JP2988103B2 - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention, for example, office equipment commonly printer used, a copier, a facsimile, typewriter, word processor, or an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the applicable suction recovery equipment These composite devices and the like Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 43 shows an example of the structure of a cap unit for protecting and sucking an ink jet head of a conventional suction recovery device.
Shown in

In FIG. 43, reference numeral 51 denotes a cap, 505
Denotes a cap lever, and 503 denotes a cap holder that holds the cap 51 and is attached to the cap lever 505. At the time of capping of the recording head, the position of the pump cam 557 is set as shown in FIG.
The cap lever 505 is urged in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 43 by a spring (not shown), and the cap 51 is also pressed against the head cartridge 9. At this time, the head cartridge 9 is shut off from the outside air by the cap rib 561.

[0004] The tip width dimension w of the cap rib 561 is equal to 0.
The width is 2 mm to 0.4 mm, and the root width W is about 0.6 mm.
To protect the head from drying more effectively,
Chlorinated butyl rubber having low gas permeability is used as the material. However, chlorinated butyl rubber has a property of being easily permanently deformed, and is likely to be deformed when a high-temperature capping state continues for a long time. Therefore, the rubber hardness is as high as 60 °, which is considered to be too high for a part intended for sealing in relation to the head face surface having a complicated shape.

The cap lever 5 of the cap 51
The surface (A) on the 05 side has a concave spherical shape and the cap lever 505
The surface (B) on the side of the cap 51 is formed in a convex spherical shape. In the capping state, the circular ridge line shown in FIG. 4C is in contact with the convex spherical surface at the tip of the cap lever 505 to completely seal the flow path leading to the pump (not shown). (A)
Since the surfaces (B) and (B) are formed in a spherical shape, the cap 51 can be equalized during capping according to variations in the shape and mounting state of the head cartridge 9.

FIG. 44 shows another configuration of a conventional suction recovery device cap portion. In this conventional example, there is no difference except that the shape of the contact portion between the cap 51 and the cap lever 505 is different from that of the conventional example in FIG.

That is, a tubular projection is formed at the tip of the concave spherical surface (B) of the cap lever 505,
Is inserted into the hole formed in the hole. Also cap 51
Also, a receiving portion (A) of a convex spherical surface is formed according to the shape of the concave spherical surface (B) of the cap lever 505. The inner diameter of the hole is φ1.
7 mm, and this portion is always sealed by the contraction elasticity of the rubber in the hole.

[0008]

Based on the above-described configuration of the conventional example, first, the problem in the former configuration shown in FIG. 43 will be described. In FIG. 43, the face surface of the head cartridge 9 to be brought into close contact with the cap 51 is not completely flat mainly for manufacturing reasons but has a complicated shape as shown in FIG. As the performance of the cap 51, perfect adhesion is required especially in order to execute a sufficient amount of suction in the ink suction step during the cleaning operation. However, the margin of the adhesion performance is small, and considering the variation of each cap, in the mass production process, it is necessary to measure the suction amount of all the devices and confirm the adhesion performance of the cap, which increases the production cost. It is inconvenient. In addition, since the rubber hardness of the cap is high, there is an inconvenience that the head face may be damaged when the head is mounted on the recording apparatus or during the process of repeating capping thousands of times.

As described above, despite the fact that the tip of the cap lever 505 and the cap 51 are sealed at the ridge line shown in FIG. Hardness is JIS K6
Since the angle is as high as 60 ° on the 301 A scale, the shape of the material is poor at the time of molding, and a shape defect is likely to occur. For this reason, it is necessary to perform a visual inspection with a magnifying glass on all of the rubber molding manufacturers in the inspection process, which raises the inconvenience of increasing component production costs.

Further, in this configuration, at the time of capping, the cap lever 505 and the cap 5
38 is performed, but when performing the idle suction described with reference to FIGS. 38 to 40, that is, the suction operation in a state where the cap 51 is separated from the head, the ridge line (C) of the cap 51 is moved to the cap lever 505. Easily separated from the convex spherical surface, and a very unstable adhesion state is obtained. For this reason, when the ink sucked from the inside of the head during cleaning or the ink accumulated in the cap due to the preliminary ejection is to be recovered by idle suction, the ink often remains. If the ink remains in the cap at a level higher than the allowable level, there is a risk that the ink adheres to the vicinity of the ink discharge port of the head, and if a large amount of ink adheres, the printing quality is significantly impaired.

Next, in the latter example, problems in the configuration shown in FIG. 44 will be described. This configuration is to solve the inconvenience in the case of FIG. 43 described above. That is, the inner diameter of the hole is 1.7 mm while the outer diameter of the tubular protrusion is 1.8 mm.
As a result, the cap 51 and the cap lever 50
The seal No. 5 is always in close contact. However, this sealing state depends on the shrinkage elasticity of the chlorinated butyl rubber, and as described above, the chlorinated butyl rubber is a material having a property of being easily permanently deformed. I have to say that it is inconvenient.

Further, since the inner peripheral surface of the hole becomes a sealing surface, a good finished state is required. However, after rubber molding, the mold is slid and released from the mold. . Further, visual inspection after molding is extremely difficult and inconvenient.

Also, the contact state of the sealing surface as in this example has various problems such as difficulty in equalizing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and sufficiently seals a cap for sucking ink and a suction path of a cap lever, and also sets a permanent compression set on the cap. It is intended to provide an inkjet recording apparatus having an excellent suction recovery equipment of durability can be prevented from generating.

[0015]

[SUMMARY OF To this end, the ink jet recording apparatus having a suction recovery equipment according to the present invention, a discharge port for discharging the ink of a recording head for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium the cap member for covering the provided second forming on the side opposite to the suction means for sucking ink from the discharge port of the first of said recording head and the opening formed in the side abutting on the recording head of the cap member The opening is formed in the cap member by communicating with each other, and the surface of the cap member that communicates with the second opening and the suction means is formed into a shape that abuts with a convex surface and a concave surface, Further, a tubular projection is provided on one surface of each of the convex surface and the concave surface, and a hole is formed on the other surface, into which the projection is inserted with a predetermined clearance. The second opening side of the cap member is formed as a convex spherical surface, and the curvature of the convex spherical surface on the second opening side of the cap member is a concave spherical surface communicating with the cap member of the suction means. Form a large curvature, and
The cross-sectional shape of the second opening of the cap member is formed as a convex trapezoid.

Further, the tubular protrusion is provided on a communication surface of the suction means with the cap member. The suction means includes a suction force generation means and a suction force generated by the suction force generation means. The cap member has a contact pressure of the recording head in the range of 30 gf to 300 gf, and the cap member has a JIS K6301 A scale elasticity of 30 ° to 60 °. Using materials,
A rib is formed on the side of the cap member that covers the recording head, a rib tip width dimension in contact with the recording head having a rib shape is in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm, and a material of the cap member is further provided. The object is to achieve the above-mentioned object by using chlorinated butyl rubber.

[0017]

An ink jet recording apparatus provided with the [action] above configuration was suction recovery equipment according to the present invention, the cleaning operation in the ink suction without relying the communication between the cap member and the suction means to shrink the elastic rubber, Since the configuration is performed by pressing the communication portion by the spring force, high reliability of ink suction can be obtained over a long period of use. In addition, it is possible to reliably collect the ink accumulated in the cap member during cleaning and at the time of idle suction during the printing operation.

Further, the rubber hardness of the cap member is reduced to 40 °, and a portion important for sealing the contact surface communicating with the suction means provided with the cap ink discharge port has a convex spherical shape. At this time, the circumference of the rubber material to the part important for the sealing becomes very good, and since the part does not slide when the mold is released, the moldability is remarkably improved, and the cost of parts can be greatly reduced. Also, in the visual inspection after the molding, the visual inspection is very easy because it is an inspection of the finished state of the convex spherical portion, and this also contributes to the improvement of the reliability of the parts.

Further, the rubber hardness of the cap member is 40.
°, the rib shape has a tip width of about 0.5 mm, and the equalization function for the head face has been improved, so that the adhesion performance to the recording head face has been improved and the margin for adhesion has been improved. In the mass production process, it is not necessary to check the adhesion performance of the cap member by measuring the total amount of suction in the mass production process, which can greatly contribute to a reduction in production cost. In addition, since the rib shape has a tip width of about 0.5 mm and its rigidity is improved, a stable capping state can be maintained in a high-temperature environment, and even when stress is continuously applied to the rib portion of the cap member, 4
Despite the low rubber hardness of 0 °, permanent deformation is suppressed to a very small level, and a favorable adhesion state is obtained.

Further, as a result of lowering the rubber hardness, the head face is hardly damaged when the head is mounted on the recording apparatus or even in the process of repeating capping thousands of times.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Structure) FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing the structure of an electronic typewriter using an ink jet recording apparatus having a suction recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the internal configuration of the writer, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a head cartridge mounted in the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the head cartridge.

