JP2613431B2 - Serial recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention mounts a recording head on a carrier that reciprocates in the width direction of a recording sheet, and performs recording while performing main scanning in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. The present invention relates to a recording device such as a printer and a facsimile.

[Conventional technology]

This type of serial recording device has a structure for supporting a guide shaft for guiding the carrier and a feed roller or guide roller shaft for feeding a recording sheet between left and right frame members of the device main body, The moving range of the carrier is set to an interval covering the recording sheet having the maximum width.

By the way, the maximum width of a recording sheet is determined in consideration of the sheet width if it is possible to use it, although it is rare. is there.

On the other hand, the middle part in the width direction of the serial recording device is a space that simply secures the moving distance of the carrier, and uses a large recording device that takes into account the rarely used wide sheet as described above. Doing so could be expensive in terms of space.

Therefore, a configuration in which the width of the recording apparatus can be expanded and contracted in accordance with the sheet to be used has been proposed.

This extendable serial recording apparatus has a structure in which a case and a recording mechanism in the case are extendable in the moving direction of a carrier, and the width of the apparatus is increased or decreased by expanding or contracting the case.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Even in the above-described extensible recording device, as in the case of a normal recording device, a cover or a cover is used to prevent dust from entering through switches and interface connectors and attaching to a circuit board or the like to cause a problem. Is required.

However, in the prior art, these cover parts were made separate parts, and a method of mounting the cover parts after the recording apparatus was kept in a storage state was adopted, so that the structure was complicated and handling was complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and in an extendable serial recording device, an interface connector and the like can be reliably covered with a simple structure without requiring extra parts, and dust and the like can be prevented from entering. It is to provide a new structure that can be prevented.

[Means for achieving the purpose]

The present invention relates to a serial recording apparatus configured to increase and decrease the width by expanding and contracting a case and a recording mechanism in the case in the moving direction of the carrier. The above object is attained by a serial recording device wherein the mounted connectors or switches are covered by the other half of the case.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a serial recording apparatus which can be expanded and contracted in a width direction, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial view from the line II-II, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus of FIG. 1 in a reduced (stored) state.

1 to 3, the width of the serial recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is increased or decreased by expanding and contracting the cases 1 and 2 and the recording mechanism in the case in the direction of movement of the carrier (the direction of arrow A). As shown in FIG. 3, it is configured such that it can be reduced to the minimum width.

The case includes a main switch (power switch) 3,
The other half 2 of the cover side is slidably fitted to the outer surface of the half 1 on the main body side provided with various touch switches 4 and the interface connector 5. In addition, the width can be freely adjusted by holding with a click action at a plurality of positions corresponding to the width of the recording sheet 6 to be used, such as a position having a small width such as B5 size and postcard size, and a position having a large width such as B4 and A3. The structure allows the dimensions to be selected.

Further, when not in use, as shown in FIG. 3, the case 1 and the case 2 are configured to be pushed into each other and held at the position of the minimum width (storage width) by a click action.

On the upper surfaces of the cases 1 and 2, a slit-like insertion port 7 and a discharge port 8 for inserting and discharging the recording sheet 6 are formed. The lengths of the insertion port 7 and the discharge port 8 change according to the width dimensions of the cases 1 and 2, and are set to values suitable for inserting the sheet 6 to be used.

As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 3, when the width of the recording apparatus is minimized by sufficiently pushing the cases 1 and 2 (FIG. 3), the interface connector 5 provided on the case 1 on the main body side is used. The switches 4 are completely covered by the cover-side case 2 so as to prevent dust and the like from entering the recording apparatus.

In this manner, protective covers for connectors and switches are formed by the cases 1 and 2 fitted so as to be extendable and contractible,
A dust-proof structure is constructed without the need for separate components and preventing dust from entering switches and connectors into a control circuit or the like in the apparatus.

Further, the main switch 3 mounted on the side surface of the case 1 on the main body side interlocks with the movement of the case 2 in the closing direction when the width dimension of the recording device (cases 1 and 2) reaches the minimum or near. It is arranged to be turned off (driven by the end surface of the case 2 on the cover side in the illustrated example). As a result, the main switch can be reliably turned off simply by storing the printer after printing is completed, and the problem of forgetting to turn off the power supply can be eliminated.

