JP5083570B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, a first carriage on which a recording head is mounted and a second carriage that drives a long member are connected so as to be relatively movable, and the second carriage is moved along with the movement of the first carriage. The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus in which an image is recorded on a sheet on a platen by a recording head mounted on a first carriage.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer is known as an image recording apparatus that records an image on a sheet-like recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as “recording paper” or “sheet”). In this printer, the recording paper is conveyed onto the platen while being sandwiched between a pair of opposed rollers. When the recording paper reaches the platen, a pair of rollers are intermittently driven for each predetermined conveyance amount, and while the rollers are intermittently stopped and the recording paper is stopped, the recording head is reciprocated to eject ink droplets. Is done. Ink droplets selectively ejected from the recording head land on the recording paper to form a desired image. This is repeated, and image recording is performed sequentially from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the recording paper.

  The image recording apparatus described above can perform image recording on an envelope or the like in addition to recording paper. In addition, for the purpose of duplex printing and recording sheet reuse, image recording may be performed on the other side of the recording sheet on which image recording has been performed on one side using the above-described image recording apparatus. For example, when there is a bent portion such as an envelope, a part of the envelope bulges or protrudes toward the recording head on the platen and comes into contact with the carriage or the recording head (hereinafter also referred to as “carriage or the like”). There is a risk. Also, in double-sided printing, the recording paper may bend by recording an image on one side, and when the image is recorded on the other side, the bent portion is the same as described above. May come into contact with the carriage or the like. Further, when the recording sheet is reused, bending or bending occurs when the recording sheet is used, and there is a possibility that the bent part or the bent part may come into contact with the carriage or the like as described above.

  When the recording paper comes into contact with the carriage or the like, the recording paper may be clogged between the platen and the carriage or the like due to movement of the carriage, or the recording paper may be damaged. In recent years, in order to realize highly accurate image recording, the distance between the recording head and the recording paper has been shortened, and such a paper jam is likely to occur. In addition, there are two types of recording paper, vertical paper with the fiber flowing direction parallel to the long side of the recording paper and horizontal paper with the short side parallel to the short side. Then, since the deflection due to the landing of the ink is larger than that of the vertical paper, there is a possibility that a paper jam may occur not only when printing on both sides but also when recording an image only on one side.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a belt-like film is attached to a carriage on which a recording head is mounted in a dot impact printer, and the film is wound on winding rollers provided at both ends of an opening where the carriage moves. ing. This film moves with the carriage to prevent the sheet from jamming. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a jam prevention belt similar to this film.

JP 2002-240380 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-41816

  When the carriage is moved by providing a film or a jam prevention belt (hereinafter referred to as “film or the like”) as in the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the front side in the direction in which the carriage advances The tension of the film etc. fluctuates with the rear side. Specifically, on the front side in the direction in which the carriage advances, the film or the like may be slightly loosened due to the movement of the carriage, so that the tension of the film or the like is loosened. On the other hand, on the rear side in the direction in which the carriage advances, a slight tension can be generated on the film or the like due to the movement of the carriage, so that the tension of the film or the like is increased. Such a variation in tension of the film or the like acts as a moment for rotating the carriage.

  A carriage on which the recording head is mounted is positioned with respect to the guide. The positioning of the carriage is set so that the mounted recording head is parallel to the sheet on the platen. However, as described above, a moment for rotating the carriage acts on the carriage, so that the carriage tilts with respect to the guide, and as a result, the recording head mounted on the carriage also tilts with respect to the sheet. In particular, in an inkjet recording head, it is desirable that the distance from the recording head to the sheet (hereinafter also referred to as “head gap”) is the same for all nozzles that eject ink droplets. When the posture is inclined, there is a problem that the head gap is not uniform in each nozzle, and the image recorded on the sheet is deteriorated.

  In addition, if the recording head is moved in the direction of contact with or separated from the platen in order to change the head gap described above in accordance with the thickness or resolution of the sheet, the film or the like is not only in the direction of carriage movement but also in contact and separation. The direction in which the film is pulled also increases the distance by which the film or the like is pulled, and as a result, the tension of the film or the like is increased. Since the tension of the film or the like that is pulled in the contacting / separating direction can fluctuate depending on the position of the carriage, as described above, the posture of the recording head is tilted or the sliding resistance when moving the carriage is reduced. The problem of fluctuating occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides means capable of stably moving the recording head only in the moving direction regardless of the tension fluctuation of the long member driven by the carriage. Objective.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide means that can stably move the recording head in the moving direction even if the head gap is changed.

