JP3352110B2 - 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 an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording head in which an ink tank for supplying ink to a recording head section is integrated, and more particularly, downsizing of the entire apparatus or a part thereof is achieved. Related to a recorded device. The present invention relates to a recording apparatus applicable to a single printer, a copying machine, a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink supply mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus uses a so-called permanent recording head in which a recording head is used for a long term, and a large ink cartridge is replaced with an ink supply path of the recording head. And when replacing the ink tank integrated recording head with the recording head with the ink tank integrated in the recording head unit detachable from the device as it is, and when ink is stored in the ink tank of the integrated recording head. It is roughly divided into the case of re-use where the re-fill is performed only at a predetermined position or manually by the user.

As a driving means of the ink jet recording head, an electrothermal converter or a photothermal converter is used to generate thermal energy to cause film boiling exceeding the nucleate boiling in the ink to form bubbles. The method of ejecting ink droplets by the stable volume expansion has been put to practical use. In other methods, a method of ejecting ink using an electromechanical transducer has been partially put into practical use.

[0004]

[0005]

[0006]

In the above conventional example, the first gear (control gear 102) is slid in the thrust direction from a home position by the pressing of the carrier, and is engaged with the first gear to transmit power and release the pressing of the carrier. In the clutch mechanism including the second gear (clutch gear 259) that releases the power transmission by releasing the engagement by the return spring, only the first return spring is required to return the second gear to the home position . .

[0008]

However, in the above conventional example, the release of the second gear from the first gear is performed.
When the second gear is
If the return is delayed, the pressure of the return spring is transmitted to the carrier.
May cause unstable carrier operation
There were challenges.

[0009]

[0010]

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve the issues described above, the pressure release of the carrier smoothly
Carried out, it shall be the purpose of making the operation of the carrier stabilized.

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

For this reason, the recording apparatus of the present invention has the following construction to achieve the above object. (1) A carrier for mounting a recording head and the key
A lead screw rotating forward and backward to reciprocate the carrier, and a lead screw provided at an end of the lead screw;
Lead that transmits the driving force of the motor to the lead screw
Crew gear and recovery system to recover the printhead
And provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the lead screw, in a direction in which the carrier approaches the screw gear.
Moving the clutch gear which moves by being pushed by the said carrier, and control gear for transmitting drive to the recovery system meshes with the clutch gear when the clutch gear by movement of said carrier is moved, the reed
The clutch is disposed between the screw gear and the clutch gear.
Switch gear in the direction away from the lead screw gear.
A first elastic member for biasing, the clutch gear and the key;
Carrier and the clutch gear
A second elastic member biasing in a direction away from the second elastic member.
And sea urchin.

[0015] (2) The recording apparatus as described in (1), before
The force of the first elastic member is F1, the force of the second elastic member is F2 , and the carrier moves on the lead screw.
The load to when the F0, F1>F2> F0
To satisfy the relationship.

(3) In the recording apparatus according to the above (1) or (2), the recording head is an ink capable of discharging ink.
It was made to be a jet recording head .

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a carrier 203 includes a recording head 200 and an ink tank 201 which constitute recording means.
And a head cartridge 202 to which the head cartridge 202 is connected. One end of the carrier 203 on the recording head 200 side is fitted to a lead screw 213 rotatably attached to the chassis 1 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Is arranged,
The guide is slidably fitted in a guide rail 2 formed on the chassis 1 in parallel with the axial direction of the lead screw 213. The carrier 203 is configured to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction with the rotation of the lead screw 213 while keeping its posture constantly constant.

That is, the lead screw 213
As shown in the figure, a lead screw gear 257 fixed to the left end of the screw and a pinion gear 256 fixed to the output shaft of the carrier motor 255 mesh with each other, and are formed spirally at a predetermined pitch on the lead screw 213. The lead pin 209 (FIG. 5) attached to the carrier 203 is fitted into the guided guide 268 (FIG. 4). Therefore, when the lead screw 213 rotates in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the carrier motor 255, the carrier 203 is rotated.
Reciprocates. The details of the scanning of the carrier 203 will be described later.

A flexible cable 211 transmits a print signal from an electric circuit to be described later to the recording head 200. The flexible cable 211 is positioned and held on the pinch roller frame 11 by the flexible cable holder 16.

The recording head 200 is driven in synchronization with the reciprocating movement of the carrier 203 to eject ink in accordance with a recording signal, thereby performing one-line recording on the recording material 3. That is, the recording head 200 is used for ejecting a liquid by acting on a fine liquid discharge port (orifice), a liquid path and an energy action section provided in a part of the liquid path, and acting on the liquid in the action section. Energy generating means for generating the energy for forming droplets to be formed.

A recording method using a piezo element or the like as an energy generating means for generating such energy, a recording method in which an electromagnetic wave such as a laser is irradiated to generate heat, and a liquid is discharged by the action of the heat, or a heating resistor There is a recording method using an energy generating means for discharging the liquid by heating the liquid with an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having the above.

Among them, a recording head used in an ink jet recording method in which a liquid is discharged by thermal energy can arrange liquid discharge ports for discharging a recording liquid to form droplets at a high density. High-resolution recording. Among them, a recording head using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating means,
It is easy to make compact, and it can make full use of the advantages of IC technology and micro-machining technology, which have made remarkable progress in technology and recent improvements in the semiconductor field, making high-density mounting easy and reducing manufacturing costs. This is advantageous because it is inexpensive.

When one-line printing is performed by scanning the carrier 203, the recording material 3 is conveyed by one line by the conveying means and the next line is recorded.
Is carried out by a rotating pair of a conveying roller 4 and a pinch roller 8 which presses against the conveying roller 4, and a rotating pair of a discharge roller 7 and a spur 6 which comes into contact with the discharging roller.

More specifically, the recording material 3 whose recording surface is opposed to the discharge port surface of the recording head 200 is
The sheet is conveyed to a recording position as needed by being pressed against the conveyance roller 4 by a pinch roller 8 and appropriately rotating the conveyance roller 4 by a paper feed motor 5. After the recording, the recording material 3 is pressed against the discharge roller 7 by the spur 6, and the discharge roller 7 rotates to discharge and convey the recording material 3 out of the apparatus.

The transport roller 4 and the discharge roller are driven by a paper feed motor 5, and the driving force is transmitted by a reduction gear train 15.

The position of the rotation axis of the spur 6 that contacts the recording surface of the recording material 3 is fixed, and the contact position between the spur 6 and the recording material 3 changes regardless of the thickness of the recording material 3. On the other hand, the discharge roller 7 that contacts the non-recording surface side of the recording material 3 responds to a change in the thickness of the recording material 3 due to the deformation of the discharge roller 7 due to the thickness of the recording material 3. It has become. Specifically, the discharge roller 7 is made of thin rubber,
It is formed in a conical shape and deforms with a restoring force in the radial direction.
Therefore, deformation is performed according to the pressing force against the spur 6 and the thickness of the recording material 3.

The same effect can be obtained by forming the discharge roller 7 from a material having a large elastic deformation, for example, a material such as a porous sponge or a resin or rubber having a very low hardness. Further, the entire discharge roller 7 is spured with a spring or the like.
May be pressed against. Therefore, the distance between the recording head 200 and the recording material 3 can be maintained at a predetermined amount regardless of the thickness of the recording material 3, and stable conveyance can be performed.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a paper sensor, and the recording material 3
Is detected.

Next, the structure of pressing the pinch roller 8, which is a driven rotary member, for pressing the recording material 3 against the discharge roller 4, which is a driving rotary member, will be described.

In FIG. 2, a pinch roller 8 has a bearing of a mold fitted at both ends thereof, and an end of a pinch roller spring 9 as a spring member is supported by being bent into the pinch roller 8. The pinch roller spring 9
Is the pinch roller holder 10 on the pinch roller frame 11
Are supported so as to be rotatable around a shaft portion 9a shown in the drawing. Also, the shaft 9 of the pinch roller spring 9
“a” is bent at the center in a U-shape to form a lever portion 9b.

The operation means for changing the pressing force of the pinch roller 8 by the pinch roller spring 9 includes a release angle 12 slidable on a pinch roller frame 11.
By operating this angle and pushing up the pinch roller spring 9, a twist is generated in the shaft portion 9a,
The pinch roller 8 is pressed against the transport roller 4 by the repulsive force. Further, the pressing force is released by eliminating the twist.

That is, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the cam portion 12a provided on the release angle 12
As a result, the shaft portion is twisted (elastic deformation), and the pinch roller 8 is pressed against the transport roller 4.
On the other hand, when the release angle 12 is slid in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3, the state shown in FIG. 2 is obtained, and the cam portion 12a is lowered so that the lever of the pinch roller 8 is lowered, and the shaft portion 9a is restored to eliminate the twist. The pressing force of the pinch roller 8 against the transport roller 4 decreases.

Thus, the jammed recording material 3 can be easily pulled out even if the pinch roller 8 is not completely separated from the conveyance roller 4. Release angle 1
2 is slid left and right by rotating the release lever 13. The release lever 13 is pivotally supported by the pinch roller frame and has a long hole on the side opposite to the lever with respect to the rotation axis.
Contains 2 handles. Then, by rotating the release lever 13, the release angle 12 moves in parallel.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a lead screw mechanism for feeding the carrier 203 to the recording material 3.
Only the members necessary for the function are shown.

In the lead screw 213 slidably fitted to the carrier bearing A 228 and the carrier bearing B 229 provided on the carrier 203, the right end of the lead screw 213 is connected to the chassis 1 via an adjustment spring 250.
Rotatably coupled to the

The left end is rotatably connected to the recovery plate 271 via a bearing 251. Further, a lead screw pressing plate 272 is rotatably fitted to the groove 213a of the lead screw 213 for fixing in the thrust direction. The lead screw holding plate 272 is connected to the recovery plate 271 by screws 273. 274 is a screw hole, the carrier 203 is a guide part (not shown), and the guide rail 2
And slidably coupled to prevent and guide rotation of the carrier 203.

A plurality of guides 268 are formed on the lead screw 213, and a lead pin 209 is slidably fitted to one of the guides 268, and the carrier 203 is attached to the lead screw 213 in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the lead screw 213. , B direction.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the carrier bearing A 228 of FIG. The lead pin 209 is a pin whose one end is processed into a spherical shape, and is slidably fitted between a carrier bearing A 228 and a carrier bearing B 229 in a hole formed in the body of the carrier 203 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the lead screw 213. The spherical portion is slidably engaged with the lead screw 213, and is urged in the direction of the lead screw 213 by a lead pin spring 210 provided detachably from the other end of the carrier 203 main body.

