JP2021154689A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To effectively suppress the deformation of a medium support portion.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 is provided, comprising: conveyance mechanisms 28, 30, 34, 36 which convey a medium P in the conveyance direction; a recording head 52 which executes recording to the medium P conveyed by the conveyance mechanisms 28, 30, 34, 36; a medium support portion 54 which is provided at a position facing the recording head 52 in the height direction intersecting the conveyance direction and supports the medium P; at least one reinforcing member 56 which extends in the intersection direction intersecting the conveyance direction and height direction and reinforces the medium support portion 54; and at least one attaching unit 157, 257, 357, 457, 557, 657 which attaches the reinforcing member to a position where the reinforcing member 56 can reinforce the medium support portion 54. The reinforcing member 56 has the longer length in the height direction than the length in the conveyance direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus has been used in which a medium is conveyed to a position facing the recording head and recording is performed on the medium by the recording head. In such an image forming apparatus, a medium supporting portion for supporting the medium is generally provided at a position facing the recording head. Since the recording accuracy may decrease if the medium support portion is deformed due to bending or the like, a configuration having a member that suppresses the deformation of the medium support portion is also disclosed. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a print head that executes recording on a conveyed medium and a platen that is provided at a position facing the print head and supports the medium, and the platen is provided in order to suppress deformation of the platen. An inkjet image forming apparatus further comprising a platen holding means for pressing and holding a platen against a platen base is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-253126

However, the platen holding means disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a large number of constituent members for suppressing deformation of the platen, such as a plurality of adjusting screws. Therefore, the inkjet image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 may lead to an increase in size, weight, cost, and the like. Further, as a method of suppressing the deformation of the medium support portion, a configuration in which the medium support portion is pressed against the flat portion of the reinforcing member can be considered, but with such a configuration, the flat portion may be deformed due to changes in the environment or the like. Therefore, there is a possibility that the medium support portion is also deformed as the flat surface portion is deformed. Further, if the flat surface portion is arranged so as to be substantially horizontal, there is a risk of deformation due to gravity. Furthermore, it may be difficult to obtain the flatness of the flat surface portion.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention for solving the above problems intersects a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction, a recording head that executes recording on the medium transported by the transport mechanism, and the transport direction. A medium support portion provided at a position facing the recording head in the height direction and extending in an intersecting direction intersecting with the transport direction and the height direction to reinforce the medium support portion. It includes at least one reinforcing member and at least one mounting portion for mounting the reinforcing member at a position where the reinforcing member can reinforce the medium support portion, and the reinforcing member has a length in the transport direction. Is also characterized in that the length in the height direction is long.

The external perspective view of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a medium transport path of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The perspective view which shows the medium support part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a medium support portion of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the medium support part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is the sectional view cut at the position different from FIG. A perspective view of a platen or the like of a medium support portion of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from the support surface side. The bottom view of the platen of the medium support part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. The perspective view which looked at the platen of the medium support part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention from the back side. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 8, and is the figure which shows the periphery of the one side attachment part of the 1st reinforcing member. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 8, and is the figure which shows the periphery of the central attachment part of the 1st reinforcing member. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 8, and is the figure which shows the periphery of the other side attachment part of the 1st reinforcing member. A cross-sectional view of the periphery of the mounting portion on one side of the first reinforcing member as viewed from the back side. A cross-sectional view of the periphery of the central mounting portion of the first reinforcing member as viewed from the back side. A cross-sectional view of the periphery of the mounting portion on the other side of the first reinforcing member as viewed from the back side. A side sectional view showing the periphery of the one-sided mounting portion of the first reinforcing member. A side sectional view showing the periphery of the central mounting portion of the first reinforcing member. A side sectional view showing the periphery of the attachment portion on the other side of the first reinforcing member. A perspective view of a platen or the like of a medium support portion of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from the front side. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 18, and is the figure which shows the periphery of the one side attachment part of the 2nd reinforcing member and the 3rd reinforcing member. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 18, and is the figure which shows the periphery of the central attachment part of the 2nd reinforcing member and the 3rd reinforcing member. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 18, and is the figure which shows the periphery of the other side attachment part of the 2nd reinforcing member and the 3rd reinforcing member. A cross-sectional view of the periphery of the mounting portion on one side of the second reinforcing member as viewed from the front side. A cross-sectional view of the periphery of the central mounting portion of the second reinforcing member as viewed from the front side. A cross-sectional view of the periphery of the mounting portion on the other side of the second reinforcing member as viewed from the front side. A side sectional view showing the periphery of the attachment portion on one side of the second reinforcing member. A side sectional view showing the periphery of the central mounting portion of the second reinforcing member. A side sectional view showing the periphery of the attachment portion on the other side of the second reinforcing member.

