JP2017024379A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress damage of at least one of a medium and a liquid discharge section by the medium and the liquid discharge section being brought into contact with each other.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device 1 comprises: a liquid discharge section 11 discharging liquid onto a medium P; and a transportation section 9 transporting the medium P. Piezoelectric film sensors 32 are provided to the liquid discharge section 11. By constituting the liquid discharge device 1 as described above, damage of at least one of the medium P and the liquid discharge section 11 by the medium P and the liquid discharge section 11 being brought into contact with each other can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid such as ink onto a transported medium has been used. In such a liquid ejecting apparatus, when the medium to be transported and the liquid ejecting unit come into contact, at least one of the medium and the liquid ejecting unit may be damaged. Therefore, various techniques have been disclosed in order to suppress contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid ejection apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) that suppresses contact between a medium and a liquid ejection unit by detecting an abnormality in conveyance of the medium (recording medium) by an optical detection unit.

JP-A-5-301413

  However, in the optical detection means and the conventional mechanical detection means disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the medium and the liquid ejection unit are not in contact, it is erroneously assumed that the medium and the liquid ejection unit are in contact. In some cases, it may be determined, or conversely, when the medium and the liquid ejection unit are in contact, it may be erroneously determined that the medium and the liquid ejection unit are not in contact. As described above, the detection means for detecting the contact between the conventional medium and the liquid ejection unit has low detection accuracy.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent damage to at least one of the medium and the liquid ejection unit due to contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit.

  In order to solve the above problems, a liquid ejection apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a liquid ejection unit that ejects a liquid onto a medium, and a transport unit that transports the medium. The liquid ejection unit includes: A piezoelectric film sensor is provided.

  According to this aspect, the piezoelectric film sensor is provided in the liquid ejection unit. The piezoelectric film sensor can detect a slight distortion. For this reason, a slight distortion of the liquid ejection unit can be detected by providing the liquid ejection unit with the piezoelectric film sensor. That is, by detecting this slight distortion, the contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit can be detected with high accuracy, and at least one of the medium and the liquid ejection unit is damaged due to the contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit. Can be suppressed.

  The liquid ejection apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the liquid ejection device according to the first aspect, wherein the liquid ejection unit is capable of ejecting the liquid while reciprocating in an intersecting direction intersecting a transport direction of the medium, The detection of the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is made effective during the constant speed movement of the reciprocating movement of the liquid ejection unit.

In the reciprocating movement of the liquid discharge unit, there are an acceleration movement that accelerates from a stopped state to a constant speed, a constant speed movement, and a deceleration movement that decelerates from a constant speed state to a stopped state. Here, during acceleration movement and deceleration movement, gravity is applied to the liquid discharge section, so that the liquid discharge section may be deformed (distorted). For this reason, during acceleration movement and deceleration movement, the deformation of the liquid ejection part accompanying acceleration or deceleration may be erroneously determined as the deformation of the liquid ejection part accompanying contact between the medium and the liquid ejection part. However, according to this aspect, the liquid ejection unit can eject liquid while reciprocating in the crossing direction intersecting the medium conveyance direction, and the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor can be detected at a constant speed in the reciprocation of the liquid ejection unit. Enabled when moving. For this reason, the erroneous determination can be suppressed.
“The detection of the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is enabled at the time of constant speed movement in the reciprocating movement of the liquid ejection part” means that the detection is stopped at the time of acceleration movement and deceleration movement of the liquid ejection part. In addition to the configuration, it also means that detection is performed based on a reference different from that during constant speed movement during acceleration movement and deceleration movement of the liquid ejection unit (for example, a threshold value during acceleration movement and deceleration movement is increased).

  In the liquid ejection device according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the attachment portion of the piezoelectric film sensor in the liquid ejection portion is configured to be less rigid than the peripheral portion of the attachment portion. It is characterized by.

