JP3966361B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus in which an ink jet print head can be replaced.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a print head that discharges and prints ink toward a print medium, a head holder that supports the print head, a carriage that is detachably mounted and movable along the print medium, and protection 2. Description of the Related Art A printing apparatus is known that includes a protective cap unit that covers a nozzle surface of a print head with a cap and prevents ink from drying.

  In such a printing apparatus, it may be necessary to replace the print head for reasons such as print head life or failure. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, mounting means 104 for detachably mounting a head holder 102 that supports the print head 101 to the carriage 103 is provided between the head holder 102 and the carriage 103, and FIGS. ), After the head holder 102 is inserted into the carriage 103 in a direction approaching the protective cap 105, as shown in FIG. 19C, the head holder 102 is rotated in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction (downward in the figure). In some cases, the head holder 102 is attached to the carriage 103 so that the print head 101 is properly positioned at the normal position facing the print position on the print medium. Such a mounting means 104 is formed on a recess 106 a formed on the opposite surface side of the pair of wall portions 106 protruding from the carriage 103 on both sides in the moving direction of the carriage 103 and on both side wall portions 107 of the head holder 102. And a convex portion 107a that is movably inserted into the concave portion 106a, and is configured to cause the head holder 102 to move as described above due to the engagement.

  By the way, in the apparatus equipped with such mounting means, it is conceivable to move the carriage 103 to a position facing the path of the print medium and replace the print head. However, when replacing the print head 101, the print head Although it is necessary to rotate 101 in a direction to return to the normal position after being inserted into the carriage 103 so as to be closer to the print medium path than the normal position from the inclination direction with respect to the print medium path, the nozzles of the print head 101 are usually used. Since the gap between the surface and the print medium path is only about 2 mm, the print head 101 collides with this portion and cannot be replaced. Therefore, such replacement is performed at a position where the nozzle surface of the print head 101 faces the protective cap 105.

  In general, the protective cap 105 is supported with slight play so as to incline in the front-rear direction and at a fixed position so as to be in close contact with the nozzle surface of the print head 101. As described above, the replacement of the print head 101 is performed. If the nozzle surface is positioned at a position facing the protective cap 105, when the head holder 102 is mounted on the carriage 103, first, as shown in FIG. When the head holder 103 is inserted from the inclined direction, the protective cap 105 hits above the nozzle surface 101a of the print head 101, and the protective cap 105 is tilted about the contact position as shown in FIG. Thus, it becomes parallel to the nozzle surface 101a. Thereafter, when the head holder 102 is rotated in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction so as to direct the print head 101 to the normal position, the nozzle surface 101a of the print head 101 moves upward in the figure, but the protective cap 105 is in a fixed position. Therefore, the protective cap 105 rubs the nozzle surface 101 a of the print head 101. The nozzle surface 101a has a plurality of nozzles that eject ink, and there is a risk of dust or the like adhering to the protective cap 105 and the nozzle surface 101a being pushed into the nozzle. For this reason, every time the print head 101 is replaced, a powerful purge is required to suck and discharge dust together with ink from the nozzles. In some cases, dust cannot be removed by such purge alone.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a printing apparatus that can replace a print head without rubbing the nozzle surface of the print head with a protective cap.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print head that discharges and prints ink toward a print medium, a head holder that supports the print head, and the head holder is detachably mounted and movable along the print medium. A print having a carriage and a protective cap means having a protective cap and covering the nozzle surface of the print head with the protective cap, wherein the print head is replaced at a position where the nozzle surface of the print head faces the protective cap In the apparatus, after the head holder is inserted into the carriage in a direction approaching the protective cap, the print head is correctly opposed to the print position on the print medium by rotating in a predetermined rotation direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. Mounting means for mounting the head holder on the carriage so as to be in a normal position, and the protective cap means When the cap is rotated at a first position and a rotation direction that is opposite to the predetermined rotation direction of the head holder from the first position, and the head holder is positioned at the regular position. And a second position which is a position facing the nozzle surface of the print head, and further supports the protective cap from the second position to the first position. It will be energized.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when replacing the print head at a position where the nozzle surface of the print head faces the protective cap, the protective cap is placed on the print head in a state where one end of the protective cap is in contact with the print head. The head is supported so as to be tiltable in a direction opposite to the print head with the rotation, and when the head holder is inserted, the one end of the protective cap and the print head are connected to the nozzle surface with the rotation of the print head. Since the contact is made at the position where it can face, when the head holder is inserted into the carriage in a direction approaching the protection cap, first, one end of the protection cap hits the print head. After that, when the head holder is rotated in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction so as to be immovable in the direction toward the print medium and the direction perpendicular to the carriage with respect to the carriage, the protective cap is moved along the one end with the rotation. And the protective cap faces the print head without rubbing the nozzle surface of the print head.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the protective cap is located at the first position, one end of the protective cap serves as the print head when the head holder is inserted into the carriage. Abutting and following the rotation of the head holder in the predetermined rotation direction, the head holder rotates about the one end from the first position toward the second position.
According to the invention of claim 2, the cap casing that supports the protective cap is supported by the main body casing so as to be movable in the direction of rotation of the head holder and the direction of approaching and separating from the head holder. The biasing member that biases the cap casing is biased so that the protective cap follows the movement of the print head when the head holder rotates.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the second aspect, the protective cap means includes a cap casing that supports the protective cap, a main body casing that supports the cap casing, and the cap casing and the main body casing. And a biasing means that biases the protective cap from the second position toward the first position, and the cap casing is a pair of stoppers spaced apart in the rotation direction of the head holder The main body casing has an engaging portion that engages with the pair of stopper portions in order to prevent the cap casing from moving more than a predetermined amount toward the head holder side, and Among them, the movement allowable amount between one stopper part and the engaging part engaged with it is determined between the other stopper and the engaging part engaged with it. Larger than the dynamic tolerance, between them, the biasing means.
According to the invention of claim 3, since the engaging portion of the main body casing is engaged with the pair of stopper portions of the cap casing, the cap casing is prevented from moving to the head holder side by a predetermined amount or more. The movement allowable amount between the stopper portion on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the head holder and the engaging portion engaged therewith is larger than the movement allowable amount between the upstream stopper portion and the engaging portion engaged therewith. Therefore, the urging force of the urging member causes the protective cap to be inclined so that one end of the protective cap contacts the print head when the head holder is inserted, and the protective cap Is made to follow well.

