JP4730090B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, an ink supply pipe that supplies ink to a carriage that is mounted with a recording head for recording an image on a recording medium and reciprocates in a direction intersecting the recording medium follows the reciprocation of the carriage. The present invention relates to a connected image recording apparatus.

  Conventionally, as an image recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink based on an input signal, the ink is guided to an actuator of a recording head, and an actuator such as a piezoelectric element or an electrostrictive element according to the input signal There is known a technique in which ink is pressurized and ejected by utilizing bending or local boiling of ink by a heating element.

  For example, in an image recording apparatus called a serial printer, the recording head is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. Each time the recording medium is conveyed with a predetermined line feed width, the carriage is reciprocated to perform image recording. In order to control the recording head, a flexible conductive line called a flat cable is connected to the carriage. The flat cable has a length sufficient to follow the carriage reciprocating movement so as not to hinder the carriage reciprocating movement. The flat cable is bent and arranged in a substantially U shape between the carriage and the main board. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 19 shows a carriage 90 and a flat cable 91 in a conventional image recording apparatus. The carriage 90 is reciprocated in a direction (left and right direction in the figure) perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper, and at that time, ink is ejected from a recording head (not shown) to record an image on a recording medium. A flat cable 91 for transmitting and receiving electrical signals to and from the main board is connected to the carriage 90. An end 92 of the flat cable 91 is fixed to a device frame (not shown) and wired from the end 92 to the main board or the like. Although not shown in FIG. 19, the carriage 90 is supported by a guide member such as a guide shaft or a guide rail, and a driving force is applied from a belt driving mechanism or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the flat cable 91 is led out from the carriage 90 in a substantially horizontal direction and is curved in a substantially U shape. When the carriage 90 reciprocates, the flat cable 91 also moves following, and the center position of the substantially U-shaped curved portion also moves. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 19, when the carriage 90 moves to the right side of the figure, the diameter of the substantially U-shaped curved portion increases, and when the carriage 90 moves to the left side of the figure, the substantially U-shaped curved part. The posture of the flat cable 91 is changed so that the diameter of the curved portion is reduced.

  Further, in an image recording apparatus of a type in which ink is supplied to the recording head through an ink tube, the ink tube is extended from the carriage 90 so as to follow the reciprocating movement of the carriage 90 as in the flat cable 91 described above. It is drawn in a substantially U shape (see Patent Documents 2 to 6).

JP-A-6-320835 JP-A-10-217494 JP 2003-11340 A JP 2005-35033 A JP-A 63-154354 JP 2005-88524 A

  As described above, the flat cable and the ink tube drawn so as to follow the reciprocating movement of the carriage have the flexibility to change the diameter and position of the U-shaped curved portion. The space up to the fixed part of the body may hang down. In particular, when the ink tube is drawn in a substantially horizontal direction, it tends to hang downward due to its own weight or the weight of ink. In an image recording apparatus capable of full-color printing, a plurality of colors of ink are supplied from the recording head, and a plurality of ink tubes are provided according to the number of ink colors. The plurality of ink tubes individually change their postures to follow the reciprocating movement of the carriage. At this time, the plurality of ink tubes may unravel without changing their postures integrally.

  If there is not enough space around the flat cable or ink tube to reduce the thickness and size of the device, the ink tube may come into contact with other members as the carriage reciprocates, causing damage. Ink tube damage causes ink leakage. In addition, the load generated when the ink tube comes into contact with another member may cause the carriage moving speed to become unstable, thereby disturbing the image quality of the recorded image.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in an image recording apparatus having a carriage that reciprocates in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of a recording medium, the ink supply pipe that follows the carriage is prevented from drooping or ramping. It aims at providing the means to do.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent local stress from being generated in the ink supply pipe when the posture of the ink supply pipe changes following the carriage.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent an operation sound such as a collision sound from being generated when the ink supply tube changes its posture following the carriage.

  (1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets, and a direction in which the recording head is mounted and intersects the conveyance direction of the recording medium. A carriage that reciprocates, and has a flexibility that changes its posture following the reciprocating movement of the carriage. One end is fixed to the carriage and the other end is fixed to a fixing portion of the apparatus body. And an ink supply tube for supplying ink to the recording head, and the inside of the curved portion of the ink supply tube as a rotation fulcrum. Rotating support having an arm that is movably supported and extends substantially horizontally from the pivot fulcrum, and a holding portion that is provided on the arm and slidably holds a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe. Parts and A recessed portion that is erected along the reciprocating direction of the carriage and that avoids contact with the holding portion of the rotation support member is formed, and is in contact with at least a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe A restriction wall for restricting the ink supply pipe from bulging in a direction away from the carriage.

  The carriage on which the recording head is mounted is reciprocated in the direction crossing the recording medium conveyance direction, and ink droplets are ejected from the recording head during that time, whereby an image is recorded on the conveyed recording medium. The Ink is supplied to the recording head mounted on the carriage through an ink supply tube.

  The ink supply tube has flexibility to change its posture following the reciprocation of the carriage. The ink supply tube has one end fixed to the carriage and the other end fixed to the fixing portion of the apparatus main body, and is drawn around to form a curved portion that reverses in the reciprocating direction of the carriage. That is, the ink supply tube is routed from the carriage to the fixing portion of the apparatus main body so as to be bent in a U shape in plan view. The ink supply pipe follows the reciprocation of the carriage while the curved portion changes the curvature according to the reciprocation of the carriage.

  The arm of the rotation support member rotates using the inner side of the curved portion of the ink supply tube as a rotation fulcrum. The holding portion of the arm slidably holds a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe. When the ink supply tube follows the reciprocation of the carriage, the operation of the ink supply tube is transmitted to the arm via the holding portion, and the arm rotates. Accordingly, the ink supply pipe that follows the reciprocation of the carriage is supported by the rotation support member.

  The regulation wall prevents the ink supply pipe from bulging in a direction away from the carriage by coming into contact with a portion of the ink supply pipe extending from the fixing portion to the curved portion. The predetermined portion where the holding portion of the rotation support member holds the ink supply pipe is a portion that comes into contact with the regulation wall. Since the restriction wall is formed with a recessed portion that avoids contact with the holding portion of the rotation support member, even if a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe contacts the restriction wall, the rotation support member can be held. The part does not contact the restriction wall. As a result, when a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe comes into contact with the restriction wall in accordance with the change in the posture of the ink supply pipe, there is no occurrence of a collision sound due to the holding portion of the rotation support member coming into contact with the restriction wall. Further, when a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe comes into contact with the regulation wall, local stress on the ink supply pipe due to the thickness of the holding portion of the rotation support member is prevented.

  (2) The fixing portion of the apparatus main body is configured such that the extending direction of the ink supply pipe forms a predetermined angle with respect to the wall surface of the restriction wall in a direction in which the other end side of the ink supply pipe is pressed against the restriction wall. It may be fixed to. As a result, the range in which the ink supply pipe can be moved along the regulating wall in the reciprocating range of the carriage increases, and the range in which the portion from the curved portion of the ink supply pipe to the carriage bulges toward the carriage side is reduced. Can do.

  (3) A plurality of the ink supply pipes are provided for each ink color, and the holding portion of the rotation support member holds the plurality of ink supply pipes in a slidable state while maintaining a predetermined arrangement. May be. This prevents each ink supply tube from being violated when the posture of the ink supply tube changes.

  (4) The fixing portion of the apparatus main body is configured by arranging a plurality of ink supply pipes in the vertical direction and fixing the other end side, and the holding portion of the rotation support member is fixed at the predetermined portion. The vertical arrangement of the parts may be maintained. Accordingly, since the plurality of ink supply pipes are in contact with the regulation wall in a state where they are arranged in the vertical direction, there is an advantage that stress is not concentrated on a specific ink supply pipe.

  As described above, according to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, at least the restriction wall that comes into contact with the predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe that is slidably held by the holding portion of the rotation support member is contacted with the holding portion. Since the recessed portion that avoids contact is formed, even if a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe contacts the restriction wall, the holding portion of the rotation support member does not contact the restriction wall. Thereby, when the posture of the ink supply pipe is changed, no collision sound is generated between the holding portion and the regulating wall, and local stress generation on the ink supply pipe by the holding portion is prevented.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, this embodiment is only an example of this invention, and it cannot be overemphasized that embodiment can be changed suitably in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 1. The multi-function device 1 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 2 at the bottom and a scanner unit 3 at the top, and has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. The printer unit 2 of the multifunction device 1 corresponds to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. Therefore, functions other than the printer function are arbitrary. For example, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 3 and has no scanner function or copy function.