  According to this aspect, the attachment part of the piezoelectric film sensor in the liquid ejection part is configured to have lower rigidity than the peripheral part of the attachment part. That is, it is possible to make the mounting portion of the piezoelectric film sensor easy to be distorted, and increase the detection accuracy, and to make the peripheral portion strong with a high rigidity. For this reason, it is hard to break and can form a liquid discharge part with high detection accuracy, and it can control effectively that a medium and a liquid discharge part contact and at least one of a medium and a liquid discharge part is damaged.

  The liquid ejection device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the liquid ejection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the liquid ejection unit is provided with a plurality of the piezoelectric film sensors, and an attachment portion for each piezoelectric film sensor. Are characterized in that at least one of the rigidity and the position and the mounting direction of each piezoelectric film sensor is different.

  According to this aspect, the liquid ejection unit is provided with a plurality of piezoelectric film sensors, and each piezoelectric film sensor mounting portion is at least one of the rigidity and position of each piezoelectric film sensor and the mounting direction of each piezoelectric film sensor. Is different. That is, the displacement of each piezoelectric film sensor is detected depending on at least one of whether a piezoelectric film sensor is provided in a portion having different rigidity, the mounting position of the piezoelectric film sensor is different, or the mounting direction of the piezoelectric film sensor is different. Even when the reference is the same, the degree of deformation of the position where the piezoelectric film sensor is provided is different, so the degree of contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit can be determined based on a plurality of references. For this reason, according to the contact degree of a medium and a liquid discharge part, a liquid discharge operation | movement can be stopped by a different method.

  In any one of the first to fourth aspects, the liquid ejection device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention determines the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor based on a plurality of criteria, and according to the magnitude of the displacement, The method of stopping at least one of the ejection of the liquid by the liquid ejection unit and the conveyance of the medium by the conveyance unit is changed.

  According to this aspect, the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is determined based on a plurality of references, and at least one of the liquid ejection by the liquid ejection unit and the medium conveyance by the conveyance unit is stopped according to the magnitude of the displacement. To change. That is, the liquid discharge operation can be stopped by a different method depending on the degree of contact between the medium and the liquid discharge unit. For this reason, for example, when the contact degree between the medium and the liquid ejection part is light, the liquid ejection operation is stopped after waiting for a good timing, and immediately when the contact degree between the medium and the liquid ejection part is heavy. It can be said that the liquid discharge operation is stopped.

  In the liquid ejection device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the piezoelectric film sensor is provided on both sides in the reciprocating direction with respect to the liquid ejection position of the liquid ejection section. It is characterized by being.

  According to this aspect, the piezoelectric film sensor is provided on both sides in the reciprocating direction with respect to the liquid discharge position of the liquid discharge portion. For this reason, it is possible to detect the contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit with high accuracy when the liquid ejection unit moves in both directions in the reciprocating movement.

  The liquid ejection device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the piezoelectric film sensor is attached to a curved surface.

  Since the piezoelectric film sensor is in the form of a film, it can be attached to a curved surface. In addition, since the liquid discharge unit has a curved surface, for example, it is possible to reduce damage to the medium and the liquid discharge unit when they come into contact with each other. Here, according to this aspect, the piezoelectric film sensor is affixed on the curved surface. For this reason, when the liquid ejection unit has a curved surface, the piezoelectric film sensor can be disposed on the curved surface, and the degree of freedom in the configuration of the liquid ejection unit can be increased.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, when the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is detected, the liquid ejection device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention can eject the liquid by the liquid ejection unit, and At least one of the conveyance of the medium by the conveyance unit is stopped.

  According to this aspect, when the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is detected, at least one of the liquid ejection by the liquid ejection unit and the medium conveyance by the conveyance unit is stopped. That is, in order to prevent damage to at least one of the medium and the liquid ejection unit when contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit is detected with high accuracy and contact between the medium and the liquid ejection unit is detected, At least one of the ejection of the liquid by the ejection unit and the conveyance of the medium by the conveyance unit is stopped. For this reason, it can suppress that a medium and a liquid discharge part contact, and at least one of a medium and a liquid discharge part is damaged.

1 is a schematic side view illustrating a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating a main part of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic front cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. 1 is a block diagram of a recording apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic front cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic front cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention.

