JP3500363B2 - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet printer, and more particularly to improvement of a pump mechanism thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an ink jet printer, when the ink ejection surface of a recording head is exposed to air for a long time when the printer power is off or when printing is not performed, the ink present on the ink ejection surface thickens and clogging occurs. In order to prevent such troubles, a cap is provided to shield the ink ejection surface of the recording head from the outside air, and a cap mechanism is provided to open and close the cap under predetermined conditions. In an inkjet printer, in order to maintain the printing condition properly, initial filling of ink, adjustment of the ink flow condition when the power is turned on again after the printer is stopped (recovery of ink ejection function), and remaining in the nozzle after the printing operation is completed. It is necessary to perform maintenance operations such as the removal of ink droplets that have accumulated, and for this maintenance operation, in cooperation with the cap mechanism, ink is sucked from the ink tank to the print head, and excess waste ink discharged from the print head is used. A pump mechanism that collects the waste ink into the waste ink tank is used.

In the pump mechanism, while pressing a part of the elastic tube forming the ink flow path, the pressing point is moved in the longitudinal direction of the tube, so that a positive pressure is applied in front of the pressing point and an elastic tube is applied behind the pressing point. Which is used for supplying ink and recovering waste ink by generating a negative pressure by the restoration of the ink (tube pump) is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-4-26186.
It is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4 (conventional example 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-25653 (conventional example 2). Conventional Example 1 is a typical example of a pump that also serves as a medium transport motor, and a tube is extended along an arc and the tube is deformed into a disk having a rotation center at the center of the arc. A roller is provided, which moves by rotating the disk while elastically urging the pressure roller by a spring, and plays the role of a pump. It is described that the spring plays a role of suppressing an increase in driving torque in consideration of variations in accuracy of the tube, the pressure roller, and their mounting parts. The second conventional example is a typical example in which a motor for moving a recording head (carriage motor) is also used as a drive source of a pump. A tube extends in the moving direction of the carriage and a roller that follows the movement of the carriage is cammed. The tube is pressurized by and pumped. The recording head is connected to the pump means at a predetermined position, and only the carriage which can be connected and separated is moved. One of the reasons why the recording heads are separable from each other is that the control of the drive of the paper feed roller and the control of the drive of the carriage require very high precision, so the transmission system is not disconnected. It is stated that it is desirable.

[0004]

In the present situation where ink jet printers have become popular as general commercial products, the functional components inside the printer are approaching the established range. However, for specific applications, such as passbook printers and device-built-in passbook printing units, there is no need for high-quality full-color printing that enables photo printing. For the purpose of use, there is a strong demand for simpler construction of the pump mechanism, easier manufacture and assembly, and easier maintenance.

The present invention has been made to meet the above demand. Generally, a passbook printer has a clamp mechanism for holding or releasing a medium (passbook or slip) inside the apparatus. In addition, a series of operations during operation,
Media insertion detection / medium suction / print processing / medium ejection / waiting for the next medium insertion are repeated. By the way, the initial filling of ink, the recovery of the ejection function after the printer is stopped, and the discard of the residual ink after the printing operation can be performed when the medium is not transported. The present invention focuses on this point, and its purpose is to simplify the configuration of the pump mechanism,
In addition to facilitating assembly, installation, and maintenance, it also uses a transport motor that is the drive source of the medium transport means as a power source for the pump mechanism to rotate the pump that has been used in conventional pump mechanisms. The purpose is to omit a dedicated power source (motor) and reduce the cost and downsize the device. The applicant of the present invention operates the pump mechanism via the power transmission means from the roller rotated by the medium conveyance motor as a means for operating the pump mechanism when the medium is not being conveyed by also using the medium conveyance motor. The above-mentioned invention has been disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-343766. The present invention provides another configuration for realizing the same function as the invention of the prior application.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, an ink jet printer according to the present invention has a pump mechanism that holds a part of a waste ink tube along an outer periphery,
A tube holder that is rotatably supported in a constant angle range, and a tube holder that is rotatably supported with a part of the outer peripheral surface close to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the tube holder. A tube compression body that compresses a part of the tube held by the tube holding body in a predetermined angle range,
Interlocking means for synchronously rotating the tube holding body in a predetermined direction when the tube compression body rotates in a predetermined angle range, and when the interlocking of the tube holding body and the tube compression body by the interlocking means is released. Means for returning the tube holder to the initial position and power for transmitting the rotational force of the medium carrying motor, which is the power source of the medium carrying means, to the tube compression body when the medium carrying means is not carrying the medium. It is characterized in that it is configured with transmission means. With the above-described configuration, the power transmission unit releases the transmission of the rotational force of the medium conveyance motor to the tube compression body of the pump mechanism while the medium conveyance unit is performing the medium conveyance operation. On the other hand, the power transmission means transmits the rotational force of the medium transportation motor to the tube compression body while the medium transportation means is not performing the medium transportation operation. As a result, the tube compression body is rotated in a predetermined direction, and a part of the tube is pressed and compressed during that time. Positive pressure is generated in front of the pressing point and negative pressure is generated in the rear of the pressing point.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a carriage support mechanism, a cap mechanism, and a pump mechanism portion of an inkjet printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the pump mechanism in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a tube holder and a tube in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a compression body, and an engagement state.

