JP2015127100A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording device suppressing occurrence of a tooth jumping phenomenon of a toothed belt and capable of reducing the recording device in size.SOLUTION: A recording device comprises: a carriage being moved in a predetermined direction of movement while being provided with a recording head performing recording; an endless belt wound about a drive pulley driven by a driving source and a driven pulley provided with a distance from the drive pulley in the predetermined direction of movement and towing the carriage by rotation of the drive pulley; a frame provided at a drive pulley side with respect to a movement region of the carriage and outside the movement region of the carriage; a roller holder with a roller being movable with respect to the drive pulley while being rotatably mounted with the roller for pressing the endless belt to the drive pulley; and bias means biasing the roller holder in a direction in which the roller presses the drive pulley and being provided outside the movement region of the carriage with respect to the frame in the predetermined direction of movement.

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium.
In the present application, the recording apparatus includes types such as a serial printer that performs recording while the recording head moves in a predetermined direction, a line printer that does not move the recording head, a copier that includes these printer functions, and a facsimile. .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an inkjet printer as an example of a recording apparatus performs recording by moving a carriage provided with a recording head for ejecting ink toward a recording medium in a main scanning direction of the recording head, that is, a predetermined movement direction. Has been done. In this recording apparatus, a belt is wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley. The belt is provided with teeth on the inner peripheral surface side. The driving pulley and the driven pulley are also provided with a plurality of teeth on the outer peripheral surface side. The teeth of the toothed belt and the teeth provided on the drive pulley are engaged with each other to drive the drive pulley, thereby moving the carriage in the predetermined movement direction.

  Here, if a load that impedes movement of the carriage acts on the carriage, or if the belt tension of the toothed belt is not appropriate, the toothed belt loosens with respect to the drive pulley, and the teeth of the toothed belt and the teeth of the drive pulley are not engaged. It becomes easy to cause a so-called tooth skipping phenomenon. There is a recording apparatus including a carriage drive mechanism provided with a tooth skip prevention member for preventing the tooth skip phenomenon (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-142734 A JP 2005-221031 A JP 2006-275121 A

  In the recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a curved tooth skip prevention member is provided at a position corresponding to the toothed belt wound around the drive pulley on the outer peripheral side of the drive pulley. The distance between the curved inner surface of the tooth skipping prevention member and the tooth tip surface of the drive pulley is set to be narrower than the sum of the toothed belt back thickness and the tooth depth of the toothed belt. Therefore, even if the toothed belt tries to loosen with respect to the drive pulley, the tooth skipping preventing member inhibits the movement of the toothed belt to loosen, so that the tooth skipping phenomenon can be prevented.

  However, this tooth skipping prevention member needs to properly adjust the clearance between the drive pulley and the tooth skipping prevention member. The clearance in the tooth skipping prevention member needs to be individually adjusted in consideration of the dimensional variation of the parts constituting the carriage drive mechanism, which takes time and may reduce the productivity of the recording apparatus. The recording apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has the same concern.

  Therefore, there is a recording apparatus that does not require this clearance adjustment (see Patent Document 3). In this recording apparatus, a lever member that swings toward and moves away from a toothed belt wound around a driving pulley of a carriage driving mechanism and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the lever member are provided in the apparatus height direction. It is provided below the drive pulley. A rotatable roller is provided at the tip of the lever member, and presses and biases the toothed belt. Thereby, the tooth skipping phenomenon of the toothed belt can be prevented.

  By the way, in this recording apparatus, the lever member, the urging member, and the roller are provided in the movement area of the carriage, and when the carriage moves to the end portion on the drive pulley side in the movement area of the carriage, these members interfere with the carriage. There is a risk of doing.

  In order to avoid interference between these members and the carriage, if a drive pulley is provided outside the carriage movement region, the size of the recording apparatus in the predetermined moving direction is increased, resulting in a large recording apparatus. There is a risk of becoming.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of a tooth skipping phenomenon of a toothed belt and reducing the size of the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium and that is driven by a drive source and a carriage that moves along a predetermined movement direction. An endless belt that is wound around a pulley, and a driven pulley that is driven and rotated at a distance in the predetermined movement direction with respect to the driving pulley, and pulls the carriage in the predetermined movement direction by the rotation of the driving pulley. A belt, a frame provided on the drive pulley side of the carriage movement region and outside the carriage movement region, and a roller for pressing the endless belt toward the drive pulley are rotatably attached. And a roller holder that is movable in a direction in which the roller advances and retreats with respect to the drive pulley, and the roller Biasing means provided on the outside of the carriage movement region with respect to the frame in the predetermined movement direction, for biasing the roller holder in a direction in which a roller presses the drive pulley. To do.

  According to this aspect, the roller holder that is rotatably attached to the roller that presses the endless belt toward the drive pulley is biased by the biasing means in the direction in which the roller presses the drive pulley. The slack of the belt can be reduced, and the occurrence of the tooth skipping phenomenon caused by the disengagement between the teeth of the drive pulley and the teeth of the endless belt can be suppressed.

