JP2013132874A - Liquid ejection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a load when a lip member is moved from a contact position to a distant position.SOLUTION: A printer includes a head, a platen, a cap member including a lip member, and a cap lifting mechanism for lifting the cap member up and down. The cap lifting mechanism has a connection portion 53 on which an arm is formed, a slider 71, and a slider moving mechanism 80 for moving the slider 71 in a main scanning direction in a reciprocating manner. The slider 71 has an inclined surface 74 that is inclined at an acute angle with respect to an ejection surface 10a. When the slider 71 is moved by the slider moving mechanism 80 in a reciprocating manner, the slider 71 is made to be in contact with a roller 55 formed on the connection portion 53 so that the lip member is moved between a contact position and a distant position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid from ejection ports.

  Patent Document 1 describes an ink jet recording apparatus that caps a nozzle surface of a recording head with a cap member and a conveyor belt by bringing a cap member provided around the recording head into contact with the conveyor belt. In this ink jet recording apparatus, the cap member has an annular side plate surrounding the recording head, and a flexible sheet having an outer peripheral end fixed to the upper end of the side plate and an inner peripheral end fixed to the outer surface of the recording head. .

JP-A-9-85959

  In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the lower end portion of the side plate constituting the cap member (the portion that comes into contact with the transport belt) is made of an elastic material such as rubber in order to improve the airtightness with the transport belt. Has been. For this reason, the lower end portion has a very high adhesion to the conveyor belt. Therefore, when the lower end and the conveying belt are brought into contact with each other, a very large force is required to separate the side plate from the conveying belt. That is, the load when the side plate is separated from the transport belt becomes very large, and the moving mechanism for moving the side plate becomes large. As a result, the entire apparatus becomes large.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection device capable of reducing a load when moving a lip member from a contact position to a separation position.

  The liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention surrounds the head, which includes a head having an ejection surface in which a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid are arranged in one direction, an opposing member facing the ejection surface, and an elastic material. An annular lip member, a cap member made of an elastic material and having a connecting portion connecting between the lip member and the head, a contact position where the lip member contacts the opposing member, and the lip member And a cap unit including a moving mechanism for moving the cap member in a vertical direction perpendicular to the discharge surface between the separation positions separated from the opposing member. The moving mechanism is connected to the cap member, and is arranged in a direction parallel to the ejection surface and perpendicular to the one direction, with a plurality of arms sandwiching the head, and an upper surface of the head A connecting portion opposed to the plurality of arms, a slider disposed so as to be movable in the one direction between the connecting portion and the upper surface of the head, and reciprocating the slider in the one direction A slider moving mechanism, and the slider moves the lip member between the contact position and the separation position when reciprocating by the slider moving mechanism. The head has an inclined surface with which a facing portion facing the upper surface of the head abuts, and the inclined surface is inclined in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and the one direction. .

  According to this, by reciprocating the slider in one direction, the connecting portion moves up and down (moves in the vertical direction) along the inclined surface, and the lip member (cap member) moves between the contact position and the separation position. To do. Even if the lip member and the opposing member are in close contact with each other at the contact position, the connecting portion moves along the inclined surface, so that the force (load) required to move the slider in one direction is reduced. For this reason, the moving mechanism itself can be reduced, and the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In the present invention, one end of a hook and a hook portion for hooking the hook is formed at the distal end portion of the arm, and the long portion extending in the one direction of the cap member is paired with the one. The other of the hook and the hook portion is formed, and the arm and the cap member are connected in a state where the hook is hooked on the hook portion with respect to the vertical direction, and in the vertical direction at the separation position. It is preferable that the surfaces of the hook and the hooking portion that are in contact with each other face each other through a gap at the contact position. As a result, when the lip member is in the contact position, there is a gap between the hook and the hook portion, so that the long portion of the cap member (long portion of the lip member) has the flatness of the opposing member. It becomes easier to copy. For this reason, the airtightness in the sealing state which seals the space facing the ejection surface is improved.