(Carriage Related) FIG. 1 shows the main components of an ink jet printer necessary for explaining the present invention. In addition to this, the ink jet printer includes a platen (not shown) and a medium transport mechanism (see FIGS. 7 and 8).
Will be described later. ), Etc., and each component operates in cooperation to record characters and figures on a recording medium (not shown). Since there is no,
The description is omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a carriage, and a cartridge 3 in which an ink tank 2 is replaceably housed,
A recording head 4 fixed to the bottom of the cartridge is detachably mounted. When the cartridge 3 is attached to the carriage 1, the recording head 4 supplied with the ink from the ink tank 2 is in a state in which the ink ejection surface 4 a of the inkjet nozzle thereof faces the lower surface of the carriage 1.

FIG. 1 shows the case of a monaural printer provided with only one ink tank, but the ink jet printer of the present invention may be a monaural printer or a color printer. That is, it may be a color printer having a plurality of ink tanks.

The carriage 1 is supported by a shaft 5 extending horizontally in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 so as to be capable of reciprocating along its axis, and a timing belt 7 wound between left and right pulleys 6. The stepping motor 10, which is coupled to the printer 1 and is rotationally driven through a drive circuit 9 to which control signals are applied from the CPU 8 that controls each part of the printer, causes the pulley 6 to rotate in the normal or reverse direction, thereby causing the carriage 1 to rotate on the shaft. 5 is reciprocated in a predetermined range. The CPU 8 is coupled to the external device A via the interface 8a.

(Home position) The carriage 1 is moved to the left and comes into contact with or comes close to a stop member 11 fixed near the left end of the shaft 5 so that the carriage 1 is stopped.
Home position. Then, when the carriage 1 reaches the home position, the home position sensor S1 is turned on.
When the actuating member for N, for example, the home position sensor is composed of a photoelectric switch, a light shielding plate 12 that blocks the light beam of the photoelectric switch is attached. The above configuration is not different from the conventional technique. In the home position, the pump mechanism P of the present invention described later functions in cooperation with the cap mechanism C described below.

(Cap Mechanism) Next, an example of the structure of the cap mechanism C will be outlined. Below the carriage 1 at the home position, the cap holder 13 is provided with a fulcrum 14
It is attached so that it can swing around. A cap 15 is attached to the horizontal portion 13a of the cap holder 13, and is urged by a coil spring 16 as an example of urging means so as to cover the ink ejection surface 4a of the recording head 4. The tip of the cap 15 has a lip 15 whose meat becomes thin toward the tip of the mouth so as to have a desired elasticity.
a is formed. Reference numeral 17a is a stop member that regulates the amount of rotation of the cap holder 13 by the coil spring 16.
The cap 15 has an electromagnet 18 as an example of a driving unit.
Then, the vertical portion 13b of the cap holder 13 can be sucked and separated from the recording head 4.

At the tip of the horizontal portion 13a of the cap holder 13, a regulation lever 19 having an upper limit regulation projection 19a at its upper end is swingably supported around a fulcrum 19b, and the regulation lever 19 is a biasing means. With the coil spring 20 as an example of the
Is urged in a direction away from the tip of the horizontal portion 13a. Further, an electromagnet 21 is provided as a driving means for moving the upper limit regulating projection 19a toward the tip of the horizontal portion 13a of the cap holder 13 when driven. 1
Reference numeral 7b is a stop member that defines a stop position when the restriction lever 19 is returned by the coil spring 20 when the electromagnet 21 is turned off.

When the electromagnet 21 is turned on, the upper limit regulating projection 1
When the electromagnet 18 is turned off in the state where 9a is moved toward the tip of the horizontal portion 13a of the cap holder 13,
The cap holder 13 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 around the fulcrum 14, so that the lip 15a of the cap 15 can be brought into close contact with the ink ejection surface 4a of the recording head with appropriate flexibility, and in that state. It is supposed to be retained.

An ink reservoir 15b which is integrally extended is formed below the cap 15. A dust removing filter 15c for removing the paper dust sucked together with the waste ink is installed in the ink reservoir. A waste ink tube 22 (hereinafter, referred to as a waste ink tube 22) is provided below the ink reservoir 15b.
To facilitate the connection to
A connector portion 15d is formed.

(Pump mechanism) One end of the tube 22 is connected to the connector portion 15d, and the other end is connected to the waste ink tank 23. A pump mechanism P, which is an object of the improvement of the present invention, is connected to an intermediate portion of the tube 22. The pump mechanism P applies a negative pressure to the inside of the cap 15 during the initial filling operation of the recording head 4 with the ink and the recovery operation of the ink circulation state after the printer has been stopped for a long time, so that the waste ink is stored in the waste ink tank 23. It is used for recovery. The pump mechanism will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