  The printer unit 2 of the multifunction device 1 is mainly connected to an external information device such as a computer, and records images and documents on recording paper based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the computer. To do. Note that the multifunction device 1 is connected to a digital camera or the like, and records image data output from the digital camera or the like on a recording sheet or is loaded with various storage media such as a memory card and recorded on the storage medium. It is also possible to record image data or the like on a recording sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 has a wide, thin, rectangular parallelepiped outer shape whose width and depth are larger than the height, and a lower portion of the multifunction device 1 is a printer unit 2. The printer unit 2 has an opening 2a formed in the front. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are provided in two upper and lower stages inside the opening 2a. The paper feed tray 20 stores recording paper, which is a recording medium, and stores recording paper of various sizes such as a B5 size equal to or smaller than A4 size and a postcard size, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the tray surface of the paper feed tray 20 is enlarged by pulling out the slide tray 20 a as necessary, and can accommodate, for example, legal size recording paper. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 is fed into the printer unit 2 to record a desired image and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  The upper part of the multifunction device 1 is a scanner unit 3, which is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a platen glass 31 and an image sensor 32 are provided below a document cover 30 that can be opened and closed as a top plate of the multifunction machine 1. On the platen glass 31, an original for reading an image is placed. Below the platen glass 31, an image sensor 32 whose main scanning direction is the depth direction of the multifunction device 1 (left and right direction in FIG. 2) can reciprocate in the width direction of the multifunction device 1 (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2). Is provided.

  An operation panel 4 for operating the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 1. The operation panel 4 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit. The multifunction device 1 operates based on an operation instruction from the operation panel 4. When the multifunction device 1 is connected to an external computer, the multifunction device 1 also operates based on an instruction transmitted from the computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver. A slot portion 5 is provided in the upper left part of the front surface of the multifunction machine 1. The slot unit 5 can be loaded with various small memory cards as storage media. By performing a predetermined operation on the operation panel 4, the image data stored in the small memory card loaded in the slot unit 5 is read out. Information about the read image data is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation panel 4, and an arbitrary image can be recorded on the recording paper by the printer unit 2 based on this display.

  Hereinafter, the internal configuration of the multi-function device 1, particularly the configuration of the printer unit 2, will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 14. As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed tray 20 is provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 1, and a separation inclined plate 22 is provided on the back side of the paper feed tray 20. The separation inclined plate 22 separates the recording paper that is double-fed from the paper feed tray 20 and guides the uppermost recording paper upward. The sheet conveyance path 23 is directed upward from the separation inclined plate 22, then bends to the front side, extends from the back side to the front side of the multifunction machine 1, and communicates with the sheet discharge tray 21 through the image recording unit 24. . Accordingly, the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 is guided by the paper conveyance path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side, reaches the image recording unit 24, and after image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. As shown in FIG. 3, on the upper side of the paper feed tray 20, a paper feed roller 25 that supplies the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray 20 to the paper transport path 23 is provided. The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed roller 25 is rotated by a drive transmission mechanism 27 formed by meshing a plurality of gears, with the drive of the LF motor 71 (see FIG. 7) being transmitted.

  The paper feed arm 26 is arranged with a base shaft 26 a as a rotation shaft, and moves up and down so as to be able to contact and separate from the paper feed tray 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed arm 26 is rotated downward so as to come into contact with the paper feed tray 20 by its own weight or biased by a spring or the like. It is configured to be retractable upward. When the paper feed arm 26 is rotated downward, the paper feed roller 25 pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26 comes into pressure contact with the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. In this state, when the paper feeding roller 25 is rotated, the uppermost recording paper is sent to the separation inclined plate 22 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper. The leading edge of the recording sheet abuts against the separation inclined plate 22 and is guided upward, and is fed into the sheet conveyance path 23. When the uppermost recording paper is sent out by the paper supply roller 25, the recording paper immediately below the recording paper may be sent out together due to friction or static electricity. However, the recording paper is restrained by contact with the separation inclined plate 22. Is done.

  The sheet conveyance path 23 is configured by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval, except for a portion where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the curved portion 17 of the sheet conveyance path 23 on the back side of the multifunction machine 1 is configured by fixing an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 to the apparatus frame. In the sheet conveyance path 23, particularly at a position where the sheet conveyance path 23 is bent, the roller surface is exposed to the outer guide surface so that the roller 16 is exposed to the outer guide surface, and the width direction of the sheet conveyance path 23 is axially rotatable. Is provided. The recording paper that is slidably in contact with the guide surface is smoothly transported by the rotatable rotary rollers 16 at locations where the paper transport path 23 is bent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an image recording unit 24 is provided in the paper transport path 23. The image recording unit 24 includes a carriage 38 that carries an ink jet recording head 39 and reciprocates in the main scanning direction. The ink jet recording head 39 includes cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow through an ink tube 41 (an ink supply tube, see FIG. 4) from an ink cartridge disposed in the multifunction device 1 independently of the ink jet recording head 39. (Y) and black (Bk) inks are supplied. While the carriage 38 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected as fine ink droplets from the ink jet recording head 39, whereby image recording is performed on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42. 3 and 4 do not show each ink cartridge storing each color ink.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2, and mainly shows the configuration on the back side of the apparatus from the approximate center of the printer unit 2. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of guide rails 43 and 44 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the recording paper conveyance direction (from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 4) on the upper side of the paper conveyance path 23. It is extended in the direction (right-and-left direction of FIG. 4) orthogonal to. The guide rails 43 and 44 are provided in the casing of the printer unit 2 and constitute a part of a frame that supports each member constituting the printer unit 2. The carriage 38 is placed so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the recording sheet conveyance direction so as to straddle the guide rails 43 and 44. In this manner, the guide rails 43 and 44 are arranged almost horizontally in the recording sheet conveyance direction, so that the height of the printer unit 2 is reduced and the apparatus is thinned.

  The guide rail 43 disposed on the upstream side of the recording paper conveyance direction is a flat plate having a length in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) of the paper conveyance path 23 longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 38. A sliding tape 40 is attached to the upper surface of the guide rail 43 along the edge on the downstream side in the transport direction. The sliding tape 40 reduces sliding friction with the carriage 38, and an end portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the carriage 38 is placed on the sliding tape 40 and slid in the longitudinal direction of the sliding tape 40. Moved.

  The guide rail 44 disposed on the downstream side in the recording paper conveyance direction is a flat plate whose length in the width direction of the paper conveyance path 23 is substantially the same as that of the guide rail 43. A sliding tape 40 is attached to the upper surface of the guide rail 44 along the edge on the downstream side in the transport direction. The downstream end of the carriage 38 is placed on the sliding tape 40 and is slid in the longitudinal direction of the sliding tape 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the edge 45 on the upstream side of the guide rail 44 in the transport direction is bent upward at a substantially right angle. The carriage 38 carried by the guide rails 43 and 44 has the edge 45 slidably held by a holding member such as a roller pair. As a result, the carriage 38 is positioned with respect to the recording paper conveyance direction, and can slide in a direction that intersects the recording paper conveyance direction (orthogonal in the present embodiment). That is, the carriage 38 is slidably supported on the guide rails 43 and 44 and reciprocates in the direction intersecting the recording sheet conveyance direction with the edge 45 of the guide rail 44 as a reference. Although not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a lubricant such as grease is applied to the edge 45 in order to make the carriage 38 slide smoothly.

  A belt drive mechanism 46 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide rail 44. In the belt driving mechanism 46, an endless annular timing belt 49 having teeth on the inside is stretched between a driving pulley 47 and a driven pulley 48 provided near both ends in the width direction of the paper conveyance path 23. It will be. A driving force is input from the CR motor 73 (see FIG. 7) to the shaft of the driving pulley 47, and the timing belt 49 moves circumferentially as the driving pulley 47 rotates. In addition to the endless annular belt, the timing belt 49 may be one that fixes both ends of the endless belt to the carriage 38.

