JP2017007217A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge device which stabilizes operation of a shutter which seals an opening of a nozzle cap for keeping a nozzle surface of an inkjet head in a moisturized state.SOLUTION: A check processing device includes: an inkjet head; a nozzle cap 41 which is attached to a nozzle surface of the inkjet head to keep the nozzle surface in a moisturized state; and a shutter 51 for sealing an opening of the nozzle cap 41. When the shutter 51 opens and closes, a side plate part 57 of the shutter 51 slides on a guide frame 55 of a shutter frame 53. The guide frame 55 includes a contact part 80 which contacts with the shutter 51 and increases a moving load of the shutter 51 when the shutter 51 is positioned at an open position 51A. The contact part 80 includes a leaf spring part 85 which engages with an opening 59 of the side plate part 57.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus including a nozzle cap that covers a nozzle surface of a liquid ejection head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid that thickens due to evaporation of moisture such as ink have been used. For example, in a printing apparatus equipped with an ink jet head, in order to suppress the thickening of ink in the nozzle, the nozzle surface of the ink jet head is covered with a nozzle cap during standby or when the power is turned off, and the ink nozzle is sealed so that moisture does not evaporate. To do. The nozzle cap is also used as a member for receiving ink ejected during maintenance of the inkjet head. The ink received by the nozzle cap is held by an ink absorbing material disposed inside the nozzle cap.

  While discharging ink from the ink jet head, the nozzle cap is left open. If this state continues for a long time, moisture evaporates from the opening of the nozzle cap, and the ink in the nozzle cap thickens. Therefore, when a nozzle cap that has been left in an open state for a long time is placed on the nozzle surface of the inkjet head, a humectant such as glycerin or diethylene glycol contained in the thickened ink at a high concentration absorbs moisture in the nozzle of the inkjet head. End up. As a result, ink thickening in the nozzles is promoted, and there is a problem that nozzle clogging and ink droplet ejection failure are induced.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a printing apparatus (check processing apparatus) including a shutter capable of sealing an opening of a nozzle cap. Since the shutter can seal the opening of the nozzle cap while ejecting ink from the inkjet head, the inside of the nozzle cap can be maintained in an appropriate moisturizing state. When the ink is discharged, the shutter is opened and the nozzle cap is moved to the inkjet head side to cover the nozzle surface again.

  In Patent Document 1, as a mechanism for opening and closing the shutter, a mechanism is used in which the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the intermittent gear, and the rotation of the intermittent gear is transmitted to the two sets of racks and pinions via the transmission gear train. Two sets of racks and pinions are provided at both ends of the rear surface of the shutter. The two pinions are provided at both ends of the elongated shaft body, and rotate synchronously through the shaft body. As the two pinions rotate synchronously, the shutter moves in parallel in the opening / closing direction.

JP 2012-153132 A

  In the shutter drive mechanism of Patent Document 1, the pinion rotates in a range where the tooth portion of the intermittent gear meshes with the gear of the transmission gear train, and moves the shutter between the closed position and the open position. However, in Patent Document 1, in order to reliably move the shutter to the open position and the closed position, the tooth range of the intermittent gear is set slightly wider than the movement range of the shutter, and the shutter moves to the open position. The shutter hits a part of the surrounding frame and stops a little before the disengagement between the teeth of the intermittent gear and the gear of the transmission gear train is disengaged.

  That is, in the shutter drive mechanism of Patent Document 1, the intermittent gear and the transmission gear train are not disengaged at the timing when the shutter is stopped at the open position, and after the shutter stops at the open position, the two pinions The rotational force is transmitted to the shaft body connecting the two. As a result, the shaft body is bent and twisted in the rotational direction. When the intermittent gear and the transmission gear train are disengaged, the shaft body rotates in a direction to eliminate the deflection. As a result, a force in the closing direction is applied to the shutter, and the shutter may jump out to the closed position side.

  In a state where the shutter is opened, a movable part such as a nozzle cap moves to the inkjet head side in order to seal the nozzle surface of the inkjet head. Therefore, after the shutter is opened, if the shaft jumps out to the closed position due to elimination of the deflection of the shaft as described above or vibration, etc., movable parts such as the nozzle cap collide with the shutter, causing a problem. There is a fear.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to stabilize the operation of the shutter by suppressing the movement of the shutter caused by reaction or vibration when the gears of the drive mechanism are disengaged.

  In order to solve the above problems, a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid ejection head, a nozzle cap that covers a nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head, a closed position that blocks an opening of the nozzle cap, and the opening. A shutter that can move to an open position that does not block the part, and a frame that guides the shutter that moves between the closed position and the open position, and the frame includes a contact portion that contacts the shutter In the case where the direction from the open position toward the closed position is the closing direction, the contact portion contacts the shutter located at the open position, so that the shutter is moved toward the closing direction. A liquid discharging apparatus characterized by restricting movement in the closing direction by increasing a movement load of the liquid.

