JP2013001017A - Inkjet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recorder which is provided with two conveyance paths formed therein and has a structure capable of enhancing positioning precision of a platen with respect to each of the conveyance paths.SOLUTION: This inkjet recorder includes: a first guide member 71 adapted to guide a recording paper sheet on a conveyance path 65 at an upper face; a second guide member 72 which is provided at the lower side of the first guide member 71 and is adapted to guide the recording paper sheet on a flipping conveyance path 68 at a lower face; an ink absorption member 85 which is adapted to absorb ink and is elastically deformable; and a second conveyance roller 62 which determines positions of the guide members 71, 72. The guide members 71, 72 are assembled to each other so as to be slidable in upper and lower directions 7. The ink absorption member 85 is placed by being sandwiched between the guide members 71, 72 so as to be elastically deformed. A first abutment section 120 of the first guide member 71 is pressed against the second conveyance roller 62 from the lower side and a second abutment section 121 of the second guide member 72 is pressed against the second conveyance roller 62 from the upper side by virtue of an elastic force of the ink absorption member 85.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium supported by a platen.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium based on an input signal is known. As such an image recording apparatus, for example, there is an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by an ink jet recording method.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, a recording head provided opposite to a platen that supports a recording medium ejects ink droplets toward the recording medium on the platen. Thereby, an image is recorded on the recording medium. (Patent Document 1).

  In the ink jet recording apparatus, it is desirable to keep the height of the upper surface of the platen constant. By maintaining the height of the upper surface of the platen constant, the distance between the recording medium supported on the upper surface of the platen and the recording head is maintained constant, and the image quality of the image recorded on the recording medium is improved. This is because it can be maintained.

  Conventionally, in order to keep the height of the upper surface of the platen constant, the platen is pressed against a roller or the like for transporting a recording medium provided in the transport path. The roller or the like is supported by a frame of the apparatus and maintains a stable height. For this reason, the platen pressed against the roller can also maintain a stable height. As a result, the image quality of the image recorded on the recording medium can be maintained satisfactorily.

JP 2003-103849 A

  An ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording images on both sides of a recording medium is also known. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, a conveyance path for double-sided printing is formed for conveying a recording medium image-recorded on the surface again to the upstream side of the recording head in the conveyance path.

  When the conveyance path for double-sided printing is formed on the lower side of the platen, it is conceivable that the lower surface of the platen constitutes an upper guide surface of the conveyance path for double-sided printing.

  When the lower surface of the platen constitutes the upper guide surface of the transport path for double-sided printing, it is desirable that the height of the lower surface of the platen is kept constant. If the height of the lower surface of the platen is not kept constant, the recording medium that is transported through the transport path for double-sided printing may be caught on the lower surface of the platen. is there.

  However, as described above, the platen is pressed against a roller or the like provided in the conveyance path in order to keep the height of the upper surface constant. Therefore, the lower surface of the platen is determined with reference to the upper surface. As a result, the lower surface of the platen may not be kept constant.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus in which a second conveyance path for double-sided printing is formed in addition to the first conveyance path. An object of the present invention is to provide a structure capable of accurately executing positioning of a platen with respect to both of two conveyance paths.

  (1) The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is disposed so as to face the recording head, the recording head for ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium guided along the first conveying path, and the first conveying path. The first guide member having a first guide surface that guides the recording medium to be guided, and the first guide member are disposed opposite to the recording head, and are disposed on the second conveyance path. Positioning for positioning the first guide member and the second guide member, a second guide member having a second guide surface for guiding the recording medium to be guided, an ink absorbing member capable of absorbing and elastically deforming ink A member. The first guide member and the second guide member are assembled so as to be slidable in opposite directions. The ink absorbing member is disposed between the first guide member and the second guide member, and is elastically deformed by the first guide member and the second guide member. The first guide member can be brought into contact with the positioning member, and has a first contact portion that urges the positioning member by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member. The second guide member can be brought into contact with the positioning member, and has a second contact portion that urges the positioning member by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member.

  The ink absorbing member is disposed in a compressed state between the first guide member and the second guide member. Thereby, the restoring force that the ink absorbing member tries to return to the original state acts on the first guide member and the second guide member. By the action of the restoring force, the first contact portion is pressed against the positioning member from the second guide member side. That is, the first guide member can be positioned. Further, due to the action of the restoring force, the second contact portion is pressed against the positioning member from the recording head side. That is, the second guide member can be positioned.

  (2) The inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention is disposed in the first conveyance path, conveys the recording medium by rotating, and has a large diameter portion whose peripheral surface comes into contact with the recording medium, and the large diameter And a roller having a small diameter portion having a smaller diameter than the portion. The roller is the positioning member. The first contact portion contacts at least one of the large diameter portion or the small diameter portion from the second guide member side. The second contact portion contacts the small diameter portion from the recording head side.

  When the first contact portion and the second contact portion are in contact with a small diameter portion having a diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are transported along the first transport path. No contact with the recording medium. Therefore, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are not only the end portion in the width direction of the roller (outside the area where the recording medium is transported in the width direction of the transport path), but also the center portion in the width direction of the roller. It can also be arranged (in the area where the recording medium is conveyed in the width direction of the conveyance path). As a result, the first guide member and the second guide member can be positioned more accurately.

  (3) The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is disposed on the downstream side of the recording head in the first transport path in the transport direction of the recording medium, and the recording medium on which ink droplets are ejected by the recording head Is further provided with a transport unit that transports the ink in the transport direction. The first transport path is connected to the second transport path on the downstream side in the transport direction from the transport unit. The conveyance unit is the positioning member.

