JP4798079B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of suitably cleaning a support portion that supports a lower surface of a recording medium conveyed below a recording head.

  The ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head in which a large number of nozzles are arranged in parallel. A recording sheet on which an image is to be recorded is conveyed below the recording head. The recording head ejects ink droplets from the nozzles at a predetermined timing while moving in the main scanning direction (a direction orthogonal to the recording sheet conveyance direction), whereby an image is recorded on the recording sheet. A recent inkjet recording apparatus has a function of recording an image on a recording sheet like, for example, photographic printing. Such image recording is performed without a margin on the edge of the recording paper, and is called “marginless recording”.

  When borderless recording is performed, the recording head ejects ink beyond the edge of the recording paper to the outside of the recording paper. For example, in borderless recording at the front edge and rear edge of the recording paper, the recording paper is placed on the recording head so that some of the many nozzles are arranged outside the edge of the recording paper. The ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles onto a platen disposed below the recording paper. As a result, the protruding ink adheres to the platen.

  In order to prevent the back surface of the recording paper from being soiled by this ink, for example, a configuration has been proposed in which a groove extending in the main scanning direction is provided on the platen in a range facing the nozzles. In this way, in the area where the nozzles are disposed, the recording paper is disposed on the groove provided in the platen and does not contact the platen, so that contamination can be prevented, but the recording paper is provided on the platen. On the formed groove, it bends vertically downward and deforms so as to fall into the groove. If the recording paper is bent in this manner, the distance between the nozzle of the recording head and the surface of the recording paper may change, and recording failure may occur.

In order to eliminate such inconvenience, conventionally, a paper support member is provided in the groove of the platen, and the paper support member is rotated following the conveyance of the recording paper. As a result, the distance between the recording sheet and the recording head is kept constant even when the recording sheet is conveyed on the groove of the platen (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-153143 A

  However, in an ink jet recording apparatus, a paper other than the paper size intended at the time of printing may be erroneously inserted. If the wrongly inserted paper is larger than the size to be printed, there will be no damage to the device by increasing the margins on the periphery. The protruding ink stains the paper support member. Further, even when there is no erroneous operation by the user as described above, mist of ink ejected from the recording head may adhere to the paper support member. Thus, there is a problem that the ink adhering to the paper support member is transferred to the back surface of the next recording paper, and the recording paper is stained.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an ink jet recording apparatus capable of suitably cleaning a support portion that supports a lower surface of a recording medium conveyed below a recording head. It is aimed.

To this end, an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support and the recording head for recording an image on a recording medium, the lower surface of the recording medium conveyed in the recording head downward by ejecting ink droplets and while, upstream of sandwiching the recording medium and the support part, in the transport direction upstream side of the support portion for movement in a first height to follow the recording medium to be fed transportable during recording of the image by the recording head An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a sandwiching unit; and a downstream sandwiching unit that sandwiches the recording medium on the downstream side in the transport direction from the support unit, and transports the recording medium by the upstream sandwiching unit or the downstream sandwiching unit. a is, with at least one recording medium is sandwiched between the downstream clamping means and the upstream clamping means, said support portion said first high a And raising means for raising the second higher elevation than said second height support portion is raised, the lower surface to the support portion in a state of being raised to the second height is supported by the raising means And a moving unit that moves at least one of the recording media relative to the other in the conveyance direction of the recording medium .

3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moving means moves the upstream side clamping means in a state where the supporting portion is raised to a second height by the raising means. And the downstream side clamping means move the recording medium in the transport direction.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the support portion is provided to protrude upward from the upper surface of the base portion and the base portion, and contacts the lower surface of the recording medium. includes a thin plate-like member having a top which to support, the said raising means, rather than nipping position of the recording medium by pinching position and the downstream clamping means for the recording medium by the upstream clamping means, said top portion The support portion is raised to a second height that is above.

An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the thin plate-like member is inclined portion provided so as to be directed downward as it separated from the top as well as adjacent the top And a rotating means for rotating the support portion so that the inclined portion is brought into contact with the recording medium held by the upstream holding device and the downstream holding device.

The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5 is the inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a sheet feeding unit that feeds a recording medium to the lower side of the recording head, and the support portion is the second height. A second height determining means for determining whether the support portion is at the second height, and when the second height determining means determines that the support portion is at the second height, the recording medium is fed by the paper feeding means. And a paper feed prohibiting means for prohibiting.

According inkjet recording apparatus of claim 6, wherein, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the support portion before the raising to the second height by the raising means, the recording head A retracting means for retracting to a position where it does not come into contact with the support portion is provided.

An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the support portion to hold the support portion so as to be movable in the transport direction in the first height The first holding unit, the second holding unit that holds the support unit at the second height, is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction or on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the first holding unit, and the ascending means The support portion is moved up to the second height by moving the support portion from the first holding portion to the second holding portion.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the size of the image formed by the ink ejected from the recording head is smaller than that of the recording medium to be image formed. A recording medium size determining unit that determines whether the size is incompatible; and when the recording medium size determining unit determines that the size of the recording medium to be image-formed is incompatible, And a cleaning execution unit that performs the elevation to two heights and the movement of the support unit or the recording medium by the moving unit.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of claim 1, the support portion in the state where the support portion is raised to the second height in a state where the support portion and the lower surface of the recording medium are reliably in contact with each other by raising the support portion , Since at least one of the recording medium having the lower surface supported by the support portion raised to the second height is moved relative to the other, the ink adhering to the support portion is removed from the lower surface of the recording medium. There is an effect that the support portion can be suitably cleaned. In addition, since the support portion can be wiped on a clean surface by a simple operation of appropriately replacing the recording medium used for wiping ink, there is an effect that a high cleaning effect can be obtained for a long period of time.