  The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the protective cap is supported in such a manner that the protective cap can be tilted in a direction facing the print head as the print head rotates, with one end of the protective cap being applied to the print head. When replacing the print head at a position facing the protective cap, the head holder is inserted into the carriage in a direction approaching the protective cap, and one end of the protective cap is applied to the print head. By rotating in the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, the protective cap can be tilted to face the print head. Therefore, the print head can be replaced without rubbing the nozzle surface of the print head with the protective cap.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the cap casing that supports the protective cap is supported by the main body casing so as to be movable in the direction of rotation of the head holder and the direction of moving away from the head holder. The biasing member that biases the casing can be biased so that the protective cap follows the print head when the head holder rotates.

  The invention of claim 3 prevents the cap casing from moving to the head holder side by a predetermined amount or more by engaging the engaging portion of the main body casing with the pair of stopper portions of the cap casing, The movement allowable amount between the stopper portion on the downstream side in the rotation direction and the engaging portion engaged therewith is set larger than the movement allowable amount between the stopper portion on the upstream side and the engaging portion engaged therewith. Therefore, the urging force of the urging member can tilt the protective cap against the print head when the head holder is inserted so that one end of the protective cap is in contact with the print head, and the protective cap is applied to the print head when the head holder rotates. Can be followed without difficulty.

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

  FIG. 1 is a side view of a print head or the like mounted on a carriage, and a print sheet as a print medium is positioned in a vertical state on the left side of the figure. In the figure, the left side is the front side and the right side is the rear side.

  The carriage 1 is slidably supported along a guide rod 2 and a guide bar 3 that extend in parallel with the printing paper, and can be moved along the printing paper by a known driving means such as a belt driven by a motor. ing. Along with this movement, each print head 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d (see FIG. 3) of the print head member 4 ejects ink from the nozzle that opens at the nozzle surface at the front end toward the print paper, and printing is performed. It will be. In such a printing apparatus, the print heads 4a to 4d (print head member 4) may need to be replaced because of the life or failure of the print heads 4a to 4d. The print heads 4a to 4d can be exchanged at positions where the nozzle faces of the print heads 4a to 4d are opposed to protective caps 22a to 22d described later.

  The carriage 1 includes a substrate portion 5 that extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the printing paper, and a pair of side walls 6 and 6 are projected toward the printing paper of the substrate portion 5 on both sides in the movement direction of the carriage 1. A space between the side walls 6 and 6 is opened in the front-rear direction (that is, the print paper direction) and in the opposite direction to support the print heads 4a to 4d (print head member 4) and an ink cartridge 8 described later. 9, 9, 10, and 11 form a space in which they are detachably mounted. In other words, the pair of side walls 6 and 6 are arranged in parallel with each other in the direction perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction of the head holder 7.