First, the present invention will be described schematically.
The image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction, a recording head that executes recording on the medium transported by the transport mechanism, and the above. The medium is provided at a position facing the recording head in a height direction intersecting the transport direction, and extends in an intersecting direction that intersects with the transport direction and the height direction with a medium support portion that supports the medium. The reinforcing member includes at least one reinforcing member for reinforcing the support portion and at least one mounting portion for mounting the reinforcing member at a position where the reinforcing member can reinforce the medium support portion. It is characterized in that the length in the height direction is longer than the length in the transport direction.

According to this aspect, a reinforcing member for reinforcing the medium support portion is provided, and the reinforcing member has a longer length in the height direction than a length in the transport direction. Here, the fact that the length in the height direction is longer than the length in the transport direction means that the medium support portion is supported and reinforced on a surface having a small area. That is, it is a reinforcing member that can easily bring out the flatness of the portion that supports the medium support portion and can effectively receive the force even when a strong force is applied to the medium support portion, and effectively suppresses the deformation of the medium support portion. can do.

The image forming apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the mounting portion has a press-fitting structure for press-fitting and mounting the reinforcing member.

According to this aspect, the mounting portion has a press-fitting structure for press-fitting and mounting the reinforcing member. Therefore, the number of screws for attaching the reinforcing member can be reduced, and the configuration of the attachment portion can be simplified.

In the first or second aspect of the image forming apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, as the attachment portion, the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion are sequentially arranged from one side to the other in the crossing direction. , A third attachment portion is provided.

According to this aspect, for example, the reinforcing members can be attached at both ends in the crossing direction at the first mounting portion and the third mounting portion, and the reinforcing members can be attached at the second mounting portion at the central portion in the crossing direction. can. In this way, by attaching the reinforcing member at the central portion in the crossing direction, it is possible to effectively suppress the bending of the medium support portion.

In the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the second attachment portion is provided on the medium support portion and projects toward the recording head side in the height direction. It is characterized by having ribs that come into contact with the reinforcing member.

According to this aspect, the second mounting portion is provided on the medium support portion, and includes ribs that project toward the recording head side in the height direction and come into contact with the reinforcing member. Therefore, for example, even when the image forming apparatus falls with the support surface of the medium facing downward, the ribs suppress the bending of the reinforcing member. In particular, by suppressing the bending of the reinforcing member at the central portion in the crossing direction, the deformation of the medium supporting portion can be effectively suppressed.

In the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the reinforcing member can be inserted and removed from the mounting portion along the intersecting direction. It is a feature.

According to this aspect, the reinforcing member can be inserted and removed along the intersecting direction with respect to the mounting portion. Therefore, it is possible to easily attach the reinforcing member.

In any one of the first to fifth aspects, the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention serves as the reinforcing member on the upstream side of the image forming region facing the recording head in the conveying direction. It is characterized by having a first reinforcing member and a second reinforcing member on the downstream side of the image forming region in the transport direction.

According to this aspect, the reinforcing members are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the image forming region in the transport direction. Deformation of the medium support portion can be effectively suppressed in the image forming region where flatness is particularly required.

In the image forming apparatus of the seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the medium support portion has a base portion and a support surface of the medium with respect to the base portion. The support surface forming portion is provided so as to be movable in the height direction, and the mounting portion is provided on the support surface forming portion.

According to this aspect, the support surface forming portion is provided with a medium support portion to which the support surface forming portion is movably attached to the base portion in the height direction, and the attachment portion is provided on the support surface forming portion. In a configuration including a medium support portion in which the support surface forming portion is movably attached to the base portion in the height direction, the support surface forming portion is particularly easily deformed, but the mounting portion is provided in the support surface forming portion. Therefore, the reinforcing member can effectively reinforce the support surface forming portion, and the reinforcing member can effectively suppress the deformation of the support surface forming portion.

Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The image forming apparatus 10 shown in each figure is an inkjet printer that ejects ink from a recording head 52 onto a medium for recording. In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each figure, the X-axis direction indicates the device width direction, the Y-axis direction indicates the device depth direction, and the Z-axis direction indicates the device height direction. Here, the X-axis direction corresponds to the extension direction of the reinforcing member 56 that reinforces the medium support portion 54, and the Y-axis direction is the direction along the medium transport direction at the position where the medium support portion 54 and the recording head 52 face each other. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the height direction in which the medium support portion 54 and the recording head 52 face each other. Further, the + Y direction corresponds to the back side, the −Y direction corresponds to the front side, the + Z direction corresponds to the upper side, and the −Z direction corresponds to the lower side.

(Outline configuration of recording device)
First, the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The image forming apparatus 10 includes an apparatus main body 12 and an image reading device 14. The device main body 12 includes a housing 16 that constitutes the appearance, a lid 18 that can be opened and closed with respect to the housing 16 on the front surface of the housing 16, and an operation unit 20 provided on the front surface of the housing 16. Although not shown, when the lid 18 is opened, the medium accommodating portion 22 provided inside the housing 16 can be accessed. Further, the image reading device 14 is provided on the upper part of the device main body 12, and is configured as a so-called scanner, which is not shown, but sets a medium on the mounting surface and reads the image.

The operation unit 20 includes a power button, a print setting button, a display panel, and the like for operating the image forming apparatus 10. The operation unit 20 is configured to be rotatable toward the front side of the device with respect to the housing 16 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 12 is located above the lower tray 24 for accommodating the medium P such as paper and the lower tray 24, and includes the upper tray 26 for accommodating the medium P. A unit 22, a feeding unit 28, a transport unit 30, a recording unit 32, a discharging unit 34, and a control unit (not shown) are provided. The lower tray 24 and the upper tray 26 can be attached to and detached from the front side of the device with respect to the main body 12 when the lid 18 is open with respect to the front surface of the housing 16.

Further, the upper tray 26 is driven in the depth direction of the device corresponding to the + Y direction by a drive mechanism (not shown), so that the tray 26 is displaced from the abutting position, which is a feedable position, by a predetermined amount in the −Y direction. It is configured to be movable between the retracted position (not shown) and the retracted position (not shown). In FIG. 2, the medium P accommodated in the lower tray 24 is indicated by reference numeral P1, and the medium accommodated in the upper tray 26 is indicated by reference numeral P2.

A pickup roller 36 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) is provided above each tray. The pickup roller 36 is provided so as to be swingable around the swing shaft 38. When the upper tray 26 is in the feedable position, the pickup roller 36 rotates in contact with the uppermost medium P2 housed in the upper tray 26 to move the uppermost medium P2 to the upper side. It is sent out from the tray 26 to the delivery route.

When the upper tray 26 is in the retracted position, the pickup roller 36 rotates in contact with the uppermost medium P1 housed in the lower tray 24 to move the uppermost medium P1 to the lower tray 24. Send to the delivery route.

Further, the medium P1 housed in the lower tray 24 or the medium P2 housed in the upper tray 26 by the pickup roller 36 is sent to the feeding unit 28 arranged on the downstream side of the feeding path. The feeding unit 28 includes a feeding drive roller 40 driven by a drive motor, a feeding driven roller 42, and a feeding driven roller 44. The feed driven roller 42 comes into contact with the feed drive roller 40 and separates from the medium P, so that only the uppermost medium P is reliably sent to the downstream side of the feed path.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the downstream side of the feed-driven roller 42, a feed-driven roller 44 that sandwiches the medium P with the feed-driven roller 40 and rotates in a driven manner is provided. Further, on the downstream side of the feed path of the feed / driven roller 44, a transport unit 30 is provided with a transport drive roller 46 driven by a drive motor and a transport driven roller 48 that press-contacts the transport drive roller 46 to rotate. Is provided. The medium P is sent further downstream by the transport unit 30.