(Main Components of Pump Mechanism) The pump mechanism P generally holds a part of the tube 22 whose one end is connected to the ink reservoir 15b along the outer periphery, as shown in FIG. A roller-shaped tube holder 24, which is supported by a support shaft 24a in a predetermined angle range in a fixed angle range so as to be freely rotatable in the forward and reverse directions, and a part of the outer peripheral surface thereof is brought close to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the tube holder 24. The tube compression body 25, which is rotatably supported in a state, compresses a part of the tube held by the tube holding body 24 in a predetermined angle range when rotating, and the tube compression body 25 has a predetermined angle range. The interlocking means 26 for synchronously rotating the tube holder 24 in a predetermined direction when rotating the tube holder and the tube holder when the interlocking of the tube holder and the tube compression body is released. A means 27 for returning the body 24 to the initial position, a rotation angle detecting means 28 for detecting whether or not the tube compression body 25 is in an angle of interlocking rotation with the tube holding body 24, and a medium as a power source of the medium conveying means. Power transmission means 2 for transmitting the rotational force of a conveyance motor (hereinafter referred to as a conveyance motor) 39 (see FIG. 4) to the tube compression body 25 when the medium conveyance means is not performing the medium conveyance operation.
9 and 9. Below, each component and an attachment member are demonstrated in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tube holder 24 has a groove 24b formed in the outer peripheral surface substantially in the center in the width direction, and a gear 26a forming an interlocking means on one or both outer peripheral surfaces of the groove. Are formed. And the tube 22
Is penetrated at a position close to the center of the tube holder 24, and a groove 24b is formed from a notch formed near the outer peripheral surface.
Is laid inside, and is extended along the groove for a required length, and then is extended again out of the groove 24b from the notch formed in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface and is close to the center of the tube holder 24. It penetrates at the position and extends to the waste ink tank 23. 30 and 31, the tube 22 groove 2
4b is a tube stopper which is fixed to the tube holding body 24 before being drawn into the groove 4b and after being pulled out from the groove 24b.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, when the tube compression body 25 is rotated, the interlocking means 26 is engaged within a predetermined angle range to synchronously rotate the tube holding body 24 in a predetermined direction.
Is composed of a gear 26a of the tube holding body 24 and a partial gear 26b of the tube compression body 25 which meshes with the gear 26a. The tube compression body 25 is rotated to a predetermined angle,
The means 27 for returning the tube holding body 24 to the initial position when the linked state of the tube holding body 24 and the tube compression body 25 by the interlocking means 26 is released has one end coupled to the tube holding body 24 and the other end. It is configured by a spiral spring or a coil spring coupled to the support shaft 24a. However, the returning means may have another structure. The rotation angle detecting means 28 includes a detected member 28a such as a protrusion provided on a side surface of the tube compression body 25 at a position corresponding to an intermediate position in the circumferential direction of the convex portion 25b, and a tube holding body with respect to the rotation center of the tube compression body 25. It can be configured with a detector 28b such as a micro switch operated by the detected member 28a on the side opposite to the rotation center of 24.

A switch 32 is attached to the switch 34 for detecting that the tube holder 24 has been rotated to a predetermined rotation angle and then returned to the initial position by the returning means 27. Reference numerals 33 and 34 respectively denote a stopped member and a stop member provided on the side surface of the tube holding body 24 and the printer body, respectively, and the stopped member 33 stops when the tube holding body 24 is returned to the initial position by the returning means 27. The member 34 is hit and stopped. Buffer members 33a and 34a are provided on the collision surfaces of both members. In the stopped state, 33a acts to turn on the switch 32.

The tube compression body 25 is formed in a notched roller shape in which a notched portion 25a is formed in a part of the circumference of the disc.
A convex portion 25b that can be fitted into the groove 24b of the tube holding body 24 is provided substantially at the center of the outer peripheral surface in the width direction, and a partial gear 26b that constitutes the interlocking means 26 is provided on one side or both sides thereof. The tube compression body 25 may be rotatably supported at its center by a fixed shaft, but in a preferred embodiment, one end of the lever 35 is connected to the center rotation shaft 25c, and the other end is supported as a spindle. A coil spring 37 is provided as an example of a means (tube compression body urging means) for supporting the tube compression body 25 in the direction of the tube holding body 24 at the intermediate portion of the lever 35 that is swingably supported by the lever 36.
By connecting one end of the coil spring 37 to the printer main body and the other end of the coil spring 37 to the printer main body, the outer peripheral surface of the tube compression body 25 is constantly urged toward the outer peripheral surface of the tube holding body 24. Reference numeral 38 is a stop member for keeping the tube compression body 25 at a distance where the tube compression body 25 is not pressed when the cutout portion 25a faces the tube retention body 24. The tube compression body urging means is not limited to the illustrated example, and may have another structure.

(Schematic Structure and Operation of Power Transmission Means) Next, a schematic structure of the power transmission means 29 for transmitting the rotational force of the conveyance motor 39, which is a component of the medium conveyance mechanism, to the tube compression body 25. explain. The power transmission means 29 is
A driven gear 29a provided concentrically with the rotary shaft 25c on the side surface of the tube compression body 25, an intermediate gear 29b rotatably supported by the printer body at a predetermined position and constantly meshed with the driven gear 29a, and an intermediate gear. A driven rotary body 29c formed concentrically with 29b and combined, a drive rotary body 29d fixed to a rotary shaft of a drive roller 40 rotated by a conveyance motor 39, and a medium via a link mechanism 42 described later. It is connected to the pressure roller 41 for conveyance, and is moved up and down in conjunction with the lifting operation of the pressure roller 41 by the clamp mechanism 43, which will be described later, to connect the transmission path to the driven rotary body 29c and the drive rotary body 29d, and It is composed of a planetary rotating body 29e for releasing the connection. However, the configuration of the power transmission means for rotating the tube compression body 25 in the predetermined direction by using the rotational force of the transport motor 39 is not limited to the example shown in the figure.

The pressure roller 41 is used for the clamp mechanism 4.
2, the planetary rotor 29e is separated from the drive rotor 29d and the driven rotor 29c as indicated by the solid line in FIG. When the conveyance control ends and the pressure roller 41 is lowered to release the medium, the planetary rotor 29e comes into contact with the drive rotor 29d and the driven rotor 29c, as indicated by the chain line in FIG. ing. In this state, the drive roller 40 is rotated by the medium carrying motor 39, so that the pump operation is executed as follows.

