JP2020049789A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation apparatus which can reduce such a risk that a slide member stops in the middle of moving between the uncap position and the cap position.SOLUTION: An ink jet printer includes: a cap 20; a cap support member 52 which supports the cap; a guide boss 61 and a guide hole 62 which guide the movement between the separation position and the sealing position of the cap support member; and a second coil spring 80 which biases the cap support member toward the separation position. The cap support member moves from the separation position where the cap is separated from a discharge surface 4a of an ink jet head 4 to the sealing position where the cap seals the discharge surface 4a by being pressed by a pressing part 57 of a carriage 3. The second coil spring biases the cap support member in a direction in which the guide boss is separated from a lower surface 64 of the guide hole to contact an upper surface 63 of the guide hole while the cap support member moves from the separation position to the sealing position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as an ink jet recording apparatus, that discharges liquid onto a recording medium using a recording head and forms an image on the recording medium. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a capping mechanism for sealing a nozzle surface of a recording head.

  2. Description of the Related Art A recording head in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus performs image recording by discharging ink pressurized in a pressure generating chamber from a nozzle opening as droplets toward a recording medium. In such a recording head, an ink ejection failure occurs due to an increase in viscosity of the ink due to evaporation of the solvent from the nozzle opening, solidification of the ink, adhesion of dust to the nozzle opening, and the like, resulting in poor printing. I have a problem.

  For this reason, some conventional ink jet recording apparatuses are provided with a capping mechanism for sealing a nozzle surface of a recording head (for example, see Patent Document 1). The capping mechanism is disposed near a standby position (home position) of the recording head, seals a nozzle surface of the recording head with a capping member, evaporates a solvent from a nozzle opening, solidifies ink, and opens a nozzle opening. It prevents dust from adhering to the surface.

  This capping mechanism has a slide member that moves diagonally up and down, and the slide member is provided with a capping member. The slide member is urged by the urging member toward a position where the capping member is separated downward from the nozzle surface of the recording head (hereinafter, referred to as an uncapped position).

  When the carriage moves from the ejection area side to the home position side, the carriage comes into contact with a part of the slide member. When the carriage further moves to the home position while in contact with the slide member, the slide member moves upward to the home position against the urging force of the urging member. When the carriage is stopped at the home position, the slide member is at a position where the capping member seals the nozzle surface of the recording head (hereinafter, referred to as a cap position).

  When the slide member is moved between the uncapped position and the cap position, the protrusion provided on the slide member is engaged with the guide hole formed in the frame of the ink jet recording apparatus main body, and the protrusion is engaged with the guide hole. This is done by moving along. The guide hole extends obliquely in the up-down direction, and the slide member moves between the uncapped position and the cap position as the protrusion moves while being guided by the guide hole.

JP 2001-105615 A

  When the slide member moves between the uncapped position and the cap position, a resistance is applied to the protrusion in a direction that hinders the movement of the slide member due to friction between the slide member and the sliding surface of the guide hole. Therefore, in the conventional capping mechanism, in order to move the capping member smoothly, lubricating oil such as grease is applied to the sliding surface of the guide hole to reduce the resistance applied to the projection.

  However, when dust enters the apparatus from the outside and accumulates on the sliding surface of the guide hole, the projection moves while rubbing with the dust accumulated on the sliding surface of the guide hole. Thereby, the frictional force between the projection and the dust increases the resistance force applied to the projection, so that the movement of the slide member is hindered and the slide member may be stopped.

  When the slide member stops, the slide member cannot move to the cap position, and the nozzle surface cannot be sealed with the capping member. As a result, evaporation of the solvent from the nozzle opening, solidification of the ink, adhesion of dust to the nozzle opening, and the like cannot be prevented. If the carriage presses the slide member while the slide member is stopped, the slide member may be damaged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reducing a possibility that a slide member stops while moving between an uncapped position and a cap position. To provide.