The same or corresponding parts as in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a keyboard unit in which a key group 2 such as keys for inputting characters such as characters and numerals, a key for switching between a typewriter mode and a word processor mode, and other control keys is arranged. When it is not used, it can be folded as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 4 denotes a paper feed tray for feeding recording paper, which is an example of a sheet-shaped recording medium (not shown), to a printer unit inside the apparatus, which also covers the printer unit when not in use, as shown in FIG. Stored. Reference numeral 5 denotes a feed knob for manually setting and discharging recording paper, 6 a display for displaying input text and the like, and 7 a handle used for transporting the electronic typewriter 10.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a window which forms a cover of the electronic typewriter 10 and is provided on the upper part of the typewriter 10 adjacent to the display 6 for viewing an ink jet printer and recording paper stored as described later. be able to.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 9 denotes a head cartridge provided with an ink jet recording head, and reference numeral 11 denotes a carriage for mounting the head cartridge and scanning in the S direction in the drawing. Reference numeral 13 denotes a hook for attaching the head cartridge 9 to the carriage 11, and reference numeral 15 denotes a lever for operating the hook 13. The lever 15 is provided with a marker 17 for indicating a scale provided on a cover, which will be described later, so that the print position and the set position of the recording head of the head cartridge 9 can be read. Reference numeral 19 denotes a support plate for supporting an electric connection portion to the head cartridge 9, and reference numeral 21 denotes a flexible cable for connecting the electric connection portion to the main body control portion.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a guide shaft for guiding the carriage 11 in the S direction, and is inserted through a bearing 25 of the carriage 11. Reference numeral 27 denotes a timing belt to which the carriage 11 is fixed and which transmits power for moving the carriage 11 in the S direction, and pulleys 29 arranged on both sides of the apparatus.
A, 29B. A driving force is transmitted to one pulley 29B from a carriage motor 31 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a transport roller for regulating the recording surface of the recording paper and transporting the recording paper during recording or the like. 37 is a paper pan for guiding the recording paper from the paper feed tray 4 side to the recording position, and 39 is disposed in the middle of the recording paper feeding path, presses the recording paper toward the conveyance roller 33, and conveys it. Feed roller for Reference numeral 34 denotes a platen that faces the discharge port of the head cartridge 9 and regulates the recording surface of the recording paper. Reference numeral 41 denotes a discharge roller which is disposed downstream of the recording position in the recording paper conveyance direction and discharges the recording paper toward a discharge port (not shown). Reference numeral 42 denotes a spur provided corresponding to the paper discharge roller 41,
1 is pressed to generate a recording paper conveying force by the discharge roller 41. Reference numeral 43 denotes a release lever for releasing the urging of each of the feed roller 39, the holding plate 45, and the spur 42 when setting recording paper or the like.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a pressing plate for suppressing the floating of the recording paper near the recording position and ensuring the state of close contact with the transport roller 33. This apparatus employs an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink as a recording head. Accordingly, the distance between the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head and the recording surface of the recording paper is relatively small, and the distance must be strictly controlled to avoid contact with the recording paper discharge port forming surface. The arrangement of the holding plate 45 is effective. 47 is a holding plate 45
The scale 49 provided on the carriage 1 corresponds to this scale.
Markers provided on the print head 1 allow the print position and set position of the recording head to be read.

Reference numeral 51A denotes a cap member (hereinafter referred to as a cap) formed of an elastic material such as rubber which faces the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head at the home position, and is supported so as to be capable of coming into contact with and detaching from the recording head. Have been. The cap 51A is used for protection of the recording head at the time of non-recording or the like and for suction recovery processing of the recording head. In the suction recovery process, the ink is ejected from all the ejection ports by driving the energy generating element provided inside the ink ejection ports and used for ink ejection, with the cap 51A facing the ejection port formation surface, As a result, preliminary ejection for processing to remove an ejection failure factor such as bubbles and dust, and ink that has become unsuitable for printing due to thickening, or separately from this, ink is ejected from the ejection port while being covered with the ejection port forming surface and the cap 51A. This is a process for removing the cause of the ejection failure by forcibly discharging the ink.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a suction force for forcibly discharging ink, and a cap 51A for suction recovery processing by the forced discharge and suction recovery processing by the preliminary discharge.
1 is a suction pump as an example of suction generating means used for sucking ink received by a suction pump. 55 is this pump 5
A waste ink tank 57 for storing the waste ink sucked by 3 is a tube for communicating the pump 53 and the waste ink tank 55.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a blade for wiping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head, which protrudes toward the recording head and performs retraction without engaging with the ejection port forming surface. It is movably supported in the position. 61 is a motor, 63 is a drive of the pump 53 and a cap 5
This is a cam device for moving the blade 1A and the blade 59, respectively.

Next, the details of the head cartridge 9 will be described.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 906e denotes a pawl hooked by a hook 13 provided on the carriage 11 when the head cartridge 9 is mounted. As is clear from the figure, the pawl 906e is disposed inside the full extension of the recording head. In addition, a positioning abutting portion (not shown) is provided near the front ejection unit 9a of the head cartridge 9. Reference numeral 906f denotes a head opening that stands on the carriage 11 and into which a support plate for supporting a flexible substrate (electric connection portion) and a rubber pad is inserted.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views showing a disposer-pull type head cartridge in which an ink storage unit serving as an ink supply source is integrated.

In FIG. 4A, reference numeral 911 denotes a heater in which an electrothermal conversion element (discharge heater) and a wiring such as Al (aluminum) for supplying electric power are formed on a Si substrate by a film forming technique. It is a board. Reference numeral 921 denotes a wiring board for the heater board 911, and the corresponding wiring is connected by, for example, wire bonding.

Reference numeral 940 denotes a top plate provided with a partition for limiting the ink flow path, a common liquid chamber, and the like. In this embodiment, the top plate is formed of a resin material integrally having an orifice plate portion.

Reference numeral 930 denotes a metal support, for example. Reference numeral 950 denotes a pressing spring, which is engaged with the heater board 911 and the top plate 640 while sandwiching the heater board 911 and the top plate 640 therebetween. Board 91
1 and the top plate 940 are fixed by crimping. The support 930
The wiring board 921 may be provided by bonding or the like, and may be provided with a positioning reference to the carriage 11 for scanning the head. Further, the support 93
Numeral 0 also functions as a member that radiates and cools the heat of the heater board 911 generated by driving.

Reference numeral 960 denotes a supply tank, which functions as a sub-tank which receives ink supply from the ink storage section 9b serving as an ink supply source and guides ink to a common liquid chamber formed by joining the heater board 911 and the top plate 940. . 97
0 is a supply tank 960 near the ink supply port to the common liquid chamber.
The filter 980 is disposed at a site inside the supply tank 9.
60 cover members.

Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber for impregnating the ink, which is arranged in the ink tank body 9b. 120
0 is a recording element 9 composed of the above-mentioned parts 911 to 980
a supply port for supplying ink to the ink tank body 9b by injecting ink from the supply port 1200 in a step before the unit is arranged in the portion 1010 of the ink tank body 9b. Can be made.

Reference numeral 1100 denotes a cover member of the cartridge body, 1
Reference numeral 300 denotes an atmosphere communication port provided in the cover member 1100 for communicating the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere. 1300A is a liquid-repellent member disposed inside the atmosphere communication port 1300,
This prevents ink from leaking from the air communication port 1300.

The ink tank 9 through the supply port 1200
When the ink filling in b is completed, the ejection unit 9a including the respective parts 911 to 980 is positioned and disposed in the 9b portion 1010. The positioning or fixing at this time can be performed, for example, by fitting a projection 1012 provided on the ink tank main body 9b with a hole 931 provided on the support 930 corresponding to the projection. The head cartridge 9 shown in b) is completed.

The ink is supplied from the inside of the cartridge into the supply tank 960 through the supply port 1200, the hole 932 provided in the support 930, and the introduction port provided on the back side of the supply tank 960 in FIG. After passing through the inside, the liquid flows into the common liquid chamber from the outlet through an appropriate supply pipe and the ink inlet 942 of the top plate 940. A packing made of, for example, silicone rubber or butyl rubber is provided at the connection portion for ink communication as described above, whereby sealing is performed to secure an ink supply path.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a plan view, a left side view and a right side view showing the details of the carriage 11, respectively.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, reference numeral 606 denotes a support plate erected on the bottom of the carriage 11, which is provided in correspondence with a flexible substrate 604 and terminal pads formed on the substrate 604. The rubber pad 605 having the portion 605A is supported.