  The urging means for urging the roller holder is provided outside the carriage movement area with respect to the frame provided on the driving pulley side and outside the carriage movement area with respect to the carriage movement area. . Therefore, when the carriage moves to the drive pulley side, the urging means and the carriage do not interfere with each other, and the urging means does not hinder the movement of the carriage. Further, by arranging the urging means outside the moving area of the carriage and arranging the driving pulley in the moving area of the carriage, the space in the apparatus main body can be effectively used, and the apparatus can be miniaturized. .

  In the recording apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a path of the endless belt between the driving pulley and the driven pulley is opposed to the first path and the first path. And the carriage is fixed to the second path side of the endless belt, and the roller presses the endless belt toward the drive pulley on the first path side. It is characterized by doing.

  According to this aspect, since the carriage is fixed to the second path side of the endless belt, and the roller presses the endless belt toward the drive pulley on the first path side, the gripping unit that grips the endless belt of the carriage Can be prevented from interfering with the roller and the roller holder. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the recording apparatus in the predetermined movement direction compared to sequentially arranging the grip portion, the roller, and the roller holder in the predetermined movement direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the recording apparatus.

  The recording apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the recording apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the roller is closer to the frame side in the predetermined moving direction than the position of the vertex of the driving pulley in the intersecting direction in the first path. The endless belt is pressed at a shifted position.

  According to this aspect, the roller presses the endless belt at a position shifted toward the frame side in the predetermined movement direction from the position of the vertex of the drive pulley in the intersecting direction in the first path. Accordingly, the pressing force of the roller to the endless belt acts on the plurality of teeth of the endless belt meshing with the teeth of the drive pulley. As a result, the occurrence of the tooth skipping phenomenon in the endless belt can be reliably suppressed.

  The recording apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect or the third aspect, the carriage has a home position on a side where the driven pulley is provided.

  When the carriage is moved from the driven pulley side to the drive pulley side, the rotation of the drive pulley is in a state of directly pulling the carriage. Here, the carriage is fixed on the second path side, and the roller presses the endless belt on the first path side, so that slip easily occurs between the drive pulley and the endless belt. Even in this case, the pressing of the endless belt by the roller suppresses slipping in a wide range between the drive pulley and the endless belt, and the carriage can be reliably pulled. That is, when the carriage is fixed on the second path side and the roller presses the endless belt on the first path side, the carriage is moved from the driven roller side to the drive roller side. When it is pulled, it becomes easier to obtain the effect of the roller.

Here, there are so-called one-way recording and two-way recording as recording methods. One-way recording is a method that performs recording only during the forward operation of the carriage. Bidirectional recording is performed during the forward operation and the backward operation of the carriage. In any case, the recording is performed, and generally the former can obtain higher recording quality in exchange for a decrease in throughput.
In this aspect, since the carriage has the home position on the side where the driven pulley is provided, the carriage is driven more reliably during the movement from the home position in the opposite direction, that is, the forward movement. Therefore, it is possible to reliably obtain a higher recording quality at the time of unidirectional recording which expects a higher recording quality.

  A recording apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the recording apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein a stopper that defines a movement limit position of the carriage on the home position side by engaging with the carriage and stopping the carriage; Control means for controlling the drive source, capable of executing stop control for stopping the drive source by detecting an increase in a physical quantity of the drive source when the carriage comes into contact with the stopper. The pulley is provided so as to be displaceable in the predetermined movement direction, and is urged in a direction away from the drive pulley, and when the control means executes the stop control, the drive pulley is configured to move the first end of the endless belt. The maximum value of tension applied to one path is greater than the tension applied to the first path of the endless belt by the driven pulley. It is characterized in.

  According to this aspect, the carriage comes into contact with the stopper on the home position side, so that the displacement of the carriage is regulated. The carriage home position can be detected by detecting the physical increase of the drive source at that time.

  Here, the driven pulley is biased in a direction away from the drive pulley, thereby applying tension to the endless belt. It is preferable that the tension is as small as possible because the drive load of the drive source can be reduced. However, if the tension is small, the driven pulley is pulled toward the drive pulley by the tension applied to the endless belt by the drive pulley when the carriage abuts against the stopper on the home position side. Specifically, the maximum value of the tension that the drive pulley applies to the first path of the endless belt when the carriage comes into contact with a stopper on the home position side is the first value of the endless belt. When the tension is greater than the tension applied to one path, the driven pulley is pulled toward the drive pulley. As a result, slack occurs on the second path side of the endless belt. This slack induces tooth skipping between the drive pulley and the endless belt.

  However, since the roller which presses the endless belt toward the drive pulley is provided, the tooth skipping can be prevented or suppressed. As a result, the home position of the carriage can be reliably detected. In addition, since the urging force (that is, the tension applied to the endless belt) for urging the driven pulley can be reduced, a drive source of a smaller size can be used as the drive source for driving the drive pulley. And cost reduction can be achieved.

