JP2013052610A - Liquid jetting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting device capable of precisely setting a reference position of a moving body in a scanning direction.SOLUTION: This inkjet printer includes: a carriage 18; a body frame supporting the carriage 18 movably in a scanning direction; a recording head supported by the carriage 18 and capable of jetting ink from a nozzle to a sheet; a cam member adjusting a height position of the carriage 18 to adjust the distance between the sheet and the recording head; a cap member capable of abutting the recording head so as to surround the nozzle by being engaged with the carriage 18 associated with the movement of the carriage 18; and first and second abutment members 65 and 66 which are provided at the body frame and against which the carriage 18 abuts in the scanning direction when the carriage 18 is moved in a direction so as to be engaged with the cap member, in order to set the origin point of the carriage 18 in the scanning direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer.

  In general, an ink jet printer is widely known as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a target. In this ink jet printer, printing is performed by ejecting ink (liquid) toward a printing paper (target) from nozzles of a liquid ejecting head supported by a carriage (moving body) reciprocally moved in the scanning direction.

  In such a printer, so-called capping is performed in which the cap member is brought into contact with the liquid ejecting head so as to surround the nozzle so that the ink in the nozzle is not dried and printing defects do not occur when printing is stopped or not used. The distance between the liquid ejecting head and the printing paper is adjusted by adjusting the height position of the carriage according to the thickness of the printing paper.

  As described above, as a printer having a cap and capable of adjusting the distance between the liquid ejecting head and the printing paper, the one shown in Patent Document 1 is conventionally known. In the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, a carriage is supported by a shaft so as to be reciprocally movable, and an eccentric cam is used to move the shaft up and down to adjust the height position of the carriage. ) And the printing paper.

  Furthermore, in this printer, capping is performed by raising the cap by engaging the carriage with the rib of the cap holder that holds the cap as the carriage moves through the drive belt driven by the carriage motor.

  Among the printers described above, a guide plate is fixed in the printer of Patent Document 1 so as to extend in the scanning direction instead of the shaft, and the carriage is reciprocated in the scanning direction on the guide plate. Some are also available. In the case of such a printer, in order to be able to change the height position of the carriage so as to adjust the distance between the liquid ejecting head and the printing paper, the carriage itself is usually in the vertical direction perpendicular to the scanning direction on the guide plate. Configured to be movable.

JP 11-34347 A

  However, with this configuration, when capping is performed, a driving force of the carriage motor via the driving belt or a reaction force from the rib of the cap holder acts on the carriage, so that a rotational force acts on the carriage. For this reason, the carriage is inclined by this rotational force. Therefore, when trying to set the carriage reference position in the scanning direction in the capped state, there is a problem that the reference position cannot be set accurately due to the inclination of the carriage.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can accurately set the reference position of the moving body in the scanning direction.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a moving body, a support member that supports the moving body so as to be movable in a scanning direction, supported by the moving body, and from a nozzle to a target. A liquid ejecting head capable of ejecting liquid, a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting a position of the moving body to adjust a distance between the target and the liquid ejecting head, and the moving body accompanying the movement of the moving body A cap member configured to be able to contact the liquid ejecting head in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction so as to surround the nozzle by engagement, and the movable body provided in the support member and disposed in the scanning direction A plurality of reference abutting portions with which the movable body abuts in the scanning direction when the movable body is moved in a direction to engage with the cap member to set a reference position of The moving body has a moving force applying portion to which a moving force for moving in the scanning direction is applied, and each reference abutting portion has at least the moving force applying portion in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. One on each side.