A stopper 269 is formed above the lead pin spring 210 in the sliding direction of the lead pin 209 to restrict the operating range of the lead pin 209 in order to prevent the lead pin 209 from coming off the guide strip 268.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a lead screw end. Recording head 200 and carrier 3 on carrier 203
Is determined by the distance of the lead screw 213 supporting the carrier 203 from the recording material 3. The left end of the lead screw 213 is determined by the recovery system plate 271, and the right end of the lead screw 213 is determined based on the left end. A first elongated hole 252 perpendicular to the recording material 3 is formed in the chassis 1 so that the first elongated hole 252 can be adjusted to be parallel to the recording material 3.

The adjustment spring 250 is parallel to the recording material 3 with the adjustment spring 250 attached to the chassis 1, and regulates the right-hand end of the lead screw 213 in the vertical direction with respect to the recording material 3. Two long holes 253 are formed.

The right end of the lead screw 213 is supported by a first slot 252 and a second slot 253,
The lead screw 213 is adjusted in parallel to the recording material 3 by moving the adjustment spring 250 where the 53 is formed perpendicularly to the recording material 3 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure).

The adjustment spring 250 has a lead screw 21
(3) A spring 250a for urging the right end toward the left end is also integrally formed. The adjustment spring 250 is fixed to the chassis 1 with a screw 254.

FIG. 7 shows the left end of the lead screw 213 where a clutch mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the carrier motor 255 to the recovery system via the lead screw 213 is formed.

A carrier motor 255 is connected to the recovery system plate 271. A pinion gear 256 (FIG. 1) is fixed to the shaft of the carrier motor 255, and meshes with a lead screw gear 257 fixed to the lead screw 213. The forward / reverse rotation of the carrier motor 255 causes the lead screw 213 to rotate forward / reverse. Then, the lead pin 209 slidably in contact with the guide strip 268 of the lead screw 213 moves the carrier 203 along the guide strip 268. Recovery system plate 271
Has a control gear 102 incorporated therein.

At the left end of the lead screw 213, an initial lock 258, a clutch plate 260, a clutch gear 259, a return spring 261, and a plate spring 275 are provided.

The initial lock 258 is fixed to the lead screw 213. The clutch gear 259 is engaged with the lead screw 213 slidably in the axial direction, and a part of the clutch gear 259 enters the inside of the initial lock 258.

That is, two protrusions 262 are formed on the clutch gear 259 at asymmetrical positions on the circumference, and these protrusions 262 can move only in the axial direction to the concave portions 263 formed on the initial lock 258 in the same phase as the protrusions 262. Is fitted.

A flange 267 is provided on the end surface of the clutch gear 259 on the side of the lead screw gear 257,
Trigger teeth 259a for giving a rotation trigger to the control gear 102 are formed on 67.

The control gear 102 has a gear formed on the outer periphery thereof. When the lead screw 213 is incorporated into the recovery plate 271, the lead screw 21
3 is in a position where it meshes with the clutch gear 259 on the upper side. However, during the recording operation, the control gear 102 is such that a part of the outer gear is cut off and faces the clutch gear 259, and the control gear 102 is
There is no mesh with.

A side gear 102h having several teeth is formed on the side surface of the cutout portion of the gear. The side gear 102h is operated by a clutch gear 259 by an operation described later.
Of the control gear 10
2 is given a rotation trigger.

Initial lock 258 and clutch gear 2
59, a clutch plate 260 and a plate spring 275 are inserted, and the plate spring 275 always pushes the clutch plate 260 to the initial lock side. Further, a lead screw gear 257 is fixed to the lead screw 213. The return spring 261 is located between the clutch gear 259 and the lead screw gear 257, and always keeps the clutch gear 259 in the initial lock 2 position.
It is pushed to 58 side. The load for sliding on the lead screw 213 of the carrier 203 is F0, the force of the return spring with the same amount of deflection is F1, and the force of the plate spring is F2.
Then, there is a relationship of F1>F2> F0.

Since the function of the plate spring 275 is only required to have a springy material between the clutch gear 259 and the carrier 203, the carrier 203 may have a spring shape 276 as shown in FIG. 8C.

An idling groove 264 having the same shape as that of the lead screw 213 is formed on the periphery of the initial lock 258, and is connected to only the lead for guiding the lead pin 209 by the communication groove 265.

When the carrier motor 255 is rotated forward, the carrier 203 moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

The recovery system plate 271 has an HP sensor 2
70 (FIG. 1) is attached, and the carrier motor 255
The carrier 203 is scanned by the rotation of
By detecting the point at which the shielding plate 230 (FIG. 1) formed through the HP sensor passes, the reference point can be used as a reference point for a recording operation and a recovery operation described later.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the clutch mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the carrier motor 255 to the recovery system.

When the carrier motor 255 is rotated in the reverse direction from the state shown in FIG. 8A, the lead pin 209 moving the carrier 203 is moved from the guide 268 of the lead screw 213 through the communication groove 265 to the initial lock 2.
It enters the idling groove 264 at 58.

At this time, as shown in FIG.
The end 228 pushes the clutch plate 260, the clutch plate 260 pushes the plate spring 275, and the plate spring 275 pushes the clutch gear 259, and is pushed to a position where it meshes with the control gear 102. At this time, the gear teeth on the control gear 102 side corresponding to the gear portion of the clutch gear 259 are notched, and the control gear 102 does not rotate.

When the carrier motor 255 is further rotated in the reverse direction, the trigger teeth 25 of the clutch gear 259 are rotated as shown in FIG.
9a meshes with the side gear 102h of the control gear 102, rotates the control gear 102, and the teeth of the control gear 102 mesh with the clutch gear 259.

A flange 267 is formed on the clutch gear 259, and when the clutch gear 259 and the control gear 102 are engaged with each other, the flange 267 of the clutch gear 259 is engaged with a side surface of the control gear 102.
It keeps meshing with the control gear 102. When the carrier motor 255 is further rotated in the reverse direction, the recovery operation starts.

After the recovery operation is completed, the carrier motor 255 is rotated forward, and the control gear 102 and the clutch gear 2 are rotated.
When returning to the meshing start position 59, the control gear 102 and the flange 267 of the clutch gear 259 are disengaged, and the return spring 261 and the plate spring 27 are disengaged.
The bias of 5 causes the clutch gear 259 to return to its original position. The clutch plate 260 fitted to the clutch gear 259 is similarly pushed, and the clutch plate 260
Bearing A228 of the carrier 203 in contact with the
The part is pushed in the same way. At this time, the control gear 102
Even if the clutch gear 259 is not well separated from the clutch gear 259 and the clutch gear 259 is caught on the control gear 102 for a short time, and the pressing force of the return spring is not transmitted to the carrier 203, the plate spring positioned closer to the carrier than the clutch gear 259 is. The carrier is pushed by the force of 275.

When the carrier 203 is further rotated forward, the lead pin 209 for guiding the carrier 203 becomes the initial lock 258.
The lead screw 213 is pushed out from the circumferential idle rotation groove 264 through the communication groove 265 to the guide strip 268 side of the lead screw 213.

That is, the carrier 203 enters a scanable state by the rotation of the carrier motor 255.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a recovery mechanism of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a cap 10 for capping the ejection port surface of the recording head 200 is shown.
1, a pump unit 150 for applying a negative pressure to the inside thereof, sucking ink from a discharge port surface through a cap 101, and sending the ink to a waste ink absorber.
A transmission mechanism including a known cam and gear mechanism for moving the drive back and forth with respect to the discharge port surface, transmitting a driving force to the pump unit 150, and further operating a wiping mechanism for wiping ink adhered to the discharge port surface. A control gear 102 is formed. The control gear 102 is connected to the control gear 102 via the clutch gear 259 described above.
The rotational driving force of the carrier motor 255 is transmitted.

Next, a configuration in which the recovery means is driven by the rotation of the control gear 102 will be described.

The control gear 102 includes a cap opening / closing cam 102a and a wiping operation cam (not shown). And this control gear 102
As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG.
15 meshes with a stroke gear 103 which reciprocates the control gear 15 and the control gear 102 rotates,
The stroke gear 103 rotates, and the plunger 115 reciprocates.

In FIG. 10, reference numeral 104 denotes a blade for wiping the ink discharge port surface of the recording head 200 to clean the ink discharge port surface. The blade 104 is made of rubber such as HNBR or urethane.
5a is inserted and attached so that one end is slid. In addition, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a projection 105b having a sharp tip for preventing blade detachment in a part of the blade projecting direction. Therefore, even when a force is applied to pull out the blade 104 during wiping, the blade 104 is not pulled out by being hindered by the protrusion 105b.

The blade slider 105 is provided with a through hole 105 c so as to be movable along a slide shaft 106 parallel to the discharge port surface of the recording head. Reference numeral 104 denotes that the amount of penetration of the recording head 200 into the ejection port surface is always constant at any position on the ejection port surface, and the ejection port surface is wiped uniformly.

The reciprocating motion of the blade slider 105 is performed by the blade link 107. The protrusion 107 a of the blade link 107 reciprocates by pushing the wall 105 a of the blade slider 105. The blade link 107 is the control gear 102
The movement thereof is controlled by a wiping operation cam (not shown) formed in the above.

When the ejection opening surface of the recording head 200 is wiped by the movement of the blade slider 105, the ink adhering to the blade 104 is removed by the blade cleaner 10.
8, the blade 104 is always maintained in a clean state. That is, the blade 104 that has moved in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 10 by the wiping operation finishes wiping all the discharge port surfaces, and then touches the blade cleaner 108 similarly. At that time, the ink on the blade 104 is absorbed by the blade cleaner 108.

The blade 104 is the blade cleaner 1
08 is always touching, due to the creep phenomenon of rubber,
The blade 104 is deformed and cannot perform its original performance. Therefore, after the blade 104 comes into contact with the blade cleaner 108 by the wiping operation cam of the control gear 102, the blade 104 is moved in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A in the figure to move the blade 104 into the blade cleaner 1.
08 so that no external force is applied to the blade 104.

Further, if both the forward and reverse rotations of the carrier motor 255 are controlled while always following the wiping operation cam of the control gear 102, the blade link 107 is controlled by the rotation angle of the control gear 102. Is uniquely determined. That is, the position of the blade 104 is controlled only by the angle of the control gear 102. In this case, if the wiping operation is performed when the carrier motor 255 enters the recovery unit due to the reverse rotation, then the wiping operation is also performed when the carrier motor 255 rotates out of the recovery unit due to the normal rotation. . Therefore, the ejection port surface is wiped on both sides of the blade 104. However, since the blade 104 can be turned upside down when its tip is cut, wiping can be essentially performed on only one side, and if the wiping is performed on the opposite side to the surface that can be used for wiping, a printing failure occurs. I will.