  The carriage 38 is fixed to the timing belt 49 on the bottom surface side. Therefore, based on the circumferential motion of the timing belt 49, the carriage 38 reciprocates on the guide rails 43 and 44 with the edge 45 as a reference. An ink jet recording head 39 is mounted on such a carriage 38, and the ink jet recording head 39 is reciprocated with the width direction of the paper transport path 23 as the main scanning direction.

  The guide rail 44 is provided with an encoder strip 50 of a linear encoder 77 (see FIG. 7). The encoder strip 50 is in the form of a strip made of a transparent resin. A pair of support portions 33 and 34 are formed at both ends of the guide rail 44 in the width direction (reciprocating direction of the carriage 38) so as to stand up from the upper surface thereof. Both ends of the encoder strip 50 are engaged with the support portions 33 and 34, and are erected along the edge 45. Although not shown in the drawing, a leaf spring is provided on one of the support portions 33 and 34, and the end portion of the encoder strip 50 is locked by the leaf spring. This leaf spring prevents tension from acting on the encoder strip 50 in the longitudinal direction to cause slack, and when an external force acts on the encoder strip 50, the leaf spring elastically deforms, The encoder strip 50 is bent.

  The encoder strip 50 has a pattern in which light-transmitting portions that transmit light and light-shielding portions that block light are alternately arranged at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction. An optical sensor 35 that is a transmission type sensor is provided at a position corresponding to the encoder strip 50 on the upper surface of the carriage 38. The optical sensor 35 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the encoder strip 50 together with the carriage 38, and detects the pattern of the encoder strip 50 during the reciprocation. The ink jet recording head 39 is provided with a head control substrate that controls ink ejection. The head control board outputs a pulse signal based on the detection signal of the optical sensor 35, the position and speed of the carriage 38 are determined based on the pulse signal, and the reciprocation of the carriage 38 is controlled. In FIG. 4, the head control board is covered with the head cover of the carriage 38 and is not shown in the figure.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a platen 42 is disposed below the paper transport path 23 so as to face the ink jet recording head 39. The platen 42 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the carriage 38 through which the recording paper passes. The width of the platen 42 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be transported, that is, the maximum width of the recording paper in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and both ends of the recording paper always pass over the platen 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, maintenance units such as the purge mechanism 51 and the waste ink tray 84 are disposed outside the range in which the recording paper does not pass, that is, outside the image recording range by the inkjet recording head 39. The purge mechanism 51 sucks and removes bubbles and foreign matters from the nozzles 53 (see FIG. 5) of the ink jet recording head 39. The purge mechanism 51 includes a cap 52 that covers the nozzle 53 of the ink jet recording head 39, a pump mechanism that is connected to the ink jet recording head 39 through the cap 52, and a movement for bringing the cap 52 into and out of contact with the nozzle 53 of the ink jet recording head 39. It consists of a mechanism. In FIG. 4, the pump mechanism and the moving mechanism are below the guide rail 44 and are not shown in the figure. When sucking and removing bubbles or the like from the inkjet recording head 39, the carriage 38 is moved so that the inkjet recording head 39 is positioned on the cap 52. In this state, the cap 52 is moved upward and is in close contact with the lower surface of the inkjet recording head 39 so as to seal the nozzle 53. Ink is sucked from the nozzle 53 of the inkjet recording head 39 by making the inside of the cap 52 negative pressure by the pump mechanism. Air bubbles and foreign matters in the nozzle 53 are removed by suction together with the ink.

  The waste ink tray 84 is for receiving idle ink discharge from the inkjet recording head 39 called flushing. The waste ink tray 84 is formed on the upper surface of the platen 42 and within the reciprocating range of the carriage 38 and outside the image recording range. A felt is laid in the waste ink tray 84, and the flushed ink is absorbed and held by the felt. These maintenance units perform maintenance such as removal of air bubbles and mixed color ink in the ink jet recording head 39 and prevention of drying.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a door 7 is provided on the front surface of the casing of the printer unit 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. When the door 7 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion is exposed to the front side of the apparatus, and the ink cartridge can be removed. Although not shown in the drawing, the cartridge mounting portion is divided into four storage chambers corresponding to the ink cartridges, and each storage chamber stores an ink cartridge for holding each color ink of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The Four ink tubes 41 corresponding to the respective color inks are routed from the cartridge mounting portion to the carriage 38. The ink-jet recording head 39 mounted on the carriage 38 is supplied with ink of each color from the ink cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion through each ink tube 41. Note that the configuration of the cartridge mounting portion is not a point of the present invention and will not be described in detail here.

  The ink tube 41 is a tube made of synthetic resin, and has flexibility to bend following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. Each ink tube 41 led out from the cartridge mounting part is pulled out to the vicinity of the center along the width direction of the apparatus, and is temporarily fixed to a fixing clip 36 (fixing part) of the apparatus body. The portions of the ink tubes 41 from the fixed clip 36 to the carriage 38 are not fixed to the apparatus main body or the like, and the portions change their postures following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. In FIG. 4, the ink tube 41 extending from the fixed clip 36 toward the cartridge mounting portion (not shown) is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ink tube 41 is routed by forming a curved portion where the portion from the fixed clip 36 to the carriage 38 is reversed in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. In other words, the ink tube 41 is routed so as to form a substantially U shape in plan view. The four ink tubes 41 are arranged in the carriage 38 in the horizontal direction along the recording paper conveyance direction and extend in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. On the other hand, in the fixed clip 36, four ink tubes 41 are arranged and fixed in a state of being stacked in the vertical direction. The fixed clip 36 is a member having a U-shaped cross section that opens upward, and the four ink tubes 41 that are stacked in the vertical direction with the ink tubes 41 inserted through the openings are integrated by the fixed clip 36. Pinched. As a result, the four ink tubes 41 are bent into a substantially U shape as a whole while being twisted so that the horizontal arrangement becomes the vertical arrangement from the carriage 38 toward the fixed clip 36. Yes.

  The four ink tubes 41 have substantially the same length from the carriage 38 to the fixed clip 36. In the carriage 38, the ink tube 41 arranged on the most upstream side in the recording paper conveyance direction is arranged on the uppermost side in the fixed clip 36. The ink tube 41 disposed upstream of the ink tube 41 is disposed below the ink tube 41 in the fixing clip 36. By repeating this, the fixing clips 36 are sequentially arranged from the uppermost side to the lower side in order from the upstream ink tube 41 in the recording paper conveyance direction in the carriage 38 toward the downstream side. Since the length of each ink tube 41 is substantially the same, the center of the substantially U-shaped curved portion of each ink tube 41 is curved so as to be shifted in the recording paper conveyance direction according to the arrangement of the carriage 38 in the recording paper conveyance direction. Thereby, in the curved portion, the four ink tubes 41 are aligned in an oblique direction from the upper side to the lower side, and interference between the ink tubes 41 when the posture changes following the carriage 38 is reduced. The In the present embodiment, four ink tubes 41 are shown. However, when the number of ink tubes 41 is further increased, the ink tubes 41 on the upstream side of the carriage 38 in the recording paper conveyance direction are sequentially sequentially changed. They are sequentially arranged on the upper side of the fixed clip 36.

  A recording signal or the like is transmitted through the flat cable 85 from the main substrate constituting the control unit 64 (see FIG. 7) to the head control substrate of the ink jet recording head 39. The main board is disposed on the front side of the apparatus (front side in FIG. 4) and is not shown in FIG. The flat cable 85 is a thin ribbon in which a plurality of conductive wires for transmitting electrical signals are covered with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film for insulation, and electrically connects a main board (not shown) and a head control board. ing.

  The flat cable 85 has flexibility to bend following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat cable 85 is routed by forming a curved portion where the portion from the carriage 38 to the fixed clip 86 is reversed in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. In other words, the flat cable 85 is routed so as to form a substantially U-shape in plan view with the strip-shaped front and back surfaces in the vertical direction. That is, on the front and back surfaces of the flat cable 85, the vertical line is oriented in the horizontal direction and the surface is spread in the vertical direction. The direction in which the flat cable 85 extends from the carriage 38 and the direction in which the ink tube 41 extends are the same as the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38.