  An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head that discharges liquid from a nozzle toward a recording medium to record an image, a carriage provided with the recording head, and movable in a main scanning direction, and a nozzle of the recording head. A cap for sealing a surface, and a cap provided on a first direction side in the main scanning direction with respect to an image recording area by a recording head, supporting the cap and being movable integrally with the cap, wherein the cap is a nozzle. Between the separation position and the sealing position where the cap seals the nozzle surface, which is above the separation position in a vertical direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. A cap support member that moves in conjunction with movement in the main scanning direction, a base member fixed to the apparatus main body, and one of the cap support members. A projecting portion projecting in the main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the up-down direction, and provided on the other of the base member and the cap supporting member, and engaged with the projecting portion to form the cap supporting member. A guide portion for guiding movement between the separated position and the sealing position; and a first biasing member for biasing the cap support member toward the separated position. The guide portion has a first guide surface located above the protruding portion, and the first biasing member is configured to protrude while the cap support member moves from the separated position to the sealing position. The cap support member is urged in a direction in which one of the portion and the first guide surface is urged toward the other.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the possibility that the cap support member which supports the cap which seals a nozzle surface will stop while moving from a separation position to a sealing position can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inkjet head 4 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2. It is a top view of the cap 20 shown in FIG. (A) is a sectional view along the line Va-Va in FIG. 4, and (b) is a sectional view along the line Vb-Vb in FIG. 4. FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views of the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the first embodiment, wherein FIG. 3A illustrates a state in which the cap support member 52 is at a separated position, and FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the cap moving mechanism 8 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (a) shows the state in which the cap support member 52 is in a separation position, (b) shows the state in which the cap support member 52 is in a sealing position. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the cap moving mechanism 8 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (a) shows the state in which the cap support member 52 is in a separation position, (b) shows the state in which the cap support member 52 is in a sealing position. It is a schematic sectional drawing for explaining the modification of the cap moving mechanism 8.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment has a platen 2 on which a recording sheet P is placed, a carriage 3 that can reciprocate in a scanning direction parallel to the platen 2, and is mounted on the carriage 3. An inkjet head 4 (hereinafter also referred to as a head 4), a transport mechanism 5 for transporting the recording paper P in a transport direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, and a right side of the platen 2 in the scanning direction (right side in FIG. 1). The printer includes a maintenance unit 6 for performing various maintenance operations for recovering and maintaining the ink ejection performance of the ink jet head 4, a control unit 9 for controlling the operation of the entire printer, and the like.

  On the upper surface of the platen 2, a recording paper P supplied from a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) is placed. Above the platen 2, two guide rails 11a and 11b extending parallel to the scanning direction are provided, and the carriage 3 moves in the scanning direction along the two guide rails 11a and 11b in a region facing the platen 2. It is configured to be able to reciprocate. The two guide rails 11a and 11b extend to a position distant to the right in the scanning direction from the platen 2, and the carriage 3 moves from the image recording area on the platen 2 facing the recording paper P to the position of the platen 2. It is configured to be movable to a maintenance area facing the maintenance unit 6 disposed on the right side.

  An endless belt 14 wound around two pulleys 12 and 13 is connected to the carriage 3. When the endless belt 14 is driven by the carriage drive motor 15, the carriage 3 moves in the scanning direction as the endless belt 14 runs.

  The transport mechanism 5 has two transport rollers 17a and 17b arranged so as to sandwich the platen 2 in the transport direction, and transports the recording paper P placed on the platen 2 by the two transport rollers 17a and 17b. It is transported downstream in the direction (forward in FIG. 1).

  The ink jet head 4 is attached to the lower part of the carriage 3 such that the lower surface is parallel to the upper surface of the platen 2. The lower surface of the inkjet head 4 is an ejection surface 4a (see FIG. 3) in which a plurality of ejection ports 16 are opened. Then, ink is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports 16 of the ejection surface 4 a onto the recording paper P placed on the platen 2.

  Here, a specific configuration of the inkjet head 4 will be described with further reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inkjet head 4 includes a flow path unit 30 in which a plurality of discharge ports 16 and a plurality of pressure chambers 34 respectively communicating with the plurality of discharge ports 16 are formed, and an upper surface of the flow path unit 30. And a piezoelectric actuator 31 arranged at the same position.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the channel unit 30 has a structure in which four plates are stacked, and a plurality of discharge ports 16 are provided on the lower surface (discharge surface 4a) of the channel unit 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of ejection ports 16 are arranged along the transport direction, and constitute four ejection port arrays 33 arranged in the scanning direction.

  The ejection openings 16 (16bk, 16y, 16c, 16m) belonging to the four ejection opening arrays 33 (33bk, 33y, 33c, 33m) respectively output black ink as a pigment ink and three colors as a dye ink. Ink (yellow, cyan, magenta) and four colors of ink are ejected.

  On the lower surface (ejection surface 4a) of the flow path unit 30, an empty area 37 exists between the black ejection port array 33bk and the color (yellow) ejection port array 33y. This region 37 is a region where a partition portion 23b (see FIG. 4) that separates a first cap portion 20a and a second cap portion 20b of the cap 20 described later comes into contact.

  Further, in the flow path unit 30, a plurality of pressure chambers 34 are also arranged in four rows corresponding to the four ejection port rows 33. Further, the channel unit 30 includes four manifolds 35 extending in the transport direction and supplying four color inks of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta to four pressure chamber rows, and a plurality of discharge ports. Four ink supply ports 36 are formed on the upper surface of the flow path unit 30 (the surface opposite to the ejection surface 4a), and are arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction from the region where the 16 is arranged. The four manifolds 35 are connected to the four ink supply ports 36, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the piezoelectric actuator 31 includes a vibration plate 40 covering a plurality of pressure chambers 34, a piezoelectric layer 41 disposed on the upper surface of the vibration plate 40, and a plurality of pressure chambers 34 on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 41. And a plurality of individual electrodes 42 arranged correspondingly to each other. The plurality of individual electrodes 42 located on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 41 are connected to driver ICs 47 for driving the piezoelectric actuator 31, respectively, and a predetermined drive voltage is independently applied from the driver IC 47 to the plurality of individual electrodes 42. It is supposed to be. Further, the vibration plate 40 located on the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer 41 is made of a metal material, and plays a role of a common electrode facing the plurality of individual electrodes 42 with the piezoelectric layer 41 interposed therebetween. The diaphragm 40 is connected to the ground wiring of the driver IC 47 and is always kept at the ground potential.