Reference numeral 607 denotes an abutting member which is similarly provided upright at the bottom in front of the carriage 11. The abutting member 607 includes the head cartridge and the carriage 1.
In order to make the space of the ink tank as large as possible within the limited arrangement space, the thickness is formed thin. For this reason, the member 607 is formed with three ribs 608 for securing strength. This rib 6
08 extends in the moving direction of the carriage 11 so as to have a strength corresponding to the movement in the turning direction when the head cartridge is attached and detached. The rib 608 is formed so as to protrude by about 0.1 mm from the ejection surface when the head cartridge is mounted. This allows
Even when the recording paper protrudes into the movement path of the recording head due to some action, it is possible to prevent the recording paper from rubbing the ejection surface and causing damage.

The scanning lever 15 for mounting and removing the head cartridge is rotatably supported by a shaft 601d provided on the carriage 11 body. Hook 13
Is used for performing a detaching operation of a head cartridge in which a part of the operation lever 15 is engaged by a movement of the head cartridge. The hook 13 performs the above-mentioned attachment / detachment operation when the elongated hole 603c formed therein is guided by the guide shaft 601c provided in the carriage 11 main body.

The attachment / detachment operation mechanism including the operation lever 15 and the hook 13 is located on the side of the carriage 11, that is,
Since it is provided on the moving direction side of the carriage 11, the movement of the carriage 11 does not cause the detachable operation mechanism to form a large dead space.

Next, the butting portion for positioning when mounting the head cartridge will be described.

Reference numeral 601 a denotes an abutting portion for positioning in the left-right direction, and is provided at two locations on the side of the abutting member 607. Note that the positioning in the left-right direction is performed by the abutting portion 6.
01a, butting portion 6 provided on support plate 606
01f is used.

Reference numeral 601b denotes an abutting portion for positioning in the front-rear direction, which is formed at a lower side portion of the abutting member 607.

Reference numeral 601c denotes an abutting portion for positioning in the vertical direction, which is formed at two locations, that is, a lower portion on the side of the abutting member 607 and a lower portion on the side of the support plate 606.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are a plan view and a left side view showing a state where the head cartridge is mounted on the carriage, respectively.

7 and 8, reference numeral 906a denotes an abutting portion provided on the head cartridge 9 so as to be able to abut against the abutting portion of the carriage when the recording head is mounted.
906b and 906c are abutting portions corresponding to the abutting portions 601b and 601c, respectively.

Here, referring to FIG. 7, an outline of the engagement relationship of each part when the recording head is mounted will be described.

The contact portion 906a of the head cartridge 9
Is in contact with the butting portion 601a of the carriage,
At the same time, the pawl 906e of the head cartridge 9 receives a force to the left in the drawing by the urging force of the coil spring 610 via the hook 13 hooked to the pawl 906e. Thus, the head cartridge 9 receives a moment force about the contact portion 906. At this time, the substrate 9 provided on the head
06d abuts against the abutting portion 601f, and as a result, the head cartridge 9 is positioned in the left-right direction, and the position is maintained.

At this time, the protrusion 60 of the rubber pad 605
5A is compressed and deformed by contact with the substrate 906d. This deformation generates a force for pressing the terminal pads of the flexible substrate 604 and the terminals of the substrate 906d. In this case, since the substrate 906d is in contact with the abutting portion 601f, the amount of deformation of the protruding portion 605A is constant, and the above-mentioned stable pressing force can be obtained.

Note that, in the upper figure, a state where the protrusion 605A is compressed and deformed is not shown.

The positioning of the head cartridge 9 in the front-rear and up-down directions is performed during the mounting process.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the carriage.

Here, reference numeral 613 denotes a roller spring described later;
Indicates that the operation lever 15 is attached to the mounting portion 617 on the carriage 11.
It is a lever fastening for mounting on Reference numeral 619 denotes one end of the flexible cable 21. In this example, an attachment member for fixing the upper edge portion of the flexible board 604 and the rubber pad 605 of FIG. It is a mounting member for fixing the edge portion.

In addition to the structure described above, in this embodiment, when the head cartridge is not mounted, the carriage-side flexible substrate 604 is covered, so that contact by an operator's hand or the like or destruction due to the contact or the action of electrostatic force is performed.
A board cover 623 for protecting the flexible board 604 and the main body side circuit connected thereto is provided. This board cover 623 is provided rotatably with respect to the pin 621A of the lower edge side board mounting member 621. Reference numeral 625 denotes a substrate cover 623 in a direction covering the flexible substrate 604.
A spring 627 is provided for accommodating the substrate cover 623 when the head cartridge 9 is mounted.

The operation of the substrate cover 623 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the head cartridge 9 is not mounted, as shown in FIG.
23 is a flexible substrate 60 by the urging force of the spring 625.
4 is covered. When the head cartridge 9 is mounted from above in this state, the lower surface thereof and the cover
23A, or the operator's hand and the operation unit 623A.
With this engagement, the board cover 623 rotates clockwise in the figure around the pin 621A against the urging force of the spring 625. Then, when the head cartridge 9 is completely mounted and the substrate 604 and the head-side substrate 906d are in contact with each other, the cover 623 is pressed by the lower surface of the head cartridge 9 and stored in the recess 627 as shown in FIG. It will be in the state that was done. When the head cartridge 9 is removed, the cover 623 immediately returns to the state shown in FIG. 10A, so that the substrate 604 is protected.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view mainly showing a recording medium transport system of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 and the like.

FIG. 11 shows the arrangement of each element during normal recording paper conveyance. Recording paper fed from a paper feed tray (not shown) is introduced into a transport path formed between the transport roller 33 and the paper pan 37. In this transport path, as the transport roller 33 rotates clockwise in the figure, the transport roller 33 based on the pressing force of the feed roller 39 is used.
The recording paper is conveyed by the frictional force between the paper and the recording paper. Thereafter, the recording paper is introduced between the transport roller 33 and the paper pressing plate 45, and is similarly transported by the frictional force between the transport roller 33 and the recording paper based on the pressing force of the paper pressing plate 45. Further, the recording paper is regulated in its direction by the paper pressing plate 45 and is conveyed along the platen 34 between the paper discharge roller 41 and the spur 42, during which ink droplets are ejected from the recording head cartridge 9 onto the recording paper. A record is made.

FIG. 12 shows a paper pan 37 and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a view of a release plate for urging in the direction of one transport roller 33 as viewed from above the apparatus, and is shown in a separated form for explanation.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a mechanism for transporting the recording paper will be described. In these figures,
Reference numeral 40 denotes a release plate. The release plate 40 feeds a feed roller 39 via a paper pan 37 to the transport roller 3.
3 and a member for releasing this pressing. That is, the release plate 40 is rotated by the shaft portions 40C provided at both ends of the release plate 40 engaging with the shaft support holes 101A provided in the release plate support member 101 erected on the bottom plate 100 of the apparatus. It is supported as much as possible. As a result,
A spring 401 engaging at two places at one end of the release plate 40
When this portion is urged obliquely downward and rightward in FIG. 11, the release plate 40 rotates clockwise in FIG. 11 about the shaft portion 40C as a fulcrum. Reference numerals 371 denote ribs provided at two places below the paper pan 37. The rib 371 comes into contact with the pressing portion 40A during the rotation of the release plate 40, and is pressed upward in FIG.
Thereby, the feed roller 3 supported by the rib 371 is
9 presses the transport roller 33.

The release of the pressing by the release plate 40 is performed as shown in FIG.
4, the shoulder 40 </ b> B extending at one end of the release plate 40 is pushed downward in FIG. 11 against the turning force of the spring 401. When this pressing is released, the paper pan 3
The feed roller 7 and the feed roller 39 move downward by their own weight, and a predetermined gap is formed between the feed roller 39 and the transport roller 33.

Reference numeral 372 denotes a rectangular projecting portion formed by extending a part of the paper pan 37 downward. The protruding portion 372 is provided with a rectangular hole 372A, and the hole 372A and the protrusion 1 erected on the bottom plate 100 are provided.
02 engages with a certain amount of play. With this engagement, the paper pan 37, and thus the feed roller 39, is positioned with respect to the transport roller 33.

With the above-described configuration having the play in the engagement, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effect caused by so-called skipping which occurs when the trailing end of the conveyed recording paper passes through the feed roller 39. That is, as shown in FIG. 14A, the recording paper exits this state from the state where the rear end of the recording paper is pressed by the transport roller 33 by the feed roller 39, and as shown in FIG. The recording paper is pushed out from between the feed roller 39 and the transport roller 33 while the paper and the transport roller 33 come into contact with each other. In the conventional configuration, especially when the recording medium is an envelope or cardboard, the above-described popping phenomenon occurs due to the force acting on each part during the extrusion.

For example, a configuration for supporting a conventional paper pan as shown in FIG. 15, that is, the boss 371A of the paper pan 37 is moved in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in the figure) by the engaging portion 400A of the urging member 400. In the configuration in which the feed roller 39 is supported so as not to escape, the feed roller 39 does not escape in the direction opposite to the pushing direction of the recording paper, so that the carrying roller 33 rotates with the pushing, and the carrying is performed by a predetermined amount or more. As a result, there has been a problem that the recording position on the recording paper is shifted.