  According to this invention, since the posture of the moving body at the reference position is stabilized by bringing the moving body into contact with the plurality of reference contact portions, the reference position of the moving body in the scanning direction can be accurately set. It becomes possible. In addition, the posture of the moving body at the position where the reference position is set is further stabilized by bringing the moving body into contact with the reference abutting portions arranged one by one on both sides of the moving force applying portion. The reference position of the moving body in the scanning direction can be set with higher accuracy.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, at least one of the reference contact portions is formed integrally with the support member.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of parts as compared with the case where all of the reference contact portions are formed separately from the support member.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, at least one of the reference contact portions is configured separately from the support member.
According to this invention, it becomes possible to attach what was comprised separately from the support member among each reference | standard contact part so that position adjustment is possible with respect to a support member.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, each of the reference contact portions may be configured by a plate material, and the moving body may be in contact with an end surface of each of the plate materials.
According to the present invention, by causing the moving body to abut against the end face of each plate material, each plate material is unlikely to be bent by an impact caused by the contact of the moving body. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the durability of each reference contact portion with respect to the contact of the moving body.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. The schematic cross section which shows the back of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the carriage of the printer. The principal part expansion schematic diagram of the carriage. The perspective view of the maintenance unit of the printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing a state when the carriage is at a head facing position. The front schematic diagram which shows a state when the carriage exists in a capping position. The perspective view of the carriage. The principal part expansion perspective view of the main body frame of the printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the printer. The front schematic diagram which shows the force which acts on a carriage when the carriage moves to a capping position. The principal part expansion perspective view of the main body frame in the example of a change. The principal part expansion perspective view of the main body frame in the example of a change. The principal part expansion perspective view of the main body frame in the example of a change.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention is embodied in an ink jet printer will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, when referring to “front-rear direction”, “left-right direction”, and “up-down direction”, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction indicated by arrows in the drawings are respectively shown. In addition, in the arrows indicating the upward, rightward and forward directions in the drawings, those marked with “•” in “○” (viewed from the front of the arrow) are displayed from the back of the page. It means an arrow heading, and “X” in “○” (a view of the arrow blades from the back) means an arrow heading from the front to the back of the page.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink jet printer 11 as a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a main body frame 12 as a support member made of a sheet metal while forming a substantially rectangular box shape. A support base 13 is provided in the main body frame 12 so as to extend in the left-right direction as the scanning direction.

  Below the support base 13 in the main body frame 12, a paper cassette 14 in which sheets P as targets are accommodated in a stacked state is detachably mounted from an opening 15 provided in the front center portion of the main body frame 12. ing. The paper P in the paper cassette 14 is fed from the rear side onto the support table 13 while being reversed one by one by a paper feeding mechanism (not shown).

  A main guide member 16 extending in the left-right direction is installed above the support base 13 in the main body frame 12. The main guide member 16 includes a strip-shaped main guide portion 16a extending in parallel with a horizontal plane, and an auxiliary guide portion 16b formed by bending a front end edge of the main guide portion 16a at a right angle upward.

  Above the main guide member 16 in the main body frame 12, an L-shaped sub guide member 17 extending in the left-right direction is provided. The sub guide member 17 includes a horizontal belt-like horizontal portion 17a and a sub guide portion 17b formed by bending the front half of the horizontal portion 17a at a right angle downward. The main guide member 16 and the sub guide member 17 are cantilevered on the rear end side so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the carriage 18 includes a support portion 20 having a substantially rectangular box shape that supports a recording head 19 as a liquid ejecting head that can eject ink as liquid from a plurality of nozzles 24. And a supported portion 21 that is integrally formed on the rear side of the support portion 20 and supported by the main guide member 16 and the sub guide member 17.

  A concave groove 22 through which the auxiliary guide portion 16b is inserted is formed at the front end portion of the lower surface of the supported portion 21. Therefore, the auxiliary guide portion 16b regulates the movement of the carriage 18 in the front-rear direction and allows the carriage 18 to move in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

  On the other hand, an auxiliary sliding contact portion 23 is formed on the front surface of the upper end portion of the supported portion 21 so as to be in sliding contact with the rear surface of the sub guide portion 17 b by the weight of the carriage 18. Therefore, the sub guide portion 17b regulates the forward movement of the carriage 18 and allows the carriage 18 to move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Therefore, the carriage 18 can be reciprocated in the left-right direction while being guided by the main guide member 16 and the sub guide member 17.

  A part of the carriage 18 is connected to an endless timing belt 27 that is hung between a driving pulley 25 and a driven pulley 26 that are respectively provided on both left and right ends of the inner wall of the rear wall of the main body frame 12. An output shaft of a carriage motor 28 provided on the main body frame 12 is connected to the drive pulley 25. Therefore, the carriage 18 is reciprocated in the left-right direction along the main guide member 16 and the sub guide member 17 by driving the carriage motor 28.

  In this case, the portion of the carriage 18 to which the timing belt 27 is connected is a moving force applying portion 61 because the driving force of the carriage motor 28 is applied as the moving force of the carriage 18 in the scanning direction. The moving force applying unit 61 is located slightly below the central portion of the rear surface of the supported portion 21 of the carriage 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end of the recording head 19 is exposed on the lower surface side of the carriage 18 facing the support base 13. On the other hand, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of valve units 30 for supplying temporarily stored ink to the recording head 19 are mounted on the carriage 18.