  As shown also in FIG. 2, a pair of substantially inwardly-shaped “U” -shaped intermediate side walls 12 are provided on both sides of the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the substrate portion 5 continuously to the pair of side walls 6. A rear upright wall 13 parallel to the printing paper is erected at the rear end of the substrate unit 5 away from the printing paper. The intermediate side wall 12 and the rear rising wall 13 are formed sufficiently lower than the side wall 6.

  The head holder 7 is formed in a box shape with the opposite side to the printing paper open, and the printing head member 4 (printing heads 4a to 4d) is placed on the front wall 7a on the printing paper side so that the nozzle surface faces the printing paper. I support it. In the present embodiment, the printing device is a color printing device, and the print head member 4 has a number of print heads 4a to 4d (four in this embodiment) corresponding to each color to be printed, as shown in FIG. Are arranged side by side in the movement direction of the carriage 1, and a plurality of ink cartridges 8, 9, 10, 11 containing ink to be supplied to each print head are also provided corresponding to each color.

  On the surface of the front wall 7a opposite to the ink discharge nozzle opening surface of the print heads 4a to 4d, a fitting connection portion for supplying ink to each of the print heads 4a to 4d (fitting connection portion 16a for the print head 4a). Ink supply holes (only the ink supply holes 8a of the ink cartridge 8 are shown) formed on the front surfaces of the ink cartridges 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the respective colors are fitted in the respective fitting connection portions. They are joined together (see FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of cylindrical pin-shaped convex portions 7 b protrude from the left and right side wall portions of the head holder 7 at the end portion near the printing paper and the lower portion near the substrate portion 5 of the carriage 1. In addition, a pair of square pin-shaped locking projections 7 c are provided protruding from the lower portion near the substrate portion 5 at a position corresponding to the intermediate side wall 12 of the carriage 1.

  A pair of groove-like recesses 6a extending from the rear end toward the printing paper side are formed on the opposing surface sides of the pair of side walls 6 and 6, and the front end of each recess 6a on the printing paper side is closed, and the rear The ends are open rearward and obliquely upward. The recess 6a includes an insertion guide portion 6b that functions as a guide portion for guiding the head holder 7 to the carriage 1 from a direction inclined with respect to a normal position where the print heads 4a to 4d are correctly opposed to the print position on the print paper, and The insertion guide portion 6b has a continuous positioning portion 6c on the back side, and the convex portion 7b is inserted movably. A mounting means for mounting the head holder 7 to the carriage 1 is constituted by the recess 6a and the convex portion 7b.

  A locking portion 14 is formed on the inner side of the pair of “U” -shaped intermediate side walls 12 and rises upward from the lower part of the rear end side of the “U” -shaped portion. The locking portion 14 has elasticity that bends in the front-rear direction, and the upper end thereof has a claw 14 a that protrudes upward from the intermediate side wall 12 and that slopes downward toward the side wall 6. The locking portion 14 and the locking protrusion 7c of the head holder 7 constitute a locking means for locking the print head member 4 at one end position (positioning portion 6c) of the recess 6a at a normal position. Yes.

  A leaf spring member 15, which is a leaf spring-like elastic body, is provided at each position corresponding to the rear end of each ink cartridge 8, 9, 10, 11 on the rear vertical wall 13 of the carriage 1. The leaf spring member 15 has an inclined surface that inclines downward toward the head holder 7 side, and projects to the same side in a “<” shape. Each of the ink cartridges 8, 9, 10, and 11 has a semicircular protrusion (only the protrusion 8b for the ink cartridge 8 is shown) at the lower end of the rear end.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the head holder 7 is detachably mounted between the pair of side walls 6 and 6 of the carriage 1 from the rear as shown in FIG. 4. More specifically, the convex portion 7b of the head holder 7 is fitted into the groove-like recess 6a of the side wall 6 obliquely from above and behind, and the head holder 7 is moved to the carriage 1 in a direction approaching protective caps 22a to 22d described later. After the insertion, when the convex portion 7b moves from the insertion guide portion 6b of the recess 6a to the positioning portion 6c, the head holder 7 is centered on the convex portion 7b in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the head holder 7, that is, When rotating downward about an axis parallel to the printing paper, the locking projection 7c of the head holder 7 comes into contact with the claw 14a protruding in the rotation locus and resists the elasticity of the locking portion 14. It gets over the claw 14a and is locked to the claw 14a.