  When a predetermined driving voltage is applied between a certain individual electrode 42 and a diaphragm 40 as a common electrode from the driver IC 47, the piezoelectric actuator 31 deforms the piezoelectric layer 41 sandwiched between the two. The volume of the pressure chamber 34 changes due to the piezoelectric strain), and pressure is applied to the ink in the pressure chamber 34. At this time, ink is ejected from the ejection port 16 communicating with the pressure chamber 34.

  The inkjet printer 1 discharges ink from the inkjet head 4 that reciprocates in the scanning direction together with the carriage 3 onto the recording paper P placed on the platen 2, and performs recording using two transport rollers 17 a and 17 b. By transporting the paper P to the downstream side in the transport direction, a desired image or character is printed on the recording paper P.

  Next, the maintenance unit 6 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the maintenance unit 6 is arranged at a position distant to the right in the scanning direction with respect to the platen 2. The maintenance unit 6 includes a cap 20 that abuts the ejection surface 4a of the inkjet head 4 to seal a space facing the ejection surface 4a from an external space, a suction pump 19 connected to the cap 20, and a discharge surface 4a. It has a wiper 18 for wiping off the attached ink. The cap 20 is moved by a cap moving mechanism 8 described later between a position for sealing the ejection surface 4a and a position completely separated from the ejection surface 4a.

  By driving the suction pump 19 when the cap 20 is at the position for sealing the discharge surface 4a, a suction purge for discharging the ink in the flow path unit 30 from the discharge port 16 is performed. After the suction purge is performed, the suction pump 19 is driven after the cap 20 is moved from the position for sealing the ejection surface 4a, so that the ink discharged into the cap 20 by the suction purge is moved out of the cap 20. Is discharged.

  The cap 20 is used in a state where the inkjet head 4 is not used (a state where the ink is not ejected), other than when performing the suction purge. As described above, when the inkjet head 4 is not used, the cap 20 seals the ejection surface 4a to protect the ejection port 16 and suppress drying of the ink in the ejection port 16.

  The wiper 18 is provided upright at a position closer to the platen 2 than the cap 20, and is configured to be able to move up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown). After the suction purge, when the carriage 3 moves in the scanning direction with the tip of the wiper 18 in contact with the ejection surface 4a, the wiper 18 moves relatively to the ejection surface 4a and adheres to the ejection surface 4a. Wipe off the ink.

  Here, the cap 20 will be described with further reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the inkjet head 4 in which the ejection surface 4a is sealed by the cap 20 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cap 20 has a substantially square shape in plan view, and includes a cap body 21 and cap chips 25 and 26.

  The cap main body 21 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and is provided upright on the bottom wall 22 and the bottom wall 22. The cap body 21 is surrounded by an annular portion 23 a and an annular portion 23 a located on the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall 22. The lip 23 is formed of a partition 23b extending in the transport direction in the inner space, and the convex portions 24a and 24b projecting from the outer side surfaces of the lips 23 at both ends in the transport direction. The bottom wall 22, the lip 23, and the projections 24a, 24b are integrally formed.

  The cap 20 includes a first cap portion 20a including an annular lip 23 including a part of the annular portion 23a of the lip 23 (the left portion of the partition portion 23b in FIG. 4) and the partition portion 23b, and an annular portion of the lip 23. A second cap portion 20b provided with an annular lip 23 composed of a part of the partition 23a (the right side of the partition 23b in FIG. 4) and the partition 23b is provided.

  Each of the first cap portion 20a and the second cap portion 20b has a substantially square shape in plan view. The first cap portion 20a has a size that covers a plurality of black discharge ports 16bk constituting one discharge port row 33bk. The second cap portion 20b has a size that covers a plurality of color discharge ports (16y, 16c, 16m) constituting three color discharge port rows 33y, 33c, 33m. When the cap 20 seals the discharge surface 4a, the first cap portion 20a seals a space facing the region where the black discharge port 16bk is formed on the discharge surface 4a, and the second cap portion 20b closes the color discharge port 16cl. Is sealed in the space facing the region in which is formed.

  One suction port 28 is formed in each of a portion corresponding to the first cap portion 20a and a portion corresponding to the second cap portion 20b in the bottom wall portion 22 of the cap body 21. When the cap 20 seals the ejection surface 4a, the two suction ports 28 are located upstream of the portion facing the ejection port 16 on the most upstream side in the conveyance direction in the conveyance direction, that is, the conveyance direction of the lip 23. It is arranged at a position closer to the upstream portion in the transport direction than the downstream portion. These two suction ports 28 are connected to the suction pump 19 (see FIG. 1) via tubes 50, respectively.

