JP2022030430A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ink jet recording device which can suppress abrasion of a protrusion part that decides a position in a main-scanning direction of a sub carriage with respect to a carriage by being brought into contact with the carriage in recording of an image.SOLUTION: In an ink jet recording apparatus A, a protrusion part 23b protruding in a main-scanning direction and a protrusion part 23c arranged so as to be adjacent to the protrusion part 23b in a sub-scanning direction and protruding in the main-scanning direction are provided on an end surface 23d in the main-scanning direction in a sub carriage 23; the protrusion part 23b is not brought into contact with a carriage 24 and the protrusion part 23c is brought into contact with the carriage 24 in a case where the sub carriage 23 is arranged at a position where the sub carriage is located when an image is not recorded in a recording medium by a recording head 21; and the protrusion part 23c is not brought into contact with the carriage 24 and the protrusion part 23b is brought into contact with the carriage 24 to decide the position in the main-scanning direction of the sub carriage 23 with respect to the carriage 24 in a case where the sub carriage 23 is arranged at the position where the sub carriage is located when the image is recorded in the recording medium by the recording head 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that ejects ink from a recording head and records an image on a recording medium.

Conventionally, as an inkjet recording device, there has been a configuration in which an image such as characters and figures is recorded by ejecting ink from the recording head to a recording medium while reciprocating the carriage holding the recording head in the main scanning direction. Widely known.

Further, the inkjet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a recording head is detachably held and is configured to be movable in a sub-scanning direction with respect to a carriage, and is provided with a sub-carriage supported by the carriage. Has been done. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, an image is recorded on a recording medium stopped by the recording head while the recording head is moved in the main scanning direction by the carriage and the recording head is moved in the sub-scanning direction by the sub-carriage. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-116091

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the position of the sub-carriage in the main scanning direction with respect to the carriage is determined by the protrusion protruding in the main scanning direction from the end face of the sub-carriage in contact with the carriage.

Here, if vibration occurs during transportation of the inkjet recording device and the protrusion and the carriage slide due to the vibration and the protrusion wears, the position accuracy of the sub-carriage with respect to the carriage may decrease. When the position accuracy of the sub-carriage is lowered in this way, the position accuracy of the recording head held by the sub-carriage is lowered, so that the image is misaligned with respect to the recording medium (registration shift), and the image quality is deteriorated. There is a risk.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of contacting a carriage at the time of recording an image and suppressing wear of a protruding portion that determines the position of the sub-carriage in the main scanning direction with respect to the carriage.

A typical configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a recording head that ejects ink to a recording medium to record an image, a subcarriage that detachably holds the recording head, and a subcarriage. The sub-carriage is provided with a carriage that supports the sub-carriage and is movable in the first direction, and that moves the sub-carriage and the recording head in the first direction with the movement in the first direction. In an inkjet recording device that can move in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction with respect to the carriage, the end face of the first direction of the sub-carriage has a first protruding portion protruding in the first direction. A second projecting portion is provided adjacent to the first projecting portion in the second direction and projecting in the first direction, and the sub-carriage is positioned when the recording head does not record an image on the recording medium. When located in the first position, the first protrusion does not touch the carriage, the second protrusion touches the carriage, and the subcarriage moves from the first position to the second direction. Then, when it is located at the second position where the recording head is located when the image is recorded on the recording medium, the second protruding portion does not contact the carriage, and the first protruding portion contacts the carriage. , The sub-carriage is characterized in that the position in the first direction with respect to the carriage is determined.

According to the present invention, in the inkjet recording apparatus, it is possible to suppress wear of a protrusion that comes into contact with the carriage when recording an image and determines the position of the sub-carriage in the main scanning direction with respect to the carriage.

It is sectional drawing of the inkjet recording apparatus. It is a figure exemplifying the image recorded by the inkjet recording apparatus. It is the figure which looked at the carriage and the sub-carriage from the bottom. It is the figure which looked at the carriage and the sub-carriage from the bottom. It is the figure which looked at the carriage and the sub-carriage from the bottom.

<Inkjet recording device>
Hereinafter, the overall configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings together with the image recording operation.

The inkjet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment records an image such as a barcode or characters related to the barcode on a recording medium using monochrome ink. As the recording medium, for example, a mail item such as an envelope or a postcard is assumed. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to those, unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inkjet recording apparatus A. As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording device A includes a mounting unit 11 on which the recording medium P is mounted. The mounting unit 11 has a vertical direction (arrow Z direction,) between the set position where the recording medium P is placed or taken out by the user and the recording position where the image is recorded on the recording medium P ascending from the set position. It is configured to be movable in the -Z direction). The mounting unit 11 rises when it is detected by a sensor (not shown) that the recording medium P is mounted, and moves from the set position to the recording position. Further, when the mounting portion 11 is located at the recording position, the recording medium P is pressed against the platen member 12 arranged above the mounting portion 11 with a constant pressing force regardless of its thickness.