  According to the present invention, when the contact portion comes into contact with the shutter, the movement load in the closing direction of the shutter increases. Therefore, it is possible to restrict the shutter from moving toward the closing side when a force in the closing direction acts on the shutter or when vibration is applied. Therefore, the operation of the shutter can be stabilized, and there is little possibility that a malfunction occurs due to the contact between the shutter and the movable part.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the contact portion includes a protruding portion that protrudes toward the shutter. If the frame that guides the shutter is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes toward the shutter, the movement load of the shutter increases when the shutter gets over the protruding portion. Therefore, when a closing force is applied to the shutter, the shutter is less likely to start moving toward the closing side, and the operation of the shutter can be stabilized.

  In the present invention, the protrusion is preferably a leaf spring. If it does in this way, since a shutter deform | transforms a leaf | plate spring and gets over, the movement load according to the elastic force of a leaf | plate spring will be added to a shutter. Therefore, when a closing force is applied to the shutter, the shutter is less likely to start moving toward the closing side, and the operation of the shutter can be stabilized.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the shutter includes an opening formed at a portion facing the leaf spring in a state of being located at the open position. If it does in this way, a leaf | plate spring will engage with an opening part in the state which has a shutter located in an open position. Therefore, when the shutter moves to the closing side, the edge of the opening must get over the leaf spring, increasing the movement load of the shutter. Therefore, when a closing force is applied to the shutter, the shutter is less likely to start moving toward the closing side, and the operation of the shutter can be stabilized.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the frame includes a frame surface adjacent to the contact portion in the closing direction, and the contact portion has higher frictional resistance than the frame surface. If it does in this way, when the force of the closing direction acts on a shutter, it can restrict that a shutter begins to move to the closing side. Therefore, the operation of the shutter can be stabilized.

  In this invention, it has a shutter drive mechanism which moves the said shutter between the said open position and the said closed position, and the said shutter drive mechanism is an intermittent which meshes with the transmission gear which transmits a driving force to the said shutter, and the said transmission gear. A gear and a motor for rotating the intermittent gear, and the moving load of the shutter by the contact portion is smaller than the force by which the shutter driving mechanism moves the shutter, and the intermittent gear and the transmission gear It is desirable that the force is greater than the force applied to the shutter due to the disengagement of the shutter. In this way, the operation of the shutter can be stabilized and the shutter can be opened and closed reliably.

1 is an external perspective view of a check processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a top view of the check processing apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the printing part of the check processing apparatus of FIG. It is the front view which looked at the nozzle cap mechanism and the shutter mechanism from the check conveyance path side. It is the back side perspective view which looked at the nozzle cap mechanism and the shutter mechanism from the opposite side to a check conveyance path. It is the front side perspective view which looked at the state which removed the cover frame which covers a nozzle cap drive mechanism and a shutter drive mechanism from the check conveyance way side. It is explanatory drawing of the contact part provided in the shutter frame. It is explanatory drawing of the contact part of the modification 1. It is a back side perspective view of the shutter mechanism and nozzle cap mechanism of the modification 2.

  Embodiments of a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, the present invention is applied to a check processing apparatus including a printing unit that discharges and prints ink on a check. However, the present invention discharges a liquid such as ink to a medium other than the check. The same applies to a liquid ejection apparatus.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a check processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. Hereinafter, in this specification, the three directions of XYZ are orthogonal to each other, the X direction indicates the apparatus width direction, the Y direction indicates the apparatus front-rear direction, and the Z direction indicates the apparatus vertical direction. In the three directions XYZ, the direction of the arrow is the positive direction, the direction opposite to the arrow is the negative direction, the + X direction indicates one side of the apparatus width direction X, and the −X direction indicates the other side. The + Y direction indicates the front of the apparatus, the −Y direction indicates the rear of the apparatus, the + Z direction indicates the upper side, and the −Z direction indicates the lower side.

  The check processing device 1 (liquid ejection device) includes a main body case 2 that covers an internal mechanism. A check conveyance path (medium conveyance path) 6 formed by a vertical groove having a predetermined depth is opened on the upper surface of the apparatus rear portion of the main body case 2. The check conveyance path 6 is a bent path that extends in the Y direction toward the rear (−Y direction) of the apparatus, then curves and changes direction in the X direction, and curves again toward the front of the apparatus (+ Y direction). is there. The main body case 2 includes an opening / closing cover 3 constituting a side surface of the check conveyance path 6 located on the + X direction side, and an opening / closing cover 4 constituting a side surface of the check conveyance path 6 located on the −X direction side. The check 5 serving as a recording medium is conveyed along the check conveyance path 6 with the longitudinal direction thereof set to the apparatus front-rear direction Y and in the apparatus vertical direction Z.