  In this configuration, the transport unit is located downstream of the recording head in the transport direction. The first transport path is connected to the second transport path on the downstream side in the transport direction from the transport unit. Moreover, a conveyance part functions as a positioning member. As described above, the second contact portion is positioned in contact with the positioning member at a position close to the connection position of the second transport path with the first transport path. That is, the second guide member is accurately positioned at a position close to the connection position. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the recording medium transported from the first transport path to the second transport path is caught by the second guide member.

  (4) A landing surface on which ink droplets ejected from the recording head can land is formed on the first guide surface. The ink absorbing member is disposed closer to the positioning member than the landing surface in the direction along the first transport path. A first ink flow path that guides ink droplets ejected from the recording head to the ink absorbing member is formed on the landing surface.

  In this configuration, the ink absorbing member is disposed at a position close to the positioning member. Thereby, more restoring force of the ink absorbing member can be applied to the first contact portion and the second contact portion that are in contact with the positioning member.

  (5) The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention further includes a plurality of slits formed in the first guide member. The landing surface is formed between the plurality of slits. The first ink channel guides ink droplets ejected from the recording head to the slit. The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has a second ink channel formed on the back surface of the first guide surface and guiding the ink droplet guided to the slit by the first ink channel to the ink absorbing member. In addition.

  In this configuration, the ink absorbing member is disposed in pressure contact with the back surface of the first guide member. Therefore, in this configuration including the first ink flow path, the second ink flow path, and the slit, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head can be efficiently guided from the second ink flow path to the ink absorbing member.

  (6) At least one of the first contact portion or the second contact portion is formed in plural.

  According to this configuration, the positioning member is in contact with at least one of the first contact portion or the second contact portion at a plurality of locations. Thereby, the first guide member and the second guide member can be more accurately positioned by the positioning member.

  In the present invention, due to the restoring force of the ink absorbing member, the first force component in the direction from the second guide member to the first guide member acts on the first guide member, and the second guide member has the first force. The component of the 2nd force of the direction of the said 2nd guide member acts from 1 guide member. The first contact component is pressed against the positioning member from the second guide member side by the first force component, and the second contact portion is pressed from the recording head side to the positioning member by the second force component. Is done. Accordingly, the positioning of the first guide member and the second guide member, that is, the positioning of the platen with respect to both the first transport path and the second transport path can be executed with high accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the platen 42 disposed in the printer unit 11 and its periphery. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the platen 42. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the platen 42. FIG. 5A shows an exploded perspective view of the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72, and FIG. 5B shows the platen 42 as viewed obliquely from below. A perspective view is shown. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first guide member 71 as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the platen 42, (A) shows a plan view of the platen 42 with the first guide member 71 removed, and (B) shows a plan view of the platen 42. A plan view of the state where the first guide member 71 is not removed is shown. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which the inner guide member 19 is added to FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the platen 42. FIG. 9A shows a DD sectional view in FIG. 8, and FIG. 9B shows a CC sectional view in FIG. (C) shows an AA cross-sectional view in FIG. 7, and (D) shows a BB cross-sectional view in FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the recording unit 24, the platen 42, and a positioning member. FIG. 10A shows the configuration of FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B shows the configuration of the second modification. (C) shows the configuration of the third modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the advance from the start point to the end point in consideration of the arrow in the vector is expressed as the direction, and the traffic on the line connecting the start point and the end point in the vector without considering the arrow is expressed as the direction. In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed (the state in FIG. 1), and the side where the opening 13 is provided is the front side (front side). A direction 8 is defined, and a left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side (front).

[Multifunction machine 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, a multifunction machine 10 that is an example of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is formed in a generally thin rectangular parallelepiped, and is provided with a printer unit 11 at the bottom. The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The printer unit 11 has a housing 14 having an opening 13 formed in the front. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 can be inserted and removed from the opening 13 in the front-rear direction 8. A recording paper 12 having a desired size (an example of a recording medium according to the present invention) is placed on the paper feed tray 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a paper feed unit 15 that feeds the recording paper 12, an ink jet recording type recording unit 24 that records an image on the recording paper 12, and the like. The printer unit 11 records an image on the recording paper 12 based on print data received from an external device.

[Paper Feeder 15]
As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed unit 15 is provided on the upper side of the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed unit 15 includes a paper feed roller 25, a paper feed arm 26, and a drive transmission mechanism 27 in which a plurality of gears are engaged. The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed arm 26 rotates in the direction of an arrow 29 about a shaft 28 provided at the base end. Thereby, the paper feed roller 25 can be brought into contact with and separated from the paper feed tray 20. The sheet feeding roller 25 is rotated by a driving force transmitted from a sheet feeding motor (not shown) by a drive transmission mechanism 27. The paper feed roller 25 separates the recording paper 12 from the other recording paper 12 while being in contact with the uppermost recording paper 12 among the recording papers 12 stacked on the paper feed tray 20. It supplies to the curved path 66 demonstrated below.

[Conveyance path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording paper 12 is guided inside the printer unit 11 from the front end (rear end) of the paper feed tray 20 through the recording unit 24 to the paper discharge tray 21. A possible conveyance path 65 (an example of the first conveyance path of the present invention) is formed.

  The conveyance path 65 passes from the front end of the paper feed tray 20 to a first roller pair 58 to be described later, and to the paper discharge tray 21 via the first roller pair 58 and directly below the recording unit 24. It is divided into a straight path 67 formed in the middle.