A recording unit 32 is provided on the downstream side of the transport unit 30. The recording unit 32 is attached to the carriage 50, the recording head 52 that executes recording on the conveyed medium P, the medium support unit 54 that faces the recording head 52 and supports the medium P, and the medium support unit 54. A reinforcing member 56 having a higher rigidity than the medium support portion 54 and a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than the medium support portion 54 is provided. The first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are provided as the reinforcing member 56, and the details of the reinforcing member 56 will be described later. The recording head 52 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 50 and faces the medium P. The carriage 50 reciprocates along the X-axis direction by the driving force of the drive motor.

The medium support portion 54 supports the medium P and defines the distance between the medium support portion 54 and the recording head 52, that is, the platen gap PG. The platen gap PG is variable within a range of about 1.0 mm to 4.5 mm according to the thickness of the medium P and the like. On the downstream side of the medium support section 54, a discharge section 34 for sending out the recorded medium P is provided. The discharge unit 34 includes a first roller 58 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor, and a second roller 60 that is driven to rotate in contact with the first roller 58. Here, the pickup roller 36, the feeding section 28, the transport section 30, and the discharging section 34 all serve as a transport mechanism for transporting the medium P in the transport direction. Here, the "transport direction" of the medium P means the transport direction of the medium P in the region facing the recording head 52 when recording is executed, and corresponds to the −Y direction.

The medium P recorded by the recording unit 32 is sandwiched between the first roller 58 and the second roller 60, and is discharged to the paper ejection stacker 62 provided on the front surface side of the apparatus main body 12. The paper ejection stacker 62 is displaced in the direction of projecting to the outside of the device main body 12 as the operation unit 20 rotates with respect to the device main body 12. That is, the paper ejection stacker 62 can be switched to a state in which it is pulled out along the Y-axis direction or a state in which it is displaced in a direction in which it is pulled into the inside of the apparatus main body 12.

Further, when the paper ejection stacker 62 is displaced in the direction of projecting to the outside of the device main body 12, the operation unit 20 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 with respect to the device main body 12. That is, it is in an open state with respect to the operation unit 20 and the device main body 12. Further, when the paper ejection stacker 62 is displaced in the direction of being pulled into the device main body 12, the operation unit 20 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 with respect to the device main body 12. That is, the operation unit 20 is closed with respect to the device main body 12.

Further, when recording is performed on both sides of the medium P in the image forming apparatus 10, after the recording is performed on the first surface of the medium P by the recording unit 32, the medium P is fed back by the transport unit 30 and the discharge unit 34. When recording is executed on the first surface by the operation, the side that was the rear end of the medium P becomes the tip and is returned to the upstream side of the transport unit 30. Further, the medium P is sent to the reversing path 64 by the reverse operation of the transport unit 30. The medium P sent into the reversing path 64 is sandwiched between the feeding drive roller 40 and the reversing roller 66, and is returned to the feeding path again.

The medium P returned to the feed path is sent again to the transport section 30 on the downstream side of the feed path by the feed drive roller 40 via the feed driven roller 42 and the feed driven roller 44. At this time, the first surface and the second surface of the medium P are curved and inverted, and the second surface faces the recording head 52. The medium P is sent to the recording unit 32 by the transport unit 30. The medium P on which the second surface has been recorded by the recording unit 32 is sandwiched between the ejection units 34 and ejected to the paper ejection stacker 62 provided on the front side of the apparatus.

Further, the control unit feeds the medium P in the medium accommodating unit 22, the feeding unit 28, the transport unit 30, the recording unit 32, the discharging unit 34, and the image reading device 14 in response to an input command from the operating unit 20. It controls operations necessary for executing recording and image reading of the image forming apparatus 10 such as transport, ejection, recording operation, and document reading operation.

However, instead of the input command from the operation unit 20, the operation required for executing the recording and image reading of the image forming apparatus 10 may be controlled by an instruction from an external device such as a PC. Further, the control unit controls the reciprocating movement along the X-axis direction of the carriage 50 as a scan in the recording unit 32.

(Medium support and reinforcing member)
Next, the medium support portion 54 and the reinforcing member 56, which are the main parts of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 27. Although the reinforcing member 56 of this embodiment is formed of an electrozinc-plated steel plate, the material of the reinforcing member 56 is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the medium support portion 54 has a platen 541 as a support surface forming portion having a support surface 541a of the medium P, and a base portion 542 to which the platen 541 is attached. There is. The platen 541 is attached to the base portion 542 with a first screw 544A, a second screw 544B, a third screw 544C, and a fourth screw 544D. The mounting structure of the platen 541 to the base portion 542 by the first screw 544A, the second screw 544B, the third screw 544C, and the fourth screw 544D are all the same structure.