Further, the inkjet recording apparatus A detachably holds a recording head 21 (FIG. 3) for accommodating ink and ejecting the ink from a nozzle 21a (FIG. 3) to a recording medium P to record an image, and a recording head 21. A sub-carriage 23 and a carriage 24 that supports the sub-carriage 23 are provided. The recording head 21 is electrically connected to a CPU (not shown) of the inkjet recording device A via a circuit board (not shown) provided on the carriage 24. The CPU (not shown) controls the drive of the recording head 21 according to the image data transmitted from the host computer (not shown), and records the image according to the image data.

The carriage 24 is engaged with the guide rail 31 and is connected to a drive belt 32 that is moved by a driving force of a motor (not shown). When the motor is driven, the drive belt 32 moves in the main scanning direction (arrow X direction, −X direction), whereby the carriage 24 connected to the drive belt 32 moves in the main scanning direction while being guided by the guide rail 31. do. Further, as the carriage 24 moves in the main scanning direction, the sub-carriage 23 supported by the carriage 24 and the recording head 21 held by the sub-carriage 23 also move in the main scanning direction. Further, a linear encoder 33 is provided in the vicinity of the guide rail 31 along the main scanning direction. A photo sensor (not shown) provided on the carriage 24 detects the position of the carriage 24 in the main scanning direction by reading the linear encoder 33.

The sub-carriage 23 is configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction (arrow Y direction, −Y direction) with respect to the carriage 24. The sub-scanning direction (second direction) is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction (first direction). The configuration for moving the sub-carriage 23 in the sub-scanning direction will be described later. Further, the retaining portion 23v formed in the sub-carriage 23 is formed in the carriage 24 and engages with the hole portion 24v extending in the sub-scanning direction. The retaining portion 23v passes through the hole portion 24v of the carriage 24 and protrudes from the inside to the outside of the carriage 24. Stop it.

Next, the image recording operation by the inkjet recording apparatus A will be described. First, when the recording medium P is set in the mounting section 11, the mounting section 11 moves from the set position to the recording position, and the recording medium P mounted on the mounting section 11 is pressed against the platen member 12. The position is fixed.

Next, the carriage 24 starts moving in the direction of arrow X. Then, when the recording head 21 passes through the opening 12a formed in the platen member 12, the recording head 21 ejects ink based on the image data transmitted from the host computer (not shown), and the first row is sent to the recording medium P. Record an image of the eye. As a result, the image for the outward route shown in FIG. 2A is recorded on the recording medium P. The ink ejection timing by the recording head 21 is controlled by a CPU (not shown) based on the position information of the carriage 24 detected by the photosensor (not shown) provided on the carriage 24 reading the linear encoder 33. To.

Next, after the image of the first row is recorded on the recording medium P, the sub-carriage 23 is moved in the arrow Y direction. After that, the carriage 24 starts moving in the arrow-X direction. Then, when the recording head 21 passes through the opening 12a formed in the platen member 12, the recording head 21 ejects ink based on the image data transmitted from the host computer (not shown), and the second row is sent to the recording medium P. Record an image of the eye. As a result, the images for the outward trip and the return trip shown in FIG. 2B are recorded on the recording medium P. In this way, the image is recorded on the recording medium P.

In the present embodiment, the maximum width of the image recorded by the inkjet recording apparatus A in the sub-scanning direction is 1 inch, whereas the recording area of the recording head 21 in the sub-scanning direction is 0.5 inch. Therefore, as described above, the recording head 21 is moved by moving the sub-carriage 23 in the sub-scanning direction to record a 1-inch image using the recording head 21.

Next, the mounting portion 11 descends from the recording position and moves to the set position. After that, the user takes out the recording medium P mounted on the mounting unit 11 located at the set position, and the recording operation of a series of images is completed.

<Movement of sub-carriage in sub-scanning direction>
Next, the movement of the sub-carriage 23 in the sub-scanning direction will be described.

3 and 4 are views of the carriage 24 and the sub-carriage 23 as viewed from below. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sub-carriage 23 is urged by a spring 28 (another urging member) toward the shift bar 25 (moving member) in the arrow-Y direction. The shift bar 25 is a member that moves the sub-carriage 23 in the sub-main scanning direction, and is supported by the carriage 24 so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction with respect to the sub-carriage 23.