  The curved path 66 is a curved path extending from the vicinity of the front end of the paper feed tray 20 to the first roller pair 58. The recording paper 12 travels along the curved path 66 in the transport direction (the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2) in the transport direction (the direction of the arrow attached to the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2 corresponds to the transport direction of the present invention). Curved and guided. The curved path 66 is continuous with the straight path 67 with the first roller pair 58 interposed therebetween. The recording paper 12 is guided to the straight path 67 through the curved path 66. The curved path 66 is partitioned by an inner guide member 19 and an outer guide member 18 that face each other with a predetermined interval.

  The straight path 67 is a linear path extending in the front-rear direction 8 from the downstream end of the curved path 66 in the conveyance direction, that is, from the first roller pair 58 to the discharge tray 21. The recording paper 12 is guided along the straight path 67 in the conveying direction. The recording paper 12 is ejected to the paper ejection tray 21 after an image is recorded by the recording unit 24. The straight path 67 is partitioned on the upper side by an upper guide member 52 and a recording unit 24 described later, and on the lower side by a first lower guide member 53 and a platen 42 described later. The upper guide member 52 and the recording unit 24, and the first lower guide member 53 and the platen 42 face each other with a predetermined interval.

  A branch position 36 exists downstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction. During double-sided image recording, the recording paper 12 conveyed through the conveyance path 65 is switched back downstream of the branch position 36 and conveyed toward a reverse conveyance path 68 described later.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is provided on the upper side of the straight path 67. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40 that is mounted with a recording head 38 (an example of the recording head of the present invention) and reciprocates in the main scanning direction, that is, the left-right direction 9 that is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  The carriage 40 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) attached to a frame (not shown) provided inside the printer unit 11. Specifically, the guide rails are arranged at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction of the recording paper 12, and the carriage 40 extends in the left-right direction 9 (main scanning direction) on the guide rail so as to straddle the guide rails. It is slidably provided.

  Ink is supplied to the recording head 38 mounted on the carriage 40 from an ink cartridge (not shown). A nozzle 39 is formed on the lower surface of the recording head 38. The recording head 38 ejects ink from the nozzles 39 as fine ink droplets (corresponding to the ink droplets of the present invention). The nozzle 39 ejects ink droplets toward the platen 42 provided below the straight path 67 and facing the recording unit 24 with a predetermined interval. The recording paper 12 conveyed in the conveying direction is supported by the upper surface of the platen 42.

  As described above, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 39 formed in the recording head 38 toward the recording paper 12 guided along the straight path 67 on the platen 42 while the carriage 40 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction. The As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper 12. The platen 42 will be described later.

[First roller pair 58 and second roller pair 59]
As shown in FIG. 2, the first conveyance roller 60 disposed on the upper side of the straight path 67 and the first conveyance on the lower side of the straight path 67 on the upstream side of the recording unit 24 in the straight path 67 in the conveyance direction. A first roller pair 58 including a pinch roller 61 disposed to face the roller 60 is provided. The pinch roller 61 is pressed against the roller surface of the first conveying roller 60 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

  On the downstream side of the recording path 24 in the straight path 67 in the transport direction, a second transport roller 62 disposed below the straight path 67 (which is an example of the transport section of the present invention and corresponds to the roller of the present invention). A second roller pair 59 including a spur 63 disposed opposite to the second conveying roller 62 is provided above the straight path 67. The spur 63 is pressed against the roller surface of the second transport roller 62 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second transport roller 62 includes a shaft 64 (an example of a small diameter portion of the present invention) and a roller portion 54 having a larger diameter than the shaft 64 (an example of a large diameter portion of the present invention). It consists of A plurality (eight in this embodiment) of the roller portions 54 are provided to be separated from each other in the left-right direction 9. A shaft 64 is inserted through each roller portion 54. When the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction by the second conveying roller 62, the peripheral surface of each roller portion 54 comes into contact with the recording paper 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first conveyance roller 60, the pinch roller 61, the second conveyance roller 62 (specifically, the shaft 64 of the second conveyance roller 62), and the spur 63 are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction 9. The multi-function device 10 is attached to the frame 78 so that it can rotate but does not move back and forth, right and left, up and down. That is, the positions of these rollers 60 to 62 and the spur 63 are fixed. Therefore, these rollers 60 to 62 and the spur 63 can be used as a positioning member of the present invention for positioning a platen 42 (specifically, the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72) which will be described later. In the present embodiment, the second transport roller 62 positions the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72.

  In this embodiment, the rollers 60 to 62 and the spur 63 do not move back and forth, right and left, and up and down, and the positions are fixed. However, the rollers 60 to 62 and the spur 63 may be movable. For example, when the multifunction machine 10 is configured such that a recording medium such as an optical disc having a thickness larger than that of the recording paper 12 can be conveyed along the straight path 67, at least one of the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. At least one of the second conveyance roller 62 and the spur 63 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction 7. By this movement, the first roller pair 58 and the second roller pair 59 are changed in posture to a posture capable of sandwiching the recording paper 12 and a posture capable of sandwiching a recording medium such as an optical disk. Even in the case where the rollers 60 to 62 and the spur 63 are movable, the rollers 60 to 62 and the spur 63 are swayed in the arrangement position by being pressed against the frame of the multifunction machine 10 or the like. It is prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the downstream side of the second roller pair 59 in the straight path 67 in the transport direction, the third transport roller 45 disposed on the lower side of the straight path 67 and the upper side of the straight path 67. A third roller pair 43 including a spur 44 disposed to face the third transport roller 45 is provided. The spur 44 is pressed against the roller surface of the third transport roller 45 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