Therefore, in this embodiment, this problem is solved as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, a part of the shielding plate 230 is provided with an inclination, and when the carrier 203 enters the recovery means, the shielding plate 230 pushes the blade stopper 109 in FIG.
It is rotated in the direction of arrow B of 0. Fig. 1
3 will be described.

When the lead pin 209 of the carrier 203 completely enters the idling groove 264, the blade stopper 10
9 rotates to the position of FIG.

Next, the control gear 102 starts to rotate, and as described above, the blade link 107 starts to rotate in the direction C in the figure as shown in FIG. 13B.

The blade link 1 reaches the position shown in FIG.
07 rotates and continues to rotate, blade link 1
07 starts to rotate the blade stopper 109 in the direction of arrow D.

Further, up to FIG.
When the blade 7 rotates, the blade stopper 109 comes off the spring hook 107b of the blade link 107 and rotates in the direction of arrow E in the figure. However, since the rotation is stopped by the shielding plate 230, the blade stopper 109 is rotated to the position shown in FIG.

Then, even if the carrier motor 255 rotates forward and the blade link 107 is disengaged from the wiping cam of the control gear 102 and rotates in the direction of arrow F in FIG. As shown, the blade stopper 109 stops its rotation.

Finally, when the carrier 203 completely comes out of the recovery means, as shown in FIG. 13 (f), the blade stopper 109 is no longer restrained, so that the blade link 107 rotates and the blade 104 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. It reaches the highest point in the opposite direction and waits.

In this way, the wiping locus of the blade 104 is changed between when the carrier 203 enters the recovery means and when it exits, so that wiping is not performed on the opposite surface of the blade 104.

Reference numeral 111 denotes a carrier stopper, which is provided to prevent the carrier 203 from slipping out of the recording position due to dropping or vibration. Carrier stopper 1
11 is always given a rotational force in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 10 by a carrier hook spring 112, and is retracted from the carrier hook 231 by the projection 102c of the control gear 102 during recording.

Here, the operation will be described. When the lead pin 209 of the carrier 203 enters the idling groove 264 and the control gear 102 starts rotating, the projection 102c of the control gear 102 is
11, the carrier stopper 111 rotates in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 10 and is hooked on the carrier hook 231. Therefore, in the standby state where recording is not performed, the carrier stopper 111 is hooked on the carrier hook 231 and
The carrier 203 is prevented from slipping out of the recording position.

Further, the carrier stopper 111 also functions to prevent the control gear 102 from coming off the shaft like an E-ring.

Next, the pump unit 150 has a plunger pump configuration as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 113 denotes a cylinder, which has a cylindrical cylinder portion 113a and a portion (not shown) for guiding a plunger 115, which will be described later. Forming a road. 11
Reference numeral 3b denotes a cap lever receiver, which is formed so that a cap lever seal described later fits therein. An ink suction port 113c is opened at a predetermined position. A drain ink tube 113d is formed integrally and has a tip portion inserted into the drain ink absorber. A parallel pin 113e for opening and closing the cap is a cam 1 for opening and closing the cap of the control gear 102.
02a pushes the parallel pin 113e, the cylinder 113 rotates and the cap 101
The opening and closing operation is performed so as to be in close contact with and separated from the discharge port surface of the nozzle.

FIG. 14 shows the relationship between the cap opening / closing cam 102a of the control gear 102 and the cap opening / closing operation.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

A switching sheet 102d is attached to the cap opening / closing cam 102a, so that the cap opening / closing operation can be changed by the forward / reverse rotation of the carrier motor 255.

In this embodiment, as will be described later, the cap 1
01, the ink accumulated in the cap 101 during recording is removed from the carrier 2.
Before the 03 enters the recovery means and is capped, it is necessary to once suck the ink in the cap 101 into the cylinder 113.

When the control gear 102 starts to rotate due to the reverse rotation of the carrier motor 255, the parallel pin 113e inserted into the cylinder 113
It passes through the 2e plane. In the figure, the cam 101 is closer to the center of the control gear 102 in a state where the cap 101 is open.
Therefore, in this case, suction can be performed while the cap 101 is open (this suction is referred to as empty suction).

Next, when the control gear 102 has finished rotating and the suction operation has been completed and normal rotation has started, the parallel pin 113e passes through the surface of the cam 102f, and the cap 101 closes for the first time after the control gear 102 starts rotating. Will be. Normally, the apparatus stands by with the cap closed.

Thereafter, when recording is started, the carrier motor 255 rotates forward and the control gear 102 rotates in the direction of arrow H in the figure.

However, when suction starts, the carrier motor 255 rotates in the reverse direction, and the control gear 102 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow H. In this case, since the parallel pin 113e passes through the surface of the cam 102f, suction can be performed with the original cap 101 closed.

By providing the switching sheet 102d in this manner, two suction operations of the original suction and the idle suction are realized by one control gear.

During recording, the parallel pin 113e enters the notch 102g provided on the cam surface, and the control gear 10 is driven by the frictional force of the cap spring 114.
2 does not rotate. If the control gear 102 rotates during recording, the recovery operation will start in an incorrect case, and normal recording will not be possible.

The plunger 115 has an operating shaft 115a, a piston receiver 115b, a piston retainer 115c, and a pump seal retainer 115d. A groove 115e serving as an ink flow path is formed continuously with the operating shaft 115a. A part of this groove is fitted into the above-described guide portion (not shown) of the cylinder 113, and stops the rotation of the plunger 115. A lead groove 115f for controlling the reciprocating movement of the plunger 115 is formed on the operating shaft 115a, and a projection (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the stroke gear 103 is fitted into the lead groove 115b. For this reason, when the stroke gear 103 is rotated in one direction by the reverse rotation drive of the carrier motor 255, the plunger 11
11 strokes in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 11 and rotates the stroke gear 103 in the other direction by the forward rotation of the carrier motor 255.
Stroke in the direction.

The plunger 115 is provided with a piston 116 made of a rubber material such as NBR.
The outer diameter of the piston 116 is larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder 113 by a predetermined amount.
When it is inserted, it is compressed moderately.
Accordingly, when the plunger 115 strokes in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 11, a negative pressure is generated to suck the discharged ink in the recording head 200, and when the stroke is performed in the direction of arrow J, the suctioned ink is discharged from the discharge ink tube 113d. Discharge to absorber.

The plunger 115 has a pump seal 1
17 are attached. The pump seal 117 is made of a rubber material such as silicon or NBR. The inner diameter of the pump seal 117 is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the plunger 115 so that a predetermined pressure contact force can be obtained with the plunger 115. Can be reciprocated by being pressed by the pump seal holder 115d and the piston receiver 115b of the plunger 115. The surface of the cylinder 113 and the plunger 115 is lubricated.
May be reduced. For the purpose of eliminating grease in the cylinder, rubber having self-lubricating properties may be used.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 118 denotes a cap lever. An ink guide (not shown) urges the cap lever seal 119, and the other rotary shaft 118a is attached to the hole 113f of the cylinder 113 by snap fitting. And it is rotatable. The cap lever seal 119 is press-fitted with the ink guide of the cap lever 118 and further press-fitted into the cap lever receiver 113 b of the cylinder 113.

The cap 101 is an elastic member such as an annular chlorinated butyl rubber having a tapered cross section, and is attached to the cap attaching portion 118b of the cap lever 118. As shown in FIG. 15, this mounting method makes effective use of the elasticity of rubber, and expands and mounts the ring on the mounting portion 118b of the cap lever having a shape following the inclination of the diaper of the cap 101. . The cap 101 once attached cannot be removed by normal use.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a preliminary ejection pad, which is made of a polymer absorbent like the blade cleaner 108 and is mounted on the cap lever 118 described above. The pre-discharge pad is for absorbing pre-discharge ink for discharging ink separately from normal recording work during recording in order to prevent drying of the ink on the discharge port surface.

Reference numeral 121 denotes a pump absorber, which is a high molecular absorber that functions to surely transfer the discharged ink in the cylinder to the discharged ink absorber.

FIG. 16 is a timing chart of the recovery means based on the rotational driving force of the carrier motor 255. In this figure, the carrier 203 enters the recovery means, and the trigger teeth 259a of the clutch gear 259 are connected to the control gear 1.
The point at which the control gear 102 starts to rotate by meshing with No. 02 is defined as 0 pulse of the carrier motor 255.

In this embodiment, the carrier motor 255 is
By rotating 0 steps (5 rotations) forward and reverse,
All recovery operations are performed, and simultaneously with the rotation of the carrier motor 255, the clutch gear 259, the control gear 102, and the stroke gear 103 start rotating. The plunger 115 is the stroke gear 103
, The reciprocating motion is controlled, so that the reciprocating motion starts simultaneously with the rotation of the carrier motor 255, and the reciprocating motion corresponds to the rotation of the carrier motor 255.

As described above, the path of the blade 104 partially changes depending on whether the carrier motor 255 rotates forward or backward.

As described above, when the recovery operation is started by the reverse rotation from the zero pulse of the carrier motor 255 so that the suction can be performed by the switching sheet 102d, the plunger is kept open. 115 moves.

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing a head cartridge section and a carrier section of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 200 denotes a recording head for discharging ink by an electric signal; 201, an ink tank for storing the ink and supplying it to the recording head 200;
Numeral 03 denotes a carrier provided in the main body of the recording apparatus which holds and scans the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a head lever for holding and releasing the recording head;
Reference numeral 5 denotes an ink tank lever for attaching and detaching the ink tank 201, reference numeral 207 denotes a head holder spring for fixing the recording head 200 to the carrier 203, and reference numeral 208 denotes a tank case holding the ink tank 201. Thereby, a head cartridge section and a carrier section of the recording apparatus are configured.

FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view showing a recording head 200 and an ink tank 201 of a recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, reference numeral 220 denotes an ink supply hole which serves as a passage for supplying ink from the ink tank 201 to the recording head; 221, an ink supply hole which supplies ink from the ink tank 201 to the recording head 200;
Reference numeral 2 denotes a coupling claw for guiding and holding the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 when they are integrated.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a coupling claw guide groove which engages with the coupling claw 222, and 224 denotes an ink tank guide groove for holding the ink tank 201 when the ink tank 201 and the recording head 200 are attached and detached. Is configured.

The recording head 200 includes a substrate on which a plurality of electrothermal transducers for generating thermal energy used for ejecting ink and a drive circuit for driving the transducers are formed. A discharge plate and a liquid path corresponding to each of the electrothermal conversion elements, and a top plate for forming a common liquid chamber communicating with each of the liquid paths are laminated. Electrical contacts for providing signals are provided. Further, a sensor for detecting the state of the head from the printing apparatus main body can be provided in the print head 200. Specifically, a temperature detection sensor for detecting a temperature near the electrothermal transducer, an ink Sensor for detecting when the supply of ink has run out and the ink has run out from the common liquid chamber,
Alternatively, a head type discrimination sensor that specifies the type of the head cartridge when the ink cartridge or the type of the head in the head cartridge is used while exchanging a different type,
And so on. The signals from these sensors are judged by the main body of the recording apparatus, and the signals applied to the electrothermal transducer can be controlled to optimize the printing state. Then, the recording head configured as described above is mounted on the recording apparatus such that the ejection port surface on which the ejection ports are arranged faces the recording medium.