  Each of the cap chips 25 and 26 has a substantially square shape according to the outer shape of the first cap portion 20a and the second cap portion 20b in plan view, and is provided inside the first cap portion 20a and the second cap portion 20b. Each is housed. The cap chips 25 and 26 are made of a synthetic resin or the like, and are used to suppress the lip 23 from bending inward due to pressure reduction during suction purging. On the upper surfaces of the cap chips 25 and 26, upwardly protruding projections 25a and 26a are formed over the entire periphery of the edge, and on the lower surface, downwardly protruding projections 25b and 26b are formed on the entire periphery of the edge. It is formed over.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a space is formed below the cap chips 25 and 26 by the projections 25b and 26b projecting downward. That is, the cap chips 25 and 26 vertically separate the region surrounded by the lip 23 in the first cap portion 20a and the second cap portion 20b. The space below the cap chips 25 and 26 is connected to a suction port 28 formed in the bottom wall 22 of the cap body 21, and the ink discharged into the cap 20 by the suction pump 19 is discharged to the outside of the cap 20. It functions as a suction channel 29 through which ink flows.

  As shown in FIG. 4, notches 27 are formed at two places at the four corners of the cap chips 25 and 26 and at the end on the downstream side in the transport direction of the cap chips 26, and the lip 23 formed in the notch 27 is formed. The gap between the inner surfaces of the cap chips 25 and 26 allows the ink to flow through the space above and below the cap chips 25 and 26. Accordingly, the ink discharged into the cap 20 by the suction purge flows downward from above the cap chips 25 and 26, passes through the suction flow path 29 formed below the cap chips 25 and 26, and moves from the suction port 28 to the cap 28. It is discharged out of 20.

  On the upper surface of the cap chip 26, a wall 26c is formed which extends over the entire width in the scanning direction within the annular lip 23 of the second cap portion 20b in which the cap chip 26 is accommodated. As shown in FIG. 5B, the height position of the wall 26c is lower than the height position of the lip 23.

[Cap moving mechanism 8 according to first embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the cap moving mechanism 8 for moving the cap 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The cap 20 is supported by a cap support member 52 provided on the apparatus main body so as to be movable. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the wiper 18 (see FIG. 1) is also attached to the cap support member 52, and the cap 20 and the wiper 18 move integrally with the cap support member 52. The cap 20 is supported by a pair of guide portions 56a and 56b formed on the cap support member 52 at intervals in the scanning direction, and is urged upward by a first coil spring 70. The first coil spring 70 is attached to the cap support member 52. The cap support member 52 is connected via a second coil spring 80 to the base member 50 fixedly arranged on the apparatus main body. The base member 50 is a resin member that forms a skeleton of the apparatus main body. The base member 50 may be made of metal instead of resin.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the right end of the second coil spring 80 in the scanning direction is attached to the first holding portion 51 formed on the cap support member 52, and the left end of the second coil spring 80 in the scanning direction is , Are attached to a second holding portion 53 formed on the base member 50. The second coil spring 80 urges the cap support member 52 upward and to the left.

  The cap support member 52 is provided with a contact portion 54 that protrudes into the movement area of the carriage 3 in the vertical direction. The contact portion 54 extends upward from the right end of the cap support member 52, and the contact portion 54 has a contact surface 55 that contacts a pressing portion 57 that projects rightward from the carriage 3. Are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the pressing portion 57 of the carriage 3 is not in contact with the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52, the cap support member 52 receives the urging force of the second coil spring 80 and the force of the second coil spring 80. With the guide boss 61 and the guide hole 62, the cap 20 is located at a separated position separated from the ejection surface 4 a of the head 4 downward. At this time, the vertical position of the lip 23 of the cap 20 supported by the cap support member 52 is below the ejection surface 4a of the head 4. That is, the cap 20 is completely separated from the ejection surface 4a.

  When the carriage 3 moves to the right, the pressing portion 57 of the carriage 3 comes into contact with the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52. When the carriage 3 further moves to the right from this state, the cap supporting member 52 is pressed by the carriage 3 to resist the urging force of the second coil spring 80 from the separated position shown in FIG. Move toward the upper right. Then, as the carriage 3 moves to the maintenance area, as shown in FIG. 6B, the cap support member 52 causes the entire tip of the lip 23 of the cap 20 to contact the ejection surface 4a of the head 4, The cap 20 moves to a sealing position for sealing the ejection surface 4a.

  A guide boss 61 is formed on the cap support member 52 so as to project in the transport direction. The guide boss 61 is engaged with a guide hole 62 formed in a maintenance frame (not shown) that is a part of the base member 50. The guide hole 62 is a long hole extending toward the upper right and guides the movement of the guide boss 61. Two maintenance frames are provided with the cap support member 52 interposed therebetween in the transport direction, and guide holes 62 are formed in each of the two maintenance frames. Also, two guide bosses 61 are provided so as to protrude from the cap support member 52 in opposite directions in the transport direction. That is, two guide bosses 61 and two guide holes 62 are provided at intervals in the transport direction. FIG. 6 shows only one of the pair of guide bosses 61 and the guide holes 62 for convenience of explanation. 7 to 9 described later, similarly, only one of the pair of guide bosses 61 and the guide holes 62 is shown.