Here, the mounting structure of the platen 541 to the base portion 542 will be described with reference to FIG. The platen 541 is formed with a hole 5411 through which the male screw portion 2544 of the first screw 544A, the second screw 544B, the third screw 544C, and the fourth screw 544D is passed. The hole portion 5411 has a size such that the screw head portion 1544 of the first screw 544A, the second screw 544B, the third screw 544C, and the fourth screw 544D cannot pass through, and the protruding portion 5421 provided on the base portion 542 is formed. It is a size that can be passed through. A female threaded portion 5422 is formed on the protruding portion 5421, and the male threaded portion 2544 is configured to fit into the female threaded portion 5422.

In the attachment structure portion of the platen 541 to the base portion 542, a tubular elastic body 551 is fitted around the protruding portion 5421 in a state of being in contact with the base portion 542 in the −Z direction, and the elastic body 551 is − The washer 552 is fitted in a state where it is in contact with the platen 541 in the Z direction and is in contact with the platen 541 in the + Z direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 6 and the like, each screw of the first screw 544A, the second screw 544B, the third screw 544C, and the fourth screw 544D in which the male screw portion 2544 is fitted to the female screw portion 5422 has a screw head. The platen 541 can be pressed from the support surface 541a side by the portion 1544. Since the mounting structure portion of the platen 541 to the base portion 542 has such a configuration, the platen 541 is subjected to a force in the direction away from the base portion 542 (+ Z direction) by the elastic body 551. By applying a force in the −Z direction to deform the elastic body 551 in the crushing direction, it is possible to move the elastic body 551 in a direction approaching the base portion 542 (−Z direction). That is, the platen 541 can move in the direction away from the substrate portion 542 and in the direction toward the substrate portion 542. In other words, the base portion 542 urges the platen 541 to the screw head portion 1544 via a washer 552 by sandwiching the platen 541 and the elastic body 551 between the screw head portion 1544 and the base portion 542. Therefore, the platen 541 is urged in the direction approaching the recording head 52. That is, the platen 541 is urged toward the screw head portion 1544.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, 18 and the like, the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has one long flat plate-shaped first reinforcement having the X-axis direction as the reinforcing member 56 as the reinforcing member 56. It includes a member 56A and two long flat plate-shaped second reinforcing members 56B and 56C having an extension direction in the X-axis direction. The first reinforcing member 56A is provided on the upstream side of the image forming region R1 facing the recording head 52 in the transport direction of the medium P, and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C face the recording head 52 in the transport direction of the medium P. It is provided on the downstream side of the image forming region R1. As described above, by having the reinforcing members 56 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the image forming region R1 in the transport direction of the medium P, the deformation of the medium supporting portion 54 is effective in the image forming region R1 where flatness is particularly required. Can be suppressed. Further, since the reinforcing member 56 is provided so as to avoid the image forming region R1, the reinforcing member 56 is contaminated with the ink ejected from the recording head 52, and the reinforcing member 56 is the ink ejected from the recording head 52. It is possible to suppress obstruction of flow. In this embodiment, one first reinforcing member 56A is used as the first reinforcing member, and two second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are used as the second reinforcing member. However, even if a plurality of first reinforcing members are provided. Alternatively, it may be provided with one or three or more second reinforcing members.

The image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment has a configuration capable of so-called borderless recording in which an image is formed up to both ends on the front end side and the rear end side of the conveyed medium. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to prevent ink from accumulating on the support surface 541a during borderless recording, the platen 541 has two plates on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium P. Where, the hole 541b extends along the X axis. The hole 541b is provided with an absorber 543 that suppresses ink leakage. As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming region R1 corresponds to the region between the hole portion 541b on the upstream side in the transport direction of the medium P and the hole portion 541b on the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium P.