(Operation of Pump Mechanism) While the waste ink recovery process is not executed, the tube compression body 25 has the cutout portion 25.
a is held at a position close to the outer peripheral surface of the tube holder 24. When executing the waste ink recovery process, the power transmission means (42, 29d, 29e, 29c, 29) is used.
The tube compression body 25, which is given a rotational force from the conveyance motor 39 via b), has a predetermined direction (clockwise in the example of FIG. 2).
The tube holder 24 is rotated by the interlocking means 26.
Is also rotated in a predetermined direction (counterclockwise in the example of FIG. 2).
The rotation angle detecting means 28 detects that the tube compression body 25 has been rotated to a position where the cutout portion 25a is close to the outer peripheral surface of the tube holding body 24. When the pump operation is not continued thereafter, the transport motor 39 is stopped or the clamp mechanism 43 is restored to stop the rotation of the tube compression body 25 based on the detection signal of the rotation angle detection means 28. If the tube compression body 25 does not press the tube 22 of the tube holding body 24, the ink ejection surface of the recording head may be exposed to the outside air through the tube 22 and may be dried, so in order to avoid this, for example, A valve (not shown) made of an elastic sheet is provided at the tip of the waste ink tank 23 of the tube 22 so that the valve closes the tip of the tube 22 when the tube compression body 25 releases the pressure of the tube 22. It is good to

By the interlocking means 26, the tube compression body 25
Since the tube holder 24 is synchronously rotated counterclockwise in a certain range of rotation angle during clockwise rotation of the tube, the tube 22 in the groove 24b of the tube holder 24 is inserted into the groove of the convex portion 25b of the tube compression body 25. It is compressed by the portion fitted into 24b, and its compression position moves in the clockwise direction relative to the tube holder 24. And tube 2
Positive pressure is generated in front of the second compression position, and negative pressure is generated in the rear of the compression position. Therefore, the ink in the tube 22 is pushed out to the waste ink tank 23, and the ink in the ink reservoir 15b is sucked into the tube 22.

The depth of the groove 24b of the tube holder 24,
By making the height difference of the convex portion 25b of the tube compression body 25 to be approximately twice the wall thickness of the tube, while pushing out the ink at the fitting portion between the groove 24b and the convex portion 25b,
The life of the tube can be extended without applying extra force.

(Structure of cooperation between power transmission means and transfer mechanism)
In FIG. 4, a conveyance motor 39 and a drive roller 40
The pressure roller 41, the clamp mechanism 43, the stepping motor drive circuit 44a, and the clamp mechanism drive circuit 44b are the configuration of the transport mechanism normally found in a conventional passbook printer. The operation will be briefly described. A print medium (not shown) is sandwiched between the drive roller 40 and the pressure roller 41, and the print medium is transported by the driving force of the transport motor 39. In connection with this conveying operation, the clamp mechanism 43 holds and releases the print medium by pressing and separating the pressure roller 41 from the drive roller 40. Conveyor motor 39 and clamp mechanism 43
Are controlled by the CPU 8 in FIG. 1 via the respective drive circuits 44a and 44b.

A drive rotor 29d for the power transmission means 29
Is coupled to a rotary shaft that rotates in synchronization with the rotary shaft of the drive roller 40 via a link mechanism 42. The driven rotating body 29c is mounted facing the driving rotating body 29d with a certain distance. The planetary rotating body 29e is coupled to the pressure roller 41 via a link mechanism 42,
In conjunction with the pressure contact / separation operation of the pressure roller 41 with respect to the drive roller 40 by the clamp mechanism 43, the separation / pressure contact is performed with respect to the drive rotating body 29d and the driven rotating body 29c. That is, when the pressure roller 41 is pressed against the drive roller 40, the planetary rotor 29e is separated from both (or one) the drive rotor 29d and the driven rotor 29c, and the drive force of the drive rotor 29d is driven. Not transmitted to the rotating body 29c. On the contrary, when the pressure roller 41 is separated from the drive roller 40, the planetary rotary body 29e is pressed against both the drive rotary body 29d and the driven rotary body 29c to form a power transmission path, and the drive rotary body 29d.
Of the driving force to the driven gear 29a.

As the power transmission means, a gear or a timing belt can be used, but in the present embodiment,
The drive rotating body 29d and the driven rotating body 29c are formed of pulleys, and the planetary rotating body 29e is formed of an elastic roller, for example, a rubber roller. As a result, when the planetary rotor is moved to a predetermined first position to form a power transmission path and when it is moved to a predetermined second position to release the power transmission path, the planetary rotor transiently drives and rotates. The rubber roller, which is an elastic body, absorbs the resistance force received from the body, and when the planetary rotor is moved to the predetermined first position, the planetary rotor applies an appropriate pressure contact force to the drive rotor and the driven rotor. Since it is held and generates an appropriate friction, the automatic adjusting mechanism for the resistance force, the pressure contact force, and the friction becomes unnecessary.

(Conventional Example of Conveying Mechanism) Prior to a concrete description of the power transmitting means, an example of the structure of the conveying mechanism in the conventional passbook printer will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a configuration necessary for explaining the transport mechanism. In FIG. 5, the side plate 4 in FIG.
9R and 49L are omitted. FIG. 6 is a front view for complementing the description of FIG. 5, and the platen 52 in FIG. 5 is omitted. Note that, in FIGS. 5 and 6, carriage-related parts that are not directly involved in the description of conveyance are also omitted.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 50 denotes a transport plate on which a medium (not shown) moves. 52 is a platen, on which a carriage mechanism (not shown) for mounting a recording head is incorporated.