  As a result, the head holder 7 is positioned in the direction toward the printing paper by abutment between the convex portion 7b and the front end of the positioning portion 6c of the recess 6a, and in the lateral direction perpendicular thereto, the side surface of the head holder 7 is positioned. And the side wall 6 are in contact with each other. The vertical direction of the end of the head holder 7 on the printing paper side is positioned by fitting the convex portion 7b and the concave positioning portion 6c. As a result, the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d become normal positions that are correctly opposed to the print positions on the print paper. Further, the end (rear end) of the head holder 7 on the side opposite to the printing paper side is in the vertical direction by the bottom surface of the head holder 7 abutting against the substrate part 5 and the claw 14a and the locking projection 7c being locked. Is positioned. With respect to the direction in which the head holder 7 moves away from the printing paper, the locking projection 7c is locked and positioned on the locking portion 14, and the print heads 4a to 4d are locked at the normal positions. In the left-right direction (carriage movement direction), positioning may be performed by contacting the tip of the convex portion 7b with the recess 6a. The locking portion 14 may always press the locking projection 7c, but even if there is a slight gap, the leaf spring member 15 that presses the ink cartridge can position the rear end portion of the head holder 7. it can.

  The head holder 7 and the groove-like recess 6a have a shape that opens rearward with respect to the print heads 4a to 4d, that is, toward an opening 43 of an exterior case 41 described later, and through the opening 43 of the exterior case 41. The ink cartridges 8, 9, 10, 11 and the print heads 4a to 4d can be detachably attached to the carriage 1.

  Further, the head holder 7 is removed by pushing the upper end of the locking portion 14 backward to remove the claw 14a from the locking projection 7c, turning the rear end of the head holder 7 upward, and then pressing the convex portion 7b. This can be done by pulling backward from the location 6a.

  The ink cartridges 8, 9, 10, and 11 are inserted into the head holder 7 from the rear, the ink supply holes on the front surfaces are fitted into the fitting connecting portions, and the rear ends of the ink cartridges 8 to 11 are leaf springs. Each of the ink cartridges 8 to 11 is pressed against the elasticity of the leaf spring member 15 while being guided further along the inclined surface 15a of the member 15 against the elasticity of the leaf spring member 15. Is pressed in the direction of connection to the fitting connection portion, and the connection state with each of the print heads 4a to 4d is maintained.

  When removing the ink cartridge, the rear end of the ink cartridge is lifted and removed from the leaf spring member 15, and the ink cartridge is pulled out from the head holder 7. At this time, the head holder 7 is mounted on the carriage 1 and only the ink cartridge can be removed.

  In the above configuration, in the mounting means, the convex portion 7b is provided on the head holder 7 and the concave portion 6a is provided on the side wall 6. On the contrary, the concave portion is provided on the head holder 7 and the convex portion is provided on the side wall. It can also be done.

  5, 6, 8, and 9 exemplify the configuration relating to the protective cap means of claims 1 to 5.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the protective cap device, and this device is disposed outside the print paper conveyance path and at a position corresponding to one moving end of the carriage 1. The protective cap device 21 includes a plurality of protective caps 22a to 22d that cover the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d in close contact with each other to prevent the ink in the nozzles from drying, and a cap that supports the plurality of protective caps 22a to 22d. A casing 23, a main casing 24 (see FIG. 6) that supports the cap casing 23 so as to be movable in the rotational direction of the head holder 7 via the connecting link 25, and protective caps 22 a to 22 d are inserted when the head holder 7 is inserted. And a spring 27 which is an urging member for selectively urging the position toward the print heads 4a to 4d and the position toward the print heads 4a to 4d at the regular positions.

  The connecting link 25 has one end rotatably connected to the protrusion 23 a of the cap casing 23 and the other end rotatably connected to the main body casing 24 by the shaft 26, and the protective caps 22 a to 22 d are connected in the rotation direction of the head holder 7. Supports movable. The spring 27 is interposed between the main body casing 24 near the shaft 26 and the protruding pin 28 on the cap casing 23 in a compressed state, and urges the protective caps 22a to 22d toward the print heads 4a to 4b. The movement range of the protective caps 22a to 22d is regulated between the two positions by the engagement relationship between the protruding pin 28 and the stopper portion 29 formed in the main body casing 24.