The ink tank 201 is a tank for appropriately supplying ink to the recording head 200 in order to supplement the ink consumed by recording while holding the ink.
When the ink tank 201 exists alone, it is sealed by sealing means (not shown) so that ink does not leak from the ink supply hole 221. The sealing means is automatically or manually opened when integrated with the recording head 200 to form an ink flow path. The sealing means can be realized by, for example, a mechanism for pressing a metal ball against a rubber stopper with a spring.

Further, a mechanism may be provided for introducing air from the outside in accordance with the ink volume reduced by ink consumption. Furthermore, by having a mechanism inside that keeps the pressure of the ink supplied to the print head slightly negative,
It can also improve the print quality and prevent ink leakage.

In this embodiment, the ink tank 201
It has a flexible bag (not shown) inside, in which ink is stored and connected to the ink supply hole 221. The remaining space in the ink tank 201 is filled with air, but the air pressure is adjusted by a pressure control valve (not shown) in the printing operation state. More specifically, a negative pressure state in a predetermined range is set. It is generated and held.

The recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are used in a recording apparatus during recording operation in the state of the integrated head cartridge 202. Next, a method of integrating both will be described.

Basically, the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are integrated by connecting the ink supply hole 220 and the ink supply hole 221. It is designed to prevent intrusion. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, a system using a rigid pipe and an elastic plug is employed. That is, the ink supply hole 220 is formed in a cylindrical shape by a mold member, and the ink supply hole 221 opposed thereto is a member having a cylindrical hole formed by a rubber material. The outer diameter of the ink supply hole 220 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the ink supply hole 221.
Then, when the ink supply hole 220 is press-fitted into the ink supply hole 221, the ink supply hole 221 is closely deformed in the radial direction and integrated with the ink supply hole 220.

The coupling portion is not limited to a combination of a rigid body and an elastic body, but may be any one having a sealing function. For example, the combination of a mold pipe and a mold hole may cause slight deformation of the mold. Or a rubber-made sealing member without a hole and a needle-shaped pipe.

In the integration of the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201, only the above-described connection of the ink supply hole 220 and the ink supply hole 221 may be performed, but an unexpected external force is applied when the head cartridge 202 is handled. In this embodiment, the coupling claw 222 and the coupling claw guide groove 223 provide a stronger connection so as not to come off easily in the event of a break, or to provide a guide that can be easily integrated when integrated. And That is, the coupling claw 222, which is molded integrally with the ink supply hole 220 and can be elastically deformed,
A projection is provided at the tip, and engages with the coupling claw guide groove 223 while being elastically deformed by the height of the projection, and the groove provided at the back of the coupling claw guide groove 223 becomes deeper. The engagement is completed when the projection of the coupling claw 222 reaches the bent portion.

Furthermore, the coupling claw 222 also has a role as a guide so that the ink supply hole 220 and the ink supply hole 221 can be easily aligned when the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are coupled. That is, the coupling claw 222
Is longer than the ink supply hole 220, so that the coupling claw 222 contacts the ink tank 201 before the ink supply hole 220 contacts the ink supply hole 221. Here, the tip of the coupling claw 222 is cut off obliquely, and the oblique portion can be easily engaged with the coupling claw guide groove as a guide in the direction of arrow a in FIG. Also, the coupling claw 2
The protrusion provided at the tip of 22 is also cut off obliquely, and serves as a guide in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 18 to facilitate easy engagement.

In this embodiment, the coupling claws are provided on the recording head side, but are not restricted to this, and are not restricted to the ink tank 201 side or the recording head 200 and the ink tank 2.
01 can also be provided.

Next, the recording head 200 is moved to the carrier 203.
A method for mechanically and electrically connecting the devices will be described. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection portion of the recording head 200 to the carrier 203 as viewed from the direction of FIG. 17A, and FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view showing the mounting order.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 225 designates a portion fixed to the carrier 203 and engaged with a hole provided in the recording head 200.
0 Positioning pins for positioning in the directions of arrow a and arrow b,
A stopper 226 is fixed to the carrier 203 and receives the recording head 200 pressed in the direction of FIG.
Reference numeral 211 denotes a flexible cable for electrically connecting the printing apparatus main body and the print head 200, and 211a denotes positioning holes a, 2 provided in the flexible cable 211.
11b is a positioning hole b provided in the flexible cable 211, 212 is a flexible cable pad sandwiched between the flexible cable 211 and the carrier 203 to elastically support the flexible cable 211, 212
a is a positioning hole a provided in the flexible cable pad 212, and 212b is a flexible cable pad 2
Positioning holes b and 212c provided on the ink jet head 12 are ink barriers for preventing ink from entering the contact portion. 227 is a head contact portion provided on the recording head 200 and electrically connected to a heater in the recording head 200.
Are positioning holes a and 227b provided in the head contact portion 227, and positioning holes b and 227c provided in the head contact portion 227 are stopper contact locations where the end faces of the stopper 226 contact.

The recording head 200 is a head holder spring 20.
7 is pressed in the direction a via a lever (not shown), and its position is uniquely determined by the engagement of the hole provided in the recording head 200 with the positioning pin 225 and the interference with the stopper 226. In this way, the recording head 200 and the carrier 203 are mechanically connected.

Further, a plurality of electrical contacts are provided at opposite positions on the head contact portion 227 provided on the recording head 200 and the end face of the flexible cable 211, and these electrical contacts are pressed by a predetermined pressure. The recording apparatus main body and the recording head 200 are electrically connected. At this time, since a plurality of electrical contacts need to be pressed at once, a flexible cable pad 212 made of an elastic material is placed in the pressing portion in order to press them uniformly. The flexible cable pad 212 is made of, for example, silicon rubber or the like, and has a plurality of protrusions at positions corresponding to the above-mentioned electrical contacts, so that pressing stress is concentrated on the contacts. Further, the above-mentioned electrical contacts provided on the flexible cable 211 may be formed in a projecting shape to further concentrate the stress when pressed and to secure the connection.

The reaction force generated when the recording head 200 is pressed is controlled by the head holder spring 20 holding the recording head 200.
7, the position of the recording head 200 does not shift due to the reaction force from the flexible cable pad 212.

The carrier 203, the flexible cable pad 212, the flexible cable 211, the head contact portion 227, and the head cartridge 203
Are required to be accurately positioned with respect to each other in order to obtain reliable electrical connection and good recording quality, and are configured as follows.

That is, with reference to the two positioning pins 225 of the carrier 203, one of the positioning pins 225 is
20a is fitted in the positioning hole a212a, the positioning hole a211a and the positioning hole a227a in common, and the other positioning pin 225 is fitted in the positioning hole b212b, the positioning hole b211b and the positioning hole b227b in common. The position in the 20b direction is determined.

By pressing the stopper 226 from the direction shown in FIG. 19A until the end surface of the stopper 226 comes into contact with the stopper contacting portion 227c of the head contact portion 227, the position of the recording head 200 in the direction shown in FIG.

Further, if ink enters for some reason between the electrical contact surface, that is, between the flexible cable 211 and the head contact portion 227, there is a possibility that an electrical short circuit will occur, and it is necessary to prevent this. is there. For this reason, in the present embodiment, a part of the flexible cable pad 212 is formed as a projection to form an ink barrier 212 c, which is pressed against the end surface of the recording head 200 to prevent the ink coming out from the ejection opening of the head 200 from entering. .

In this embodiment, the electrical or mechanical connection is provided on the recording head side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is not restricted to this. Either of them may be provided, or one of them may be provided with an electrical coupling part and a mechanical coupling part separately.

Next, a method of handling the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201, that is, a case where the ink tank 201 which has run out of ink is replaced with a new ink tank 201, or a case where the recording head 200 which has become unusable for some reason is replaced. The method will be described.

As a first mode, the fixing of the recording head 200 and the carrier 203 is released, the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are taken out of the carrier 203 in a state of being integrated, and the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are detached from the carrier 203 (hereinafter, referred to as “integral”). , An off-carrier state) in which the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are separated or integrated.

FIG. 22 shows recording head 2 from carrier 203.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the case where the ink tank 201 and the ink tank 201 are taken out in an integrated state. In this case, head lever 2
17 is rotated from the state of FIG. 17 in the direction of FIG.
The cam provided on the print head 4 releases the pressing force of the head holder spring 207 on the print head 200 by moving the shaft provided on the lever pressing the print head 200.

At this time, the tank case 208 in the carrier 203 moves with its protrusion engaged with the ink tank guide groove 224, so that the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 move in the direction of FIG. I do. Thereby, the positioning pin 225 and the recording head 200
22 is released, the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 can be moved in the direction shown in FIG. 22c while being integrated, and can be taken out of the carrier to be in the off-carrier state. After the off-carrier state, the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 can be separated from each other by applying a force in a direction opposite to the joining direction when the ink tank 201 is integrated. Then, the person who wants to replace the battery is made a new one, and the two are integrated by the above-described integration method and stored in the carrier 203 in the reverse order, thereby completing the replacement operation.

In this embodiment, the head lever 2
Although the pressing force of the recording head 200 is released by using 04, the lever for pressing the recording head 200 may be directly moved without being restricted by this. Further, the recording head is pressed by using the head holder spring 207 in the method of fixing, but is not restricted to this, and the recording head may be fixed by using a latch hook having a spring property.

The first embodiment has the following effects. That is, when either the recording head or the ink tank needs to be replaced, only the one that needs replacement needs to be replaced, so that the economy is improved.

As a second mode, the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are separated from each other on the carrier while the recording head 200 and the carrier 203 are fixed (hereinafter, referred to as a “carrier”).
On-carrier state), there is a method of removing only the ink tank 201.

FIG. 23 shows the recording head 2 on the carrier 203.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an ink tank 201 is separated from 00. In this case, by rotating the tank lever 205 from the state of FIG. 17 in the direction of FIG. 23A to such a position, a cam (not shown) provided on the tank lever 205 causes the tank case 208 to move to the position shown in FIG.
Move in the direction. The protrusion provided on the tank case 208 engages with the ink tank guide groove 224 provided on the side surface of the ink tank 201, and the ink tank 201 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
Move in the b direction. At this time, the fixing of the recording head 200 is the same as in the state of FIG. 17 and does not move together with the ink tank 201, so that the engaging portion between the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 can be separated and separated. Further, by moving the ink tank 201 in the direction of FIG.