Reference numerals 40 ₁ , 40 ₂ and 40 ₃ denote drive rollers, which correspond to the drive roller 40 in FIG. 40b ₁ and 40b ₂ are pulleys for timing belts. 40a ₁ is a shaft, and the drive roller 4
0 ₁ and the pulley 40b ₁ are held. Similarly, 40a ₂ is a shaft, and the drive roller 40 ₂ and the pulleys 40b ₂ and 4 are
To hold the 0c _1. Similarly, 40a ₃ is a shaft that holds the drive roller 40 ₃ and the pulley 40c ₂ .

Reference numeral 46 is a timing belt, and the pulley 4
0b ₁ and 40b ₂ are wound around the drive roller 40 ₁ via the drive shaft 47a.
Communicate to. Reference numeral 47 denotes a carry motor, which corresponds to the carry motor 39 in FIG. The carry motor 47 rotationally drives the pulley 47b attached to the drive shaft 47a. 47c is a timing belt, timing belt pulley 47b, 40c _1, wound between the idle pulley 47f and 40c _2, to transmit the rotational driving force of the conveying motor 47 to the drive roller 40 ₂ and 40 _3. The idle pulley 47f is rotatably held by a shaft 47g. 41 ₁ is a pressure roller, and the shaft 41a
_It is rotatably attached to the arm 45 ₁ via ₁ and is attached so as to follow the operation of the lever 48 via the urging force of the coil spring 48 b with the rotating shaft 48 a as a fulcrum. The coil spring 48b is fixed at one end to the arm 45 _1, the rotary shaft 48a after the winding,
The other end is fixed to the rotary shaft 48a. Numeral 41 ₂ is a pressure roller, which is rotatably attached to the arm 45 ₁ via a shaft 41 a _2, and is rotated by a spring 46 ₁ by a drive roller 40 ₂ with a rotating shaft 48 a as a fulcrum.
Biased in the direction. Numeral 41 ₃ is a pressure roller, which is rotatably attached to the arm 45 ₂ via a shaft 41a ₃ and has a fixed shaft 49 as a rotatably fulcrum.
The spring 46 ₂ urges the drive roller 40 ₃ toward the drive roller 40 ₃ .

The lever 48 is fitted at its one end in a non-rotatable shape with respect to the rotary shaft 48a and then fixed by an E ring 48c, and the other end is rotatably attached to the plunger 51a by a pin 51p, and is also made by a spring 51b. It is urged in a direction opposite to the direction in which 51a is sucked. 51d is a holding plate for fixing one end of the spring 51b. 48d is a stopper of the lever 48. Arm 45 ₁ and the lever 48 is attached so as to have an angle of approximately 90 degrees via the coil spring 48b. The coil spring 48b applies the rotational force of the lever 48 to the arm 4
Because it tells 5 _1, latching magnet 51 attached to the holding plate 51c is accordingly sucked and release the plunger 51a, the pressure roller 41 ₁ is pressed against and away from the drive roller 40 _1. The pressure roller 41 ₁ is the pressure roller 41 in FIG.
Equivalent to.

Also, the arm 45₁And coil spring 48b
Lever 48, rotating shaft 48a, E ring 48c, and plunge
51a, the latching magnet 51, the pin 51p, and the bar.
5 b, holding plates 51c and 51d, and stopper 4
8d is used to configure the clamp mechanism 43 in FIG.
There is. In addition, in FIG. 6, 49L and 49R are side plugs.
Rate, axis 40a in FIG.₁, 40a₂, 4
0a₃, 47g, fixed shaft 49, rotary shaft 48a, transport mode
It holds the data 47, etc. 48s shown in FIG. 6 is three
For holding the rotary shaft 48a rotatably
Of. Rotating shaft 40a₁, 40a₂, 40a ₃About
However, the sleeve 41s is similarly provided.

(Structural Example of Power Transmission Means) How the power transmission means 29 is configured in the conventional transport mechanism described above will be described below. FIG. 7 is a configuration example of the transport mechanism corresponding to FIG. 5, and the link mechanism 42 in FIG.
This is for explaining a concrete configuration example of the power transmission means constituted by the drive rotating body 29d, the planetary rotating body 29e, and the driven rotating body 29c. FIG. 8 is a front view for complementing the description of FIG. 7, and corresponds to FIG. Below, it demonstrates using FIG. 7 and FIG.

(Structural Example of Driven Rotor) P in FIG. 7 is the pump mechanism P shown in FIG. The pump mechanism P is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the screw 63d is fixed to the holding plate 63b. The holding plate 63b is attached to the side plate 49R with a screw 63c. Figure 7
63 is a driven rotary body, which corresponds to the driven rotary body 29c in FIG. 2, and the outer peripheral surface is concave, as shown at 63 in FIG.

(Structural Example of Driving Rotating Body) 61 in FIG.
Is a drive rotor, and the drive rotor 29 in FIGS.
Corresponds to d. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the drive rotating body 61 is directly attached to the drive shaft 47a of the carry motor 47, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is a concave surface as shown by 61 in FIG.

(Example of configuration of planetary rotator) 62 in FIG.
Is a planetary rotator, and the planetary rotator 29 in FIGS.
It corresponds to e. The outer peripheral surface thereof is a convex surface as indicated by a dotted line 62 in FIG. In this embodiment, the planetary rotating body 62 is made of an elastic body such as rubber.