  In the lower surface of the recording head 19, a plurality of nozzles 24 that respectively constitute a plurality (four in this embodiment) of nozzle rows are opened. Then, printing is performed by ejecting ink onto the paper P fed onto the support base 13 from the opening of each nozzle 24 constituting each nozzle row. Note that an area in which printing can be performed on the maximum width paper P on the support 13 by the recording head 19 is a printing area PA.

  A cartridge holder 31 is provided at the left end in the main body frame 12. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) ink cartridges 32 containing inks of different colors are detachably mounted on the cartridge holder 31. The cartridge holder 31 is connected to each valve unit 30 on the carriage 18 via an ink supply tube 33.

  In a state where each ink cartridge 32 is mounted in the cartridge holder 31, each ink cartridge 32 communicates with each valve unit 30 via each ink supply tube 33.

  2 to 4, the supported portion 21 of the carriage 18 is slidably supported on the main guide portion 16a of the main guide member 16 via a slide member 34 extending in the left-right direction. Therefore, the upper surface of the main guide portion 16 a is a sliding surface 35. The slide member 34 includes a pair of left and right slidable contact portions 36 that protrude downward and slidably contact the slide surface 35. In other words, the sliding contact portions 36 are parallel to each other at intervals along the left-right direction.

  On the upper surface of each slidable contact portion 36, a convex portion 37 protruding upward is provided. A cam member 38 as a position adjusting mechanism extending in the left-right direction is placed on each convex portion 37 so as to bridge between the respective convex portions 37. The upper surface 38 a of the cam member 38 is a horizontal plane, and a pair of left and right cam portions 39 are formed on the lower surface of the cam member 38. Each cam portion 39 is in sliding contact with each convex portion 37.

  Each cam portion 39 includes four horizontal cam surfaces 39a to 39d arranged in parallel so that the height from the sliding surface 35 gradually decreases from the left side to the right side. The cam surfaces 39a to 39d are a first cam surface 39a, a second cam surface 39b, a third cam surface 39c, and a fourth cam surface 39d in order from the left side to the right side. The first cam surface 39a and the second cam surface 39b, the second cam surface 39b and the third cam surface 39c, and the third cam surface 39c and the fourth cam surface 39d are connected via gentle slopes.

  A pair of left and right leg portions 40 projecting from the lower surface of the supported portion 21 of the carriage 18 are in contact with the convex portions 37 across the cam member 38 on the upper surface 38a of the cam member 38, respectively. . The cam member 38 is slidable in the left-right direction with respect to the convex portions 37 and the leg portions 40. The cam member 38 adjusts the height position of the carriage 18 by sliding in the left-right direction and changing the contact position of each convex portion 37 with respect to each cam portion 39.

  An engagement pin 41 that protrudes rearward is provided at the left end of the rear surface of the cam member 38. A cam moving plate 42 that can be engaged with the engaging pin 41 in the left-right direction when the carriage 18 moves in the left-right direction is provided at a position behind the main guide member 16 at the left end in the main body frame 12. Yes. The cam moving plate 42 is rotated by a rotation mechanism 43 between an engagement position where the carriage 18 is moved in the left-right direction and an engagement position where the carriage 18 is engaged with the engagement pin 41 and a non-engagement position where the carriage 18 is not engaged. It is configured as follows.

  Then, in a state where the cam moving plate 42 is rotated to the engaging position, the carriage 18 is moved to the left and the engaging pin 41 is engaged with the cam moving plate 42 from the right side. 38 slides to the right by the moving force of the carriage 18. On the other hand, with the cam moving plate 42 rotated to the engaging position, the carriage 18 is moved to the right, and the engaging pin 41 is engaged with the cam moving plate 42 from the left side. 38 slides to the left by the moving force of the carriage 18.

  Here, for example, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 4, each convex portion 37 of the slide member 34 corresponds to each first cam surface 39 a positioned at the highest position among the cam surfaces 39 a to 39 d of the cam member 38. If they are in contact, the carriage 18 is in the lowest position.