On the other hand, in the configuration of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 11, 14A and 14B, the paper pan 37 is pushed back by the pushing of the rear end of the recording paper, and
Therefore, the recording paper and the transport roller 33 are not subjected to the pushing force, so that the above-described problem does not occur.

Referring again to FIG. 11, reference numeral 451 denotes a spring for urging the paper pressing plate 45 toward the transport roller 33.

One end of the spring 451 extending from the coil-shaped portion is engaged with a part of the paper holding plate 45, and the other end is connected to the device bottom plate 1.
Engage with part of 00. Further, the coil-shaped portion is supported by a part of the bottom plate 100. The paper holding plate 45 also
As will be described later, the carriage 11 is pressed by the carriage 11 via a roller 91 provided at the front end of the carriage 11. The distance between the ejection port of the head cartridge 9 and the recording surface of the recording paper is properly maintained by pressing through the spring 451 and the roller 91.

The paper pressing plate 45 exerts a pressing force on the conveying roller 33 via the recording paper by the above-described pressing force, and the frictional force between the recording paper and the conveying roller 33 based on the pressing force causes the recording paper to be pressed. Carry out.

Here, in order to carry out good conveyance according to various recording media, it is necessary to make the frictional force generated in each of the paper pressing plate and the recording medium, and between the conveyance roller and the recording medium appropriate. That is, it is desirable that the frictional force between the paper holding plate and the recording medium be as small as possible, and that the frictional force between the transport roller and the recording medium be as large as possible.

Further, it is desirable that the frictional force between the paper pressing plate and the conveying roller is as small as possible. That is, if the frictional force is large, the load of the motor and the like becomes large when so-called idle feeding is performed. Further, if a predetermined gap is provided between the paper pressing plate and the transport roller to avoid this, it becomes difficult to control the accuracy of biasing the recording medium to the platen and the like.

For this reason, in this example, POM (polyacetal) is used as the material of the paper holding plate 45, and CR (chloroprene rubber, hardness 60 ° / A) is used as the transport roller 33.
A mixture obtained by mixing 5 to 10% (weight ratio) of a single fiber of nylon resin with the scale) was used. Note that the paper pressing plate 45 may be made of a fluoro resin.

The chloroprene rubber had a hardness of 60.
However, if the angle is in the range of 50 ° to 70 °, there is no problem in conveying the recording paper. Further, it is not necessary that the transport roller 33 and the paper pressing plate 45 are all made of the above-mentioned material, and only the contact portion may be made of the above-mentioned material. The paper holding plate or the transport roller may be formed by sticking this to a portion.

Since the paper holding plate and the transport roller are made of the above materials, the coefficient of friction between the paper holding plate 45 and the recording paper can be reduced. Can be configured to be pressed against. As a result, for example, the distance between the recording medium and the head cartridge can be more easily managed than in the conventional case in which a configuration in which the recording medium is pressed so as to be adaptable to various thicknesses of the recording medium cannot be adopted. Further, since the coefficient of friction between the recording medium and the conveyance roller is large, slippage or the like does not occur in the conveyance, and good conveyance of the recording medium can be performed.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 46 denotes a shaft member extending parallel to the paper holding plate 45 and having both ends pivotally supported by the apparatus frame, and having a D-shaped cross section. When the recording paper is conveyed, the rotation position is determined so that the linear portion of the D character is in the vertical direction (vertical direction in the figure) as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the pressing of the paper pressing plate 45 against the transport roller 33 is released, the linear portion is set in the horizontal direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 11) as shown in FIGS. And displaces it, disengaging the spring 451 from the paper holding plate 45. Thereby, only the pressing force of the paper pressing plate 45 is released without displacing its position.

As a result, even if the carriage 11 is operated in a state where the pressing force is released to insert the recording paper or the like, the head cartridge and the carriage may interfere with the paper presser to damage the head cartridge and the carriage. There is no. In other words, even when the pressing force of the paper pressing plate is released, it is possible to move the carriage and perform various operations. The pressing force on the paper pressing plate 45 via the roller 91 is not released at this time, but this pressing force acts on one point of the portion of the paper pressing member 45 facing the carriage 11, and There is no hindrance to insertion of the device.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 41 denotes a paper discharge roller, and a spur 42 is engaged with the paper discharge roller 41. Spur 42
Is urged toward the paper discharge roller 41 by the urging means shown in FIGS. 16 to 19 and the like. Here, similarly, the frictional force between the recording paper and the paper discharge roller 41 based on this pressing force causes The recording paper is conveyed. The spur 42 is urged toward the paper discharge roller 41 via the holding portion 42A as described above, and performs a disengagement operation from the paper discharge roller 41 via this to release the engagement. Can also.

As described above, the urging force of the paper pan 37, the feed roller 39, the paper presser 45, and the spur 42 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is released in the respective modes. The release is performed simultaneously by operating the release lever 43 shown in FIG. 2, and as a result, the state shown in FIG. 13 is obtained.

FIGS. 16 to 19 are views showing a mechanism for releasing the urging force. FIGS. 16 and 17 are views of these mechanisms in the recording apparatus as viewed from the right side. FIGS. It is the figure seen from the left side.

FIGS. 16 and 18 show a state in which the urging force is not released, for example, when the recording medium is conveyed. At this time, the release lever 43, which is rotatably supported by the shaft of a transport roller (not shown), is in a state viewed by the urging force of a spring described later, and accordingly, the cam members 431, A gear 432 disposed at the other end of the end where the gear 432 and the lever 43 are disposed and fixed to a shaft concentric with the conveyance roller is a gear that rotates a shoulder portion of a release plate (not shown) and a shaft member. It is engaged with the row with a predetermined positional relationship. The two spur arms 421 and 421 extending from the spur holding member 42 and disposed at both ends are respectively shown in FIG.
The springs 422, 4 are connected to the lever 43 and the connecting member 433 through the engagement at the engagement portions 421B, 421B, respectively.
It is urged rearward by a pulling force of 22. In this biased state, the engagement portions 421A, 421A provided on the respective spur arms engage with the shaft of the paper discharge roller 41, so that the positions of the spur and the paper discharge roller (not shown) can be determined.
The pressing force and the like are appropriately engaged.

Since the engagement between the spur arm 421 and the release lever 43 is performed with a certain amount of play, the accuracy of the shape of the spur arm 421 and the like is not so much required, and the spur and the discharge roller can be connected with each other. Appropriate engagement can be performed.

The rotation of the release lever 43 is
2, and transmitted to the shaft member 46 via the intermediate gear train, and further transmitted via the shaft member 46 to the intermediate gear train, the gear 432, and the connecting member 433 on the other end side, and finally move the spur arm 421. At this time, the play in the backlash between the interposed gears is absorbed by the loose play of the release lever 43 and the spur arm 421.

The member to be released by the above-mentioned structure is not limited to the spur, but may be any other roller as long as it is a roller for conveying the recording medium.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 19 show a state in which the urging by the spur, the paper pressing plate and the paper pan is released. The release is performed by releasing the release lever 43 from the spring 42.
This is done by turning the device forward against the pulling force of 2.

That is, when the release lever 43 is rotated, the gear 432 is rotated accordingly. At this time, as described above, the shaft member 46 rotates through the intermediate gear train that engages with the gear 432, and the D-shaped linear portion is set to the horizontal direction. As a result, as described above with reference to FIG. 11, the shaft member 46 pushes the spring 451 in the narrowing direction, and the engagement between the spring 451 and the paper pressing plate 45 is released. As a result, the urging force of the paper presser 45 is released.

Further, with the rotation of the release lever 43, the cam 431 rotates. The shoulder portion 40B of the release plate 40 described above with reference to FIG. 11 is engaged with the cam portion of the cam member 431, and the release plate 40 lowers its position with the rotation of the cam member 431, and the paper pan 37 The engagement with the rib 371 is released, and the rib 371 is not pressed. As a result, the force for urging the paper pan 37 and the feed roller 39 toward the transport roller 33 is released, and the paper pan 37 is lowered by its own weight. By the rotation of the release lever 43,
Eventually, the shoulder 40B and the paragraph-shaped cam portion of the cam member 431 are engaged, whereby the engagement positions thereof are fixed, and the rotation position of the release lever 43 is thereby fixed.

Further, with the rotation of the release lever 43,
As described above, the spur arm 421 moves to the front of the apparatus, and as described above, the rotation of the spur arm 421 at the other end also moves to the front of the apparatus by transmitting rotation through the shaft member 46. Thus, the spur 4 connected to the spur arms 421, 421
2 is disengaged from the paper discharge roller 41.

As described above, by rotating the release lever once, the urging by the paper pan, the paper presser and the spur can be released, and this can be performed with a simple configuration.