Further, a pedestal 10 made of a rubber-like elastic material is attached to the bottom surface of each of the cases 1 and 2, and as shown in FIG. Functions as a stopper that regulates the minimum width (storage width) when combined.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an extendable serial recording device, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a pivotal connection portion of a plate member in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus in use, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus of FIG. 4 in a non-use (storage) state.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 7, similarly to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the cases 1, 2 and the recording mechanism (see FIG. 8) in the case are expanded and contracted in the moving direction of the carrier. Thus, the width dimension is increased or decreased.

In the present embodiment, a plate member 11 is attached to the cases 1 and 2 so as to be rotatable about the axis B in the left-right direction and slidable in the left-right direction. 6, the seat supports are formed. The cases 1 and 2 are placed in the minimum width (storage) state and are laid down as shown in FIG. The structure is such that a cover is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the plate member 11 is formed by fitting a bead 12 formed at the base thereof into a circular groove 13 formed along the sheet insertion opening 7 of the case 1 or 2. 2 so as to be slidable in the width direction and rotatable about the axis B.

FIG. 4 shows a state where the plate member 11 is erected and the cases 1 and 2 are extended to a predetermined width (A4 size).
In the use state of FIG. 6, the plate member 11 is slid to the center position of the sheet insertion slot 7 and set at a position where a recording sheet (not shown) can be held in a well-balanced manner, and a sheet supporter is configured.

The fitting between the bead portion 12 of the plate member 11 and the groove 13 of the case 1 or 2 can be manually slid, but should be a tight fitting so that the frictional force can be held at an arbitrary position. Preferably, in some cases, a structure may be employed in which the sheet is held at a position corresponding to the sheet size by a click action.

As described above, the extendable serial recording device shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is used as a sheet supporter when used.
It differs from the structure of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in that a foldable plate member 11 functioning as a cover is added when not used, and the other parts have substantially the same structure.

Therefore, in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 7, parts corresponding to the respective parts in FIGS. 1 to 3 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the case structure of FIG. 4 to FIG.
In addition to obtaining the same operation and effect as in the case of the drawing, by providing the plate member 11, it is possible to obtain a mechanism serving as the seat supporter and the cover with a simple and compact structure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the extendable serial recording apparatus according to the present invention, and the structure of FIG. 8 is incorporated in the cases 1 and 2 described with reference to FIGS. .

In FIG. 8, a left base 15 and a left plate 16 are fixed to one case 1, and a right base 17 is fixed to the other case 2.
And the right side plate 18 is fixed, so that the left base 15 and the left side plate 16 move relative to the right base 17 and the right side plate 18 in the carrier moving direction together with the expansion and contraction of the cases 1 and 2, The supported recording mechanism also expands and contracts.

An extendable feed roller shaft 20 is rotatably supported on the left and right side plates 16 and 18, and a guide shaft 21 which is expandable and contractible in parallel with the feed roller shaft 20 is fixed in front of the feed roller shaft 20. .

Sheet feed rollers 22A and 22B made of hard rubber or the like are fixed to both end portions of the feed roller shaft 20, that is, portions just inside the side plates 16 and 18.

The feed roller shaft 20 and the guide shaft 21 have a structure that freely expands and contracts according to the increase and decrease in the interval between the side plates 16 and 18 due to expansion and contraction of the cases 1 and 2.

FIG. 9 shows a cross section of a telescopic slide fitting portion of the feed roller shaft 20 and the guide shaft 21, and FIG. 10 shows a cross section of one shaft of FIG.

That is, the feed roller shaft 20 has a two-part structure that is slidably connected to each other with an axial arimizo, and each of the left and right halves 20A and 20B lacks mating portions as shown in FIG. It has a partially arcuate cross-sectional shape.

The left and right shaft portions 20A and 20B are slidably fitted and inserted into each other, and a guide roller 24 supporting the middle of the sheet 6 (FIG. 1) is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the middle portion of the shaft 20. Have been combined.

Both end surfaces of the guide roller 24 and the left and right feed rollers 22
Compression coil springs 23A and 23B fitted to the shaft 20 are mounted between the inner end faces of the shafts A and 22B. Therefore, even when the shaft 20 expands and contracts, the guide roller 24 is elastically held at a predetermined position (usually a center position) on the shaft 20 by receiving the force of the springs 23A and 23B from both sides.

A pinch roller 25 (shown only on the left side) which is pressed against the left and right feed rollers 22A and 22B by a spring force is supported on the left and right plate sides 16 and 18, and furthermore, with a peripheral surface of the left and right feed rollers 22A and 22B. Paper pans 26A and 26B which form a predetermined gap therebetween and function as a sheet press are fixed.