(1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a platen that supports a sheet, a first carriage that faces the platen and is guided by a guide and is movable in a first direction along the sheet, and the first carriage A recording head mounted on a carriage for selectively ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet, and opposed to the platen, guided by a guide and movable in the first direction, between the first carriage and the recording head To transmit the force in the first direction and can rotate relative to the first carriage about a second direction parallel to the platen and perpendicular to the first direction by a larger angle than a predetermined first angle. and second carriage, said provided second carriage, said guide and abutment regulations below the first angle relative rotational angle of the second direction around for the guide of the second carriage by A restricting member for controlling, a drive mechanism for moving the first carriage, and an area in which the second carriage moves extends in the first direction and faces the platen, and the recording head is attached to the platen. An elongate member that follows the movement of the second carriage so as to directly face each other.

  The image recording apparatus is an ink jet printer. In the image recording apparatus, the first carriage is guided by the guide and moved in the first direction by the drive mechanism. As the drive mechanism, a known mechanism that transmits a drive source such as a motor to the first carriage via a belt or a wire is employed. The recording head mounted on the first carriage performs image recording by selectively ejecting ink droplets onto the sheet on the platen while moving together with the first carriage.

  The first carriage is guided by the guide and is movable in the first direction. The guide for guiding the first carriage in the first direction and the guide for guiding the second carriage in the first direction may be the same or different, for example, a shaft-shaped guide or a rail-shaped guide. A guide is used. In general, the first carriage and the second carriage are allowed to have a certain amount of backlash relative to such a guide. Of the rattling that the second carriage has with respect to this guide, the rotation around the second direction is restricted to the first angle or less by the restricting member.

  In the region where the second carriage moves, a long member is arranged in the first direction. The long member follows the movement of the second carriage so that the recording head directly faces the platen. Here, the follower of the long member is not only a mode in which the long member moves in the first direction together with the second carriage so that the recording head is directly opposed to the platen, but the long member is moved along with the movement of the second carriage. It is a concept that includes a mode in which a part is deformed in a direction other than the first direction and the recording head is directly opposed to the platen.

  The first carriage and the second carriage are coupled so as to be relatively rotatable by a first angle or more around the second direction. If the second carriage moves in the first direction, the tension of the long member fluctuates on the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the second carriage, causing the second carriage to rotate around the second direction. If a moment is generated, the second carriage is tilted from a preset posture within the range of the first angle by the moment. Since such an inclination is smaller than a relative rotation angle possible between the first carriage and the second carriage, the inclination of the second carriage is not transmitted to the first carriage. In short, the second carriage only rotates relative to the first carriage and the guide around the second direction. As a result, even if the second carriage is tilted, the recording head mounted on the first carriage does not tilt from the preset posture.

  When the first carriage moves in the first direction beyond the range in which the first carriage and the second carriage can move relative to each other, the second carriage moves in the first direction in conjunction with the movement of the first carriage. Regardless of the position of the second carriage on the platen, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head are directed toward the platen. On the other hand, the sheet on the platen does not leave the platen beyond the long member. As a result, while the sheet on the platen is positioned at a predetermined distance from the platen by the long member, the first carriage moves in a stable posture in the first direction with respect to the sheet, and the image is recorded by the recording head. Is done.

  In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the “direction” is represented by a straight line having opposite directions such as + and −, for example. For example, it is represented by an arrow having one arrow head such as + or-.

  (2) The second carriage may be movable relative to the first carriage in a third direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the platen.

  As a result, even if the second carriage rattles in the third direction, it is absorbed by the relative movement in the third direction, and the backlash of the second carriage is not transmitted to the first carriage.

  (3) A gap adjusting mechanism for changing a distance between the recording head and the platen may be provided in the first carriage.

  The gap adjusting mechanism changes the distance from the recording head to the platen, for example, by changing the position of the first carriage with respect to the guide. That is, the first carriage moves in the third direction by the gap adjustment mechanism. For example, a sheet that is relatively flat, such as glossy photographic paper, and hardly deforms due to ink adsorption or the like has a low risk of paper jam on the platen. Therefore, the recording head is brought close to the sheet and ink droplets are landed on the sheet with high accuracy, and high-quality image recording can be performed. On the other hand, a sheet that easily deforms due to ink adsorption or the like, such as plain paper, has a high risk of paper jam on the platen. Therefore, when high image quality is not required, it is desirable that the recording head be separated from the sheet. The gap adjusting mechanism realizes such a demand. As described above, since the movement of the first carriage in the third direction is not transmitted to the second carriage even when the first carriage moves in the third direction, the long member is not only in the first direction but also in the third direction. It is not pulled in the direction. In other words, even if the first carriage is moved in the third direction, the long member is not pulled and inclined in the third direction in addition to the first direction extended in advance. Movement in the third direction does not affect the tension of the long member. Therefore, the change in the head gap does not tilt the first carriage or change the sliding resistance when the first carriage is moved.