FIG. 20 is a schematic front view showing an assembled state of the knob fixed to the shaft of the transport roller and the release lever, and FIG. 21 is a schematic exploded view thereof.

In FIG. 20, a driven gear 331 for rotationally driving a transport roller (not shown) includes a transport roller 33.
The knob 5 is fixed to the shaft 333 by a spring pin 332 driven into the shaft 333. The release lever 43 is rotatably supported between them, but its rotation is regulated by the spring or the like as described above.

FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the assembling order of the above configuration. As shown in the figure, a spring pin 332 is previously driven into the shaft 333 and the gear 3
31 is fixed. The release lever 43 is inserted into the shaft 333 in this state via the opening 43A. The opening 43A has a shape through which the shaft 333 and the spring pin 332 can pass as shown in the figure, whereby the release lever 43 moves beyond the position where the spring pin 332 is driven into the gear 331 side. You can move. Thereafter, the knob 5 is fixed to the shaft 333 by fitting the spring pin 332 into the retaining hole 5A while inserting the knob 5 into the shaft 333.

With the above configuration, the axial movement of the release lever 43 can be restricted by the gear 331 and the knob 5, and the knob 5 can be fixed by the spring pin 332. Further, since the spring pin 332 is driven into the shaft 333 in advance, assembling becomes easier compared to driving the spring pin after inserting the lever.

FIGS. 22 and 23 are a side view and a plan view, respectively, showing the mechanism around the head cartridge shown in FIG. 2 and the like.

In these figures, reference numeral 91 denotes a roller rotatably supported at the front end of the carriage 11 as described above. The roller 91 is provided so that a part thereof protrudes forward from the discharge port surface of the head cartridge 11, and comes into contact with the paper pressing plate 45 to rotate thereon. A roller spring 613 is provided at the rear end of the carriage 11. The roller spring 613 includes a roller 613A,
A connecting member 613B that supports the 613A and a spring 613C that urges the connecting member 613B in a predetermined rotation direction. The roller 613A comes into contact with the front end plate 105 erected at the front end of the bottom plate 100 of the apparatus so as to extend in parallel with the above-described guide shaft, and rotates thereon. Connecting member 61
3B is rotatably supported by a predetermined shaft 113 of the carriage 11, and a spring 613C is supported by the predetermined shaft of the carriage 11 to rotate the connecting member 613B counterclockwise around the shaft 113. Energize. With the configuration of the roller spring 613 described above, the carriage 11
It is always urged in the direction of the paper holding plate 45.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a bearing which engages with the guide shaft 23, and is mounted on both side ends of the carriage 11. Bearing 2
As shown in detail later, the bearing 5 is eccentric with respect to the case relating to this mounting.
Are mounted such that their eccentric directions are opposite. The bearing 25 on the side shown in FIG. 22 is provided so as to be swingable about a boss 112 provided on the carriage 11. That is, the portion of the carriage 11 where the bearing 25 is mounted is a long hole, and the two projections 25A of the bearing 25 are moved in the front-rear direction by the boss 112 (FIG. 22).
Movement in the middle and left and right directions is restricted. As a result, the bearing 25 moves in accordance with the movement of the carriage 11 as described later.
Swings relatively to the carriage 11. At this time, the movement of the bearing 25 in the direction of the guide shaft 23 is caused by the movement of the bearing 2.
The protrusion 25B provided on the carriage 5 is restricted by a part of the carriage 11 (for example, see FIG. 9).

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, the automatic adjustment of the interval (hereinafter, also referred to as a gap) between the recording medium and the ejection port surface of the head cartridge based on the configuration of the roller 91, the roller spring 613, and the bearing 25 described above. I will explain.

The automatic adjustment of the gap is performed according to the thickness of the recording medium inserted between the paper pressing plate 45 and the transport roller 33. When recording is performed on a relatively thin recording medium which is generally used as shown in FIG. 24A, the relative position of the bearing 25 on the left side in FIG. That is, the roller spring 613 is connected to the front end
The carriage 11 is urged in the direction of the paper pressing plate 45 by the reaction force from the front end plate 105 by pressing the roller 91, whereby the roller 91 presses the paper pressing plate 45. This roller 9
1 presses the paper holding plate 45 and the above-described roller spring 6
Each reaction force of the force by which 13 presses the front end plate 105 is:
A moment is formed with the bearing on the right side of the figure as a fulcrum, and the position of the above-described elongated hole of the bearing 25 is determined by equilibrating the two moments. In other words, the position of the carriage 11 relative to the guide shaft 23 fixed to the apparatus main body, and thus to the bearing 25, is determined, and the gap d between the ejection port of the head cartridge 9 mounted thereon and the recording medium is determined.

FIG. 24B shows the position of the carriage 11 when recording is performed on a relatively thick recording medium 93 such as an envelope. In this case, the rollers 91 and thus the carriage 11
Retreats downward in the figure according to the thickness of the recording medium when compared with the case of FIG. As a result, the reaction force from the front end plate 105 generated by the roller spring 613 changes, and the position where the moment balances changes accordingly. As a result, the bearing 25 and the carriage 11 on the left side in FIG.
24, the front end of the carriage 11 becomes a position where the left side is opened in FIG. 24B, and the gap between the ejection port and the recording medium is almost the same as that in FIG. The gap d is equal. At this time, the left bearing 25
The rocking is relatively performed as shown by the arrow in FIG. 25 to change the position in the elongated hole.

It should be noted that depending on the position where the roller 91 is provided,
For example, it can correspond to a recording medium that is thicker than ordinary thick paper. That is, depending on the position where the rollers 91 are provided, the paper pressing plate 45 can be largely released corresponding to such thick paper, and the gap can be kept constant.

In the above configuration, as shown in detail in FIG.
Roller 61 to contact the bent oblique part of No. 5
3A is pressed downward in the drawing, whereby the entire carriage 11 is pressed downward. As a result, the carriage 11 is prevented from floating, and the direction of ink droplet ejection by the mounted head cartridge 9 is stabilized.

Referring again to FIG. 23, reference numeral 111 denotes a cutout provided at the lower left portion of the carriage (not shown), which engages with a pulley shaft 290A provided near the home position. This engagement is performed as the carriage moves to the cap position on the discharge port surface, and capping of the discharge port surface by the cap 51A (see FIG. 2) is performed at this engagement position.

As a result of this engagement, even if, for example, vibration is applied to the recording apparatus, the carriage cannot move in the front-rear direction, so that the cap (not shown) and the ejection port surface of the head cartridge 9 are separated from each other. And capping can be reliably performed.

Further, since the pulley shaft 290A is also used as a member for engaging with the notch portion 111 of the carriage, a special member for this engagement is not required, and a simple and low-cost configuration can be achieved. .

Further, the notch portion 111 has a pulley shaft 290.
The introduction portion is chamfered so as to facilitate engagement with A. Accordingly, even when the carriage is displaced according to the paper thickness, the engagement can be easily performed.

FIG. 26 is a schematic elevational view of the head cartridge 9 and the carriage 11 as viewed from the recording medium side.

As is clear from the figure, the carriage 11 and the head cartridge 9 mounted thereon are inclined with respect to the guide shaft 23, that is, with respect to the moving direction of the carriage 11. Thereby, the direction of the discharge port arrangement is also inclined.

This inclination is achieved by using two bearings 25 whose bearings are eccentric as described above.
That is, the bearing 25 on the left side (the right side in FIG. 26) is
As shown in FIG. 25 and the like, the eccentric position is mounted so that the eccentric position is located below, and the right bearing 25 (the left side in FIG. 26) uses the same kind of bearing so that the eccentric position is located above. Attached to.

The configuration in which the ejection port array is inclined as described above is a configuration adopted when a plurality of projecting ports are driven in a time-division manner. That is, in general, in driving an inkjet recording head, time-division driving is performed from the viewpoint that the recording speed and the driving power cannot be increased. For example, 64 ejection ports arranged in a vertical direction are used. Is divided into eight blocks and time-division driving is performed. In a configuration in which the ejection port arrangement is not inclined, recording 95 as shown in FIG. When viewed macroscopically, it becomes an oblique line. On the other hand, when recording is performed with the projection opening array inclined as in this example, a recording 96 as shown in FIG. 27B is made on the recording paper 94. It becomes a line. It is to be noted that the configuration of the inclination is effective not only in the time-division driving for each block shown in the above example but also in the time-division driving for each ejection port.

Since the inclination in this example is constituted by the bearings 25 mounted on both side ends of the carriage 11, the distance between these bearings is relatively long, so that it is easy to obtain the inclination accuracy. Also, since only one type of bearing needs to be mounted in the upside-down direction, the inclination configuration is simple. Further, when the timing of the time-division driving is different depending on the carriage speed or the like, the inclination according to the above timing can be configured by changing only the bearing without changing the carriage or the recording head. As a result, the carriage and the like can be shared.

