JP2011118276A - Support mechanism for traveling body reciprocated with predetermined stroke and image reader using the support mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a support mechanism which does not cause speed irregularity since the reciprocation of a traveling body is smooth when the traveling body is reciprocally guided by an orbital member, and is excellent in durability. <P>SOLUTION: The traveling body such as a carriage is supported to be reciprocated at a prescribed stroke by the orbital member and a lubricant pocket is provided in a slide part at the side of the traveling body and formed into a concave shape having a lubricant storage space and partitions forming the space. Prescribed gaps into/from which a lubricant flows are formed between a pair of partitions located at the front and rear in a movement direction and an orbital surface. One (first gap) of the gaps is formed larger than the other (second gap). Thus, a lubricant layer applied to the orbital surface flows into the space from the second gap whose gap is small and the lubricant layer is applied from the second gap whose gap is large to the orbital surface, and formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling body support mechanism in an image reading apparatus such as a scanner device or a copying machine, and to an improvement in a lubrication mechanism for a traveling body that reciprocates on a guide rail.

  2. Description of the Related Art Generally, image reading apparatuses such as scanner devices and copying machines widely use a platen on which a document is placed, and a device that reads a document image line-sequentially by reciprocating a reading unit from one end of the document to the other end along the platen. Are known. The reading unit includes, for example, a light source that irradiates a document with reading light and a reflection mirror that deflects reflected light from the document in the imaging optical path direction, and the optical carriage reciprocates along a platen with a predetermined stroke. Thus, a configuration for reading a document image is widely adopted.

  In this case, the optical carriage has a structure (for example, a CIS type scanner) on which a light source lamp, an imaging lens, and a reading element are mounted, a light source lamp and a deflection mirror, and the light from the deflection mirror is arranged separately from the carriage. A structure (for example, a CCD type scanner) that forms an image on the condenser lens and the reading element is known.

  In order to read a document image line-sequentially with such an image reading apparatus, it is necessary to configure the optical carriage in a traveling unit structure and to reciprocate this unit with a guide rail (track member) provided on the apparatus frame. The guide rail is composed of two or three rail members arranged in parallel to each other. For example, in Patent Document 1, a pair of rail surfaces is formed on an edge member of a platen, and a rod-shaped guide member is disposed at the center portion to support the carriage.

  The carriage is configured to reciprocate at a predetermined stroke by engaging the support surface (sliding surface) of the carriage with the track surface such as a rail or rod and pulling it with a drive member such as a wire belt connected to the drive motor. ing.

  Therefore, it is required that the raceway surface and the sliding surface of the carriage are closely engaged with each other without looseness, and that the smooth movement is required, and it is necessary to interpose a lubricant between the raceway surface and the sliding surface. Become. Patent Document 1 proposes that a large number of recesses are provided in a groove shape on one of the raceway surface and the sliding surface, and the recesses are impregnated with a high viscosity lubricant.

  This document discloses a structure in which a large number of groove-shaped recesses are provided in a direction intersecting the moving direction, and the lubricant flows in the grooves as the carriage moves. Similarly, a bearing structure in which a bearing member is made of a porous sintered metal and impregnated with a lubricant is also known when supporting a traveling moving body.

JP 2006-258968 A

  When the optical carriage that reciprocates at a predetermined stroke as described above is slidably supported by the track guide member, conventionally, a concave portion such as a hole or a hole impregnated with a lubricant is formed on one of the sliding surfaces. A lubricant is sealed in the recess. In Patent Document 1, the concave portion is provided in a direction intersecting with the direction in which the traveling body moves so that the lubricant flows in the concave portion.

  However, a slidable gap (clearance) is required between the raceway surface of the guide member and the sliding surface of the traveling body, and a lubricating film must be formed at the same time. For this reason, it is physically impossible to completely enclose the recess for containing (impregnating) the lubricant, and at least the function does not work unless it flows out between the raceway surface and the sliding surface.