The sheet feed rollers 22A and 22B are driven by a sheet feed motor 27 via a shaft 20.

According to the above-described sheet feeding mechanism, the interval between the left and right sheet feeding rollers 22A and 22B, the left and right sheet pressers 26A and 26B, and the left and right pinch rollers 25 also expands and contracts according to the sheet width. A sheet feeding force can be always applied to both ends in the width direction of the sheet 6, so that smooth and accurate sheet feeding can be achieved.

A carrier 28 is slidably guided and supported on the guide shaft 21, and a recording head 31 is mounted on the carrier 28.

The illustrated recording head 31 is an ink jet recording head with an ink tank, and an ink ejection port for forming flying ink droplets is provided on the front surface of the head 31.

Similarly to the feed roller shaft 20, the guide shaft 21 has a two-part structure that is slidably connected to each other with an axial arimizo, and the left and right halves 21A and 21B are respectively ninth. As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 10, it has a partially arcuate cross-sectional shape in which the mating part is missing.

Thus, the guide shaft 21 is also configured to be able to expand and contract together with the cases 1 and 2 according to the expansion and contraction of the apparatus in the width direction.

Since the guide shaft 21 guides the carrier 28 accurately and slides, it is necessary that the guide shaft 21 has a cross-sectional shape such that a step does not occur as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. It is sufficient to be connected so as to be able to transmit the rotational force, and a step may be generated on the way.

FIG. 11 shows a cross section of a fitting connection portion of another embodiment of the feed roller shaft 20.

That is, the half portion 20A and the other half 20B of the shaft 20 may have a stepped shape similar to a square plunger and a square cylinder.

In FIG. 8, a carrier motor 32 for reciprocating the carrier 28 is mounted on the carrier 28 itself, and has a structure in which the carrier 28 is moved along the rack 33 by rotating a pinion 34 meshing with the rack 33. .

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view showing a state where the pinion 34 on the carrier 28 meshes with the rack 33.

The rack 33 needs to expand and contract similarly to the guide shaft 21, and in the illustrated example, the expandable rack 33 is configured by a rollable convex type tape measure.

As shown in FIG. 12, the rack 33 has a structure in which mesh holes 35 are formed at a predetermined pitch in a strip (usually a steel plate) having an arc-shaped cross section to prevent buckling.

In FIG. 8, the strips constituting the rack 33 are connected at their distal ends to the right side plate 18 and at their base ends in a convex case 36 fixed to the base 15.
It is always urged in the winding direction by the mainspring inside.

A support roller 37 is provided on a portion of the carrier 28 opposite to the guide shaft 21 fitting portion, and the support roller 37 is
Rails 38 laid on the upper surfaces of bases 15 and 17 due to the movement of
A, rolling on 38B. Therefore, the carrier 28
It is guided and supported by the guide shaft 21 and the rails 38A and 38B, and can reciprocate correctly in a predetermined posture.

A home position sensor 39 and a seat width sensor 41 are arranged at positions on the upper surfaces of the left and right bases 15, 17 at positions corresponding to both ends of the moving range of the carrier 28.

13 to 15 show second, third, and fourth configuration examples of the carrier 28 driving device, respectively.

In the second configuration example shown in FIG. 13, a carrier driving motor 32 is fixed on the right base 17 and a winding drum 42 rotated by the motor 32 and a pulley provided on the left base 15. The carrier 28 is configured to be driven via a wire 44 wound around the carrier 43 and connected to the carrier 28 at both ends.

The pulley 43 is a spring 45 having the other end connected to the base 15.
Is always urged in the direction of arrow C.
Is always given the desired tension.

Carrier equipped with recording head 31 with ink tank
28 is guided and supported by an extendable guide shaft 21 and rails 38A and 38B, as in the first configuration example of FIG.

Reference numerals 46 and 47 in FIG. 13 indicate guide pulleys for guiding the wires 44, respectively.

In the third configuration example in FIG. 14, a tensioned wire 48 is used instead of the guide shaft 21 in FIG.

One end of the wire 48 is connected to the right side plate 18, and the other end is always provided with a tensile force by a spring 49 stretched between the wire 48 and the base 15.

In the illustrated example, the middle of the wire 48 is guided by a guide pulley 51 pivotally supported on the base 15, and the spring 49 is connected between a pin implanted on the base 15 and the end of the wire 48.