FIGS. 28A and 28B are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing details of a pulley disposed at the right end of the apparatus among two pulleys for driving the timing belt for moving the carriage. It is.

In the figure, reference numeral 29B denotes a pulley, and a driven gear 291 is fixed to the pulley 29B coaxially with the pulley 29B, and the gear 291 meshes with a driving gear 294 fixed to the rotation shaft of the carriage motor 31. A shaft for fixing the pulley 29B and the gear 291 is rotatably supported by a bracket 292.

[0118] One end of a spring 293 is connected to the bracket 292, and the other end of the spring 293 is connected to the projection 106 erected on the bottom plate 100. Thereby, the bracket 293
Is biased in a direction having a predetermined angle with the direction in which the timing belt 27 extends. At this time, the bracket 29
2 (and the gear 291 and the pulley 29
B) is free except that the vertical movement and the predetermined direction along the bottom plate 100 are defined by the L-shaped members 295A and 295B erected on the bottom plate 100. Therefore, by the urging force of the spring 293, the tension in the timing belt 27 and the meshing force between the gear 291 and the gear 274 can be obtained according to the component force.

FIGS. 29 and 30 are a timing chart and a flowchart, respectively, showing the control procedure of the recording position indicating mode in the ink jet recording apparatus of the above embodiment.

The recording position indicating mode according to the present embodiment is activated when recording is performed on a format sheet or a recording sheet on which a part of recording is already performed, such as an electronic typewriter using the recording apparatus of the embodiment. This is the control procedure performed. That is, while moving the carriage (recording head),
The endurance of the printing position, the setting, and the setting of the printing range are performed, but no ink droplets are ejected during this time. For this reason, preliminary ejection and capping are performed in order to prevent thickening and non-ejection of ink.However, these processes are interrupted by a process such as setting a recording position by the carriage and the carriage is moved to a position for preliminary ejection or the like every predetermined time. Is to move.

Hereinafter, based on the flowchart of FIG.
The control procedure of the recording position instruction mode will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

When a recording position command is issued by a predetermined key input, the cap 51A is opened in step S201 by activating the control means (FIG. 29, time point (1); only the time point is described below), and in step S202, For example, the carriage 11 moves to the designated position in response to the input of the space key.
Is moved (time (2)). During this time, step S20
In step 3, it is determined whether or not the position has been set by a predetermined key input as a result of the carriage 11 reaching the designated position. If the determination is negative, a determination is made in step S204 as to whether or not a predetermined time T seconds have elapsed since the cap was opened. Judge.

If T seconds have elapsed, step S205 is performed.
The current position of the carriage 11 is stored in step S2.
At 06, the carriage 11 is moved to the preliminary ejection position (time (3)). Further, in step S207, a predetermined amount (A-time ejection) of preliminary ejection is performed (time (4)). Thereafter, in step S208, the carriage 11 is moved to the previously stored position, and in step S209, the carriage 11 is moved to the designated position in the same manner as described above. In the meantime, in step S210, it is determined whether or not the input of the designated position setting has been performed in the same manner as described above.
It is determined whether or not seconds have elapsed. This α second is usually an appropriate time after the setting of the indicated position is completed, and
Leaving the recording head with the cap open after the elapse of this time is set to cause a serious problem in ink droplet ejection.

If a negative determination is made in step S211, it is determined in step S212 whether a predetermined time t seconds has elapsed since the previous preliminary ejection. If t seconds have elapsed, the same steps S213 and S214 as described above are performed. Is performed, preliminary discharge of B times is performed in step S215, and step S215 is performed.
It returns to the process of 208.

If the designated position setting input has been made in step S203 or S210, respectively, step S216
Alternatively, the position is stored in step S217, and
If it is determined in step 211 that α seconds have elapsed, the process proceeds to step S218.

In step S218, the carriage 11 is moved to the cap position (time point (5)), and in step S2
Capping is performed at 19 (time (6)), and step S22 is performed.
At 0, the instruction mode is reset, and the processing procedure ends.

The elapsed time T seconds, t seconds, and α seconds can be set in accordance with, for example, the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere. Alternatively, a sensor such as a temperature is provided, and in response to detection by these sensors. The elapsed time may be automatically set.

The movement to the designated position in the above control procedure is performed while the operator presses the space key. At this time, the marker 49 on the carriage 11 and the paper pressing plate shown in FIGS. The position of the carriage 11 on the recording medium, that is, the position of the discharge port can be known by using the scale 47 on the top 45 together. Although the position of the marker 49 is different from the position of the ejection port, the offset amount is stored in advance and is automatically corrected in a printing operation or the like. Scale 47
Is written on a member peculiar to the ink jet type recording apparatus such as the paper presser plate 45, so that the scale can be adjusted very close to the recording medium.

Similarly, in the operation related to the movement to the designated position, the marker 17 on the lever shown in FIGS. 2 and 23 and the window 8 of the device cover shown in FIG. With the scale (not shown), the movement amount of the carriage 11 can be particularly known.

As described above, the markers 49 and 17 and the configuration used in combination with these markers are used when the recording apparatus of this embodiment is of the ink jet type and the position confirmation operation by carriage movement is interrupted for preliminary ejection or the like. This is particularly effective when returning the carriage to the position at the time of interruption again.

FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a control configuration for executing the control and the like shown in FIGS. 29 and 30.

The cap position and the movement position of the carriage 11 can be known based on the detection of the recovery system home sensor 65 and the carriage home sensor 67. The movement to the designated position, the designated position setting input, and the like are performed using a space key or a predetermined key provided on the keyboard 1. Further, in the figure, reference numeral 1000 denotes an M which executes the control procedure
PU, 1001, ROM for storing the above control procedure and the like, 1
Reference numeral 02 denotes a RAM that stores the current position of the carriage and is used as a work area in performing the above control. A timer 1003 measures time such as T seconds, t seconds, and α seconds.

FIG. 32 shows the cap 51A, pump 53, blade 59, motor 61 and cam device 6 shown in FIG.
It is a disassembled perspective view of the principal part of the recovery device consisting of 3 and the like.

Here, 501 is an ink absorber arranged inside the cap 51A, 503 is a holding member for holding the cap 51A, and 505 is attached so as to be rotatable around a pin 507. This is a cap lever for bringing the cap 51A into and out of contact with the discharge port forming surface of the discharge unit 9a. Reference numeral 511 denotes a pin that is engaged with the end 509 of the cap lever 505 to restrict the rotation range of the cap lever 505.

Reference numeral 513 denotes a pin 50 of the cap lever 505.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a jig having a hole into which the cap lever 505 is fitted. The jig is used to attach the cap lever 505 to a support 515 provided on the pump 53. Reference numeral 516 is a fastening member for securing the attached state. 517 is an action portion that acts on the cap 51A to apply a force to abut the discharge port forming surface,
The cap 51A engages substantially the center of the rear side portion. The action portion has a discharge port 517A for sucked ink, and ink flow paths are formed in the cap lever 505, the pin 507, the jig 513, and the support 515, respectively. Then, when the pump 53 exerts a suction force, ink is introduced into the pump 53 through these flow paths as shown by arrows in the figure.

Reference numeral 519 protrudes from the center of the end face of the pump 53,
The shaft has an ink flow path formed therein, and is rotatably attached to the side wall 520. The rotation force of the pump 53 itself is applied to the cap lever 505 via the support 515, and the cap 51A moves forward and backward accordingly. 5
21 is a flow path forming member coupled to the pump shaft 519, 523
Is a mounting member for the tube 57. That is, an ink flow path is formed inside the shaft 519, the flow path forming member 521, and the mounting member 523, and the ink sucked by the pump 53 is discarded via the flow path through the tube 57 as shown by the arrow in the drawing. The ink is introduced into the ink tank 55.

Reference numeral 525 denotes a piston of the pump 53, reference numeral 527 denotes a piston shaft as its shaft, reference numeral 529 denotes packing, and reference numeral 531 denotes a cap of the pump 53. 533 is the piston shaft 52
7 is a pin which receives a force for operating the piston 525.

Reference numeral 535 denotes a blade lever to which the blade 59 is attached. The blade lever 535 is rotatably supported around a shaft protruding from the end face of the pump 53, and projects or retracts the blade 59 toward the recording head with the rotation. Let it. Reference numeral 537 denotes a spring that applies a turning force to the blade lever 535 in a direction in which the blade 59 is protruded. Reference numeral 539 denotes a spring that gives the pump 53 itself a rotation behavior in the direction in which the cap 51A faces the recording head.

Reference numeral 541 denotes a cam device 63 for rotating the motor 61.
Gear train to be transmitted to the vehicle. The cam device 63 includes a pump 53
A cam 547 for engaging the engaging portion 545 provided on the shaft 53 to rotate the engaging portion 545, and a piston shaft 52 of the pump 53.
7, a cam 549 for engaging the pin 533 and operating the pump, and a cam 553 for engaging the engaging portion 551 provided on the blade lever 535 and rotating the same.
And a cam 557 that engages with a switch 555 for detecting the home position of the cam device 63.
The operation of these cams will be described later.