The recording apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the carriage moves to an end portion on the side where the driving pulley is provided in the movement region of the carriage. At least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage in the predetermined movement direction overlaps with the arrangement area of the roller holder in the predetermined movement direction;
It is characterized by that.

  According to this aspect, when the carriage moves to the end portion on the side where the drive pulley is provided in the movement area of the carriage, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage in the predetermined movement direction is the predetermined area. Since it overlaps with the arrangement area of the roller holder in the moving direction, the size of the apparatus in the predetermined moving direction can be reduced. As a result, the recording apparatus can be reduced in size.

The recording apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the carriage moves to an end portion on the side where the driving pulley is provided in a movement region of the carriage. At least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage in the predetermined movement direction overlaps with the arrangement area of the drive pulley in the predetermined movement direction;
It is characterized by that.

  According to this aspect, when the carriage moves to the end portion on the side where the drive pulley is provided in the movement area of the carriage, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage in the predetermined movement direction is the predetermined area. Since it overlaps with the arrangement area of the drive pulley in the moving direction, the size of the device in the predetermined moving direction can be reduced. As a result, the recording apparatus can be reduced in size.

  The recording apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the carriage moves to an end portion on the side where the driving pulley is provided in a movement region of the carriage. At least a part of the carriage arrangement area in a direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction overlaps with the roller holder arrangement area in a direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction.

  According to this aspect, when the carriage moves to the end portion on the side where the drive pulley is provided in the movement area of the carriage, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage in a direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction However, since it overlaps with the arrangement area of the roller holder in the direction intersecting with the predetermined moving direction, the size of the apparatus in the intersecting direction can be reduced. As a result, the recording apparatus can be reduced in size.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a printer according to the present invention with a cover closed. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printer according to the present invention with a cover opened. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a medium conveyance path of the printer according to the invention. 1 is an external perspective view of an apparatus main body in a printer according to the present invention. The front view of a carriage drive mechanism. The rear view of a carriage drive mechanism. The rear view which shows the state which the said carriage moved to the edge part in the movement area | region of a carriage. (A) is a front view which shows the relationship between a drive pulley and a roller holder, (B) is a perspective view which shows the relationship between a drive pulley and a roller holder. (A) is a perspective view of the urging means for urging the roller holder, and (B) is a side view showing the relationship between the drive pulley and the roller holder. The top view of the roller holder in the edge part of the movement area | region of a carriage. Schematic diagram of a carriage drive mechanism.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, about the same structure in each Example, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and it demonstrates only in the first Example, The description of the structure is abbreviate | omitted in a subsequent Example.

  1 is an external perspective view of the printer according to the present invention with the cover closed, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the printer according to the present invention with the cover open, and FIG. 3 is a printer according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the medium transport path of FIG. 4, and FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a front view of the carriage drive mechanism, FIG. 6 is a rear view of the carriage drive mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a rear view showing a state in which the carriage is moved to an end portion in a carriage movement region. FIG. 8A is a front view showing the relationship between the drive pulley and the roller holder, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing the relationship between the drive pulley and the roller holder.

  FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the urging means for urging the roller holder, FIG. 9B is a side view showing the relationship between the drive pulley and the roller holder, and FIG. 10 shows the movement area of the carriage. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a roller holder at an end, and FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a carriage driving mechanism.

  In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each figure, the X direction is the scanning direction of the recording head, the Y direction is the depth direction of the recording apparatus, and the Z direction is the distance (gap) between the recording head and the medium. The direction, that is, the device height direction is shown. In each figure, the -Y direction is the front side of the apparatus, and the + Y direction side is the back side of the apparatus.

■■■ Printer overview ■■■■■■■
Components of an ink jet printer 10 (hereinafter referred to as “printer 10”) as an example of a recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. The printer 10 includes an apparatus main body 12 (see FIG. 4), a housing 14 that covers the periphery of the apparatus main body 12 and forms the appearance of the printer 10, a cover portion 16 that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12, and a cover portion. And an operation unit 18 exposed at the upper part of the apparatus main body 12 when 16 is in an open posture.

  The cover unit 16 includes a front cover unit 20 and an upper surface cover unit 22. The front cover portion 20 is attached to the upper surface cover portion 22 so as to be rotatable, and the upper surface cover portion 22 is attached to the apparatus main body 12 so as to be rotatable.

  When the cover portion 16 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12 (see FIG. 1), the front cover portion 20 constitutes a part of the front surface of the housing 14. Further, the upper surface cover portion 22 constitutes a part of the upper surface 14a of the housing 14 in the closed posture.

  On the other hand, when the cover portion 16 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 from the device front side (−Y axis direction in FIG. 2) to the device rear side (+ Y axis direction in FIG. 2) with respect to the device body 12. The open posture shown in FIG. 2 is obtained. In this posture, the front cover portion 20 rotates with respect to the upper surface cover portion 22, and the inner surface 20 a of the front cover portion 20 and the inner surface 22 a of the upper surface cover portion 22 constitute one surface as the inner surface of the cover portion 16. In this embodiment, when the cover unit 16 is in an open posture with respect to the apparatus main body 12 shown in FIG. 2, the inner surface of the cover unit 16 functions as a placement surface 16 a for the paper P as “recording medium”. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, when the cover unit 16 changes from the closed position (see FIG. 1) to the open position, the operation unit 18 and the paper supply port 24 are exposed on the upper part of the apparatus body 12, and the apparatus A discharge port 26 is exposed on the front surface of the main body 12. The operation unit 18 includes a power button, a print setting button, a display panel, and the like for operating the printer 10.