The shift bar 25 has three flat portions 25a, 25b, and 25c having different positions in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. The flat portions 25a to 25c are surfaces extending in the main scanning direction. The flat portion 25a and the flat portion 25b are connected by an inclined portion 25d, which is an inclined slope with respect to the main scanning direction. The flat portion 25b (second portion) and the flat portion 25c (first portion) are connected by an inclined portion 25e (third portion) which is an inclined slope with respect to the main scanning direction. The sub-carriage 23 comes into contact with the flat portions 25a to 25c of the shift bar 25 and the inclined portions 25d and 25e via the bar contact portion 23a.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the image recording is started by the inkjet recording apparatus A, the bar contact portion 23a of the sub-carriage 23 is arranged at a position where it comes into contact with the flat portion 25a of the shift bar 25. In this state, the carriage 24 moves in the direction of the arrow X, and after the recording head 21 records an image in half of the sub-scanning direction on the recording medium P, the end 25 g of the shift bar 25 is the side wall 51 of the inkjet recording device A (FIG. It hits 1).

When the end portion 25g of the shift bar 25 abuts on the side wall 51, the shift bar 25 receives a reaction force from the side wall 51 and moves in the arrow-X direction, and moves from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. Due to the movement of the shift bar 25, the contact position of the bar contact portion 23a of the subcarriage 23 with the shift bar 25 shifts from the position of contact with the flat portion 25a to the position of contact with the flat portion 25b via the inclined portion 25d. .. As a result, the sub-carriage 23 moves in the Y direction of the arrow to be in the state shown in FIG.

Next, after the carriage 24 moves in the arrow-X direction and the recording head 21 records an image in half of the sub-scanning direction on the recording medium P, the end portion 25f of the shift bar 25 is the side wall 52 of the inkjet recording device A. It hits (Fig. 1). When the end portion 25f of the shift bar 25 abuts on the side wall 52, the shift bar 25 receives a reaction force from the side wall 52 and moves in the direction of arrow X, and moves from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. Due to the movement of the shift bar 25, the contact position of the bar contact portion 23a of the sub-carriage 23 with the shift bar 25 shifts from the position of contact with the flat portion 25b to the position of contact with the flat portion 25a via the inclined portion 25d. .. As a result, the sub-carriage 23 moves in the arrow-Y direction, and is in the state shown in FIG. In this way, the sub-carriage 23 is arranged at a position where the image of the next first row can be recorded.

Further, on one end surface 23d of the subcarriage 23 in the main scanning direction, two projecting portions 23b (first projecting portions) projecting from the end surface 23d in the arrow −X direction are formed. When recording is performed on the recording medium P, that is, when the bar contact portion 23a is located at a position where the bar contact portion 23a is in contact with the flat portion 25a or the flat portion 25b of the shift bar 25, the two protrusions 23b of the sub-carriage 23 are the carriage 24. Each contacts the wall portion 24a. As a result, the position of the sub-carriage 23 with respect to the carriage 24 in the main scanning direction is determined.

A leaf spring 27 (a urging member) that urges the sub-carriage 23 toward the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 between the other end surface 23e of the sub-carriage 23 in the main scanning direction and the wall portion 24b of the carriage 24. Is provided. The leaf spring 27 directs the subcarriage 23 in the arrow-X direction so that the protrusion 23b is pressed against the wall 24a when the protrusion 23b of the subcarriage 23 is in contact with the wall 24a of the carriage 24. Encourage.

<Configuration of inkjet recording device during transportation>
As described above, when recording is performed on the recording medium P, the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 contacts the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 and determines the position of the sub-carriage 23 with respect to the carriage 24 in the main scanning direction. Here, if the inkjet recording device A is transported with the protruding portion 23b in contact with the wall portion 24a, the protruding portion 23b and the wall portion 24a may slide due to vibration during transportation, and the protruding portion 23b may be worn. be. When the protrusion 23b is worn, the position of the sub-carriage 23 with respect to the carriage 24 is deviated from a desired position at the time of image recording, and the position accuracy of the recording head 21 held by the sub-carriage 23 is also lowered. If the position accuracy of the recording head 21 is lowered, the image may be misaligned with respect to the recording medium P (registration misalignment), and the image quality may be deteriorated.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to suppress the wear of the protruding portion 23b during transportation of the inkjet recording device A, the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 is separated from the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 when the inkjet recording device A is transported. Let me. Hereinafter, the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus A during transportation will be described.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the carriage 24 and the sub-carriage 23 during transportation of the inkjet recording device A. As shown in FIG. 5, the end surface 23d of the subcarriage 23 is formed with two protrusions 23c (second protrusions) adjacent to the protrusions 23b in the sub-scanning direction and protruding in the arrow-X direction. .. The protrusion amount L2 in the arrow-X direction from the end surface 23d of the protrusion 23c is set smaller than the protrusion amount L1 in the arrow-X direction from the end surface 23d of the protrusion 23b.