  (4) Examples of the first carriage and the second carriage include those that can come into contact with each other by being relatively moved in the first direction.

  Since the first carriage and the second carriage are in contact with each other in the first direction, a force for moving the first carriage in the first direction is transmitted to the second carriage when both the members are in contact with each other. In this configuration, it is not hindered that the first carriage and the second carriage are relatively moved around the second direction or relatively moved in the third direction.

  (5) Examples of the first carriage and the second carriage include those connected by an elastic deformation member that is elastically deformable in the first direction.

  Examples of the elastic deformation member include rubber and a coil spring. When the first carriage and the second carriage are connected by the elastic deformation member, when the first carriage moves in the first direction, a force for moving the first carriage in the first direction is transmitted to the second carriage. On the other hand, even if the elongate member contacts the sheet on the platen and the speed of the second carriage suddenly changes, the speed variation of the second carriage is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation member, Large speed fluctuations of the first carriage are suppressed.

  Further, when the second carriage rotates about the second direction relative to the first carriage or moves in the third direction, the force in the third direction generated in the elastic deformation member is compared with the force in the first direction. And can be designed very small. If the force in the third direction is sufficiently smaller than the resistance force such as the gravity acting on the first carriage or the frictional force generated when the first carriage moves in the third direction, the second carriage moves in the third direction. However, the first carriage does not move in the third direction.

  Further, when the first carriage reciprocates at a high speed in the first direction, the first carriage and the second carriage may relatively move in the first direction at both ends of the operation range in which the moving direction is switched. The impact sound is reduced by the elastic deformation member.

  (6) The image recording apparatus includes a support member that fixes the long member in the first direction, and the second carriage. The long member is moved along with the movement of the second carriage. And a guide member that is driven in the third direction.

  The long member is fixed to the support member with respect to the first direction and extends in the first direction. The longitudinal direction of the long member coincides with the first direction. The long member can be fixed in the first direction by the support member. For example, a mode in which the long member can be slightly moved in the first direction in order to finely adjust the tension and position of the long member is allowed. Therefore, it is necessary to fix the movement in the first direction.

  The second carriage is provided with a guide member, and when the second carriage moves, the long member is driven in the third direction by the guide member. In other words, the second carriage moves the platen side of the long member in the first direction while separating and approaching the long member in the third direction. In the long member, the portion facing the platen without being driven in the third direction does not move relative to the platen in the first direction even if the second carriage moves. Therefore, even if the second carriage is moved in the first direction with respect to the sheet in a state where the sheet on the platen is positioned at a predetermined distance from the platen by the long member, the long member is slid with respect to the sheet. Not moved. Note that if the direction in which the long member deforms with respect to the guide member has a component in the third direction, the long member is deformed in the direction in which the long member contacts and separates from the platen. The outgoing direction need not be completely coincident with the third direction.

  (7) The guide member may deform the long member in the third direction so as to surround the second carriage.

  The long member is separated from the platen in the third direction on one side in the first direction of the second carriage by the guide member, extends in the first direction so as to surround the second carriage, and the other member of the second carriage Sideways approach from the platen in the third direction. The long member extends in the first direction from the other side of the second carriage. Accordingly, the guide member can move the second carriage in the first direction while deforming the long member with respect to one long member fixed to the support member and extending in the first direction. Further, since the tension applied to the long member for extending the long member in the first direction in the region where the second carriage moves is stabilized in the moving region of the second carriage, the long member becomes the second member. The resistance given to the movement of the carriage is less changed, and the second carriage can be moved with high accuracy.

  (8) The guide members are winding rollers provided on both sides in the first direction of the second carriage, and the long members are wound around the winding rollers, respectively, in the third direction. It may be deformed.

  The long members extend from both sides of the second carriage in the first direction in the first direction, and are fixed to the support members at both ends of the region in which the second carriage moves. Winding rollers provided on both sides of the second carriage take up the long members and apply tension so that each long member is at a certain distance from the platen. Such a winding force of the winding roller can be realized by urging the winding roller with a rotational force in the winding direction using a coil spring or the like. When each winding roller moves in the first direction together with the second carriage, the long member is pulled out from one winding roller, and the other winding roller winds the long member. A part of the side surface of the second carriage on which the winding roller winds the long member is along the third direction. As a result, the second carriage can move in the first direction in a state where the long member is stretched at a certain distance from the platen.

  (9) The long member is connected to both sides of the second carriage in the first direction, and is wound around each roller provided at both ends of the moving range of the second carriage to form an endless ring. It may be a thing.