  From this state, for example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the cam member 38 is moved to the left, and each convex portion 37 of the slide member 34 is the most among the cam surfaces 39 a to 39 d of the cam member 38. When a state is brought into contact with each fourth cam surface 39d positioned at a low position, the position of the carriage 18 is at the highest position.

  That is, the carriage 18 moves in the vertical direction following the vertical movement of the cam member 38 as the cam member 38 moves in the horizontal direction, so that the height position thereof is adjusted. In this case, since the recording head 19 is supported on the carriage 18, the distance between the recording head 19 and the support base 13, that is, the paper P on the recording head 19 and the support base 13 is adjusted by adjusting the height position of the carriage 18. The distance to is adjusted.

  When the convex portions 37 of the slide member 34 are in contact with the first cam surfaces 39a of the cam member 38, respectively, and the convex portions 37 of the slide member 34 respectively contact the second cam surfaces 39b of the cam member 38. The distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P when in contact is the first distance.

  On the other hand, when each convex portion 37 of the slide member 34 is in contact with each third cam surface 39c of the cam member 38, and each convex portion 37 of the slide member 34 contacts each fourth cam surface 39d of the cam member 38. The distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P when in contact with each other is a second distance longer than the first distance. The distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P is set more frequently at the first distance than at the second distance.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a maintenance unit 50 for performing maintenance such as cleaning of the recording head 19 and flushing is disposed in the maintenance area MA located at the right end in the main body frame 12.

  The maintenance unit 50 includes a bottomed square box-like case 51 and a cap member 52 that is disposed at substantially the center of the case 51 and rises as the carriage 18 moves to the maintenance area MA. . The cap member 52 comes into contact with the recording head 19 with a biasing force from below in the vertical direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the scanning direction (horizontal direction) so as to surround each nozzle 24 in the maintenance area MA. A square box-shaped cap 57 and a substantially box-shaped cap holding member 55 for holding the cap 57 via an elastic member (not shown) are provided.

  The maintenance unit 50 includes a tube pump 53 for sucking the cap 57 through a flexible tube (not shown), and a pump motor 54 serving as a drive source for the tube pump 53.

  Two through grooves 56 are formed in the front wall 51a of the case 51 at intervals in the left-right direction. Of the two through grooves 56, the left one is disposed at a lower position than the right one. Further, the rear wall 51b of the case 51 is also formed with two through grooves 56 formed in the front wall 51a and two through grooves 56 at positions corresponding to the front-rear direction. Accordingly, a total of four through grooves 56 are formed in the case 51.

  Each through groove 56 includes a lower flat portion 56a that extends straight horizontally from left to right, a slope portion 56b that extends straight from the right end of the lower flat portion 56a to the upper right, and the slope portion 56b. And an upper flat portion 56c extending horizontally horizontally from the right end to the right. In each through groove 56, the lower flat portion 56a, the slope portion 56b, and the upper flat portion 56c communicate with each other.

  The cap holding member 55 is provided with a total of four support bars 58 extending in the front-rear direction so as to be inserted into the respective through grooves 56, corresponding to the respective through grooves 56. Each support rod 58 inserted into the through groove 56 is slidable within the through groove 56. At the right end of the cap holding member 55, a substantially rectangular engagement plate 55a that engages with the right surface of the carriage 18 when the carriage 18 moves from the printing area PA to the maintenance area MA from the left to the right. Is erected.

  Further, the cap holding member 55 is always urged to the left by the tension coil spring 59 (see FIG. 6), and in a printing state where the carriage 18 is not positioned in the maintenance area MA, the urging force of the tension coil spring 59 is used. Each support bar 58 is positioned at the leftmost lower flat portion 56 a in each through groove 56. That is, when the carriage 18 is positioned in the printing area PA, the cap holding member 55 (cap member 52) is in a lowered state.

  When the carriage 18 moves from the left to the right from the printing area PA toward the maintenance area MA, the right surface of the carriage 18 engages with the engagement plate 55a of the cap holding member 55. 55 is moved to the right together with the carriage 18.

  That is, the cap holding member 55 (cap member 52) contacts the right surface of the carriage 18 and moves from the left to the right against the urging force of the tension coil spring 59, whereby each support bar 58 is moved to each through groove. Ascending by moving from the lower flat portion 56a to the upper flat portion 56c through the inclined surface portion 56b by sliding from the left to the right in the inside 56, respectively.