  One end side of the flat cable 85 fixed to the carriage 38 is electrically connected to a head control board (not shown) mounted on the carriage 38 as described above. The other end side of the flat cable 85 fixed to the fixing clip 86 is further extended and electrically connected to the main board. The portion where the flat cable 85 is bent in a substantially U shape is not fixed to any member, and changes its posture following the reciprocation of the carriage 38, as with the ink tube 41. As described above, the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 that change in posture following the reciprocating motion of the carriage 38 are supported by the rotation support member 100. The configuration of the rotation support member 100 will be described in detail later.

  On the apparatus front side of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85, a restriction wall 37 is extended in the apparatus width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4). The restriction wall 37 is a wall having a vertical wall surface that abuts the ink tube 41, and is erected in a straight line along the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. The restriction wall 37 is provided in the extending direction of the ink tube 41 from the fixed clip 36 that fixes the ink tube 41, and all of the four ink tubes 41 arranged in the vertical direction by the fixed clip 36 can contact each other. Height.

  The ink tube 41 extends from the fixed clip 36 along the restriction wall 37, and swells in the direction away from the carriage 38 in other words, by contacting the wall of the restriction wall 37 on the apparatus rear side. It is regulated to be released. In a state where the ink tube 41 is in contact with the restriction wall 37 (see FIG. 13), the portion from the fixed clip 36 to the curved portion of the ink tube 41 is maintained in the vertical arrangement in the fixed clip 36. In the substantially U-shaped curved portion, the ink tube 41 is reliably maintained in a desired oblique arrangement.

  The fixing clip 36 is provided near the approximate center in the width direction of the apparatus, and fixes the ink tube 41 so as to extend toward the regulation wall 37. That is, the vertical wall surface of the restriction wall 37 and the direction in which the fixing clip 36 extends the ink tube 41 form an obtuse angle smaller than 180 ° in plan view. The ink tube 41 has flexibility, but also has an appropriate waist (bending rigidity). Therefore, the ink tube 41 is extended with an angle with respect to the regulation wall 37 by the fixing clip 36, so that the wall of the regulation wall 37 is formed. Pressed. As a result, in the reciprocating range of the carriage 38, the range in which the ink tube 41 can be moved along the restriction wall 37 increases, and the portion from the curved portion of the ink tube 41 to the carriage 38 is the rear side of the apparatus, in other words, the carriage. The range that bulges to the 38 side can be reduced.

  The fixing clip 86 is provided at a position near the center in the width direction of the apparatus and on the curved inner side of the fixing clip 36, and fixes the flat cable 85 so as to extend toward the regulation wall 37. . That is, the vertical wall surface of the regulating wall 37 and the direction in which the fixing clip 86 extends the flat cable 85 form an obtuse angle smaller than 180 ° in plan view. The flat cable 85 has flexibility, but also has an appropriate waist (bending rigidity). Therefore, the flat cable 85 is extended with an angle with respect to the regulation wall 37 by the fixing clip 86, so that the flat cable 85 is attached to the wall surface of the regulation wall 37. Pressed. Thereby, in the reciprocating range of the carriage 38, the range in which the flat cable 85 can be moved along the restriction wall 37 increases, and the portion from the curved portion of the flat cable 85 to the carriage 38 is the rear side of the apparatus, in other words, the carriage. The range that bulges to the 38 side can be reduced.

  FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the nozzle forming surface of the ink jet recording head 39. As shown in the drawing, the ink jet recording head 39 has a nozzle 53 on its lower surface in the recording paper transport direction for each color ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk). It is lined up. In the drawing, the vertical direction is the recording paper conveyance direction, and the horizontal direction is the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. The CMYBk color ink nozzles 53 form a line in the recording sheet conveyance direction, and the color ink nozzles 53 line up in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. The pitch and number of the nozzles 53 in the transport direction are appropriately set in consideration of the resolution of the recorded image. In addition, the number of nozzles 53 can be increased or decreased according to the number of types of color ink.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic partial enlarged sectional view showing the internal configuration of the ink jet recording head 39. As shown in the figure, a cavity 55 including a piezoelectric element 54 is formed on the upstream side of the nozzle 53 formed on the lower surface of the ink jet recording head 39. The piezoelectric element 54 is deformed by applying a predetermined voltage to reduce the volume of the cavity 55. Due to the change in the capacity of the cavity 55, the ink in the cavity 55 is ejected from the nozzle 53 as an ink droplet.

  A cavity 55 is provided for each nozzle 53, and a manifold 56 is formed across the plurality of cavities 55. The manifold 56 is provided for each color ink of CMYBk. A buffer tank 57 is disposed on the upstream side of the manifold 55. The buffer tank 57 is also provided for each color ink of CMYBk. Each buffer tank 57 is supplied with ink flowing through the ink tube 41 from an ink supply port 58. Once the ink is stored in the buffer tank 57, bubbles generated in the ink are captured by the ink tube 41 and the like, and the bubbles are prevented from entering the cavity 55 and the manifold 56. Bubbles captured in the buffer tank 57 are sucked and removed from the bubble discharge port 59 by a pump mechanism. The ink supplied from the buffer tank 57 to the manifold 56 is distributed to each cavity 55 by the manifold 56.

  In this way, the ink flow path is configured such that each color ink supplied from the ink cartridge through the ink tube 41 flows to the cavity 55 via the buffer tank 57 and the manifold 56. The CMYBk color inks supplied through such an ink flow path are ejected as ink droplets from the nozzle 53 onto the recording paper due to the deformation of the piezoelectric element 54.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of conveying rollers 60 and a pinch roller are provided on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24. In FIG. 3, the pinch roller is not hidden behind other members, but is arranged in a press-contact state under the conveying roller 60. The transport roller 60 and the pinch roller sandwich the recording paper transported through the paper transport path 23 and transport it onto the platen 42. A pair of paper discharge rollers 62 and spur rollers 63 are provided on the downstream side of the image recording unit 24. The paper discharge roller 62 and the spur roller 63 sandwich the recorded recording paper and convey it to the paper discharge tray 21. The conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width when a driving force is transmitted from the LF motor 71 (see FIG. 7). The rotations of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are synchronized. A rotary encoder 76 (see FIG. 7) provided on the conveyance roller 60 detects the pattern of the encoder disk 61 that rotates together with the conveyance roller 60 with an optical sensor. Based on this detection signal, the rotation of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 is controlled.

  Since the spur roller 63 is in pressure contact with the recorded recording paper, the roller surface is uneven in a spur shape so as not to deteriorate the image recorded on the recording paper. The spur roller 63 is provided so as to be slidable in a direction in which the spur roller 63 is brought into contact with and separated from the paper discharge roller 62, and is urged so as to come into pressure contact with the paper discharge roller 62 by a coil spring. When the recording paper enters between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur roller 63, the spur roller 63 retreats against the biasing force by the thickness of the recording paper, and presses the recording paper against the paper discharge roller 62. Hold it. Thereby, the rotational force of the paper discharge roller 62 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper. The pinch roller is also provided in the same manner with respect to the conveying roller 60, and holds the recording paper so as to be in pressure contact with the conveying roller 60 so that the rotational force of the conveying roller 60 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 64 of the multifunction machine 1. The control unit 64 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 1 including not only the printer unit 3 but also the scanner unit 2, and is configured by a main board to which a flat cable 85 is connected. Since the configuration relating to the scanner unit 3 is not the main configuration of the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted. As shown in the figure, the control unit 64 is a microcomputer mainly including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 65, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 66, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 67, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 68. And is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 70 via a bus 69.

  The ROM 66 stores programs for controlling various operations of the multifunction machine 1. The RAM 67 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 65 executes the program. The EEPROM 68 stores settings and flags that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  The ASIC 70 generates a phase excitation signal and the like for energizing the LF (conveyance) motor 71 in accordance with a command from the CPU 65, applies the signal to the drive circuit 72 of the LF motor 71, and sends the drive signal via the drive circuit 72. By energizing the LF motor 71, the rotation of the LF motor 71 is controlled.

  The drive circuit 72 drives the LF motor 71 connected to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, the paper discharge roller 62, and the purge mechanism 51. The drive circuit 72 receives an output signal from the ASIC 70 and receives the LF motor 71. An electrical signal is generated for rotation. In response to the electrical signal, the LF motor 71 rotates, and the rotational force of the LF motor 71 is fed via a known drive mechanism including a gear, a drive shaft, and the like, and the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, the paper discharge roller 62, and This is transmitted to the purge mechanism 51.

