JP3204815B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus in which recording means is mounted on a carriage moving along a recording medium, and the recording is performed on the recording medium by the recording means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device of a composite electronic device or a workstation including a computer, a word processor, etc. It is configured to record an image on a recording medium such as a thin plastic plate. The recording device,
Depending on the recording method, inkjet, wire dot,
It can be divided into thermal type, laser beam type, etc.

In a serial type printing apparatus that searches for a serial scan system in which main scanning is performed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (sub-scanning direction) of the printing medium, the printing medium is set at a predetermined printing position and then moved along the printing medium. The image is recorded (main scanning) by a recording means mounted on a carriage which moves by a predetermined distance. After one line of recording is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch transport), and then the recording medium is stopped again. By repeating the operation of recording (main scanning) the image of the next row, the entire recording medium is recorded. On the other hand, in a line-type printing apparatus that performs printing only by sub-scanning in the transport direction of a printing medium, the printing medium is set at a predetermined printing position, and printing is performed for one line at a time, and then a predetermined amount of paper By performing the feeding (pitch feeding) and repeating the operation of collectively recording the next line, the recording of the entire recording medium is performed.

[0004] Among the above recording apparatuses, an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording medium, so that it is easy to make the recording means compact. It can record high-definition images at high speed, can be recorded on plain paper without requiring special processing, running cost is low, and because it is a non-impact method, there is little noise, and It has the advantage that it is easy to record a color image using multicolor inks.

[0005] In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for discharging ink by using thermal energy,
Etching, vapor deposition, through a semiconductor manufacturing process such as sputtering, electrothermal transducers formed on the substrate, electrodes,
By forming the liquid path wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a device having a high-density liquid path arrangement (discharge port arrangement), and to further reduce the size.

In such a serial type recording apparatus, a user attaches / detaches a member (for example, an ink tank or a recording head) mounted on a carriage, or a member (for example, a platen and a recording head) provided on the carriage. When operating a member for adjusting the interval), the following problem occurs.

A first problem is that when the carriage is not fixed to the carriage rail, the operation is difficult to perform because the carriage moves during the above-described operation of the user.

The second problem is that the force accompanying the operation or the like acts on the carriage, so that the carriage or the guide rail is bent, making it difficult to perform the operation or the like accurately, or the recording means mounted on the carriage. There is a possibility that the distance between the platen and the platen changes and the recording quality is reduced. Particularly, in the ink jet recording apparatus, a change in the distance between the recording medium disposed on the platen and the ink jet recording head adversely affects the recording quality.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus, if the ink jet recording head cannot be correctly fixed at the capping position, or if the carriage or the guide rail is bent, the head cannot be accurately capped.

Conventionally, in a serial type recording apparatus, a method of fixing a carriage in a main scanning direction is as follows.
Methods such as manually fixing the carriage when not in use and stopping the carriage by an electric method using a step motor have been employed.

As another fixing method, there is a recording apparatus having a manual carriage lock mechanism. In the printing apparatus, the carriage is scanned along a carriage guide shaft provided in parallel with the platen. When the printing apparatus is not used, the carriage lock button provided on the printing apparatus is manually operated. The carriage is fixed so as not to move in the scanning direction with respect to the carriage guide shaft.

[0012]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the fixing of the carriage by manual operation is performed by a human operation, there is a problem that the operation is forgotten or troublesome. In addition, in the electric stop, there is a problem that the fixing force of the carriage is insufficient when the power supply from the power supply is cut off by mistake, and in any case, it is difficult to securely fix the carriage. was difficult.

Further, it has been difficult to prevent the carriage from bending in response to the above-mentioned operation or the like.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to provide a printing apparatus which has good operability and can obtain good printing quality.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of securely fixing a carriage at a predetermined fixed position.

Another object of the present invention is that when a carriage that scans along a guide axis reaches a predetermined fixed position, this is detected by position detecting means, whereby the fixing means is automatically attached to the carriage. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which the carriage is engaged to regulate the carriage in the scanning direction, and the carriage is securely fixed at the predetermined fixed position.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the flexure of the carriage when performing operations such as attachment and detachment of the ink tank and the recording head or adjustment of the gap of the recording head on the carriage, so that operation and positioning in the carriage can be performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device capable of performing accurate recording.

Another object of the present invention is to fix a carriage at a predetermined position within a carriage moving range by a positioning and fixing means and a supporting means different from the fixing means, so that an ink tank and a recording head on the carriage are fixed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus in which the carriage is prevented from being deflected during operations such as attachment / detachment or gap adjustment of the recording head, and the above operation and positioning on the carriage are accurately performed.

[0019]

According to the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus having a carriage for scanning along a guide shaft and mounting a recording head, wherein the position of the carriage in the scanning direction is determined. a position detection means for detecting, when the carriage is to be in the one position of a plurality of predetermined fixed position detected by said position detecting means, wherein scanning the carriage engaged with the carriage the one is regulated in the direction
And fixing means for fixing the position, it characterized by having.

The recording head discharges a recording medium.
An ink jet that records by discharging ink from the mouth
A plurality of predetermined fixed positions.
One of the positions is a cap to cover the discharge port
And / or said capping position
One of a number of predetermined fixed positions is the discharge port
Cover with a cap to recover the ink jet print head.
Preferably, it is a position for performing the operation.

Further, among the plurality of predetermined fixed positions,
One position is to cover the discharge port with a cap and
May be a position to protect the jet recording head
preferable.

Further , the recording head is provided on a recording medium.
Recording by ejecting ink from ejection ports
A plurality of inkjet recording heads, wherein the plurality of predetermined
One of the fixed positions of the
Corresponding to one of the inkjet printheads.
Cover the discharge port of the inkjet recording head with a cap
Position to protect the jet recording head, and
And / or ejection ports of the plurality of inkjet recording heads
Cover with a cap to protect the inkjet recording head
It is preferable that the position be the position for the operation.

Further, in the recording apparatus as described above,
The carriage is one of the plurality of predetermined fixed positions.
When the fixing means is fixed to the fixing means at one of the two positions,
A part different from the part that engages with the step is fixed to the device body
It is preferred that it be supported by a supporting means.

Further, the recording head discharges ink.
Electric heat to generate thermal energy used in
Those having a conversion body can be applied.

In this case, the recording head is provided with the electric heat
Film boiling in ink caused by thermal energy generated by converter
Ejecting ink from the ejection port using a rise
Is preferred.

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

[0031]

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

[0035]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, when the carriage that scans along the guide shaft comes to one of a plurality of predetermined fixed positions, the fact is determined. There is detected by the position detecting means, thereby securing means engages automatically the carriage to restrict the carriage in the scanning direction, the carriage is the one
Is securely fixed at the position.

Further, in the present invention as set forth in claim 7, the carriage is fixed by fixing means in a predetermined fixed position, the carriage is also supported by the support means.

[0037]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, the overall configuration of a first embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described by taking an ink jet system as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) recording heads 15 are detachably fixed to the carriage 1, and the carriage 1 has a carriage belt 24 partially connected thereto. Through the carriage motor 2
3 and can move in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 11. This movement allows the recording head 15 to perform scanning for recording. A recording medium (not shown) is supplied to a paper feed motor 22 via a gear 21.
The sheet is conveyed in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by a conveying roller (not shown) which is rotated and driven. The transport roller is provided below the platen 19, and the recording medium transported by the transport roller is a paper holding plate 20 and a platen 19.
And is transported above the apparatus. During this time, the recording medium is regulated by the paper presser plate 20 and the platen 19, and after recording is performed on the recording area facing the recording head 15 with the ink ejected from the recording head 15, the recording medium is discharged to the upper part of the recording apparatus. Is done. The flexible substrate 25 transmits print data, drive power, and the like to the recording head 15.

Here, details of the recording head 15 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 15 has
In order to discharge the recording liquid (ink) from the plurality of discharge ports 27 provided in rows, an electrothermal converter 26 for generating thermal energy to which an applied voltage is supplied is provided for each liquid path. I have. And by applying the drive signal,
The thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer 26 to cause film boiling, thereby forming bubbles in the ink liquid passage, and the ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port 27 by the growth of the bubbles.