  That is, the cap holding member 55 (cap member 52) is lifted by using the moving force of the carriage 18 as the carriage 18 moves while pressing the engagement plate 55a from left to right in the maintenance area MA. .

  At this time, as the cap holding member 55 rises, the cap 57 gradually rises so as to approach the recording head 19. Then, when each support bar 58 reaches the upper flat portion 56c of each through groove 56, each cap 57 moves from the lower side in the up-down direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction (scanning direction), to each nozzle. 24 so as to surround 24. That is, the recording head 19 is capped by the cap 57.

  In addition, since the urging | biasing force received from the tension | pulling coil spring 59 becomes large, so that the carriage 18 moves to the right side after engaging with the engagement board 55a of the cap holding member 55, the load required for movement will increase as it moves to the right side. growing.

  Further, when the tube pump 53 is driven in a state where the cap 57 is in contact with the recording head 19 so as to surround each nozzle 24 (the state shown in FIG. 7), the cap 57 is interposed via a flexible tube (not shown). And a space surrounded by the recording head 19 are sucked, and negative pressure is generated in the space. By this negative pressure, so-called cleaning is performed in which the thickened ink in the recording head 19 is discharged from each nozzle 24 into the waste liquid tank (not shown) through the flexible tube (not shown) together with bubbles and the like. Is called.

  Further, the carriage 18 when the recording head 19 faces the cap 57 in the vertical direction in a state where the cap member 52 is lowered (a state where each support bar 58 is positioned in the lower flat portion 56a in each through groove 56). Is the head facing position. The carriage 18 is moved from the print area PA to the head facing position when performing flushing for forcibly ejecting ink from the recording head 19 into the cap 57 during printing.

  That is, flushing during printing is performed in a state where the carriage 18 is moved to the head facing position (the state shown in FIG. 6). On the other hand, the position of the carriage 18 when the cap member 52 is raised (when each support bar 58 is positioned on the upper flat portion 56 c in each through groove 56), that is, when the recording head 19 is capped with the cap 57. The position of the carriage 18 is a capping position.

  As shown in FIG. 8, at the upper end of the rear surface of the supported portion 21 of the carriage 18, a flat plate-like protruding portion 62 is provided so as to protrude straight and horizontally toward the rear. The right surface of the protruding portion 62 is a first contact portion 63.

  In addition, a second contact portion 64 configured by a surface perpendicular to a straight line extending in the left-right direction is provided on the lower right side of the moving force applying portion 61 on the rear surface of the supported portion 21 of the carriage 18. Accordingly, the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 are parallel to each other and are positioned so as to sandwich the moving force applying portion 61 in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the carriage 18 is moved to the right side of the capping position along the right direction that is the direction in which the carriage 18 is engaged with the cap member 52, the first contact portion is provided on the main body frame 12. A first abutting portion 65 and a second abutting portion 66 are formed as reference abutting portions on which 63 and the second contacting portion 64 abut.

  The position of the carriage 18 when the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 are in contact with the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66, respectively, serves as a reference position in the left-right direction (scanning direction). Set as the origin of Thereby, the position of the carriage 18 is grasped by detecting the amount of movement of the carriage 18 from the origin.

  Note that the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 respectively have a first contact portion 65 regardless of whether the distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P is the first distance or the second distance. And it is comprised so that contact | abutting to the 2nd contact part 66 is possible. That is, the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 are always in contact with the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66, respectively, regardless of the distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P. Abutment is possible.

  The first contact portion 65 is formed by subjecting a part of the main body frame 12 to a so-called cutting and raising bending process. Therefore, the first contact portion 65 is made of sheet metal (plate material) and is formed integrally with the main body frame 12. The first contact portion 65 is L-shaped when viewed from the right side, and the bent portion extends in the left-right direction. Accordingly, the first contact portion 63 of the carriage 18 contacts the end surface (cut surface) of the first contact portion 65.

  The second contact portion 66 is formed by bending a part of the main body frame 12. Therefore, the second contact portion 66 is made of sheet metal (plate material) and is formed integrally with the main body frame 12. Further, the bent portion of the second contact portion 66 extends in the left-right direction. Accordingly, the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 contacts the end surface (cut surface) of the second contact portion 66.

  The first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66 are arranged at positions where the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 contact the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66, respectively. Is moved on both sides of the moving force applying portion 61 in the vertical direction.

