JP4407248B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, the recording medium mounted on the medium mounting section is supplied to the recording / writing section, and the ink stored in the cartridge is discharged from the recording head for recording. More particularly, the present invention relates to a so-called thin recording apparatus.

  A thin recording apparatus having a flat rectangular parallelepiped casing has been proposed. Such a recording apparatus can supply and discharge paper and replace ink cartridges on the front side of the apparatus main body, and can place peripheral devices on the upper surface of the apparatus main body. If there is a slightly larger space, it can be installed.

JP 2002-283583 A

  In the above-described recording apparatus, in order to enable front-side operation, for example, a recording mechanism having a transport mechanism having a paper feed roller, a paper discharge roller, etc., and a carriage having an ink cartridge mounted on the front side of the main body of the apparatus. It is necessary to arrange them on top of each other. Therefore, it has been difficult to reduce the thickness of the recording apparatus described above to an extent that it can be easily carried.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thin recording apparatus that can be easily carried.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the recording apparatus of the present invention, recording is performed by ejecting ink stored in the cartridge from the recording head while supplying the recording medium mounted on the medium mounting unit to the recording writing unit. A recording apparatus for discharging the recording medium that has been recorded to the outside, wherein at least functional units of a medium supply unit, a medium discharge unit, a recording unit, a cartridge storage unit, and a drive control unit are adjacent to each other on a base However, it is characterized by being erected. Thereby, since each function part is arrange | positioned on a base without substantially overlapping, the dimension of the height direction with respect to the said base surface can be made small.

  In addition, each of the functional units is disposed between a pair of bases formed substantially in a plane. Thereby, since a flat housing | casing can be comprised, it can be set as a thin recording device. The recording head is mounted and a carriage that moves in the conveyance orthogonal direction is provided, and at least the feeding shaft of the recording medium and the guide shaft of the carriage are arranged on substantially the same plane. This eliminates the difference in height that normally occurs between the axes that are vertically disposed with respect to the plane, and thus the dimension in the height direction relative to the plane can be further reduced.

  Further, the carriage is arranged so as to straddle the feeding axis of the recording medium. Thereby, even if the recording medium feed shaft and the carriage guide shaft are arranged on substantially the same plane, interference between the recording medium feed shaft and the carriage can be avoided. Further, at least a feed shaft, a discharge shaft, and a guide shaft of the carriage are supported by a pair of frames attached to both ends of the base. Thereby, since the parallelism of each axis | shaft can be raised, conveyance accuracy and recording accuracy can be improved.

  Further, the carriage movement detection means is arranged such that the recording medium can pass therethrough. As a result, the carriage movement driving means and the recording medium conveyance path are arranged on substantially the same plane, and therefore the height dimension relative to the plane can be further reduced. Further, the carriage movement driving means is arranged below the carriage. As a result, the back side of the carriage, which is a normal arrangement position, can be opened, so that a limited space can be used effectively.

  Further, at least the recording medium conveying motor, the carriage driving motor, and the cartridge are arranged on substantially the same plane. Thereby, since the motor and cartridge with a comparatively large dimension of the height direction with respect to the said plane can be arranged in parallel, the dimension of the height direction with respect to the said plane can be made smaller. Further, at least the cartridge and the drive control board are arranged on substantially the same plane. As a result, the drive control board on which the cartridge and the electronic component having a relatively large dimension in the height direction with respect to the plane can be arranged side by side, so that the dimension in the height direction with respect to the plane can be further reduced. . Further, the cartridge is arranged below the medium placement portion. As a result, the dead space generated below the medium placement portion can be effectively utilized, so that not only the recording apparatus can be reduced in thickness but also the entire recording apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Further, the head ejection characteristic recovery unit is also arranged directly on the base while being adjacent to each other, and the cap constituting the head ejection characteristic recovery unit is arranged to be movable up and down, The recording head is sealed and unsealed. As a result, the head ejection characteristic recovery part is also arranged on the base with substantially no overlap with the other functional parts, so that the dimension in the height direction with respect to the base surface can be reduced. Further, the recording / writing unit has an ink absorber, is detachably disposed, and the ink absorber is replaced after being removed. Thereby, since the maintenance work of the recording / writing unit can be easily performed, high recording accuracy can be maintained. The conveyance path from the supply of the recording medium to the discharge is formed so that the recording medium being conveyed is pressed against the recording / writing unit. Thereby, since the recording medium can be made to follow the recording / writing unit, the distance between the recording medium and the recording head can be stabilized and high recording accuracy can be maintained.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an external appearance configuration of an ink jet printer that is one of recording apparatuses according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the front side, and FIG. The figure (B) shows the state at the time of use. In the following description, “left and right” and “front and rear” refer to directions when viewed from the front side of the ink jet printer. The ink jet printer 100 is a thin portable printer having a flat rectangular parallelepiped casing 110. The housing 110 includes a lower case (base) 111 formed in a substantially planar manner and an upper case (base) 112 having substantially the same dimensions as the lower case.