  The ASIC 70 generates a phase excitation signal and the like for energizing a CR (carriage) motor 73 in accordance with a command from the CPU 65, applies the signal to the drive circuit 74 of the CR motor 73, and sends the drive signal via the drive circuit 74. By energizing the CR motor 73, rotation control of the CR motor 73 is performed.

  The drive circuit 74 drives the CR motor 73, receives an output signal from the ASIC 70, and forms an electric signal for rotating the CR motor 73. The CR motor 73 rotates in response to the electric signal, and the rotational force of the CR motor 73 is transmitted to the carriage 38 via the belt drive mechanism 46, whereby the carriage 38 is reciprocated. In this way, the reciprocation of the carriage 38 is controlled by the control unit 64.

  The drive circuit 75 selectively discharges each color ink onto the recording paper at a predetermined timing from the inkjet recording head 39, and outputs an output signal generated in the ASIC 70 based on a drive control procedure output from the CPU 65. The ink jet recording head 39 is driven and controlled. The drive circuit 75 is mounted on the head control board, and a signal is transmitted by a flat cable 85 from the main board constituting the control unit 64 to the head control board.

  Connected to the ASIC 70 are a rotary encoder 76 that detects the amount of rotation of the transport roller 60 and a linear encoder 77 that detects the position of the carriage 38. The carriage 38 is moved to one end of the guide rails 43 and 44 when the power of the multifunction machine 1 is turned on, and the detection position by the linear encoder 77 is initialized. When the carriage 38 moves on the guide rails 43 and 44 from this initial position, the optical sensor 35 provided on the carriage 38 detects the pattern of the encoder strip 50, and the number of pulse signals based on this detects the amount of movement of the carriage 38. It is grasped by the control unit 64. The controller 64 controls the rotation of the CR motor 73 so as to control the reciprocation of the carriage 38 based on the amount of movement.

  The ASIC 70 includes a scanner unit 3, an operation panel 4 for instructing operation of the multifunction device 1, a slot unit 5 into which various small memory cards are inserted, an external information device such as a personal computer, and a parallel cable or a USB cable. A parallel interface 78 and a USB interface 79 for transmitting and receiving data are connected. Further, an NCU (Network Control Unit) 80 and a modem (MODEM) 81 for realizing the facsimile function are connected.

  Hereinafter, the rotation support member 100 that supports the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 will be described in detail. FIG. 8 is a front view of the rotation support member 100, and FIG. 9 is a side view from the arrow 101 in FIG.

  The rotation support member 100 includes a shaft portion 102 serving as a rotation fulcrum, an arm 103 extending in the horizontal direction from the shaft portion 102, a carrying portion 104 formed on the proximal end side of the arm 103, and the arm 103. It has the holding | maintenance part 105 formed in the front end side, and the auxiliary | assistant arm 106 extended from the axial part 102 so that it may form a crank shape with respect to the axial part 102 and the arm 103, These are bent wire steel materials. Thus, they are integrally formed.

  The shaft portion 102 and the arm 103 are bent at substantially right angles, and the shaft portion 102 is inserted into the shaft hole 111 of the support substrate 110 fixed to the apparatus main body, as shown in FIG. As a result, the shaft portion 102 is pivotally supported in a substantially vertical direction, and the arm 103 is extended in a substantially horizontal direction. The shaft portion 102 is slidable with respect to the shaft hole 111, and the arm 103 rotates in a substantially horizontal plane with the shaft portion 102 as a rotation fulcrum.

  The upper surface of the arm 103 extended in the horizontal direction is a carrier portion 104 for carrying the flat cable 85. The carrier 104 is in contact with the lower end of the flat cable 85 with the front and back surfaces in the vertical direction. The flat cable 85 freely slides on the carrier 104 when the posture changes following the carriage 38. Accordingly, the length of the arm 103 that forms the carrying portion is set so that the carrying portion 104 can slidably carry the flat cable 85 in the reciprocating range of the carriage 38.

  A holding portion 105 formed on the tip side of the arm 103 holds the ink tube 41. The holding portion 105 includes a ring 107 that is a vertically long rectangle in the vertical direction, a lower end portion 108 that protrudes from the ring 107 toward the distal end side, and a curved portion 109 that is formed at the distal end of the lower end portion 108. In the ring 107, the relationship between the width and height of the inner dimension and the outer diameter of the ink tube 41 is such that the arrangement of the ink tubes 41 does not change in the ring 107 and the ink tube 41 extends freely in the extending direction. It is a dimension relationship that can be moved. Assuming that all the outer diameters of the ink tubes 41 are A, the relationship of A ≦ (width of the inner dimension of the ring 107) <2A, 4A ≦ (height of the inner dimension of the ring 107) is established. The ring 107 is formed by bending the wire steel material forming the rotation support member 100 so as to stand up from the arm 103 and further bending into a vertically long rectangle. A lower end portion 108 of the ring 107 extends substantially horizontally in the extending direction of the arm 103. The tip of the lower end portion 108 is bent upward and then bent in an arc shape outward in the extending direction of the arm 103 to form a bending portion 109.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the axis 112 (center of the wire steel material) of the standing portion 107 a from the arm 103 of the ring 107 is inclined with respect to the axis 113 of the shaft portion 102. That is, while the axis 113 of the shaft portion 102 is in the vertical direction, the axis 112 of the rising portion 107a of the ring 107 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The inclination direction of the standing portion 107 a is opposite to the side where the lower end portion 108 is disposed with respect to the arm 103. Since the ring 107 is formed in a vertically long rectangle in the direction of the axis 112, the lower end 108 becomes higher than the height position of the arm 103 when the axis 112 is inclined to the opposite side of the lower end 108. That is, the lower end portion 108 is positioned above the virtual support surface 114 of the arm 103.

  The four ink tubes 41 are inserted through the ring 107 of the holding unit 105 and are supported by the lower end portion 108, whereby a predetermined portion of the ink tube 41 is slidably held by the holding unit 105. The ring 107 holds the four ink tubes 41 in a state of surrounding the four ink tubes 41 and maintaining the vertical arrangement fixed to the fixing clip 36. As a result, the four ink tubes 41 are not changed when the posture of the four ink tubes 41 follows the carriage 38, and the postures of the four ink tubes 41 are integrally changed while maintaining a vertical arrangement at a predetermined portion. The ink tube 41 is slidable in the extending direction while being surrounded by the ring 107, and the ink tube 41 is appropriately slid with respect to the ring 107 when the posture of the ink tube 41 is changed. 41 is not overloaded. On the other hand, due to the friction between the ink tube 41 and the ring 107, the posture change of the ink tube 41 is transmitted as the rotational force of the rotation support member 100.

  The position where the holding unit 105 holds the ink tube 41 is adjusted so as to adapt to the change in the posture of the ink tube 41. As shown in FIG. 12, when the carriage 38 moves to a position (capping position) where the U-shaped curved radius of the ink tube 41 is the largest, the ink tube 41 extends from the carriage 38 in a direction away from the fixed clip 36. In the case of taking out, the holding portion 105 may hold the fixing clip 36 side (the left side in FIG. 12) from the predetermined portion 121 on the most back side of the ink tube 41. On the other hand, when the ink tube 41 is not extended from the carriage 38 in the direction away from the fixed clip 36, a virtual line 122 extending from the fixed clip 36 to the back side of the apparatus along the recording paper transport direction intersects the ink tube at a predetermined location 123. What is necessary is just to hold | maintain the fixed clip 36 side to the holding | maintenance part 105 more.

  When the predetermined portion where the holding unit 105 holds the ink tube 41 is a range in which the posture of the ink tube 41 changes along the restriction wall 37, the predetermined portion of the ink tube 41 surrounded by the ring 107 of the holding unit 105. Can come into contact with the regulating wall 37 due to a change in the posture of the ink tube 41. As described above, since the ring 107 maintains the vertical arrangement of the four ink tubes 41, the ink tubes 41 abut against the regulation wall 37 in the vertical arrangement. As a result, the four ink tubes 41 abut against the restriction wall 37 evenly, and there is an advantage that stress is not concentrated when only the specific ink tube 41 abuts against the restriction wall 37. In addition, although the recessed part 120 (refer FIG. 11) is formed in the predetermined location of the control wall 37 with which the holding | maintenance part 105 contact | abuts, this is mentioned later.