  Therefore, the gap between the two engagement surfaces, the shape of the recess, and the viscosity of the lubricant are set so that the internal lubricant leaks appropriately between the raceway and the sliding surface of the traveling body from the recess containing the lubricant. As a result, a lubricant layer is formed on the raceway surface between strokes in which the traveling body moves. The lubricant that has flowed out of the recess gradually consumes the lubricant with a certain degree of difference with time. The lubricant layer formed on the raceway surface is scraped and accumulated at the moving left limit position and the right limit position when the reciprocating traveling body reciprocates, and when the amount increases, it causes scattering in the apparatus.

  At the same time, the lubricant layer that flows out from the housing recess and is formed on the raceway surface of the raceway guide causes deterioration of the lubrication function depending on the temperature and humidity environment. This causes a problem that, for example, when paper dust on a document sheet enters the apparatus and adheres to the lubricant layer, the engaging surface wears and the wear powder adheres to the lubricant layer.

  Therefore, the present inventor has solved the above-mentioned problem by collecting the lubricant stacked on the raceway surface in the accommodation pocket by the movement of the reciprocating traveling body and simultaneously applying a new lubricant to the raceway surface. I came up with the idea of getting.

The present invention provides a support mechanism that is excellent in durability when the traveling body such as an optical carriage is guided by a raceway member so that the traveling body can be reciprocated, and the reciprocating motion of the traveling body is smooth and does not cause uneven speed. It is an issue.
Further, the present invention provides an image reading apparatus in which the lubricating function of the lubricant is hardly deteriorated in the support mechanism in which the lubricant pocket is provided in the engaging portion between the traveling body and the track member, and at the same time, it is not necessary to replenish the lubricant for a long time. The problem is to provide a carriage support mechanism.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention supports a traveling body such as a carriage so as to reciprocate with a predetermined stroke on a track member, and a lubricant pocket is provided in a sliding portion on the traveling body side, and this pocket is provided as a lubricant accommodating space. And it is comprised in the concave shape which has the partition which forms this space. A predetermined gap through which the lubricant flows in and out is formed between the pair of partition walls located in the front and rear of the moving direction and the raceway surface, and this gap (one first gap) is formed larger than the other (second gap). . Thus, the lubricant layer applied to the raceway surface from the second gap having a small gap flows into the space, and the lubricant layer is applied to the raceway surface from the second gap having a large gap.

  More specifically, the structure is a support mechanism for the traveling body (6) that reciprocates at a predetermined stroke, the apparatus frame, at least one track member (10) disposed on the device frame, and along the track member. A travel body that reciprocates at a predetermined stroke, travel drive means (15) that reciprocates the travel body, an engagement support portion (11a) that is provided on the track member and guides the travel body to reciprocate, And an engagement sliding portion (6a) that is provided on the body and engages with the engagement support portion. The engagement support portion is provided with a raceway surface (11x) that forms a reciprocating raceway of the traveling body, and the engagement slide portion is provided with a slide surface (6x) that is in sliding contact with the raceway surface.

  The engaging sliding portion is provided with a lubricant pocket (7) for accommodating the fluid lubricant, and the pocket is configured to accommodate the accommodation space (7a) for accommodating the fluid lubricant and the travel that forms the accommodation space. It is configured in a concave shape having a pair of partition walls (8, 9) located in the front and rear direction of the body movement. Along with this, a predetermined gap through which the lubricant flows in and out is formed between the pair of partition walls and the raceway surface.

  Therefore, the first gap (α) between one partition wall and the raceway surface is formed larger than the second gap (β) between the other partition wall and the raceway surface, and lubrication in the accommodation space is made from this first gap. The agent flows out to the raceway surface, and the lubricant applied to the raceway surface from the second gap flows into the accommodation space.

  According to the present invention, when the traveling body is supported on the raceway member so as to reciprocate with a predetermined stroke, a lubricant pocket is provided in the sliding portion on the traveling body side, and the pocket is formed in a recessed shape so that the pocket is positioned forward and backward in the moving direction. Since the gap between the partition wall and the raceway surface is one (first gap) larger than the other (second gap), the following effects are obtained.