  The lower case 111 is formed in a container shape having an open upper surface, and stores the main components of the printer. The upper case 112 is formed in a container shape that is shallower than the lower case 111, and is coupled to the lower case 111 such that the open lower surface of the upper case 112 faces the open upper surface of the lower case 111. The lower case 111 and the upper case 112 are made of metal or plastic. When forming with a metal, it shape | molds integrally with a surrounding wall by press work etc., or it shape | molds separately and welds or adhere | attaches with an adhesive agent. In the case of forming with plastic, it is molded integrally with the peripheral wall by injection molding or the like, or is molded separately and bonded with an adhesive. The lower case 111 and the upper case 112 are coupled via a pair of frames 101 and 101a (see FIG. 2) that are separately attached to both sides by fastening with screws or snap fits (not shown).

  In order to enhance portability, which is a feature of the ink jet printer 100, the thickness of the casing 110 including the lower case 111 and the upper case 112 is made as thin as possible, and the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the casing 110 are possible. The thickness dimension of the casing 110, that is, the accuracy of the gap between the lower case 111 and the upper case 112 is particularly important. According to the above-described configuration, since the accuracy of the gap between the lower case 111 and the upper case 112 is determined only by the accuracy in the thickness direction of the frames 101 and 101a, the accuracy of the gap is easily obtained, and the accuracy management of the gap is also facilitated. . By adopting the snap-fit frame 101 and 101a, the removal and assembly of the lower case 111 and the upper case 112 is simplified, so that errors such as paper jams and repairs such as replacement of parts can be performed quickly. Can be completed.

  Further, in the lower case 111, a substantially central portion on the front side of the peripheral wall is cut out as a paper discharge port 113, and a substantially central portion on the back side of the peripheral wall is cut out as an insertion / extraction port 114 for the ink cartridge. The upper case 112 has a rectangular paper feed port 115 formed in a substantially central portion. A paper feed door 116 having a size for closing the paper feed opening 115 is fitted into the paper feed opening 115. The sheet feeding door 116 is pivotally supported by the upper case 112 so as to be pivotable upward from the case surface within an acute angle range with the front end as an axis, and the trailing end is lifted by the pivoting so that the sheet feeding port 115 is opened. It has become.

  On the upper case 112, a paper holder (medium placement unit) 117 serving as a lid and a paper receiver is disposed. The paper holder 117 is formed to have a size so as to cover the substantially central portion of the upper case 112 from the back side to the front side, and the lower case can be swung upwardly from the case surface in an obtuse angle range with the rear end as an axis. 111 is supported on the shaft. As shown in FIG. 1 (A), the paper holder 117 functions as a lid by turning forward and being fitted into a recess 118 formed from the back side to the front side at a substantially central portion of the upper case 112. As shown in FIG. 1 (B), it functions as a paper receiver by turning backward and stopping in a tilted state. Thereby, when the ink jet printer 100 is not used, the paper holder 117 can be stored compactly. The opening / closing of the paper holder 117 and the opening / closing of the paper supply door 116 are interlocked by a link mechanism (not shown).

  In order to make the inkjet printer 100 having the above-described external configuration a highly portable thin printer, the arrangement positions of the main components of the printer housed in the gap between the lower case 111 and the upper case 112 have been devised. Yes. That is, as a characteristic configuration of the present invention, each functional unit such as a paper supply unit, a paper discharge unit, a recording unit, a cartridge storage unit, a drive control unit, and a head ejection characteristic recovery unit constituting the printer is provided on the lower case 111. Are arranged directly adjacent to each other. Hereinafter, the details will be described with reference to the drawings.

  2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ink jet printer 100, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA, FIG. 5 is a left side view of FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a more detailed internal structure on the right side of the front surface. In the ink jet printer 100, a paper supply unit and a paper discharge unit 120, a recording unit 140, a cartridge storage unit 160, a drive control unit 170, a head ejection characteristic recovery unit 180, and the like are stored in a lower case 111. Details of each functional unit will be sequentially described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the paper supply unit and the paper discharge unit 120 pass from the paper holder 117 functioning as a paper receiver through the paper supply port 115, through the recording stage (recording / writing unit) 143. It has a function of transporting paper along a paper path to the paper discharge port 113, and the following members are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side. That is, the movable paper guide upper 121a fixed to the paper feed door 116 and the movable paper guide lower 121b disposed below the movable paper guide upper 121a so as to face each other through the above-described link mechanism are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The fixed paper guide upper 122a and the fixed paper guide lower 122b that are opposed to each other, one paper feed roller 123a and a plurality of driven rollers 123b that are opposed to each other vertically, and a plurality of that are opposed to each other vertically. A paper discharge star wheel 124a and one paper discharge roller 124b are arranged from the back side to the front side.

  The movable paper guide upper 121a and the movable paper guide lower 121b are formed of sheet metal, and are pivotally supported by the lower case 111 so as to be pivotable upward within an acute angle range from the surface of the lower case 111 with the front end as an axis. The rear end pivots up and down in conjunction with opening and closing of the holder 117. The fixed paper guide upper 122a and the fixed paper guide lower 122b are formed of sheet metal, and are fixed to the lower case 111 by fastening with screws or snap fits (not shown).