  The check conveyance path 6 is connected to a check supply unit 8 via a check delivery path 7 provided at an upstream end thereof. The check supply unit 8 is a wide vertical groove. On the other hand, the downstream end of the check conveyance path 6 branches into a first branch path 9 and a second branch path 10. The first branch passage 9 is connected to a first check discharge portion 11 made of a wide vertical groove, and the second branch passage 10 is connected to a second check discharge portion 12 made of a wide vertical groove.

  On the check 5, a magnetic ink character string 5A is formed at the lower end portion of the surface 5a. In addition, on the surface 5a, an amount, a payer, a number, a signature, and the like are described with a predetermined pattern as a background. Further, the back side 5b of the check is provided with a back side image for preventing counterfeiting, an endorsement column, and the like. In this example, the check 5 is inserted into the check supply unit 8 so that the surface 5a of the check 5 faces the outside of the curved check conveyance path 6.

  A plurality of conveyance roller pairs (not shown) for conveying the check 5 along the check conveyance path 6 are arranged in the check conveyance path 6. As shown in FIG. 2, in the check conveyance path 6, a magnetic reading unit 21 that reads the magnetic ink character string 5 </ b> A, a printing unit 22 that prints on the back surface 5 b of the check 5, and image information on both sides of the check 5. An optical reader 23 is arranged. The magnetic reading unit 21 is a magnetic scanner such as MICR. As will be described later, the printing unit 22 includes an inkjet head 30 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the curved check conveyance path 6, and a nozzle cap mechanism 40 and a shutter mechanism 50 that face the inkjet head 30 across the check conveyance path 6. Is provided. The optical reading unit 23 is arranged so that the optical scanner 23 a for reading the front surface of the check 5 and the optical scanner 23 b for reading the back surface face each other across the check conveyance path 6.

  While the check 5 inserted into the check supply unit 8 is conveyed along the check conveyance path 6, the magnetic ink character string 5A printed on the surface 5a is read by the magnetic reading unit 21, and the surface image, The back side image printed on the back side and the endorsement column are read by the optical reading unit 23. The check 5 is printed with a bank account number or the like on the back side by the printing unit 22. The check after the information is read and printed is distributed to the first branch passage 9 and discharged to the first check discharge unit 11. Further, the check 5 in which reading is impossible, reading abnormality, etc. is distributed to the second branch passage 10 without being printed by the printing unit 22 and is discharged to the second check discharging unit 12.

(Printing department)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing the printing unit 22 of the check processing device 1. FIG. 3 (a) is a state during printing, FIG. 3 (c) is a state where printing is not performed, and FIG. The state in the middle of shifting to the state which does not perform printing from the state at the time of printing is shown. As described above, the printing unit 22 includes the inkjet head 30, the nozzle cap mechanism 40, and the shutter mechanism 50. The inkjet head 30 is a line-type inkjet head that is long in the vertical direction Z of the apparatus, and is arranged in a state where the nozzle surface 31 faces the check conveyance path 6 side. The nozzle surface 31 faces the printing surface of the check 5 conveyed on the check conveyance path 6.

  The nozzle cap mechanism 40 includes a nozzle cap 41 that can seal the nozzle surface 31 of the inkjet head 30, a nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 that moves the nozzle cap 41 forward and backward with respect to the nozzle surface 31, and the nozzle cap 41 and nozzle cap drive. A nozzle cap support frame 43 that supports the mechanism 42 is provided. The nozzle cap 41 seals the nozzle surface 31 of the inkjet head 30 from the retracted position 41 </ b> A (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) away from the nozzle surface 31 of the inkjet head 30 by the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42. It reciprocates between the capping position 41B (see FIG. 3C).

  The nozzle cap 41 is disposed with the opening 44 facing the nozzle surface 31. The nozzle cap 41 also functions as a member that receives ink ejected from the inkjet head 30 when performing flushing that ejects ink from the inkjet head 30 in order to eliminate or avoid a defective state of the ink nozzles. The ejected ink is held by the ink absorbing material in the nozzle cap 41.

  The shutter mechanism 50 includes a shutter 51 that can seal the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41, a shutter drive mechanism 52 that opens and closes the shutter 51, and a shutter frame 53 that guides the shutter that moves in the opening and closing direction. The shutter 51 is closed by sealing the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41 from the open position 51A (see FIGS. 3B and 3C) retracted from the front of the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41 by the shutter drive mechanism 52. It reciprocates between positions 51B (see FIG. 3A).