  The paper supply port 24 supplies the paper P from the placement surface 16 a to the inside of the apparatus body 12 when the paper P is placed on the placement surface 16 a of the cover portion 16. Further, the discharge port 26 is disposed on the front side of the apparatus in a state in which the sheet P supplied into the apparatus main body 12 from the placement surface 16a through the sheet supply port 24 is recorded by the recording unit 42 described later (FIG. 2). In the -Y-axis direction side).

  Next, the components on the paper transport path will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the right side of the paper (the back side of the apparatus) is the upstream of the feeding path, and the left side of the paper (the front side of the apparatus) is the downstream of the feeding path. Also, the broken line in FIG. 3 indicates the transport path of the paper P.

  On the upstream side of the feeding path, a paper feeding unit 28 that feeds the paper to the downstream side of the feeding path from the placement surface 16a of the cover 16 that is open to the housing 14 is provided. The paper supply unit 28 includes a paper supply port 24, a pair of paper guides 30 provided in the paper supply port, a paper support unit 32 that supports at least a part of the paper loaded from the paper supply port 24, A feeding roller 34 provided at a position facing the paper support portion 32 is provided. The cover unit 16 and the paper support unit 32 support the paper P in an inclined posture.

  The sheet support portion 32 is formed to be inclined toward the −Y direction side in FIG. The feeding roller 34 is configured to be able to swing in the contact / separation direction with respect to the paper P placed on the paper support 32. When the feed roller 34 is displaced in a direction approaching the paper support unit 32, the feed roller 34 contacts the uppermost paper P placed on the paper support unit 32, and feeds the uppermost paper P downstream of the feed path. To send.

  A transport unit 36 is provided on the downstream side of the paper supply unit 28. The transport unit 36 includes a transport drive roller 38 and a transport driven roller 40. The conveyance drive roller 38 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown). The conveyance unit 36 nips the paper P fed from the paper supply unit 28 between the conveyance driving roller 38 and the conveyance driven roller 40 and conveys the paper P downstream in the conveyance direction. A recording unit 42 is provided on the downstream side of the transport unit 36.

  The recording unit 42 includes a carriage 44, a recording head 46 provided at the bottom of the carriage, and a platen 48 as a support unit that faces the recording head and supports a medium. The recording head 46 faces the medium supported by the platen 48. The carriage 44 is a main scanning direction as a “predetermined moving direction” by a carriage drive motor 52 (see FIGS. 4 and 9A) controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided inside the apparatus main body 12. It is driven so as to reciprocate in the front-and-back direction (the X-axis direction in FIG. 3). Further, the platen 48 supports the paper P from below, thereby defining a distance (gap) between the recording surface of the medium and the head surface of the recording head 46.

  A discharge unit 54 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording unit 42. The discharge unit 54 includes a discharge drive roller 56 and a discharge driven roller 58. The paper P on which recording has been performed by the recording unit 42 is nipped between the discharge driving roller 56 and the discharge driven roller 58 and discharged toward the front of the apparatus from the discharge port 26 formed on the front surface of the apparatus. The discharge drive roller 56 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown).

  Moreover, the control part 59 as a "control means" is provided in the lower surface side of the apparatus main body 12 as an example (refer FIG. 3). In response to an input command from the operation unit 18, the control unit 59 performs recording of the paper P in the printer 10 such as paper feeding, transporting, discharging, and recording operations in the transport unit 36, the recording unit 42, and the discharge unit 54. Control the necessary actions. The control unit 59 also controls the rotation of the carriage drive motor 52 (see FIGS. 4 and 9A) and the drive motor (not shown) that drives the transport drive roller 38 and the discharge drive roller 56. ing.

■■■ Example ■■■■
■■■ About the main unit and carriage drive mechanism ■■■■
The configuration of the drive mechanism for the apparatus main body 12 and the carriage 44 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus body 12 is provided with guide rails 60 and 62 that are provided at intervals in the Y-axis direction and extend in the X-axis direction. The guide rails 60 and 62 are provided with sliding surfaces 60a and 62a (see FIG. 3), respectively, to support the carriage 44. The guide rail 60 is provided with a carriage driving mechanism 64 that is supplied with driving force from the carriage driving motor 52 and moves the carriage 44 in the X-axis direction. The carriage drive mechanism 64 includes a drive pulley 66, a driven pulley 68 (see FIG. 6), and a timing belt 70.