  When the traveling body reciprocates along the raceway surface, when the second gap with a small gap in the lubricant pocket is located on the front side in the movement direction, the lubricant layer formed on the raceway surface from the second gap is removed. The lubricant flows into the lubricant pocket, and the lubricant flows out onto the raceway surface from the first gap having a large gap.

  For this reason, the lubricant already formed on the raceway surface is collected in the pocket in the course of the reciprocating motion of the traveling body, and at the same time as this collection, a new lubricant flows out from the pocket to the raceway surface and is applied and formed. Thus, the lubricant that has flowed out on the raceway surface as in the prior art is not deposited at the left and right stroke limit positions. Therefore, there is no risk of the lubricant scattering inside the apparatus.

  In addition, the lubricant layer formed at one end is held on the raceway surface for a long time so that dust does not adhere to or deteriorate and the lubrication function does not deteriorate. Is collected in the pocket and a predetermined lubricating function is maintained. Further, even if fine dust is adhered, the influence is reduced because it is mixed with other lubricant in the pocket together with the lubricant.

  In the present invention, the first and second gaps formed before and after the traveling direction of the traveling body can be configured such that the gap on the front side is smaller than the gap on the rear side. In this case, the running slide itself or the engaging sliding portion forming the lubricant pocket is configured to be swingable so as to tilt forward according to the moving direction. As a result, the lubricant can be circulated from the raceway surface into the pocket in the backward operation as well as the forward movement of the traveling body.

  Furthermore, the lubricant pocket covers the running direction of the lubricant storage space with an impregnating elastic member such as a sponge so that more lubricant than necessary does not flow onto the raceway surface, further extending the service life of the lubricant. Can be maintained.

1 is an overall explanatory view showing an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an internal structure of an optical carriage in the apparatus of FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a carriage support mechanism in the apparatus of FIG. 1, wherein (a) is a longitudinal sectional view in the sub-scanning direction of the carriage, (b) is a sectional view in the main scanning direction of the carriage, and (c) is a sub-section of the carriage. It is a principal part expansion explanatory drawing of the vertical section of a scanning direction. FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG. 3. 2A and 2B show a second embodiment of a carriage support mechanism in the apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of a carriage in the sub-scanning direction, and FIG. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of a flow state of the lubricant in the embodiment of FIG. 5, in which FIG. 5A shows a state where the carriage is moved in the forward movement direction, and FIG. 5B shows a state where the carriage is moved in the double movement direction. 3 and 5 show different forms of the lubricant pockets, in which (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the carriage in the sub-scanning direction, and (b) is a sectional view of the carriage in the main scanning direction. The perspective enlarged view from the bottom face side of the apparatus of FIG.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention includes an optical carriage 6 to be described later, a track member 10 that guides the carriage so as to reciprocate with a predetermined stroke, and a traveling drive means 15 that reciprocates the carriage. A platen 32 is disposed above the optical carriage 6 and is configured to place an image original.

  The track member 10 includes a pair of or more first track members 11 and second track members 12 arranged in parallel at a distance. In the figure, the first track member 11 is constituted by a guide rail having a rectangular cross section, and the second track member 12 is constituted by a guide rod having a circular cross section. In addition to this, the track member 10 may be either a single or a track member 10 that has a structure that stably supports the carriage, such as a pair of guide rails on the left and right (main scanning direction) of the optical carriage 6 and a single guide rod in the center. Various support structures such as a plurality of support structures can be employed.

  Thus, the optical carriage 6 is supported by the first and second track members 11 and 12 so as to be reciprocally movable, and is reciprocally driven by the travel drive means 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling drive means 15 has a pair of pulleys 16a and 16b arranged on an apparatus frame (not shown), and one pulley 16b has a drive motor (hereinafter referred to as "carriage motor") that can be rotated forward and backward. Mc is linked. A part of the optical carriage 6 is connected to a pulling member (wire, timing belt, etc.) 17 stretched between the pulleys. Therefore, when the carriage motor Mc is rotated forward and backward, the optical carriage 6 reciprocates along the track member 10 with a predetermined stroke.