  In the present invention, the inclined surface includes a first inclined surface disposed at a position overlapping with the facing portion in the one direction when the lip member is in the contact position, and the first inclined surface. A second inclined surface connected to an upper end, the first inclined surface has a height that is greater than or equal to the gap with respect to the vertical direction, and an acute angle formed in one direction with the discharge surface is the first angle. It is preferable that the angle is larger than the acute angle formed by two inclined surfaces. Thereby, when the lip member is moved from the contact position to the separated position, it is possible to shorten at least the time until the hook and the hooking portion contact each other. For this reason, the time required for the entire rise of the lip member is shortened.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the height of the said 1st inclined surface is the same as the said clearance gap. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time until the lip member starts to rise (until the hook and the hook portion come into contact with each other) and to suppress an increase in load after the lip member starts to rise.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said opposing part contact | abuts to a said 2nd inclined surface until it separates from the said opposing member after the said lip member begins to raise. As a result, the lip member can be slowly raised and separated from the opposing member. For this reason, the load on the slider moving mechanism can be reduced, which contributes to downsizing.

  In the present invention, the inclined surface further includes a third inclined surface connected to an upper end of the second inclined surface, and the third inclined surface has an acute angle formed in one direction with the discharge surface. It is preferable that the angle is larger than the acute angle formed by the second inclined surface. As a result, the lip member separated from the opposing member can be quickly raised. For this reason, the time required for the entire rise of the lip member is shortened.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the connecting portion has a roller supported so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft extending in the orthogonal direction, and the roller constitutes the facing portion. Thereby, it becomes possible to raise / lower a connection part smoothly along an inclined surface.

  According to the liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention, the connecting portion moves up and down (moves in the vertical direction) along the inclined surface by reciprocating the slider in one direction, and the lip member (cap member) is separated from the contact position and the separation position. Move between. Even if the lip member and the opposing member are in close contact with each other at the contact position, the connecting portion moves along the inclined surface, so that the force (load) required to move the slider in one direction is reduced. For this reason, the moving mechanism itself can be reduced, and the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

1 is a schematic side view showing an internal structure of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of a liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the inkjet head and cap mechanism shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line | wire shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the head main body of the head contained in the printer of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a head. It is an operation | movement condition figure of a lift raising / lowering mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sealing state by a cap mechanism. It is a situation figure when the roller of a connection part raises along the inclined surface of a slider.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an overall configuration of an ink jet printer 101 as an embodiment of a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The printer 101 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 101a. A paper discharge unit 31 is provided on the top plate of the housing 101a. The internal space of the housing 101a can be divided into spaces A, B, and C in order from the top. In the spaces A and B, a paper transport path from the paper feed unit 1c to the paper discharge unit 31 is formed. In the space A, image formation on the paper P and conveyance of the paper P to the paper discharge unit 31 are performed. In the space B, the paper P is fed to the conveyance path. From the space C, ink is supplied to the inkjet head 10 in the space A (hereinafter referred to as the head 10).

  In the space A, a head 10 that discharges black ink, a paper sensor 32, a transport mechanism 8, a cap mechanism (cap means) 40, a control device 100, and the like are arranged.

  The head 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 2). The head 10 is supported by the housing 101a via a support frame (not shown). The support frame holds the head 10 so that a predetermined gap suitable for recording is formed between the lower surface of the head 10 and the upper surface 5 a of the platen 5. The head 10 has a plurality of ejection openings 108a (see FIG. 5) for ejecting ink.

  The paper sensor 32 detects the leading edge of the paper P being conveyed. The detection signal is output to the control device 100. In the control device 100, the ink ejection timing from the head 10 at the time of image formation is set based on the detection signal.

  The transport mechanism 8 includes two guide portions 9 a and 9 b that guide the paper P, and a platen (opposing member) 5 that faces the head 10. The two guide portions 9a and 9b are arranged with the platen 5 interposed therebetween. The guide portion 9a on the upstream side in the transport direction has three guides 18a and three feed roller pairs 22 to 24, and connects the paper feed portion 1c and the platen 5. Then, the guide portion 9 a conveys the image forming paper P toward the platen 5. The platen 5 is a plate-shaped member having a rectangular planar shape, and has a planar size that is slightly larger than a cap member 41 described later. The guide portion 9 b on the downstream side in the transport direction has three guides 18 b and four feed roller pairs 25 to 28, and connects the platen 5 and the paper discharge portion 31. The paper P after image formation is conveyed toward the paper discharge unit 31.

  In the space B, the paper feeding unit 1c is arranged. The paper feed unit 1 c includes a paper feed tray 20 and a paper feed roller 21. Among these, the paper feed tray 20 is detachable from the housing 101a. The paper feed tray 20 is a box that opens upward, and stores a plurality of papers P. The paper feed roller 21 sends out the uppermost paper P in the paper feed tray 20.