  Hereinafter, a recording apparatus according to an embodiment as a liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Example 1] (FIGS. 1 to 4)
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating a recording apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a platen 2, a platen 3, and a platen 4 that are support portions of a recording medium (medium) P from a set unit 14 of the recording medium P. Thus, the recording medium P is conveyed in the conveying direction A to the winding unit 15 of the recording medium P. That is, the set unit 14 to the winding unit 15 are transport paths of the recording medium P in the recording apparatus 1, and the platen 2, the platen 3, and the platen 4 are support parts of the recording medium P provided in the transport path. is there. The set unit 14 rotates in the rotation direction C to send out the recording medium P, and the winding unit 15 rotates in the rotation direction C to wind up the recording medium P.

  The recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration capable of recording on a roll-shaped recording medium P. However, the recording apparatus 1 is not limited to such a configuration, and recording is performed on a single-sheet recording medium P. The structure which can perform is also sufficient. When the recording medium P has a configuration capable of recording on a single-sheet recording medium P, for example, a so-called sheet feeding (feeding) tray and sheet feeding (feeding) cassette may be used as the set unit 14 for the recording medium P. You may use what is called. Further, as the collecting unit for the recording medium P, as a collecting unit other than the winding unit 15, for example, a so-called discharge receiving unit, a paper discharge (discharge) tray, a paper discharge (discharge) cassette, or the like is used. May be.

In this embodiment, since the roll type recording medium P wound so that the recording surface 16 is on the outer side is used, when the recording medium P is sent from the setting section 14, the setting section 14 The rotation shaft rotates in the rotation direction C. On the other hand, when using a roll-type recording medium P wound so that the recording surface 16 is on the inner side, the rotating shaft of the set unit 14 can be sent out in the reverse direction to the rotation direction C. is there.
Similarly, the winding unit 15 of the present embodiment winds the recording surface 16 of the recording medium P so that the recording surface 16 is on the outer side, so that the rotation shaft of the winding unit 15 rotates in the rotation direction C. On the other hand, when winding so that the recording surface 16 is on the inner side, the rotating shaft of the winding unit 15 can be wound in the reverse direction of the rotation direction C.

A heater 6 is provided on the platen 2 of the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The heater 6 is provided to heat the recording medium P (so-called preheating) before recording is performed by the recording head 12 as a recording unit.
The recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured to preheat the recording medium P from the surface 17 side opposite to the recording surface 16 of the recording medium P using the heater 6. However, for example, the recording medium P may be preheated from the recording surface 16 side using a heater that can heat the recording medium P by irradiating infrared rays from the recording surface 16 side of the recording medium P.

Further, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a rotation axis in a cross direction B that intersects the transport direction A between the platen 2 and the platen 3, and is a drive that applies a feeding force to the surface 17 of the recording medium P. A roller 5 is provided.
A driven roller 7 having a rotation axis in the intersecting direction B is provided at a position facing the driving roller 5. The recording medium P can be held between the driving roller 5 and the driven roller 7 constituting the roller pair. With such a configuration, the driving roller 5 and the driven roller 7 constitute a transport unit 9. Here, the driven roller means a roller that rotates as the recording medium P is conveyed.
When the recording medium P is transported in the transport direction A, the driving roller 5 rotates in the rotation direction C, and the driven roller 7 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C.

  Further, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a recording head 12 on the side of the carriage 11 that faces the platen 3. The recording apparatus 1 moves ink, which is an example of a liquid, from the nozzle formation surface F of the recording head 12 to the recording medium P in the direction D (nozzle formation surface) while reciprocating the recording head 12 in the intersecting direction B via the carriage 11. A desired image is formed by discharging in the direction from F to the recording medium P (vertically downward in this embodiment). With such a configuration, the recording head 12 can eject ink as a liquid onto the recording medium P. That is, the carriage 11 of the present embodiment serves as a liquid ejection unit.