  The four ink tubes 41 surrounded by the ring 107 are further carried by the lower end portion 108 on the tip side from the ring 107. As described above, the lower end portion 108 is positioned higher than the arm 103. That is, the lowermost ink tube 41 carried by the lower end portion 108 is positioned higher than the lower end of the flat cable 85 carried by the carrying portion 104.

  The ink tube 41 carried on the lower end portion 108 slides on the lower end portion 108 on the front end side with respect to the ring 107 in accordance with the posture change following the carriage 38. That is, the ink tube 41 is slidable between the ring 107 and the curved portion 109 of the lower end portion 108. Since the distal end side of the lower end portion 108 is bent upward to form the curved portion 109, the ink tube 41 is prevented from falling off the lower end portion 108. Further, since the curved portion 109 is curved in an arc shape outward in the extending direction of the arm 103, the tip or the pointed portion of the wire steel material does not contact the ink tube 41. Thereby, damage to the ink tube 41 is prevented.

  Hereinafter, the support substrate 110 that supports the rotation support member 100 will be described in detail. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 12, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged view taken along arrow 115 in FIG. In FIG. 10, the holding portion 105 on the distal end side of the rotation support member 100 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a support substrate 110 is fixed to the apparatus main body on the back side of the apparatus from the regulation wall 37, that is, on the carriage 38 side. The support substrate 110 is a flat plate whose length in the apparatus width direction is substantially the same as that of the regulation wall 37, and the width in the apparatus depth direction is a width that fits in a space from the regulation wall 37 to the guide rail 44. A shaft hole 111 that pivotally supports the shaft portion 102 of the rotation support member 100 is formed in the support substrate 110 in the vertical direction. The shaft hole 111 is disposed on the curved inner side of the U-shape in plan view through which the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 are routed. The shaft portion 102 of the rotation support member 100 is pivotally supported in the shaft hole 111, and the arm 103 extends in a substantially horizontal direction toward the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85. Since the distance from the shaft hole 111 to the edge 116 in the apparatus depth direction of the support substrate 110 is shorter than the length from the base end (axis portion 102 side) of the arm 103 to the holding portion 105, the arm 103 is rotated. The posture changes from the state in which the entire arm 103 including the holding unit 105 is accommodated in the upper surface of the support substrate 110 (see FIG. 13) to the state in which the holding unit 105 is detached from the upper surface of the support substrate 110 (see FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, a first support rib 117 that supports the arm 103 is formed around the shaft hole 111 on the upper surface of the support substrate 110. The first support rib 117 has an arc shape centered on the shaft hole 111 and is formed over the rotation range of the arm 103. The distance from the shaft hole 111 to the first support rib 117 is not particularly limited, but the closer the first support rib 117 is to the holding portion 105, the more accurate the height position of the holding portion 105 is determined. The front end surface of the first support rib 117 is in contact with the arm 103 in the rotation range of the arm 103. The first support rib 117 is set at a certain height from the upper surface of the support substrate 110 so that the height of the front end surface of the first support rib 117 does not change in the rotation range of the arm 103. The height of the first support rib 117 is a height that can maintain the holding portion 105 in a state where the lower end portion 108 is floated from the upper surface of the support substrate 110.

  A second support rib 118 that supports the auxiliary arm 106 is formed around the shaft hole 111 on the lower surface of the support substrate 110. Although not shown in the drawing, the second support rib 118 has an arc shape with the shaft hole 111 as the center, and is formed over the rotation range of the arm 103, similarly to the first support rib 117. The distance from the shaft hole 111 to the second support rib 118 is not particularly limited, but if the second support rib 118 is far from the shaft hole 111, the support force of the auxiliary arm 106 is increased. The tip surface of the second support rib 118 abuts on the auxiliary arm 106 in the rotation range of the arm 103. The second support rib 118 is set at a certain height from the lower surface of the support substrate 110 so that the height of the tip surface of the second support rib 118 does not change in the rotation range of the arm 103. The height of the second support rib 118 is a height at which the holding part 105 can be maintained in a state where the lower end part 108 is floated from the upper surface of the support substrate 110.

  The arm 103 is supported at a predetermined height by the first support rib 117 formed on the support substrate 110, and the holding unit 105 is maintained in a state of floating from the upper surface of the support substrate 110. 108 does not contact the upper surface of the support substrate 110. Further, the holding portion 105 is maintained in a state of being lifted from the upper surface of the support substrate 110 by supporting the auxiliary arm 106 at a predetermined height by the second support rib 118. Accordingly, in combination with the first support rib 117 and the second support rib 118, the holding unit 105 is reliably maintained in a state of floating from the upper surface of the support substrate 110 in the rotation range of the arm 103.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, a guide plate 119 is erected in the vicinity of the shaft hole 111 of the support substrate 110 so as to be separated from the regulation wall 37 toward the carriage 38. The guide plate 119 is formed only in a predetermined range near the shaft hole 111 and functions mainly when the carriage 38 moves to the side where the U-shaped curved portion of the flat cable 85 becomes larger (see FIG. 12). . The ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 are inserted between the guide plate 119 and the regulation wall 37, and these come into contact with the wall surface of the guide plate 119, so that the fixed clip 36 or the fixed clip 86 is connected to the carriage 38 side. Bending to the side is suppressed. Thereby, without causing buckling of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85, the center of the U-shaped curved portion can be set to the regulation wall 37 side, and the enlarged curved portion of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 can be enlarged. In addition, the length of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 from the fixed clip 36 or the fixed clip 86 to the carriage 38 can be minimized.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the restriction wall 37 is formed with a recessed portion 120 for avoiding contact with the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 100 that holds a predetermined portion of the ink tube 41. In the present embodiment, the recess 120 is formed as a through hole that penetrates the regulation wall 37 in the thickness direction. However, when the regulation wall 37 is thick, the recess 120 is formed so as to dent the wall surface of the regulation wall 37. It may be. Further, the regulation wall 37 may be separated into two with the recessed portion 120 interposed therebetween. The recessed portion 120 has a shape corresponding to a part near the holding portion 105 of the arm 103, the ring 107, the lower end portion 108, and the curved portion 109 of the holding portion 105. The shape of the notch 120 is not particularly limited. Thus, in the state where the ink tube 41 is in contact with the wall surface of the regulation wall 37, the vicinity of the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 100 enters the recessed portion 120 and does not contact the regulation wall 37. This effect will be described later.

  Hereinafter, operations of the ink tube 41, the flat cable 85, and the rotation support member 100 in the image recording operation of the printer unit 2 will be described. The carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted is reciprocated in a direction intersecting the recording sheet conveyance direction by being guided by the guide rails 43 and 44 when the driving force of the CR motor 73 is transmitted via the belt driving mechanism 46. Move. The recording head 39 discharges ink droplets of each color ink supplied from the ink tube 41 onto a recording sheet on the platen 42 based on a signal transmitted from the control unit 64 through the flat cable 85 at a predetermined timing. By intermittently repeating the intermittent conveyance of the recording paper by the conveying roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 and the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38, a desired image is recorded on the recording paper.