  The shaft of the paper feed roller 123a and the shaft of the paper discharge roller 124b are provided with a pair of frames 101 and 101a, which are separately mounted on both sides of the lower case 111, and bearings 123aa and 124bb shown in FIG. It is supported by the shaft. The frames 101 and 101a are made of plastic and are attached to the lower case 111 by fastening with screws or snap fits (not shown). The outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 123a is coated with rubber, ceramic particles or the like in order to increase the friction coefficient during conveyance, and the outer peripheral surface of the paper discharge roller 124b is plural in order to increase the friction coefficient during conveyance. The rubber roller is inserted. The paper feed roller 123a and the driven roller 123b are configured to sandwich and feed the paper inserted from the paper feed port 115.

  A plurality of driven rollers 123b are arranged along the axis below the paper feed roller 123a, and are locked to a driven roller pedestal 125 fixed to the lower case 111. The paper feed roller 123a is abutted and biased. A plurality of paper discharge star wheels 124 a are arranged along the axis of the paper discharge roller 124 b and are locked to a paper discharge star wheel pedestal 126 fixed to the lower case 111, and one is provided by a torsion coil spring or the like (not shown). The paper is urged against the paper discharge roller 123b every other time. The paper discharge star wheel 124a and the paper discharge roller 124b are configured to sandwich and feed the paper conveyed from the paper feed roller 123a and the driven roller 123b.

  In such a configuration, the paper passes from the paper holder 117 between the movable paper guide upper 121a and the movable paper guide lower 121b, and between the fixed paper guide upper 122a and the fixed paper guide lower 122b, and from the paper feed roller 123a to the recording stage. 143 is conveyed to the paper discharge roller 124b. Here, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the sheet conveyance path L formed by the members 121 a and the like is formed to be substantially U-shaped. Accordingly, the paper in the middle of conveyance has a curved shape with the vicinity of the paper feed roller 123a as the lowermost end, so that the portion of the paper positioned between the paper feed roller 123a and the paper discharge roller 124b is pressed against the recording stage 143. It will be. For this reason, since the distance between the sheet portion on the recording stage 143 and the recording head 142 described later can always be kept constant, the recording accuracy can be improved.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the paper supply unit and the paper discharge unit 120 include a paper feed motor 127 and a conveyance driving force transmission mechanism 130 disposed on the left side of the lower case 111. Yes. The paper feed motor 127 is attached to the frame 101 on the back side of the lower case 111 and between the left side surface of the lower case 111 and the movable paper guide lower 121b. For example, a DC motor or a stepping motor is used. Is used.

  The transport driving force transmission mechanism 130 has a function of transmitting the driving force of the forward / reverse rotation of the paper feed motor 127 to the paper feed roller 123 a and the paper discharge roller 124 b to control the rotation, and from the back side of the lower case 111. The following members are arranged in order on the front side. That is, a first gear 131a fitted on the shaft of the paper feed motor 127, a second gear 131b attached to the frame 101 and meshed with the first gear 131a, a first pulley 132a fitted coaxially with the second gear 131b, The first tension pulley 132b attached to the frame 101, the second pulley 132c fitted on the shaft of the paper feed roller 123a, and the first pulley 132a are hung on the second pulley 132c via the first tension pulley 132b. A belt 133 is disposed.

  The third pulley 134a fitted coaxially with the second pulley 132c, the second tension pulley 134b attached to the frame 101, the fourth pulley 134c fitted on the shaft of the paper discharge roller 124b, and the third pulley 134a A belt 135 is provided that hangs around a fourth pulley 134c via a two-tension pulley 134b. A rotary encoder scale 128 for detecting the paper transport position is disposed coaxially with the second gear 131b. A rotary encoder 129 that reads the magnetic information of the rotary encoder scale 128 is attached to the frame 101. The transport driving force transmission mechanism 130 may use a gear train instead of the belt mechanism.

  According to the paper feed motor 127 and the conveyance driving force transmission mechanism 130 as described above, since the members are arranged substantially horizontally, the ink jet printer 100 can be thinned. Further, since the paper feed roller 123a, the paper discharge roller 124b, and the like are driven and controlled based on detection signals from the rotary encoder 129, the paper can be conveyed with high accuracy. As this paper, plain paper, special paper, recommended OHP sheet, glossy paper, glossy film, label sheet, government postcard, etc. can be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the recording unit 140 has a function of recording on the portion of the paper conveyed on the recording stage 143, and is between the paper feed roller 123 a and the paper discharge roller 124 b. The following members are disposed on the fixed paper guide 122a and the movable paper guide 121a. In other words, a carriage 141 that can move in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction (main scanning direction), a recording head 142 attached to the lower end surface of the carriage 141, and a recording stage 143 disposed along the moving direction below the carriage 141. A carriage guide shaft 144 that guides the movement of the carriage 141 and an ink tube 145 that connects the recording head 142 and the ink cartridge are disposed.