At this time, when the recording head 200 is elastically pressed by the head holder spring 207 as in the present embodiment, the head may be detached due to the force applied during separation. Therefore, it is preferable to configure as follows. FIG. 24 is a schematic plan view showing how a force is applied. In the drawing, the recording head 200 is moved by the head holder spring 207 with the force of f1 to the carrier 203.
Is pressed. Further, in order to separate the recording head 200 from the ink tank 201, a force of f2 is required to disengage the engagement between the coupling claw 222 and the coupling claw guide groove 223 and the engagement between the ink supply hole 220 and the ink supply hole 221. Suppose there is. At this time, by setting the magnitude of the force as f1> f2, it is possible to prevent the recording head 200 from being detached during the separation operation.

In this embodiment, the tank lever 2
23, a force corresponding to f2 is applied to separate the recording head 200 from the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 by directly holding the ink tank 201 and pulling it in the direction b in FIG. It may be configured as follows.

When the second mode is adopted, the following effects are obtained in addition to the case of the first mode. That is, by appropriately designing the cam shape of the tank lever 205, it is possible to control the drawing speed at the time of separation, and it is possible to prevent the ink from being scattered from the ink supply holes 220 and the ink supply holes 221. Also, since it is not necessary to directly hold the recording head 200 by hand, the recording head 2
It is possible to prevent unnecessary contamination that adversely affects printing without touching the vicinity of the ink ejection port of No. 00 by hand. Also,
Since a portion of the ink tank 201 to which the force is applied is specified, it is sufficient that the portion has a structure that can withstand the force. Therefore, other portions can be made thinner and have effects such as reduction in weight and increase in internal volume.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the automatic paper feeder to the ink jet recording device according to the present invention.

Here, reference numeral 300 denotes an automatic paper feeder, which is fixed to the ink jet recording apparatus in the positional relationship shown in FIG.

FIGS. 26, 27 and 28 show examples of the structure of the automatic sheet feeding section according to the present invention. FIG. 26 is an external perspective view, FIG.
7 is a plan view, and FIG. 28 is a sectional view. The approximate values of the unit size and the distance between the rollers are shown in the figure.

Here, reference numeral 301 denotes a main holder which supports all the components of the automatic paper feeder, and further fixes the automatic paper feeder to the ink jet recording apparatus.

Reference numeral 302 denotes a separation roller for separating the recording material one by one by rotation and feeding the separated recording material to a paper feed unit of the ink jet recording apparatus. A separation gear 303 and a separation ratchet 303 are fixed. It is supported rotatably about the center. The separation shaft 305 is fixed to a separation holder 306, and the separation holder 306 is rotatably held by a main holder shaft 307 with respect to the main holder 301. Reference numeral 308 denotes a separation spring, and the projection 306a of the separation holder 306 and the main holder 3
In FIG. 28, the separation holder 306 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 28 to press the separation roller 302 against the separation pad 316. The pressing force by the separation spring 308 is set between 10 and 50 gf in this embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed to be 10 gf.

Reference numeral 309 denotes a spare roller for feeding the loaded recording material to the separation roller 302. The spare roller is fixed to a spare roller shaft 311. The spare roller holder 311a is fixed together with a spare roller gear 311a fixed to the spare roller shaft 311. 310 is rotatably supported. The spare roller holder 310 is rotatably held with respect to the main holder 301 by a main holder shaft 307.

The spare roller 309 is driven by the idler gear 312 at the same peripheral speed as the separation roller 302.

Reference numeral 313 denotes a spare roller spring.
Are rotated clockwise in FIG. 28, and the spare roller 309 is pressed toward the paper holder 317.
The upper limit of the pressing force of the auxiliary roller spring 313 is not so limited because the auxiliary roller 309 only needs to reliably feed the recording material 3, but in the present embodiment, a good result is obtained at 20 gf or more. In the following description, it is assumed that 50
gf.

Reference numeral 314 denotes a separation pressure arm.
15, the separation holder 306 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 28 via the convex portion 306a of the separation holder 306,
The separation roller 302 is pressed against the separation pad 316.
Separation roller 302 by separation pressure arm spring 315
The pressing force has to be carefully determined because it affects the separation performance, but in this example, good results were obtained at 20 gf or more. In the following description, it is assumed to be 100 gf.

In FIG. 28, reference numeral 316 denotes a separation pad for separating and holding the stacked recording materials, and 317 a paper holder for stacking and holding the recording materials.

Reference numeral 318 denotes a cam shaft, which is an automatic paper feed motor 3
23 is driven to rotate via a reduction gear 324 and a gear 318a. The camshaft 318 is provided with a switch cam 3 for turning on and off the paper supply initial sensor 320a via the switch arm 319 together with the gear 318a.
18b, a gear 318c for transmitting the rotation of the cam shaft 318 to the separation roller 302, and the preliminary roller holder 310 in relation to the claw 310a provided on the preliminary roller holder 310.
The auxiliary roller holder cam 318d and the separation pressure cam 318e for raising and lowering the separation pressure arm 314 are integrally provided.

Driving gear 321 and clutch disk 322
Are integrally formed and held rotatably and slidably with respect to the separation shaft 305.
26 presses against the separation ratchet 304 side.
A trapezoidal cam 321a is formed integrally with the drive gear 321 and a trapezoidal cam 306b is also formed integrally with the separation holder 306. The rotation of the drive gear 321 moves the drive gear 321 and the clutch disk 322 in the axial direction of the separation shaft 305. , The engagement between the clutch disk 322 and the separation ratchet 304 is controlled, and the transmission of the drive from the automatic paper feed motor 323 to the separation roller 302 is controlled. The gear ratio between the gear 318c provided on the cam shaft 318 and the drive gear 321 is 1: 1 and the rotational phases of the cam shaft 318 and the drive gear 321 match.

The release lever 325 is connected to the main holder 30
1, the release lever 325 has a cam shape at one end, and can be moved up and down the separation holder 306 by engaging with one end of the separation shaft 305. On of paper change sensor 320b
f.

Returning to FIG. 25, reference numeral 328 denotes a center line perpendicular to the separation shaft 305 of the separation roller 302 and the spare roller 309, and coincides with the traveling direction of the recording material 3. The left guide 317a is provided on the paper holder 317, and guides the left end surface of the recording material 3 at a fixed position with respect to the recording position. The distance L between the center line 328 and the left guide 317a is set and fixed to be 以下 or less of the minimum width of the recording material 3 used in the present inkjet recording apparatus. In this embodiment,
The minimum recording material 3 is the vertical direction of the postcard, and the width 1 of the recording material 3
45 mm is set for 00 mm.

A detailed description related to the operation of the mechanism of the automatic paper feeder having the above configuration will be described below.

FIG. 29, FIG. 30, and FIG. 31 are explanatory views of the operation according to an embodiment of the automatic sheet feeding section to which the present invention is applied. 29 and 30 illustrate changes in the operation over time, and FIG. 31 illustrates the operation of the release mechanism.

In the present embodiment, compactness is pursued, and as will be described later, the rollers are separated from the recording material 3 in order to reduce the influence of each roller on the recording material 3. There is a possibility that the recording material 3 cannot be fed to the transport roller 4 only by one apparatus sequence (one roller rotation). Therefore, by repeating the above-mentioned sequence twice unconditionally (FIG. 30), the above-mentioned problem can be prevented. Sequence 2
At the time of the third execution, the recording material 3 has reached the contact point between the transport roller 4 and the pinch roller 8. Therefore, a predetermined time before the end of the second execution of the sequence, the paper feed motor 5 is driven to rotate the transport roller 4 in synchronization with the paper feed operation of the spare roller 309 and the separation roller 302 of the automatic paper feeder. Thus, the recording material 3 can be reliably fed.
At this time, the relationship between the feed amount L1 of the recording material 3 on the automatic paper feed side per unit time and the feed amount L2 on the transport roller 4 side is L
It is desirable that 1 = L2 or slightly L1> L2.

By executing the sequence twice, there is a portion where the sheet feeding force is released from the recording material 3 between the first time and the second time, which is also effective when the recording material 3 is registered.

In FIG. 29, (1) shows a state before a recording material is loaded. (A) Clutch disk 322 and separation ratchet 304
Is separated by the trapezoidal cam 321a and the trapezoidal cam 306b, the separation roller 302 is separated from the driving source. (B) Since the separation pressure arm 314 and the separation pressure cam 318 e are not in contact with each other, the pressure of the separation pressure arm spring 315 causes the separation roller 302 to separate the separation roller 302 via the separation pressure arm 314, the convex portion 306 a and the separation holder 306.
It is pushing to. Since the separation spring 308 is similar, the separation pressure arm spring 31 is attached to the separation roller 302.
5 and the sum of the pressures of the separation springs 308 (10 + 100 =
110gf). (C) Since the spare roller holder cam 318d and the claw 310a of the spare roller holder 310 are in contact with each other, the spare roller 309 is separated from the paper holder 317 together with the spare roller holder 310 against the pressure of the spare roller spring 313. is there.

(D) Since the switch arm 319 is located in the concave portion of the switch cam 318b, the paper supply initial sensor 320a is off.

(2) is a state where the recording material 3 is loaded. The automatic sheet feeding section does not operate between (1) and (2). (B) The recording material 3 is loaded from the right side of the drawing, but the separation roller 302 is pressed against the separation pad 316 by the pressure (11 gf) of the separation pressure arm spring 315 and the separation spring 308, so that the recording material 3 is separated. It stops at the contact point between the roller 302 and the separation pad 316, and the state shown in the figure is reached.

(3) is a state in which the automatic paper feed motor 323 starts rotating and the cam shaft 318 is rotated 380 degrees counterclockwise. (A) The trapezoidal cam 321a and the trapezoidal cam 306b come off by rotation, and the clutch disc 322 is pressed against the separation ratchet 304 by the clutch spring 326.
The separation roller 302 has started to rotate by the rotation of the automatic paper feed motor 323. (B) Since the separation pressure cam 318e and the separation pressure arm 314 are not in contact with each other, the separation roller 302 is separated by the separation pressure arm spring 315 and the separation spring 308.
Starts rotating clockwise while being pressed (110 gf). Therefore, only the uppermost sheet of the recording material 3 is separated to the left by the action of the separation pad 316 and the separation roller 302.
Paper is fed. (C) Since the spare roller holder cam 318d and the claw 310a of the spare roller holder 310 are disengaged, the spare roller 3
09 is pressed (50 gf) against the recording material 3 by the preliminary roller spring 313 via the preliminary roller holder 310, and further rotated clockwise by the separation gear 303, the idler gear 312, and the preliminary roller gear 311a, and the recording material 3 is separated. The recording material 3 is conveyed to the left so as to reliably reach the contact point between the roller 302 and the separation pad 316. (D) The paper supply initial sensor 320a is turned on by the switch arm 319 and the switch cam 318b.