  The first transport roller 60 and the second transport roller 62 are rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from a transport motor (not shown) via a drive transmission mechanism (not shown). The drive transmission mechanism is composed of a planetary gear or the like, and the first transport roller 60 and the second transport are used to transport the recording paper 12 in the transport direction regardless of whether the transport motor is rotated forward or reverse. The roller 62 is rotated in one rotation direction. As a result, the first roller pair 58 holds the recording paper 12 and conveys it onto the platen 42. The second roller pair 59 holds the recording paper 12 that has passed through the recording unit 24, that is, the recording paper 12 on which ink droplets have been ejected by the recording head 38, and is directed toward the third roller pair 43, that is, in the conveying direction. Transport to.

  The third transport roller 45 is driven to rotate in the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction by receiving a driving force in the forward / reverse rotation direction from the transport motor. For example, when single-sided recording is performed, the third transport roller 45 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. As a result, the recording paper 12 is sandwiched between the third transport roller 45 and the spur 44 and transported downstream, and is ejected to the paper ejection tray 21. On the other hand, when duplex recording is performed, the rotation direction of the third conveyance roller 45 is switched from the normal rotation direction to the reverse rotation direction with the third conveyance roller 45 and the spur 44 sandwiching the rear end portion of the recording paper 12. It is done. As a result, the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction, and is conveyed toward the reverse conveyance path 68 described later by the path switching unit 41 described below.

[Route switching unit 41]
As shown in FIG. 2, the path switching unit 41 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the second transport roller pair 59 and on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the branch position 36. The path switching unit 41 includes auxiliary rollers 47 and 48, a flap 49, and a support shaft 46.

  A support shaft 46 extending in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2 (left and right direction 9 in FIG. 1) is provided on the frame (not shown) of the printer unit 11. The flap 49 extends from the support shaft 46 to the downstream side in the conveying direction and is rotatably supported by the support shaft 46. Auxiliary rollers 47 and 48 are pivotally supported on the flap 49. Since the roller surfaces of the auxiliary rollers 47 and 48 are brought into contact with the image recording surface of the recording paper 12, they are formed in a spur shape like the spur 63 and the spur 44.

  The flap 49 is configured such that its posture can be changed, and a discharge posture (posture indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2) positioned above the lower guide member 83 and an extended end portion 49 </ b> A below the branch position 36. It rotates between a reverse posture (posture indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) entering the position.

  The flap 49 normally maintains the inverted posture by its own weight, but the posture is changed from the inverted posture to the discharge posture by being lifted by the recording paper 12 conveyed immediately below the recording unit 24. Thereafter, when the rear end of the recording paper 12 passes directly below the auxiliary roller 47, the flap 49 again changes its posture from the discharge posture to the reverse posture due to its own weight. Thereby, the rear end of the recording paper 12 faces the direction of the reverse conveyance path 68. In this state, when the third transport roller 45 is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the recording paper 12 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21. On the other hand, when the third transport roller 45 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction, the recording paper 12 is transported to the reverse transport path 68.

[Reverse conveying path 68]
As shown in FIG. 2, the reverse conveyance path 68 (an example of the second conveyance path of the present invention) is branched from the conveyance path 65 at the branch position 36, and below the recording unit 24 and above the paper feed arm 26. It extends so as to merge with the conveyance path 65 at a merge position 37 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction from the recording unit 24. That is, the reverse conveyance path 68 is connected to the straight path 67 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the second conveyance roller pair 59. The recording paper 12 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the two-dot chain line with an arrow in FIG.

  The upper side of the reverse conveyance path 68 is partitioned by the inner guide member 19 and a platen 42 described below. Further, the lower side of the reverse conveyance path 68 is partitioned by the second lower guide member 31. That is, the lower surfaces of the inner guide member 19 and the platen 42 and the second lower guide member 31 are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval through which the recording paper 12 can pass.

[Platen 42]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the platen 42 is disposed with its upper surface facing the lower surface of the recording head 38. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 7, the platen 42 has a generally flat plate shape. The platen 42 is arranged with the left-right direction 9 as a longitudinal direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the platen 42 includes a first guide member 71 (an example of the first guide member of the present invention) and a second guide member 72 (of the second guide member of the present invention). Example).

[First guide member 71]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the first guide member 71 has a generally flat plate shape.

  As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7B, and FIG. 8, the upper surface 73 (corresponding to the first guide surface of the present invention) of the first guide member 71 has an upper rib 90 and a slit 91 (the present invention). And a first ink flow path 92 (an example of the first ink flow path according to the present invention, see FIG. 4).

  The upper rib 90 protrudes upward from a position on the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 excluding the position where the slit 91 and the first ink flow path 92 are formed. Specifically, the upper rib 90 protrudes upward at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71.

  A plurality of upper ribs 90 are formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. Each upper rib 90 extends along the front-rear direction 8. The plurality of upper ribs 90 can support the recording paper 12 conveyed along the straight path 67 directly above the first guide member 71. That is, the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 guides the recording paper 12 conveyed along the straight path 67.