  The drive pulley 66 is attached to the drive shaft of the carriage drive motor 52 and is driven by the carriage drive motor 52. The drive pulley 66 is provided with a plurality of teeth 66a (see FIGS. 8B and 9B) on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

  The driven pulley 68 is provided at a distance in the −X axis direction in FIG. 6 with respect to the driving pulley. The driven pulley 68 is configured to be driven to rotate with respect to the rotation of the drive pulley 66. Although not shown, the driven pulley 68 is also provided with a plurality of teeth. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 11, the driven pulley 68 is rotatably attached to a slider member 72 that can be displaced in the X-axis direction. A spring member 74 is provided between the apparatus main body 12 and the slider member 72. The spring member 74 urges the driven pulley 68 via the slider member 72 toward the −X axis direction side, that is, in a direction away from the driving pulley 66.

  Further, teeth 70 a that mesh with teeth 66 a of the driving pulley 66 and teeth (not shown) of the driven pulley 68 are provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the timing belt 70. The timing belt 70 is wound around a driving pulley 66 and a driven pulley 68.

  The timing belt 70 wound around the driving pulley 66 and the driven pulley 68 includes a first path 70b extending in the X-axis direction on the + Z-axis direction side in the apparatus height direction, that is, the Z-axis direction, and the −Z-axis direction. A second path 70c extending in the X-axis direction on the side, that is, facing the first path 70b is provided.

  Further, the carriage 44 grips a part of the second path 70 c of the timing belt 70 by a gripping portion 76 (see FIG. 7) provided on the back side of the carriage 44. Thus, when the carriage drive motor 52 rotates the drive pulley 66, the carriage 44 slides on the sliding surfaces 60a and 62a (see FIG. 3) of the guide rails 60 and 62 in the X-axis direction via the timing belt 70. To do. That is, the carriage 44 moves in the + X axis direction or the −X axis direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the carriage 44 moves to the end of the carriage 44 moving area on the + X-axis direction side, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage 44 and the arrangement area of the drive pulley 66 are in the X-axis direction. Are configured to overlap. Accordingly, since the drive pulley 66 can be disposed in the movement region of the carriage 44, the size of the device in the X-axis direction can be reduced. As a result, the printer 10 can be downsized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the carriage driving mechanism 64 includes a stopper 78. When the carriage 44 is moved to the −X axis direction side, that is, the driven pulley side, the stopper 78 engages with at least a part of the carriage 44 to stop the movement of the carriage 44 in the −X axis direction side. This position becomes the movement limit position on the home position side of the movement area in the X-axis direction of the carriage. The operation for setting the home position will be described later.

■■■ Mechanism to suppress tooth skipping phenomenon ■■■■
Next, a mechanism for suppressing the tooth skip phenomenon in the drive pulley 66 of the carriage drive mechanism 64 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8B, a frame 80 extending in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction is attached to the guide rail 60. As shown in FIG. 7, the frame 80 is arranged on the + X-axis direction side in the X-axis direction, that is, on the drive pulley 66 side and outside the moving region of the carriage 44.

  A roller holder 82 is attached to the frame 80 so as to be movable along the Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 9A, the frame 80 is provided with a long hole 84 extending in the Z-axis direction. The hook portion 82 a of the roller holder 82 is passed through the elongated hole 84. The roller holder 82 is disposed on the + Z-axis direction side of the drive pulley 66. Furthermore, the roller holder 82 overlaps at least a part of the drive pulley 66 in the X-axis direction. Further, a roller 86 is attached to the −Z axis direction side of the roller holder 82 so as to be rotatable. The roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 toward the drive pulley 66.

  Further, biasing means 88 is provided on the + X axis direction side with respect to the frame 80, that is, on the outer side of the moving region of the carriage 44. In this embodiment, the biasing means 88 is configured as a tension spring. One end 88 a of the biasing means 88 is hooked on the hook portion 82 a of the roller holder 82. Further, the other end 88 b of the urging means 88 is attached to the frame 80.

  The urging means 88 urges the roller holder 82 in a direction in which the roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 toward the drive pulley 66. Here, the roller 86 is in contact with the timing belt 70 in the first path 70b of the timing belt. More specifically, the roller 86 contacts the timing belt 70 at a position shifted from the apex of the driving pulley 66 in the Z-axis direction on the + Z-axis direction side to the + X-axis direction, that is, the frame 80 side, and presses the timing belt 70. .

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the pressing force of the roller 86 on the timing belt 70 acts on the plurality of teeth 70a of the timing belt 70 meshing with the teeth 66a of the drive pulley 66 (the teeth in the drive pulley 66 in FIG. 11). reference). As a result, the occurrence of the tooth skipping phenomenon in the timing belt 70 can be reliably suppressed. In this embodiment, the pressing position of the roller 86 on the timing belt 70 is set so that the pressing force acts on the three teeth of the timing belt 70 meshing with the drive pulley 66.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the carriage 44 moves to the end of the carriage 44 movement area on the + X-axis direction side, at least a part of the carriage 44 arrangement area and the arrangement area of the roller holder 82 are in the X-axis direction. , The size of the device in the X-axis direction can be reduced. As a result, the printer 10 can be downsized.