As shown in FIG. 1 again, a plurality of capping positions as predetermined fixed positions are set at one end side (the left side in FIG. 1) of the scanning area of the carriage 1, so that the recording apparatus is used when the recording apparatus is not used or when the recording is performed. After the carriage 1 is moved to the capping position at the time of interruption or the like, a cap of a recovery unit (not shown) moves forward and presses the front surface of the recording head 15 to seal a discharge port (not shown). Thus, drying of the ejection openings of the recording head 15 and adhesion of dust and the like can be prevented, and ink can be sucked from the recording head 15. Here, the scanning area of the carriage 1 refers to the maximum recordable recording paper width unique to the recording apparatus. The above-described components such as the carriage 1, the guide shaft 11, the platen 19 and the like are housed in a chassis (not shown) as a recording apparatus main body described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording operation of this recording apparatus includes an MPU 51 for controlling the entire apparatus while transmitting and receiving signals to and from each section of the recording apparatus, and also stores an operation and a processing procedure related to the recording. The control is performed by a control unit 55 including a ROM 52, a RAM 53 used as a buffer for recording data and a work area for processing by the MPU 51, and an input / output port 54. That is,
A control signal from the control unit 55 is supplied to the first, second, and third drive circuits 48, 49, and 50 via the input / output port 54, and the first, second, and third drive circuits 48, 4
9 and 50 drive the carriage motor 23, the paper feed motor 22, and the recording head 15, respectively. Further, it receives recording data from a computer as a host device via the interface circuit 46. A control operation of the recording apparatus is performed by operating switches, keys, and the like provided on the operation panel 47. A position detection sensor 43 as a position detection unit described later detects whether or not a carriage (not shown) is at a capping position (standby position).

Further, as described with reference to FIG.
In the ink jet recording apparatus, in order to secure the quality of the recorded image, the ejection port forming surface of the recording head
It is required to manage the interval (inter-paper distance) between 81 and the recording medium 113 to an appropriate value. FIG. 29 is a schematic side view showing a configuration (gap adjusting mechanism) for adjusting (managing) the inter-paper distance using a gap adjusting lever. FIG.
9, the carriage 101 includes a support shaft 103.
, And a gap adjusting lever 118 engaged with the support shaft contacting member 117 so as to be able to transmit a rotational force, are rotatably supported.
The support shaft contact member 117 has a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) contact surfaces 119 and 120 having different heights from the center of rotation.

As shown in FIG. 29, when the gap adjusting lever 118 at the position indicated by the solid line is rotated in the direction of arrow J to the position indicated by the dashed line, the support shaft contact member 117 is driven to rotate,
The contact portion of the support shaft contact member 117 with the support shaft 103 is switched from the low contact surface 119 to the high contact surface 120, and the distance between the carriage 101 and the support shaft 103 can be changed (increased). . Therefore, the carriage 101 rotates about the guide rail 102 in the lifting direction from the solid line position to the chain line position, and
The fourth discharge port forming surface 181 rises. That is, when a recording medium 113 having a large thickness is used, the ejection port forming surface 18 is adjusted by the gap adjustment.
The gap (inter-paper distance) g between 1 and the recording medium 113 can be adjusted to a certain appropriate value. Therefore, by operating the gap adjustment lever 118, the gap g can be adjusted to an appropriate value corresponding to recording media having various thicknesses.

The gap adjusting mechanism is not shown in the drawings of each embodiment described below.

Next, the features of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a carriage and a recovery unit, which is a feature of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical sectional view when viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a guide shaft 11 is installed on chassis 60, 61 of the recording apparatus.
The carriage 1 ejects inks of different colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively.
The recording heads 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are provided. The carriage 1 is movably and rotatably supported in the directions of arrows A and B along the guide shaft 11, and the front portion of the carriage 1 is supported on a shaft 33. The four recording heads 15a, 15
b, 15c, 15d indicate the moving direction of the carriage 1 (arrow B
Direction and counter-arrow B direction). Carriage 1
The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth circular
The five holes 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e are formed. These five holes 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e are also arranged in the direction of arrow B. A carriage-side stopper 10 is integrally provided on the front surface of the carriage 1.

The recovery unit 17 includes a recovery unit main body 3 as an exterior having a recovery unit side stopper 6 at a front portion, and four cap portions 14 arranged at equal intervals from each other.
protective cap 9 having a, 14b, 14c, 14d
And a suction cap 7 formed of an elastic member such as rubber for performing a recovery operation of the recording heads 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, and a lever 4 and a cam 2 as fixing means to be described later. . The first, second, third and fourth four holes 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d have the same interval, and this interval is the four cap portions 14a and 1
4b, 14c, 14d and four recording heads 15
a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are also equal. Also,
The distance between the fourth hole 8d and the fifth hole 8e is equal to the distance between the fourth cap portion 14d of the protective cap 9 and the suction cap 7. A central portion of the lever 4 as a fixing means is rotatably supported by a shaft 13 provided on the recovery unit main body 3. At one end of the lever 4 on the side of the protective cap 9, a fixing pin 5 having a flange 5 a at an intermediate portion, which can be inserted into the holes 8 a, 8 b, 8 c, 8 d, and 8 e, is integrally protruded. A projection 4a is formed on the lower surface of the portion. The outer diameter of the fixing pin 5 has five holes 8a, 8b, 8c,
The outer diameter of the flange 5a is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the holes 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e. The carriage-side stopper 10 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 constitute a rotation restricting unit.

A coil spring 12 urged to pull the lever 4 is applied between the other end of the lever 4 and a hook 18 projecting from the recovery unit main body 3. The cam 2 having the projection 2 a is provided integrally with a rotation shaft 16 rotatably mounted on the recovery unit main body 3, and is for driving the lever 4. The rotation shaft 16 is rotated by a predetermined angle by a cam drive motor 45 (see FIG. 6) via a transmission mechanism such as a gear (not shown). As described above, the two shafts 13 and 16 are supported by the recovery unit main body 3, while the guide shaft 11 is supported by the chassis 60 and 61, so that the vibration during the movement of the carriage 1 is transmitted to the cam 2 and the lever 4. Nothing.

In this recording apparatus, a total of five operations are performed, namely, an individual recovery operation of the four recording heads 15a to 15d and a simultaneous capping of the four recording heads 15a to 15d for protecting the heads when not in use. is necessary. Therefore, as the predetermined fixed positions (capping positions) of the carriage 1, there are five first to fifth predetermined fixed positions respectively corresponding to the five operations.

The first to fourth predetermined fixed positions are the positions of the carriage 1 when the first to fourth recording heads 15a to 15d face the suction cap 7, respectively, and are the fifth predetermined fixed positions. Means the first to fourth recording heads 15a to 15a
The carriage 1 when 5d simultaneously faces the first to fourth cap portions 14a to 14d of the protective cap 9 respectively
Position. These first to fifth predetermined fixed positions are:
It is preset in the control unit 44 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a position detecting sensor 43 as a position detecting means detects the position of the carriage 1 in the scanning direction.
When the position detection sensor 43 detects that the carriage 1 is at the first to fifth predetermined fixed positions, the control unit 44
The driving of the cam driving motor 45 is controlled so that the rotating shaft 16 (see FIG. 5) rotates in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the initial state, the projection 4a of the lever 4 is disengaged from the projection 2a of the cam 2, and one end of the lever 4 on the fixed pin 5 side is in the lowered position. is there. In order to perform the recovery operation of the first recording head 15a, the carriage 1 moves to the recovery unit 17 side, that is, in the direction of arrow B, and the first recording head 15a faces the suction cap 7 at the first predetermined fixed position. When it comes to a stop, the fact is detected by the position detection sensor 43 (see FIG. 6). As a result, the cam 2 incorporated in the recovery unit main body 3 rotates in the direction of arrow C by the cam driving motor 45 controlled by the control unit 44, so that the protrusion 2 a of the cam 2 It comes off from the part 4a. As a result, the lever 4 rotates in the direction of arrow E due to the tension of the coil spring 12, and the fixing pin 5 is pushed up. The fixed pin 5 that has been pushed up is inserted into a first hole 8 a formed on the lower surface of the carriage 1, and the flange 5 a of the fixed pin 5 is pressed against the carriage 1 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 11 of the carriage 1. Is fixed, the fixing pin 5 pushes up the carriage 1, and the carriage 1 rotates around the guide shaft 11 in the clockwise direction shown in FIG. The movement for pushing up and rotating the carriage 1 is regulated by the contact between the carriage-side stopper 10 provided on the carriage 1 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 provided on the recovery unit main body 3. After the carriage 1 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, the suction cap 7 is raised by a driving unit (not shown) so as to be in close contact with the first recording head 15a to cover the ejection port, and the first port is closed. The normal suction (recovery operation) of sucking the ink in the recording head 15a by the suction cap 7 is performed. When the recovery operation of the first recording head 15a is completed,
The rotation of the cam 2 in the direction indicated by the arrow C causes the cam 2 of the lever 4 to rotate.
Side portion is pushed up, the fixing pin 5 is pulled out from the first hole 8a, and the carriage 1 is lowered to the initial position.
Supported by Here, while performing idle suction in which the ink in the suction cap 7 is sucked together with the atmosphere, the suction cap 7 descends and separates from the first recording head 15a.