(4) shows a state in which the cam shaft 318 is further rotated counterclockwise. What is different here is that in (C), the spare roller holder cam 318d and the claw 310a contact each other, and the spare roller 309 is recorded. The recording material 3 is conveyed away from the material 3. At this point, the recording material 3 reaches the contact point between the conveyance roller 4 and the pinch roller 8 and is prevented from being conveyed. However, since the conveyance force by the spare roller 309 is reduced, the recording material 3 is bent. Without
A state in which the separation roller 302 and the recording material 3 are slipping by the stiffness of the recording material 3 becomes possible.

When the camshaft is further rotated, at 270 degrees (630 degrees when the first time is added), the paper feed motor 5 adjusts the feed amount L1 of the recording material 3 on the automatic paper feed side per unit time. ,
The relationship with the feed amount L2 on the side of the transport roller 4 is driven under the condition of L1 = L2 or slightly L1> L2. At this time, since the recording material 3 has already reached the conveying roller 4, the cue amount of the recording material 3 in the recording apparatus is determined by the rotation amount of the conveying roller 4 from this point.

(5) is a state in which the cam shaft 318 is further rotated counterclockwise. In this state, the automatic sheet feeding section is temporarily stopped, and the recording state is set on the ink jet recording apparatus side. (A) Clutch disk 322 and separation ratchet 304
The separation roller 302 is completely cut off from the driving side, and is merely rotatably held with respect to the separation shaft 305. (B) Since the separation pressure cams 318e and 314 are in contact with each other, the separation pressure arm 314 is separated from the projection 306a. Therefore, the pressure of the separation pressure arm spring 315 is applied to the separation roller 3.
02, the separation roller 302 is pressed against the separation pad 316 only by the separation spring 308 (10 gf).
Have been. (C) The preliminary roller 309 is separated from the recording material 3.

At this point, the driving of the recording material 3 on the automatic paper feed side is completed.
The cue of the recording material 3 can be quickly performed.

In this state, the pressure of the separation roller 302 is small (10 gf) and the spare roller 309 is also separated from the recording material 3, so that the recording material 3 can be pulled into the ink jet recording apparatus with a small force. Has become.

When the recording is further advanced from the state of (5) and the recording is completed and the recording material 3 is removed from the automatic paper feeding section, the automatic paper feeding motor 323 is driven to advance to the state of (2), and This operation is completed to prepare for the next sheet feeding.

FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram of the operation according to the present invention. The lower points (1) to (5) correspond to the states (1) to (5) in FIG.

Returning to FIG. 25, the center line 328 is
Is set to be always on the left side of the center in the width direction of the recording material 3, and when the recording material 3 is conveyed by the separation roller 302 and the preliminary roller 309, the recording material 3 always generates the clockwise moment M. Conveyed while receiving. Therefore, the rear end of the recording material 3 is always conveyed while being pressed against the left guide 317a, and the recording material 3 is guided to the recording section along the left guide 317a without bending.

FIGS. 31A and 31B are explanatory views of the operation relating to the release mechanism of the automatic paper feeder. FIG. 31A shows the state of use of the automatic paper feeder, and one end of the release lever 325 turns the paper feed switch sensor 320b on. The separation roller 302 is pressed against the separation pad 316 because the separation roller 302 is not in contact with the separation shaft 305. That is, the paper feed switching sensor 320b
Indicates that the automatic sheet feeding unit is in a usable state.

FIG. 17B shows a state in which a recording material that is not suitable for automatic paper feeding such as an envelope is used. When the user rotates the release lever 325 counterclockwise, the automatic paper feeding unit is not used. You can create a state. In that state,
The separation shaft 305 is pulled up by a cam provided on the release lever 325, and the separation roller 302 is separated from the separation pad 316.
Is fixed away from. Therefore, the recording material inserted from the right in FIG. 31 reaches the transport roller 4 and the pinch roller 8 directly. Further, in this state, since the paper feed switching sensor 320b is in the off state, it is possible to detect that the automatic paper feeder is not in use.

The above is the description of the operation related to the mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a control example of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing an example of the initial sequence control of the automatic sheet feeding unit.

When the power is turned on, the operation is set to START. First, in step S1, the paper feed initial sensor 320a is turned on or off.
j is determined. If it is off, the initial state, that is, FIG.
Since this is the state of (1) of No. 9, the sequence is terminated and the system is prepared for the next sheet feeding command. If the paper feed initial sensor 320a is on in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2, in which the automatic paper feed motor 323 is rotated in the reverse direction. When the paper feed initial sensor 320a is turned off in step S1, the initial state is established. finish.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a control example for executing automatic sheet feeding. STA when feeding command
RT. First, in step S3, if the paper feed switching sensor 320b is off, the process proceeds to step S9, where the control unit determines that the automatic paper feed unit is not in use, and enters the hand mode.

If the paper feed switch sensor 320b is ON in step S3, the flow advances to step S4 to rotate the automatic paper feed motor 323 forward and rotate the cam shaft 318 to 680.
When rotated by (360 + 320) degrees, the automatic paper feed motor 323 is stopped. That is, the state of (5) in FIG.

Next, the flow proceeds to step S5, where the state of the PE sensor 14 on the ink jet recording apparatus side is detected. If “off” here, the sheet feeding operation is not performed correctly, so the process proceeds to step S10, and the control unit determines that there is an error (paper feeding failure or no paper). If it is on, the process proceeds to step S6 to start the recording operation.

Then, the flow advances to step S7 to search for a state in which the PE sensor 14 is turned off.
8 to rotate the automatic paper feed motor 323 forward to rotate the cam shaft 318
Rotate 40 degrees to stop. That is, this is the state of (2) in FIG. 29, where the state becomes END and prepares for the next sheet feeding command.

Next, the configuration and electric circuit of an information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 34 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of an information processing apparatus 400 incorporating a recording apparatus according to this embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 401 denotes the above-described printer unit, 4
Reference numeral 02 denotes a keyboard unit having keys for inputting characters, numerals, and other characters, keys for giving various instructions, and the like, and a display unit having a 403 display.

FIG. 35 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, reference numeral 501 denotes a controller that performs main control;
Is a microcomputer in the form of a microcomputer for executing a certain procedure; 503 is a RAM provided with an area for expanding text data and image data, a work area, and the like;
Reference numeral 04 denotes a ROM that stores programs corresponding to the above procedure and other fixed data such as font data.
Creates an execution cycle of the PU 502 and the printer unit 4
A timer 506 for generating a necessary timing at the time of the recording operation by 01, and an interface unit 506 for connecting a signal from the CPU 502 to a peripheral device. Also, 507
Reference numeral 508 denotes a controller of the printer unit 401;
Output value of the sensor for detecting the temperature of the ink tank 201
A head detection unit 509 for detecting information of a print head such as an output of a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the print head; 509, a line buffer for storing print data of the print head 200;
Reference numeral 10 denotes a head driver for transmitting a recording signal or power to the recording head 200, and 511a, b, and c denote carrier motors 255, paper feed motors 5, and automatic paper feed motors 32, respectively.
3, a motor driver for transmitting signals, electric power, etc. necessary for driving the motor 512;
0, paper sensor 14, paper feed initial sensor 320
a, a sensor detection unit that detects an output of a sensor such as a paper feed switching sensor 320b. Further, reference numeral 404 denotes an external storage device such as an FDD, HDD, RAM card, etc.
An external interface 05 communicates with, for example, another information processing device or controls peripheral devices by directly connecting to an internal bus. Although not included in the block diagram in the figure, there is another power supply unit for supplying power to the above electric circuit, such as a rechargeable battery, a disposable dry battery, or an information processing device. There is an AC power converter when the main body is fixed and used.