  Further, when the carriage 44 moves to the + X axis direction side end of the movement area of the carriage 44, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage 44 and the arrangement area of the roller holder 82 overlap in the Z axis direction. The size of the device in the Z-axis direction can be reduced. As a result, the printer 10 can be downsized.

■■■ About setting the movement limit position on the home position side of the carriage ■■■■
Next, referring to FIG. 11 again, the operation at the time of setting the movement limit position on the home position side in the carriage 44 will be described. When the carriage 44 moves to the −X axis direction side and comes into contact with the stopper 78, the carriage 44 is stopped by the stopper 78 from moving to the −X axis direction side. At this time, the carriage drive motor 52 (see FIG. 4) drives the drive pulley 66 so as to continue moving the carriage 44 in the −X axis direction.

  As a result, the drive pulley 66 tries to send the timing belt 70 to the −X axis direction side in the second path 70c. On the other hand, since the carriage 44 is stopped, the grip portion 76 that grips a part of the second path 70c does not move in the X-axis direction. As a result, the load generated on the drive shaft of the carriage drive motor 52 (see FIG. 4) that rotates the drive pulley 66 increases.

  Here, the load acting on the drive shaft of the carriage drive motor 52 causes an increase in current value and an increase in exhaust heat as “increase in physical quantity”. Then, the control unit 59 executes stop control for stopping the carriage drive motor 52 by detecting an increase in the current value and exhaust heat in the carriage drive motor 52. Thereby, the home position of the carriage 44 can be detected.

  In this embodiment, the driven pulley 68 is urged in the direction away from the drive pulley 66 (−X axis direction), thereby applying a tension to the timing belt 70. The carriage is driven when the tension is as small as possible. The driving load of the motor 52 can be reduced, which is preferable. On the other hand, if the tension of the timing belt 70 is small, the driven pulley 68 is pulled toward the driving pulley 66 by the tension applied to the timing belt 70 by the driving pulley 66 when the carriage 44 comes into contact with the stopper 78 on the home position side. (See the two-dot chain line portion in FIG. 11).

  Specifically, the maximum value of the tension F1 that the driving pulley 66 applies to the first path 70b of the timing belt 70 when the carriage 44 comes into contact with the stopper 78 on the home position side, and the driven pulley 68 that When the tension is greater than the tension F3 applied to the first path 70b, the driven pulley 68 is pulled toward the drive pulley 68 side. As a result, slack occurs on the first path 70b side of the timing belt 70. This slack induces tooth skipping between the drive pulley 66 and the timing belt 70.

  In this embodiment, the biasing force F2 of the spring member 74 that biases the driven pulley 68 is set to 10N. Then, 10N as the urging force F2 of the spring member 74 acts equally on the first path 70b and the second path 70c of the timing belt 70 via the driven pulley 68 according to the principle of the pulley. That is, 5N force acts as the tension F3 on the first path 70b and the second path 70c of the timing belt 70, respectively.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the maximum value of the tension F1 applied to the first path of the timing belt 70 when the control unit 59 performs stop control on the carriage drive motor 52 and stops the carriage drive motor 52 is It is set to 7.5N.

  Therefore, as described above, the maximum value 7.5N of the tension F1 applied to the first path 70b of the timing belt 70 is larger than the tension F3 = 5N applied by the driven pulley 68 to the first path 70b of the timing belt 70. Therefore, the driven pulley 68 is drawn toward the drive pulley 66, and the second path 70c of the timing belt 70 is loosened as shown in FIG. 11 (see the two-dot chain line portion in FIG. 11).

  However, since the printer 10 in the present embodiment includes the roller 86 that presses the timing belt 70 toward the drive pulley 66, the tooth skipping can be prevented or suppressed. As a result, the home position of the carriage 44 can be reliably detected. Further, since the urging force F2 (that is, the tension F3 applied to the timing belt 70) that urges the driven pulley 68 can be reduced, a smaller-sized drive motor can be used for the carriage drive motor 52 that drives the drive pulley 66. Thus, the size and cost of the recording apparatus can be reduced.

  In summary, the roller 86 that presses the timing belt 70 toward the drive pulley 66 is rotatably attached to the roller holder 82 in a direction in which the roller 86 presses the drive pulley 66 by the biasing means 88. Since the bias is applied, the slack of the timing belt 70 with respect to the driving pulley 66 can be reduced, and the occurrence of the tooth skipping phenomenon caused by the disengagement between the teeth 66a of the driving pulley 66 and the teeth 70a of the timing belt 70 can be suppressed. .

  Further, the urging means 88 for urging the roller holder 82 is a movement region of the carriage 44 with respect to the frame 80 provided on the driving pulley 66 side and outside the movement region of the carriage 44 with respect to the movement region of the carriage 44. Is provided outside. Therefore, when the carriage 44 moves to the drive pulley 66 side, the urging means 88 and the carriage 44 do not interfere with each other, and the urging means 88 does not prevent the carriage 44 from moving. Further, by arranging the biasing means 88 outside the moving area of the carriage 44 and the driving pulley 66 inside the moving area of the carriage 44, the space in the apparatus main body 12 can be used effectively, and the printer 10 can be made compact. Can be achieved.