  The long member is connected to both sides of the second carriage in the first direction, extends from both sides in the first direction, and is wound around each roller at both ends of the moving range of the second carriage to form an endless annular shape. There is no. The endless ring does not need to be formed only by the long member. By connecting both ends of the long member to the second carriage, the long member including the second carriage forms an endless ring. Just do it. When the second carriage moves in the first direction, the endless annular long member follows the second carriage and moves between the rollers. The long member is the same as the second carriage on both sides of the second carriage. Follow the direction. As a result, the second carriage can move in the first direction in a state where the long member is stretched at a certain distance from the platen.

  (10) The long member is connected to both sides of the second carriage in the first direction, and is wound around respective winding rollers respectively provided at both ends of the moving range of the second carriage. May be.

  The long member is connected to both sides of the second carriage in the first direction, extends from both sides in the first direction, and is wound around each winding roller at both ends of the moving range of the second carriage. . Each winding roller winds up the long member and applies tension so that each long member is at a certain distance from the platen. Such a winding force of the winding roller can be realized by urging the winding roller with a rotational force in the winding direction using a coil spring or the like. When the second carriage moves in the first direction, the long member is pulled out from one winding roller, the other winding roller winds up the long member, and on both sides of the second carriage, the long member is the first member. It is driven in the same direction as the two carriages. As a result, the second carriage can move in the first direction in a state where the long member is stretched at a certain distance from the platen.

  (11) The first distance between the long member and the platen in the vicinity of the second carriage is preferably equal to or less than the second distance between the position closest to the platen and the platen in the recording head.

  As a result, in the vicinity of the second carriage, the sheet on the platen can be held by the long member so as not to contact the recording head, so that the recording head and the sheet are prevented from coming into contact with the reciprocation of the first carriage. it can. In the aspect provided with the gap adjusting mechanism described above, the second interval in the present invention is defined in the head gap where the recording head is closest to the platen.

  (12) The elongate member may have a flat belt shape having a flat surface facing the platen.

  Thereby, the sheet on the platen can be pressed with a flat surface.

  (13) The long member preferably has a width in the second direction wider than the length in the second direction of the recording area of the recording head in the plane.

  Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent a paper jam from occurring due to the recording area of the recording head coming into contact with the sheet on the platen. In addition, since the sheet is positioned at a predetermined distance from the platen in the recording area, highly accurate image recording is realized.

  (14) The elongate member may be a rope.

  Thereby, the elongate member of a simple structure is implement | achieved.

  (15) The long member may be formed by arranging a plurality of strips facing the platen and arranged in the second direction.

  As a result, the sheet can be positioned at a predetermined distance from the platen at a plurality of locations in the second direction on the platen.

  According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the first carriage and the second carriage are connected to the guide and the second carriage so as to be relatively rotatable around the second direction. Even if the tension of the long member fluctuates with the movement of the second member and a moment for rotating the second carriage is generated, the recording head mounted on the first carriage is moved in a stable posture, so that a highly accurate image can be obtained. Recording is realized.

  Further, according to the present invention, even if the first carriage is moved in the third direction by the gap adjusting mechanism, the second carriage is not moved in the third direction. Is not disturbed, and the sliding resistance when the first carriage is moved does not fluctuate. Thereby, even if the gap adjusting mechanism is provided, the recording head mounted on the first carriage is moved in a stable posture, so that highly accurate image recording is realized. In addition, since it is not necessary to lengthen the long member in the extending direction for adjusting the head gap, the long member can be stably extended in the first direction regardless of the head gap.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is a top view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the image recording unit 24 in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing configurations of the carriage 38 and the guide film 71. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the carriage 38 and the guide film 71 as viewed from the lower surface side. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing configurations of the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing configurations of the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41. FIG. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the sliding member 186, the coil spring 187, and the gap adjusting member 188. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line XX in FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line XX in FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line XII-XII in FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line XII-XII in FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the purge mechanism 130, the wiper 131, and the waste ink tray 132. FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 110. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a guide film 71 that follows the movement of the carriage 38. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the film carriage 41 is tilted. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the head gap is adjusted. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 in a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing guide films 91 and 92 in the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing a guide film 141 in the third embodiment. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing guide films 151 and 152 in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a guide wire 54 in the fifth embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the multifunction device 10 is shown as an example of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the multifunction device 10, and the scope of the present invention is not changed. Needless to say, the embodiment can be appropriately changed.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[Schematic configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the multi-function device 10 is integrally provided with a printer unit 11 and a scanner unit 12, and has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function.

  The printer unit 11 described above corresponds to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. Functions other than the printer unit 11 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 12 and does not have a scan function or a copy function.