The recording device section performs recording on the recording material (paper) 3 by the above-described electric circuit configuration. The outline of the recording operation control sequence will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIG.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart for explaining the processing when the power of the recording apparatus or the information processing apparatus is turned on and off. S1 is a power-off state, and the timer 50
Except for the operation of FIG. 5 (FIG. 35), the function is stopped.
The operation is started by a power-on signal from a power-off state, that is, by turning on a power switch. In the recording apparatus, first, a power-on process of S2 is executed. When S2 ends, the process proceeds to S3, where the power is turned on.
The recording operation and the like are performed when the power is on.
If a power-off signal is detected in the power-on state, the process proceeds to S4, where power-off processing is performed. When S4 ends, the process proceeds to S1 and the power is turned off. Therefore, when the power is turned on and off, the power is turned on and off after a predetermined process. Further, if a pause signal is detected in the state of S3, the process proceeds to S5, where a pause process is executed. The pause signal means that the display unit 403 shown in FIG. 34 is folded on the keyboard unit 403 in the power-on state or the battery is replaced, for example, even if the user is operating the apparatus. This is a signal output by a means for detecting an action performed during non-operation, for example, a sensor for detecting opening / closing of the display unit 403 or a sensor for detecting attachment / detachment of a battery. The temporary stop process is a process performed for preventing damage to the device and occurrence of a defect when the device is used differently from the basic use, and will be described later in detail. When the suspension process is completed in S5, the process proceeds to S6 and enters a suspension state. In the pause state, functions other than necessary parts are stopped or the power is turned off. When a pause release signal is detected in the pause state, the process proceeds to S7, where a pause release process is performed.
The pause release signal is a signal that is paired with the pause signal, for example, when the display unit 403 changes from a closed state to an open state, or when the battery changes from a removed state to a mounted state. And other signals indicating that the device has returned to an operable state. Also, the pause release processing is
This is a process for returning to the state before the suspension, and will be described later in detail. As a result, even if the user inadvertently opens and closes the display unit 403 during operation of the apparatus, or removes or inserts the battery, it is possible to return to the original state. When the temporary stop release processing is completed in S7, the process proceeds to S3 and returns to the power-on state. For the pause signal, it may be possible to select whether or not to perform a pause process when a signal is detected. For example, if the display unit 403 should be closed because the recording apparatus is handling paper while the recording apparatus is operating, the setting of the apparatus may be selected so as to prohibit the pause process when the display unit 403 is opened and closed. can do.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart for explaining the S2 power-on processing. First, in S11, home position initialization, that is, the position of the carrier 203 is determined. Specifically, the carrier motor 255 is driven, and the position at which the output of the home position sensor 270 is switched is set as the reference position of the carrier 203.
01 sets the capping state. Then S1
In step 2, the paper feed and the automatic paper feed are initialized. Specifically, in order to reduce the play of the paper feed drive mechanism, the paper feed motor 5 is driven in the reverse direction and the forward direction by a predetermined amount, and the automatic paper feed motor is driven until the paper feed initial sensor 320a detects the initial position. . Next, in step S13, the time from the last ejection or suction of the print head 200 to the present time is measured by the timer 505, and if the interval is equal to or longer than the predetermined time n, the process proceeds to step S14.
Then, a recovery process of the recording head is performed, and if it is below, the process proceeds to S15. In step S14, the recovery process of the print head 200 includes discharging the print head 200 into the cap 101, cleaning the discharge port of the print head 200 by the blade 104, and printing head 2 by the pump unit 150.
Suction of ink from 00 is performed. As a result of the recording process being left unused for a long time by the recovery process, it is possible to prevent ink ejection failure or the like due to an increase in viscosity due to evaporation of ink at the ejection port portion of the recording head 200. After the end of S14, the process proceeds to S15 where it is checked whether the paper sensor detects the presence of paper. If there is paper, the process proceeds to S16. If there is no paper, the process proceeds to S17. In S16, the detected paper is discharged. That is, the paper sensor 14
Drives the paper feed motor 5 in the forward direction up to a predetermined amount after detecting that there is no paper. Next, the process proceeds to S17, where the power-on process is terminated.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart for explaining the S4 power-off process. First, in S21, the recording head 2
It is checked whether 00 is in the capping state. If it is not in the capping state, the process proceeds to S22. If it is in the capping state, the process proceeds to S23. In S22, the carrier motor 255 is driven to put the recording head 200 in the capping state. Next, in step S23, the power of the recording apparatus is turned off to stop the function. In this process, even when the recording head 200 is not in the capping state, that is, when the power switch is turned off during printing or the like, the recording head 200 is surely put into the capping state and then turned off. The outlet portion is exposed to the atmosphere to prevent the occurrence of ejection failure due to an increase in viscosity due to evaporation of the ink.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart for explaining the S5 temporary stop processing. First, in step S31, it is checked whether or not there is a process currently being executed.
Proceed to S33, otherwise proceed to S33. In S32, the process currently being executed is executed by a predetermined amount. More specifically, the process is executed until the printing of the line being executed is completed if printing is being performed, or until the operation is completed if paper feeding or automatic paper feeding is being performed. If the paper discharge process is being performed, the process is immediately interrupted. Next, the current state is stored in S33. That is, if there is an interrupted process, the interrupted state is displayed.
And a state of an operation panel (not shown), an online / offline state, or a power saving mode for battery power, if any, and the like, are stored in a memory. Next, S34
Then, the recording head 200 is brought into the capping state.
If you are already capping, do nothing. Then S
In step 35, the power of unnecessary parts is turned off in the pause state. Next, the process proceeds to S36, in which the S5 temporary stop processing ends. In this process, even if a pause signal is detected during the execution of printing, capping of the print head 200 is reliably performed, and it is possible to prevent the print head 200 from being left without capping and causing ejection failure.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart for explaining the S7 temporary stop processing. First, in S41, a predetermined portion is initialized. Specifically, the position of the carrier 203 shown in S11 and S12, the play of the paper feed motor 5, the initial position setting of the automatic paper feed mechanism, and the like are performed.
Next, the process proceeds to S42, where the state before suspension stored in S33 is checked. Next, in step S43, a process for returning to the state before the temporary stop is performed. Specifically, if there is an interrupted process, the process is completed, and the states of the display unit 403 and the operation panel are restored. Proceed to the next S44 to end the S7 temporary stop release processing. Therefore, even if the recording apparatus is temporarily suspended during the execution of the processing, the processing before the temporary suspension after the return can be continued.

FIG. 41 is a flow chart for explaining the processing in the S3 power-on state. First, in S51, various types of errors are checked and error processing is performed. Specifically, for example, when there is no paper in the printing apparatus,
0, when the ink tank 201 is not installed, when there is no ink in the ink tank 201, when a paper jam is detected during the recording process, when the temperature of the recording head 200 rises abnormally, when various motor scanning errors occur. Is detected, an error is displayed on the display unit 403 or the operation panel, or a buzzer sounds to warn the user. Next, S52
Then, the key operation and command reception from the keyboard unit 402, the operation panel, the external interface unit 405 and the like are checked, and the corresponding processing is performed. Specifically, when the paper feed key is pressed, paper insertion and discharge, paper feeding of a predetermined amount, and the like are performed according to the situation. When the online key is pressed or when an online / offline command is received, an error state is checked, and the online / offline state is processed. When a command related to recording or the like is received, a corresponding process is performed. Further, when a key input for replacing the recording head 200 or the ink tank 201 or the absence of ink in the ink tank 201 is detected, the carrier motor 255 is driven to move the carrier 203 to a position where replacement is easy. After the replacement is completed, the carrier motor 255 is driven to move the recording head 201 to the cap 101.
To the recording head 2 by the pump unit 150.
The ink is sucked from the discharge port of No. 00. Ink tank 20
1 and the recording head 200 and the ink tank 20
In the case where air is mixed in the middle of the ink flow path during the period 1, the air mixed by suction of the ink is
The recording head 200 can be sucked out, and the occurrence of ejection failure due to the air mixing of the recording head 200 can be prevented. Next, in step S53, a recording process is performed. Details will be described later.
Next, the process proceeds to S54, where the power-off signal is checked, and if the power-off signal is detected, the process proceeds to the power-off process in S4 described above. If not detected, the process returns to S51.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart for explaining the S53 recording process. First, in S61, it is checked whether or not a command for executing recording, for example, a paper feed command or data to be recorded has been received. If there is a recording command, S62
If no, go to S69 and end this processing. In step S62, the online state is checked. If the state is online, the process proceeds to step S63. If the state is offline, the process proceeds to step S69 to end the processing. In S63, a process for starting recording is performed. Specifically, the temperature of the print head 200 is adjusted by a heater in the print head 200, the discharge is adjusted by discharging the print head 200 out of the print area, or the carrier motor 2 is controlled.
The home position sensor measures the amount of misalignment during forward / reverse scanning of 55, and performs misalignment correction during bidirectional printing.
I do. Next, in step S64, a check is made to determine whether the sheet has been fed. If the sheet is not inserted at the recording position in the automatic sheet feeding state, the automatic sheet feeding motor 323 is driven to feed the sheet. Next, in step S65, recording is performed for each line. Specifically, the printhead 200 is driven by driving the carrier motor 255.
The ink is ejected to perform printing, and when the printing of one row is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed, and the process proceeds to S66. An error check is performed in S66, and if there is an error, the process proceeds to S68, and if there is no error, the process proceeds to S67. The error check includes, for example, detection of the lower end of paper, detection of paper jam, detection of presence or absence of ink, scanning error of various motors, and the like. The detected error is processed in S51 described above. S6
In step 7, the reception of a command indicating the end of recording, for example, a paper discharge command, is checked. If the recording is completed, the process proceeds to S68, and if not, the process returns to S65 to continue the recording. In S68, a process for terminating the recording is performed.
Specifically, paper ejection, capping of the recording head 200, and the like are performed. Next, the process proceeds to S69, where the S53 recording process ends.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the flexible cable of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 43A is a diagram showing a flexible cable according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1000 denotes a flexible cable on which a conductor pattern required for the device is printed. The thickness and width of the conductor pattern are determined by the current capacity required for each conductor pattern, the allowable voltage drop value, etc. To improve the folding durability of the flexible cable, the thinner the conductor pattern is, the better. It is necessary to increase the width of the conductor pattern, which increases the width of the flexible cable.

1001a is a flexible cable 100
0 is a moving side, 1001b is a fixed side, and the flexible cable fixed side 1001b is
01c is provided. Flexible cable moving side 1001a and flexible cable fixed side 1001
b, two flexible cable divisions 1 of width Wd
001d and 1001e. The bent portion 1001f on the flexible cable moving side 1001a and the bent portion 10 on the flexible cable fixed side 1001b
By bending and overlapping the flexible cable 1000 at 01g, the width of the flexible cable 1000 becomes the width Wd at the divided portion, and can be smaller than the width Wo of the flexible cable moving portion 1001a. In the figure, an example is shown in which the image is divided into two parts. Also, positioning holes 1001h, 1001h ′, 1001i,
1001i 'is provided, and positioning holes 1001h,
1001h 'and the positioning holes 1001i, 1001i' are spaced apart by a predetermined distance d.

FIG. 43 (b) shows the flexible cable 10
It is a figure which shows the apparatus using 00. In the figure, 100
Reference numeral 2 denotes a moving unit, which is provided so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The moving unit 1002 includes a recording head in the case of a printer, and a sensor and the like in the case of a scanner. 100
Reference numeral 3 denotes a fixed portion, and the fixed portion has a positioning pin 1003a.
Is provided. Reference numeral 1001 denotes a state in which the flexible cable 1000 shown in FIG.
(FIG. 43A) is connected to the moving unit 2. Flexible cable positioning holes 1001h, 1001
h ′, 1001i and 1001i ′ are positioning pins 100
3a, and is fixed to the fixing portion 3 by the fixing member 4. As described above, the positioning holes 1001h, 1001
Since h ′ and 1001i, 1001i ′ are separated by the distance d, the bending positions of the flexible cable divisions 1001d and 1001e are shifted by the distance l. The thickness of the flexible cable 1000 is the bending height h
When it is sufficiently smaller than the above, 1 becomes substantially equal to d / 2. Therefore, since the flexible cable divisions 1001d and 1001e have different bending positions, they do not receive a force from the other flexible cable at the bending portion, and the bending durability performance is close to the case without bending.

However, making the interval l between the bending positions larger than necessary leads to an increase in the size of the apparatus. It is desirable that the interval 1 between the bending positions is equal to or less than the bending height h, that is, the interval d between the flexible cable positioning holes is equal to or less than twice the bending height h.

As described above, the flexible cable is divided into a plurality of parts, used in a superposed manner, and arranged so that the bending positions of the divided flexible cables are different from each other. , The width and the bending height of the flexible cable can be reduced without lowering the bending durability, and the device can be downsized.

FIG. 43 shows an example in which the flexible cable is divided into two. However, three or more flexible cables may be provided, and the positioning holes of the flexible cable are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the flexible cable by the number of divisions.