  In this embodiment, the carriage 44 is fixed to the second path 70 c side of the timing belt 70, and the roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 toward the driving pulley 66 on the first path 70 b side. Interference between the gripping portion 76 that grips the timing belt 70 and the roller 86 and the roller holder 82 can be prevented. As a result, the size of the device in the X-axis direction can be made smaller than arranging the gripping portion 76, the roller 86, and the roller holder 82 in order in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the size of the printer 10 can be reduced.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the side where the driven pulley 68 is provided in the carriage 44 is the home position. When the carriage 44 is moved from the driven pulley 68 side to the drive pulley 66 side, the rotation of the drive pulley 68 is in a state where the carriage 44 is directly pulled. Here, the carriage 44 is fixed on the second path 70 c side of the timing belt 70. Further, since the roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 on the first path 70 b side of the timing belt 70, even if slippage is likely to occur between the driving pulley 68 and the timing belt 70, By the pressing, slippage is suppressed in a wide range between the driving pulley 68 and the timing belt 70.

  As a result, the timing belt 70 can reliably pull the carriage 44. That is, when the carriage 44 is fixed on the second path 70 c side of the timing belt 70 and the roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 on the first path 70 b side of the timing belt 70, the carriage 44 is driven. When pulling from the roller 68 side to the drive roller 66 side, it becomes easier to obtain the effect of the roller 86.

  Here, the recording method in the printer 10 includes so-called unidirectional recording and bidirectional recording, and the unidirectional recording is performed only during the forward movement of the carriage 44 (in this embodiment, movement in the + X-axis direction in FIG. 11). The bidirectional recording is performed both during the forward movement of the carriage 44 (movement in the + X-axis direction in FIG. 11) and during the backward movement (movement in the −X-axis direction in FIG. 11). In general, the former can obtain higher recording quality in exchange for a decrease in throughput.

  In this embodiment, the carriage 44 has the home position on the side where the driven pulley 68 is provided. Therefore, the carriage 44 moves from the home position in the opposite direction, that is, during the forward movement (in the + X axis direction in FIG. 11). Therefore, it is possible to reliably obtain higher recording quality at the time of unidirectional recording in which higher recording quality is expected.

<<< Example of change of embodiment >>>
(1) In the present embodiment, the biasing means 88 is configured as a tension spring, but may be configured by a torsion spring, a compression spring or the like instead of this configuration.
(2) In the present embodiment, the driven pulley 68 side is configured as the home position, but the driving pulley 66 side may be configured as the home position instead of this configuration. In this configuration, the carriage 44 is moved to the driven pulley 68 and brought into contact with the stopper 78 to set the movement limit position. However, the carriage 44 is moved to the driving pulley 66 and brought into contact with the stopper 78. Alternatively, the movement limit position may be set.

  In summary, the printer 10 in this embodiment includes the recording head 46 that records on the paper P and moves along the X-axis direction, the drive pulley 66 driven by the carriage drive motor 52, and A timing belt 70 that is wound around a driven pulley 68 that can be driven and rotated at a distance in the X-axis direction with respect to the driving pulley 66, and pulls the carriage 44 in the X-axis direction by the rotation of the driving pulley 66. A frame 80 provided on the driving pulley 66 side and outside the moving region of the carriage 44 with respect to the moving region of the roller 44 and a roller 86 that presses the timing belt 70 toward the driving pulley 66 are rotatably attached. The roller 86 can move in the direction to advance and retract with respect to the drive pulley 66. A roller holder 82, and a biasing means 88 provided outside the moving region of the carriage 44 with respect to the frame 80 in the X-axis direction for biasing the roller holder 82 in a direction in which the roller 86 presses the drive pulley 66. Is provided.

The path of the timing belt 70 between the driving pulley 66 and the driven pulley 68 includes a first path 70b and a second path 70c facing the first path 70b.
The carriage 44 is fixed to the second path 70 c side of the timing belt 70.
The roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 toward the drive pulley 66 on the first path 70b side.

  The roller 86 presses the timing belt 70 at a position shifted toward the frame 80 in the X-axis direction from the position of the apex of the drive pulley 66 in the Z-axis direction in the first path 70b. The carriage 44 has the home position on the side where the driven pulley 68 is provided.

  By engaging the carriage 44 and stopping the carriage 44, a stopper 78 that defines the movement limit position of the carriage 44 on the home position side, and a physical amount (current) of the carriage drive motor when the carriage 44 abuts against the stopper 78. A control unit 59 for controlling the carriage drive motor 52, which can execute stop control for stopping the carriage drive motor 52 by detecting an increase in the value or the amount of exhaust heat). The driven pulley 68 is provided so as to be displaceable in the X-axis direction, and is biased in the −X-axis direction that is separated from the drive pulley 66. The maximum value of the tension F1 that the drive pulley 66 applies to the first path 70b of the timing belt 70 when the control unit 59 performs the stop control of the carriage drive motor 52 is the first path of the timing belt 70 by the driven pulley 68. It is larger than the tension F3 given to 70b.