  Here, the sub-scanning direction is a direction parallel to the transport direction D (direction of arrow D in FIG. 1) in which the paper P is transported by the feed roller pairs 23 to 25, and the main scanning direction is parallel to the horizontal plane and This is a direction orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction.

  In the space C, a cartridge 4 that stores black ink is detachably attached to the housing 101a. The cartridge 4 is connected to the head 10 via a tube (not shown), and supplies ink to the head 10.

  Next, the control device 100 will be described. The control device 100 controls the operation of each part of the printer and controls the operation of the entire printer 101. The control device 100 controls an image forming operation based on a recording command (image data or the like) supplied from an external device (such as a PC connected to the printer 101). Specifically, the control device 100 drives the paper feeding unit 1c and the guide units 9a and 9b (conveying mechanism 8) based on the recording command. The paper P sent out from the paper feed tray 20 is guided by the upstream guide portion 9 a and sent onto the platen 5. When the sheet P passes under the head 10 in the sub-scanning direction (conveying direction D), ink is ejected from the ejection surface 10a under the control of the control device 100, and a desired image is formed on the sheet P. . Then, the paper P on which the image is formed is guided by the downstream guide portion 9b and discharged from the upper portion of the housing 101a to the paper discharge portion 31.

  In addition, the control device 100 controls capping and uncapping operations for the head 10. In the capping operation, as shown in FIG. 7, the discharge space (the space facing the discharge surface 10a) S1 is isolated from the external space S2 by the cap member 41 of the cap mechanism 40. Thereby, drying of the ink in the ejection port 108 is suppressed. In the uncapping operation, the discharge space S1 is opened to the external space S2 by the cap member 41 as shown in FIG. As a result, the recording on the paper P is enabled. The capping operation is performed when the printer 1 is stopped or stopped, for example. The uncapping operation is performed, for example, when a recording command is received.

Next, the configuration of the head 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. The head 10 is a laminated body in which the flow path unit 12, the actuator unit 17, the reservoir unit 11, the circuit board 13, and the head cover 60 are laminated in order from the bottom.
The reservoir unit 11 as an upstream flow path forming member has an upstream ink flow path (both not shown) including a reservoir, and ink is supplied from the cartridge 4. The reservoir temporarily stores ink. A head cover 60 is stacked above the reservoir unit 11 with the circuit board 13 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the flow path unit 12 as a downstream flow path forming member is a laminated body in which nine rectangular metal plates 122 to 130 are laminated. A downstream ink flow path is formed in the flow path unit 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the downstream ink flow path is connected to the upstream ink flow path of the reservoir unit 11 through the opening 105b of the upper surface 12a. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the downstream ink flow path is connected to a manifold flow path 105 having an opening 105b as one end, a sub-manifold flow path 105a branched from the manifold flow path 105, and a sub-manifold flow path 105a. The plurality of individual ink flow paths 132 are configured.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the individual ink channel 132 includes an aperture (throttle) 112 for adjusting the channel resistance, and reaches from the outlet of the sub-manifold channel 105a to the discharge port 108 through the pressure chamber 110. On the upper surface 12a, pressure chambers 110 are opened and arranged in a matrix. On the other hand, a plurality of discharge ports 108 are arranged in a matrix shape corresponding to the pressure chambers 110 on the discharge surface 10 a that is the lower surface. These discharge ports 108 are arranged at equal intervals in the main scanning direction.

  The actuator units 17 are sandwiched between the reservoir unit 11 and the flow path unit 12, and are arranged in a staggered manner along the main scanning direction (see FIG. 4). The actuator unit 17 is fixed to the upper surface 12 a of the flow path unit 12 and seals the opening of each pressure chamber 110. The actuator unit 17 is a laminated body in which piezoelectric layers (uppermost layer) polarized in the thickness direction are laminated on a vibration plate. The diaphragm is the same piezoelectric layer, but does not deform spontaneously. The uppermost layer is sandwiched between a number of individual electrodes on the surface side and an inner common electrode. When a portion sandwiched between one individual electrode and a common electrode is distorted, a portion obtained by adding a diaphragm to this portion undergoes unimorph deformation. The part that is unimorph deformed (the part sandwiched between the individual electrode and the pressure chamber) functions as an individual actuator and is selectively driven by a drive signal.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the actuator unit 17 is electrically connected to one end of the FPC 14. The other end of the FPC 14 is electrically connected to the circuit board 13 and connects the actuator unit 17 and the circuit board 13. A driver IC 15 is mounted in the middle of the FPC 14. Under the control of the control device 100, the FPC 14 transmits various signals (control signals, image signals, etc.) relayed / adjusted by the circuit board 13 to the driver IC 15, and the drive signals generated by the driver IC 15 are transmitted to the corresponding individual actuators. introduce.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a groove 61 is formed on the upper surface 60 a of the head cover 60. The groove 61 extends along the main scanning direction, and a guide 72a of the slider 71 described later is just fitted therein. Thereby, the slider 71 moves along the main scanning direction. The upper surface 60a of the head cover 60 is a plane parallel to the ejection surface 10a.