The carrier driving device of FIG. 14 differs from the carrier driving device of FIG. 8 in that the above-described mechanism for guiding and supporting the carrier 28 by the wire 48 instead of the guide shaft 21 is adopted. Are substantially the same. Corresponding portions are indicated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 14, if a predetermined tension is applied to the wire 48, the moving range of the carrier 28 can be expanded and contracted in accordance with the expansion and contraction in the width direction of the recording apparatus, and the carrier 28 can be driven to scan. .

In the fourth configuration example shown in FIG. 15, the carrier driving motor 32 is fixed on the right base 17, and the carrier driving wire 52 is driven by the winding drum 42 which is rotated by the motor 32. Is done.

The wire 52 is connected to the carrier 28 at both ends and is stretched endlessly.

That is, the wire 52 wound around the winding drum 42 a plurality of times is stretched around a movable sheave (tension pulley) 53 provided on the left base 15, and the movable sheave 53 is By tensioning with a spring 54 stretched to
It is configured to always apply a predetermined tension to the wire 52 regardless of the expansion and contraction of the device.

The numbers 55A, 55B, 55C and 55D in FIG.
Is a guide pulley for changing the direction.

In the carrier driving device shown in FIG. 15, the carrier is driven and guided by a wire 52. That is, the wire 52 having the above-described configuration is used instead of the extendable guide shaft 21 and the convex-type retractable rack 33 in FIG.

The fourth configuration example of FIG. 15 is different from the carrier driving device of FIG. 8 in the above-mentioned point, but the other parts are substantially the same, and the carrier 28 is provided on the left and right bases 15 and 17. A support roller 37 that rolls on rails 38A and 38B laid on the shaft is supported.

Also in the configuration of FIG. 15, if a predetermined tension is always applied to the wire 52, the moving range of the carrier 28 is expanded and contracted in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the recording device in the middle direction, and the carrier 28 is driven to scan by the carrier motor 32. can do.

In FIG. 8, the carrier 28 is placed on the left base 15.
A cap means 57 is provided for sealing the ink ejection port surface (printing surface) of the recording head (inkjet head) 31 when comes to the leftmost home position.

The cap means 57 includes a cap holder 59 slidably and rotatably supported by a guide pin 58 in the carrier movement direction, and a front surface (a surface facing the printing surface of the recording head 31) of the cap holder 59. A rubber elastic cap 61 attached, a spring 62 for urging the cap holder 59 rightward and in a direction in which the cap 61 is retracted (away from the head 31), and a cap holder 59
The cam 63 defines a rotation position (separation of the cap 61, a pressure contact position) of the cap holder according to the slide position of the cam holder.

When the carrier 28 approaches the left end (home position), the cap holder 59 has a hook portion on the carrier.
Protrusions 65 that engage with 64 are provided.

According to the above cap means 57, when the carrier 28 moves to the left end, the hook 64 engages with the projection 65, and the cap holder 59, which is spring-biased rightward, moves leftward along the guide pin 58. Move toward

As the cap holder 59 moves to the left, the shape of the cam 63, which is also a stop support, causes the cap 61 to move.
Moves forward and is rotated and displaced in the direction of pressing against the printing surface (the surface having the ink ejection ports) of the head 31.

Thus, the printing surface of the recording head 31 is automatically closed by the cap 61 by the movement of the carrier 28 to the home position.

When the carrier 28 moves to the right from the home position, the cap 61 automatically moves the head 31
Move away from

In FIG. 8, a control board 67 for controlling the printing apparatus is mounted on the left base 15, and the electrical connection between the control board and the head drive circuit on the carrier 28 is made by a flexible wiring 68. .

16 and 17 are schematic plan views showing the operation of the guide (loosening) means of the flexible wiring 68 when the recording apparatus expands and contracts.

8, 16 and 17, the right base 17 moves with respect to the carrier 28 when expanding and contracting in the width direction. A projection 69 that functions as a mating guide pin is implanted.

The left base 15 is formed with a slot 71 through which the protrusion 69 penetrates and allows its movement.

When the degree of expansion and contraction of the recording apparatus becomes equal to or more than a certain value, the flexible wiring 68 comes into contact with other members such as a recording mechanism and a frame member and bends unnaturally, and when the carrier 28 moves, the flexible wiring slides with other members. Although there is a possibility of being damaged by biting or biting, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
When the recording apparatus is contracted, the projection 69 is used as a guide pin to move the flexible wiring 68 so that the flexible wiring can be prevented from being caught or damaged.