The recording apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes the recording head 12 that performs recording while reciprocating. However, the recording apparatus 1 includes a so-called line head in which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are provided in the intersecting direction B that intersects the transport direction A. It may be a recording device. In the case of a recording apparatus including a line head, the line head corresponds to a liquid ejection unit.
Here, the “line head” is provided so that the nozzle area formed in the cross direction B intersecting the transport direction A of the recording medium P can cover the entire cross direction B of the recording medium P. The recording head is used in a recording apparatus that forms an image by relatively moving the recording head or the recording medium P. Note that the nozzle area in the cross direction B of the line head may not be able to cover the entire cross direction B of all the recording media P supported by the printing apparatus.

  Also, skirts 10 provided with piezoelectric film sensors 32 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) are formed at both ends of the carriage 11 in the intersecting direction B. The skirt 10 is a member for suppressing contact between the recording medium P and the recording head 12. Specific configurations of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 and the skirt 10 will be described later.

Further, on the downstream side of the recording head 12 in the transport direction A, a heater 8 is provided as a heating unit that can irradiate infrared rays toward an area recorded by the recording head 12.
The heater 8 of this embodiment is an infrared heater that is provided at a position facing the platen 3 and can heat the recording surface 16 side of the recording medium P. However, the heater 8 is not limited to such a heater, and the platen 3 side is not limited thereto. A heater capable of heating the recording medium P from the (surface 17 side) may be used.

  A heater 13 capable of emitting infrared rays is provided on the downstream side of the heater 8 in the transport direction A of the recording medium P. The heater 13 of this embodiment is an infrared heater that is provided at a position facing the platen 4 and can heat the recording surface 16 side of the recording medium P. However, the heater 13 is not limited to such a heater, and the platen 4 side A heater capable of heating the recording medium P from the (surface 17 side) may be used. For example, instead of a heating device such as an infrared heater, a blower such as a fan can be used.

Next, the structure of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 and the skirt 10 which are the principal parts of the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the carriage 11 of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic front sectional view showing the carriage 11.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 11 of this embodiment is formed with a skirt 10 provided with piezoelectric film sensors 32 at both end portions in the crossing direction B of the carriage 11. In the skirt 10, as shown in FIG. 3, the interval between the recording medium P and the lower surface of the skirt 10 is narrower than the interval between the recording medium P and the recording head 12 (nozzle forming surface F). It is comprised so that it may become.

  As described above, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes the carriage 11 including the recording head 12 that discharges ink onto the recording medium P and the transport unit 9 that transports the recording medium P. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 11 is provided with a piezoelectric film sensor 32. For this reason, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured to detect a slight distortion of the carriage 11 by providing the carriage 11 as a liquid ejection unit with the piezoelectric film sensor 32. That is, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can detect contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 with high accuracy by detecting this slight distortion, and the recording medium P and the carriage 11 are in contact with each other. It is possible to suppress damage to at least one of the recording medium P and the carriage 11 (particularly the recording head 12).

In addition, although the piezoelectric film sensor 32 of a present Example is provided in the skirt 10, it is not limited to arrangement | positioning in such a position. As described above, the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is a sensor with high detection accuracy capable of detecting a slight distortion. When the carriage 11 and the recording medium P come into contact with each other, the carriage 11 tends to be deformed as a whole. For this reason, even if the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is provided at a place other than the skirt 10 such as a side surface portion of the carriage 11, contact between the carriage 11 and the recording medium P can be detected.
However, since the distortion tends to be larger near the contact position with the recording medium P, for example, the mounting portion 34 of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is disposed at a position facing the recording medium P as in this embodiment. For example, the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is preferably disposed close to the recording medium P. Further, since the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is disposed particularly close to the recording medium P, the mounting portion 34 of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is arranged between the recording medium P and the recording head 12 as in this embodiment. It is preferable that the gap between the recording medium P and the lower surface of the attachment portion 34 is narrower than that.