Next, the configuration of the cap mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7.
The cap mechanism 40 includes a cap member 41 and a cap lifting mechanism 50. The cap member 41 includes a lip member 42, a diaphragm 43 and a mounting portion 44 that are integrally formed, and a holder 45. The lip member 42, the diaphragm 43, and the attachment portion 44 are made of an elastic material such as rubber (for example, butyl rubber). The diaphragm 43 and the attachment portion 44 constitute a connecting portion that connects the lip member 42 and the flow path unit 12.

  The lip member 42 is formed in an annular shape and surrounds the periphery of the flow path unit 12 as shown in FIG. The lip member 42 has a cross-sectional shape that tapers downward. The attachment portion 44 is also formed in an annular shape and surrounds the flow path unit 12 over the entire circumference. As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment portion 44 is fixed to the upper end of the side surface of the flow path unit 12.

  The diaphragm 43 is formed in an annular shape and is stretched between the lip member 42 and the flow path unit 12. More specifically, the diaphragm 43 is a thin film member having flexibility, the outer peripheral end is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the lip member 42, and the inner peripheral end is connected to the lower surface of the mounting portion 44. . As a result, the gap between the lip member 42 and the flow path unit 12 is closed.

  The holder 45 is a metal member having an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. The holder 45 has an annular fixed portion 46 to which the upper end of the lip member 42 is fixed, and an abutting portion 47 extending downward from the outer peripheral end of the fixed portion 46. The outer peripheral surface of the lip member 42 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the contact portion 47 over the entire periphery. Thus, since the holder 45 has the contact part 47, it becomes possible to regulate the deformation | transformation to the outer side of the lip member 42. FIG. Similar to the head 10, the cap member 41 has a rectangular outline elongated along the main scanning direction in plan view.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two hooks 48 are formed in each of the long portions along the main scanning direction of the fixed portion 46. These hooks 48 are separated from each other along the main scanning direction, and are opposed to a tip portion of an arm 52 described later. The hook 48 has a vertical portion 48a and a horizontal portion 48b. The vertical portion 48 a is erected upward from the inner end portion of the fixed portion 46. The horizontal portion 48b extends horizontally from the tip of the vertical portion 48a toward the outside.

  Here, the holder 45 is always urged toward the platen 5 by the urging member regardless of the position of the lip member 42. For example, although not shown, the coil spring is always fixed in a compressed state at one end to the fixing portion 46 and at the other end to the head cover 60. In the capping state, the pressing force of the lip member 42 against the platen 5 is determined by the biasing force of the coil spring.

  The cap lifting mechanism 50 includes a resin lift member 51 and a lift lifting mechanism 70 that lifts and lowers the lift member 51 relative to the head 10. The lift member 51 is disposed at the center of the head 10 in the main scanning direction, and includes four arms 52 and a connection portion 53. As shown in FIG. 2, the connection portion 53 is a rectangular flat plate member in plan view, and arms 52 extend downward from the four corners thereof. The four arms 52 are grouped in pairs in the main scanning direction, and sandwich the head 10 in the sub scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the lift member 51 is U-shaped when viewed from the main scanning direction.

