30 rotates upon receiving a rotational driving force from the carriage motor 32. The carriage motor 32 rotates the timing belt 30 so that the carriage 22 reciprocates on the recording medium 19 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 19. The carriage 22 is coupled to the electronic circuit 25 via a tape-shaped multicore cable 27. The multi-core cable 27 flexes flexibly as the carriage 22 moves, so that the reciprocating movement of the carriage 22 is not hindered.

  An ejection head 24 is mounted on the carriage 22. The ejection head 24 is formed so that the ink cartridge 26 can be mounted. The ejection head 24 has a nozzle plate 500. The nozzle plate 500 is arranged on the surface on the side facing the recording medium 19 when the recording medium 19 is conveyed below the ejection head 24. The nozzle plate 500 has an opening 510 for ejecting ink downward.

  A platen 600 is disposed below the region through which the carriage 22 passes. The platen 600 supports the recording medium 19 passing under the carriage 22 from the lower side, and keeps the distance between the nozzle plate 500 and the recording medium 19 constant.

  The conveyance roller 40 includes a conveyance driving roller 41, a conveyance driven roller 43, a shaft 45, a rotor 47, and a conveyance roller driving gear 49. The conveying roller 40 is provided between the paper feeding unit 13 and the recording unit 20. The shaft 45 is rotatably supported by the upper frame 80 of the apparatus main body 11. The transport roller drive gear 49, the upper frame 80, the rotor 47, and the transport drive roller 41 are arranged in this order in the axial direction of the shaft 45 from the front side in FIG. The conveyance drive roller 41, the rotor 47, and the conveyance roller drive gear 49 are fixedly connected to the shaft 45 with the shaft 45 serving as a rotation axis. Therefore, they rotate integrally with the shaft 45. The transport driven roller 43 is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 11 and is configured to be pressed toward the platen 600 by the pressing member 77. The transport driven roller 43 rotates as the transport drive roller 41 rotates.

  The drive unit 100 is provided on the inner side (the back side in FIG. 2) of the rotor 47 and is fixed to the drive unit fixing frame 85. The drive unit fixing frame 85 is fixed to the lower frame 83. The contact portion 230 that is one end of the drive unit 100 is a surface that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotor 47 that is a disk having a diameter larger than that of the shaft 45, and is on the side farther from the upper frame 80 (the back in FIG. 2). Side) surface.

  The discharge unit 60 includes a discharge drive roller 61, a discharge driven roller 63, a shaft 65, and a discharge unit drive gear 69, and is disposed between the recording unit 20 and the discharge port 17. The discharge drive roller 61 and the discharge unit drive gear 69 are fixedly connected to the shaft 65 with the shaft 65 as a rotation axis. The shaft 65 is rotatably supported by the upper frame 80 of the apparatus main body 11. The discharge driven roller 63 is rotatably supported with respect to the apparatus main body 11 and rotates with the rotation of the discharge drive roller 61.

  The transmission unit 50 transmits the rotational driving force of the transport roller 40 to the discharge unit 60. The transmission unit 50 includes a shaft 55, a first transmission gear 57, and a second transmission gear 59. The first transmission gear 57 and the second transmission gear 59 are arranged in this order from the front side in FIG. 2, and are fixedly connected to the shaft 55 with the shaft 65 as a rotation axis. The shaft 55 is rotatably supported by the upper frame 80 of the apparatus main body 11.

  3 to 5 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the support member 70. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support member 70 as viewed from the carriage 22 side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view when viewed from a position where the support member 70 is sandwiched between the carriage 22 and the carriage 22. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional configuration of the support member 70.

  As shown in these drawings, the support member 70 is formed by bending one metal plate formed using a metal material such as steel. The support member 70 has a base portion 71 and a fixing portion 72. The metal plate constituting the support member 70 has a thickness of about 0.5 mm, for example. The thickness of the metal plate is preferably formed uniformly over the entire metal plate.

  The base portion 71 is a rectangular portion that forms a moving surface of the carriage 22. The base portion 71 is formed to be long in the moving direction of the carriage 22. A surface 71a of the base portion 71 facing the carriage 22 forms a carriage moving surface. A dimple portion 73 is formed in the base portion 71. The base portion 71 is arranged in a state of being substantially perpendicular to the ejection surface of the ejection head 24 (for example, the lower surface of the nozzle plate 500).

  A plurality of dimple portions 73 are formed over substantially the entire surface of the base portion 71. More specifically, the dimple portions 73 are formed in a plurality of rows along the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71. The dimple portions 73 in each row are arranged at an equal pitch in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71. The dimple portion 73 is disposed at a position between the dimple portions 73 in adjacent rows. That is, the dimple portions 73 are arranged in a staggered manner in plan view.