The first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are both flat plates, and as shown in FIG. 4, the length in the Z-axis direction is larger than the length in the Y-axis direction in the side view. long. In other words, the cross section of the first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C in the cross section cut perpendicular to the X-axis direction has a length in the Z-axis direction longer than a length in the Y-axis direction. .. The first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C both support the platen 541 on the surface in the + Z direction. The first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are both formed by cutting the surface in the + Z direction and the surface in the −Z direction with a cutting device. Since the cut surface formed by cutting with the cutting device is excellent in flatness, the first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C that support the platen 541 in the surface in the + Z direction all have high flatness. The platen 541 can be supported while being held. The phrase "the length in the Z-axis direction is longer than the length in the Y-axis direction" can mean, for example, that the average length in the Z-axis direction is longer than the average length in the Y-axis direction.

Even when the cut surface is formed by cutting with a cutting device, the flatness may be lowered when the reinforcing member 56 is bent in any direction. However, since the first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are all flat and have not been bent, the flatness is suppressed from being lowered.

The reinforcing member 56 is provided on the platen 541. As described above, in the medium support portion 54 of this embodiment, the platen 541 is attached so as to be movable in the height direction with respect to the base portion 542. In such a configuration, the platen 541 is attached to the base portion 542. Since it is not fixed to the relative, it is particularly easily deformed. However, in the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, since the reinforcing member 56 is attached to the platen 541 by a plurality of attachment portions described later, the reinforcing member 56 can effectively reinforce the platen 541, and the reinforcing member 56 can be effectively reinforced. 56 can effectively suppress the deformation of the platen 541.

Next, the attachment portion of the reinforcing member 56 will be described. As described above, the reinforcing member 56 has a longer length in the height direction than the length in the transport direction of the medium P, but the reinforcing member 56 can reinforce the medium supporting portion 54 at the mounting portion of the reinforcing member 56. The reinforcing member 56 is attached at various positions. In this way, by attaching the reinforcing member 56 having a length in the height direction longer than the length in the transport direction of the medium P at a position where the medium supporting portion 54 can be reinforced, the reinforcing member 56 can be placed at an appropriate position. The medium support portion 54 can be supported and reinforced on a surface having a small area. That is, the reinforcing member 56 that can easily obtain the flatness of the portion that supports the medium support portion 54 and can effectively receive the force even when a strong force is applied to the medium support portion 54 deforms the medium support portion 54. It can be effectively suppressed.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 18, in the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the first reinforcing member 56A is extended as an attachment portion for attaching the first reinforcing member 56A to the medium support portion 54. The first mounting portion 157, the second mounting portion 257, and the third mounting portion 357 are provided in order from one side to the other side (+ X direction) in the installation direction (intersection direction intersecting with the transport direction and the height direction). .. Further, in the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, as an attachment portion for attaching the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C to the medium support portion 54, the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are directed from one side to the other side in the intersecting direction. The first mounting portion 457, the second mounting portion 557, and the third mounting portion 657 are provided in this order (in the + X direction). That is, in the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the reinforcing members 56 are attached at both ends in the crossing direction at the first mounting portion and the third mounting portion, and the reinforcing members 56 are attached at the second mounting portions at the central portion in the crossing direction. It is configured to be attached. In this way, by attaching the reinforcing member 56 at the central portion in the crossing direction, it is possible to effectively suppress the bending of the medium support portion 54 and the like. The "central part" does not necessarily mean the center in a strict sense, but includes the vicinity of the center.

Here, the first reinforcing member 56A and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C can be inserted and removed along the intersecting direction with respect to the mounting portion. Specifically, the first reinforcing member 56A can be inserted in the + X direction from the first mounting portion 157 side toward the third mounting portion 357 side, and can be pulled out from the first mounting portion 157 side in the −X direction. can. On the other hand, the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C can be inserted in the −X direction from the third mounting portion 657 side toward the first mounting portion 457 side and can be pulled out from the third mounting portion 657 side in the + X direction. .. In this way, by making the reinforcing member 56 so that it can be inserted and removed along the intersecting direction with respect to the mounting portion, it is possible to facilitate the mounting of the reinforcing member 56.

Each of the attachment portions of the reinforcing member 56 will be described below. The first mounting portion 157, which is the mounting portion of the first reinforcing member 56A, has a support portion 1157 that supports the first reinforcing member 56A, as shown in FIGS. 9, 12 and 15. The support portion 1157 supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the −Z direction side with the rib 1157a protruding in the + Z direction, and prevents the first reinforcing member 56A from coming off in the −X direction at the wall portion 1157b. Further, in the first mounting portion 157, a rib 3157 protruding in the −Z direction is formed on the platen 541, and the rib 3157 supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the + Z direction side.