  A hole 52 a is formed at the tip of the arm 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the hole 52 a penetrates in the sub-scanning direction at a position facing the horizontal portion 48 b of the hook 48. The hole 52a is formed to be slightly larger than the horizontal portion 48b. The holder 45 is connected to the lift member 51 by hooking the horizontal portion 48b into the hole 52a from the inside. At this time, the hook 48 and the hole 52a are locked in the vertical direction. In the lift member 51, an arm 52 and a connecting portion 53 are integrally formed. At this time, the arms 52 are formed so as to be slightly inclined toward the inner side in the sub-scanning direction. Inclined molding makes it difficult to disengage the hook 48.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the lip member 42 is in a separated position separated from the platen 5, the arm 52 lifts the cap member 41. For this reason, the lower surface of the horizontal part 48b of the hook 48 contacts the lower surface of the hole 52a. At this time, a gap T is formed between the upper surface of the horizontal portion 48b and the upper surface of the hole 52a. As shown in FIG. 7, when the lip member 42 is in a contact position where the lip member 42 contacts the platen 5, the lift member 51 rides on the cap member 41 with its own weight. For this reason, the upper surface of the horizontal part 48b of the hook 48 and the upper surface of the hole 52a abut, and the gap T is formed between the lower surface of the horizontal part 48b and the lower surface of the hole 52a. The gap T formed in this way realizes uniform adhesion of the lip member 42 (cap member 41) to the platen 5. If the lift member 51 and the holder 45 are fixed, the distortion caused by the difference between the expansion coefficients of both will reach, but no distortion will occur due to the presence of the gap T. In this state, the disturbance factors affecting the contact state of the lip member 42 are the weight of the lift member 51 riding on the hook 48 and the force of the deformed diaphragm 43 returning to the free state, both of which disturb the contact state. is not. The lip member 42 easily follows the surface of the platen 5 and the hermeticity in the sealed state is improved.

  Two flanges 54 and rollers (contact portions) 55 are provided on the lower surface 53 a of the connection portion 53. As shown in FIG. 6, these are arranged at the center of the connecting portion 53 in the main scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 54 is a plate-like member erected in parallel from the lower surface 53a, and is arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction. The roller 55 has a shaft 55 a extending in the sub-scanning direction, and is rotatably supported by the flange 54. The roller 55 faces the upper surface 60a of the head cover 60 in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the lift elevating mechanism 70 includes a slider 71 and a slider moving mechanism 80 that moves the slider 71 in the main scanning direction. The slider 71 has a base 72 and a protrusion 73. The base 72 is a plate-like member extending in the main scanning direction, and straddles the groove 61 of the upper surface 60a in the sub scanning direction. The groove 61 is a guide groove for the slider 71 and extends in the main scanning direction at the center in the sub scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the base 72 is formed with two guides 72a. These guides 72a protrude downward from the lower surface of the base 72 and are spaced apart from each other in the main scanning direction. The width of the guide 72 a is slightly smaller than the groove 61 in the sub scanning direction. Further, the protruding amount of the guide 72 a is slightly smaller than the depth of the groove 61.

  A recess 72b that opens downward (upper surface 60a) is formed on the lower surface of the base 72. As shown in FIG. 3, the recess 72 b is longer than the groove 61 and shorter than the base 72 in the sub-scanning direction. The roller 75 is rotatably supported on the two side walls of the recess 72b facing each other in the sub-scanning direction via a shaft 75a. The roller 75 slightly protrudes downward from the lower surface of the base 72. Thereby, the roller 75 supports the slider 71, and the movement of the slider 71 in the main scanning direction becomes smooth. A plurality of rollers 75 may be provided apart from each other in the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 73 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the base portion 72 and extends from the approximate center of the base portion 72 in the main scanning direction to the vicinity of one end (right end in the drawing). Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the protruding portion 73 protrudes over the entire width of the base portion 72 in the sub-scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the one end side surface of the protrusion 73 is an inclined surface 74 inclined at an acute angle with respect to the upper surface 60a (a plane parallel to the ejection surface 10a). The inclined surface 74 is composed of three inclined surfaces 74a to 74c having different inclination angles with respect to the upper surface 60a (a sharp angle formed by the inclined surface 74 and the ejection surface 10a in the main scanning direction).

  The inclined surface (first inclined surface) 74a is disposed below the other two inclined surfaces 74b and 74c. In other words, the inclined surface 74a is arranged at a position where the lower end is connected to the upper surface of the base portion 72 and overlaps the roller 55 (the contact portion with the base portion 72) in the main scanning direction when the lip member 42 is in the contact position. Has been. The inclined surface 74a has the same height as the gap T. Further, the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined surface 74a is larger than the inclination angles θ2 and θ3 of the other two inclined surfaces 74b and 74c (see FIG. 8). That is, the inclined surface 74a has the steepest slope.