When the carriage 1 descends to the initial position, the carriage 1 moves to the second predetermined fixed position where the second recording head 15b faces the suction cap in order to perform the recovery operation of the second recording head 15b. It moves in the direction of arrow B and stops. Then, as in the above series of operations, the cam 2
Is rotated in the direction of arrow C, the fixing pin 5 is pushed up, and the pushed up fixing pin is inserted into the second hole 8b of the carriage 1 this time, and the fixing pin 5 in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 11 of the carriage 1 is moved. Fixation and rotation of the carriage 1 are restricted. In this state, normal suction (recovery operation) of the second recording head 15b is performed. After the recovery operation of the second recording head 15b, idle suction is performed, and the recovery operation of the third and fourth recording heads 15c and 15d is performed. This recovery operation is the same as the above-described series of operations. Third and fourth holes 8c and 8d are used, respectively. Thus, the recovery operation of the four recording heads 15a to 15d is completed.

To perform the protective capping operation when the recording apparatus is not used, first, the first to fourth recording heads 1 are used.
5a to 15d move the carriage 1 in the direction of arrow B to a fifth predetermined fixed position (protective capping position) facing the first to fourth cap portions 14a to 14d of the protective cap 9, respectively.

Then, when the cam 2 incorporated in the recovery unit main body 3 rotates in the direction of arrow C, the projection 2a of the cam 2 comes off the projection 4a of the lever 4.
The lever 4 rotates in the direction of arrow C by the tension of the coil spring 12, and the fixing pin 5 is pushed up. The pushed-up fixing pin 5 is inserted into a fifth hole 8e formed on the lower surface of the carriage 1 to fix the guide shaft 11 of the carriage 1 in the longitudinal direction. , And the carriage 1 rotates around the guide shaft 11. The movement for pushing up and rotating the carriage 1 is regulated by the contact between the carriage-side stopper 10 provided on the carriage 1 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 provided on the recovery unit main body 3. After the carriage 1 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, when the protection cap 9 is raised by a driving unit (not shown), the first to fourth recording heads 15a to 15d are respectively attached to the first to fourth recording heads 15a to 15d. Cap portions 14a to 14d come into close contact with each other to cover the discharge ports, and the head protection capping is completed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a modification of the fixing portion of the carriage in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, a hole is formed at one end of the lever 29 on the suction cap (not shown) side. The fixing pin 28 having the flange 28c has a small-diameter shaft portion 28a which passes through the hole of the lever 29. The screw member 28b is screwed to the lower end of the shaft 28a. A coil spring 30 is provided between the fixed pin 28 and the lever 29 to urge the fixed pin 28 upward. When the fixing pin 28 enters the hole 8 a of the carriage 1 and pushes up the carriage 1, the coil spring 30 buffers an impact caused by abutting between the recovery unit side stopper (not shown) and the carriage side stopper (not shown). It is a buffer member having a role.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a carriage, a recovery unit, and the like, which are features of a second embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a fixing portion of the carriage, as viewed from the direction of arrow F in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the lever 56 is bent substantially 90 degrees, and is L-shaped when viewed from the side.
The carriage 31 is structured so as to be fixed by being pulled rightward in the figure by a lever 56. To describe this structure in detail, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a protrusion 36 which is an L-shaped plate is integrally provided on the rear portion of the carriage 31. The same first to fifth holes 8a to 8e (see FIG. 4) of the first embodiment
To fifth holes 34a to 34e (see FIG. 9). Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the carriage 31 is used to perform the recovery operation of the first recording head 32a.
Moves to the recovery unit 17 side and the first recording head 32
When a comes to a first predetermined fixed position facing the suction cap 7 and stops, the cam 2 incorporated in the recovery unit main body 3 rotates in the direction of arrow C, and
The protrusion 2a of the lever 56 comes off the protrusion 56a of the lever 56.
The lever 56 rotates in the direction of arrow E due to the tension of the coil spring 12, and the fixing pin 35 is inserted into the first hole 34 a formed on the lower surface of the carriage 31, and the flange 35 a of the fixing pin 35 It comes into pressure contact with the protrusion 36. As a result, the carriage 31 is fixed in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 11, and the carriage 31 is pulled rightward in FIG.
Rotate in the direction. The movement for rotating the carriage 31 is regulated by the contact between the carriage-side stopper 10 provided on the carriage 31 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 provided on the recovery unit main body 3. After the carriage 31 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, the suction cap 7 is lifted by a driving unit (not shown) to be brought into close contact with the first recording head 32a, and normal suction (recovery operation) is performed. When the recovery operation of the first recording head 32a ends, the cam 2 side of the lever 56 is pushed up by the rotation of the cam 2 in the direction of the arrow C, and the fixing pin 35 is moved to the first position.
And the carriage 31 descends to the initial position. Here, the suction cap 7 performs idle suction, and at the same time, the suction cap is lowered to move the first recording head 32.
Move away from a.

Next, in order to perform a recovery operation of the second recording head (not shown), the carriage 31 moves on the guide shaft 11 to a second predetermined fixed position facing the second recording head suction cap 7. Move along.

Then, similar to the above series of operations, the cam 2
Is rotated in the direction of arrow C, the fixing pin 35 moves rightward in the figure and is inserted into the second hole 34b (see FIG. 9) of the carriage 31, and the guide shaft 11 of the carriage 31
In the longitudinal direction and the rotation of the carriage 31 are restricted. In this state, normal suction (recovery operation) of the second recording head is performed in the same manner as described above. After the recovery operation of the second recording head, idle suction of the suction cap 7 is performed, and further, the recovery operation of the third and fourth recording heads (not shown) is performed. This recovery operation is similar to the above-described series of operations, but uses the third and fourth holes 34c and 34d, respectively. Thus, the four print head recovery operations are completed.

To perform the protective capping operation when the recording apparatus is not in use, first, the first to fourth recording heads face the first to fourth cap portions of the protective cap (not shown), respectively. The carriage 31 is moved along the guide shaft 11 to a predetermined fixed position (protection capping position).