  A direction in which the dimple portions 73 are inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71 by arranging the dimple portions 73 of each row in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71 at an equal pitch and arranging the dimple portions 73 in a staggered manner. Will also be arranged. For this reason, in the base part 71, in addition to the strength in the longitudinal direction being improved, the strength is also improved in the direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the dimple portion 73 is formed such that a part of the metal plate constituting the base portion 71 is pushed from the surface 71a side to the surface 71b side which is the opposite surface of the surface 71a. Specifically, the dimple portion 73 is formed in a concave shape on the surface 71 a of the base portion 71, and is formed in a convex shape on the surface 71 b of the base portion 71.

  The dimple portion 73 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view, for example. By forming the dimple portion 73 in a circular shape in plan view, the dimple portion 73 can be easily processed. The shape of the dimple portion 73 in plan view is not limited to a circle, and may be another shape (for example, a rectangle).

  Each dimple portion 73 is formed to have the same shape in plan view, and to have the same diameter in plan view and height in cross section. By forming the dimple portions 73 to have the same shape and size, the strength of the entire base portion 71 is uniformly improved.

  The upper end of the base portion 71 is folded downward in the figure. An engaging portion 22 a disposed on the upper portion of the carriage 22 is engaged with the folded portion 71 c. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the folded portion 71 c is formed along the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71, and is formed in a range that coincides with the movement range R of the carriage 22 in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71. Has been. For this reason, the base part 71 has the part 71d which protruded in the longitudinal direction with respect to the folding | returning part 71c. Since the dimple portion 73 is formed in the protruding portion 71d of the base portion 71, the base portion 71 has a structure that is more excellent in strength against deformation.

  The fixing portion 72 is a portion bent in a direction perpendicular to the surface 71a (or 71b) of the base portion 71. The fixing portion 72 is fixed to a fixing member 78 (see FIG. 5) of the apparatus main body 11 via, for example, a screw member (not shown). The dimension in the longitudinal direction of the fixed portion 72 is formed to be substantially equal to the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the folded portion 71 c of the base portion 71. That is, the fixed portion 72 is formed in a range that matches the movement range R of the carriage 22. The distal end of the fixing portion 72 is folded upward in the figure. An engaging portion 22c disposed at the lower portion of the carriage 22 is engaged with the folded portion 72a. The folded portion 72 a is formed over the entire longitudinal direction of the fixed portion 72.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a pulley mechanism 30 a is attached to the surface 71 a of the base portion 71. A timing belt 30 is wound around the pulley mechanism 30a. The timing belt 30 is stretched across the width direction of the apparatus main body 11. The carriage 22 is supported by the support member 70 via the engaging portions 22a and 22c, and holds the timing belt 30 via the holding portion 22b. Note that the pulley mechanism 30a and the timing belt 30 are not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for easy identification of the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a spring member 76 is attached to the surface 71 b of the base portion 71. For example, three spring members 76 are attached along the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71. Each spring member 76 is connected to the upper end of the pressing member 77. Each spring member 76 is in a state where tension is generated between the base portion 71 and the upper end of the pressing member 77. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressing member 77 is configured such that the abdomen is engaged with the engaging member 79 and the lower end is in contact with the transport driven roller 43.

  Since the support member 70 is fixed to the fixing member via the fixing portion 72, the upper end portion of the pressing member 77 is pulled toward the base portion 71 by the spring member 76, and the lower end portion of the pressing member 77 is conveyed by the lever principle. The driven roller 43 is pressed toward the platen 600 side. In this case, the upper end portion of the pressing member 77 connected to the spring member 76 is a force point, the abdominal portion engaged with the engaging member 79 is a fulcrum, and the lower end portion contacting the driven roller 43 is an action point.

  When the pressing member 77 presses the conveyance driven roller 43, the recording medium 19 is sandwiched between the conveyance driven roller 43 and the platen 600. In this state, the conveyance drive roller 41 is rotated to convey the recording medium 19, whereby the conveyance driven roller 43 is rotated in accordance with the movement of the recording medium 19.

Next, a recording operation in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 will be described.
The drive unit 100 applies a rotational driving force to the rotor 47 to drive the rotor 47 to rotate. Accordingly, the conveyance driving roller 41 connected by the rotor 47 and the shaft 45 is rotationally driven, and the recording medium 19 is conveyed between the conveyance driving roller 41 and the conveyance driven roller 43 on the platen 600.

  In this state, the carriage motor 32 rotationally drives the timing belt 30, whereby the carriage 22 that holds the timing belt 30 reciprocates on the recording medium 19 in the width direction of the apparatus main body 11. While appropriately reciprocating the carriage 22 according to the image data, ink is ejected from the ejection head 24 to the recording medium 19 to perform recording on the recording medium 19.

  The ejection head 24 may eject ink while moving in both directions of reciprocation, or may eject ink while moving in either direction. Thereafter, the transport drive roller 41 and the transport driven roller 43 transport the recording medium 19 by a minute amount, and the ejection head 24 ejects ink while reciprocating on the recording medium 19. By repeating this operation, recording is performed on the entire top surface of the recording medium 19. The discharge driving roller 61 and the discharge driven roller 63 discharge the recording medium 19 on which recording has been performed from the platen 600 to the paper discharge port 17 in conjunction with the conveyance drive roller 41 and the conveyance driven roller 43.