Further , since the support portion can be raised to the second height in a state where at least one recording medium is sandwiched between the upstream-side sandwiching means and the downstream-side sandwiching means, the slackness of the recording medium used for wiping is suppressed, There is an effect that a high cleaning effect is obtained.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, in addition to the effects of the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, in a state where the support portion by raising means has been raised to a second height, the upstream clamping means and downstream Since the recording medium clamped by the side clamping means is moved in the transport direction, the ink on the support portion is always wiped off by a new surface of the recording medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink once wiped off from being reattached to the support portion and to obtain a high cleaning effect.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the third aspect , in addition to the effect of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect , the recording medium clamping position by the upstream clamping means and the recording medium clamping position by the downstream clamping means Instead, the support portion is raised to the second height at which the top portion of the thin plate-like member is on the top. Therefore, since the support portion is pressed against the recording medium, the cleaning effect can be increased.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the fourth aspect , in addition to the effect produced by the ink jet recording apparatus according to the third aspect , the inclined portion is brought into contact with the recording medium sandwiched between the upstream side sandwiching means and the downstream side sandwiching means. In addition, since the support portion is rotated, the ink attached to the inclined portion can be cleaned.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the fifth aspect , in addition to the effect exhibited by the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, when it is determined that the support portion is at the second height, Therefore, it is possible to suppress paper jam (paper jam) in the transport path.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of claim 6 , in addition to the effect of the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , before the support portion is raised to the second height by the raising means, Since the recording head is retracted to a position where it does not come into contact with the support portion, there is an effect that collision between the recording head and the support portion can be suppressed.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the seventh aspect , in addition to the effect exhibited by the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the second holding portion that holds the support portion at the second height is the first Since it is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction or the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the holding unit, there is an effect that the configuration in the range in which the support unit is moved following the recording medium to be transported is suppressed. .

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the eighth aspect , in addition to the effect exhibited by the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the size of the recording medium to be image-formed is incompatible by the recording medium size determining means. If it is determined that the support portion is raised to the second height by the raising means and the support portion or the recording medium is moved by the moving means, the support portion is automatically In this case, the cleaning is performed and the support portion is kept clean.

  Preferably, the recording medium size determining means determines that the size of the image formed by the ink ejected from the recording head is larger than the size of the recording medium targeted for image formation. It is determined that the size of the image forming target recording medium is incompatible with the size of the image formed by the ejected ink. In this way, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not there is a high possibility that the ink ejected from the recording head protrudes from the recording medium to be image-formed and the support portion is stained. it can.

  Preferably, the inkjet recording apparatus includes a registration sensor that detects the recording medium in a conveyance path that guides the recording medium to a position below the recording head, and detects the leading end of the recording medium by the registration sensor, and then the recording medium Whether or not the size of the recording medium to be image-formed is incompatible is determined based on the transport amount until the trailing edge is detected. In this way, the size of the recording medium can be evaluated while being conveyed, and processing delay can be suppressed.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. The multi-function device 10 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 11 at the bottom and a scanner unit 12 at the top, and has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. . The printer unit 11 of the multifunction machine 10 corresponds to the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In the multi function device 10, functions other than the printer function are arbitrary and may be omitted. That is, the present invention may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 12 and does not have a scanner function or a copy function.

  The multi-function device 10 is connected to a personal computer (not shown), and based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the personal computer, images and documents are recorded on a recording sheet as an example of a recording medium. To be recorded. However, the usage mode of the multifunction device 10 is not limited to such a mode, and the multifunction device 10 is connected to an external device such as a digital camera, and image data output from the digital camera is recorded on a recording sheet or a memory. Various storage media such as a card can be loaded in the multi-function peripheral 10 and image data stored in the storage medium can be recorded on a recording sheet. Note that the configuration of the multifunction machine 10 disclosed in this specification is an example of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer unit 11 has an opening 13 formed in the front, and a paper feed tray 14 and a paper discharge tray 15 are provided in two upper and lower stages so that a part is exposed from the opening 13. ing. The paper feed tray 14 is for storing recording paper. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 14 is fed into the printer unit 11 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 15 after a desired image is recorded.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 20 is provided on the front upper portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 20 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit for operating the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12. The multifunction device 10 operates based on an operation instruction from the operation panel 20. When the multifunction device 10 is connected to a personal computer, the multifunction device 10 operates based on an instruction transmitted from the personal computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver. Further, a slot portion 21 is provided on the front surface of the multifunction machine 10. Various small memory cards which are storage media are loaded in the slot portion 21. Based on the input from the operation panel 20, the image data recorded in the small memory card loaded in the slot unit 21 is read, and information on the image data is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, or an arbitrary image is displayed. The data is recorded on the recording paper by the printer unit 11.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the printer unit 11. The recording head 39 is mounted on a carriage 38 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, and is reciprocated in the main scanning direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 2). An ink cartridge (not shown) is disposed in the multi-function device 10 separately from the recording head 39. Cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks are supplied to the recording head 39 from the ink cartridge. The platen 42 is disposed to face the recording head 39 and is disposed below the recording head 39. The platen 42 supports the recording paper to be conveyed. The recording head 39 supplied with the ink ejects each ink to the platen 42 side as minute ink droplets. By reciprocating (scanning) the carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted, image recording is performed on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed roller 25 that contacts the recording papers stacked on the paper supply tray 14 separates the stacked recording papers one by one and supplies them to the transport path 23. The fed recording paper is guided so as to make a U-turn from below to above along the conveyance path 23 and reaches below the recording head 39. After image recording is performed by the recording head 39, the paper discharge tray 15 (FIG. 1). A direction in which the fed recording paper is conveyed to the lower side of the recording head 39 is referred to as a conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the upstream side of the transport direction of the platen 42, there is a transport roller 60 that transports the recording paper fed from the paper feed tray 14 onto the platen 42, and the recording paper between the transport roller 60. A pressing part 61 is provided to hold the. The conveyance roller 60 and the pressing portion 61 are an example of upstream side clamping means.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the platen 42 in the conveyance direction, a paper discharge roller 62 that is an example of a conveyance unit that conveys a recorded recording paper, and a spur roller 63 that holds the recording paper between the paper discharge rollers 62. Is provided. The paper discharge roller 62 and the spur roller 63 are an example of a downstream clamping unit. The transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are driven by an LF motor 71 (see FIG. 13), and intermittently feed the recording paper with a predetermined line feed width.