  The carriage 141 has a bearing portion 141a formed at the rear portion shown in FIG. 4 slidably inserted into the carriage guide shaft 144, and a leaf spring 141b attached to the front portion shown in FIG. The cradle 126 is slidably held. The carriage 141 is located at the standby position (home position) shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 when the ink jet printer 100 is in a non-recording state, ie, an off state or a standby state, and leaves the home position when the ink jet printer 100 is in a recording state. Thus, the carriage is reciprocally moved along the carriage guide shaft 144 and the paper discharge star wheel pedestal 126 by the carriage motor 146 and the like between both end portions of the conveyed paper.

  The recording head 142 includes a black ink recording head that discharges black ink, and a plurality of color ink recording heads that discharge ink of each color such as yellow, light cyan, cyan, light magenta, and magenta. The recording head 142 includes a plurality of pressure generation chambers connected to the ink tubes 145 for the respective colors and nozzles connected to them. For example, the pressure in the pressure generation chamber is changed by a piezoelectric element or a heating element to generate pressure. The ink stored in the room is ejected from the nozzle. In this embodiment, since the ink is pressurized and supplied from the ink tube 145, the inside of the recording head 142 is made negative by a pressure reducing valve to prevent ink leakage.

  The recording stage 143 is formed in a rectangular container shape extending between the paper feed roller 123a and the paper discharge roller 124b and below the carriage 141 in the moving direction. In the recording stage 143, an ink absorber (not shown) made of non-woven fabric, sponge, or the like is spread. The recording stage 143 is detachably attached to the lower case 111 by screws or snap fits (not shown). In particular, when performing so-called borderless printing, ink that has been removed from the paper out of the ejected ink is absorbed by the ink absorber, but when the amount of absorption approaches saturation, the entire recording stage 143 is easily removed. Therefore, the ink absorber can be easily replaced.

  The carriage guide shaft 144 is disposed above the fixed paper guide 122a. The carriage guide shaft 144 is axially supported by a pair of frames 101 and 101a that are separately attached to both sides of the lower case 111 at both ends. That is, the carriage guide shaft 144 is supported by a pair of frames 101 and 101a that support the shaft of the paper feed roller 123a and the paper discharge roller 124b, and is further abbreviated as the paper feed roller 123a and the paper discharge roller 124b. They are arranged on the same plane. The carriage guide shaft 144, the paper feed roller 123a, and the paper discharge roller 124b are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the conveyance, so that the carriage 141 does not interfere with the paper feed roller 123a. It is arranged so as to straddle.

  A frame for supporting a carriage guide shaft, a paper feed roller, and a paper discharge roller of a general printer is manufactured by bending one sheet metal. Each end of the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller is attached to the same bent portion, but one end of the carriage guide shaft is attached to another bent portion. For this reason, if the flatness of the sheet metal or the bending accuracy of each bent portion is low, the shafts may be twisted or the parallelism between the shafts may be reduced.

  On the other hand, the frames 101 and 101a of the present embodiment are made of plastic, and both ends of the carriage guide shaft 144, the paper feed roller 123a, and the paper discharge roller 124b are attached to the same pair of frames 101 and 101a. It has been. Therefore, by controlling only the molding accuracy of the frames 101 and 101a, it is possible to prevent the twisting of each axis and maintain the parallelism between the axes with high accuracy. In addition, the carriage guide shaft 144, the paper feed roller 123a, and the paper discharge roller 124b of the present embodiment are arranged on substantially the same plane, and the carriage 141 straddles the paper feed roller 123a so as not to interfere with the paper feed roller 123a. Since the ink jet printer 100 is arranged in a shape, the ink jet printer 100 can be thinned.

  The ink tubes 145 are arranged on the upper surface of the movable paper guide 121a by bundling the tubes for the respective colors, each one end is connected to the corresponding ink cartridge 161, 162, and each other end corresponds. Each color recording head 142 is connected. The ink tube 145 sends the pressurized ink of each color from the ink cartridges 161 and 162 to the recording head 142. The ink tube 145 is arranged in a substantially U-shape on the upper surface of the movable paper guide 121a so that the ink tube 145 does not interfere with the carriage 141 and the like when the carriage 141 moves and does not bend or cross. Yes. The rear end of the movable paper guide 121a is bent in an approximately L shape, and the bent portion 121aa prevents the ink tube 145 from jumping out behind the movable paper guide 121a when the carriage 141 moves. It has a function of damming.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the recording unit 140, the carriage motor 146 is disposed on the right side surface side of the lower case 111, and the moving driving force transmission mechanism 150 is disposed along the carriage guide shaft 144. ing. The carriage motor 146 is attached to the right side of the lower case 111 and behind the carriage 141. For example, a DC motor or a stepping motor is used.