  The inventors of the present invention have found that the strength against twisting and bending of the support member 70 is improved by providing the base portion 71 with a plurality of dimple portions 73. In the present embodiment, the support member 70 is configured based on this discovery. That is, the base portion 71 that forms the moving surface of the ejection head 24 is configured to have a plurality of dimple portions 73. With this configuration, the strength of the base portion 71 can be improved, and the support member 70 that is resistant to deformation can be obtained even if it is thin.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the dimple portion 73 provided in the base portion 71 is described as an example in which the surface 71a side is formed in a concave shape and the surface 71b side is formed in a convex shape so as to be pushed from the surface 71a side to the surface 71b side. However, it is not limited to this.

  For example, the surface 71a side may be convex and the surface 71b side may be concave. Moreover, you may be the structure by which only one is formed in concave shape among the surface 71a or the surface 71b. Furthermore, a part of the plurality of dimple parts 73 is configured such that the surface 71a side is concave and the surface 71b side is convex, and the other is configured such that the surface 71a side is convex and the surface 71b side is concave. It does not matter.

  In the above embodiment, the entire dimple portion 73 provided in the base portion 71 is formed to have the same size. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the size of each dimple portion 73 is changed. It does not matter as a configuration to be made. For example, the size of the dimple portion 73 disposed in the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 71 can be formed larger than the size of the dimple portion 73 disposed in another portion. The central portion of the base portion 71 in the longitudinal direction is a portion where deformation such as twisting and bending is likely to occur compared to the end portion in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, the support member 70 which is further resistant to deformation can be obtained by intensively improving the strength of the portion.

  Furthermore, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the spring member 76 is attached to the surface 71b of the base portion 71, and the portion 71e (see FIG. 5) connected to the spring member 76 has higher strength. Is required. In view of this, the dimensions of the dimple portion 73 provided in the vicinity of the connection portion 71e of the spring member 76 may be larger than the dimensions of the dimple portion 73 provided in the other portion. By intensively improving the strength of the easily deformable portion, the support member 70 that is more resistant to deformation can be obtained.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the dimple portions 73 are uniformly arranged over the entire base portion 71 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the arrangement density of the dimple portions 73 is not limited thereto. A distribution may be formed. For example, it is possible to make the arrangement density of the dimple parts 73 arranged in the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the base part 71 higher than the arrangement density of the dimple parts 73 arranged in other parts. By intensively improving the strength of the easily deformable portion, the support member 70 that is more resistant to deformation can be obtained.

  Similarly to the above, in the portion 71e (see FIG. 5) connected to the spring member 76 in the base portion 71, the arrangement density of the dimple portions 73 can be made higher than that in other portions. Thereby, the support member 70 which is further resistant to deformation can be obtained by intensively improving the strength of the easily deformable portion.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet recording apparatus (fluid ejecting apparatus) 22 ... Carriage 24 ... Ejecting head 43 ... Conveyance driven roller 70 ... Supporting member (support metal plate) 71 ... Base part 71a, 71b ... Surface 72 ... Fixed part 73 ... Dimple part 76 ... spring member 77 ... pressing member 78 ... fixing member 79 ... engaging member

Claims (12)

A fluid ejecting head provided so as to be movable by ejecting fluid to a medium;
A supporting sheet metal that movably supports the fluid ejecting head,
The supporting sheet metal is
A plurality of dimple portions, a base portion forming a moving surface of the fluid ejecting head;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a fixing portion bent with respect to the base portion. A transport mechanism for holding and transporting the medium;
A pressing member that presses a part of the transport mechanism toward the medium;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a spring member that generates a tension between the base portion and the pressing member and presses the pressing member with the tension. A belt mechanism for moving the fluid ejecting head;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base portion supports the belt mechanism. The fluid ejection head has an ejection surface that ejects the fluid;
The fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base portion is disposed orthogonal to the ejection surface. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of dimple portions are formed in a circular shape in a plan view. The fluid according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of dimple portions are formed so that a surface of the base portion opposite to the moving surface protrudes. Injection device. The fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of dimple portions are formed so that the moving surface of the base portion protrudes. The plurality of dimple portions are formed on both the moving surface and the opposite surface of the moving surface of the base portion. 8. Fluid ejection device. The plurality of dimple portions are arranged in a plurality of rows in a predetermined direction in plan view,
The fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the dimple portion is disposed between the dimple portions in adjacent rows. The plurality of dimple portions are arranged such that an arrangement density of a central portion in plan view of the base portion is higher than an arrangement density of peripheral edge portions in plan view of the base portion. Item 10. The fluid ejection device according to any one of Items 9 to 9. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the plurality of dimple portions are formed to have the same size. The dimple portion disposed in the central portion of the base portion in plan view is formed to have a larger size in plan view than the dimple portion disposed in the peripheral portion of the base portion in plan view. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is characterized.

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