  Therefore, the present invention is characterized in that the optical carriage 6 is supported by the first track member 11 as follows. As described above, the first track member 11 is formed in a rail shape having a rectangular cross section, and the engagement support portion 11a is provided with a track surface 11x. On the other hand, the optical carriage 6 is provided with a sliding surface 6x at its engaging sliding portion 6a. The engagement support portion 11a and the engagement sliding portion 6a are slidably engaged with each other on the raceway surface 11x and the sliding surface 6x.

  The engagement sliding portion 6a on the optical carriage side is provided with a lubricant pocket 7 for accommodating a fluid lubricant, and the pocket is positioned in the lubricant accommodating space 7a and in the front and rear of the carriage movement direction forming this space. A concave shape having a pair of partition walls 8 and 9 is formed. A small gap (hereinafter referred to as “first gap α”) is formed between the partition wall 8 and the raceway surface 11x on the first raceway member side. Similarly, a small gap (see “first gap α”) is formed between the partition wall 9 and the raceway surface 11x. (Hereinafter referred to as “second gap β”).

  The first and second gaps α and β are enlarged and shown in FIG. 3C. The second gap β is formed smaller than the first gap α (α> β). This gap is related to the thickness of the lubricant film layer (hereinafter referred to as “lubrication film thickness θ”) formed on the raceway surface 11x, and the second gap β is smaller than the lubrication film thickness θ (θ > Β).

  As a result, when the lubricant pocket 7 moves in the direction of arrow A in the figure, the lubricant film formed on the raceway surface 11 x is scraped together by the partition walls 9. At the same time, the lubricant in the accommodation space 7a flows out from the gap α between the partition wall 8 and the raceway surface 11x. At this time, the amount of lubricant flowing out from the first gap α is set so that the capacity is apparently larger than the amount of lubricant flowing in from the second gap β (α> β). Therefore, the lubricant scraped by the partition wall 9 flows into the accommodation space 7a so as to balance the outflow amount.

  Therefore, the outflow amount from the first gap α and the inflow amount from the second gap β are substantially balanced and equalized. The reason is (first gap α)> (second gap β), so that the inside of the accommodation space 7a is depressurized and the lubricant is sucked from the second gap β, and the viscosity of the lubricant is changed as shown in FIG. As shown by the arrows in FIG.

  That is, when the lubricant pocket 7 moves at the speed V in the direction of the arrow A, it is the same (relative) that the lubricant flows at the speed V in the opposite direction. At this time, since the first gap α is set to be larger than the second gap β, a balance force that sucks the lubricant into the pocket from the second gap β acts. This balance force is caused in the pocket so that the outflow amount and the inflow amount are equalized by the pressure difference (decompression) due to the outflow amount> inflow amount and the viscosity of the lubricant.

[First Embodiment of Carriage Support Mechanism]
As described above, according to the present invention, the lubricant pocket 7 is provided in the engagement sliding portion 6 a of the traveling body (optical carriage) 6, and as the traveling body (optical carriage) 6 moves, the track surface 11 x and the accommodation space 7 a are separated. It is characterized in that the above-described lubricant flow occurs. In this case, the lubricant g applied to the raceway surface 11x is recovered in the space by one-way movement of the optical carriage 6 reciprocating, and a new lubricant layer is simultaneously formed on the raceway surface 11x (first embodiment). ) Is shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 3A shows a longitudinal sectional view in the sub-scanning direction of the optical carriage 6 in the embodiment. A rail-shaped raceway surface 11 x is formed on the first raceway member 11. The sliding surface 6x of the optical carriage 6 is engaged with the track surface 11x. A lubricant pocket 7 is formed in a recessed shape in the engagement sliding portion 6a forming the sliding surface 6x. An accommodation space 7a is formed in the lubricant pocket 7, and the periphery is covered with a partition wall.