  The movement driving force transmission mechanism 150 has a function of controlling the movement by transmitting the driving force of the forward / reverse rotation of the carriage motor 146 to the carriage 141, and is above the fixed paper guide 122 a and on the carriage guide shaft 144. The following members are disposed between the rear and carriage guide shaft 144 and the paper feed roller 123a. That is, the first pulley 151 a shown in FIG. 6 fitted into the shaft of the carriage motor 146 and the second pulley 151 b supported by the left frame 101 a are disposed behind the carriage guide shaft 144.

  Further, the carriage belt 152 spanned between the pulleys 151a and 151b is arranged to rotate by passing above the fixed paper guide upper 122a and below the fixed paper guide 122b. The carriage belt 152 is disposed so as to pass through the carriage belt 152. Thus, by providing the sheet conveyance path between the carriage belts 152 spanned between the pulleys 151a and 151b, the ink jet printer 100 can be thinned. As the belt mechanism, a toothed belt and a toothed pulley are preferable because of high accuracy, but a flat belt and a pulley may be used. The rear end portion of the fixed paper guide 122a is bent in a substantially L shape, and the bent portion 122aa does not protrude from the front of the fixed paper guide 122a and interfere with the carriage belt 152. It has a function to stop.

  Further, a linear encoder scale 147 for detecting the movement position of the carriage 141 is disposed below the carriage 141 and between the carriage guide shaft 144 and the paper feed roller 123a. A linear encoder 148 that reads magnetic information of the linear encoder scale 147 is attached to the lower surface of the carriage 141. Since the carriage 141 is disposed across the paper feed roller 123a, a dead space is formed below the carriage 141 and between the carriage guide shaft 144 and the paper feed roller 123a. By adopting the arrangement as described above, dead space can be eliminated. According to the carriage motor 146 and the movement driving force transmission mechanism 150 as described above, the carriage 141 connected to the carriage belt 152 is driven and controlled based on the detection signal from the linear encoder 148, so that the recording mounted on the carriage 141 is performed. The head 142 can be reciprocated with high accuracy.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the cartridge storage unit 160 has a function of storing a black ink cartridge 161 and a color ink cartridge 162 and supplying each color ink to the recording head 142. The following members are disposed between the movable paper guide upper 121 a and the movable paper guide lower 121 b and the back surface of the lower case 111. That is, the cartridge holders 163 and 164 for holding the ink cartridges 161 and 162 detachably, and the valve mechanism 165 for adjusting the air pressure in the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are formed in a bag shape of a flexible material, for example, in an outer case 161a, 162a formed of a hard plastic material in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Ink tanks 161b and 162b filled with inks of various colors such as yellow, light cyan, cyan, light magenta and magenta are sealed. The ink tanks 161b and 162b store the inks of the respective colors to be sent to the recording head 142 via the ink tube 145. However, since the ink tube 145 of the present embodiment is relatively thin and has a large flow path resistance, the pump mechanism 200 is used. It is designed to be pressurized by the air introduced from.

  Ink supply ports 161c and 162c are formed in the center of the front surface of the exterior cases 161a and 162a. The ink supply ports 161c and 162c are connected to the internal ink tanks 161b and 162b through ink holes. The rods 161d and 162d have a substantially cross-shaped cross section. Even when the ink in the ink tanks 161b and 162b flows out and the ink tanks 161b and 162b are crushed, the film of the ink tanks 161b and 162b and the rod 161d are used. , 162d, a flow path is secured to secure an ink outflow path. Then, rubber valves 161e and 162e are fitted into the ink supply ports 161c and 162c via compression springs 161f and 162f. The rubber valves 161e and 162e are formed in a disk shape with, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge holders 163 and 164 are arranged so that the ink supply needles 163a and 164a for opening and closing the ink supply ports 161c and 162c of the ink cartridges 161 and 162 face the back side of the lower case 111. Has been. As a result, the ink supply needles 163a and 164a of the cartridge holders 163 and 164 can be inserted into the ink supply ports 161c and 162c of the ink cartridges 161 and 162 only by inserting and removing the ink cartridges 161 and 162 with respect to the cartridge holders 163 and 164. Can be put in and out.

  This insertion and removal will be described in more detail. When the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are inserted into the cartridge holders 163 and 164, the ink supply needles 163a and 164a come into contact with the rubber valves 161e and 162e, and the rubber valves 161e and 162e are connected to the ink supply ports 161c and 162c. Push it into the back. As a result, the supply ports perforated on the side surfaces of the rods 161d and 162d are opened, and the ink in each color in the ink tanks 161b and 162b is supplied to the corresponding ink tubes 145 for each color via the ink supply needles 163a and 164a. Can flow into.

  On the other hand, when the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are pulled out from the cartridge holders 163 and 164, the ink supply needles 163a and 164a are detached from the rubber valves 161e and 162e, and the rubber valves 161e and 162e are moved to the ink supply ports 161c and 162c by the action of the compression springs 161f and 162f. It is pushed out to the near side. As a result, the supply ports drilled in the side surfaces of the rods 161d and 162d are closed by the rubber valves 161e and 162e, and the outflow of ink for each color in the ink tanks 161b and 162b can be stopped.