  The control unit of the check processing device 1 puts the printing unit 22 in the state shown in FIG. 3A when printing on the check 5 conveyed on the check conveyance path 6. That is, the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 is driven to move the nozzle cap 41 back to the retracted position 41A, and the shutter drive mechanism 52 is driven to move the shutter 51 to the closed position 51B. The shutter 51 moved to the closed position 51 </ b> B functions as a guide for covering the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41 and guiding the check 5. In this state, the check 5 is conveyed along the check conveyance path 6 and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles formed on the nozzle surface 31 of the inkjet head 30 to the check 5 to perform printing.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the opening 51 of the nozzle cap 41 is covered with the shutter 51, the edge of the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41 contacts the back surface of the shutter 51. Thereby, the inside of the nozzle cap 41 is shielded from the external space by the shutter 51. After the nozzle cap 41 has been retracted to the retracted position 41A, the shutter 51 is moved to the closed position 51B, and then the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 is driven again to advance the nozzle cap 41. The edge of the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41 may be brought into contact with the back surface.

  In the state shown in FIG. 3A, the shutter 51 seals the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41, and functions as a cap cover for maintaining the inside of the nozzle cap 41 in a moisturizing state. Thus, when the nozzle cap 41 is not capping the nozzle surface 31, if the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41 is sealed by the shutter 51, the inside of the nozzle cap 41 is not exposed to the outside air for a long time. Therefore, there is little possibility that moisture will evaporate from the inside of the nozzle cap 41.

  The control unit of the check processing device 1 operates the check processing device 1 when a certain period of time elapses in a pause state after waiting for the next check 5 to be conveyed after printing of the check 5 is completed or when the power is turned off. Is stopped, the printing unit 22 is brought into the capping state shown in FIG. In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 3B, the shutter drive mechanism 52 is driven to move the shutter 51 from the closed position 51B to the open position 51A. Subsequently, the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 is driven to advance the nozzle cap 41 toward the nozzle surface 31 and move to the capping position 41B shown in FIG. Thereby, the nozzle surface 31 of the inkjet head 30 is sealed by the nozzle cap 41.

  As described above, the inside of the nozzle cap 41 is sealed by the shutter 51 and kept in a state where it is not exposed to the outside air while printing is performed. It has not evaporated. Therefore, when the nozzle surface 31 is capped again with the nozzle cap 41, the nozzle surface 31 is kept in a moisturized state, and there is little possibility that the viscosity of the ink in the nozzle increases.

(Nozzle cap drive mechanism and shutter drive mechanism)
FIG. 4 is a front view of the nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the shutter mechanism 50 as viewed from the check conveyance path 6 side. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the shutter 51 is in the closed position 51B, and FIG. Is in the open position 51A. 5 is a rear perspective view of the nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the shutter mechanism 50 as viewed from the side opposite to the check conveyance path 6, and FIG. 6 is a cover frame that covers the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 and the shutter drive mechanism 52. It is the front side perspective view which looked at the state which removed 47 from the check conveyance path 6 side. 4 to 6 indicate directions in a state in which the nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the shutter mechanism 50 are incorporated in the check processing device 1. Further, in this specification, the opening / closing direction of the shutter 51 is indicated by D, the moving direction when the shutter 51 is closed is the closing direction D1, and the moving direction when the shutter 51 is retracted from the position where the nozzle cap 41 is sealed is shown. The opening direction is D2.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the shutter mechanism 50 are arranged adjacent to each other in the apparatus width direction X. The nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the shutter mechanism 50 have a shutter frame 53 fixed to a nozzle cap support frame 43, and constitute a nozzle cap unit with a shutter integrated as a whole. As shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle cap support frame 43 has a shape that is long in the vertical direction Z of the apparatus, and includes a grooved frame 45 that accommodates the nozzle cap 41 and the upper end of the grooved frame 45 to the shutter mechanism 50 side. An overhanging flat frame 46 is provided. Part of the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 and the shutter drive mechanism 52 is mounted on the flat frame 46 and covered with the cover frame 47. A wiper 49 for wiping off ink adhering to the nozzle surface 31 is provided at the lower end of the grooved frame 45.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 includes a motor 61 and a cylindrical cam 62 that converts the output rotation of the motor 61 into a linear reciprocating motion between the retracted position 41 </ b> A of the nozzle cap 41 and the capping position 41 </ b> B. . The shutter drive mechanism 52 includes an intermittent gear 63b and a rack and pinion 64 that convert the rotation of the cylindrical cam 62 into a linear reciprocating motion between the closed position 51B and the open position 51A of the shutter 51. The nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 and the shutter drive mechanism 52 rotate the intermittent gear 63b and the cylindrical cam 62 using a single motor 61 as a drive source, and operate the nozzle cap 41 and the shutter 51 in a predetermined synchronization.