[Another Embodiment] FIG. 44A shows another embodiment according to the present invention. In the figure, 101
0 is a flexible cable. 1010a is the moving side of the flexible cable 1000, 1010b is the fixed side, and the flexible cable fixed side 1010b
Is provided with a contact portion 1010c. A portion between the flexible cable moving side 1010a and the flexible cable fixed side 1010b is divided into two flexible cable dividing portions 1010d and 1010e having a width Wd. The bent portion 1010f of the flexible cable moving side 1010a and the flexible cable fixed side 101
Flexible cable 1 with 10b bent portion of 10b
By bending and overlapping 000, the width of the flexible cable 1000 becomes the width Wd 'at the divided portion, and can be smaller than the width Wo' of the flexible cable moving portion 1010a. In the figure, an example is shown in which the image is divided into two parts. In addition, positioning notches 101 are provided in the flexible cable divisions 1010d and 1010e.
0h, 1010h ', 1010i, and 1010i' are provided, and the positioning holes 1010h, 1010h 'and the positioning holes 1010i, 1010i' are arranged at the same position in the width direction of the flexible cable.

FIG. 44B shows the flexible cable 10.
It is a figure which shows the apparatus using 10. In the figure, 102
Reference numeral 0 denotes a moving unit, which is disposed so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The moving unit 1020 includes a recording head in the case of a printer, and a sensor and the like in the case of a scanner. Numeral 30 denotes a fixing part, and positioning pins 1030a, 1
030b are arranged at a distance d '.

Reference numeral 1010 denotes a state in which the flexible cable 1010 shown in FIG. 44A is bent and overlapped, and the flexible cable moving side 1010a (FIG. 44A) is used.
(A) is connected to the moving unit 20. Also, flexible cable positioning notches 1100h, 1100
h ′ is inserted into the positioning pin 1030a, and the flexible cable positioning notches 1100i and 1100i ′ are inserted into the positioning pin 1030b and fixed to the fixing portion 1030 by the fixing member 1040. As described above, since the positioning pins 1030a and 1030b are separated by the distance d ', the bending positions of the flexible cable divisions 1100d and 1100e are shifted by the distance l'. When the thickness of the flexible cable 1100 is sufficiently smaller than the bending height h ', l' becomes substantially equal to d '/ 2. Therefore, the flexible cable dividing section 110
Since the bending positions of 0d and 1100e are different, the bending portion does not receive the force from the other flexible cable, and the bending durability performance is similar to that without bending.

In FIG. 44, the case where the flexible cable is divided into two has been described. However, the flexible cable may be divided into three or more. Is provided.

In the present embodiment, the case of the flexible cable for electrically connecting the moving part and the fixed part has been described.
The same applies to flexible cables that electrically connect members that move relative to each other.

As described above, according to the present invention, the flexible cable is divided into a plurality of parts, and the flexible cables are arranged so as to be bent at different bending positions. It is possible to reduce the width and the bending height of the flexible cable without lowering the bending durability performance by properly lowering the device, thereby achieving the miniaturization of the device.

The present invention provides an excellent effect particularly in an ink jet recording head and a recording apparatus which perform recording by forming flying droplets by utilizing thermal energy among ink jet recording methods.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which This is effective because heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, and as a result, air bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding one-to-one to this drive signal can be formed. It is. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. 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, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,252 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface 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-angle liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region, is also included in the present invention.

In addition, JP-A-59-123670, which discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal transducer for a plurality of electrothermal transducers, or absorbs a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which an opening corresponds to a discharge unit.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is determined by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. The present invention can exhibit the above-mentioned effects more effectively, though it may be either a configuration that satisfies the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head that is formed integrally.

In addition, the print head is replaceable with a print head of a replaceable chip type, which can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus or supplied with ink from the main body of the apparatus, or is integrated with the print head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head provided with an ink tank is used.

[0220] It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead provided as a configuration of the printing apparatus of the present invention, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be a single recording head or a combination of plural recording heads. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

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 below and which softens at room temperature, or which is liquid, In general, in the ink jet method, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled 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, the temperature rise due to thermal energy can be positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. Either ink may be used, or in any case, the ink may be liquefied by application of heat energy according to the recording signal and ejected as a liquid ink, or may already start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The use of an ink that liquefies for the first time by thermal energy is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-56847.
Or in a state in which it is held as a liquid or solid substance in a concave portion or through hole of a porous sheet as described in JP-A-60-71260, and faces the electrothermal converter. Good. In the present invention,
The most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0224] In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to those provided integrally or separately as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as a word processor and a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader and the like, May take the form of a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function.

The recording head according to the present invention is broadly divided into an ink recording section and an ink tank section for supplying ink to the ink recording section. The effect of the present invention is more remarkable when the size is reduced as compared with the configuration, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0226]

Effects of the Invention] According to this book onset Akira, pressing the solution of the carrier
Removal can be performed smoothly, and carrier operation is cheap.
Specified .

[0227]

[0228]

[0229]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a pinch roller pressure contact release state of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a pinch roller pressing state of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a lead screw mechanism diagram of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion 228 of the carrier bearing A of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a lead screw end according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a left end view of the lead screw 213 on which the clutch mechanism of the first embodiment is formed.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram of the clutch mechanism of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an engagement diagram of a clutch gear and a control gear according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a detailed view of the recovery device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of the pump unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a mounted state of the blade of the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view of the blade stopper of the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a cap opening / closing cam according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional view of the cap of the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a timing chart of the recovery means of the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing a carrier part of the first embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view showing a head cartridge section of the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a partially enlarged view of the carrier section of the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a method of connecting the carrier unit and the head cartridge unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a head cartridge coupling portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing an exchange system according to a first embodiment of the first embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing an exchange system according to a second embodiment of the first embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a schematic plan view showing how a force is applied in the first embodiment.

FIG. 25 is an overall perspective view illustrating an automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating an automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of the automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism of an automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 30 is an example of an operation sequence diagram of the automatic sheet feeding unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 31 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a release mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of the automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of the automatic sheet feeding unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a schematic perspective view showing an information processing apparatus incorporating the recording device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a block diagram illustrating an electric circuit configuration of an information processing device incorporating the recording device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing power on / off processing of an information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus of the first embodiment.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing a power-on process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart illustrating a power-off process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus of the first embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing a temporary stop process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing a temporary stop release process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing a power-on process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus of the first embodiment.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process of an information processing device incorporating the recording device of the first embodiment.

43 (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams of an embodiment of the flexible cable of the present invention.

FIGS. 44 (a) and (b) are modified examples of FIG. 43.

FIG. 45 is an explanatory view of a conventional flexible cable.

FIG. 46 is a conventional explanatory view related to the cleaning of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chassis 2 Guide rail 3 Recording material 4 Conveyance roller 5 Paper feed motor 6 Spur 7 Ejection roller 8 Pinch roller 9 Pinch roller spring 10 Pinch roller holder 11 Pinch roller frame 12 Release angle 13 Release lever 14 Paper sensor 15 Reduction gear train 101 Cap 102 Control gear 102a Cap opening / closing cam 102b Wiping operation cam 102c Projection 102d Switching sheet 102e Cap opening cam 102f Cap closing cam 102g Notch 102h Side gear 103 Stroke gear 104 Blade 105 Blade slider 105a Blade mounting groove 105b projection 105c through hole 105d wall 106 slide shaft 107 blade link 107a projection 107b spring hook 108 blade Cleaner 109 Blade stopper 110 Blade spring 111 Carrier stopper 112 Carrier hook spring 113 Cylinder 113a Cylinder part 113b Cap lever receiver 113c Ink suction port 113d Drainage tube 113e Parallel pin 114 Cap spring 115 Plunger 115a Operating shaft 115b Piston receiver 115c Piston holder 115d Pump Seal holding 115e Groove 115f Lead groove 116 Piston 117 Pump seal 118 Cap lever 119 Cap lever seal 120 Pre-discharge pad 121 Pump absorber 122 Bearing 150 Pump unit 200 Recording head 201 Ink tank 202 Head cartridge 203 Carrier 204 Head lever 205 Tank lever 206 Head holder 2 07 Head holder spring 208 Tank case 209 Lead pin 210 Lead pin spring 211 Flexible cable 211a Positioning hole a 211b Positioning hole b 212 Flexible cable pad 212a Positioning hole a 212b Positioning hole b 212c Ink barrier 213 Lead screw 213a Positioning hole a 213b Positioning hole b 220 Ink supply hole 221 Ink supply hole 222 Coupling claw 223 Coupling claw guide groove 224 Ink tank guide groove 225 Positioning pin 226 Stopper 227 Head contact part 227a Positioning hole a 227b Positioning hole b 227c Stopper contact location 228 Carrier bearing 1 229 Carrier bearing 2 230 Shielding plate 231 Carrier hook 250 Adjusting spring 251 Bearing 252 First elongated hole 2 53 Second long hole 254 Screw 255 Carrier motor 256 Pinion gear 257 Lead screw gear 258 Initial lock 259 Clutch gear 260 Clutch plate 261 Return spring 262 Projection 263 Depression 264 Idling groove 265 Contact groove 267 Flange 268 Guide strip 269 Stopper 270 HP sensor 271 Recovery system plate 301 Main holder 302 Separation roller 303 Separation gear 304 Separation ratchet 305 Separation shaft 306 Separation holder 307 Main holder shaft 308 Separation spring 309 Spare roller 310 Spare roller holder 311 Spare roller shaft 312 Idler gear 313 Spare roller spring 314 Separation pressure arm 315 separation pressure arm spring 316 separation pad 317 paper holder 318 cam shaft 19 switch arm 320a paper feed initial sensor 320b paper feed switching sensor 321 drive gear 322 clutch disk 323 automatic paper feed motor 324 reduction gear 325 release lever 326 clutch spring 400 information processing device 401 printer unit 402 keyboard unit 403 display unit 404 external storage device 405 External interface 501 Controller 502 CPU 503 RAM 504 ROM 505 Timer 506 Interface unit 507 Controller 508 Head detection unit 509 Line buffer 510 Head driver 511 Motor driver 512 Sensor detection unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 13/00-13/32

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A carrier for mounting a recording head.
When the lead screw for forward and reverse rotation of the carrier for reciprocating, provided at an end of the lead screw, the driving of the motor
Lead screw gear for transmitting force to the lead screw
A, a recovery system for performing a recovery operation of the recording head, and provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the lead screw,
The carrier moves in a direction approaching the screw gear
Then a clutch gear which moves by being pushed by the said carrier, and control gear for transmitting drive to the recovery system meshes with the clutch gear when the clutch gear by movement of said carrier is moved, the lead screw Between the gear and the clutch gear.
The clutch gear from the lead screw gear
A first elastic member biasing in a direction away from the clutch gear and the carrier;
A second biasing rear in a direction away from the clutch gear;
Recording apparatus characterized by comprising the elastic member. 2. The force of the first elastic member is F1, and the force of the first elastic member is F1 .
When the force of the elastic member 2 is F2 and the load for moving the carrier on the lead screw is F0,
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relationship of F1>F2> F0 is satisfied. 3. The recording head is capable of discharging ink.
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is an inkjet recording head .