  When the print heads 4a to 4d rotate around the convex portion 7b with the protective caps 22a to 22d being in close contact with the print heads 4a to 4d, the energizing force of the spring 27 follows the protective caps 22a to 22d. It is set to move. Further, the movement of the protective caps 22 a to 22 d is guided by the connecting link 25.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the main body casing 24 is slidable along the guide shaft 30 and rotatable about the guide shaft 30 at the lower end away from the cap casing 23, and protrudes into the movement path of the carriage 1. A protruding arm 24a is provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the carriage 1 moves beyond the printing area for the printing paper, the end of the carriage 1 comes into contact with the protruding arm 24a as shown in FIG. 8B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, the protrusion 24b of the main body casing 24 moves with the carriage 1 so that the protective caps 22a to 22d approach the print heads 4a to 4d along the inclined cam 31. The main body casing 24 rotates around the guide shaft 30 so that the protective caps 22a to 22d cover the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d. When the carriage 1 returns to the printing area, the main body casing 24 moves in the reverse direction to that described above due to the action of a spring (not shown), moves away from the print heads 4a to 4d and slightly moves toward the printing area. The moved position returns to the initial position shown in FIG.

  A purge device 32 is provided adjacent to the protective cap device 21. The purge device 32 advances and retracts the suction cap 33 by a driving means (not shown), closely contacts the suction cap 33 for each ink discharge nozzle of each color of the print heads 4a to 4d, and the nozzle generated by a suction pump (not shown). The ink inside is sucked.

  FIG. 7 shows a schematic electrical configuration of this apparatus. The control device 71 is composed of a control circuit composed of a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM and hardware logic, and is based on data received through the interface unit 72. The print heads 4a to 4d, the paper feed motor 73 as a drive source for transporting the print paper, and the carriage motor 74 as a drive source for the reciprocating movement of the carriage 1 are respectively controlled to execute the print operation. Further, the control device 71 is supplied from various switches 75, a detector 76 for an open cover described later, an attachment / detachment detector 77 for the ink cartridges 8, 9, 10, and 11 provided on the carriage 1, and a remaining ink detector 78. In response to the signal, the purge device 31 and the display 79 are controlled including the control of the printing operation.

  Then, the controller 71 stops the carriage 1 at the capping position where the nozzle faces of the print heads 4a to 4d are covered with the protective caps 22a to 22d as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9C, the old print heads 4a-4d face the protective cap 22 (22a-22d is abbreviated as 22 in FIG. 9) as shown in FIG. 9B. When the head holder 7 is rotated around the convex portion 7b in order to remove it as described above, the protective cap 22 moves so as to follow the print heads 4a to 4d, as shown in FIG. 9 (a). Thus, even after the head holder 7 is removed, the state is maintained by the action of the spring 27.

  9A, when the head holder 7 supporting the new print heads 4a to 4d is inserted into the carriage 1 along the recess 6a as described above, the protective cap 22 is Since it is already in the state of facing the print heads 4a to 4d as described above, as shown in FIG. 9B, the protective cap 22 is in contact with the print heads 4a to 4d at the same position as the close contact state. Become. Then, when the head holder 7 is rotated downward to lock the head holder 7 as described above, the protective cap 22 moves following the rotation of the head holder 7 while maintaining the contact state, as shown in FIG. As shown, the print heads 4a to 4d at the normal positions are covered. That is, unlike the prior art, the nozzle faces of the print heads 4a to 4d and the protective cap 22 are not relatively rubbed.

  The above configuration is embodied in, for example, the printing apparatus shown in FIGS. The exterior case 41 of the printing apparatus accommodates the carriage 1 including the print heads 4a to 4d and each of the apparatuses in an inclined state so that the nozzle surface of the print head is inclined downward. In the above description, the print head is described as being horizontally oriented for convenience. The outer case 41 has an opening for forming a discharge roller 42 for discharging printed paper on the front surface, and is horizontally long in the moving direction of the carriage 1 at a position corresponding to the print heads 4a to 4d and the ink cartridge on the upper surface. It has an opening 43 extending. The opening 43 extends over the range of the print area where the print heads 4 a to 4 d correspond to the print paper, but does not reach the position where the print heads 4 a to 4 d correspond to the protective cap device 21. In the latter position, an auxiliary opening 44 that allows the head holder 7 to be attached and detached is formed continuously with the opening 43, and a lid member 45 is detachably attached to the auxiliary opening 44.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the lid member 45 has projections 46 and 47 on both ends in the front-rear direction, that is, in the direction of bridging the auxiliary opening 44, and one of the projections 46 is first provided on the inner edge of the auxiliary opening 44. The other protrusion 47 is hooked in the recess 49 on the other inner edge of the auxiliary opening 44 by using the elasticity of the lid member 45 and the outer case 41, and is mounted. The lid member 45 is received by the protrusions 50 provided on both inner edges of the auxiliary opening 44 against the downward drop. As a result, when the print heads 4a to 4d are in a position facing the protective cap device 21 in a normal use state (for example, when printing is suspended), the lids 45 cause the print heads 4a to 4d, the ink cartridge, and the carriage 1 to move. So that they are not touched by carelessness.