  In the multifunction machine 10, a printer unit 11 is disposed on the lower side, and a scanner unit 12 is disposed on the upper side. The printer unit 11 is mainly connected to an external information device such as a computer, and records images and characters on a recording medium based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the external information device. The scanner unit 12 is a so-called flat bed scanner.

  The multi-function device 10 is a wide, thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped outer shape having a width (arrow 101) and a depth (arrow 103) larger than the height (arrow 102). The printer unit 11 is provided with an opening 13 on the front surface. Inside the opening 13, a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21 are provided. The recording paper stored in the paper supply tray 20 is fed into the printer unit 11 to record a desired image, and the recording paper after image recording is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  An operation panel 14 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 10. On the operation panel 14, a predetermined input for causing the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12 to perform a desired operation is performed. The operation panel 14 has a plurality of buttons for inputting, and a display for displaying the status of the multifunction machine 10 and displaying an error. Note that when an external information device is connected to the multifunction device 10, the multifunction device 10 also operates based on an instruction transmitted from the external information device through communication software such as a printer driver or a scanner driver.

[Printer 11]
As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed tray 20 is provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 10. The paper discharge tray 21 is arranged in two upper and lower stages above the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are continuous by a paper transport path 23 so that a recording medium such as a recording paper can be transported. The recording paper accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 is guided by the paper conveyance path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the bottom to the top, and is conveyed to the image recording unit 24. After the image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24, The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  The paper feed tray 20 has a container shape with an upper opening, and a sheet-shaped recording medium such as a recording paper is accommodated in the inner space in a stacked state. The paper feed tray 20 can accommodate recording sheets of various sizes such as A4 size, B5 size, and postcard size, for example, A3 size or smaller.

  The paper discharge tray 21 has a tray shape, and the recording paper is discharged onto the top surface thereof. The paper discharge tray 21 is disposed on the front side of the apparatus from the paper feed tray 20 in the depth direction (arrow 103). Therefore, on the back side of the apparatus, the paper discharge tray 21 does not exist above the paper feed tray 20.

  A paper feed roller 25 is provided on the back side of the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 supplies the recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 20 to the paper transport path 23. The paper feed roller 25 is driven by a LF motor 128 (see FIG. 16) and rotates. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The sheet feeding arm 26 can be rotated with the sheet feeding roller 25 side as a rotation tip, and by this rotation, the sheet feeding roller 25 moves up and down in a direction in which the sheet feeding roller 25 contacts and separates from the sheet feeding tray 20. The paper feeding arm 26 is rotated downward by being biased by the weight of the paper feeding roller 25 or a spring, and moves upward according to the amount of recording paper stored in the paper feeding tray 20. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 contacts the uppermost recording paper in the paper feed tray 20. When the paper feeding roller 25 is rotated in this state, the uppermost recording paper is sent out to the paper transport path 23 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper.

  The paper conveyance path 23 extends upward from the back side of the apparatus of the paper feed tray 20, subsequently curves to the front side of the apparatus, extends from the back side of the multifunction machine 10 to the front side, and is discharged through the image recording unit 24. It leads to the tray 21. The sheet conveyance path 23 is composed of 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, a portion where the sheet conveyance path 23 is curved on the back side of the apparatus is constituted by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 fixed to the apparatus frame or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image recording unit 24 is mainly configured by a recording head 39 and a platen 42 that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval. The detailed configuration of the image recording unit 24 will be described later.

  A pair of transport rollers 60 and a pinch roller 61 are provided upstream of the image recording unit 24 in the forward transport direction 104. 2 and 3, the pinch roller 61 does not appear hidden behind other members. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the pinch roller 61 is disposed below the transport roller 60 and is transported by the transport roller. It is provided so as to be able to contact and separate with respect to 60, and is urged by an elastic member such as a spring and is pressed against the conveying roller 60. The conveyance roller 60 is driven by the LF motor 128 (see FIG. 16) and rotates. In this embodiment, only the mode in which the recording paper is conveyed in the normal conveyance direction 104 will be described. However, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention conveys the sheet only in either the normal conveyance or the reverse conveyance. Needless to say, it is not limited to things.

  The recording sheet is conveyed in the normal conveyance direction 104 by the rotation of the conveyance roller 60 while being sandwiched between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. At this time, the pinch roller 61 rotates as the recording paper is conveyed.