  A part of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 is opposed to a region where the nozzles 39 are disposed on the lower surface of the recording head 38. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B, the area includes a reference sign S <b> 1 in the front-rear direction 8 of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 and a reference sign in the left-right direction 9 of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71. This is an area surrounded by the range indicated by S2. That is, the area surrounded by the reference signs S1 and S2 is a landing surface (corresponding to the landing surface of the present invention) on which ink droplets ejected from the nozzles 39 of the recording head 38 can land.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of slits 91 extending along the front-rear direction 8 are provided on the landing surface. Each slit 91 is provided in the left-right direction 9 at a predetermined interval. That is, the landing surface is formed between the plurality of slits 91.

  A first ink channel 92 is formed between the slits 91 on the landing surface. The first ink flow path 92 extends along the left-right direction 9. The first ink channel 92 includes a channel inclined obliquely downward from one end to the other end and a channel inclined obliquely downward from the other end to one end. Are alternately provided along the front-rear direction 8. The ink ejected to the first ink channel 92 is guided to the slit 91 along the inclined first ink channel 92.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a second ink channel 93 (an example of the second ink channel of the present invention) is provided on the lower surface 74 of the first guide member 71 (corresponding to the back surface of the first guide surface of the present invention). Is formed. The second ink channel 93 includes a left and right ink channel 81 and a front and rear ink channel 82. The left and right ink flow paths 81 are grooves that extend in the left-right direction 9 from the edge portions of the left and right ends of each slit 91. The front and rear ink channels 82 have one end connected to the left and right ink channels 81 and the other end extended to a position 79 facing an ink absorbing member 85 (an example of the ink absorbing member of the present invention) described later.

  The ink discharged to the landing surface of the first guide member 71 flows in the left-right direction 9 along the first ink flow path 92 and reaches the slit 91. Next, the ink droplet passes through the slit 91 and reaches the lower surface 74 of the first guide member 71. Finally, the ink droplet flows along the second ink flow path 93 and is guided to the ink absorbing member 85. That is, the first ink flow path 92 that guides the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 to the ink absorbing member 85 is formed on the landing surface.

[First contact portion 120]
As shown in FIG. 4, a first contact portion 120 (an example of the first contact portion 120 of the present invention) is formed on the front side surface 101 of the first guide member 71. The first contact portion 120 is a protrusion that protrudes forward from the lower end portion of the front side surface 101. A plurality (six in this embodiment) of first contact portions 120 are formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. In the present embodiment, the position of the first contact portion 120 in the left-right direction 9 is a position facing the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62. Note that the number of the first contact portions 120 may be one instead of a plurality. Further, the number of the first contact portions 120 may be other than six, that is, five or less or seven or more.

[Second guide member 72]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the second guide member 72 has a generally flat plate shape.

  The second guide member 72 is disposed on the opposite side of the recording head 38 from the first guide member 71, that is, on the lower side of the first guide member 71 in this embodiment, facing the first guide member 71. Yes.

  The first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled so as to be slidable in opposite directions, that is, in the up-down direction 7. This will be described in detail below. On the rear side surface 102 of the first guide member 71, projections 110 are provided at four locations. On the other hand, an engaged portion 111 is provided on the rear side surface 103 of the second guide member 72 at the same position as the protrusion 110 in the left-right direction 9. Each engaged portion 111 is provided with a slit 112. When the first guide member 71 is assembled to the second guide member 72, each protrusion 110 of the first guide member 71 is inserted into each of the slits 112. Thereby, the 2nd guide member 72 can slide below with respect to the 1st guide member 71 with dead weight. However, the slide is stopped when the upper surface of the protrusion 110 comes into contact with the top surface of the slit 112 of the engaged portion 111.

  As shown in FIGS. 5B and 7A, a lower rib 94 is formed on the lower surface 76 of the second guide member 72 (corresponding to the second guide surface of the present invention). The lower rib 94 protrudes downward from the lower surface 76 of the second guide member 72. A plurality of lower ribs 94 are formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. Each lower rib 94 extends along the front-rear direction 8. The plurality of lower ribs 94 can guide the recording sheet 12 conveyed through the reverse conveying path 68 directly below the second guide member 72 from above.

  7A, in the present embodiment, the lower rib 94 extends to the vicinity of the front end of the upper surface of the second guide member 72 via the front end of the second guide member 72. Thereby, the second guide member 72 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the second guide member 72 in the vicinity of the front end of the upper surface of the second guide member 72. The lower rib 94 protruding upward can support the recording paper 12 conveyed along the straight path 67 in cooperation with the upper rib 90 as shown in FIG. 7B. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, a recess 84 extending in the left-right direction 9 from the vicinity of the right end to the vicinity of the left end is formed on the upper surface 75 of the second guide member 72. An ink absorbing member 85 described later is attached to the recess 84. In the front-rear direction 8, the recess 84 is disposed in front of the landing surface of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71, that is, on the second transport roller 62 side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B, the recess 84 is formed in the range indicated by the symbol S <b> 3 in the front-rear direction 8.

[Second contact portion 121]
As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface 75 of the second guide member 72 extends in the left-right direction 9 from the vicinity of the right end to the vicinity of the left end on the rear side of the front end of the second guide member 72 and on the front side of the recess 84 described above. Opening 86 is formed. In the present embodiment, the opening 86 is formed in the second guide member 72, but a recess may be formed instead of the opening 86.

  A second contact portion 121 (an example of the second contact portion of the present invention) is formed on the front side surface 87 of the side surfaces that define the opening 86 of the second guide member 72. The second contact portion 121 is a protrusion that protrudes rearward from the upper end portion of the front side surface 87. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) second contact portions 121 are formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. In the present embodiment, the second contact portion 121 is formed at a position different from the first contact portion 120 in the left-right direction 9, but is formed at the same position as the first contact portion 120. Also good. Further, the number of the second contact portions 121 may be one instead of a plurality. Further, the number of the first contact portions 120 may be other than four, that is, three or less or five or more.