  Since the ink cartridges 161 and 162, the paper feed motor 127, and the carriage motor 146 held by the cartridge holders 163 and 164 are disposed on substantially the same plane, the ink jet printer 100 can be thinned. The cartridge holders 163 and 164 are disposed on the pivot axis side of the paper holder 117, and an ink jet type that effectively utilizes a dead space generated below the paper holder 117 by holding the ink cartridges 161 and 162 therein. In addition to making the printer 100 thinner, the entire inkjet printer 100 can be reduced in size.

  The valve mechanism 165 has a function of adjusting the air pressure applied to the ink tanks 161b and 162b. A check valve (check valve) that maintains the air pressure at a predetermined pressure, the air pressure increases from the predetermined pressure. And a relief valve (pressure control valve) for preventing the leakage and a solenoid valve arranged in parallel with the relief valve. When the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are pulled out from the cartridge holders 163 and 164 in a state where the ink tanks 161b and 162b are pressurized, the ink in the ink tube 145 that has been similarly pressurized flows backward and the ink supply needles 163a and 164a. Comes out. In view of this, a solenoid valve is provided in order to prevent the above-mentioned blowout by letting the air in the ink cartridges 161 and 162 to the outside.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the drive control unit 170 has a function of controlling each drive of the paper feed motor 127, the carriage motor 146, the pump motor, the valve mechanism 165, and the recording head 142. The following members are arranged from the left rear side to the movable paper guide 121a. That is, a board case 171 containing a board on which various electronic components (not shown) are mounted, a flexible flat cable (FFC) 172 that transmits a control signal from the board, and a flexible printed cable (FPC) 173 are arranged. Since the ink cartridges 161 and 162 held on the substrate and the cartridge holders 163 and 164 are disposed on substantially the same plane, the ink jet printer 100 can be thinned.

  On the back side of the lower case 111 on the substrate, connectors capable of wiring various cables, for example, a power connector, a USB port, a parallel (RS232C) port, and the like are disposed. The FFC 172 electrically connects a board connector and each connector such as a paper feed motor 127, a carriage motor 146, a pump motor, and a valve mechanism 165, and transmits a control signal from the board. The FPC 173 electrically connects the connector of the substrate and the connector of the recording head 142, and transmits a control signal from the substrate. The FPC 173 is arranged in a substantially U shape on the upper surface of the movable paper guide 121a so as not to interfere with the carriage 141 and the like when the carriage 141 moves, and to bend or cross. The movable paper guide 121a has a rear end portion bent in a substantially L shape, and the bent portion 121aa dams the FPC 173 so that it does not jump out behind the movable paper guide 121a when the carriage 141 moves. Has a function to stop.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the head ejection characteristic recovery unit 180 has a function of keeping the ink ejection of the recording head 142 in a good state, and is hung from the front side on the right side of the lower case 111 to the back side. The following members are arranged. That is, a cap 181 that covers the nozzle surface of the recording head 142, a wiper 182 that wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head 142, an up-and-down mechanism 190 that moves the cap 181 and the wiper 182 up and down, and waste ink and air from the cap 181 shown in FIGS. A pump mechanism 200 for sucking the air is disposed.

  7A and 7B are perspective views of the details of the cap 181, the wiper 182, and the vertical mechanism 190 when viewed from different angles. The cap 181 is formed in a container shape with a soft material such as rubber, and prevents the nozzles from being clogged due to ink drying, dust and dust contamination when the recording head 142 is located at the home position. Therefore, the nozzle surface of the recording head 142 is sealed by being raised by the vertical mechanism 190. A plurality of holes 181a for collecting waste ink discharged from the nozzles and holes 181b connected to a solenoid valve (not shown) for releasing the negative pressure in the cap 181 to the atmosphere are formed in the bottom surface of the cap 181. Has been. The hole 181a is connected to the pump mechanism 200 via the pipe 183a. The negative pressure in the cap 181 is opened by a solenoid valve (not shown) from the hole 181b through the pipe 183b. Although not shown, a thin ink absorbing material is laid inside the cap 181 of FIG. 7, and the planar direction guide of the ink absorbing material is performed by the convex portion 181 c in the cap 181. The wiper 182 is formed in a blade shape with a soft material such as rubber, and removes ink, dust, dust and the like adhering to the nozzle surface of the recording head 142 when the recording head 142 returns to the home position. In order to prevent the paper from being contaminated, the nozzle surface is wiped up by the vertical mechanism 190.

  The vertical mechanism 190 includes a cap lever 191 that moves the cap 181 up and down, a cap lever shaft 192, a cap lever spring 193, a cap lever cam 194, a wiper lever 195 that moves the wiper 182 up and down, a wiper lever shaft 196, a wiper lever spring 197, and a wiper. A lever cam 198 or the like is provided. The up-and-down mechanism 190 rotates the cap lever cam 194 and the wiper lever cam 198 after the sheet discharge roller 124b is rotated twice by the one-way clutch 199 fitted to the sheet discharge roller 124b and the play mechanism 199a. The wiper 182 is moved up and down.