Next, the electrical configuration of the ink jet printer 11 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the ink jet printer 11 includes a memory card to which a control unit 70 that comprehensively controls the operating state of the ink jet printer 11 and a memory card (not shown) in which image data is stored are connected. The interface 71 includes an operation unit 72 that can perform various input operations such as the type of paper P, the resolution of an image printed on the paper P, and the number of printed sheets. The operation unit 72 has a display screen for confirming input items when the user performs various input operations.

  The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the memory card interface 71, the operation unit 72, the linear encoder 73 that detects the amount of movement of the carriage 18 in the left-right direction (scanning direction), the recording head 19, and the rotation mechanism 43, respectively. Yes. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the carriage motor 28 and the pump motor 54 via a motor driver 74, respectively.

  The control unit 70 controls the driving of the recording head 19 and the rotation mechanism 43 based on the signals transmitted from the operation unit 72 and the linear encoder 73, respectively, and each motor 28, Each drive of 54 is controlled. Further, the control unit 70 grasps the position of the carriage 18 by counting the pulse signal from the linear encoder 73 accompanying the movement of the carriage 18 with a counter and calculating the movement amount of the carriage 18.

  In addition, the control unit 70 includes a storage unit 75 that includes a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory, and the like. The storage unit 75 stores various types of information such as the number of prints input from the operation unit 72, image data read from a memory card (not shown), various control programs, and the like.

Next, the operation when setting the origin (reference position) of the carriage 18 will be described.
First, when the power of the ink jet printer 11 is off, power is not supplied to the sensor (not shown) of the linear encoder 73. For this reason, when the power of the ink jet printer 11 is turned on, the position of the carriage 18 is not grasped by the control unit 70, so that the control unit 70 can grasp the position of the carriage 18 by setting the origin of the carriage 18. There is a need to. When the power is turned on, the carriage 18 is normally in the capping position.

  In order to set the origin of the carriage 18, first, the carriage 18 is moved rightward from the capping position. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, with respect to the carriage 18, the right end on the lower surface of the right sliding contact portion 36 of the two sliding contact portions 36 of the slide member 34 is clockwise as viewed from the front side with the rotation end U as the rotation center U. A force (rotational moment) to rotate is applied.

  That is, the urging force Cx of the tension coil spring 59 acts on the carriage 18 to the left via the engagement plate 55a on the lower side of the rotation center U, while on the upper side of the rotation center U (moving force applying portion 61). Thus, the conveying force H by the timing belt 27 based on the driving force of the carriage motor 28 works toward the right. For this reason, when the carriage 18 moves to the right side of the capping position, the carriage 18 is inclined to the right side (state).

  Subsequently, when the carriage 18 is moved in the right direction, the carriage 18 is tilted to the right, so that the first contact portion 63 is first contacted before the second contact portion 64 contacts the second contact portion 66. It contacts the contact portion 65. Subsequently, when the carriage 18 is moved rightward, the second contact portion 64 contacts the second contact portion 66 while the first contact portion 63 contacts the first contact portion 65. As a result, the carriage 18 is corrected from a posture inclined to the right to a horizontal posture.

  Then, the control unit 70 sets the position of the carriage 18 at this time as the origin, that is, sets the count value of the counter of the pulse signal from the linear encoder 73 to 0 (reset).

  The control unit 70 determines whether the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 are in contact with the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66, respectively. This is based on the load current value.

  Thus, the carriage 18 is brought into contact with the main body frame 12 (the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66) at two locations (the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64). , The posture is stable in a horizontal state. For this reason, the origin (reference position) of the carriage 18 in the left-right direction (scanning direction) is accurately set.

As described above, according to the embodiment described in detail, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The carriage 18 is brought into contact with the main body frame 12 (the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66) at two locations (the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64). The posture can be stabilized in a horizontal state. For this reason, the origin (reference position) of the carriage 18 in the left-right direction (scanning direction) can be set with high accuracy.

  (2) The carriage 18 includes a first contact portion 65 and a second contact portion in which the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 are arranged one on each side of the moving force applying portion 61 in the vertical direction. 66, respectively, so that the posture at the position where the origin is set can be effectively stabilized in a balanced manner. For this reason, the origin of the carriage 18 can be set with higher accuracy.

  (3) Since both the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66 are formed integrally with the main body frame 12, the components of the ink jet printer 11 are compared with the case where the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66 are formed separately from the main body frame 12. The score can be reduced.