  The ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 whose one end is connected to the carriage 38 change their posture while changing the curvature of the U-shaped curved portion following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. FIG. 12 shows the case where the carriage 38 is at the capping position (right side in the figure) on the cap 52, and FIG. 13 shows the case where the carriage 38 is in the flushing position (left side in the figure) on the waste ink tray 84. Yes. In the present embodiment, the capping position is the initial position of the carriage 38.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the carriage 38 is in the capping position, the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 are respectively extended from the fixing clips 36 and 86 to the flushing position side in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38 and immediately reversed. A U shape that is curved as shown in FIG. The ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 have flexibility, but also have some bending rigidity. The U-shaped curved portion of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 tends to swell greatly on the guide rail 44 due to the waist thereof, but comes into contact with the wall surface of the guide plate 119 and is moved from the fixing clips 36 and 86 to the carriage 38. It is prevented from bending to the side at an acute angle, and the center of the U-shaped curved portion is brought closer to the regulating wall 37 side. This prevents the curved portions of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 from being enlarged, so that the space for routing them can be reduced and the apparatus can be downsized. Further, the length of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 from the fixing clips 36 and 86 to the carriage 38 can be minimized.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the carriage 38 slides from the capping position to the flushing position, so that the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 change their postures so that the diameter of the U-shaped curved portion is reduced. Follow 38. As shown in FIG. 13, when the carriage 38 is in the flushing position, the diameters of the U-shaped curved portions of the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 become the smallest. Since the fixing clips 36 and 86 fix the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 so as to press against the wall surface of the restriction wall 37, the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 are attached to the restriction wall 37 in the reciprocating range of the carriage 38. The portions extending along the wall surfaces of the restriction walls 37 are prevented from separating from the restriction walls 37. As a result, the range in which the ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 bulge toward the carriage 38 is reduced, and the bulge in the direction away from the carriage 38 is restricted by the restriction wall 37. The space for routing 85 is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the flat cable 85 disposed on the curved inner side of the ink tube 41 may come into contact with the ink tube 41 when following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. At that time, the flat cable 85 abuts on the uppermost ink tube 41 that is closest to the U-shaped curved portion. As described above, the four ink tubes 41 have substantially the same length from the carriage 38 to the fixed clip 36. In the carriage 38, the ink tubes 41 arranged on the most upstream side in the recording paper conveyance direction are: Another ink tube 41 disposed on the uppermost side of the fixed clip 36 and disposed on the downstream side of the carriage 38 is disposed on the lower side of the fixed clip 36, and this is repeated so that the carriage 38 horizontally moves in the horizontal direction. The arranged ink tubes 41 are arranged in the fixing clip 36 in the vertical direction.

  14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, in the curved portion, the four ink tubes 41 are aligned obliquely from the upper side to the lower side, and the ink tubes 41 interfere with each other when the posture changes following the carriage 38. Is reduced. Further, the flat cable 85 is maintained at a height substantially equal to that of the ink tube 41 disposed on the lowermost side of the fixed clip 36 by the rotation support member 100, and either of the front and back surfaces of the flat cable 85 is maintained. The ink tube 41 is arranged on the uppermost side of the fixing clip 36. Therefore, the flat cable 85 does not sink into or run under the four ink tubes 41, and the inner and outer arrangements of the ink tubes 41 and the flat cables 85 are maintained, and the posture follows the carriage 38. Change.

  The ink tube 41 and the flat cable 85 that change their posture in this way are supported at a predetermined height by the rotation support member 100. As described above, the ink tube 41 is held by the holding unit 105, and the flat cable 85 is carried by the carrying unit 104. When the posture of the ink tube 41 changes following the reciprocation of the carriage 38, the change in the posture of the ink tube 41 is transmitted to the arm 103 via the holding portion 105, and the arm 103 rotates about the shaft portion 102 as a rotation fulcrum. .

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 12, and 13, the flat cable 85 slides on the carrier portion 104 in a posture change following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. If the flat cable 85 is grasped at a predetermined position and supported at a predetermined height, the rotation trajectory of the predetermined position is limited to a predetermined arc shape, and the flat cable 85 has a predetermined change in posture. Although an excessive load may be applied to the location, the carrier portion 104 slidably carries the flat cable 85, so that the flat cable 85 slides on the carrier portion 104 regardless of the rotation trajectory of the arm 103. The posture can be freely changed in the range. Thereby, excessive load does not arise with respect to the flat cable 85, and damage and disconnection of the flat cable 85 are prevented.

  Further, as described above, when the arm 103 rotates, as shown in FIG. 13, the entire arm 103 including the holding portion 105 is accommodated in the upper surface of the support substrate 110 at the flushing position, as shown in FIG. As described above, in the capping position, the holding unit 105 is detached from the upper surface of the support substrate 110. As for the holding unit 105, when the arm 103 is further rotated from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the capping position side, it is detached from the upper surface of the support substrate 110, and conversely, the arm 103 is rotated from the capping position side to the position shown in FIG. When it moves, it is accommodated in the upper surface of the support substrate 110.

  As described above, in the ring 107 of the holding unit 105, the axis 112 (see FIG. 9) of the rising portion 107 a from the arm 103 is inclined with respect to the axis 113 of the shaft 102, and the lower end 108 of the ring 107. Is more than the height position of the arm 103. Therefore, when the holding portion 105 is accommodated in the upper surface of the support substrate 110, the lower end portion 108 does not come into contact with the edge portion 116 of the support substrate, so that a collision sound between the holding portion 105 and the support substrate 110 is generated. do not do.

  Further, since the standing portion 107a of the ring 107 of the holding portion 105 is inclined with respect to the shaft portion 102, the lower end portion 108 of the ring 107 is set to be higher than the height position of the arm 103. It is not necessary to make it higher than the arm 103. If the height position of the ring 107 is increased with respect to the arm 103, the position of the ink tube 41 surrounded by the ring 107 is also increased. Then, in order to avoid interference with the ink tube 41, it is necessary to increase the position of other members such as a cover disposed on the upper side of the range in which the ink tube 41 changes its posture. Get higher. As in this embodiment, the lower end portion 108 of the ring 107 is prevented from coming into contact with the edge portion 116 of the support substrate 110 without causing the ring 107 of the holding portion 105 to extend excessively above the arm 103. Thus, the upper end position of the ink tubes 41 arranged in the vertical direction can be kept low.

  Further, as described above, the first support rib 117 that supports the arm 103 and the second support rib 118 that supports the auxiliary arm 106 are formed around the shaft hole 111 of the support substrate 110. Since the holding part 105 side of the arm 103 is kept floating from the upper surface of the support substrate 110, the lower end part 108 of the ring 107 of the holding part 105 is reliably prevented from colliding with the edge part 116 of the support substrate 110. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the carriage 38 is in the flushing position, the ink tube 41 is abutted against the restriction wall 37 and the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 110 is also attached to the restriction wall 37 side. Is rotated. As described above, the restriction wall 37 is formed with the recessed portion 120 that avoids contact with the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 110, so that even if the ink tube 41 contacts the restriction wall 37. Since the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 110 does not contact the restriction wall 37, the occurrence of a collision sound between the holding portion 105 and the restriction wall 37 is prevented. Thereby, the generation of the collision sound with the support substrate 110 and the regulation wall 37 accompanying the rotation of the rotation support member 110 is prevented, and the operation sound of the carriage 38 is reduced. Further, since the collision between the holding portion 105 and the regulation wall 37 is prevented, the ink tube 41 comes into contact with the wall surface of the regulation wall 37 evenly, and the wire steel material constituting the ring 107 of the holding portion 105 is used as the ink tube. No local stress is applied to 41.

  As described above, according to the multifunction machine 1, the restriction wall 37 that comes into contact with the predetermined portion of the ink tube 41 that is slidably held by the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 100 contacts the holding portion 105. Therefore, even if a predetermined portion of the ink tube 41 abuts against the restriction wall 37, the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 100 does not abut against the restriction wall 37. Thereby, when the posture of the ink tube 41 is changed, a collision sound between the holding portion 105 and the regulation wall 37 is not generated, and local stress generation on the ink tube 41 by the holding portion 105 is prevented. .

  Hereinafter, a first modification of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, the holding portion 105 of the rotation support member 100 is formed so as to surround the ink tube 41 as the ring 107, but the holding portion according to the present invention holds at least the ink tube 41 from three directions. Anything to do. FIG. 15 is a front view of the rotation support member 130 according to the first modification, and FIG. 16 is a side view from the arrow 131 in FIG.