  In other words, the nozzle cap driving mechanism 42 and the shutter driving mechanism 52 close the shutter 51 while the nozzle cap 41 is positioned at the capping position 41B and while the nozzle cap 41 is moved from the capping position 41B to the retracted position 41A. 51B. When the nozzle cap 41 returns to the retracted position 41A, the shutter 51 is moved from the open position 51A to the closed position 51B. While the shutter 51 is in the closed position 51B, the nozzle cap 41 is brought into contact with the back surface of the shutter 51 to seal the opening 44 of the nozzle cap 41.

  More specifically, the nozzle cap drive mechanism 42 includes a reduction gear train 65 that reduces the output rotation of the motor 61 and transmits it to the cylindrical cam 62. The cylindrical cam 62 includes a cylindrical portion 67 having a cam groove 66 formed on the outer peripheral surface, a large-diameter intermittent gear 63 a integrally formed on one end of the cylindrical portion 67 in a coaxial state, and the other end of the cylindrical portion 67. A small-diameter intermittent gear 63b integrally formed in a coaxial state is provided. The intermittent gears 63a and 63b include a tooth portion 68 where external teeth are formed over a predetermined angle range and a missing tooth portion 69 where external teeth are not formed over a predetermined angle range.

  A vertical pin (not shown) as a cam follower extending from the nozzle cap 41 side is slidably inserted into the cam groove 66 of the cylindrical cam 62. The vertical pin is formed integrally with the nozzle cap 41. When the cylindrical cam 62 rotates, the vertical pin moves along the cam groove 66 in the direction of the central axis of the cylindrical cam 62. Along with this, the nozzle cap 41 to which the vertical pin is attached also moves in the same direction. The cam groove 66 is formed to move the nozzle cap 41 between the retracted position 41A and the capping position 41B.

  On the other hand, the shutter drive mechanism 52 includes a transmission gear train 70 that meshes with the small-diameter intermittent gear 63 b of the cylindrical cam 62. A driving side bevel gear 72 is coaxially attached to the final gear of the transmission gear train 70, and the driving side bevel gear 72 meshes with the driven side bevel gear 73. The driven bevel gear 73 is attached to the upper end of a shaft body 74 (see FIG. 5) extending in the apparatus vertical direction Z along the back surface of the shutter 51. A pinion 64 a is coaxially attached to the upper end side and the lower end side of the shaft body 74. The pair of pinions 64 a meshes with a pair of racks 64 b formed on the back surface of the shutter 51.

  When the cylindrical cam 62 is rotated and the nozzle cap 41 is moved, the pinion 64a is rotated in a predetermined synchronization therewith, and the rack 64b engaged with the pinion 64a is linearly reciprocated in the opening / closing direction D. As a result, the shutter 51 in which the rack 64b is formed moves between the closed position 51B and the open position 51A.

(Stabilization of shutter operation)
As shown in FIG. 4A, the end edge of the shutter 51 on the nozzle cap 41 side is a protrusion provided at the upper end of the grooved frame 45 of the nozzle cap support frame 43 when the shutter 51 is located at the closed position 51B. It abuts against the part 48 in the closing direction D1. That is, the closing operation of the shutter 51 is stopped when the shutter 51 and the protrusion 48 come into contact with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the shutter frame 53 includes a vertical frame 54 that extends parallel to the shaft 74 on the back side of the shutter 51 and is fixed to the side surface of the grooved frame 45, and a right angle from the upper end of the vertical frame 54. A guide frame 55 (frame) that is bent and extends in the opening / closing direction D of the shutter 51 is provided. The guide frame 55 rotatably supports a portion near the upper end of the shaft body 74. The lower end of the shaft body 74 is rotatably supported by a support frame 56 that is cut and raised from the vertical frame 54 and protrudes on the same side as the guide frame 55. A driven bevel gear 73 that rotates integrally with the shaft body 74 is provided at an end portion of the shaft body 74 that protrudes above the guide frame 55 (+ Z direction).

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a side plate 57 extending in parallel with the guide frame 55 is formed on the side edge on the upper side (+ Z direction side) of the shutter 51. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a guide groove 58 a extending in the opening / closing direction D of the shutter 51 is formed on the side edge on the lower side (−Z direction side) of the shutter 51. A guide protrusion 58b protruding from the vertical frame 54 is inserted into the guide groove 58a. When the shutter 51 moves in the opening / closing direction D, the side plate portion 57 slides along the guide frame 55 at the upper edge of the shutter 51, and the guide protrusion 58 b slides along the guide groove 58 a at the lower edge of the shutter 51. The guide frame 55 is provided with a contact portion 80 that contacts the side plate portion 57 in a state where the shutter 51 is located at the open position 51A.