FIG. 33 is a sectional view showing the structure of the suction-recovery device cap according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 51A denotes a cap member (hereinafter referred to as a cap); 505, a cap lever constituting the suction means F;
Reference numeral 503 denotes a cap lever that holds the cap 51A.
5 is a cap holder attached to 5. At the time of capping of the head cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a head) 9, the pump cam 557 as shown in FIG.
And the cap lever 50 is moved by the spring 539.
33 is urged in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 33 with a force of about 90 gf, and the cap 51A is also pressed against the head 9. At this time, the head 9 is cut off from the outside air by the cap rib 561A. D ₁ is a first aperture formed in the side abutting on the head 9 of the cap 51A, D ₂
Is a second opening provided on the side facing the cap lever 505 constituting the suction means F and communicating with the _first opening D1, and 505b penetrates the cap lever 505 and is a suction pump (not shown) or the like. Force generating means G composed of
Is a hole that is connected to

The adhesion to the head 9 is emphasized, and the material of the cap 51A has a rubber hardness as low as 40 °.

In order to protect the head 9 more effectively from drying, the use of a chlorinated butyl rubber having low gas permeability is the same as the conventional one. However, in consideration of the fact that the capping state is likely to be deformed when the high-temperature capping state continues for a long period of time, the rib tip width dimension w to increase the rigidity of the cap rib 561A is 0.5 mm, and the root width dimension W is 0.7 mm. . In this embodiment, the resolution is 6 dpi at a resolution of 360 dpi.
It is assumed that the recording head has four nozzles, and the size of the cap is 6.3 mm in length and 2.times.
I'm thinking about 2mm.

Further, the tip of the cap lever 505 is formed with a tubular projection 505a.
5a is inserted into the hole 51a of the cap 51A.
Also, the inner diameter of the hole 51a is consciously increased to φ1.9mm with respect to the outer diameter φ1.8mm of the protrusion 505a, so that a clearance S of 0.1mm is provided. Is sealed by the ridgeline C of the cap lever 505 by the force of the spring 539 at the time of capping, not by the contraction elasticity of the cap. Therefore, reliable sealing can be expected over a long-term use.

The surface A on the cap lever side of the cap 51A is formed as a convex spherical surface, and the surface B on the cap 51A side of the cap lever 505 is formed as a concave spherical surface. In the capping state, the circular ridge line C of the cap lever 505 contacts the convex spherical surface at the rear end of the cap 51A, and the pump 5 of FIG.
The flow passage leading to 3 is completely sealed. Since the surfaces A and B are each formed in a spherical shape, the cap 51A can be equalized according to the shape of the head 9 and variations in the mounting state during capping.

Where the cap 51A is sealed with the cap lever 505,
At a location corresponding to the ridge line indicated by C in FIG. That portion becomes part of the convex spherical shape A, and the rubber hardness is 40.
Since a material having a hardness as low as ° is used, the circumference of the rubber is extremely improved at the time of molding the mold, and the moldability of the cap 51A is significantly improved, so that molding defects during the molding of the mold are greatly reduced.

FIG. 34 is a structural side sectional view of the cap portion of the suction recovery device of this embodiment during idle suction.

As described above, the inner diameter of the hole 51a is 1.9 mm compared to the outer diameter of 1.8 mm of the protrusion 505a.
Since the clearance S is set to 0.1 mm intentionally and the spring force is not applied, the ridge line C is easily separated as in the conventional example of FIG. 43, and complete sealing there cannot be expected. However, in the state where the ridge line C is separated, the dimensional difference between the protruding portion 505a and the hole portion 51a is 0.1 mm in diameter, but when the pressure contact with the cap 51A is released, the cap 51A is turned downward by its own weight as shown in the figure. The mutual clearance S becomes extremely small,
Further, the protrusion 505a of the cap lever 505 is inserted into the hole 51a of the cap 51A. Therefore, a sufficient ratio of the suction pressure reaching the tip of the protrusion 505a of the cap lever 505 reaches the vicinity of the cap absorber 501 inside the cap 51A, and the ink inside the cap 51A can be sufficiently collected. .

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of the head face.

The width is approximately 4.5 mm and the surface is not flat but 4.8 °, 10.0 °, 3.3 ° as shown in the figure.
It is a complex shape with only the combination.

FIG. 36 shows a structure of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 37 shows the result of examining the adhesion between the complicated face shape shown in FIG. 35 and the cap. The condition is 90g of the contact force of the cap on the face.
f, The initial negative pressure generated in the cap was -0.5 atm with respect to the atmospheric pressure.

The contact force of the cap on the face is 30 g.
If it is less than f, it is insufficient, and the adherence is low because the face shape of the cap rib is not sufficiently followed.
In a region exceeding gf, the rigidity of the cap ribs is inferior to the contact force, and long-term stress causes permanent deformation strain, and the deformation lowers the adhesion and renders it unusable. In particular, chlorinated butyl rubber has the advantage of low gas permeability, but care must be taken because it tends to cause permanent deformation strain. The optimum value in this embodiment is 90 gf
Met.

The change rate of the initial negative pressure generated in the cap was selected as a numerical value indicating the adhesion. V ₁ is the “pressure change rate in the cap” corresponding to the adhesion required to satisfy the function of the suction recovery device, and therefore, the pressure change rate in the cap needs to be smaller than V ₁ .

(A) shows the results of an experiment in which the hardness of the chlorinated butyl rubber as the material was changed with the tip width of the rib of the cap being 0.5 mm and gf. As can be seen from this figure, if the hardness is 65 ° or more, the rigidity of the rib is excessive, and the followability to the shape of the mating member is reduced, so that the adhesion is reduced. Further, if the hardness is 25 ° or less, the rigidity of the ribs is insufficient, so that when the internal pressure of the cap decreases, the cap is deformed by the force due to the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure, and the adhesion is reduced. Therefore, the usable range of the hardness is 30 ° to 60 °, and the optimum value in this embodiment is 40 °.

(B) shows that the hardness of the chlorinated butyl rubber of the material is 40 ° and the contact force of the cap on the face is 90 g.
f is an experimental result in which the width of the rib tip width of the cap was changed. As can be seen from this figure, if the thickness is 0.8 mm or more, the rigidity of the rib is excessive, and the followability to the shape of the mating member is reduced, so that the adhesion is reduced. 0.2mm
In the following, due to insufficient rigidity of the rib, when the internal pressure of the cap decreases, the force due to the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure causes deformation, and the adhesion decreases. Accordingly, the usable range of the rib tip width is in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm, and the optimum value in the present embodiment is 0.5 mm.

FIGS. 38, 39 and 40 are explanatory views showing the contour curves of the respective cams of the cam device 63 and the operation positions of the respective portions corresponding to the respective cam positions. The numerical value in FIG. 38 is the rotation angle of the cam.

In these figures, (A) shows the cam position and the state of each part when performing the recording operation.
1A and the blade 59 are separated from the ejection port forming surface of the recording head, and the pump 53 is at the top dead center. (B) is a position where the home position switch 55 is turned off, and this position is set as the home position of the cam device 63. This is a position set at the time of standby for recording or the like. At this time, the cap 51A covers the ejection port forming surface, and
Is retracted, and the pump 53 is also at the top dead center.

When the cam is rotated from the position (B),
The cap 51A is joined to the discharge port forming surface (cap on)
The piston 525 moves toward the bottom dead center while keeping the pressure, and the negative pressure of the suction system reaching the cap 51A increases. After a period in which the piston 525 reaches the ink discharge port of the pump and closes it (a period in which the valve is closed), the valve starts to open (at a point of 109.5 °) and completely opens (130.5 °).
° point), and then the piston 525 reaches a position (C) near the bottom dead center. In consideration of fluid resistance of the ink suction system, sufficient suction is performed by stopping the rotation of the cam at this position for a predetermined time, and then the cam is rotated again. 51A starts to separate from the discharge port forming surface. This position (D) is held for a predetermined time.

After that, when the cam is further rotated, the piston 525 starts to move toward the top dead center again. In this process, the valve starts to close (point 209.5 °) and then reaches a point where it is completely closed (point 230.5 °), while the cap 51A is completely removed from the discharge port forming surface at the position (E). It is in a separated state. By driving the piston 525 several times in this vicinity, the ink remaining in the ink suction system is sucked (empty suction) toward the pump. The left and right spaces of the piston 525 in the pump are communicated by a flow path (not shown), and the flow path is closed when the piston moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. It is opened when heading. The space on the right side of the piston communicates with a flow path provided on the pump shaft 519. Therefore, when the piston 525 moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center in the process of idle suction, the ink introduced into the space on the left side of the piston is transferred to the right space, and when the piston 525 moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, the ink is Ink is introduced into the left space from the suction system and discharged from the right space to the waste ink tank.