Further, in the serial ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 8, unless the carrier 28 comes to the home position and the printing surface of the recording head 31 is sealed with the cap 61, the recording apparatus is moved to the minimum width shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. (Storage state).

In other words, if the recording device is reduced and placed in a non-use storage state while the carrier 28 is stopped at a position other than the home position due to power cutoff or power failure during printing, the ink ejection port of the recording head 31 is kept for a long time. It will be left in the air, the ink will dry and solid components will adhere to the ink ejection port, dust will adhere to the ink ejection port,
In some cases, it is very difficult to start the recording operation when printing is resumed, but in the embodiment of FIG.
By solving the problem of the clogging of the ink ejection port, the recording apparatus can be contracted to the minimum width (storage state) only when is at the home position (head cap position).

FIG. 18 shows a state where the recording head 31 is not capped and the recording apparatus cannot be reduced to the minimum width.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which is capped and reduced to a minimum width.

8, 18 and 19, the left base
The slot 71 of 15 is formed long enough to the left position, and a lock pin 72 planted on the right base 17 penetrates the slot 71 and is slidably fitted therein.

On the other hand, a bell crank-shaped lock lever 73 is rotatably supported at a position near the left end of the slot 71 of the left base 15.

Further, the carrier 28 is provided with a pressing arm 74 for rotating the lock lever 73 to the open position.

The lock lever 73 is urged by a spring 75 to a position where the stopper portion 76 blocks the slot 71 (FIGS. 8 and 18).

On the other hand, when the carrier 28 reaches the home position (cap position), the pressing arm 74 collides with the lock lever 73, and the lock lever 73 is rotated to the open position (FIG. 19) with respect to the spring 75. There is provided an action section 77 for performing the operation.

With the above-described lock pin 72, lock lever 73, and pressing arm 74, a stop member 76 is provided which is released by the movement of the ink jet head (recording head) 31 on the carrier 28 to return to the cap position. As shown in FIG. 18, a cap forgetting prevention mechanism is configured to stop the lock pin 72 by the stop member (stopper portion) 76 to prevent the contraction operation of the recording apparatus when it is at a position outside the cap position.

In FIG. 8, the sheet width sensor 41 provided on the right base 17 constitutes a width detecting means for electrically detecting the degree of expansion and contraction of the recording apparatus, that is, the width dimension.

The sheet width sensor 41 is provided within the scanning range of the carrier 28, and is operated with an appropriate size such as optical or magnetic when the carrier 28 scans (moves). It is connected to a control circuit to detect the reciprocable range of the carrier 28 from the position, that is, the width dimension (degree of expansion / contraction) of the recording apparatus.

In other words, according to the program, the sheet width sensor 41
The width dimension can be calculated from the timing of the detection signal transmitted from the control circuit 67 to the control circuit on the control board 67 and the position information of the carrier 28.

According to such a sheet width sensor (width detecting means) 41, it is possible to eliminate the need for the user to specify the sheet width, and to control the margin setting and printing format setting of the carrier 28 according to the expansion and contraction of the recording device. It becomes feasible.

FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 are partial perspective views showing a second configuration example and a third configuration example of the width detecting means replacing the sheet width sensor 41, respectively.

In the second configuration example of FIG. 20, the resistor pattern 81 and the common pattern 82 provided on the control board 67 of the left base 15 and the respective patterns 81 and 82 attached to the right base 17 slide on the respective patterns 81 and 82. The leaf spring-like contact 83 constitutes a width detecting means.

According to the width detecting means shown in FIG. 20, the contact 83 is slid on the resistance pattern 81 in synchronization with the expansion and contraction of the recording device (or its case 1 or 2). The width dimension (degree of expansion / contraction) of the recording device can be detected steplessly.

In the third configuration example of the width detecting means shown in FIG. 21, a plurality of push-button switches 85A, 85B, 85C are provided at predetermined intervals on a control board 67 on the left base 15, and the right base 17 is provided on the right base 17. Is a plurality of switches 85 according to expansion and contraction
A pressing piece 86 is provided so as to sequentially press A, 85B, and 85C, and these switches and the pressing piece constitute a width detecting means (stretch degree sensor).

Thus, there is provided a step detection type width detecting means constituted by a plurality of switches 85A, 85B and 85C which operate by the expansion and contraction operation of the cases 1 and 2.