  (4) The first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66 are each made of sheet metal, and the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 are the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion, respectively. It abuts on the end surface of the contact portion 66, respectively. For this reason, the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66 are less likely to bend even when receiving an impact due to the contact of the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64. Therefore, durability of the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 66 against an impact caused by the contact between the first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 can be enhanced.

(5) The first contact portion 63 and the second contact portion 64 of the carriage 18 are respectively first contact portions regardless of whether the distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P is the first distance or the second distance. 65 and the second contact portion 66 can be contacted. Therefore, regardless of the distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P, the origin (reference position) of the carriage 18 can be set with high accuracy. That is, it is not necessary to change the height position of the carriage 18 (the distance between the recording head 19 and the paper P) in order to set the origin of the carriage 18.
(Example of change)
The above embodiment may be changed to another embodiment as described below.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the first contact portion 65 may be configured separately from the main body frame 12. In this case, the first abutment portion 65 is fixed to the main body frame 12 with screws 80.

  As shown in FIG. 13, instead of the first contact portion 65, a plate-like third contact portion 81 formed by bending a part of the main body frame 12 may be used as the reference contact portion. In this case, the third contact portion 81 has a left surface orthogonal to a straight line extending in the left-right direction, and on the left surface, on the right side surface 21a of the supported portion 21 of the carriage 18, as shown in FIG. The ridges 82 extending in the vertical direction are provided in contact with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the third contact portion 81 shown in FIG. 13 is configured separately from the main body frame 12, and the third contact portion 81 is attached to the main body frame 12 with screws 83. You may do it. In this case, the position of the third contact portion 81 with respect to the main body frame 12 and the carriage 18 can be changed by changing the mounting position of the third contact portion 81 with respect to the main body frame 12 in the left-right direction. Adjustment can be performed easily.

The second contact portion 66 may be configured separately from the main body frame 12, and the second contact portion 66 may be fixed to the main body frame 12 with screws or the like.
-At least one of the 1st contact part 65 and the 2nd contact part 66 may be comprised with the block-shaped thing which is not a board | plate material.

  The carriage 18 may be configured such that the driving force of the carriage motor 28 is transmitted by a gear mechanism such as a rack and a pinion instead of the timing belt 27. In this case, the portion of the carriage 18 to which the driving force of the carriage motor 28 is transmitted becomes the moving force applying unit.

  The main body frame 12 may be provided with three or more reference contact portions with which the carriage 18 can contact. In this case, each reference contact portion may be formed integrally with the main body frame 12 or may be configured separately from the main body frame 12.

The carriage 18 may be configured such that the height position can be adjusted by the cam member 38 in two steps, three steps, or five steps or more.
The ink jet printer 11 may be a so-called on-carriage type printer in which each ink cartridge 32 is mounted on the carriage 18.

-Instead of the paper P, a plastic film, cloth, metal foil or the like may be used as a target.
In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the ink jet printer 11, but a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink may be employed. The present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And liquids as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid materials such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Inkjet printer as liquid ejecting apparatus, 12 ... Main body frame as support member, 18 ... Carriage as moving body, 19 ... Recording head as liquid ejecting head, 24 ... Nozzle, 38 ... Cam as position adjusting mechanism Numeral 52, cap member 61, moving force applying portion 65, first contact portion as reference contact portion 66, second contact portion as reference contact portion P, paper as target

Claims (4)

A moving object,
A support member that supports the movable body so as to be movable in the scanning direction;
A liquid ejecting head supported by the moving body and capable of ejecting liquid from a nozzle to a target;
A position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the moving body to adjust the distance between the target and the liquid jet head;
A cap member configured to be able to contact the liquid ejecting head in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction so as to surround the nozzle by engagement with the moving body accompanying the movement of the moving body;
The movable body abuts in the scanning direction when the movable body is moved in a direction engaging with the cap member to set a reference position of the movable body in the scanning direction. A plurality of reference contact portions,
The moving body has a moving force applying portion to which a moving force for moving in the scanning direction is applied, and each reference contact portion sandwiches at least the moving force applying portion in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. One liquid ejecting apparatus is disposed on each side.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the reference contact portions is formed integrally with the support member.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the reference contact portions is configured separately from the support member. Each of the reference contact portions is constituted by a plate material,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is in contact with an end surface of each plate member.