Further, the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 is formed with two projecting portions 24c (third protruding portions) projecting toward the sub-carriage 23 in the main scanning direction. In the direction of arrow Z, the protruding portions 24c of the carriage 24 and the protruding portions 23b and 23c of the sub-carriage 23 are arranged at substantially the same position. Further, when the protrusion amount of the protrusion 24c from the wall portion 24a in the arrow X direction is L3, the protrusion amount of the protrusion 24c is set so that L1 <L2 + L3. The wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 is a facing portion facing the end surface 23d of the sub-carriage 23 in the carriage 24 in the main scanning direction.

When the inkjet recording apparatus A is transported, the sub-carriage 23 is arranged at a transport position (first position) where the bar contact portion 23a comes into contact with the flat portion 25c of the shift bar 25. At this time, the protruding portion 23c of the sub-carriage 23 comes into contact with the protruding portion 24c of the carriage 24, and this contact restricts the movement of the sub-carriage 23 in the arrow-X direction, and the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 becomes the carriage 24. It is separated from the wall portion 24a of. Further, the leaf spring 27 urges the sub-carriage 23 in the arrow −X direction so that the protrusion 23c is pressed against the protrusion 24c when the protrusion 23c of the sub-carriage 23 comes into contact with the protrusion 24c of the carriage 24. do.

In this way, the inkjet recording device A is shipped from the factory and transported in a state where the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 is separated from the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24. By transporting the inkjet recording device A in this way, even when vibration is generated during transportation, sliding between the protruding portion 23b and the wall portion 24a is suppressed, and wear of the protruding portion 23b is suppressed. Therefore, the deterioration of the positional accuracy of the sub-carriage 23 and the recording head 21 is suppressed, the positional deviation (registration deviation) of the image with respect to the recording medium P is suppressed, and the deterioration of the image quality is suppressed.

Further, at the time of calibration when the inkjet recording device A is carried to the user and started to be used, the carriage 24 is moved in the arrow −X direction, and the end portion 25f of the shift bar 25 abuts on the side wall 52. As a result, the shift bar 25 receives a reaction force from the side wall 52 and moves in the arrow X direction, and the sub-carriage 23 moves from the transport position where the bar contact portion 23a contacts the flat portion 25c of the shift bar 25 via the inclined portion 25e. It shifts to the position where it comes into contact with the flat portion 25b. That is, the sub-carriage 23 moves from the transport position located when the image is not recorded by the recording head 21 to the position (second position) located when the image is recorded. In this state, when the carriage 24 further moves in the arrow-X direction, the contact position of the bar contact portion 23a of the subcarriage 23 with the shift bar 25 is flat from the position where it contacts the flat portion 25b via the inclined portion 25d. It shifts to the position where it comes into contact with the portion 25a. As a result, the sub-carriage 23 is arranged at the position where the recording of the image is started.

The movement of the sub-carriage 23 to the transport position may be performed manually by an operator at the factory, or may be automatically performed as described below. When the sub-carriage 23 is automatically moved to the transport position, the carriage 24 is moved in the arrow X direction while the bar contact portion 23a of the sub-carriage 23 is located at a position where the bar contact portion 23a of the sub-carriage 23 is in contact with the flat portion 25b of the shift bar 25, and the shift bar 25 is moved. 25 g of the end portion is abutted against the side wall 51. As a result, the shift bar 25 receives a reaction force from the side wall 51 and moves in the arrow −X direction, and the contact position of the bar contact portion 23a of the subcarriage 23 with the shift bar 25 is from the position where it contacts the flat portion 25b to the inclined portion 25e. It shifts to the position where it comes into contact with the flat portion 25c.

Although the present embodiment has described the configuration in which the sub-carriage 23 is arranged at the transport position at the time of shipment from the factory, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the sub-carriage 23 may be arranged at the transport position every time the recording of the image is completed, or may be arranged at the transport position at the timing when the power of the inkjet recording device A is turned off. With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress wear of the protruding portion 23b due to vibration when the user carries the inkjet recording device A again.