Then, when the cam 2 incorporated in the recovery unit main body 3 rotates in the direction of arrow C, the projection 2a of the cam 2 comes off the projection 33a of the lever 56. The lever 56 rotates in the direction of arrow E due to the tension of the coil spring 12, the fixing pin 35 moves rightward in the figure, and is inserted into the fifth hole 34e formed on the lower surface of the carriage 31, and the guide shaft of the carriage 31 11 is fixed in the longitudinal direction, and the carriage 31 is pulled rightward in FIG. 8 and rotates around the guide shaft 11. The movement for rotating the carriage 31 is regulated by the contact between the carriage-side stopper 10 provided on the carriage 31 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 provided on the recovery unit main body 3. After the carriage 31 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, when a protection cap (not shown) is raised by a driving unit (not shown), first to fourth
The first to fourth cap portions of the protective cap are respectively brought into close contact with the recording head, and the head protective capping is completed.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a hole is provided in the projection 36 which is a plate projecting from the rear of the carriage 31 and the lever 56 is bent by about 90 degrees. In the second embodiment, when there is no space on the lower surface of the carriage and there is a space at the rear portion, the carriage can be effectively fixed. Further, the modification shown in FIG. 7 may be applied to the second embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a carriage and a recovery unit, which is a feature of the third embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a fixing portion of the carriage, as viewed from the direction of arrow G in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, the carriage 39 is located behind the portion where the recording head 37a is mounted.
An electromagnetic plunger 38 is provided as fixing means. A fixed pin 41 having a flange 41a is fixed to an output shaft 38a of the electromagnetic plunger 38.
The electromagnetic plunger 38 is connected to exciting means (not shown) via a lead wire 40. This exciting means is controlled by a control unit (not shown) to excite or demagnetize the electromagnetic plunger 38. A plate 42 fixed to the recovery unit main body 3 is located below the carriage 39, and the first to fifth holes 8a to 8e of the first embodiment (FIG. 4) are provided above the plate 42. 1 to 5 (see FIG. 11). Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the first
In order to perform the recovery operation of the recording head 37a, the carriage 39 moves to the recovery unit 17 side, and when the first recording head 37a reaches the first predetermined fixed position facing the suction cap 7, the control means (not The electromagnetic plunger 38 is excited by the exciting means under the control of (illustration), and its output shaft 38 a is lowered together with the fixed pin 41. The lowered fixing pin 41 enters the first hole 40a of the plate 42, the fixing pin 41a presses against the upper surface of the plate 42, and the carriage 39 fixes the guide shaft 11 in the longitudinal direction. The carriage 39 is moved to the front end side of the carriage 39 around the guide shaft 11 (FIG. 10).
In this case, the left side also pushes up. This upward movement is restricted by the contact between the carriage-side stopper 10 provided on the carriage 39 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 provided on the recovery unit main body 3.

After the carriage 39 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, the first suction cap 7
When the operation is completed, the excitation of the electromagnetic plunger 38 by the exciting means is released, and the fixing pin 41 is raised to pass through the first hole 40a of the plate 42, and the carriage 1 Returns to the state before performing the series of operations described above. Here, the suction cap 7
While the suction cap is lowered and the first
Away from the recording head 37a. As in the first and second embodiments, the remaining second to fifth holes 40b to 40b
A similar operation is performed on e, so that a recovery operation and protection capping can be performed.

The third embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that a fixing pin and a driving system for the fixing pin are provided on the carriage side (an electromagnetic plunger is used as a driving force) and holes are provided on the recovery system side.
This is essentially different from the first and second embodiments.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a fourth embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a detailed view showing a fixed pin driving section in FIG. is there.
FIG. 13 shows a state in which the fixing pin is engaged with the hole of the carriage.

The lever 63, which is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the side, is rotatably supported on a shaft 62 having both ends fixed to the recovery unit main body 3. Projections 63a and 63b are formed on the long side 71b and the short side 71a of the lever 63, respectively. A fixed pin 66 is integrally provided at the tip of the long side portion 71b of the lever 63, and the coil spring 6
The support member 70 urged upward by 9 is provided movably in the up-down direction. The support member 70 is supported by the support member 70 via a coil spring 69, penetrates a hole 68 of a protruding piece 67 formed in the recovery unit main body 3, and is guided by the hole 68 to move vertically. I do.

The two first integrally formed rotary shafts 16 are driven to rotate by a cam drive motor (not shown).
And second cams 64 and 65 are provided integrally. The first and second cams 64 and 65 have a concave portion 64a and a convex portion 65b, respectively. First cam 64
Is a protrusion 63 formed on the long side 71b of the lever 63.
a is pushed up to rotate the lever 63 in the direction of arrow C (the state of FIG. 13). On the other hand, the second cam 65 is
The lever 63 is rotated in the direction of the half arrow C by pushing up the protrusion 63b formed on the short side 71a of the third. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in the initial state, the protrusion 63b of the short side 71a of the lever 63 is pushed up by the protrusion 65b of the second cam 65. The protrusion 63 a of the long side 71 b is in contact with the recess 64 a of the first cam 64. Thus, the end of the long side 71b of the lever 63 is at the lowered position. To perform the recovery operation of the first recording head 15a, the carriage 1 moves to the recovery unit 17 side, that is, in the direction of arrow B, and the first recording head 15a
When the vehicle comes to the first predetermined fixed position opposite to and stops, that effect is detected by a position detection sensor (not shown).
As a result, the first and second cams 64 and 65 are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow C by the cam driving motor (not shown) controlled by the control unit (not shown), so that the second
The cam 65 and the projection 65b of the first cam 64 are separated from the projection 63b of the lever 63, and the recess 64a of the first cam 64 is also separated from the projection 63a of the lever 63. Thus, the long side 71b of the lever 63 is pushed up by the first cam 64, and the fixing pin 66 is also pushed up. The pushed up fixing pin 66 is connected to the first pin formed on the lower surface of the carriage 1.
When the support member 70 is pressed against the carriage 1 by the elastic force of the coil spring 69, the carriage 1 rotates about the guide shaft 11. The movement for pushing up and rotating the carriage 1 is regulated by the contact between the carriage-side stopper 10 provided on the carriage 1 and the recovery unit-side stopper 6 provided on the recovery unit main body 3. After the carriage 1 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, the suction cap 7 is raised by a driving unit (not shown) so as to be in close contact with the first recording head 15a to cover the ejection port, and the first port is closed. The normal suction (recovery operation) of sucking the ink in the recording head 15a by the suction cap 7 is performed. When the recovery operation of the first recording head 15a is completed, the projection 63a of the long side portion 71b of the lever 63 is turned into a concave portion of the first cam 64 by the rotation of the first and second cams 64, 65 in the direction of arrow C. 64
a, while the protrusion 63b of the short side portion 71a of the lever 63 abuts on the protrusion 65b of the second cam 65 and is pushed up, so that the lever 63 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow C,
The fixing pin 66 comes out of the first hole 8a, and the carriage 1 is lowered to the initial position and supported by the shaft 33. here,
In addition to performing idle suction in which the ink in the suction cap 7 is sucked together with the atmosphere, the suction cap 7 descends and separates from the first recording head 15a.

When the carriage 1 descends to the initial position, in order to perform the recovery operation of the second recording head 15b, the carriage 1 is moved to the second predetermined fixed position where the second recording head 15b faces the suction cap 7. Moves in the direction of arrow B and stops. Then, similarly to the above-described series of operations, the first and second cams 64 and 65 rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow C to push up the fixing pin 66, and the pushed-up fixing pin 66 is 1 second hole 8
b, the fixing of the guide shaft 11 of the carriage 1 in the longitudinal direction and the rotation of the carriage 1 are restricted. In this state, the normal suction of the second recording head 15b (recovery operation)
I do. After the recovery operation of the second recording head 15b, idle suction is performed, and further, the third and fourth recording heads 15c, 15c,
The recovery operation of 15d is performed. This recovery operation is the same as the above-described series of operations, and the third and fourth holes 8c and 8d are used, respectively. Thus, the recovery operation of the four recording heads 15a to 15d is completed.

To perform the protective capping operation when the recording apparatus is not in use, first, the first to fourth recording heads 1
The carriage 1 is operated in the direction of arrow B until the positions 5a to 15d face the first to fourth cap portions 14a to 14d of the protective cap 9, respectively.

Then, when the first and second cams 64 and 65 incorporated in the recovery unit main body 3 rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow C, the fixing pin 66 is pushed up. The pushed-up fixing pin 66 is inserted into a fifth hole 8e formed on the lower surface of the carriage 1 to fix the guide shaft 11 of the carriage 1 in the longitudinal direction. , And the carriage 1 rotates around the guide shaft 11. The movement of pushing up and rotating the carriage 1 is performed by the carriage 1
Of the recovery unit body 3 and the recovery unit side stopper 6 provided at a fifth predetermined fixed position (protective capping position) facing the cap portions 14a to 14d of the recovery unit main body 3. Is done.
After the carriage 1 is fixed by a series of operations as described above, the protective cap 7 is driven by driving means (not shown).
Is raised, the first to fourth recording heads 15a to 15
The first to fourth cap portions 14a to 14d are in close contact with d, respectively, and cover the discharge ports, respectively, and the head protection capping is completed.