  A pair of paper discharge rollers 62 and a spur are provided downstream of the image recording unit 24 in the normal conveyance direction 104. 2 and 3, the spur does not appear hidden behind other members, but the spur is disposed on the upper side of the paper discharge roller 62 so as to be able to contact and separate from the paper discharge roller 62. They are urged by an elastic member such as a spring and are pressed against the paper discharge roller 62. The spur has a shape in which a plurality of protrusions protruding in a mountain shape in the radial direction when viewed from the axial direction are arranged in the circumferential direction. The tip of the chevron protrudes from the recording surface of the recording paper. The paper discharge roller 62 is driven by the LF motor 128 (see FIG. 16) and rotates. The rotation of the paper discharge roller 62 is synchronized with the rotation of the transport roller 60 described above. The paper discharge roller 62 and the spur are conveyed to the paper discharge tray 21 with the recorded recording paper sandwiched therebetween.

  During image recording, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are intermittently driven. In the intermittent drive, the conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are continuously driven by a rotation amount corresponding to a predetermined target conveyance amount, and when reaching the target conveyance amount, the rotation is stopped for a predetermined time. The target carry amount varies depending on the resolution of the image to be recorded. For example, when image recording is performed by the interlace method, the image recording in the fine mode with the higher resolution than the normal mode image recording with the medium resolution is performed. In general, the target transport amount is set to be small.

  Note that the conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 do not need to be intermittently driven while the image recording is not being performed. Therefore, when feeding paper before image recording or discharging paper after image recording, the conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 may be rotated continuously.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a registration sensor 37 is provided upstream of the conveyance roller 60 in the sheet conveyance path 23 in the normal conveyance direction 104. The registration sensor 37 detects the presence or absence of a recording sheet passing through the sheet conveyance path 23. Whether the leading edge or the trailing edge of the recording sheet has reached the position where the registration sensor 37 is provided is determined based on the ON / OFF signal change from the registration sensor 37.

[Configuration of Image Recording Unit 24]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the image recording unit 24 mainly includes a carriage 38, a recording head 39, a film carriage 41, and a platen 42. The carriage 38 corresponds to the first carriage in the present invention, and the film carriage 41 corresponds to the second carriage in the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the paper conveyance path 23 downstream of the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 in the normal conveyance direction 104 and upstream of the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur, the carriage is disposed above the carriage. 38 and a film carriage 41 are arranged, and a platen 42 is arranged on the lower side thereof. The carriage 38, the film carriage 41, and the platen 42 are opposed to the sheet conveyance path 23 with the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 on the upper side, and are vertically separated.

  The carriage 38 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped hexahedron, and is mounted with an ink jet recording head 39. The carriage 38 reciprocates in a horizontal direction (reciprocating direction 105) orthogonal to the normal conveyance direction 104. This reciprocating direction 105 corresponds to the first direction in the present invention. The direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 corresponds to the second direction in the present invention.

  Although not shown in each figure, an ink cartridge is arranged inside the multifunction machine 10 independently of the recording head 39. Cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks are supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head 39 through an ink tube (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 6, a part of the recording head 39 is exposed on the surface where the carriage 38 faces the platen 42. This exposed surface is referred to herein as the nozzle surface 40. Although not shown in detail in the figure, the nozzle surface 40 has a plurality of nozzle openings. Each nozzle port is arranged in one row along the normal conveyance direction 104 of the recording paper corresponding to each color ink of C, M, Y, and Bk. Ink droplets of the respective color inks are ejected from the nozzle openings by the vibration of the piezo elements provided inside the recording head 39. While the carriage 38 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected from the recording head 39 as fine ink droplets. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42. Note that the pitch and the number of each nozzle along the forward conveyance direction 104 are appropriately set according to the resolution of the recorded image. Further, the number of rows of nozzle openings corresponding to each color is increased or decreased according to the number of types of color ink.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the carriage 38 is provided with a paper detection sensor 32. The paper detection sensor 32 is a reflective optical sensor. Although not shown in detail in the figure, the paper detection sensor 32 has a light emitting element and a light receiving element. Light is emitted from the light emitting element toward the platen 42, and the light receiving element receives the reflected light from the platen 42. The paper detection sensor 32 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the light reception level of the light receiving element.

  The upper surface of the platen 42 has a reflectance different from that of the recording paper. In general, since the recording paper is white, the upper surface of the platen 42 is colored black. As described above, since the reflectance of the platen 42 and the reflectance of the recording paper are different, it is determined whether there is a recording paper on the platen 42 based on the signal level output from the paper detection sensor 32 or a change in the signal. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of guide rails 43 and 44 are disposed on the upper side of the sheet conveyance path 23. The guide rails 43 and 44 are disposed at a predetermined distance along the normal conveyance direction 104 of the recording paper, and are arranged with the reciprocating direction 105 of the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 as the longitudinal direction. The guide rails 43 and 44 are provided in the casing of the printer unit 11 and constitute a part of a frame that supports each member constituting the printer unit 11.