  A pair of guide bosses 61 and two guide holes 62 are provided at an interval in the scanning direction. It should be noted that the pair of guide bosses 61 and the guide holes 62 need not always be provided two, and three or more may be provided, or only one may be provided. A plurality of guide bosses 61 and guide holes 62 may be provided at intervals in the vertical direction instead of the scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the guide hole 62 has an upper surface 63 and a lower surface 64 that face each other across the guide boss 61 in the vertical direction. The upper surface 63 and the lower surface 64 extend in the scanning direction so as to be parallel to each other. The guide boss 61 is guided by the upper surface 63 and the lower surface 64 and moves in the scanning direction. The cap support member 52 moves between the separated position and the sealing position as the guide boss 61 moves while being guided by the guide holes 62. That is, the guide boss 61 and the guide hole 62 are members for guiding the movement of the cap support member 52 between the separated position and the sealing position. The guide hole 62 is configured such that the distance between the upper surface 63 and the lower surface 64 in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the guide boss 61 in the vertical direction.

  Next, the control unit 9 will be described. The control unit 9 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM) including a non-volatile RAM, and an ASIC (Application Specialized Integrated) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Memory). The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU, various fixed data, and the like. The RAM temporarily stores data (recording data and the like) necessary for executing the program. The ASIC includes a head control circuit that controls the driver IC 47 (see FIG. 3), a transport control circuit that controls a drive motor (not shown) that drives the transport rollers 17a and 17b, a head movement control circuit that controls the carriage drive motor 15, A suction control circuit for controlling the pump 19 is included. The ASIC is connected to an external device such as a PC via an input / output I / F so that data communication is possible.

  The control unit 9 controls the driving of the carriage drive motor 15 to move the head 4 in the scanning direction so that the pressing unit 57 is brought into contact with the contact surface 55, and the cap support member 52 is moved from the separated position to the sealing position. Move up to

  Next, the operation of the cap moving mechanism 8 when the maintenance operation is performed will be described.

  First, when the maintenance operation is performed, the carriage 3 moves to the right in the scanning direction under the control of the control unit 9. As shown in FIG. 6A, until the pressing portion 57 of the carriage 3 comes into contact with the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52, the cap support member 52 is pressed by the upper left biasing force of the second coil spring 80. , Is located at the separated position. When the cap support member 52 is at the separated position, the guide boss 61 is in contact with the first side surface 66 that is the left end side surface of the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole 62, whereby the cap support member 52 is held at the separated position. Have been.

  The second holding portion 53 provided on the base member 50 is located on the left side and above the guide hole 62. Further, in a state where the cap support member 52 is in the separated position, the linear distance connecting the first holding portion 51 and the second holding portion 53 is longer than the natural length of the second coil spring 80. Thus, the cap support member 52 is urged upward and leftward by the elastic urging force of the second coil spring 80. Since the upper left urging force of the second coil spring 80 includes a component of a force for lifting the cap supporting member 52 upward, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the cap supporting member 52 is at the separated position. The guide boss 61 is in contact with the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 and is separated from the lower surface 64.

  When the carriage 3 moves to the right, the pressing portion 57 comes into contact with the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52. When the carriage 3 further moves to the right from this state, the cap support member 52 moves toward the upper right by being pressed by the carriage 3, and moves to the sealing position shown in FIG. 6B.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, an inclined portion 65 that is inclined to the upper right is formed on the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62. The guide boss 61 is always in contact with the upper surface 63 and is separated from the lower surface 64 while the cap supporting member 52 moves from the separated position to the sealing position by the upwardly left urging force of the second coil spring 80. That is, the guide boss 61 moves along the upper surface 64 of the guide hole 62. When the guide boss 61 moves to the upper right along the inclined portion 65, the distance between the cap 20 and the head 4 in the vertical direction gradually decreases. Abuts on the ejection surface 4 a of the head 4. Thereafter, the guide boss 61 moves until it comes into contact with the second side surface 67, which is the right end side surface of the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole 62, and seals the ejection surface 4a. When the guide boss 61 contacts the second side surface 67 of the guide hole 62, the cap support member 52 is held at the sealing position.

  When the ejection surface 4a of the head 4 is sealed by the cap 20, the control unit 9 performs a suction purge for driving the suction pump 19 to suck ink from the nozzles of the head 4 as a maintenance process. The timing at which the suction purge is performed is, for example, after a print command is input, before the printing operation on the first recording sheet P is started, or when the power supply of the inkjet printer 1 is switched from the off state to the on state. It is when. The maintenance process is not limited to the suction purge, but may be flushing in the cap that discharges ink from the discharge port 16 of the head 4 into the cap 20. The position where the cap support member 52 is located at the sealing position is not limited to the case where the maintenance process is performed, and the cap support member 52 is always located at the sealing position even during a standby state where a print command is not issued. Thus, when the recording head 4 is not used, the ejection surface 4a is always sealed with the cap 20, thereby preventing the ink from drying and the attachment of dust to the ejection surface 4a.

  Next, the operation of the cap moving mechanism 8 when the cap supporting member 52 moves from the sealing position to the separated position will be described.