  When the carriage 44 moves to the end portion on the side where the drive pulley 66 is provided in the movement area of the carriage 44, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage 44 in the X-axis direction is the arrangement of the roller holder 82 in the X-axis direction. Overlaps the region.

  When the carriage 44 moves to the end portion on the side where the drive pulley 66 is provided in the movement area of the carriage 44, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage 44 in the X-axis direction is arranged in the X-axis direction. Overlaps the region.

  When the carriage 44 moves to the end portion on the side where the drive pulley 66 is provided in the movement area of the carriage 44, at least a part of the arrangement area of the carriage 44 in the Z-axis direction is an arrangement of the roller holder 82 in the Z-axis direction. Overlaps the region.

In this embodiment, the frame 80, the roller holder 82, the roller 86, and the urging unit 88 according to the present invention are applied to an ink jet printer as an example of a recording apparatus. However, the present invention can also be applied to other liquid ejecting apparatuses in general. .
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus uses an ink jet recording head, and is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile machine that discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device for ejecting a liquid corresponding to the application from a liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to an ejected medium corresponding to the recording medium, and attaching the liquid to the ejected medium.

  In addition to the recording head, as a liquid ejecting head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED) Examples thereof include an ejection head, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer, 12 Apparatus main body, 14 Housing, 14a Upper surface, 16 Cover part, 16a Mounting surface, 18 Operation part, 20 Front cover part, 20a, 22a Inner surface,
22 top cover, 24 paper supply port, 26 discharge port, 28 paper supply unit,
30 Paper guide, 32 Paper support section, 34 Feed roller, 36 Transport section,
38 transport drive roller, 40 transport driven roller, 42 recording unit, 44 carriage,
46 recording head, 48 platen, 52 carriage drive motor, 54 discharge section,
56 discharge drive roller, 58 discharge driven roller, 59 control unit,
60, 62 guide rail, 60a, 62a sliding surface, 64 carriage drive mechanism,
66 driving pulleys, 66a, 70a teeth, 68 driven pulleys,
70 timing belt, 70b first path, 70c second path,
72 slider member, 74 spring member, 76 gripping portion, 78 stopper,
80 frame, 82 roller holder, 82a hook part, 84 oblong hole,
86 rollers, 88 biasing means, 88a one end, 88b other end,
F1, F3 tension, F2 biasing force, P paper

Claims (8)

A carriage having a recording head for recording on a recording medium and moving along a predetermined moving direction;
A driving pulley driven by a driving source, and a driven pulley capable of being driven and rotated at a distance in the predetermined movement direction with respect to the driving pulley, are wound around the driving pulley, and the carriage is moved by the rotation of the driving pulley. An endless belt that pulls in the moving direction of
A frame provided on the drive pulley side of the carriage movement area and outside the carriage movement area;
A roller holder that is rotatably attached to a roller that presses the endless belt toward the drive pulley, and a roller holder that is movable in a direction in which the roller advances and retreats with respect to the drive pulley;
An urging means provided on the outer side of the carriage movement region with respect to the frame in the predetermined movement direction, for urging the roller holder in a direction in which the roller presses the drive pulley;
Recording device. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a path of the endless belt between the driving pulley and the driven pulley includes a first path and a second path facing the first path. Consists of
The carriage is fixed to the second path side of the endless belt;
The roller presses the endless belt toward the drive pulley on the first path side;
A recording apparatus. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the roller moves the endless belt at a position shifted toward the frame side in the predetermined movement direction from a position of a vertex of the drive pulley in the intersecting direction in the first path. Press,
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the carriage has a home position on a side where the driven pulley is provided.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a stopper that defines a movement limit position of the carriage on the home position side by engaging the carriage and stopping the carriage;
Control means for controlling the drive source, capable of executing stop control for stopping the drive source by detecting an increase in a physical quantity of the drive source when the carriage comes into contact with the stopper,
The driven pulley is provided so as to be displaceable in the predetermined moving direction, and is urged in a direction away from the driving pulley,
When the control means executes the stop control, the maximum value of the tension that the drive pulley gives to the first path of the endless belt is greater than the tension that the driven pulley gives to the first path of the endless belt. large,
A recording apparatus. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the carriage moves to an end portion on a side where the driving pulley is provided in a movement region of the carriage, the carriage moves in the predetermined movement direction. At least a portion of the carriage placement area overlaps the roller holder placement area in the predetermined movement direction;
A recording apparatus. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the carriage moves to an end portion on the side where the drive pulley is provided in a movement region of the carriage, the carriage moves in the predetermined movement direction. At least a portion of the carriage placement area overlaps the drive pulley placement area in the predetermined movement direction;
A recording apparatus. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the carriage moves to an end portion on a side where the drive pulley is provided in a movement region of the carriage, the predetermined movement direction is set. At least a portion of the carriage arrangement area in the intersecting direction overlaps with the roller holder arrangement area in the direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction;
A recording apparatus.

Images