  The guide rail 43 disposed on the upstream side of the normal conveyance direction 104 has a substantially flat plate shape. The length of the guide rail 43 in the longitudinal direction (reciprocating direction 105) is set longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41. The guide rail 44 disposed on the downstream side of the normal conveyance direction 104 is also substantially flat and has a length in the longitudinal direction equal to the length of the guide rail 43. Further, the edge 45 on the upstream side of the guide rail 44 in the forward conveyance direction 104 is bent at a substantially right angle upward.

  The carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are arranged so as to straddle the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the upstream end of the carriage 38 in the forward conveyance direction 104 is placed on the guide rail 43, and the downstream end of the carriage 38 in the forward conveyance direction 104 is placed on the guide rail 44. Similarly, the upstream end of the film carriage 41 in the forward conveyance direction 104 is placed on the guide rail 43, and the downstream end of the film carriage 41 in the forward conveyance direction 104 is placed on the guide rail 44. . Although not shown in each drawing, the carriage 38 sandwiches the edge 45 of the guide rail 44 with a highly slidable resin member or the like. Accordingly, the carriage 38 is positioned with respect to the normal conveyance direction 104 and can slide in the reciprocating direction 105.

  A belt drive mechanism 46 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide rail 44. The belt drive mechanism 46 includes a drive pulley 47, a driven pulley 48, and an endless annular belt 49. The driving pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48 are respectively arranged near both ends in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 44. The belt 49 is stretched between the drive pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48. A plurality of teeth are provided inside the belt 49, and these teeth mesh with the teeth of the drive pulley 47. The drive pulley 47 is rotated by driving transmission from the CR motor 119 (see FIG. 16). As the drive pulley 47 rotates, the belt 49 moves circumferentially. This belt drive mechanism 46 corresponds to the drive mechanism in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a clip 36 is provided on the nozzle surface 40 side of the carriage 38. The clip 36 holds the belt 49 so that the carriage 38 is connected to the belt 49. Accordingly, the carriage 38 reciprocates on the guide rails 43 and 44 based on the circumferential motion of the belt 49. Since the recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 38 as described above, the recording head 39 reciprocates in the reciprocating direction 105 as the carriage 38 reciprocates.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the encoder strip 51 of the linear encoder 123 (see FIG. 16) is disposed on the guide rail 44. The encoder strip 51 is formed in a band shape, and light transmitting portions and light shielding portions are alternately arranged at a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction thereof. The encoder strip 51 is supported by support portions 33 and 34 provided at both ends of the guide rail 44 in the longitudinal direction, and is disposed on the upper side of the guide rail 44 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction. An optical sensor 35 that is a transmission type sensor is provided on the upper surface of the carriage 38. The optical sensor 35 is arranged corresponding to the encoder strip 51 and detects the pattern of the encoder strip 51 when the carriage 38 reciprocates. The detection signal of the optical sensor 35 is output as a pulse signal from a head control board (not shown) mounted on the carriage 38. Based on this pulse signal, the moving direction and speed of the carriage 38 are calculated, and the reciprocation of the carriage 38 is controlled.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the film carriage 41 is assembled to the carriage 38 so as to cover the carriage 38 from the side opposite to the recording head 39, that is, from the upper side. The film carriage 41 is formed by assembling four rollers 72 to 75 to a frame 63. The frame 63 is formed by connecting two brackets 76 and 77 separated in a direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 by four support members 64 extending in the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104. By supporting the rotation shaft between the brackets 76 and 77, the rollers 72 to 75 are rotatably fixed to the frame 63 with the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 as the axial direction.

  The lengths of the rollers 72 to 75 in the axial direction are the same as or slightly longer than the width of the guide film 71 described later. The rollers 72 to 75 are arranged at the four corners near the upper end or near the lower end on both sides of the brackets 76 and 77 in the reciprocating direction 105. The rollers 72 to 75 reciprocate together with the frame 63, and move while rotating relative to the guide film 71 by the reciprocation of the frame 63. This guide film 71 corresponds to the long member in the present invention. The rollers 72 to 75 correspond to the guide member in the present invention.

  Two brackets 67 projecting in the direction opposite to the normal conveyance direction 104 are provided on the bracket 76 disposed on the upstream side of the normal conveyance direction 104 so as to be separated in the reciprocating direction 105. The clip 67 is slidable in the reciprocating direction 105 along the guide rail 43 while sandwiching the downstream end of the guide rail 43 in the forward conveyance direction 104.

  A pair of protrusions 68 and 69 projecting in the normal conveyance direction 104 are provided in the bracket 77 arranged on the downstream side of the normal conveyance direction 104 so as to be separated in the reciprocating direction 105. The pair of protrusions 68 and 69 are separated from each other in the height direction 102, and the separation distance corresponds to the height of the end 45 in the guide rail 44. Therefore, the pair of protrusions 68 and 69 can slide in the reciprocating direction 105 along the guide rail 44 with the end 45 of the guide rail 44 interposed therebetween.