  The inclined surface (second inclined surface) 74b is connected to the upper end of the inclined surface 74a and the lower end of the inclined surface 74c, and connects these inclined surfaces 74a and 74c. The inclined surface 74b is gently formed with an inclination angle θ2 smaller than the inclination angle θ3. The inclined surface 74 c is connected to the upper end of the inclined surface 74 b and the upper surface of the protruding portion 73.

  A connecting portion 76 is formed at the other end of the base 72 (the left end in FIG. 6). The connecting portion 76 has a cylindrical shape and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the base portion 72. The displacement (reciprocating movement) of the slider moving mechanism 80 is transmitted to the slider 71 via the connecting portion 76.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slider moving mechanism 80 includes a drive motor 81, a circular plate 82, and a connecting plate 83. The disc 82 is connected to the shaft 81 a of the drive motor 81. Thereby, when the drive motor 81 is driven by the control device 100, the disk 82 rotates. The circular plate 82 is formed with a connecting portion 82a. The connecting portion 82 a has a cylindrical shape and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the disc 82.

  The connecting plate 83 extends in the main scanning direction and is rotatably connected to the connecting portions 76 and 82a at both ends thereof. As a result, the connecting plate 83 reciprocates in the main scanning direction as the circular plate 82 rotates. As the connecting plate 83 reciprocates, the slider 71 also reciprocates.

  The connecting portion 82 a on the disc 82 changes the separation distance from the head 10 by the rotation of the disc 82. When the connecting portion 82a is farthest from the head 10, the roller 55 of the slider 71 leaves the inclined surface 74 downward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the roller 55 is located on the upper surface of the base 72 connected to the lower end of the inclined surface 74a. The lip member 42 takes a contact position. On the other hand, when the connecting portion 82a is closest to the head 10, the inclined surface 74 is separated upward. At this time, as shown to Fig.6 (a), it is located on the upper surface of the protrusion part 73 connected with the upper end of the inclined surface 74c. The lip member 42 takes a separated position.

  Thus, the rotational motion of the disc 82 is converted into the reciprocating motion of the slider 71 via the connecting plate 83. During this time, the roller 55 moves along the inclined surface 74, so that the lift member 51 moves up and down. In the contact position, as shown in FIG. 7, the discharge space S1 is sandwiched between the discharge surface 10a and the upper surface 5a of the platen 5, and is in a sealed state isolated from the external space S2. Further, at the separation position, as shown in FIG. 3, the discharge space S1 is in an unsealed state opened to the external space S2.

  Next, control contents of capping and uncapping operations executed by the control device 100 will be described.

  First, the control device 100 determines whether or not a capping command has been received. Prior to receiving the capping command, the lip member 42 is in the spaced position. That is, the roller 55 is placed on the upper surface of the projecting portion 73 of the slider 71 as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the cap member 41 is suspended by the lift member 51. When receiving the capping command, the control device 100 drives the drive motor 81 to move the slider 71 to the left in FIG. 6 from the position shown in FIG. And the control apparatus 100 stops the drive of the drive motor 81, when moving the slider 71 to the position shown in FIG.6 (b).

  Due to the movement of the slider 71, the roller 55 rolls down the inclined surface 74 and is placed on one end of the base 72. At this time, the lift member 51 also moves downward, and the lip member 42 is disposed at the contact position as shown in FIG. When the lip member 42 is in the contact position, a gap T is formed between the lower surface of the horizontal portion 48b and the lower surface of the hole 52a. For this reason, the discharge space S1 can be sealed in a highly airtight state.

  Next, the uncapping operation will be described. When a signal such as a recording command is received from an external device in the capping state, the control device 100 performs an uncapping operation. That is, the control device 100 drives the drive motor 81 and moves the slider 71 to the right in FIG. 6 from the position shown in FIG. And the control apparatus 100 stops the drive of the drive motor 81, when the slider 71 is moved to the position shown to Fig.6 (a).