  The rotation of the transport roller 60 and the rotation of the paper discharge roller 62 are synchronized. Then, a rotary encoder (not shown) provided on the transport roller 60 detects the encoder disk that rotates together with the transport roller 60 with a photo interrupter, whereby the rotation of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 is controlled. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, a registration sensor 26 is disposed in the transport path 23 on the upstream side of the transport roller 60 in the transport direction. The registration sensor 26 is provided so as to protrude from the conveyance path 23 and detects the presence or absence of a recording sheet by contacting the recording sheet being conveyed. The size of the conveyed recording paper based on the conveyance amount (rotation amount of the LF motor 71) from when the registration sensor 26 detects the leading edge of the recording paper in the conveyance direction until the trailing edge of the recording paper in the conveyance direction is detected. Can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a sheet presence / absence detection sensor 27 is disposed in the sheet feeding tray 14. The sheet presence / absence detection sensor 27 is a sensor for detecting whether or not recording sheets are stacked on the sheet feeding tray 14.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of the printer unit 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer unit 11 includes a carriage 38, a recording head 39, and a platen 42. In FIG. 3, a guide frame for guiding the movement of the carriage 38 in the main scanning direction is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a platen 42 is disposed in the image formation range by the recording head 39. On the other hand, a maintenance unit 48 provided with a purge mechanism, a waste ink tray, and the like is disposed in an area where image formation by the recording head 39 is not performed, which is an end in the main scanning direction. These maintenance units 48 perform maintenance such as removal of air bubbles and mixed color ink in the recording head 39.

  The multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment performs image recording with four colors of ink. However, the number of ink colors in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is not particularly limited. Needless to say, the number of ink cartridges can be increased when performing image recording with eight color inks.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the upper surface 47 of the platen 42 shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner. As described above, the platen 42 is disposed so as to face the recording head 39 and supports the recording sheet to be conveyed. Also, in the same figure, the direction of arrow 45 is the conveyance direction of the recording paper, and the recording paper is conveyed in the direction of this arrow.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the platen 42 includes a frame 41, a movable rib 46 that is an example of a support, and a drive mechanism 51 (see FIG. 5) that slides the movable rib 46.

  The frame 41 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin or a steel plate, constitutes a skeleton of the platen 42, and is locked and fixed to the multifunction machine 10. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of slits 49 are provided on the upper surface 47 of the frame 41. The slit 49 extends from the upstream end of the upper surface 47 in the transport direction to the downstream end. And from this slit 49, the front-end | tip of the movable rib 46 provided in the flame | frame 41 protrudes upwards. The movable rib 46 reciprocates in the conveyance direction within the frame 41 of the platen 42.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the upper cover of the frame 41 of the platen 42 is removed, and FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state where the upper cover of the frame 41 of the platen 42 is removed. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the movable rib 46 has a base 52 formed in a box shape and a thin plate-like member 53 projecting on the base 52. The movable rib 46 can be made of synthetic resin or metal. Both ends of the base 52 in the main scanning direction are supported by the frame 41 so as to be slidable in the transport direction (the direction of the arrow 122 shown in FIG. 6).

  The thin plate member 53 is formed integrally with the base 52. As shown in FIG. 6, the thin plate-like member 53 is in contact with and supports the lower surface of the recording paper conveyed under the recording head 39, and is adjacent to the top portion 531 and is separated from the top portion 531. As a result, it has a mountain shape with a downwardly inclined portion 532.

  The thin plate-like members 53 are arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the base 52 at predetermined intervals along the main scanning direction. This predetermined interval corresponds to the pitch of the slits 49. Accordingly, a plurality of thin plate-like members 53 protrude upward from the respective slits 49.

  With reference to FIG. 7, a mechanism for reciprocating the movable rib 46 in the transport direction (the direction of the arrow 122) will be described. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the platen 42 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 7, the platen 42 is provided with a drive mechanism 51 for driving the movable rib 46. The drive mechanism 51 is a power transmission mechanism for sliding the movable rib 46 in the conveyance direction 122 (see FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 7, the transmission mechanism 511, the rotating plate 512, and the swinging member 513. And are provided.

  The transmission mechanism 511 is disposed at one end of the paper discharge roller 62 and includes a plurality of meshing gears or rollers that transmit a rotational force from the paper discharge roller 62 to the rotating plate 512. The rotating plate 512 is formed in a disk shape and is rotatably supported by a rotation center shaft 514 (see FIG. 5). The rotation center shaft 514 is fixed and is inserted through the center of the rotation plate 512. The rotating plate 512 includes a circular groove 515. As shown in FIG. 7, the base end portion of the swing member 513 is engaged with the circular groove 515.