  The cap lever 191 is pivotable up and down around a cap lever shaft 192 inserted at one end. The cap lever spring 193 inserted into the cap lever shaft 192 is always urged upward, and is pushed down by a cap lever cam 194 fitted into the paper discharge roller 124b and attached to the upper surface of the cap lever 191. The cap 181 is moved up and down.

  The wiper lever 195 is pivotable up and down around a wiper lever shaft 196 inserted at one end. The wiper lever spring 197 inserted into the wiper lever shaft 196 is always urged upward, and the wiper lever 195 is attached to the upper surface of the wiper lever 195 by being pushed down by the wiper lever cam 198 fitted into the paper discharge roller 124b. Is designed to move up and down. Thus, since the cap 181 and the wiper 182 are linearly moved up and down by the spring and the cam, positioning when the recording head 142 is sealed or wiped is easy, and the pressing force is stable. Moreover, it can arrange | position in a small space.

  The pump mechanism 200 includes a pump motor 201, a suction driving force transmission mechanism 202, and a gear pump 203. The pump motor 201 is attached to the lower case 111, and for example, a DC motor or a stepping motor is used. The suction driving force transmission mechanism 202 has a function of transmitting the forward driving force of the pump motor 201 to the gear pump 203 to control the rotation. In this example, the suction driving force transmission mechanism 202 includes a pulley 202a and a belt 202b. You may comprise. The gear pump 203 sucks waste ink and air from the cap 181 through the pipe 183a and sends it to the ink cartridges 161 and 162. The waste ink sent to the ink cartridges 161 and 162 is absorbed by the ink absorber incorporated in the ink cartridges 161 and 162, and the air sent to the ink cartridges 161 and 162 passes through the ink absorber. The outer casings 161a and 162a and the ink tanks 161b and 162b are fed into the gaps.

  In the ink jet printer 100 configured as described above, an operation when recording on a sheet will be described. It is assumed that the connection wiring and the connection of the power plug between the ink jet printer 100 and the computer have already been completed. First, the user puts his / her finger on the front end of the paper holder 117 in the state shown in FIG. 1A, lifts the paper holder 117 and turns it back to the state shown in FIG. At this time, following the turning of the paper holder 117, the movable paper guide upper 121a and the movable paper guide lower 121b rotate, and the paper supply door 116 rotates to open the paper supply opening 115.

  Subsequently, the user inserts the leading end side of the sheet from the sheet feeding port 115 and inserts the sheet until the leading end of the sheet comes into contact with the contact portion between the sheet feeding roller 123a and the driven roller 123b. As a result, the rear end side of the paper is held along the paper holder 117, so that the paper is set in a state of being inclined forward. Then, the inkjet printer 100 is set in a standby state, and a recording command is input from a computer or the like.

  Then, the paper is nipped between the paper feed roller 123a and the driven roller 123b while being guided by the movable paper guide upper 121a and the movable paper guide lower 121b, the fixed paper guide upper 122a and the fixed paper guide lower 122b, and is sub-scanned. It is sent out in the forward direction. When the paper reaches the recording stage 143, the carriage 141 starts to move in the main scanning direction. In other words, the carriage 141 positioned at the home position reciprocates between both ends of the sheet that is transported away from the home position.

  At this time, the recording head 142 varies the pressure in the pressure generation chamber by, for example, a piezoelectric element with respect to the sheet being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction, and discharges ink stored in the pressure generation chamber from the nozzle, thereby Predetermined characters and images are recorded on the top. The scanning timing and ink ejection timing of the recording head 142 at this time are controlled by the substrate of the drive control unit 170, and highly accurate ink dot control, halftone processing, and the like are executed. Then, the paper is sandwiched between the paper discharge star wheel 124a and the paper discharge roller 124b and further forwarded, and finally the paper on which recording has been completed is discharged from the paper discharge port 113 to the outside.

  According to the ink jet printer 100 described above, at least the functional units of the paper supply unit and the paper discharge unit 120, the recording unit 140, the cartridge storage unit 160, and the drive control unit 170 are directly adjacent to each other on the lower case 111. Since they are arranged, the functional units 120, 140, 160, and 170 are arranged on the lower case 111 so as not to overlap each other, and the dimension in the height direction with respect to the surface of the lower case 111 can be reduced. . Further, each functional unit 120, 140, 160, 170 is disposed between a pair of lower case 111 and upper case 112 formed in a substantially planar manner, so that a flat casing 110 can be configured. And a thin ink jet printer.

  In addition, since at least the paper feed shaft 123a and the carriage guide shaft 144 are disposed on substantially the same plane, the difference in height normally generated between the shafts disposed above and below the plane is eliminated. The dimension in the height direction with respect to the plane can be made smaller. Further, since the carriage 141 is disposed so as to straddle the paper feed shaft 123a, even if the paper feed shaft 123a and the carriage guide shaft 144 are disposed on substantially the same plane, the paper feed shaft 123a and the carriage 141 are disposed. Can be avoided.