  The rotation support member 130 includes a shaft portion 132 that serves as a rotation fulcrum, an arm 133 that extends horizontally from the shaft portion 132, a support portion 134 that is formed on the base end side of the arm 133, and the arm 133. It has the holding | maintenance part 135 formed in the front end side, and the auxiliary | assistant arm 136 extended from the axial part 132 so that a crank shape may be made | formed with respect to the axial part 132 and the arm 133, and these are a wire steel material bent. Thus, they are integrally formed. Since the shaft portion 132, the arm 133, the carrying portion 134, and the auxiliary arm 136 correspond to the shaft portion 102, the arm 103, the carrying portion 104, and the auxiliary arm 106 of the above-described embodiment, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  A holding part 135 formed on the distal end side of the arm 133 holds the ink tube 41 from three directions. The holding part 135 is formed at a U-shaped part 137 having a substantially U shape with an upper side opened in the direction of arrow 131, a lower end part 138 projecting from the U-shaped part 137 toward the distal end, and a distal end of the lower end part 138. And a curved portion 139. In the U-shaped portion 137, the relationship between the width and height of the inner dimension and the outer diameter of the ink tube 41 is the same as described above, the arrangement of the ink tubes 41 in the U-shaped portion 137 is not interchanged, and the ink tube This is a dimensional relationship that can freely slide in the extending direction of 41. A lower end portion 138 of the U-shaped portion 137 is separated in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the arm 133 and extends in substantially the same direction as the arm 133. The distal end of the lower end portion 138 is bent upward and then curved in an arc shape outward in the extending direction of the arm 133 to form a curved portion 139.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the axis 140 (the center of the wire steel material) of the standing portion 137 a from the arm 133 of the U-shaped portion 137 is inclined with respect to the axis 141 of the shaft portion 132. That is, while the axis 141 of the shaft part 132 is in the vertical direction, the axis 140 of the standing part 137a of the U-shaped part 137 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The inclination direction of the upright portion 137a is opposite to the side where the lower end portion 138 is disposed with respect to the arm 133. Since the U-shaped portion 137 is vertically long in the direction of the axis 140 and is formed so that the sides are substantially orthogonal to each other, the axis 140 is inclined to the side opposite to the lower end 138 so that the lower end 138 It is positioned at a position higher than 133, that is, on the opposite side of the support substrate 110 that supports the shaft portion 132 with respect to the rotation surface 142 of the arm 133.

  Since such a holding part 135 has substantially the same outer shape as the holding part 105 of the above embodiment, the vicinity of the holding part 135 is recessed in the above embodiment in a state where the ink tube 41 is in contact with the wall surface of the regulation wall 37. It enters into the notch 120 and does not come into contact with the restriction wall 37. Thereby, when the posture of the ink tube 41 is changed, no collision sound is generated between the holding portion 135 and the regulation wall 37, and local stress generation on the ink tube 41 by the holding portion 135 is prevented. .

  In the embodiment and the first modification, the rotation support members 100 and 130 are rotated so as to be carried on the upper surface of the support substrate 110, and the holding portions 105 and 135 are moved by the arms 103 and 133. Although the ink tube 41 to be held is supported from the lower side, the holding portion according to the present invention may be formed to be suspended from the arm.

  Hereinafter, a second modification of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a front view of the rotation support member 150 according to the second modification, and FIG. 16 is a side view from the arrow 151 in FIG.

  The rotation support member 150 includes a shaft portion 152 serving as a rotation fulcrum, an arm 153 extending horizontally from the shaft portion 152, a holding portion 155 formed on the distal end side of the arm 153, a shaft portion 152, The arm 153 has an auxiliary arm 156 extending from the shaft portion 152 so as to form a crank shape, and these are integrally formed by bending the wire steel material. Since the shaft portion 152, the arm 153, and the auxiliary arm 156 correspond to the shaft portion 102, the arm 103, and the auxiliary arm 106 of the above-described embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, the rotation support member 150 of the second modified example does not have a portion corresponding to the carrying portion 104 that carries the flat cable 85 in the above embodiment.

  A holding portion 155 formed on the distal end side of the arm 153 holds the ink tube 41 so as to surround it. The holding part 155 includes a ring 157, a lower end part 158 protruding from the ring 157 toward the front end side, and a curved part 159 formed at the front end of the lower end part 158. In the ring 157, the relationship between the width and height of the inner dimension and the outer diameter of the ink tube 41 is the same as described above, and the arrangement of the ink tubes 41 is not changed in the ring 157, and the ink tube 41 is extended. It is a dimensional relationship that can slide freely in the direction. The lower end 158 of the ring 157 is separated in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the arm 153 and extends in substantially the same direction as the arm 153. The tip of the lower end portion 158 is bent upward and then bent in an arc shape outward in the extending direction of the arm 153 to form a curved portion 159. The upper end portion 160 that forms the upper end of the ring 157 is bent upward from the lower end portion 158 and then further bent toward the arm 153 side. In other words, the upper end portion 160 extends in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the arm 153.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the axis 161 (the center of the wire steel material) of the suspended portion 157 a from the arm 153 of the ring 157 is inclined with respect to the axis 162 of the shaft portion 152. That is, the axis 162 of the shaft portion 152 is in the vertical direction, whereas the axis 161 of the hanging portion 157a of the ring 157 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The direction of inclination of the hanging portion 157a is opposite to the side on which the upper end 160 is disposed with respect to the arm 153. Since the ring 157 is formed in a vertically long rectangle in the direction of the axis 161, the axis 161 is inclined to the side opposite to the upper end 160, so that the upper end 160 is lower than the arm 153, that is, the arm 153 rotates. The surface 163 is positioned on the opposite side of the support substrate 164 that pivotally supports the shaft portion 152.

  The support substrate 164 is a flat plate member in which a shaft hole 165 that supports the shaft portion 152 is formed, and is fixed to the apparatus main body. The arm 153 is rotated along the lower surface of the support substrate 164, and the holding portion 155 is accommodated in the lower surface in a part of the rotation range. That is, the rotation support member 150 is rotatably supported so as to be suspended from the support substrate 164.

  By changing the shape of the recessed portion 102 into such a shape that the holding portion 155 does not contact the restriction wall 37, the vicinity of the holding portion 155 enters the deformed recessed portion 120, and the restriction wall 37 and It will not contact. Thereby, when the posture of the ink tube 41 is changed, a collision sound between the holding portion 155 and the regulation wall 37 is not generated, and local stress generation on the ink tube 41 by the holding portion 155 is prevented. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the nozzle forming surface of the ink jet recording head 39. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a cross-sectional configuration of the ink jet recording head 39. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 64 of the multifunction machine 1. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the rotation support member 100. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the arrow 101 of the rotation support member 100. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing an arrow 115 in FIG. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG. FIG. 15 is a front view showing the configuration of the rotation support member 130. FIG. 16 is a side view showing the arrow 131 of the rotation support member 130. FIG. 17 is a front view showing the configuration of the rotation support member 150. FIG. 18 is a side view showing the arrow 151 of the rotation support member 150. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a carriage 90 and a flat cable 91 in a conventional image recording apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Multifunction machine (image recording device)
36 ... Fixing clip (fixing part)
37 ... Restriction wall 38 ... Carriage 39 ... Inkjet recording head 41 ... Ink tube (ink supply tube)
100, 130, 150 ... rotating support members 102, 132, 152 ... shafts 103, 133, 153 ... arms 105, 135, 155 ... holding parts 120 ... recessed parts

Claims (4)

A recording head for recording an image on a recording medium by discharging ink droplets;
A carriage on which the recording head is mounted and reciprocated in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording medium;
Flexibility to change the posture following the reciprocating movement of the carriage, one end side is fixed to the carriage and the other end side is fixed to the fixing portion of the apparatus main body, and is reversed in the reciprocating direction of the carriage. An ink supply pipe that is drawn to form a curved portion and supplies ink to the recording head;
The inside of the curved portion of the ink supply pipe is pivotally supported by the apparatus main body with a pivotal fulcrum, an arm extending substantially horizontally from the pivotal fulcrum, and the ink supply provided on the arm. A rotation support member having a holding portion for slidably holding a predetermined portion of the tube;
A recessed portion that is erected along the reciprocating direction of the carriage and that avoids contact with the holding portion of the rotation support member is formed, and is in contact with at least a predetermined portion of the ink supply pipe An image recording apparatus comprising: a restriction wall that restricts the ink supply pipe from expanding in a direction away from the carriage.   The fixing portion of the apparatus main body is fixed so that the extension direction of the ink supply pipe forms a predetermined angle with respect to the wall surface of the restriction wall in a direction in which the other end side of the ink supply pipe is pressed against the restriction wall. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is one.   2. The plurality of ink supply pipes are provided for each ink color, and the holding portion of the rotation support member holds the plurality of ink supply pipes so as to be slidable while maintaining a predetermined arrangement. Or the image recording apparatus of 2. The fixing portion of the apparatus main body is to arrange a plurality of ink supply tubes in the vertical direction and fix the other end side,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the holding portion of the rotation support member maintains a vertical arrangement of the fixing portions at the predetermined portion.

Images