  The opening operation of the shutter 51 is stopped when the shutter 51 comes into contact with the contact portion (not shown) provided on the shutter frame 53 in the opening direction D2. Here, the rotation of the shaft body 74 with the pinion 64a that moves the shutter 51 in the opening / closing direction D is transmitted via a driven bevel gear 73 formed at the upper end thereof. Then, the driven bevel gear 73 rotates in an angular range where the tooth portion 68 of the intermittent gear 63b and the transmission gear train 70 mesh with each other. The angle range in which the teeth 68 of the intermittent gear 63b are formed is set wider than the angle range in which the shutter 51 is moved between the closed position 51B and the open position 51A.

  For this reason, when the shutter 51 moves to the open position 51A, the shutter 51 is provided on the shutter frame 53 before the toothed portion 68 of the intermittent gear 63b is disengaged from the transmission gear train 70 ( The shutter 51 stops at the open position 51A. Since the intermittent gear 63b continues to rotate for a while after the shutter 51 stops, the driven bevel gear 73 further rotates while the pair of pinions 64a cannot rotate. As a result, the shaft body 74 is twisted to cause deflection. When the teeth 68 of the intermittent gear 63b and the transmission gear train 70 are disengaged, the deflection of the shaft body 74 is eliminated at once. When the shaft body 74 is released from the bent state, a force in the closing direction D1 is applied to the shutter 51 via the pair of pinions 64a.

  7 is an explanatory view of the contact portion 80 provided on the shutter frame 53, FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the shutter mechanism 50, and FIG. 7B is a partially enlarged view showing the contact portion 80. (Enlarged view of region A in FIG. 7A), FIG. 7C is a partial sectional view showing the contact portion 80 (BB sectional view in FIG. 7B). The shutter frame 53 includes a contact portion 80 provided at the distal end portion of the guide frame 55 in the opening direction D2. The contact part 80 is a part that increases the movement load in the closing direction D1 of the shutter 51 by contacting the side plate part 57 of the shutter 51 at the open position 51A.

  The contact portion 80 includes a notch portion 81 provided at the tip end portion in the opening direction D2 of the guide frame 55, a convex portion 82 protruding from the guide frame 55 on the closing direction D1 side of the notch portion 81, and a leaf spring member 83. Is provided. The leaf spring member 83 includes an engagement portion 84 engaged with the convex portion 82, and a leaf spring portion 85 extending from the engagement portion 84 in the opening direction D <b> 2 and projecting toward the side plate portion 57 (projection portion / A leaf spring). The upper surface of the guide frame 55 is a sliding surface 55a (see FIGS. 4A and 7B) with which the side plate portion 57 of the shutter 51 contacts. The leaf spring member 83 is attached in a state where the engagement portion 84 is engaged with the convex portion 82 formed on the surface opposite to the sliding surface 55 a and the leaf spring portion 85 is disposed in the notch portion 81. It is done. The leaf spring portion 85 is bent into a shape that is convex toward the side plate portion 57. The bent portion includes a first inclined plate 85a extending from the bent position to the opening direction D2, and a second inclined plate 85b extending from the bent position to the closing direction D1.

  The shutter 51 includes an opening 59 formed in the side plate portion 57. The opening 59 extends in the opening / closing direction D, and overlaps the notch 81 of the guide frame 55 in a state where the shutter 51 is located at the open position 51A. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B, in a state where the shutter 51 is located at the open position 51 </ b> A, the leaf spring portion 85 protrudes from the notch portion 81 to the inside of the opening portion 59, and the opening 59 has a plate. The spring portion 85 is engaged. In the leaf spring portion 85, the first inclined plate 85 a is pressed against the edge of the opening 59.

  When the shutter 51 moves in the closing direction D1 from the open position 51A, the side plate portion 57 of the shutter 51 moves while pressing the leaf spring portion 85 of the contact portion 80 within a predetermined movement range from the open position 51A. More specifically, the shutter 51 moves while pressing the first inclined plate 85 a of the leaf spring portion 85 at the edge of the opening 59 to push down the leaf spring portion 85. That is, the contact portion 80 increases the moving load of the shutter 51 by bringing the leaf spring portion 85 into contact with the side plate portion 57. When the shutter 51 moves to a position where the side plate portion 57 completely gets over the leaf spring portion 85, the movement load of the shutter 51 in the range of movement from that position to the closed position 51B causes the leaf spring portion 85 to contact the side plate portion 57. It will be lower than when it was.