[Ink absorbing member 85]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7A, an ink absorbing member 85 made of a porous material such as polyurethane foam is disposed in the concave portion 84 of the second guide member 72. The ink is absorbed by the ink absorbing member 85 when the ink enters the hole formed in the porous material. The ink absorbing member 85 can be elastically deformed.

  As described above, the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are arranged to face each other. Therefore, the first guide member 71 is assembled to the second guide member 72 so as to cover the ink absorbing member 85 disposed on the second guide member 72 from above. That is, the ink absorbing member 85 is disposed between the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72.

  Further, as described above, the other end of the front and rear ink flow paths 82 is extended to the position 79 facing the ink absorbing member 85. Thereby, when the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled to each other, the other end of the front and rear ink flow path 82 is communicated with the ink absorbing member 85.

  Further, as described above, the recess 84 is disposed in front of the landing surface of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 in the front-rear direction 8. That is, the ink absorbing member 85 attached to the recess 84 is also disposed in front of the landing surface of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 in the front-rear direction 8 (the direction along the straight path 67).

[Positioning of first guide member 71 and second guide member 72]
Hereinafter, the assembly of the first guide member 71, the second guide member 72, the ink absorbing member 85, and the second transport roller 62, and the positioning of the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 by the assembly will be described in detail. .

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7A, the ink absorbing member 85 is mounted in the concave portion 84 of the second guide member 72 in the assembly.

  Further, the second transport roller 62 is assembled to the second guide member 72. The second transport roller 62 is inserted into the opening 86. Both ends of the second transport roller 62 in the left-right direction 9 are rotatably attached to a frame 78 (see FIG. 3) located outside the second guide member 72 in the left-right direction 9. When the second transport roller 62 is inserted into the opening 86, the second contact portion 121 formed at the upper end portion of the front side surface 87 of the opening 86 is positioned above the second transport roller 62.

  Further, the first guide member 71 is assembled to the second guide member 72 so as to cover the second guide member 72 from above. The first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled by inserting the protrusion 110 of the first guide member 71 into the slit 112 of the engaged portion 111 of the second guide member 72. Here, the distance in the front-rear direction 8 from the protrusion 110 to the first contact portion 120 is the same as the distance in the front-rear direction 8 from the engaged portion 111 to the opening 86. Therefore, when the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled, the first contact portion 120 is in the same position as the opening 86 in the front-rear direction 8. Thereby, when the first guide member 71 is assembled to the second guide member 72, the first contact portion 120 is inserted into the opening 86. Further, as described above, the first contact portion 120 protrudes from the lower end portion of the front side surface 101 of the first guide member 71 to the front side. Therefore, the first contact portion 120 inserted into the opening 86 is positioned below the second conveying roller 62 inserted into the opening 86.

  Here, the length of the ink absorbing member 85 in the vertical direction 7 is such that the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled with each other from the bottom surface of the concave portion 84 of the second guide member 72 when the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled to each other. It is longer than the length to the lower surface 74 (see FIG. 6) of the member 71. That is, when the first guide member 71 is assembled so as to be covered by the second guide member 72, the lower surface 74 of the first guide member 71 presses the ink absorbing member 85. Accordingly, when the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled to each other, the ink absorbing member 85 is in a compressed state. That is, the ink absorbing member 85 is elastically deformed by being sandwiched between the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72. At this time, a restoring force for returning the ink absorbing member 85 to the original state is applied to the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72. Specifically, an upward force is applied to the first guide member 71 as indicated by an arrow 131 in FIG. 10A, and a downward force is applied as indicated by an arrow 132 in FIG. 10A. It acts on the second guide member 72.

  As described above, the first guide member 71, the second guide member 72, the ink absorbing member 85, and the second transport roller 62 are assembled to each other, so that FIGS. 9A, 9C, and 10A are performed. ), The first contact portion 120 is located below the second conveyance roller 62. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9B, 9D, and 10A, the second contact portion 121 is positioned above the second transport roller 62. That is, the second conveyance roller 62 is sandwiched between the first contact portion 120 and the second contact portion 121 in a side view.

  Further, when the first contact portion 120 is pushed by the upward force by the ink absorbing member 85, as indicated by an arrow 133 in FIG. 10A, from the second guide member 72 side, that is, from the lower side, The frame 78 (see FIG. 3) is pressed against the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62 whose position is fixed. Thereby, the first guide member 71 is positioned. As described above, the first contact portion 120 can contact the second transport roller 62 so that an upward force acts on the second transport roller 62 by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85. That is, the first contact portion 120 can contact the second transport roller 62 and urges the second transport roller 62 by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85.

  Further, the second abutting portion 121 is pressed by a downward force by the ink absorbing member 85, and as shown by an arrow 134 in FIG. 10A, the frame 78 (FIG. 3), the shaft is brought into pressure contact with the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62 whose position is fixed. Thereby, the second guide member 72 is positioned. As described above, the second contact portion 121 can contact the second transport roller 62 so that a downward force acts on the second transport roller 62 by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85. In other words, the second contact portion 120 can contact the second transport roller 62 and biases the second transport roller 62 by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85.