The second mounting portion 257, which is the mounting portion of the first reinforcing member 56A, has a support portion 1257 that supports the first reinforcing member 56A, as shown in FIGS. 10, 13 and 16. As shown in FIG. 16, the support portion 1257 has a tunnel shape penetrating in the X-axis direction, and the first reinforcing member 56A is passed through the through hole 1257d. The support portion 1257 has a rib 1257a protruding in the + Z direction in the through hole 1257d, and the rib 1257a supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the −Z direction side. Further, in the second mounting portion 257, a rib 3257 protruding in the −Z direction is formed on the platen 541, and the rib 3257 supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the + Z direction side.

The third mounting portion 357, which is the mounting portion of the first reinforcing member 56A, has a support portion 1357 that supports the first reinforcing member 56A, as shown in FIGS. 11, 14 and 17. As shown in FIG. 17, the support portion 1357 has a tunnel shape penetrating in the X-axis direction, and the first reinforcing member 56A is passed through the through hole 1357d. The support portion 1357 has a rib 1357a protruding in the + Z direction in the through hole 1357d, and the rib 1357a supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the −Z direction side. Further, in the third mounting portion 357, the platen 541 is provided with a wall portion 2357, which prevents the first reinforcing member 56A from coming off in the + X direction at the wall portion 2357. Further, in the third mounting portion 357, a rib 3357 protruding in the −Z direction is formed on the platen 541, and the rib 3357 supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the + Z direction side.

The first mounting portion 457, which is the mounting portion of the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C, has a support portion 1457 that supports the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C, as shown in FIGS. 19, 22 and 25. ing. As shown in FIG. 25, the support portion 1457 has a tunnel shape penetrating in the X-axis direction, and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are passed through the through hole 1457d. The support portion 1457 has a rib 1457a protruding in the + Z direction in the through hole 1457d, and the rib 1457a supports the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C from the −Z direction side. Further, the support portion 1457 has a wall portion 1457b, and the wall portion 1457b prevents the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C from coming off in the −X direction. Further, in the first mounting portion 457, the platen 541 is formed with ribs 3457 protruding in the −Z direction, and the ribs 3457 support the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C from the + Z direction side.

The second mounting portion 557, which is the mounting portion of the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C, has a support portion 1557 that supports the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C, as shown in FIGS. 20, 23, and 26. ing. As shown in FIG. 26, the support portion 1557 has a tunnel shape penetrating in the X-axis direction, and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C are passed through the through hole 1557d. The support portion 1557 has a rib 1557a protruding in the + Z direction in the through hole 1557d, and the rib 1557a supports the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C from the −Z direction side. Further, in the second mounting portion 557, the platen 541 is formed with ribs 3557 protruding in the −Z direction, and the ribs 3557 support the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C from the + Z direction side.

The third mounting portion 657, which is a mounting portion of the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C, has a support portion 1657 that supports the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C, as shown in FIGS. 21, 24 and 27. ing. The support portion 1657 supports the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C from the −Z direction side with the ribs 1657a protruding in the + Z direction, and the second reinforcing members 56B and 56C come out in the + X direction at the two wall portions 1657b. Is suppressed. Further, in the third mounting portion 657, a rib 3657 protruding in the −Z direction is formed on the platen 541, and the rib 3657 supports the first reinforcing member 56A from the + Z direction side.

As described above, each mounting portion is on the + Z direction side of the platen 541, that is, on the recording head 52 side in the height direction of the recording head 52 and the medium support portion 54, in the −Z direction in contact with the reinforcing member 56. Protruding ribs 3157, 3257, 3357, 3457, 3557, 3657 are provided. In particular, by providing such ribs 3257 and 3557 on the second mounting portions 257 and 557, the ribs 3257 and 3557 are reinforced even when the image forming apparatus 10 is dropped with the support surface 541a facing downward, for example. The bending of the member 56 is suppressed. In this way, in particular, by suppressing the bending of the reinforcing member 56 at the central portion in the crossing direction, the deformation of the medium supporting portion 54 can be effectively suppressed.