  When the controller 9 moves the carriage 3 to the left from the state where the cap support member 52 is in the sealing position, the pressing portion 57 of the carriage 3 is separated from the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52. Then, the cap support member 52 pressed by the carriage 3 and held at the sealing position starts to move leftward by the urging force of the second coil spring 80. Since the direction in which the second coil spring 80 urges the cap support member 52 is upward and leftward, the guide boss 61 of the cap support member 52 is separated from the lower surface 64 of the guide hole 62 and contacts the upper surface 63 while being in contact with the upper surface 63. Move to the left along. The guide boss 61 that moves to the left along the upper surface 63 moves to the lower left along the inclined portion 65 formed on the upper surface 63, and the cap 20 is separated below the ejection surface 4a. Thereafter, the guide boss 61 passes through the inclined portion 65, contacts the first side surface 66 of the guide hole 62, and stops. As described above, the cap support member 52 moves from the sealing position to the separated position while being guided by the guide boss 61 and the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 by the urging force of the second coil spring 80.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, an angle α formed by a straight line L parallel to a straight line connecting the first holding portion 51 and the second holding portion 53 and the inclined portion 65 of the guide hole 62 is an obtuse angle. . In other words, the positions of the first holding portion 51 and the second holding portion 53 are set such that the angle formed between the direction in which the second coil spring 80 biases the cap support member 52 and the inclined portion 65 is an obtuse angle. . Accordingly, when the guide boss 61 moves along the inclined portion 65 while the cap support member 52 moves from the sealing position to the separated position, the guide boss 61 is excessively inclined by the urging force of the second coil spring 80. The cap support member 52 can be reliably moved to the separated position.

[Cap moving mechanism 8 according to second embodiment]
Next, a cap moving mechanism 8 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, differences from the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, and description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the guide boss 61 is provided on the cap support member 52, and the guide hole 62 is provided on the maintenance frame that is a part of the base member 50. In the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the second embodiment, the guide boss 61 is formed in the maintenance frame, and the guide hole 62 that engages with the guide boss 61 is provided in the cap support member 52 according to the first embodiment. Is different. The shape of the guide hole 62 is the same as in the first embodiment. The direction in which the second coil spring 80 biases the cap support member 52 is downward and leftward.

  7A, when the pressing portion 57 of the carriage 3 is not in contact with the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52, the cap support member 52 is urged to the lower left by the second coil spring 80. And is located at a separated position. At this time, the guide boss 61 is in contact with the upper surface 63 and the second side surface 67 of the guide hole 62 and is separated from the lower surface 64. When the guide boss 61 contacts the second side surface 67, the cap support member 52 is held at the separated position.

  When the control section 9 moves the carriage 3 to the right, the pressing section 57 of the carriage 3 contacts the contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52, and the cap support member 52 moves to the right. The cap support member 52 moves to the upper right as the inclined portion 65 of the guide hole 62 moves while contacting the guide boss 61, and the cap 20 contacts the ejection surface 4 a of the head 4. Thereafter, the cap support member 52 moves until the first side surface 66 of the guide hole 62 contacts the guide boss 61, and is positioned at the sealing position shown in FIG. 7B.

  Since the direction in which the second coil spring 80 urges the cap support member 52 is downward and leftward, while the cap support member 52 moves from the separated position to the sealing position, the guide boss 61 is in contact with the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62. Abuts and is spaced from lower surface 64. That is, the cap support member 52 moves from the separated position to the sealing position by being guided by the guide boss 61 and the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62.

  The movement of the cap support member 52 from the sealing position to the separation position is performed by the urging force of the second coil spring 80 as in the first embodiment. Since the biasing force of the second coil spring 80 is directed to the lower left, the guide boss 61 contacts the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 and separates from the lower surface 64 while the cap support member 52 moves from the sealing position to the separation position. doing. That is, the cap supporting member 52 moves from the separated position to the sealing position while being guided by the guide boss 61 and the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 by the urging force of the second coil spring 80.

[Cap moving mechanism 8 according to third embodiment]
Next, a cap moving mechanism 8 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the guide boss 61 is formed on the maintenance frame, and the guide hole 62 that engages with the guide boss 61 is provided in the cap support member 52. I have. The second coil spring 80 is provided between the lower surface 91 of the cap support member 52 and the base member 50. The carriage 3 is provided with a pressing portion 90 for pressing the guide boss 61. The pressing portion 90 extends downward from the left end of the carriage 3 and has a substantially L-shape.