(Structural Example of Link Mechanism) The rotary shaft 62a, the arm 62b, the sleeve 62c, the coil springs 62d and 62e, and the stoppers 62f and 62g shown in FIGS.
It constitutes a link mechanism. These are specific examples of the link mechanism 42 shown in FIG. 4, and the planetary rotating body 29e in FIG. 4 is interlocked with the pressure contact / separation operation of the pressure roller 41, so that the drive rotating body 29d and the driven rotating body 29c are connected. The transfer motor 39 is moved to the pump mechanism P by being separated from and press-contacted with each other.
It is a power source of. In FIG. 7, 62a
Is the rotation axis of the planetary rotator 62, and both ends of the rotation axis are the arms 6
Round hole 62bR opened at the end of 2b close to the conveyance motor side
It is rotatably held by. The arm 62b is rotatably held with respect to the rotary shaft 48a via a sleeve 62c on one side by a round hole 62bL opened at the end far from the transport motor. The arm 62b is made of sheet metal having a U-shaped cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, has open portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and holds the rotary shaft 62a of the planetary rotor at one end. , The other end is rotatably held with respect to the rotary shaft 48a, and the coil spring 62
It is connected to the lever 48 by d and 62e. 62
Reference numeral g is a stopper for limiting the arm 62b from excessive movement.

The connecting portion between the arm 62b and the lever 48 is
This will be described with reference to the enlarged view of FIG. Arm 62b and lever 4
8 is a through shaft 62a in the through holes 62bL, 48e.
Is held through. 62f is a stopper for fixing the arm 62b in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 48a, and is fixed to the rotary shaft 48a by a screw 62n. The rotary shaft 48a is mounted on the lever 4 from the insertion side of the lever 48.
The part up to the position where 8 penetrates is formed into a non-circular cross section by, for example, cutting the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the round bar in parallel, and making that part the same shape as the cross section. By inserting into the through hole of the opened lever 48,
The rotating shaft 48a is configured to follow the swinging motion of the lever 48. The sleeve 62c has a through hole having the same size and shape as the through hole of the lever 48 inside, and has a round bar portion 62c ′ having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 62bL on the outside. The round bar portion is passed through the through hole 62bL to hold the arm 62b rotatably with respect to the rotary shaft 48a. Coil springs 62d and 62
e is wound in the opposite directions, and one end thereof is lever 48.
, And the other end is fixed to the arm 62b. The coil springs 62d and 62e transmit the swinging motion of the lever 48 to the arm 62b with an appropriate force.

With the above structure, when the plunger 51a is released, the arm 62b tends to rotate in one direction by the urging force of the spring 51b. That is, the planetary rotating body 62 is pressed against both the driving rotating body 61 and the driven rotating body 63, and is urged in a direction to move to a predetermined position (pressing contact position) so as to form the power transmission path. When the plunger 51a is sucked, the arm 62b tends to rotate in the other direction. That is, the planetary rotary body 62 is urged in a direction to move it to a predetermined position (separated position) by removing it from the drive force transmission path between the drive rotary body 61 and the driven rotary body 63.

(Characteristics of power transmission means) Referring to FIG.
The features of the power transmission means of this embodiment will be described. 630 is the center point of the driven rotor 63, 610 is the center point of the drive rotor 61, 620 is the center point when the planet rotor 62 is in pressure contact with both the drive rotor 61 and the driven rotor 63, and 48a0 is It is the center of rotation of the arm 62b. Line segment 48a0-62
0 indicates the position of the arm 62b when the planetary rotator 62 is moved to the pressure contact position. At this time, the line segment 48a0-620
Exists inside the triangles 48a0, 610, 630, and the outer peripheral surface of the planetary rotor 62 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the drive rotor 61 and the outer peripheral surface of the driven rotor 63. Dotted line 48a0-
620 'shows the position of the arm 62b' when the planetary rotator 62 is moved to the separated position. At this time, the dotted line 48a0
-620 'exists outside the triangles 48a0, 610, 630. To move the planetary rotator 62 'from the separated position to the pressure contact position, the line segment 48a0-620' is changed to the line segment 48a.
You have to move through the state of overlapping 0-610,
At the time of this overlap, the resistance force that the planetary rotary body 62 ′ receives from the drive rotary body 61 increases, so that the respective center points are positioned so that the planetary rotary body 62 ′ cannot move only by the biasing force of the spring 51b which is the result of releasing the latching magnet. , Spring 51
The urging force of b is set.

Therefore, in order to move the planetary rotor 62 from the separated position to the pressure contact position, in addition to releasing the latching magnet 51, the conveyance motor 47 is driven to rotate the drive rotor 61 clockwise. Thus, overcoming the increase in resistance and moving to the pressure contact position (from 620 ′ to 620). Once moved to the press contact position, the triangles 48a0, 610, 630 act so as not to release the press contact force of the planet rotor 62 against the drive rotor 61 and the driven rotor 63 by holding the line segments 48a0-620. Even if the drive rotor 61 is stopped, the planetary rotor 62 does not return to the separated position.

Further, when the drive rotor 61 is rotated clockwise, the planetary rotor 62 is pressed against the driven rotor 63, so that the rotation transmission effect is further enhanced. At this time, the planetary rotating body 62 rotates counterclockwise, the driven rotating body 63 rotates clockwise, and the pump mechanism P sucks the waste ink from the ink ejection surface 4 a and stores it in the waste ink tank 23. To work.

To return the planetary rotator 62 to the open state, the latching magnet 51 is attracted, and the carry motor 47 is rotated counterclockwise by a certain amount. By this control,
Since the driving rotator 61 acts to push the planetary rotator 62 from the position 620 in FIG. 10 to the position 620 ′,
The planetary rotator 62 is removed from the driving force transmission path, and its state is maintained by the action of the latching magnet 51.