  The moving load of the shutter 51 by the contact portion 80 is caused by the force applied to the shutter 51 due to the reaction of disengagement between the gear of the transmission gear train 70 and the intermittent gear 63b, that is, by the release of the shaft body 74 from the deflection state described above. It is larger than the force in the closing direction D <b> 1 applied to the shutter 51. Accordingly, the contact portion 80 can restrict the shutter 51 from jumping out from the open position 51A in the closing direction D1 due to the shaft body 74 being released from the bent state. Further, the moving load of the shutter 51 is smaller than the force by which the shutter driving mechanism 52 moves the shutter 51 in the closing direction D <b> 1 by the rotation of the motor 61. Therefore, the opening / closing operation of the shutter 51 by the shutter driving mechanism 52 is not hindered by the contact between the shutter 51 and the contact portion 80.

(Function and effect)
As described above, in the check processing device 1 of this embodiment, when the shutter 51 is opened, the contact portion 80 is in contact with the shutter 51, and thus the movement load of the shutter 51 is increased. Accordingly, it is possible to restrict the shutter 51 from starting to move in the closing direction D1 when a force that pops out toward the closing side acts on the shutter 51 or vibration is applied. Therefore, the operation of the shutter 51 can be stabilized, and there is little possibility that a malfunction occurs due to the contact between the shutter 51 and the movable part (the nozzle cap 41, the wiper 49, etc.). Further, in order to avoid contact between the shutter 51 and the movable part, it is not necessary to ensure a large gap between the shutter 51 and the movable part, which is advantageous for downsizing of the apparatus.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, the contact portion 80 includes a leaf spring portion 85 that is bent into a shape that protrudes toward the shutter 51. The leaf spring portion 85 engages with an opening 59 formed in the side plate portion 57 of the shutter 51. When the side plate portion 57 of the shutter 51 gets over the plate spring portion 85, the edge of the opening 59 presses the first inclined plate 85 a of the plate spring portion 85, and the plate spring portion 85 is bent. Thereby, the moving load of the shutter 51 increases. Such a contact portion 80 can stabilize the operation of the shutter 51 while having a simple structure at a low cost. In particular, the leaf spring portion 85 can be reliably brought into contact with the shutter 51, and rattling of the shutter 51 can be suppressed.

  The moving load of the shutter 51 can be set to an appropriate moving load by setting the elastic force of the leaf spring portion 85 to an appropriate magnitude. Therefore, a configuration that can reliably perform the opening / closing operation of the shutter 51 by the shutter driving mechanism 52 while suppressing the jumping of the shutter 51 due to the reaction or vibration when the gear of the driving mechanism is disengaged is realized. it can.

(Modification 1)
Although the said form increased the moving load of the shutter 51 with the leaf | plate spring part 85 of the contact part 80, the structure which increases the moving load of the shutter 51 using another member may be employ | adopted. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the contact portion 180 of the first modification, and is a front side perspective view of the shutter mechanism 150 including the nozzle cap mechanism 40 and the contact portion 180 of the modification as viewed from the check conveyance path 6 side. In FIG. 8, illustration of the cover frame 47 is omitted, and the member positioned behind the shutter 51 is illustrated by displaying the outline of the shutter 51 with a one-dot chain line. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different portions will be described with different reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the contact portion 180 of the first modification includes a sheet-like friction member 181 attached to the sliding surface 55 a of the guide frame 55. One friction member 181 is attached to each side of the notch 81 of the guide frame 55. The sliding surface 55a has a region (frame surface 182) where the friction member 181 is not attached. The frame surface 182 is a part adjacent to the contact part 180 in the closing direction D1. The frame surface 182 is a part having a smaller frictional resistance than the friction member 181 when it contacts the side plate portion 57 of the shutter 51.

  In the first modification, when the shutter 51 is in the open position 51A, the friction member 181 of the contact portion 180 is in contact with the side plate portion 57 of the shutter 51, so that the movement load of the shutter 51 is large. Therefore, similarly to the above-described embodiment, when a force that pops out toward the closing side acts on the shutter 51 or when vibration is applied, there is little possibility that the shutter 51 starts to move in the closing direction D1. Therefore, the operation of the shutter 51 can be stabilized. Further, by sticking the sheet-like friction member 181, the gap between the side plate portion 57 and the sliding surface 55 a can be minimized, and the contact portion 180 (friction member 181) is reliably brought into contact with the shutter 51. In addition, it is possible to suppress rattling of the shutter 51.

  As another example of the part that increases the movement load of the shutter 51, a protruding portion other than a leaf spring such as a protrusion protruding toward the side plate portion 57 is formed on the sliding surface 55a of the guide frame 55 to protrude. You may comprise so that the moving load of the shutter 51 may increase when getting over a part.

(Modification 2)
In each of the above embodiments, the operation of the shutter 51 is stabilized by increasing the moving load of the shutter 51. However, in order to avoid the shutter 51 from popping out due to the release of the shaft body 74 from the deflection state, contact is not necessary. Instead of providing the portion 80 or the contact portion 180, a configuration in which a member for suppressing the deflection of the shaft body 74 may be employed.

  FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the shutter mechanism 250 and the nozzle cap mechanism 40 of the second modification. The shutter mechanism 250 of Modification 2 includes three deformation prevention members 280 fixed to the vertical frame 54 of the shutter frame 53. The deformation preventing member 280 is a leaf spring, one end of which is fixed to the vertical frame 54 and the other end is pressed against the shaft body 74. The deformation preventing member 280 is pressed against the shaft body 74 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the shaft body 74 bends. The three deformation preventing members 280 are arranged apart in the apparatus vertical direction Z between the pair of pinions 64a. When such a deformation preventing member 280 is provided, the bending deformation of the shaft body 74 is suppressed. Therefore, the force in the closing direction D <b> 1 applied to the shutter 51 due to the release from the deflection deformation of the shaft body 74 can be suppressed. Therefore, there is little possibility that the shutter 51 starts to move in the closing direction D1, and the operation of the shutter 51 can be stabilized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Check processing apparatus (liquid discharge apparatus), 2 ... Main body case 3, 4 ... Opening / closing cover, 5 ... Check, 5a ... Front surface, 5b ... Back surface, 5A ... Magnetic ink character string, 6 ... Check conveyance path, 7 ... Check delivery path, 8 ... Check supply section, 9 ... First branch path, 10 ... Second branch path, 11 ... First check discharge section, 12 ... Second check discharge section, 21 ... Magnetic reading section, 22 ... Print section , 23: Optical reading unit, 23a, 23b ... Optical scanner, 30 ... Inkjet head, 31 ... Nozzle surface, 40 ... Nozzle cap mechanism, 41 ... Nozzle cap, 41A ... Retreat position, 41B ... Capping position, 42 ... Nozzle cap Drive mechanism, 43 ... Nozzle cap support frame, 44 ... Opening, 45 ... Grooved frame, 46 ... Flat frame, 47 ... Cover frame, 48 ... Projection, 49 ... Wiper 50 ... Shutter mechanism 51 ... Shutter 51A ... Open position 51B ... Closed position 52 ... Shutter drive mechanism 53 ... Shutter frame 54 ... Vertical frame 55 ... Guide frame (frame) 55a ... Sliding surface 56 ... support frame, 57 ... side plate, 58a ... guide groove, 58b ... guide projection, 59 ... opening, 61 ... motor, 62 ... cylindrical cam, 63a ... intermittent gear, 63b ... intermittent gear, 64 ... rack and pinion, 64a ... pinion, 64b ... rack, 65 ... reduction gear train, 66 ... cam groove, 67 ... cylindrical portion, 68 ... tooth portion, 69 ... missed tooth portion, 70 ... transmission gear train, 72 ... drive side bevel gear, 73 ... Drive side bevel gear, 74 ... shaft, 80 ... contact portion, 81 ... notch, 82 ... convex portion, 83 ... plate spring member, 84 ... engagement portion, 85 ... plate spring portion (protrusion / plate spring) , 85a ... DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 inclined plate, 85b ... 2nd inclined plate, 150 ... shutter mechanism, 180 ... contact part, 181 ... friction member, 182 ... frame surface, 250 ... shutter mechanism, 280 ... deformation prevention member, D ... opening-and-closing direction, D1 ... closed Direction, D2 ... opening direction, X ... device width direction, Y ... device longitudinal direction, Z ... device vertical direction

Claims (6)

A liquid discharge head;
A nozzle cap that covers the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head;
A closed position that closes the opening of the nozzle cap, and a shutter that can move to an open position that does not close the opening;
A frame for guiding the shutter that moves between the closed position and the open position;
The frame includes a contact portion that contacts the shutter;
When the direction from the open position to the closed position is the closing direction,
The contact portion is in contact with the shutter located at the open position, thereby increasing a movement load of the shutter in the closing direction and restricting the movement in the closing direction. Discharge device.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion includes a protruding portion that protrudes toward the shutter.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is a leaf spring.   The liquid ejection device according to claim 3, wherein the shutter includes an opening formed at a portion facing the leaf spring in a state of being located at the open position. The frame includes a frame surface adjacent to the contact portion in the closing direction;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion has a higher frictional resistance than the surface of the frame. A shutter drive mechanism for moving the shutter between the open position and the closed position;
The shutter drive mechanism includes a transmission gear that transmits a driving force to the shutter, an intermittent gear that meshes with the transmission gear, and a motor that rotates the intermittent gear,
The moving load of the shutter by the contact portion is smaller than the force by which the shutter driving mechanism moves the shutter, and is applied to the shutter due to the disengagement between the intermittent gear and the transmission gear. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection apparatus is larger than a force.

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