  The swing member 513 is rotatably supported by a swing center shaft 516. An engaging pin that protrudes upward is provided at the base end of the swing member 513, and the engaging pin is fitted in the circular groove 515 of the rotating plate 512. When the engagement pin relatively moves along the circular groove 515, the swing member 513 rotates about the swing center axis 516. That is, the swing member 513 swings about the swing center axis 516, so that the tip of the swing member 513 slides in an arc shape centering on the swing center axis 516. Become. Further, the frame 41 is provided with a long hole 411 extending in the conveying direction, and the engaging pin protruding from the tip of the swinging member 136 is formed on the base 52 (see FIG. 5) via the long hole 411. Connected to the bottom.

  Therefore, as described above, the swinging member 513 swings, and the tip of the swinging member 513 slides in an arc shape centered on the swinging center axis 516, whereby the movable rib 46 slides on the frame 41, It is moved in the transport direction (the direction of arrow 122 shown in FIG. 6) or in the opposite direction.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the operation of the movable rib 46 during image formation will be described. When starting the image formation by the recording head 39, if the recording sheet is conveyed to just before the platen 42, the movable rib 46 moves to the upstream side in the conveying direction (conveying roller 60 side) and receives the recording sheet.

  Thereafter, the movable rib 46 follows the recording sheet until it passes through the nozzle located at the end in the transport direction among the nozzles formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39 while supporting the front end portion of the recording sheet from the lower surface side. To move in the conveying direction (arrow 122 direction).

  On the other hand, even when the recording sheet is conveyed and the trailing end of the recording sheet reaches the platen 42, the movable rib 46 moves again to the upstream side in the conveying direction (conveying roller 60 side), and the trailing end of the recording sheet. The end faces and is supported from the lower surface, slides in the conveyance direction (in the direction of arrow 122) following the recording paper rear end, and is positioned at the extreme end in the conveyance direction among the nozzles formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39. It moves in the transport direction until it passes through the nozzle. In this way, the recording head is conveyed without bending the front end portion and the rear end portion of the recording paper.

  In the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the bending of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42 is suppressed by the movable rib 46 that moves following the recording paper. While ink droplets are ejected from 39, the distance between the recording paper and the recording head 39 is kept constant, and high-quality printing is realized.

  Returning to FIG. 6, a configuration for raising the above-described movable rib 46 will be described. The frame 41 is provided with a first holding portion 143 and a second holding portion 144 as surfaces that support the movable rib 46. As shown in FIG. 6, the second holding unit 144 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the first holding unit 143. Further, an inclined portion 145 that rises as the second holding portion 144 is approached is provided between the first holding portion 143 and the second holding portion 144.

The first holding portion 143 is provided over a range in which the nozzles are formed on the lower surface recording head 39, supporting the movable ribs 46 to the first height T _1. When forming an image in which ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 39, the movable rib 46 slides on the first holding portion 143 in the conveying direction or in the opposite direction to welcome the recording sheet to be conveyed and follow it. Move.

The second holding portion 144 supports the movable ribs 46 to a second height _{T 2.} The movable rib 46 is driven by the drive mechanism 51 described above to slide on the first holding portion 143 in the transport direction (the direction of the arrow 122), and further to the second holding portion 144 via the inclined portion 145. Accordingly, it is possible to raise the movable rib 46 to the second height T _2.

The second holding portion 144 for holding the support portion to the second height T ₂ are so provided at the conveying direction downstream side of the first holding portion 143, configured in a reciprocating movement range of the movable ribs 46 at the time of image formation Is prevented from becoming complicated.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the movable rib 46 moved to the second holding portion 144, and corresponds to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, by being moved to the second holding portion 144, movable rib 46 is raised to a second height T _2. When the movable rib 46 is raised to the second height T ₂ , the top 531 of the thin plate-like member 53 has a holding height of the recording paper by the conveying roller 60 and the pressing portion 61, and the discharge roller 62 and spur roller 63. It becomes above the clamping height T ₃ of the recording paper by the.

Although not shown, the second holding portion 144 is provided with a movable rib detection sensor 1441 (see FIG. 13) for detecting whether or not the movable rib 46 is in the second holding portion 144. . Control unit 64 which will be described later, in accordance with the output from the movable ribs detection sensor 1411, the movable ribs 46 can determine whether the second at a height T _2.

In the MFP 10 of the present embodiment, in a state of raising the movable rib 46 to the second height T _2, to convey the recording sheet to the conveying direction. In this way, the recording paper that moves relative to the movable rib 46 wipes the ink adhering to the movable rib 46 by the lower surface of the recording paper, and the movable rib 46 can be cleaned. Also, by moving the recording paper in one direction (conveyance direction), the ink on the movable rib 46 is always wiped off by the new surface of the recording paper, so that the ink once wiped is prevented from reattaching to the support portion. And a high cleaning effect is obtained.

  Here, the recording paper used for cleaning the movable rib 46 will be referred to as a cleaning paper in the present embodiment, but any type of recording paper can be used as the cleaning paper.

  In addition, the cleaning sheet wipes off ink adhering to the movable rib 46, and is then transported by the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 to be discharged onto the paper discharge tray 15 (see FIG. 1). In this way, the user only has to discard the dirty cleaning paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 15, and the cleaning operation is extremely simple. That is, the movable rib 46 can be cleaned without performing a troublesome operation such as opening the cover of the multifunction machine 10 and taking out and cleaning the internal components. Further, when a new cleaning sheet is set in the paper feed tray 14 at the next cleaning, the ink on the movable rib 46 can be wiped with the new cleaning sheet. Therefore, a high cleaning effect can be obtained for a long time as compared with the case where the cleaning member provided in advance in the multifunction machine 10 is repeatedly used.