  In addition, when the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment detects the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32, the recording head 12 provided in the carriage 11 discharges ink and controls under the control of the control unit 18 (see FIG. 4) described later. At least one of the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveyance unit 9 can be stopped. Here, the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is a sensor configured by arranging piezoelectric elements in a film shape, and is a highly accurate sensor that can detect a slight distortion as a displacement of a portion to which the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is attached. . That is, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can detect the contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 with high accuracy by the piezoelectric film sensor 32. When the contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 is detected by the control of the control unit 18, the recording head 12 of the carriage 11 is controlled to prevent at least one of the recording medium P and the carriage 11 from being damaged. It is possible to stop at least one of the ejection of the ink and the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveyance unit 9. For this reason, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can suppress damage to at least one of the recording medium P and the carriage 11 due to contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11.

Further, as described above, in the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the carriage 11 (recording head 12) can eject ink while reciprocating in the intersecting direction B intersecting the transport direction A of the recording medium P. . The detection of the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 can be made effective only during the constant speed movement of the carriage 11 in the reciprocating movement under the control of the control unit 18.
In the reciprocating movement of the carriage 11, there are an acceleration movement that accelerates from a stopped state to a constant speed state, a constant speed movement, and a deceleration movement that decelerates from a constant speed state to a stopped state. Here, during acceleration movement and deceleration movement, the carriage 11 may be deformed (distorted) because gravity in the reciprocating movement direction is applied to the carriage 11. For this reason, during acceleration movement and deceleration movement, the deformation of the carriage 11 accompanying acceleration or deceleration may be erroneously determined as the deformation of the carriage 11 accompanying contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11. However, in the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the carriage 11 can eject ink while reciprocating in the intersecting direction B intersecting the transport direction A of the recording medium P, and the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 can be detected. It is effective only at the time of constant speed movement in 11 reciprocating movements. For this reason, it is the structure which can suppress the said misjudgment.
In the present embodiment, “the detection of the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is effective only at the time of constant speed movement in the reciprocating movement of the carriage 11” is detected when the carriage 11 is accelerated and decelerated. However, the detection may be performed based on a reference different from that during constant speed movement (for example, the threshold value during acceleration movement and deceleration movement is increased) during acceleration movement and deceleration movement of the carriage 11. .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the piezoelectric film sensor mounting portion 34 of the carriage 11 of the present embodiment is configured to be thinner than the peripheral portion 35 of the mounting portion 34 and has a low rigidity. Has been. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a hole 30 having a flat bottom surface is formed in the skirt 10 having a uniform thickness in the direction D, and a piezoelectric film is formed on the bottom surface of the hole 30. A sensor 32 is affixed. That is, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment makes the skirt 10 robust by configuring the peripheral portion 35 with high rigidity while increasing the detection accuracy by making the mounting portion 34 of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 easy to be distorted. ing. For this reason, the carriage 11 can be formed with high detection accuracy and is not easily broken, and it is possible to effectively prevent at least one of the recording medium P and the carriage 11 from being damaged due to contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11. It can be configured.
In addition, like a present Example, a piezoelectric film sensor can be affixed and attached to an attachment object. Therefore, the distortion of the carriage 11 can be detected with higher accuracy than the other attachment methods by being attached to the carriage 11.

  2 and 3, in the carriage 11 of this embodiment, the piezoelectric film sensor 32 reciprocates with respect to the position of the recording head 12, which is the ink discharge position of the carriage 11. It is provided on both sides in the cross direction B which is the direction. Therefore, when the carriage 11 is reciprocally moved in both directions, it is possible to detect that the recording medium P and the carriage 11 are in contact with each other with high accuracy.

  Further, in the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 18 determines the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 based on a plurality of references, and according to the magnitude of the displacement, the ejection of ink by the carriage 11 and the coverage by the transport unit 9. The configuration is such that the method of stopping at least one of the conveyance of the recording medium P can be changed. That is, the liquid ejection operation can be stopped by different methods according to the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11. Specifically, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has two threshold values for determining the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32. When a displacement not less than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value is detected, the carriage 11 is moved to the home position (position where the recording head 12 can be capped with a cap (not shown)) and then the carriage 11 is reciprocated. Stop moving. In addition, when a displacement greater than or equal to the second threshold is detected, the reciprocation of the carriage 11 is immediately stopped. As described above, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment stops the liquid discharge operation by waiting for a good timing when the recording medium P and the carriage 11 are lightly contacted by the control of the control unit 18. In addition, when the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 is heavy, the liquid ejection operation can be stopped immediately.