As described above, in each mounting portion of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the reinforcing member 56 is supported by ribs from both sides in the Z-axis direction. Here, in the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, when the reinforcing member 56 is attached to the medium support portion 54, each rib is crushed outward by the reinforcing member 56 as the reinforcing member 56 is inserted into the attachment portion. It transforms like this. That is, each mounting portion of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment has a press-fitting structure in which the reinforcing member 56 is press-fitted and mounted. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the number of screws for attaching the reinforcing member 56 and the like can be reduced, and the configuration of the attaching portion can be simplified.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

10 ... image forming device, 12 ... device body, 14 ... image reading device, 16 ... housing,
18 ... lid, 20 ... operation unit, 22 ... medium storage unit, 24 ... lower tray,
26 ... Upper tray, 28 ... Feeding unit (conveying mechanism), 30 ... Conveying unit (conveying mechanism),
32 ... Recording unit, 34 ... Discharge unit (conveying mechanism), 36 ... Pickup roller (conveying mechanism),
38 ... swing shaft, 40 ... feed drive roller, 42 ... feed driven roller,
44 ... Feed-driven roller, 46 ... Transport drive roller, 48 ... Transport-driven roller,
50 ... Carriage, 52 ... Recording head, 54 ... Medium support, 56 ... Reinforcing member,
56A ... 1st reinforcing member, 56B ... 2nd reinforcing member, 56C ... 2nd reinforcing member,
58 ... 1st roller, 60 ... 2nd roller, 62 ... Paper ejection stacker, 64 ... Inversion path,
66 ... Reversing roller, 157 ... First mounting part, 257 ... Second mounting part,
357 ... 3rd mounting part, 457 ... 1st mounting part,
541 ... Platen (support surface forming portion), 541a ... Support surface, 541b ... Hole portion,
542 ... Base part, 543 ... Absorber, 544A ... 1st screw, 544B ... 2nd screw,
544C ... 3rd screw, 544D ... 4th screw, 557 ... 2nd mounting part,
657 ... 3rd mounting part, 1157 ... support part, 1157a ... rib, 1157b ... wall part,
1257 ... Support, 1257a ... Ribs, 1257d ... Through holes, 1357 ... Supports,
1357a ... ribs, 1357d ... through holes, 1457 ... supports, 1457a ... ribs,
1457b ... wall part, 1457d ... through hole, 1544 ... screw head part, 1557 ... support part,
1557a ... ribs, 1557d ... through holes, 1657 ... supports, 1657a ... ribs,
1657b ... wall part, 2357 ... wall part, 2544 ... male screw part, 3157 ... rib,
3257 ... ribs, 3357 ... ribs, 3457 ... ribs, 3557 ... ribs,
3657 ... Ribs, 5411 ... Holes, 5421 ... Protruding parts, 5422 ... Female threaded parts,
P ... medium, P1 ... medium, P2 ... medium, PG ... platen gap, R1 ... image forming region

Claims (7)

A transport mechanism that transports the medium in the transport direction,
A recording head that executes recording on the medium conveyed by the transfer mechanism, and
A medium support portion provided at a position facing the recording head in a height direction intersecting the transport direction and supporting the medium, and a medium support portion.
At least one reinforcing member extending in the intersecting direction intersecting with the transport direction and the height direction to reinforce the medium support portion, and
The medium support portion is provided with at least one mounting portion for mounting the reinforcing member at a position where the reinforcing member can be reinforced.
The reinforcing member is an image forming apparatus characterized in that the length in the height direction is longer than the length in the transport direction. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The mounting portion is an image forming apparatus having a press-fitting structure for press-fitting and mounting the reinforcing member. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the attachment portion includes a first attachment portion, a second attachment portion, and a third attachment portion in this order from one side to the other side in the crossing direction. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 3,
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the second mounting portion is provided on the medium support portion and includes ribs that project toward the recording head side in the height direction and come into contact with the reinforcing member. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the reinforcing member can be inserted and removed from the mounting portion along the intersecting direction. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
As the reinforcing member, the first reinforcing member is provided on the upstream side of the image forming region facing the recording head in the transport direction, and the second reinforcing member is provided on the downstream side of the image forming region in the transport direction. An image forming apparatus characterized in that. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The medium support portion includes a base portion and a support surface forming portion that has a support surface for the medium and is movably attached to the base portion in the height direction.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the mounting portion is provided on the support surface forming portion.

Images