Further, the movable ribs 46 when increasing the second to the height T ₂ are, is sandwiched by the upstream side of the cleaning sheet and the conveying roller 60 and the press section 61, and discharge the conveying direction downstream side of the cleaning sheet After being pinched by the paper roller 62 and the spur roller 63, the movable rib 46 is raised. In this way, since the movable rib 46 is pressed against the cleaning paper while the cleaning paper is stretched without slack, a high cleaning effect can be obtained.

Incidentally, according to the multifunction machine 10 of the present embodiment, in order when raising the movable rib 46 to the second height T ₂ are, to prevent a collision of elevated movable rib 46 and the recording head 39, the recording head The carriage 38 on which 39 is mounted is raised. Hereinafter, a configuration for raising the recording head 39 will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an external configuration of the carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted. FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of the carriage 38 taken along the line X-X. FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part showing the main part of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of the carriage 38 in which the gap adjusting member 88 is slid, and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 11B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 10 and 11 are schematic cross-sectional views, and the relative magnitude relationships of the members are not necessarily illustrated accurately.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the carriage 38 includes a carriage main body 85, a sliding member 86 that slides on the guide frames 43 and 44 to support the carriage main body 85 at a predetermined height, and a sliding member 86. A coil spring 87 that elastically biases upward, and a gap adjustment member 88 interposed between the carriage body 85 and the sliding member 86 are provided. The sliding member 86, the coil spring 87, and the gap adjusting member 88 are respectively assembled on both sides of the carriage body 85 in the recording paper conveyance direction corresponding to the guide frames 43 and 44. A configuration on the upstream side in the recording paper conveyance direction will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the sliding member 86 includes a sliding contact plate 89 and a foot 90 extending upward from the sliding contact plate 89. The foot portion 90 has a guide groove 92, which is formed in the extending direction of the foot portion 90 and opens at the extending end (upper side in FIG. 10) of the foot portion 90. A support rib 98 of a carriage body 85, which will be described later, is fitted into the guide groove 92.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the carriage body 85 is formed with a through hole 97 through which the foot portion 90 of the sliding member 86 is inserted, and a support rib 98 that is fitted into the guide groove 92 of the sliding member 86. Yes. The support rib 98 is fitted into the guide groove 92 of the slide member 86, so that the slide member 86 is supported so as to move up and down along the guide groove 92.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gap adjusting member 88 is an elongated rod-like flat plate, and is interposed between the sliding member 86 and the support rib 98. The thickness of the gap adjusting member 88 (vertical direction in FIG. 10) is changed in three steps in the sliding direction of the gap adjusting member 88. Specifically, the thinnest thin-walled portion 99, the middle middle-walled portion 101, and the thickest thick-walled portion 102 are formed adjacent to each other so that the thickness changes stepwise in one direction. Yes.

  In the gap adjusting member 88, a long hole 103 penetrating in the thickness direction across the thin wall portion 99, the middle wall portion 101, and the thick wall portion 102 is formed at the approximate center in the short direction of the gap adjusting member 88. The foot 90 is penetrated through the long hole 103.

  Then, the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 87 acts on the sliding member 86, and the sliding member 86 is elastically biased so as to be positioned on the uppermost side within the vertical movement range allowed by the support rib 98. In addition, since the gap adjusting member 88 is interposed between the support rib 98 and the sliding contact plate 89 of the sliding member 86, the sliding member 86 is elastically provided by the thickness of the gap adjusting member 88. Moved down against the forces. In other words, the carriage body 85 is raised with respect to the sliding member 86. Since the carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted is supported at a predetermined height on the guide frames 43 and 44 by the sliding member 86 of the carriage body 85 as shown in FIG. By raising the carriage body 85 with respect to the member 86, the carriage body 85 rises with respect to the guide frames 43 and 44 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a side view showing the carriage 38 and the recording head 39 mounted thereon, and the drawing on the right side of the drawing shows a state in which the height of the carriage 38 is set at the middle height of three stages. The figure on the left side of the drawing shows a state where the height of the carriage 38 is set to the maximum height of three stages. In this embodiment, at the time of normal image formation, the height of the carriage 38 is set to the middle height of three stages as shown in the right side of FIG. The middle height of the three stages is a state in which the inner thickness portion 101 of the gap adjusting member 88 is interposed between the support rib 98 and the sliding contact plate 89 of the sliding member 86.

On the other hand, at the time of cleaning the movable rib 46 described above, the height of the carriage 38 is set to the maximum height of three stages as shown in the left side of FIG. The maximum height of the three stages is a state in which the thick portion 102 of the gap adjusting member 88 is interposed between the support rib 98 and the sliding contact plate 39 of the sliding member 86. Thus, the lower surface of the recording head 39 away from the platen 42, it is possible to prevent a collision between the second movable rib 46 is raised to the height T _2. In FIG. 12, the guide frames 43 and 44 and the sliding member 86 are not shown.

  As described with reference to FIG. 10, since the gap adjusting member 88 protrudes outward from the carriage 38, the control unit 64 moves the carriage 38 when increasing the height of the carriage 38. Thus, the height of the carriage 38 can be adjusted by sliding the gap adjusting member 88 to a desired position with respect to the carriage body 85 by bringing the end of the gap adjusting member 88 into contact with a predetermined contact portion. it can.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 64 of the multifunction machine 10. The control unit 64 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10 including not only the printer unit 3 but also the scanner unit 2, but the scanner unit 12 is not the main configuration of the present invention, and thus 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 a program for controlling various operations of the multifunction machine 10. 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 drives the drive signal via the drive circuit 72. The LF motor 71 is rotated by energizing the LF motor 71.