Next, the electrical configuration of the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.
The control unit 18 is provided with a CPU 19 that controls the entire recording apparatus 1. The CPU 19 is connected via a system bus 20 to a ROM 21 that stores various control programs executed by the CPU 19 and a RAM 22 that can temporarily store data.

The CPU 19 is connected to a head driving unit 23 for driving the recording head 12 via the system bus 20.
The CPU 19 also has a carriage motor 25 for moving the carriage 11 via the system bus 20, a feed motor 26 that is a drive source of the set unit 14, a transport motor 27 that is a drive source of the drive roller 5, and a winding unit. 15 is connected to a motor drive unit 24 for driving a winding motor 28 which is a drive source.
The CPU 19 is connected to a heater driving unit 33 for driving the heaters 6, 8 and 13 via the system bus 20.
Further, the CPU 19 is connected to the input / output unit 31 via the system bus 20, and the input / output unit 31 is a piezoelectric film sensor 32 and a PC 29 that is an external device that inputs recording data and the like to the recording apparatus 1. Connected with.

[Example 2] (FIG. 5)
Next, the recording apparatus of Example 2 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 5 is a schematic front sectional view showing a main part of the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 3 of the recording apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. In addition, the structural member which is common in the said Example 1 is shown with the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits detailed description.
The recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except for the configuration of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 and the skirt 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording apparatus 1 of Example 1 was provided with one piezoelectric film sensor 32 for each skirt 10 at both ends of the carriage 11.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with two piezoelectric film sensors 32 a and 32 b on each skirt 10 at both ends of the carriage 11. More specifically, each skirt 10 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of piezoelectric film sensors 32, including piezoelectric film sensors 32a and 32b, and the piezoelectric film sensor 32a is attached to the attachment portion 34a, and the piezoelectric film sensor 32b. Is attached to the attachment portion 34b. As shown in FIG. 5, the attachment portions 34 a and 34 b of the piezoelectric film sensors 32 have different thicknesses in the direction D and have different stiffnesses. That is, since the piezoelectric film sensors 32 are provided in the portions having different stiffnesses, the detection criteria for the displacement of each piezoelectric film sensor 32 are equal (the threshold for judging the displacement of each piezoelectric film sensor 32 is one and the value is equal). Even in this case, since the degree of deformation of the position where the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is provided is different, the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 can be determined based on a plurality of standards. Therefore, the liquid ejection operation can be stopped by a different method according to the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11.
In the carriage 11 of this embodiment, piezoelectric film sensors 32a and 32b are provided at portions (attachment portions 34a and 34b) having different rigidity in the same skirt 10. However, instead of such a configuration, a configuration in which the positions of the mounting portions 34 of the plurality of piezoelectric film sensors 32 are different (for example, a configuration on the side surface of the skirt 10 and the carriage 11), and the mounting of each piezoelectric film sensor 32. It is good also as a structure from which a direction differs. Even in such a configuration, since the degree of deformation of the position where the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is provided is different from each other, the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 can be easily determined based on a plurality of standards. It is.

  In the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 18 determines the displacement of each piezoelectric film sensor 32, and ejects ink by the carriage 11 and transports the recording medium P by the transport unit 9 according to the displacement. It is the structure which can change how to stop at least one of these. That is, the liquid ejection operation can be stopped by different methods according to the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11. Specifically, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a threshold value for determining the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor 32. When a displacement greater than the threshold value is detected only in the piezoelectric film sensor 32a that easily detects the displacement, the carriage 11 is moved to the home position (position where the recording head 12 can be capped with a cap not shown) and then the carriage. 11 reciprocation is stopped. In addition, even in the piezoelectric film sensor 32b in which it is difficult to detect the displacement, when the displacement exceeding the threshold is detected, the reciprocation of the carriage 11 is immediately stopped. As described above, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment stops the liquid discharge operation by waiting for a good timing when the recording medium P and the carriage 11 are lightly contacted by the control of the control unit 18. In addition, when the degree of contact between the recording medium P and the carriage 11 is heavy, the liquid ejection operation can be stopped immediately.