In this embodiment, the lever is substantially L-shaped and, unlike the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, is not provided with a coil spring or a hook for pulling the lever. Miniaturization is achieved.

FIG. 14 is a schematic bottom view of a carriage of a modified example of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing a fixed portion of the carriage of the modified example, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing a state at the time of normal suction,
FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fixing portion of a carriage using a fixing pin, and FIG. FIGS. 17A and 17B are schematic diagrams illustrating a state of the idle suction according to the present modification, in which FIG. 17A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fixing portion of a carriage using fixing pins, and FIG. 17B illustrates a suction cap and a recording head. It is a schematic diagram.

As shown in FIG. 14, cyan, magenta,
Four first, second, third and fourth recording heads 72a to 72 capable of ejecting yellow and black ink, respectively.
d are arranged in parallel with the carriage 1 at an interval L (12.7 mm), and are used for suction at the four first, second, and second positions.
The holes 73a to 73d of 3 and 4 are also formed in the carriage 1 with an interval L therebetween. The length M and width N of these four first, second, third and fourth holes 73a to 73d are 2.71 mm and 2.5 mm, respectively. The fifth hole 73e used at the time of protective capping is formed at a position away from the fourth hole 73d by a distance S (10 mm), and has a length and a width of M, O (1.
7 mm). This example is characterized in that the first, second, third, fourth and fifth holes 73a to 73e are rectangular in shape, and the diameter K of the fixing pin is 1 as shown in FIG. .65 mm, and the four first, second, third, and fourth holes 73a to 73d are also sufficiently smaller than the width N (2.5 mm). Thus, in this example, as shown in FIG. 16, after the recording heads 72a to 72d are normally sucked by the suction cap 7, the fixing pins are inserted into the first, second, third and fourth holes 73a to 73d of the carriage 1. 17, the carriage 1 is moved by a small distance in the direction of arrow B to tilt the suction cap 7, and then the recording head 7 is moved by the suction cap 7, as shown in FIG.
Suction can be performed from 2a to 72d. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 16A, when the carriage 1 stops at the first predetermined fixing position, the fixing pin 7
6 is inserted into the left end of the first hole 73a of the carriage 1 in the drawing, the carriage 1 is fixed in the scanning direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. Normal suction is performed in which the ink in the first recording head 72a is sucked by the suction cap 7 while being in close contact with the first recording head 72a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the distance P between the fixing pin 76 and the guide shaft 75 is 4
It was 2.9 mm. After the end of the normal suction, in this embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 17A, when the carriage 1 is moved only a small distance in the direction of arrow B without pulling out the fixing pin 76 from the first hole 73a, the fixing pin 76
The suction cap 7, which is pivotally supported at one end (not shown), is tilted by the carriage 1 as shown in FIG. 17B. This allows
A clearance R is created between the first recording head 72a and the suction cap 7. In this state, idle suction for sucking the ink in the suction cap 7 together with the atmosphere is performed. After this,
After the fixing pin 76 is removed from the first hole 73a and the suction cap 7 is lowered, the same operation as described above is performed, and the other recording heads 73b, 73c, and 73d suction ink. Other operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the empty suction can be performed immediately after the normal suction. Further, a DC motor is generally used as a carriage driving motor. However, when the operation of moving the carriage by a short distance is repeated,
Variations occur in the response of the C motor, which makes accurate positioning of the carriage impossible. However, in this example, the variation can be absorbed by making the diameter of the fixing pin sufficiently smaller than the width of the hole of the carriage.

In each of the embodiments described above, the fixing means is provided between the carriage and the recovery unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fixing means may be provided between the recording head itself and the recovery unit and other members. It does not hinder anything.

The present invention is not limited to an ink jet recording apparatus, but may be applied to a wire dot type or laser beam type recording apparatus. The present invention is also applicable to a recording apparatus in which a carriage is supported by a guide shaft so as not to rotate. Further, the predetermined fixed position of the carriage is not limited to the capping position, but may be a standby position.

Next, a mechanism for preventing the carriage and the guide rail from being bent by the operation of the user will be described. Each of the embodiments described below can sufficiently achieve the object of the present invention. In addition, each of the above-described embodiments has a sufficient effect to achieve the object of the present invention. However, a further effect can be obtained by using in combination with one of several embodiments described below. Things.

The arrangement position of the recovery unit and the carriage fixing means in the recording apparatus is the left end of the carriage in the first to fourth embodiments, and the right end of the carriage in the fifth to seventh embodiments described below. However, there is no difference in the operation and effect of the present invention.

(Fifth Embodiment) Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 18 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a main part of a fifth embodiment of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the state of attachment and detachment of the ink tank in the recording apparatus of FIG. FIG. 20 is a schematic side view showing the structure and operation of the fixing means and support means of the carriage in the recording apparatus of FIG. In the present application, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the following embodiments, a case where the recording apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus will be described as an example.

As shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the carriage 101 is guided and supported by a guide rail 102 and a support shaft 103 fixed to the apparatus main body so as to be reciprocally movable. Head) 104 and ink tank (ink cartridge) 10
5 is detachably mounted. In this embodiment, four print heads 104 and four ink tanks 105 corresponding to each print head 104 are mounted. In the case of color printing, each print head 104 and the ink tank 105 are mounted.
Is configured to record with, for example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks. In this embodiment, the carriage 101 is provided with a guide rail 102.
The guide shaft 102 is guided and supported so as to be able to reciprocate along, and the rotation about the guide rail 102 is restricted by the support shaft 103. The carriage 101 is coupled to, for example, a transmission belt (not shown) or the like, and is reciprocated by driving the belt by a motor (not shown).

A head cover 107 that can rotate (open and close) about a boss 106 is attached to the carriage 101. This head cover 107 is used for the recording head 104.
Is positioned and held at a predetermined position on the carriage 101. Here, the head cover 107
The recording heads 104 are set in the closed position by being rotated in the direction, so that the recording heads 104 are fixedly positioned on the carriage 101. The head cover 107 is hooked (fixed) to the carriage 101 in the closed position. Further, by rotating and opening the head cover 107 in the direction opposite to the arrow B, the recording head 104 and the ink tank 105 can be easily removed. That is, by operating the head cover 107, the recording head 104 can be easily attached to and detached from the carriage 101.

The ink tank 105 includes the carriage 101
Of the carriage 101 in the direction of the arrow F, the support force of the ink tank pressing portion 111 of the carriage 101 in the direction of the arrow G causes the carriage 101 to be sandwiched between the ink tank pressing portion 111 and the joint portion 112 of the recording head 104. It is easily positioned and fixed on the carriage 101 in this state. In this positioning and fixing state, the ink tank 105
A sealed ink flow path is formed between the recording head 104 and the recording head 104, and ink is supplied to each recording head 104 from the corresponding ink tank 105. The ink tank 105 can be easily removed from the carriage 101 by lifting the ink tank 105 in the direction opposite to the arrow F.

The carriage 101 has a guide rail 102
Are guided and supported so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of the double arrow K along with and to be rotatable about the guide rail 102.
The guide rail 102 is supported by the recording apparatus main body. The recording head 104 is in a downward position and the carriage 10
1, and in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus, a predetermined gap (gap) g between the front surface (ejection port forming surface) of the recording head 104 and a recording material 113 (see FIG. 19) such as recording paper. Is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, a recovery unit 121 for maintaining and recovering the ejection performance of the ejection port 182 is provided at or near the standby position of the carriage 101 outside the recording area in the recording apparatus. Has been established. The recovery unit 121 includes a cap 114 for closing (capping) the discharge port forming surface 181 in order to prevent ink drying of the discharge port 182 and adhesion of dust to the discharge port forming surface 181, and a cap 114 for capping the discharge port forming surface 181. A suction cap holder 131a having a suction cap for sucking ink from the ejection port 182 by generating a negative pressure in the 114 and a suction pump (not shown) are provided. To perform a recovery operation. The cap 11
4 is mounted on the cap holder 131.