Thereafter, when the cam is further rotated in the forward direction, the blade 59 protrudes to be ready for wiping (position (F)). When the carriage 11 is moved to the recording area side in this state, the blade 59 is engaged with the ejection port forming surface of the head, the surface is wiped, and the ink or the like attached to the ejection port forming surface is wiped. Then, the cam is further rotated to retreat the blade 55 and set the cam at the position (A). In this state, the carriage 11 is moved to the cap side, the ejection port forming surface of the head is opposed to the cap 51A, and then the cam is moved to the position (B) to turn on the cap and stop.

When shifting to recording, position (B)
Then, the cam may be rotated in the positive or negative direction to cause the blade 59 to protrude, perform wiping, and then perform recording.

FIG. 41 shows an example of the configuration of the waste ink tank 55 according to this embodiment in a posture to be taken when the apparatus is used.

Here, 181 is an ink absorber holding waste ink, 55A is a bottom portion when the apparatus is used (the state of FIG. 1 (a)), and 55B is a section for storing the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 (b). This is a portion that becomes the bottom surface when carrying the handle 6 with the handle. 55C is a slope that does not become vertically downward in any case. In this example, a ventilation cloth 183 is provided here. The ventilation cloth 183 allows ink solvent vapor to pass therethrough but does not allow liquid ink to pass therethrough. Specifically, for example, Vaporlord (Teijin Co., Ltd.) can be used.

Although the arrangement of the ventilation cloth 183 causes almost no ink leakage from the waste ink tank 55,
In the present embodiment, the portion receiving this is the inclined surface 55C so that the leakage is completely prevented.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 42A and 42B, when the apparatus is used, the portion 55A serves as a bottom surface and the slope 5A is used.
5C faces upward, and when stored (during transport), part 5C is
This is because 5B is the bottom surface and the inclined surface 55C is also facing upward, so that the waste ink does not leach through the ventilation cloth 183 and leakage does not occur.

In the above embodiment, the surface of the cap member on which the ink discharge port is provided has a convex spherical surface, and the tip end surface of the cap lever has a concave spherical surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, FIG. May be a part of a cone having a trapezoidal cross section.

In the above embodiment, the surface of the cap member on which the ink discharge port is provided is a convex spherical surface, and the tip surface of the cap lever is a concave spherical surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be configured as a part of a quadrangular pyramid having a trapezoidal shape.

In the above embodiment, the tubular opening 505a of the cap lever 505 communicates with the _second opening D2 serving as the cap ink discharge port. May directly communicate with the cap member.

Further, in the above embodiment, the surface of the cap member provided with the _second opening D2, which is the ink discharge port, has a convex spherical surface, and the tip end surface of the cap lever has a concave spherical surface. It is needless to say that the same effect can be obtained by limiting the cap member side to a concave spherical surface and the cap lever side to a convex spherical surface.

[0171]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the suction recovery device provided in the ink jet recording apparatus, the cap member and the suction means can be used during both the suction of ink during cleaning and the idle suction during printing. Can be stably realized over a long period of time, and the head face surface can be prevented from being damaged when the head is mounted on the recording apparatus or in the process of repeating capping thousands of times. .

Further, not only is the processability of forming the portion of the cap member communicating with the suction means improved, but also the appearance of the cap member can be easily and reliably inspected, and the production cost of parts can be significantly reduced.

Further, the adhesion performance to the head face surface is improved, and the inspection for checking the adhesion performance in the mass production process of the assembly becomes unnecessary, so that the production cost of the apparatus assembly can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are external perspective views of an electronic typewriter using an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a suction recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention at the time of use and storage.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part configuration showing an example of a printer applicable to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a head cartridge according to the embodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are an exploded perspective view and an external perspective view of a head cartridge according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the carriage according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the carriage according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state where the head cartridge is mounted on the carriage.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the carriage according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the carriage of the embodiment and a side view showing a state where a head cartridge is mounted on the carriage.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of a recording medium conveyance system in the printer of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an exploded plan view of the same.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing a state where each urging force is released in the transport system.

FIG. 14 is a schematic partial side view illustrating a relief configuration of a feed roller in the transport system.

FIG. 15 is a schematic side view illustrating an example of a feed roller urging mechanism according to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a mechanism disposed on the right side of the mechanism in the mechanism for releasing the urging of the feed roller, the paper holding plate, and the spur in the transport system before the urging is released.

FIG. 17 is a side view similarly showing the state after the urging is released.

FIG. 18 is a side view of a portion of the same mechanism arranged on the left side of the device before urging is released.

FIG. 19 is a side view similarly showing the state after the urging is released.

FIG. 20 is a schematic front view showing an engaged state of a lever and a knob for releasing the urging of the mechanism.

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of an engagement portion between a lever and a knob of the mechanism.

FIG. 22 is a side view for explaining an engagement relationship with other elements of the carriage of the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 24 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the carriage of the embodiment changes its position according to the thickness of the recording medium.

FIG. 25 is a schematic side view for explaining a change in the guide bearing accompanying a change in the carriage according to the embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a schematic front view showing a mechanism for tilting the ejection port arrangement with respect to the moving direction of the carriage according to the embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a schematic plan view of recording showing a recording example in a case where there is no configuration in which the ejection arrangement of the carriage is inclined and in a case where there is.

FIGS. 28A and 28B are a plan view and a front view showing a belt tension mechanism for driving the carriage of the embodiment and a drive mechanism thereof.

FIG. 29 is a timing chart of a recording position instruction mode in the ink jet recording apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 30 is also a flowchart.

FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a control system configuration example for executing the above mode.

FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view of a suction recovery mechanism of the suction recovery device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a structural side sectional view of a cap portion of the suction recovery device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 34 is a side cross-sectional view of the suction recovery device of the above-described embodiment when the cap section is idlely suctioned.

FIG. 35 is a sectional view of a face surface of the recording head according to the embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a structural side sectional view of a cap portion of a suction recovery device showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 37 shows the hardness and the rib width of the cap of the example;
It is a correlation diagram of the pressure change speed in a cap at the time of suction pressure generation.

FIG. 38 is a timing chart showing a suction recovery operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating a temporal operation of each unit in the ejection recovery operation of the suction recovery device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 40 is an explanatory diagram showing the time-dependent operation of each unit.

FIG. 41 is a schematic perspective view of a waste ink tank that stores ink discharged by the recovery operation of the suction recovery device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 42 is a schematic perspective view of the ink tank when the printer of the embodiment is used and stored.

FIG. 43 is a sectional side view of a configuration of a cap portion of a conventional suction recovery device.

FIG. 44 is a sectional side view of a cap section of a suction recovery device showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

51A, 51B Cap member 51a Hole 505a Tubular projection D1 _First opening D2 _Second opening F Suction means G Suction force generating means P Recording medium S Clearance W Rib tip size Symbols indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cap member for covering a discharge port for discharging ink of a recording head for recording by discharging ink on a recording medium, and a first member formed on a side of the cap member that contacts the recording head. And a second opening formed on the side opposite to the suction means for sucking ink from the discharge port of the recording head is formed in the cap member so as to communicate with each other. The surface communicating the opening and the suction means is formed into a shape that abuts with a convex surface and a concave surface, and further, a tubular protrusion is provided on one surface of each of the convex surface and the concave surface, and the other surface is provided. JP said protruding portion is provided with a Aspirate recovery equipment Ru formed to form a hole that is inserted with a predetermined clearance
An ink jet recording apparatus according to symptoms. Wherein i ink <br/> jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the forming the second opening side of said cap member into a convex spherical surface. 3. The curvature of a concave spherical surface of the suction means communicating with the cap member is larger than the curvature of a convex spherical surface on the second opening side of the cap member. Lee ink jet recording apparatus according. 4. The cross-sectional shape of the second opening of the cap member is formed as a convex trapezoid.
Lee ink jet recording apparatus. 5. The projecting portion of the tubular, Lee inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that provided in the communication surface with the cap member of the suction means. Wherein said suction means includes a suction force generating means, i ink of claim 1, wherein the configuring from communication means for transmitting the suction force generated by the suction force generating means to said cap member Jet recording device. 7. Lee inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the range of the contact pressure 30gf~300gf of the recording head of the cap member. 8. The JIS K6301 A scale hardness from 30 ° to 6 as each material of the cap member.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a 0 ° elastic material is used.
Lee ink jet recording apparatus. 9. A method according to claim 1, wherein a rib is formed on the side of the cap member that covers the recording head, and a width of a rib tip in contact with the recording head in a rib shape is in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. Lee inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 10. Lee <br/> inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the use of chlorinated butyl rubber as the material of the cap member.