According to the width detecting means of FIGS. 20 and 21, in addition to the effect that the print format setting (margin set) at the time of recording can be simultaneously controlled only by expansion and contraction without specifying the sheet width, Since the detection signal generating section is disposed by utilizing the above, an extra wiring and a member for the extra wiring are not required, and an effect that a space and a cost can be reduced can be obtained.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a control system of the extendable serial recording device according to the present invention described above.

In FIG. 22, a central processing circuit (control circuit) 88 of the printing apparatus is connected to a host 90 via an interface circuit 89, receives command (command) information and print data, and receives a print head via a head driver circuit 91. The controller 31 drives the carrier motor 32 via a motor drive circuit 92, and further drives the sheet feed motor 27 via a motor drive circuit 93.

The connection circuit 88 has a storage unit (RA
M) 94, and for the control circuit 88,
A reference position detection signal of the carrier 28 is input from the home position sensor 39, and the recording sheet 6 is output from the sheet sensor 95.
Is detected, a carrier margin detection signal is input from width detection means 96 including the sheet width sensor 41 and the like, and the recording operation is controlled based on these detection signals.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of the margin setting operation of the carrier 28 by the control system of FIG.

In FIG. 23, after the power is turned on or a key is operated in step 100, initialization is performed in step 101, and then in step 102, the carrier motor 3 is turned on.
2 is driven to scan and move the carrier 28.

Step 103 while performing the scanning movement of the carrier 28
It is determined whether or not the carrier margin sensor (width detecting means) 96 is turned on.

Step 10 if the carrier margin sensor 96 is off
Returning to step 2, the scanning movement of the carrier 28 is continued.

When the carrier margin sensor 96 is turned on, the process proceeds to step 104, where the right margin of the carrier 28 is set, and in step 105, the print format is set.

At the same time, in step 106, the carrier motor 32 is driven to return the carrier 28 (return to the normal home position), and the margin setting of the carrier 28 ends.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in the serial recording apparatus configured to increase or decrease the width by expanding and contracting the case and the recording mechanism in the case in the moving direction of the carrier, the width is minimized. When
Since the connectors or switches attached to one half of the case are configured to be covered by the other half of the case, no extra parts are required, and the interface connectors and the like are simply and reliably covered. Can be
Intrusion of dust and the like can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a perspective view of a serial recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in use, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a serial recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a pivot portion of a plate member in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a use state of the recording apparatus of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the storage state of the recording apparatus of FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the insertion fitting portion of the guide shaft in Fig. 8, Fig. 10 is a sectional view of one half of the shaft in Fig. 9, and Fig. 11 is another embodiment of the feed roller shaft in Fig. 8. FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of a carrier driving rack in FIG. 8, FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second example of the carrier driving device, and FIG. 14 is a third view of the carrier driving device. 15 is a perspective view of a fourth configuration example of the carrier driving device, FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view of a slack removing means of the flexible wiring at the time of extension, and FIG.
FIG. 18 is a schematic plan view at the time of contraction of the drawing, FIG. 18 is a schematic plan view of the lock mechanism in the locked state, FIG. 19 is a schematic plan view of the released state of FIG. 18, and FIG. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a configuration example of FIG. 2, FIG. 21 is a schematic plan view of a third configuration example of the width detecting means,
FIG. 22 is a block diagram of the control system of the recording apparatus of FIG. 8, and FIG. 23 is a flowchart of the control system margin setting operation of FIG. 1, 2, case 3, main switch 4, switches 5, interface connector 6, recording sheet 11, plate member 16, 18, frame member (side plate) 20,
…… Feed roller shaft, 21… Guide shaft, 22A, 22B …… Sheet feed roller, 26A, 26B …… Sheet presser, 28 …… Carrier, 31 …… Recording head, 32 …… Carrier motor, 41 ……
Width detecting means, 57 cap means, 61 cap, 67
…… Control board, 68 …… Flexible wiring, 69…
... Projection, 72 ... Lock pin, 73 ... Lock lever, 81 ...
... Resistor pattern, 83 ... Contact, 85A, 85B, 85C ... Switch, 88 ... Control circuit.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-63-224983 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290433 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290466 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290433 290467 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290469 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290481 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290483 (JP, A) JP-A-2-258283 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application Showa 63-97556 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Showa 63-60650 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Showa 61-100554 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A serial recording apparatus wherein a width and a width of a case are increased or decreased by expanding and contracting a case and a recording mechanism in the case in a moving direction of the carrier. A connector or switch attached to the case is covered by the other half of the case.