At the standby position of the carriage 101, a fixing pin 115 is provided as fixing means for positioning the carriage 101 at the standby position. In the vicinity of the standby position of the carriage 101, a transmission shaft 123 that is rotationally driven by the power from the recovery unit 121 is provided. The fixed pin 115 is vertically moved by a fixed pin cam 122 provided on the transmission shaft 123. Can be moved in any direction. Then, when the carriage 101 comes to the standby position, the fixing pins 115 are fitted into the positioning holes 116 (for example, the holes 8a to 8d in the above-described first to fourth embodiments) on the rear surface of the carriage 101, and further pushed up. Thus, the carriage 101 is configured to be positioned at a predetermined position.

Further, at a standby position of the carriage 101, there is provided a carriage support lever 124 constituting support means according to the present invention. The support lever (support member) 124 is rotatably supported about a shaft 125,
It is arranged so as to be rotationally driven by a support lever cam 126 provided on the transmission shaft 123. The support lever 124 is provided with a carriage support portion 127. The rotation of the support lever 124 causes the carriage support portion 127 to move up and down. Further, the other end arm 128 of the support lever 124 and the hook 12
9, a support spring 124 is attached to the support lever 124 in a direction in which the carriage support portion 127 moves away from the rear surface of the carriage 101 (downward direction). It is being rushed.

When the printing apparatus enters the standby state after the printing operation, it is necessary to seal (cap) the ejection port forming surface 181 of the print head 104 in the non-printing state with the cap 114. Therefore, after the recording operation is completed, the carriage 1
01 moves to a predetermined position (standby position = capping position) above the recovery unit 121 having the cap 114. Then, the fixing pin 115 is pushed up by a driving source (not shown), the fixing pin 115 is fitted into the positioning hole 116 of the carriage 101, and the carriage 101 is pushed up, thereby positioning the capping (with respect to the ejection port forming surface 181). The cap 114 is pressed. The support lever cam 126 rotates in the direction of the arrow L (FIG. 20) in conjunction with the push-up operation of the carriage 101.

As the support lever cam 126 continues to rotate, the cam projection 132 of the support lever cam 126 pushes up the cam butting portion 133 of the carriage support lever 124, and the carriage support lever 124
It is pushed up around 25. Support lever cam 12
6 stops in a state where the carriage support portion 127 of the carriage support lever 124 is at the highest position, that is, in a state where the carriage support portion 127 is in contact with the bottom surface of the carriage 101.

In this stopped state, that is, in a state in which the carriage support lever 124 is pushed up most, the fixing pin 115 pushes up the carriage 101 and the cap 114 comes into pressure contact with the ejection port forming surface 181 and is capped. This state is a standby state of the recording apparatus (carriage 101) according to the present embodiment. In this standby state, the operation of attaching and detaching the ink tank 105 and the operation of adjusting the gap of the recording head 104 (for example, the lever shown in FIG. 29) An operation on the carriage 101 is performed, such as a gap adjustment operation by 118).

According to the above configuration and operation, the operation on the carriage 101 as described above (for example, the ink tank 1)
05, the force in the direction of arrow F acts on the carriage 101 even when the carriage 101
Is supported by the fixing pin 115 and the carriage support lever 124, so that the carriage 101 is prevented from bending or deforming, and the carriage 101 is accurately positioned.

When the standby state is released, for example, when the recording operation is started again, the support lever cam 126 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow L so that the cam projection 132 is brought into contact with the cam abutting portion 1.
33 is not brought into contact. Then, the compression spring 130
Of the carriage support lever 124 by the spring force of
5 and the carriage support 127 is separated from the carriage 101. At the same time, the fixing pin 115 also descends to a position where it does not come into contact with the carriage 101, the recording head 104 on the carriage 101 also moves away from the cap 114, and the carriage 101 is released from the standby state and is ready for a recording operation.

That is, when the carriage 101 moves in the main scanning direction to perform a recording operation or the like, the fixed pin 1
15 and the carriage support lever 124
01 (retreat state) without protruding into the movement space (movement route). Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to reliably position and hold the carriage 101 at the standby position without applying a new load to the carriage 101 that moves in the scanning direction for a recording operation or the like.

FIG. 21 is a plan view schematically showing the fixed support state when the carriage 101 is at the standby position in the configuration shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 21, the support range where the fixing pin 115 contacts the carriage 101 is indicated by reference numeral 134, and the support range where the carriage support lever 124 contacts the carriage 101 is indicated by reference numeral 135. Since the fixing pin 115 has a function of positioning and fixing the carriage 101 at the standby position, the position where the fixing pin 115 and the positioning hole 116 of the carriage 101 are fitted is determined by the position of the ejection port forming surface 181 of the recording head 104. It is preferable to select a position near or near the guide rail 102. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a position satisfying such a condition is set as a position in FIG.
A position as shown by the support range 134 in FIG.

On the other hand, the position where the carriage 101 is supported by the carriage support lever 124 is the position of the fixed pin 1.
From the viewpoint that the entire carriage 101 is supported by the carriage support lever 15 and the carriage support lever 124, it is preferable to select a position near the end on the side facing the guide rail 102. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a position as indicated by a support range 135 in FIG. 21 is selected as a position satisfying such a condition. Carriage support lever 124
Is particularly effective when the carriage 101 is long in the front-rear direction (the dimension M in FIG. 21 is long).

According to the embodiment described above, when the carriage 101 comes to the standby position, the whole of the carriage 101 is supported by the fixing pin 115 and the support member (carriage support lever) 124. When operations such as attachment / detachment and replacement of the head 104 and the ink tank 105 and adjustment of the gap of the recording head 104 are performed on the carriage 101, the operation on the carriage 101 and the carriage The positioning of 101 can be performed easily and accurately.

Further, when the carriage 101 is located at a position other than the standby position, the fixing pin 115 and the carriage support lever 124 are housed at positions deviated from the carriage moving path, so that the carriage 101 can be moved in the scanning direction. The effect that the carriage 101 can be moved to the standby position and positioned and held in the standby state without applying a load is also obtained.

In the above-described embodiment, the compression spring 130 is used to bias the carriage support lever 124 to the storage position. However, as shown in FIG. This may be performed using the spring 136. That is, the position of the rotation center 125 of the carriage support lever 124 is changed as shown in FIG.
The vertical movement of the carriage support lever 124 may be controlled by the tension spring 26 and the tension spring 136.
The other parts of the configuration in FIG. 22 are the same as those in FIGS. 18 and 20, and corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, in place of the compression spring 130 and the tension spring 136, a pull-down cam 137 provided on the transmission shaft 123 is used to raise and lower the vertical movement of the carriage support lever 124. And the lower cam 137 may be controlled by two cams. In the configuration of FIG. 23, a cam abutting portion 133 that contacts the pull-down cam 137 is formed on the other end arm portion 128 of the carriage support lever 124. The other parts of the configuration in FIG. 23 are the same as those in FIGS. 18 and 20, and corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 24 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a main part of a recording apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the fixed support state at the time of a position. The present embodiment is characterized in that the carriage 101 in the standby state is supported by two carriage support levers 124A and 124B, except that the carriage support lever and its driving system are provided in a double manner. It has substantially the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment shown in FIGS. Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the carriage 101 at the standby position has a total of 3 of the support range 134 by the fixing pin 115, the support range 135A by the carriage support lever 124, and the support range 135B by the carriage support lever 124B.
Fixedly supported at the point.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, similarly to the fifth embodiment, the carriage 10 is used.
When the carriage 1 has moved to the standby position, the carriage 101 is positioned and fixed by the fixing pin 115, and the two carriage support levers 124A, 124
The carriage 101 is supported by B, and the ejection forming surface 181 of the recording head 104 is pressed against the cap 114 to cap the ejection port 182. That is, also in the present embodiment, substantially the same operation as in the case of the above-described fifth embodiment is performed.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as in the case of the fifth embodiment. In addition, in the present embodiment, the carriage 101 is supported by the fixing pin 115 and the other two points.
04 or the ink tank 105 or the recording head 1
The fourth embodiment is more advantageous than the fifth embodiment in that the carriage 101 is prevented from bending or deforming when a force acts on the carriage 101 by an operation such as the gap adjustment in step 04.