Further, in the present embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the protruding portion 23c of the sub-carriage 23 is brought into contact with the protruding portion 24c of the carriage 24 so that the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 is separated from the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the protruding portion 23c of the sub-carriage 23 is brought into contact with the flat portion of the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24, and a recess for separating the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 from the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 is formed in the wall portion 24a. The same effect as described above can be obtained as the configuration.

Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the protruding portions 23b and 23c of the sub-carriage 23 and the protruding portions 24c of the carriage 24 are provided at two locations each has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the number of these protrusions 23b, 23c, 24c may be one or three or more. However, it is preferable that the protrusions 23b and 23c of the sub-carriage 23 and the protrusions 24c of the carriage 24 are provided at two locations each. This is because, in the case of one place, play is likely to occur when recording an image, and the load on the protruding portion 23b is large and wear is likely to occur. Further, in the case of three or more places, when the protrusion amount of the three or more protrusions 23b is different due to the influence of the tolerance, the three or more protrusions 23b come into contact with the wall portion 24a of the carriage 24 for positioning. This is because the backlash is likely to occur.

Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the projecting portion 23b and the projecting portion 23c are integrated has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, even if the protruding portion 23b and the protruding portion 23c are configured as separate bodies and the protruding portion 23b and the protruding portion 23c of the separate bodies are located at different (adjacent) positions in the sub-scanning direction, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Obtainable. Further, in the direction of arrow Z, the protruding portion 23c of the sub-carriage 23 and the protruding portion 24c of the carriage 24 need to be arranged at substantially the same position in order to bring them into contact with each other. The 23c may be arranged at different positions. Similarly, the protruding portion 23b of the sub-carriage 23 and the protruding portion 24c of the carriage 24 may be arranged at different positions in the arrow Z direction.

21 ... Recording head 23 ... Subcarriage 23b ... Protruding part (first protruding part)
23c ... Protruding part (second protruding part)
23d ... End face (end face in the first direction of the sub-carriage)
24 ... Carriage 24a ... Wall part (opposing part)
24c ... Protruding part (third protruding part)
25 ... Shift bar (moving member)
25b ... Flat part (second part)
25c ... Flat part (first part)
25e ... Inclined part (3rd part)
27 ... Leaf spring (urging member)
28 ... Spring (other urging member)
A ... Inkjet recording device

Claims (7)

A recording head that ejects ink to a recording medium and records an image,
A sub-carriage that holds the recording head detachably and
A carriage that supports the sub-carriage, is movable in the first direction, and moves the sub-carriage and the recording head in the first direction as the sub-carriage moves in the first direction.
Equipped with
In an inkjet recording device in which the sub-carriage can move in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction with respect to the carriage.
On the end surface of the subcarriage in the first direction, a first protruding portion protruding in the first direction and an adjacent first protruding portion in the second direction are arranged and protrude in the first direction. A second protrusion is provided,
When the sub-carriage is located at the first position where the recording head does not record an image on the recording medium, the first protrusion does not come into contact with the carriage and the second protrusion is on the carriage. Contact,
When the sub-carriage moves from the first position to the second direction and is located at the second position where the recording head positions an image on a recording medium, the second protrusion contacts the carriage. An inkjet recording apparatus characterized in that the first protrusion comes into contact with the carriage and determines the position of the sub-carriage in the first direction with respect to the carriage. In the carriage, a third protruding portion that protrudes in the first direction toward the sub-carriage is provided on the facing portion of the sub-carriage that faces the end face.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sub-carriage is located at the first position, the second protrusion of the sub-carriage comes into contact with the third protrusion of the carriage. .. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first protruding portion, the second protruding portion, and the third protruding portion are provided at two locations each. The sub-carriage is pressed against the carriage when the sub-carriage is located at the first position, and the first protrusion is pressed against the carriage when the sub-carriage is located at the second position. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an urging member for urging the carriage in the first direction. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a moving member for moving the subcarriage to the first position and the second position. The moving member has a first portion that contacts the sub-carriage and holds the sub-carriage in the first position, and the first portion that contacts the sub-carriage and holds the sub-carriage in the second position. A second portion having different positions in the first direction and the second direction from the portion, and a third portion which is an inclined slope with respect to the first direction connecting the first portion and the second portion. Have and
The moving member is in the first direction with respect to the subcarriage so that the contact position with the subcarriage can be switched between the first portion and the second portion via the third portion. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is provided so as to be movable. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising another urging member that urges the subcarriage in the second direction and presses the subcarriage against the moving member.

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