  The partition wall 8 and the partition wall 9 before and after the partition wall constituting the lubricant pocket 7 in the sub-scanning direction (the y-y direction in FIG. 3 (a)) are between the raceway surface 11x and the first gap α and the second gap β. As shown in an enlarged state in FIG. 3C, the first gap α> the second gap β is set, and at the same time, the lubricating film thickness θ formed on the raceway surface 11x and The first gap α is set to be substantially the same as the lubricating film thickness θ (α≈θ), and the second gap β is set to be smaller than the lubricating film thickness θ (β ≧ θ).

  As shown in FIG. 3B, among the partition walls forming the lubricant pocket 7, the partition surfaces 4 and 5 positioned on the left and right in the running direction are formed with sliding surfaces 6x that are in sliding contact with the raceway surface 11x. As shown in the figure, a pair of sliding surfaces 6x may be provided on the left and right sides of the accommodation space 7a, or may be provided on either the left or right side, or may be provided on three or more locations on the left and right.

  In addition, the carriage motor Mc described in FIG. 1 is connected to the optical carriage 6 described above, and is configured to reciprocate at a predetermined stroke (image reading length) along the track surface 11x by the pulling member 17. Therefore, when the optical carriage 6 moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3C, that is, when the partition wall 9 is positioned forward and the intermediate wall 8 is positioned rearward, the first gap α> the second gap β.

  Accordingly, the lubricant g formed on the raceway surface 11x flows from the second gap β positioned forward in the traveling direction, and a lubricant layer is formed on the raceway surface 11x from the first gap α located rearward in the traveling direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the optical carriage 6 moves from the reading start position to the end position (forward operation), and moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3C during the return operation to return from the end position to the start position. By the returning operation of the optical carriage 6, the lubricant layer on the track surface 11x is collected in the pocket, and a lubricant layer is newly formed on the track surface 11x.

  Accordingly, in the forward movement (image reading operation) of the optical carriage 6, it moves in the direction opposite to the arrow direction A, replenishes the sliding surface 6x with the lubricant from the first gap α located in the forward direction of travel, and moves backward in the forward direction of travel. Excess lubricant g is recovered from the second gap β located in the pocket. The recovery of the surplus lubricant is sucked into the space from the second gap β by a balance action that acts in the accommodation space 7a as described above.

[Second Embodiment of Carriage Support Mechanism]
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the operation of collecting and applying the lubricant g on the track surface 11x in accordance with the movement of the optical carriage 6 is performed in both forward and backward operations. 5A shows a longitudinal sectional view of the carriage in the sub-scanning direction, and FIG. 5B shows a longitudinal sectional structure in the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 1, a pair of track members is constituted by a guide rail 11 and a guide rod 12, and the guide rod 12 is fitted by a bearing 6 b provided on the optical carriage 6. The sliding surface 6a of the optical carriage 6 is engaged with the track surface 11x. Each engaging portion is provided with a clearance (gap) through which the optical carriage 6 reciprocates. Due to this clearance, the optical carriage 6 is tilted within a small range.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, a rail-shaped track surface 11x is provided in the sub-scanning direction on the guide rail (first track member) 11 as described above, and the optical carriage 6 is provided on the track surface 11x. The sliding surface 6x is engaged. Therefore, the sliding surface 6x is formed in an arc shape with the center (point O in the figure) in the sub-scanning direction as the center. In the engaging sliding portion 6a that forms the sliding surface 6x, the lubricant pocket 7 is formed in a concave shape in the same manner as described above. A first gap α1 and a second gap β2 are formed in the first partition 18 and the second partition 19 positioned in the front-rear direction in the sub-scanning direction as shown in the figure.

  On the other hand, the pulling member 17 described above is connected to the optical carriage 6 so as to pull a position different from the contact point O in the direction of arrow B in the figure. That is, although not shown in detail, the pulling member (wire, belt, etc.) 17 connected to the optical carriage 6 is placed on the optical carriage 6 at a position separated from the contact O so that a bending moment acts on the contact O. It is connected.