Further, the weight of the carriage 101 is large and the vicinity of the center of gravity of the carriage needs to be pushed up by the fixing pin 115, or the position of the positioning hole 116 is restricted due to the space of the carriage 101. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, when the vicinity of the center of the carriage 101 is supported by the fixing pins 115, the carriage 101 may have a shape long in the direction of the guide rail 2 (a shape having a large dimension in FIG. 25). In this case, it is particularly effective to support two portions of the carriage 101 with the carriage support levers 124A and 124B as in this embodiment.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the carriage support levers 124A, 124B,
Support lever cams 126A, 126B and compression spring 13
Instead of 0A, 130B, etc., the configuration shown in FIG. 22 or the configuration shown in FIG. 23 can be adopted, and it goes without saying that the same operation and effect can be obtained.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 24 and FIG.
The support lever cams 126A, 126B, the compression springs 130A, 130B, etc. are individually provided for each of the carriage support levers 124A, 124B. The carriage support lever (one support lever cam, one compression spring) may support two points of the carriage 101 at the same time. Further, in the present embodiment, the carriage 101 is moved by the carriage support lever.
Although shown in the case of supporting at points (135A, 135B),
The carriage 101 may be configured to be simultaneously supported at a plurality of places of three or more points. According to these modifications, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 26 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a main part of a recording apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 27 is viewed from an arrow P direction in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic partial front view showing the movement of the carriage 101 and a standby state of the carriage 101. The present embodiment is characterized in that the carriage 101 that has moved to the standby state is supported by the carriage support slope 140 provided on the apparatus main body side, and the carriage support slope 140 is used instead of the carriage support lever 124. Except for supporting the carriage 101, it has substantially the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment shown in FIGS. Further, the carriage support slope 140 constitutes a fixed carriage support means, and is formed using the outer wall portion of the recovery unit 121 in this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the carriage support slope 140 has a shape having a slope 141 inclined in the moving direction of the carriage 101 and an apex 142 supporting the carriage 101 at a standby position. . When the recording operation or the like is completed, the carriage 101 moves in the arrow Q direction to enter the standby state. Carriage 101
When the carriage approaches the standby position, the lower right end of the carriage 101 in the figure contacts the slope 141 of the carriage support slope 140. When the carriage 101 further moves in the direction of arrow Q, the carriage 101 moves toward the apex 142 while being pushed up along the inclined surface 141, and then moves toward the apex 142 as shown by a solid line position in FIG. 1
It stops at the standby position supported by 42.

After the carriage 101 stops at the standby position, the fixing pin 115
Is pushed up, and the fixing pin 115 is
By fitting into the positioning holes 116 (FIG. 20) of
The positioning and fixing of the carriage 101 to the standby position are performed. When the carriage 101 is thus positioned and fixed, the apex portion 14 of the carriage support slope 140 is
Numeral 2 is in contact with or very close to the bottom surface of the carriage 101. That is, in the standby state, the carriage 101 is fixedly supported by the raised fixing pins 115 and the apexes 142 of the carriage support slope 140, and is vertically attached to the carriage 101 (FIG. 20).
Even when an external force (in the direction of arrow F in the middle) acts, the carriage 101 is supported at these two points. Therefore, as in the case of the fifth embodiment, the carriage 1
It is possible to reliably prevent the carriage 101 from bending or deforming when performing operations such as attaching and detaching the recording head 104 and the ink tank 105 and adjusting the gap of the recording head 104 on the recording medium 101.

In order to cancel the standby state, for example, when the recording operation is started again, the fixing pin 115 is lowered by the rotation of the fixing pin cam 122 to the storage position, and then the carriage 101 is moved.
Is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow Q. In this case, after the carriage 101 slides down the slope portion 141 of the carriage support slope 140, the recording operation starts.

In this embodiment, in order to reduce the resistance (load) acting on the carriage 101 when the carriage 101 moves along the slope 141, the carriage 101 comes into contact with the slope 141 of the carriage 101. It is good also as composition which provides load reduction means, such as a roller which can rotate in a part. FIG. 28 is a schematic partial front view showing a configuration in which a rotatable roller 143 is provided on the carriage 101 in the configurations of FIGS. 26 and 27. As shown in FIG. 28, the rotation direction of the roller 143 is indicated by an arrow R. If the roller 143 rotates by frictional force with the inclined surface 141, the rotation direction of the roller 143 is limited to the direction of the arrow R. Not something.

In the present embodiment, the carriage support slope 1
Although the case where 40 is provided in the recovery unit 121 is illustrated,
The carriage support slope 140 may be provided on another member as long as the member is disposed at or near the carriage standby position of the apparatus main body, or may be formed by a dedicated member. According to this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained. In addition, since the carriage supporting means 140 is constituted by a member fixedly provided on the apparatus main body side, a complicated mechanism is required. The carriage 1 in the standby state can be used simply by utilizing the movement of the carriage 101 in the scanning direction.
01 can be obtained.

In each of the above embodiments, the recording head 104 and the ink tank 1
In the present invention, the case where the recording head 05 is detachably mounted (replaceable) has been described as an example. The carriage 1 has a structure in which only the head is detachably mounted on the carriage 101 and ink is supplied to the recording head via a tube or the like.
Regardless of the configuration of the components mounted on the device 01, the same can be applied and the same effect can be obtained.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the recording apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is applicable to a recording apparatus in which a recording head or the like is detachably mounted on a carriage. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a recording apparatus of another recording method such as a wire dot type, a thermal type, a thermal transfer type, and a laser beam type, and the same effect can be obtained.

In the above-described embodiment, the case of a color ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of (four) recording means (recording heads or head cartridges) for recording in different colors has been described as an example. The present invention is widely applicable to any number of recording means and recording colors, such as a recording apparatus using one recording means, or a gradation recording apparatus using a plurality of recording means for performing recording with the same color but different densities. It can be applied and the same effect can be obtained.

An ink jet recording apparatus as one of the recording apparatuses to which the present invention is applied can be applied to, for example, an apparatus using a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. However, the present invention brings about an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus of a type in which ink is ejected using thermal energy.
According to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording. Regarding the typical configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path holding the liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, thereby causing the electrothermal transducer to generate heat energy, This is effective because the film can be boiled on the heat-acting surface of the (recording head), and consequently bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal.

The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in 463359 and 4345262 are suitable. In addition, U.S. Pat.
If the conditions described in the specification of JP-A No. 124 are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, The present invention also includes a configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The present invention is also effective in a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461 which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, regardless of the form of the recording head, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or an electric connection with the apparatus main body or ink from the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means or auxiliary auxiliary means to the printhead provided as a configuration of the printing apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. . Specifically, in addition to the above-described capping unit, cleaning unit, and suction recovery unit for the recording head, a pressure recovery unit, an electrothermal converter, or another heating element other than the above. Alternatively, it is also effective to perform a pre-heating mode using a combination of these and a pre-ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing, in order to perform stable printing.

Further, as described above, the types and the number of the recording heads to be mounted are, for example, not only those having only one recording head corresponding to a single color ink, but also those having different recording colors and densities. A plurality of inks may be provided in correspondence with the above ink. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, and may be any of a configuration in which the recording head is integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of recording heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of color colors or full color by color mixture.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet ink is used. In general, in the method, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. What is necessary is just to be liquid. in addition,
Whether to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or use ink that solidifies in a standing state to prevent evaporation of the ink In any case, the ink is liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal, and the ink is liquefied, and the liquid ink is discharged. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used.

The ink in such a case is disclosed in
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a form in which the liquid sheet or the solid sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It may be. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition to the above, the recording apparatus according to the present invention may be used not only as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, but also as a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, or as a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function. It may take a form.

[0139]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by the above-mentioned several embodiments or a combination thereof.

First, since the carriage can be securely fixed at a predetermined position, the following effects can be obtained.

In the case of a recording apparatus using a DC motor as a carriage driving source, unlike a pulse motor, a DC motor cannot be controlled by a pulse, so that the carriage cannot be accurately positioned. But,
According to the present invention, an accurate carriage positioning operation can be performed even in a recording apparatus using a DC motor as a drive source with a simple configuration in which the fixing means is engaged with the carriage. Even in the case of a recording device using a pulse motor, the positioning operation of the carriage can be performed more accurately. Further, it is possible to prevent the carriage from being damaged when the recording apparatus is moved or distributed in an unused state.