  As described in the prior art, the print heads 4a to 4d need to be replaced in a print pause state, that is, at a position where the print heads 4a to 4d face the protective caps 22a to 22d. At this time, the lid member 45 is removed, and the print heads 4 a to 4 d are attached to and detached from the carriage through the auxiliary opening 44.

  As shown in FIG. 10, an open cover 61 is rotatably mounted around the hinge 62 on the upper surface of the outer case 41. The opening cover 61 covers not only the opening 43 but also the periphery of the auxiliary opening 44 including the lid member 45 so as to be openable.

  12 and 13 show another embodiment of the present invention, that is, a configuration relating to the protective cap means of claims 6 to 10. In this embodiment, the print heads 4a to 4d and the carriage 1 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 12 shows a schematic configuration of the protective cap device 21 of this embodiment. The function of closely covering the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d with the protective caps 22a to 22d outside the print paper conveyance path is as follows. This is the same as the previous embodiment. The protective cap device 21 includes a cap casing 23 that supports the protective caps 22a to 22d, and a main body casing 24 that supports the cap casing 23 so as to be movable in the rotating direction of the head holder 7 and in the direction of approaching and separating from the head holder 7. And a spring 26 which is an urging member interposed between the stopper 24c of the main body casing 24 and the rear portion of the cap casing 23 and urges the protective caps 22a to 22d toward the print heads 4a to 4d. .

  More specifically, the cap casing 23 is inserted into a through-hole portion (not shown) of the main body casing 24 so as to be movable in the direction of rotation of the head holder 7 and the direction of approaching and separating from the head holder 7, that is, the cap casing. It is inserted into a through-hole portion sufficiently larger than the outer dimension of 23. The cap casing 23 has a pair of leg portions 23 c that are separated from each other in the rotation direction of the head holder 7, and the leg portions 23 c have stopper portions 23 d and 23 b at rear end portions that penetrate the main body casing 24, respectively. The main body casing 24 has an engagement surface 24d that is an engagement portion that engages with the pair of stopper portions 23d and 23b in order to prevent the cap casing 23 from moving to the head holder 7 side by a predetermined amount or more. Among the pair of stopper portions 23d and 23b, the movement allowable amount L1 between the stopper portion 23d on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the head holder 7 and the engaging portion 24d engaged therewith is determined as the upstream stopper portion 23b. Larger than the movement allowable amount L2 between the engagement portion 24b and the engagement portion 24b engaged therewith, and the spring 26 is provided between them. As will be described later, the urging force of the spring 26 is such that the protective cap 22a is rotated when the print heads 4a to 4d rotate around the convex portion 7b with one end of the protective caps 22a to 22d being in contact with the print heads 4a to 4d. ˜22d is also set to move following that.

  Accordingly, the protective caps 22a to 22d are energized by the spring 26, and the upper end of the protective cap (the end portion on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the head holder 7) is the lower end (head holder 7) as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 protrudes toward the print head from the upstream end of the rotation direction 7, that is, in an inclined state. In this state, when the print heads 4a to 4d are inserted from the direction inclined with respect to the normal position as indicated by a two-dot chain line in the drawing, the upper end of the protective cap is the upper end of the nozzle surface of the print heads 4a to 4d. It hits. As will be described later, the position where both of them hit is a position where the protective cap can cover the nozzle surface when the protective cap rotates following the print head.

  Then, when the head holder 7 is rotated downward to lock the carriage, the print heads 4a to 4d rotate around the convex portion 7b. At this time, the protective caps 22a to 22d follow the print heads 4a to 4d. Then, it moves upward while rotating (ie, tilting) about the hit point, and as shown by a solid line in FIG. As described above, when the protective caps 22a to 22d move from the first position where one end of the protective caps 22a to 22d contacts the print head to the second position where the protective caps 22a to 22d are in close contact with each other at the regular positions, the protective cap 22a ˜22d does not rub the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d.

  The replacement of the print heads 4a to 4d is performed in a state where the carriage is moved to a position where the print heads 4a to 4d face the protective caps 22a to 22d, as in the above-described embodiment. When the head holder 7 is removed as described above from the state in which the old print heads 4a to 4d are in close contact with the protective caps 22a to 22d, the protective cap 22 faces downward due to the bias of the spring 26 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Move to become.