  Accordingly, when the optical carriage 6 reciprocates by the pulling member 17 (see FIG. 1), the optical carriage 6 is inclined at a predetermined angle around the contact point O. This inclination is inclined forward with respect to the traveling direction depending on the clearance of the engaging portion of the second track member (guide rod) 12 and the connecting position of the pulling member 17.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B show the optical carriage 6 in a forward tilt state. When the optical carriage 6 moves to the right as shown in FIG. 6A, the optical carriage 6 tilts forward by a minute angle (γ) around the contact point O. Similarly, when moving to the left as shown in FIG. 5B, it is inclined forward by a minute angle (γ) around the contact point O.

  Accordingly, the engaging sliding portion 6a is provided with the recessed lubricant pockets 7 formed by the first partition wall 18 and the second partition wall 19 in the front and rear direction in the same manner as described above. A first gap α1 is formed between the first partition wall 18 and the track surface 11x, and a second gap β1 is formed between the second partition wall 19 and the track surface 11x. The first and second gaps α1 and β1 are formed so that the first gap α1 and the second gap β1 are substantially equal when the optical carriage 6 shown in FIG.

  Accordingly, when the optical carriage 6 moves to the right side as shown in FIG. 6A, the gap β1 of the second partition wall 19 is formed to be a minute gap smaller than the gap α1 of the first partition wall 18, and the left side as shown in FIG. When moving to, the gap α1 of the first partition wall 18 is formed to be a minute gap smaller than the gap β1 of the second partition wall 19. As a result, the optical carriage 6 forms a very small gap that is smaller in the gap located in the front in the movement direction than the gap located in the rear.

  Therefore, the gap difference formed before and after the movement direction of the optical carriage 6 forms the lubricant flow as described above, recovers the lubricant layer formed on the track surface 11x from the gap located on the front side, and A new lubricant layer is applied and formed from the gap located on the side.

[Different embodiments of lubricant pockets]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the lubricant pocket 7 is formed in a concave shape formed in the engagement sliding portion 6a of the optical carriage 6, and the engagement sliding portion 6a is formed of a synthetic resin or the like. Has been. In this case, there is a possibility that more lubricant than necessary flows out to the raceway surface 11x from the gap (α or β) located on the rear side in the traveling direction. This occurs when the partition wall forming the lubricant pocket 7 is worn or when vibration is transmitted from the outside. 7 shows an embodiment in which the amount of lubricant flowing out to the raceway surface 11x is saved (suppressed) by covering the periphery of the lubricant pocket 7 with an impregnating elastic member 20 such as a sponge.

  The above-described lubricant pocket 7 is formed by the accommodation space 7 a and the partition walls 8, 9, 18, 19 surrounding the storage space 7 a. Therefore, the lubricant stored in the storage space 7a is discharged and consumed from the track surface 11x little by little as the optical carriage 6 reciprocates (mainly leakage of the lubricant layer formed on the track surface 11x). . In order to reduce the consumption of the lubricant, elastic members 21a and 21b are provided before and after the movement direction of the accommodation space 7a, and elastic members 22a and 22b are provided on the left and right sides in the movement orthogonal direction.

  FIG. 8 shows the bottom surface of the engagement sliding portion 6a. A track surface 11x is laid in the moving direction of the accommodation space 7a. The elastic members 21a and 21b are arranged so as to surround the space 7a before and after the moving direction. The elastic members 21a and 21b are made of an impregnating elastic member such as a sponge as shown in FIG. 7A. The elastic members 21a and 21b protrude from the engagement sliding portion 6a toward the raceway surface 11x and are elastic so as to follow the raceway surface 11x. It is deformed. As a result, the above-described lubricant flow is prevented and the outflow thereof is prevented.