When the transport motor is rotated counterclockwise, some positive pressure is temporarily abandoned in the direction in which the positive pressure is temporarily applied to the ink ejection surface until the planetary rotor 62 is separated from the driven rotor 63. It occurs inside the ink tube 22,
This is not a problem because it is possible to prevent the ink from being pushed in by performing control to open the cap 15 from the ink ejection surface 4a in advance. If necessary, a check valve can be provided in the middle of the waste ink tube 22 connected between the pump mechanism P and the connector portion 15c, but the printing process is performed according to the procedure of the time chart shown in FIG. Prior to (c), the cap mechanism is opened (2), the clamp mechanism is turned on (3), and then the transport motor is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (4). Since a positive pressure is generated after the print head 4 is separated from the recording head 4, a check valve or the like is unnecessary.

(Control of Printer) The control of the printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG.
The processing of the handling work in FIG. 11 is the four types of processing shown in the figure, that is, (a) medium insertion detection, (b) medium suction, (c)
The printing process and (d) Ejecting media (& waiting for extraction) are repeated. The process will be described with reference to the symbol numbers shown in FIG. (a) Medium insertion detection processing (1) When a medium insertion detection sensor (not shown) detects that a medium has been inserted into the printer, the operations (2) to (7) for inhaling the medium are activated. (b) Medium suction process (2) Prior to medium suction, the cap mechanism is opened.
That is, the electromagnet 18 in FIG.
5 is separated from the ink ejection surface 4a. (3) Turn on the clamp mechanism. That is, the latching magnet 51 in FIG.
a is sucked, the pressure roller 41 ₁ is brought into pressure contact with the drive roller 40 ₁ , and the inserted medium (not shown) is sandwiched and held. At this time, the arm 62b in FIG. 7 is acted on by the drive rotor 61 while being pressed by the drive rotor 61 against the driven rotor 63, although the force to disengage from the power transmission path acts via the coil springs 62d and 62e. I haven't come off yet. (4) The conveyance motor 47 in FIG. 5 is rotationally driven counterclockwise to suck the medium to the position of the platen 52. In this process, the drive rotating body 61 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 7 acts so as to remove the planetary rotating body 62 from the power transmission path. After the planetary rotator 62 is disengaged from the power transmission path, the coil springs 62d and 62e transmit the urging force associated with the movement of the lever 48, so that the disengaged position is maintained. (5) Prior to printing, pre-discharge ink. That is, FIG.
A small amount of ink is preliminarily ejected from the ink ejection surface 4a to the ink reservoir 15b in (1) to condition the recording head 4. (6) Move the carriage to the print position on the medium. That is, the carriage motor 10 in FIG. 1 is rotated to move the carriage 1 to a predetermined position. In the middle of this, the home position sensor S1 changes from the ON state to the OFF state. (7) When the medium has been sucked to the predetermined position, the printing process {(8) to (15)} is started. (c) Printing process The data to be printed is sent from the external device A to the interface 8
Since it is transmitted to the printer via a, the printing process is performed accordingly. (8) Move the carriage at a constant speed within the range of the printing position and stop it. (9) In synchronization with the movement of the carriage, a dot pattern to be printed is formed and ink is ejected. (10) When printing of one line is completed, the conveyance motor 47 is driven to rotate counterclockwise to move the medium, and a line feed is made to the position to be printed next. (11), (12) and (13) are repeated according to the data instructed by the external device. After printing the last line by (14) and (15), the medium ejection processes (16) to (27) are started. (d) Medium ejection process (and medium ejection waiting process) (16) When all the printing processes have been completed, the carry motor 47 in FIG. 5 is continuously rotated clockwise to eject the medium out of the printer. (17) At the same time, the carriage motor 10 in FIG. 1 is rotationally driven in a direction approaching the home position, the carriage 1 is returned to the home position, and it is confirmed that the home position sensor S1 has changed to the ON state and stopped. (18) While the transport motor is continuously rotating in the discharge direction,
Since the medium insertion detection sensor (not shown) changes from the existence state to the non-state, (19) it is detected and the rotation of the carry motor is stopped. (20) Then, the clamp mechanism is turned off. That is,
When the latching magnet 51 in FIG. 5 releases the plunger 51a, the urging force of the spring 51b causes the lever 4 to move.
8, the pressure roller 41 ₁ is separated from the drive roller 40 ₁ via the coil spring 48 b and the arm 45 ₁ . At the same time, the coil springs 62d and 62 in FIG.
The urging force of the spring 51b via e and the arm 62b engages the planetary rotor 62 with the drive rotor 61. (21) Change the cap mechanism from the open state to the closed state. That is, the energization of the electromagnet 18 in FIG.
The cap 15 is brought into contact with the recording head 4 by the urging force of and the state is maintained. (22) Drive the pump. That is, when the carry motor 47 in FIG. 7 is rotated clockwise, the drive rotor 61 moves in a direction in which the planet rotor 62 is pressed against the driven rotor 63 to form a power transmission path. (23) When the transport motor 47 is further rotated, the driven rotating body 6
3 starts to rotate, the pump mechanism P acts so as to push out the waste ink inside the waste ink tube 22 toward the waste ink tank 23, and the recording head 4
Acts to suck ink from the. (24) Ink is ejected from the recording head 4 in accordance with the suction operation of the pump to condition the recording head 4. (25) After performing the required number of ink ejection operations, the carry motor 47 is stopped, and (26) the suction operation of the pump mechanism P is stopped. (27) It is judged by the operator that the ejected printed medium (not shown) is pulled out by the state of the medium pull-out detection sensor (not shown). Normally, this confirmation is performed in parallel with other control after the medium ejection is completed.