  Then, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 13, when the head holder 7 supporting the new print heads 4a to 4d is inserted into the carriage 1 along the recess 6a as described above, the protective cap 22a Since -22d is already inclined downward with respect to the print heads 4a-4d as described above, the upper ends of the protective caps 22a-22d come into contact with the upper ends of the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a-4d. Then, when the head holder 7 is rotated downward to lock the head holder 7 as described above, the protective caps 22a to 22d move upward while rotating around the upper end that is in contact with the nozzle surface, and are indicated by a solid line in FIG. As described above, the nozzle faces of the print heads 4a to 4d at the normal positions are covered. That is, unlike the prior art, the nozzle faces of the print heads 4a to 4d and the protective cap 22 are not relatively rubbed.

  In both the above-described embodiments, the protective cap 22 is configured not to rub the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d at all, and the outer periphery of the protective cap 22 surrounds all nozzles on the nozzle surface. Since the dust is not pushed into the nozzle as long as it is rubbed slightly within a range that does not cross the nozzle, it does not depart from the spirit of the present invention.

  The print heads 4a to 4d are replaced not only at a position where the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d are completely in close contact with the protective cap 22, but also at a position where the protective cap 22 moves following the rotation of the head holder 7. It can also be done.

  FIGS. 14 to 16 embody a configuration related to the protective cap means of still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the print heads 4a to 4d and the carriage 1 are the same as those in both the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 14 shows a schematic configuration of the protective cap device 21 of this embodiment, which is substantially the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, but the pair of leg portions 23c of the cap casing 23 have the same length. The stoppers 23d and 23b are provided at the same position, and the protective caps 22a to 22d are movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d, and are inclined in a predetermined range in the vertical direction. . Further, the interval L1 (FIG. 15) between the protective caps 22a to 22d is set to be larger than the width L2 of each print head 4a to 4d.

  In this embodiment, the controller 71 stops the carriage 1 at a capping position that covers the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d with the protective caps 22a to 22d in close contact as shown in FIG. However, when the print head 4 is replaced, the carriage 1 is stopped at the head replacement position (FIG. 16B) shifted from the capping position by a signal from one of the various switches 75. The head replacement position is between the capping positions of the print heads 4a to 4d by the protective caps 22a to 22d and the printing paper, and the protective caps 22a to 22d and the print heads 4a to 4d move in the moving direction of the carriage 1. In FIG.

  When replacing one of the print heads 4a to 4d, if one of the switches 75 is operated, the carriage 1 returns slightly to the print area side from the capping position of the print heads 4a to 4d (the position shown in FIG. 16A) and stops. (FIG. 16B). At this position, the protective caps 22a to 22d return to the initial position by the action of a spring (not shown) and are slightly separated from the print heads 4a to 4d, and the protective caps 22a to 22d and the print heads 4a to 4d move in the carriage movement direction. Located alternately.

  At this position, as shown in FIG. 16C, the head holder 7 is removed from the carriage 1, and then a new head holder 7 is mounted as described above (FIG. 16B). At this time, the print heads 4a to 4d and the protective caps 22a to 22d of the new head holder 7 are alternately positioned, and the interval L1 between the protective caps 22a to 22d is larger than the width L2 of the print heads 4a to 4d. Thus, as shown in FIG. 13, even when the print head is inclined and inserted toward the protective cap with respect to the normal position, the print heads 4a to 4d enter between the protective caps 22a to 22d and the suction cap 33, and the printing is performed. The heads 4a to 4d do not hit the caps 22a to 22d and 33, and the protective caps 22a to 22d do not rub the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d.

  When the replacement of the head holder 7 is completed, the print heads 4a to 4d are returned to the capping positions by the protective caps 22a to 22d as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 17 embodies a configuration relating to the protective cap means of still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the print heads 4a to 4d, the carriage 1, and the protective cap device 21 are the same as those of the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof is omitted by attaching the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, when the protruding portion 24b of the main body casing 24 moves away from the inclined cam 31 toward the print region, the distance L that the protective caps 22a to 22d move away from the print heads 4a to 4d in the moving direction of the carriage 1 is The size is such that the protective caps 22a to 22d are located outside the rotational trajectory of the print head tip centered on the convex portion 7b when the heads 4a to 4d are mounted as described above. The distance L is set by the height of the protruding portion 24d or the height difference of the inclined cam 31.

  As shown in FIG. 17A, the control device 71 stops the carriage 1 at a capping position that covers the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d with the protective caps 22a to 22d in close contact with each other, as shown in FIG. At the time of replacement, the carriage 1 is stopped at the head replacement position that is shifted from the capping position to the print area side as in the above embodiment.