  The guide boss 61 is provided on the base member 50 so as to be movable in the scanning direction. A guide hole 68 for guiding the movement of the guide boss 61 in the scanning direction is formed in a frame (not shown) that is a part of the base member 50. The frame in which the guide holes 68 are formed is provided side by side with the maintenance frame at an interval in the transport direction. That is, the guide holes 68 are provided side by side with the guide holes 62 at intervals in the transport direction. The guide hole 68 is a long hole extending in the scanning direction, and engages with the guide boss 61. The position of the left end of the guide hole 68 and the first side surface 66 of the guide hole 62 are at the same position in the scanning direction. A third coil spring 100 is provided inside the guide hole 68, and the left end is in contact with the guide boss 61, and the right end is fixed to the right end of the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole 68. The third coil spring 100 urges the guide boss 61 leftward.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the pressing portion 90 of the carriage 3 is not in contact with the cap support member 52, the guide boss 61 is positioned at the left end of the guide hole 68 by the urging force of the third coil spring 100. doing. The cap support member 52 is urged downward by its own weight, and the cap 20 is located at a separated position in which the cap 20 is separated downward from the ejection surface 4 a of the head 4. The cap support member 52 is restrained from moving downward by the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 abutting on the guide boss 61, and is held at the separated position. When the cap support member 52 is located at the separated position, the distance between the base member 50 and the lower surface 91 of the cap support member 52 is longer than the natural length of the second coil spring 80. That is, the second coil spring 80 urges the cap support member 52 toward the separated position.

  When the control unit 9 moves the carriage 3 to the right, the pressing unit 90 of the carriage 3 comes into contact with the guide boss 61. When the carriage 3 further moves rightward from that state, the guide boss 61 moves rightward along the guide hole 68 against the urging force of the third coil spring 100.

  The cap support member 52 moves relatively upward with respect to the guide boss 61 when the inclined portion 69 provided on the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 and inclined toward the lower right is pressed by the guide boss 61. I do. That is, the guide boss 61 moves to the right while lifting the cap support member 52 upward.

  When the cap support member 52 is lifted upward by the guide boss 61, the cap 20 comes into contact with the ejection surface 4 a of the head 4. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the guide boss 61 moves until it comes into contact with the second side surface 67 of the guide hole 62, and the cap support member 52 is held at the sealing position. As described above, the cap support member 52 moves from the separated position to the sealing position by being guided by the guide boss 61 and the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62.

  When the carriage 3 moves to the left from the state where the cap support member 52 is located at the sealing position, the pressing portion 90 of the carriage 3 separates from the guide boss 61. Then, the guide boss 61 moves leftward by the urging force of the third coil spring 100, and at the same time, the cap support member 52 moves downward by the urging force of the second coil spring 80 and its own weight. When the upper surface 63 of the guide hole 62 comes into contact with the guide boss 61 located at the left end of the guide hole 68, the downward movement of the cap support member 52 is completed, and the cap support member 52 is held at the separated position.

[Effects of Embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, the guide boss 61 and the guide hole 62 guide the movement of the cap support member 52, and can reliably move the cap support member 52 between the separated position and the sealing position.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, while the cap support member 52 moves between the separation position and the sealing position, the guide boss 61 is separated from the lower surface 64 of the guide hole 62 and is in contact with the upper surface 63. . Therefore, for example, even if foreign matter such as dust intruding into the apparatus main body from the outside accumulates on the lower surface 64 of the guide hole 62, the movement of the guide boss 61 is not hindered by the foreign matter, and the cap support member 52 can be securely moved. It can be moved between the separated position and the sealing position.

  In the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the first embodiment, the second holding portion 53 that holds the left end of the second coil spring 80 is located on the left side of the guide hole 62. Accordingly, the guide boss 61 can be moved to a position where the guide boss 61 comes into contact with the first side surface 66 of the guide hole 62, and the cap support member 52 can be more reliably held at the separated position.

  Further, in the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the first embodiment, the second holding portion 53 that holds the left end of the second coil spring 80 is located above the guide hole 62. Thereby, while the cap support member 52 moves between the separation position and the sealing position, the guide boss 61 can be constantly urged upward, and the guide boss 61 is separated from the lower surface 64 of the guide hole 62 in a state where it is separated. The cap support member 52 can be moved.

  Also in the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the second embodiment, while the cap support member 52 moves between the separation position and the sealing position, the guide boss 61 is separated from the lower surface 64 of the guide hole 62 and is separated from the upper surface 63. Abut. Therefore, the cap support member 52 can be reliably moved between the separated position and the sealing position.

  In the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the second embodiment, the biasing direction of the second coil spring 80 for biasing the cap support member 52 is lower left, so that the cap support member 52 is reliably moved from the sealing position to the separated position. Can be moved.

  Also in the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the third embodiment, while the cap supporting member 52 moves between the separated position and the sealing position, the guide boss 61 is separated from the lower surface 64 of the guide hole 62 and is separated from the upper surface 63. Abut. Therefore, the cap support member 52 can be reliably moved between the separated position and the sealing position.

  In the cap moving mechanism 8 according to the third embodiment, the guide boss 61 pressed by the pressing portion 90 of the carriage 3 moves in parallel with the scanning direction, and the guide boss 61 lifts the cap support member 52. Therefore, since the moving direction of the carriage 3 and the moving direction of the guide boss 61 are the same, the pressing force of the carriage 3 can be directly applied as a force for lifting the cap supporting member 52, and the cap supporting member 52 can be more reliably moved. It can be moved from the separated position to the sealing position. Further, since the third coil spring 100 for urging the guide boss 61 to the left is provided inside the guide hole 68, the cap supporting member 52 can be reliably moved from the sealing position to the separated position.