  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, etc., and receives the output signal from the ASIC 70 to rotate the LF motor 71. Form an electrical signal. The LF motor 71 rotates in response to the electric signal, and the rotational force of the LF motor 71 is supplied to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62 via a known drive mechanism including a gear, a drive shaft, and the like. Communicated.

  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 drives the drive signal via the drive circuit 74. Is applied to the CR motor 73 to control the rotation of the CR motor 73.

  The drive circuit 74 drives the CR motor 73 connected to the carriage 38 and receives an output signal from the ASIC 70 to form an electrical signal for rotating the CR motor 73. Upon receipt of the electrical signal, the CR motor 73 rotates, and the rotational force of the CR motor 73 is transmitted to the carriage 38, whereby the carriage 38 is reciprocated.

  The drive circuit 75 selectively ejects ink from the recording head 39 to the recording paper at a predetermined timing. The drive circuit 75 receives an output signal generated by the ASIC 70 based on a drive control procedure output from the CPU 65. The recording head 39 is driven and controlled.

  The ASIC 70 includes a scanner unit 12, an operation panel 20 for instructing operation of the multifunction device 10, a slot unit 21 into which various small memory cards are inserted, an external device such as a personal computer, and data via a parallel cable or USB cable. Are connected to the parallel interface 78 and the USB interface 79 for transmitting and receiving the above, the registration sensor 26, the paper presence / absence detection sensor 27, the movable rib detection sensor 1441, and the like. Further, an NCU (Network Control Unit) 80 and a modem (MODEM) 81 for realizing the facsimile function are connected.

  With reference to FIG. 14, an image forming process executed in the multifunction machine 10 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating image forming processing executed by the multifunction machine 10. This image forming process is a process that is executed when image data to be imaged is input to the multifunction machine 10.

First, in accordance with the output from the movable ribs detection sensor 1441 (see FIG. 13), whether movable ribs 46 is in the raised position, i.e. it determines whether there the height T ₂ (S2). When the movable rib 46 is in the raised position (second height _{T 2) (S2: Yes)} , after lowering the movable ribs 46 _{to the} first height T1 (S4), by the feed roller 25, the paper feed tray 14 recording sheets are fed below the recording head 39 (S6).

Thus, when the movable ribs 46 is determined to be second in height T _2, by inhibiting the feeding of the recording paper, paper jam recording sheet movable ribs 46 abuts (paper jam) Can be prevented from occurring.

On the other hand, if the movable ribs 46 is not in the raised position, i.e. the first case in the height _{T 1} (S2: No), skips S4, feeding the recording paper in the paper feed tray 14 (S6).

  Next, ink is ejected by the recording head 39 to perform image formation (printing) (S8). In step S8, as described above, the recording head 39 ejects ink droplets toward the platen 42, and the carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted is reciprocated (scanned), whereby the platen The image is recorded on the recording paper on 42. The transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are driven by an LF motor 71 (see FIG. 13), and intermittently feed the recording paper with a predetermined line feed width. Further, the movable rib 46 is driven by the drive mechanism 51, and the movable rib 46 is moved following the recording sheet conveyed.

  Next, according to the rotation amount of the LF motor 71 (see FIG. 13) from the detection of the leading edge in the conveyance direction of the recording paper by the registration sensor 26 (see FIG. 2) to the detection of the trailing edge in the conveyance direction of the recording paper. The size of the formed recording paper is detected (S10).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the recording sheet on which the image is actually formed is smaller than the size of the image to be formed based on the input image data (S12). If the recording paper on which the image is actually formed is equal to or larger than the size of the image to be formed based on the input image data (S12: No), it can be determined that the ink has not protruded, so the image can be used as it is. The formation process ends.

  On the other hand, when the recording sheet on which the image is actually formed is smaller than the size of the image to be formed based on the input image data (S12: Yes), that is, by the ink ejected from the recording head 39. If it is determined that the size of the recording paper to be image-formed is incompatible with the size of the image to be formed, it can be determined that the ejected ink has protruded from the recording paper and has adhered to the platen 42.

  Therefore, a message indicating that the platen 42 is dirty is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation panel 20 to notify the user (S14), and a recording sheet having an image size to be formed based on the input image data is displayed. Guidance is placed on the paper feed tray 14 (S16). The recording paper set by the user is used as a cleaning paper for wiping off ink adhering to the movable rib 46. Here, it is expected that the ink stains are concentrated in the area of the image to be formed, and are concentrated on the part that protrudes from the recording paper conveyed earlier. Therefore, the user is prompted to set a recording sheet of the size of the image to be formed as a cleaning sheet.

  Next, it is determined based on the output from the paper presence / absence detection sensor 27 whether or not the cleaning paper is set in the paper feed tray 14 (S18). If the determination in S18 is negative (S18: No), that is, if no recording paper is set in the paper feed tray 14, a warning is given that there is a risk that the lower surface of the recording paper will become dirty during the next image formation. Then, it is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation panel 20 (S20), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the determination in S18 is affirmative (S18: Yes), a cleaning process (S22) for cleaning the movable rib 46 is executed, and the process ends. The cleaning process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  According to the image forming process, the cleaning process (S22) is executed when it is determined that the size of the recording paper to be image formed is incompatible. Therefore, when the movable rib 46 is stained with ink, it is automatically performed. Cleaning is performed, and the movable rib 46 is kept clean with little ink stains.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning process (S22) executed in the multifunction machine 10. In the cleaning process (S22), first, the height of the carriage 38 is adjusted and increased by the gap adjusting member 88 described above, and the recording head 39 is moved upward by increasing the gap between the recording head 39 and the platen 42. (S24).