  When the print heads 4a to 4d are replaced, if one of the various switches 75 is operated, the carriage 1 slightly returns to the print area side from the capping position of the print heads 4a to 4d (position shown in FIG. 17A) and stops. (FIG. 17B). At this position, as shown in FIG. 17 (c), the head holder 7 is removed from the carriage 1, and then a new head holder 7 is mounted as described above (FIG. 17 (b)). At this time, the print heads 4a to 4d and the protective caps 22a to 22d of the new head holder 7 are separated from each other by a distance L in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage 1, and the print heads 4a to 4d are away from the normal positions. Since the protective caps 22a to 22d are located apart from the rotation trajectory of the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d even if they are inserted inclined toward the protective caps 22a to 22d, the print heads 4a to 4d Does not hit the caps 22a to 22d, and the protective caps 22a to 22d do not rub the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d.

  When the replacement of the head holder 7 is completed, as shown in FIG. 17A, the print heads 4a to 4d are returned to the capping positions by the protective caps 22a to 22d.

  In each embodiment, when the carriage 1 returns, the protective caps 22a to 22d return to the print area direction and move away from the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 4a to 4d by the action of the spring. A spring that urges the protective cap in a direction approaching the nozzle surface of the print head can be used by changing the shape, etc., and the cam groove can be used to guide the advance and retreat of the protective cap directly. In this case, the spring itself can be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink droplets are ejected in the inclined direction from the print heads 4a to 4d. However, the print head and the carriage are vertically or horizontally configured to eject the ink droplets in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to these.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a state where a carriage, a print head, an ink cartridge, and the like are assembled. It is a principal part top view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which an ink cartridge is attached to a head holder. It is a side view of the decomposition | disassembly state of FIG. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the protective cap apparatus corresponding to Claims 1-5. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the protective cap apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram of the control system of this apparatus. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the protective cap apparatus of FIG. 6, respectively. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the protective cap apparatus of FIG. 6, respectively. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus with an open / close cover opened. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus in a state where a lid member is opened. It is a side view of the protective cap apparatus corresponding to Claims 6-10. FIG. 13 is a side view of the carriage, print head, ink cartridge, and the like of the embodiment of FIG. 12. It is a side view of the protective cap apparatus of other embodiment. It is a principal part top view of FIG. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the protective cap apparatus of FIG. 14, respectively. (A)-(c) is a top view of the protective cap apparatus of further another embodiment, and explanatory drawing of the operation | movement. It is a side view of a conventional device. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of a conventional apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of a conventional apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carriage 4a-4d Print head 6 Side wall 6a Recess 6b Insertion guide part 6c Positioning part 7 Head holder 7b Protrusion part 7c Locking protrusion 14 Locking part 21 Protection cap apparatus 22a-22d Protection cap 23 Cap casing 24 Main body casing 27 Spring 41 exterior case 43 opening 44 auxiliary opening 45 lid member

Claims (3)

A print head that discharges ink toward a print medium and prints;
A head holder for supporting the print head;
A carriage in which the head holder is detachably mounted and movable along the print medium;
Protective cap means having a protective cap and covering the nozzle surface of the print head with the protective cap;
In the printing apparatus for replacing the print head at a position where the nozzle surface of the print head faces the protective cap,
After the head holder is inserted into the carriage in a direction approaching the protective cap, it is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction orthogonal to the insertion direction so that the print head correctly faces the print position on the print medium. And mounting means for mounting the head holder to the carriage,
The protective cap means includes
Protective cap
A first position and a position rotated from the first position in a rotation direction opposite to the predetermined rotation direction of the head holder, and the print when the head holder is positioned at the normal position. A second position which is a position facing the nozzle surface of the head, and is movably supported;
further,
The printing apparatus, wherein the protective cap is urged from the second position toward the first position. When the protective cap is positioned at the first position, one end of the protective cap contacts the print head when the head holder is inserted into the carriage,
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus rotates around the one end from the first position toward the second position following the rotation of the head holder in the predetermined rotation direction . The protective cap means is interposed between a cap casing that supports the protective cap, a main body casing that supports the cap casing, and the cap casing and the main body casing, and the protective cap is disposed at the second position. Biasing means for biasing toward the first position from,
The cap casing has a pair of stopper portions spaced apart in the rotation direction of the head holder, and the main body casing is provided with the pair of stopper portions to prevent the cap casing from moving to the head holder side by a predetermined amount or more. An engaging portion that has an engaging portion that engages, and that allows an amount of movement between one of the pair of stopper portions and an engaging portion that engages with the other stopper to be engaged with the other stopper. movement larger than the allowable amount, the printing apparatus according therebetween to claim 2 where the previous SL biasing means is provided between the.

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