  In the present embodiment, when the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled without interposing the ink absorbing member 85 therebetween, the second contact portion 121 is caused by the weight of the second guide member 72. It is in contact with the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62. On the other hand, there is a gap between the first contact portion 120 and the shaft 64. In this case, when the ink absorbing member 85 is sandwiched between the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72, the second contact portion 121 that is in contact with the shaft 64 is biased by the ink absorbing member 85. As a result, the shaft 64 is urged downward. On the other hand, the first abutting portion 120 abuts on the shaft 64 only when urged by the ink absorbing member 85 and urges the shaft 64 upward. Accordingly, as described above, the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are positioned.

  However, when the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are assembled without sandwiching the ink absorbing member 85, the first guide member 71 and the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62 are not disposed between the ink absorbing member 85. There may be no interval. That is, the first contact portion 120 may be in contact with the shaft 64. In this case, when the ink absorbing member 85 is sandwiched between the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72, the second contact portion 121 that is in contact with the shaft 64 is biased by the ink absorbing member 85. As a result, the shaft 64 is urged downward. Similarly, the first contact portion 120 in contact with the shaft 64 biases the shaft 64 upward by being biased by the ink absorbing member 85. Accordingly, as described above, the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 are positioned.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the above-described embodiment, the ink absorbing member 85 is disposed in a compressed state between the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72. As a result, a restoring force for returning the ink absorbing member 85 to the original state acts on the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72. By the action of the restoring force, the first contact portion 120 is pressed against the second transport roller 62 from below. That is, the first guide member 71 can be positioned. Further, due to the action of the restoring force, the second contact portion 121 is pressed against the second transport roller 62 from above. That is, the second guide member 72 can be positioned. As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the positioning of the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72, that is, the positioning of the platen 42 with respect to both the transport path 65 and the reverse transport path 68 can be executed with high accuracy.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the first contact portion 120 and the second contact portion 121 are in contact with the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62 having a smaller diameter than the roller portion 54 of the second transport roller 62. In this case, the first contact portion 120 and the second contact portion 121 are not in contact with the recording paper 12 conveyed through the conveyance path 65. Therefore, the first contact portion 120 and the second contact portion 121 are only at the end portion in the left-right direction 9 of the second transport roller 62 (outside the area where the recording paper 12 is transported in the left-right direction 9 of the transport path 65). Alternatively, it can be arranged at the center of the second transport roller 62 in the left-right direction 9 (in the region where the recording paper 12 is transported in the left-right direction 9 of the transport path 65). As a result, the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 can be positioned more accurately.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the second conveyance roller 62 is located downstream of the recording head 38 in the conveyance direction. The conveyance path 65 is connected to the reverse conveyance path 68 on the downstream side of the second conveyance roller 62 in the conveyance direction. Further, the second transport roller 62 functions as a positioning member. As described above, the second contact portion 121 of the second guide member 72 is positioned in contact with the second transport roller 62 at a position close to the branch position 36 of the reverse transport path 68 with respect to the transport path 65. That is, the second guide member 72 is accurately positioned at a position close to the branch position 36. As a result, the possibility that the recording paper 12 conveyed from the conveyance path 65 to the reverse conveyance path 68 is caught by the second guide member 72 can be reduced.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the ink absorbing member 85 is disposed at a position close to the second transport roller 62. Accordingly, the restoring force of the ink absorbing member 85 can be applied more to the first contact portion 120 and the second contact portion 121 that are in contact with the second transport roller 62.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the ink absorbing member 85 is disposed in a state of being pressed against the lower surface 74 of the first guide member 71. Therefore, in the present configuration including the first ink channel 92, the second ink channel 93, and the slit 91, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 are efficiently transferred from the second ink channel 93 to the ink absorbing member 85. Can be guided.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the second conveyance roller 62 is in contact with the first contact portion 120 and the second contact portion 121 at a plurality of locations. Accordingly, the first guide member 71 and the second guide member 72 can be positioned more accurately by the second transport roller 62.

[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the second transport roller 62 functions as the positioning member of the present invention, but the positioning member of the present invention may not be the second transport roller 62.

  For example, the first conveying roller 60 may be used as the positioning member of the present invention. In this case, unlike the above-described embodiment, the positions of the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 are reversed in the vertical direction 7. That is, the pinch roller 61 is disposed on the upper side of the straight path 67, and the first transport roller 60 is disposed on the lower side of the straight path 67.

  The first conveying roller 60 positioned upstream of the recording head 38 in the conveying direction functions as a positioning member of the present invention, so that the first guide member 71 is positioned upstream of the conveying direction, that is, after the multifunction machine 10. On the side, the position is more stable. Thereby, the possibility that the recording paper 12 conveyed from the curved path 66 is caught by the first guide member 71 can be reduced.

[Modification 2]
The positioning member of the present invention is not limited to a roller, and may be a frame of the multifunction machine 10, for example. Further, the position of the positioning member of the present invention is not limited to the position shown in the above embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 10B, a frame 77 disposed above the recording unit 24 may function as the positioning member of the present invention. In this case as well, as in the above-described embodiment, the first contact portion 120 is pressed against the frame 77 so as to push the frame 77, which is a positioning member, upward (arrow 135 in FIG. 10B). The two contact portions 121 are pressed against the frame 77 so as to push the frame 77 downward (arrow 136 in FIG. 10B).