  Next, the cleaning paper set in the paper feed tray 14 is fed by the paper feed roller 25 (S26). Then, the cleaning sheet is conveyed until the leading end of the cleaning sheet in the conveyance direction is nipped between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur roller 63 (S27).

Then, the movable rib 46 is held by the second holding portion 144 (see FIG. 5) with one end of the cleaning paper held between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur roller 63 and the other end held between the conveyance roller 60 and the pressing portion 61. by moving to 8 refer), raising the second to the height _{T 2} (S28). As described above, the movable rib 46 can be pressed against the lower surface of the recording sheet by raising the movable rib 46 from below the recording sheet that is stretched between the conveying roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 without bending.

Then, the cleaning paper is conveyed (S30). Thereby, the ink adhering to the movable rib 46 is wiped off by the cleaning paper. Then, to lower the movable ribs 46 to the first height _{T 1} (S32), discharges the cleaning sheet to the discharge tray 15 (S34). Next, the height of the carriage 38 is adjusted by the gap adjusting member 88, the recording head 39 is returned from the retracted position to the normal position (S36), and the process is terminated.

  According to the multifunction machine 10 of this embodiment, the movable rib 46 is lifted so that the cleaning paper is conveyed in a state where the movable rib 46 and the lower surface of the cleaning paper are reliably in contact with each other. The ink is transferred to the lower surface of the cleaning sheet, and the movable rib 46 can be cleaned. In addition, since the movable rib 46 can be wiped on a clean surface by a simple operation of setting a cleaning sheet used for wiping ink on the paper feed tray 14, a cleaning member is provided inside the apparatus. Compared to the above, a high cleaning effect can be obtained for a long time.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be easily made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Can be inferred.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the cleaning process (S22) is performed when the size of the recording paper to be image-formed is incompatible. Instead of this, the cleaning process (S22) may be automatically executed every predetermined time.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an automatic cleaning execution process executed in the multifunction machine 10 of the first modification. This automatic cleaning execution process is a process executed when the power supply of the multifunction machine 10 is activated.

  First, it is confirmed whether or not the execution of periodic cleaning of the movable rib 46 is set by the user (S40). If execution of periodic cleaning is not set (S40: No), the automatic cleaning execution process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when execution of periodic cleaning of the movable rib 46 is set by the user (S40: Yes), a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours) has elapsed since the previous cleaning process (S22). Whether or not (S42). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S42: No), the processing is waited.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous cleaning process (S22) (S42: Yes), the cleaning process (S22, see FIG. 15) is executed, and the process ends.

  According to the automatic cleaning execution process, the cleaning process (S22) is periodically and automatically executed. Therefore, the movable rib 46 is always kept clean without causing the user to spend time and effort. It is possible to suppress the dirt on the back side of the recording paper. Note that the cleaning process (S22) may be executed when a preset time is reached or when an instruction from the user is given. Further, before executing the cleaning process (S22), it is determined whether or not a recording sheet to be a cleaning sheet is set in the paper feed tray 14, and the cleaning process (S22) is executed only when there is a recording sheet. You may comprise as follows.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the second holding portion 144 for raising the movable rib 46 to the second height T ₂ are outside the scope of the movable rib 46 slides to follow the recording sheet in the image forming object Was provided. However, for example, a mechanism for raising the movable rib 46 may be provided within a range in which the movable rib 46 slides following the recording sheet.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the platen 42 of the second modified example. In this modification, an elastic member 171 such as a spring that biases the movable rib 46 downward on the platen 42, a vertical drive member 172 that moves the movable rib 46 up and down, and an upward movement of the movable rib 46 An upper stopper 173 that restricts the movement of the movable rib 46 and a lower stopper 174 that restricts the downward movement of the movable rib 46 are provided. Since FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram, the shape and size relationship of each member is not accurately illustrated.

FIG. 17A shows the arrangement of the movable ribs 46 during image formation. As shown in FIG. 17A, at the time of image formation, the movable rib 46 is urged by the elastic member 171 and its lower surface comes into contact with the lower stopper 174. At this time, the movable rib 46 supports the recording sheet at the same height as the nipping height by the conveying roller 60 and the nipping height by the paper discharge roller 62. The height of the movable rib 46 at this time is corresponding to the first height T ₁ of the embodiment.

FIG. 17B shows the arrangement of the movable ribs 46 raised during the execution of the cleaning process. The movable rib 46 is raised until it comes into contact with the upper stopper 173 by a vertical drive member 172 constituted by a solenoid or a cam. The height of the movable ribs 46 at this time corresponds to a second height T ₂ of the embodiment, the movable rib 46 is raised to a higher elevation than clamping height by clamping height and the discharge roller 62 by the transport roller 60 Then, the movable rib 46 is pressed against the recording paper. Therefore, by transporting the recording paper in this state, a high cleaning effect can be obtained and the length of the frame 41 in the transport direction can be reduced as in the above-described embodiment.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the thin plate-like member 53 of the movable rib 46 has been described as having a mountain shape. However, as shown in FIG.

  Further, a mechanism for rotating the movable rib 46 may be provided. By rotating the movable rib 46 in a state where the movable rib 46 is in contact with the recording paper, a higher cleaning effect can be obtained.