  The rising state of the roller 55 at this time will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the roller 55 is drawn so as to move in the main scanning direction while rising, but actually, the slider 71 moves in the main scanning direction, and the roller 55 moves only in the vertical direction. The inclined surface 74 has three inclined surfaces 74a to 74c. When the lip member 42 is in the contact position, the roller 55 is placed on the base 72 as shown in FIG. Then, when the slider 71 is moved to the right in the figure from this state, the roller 55 ascends the three inclined surfaces 74a to 74c in order as indicated by a two-dot chain line. The roller 55 first rises along the steeply inclined surface 74a. The inclined surface 74 a has the same height as the gap T, and the load on the slider moving mechanism 80 during this period is small, which corresponds to the weight of the lift member 51. For this reason, the lift member 51 can be quickly raised until the lower surface of the horizontal portion 48b of the hook 48 contacts the lower surface of the hole 52a of the arm 52 and transmits the upward force to the lip member 42 (cap member 41). Become. That is, it is possible to shorten the time until the rising force is transmitted to the lip member 42. This contributes to shortening the overall time for raising the lip member 42 from the contact position to the separation position. Furthermore, since the height of the inclined surface 74a is the same as the gap T, an increase in load after the lip member 42 starts to rise can be suppressed.

  Next, the roller 55 rises along the inclined surface 74b. The inclined surface 74 b is very gentle and contacts the roller 55 during the period from when the lip member 42 starts to rise until the lip member 42 is separated from the platen 5. In other words, the inclined surface 74b has the tip of the lift member 51 from when the tip is transmitted to the lip member 42 that is in close contact with the upper surface 5a of the platen 5 until the lip member 42 is separated from the platen 5 while elastically deforming in the vertical direction. It has a height corresponding to the ascent distance. Accordingly, the rising speed of the roller 55 is slowed until the lip member 42 to which the rising force is transmitted is separated from the platen 5. That is, since the lip member 42 rises slowly, the load on the slider moving mechanism 80 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in size of the power transmission mechanism and the drive motor in the slider moving mechanism 80, which contributes to downsizing.

  Finally, the roller 55 rises along the inclined surface 74 c and is placed on the upper surface of the protrusion 73. At this time, since the inclination angle θ3 of the inclined surface 74c is larger than the inclination angle θ2, it is possible to quickly raise the lip member 42 in which no adhesion force is generated. For this reason, the whole time which raises the lip member 42 from a contact position to a separation position becomes shorter.

  In this way, the lip member 42 is disposed at the separation position, and the discharge space S1 is opened to the external space S2 to be in an unsealed state. Then, the recording operation is performed under the control of the control device 100 as described above.

  As described above, according to the printer 101 according to the present embodiment, the lift member 51 (the connecting portion 53 and the roller 55) moves up and down (vertically) along the inclined surface 74 by reciprocating the slider 71 in the main scanning direction. The lip member 42 (cap member 41) moves between the contact position and the separation position. Even if the lip member 42 and the platen 5 are in close contact with each other at the contact position, the roller 55 (connecting portion 53) moves along the inclined surface 74. Therefore, the force required to move the slider 71 in the main scanning direction. (Load) is reduced. For this reason, the lift elevating mechanism 70 itself can be reduced, and the entire printer 101 can be reduced in size.

  Further, since the facing portion that faces the upper surface 60 of the connecting portion 53 and that is in contact with the slider 71 is composed of the roller 55, the connecting portion 53 can be smoothly raised and lowered along the inclined surface 74. Is possible.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, the inclined surface 74 in the above-described embodiment may be composed of one inclined surface. Also in this case, since the roller 55 moves along the inclined surface, the force required to move the slider 71 in the main scanning direction is reduced, and the same effect as described above can be obtained. Further, the inclined surface 74 may be composed of two inclined surfaces 74a and 74b. In this way, it is possible to shorten the lift time of the lift member 51 until the lift force is transmitted to the lip member 42. Furthermore, the inclined surface 74 may be composed of four or more inclined surfaces. The height of the inclined surface 74a may be larger than the gap T.

  The connecting portion in the above-described embodiment is configured by the diaphragm 43 and the mounting portion 44. However, the connecting portion may be configured as long as it can block between the lip member 42 and the head 10. May be. The cap member 41 may be composed of only the lip member 42 and the connecting portion. The cap member 41 may be connected to the cap lifting mechanism 50 (for example, the arm 52) without a gap. In this case, the inclined surface 74 may be composed of inclined surfaces 74b and 74c. By doing so, it is possible to suppress an increase in load that occurs until the lip member 42 is separated from the platen 5, and it is possible to shorten the movement time of the lip member 42 to the separation position.