  Further, at least the paper feed shaft 123a, the paper discharge shaft 124b, and the guide shaft 144 of the carriage are supported by a pair of frames 101 and 101a attached to both ends of the lower case 111 and the upper case 112. The degree of parallelism can be increased, and the conveyance accuracy and the recording accuracy can be increased. In addition, since the carriage belt 152 is disposed so that paper can pass therethrough, the carriage belt 152 and the paper conveyance path are disposed on substantially the same plane, and the height direction with respect to the plane is determined. Can be further reduced in size.

  Further, since the linear encoder scale 147 is disposed below the carriage 141, the rear surface side of the carriage, which is a normal arrangement position, can be opened, and a limited space can be used effectively. Further, since at least the paper feed motor 127, the carriage motor 146, and the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are disposed on substantially the same plane, each of the motors 127 and 146 and the ink having relatively large dimensions in the height direction with respect to the plane. The cartridges 161 and 162 can be arranged side by side, and the dimension in the height direction with respect to the plane can be further reduced.

  In addition, since at least the ink cartridges 161 and 162 and the substrate case 171 containing the substrate are disposed on substantially the same plane, the ink cartridges 161 and 162 and the electronic components having a relatively large height dimension with respect to the plane. Can be arranged side by side, and the dimension in the height direction relative to the plane can be further reduced. Further, since the ink cartridges 161 and 162 are disposed below the paper holder 117, the dead space generated below the paper holder 117 can be used effectively, and the ink jet printer 100 is not only thinned. The entire inkjet printer 100 can be reduced in size.

  Further, since the head ejection characteristic recovery unit 180 is also arranged directly on the lower case 111 while being adjacent to each other, the head ejection characteristic recovery unit 180 is also disposed on the other functional units 120, 140, 160, 170 and the lower case 111. In FIG. 2, the dimensions of the lower case 111 relative to the surface of the lower case 111 can be reduced. In addition, the recording stage 143 has an ink absorber and is detachably disposed. Since the ink absorber is replaced by being removed, maintenance work of the recording stage 143 can be easily performed. High recording accuracy can be maintained. Further, since the conveyance path L from the supply of the sheet to the discharge is formed so that the sheet being conveyed is pressed against the recording stage 143, the sheet can be moved along the recording stage 143. 142 can be stabilized and high recording accuracy can be maintained.

  Any recording apparatus including at least a sheet supply unit, a sheet discharge unit, a recording unit, a cartridge storage unit, and a drive control unit can be applied to a recording apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus and a copying apparatus.

1 is a perspective view of an external configuration of an ink jet printer that is one of recording apparatuses according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the front side. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the ink jet type printer of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a more detailed internal structure on the right front side of the ink jet printer of FIG. 2. It is a perspective view when the details of the principal part of FIG. 6 are seen from different angles.

Explanation of symbols

100 Inkjet printer, 101, 101a frame, 110 housing, 111 lower case, 112 upper case, 113 paper discharge port, 114 insertion / extraction port, 115 paper supply port, 116 paper supply door, 117 paper holder, 120 paper supply unit and Paper discharge unit, 121a on movable paper guide, 121b on movable paper guide, 122a on fixed paper guide, 122b on fixed paper guide, 123a paper feed roller, 123b driven roller, 124a paper discharge star wheel, 124b paper discharge roller, 125 driven Roller cradle, 126 paper discharge star wheel cradle, 127 paper feed motor, 130 transport driving force transmission mechanism, 140 recording unit, 141 carriage, 142 recording head, 143 recording stage, 144 carriage guide shaft, 145 ink tube, 146 carriage Motor, 147 linear engine Coder scale, 148 linear encoder, 150 moving drive force transmission mechanism, 152 carriage belt, 160 cartridge storage unit, 161, 162 ink cartridge, 170 drive control unit, 171 substrate case, 172 FFC, 173 FPC, 180 head ejection characteristic recovery unit , 181 Cap, 182 Wiper, 190 Vertical mechanism, 200 Pump mechanism

Claims (3)

A transport roller for transporting the recording medium placed on the medium placement section; a recording head for ejecting ink stored in the cartridge; and a recording medium transported by the transport roller, and an ink ejection surface of the recording head A recording stage disposed at a position facing the side and having a function of supporting a recording medium; a carriage that moves the recording head in the main scanning direction; and an endless carriage belt that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction; A recording apparatus comprising a pair of pulleys on which the carriage belt is looped,
The carriage belt is provided on a conveyance path of the recording medium so that the recording medium passes through a ring of the carriage belt;
The recording apparatus, wherein the carriage belt, the recording stage, and the conveying roller are disposed between a pair of bases formed substantially in a plane. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a leading end of a recording medium before recording by the recording head passes through the empty portion of the carriage belt. A transport motor for driving the transport roller, a drive motor for driving the carriage, a cartridge storage section for storing the cartridge, and a drive control section for controlling the driving of the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus;
The said conveyance motor, the said drive motor, the said drive control part, and the said cartridge accommodating part are arrange | positioned on the substantially the same plane between the said bases, The Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Recording device.

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