[Modification]
The contact surface 55 of the cap support member 52 that contacts the pressing portion 57 of the carriage 3 does not need to extend in parallel in the up-down direction, and may be inclined to the lower right as shown in FIG. Good. With this configuration, the pressing force with which the pressing portion 57 presses the contact surface 55 generates a component of a force directed in the direction A perpendicular to the contact surface 55. Since the direction A is a force pressing the cap support member 52 to the upper right side, the cap support member 52 can be more reliably moved from the separated position to the sealing position.

  The ink jet printer 1 is an example of the image recording device of the present invention. The discharge port 16 is an example of the nozzle of the present invention. The inkjet head 4 is an example of the recording head of the present invention. The scanning direction is an example of the main scanning direction of the present invention. The ejection surface 4a is an example of the nozzle surface of the present invention. The cap 20 is an example of the cap of the present invention. The right direction in the scanning direction is an example of the first direction of the present invention. The cap support member 52 is an example of the cap support member of the present invention. The base member 50 is an example of the base member of the present invention. The transport direction is an example of the sub-scanning direction of the present invention. The guide boss 61 is an example of the protrusion of the present invention. The guide hole 62 is an example of the guide section of the present invention. The second coil spring 80 is an example of the first biasing member of the present invention. The upper surface 63 is an example of the first guide surface of the present invention. The lower surface 64 is an example of the second guide surface of the present invention. The left direction in the scanning direction is an example of the second direction of the present invention. The first holding unit 51 is an example of the first holding unit of the present invention. The second holding unit 53 is an example of the second holding unit of the present invention. The inclined portion 65 is an example of a first inclined portion of the present invention. The contact surface 55 is an example of the contact surface of the present invention. The inclined part 69 is an example of the second inclined part of the present invention. The pressing portion 90 is an example of the pressing portion of the present invention. The third coil spring 100 is an example of the second biasing member of the present invention.

1... Inkjet printer 3... Carriage 4... Inkjet head (head)
4a: discharge surface 8: cap moving mechanism 16: discharge port 20: cap 50: base Member 51 First holding portion 52 Cap support member 53 Second holding portion 54 Contact portion 55 ····· Contact surface 61 ···· Guide boss 62 ······ Guide hole 63 ··· Upper surface 64 ··· Lower surface 65, 69 · ... Inclination portion 70 First coil spring 80 Second coil spring 100 Third coil spring

Claims (10)

A recording head that discharges liquid from a nozzle toward a recording medium and records an image,
A carriage provided with the recording head and movable in a main scanning direction;
A cap for sealing the nozzle surface of the recording head,
A separation position that is provided on a first direction side in the main scanning direction from an image recording area by a recording head, supports the cap, is movable integrally with the cap, and the cap is separated from the nozzle surface, In a vertical direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, the position is higher than the separation position, and a position between the cap and the sealing position for sealing the nozzle surface is interlocked with the movement of the carriage in the main scanning direction. A cap support member that moves
A protrusion provided on one of the base member and the cap support member fixedly arranged on the apparatus main body, and protruding in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the vertical direction;
A guide portion that is provided on the other of the base member and the cap support member and guides movement of the cap support member between the separated position and the sealing position by engaging with the protruding portion;
A first urging member for urging the cap support member toward the separated position,
The guide portion has a first guide surface located above the projecting portion,
The first biasing member is configured such that, while the cap support member moves from the separated position to the sealing position, the cap and the first guide surface are biased toward one another. An image recording device for urging a support member. The guide portion further includes a second guide surface provided opposite to the first guide surface with the protrusion portion interposed therebetween in the vertical direction,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first guide surface and the second guide surface in the vertical direction is longer than a length of the protrusion in the vertical direction. The protrusion is provided on the cap support member,
The guide section is provided on the base member,
The image according to claim 1, wherein the first urging member urges the cap support member upward in a second direction opposite to the first direction in the main scanning direction and upward. Recording device. The first biasing member is a coil spring,
A first holding unit provided on the cap support member, for holding an end of the first biasing member on the first direction side;
A second holding portion provided on the base member and holding an end of the first biasing member on the second direction side,
The image recording device according to claim 3, wherein the second holding unit is located on the second direction side with respect to the guide unit.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second holding unit is located above the guide unit. The first guide surface has a first inclined portion extending upward in the first direction,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an angle formed by a virtual straight line connecting the first holding unit and the second holding unit and the first inclined unit is an obtuse angle.   The image according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the contact portion has a contact surface that contacts the carriage, and the contact surface is inclined downward toward the first direction. Recording device. The protrusion is provided on the base member,
The guide portion is provided on the cap support member,
The image according to claim 1, wherein the first urging member urges the cap support member downward in a second direction opposite to the first direction in the main scanning direction and downward. Recording device. The protrusion is provided on the base member so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction,
The guide section is provided on the cap support member,
The first guide surface has a second inclined portion extending downward in the first direction,
The carriage has a pressing portion that contacts the protruding portion and presses the protruding portion in the first direction.
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first urging member urges the cap support member downward.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a second urging member that urges the projecting portion in the second direction.

Images