When the recovery operation of the recording head or the protective capping is performed, the carriage is fixed at a predetermined fixed position in the scanning direction and the rotation direction, and the carriage does not rattle. In addition, the recovery operation can be reliably performed without any displacement of the suction cap. The same can be said for the protective capping when the recording apparatus is not used.

In the case of a recording apparatus having a plurality of recording heads, such as a color recording apparatus, the recovery operation of the recording head can be performed continuously and accurately a plurality of times by one suction pump and suction cap. it can.

Further, as another effect, when performing operations such as attachment / detachment of the ink tank and the recording head on the carriage and adjustment of the gap of the recording head, by preventing the carriage from bending, the operation and positioning on the carriage can be accurately performed. A recording device capable of performing the same is provided.

Further, the supporting means is configured to be movable relative to the apparatus main body, so that the supporting means can be stored except when the carriage is in a standby state, and no load is applied to the moving carriage. The effect of being able to support the carriage during standby is also obtained.

Further, since the supporting means is fixed to the main body of the apparatus, the moving means in the scanning direction of the carriage can be used only at the carriage standby position without adding a complicated mechanism to the main body of the apparatus. The effect of being able to support is also obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of a recording apparatus as an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the recording head shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of a recording apparatus as an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a carriage, a recovery unit, and the like of the first embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view when viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram for controlling driving of the cam shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a modified example of the fixing portion of the carriage in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a carriage, a recovery unit, and the like of a second embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a fixing portion of the carriage as viewed from the direction of arrow F in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a carriage, a recovery unit, and the like of a third embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a fixing portion of the carriage as viewed from the direction of arrow G in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a carriage, a recovery unit, and the like of a fourth embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic detailed view showing a driving section of a fixing pin in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic bottom view of a carriage of a modified example of the recording apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing a fixing portion of a carriage according to the present modification.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are schematic diagrams illustrating a state during normal suction in this modification, in which FIG. 16A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fixing portion of a carriage using fixing pins, and FIG. It is.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are schematic diagrams illustrating a state of idle suction according to the present modification, in which FIG. 17A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fixing portion of a carriage using fixing pins, and FIG. It is.

FIG. 18 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a main part of a recording apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

19 is a schematic side view for explaining a state in which a recording head and an ink tank on a carriage are attached and detached in the recording apparatus of FIG.

20 is a schematic side view showing the configuration and operation of a mechanism for positioning and supporting a carriage at a standby position in the printing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 21 is a schematic plan view showing a support range of a carriage at a standby position in the printing apparatus of FIG. 18;

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a modified configuration of a carriage support mechanism in the recording apparatus of FIG.

23 is a schematic perspective view showing another modified configuration of the carriage support mechanism in the printing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 24 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a main part of a recording apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a schematic plan view showing a support range of a carriage at a standby position in the printing apparatus of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a main part of a recording apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a schematic partial front view showing a state when the carriage enters a standby position in the printing apparatus of FIG. 26;

28 is a schematic partial front view showing a state where a carriage having rollers enters a standby position in the recording apparatus of FIG. 26;

FIG. 29 is a schematic side view illustrating a mechanism for adjusting a gap between a recording unit and a recording medium in the recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 31, 39 Carriage 2 Cam 2a Projection 3 Recovery unit body 4, 29, 56 Lever 4a, 56a Projection 5, 28, 35, 41 Fixing pins 5a, 28c, 35a, 41a Flange 6 Recovery unit side stopper 7 Suction Cap 8a, 34a, 40a First hole 8b, 34b, 40b Second hole 8c, 34c, 40c Third hole 8d, 34d, 40d Fourth hole 8e, 34e, 40e Fifth hole 9 Protective cap 10 Carriage side stopper 11 guide shaft 12 coil spring 13 shaft 14a first cap portion 14b second cap portion 14c third cap portion 14d fourth cap portion 15a, 32a, 37a first recording head 15b second recording Head 15c Third recording head 15d Fourth recording head 16 Rotation axis 17 Recovery unit 8 Hook 19 Platen 20 Paper press plate 21 Gear 22 Paper feed motor 23 Carriage motor 24 Carriage belt 25 Flexible substrate 26 Electrothermal converter 27 Discharge port 28a Shaft 28b Screw member 30 Coil spring 31 Carriage 33 Shaft 36 Projection 38 Electromagnetic Plunger 38a Output shaft 40 Lead wire 42 Plate 43 Position detection sensor 44 Control unit 45 Cam drive motor 46 Interface circuit 47 Operation panel 48 First drive circuit 49 Second drive circuit 50 Third drive circuit 51 MPU 52 ROM 53 RAM 54 Input / output port 55 Control unit 60, 61 Chassis 62 Shaft 63 Lever 63a Projection 63b Projection 64 First cam 64a Depression 65 Second cam 65b Projection 66 Fixing pin 67 Projection 68 Hole 69 Coil 70 Support member 71a Short side 71b Long side 72a First recording head 72b Second recording head 72c Third recording head 72d Fourth recording head 73a First hole 73b Second hole 73c Third Hole 73d Fourth hole 73e Fifth hole 75 Guide shaft 76 Fixing pin 76a Flange 101 Carriage 102 Guide rail 103 Support shaft 104 Recording head 105 Ink tank 106 Boss 107 Head cover 111 Ink tank pressing section 112 Joint section 113 Recording medium 114 Cap 115 Fixing pin 116 Positioning hole 117 Support shaft contact member 118 Gap adjusting lever 119, 120 Contact surface 121 Recovery unit 122 Fixed pin cam 123 Transmission shaft 124, 124A, 124B Support lever 125, 125A, 125B Shaft (center of rotation) 126, 126A, 126B Supporting lever cam 127, 127A, 127B Carriage supporting portion 128, 128A, 128B Other arm portion 129, 129A, 129B Hook 130, 130A, 130B Compression spring 131 Cap holder 131a Suction cap holder 132 Cam projecting part 133 Cam projecting part 134, 135, 135A, 135B Support range 136 Tension spring 137 Pull-down cam 140 Carriage supporting slope 141 Slope part 142 Apex part 143 Roller 181 Discharge port forming surface 182 Discharge port

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Onishi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Unosawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside (72) Inventor Makoto Kashimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Shinji Kanemitsu 3-30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Tetsuhiro Nitta 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Makoto Takemura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Invention Person Hiroshi Yoshino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-4-112044 (JP, A) JP-A-3-24 6051 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/165 B41J 19/18 B41J 29/54

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A printing apparatus having a carriage for scanning along a guide axis and mounting a printhead, wherein: a position detecting means for detecting a position of the carriage in the scanning direction; When the position detecting means detects that the carriage is at one of the predetermined fixed positions, the carriage is engaged with the carriage to regulate the carriage in the scanning direction and to fix the carriage to the one position. A recording device, comprising: fixing means. 2. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink from a discharge port to a recording medium, and one of the plurality of predetermined fixed positions is the discharge head. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capping position is a capping position for covering the outlet. 3. The printing head according to claim 1, wherein the printing head is configured to perform printing by discharging ink from a discharge port to a printing medium, and one of the plurality of predetermined fixed positions includes the discharging head. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is a position for covering the outlet with a cap and performing a recovery operation of the ink jet print head. 4. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink from a discharge port to a recording medium, and one of the plurality of predetermined fixed positions is the discharge head. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exit is a position for covering the outlet with a cap to protect the inkjet recording head. 5. The printhead is a plurality of inkjet printheads that perform printing by discharging ink from a discharge port onto a print medium, and one of the plurality of predetermined fixed positions is: The recording according to claim 1, wherein the position is a position corresponding to one of the plurality of inkjet recording heads for covering an ejection port of the inkjet recording head with a cap to protect the inkjet recording head. apparatus. 6. The recording head is a plurality of inkjet recording heads that perform recording by discharging ink from a discharge port to a recording medium, and one of the plurality of predetermined fixed positions is: 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ink jet recording heads are covered by caps to protect the ink jet recording heads. 7. When the carriage is fixed to the fixing means at one of the plurality of predetermined fixing positions, a part different from a part engaged with the fixing means is provided on the apparatus main body. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is supported by fixed support means. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head includes an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink. apparatus. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recording head discharges the ink from the discharge port using film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer. apparatus.