By controlling as described above, the power transmission means can be combined with the existing mechanism of the conventional printer to drive the pump mechanism, and the recording head of the ink jet printer can be maintained in cooperation with the cap mechanism. Although the medium insertion detection sensor and the medium removal detection sensor are usually attached to the conventional printer, they are not shown for the sake of simplicity.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, the pump mechanism is operated when the medium is not being conveyed by also using the conveying motor. Therefore, as a means for operating the pump mechanism from the conveying motor through the power transmission means. , The pump mechanism holds a part of the waste ink tube and is rotatably supported in the forward and reverse directions, and the tube support is rotatably supported in a state of being close to the tube holder, and holds the tube in a predetermined angle range. A tube compression body for compressing a part of the tube held by the body; an interlocking means for synchronously rotating the tube holding body in a predetermined direction when the tube compression body is rotated within a predetermined angle range; and the interlocking means. Means for returning the tube holding body to the initial position when the tube holding body and the tube compression body are released from interlocking with each other; Since the medium conveying means the rotational force of the medium feeding motor, which is the power source of the stages is constituted by a power transmission means for transmitting before <br/> Symbol tube compact when not carrying medium, conveying motor It is also possible to provide another structure that also drives the pump mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to enjoy the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost and the operating cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing portions of a carriage support mechanism, a cap mechanism, and a pump mechanism of an inkjet printer.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the pump mechanism in FIG.

3A and 3B are explanatory views showing a structure and an engagement state of a tube holding body and a tube compression body in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a structural relationship between a medium transport mechanism and a power transmission means.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an example of a transport mechanism of a conventional printer.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of a transport mechanism and power transmission means of an inkjet printer.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing a connecting portion between an arm of the link mechanism and a lever of the clamp mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the features of the link mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a time chart for explaining a driving method of the pump mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 carriage 2 ink tank 3 cartridges 4 recording head 4a Ink ejection surface C cap mechanism 15 caps 15b ink reservoir 22 Waste ink tube 23 Waste ink tank P pump mechanism 24 tube holder 25 tube compression body 26 Interlocking means 27 Returning means 28 Rotation angle detection means 29 Power transmission means 29a Driven gear 29b Intermediate gear 29c driven rotor 29d drive rotating body 29e Planetary rotating body

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cap that seals and opens an ink ejection surface of a recording head, a waste ink tube whose one end is connected to an ink reservoir provided in the cap, and a waste ink tube that is connected in the middle thereof and is operated. If the waste ink collected in the waste ink tube is sucked, and
An ink jet printer having a pump mechanism that discharges toward the other end of the waste ink tube, wherein the pump mechanism holds a part of the waste ink tube along an outer periphery and is freely rotatable in a constant angle range. The tube holder supported on the tube holder is rotatably supported in a state where a part of the outer peripheral surface of the tube holder is close to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the tube holder, and the tube holder is held within a predetermined angle range when rotated. A tube compression body for compressing a part of the tube held by the body; an interlocking means for synchronously rotating the tube holding body in a predetermined direction when the tube compression body is rotated within a predetermined angle range; and the interlocking means. Means for returning the tube holding body to the initial position when the tube holding body and the tube compression body are disconnected from each other by the An ink jet printer comprising: a power transmission unit configured to transmit a rotational force of a medium transport motor, which is a power source of a stage, to the tube compression body when the medium transport unit is not transporting the medium. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation angle detection means for detecting whether or not the tube compression body is at an angle of interlocking rotation with the tube holding body, and the power transmission means is When the rotation angle detection means determines that the tube compression body is at an angle that rotates in conjunction with the tube holding body, and the medium conveyance means does not convey the medium, the rotational force of the medium conveyance motor is changed. When the medium is conveyed to the tube compression body and the medium conveyance means conveys the medium, or when the rotation angle detection means determines that the tube compression body is not at an angle for rotating in conjunction with the tube holding body, An ink jet printer characterized in that the rotational force of a medium carrying motor is not transmitted to the tube compression body. 3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tube holder is formed in a roller shape, and a groove is formed substantially at the center of the outer peripheral surface in the width direction, and the tube holder is provided in the groove. A waste ink tube is laid over the length of the groove, and a gear is formed on the outer peripheral surface of one side or both sides of the groove, and the tube compression body has a cutout portion on a part of the circumference of the disc. Is formed in the shape of a notched roller, and a convex portion that can fit in the groove of the tube holding body is provided substantially at the center of the outer peripheral surface in the width direction, and the gear of the tube holding body is provided on one side or both sides of the convex portion. A gear that can be meshed with is formed, and a biasing means that constantly biases the tube compression body in a direction in which the convex portion fits into the groove of the tube holding body, and the cutout portion of the tube compression body are Position facing the tube holder And a stop means for stopping the tube compression body against the biasing means so that the tube compression body does not interfere with the rotation return of the tube holding body when rotated until the interlocking means is provided. An ink jet printer comprising: the tube holding body and gears formed on the tube compression body and meshing with each other. 4. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the power transmission means is formed in the rotation shaft of the tube compression body to the side of the tube compression body concentrically <br/> circular The driven gear, the intermediate gear meshed with the driven gear, the driven rotating body provided on the same shaft as the intermediate gear, and the driven rotating body, which are provided slightly apart from the driven rotating body, and constitute the medium conveying means. A drive rotating body coupled to the drive roller, a planetary rotating body swingably provided between the driven rotating body and the drive rotating body, and a pressure roller forming a medium conveying unit with respect to the drive roller. spaced-pressure to the planetary rotary member to said drive rotor and the driven rotating member in conjunction with the operation of the clamping mechanism for pressing or away Te
Inkjet printer characterized in that it is composed of a contact link mechanism.