  A plurality of lift members 51 may be provided in the main scanning direction. In this case, a slider 71 corresponding to each lift member 51 may be connected in the main scanning direction. By doing so, it is possible to increase the number of locations that support the cap member 41 in the main scanning direction, so that the hermeticity of the sealed state is maintained even when the cap member 41 is elongated in the main scanning direction. It becomes possible. In addition, even when the cap member 41 is moved from the contact position to the separation position, the load can be distributed, which contributes to downsizing of the printer.

  In the present embodiment, the rotational motion of the disc 82 is converted into the reciprocating motion of the slider 71. At this time, the slider 71 moves at a constant speed in the main scanning direction at least while the roller 55 is in contact with the inclined surface 74. In response to this, the disk 82 rotates. If the slider 71 can move at a constant speed, the shape of the rotating body (corresponding to the disk 82 in this embodiment) does not have to be circular, and various shapes can be applied. Of course, it is not necessary to use a rotating body, and a drive source that causes a reciprocating motion directly may be used.

  The present invention can be applied to both a line type and a serial type, and is not limited to a printer, and can also be applied to a facsimile machine, a copier, and the like. Further, recording is performed by discharging a liquid other than ink. The present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejection apparatus that performs the above. The recording medium is not limited to the paper P, and may be various recording media. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied regardless of the liquid ejection method. For example, although a piezoelectric element is used in this embodiment, a resistance heating method or a capacitance method may be used.

1 Inkjet printer (liquid ejection device)
5 Platen (opposing member)
10 Inkjet head (head)
10a Discharge surface 40 Cap mechanism (cap means)
41 Cap member 42 Lip member 43 Diaphragm (part of connecting part)
44 Mounting part (part of connecting part)
48 Hook 50 Cap lifting mechanism (moving mechanism)
52 Arm 52a Hole (Hook)
53 Connection part 55 Roller (opposite part)
74 inclined surface 74a inclined surface (first inclined surface)
74b Inclined surface (second inclined surface)
74c inclined surface (third inclined surface)
80 Slider moving mechanism 108 Discharge port S1 Discharge space S2 External space T Clearance

Claims (7)

A head having an ejection surface in which a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid are arranged in one direction;
A facing member facing the discharge surface;
An annular lip member made of an elastic material and surrounding the head; a cap member made of an elastic material; and a connecting portion that connects the lip member and the head; and the lip member abutting against the opposing member A cap means including a moving mechanism for moving the cap member in a vertical direction perpendicular to the discharge surface between the contact position and the separation position where the lip member is separated from the facing member;
The moving mechanism is coupled to the cap member, and is opposed to the upper surface of the head, and a plurality of arms arranged across the head in a direction parallel to the ejection surface and orthogonal to the one direction. A connecting portion connected to the plurality of arms, a slider arranged to be movable in the one direction between the connecting portion and the upper surface of the head, and a slider movement for reciprocating the slider in the one direction. Mechanism and
When the slider is reciprocated by the slider moving mechanism, an opposing portion facing the upper surface of the head of the connection portion is arranged so that the lip member is moved between the contact position and the separation position. Has an abutting inclined surface,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is inclined in a direction intersecting with the vertical direction and the one direction. At the tip of the arm, one of a hook and a hook for hooking the hook is formed,
The long part extending in the one direction of the cap member is formed with the other of the hook and the hook part paired with the one,
The arm and the cap member are connected in a state where the hook is hooked on the hook portion in the vertical direction,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein surfaces of the hook and the hooking portion that are in contact with each other in the vertical direction at the separation position are opposed to each other via a gap at the contact position. When the lip member is in the contact position, the inclined surface is connected to a first inclined surface disposed at a position overlapping the opposing portion in the one direction, and a second connected to an upper end of the first inclined surface. An inclined surface,
The first inclined surface has a height equal to or greater than the gap with respect to the vertical direction, and an acute angle formed in the one direction with the discharge surface is larger than the acute angle formed by the second inclined surface. Item 3. The liquid ejection device according to Item 2.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a height of the first inclined surface is the same as the gap.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the facing portion abuts on the second inclined surface from when the lip member starts to rise until the facing portion is separated from the facing member. The inclined surface further includes a third inclined surface connected to an upper end of the second inclined surface,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the third inclined surface has an acute angle formed in the one direction with the discharge surface larger than the acute angle formed by the second inclined surface. The connection portion has a roller supported rotatably about a rotation axis extending in the orthogonal direction,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the roller constitutes the facing portion.

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