  In addition, similar elastic members 22a and 22b are also arranged in the movement orthogonal direction of the accommodation space 7a. The illustrated elastic members 22a and 22b are formed with a taper ta as shown in FIG. 7B, and the elastic member prevents the optical carriage 6 from floating from the track surface 11x. That is, it is difficult to accurately mold the processing accuracy of an elastic member such as a sponge. Therefore, the end face of the elastic member that contacts the raceway surface 11x is formed in an oblique shape as shown in the figure so that the sliding surface 6x does not float from the raceway surface 11x by the elastic member. Therefore, the contact end surfaces of the elastic members 22a and 22b may have any shape as long as they are narrow, such as an oblique shape, a U-order shape, and a step shape.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the optical carriage 6 is slidably supported by the pair of track members 11, 12, the first track member 11 is configured in a rail shape, and the rail-shaped track surface 11 x and the optical track are formed. Although the case where the lubricant pocket 7 is provided between the engagement sliding portion 6a of the carriage 6 has been described, the raceway surface 11x is not limited to being formed by a rectangular plane, but may be formed by a curved surface having a circular cross section. In this case, for example, a raceway surface may be formed on the peripheral surface of the guide rod 12, and a lubricant pocket may be provided in the bearing portion of the optical carriage 6 fitted to the rod. Further, the elastic members 22a and 22b arranged in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the carriage may be positioned on both sides of the track surface 11x as shown in FIG. 7, or may be placed on the track surface 11x.

[Carriage configuration]
The configuration of the optical carriage 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. The optical carriage 6 includes a carriage frame 25, a light source 29, a reflection mirror 30, a condenser lens 27, and an image reading sensor 28. The carriage frame 25 is made of, for example, a resin having high heat resistance, and mounts a light source 29, an image sensor (reflection mirror, condensing lens), and an image reading sensor 28.

  A reading opening 31 corresponding to the reading width of the original sheet is formed in the carriage frame 25, and the original sheet is irradiated from the reading opening 31, and the reflected light is irradiated onto the image reading sensor 28 by the imaging device. The carriage frame 25 is supported by the pair of track members 11 and 12 so as to reciprocate with a predetermined stroke as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light source 29 is a light source that irradiates linear light along a reading opening 31 of the carriage frame 25. No. 29 employs a reflecting structure that irradiates the light of a point light emitting element as linear light, or a rod-like light emitter such as a fluorescent lamp or a xenon lamp. The light source 29 configured as described above is integrally attached to the carriage frame 25, and irradiates reading light on a document sheet on a platen 32 described later from a reading opening 31.

  The reflection mirror 30 is appropriately composed of a plurality of sheets so as to form an optical path length of a predetermined length, and the one shown in the figure reflects the reflected light of the document image toward the second mirror 30b by the first mirror 30a. The light is reflected again by the first mirror 30a, the reflected light is again reflected by the second mirror 30b, the light is guided from the third mirror 30c to the fourth mirror 30d, and then the light from the fourth mirror 30d is sent to the first mirror 30d. The light is guided to the condenser lens 27 by the second mirror 30b, the fifth mirror 30d, and the fifth mirror 30e. Incidentally, the reflected light of the document image is not limited to such an optical path formation, but it is also possible to form an optical path by, for example, first, second, and two mirrors.

  The condenser lens 27 is composed of one or a plurality of imaging lenses, and forms an image on the image reading sensor 28 of the reflected light of the original image sent from the reflection mirror 30. The image reading sensor 28 is composed of a photoelectric conversion sensor such as a CCD, and photoelectrically converts the reflected light of the document image placed from the condenser lens 27. In particular, the illustrated image reading sensor 28 is configured by a color line sensor, and sensor elements that constitute R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) pixels are arranged in three rows in a line. The image reading sensor 28 having such a configuration is attached to the substrate 28 a, and the substrate 28 a is fixed to the carriage frame 25.