[Modification 3]
The direction in which the first contact portion 120 pushes the positioning member is not limited to the upward direction as long as the force component in the direction from the second guide member 72 to the first guide member 71 acts on the positioning member. Further, the direction in which the second contact portion 121 pushes the positioning member is not limited to the downward direction as long as the force component in the direction from the first guide member 71 to the second guide member 72 acts on the positioning member. In the following example, the positioning member is described as the second transport roller 62.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10C, the first contact portion 120 may be the front side surface 101 of the first guide member 71, and the front side surface 101 may be an inclined surface. In this case, the first contact portion 120 pushes the second transport roller 62 diagonally forward and upward by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85. That is, a forward diagonal upward force F1 is generated. In FIG. 10C, an arrow indicating a force is displayed long for convenience of explanation. Here, the force F1 can be decomposed into a forward force component F2 and an upward force component F3. That is, even in the case of this example, the first contact portion 120 causes the second conveyance so that the upward force component F3 acts on the second conveyance roller 62 by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85. It abuts against the roller 62.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10C, the second contact portion 121 is a front side surface 87 of the side surfaces defining the opening 86 of the second guide member 72, and the front side surface 87 is an inclined surface. Also good. In this case, the second contact portion 121 pushes the second transport roller 62 backward and obliquely downward by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85. That is, a rearward and downward force F4 is generated. Here, the force F4 can be decomposed into a backward force component F5 and a downward force component F6. That is, even in the case of this example, the second contact portion 121 causes the second conveying portion 62 so that the downward force component F6 acts on the second conveying roller 62 by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member 85. It abuts against the roller 62.

[Modification 4]
In the above-described embodiment, the position of the first contact portion 120 in the left-right direction 9 is a position facing the shaft 64 of the second transport roller 62, but the position of the first contact portion 120 in the left-right direction 9 is The position may be opposite to the roller portion 54 of the second conveying roller 62. In this case, the first contact portion 120 is in contact with the roller portion 54 of the second transport roller 62 from the second guide member 72 side, that is, from the lower side.

[Modification 5]
In the above-described embodiment, the ink absorbing member 85 is disposed in front of the landing surface of the upper surface 73 of the first guide member 71 in the front-rear direction 8, but the arrangement position of the ink absorbing member 85 in the front-rear direction 8. Is not limited to the front side of the landing surface.

  For example, the ink absorbing member 85 may be disposed in the front-rear direction 8 directly below the landing surface or on the rear side of the landing surface. The ink absorbing member 85 may be disposed over the entire area of the upper surface 75 of the second guide member 72 that faces the landing surface of the second guide member 72. The ink absorbing member 85 may be disposed over the entire upper surface 75 of the second guide member 72.

[Modification 6]
In the above-described embodiment and Modifications 1 to 5, the positioning member of the present invention is configured by a single member (such as the second conveyance roller 62 and the frame 77). However, the positioning member of the present invention may be composed of a plurality of members. For example, in the second modification, two members of the first frame and the second frame which are different members may be arranged instead of the frame 77. In this case, the first contact portion 120 is pressed against the first frame so as to push the first frame, which is a positioning member, upward, and the second contact portion 121 is pressed downward, the second frame being a positioning member. It is pressed against the second frame.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 12 ... Recording paper 38 ... Recording head 62 ... 2nd conveyance roller 65 ... Conveyance path 67 ... Reverse conveyance path 71 ... 1st guide member 72 ... Second guide member 85 ... ink absorbing member 120 ... first contact portion 121 ... second contact portion

Claims (6)

A recording head for ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium guided along the first conveyance path;
A first guide member that is disposed to face the recording head and has a first guide surface that guides a recording medium guided along the first conveyance path;
A second guide member having a second guide surface that is disposed opposite to the recording head on the opposite side to the recording head and has a second guide surface that guides a recording medium guided along a second conveyance path;
An ink absorbing member that absorbs ink and is elastically deformable;
A positioning member for positioning the first guide member and the second guide member,
The first guide member and the second guide member are assembled so as to be slidable in opposite directions,
The ink absorbing member is disposed between the first guide member and the second guide member, and is elastically deformed by the first guide member and the second guide member.
The first guide member has a first contact portion that can contact the positioning member and biases the positioning member by the elastic force of the ink absorbing member;
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide member is abuttable against the positioning member and has a second abutting portion that urges the positioning member by an elastic force of the ink absorbing member. A roller that is arranged in the first conveyance path, conveys the recording medium by rotating, and has a large diameter portion whose peripheral surface is in contact with the recording medium, and a small diameter portion whose diameter is smaller than the large diameter portion. Further comprising
The roller is the positioning member;
The first contact portion is in contact with at least one of the large diameter portion or the small diameter portion from the second guide member side,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second contact portion is in contact with the small diameter portion from the recording head side. A transport unit that is disposed downstream of the recording head in the first transport path in the transport direction of the recording medium, and further transports the recording medium ejected with ink droplets by the recording head in the transport direction. Prepared,
The first transport path is connected to the second transport path on the downstream side in the transport direction from the transport unit,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit is the positioning member. The first guide surface is formed with a landing surface on which ink droplets discharged from the recording head can land,
The ink absorbing member is disposed closer to the positioning member than the landing surface in the direction along the first conveyance path,
4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first ink flow path for guiding ink droplets ejected from the recording head to the ink absorbing member is formed on the landing surface. 5. A plurality of slits formed in the first guide member;
The landing surface is formed between the plurality of slits,
The first ink flow path guides ink droplets ejected from the recording head to the slit,
5. The second ink channel according to claim 4, further comprising a second ink channel formed on a back surface of the first guide surface and guiding the ink droplet guided to the slit by the first ink channel to the ink absorbing member. Inkjet recording device.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of at least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion is formed.

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