  FIG. 18 is a view showing a platen 42 of the third modified example, and corresponds to FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, the frame 41 of the platen 42 according to the modification is provided with a third holding portion 146 that is an inclined surface adjacent to the downstream side of the second holding portion 144 in the transport direction. The third holding unit 146 is an example of a rotating unit. When the movable rib 46 is moved from the second holding portion 144 to the third holding portion 146, the movable rib 46 is inclined (rotated), and the inclined portion 532 of the movable rib 46 is brought into contact with the recording sheet. Therefore, the ink attached to the inclined portion 532 can be cleaned with a simple configuration.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the movable rib 46 is raised in the cleaning process (S22), the recording head 39 is evacuated upward prior to that, but instead, the recording head 39 is moved. You may comprise so that it may retract to the position in which the maintenance unit 48 was provided. Even in this case, the collision between the recording head 39 and the movable rib 46 can be prevented.

1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a printer part typically. It is a perspective view which shows the main structures of a printer part. It is an expansion perspective view which expands and shows the upper surface of the platen shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the upper side cover of the flame | frame of a platen. It is a side view which shows the state which removed the upper side cover of the flame | frame of a platen. It is the perspective view which looked at the platen from the lower part. Is a side view of the platen, showing a state in which the movable rib held by the second height T _2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing an external configuration of a carriage. (A) is XX sectional drawing of a carriage, (b) is a figure which expands and shows the principal part of sectional drawing shown to (a). (A) is sectional drawing of the carriage which slidably moved the gap adjustment member, (b) is a figure which expands and shows the principal part of sectional drawing shown to (a). It is a side view showing a carriage and a recording head mounted on the carriage, and the drawing on the right side of the drawing shows a state where the height of the carriage is set at the middle height of three stages, and on the left side of the drawing. This figure shows a state in which the height of the carriage is set to the maximum height in three stages. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the multifunction machine. 6 is a flowchart illustrating image forming processing executed by the multifunction machine. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning process executed in the multifunction machine. 10 is a flowchart showing an automatic cleaning execution process executed in the multifunction machine of the first modified example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the cross section of the platen of a 2nd modification. It is a side view which shows the platen of the 3rd modification, and is a figure equivalent to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 MFP (inkjet recording device)
39 Recording Head 46 Support 53 Thin Plate Member 60 Conveying Roller (Upstream Side Clamping Unit)
61 Holding part (upstream clamping means)
62 Paper discharge roller (downstream clamping means)
63 Spur roller (downstream clamping means)
143 1st holding part 144 2nd holding part 146 3rd holding part (rotating means)
531 top 532 inclined portion S8 tracking section S12 the recording medium size determination means S22 first height _{T 2} second height cleaning executing means S24 shunting sections S28 lifting means S30 moving means _{T 1}

Claims (8)

A recording head for recording an image on a recording medium by discharging ink droplets ;
While supporting the lower surface of the recording medium conveyed in the recording head downward, a supporting unit for moving the first height to follow the recording medium to be fed transportable during recording of the image by the recording head,
Upstream side clamping means for clamping the recording medium on the upstream side in the transport direction from the support part;
Downstream holding means for holding the recording medium on the downstream side in the transport direction from the support portion, and
An inkjet recording apparatus that conveys the recording medium by the upstream side clamping unit or the downstream side clamping unit ,
Lifting means for raising the support portion to a second height higher than the first height in a state where at least one recording medium is sandwiched between the upstream-side sandwiching means and the downstream-side sandwiching means ;
At least one of the support portion raised to the second height by the raising means and the recording medium having the lower surface supported by the support portion raised to the second height with respect to the other. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a moving unit that moves the recording medium relatively in a conveyance direction . The moving means moves the recording medium sandwiched between the upstream-side sandwiching means and the downstream-side sandwiching means in the transport direction in a state where the support portion is raised to the second height by the lifting means. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 . The support portion includes a base, and a thin plate-like member that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the base and has a top portion that contacts and supports the lower surface of the recording medium ,
The raising means may, than nipping position of the recording medium by pinching position and the downstream clamping means for the recording medium by the upstream clamping means, to a second height wherein the top portion is the upper, intended to increase the support portion an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. The thin plate-like member includes an inclined portion provided so as to be directed downward as it separated from the top with adjacent said top,
As contacting said inclined portion on a recording medium which is sandwiched between the downstream clamping means and the upstream clamping means to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a rotating means for rotating the support part The ink jet recording apparatus described. Paper feeding means for feeding a recording medium below the recording head;
Second height determining means for determining whether the support portion is at the second height;
And a paper feed prohibiting means for prohibiting the feeding of the recording medium by the paper feed means when the second height judging means judges that the support portion is at the second height. Item 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4 . The support portion before the raising to the second height by the raising means, claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a retraction means for retracting said recording head to a position not in contact with the supporting portion of the 5 An ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the above. A first holding part for holding the support part so that the support part is movable in the transport direction at the first height;
While holding the support part at the second height, a second holding part provided on the upstream side in the transport direction or the downstream side in the transport direction from the first holding part,
The said raising means raises the said support part to 2nd height by moving the said support part from the said 1st holding part to a 2nd holding part, The Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. An ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the above. Recording medium size determining means for determining whether the size of the recording medium to be image-formed is incompatible with the size of the image formed by the ink ejected from the recording head;
When the recording medium size determining means determines that the size of the recording medium to be image-formed is incompatible, the rising means raises the supporting portion to the second height, and the moving means causes the supporting portion or an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a cleaning means for executing a movement of the recording medium 7.

Images