4 Bulkhead 5 Bulkhead 6 Optical carriage (running body)
6a engagement sliding portion 6b bearing 6x sliding surface 7 lubricant pocket 7a accommodating space 8 partition wall 9 partition wall 10 track member 11 first track member (guide rail)
11a Engagement support portion 11x raceway surface 12 second raceway member (guide rod)
15 driving means 16a pulley 16b pulley 17 traction member 18 first partition (second embodiment)
19 Second partition (second embodiment)
20 Impregnating elastic member 21a Front elastic member 21b Rear elastic member 22a Left elastic member 22b Right elastic member Mc Carriage motor α First interval β Second interval θ Lubricating film thickness O Center

Claims (10)

A traveling body support mechanism that reciprocates at a predetermined stroke,
A device frame;
At least one track member disposed on the device frame;
A traveling body that reciprocates at a predetermined stroke along the track member;
Traveling drive means for reciprocating the traveling body;
An engagement support provided on the track member for guiding the traveling body to reciprocate;
An engagement sliding portion provided on the traveling body and engaged with the engagement support portion;
With
The engagement support portion is provided with a raceway surface that forms a reciprocating raceway of the traveling body, and the engagement slide portion is provided with a slide surface that is in sliding contact with the raceway surface,
The engagement sliding portion is provided with a lubricant pocket for containing a fluid lubricant,
This lubricant pocket
A storage space for storing a fluid lubricant;
A pair of bulkheads positioned in front of and behind in the moving direction of the traveling body forming the housing space;
It is configured in a concave shape having
Between the pair of partition walls and the raceway surface, a predetermined gap through which the lubricant flows in and out is formed,
A first gap between one partition wall and the raceway surface is formed larger than a second gap between the other partition wall and the raceway surface;
The lubricant in the housing space flows out from the first gap to the raceway surface, and the lubricant applied to the raceway surface from the second gap flows into the housing space. mechanism. 2. The traveling body support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second gap is formed in a minute gap smaller than a thickness of a lubricant layered on the raceway surface. When the traveling body reciprocates, when the first gap is located on the rear side in the movement direction and the second gap is located on the front side in the movement direction,
The lubricant in the accommodation space flows out from the first gap to the raceway surface, and the lubricant layered on the raceway surface flows from the second gap into the accommodation space. A support mechanism for a traveling body according to 1 or 2. The engagement sliding portion having the lubricant pocket is configured to be swingable according to the moving direction of the traveling body,
The gap between the partition wall located on the front side in the movement direction and the raceway surface forms a minute gap that is smaller than the gap between the partition wall located on the rear side in the movement direction and the raceway surface. Support mechanism for the traveling body. A pair of the track members are arranged at an interval from the device frame,
In this one track member, the track surface of the engagement support portion is formed as a rail-shaped plane,
The sliding surface of the engaging sliding portion that engages with the raceway surface is formed by a curved surface that is curved in the moving direction of the traveling body,
The traveling body is engaged and supported by the pair of track members so as to incline forward in the moving direction around a sliding contact portion between the track surface and the sliding surface,
The traveling body tilts forward in the moving direction, so that a gap between the partition wall located on the front side and the raceway surface forms a minute gap smaller than a gap between the partition wall located on the rear side in the movement direction and the track surface. The traveling body support mechanism according to claim 4. The pair of track members includes a guide rod member disposed in a moving direction of the traveling body, and a guide rail member,
The travel mechanism support mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the engagement support portion is disposed on the guide rail member. In the lubricant pocket,
3. The traveling body support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an impregnating elastic member such as a sponge is disposed at least before and after the traveling body moves in the housing space. 8. The traveling body support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the traveling body is an optical carriage including an image reading unit that reads a document image in a line sequential manner. 9. The running body support mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the lubricant pocket includes a plurality of concave portions arranged in a main scanning direction of the image reading unit. A platen on which a document image is placed;
An optical carriage reciprocating with a predetermined stroke along the platen;
A light source lamp that is mounted on the optical carriage and irradiates reading light on the original image on the platen;
A condenser lens that forms an image of reflected light from the original image;
An image reading element that photoelectrically converts reflected light from the condenser lens;
With
An image reading apparatus comprising: the optical carriage having the configuration according to claim 1.

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