[Example 3] (FIG. 6)
Next, the recording apparatus of Example 3 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 6 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the main part of the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 3 of the recording apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. In addition, the structural member which is common in the said Example 1 and 2 is shown with the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits detailed description.
The recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except for the configuration of the piezoelectric film sensor 32 and the skirt 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording apparatus 1 of Example 1 was provided with a piezoelectric film sensor 32 on the planar portion of each skirt 10 at both ends of the carriage 11.
On the other hand, in the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the skirts 10 at both ends of the carriage 11 have a curved shape, and the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is attached to the curved surface. .
Since the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is a film, it can be attached to a curved surface. Further, since the carriage 11 has a curved surface, for example, it is possible to reduce damage to both the recording medium P and the carriage 11 when they contact each other. The skirt 10 of this embodiment has a curved surface that is convex downward when viewed from the transport direction A (when viewed from the front), and the recording medium P when the carriage 11 is reciprocated in the cross direction B. The configuration is such that intense contact with the carriage 11 can be suppressed. This is because when the recording medium P and the carriage 11 come into contact with each other while the carriage 11 is reciprocating, a force can be applied to the recording medium P in the direction in which the recording medium P is pushed down by the curved surface. .
For this reason, the carriage 11 of the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a curved surface, but the piezoelectric film sensor 32 is attached to the curved surface. That is, the carriage 11 can be configured to have a curved surface without forcibly configuring the flat portion, and the degree of freedom of the configuration of the carriage 11 is increased.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the range of the invention described in the claim, and it cannot be overemphasized that they are also contained in the scope of the present invention.

1 recording device (liquid ejection device), 2 platen, 3 platen, 4 platen,
5 Driving roller, 6 heater, 7 driven roller, 8 heater, 9 transport section,
10 Skirt, 11 Carriage (Liquid ejection part), 12 Recording head,
13 heater, 14 set section, 15 winding section, 16 recording surface,
17 surface opposite to recording surface, 18 control unit, 19 CPU, 20 system bus,
21 ROM, 22 RAM, 23 head drive unit, 24 motor drive unit,
25 Carriage motor, 26 Delivery motor, 27 Transport motor,
28 Winding motor, 29 PC, 30 holes, 31 I / O section,
32, 32a, 32b Piezoelectric film sensor, 33 heater drive,
34, 34a, 34b Attached part of the piezoelectric film sensor, 35 A peripheral part of the attached part 34,
F Nozzle formation surface, P Recording medium (medium)

Claims (8)

A liquid ejection section for ejecting liquid onto a medium;
A transport unit for transporting the medium,
A liquid discharge apparatus, wherein the liquid discharge unit is provided with a piezoelectric film sensor. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
The liquid ejecting unit is capable of ejecting the liquid while reciprocating in an intersecting direction that intersects the transport direction of the medium,
Detection of displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is enabled at the time of constant speed movement in the reciprocating movement of the liquid ejection unit. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 or 2,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion of the piezoelectric film sensor in the liquid ejecting portion is configured to have lower rigidity than a peripheral portion of the mounting portion. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The liquid ejection unit is provided with a plurality of the piezoelectric film sensors, and at least one of the rigidity and position of each mounting part of each piezoelectric film sensor and the mounting direction of each piezoelectric film sensor is different. A liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
Judging the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor based on a plurality of criteria, according to the magnitude of the displacement, how to stop at least one of the ejection of the liquid by the liquid ejection unit and the conveyance of the medium by the conveyance unit A liquid ejecting apparatus that is changed. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric film sensor is provided on both sides in the reciprocal movement direction with respect to the liquid ejection position of the liquid ejection unit. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the piezoelectric film sensor is attached to a curved surface. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A liquid ejection apparatus that stops at least one of ejection of the liquid by the liquid ejection unit and conveyance of the medium by the conveyance unit when the displacement of the piezoelectric film sensor is detected.

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