  As described above, since the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are positioned with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44, respectively, the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are respectively set with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44. Are slidable independently. When the film carriage 41 is assembled to the carriage 38, the film carriage 41 follows the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38. In the state where the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are assembled, gaps 138 and 139 are formed between the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 in the height direction 102 and the reciprocating direction 105, respectively ( (See FIGS. 12 and 13).

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the gap 138 in the reciprocating direction 105 is formed at both ends or one end of the reciprocating direction 105 of the carriage 38. Whether the carriage 38 is formed at either end or one end in the reciprocating direction 105 is determined by the relative positional relationship between the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41. In the drawing, a state in which a gap 138 is formed at both ends of the carriage 38 is shown. The frame 63 of the film carriage 41 is provided with contact portions 145 and 146 on the surfaces of the brackets 76 and 77 facing the carriage 38. The abutting portions 145 and 146 protrude from the brackets 76 and 77 toward the carriage 38 along the reciprocating direction 105, and the front end surfaces of the abutting portions 145 and 146 are flat along the height direction 102 and the normal conveyance direction 104. There is no. By changing the relative positional relationship between the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41, one of the contact portions 145 and 146 contacts one side surface of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction 105.

  The frame 63 is positioned in the height direction 102 with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44 by the clip 67 and the pair of protrusions 68 and 69 described above. As shown in FIG. 18, the film carriage 41 is separated from the guide rail 44 by the separation distance of the protrusions 68 and 69 in the reciprocating direction 105 and the height direction 102 and the thickness of the end 45 of the guide rail 44. The maximum angle θ that can be relatively inclined is determined. Specifically, the ratio of the difference between the separation distance along the height direction 102 of the protrusions 68 and 69 and the thickness of the end 45 and the separation distance along the reciprocation direction 105 of the protrusions 68 and 69 is The angle at which tan θ is obtained is θ. The film carriage 41 cannot tilt more than the angle θ with respect to the guide rail 44. This angle θ corresponds to the first angle in the present invention. 18 shows the relationship between the protrusions 68 and 69 and the end portion 45 of the guide rail 44 and the angle θ, the maximum inclination angle is also conceivable depending on the relationship between the clip 67 and the guide rail 43. In the present embodiment, this angle is larger than θ, and therefore the maximum inclination angle of the entire film carriage 41 is θ. On the contrary, when the angle given from the relationship between the clip 67 and the guide rail 43 is smaller, the gist of the present invention is not changed if this angle is regarded as the first angle. The clip 67 and the protrusions 68 and 69 correspond to the regulating member in the present invention. Further, the brackets 76 and 77 are in contact with the end portions of the guide rails 43 and 44, whereby the frame 63 is positioned with respect to the normal conveyance direction 104. An appropriate gap may be provided between the brackets 76 and 77 and the guide rails 43 and 44.

  On the other hand, when the film carriage 41 is tilted around the same rotation center as described above with respect to the carriage 38 in the absence of the guide rails 43 and 44, the film carriage 41 is formed by the clips 67 and the protrusions 68 and 69 and the guide rails 43 and 44. The rotation of the is not restricted. In addition, since there is no other configuration that restricts relative rotation of the film carriage 41 with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44, the film carriage 41 can rotate relative to the carriage 38 by an angle larger than θ. However, the direction in which the film carriage 41 rotates with respect to the carriage 38 is the same as the direction in which the film carriage 41 is rotated with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44 in the definition of θ (the direction of the arrow 107 in FIG. 18). Think about it.

[Guide film 71]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the guide film 71 has a thin flat band shape. The guide films 71 are respectively connected to both sides of the reciprocating direction 105 in the region where the carriage 38 reciprocates. One end of the guide film 71 is connected to the frame or the like of the printer unit 11 via a fixture 65 so as not to move relative to the platen 42, and the other end is wound around a roller 66 and extends downward. Similarly to the one end, it is connected to a frame or the like by a fixture (not shown) and fixed so as not to move relative to the platen 42. Although not shown in each figure, the tension | tensile_strength of the guide film 71 can be adjusted in the fixing tool of the other end. This guide film 71 corresponds to the long member in the present invention. The fixture 65 corresponds to the support member in the present invention.

  The guide film 71 is wound around the rollers 72 to 75 provided on the film carriage 41 and is deformed so as to surround other than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 in a state where the film carriage 41 and the carriage 38 are assembled. ing. A part in which the guide film 71 is deformed around the film carriage 41 is referred to as a deformed portion 80 in this specification. A part of the guide film 71 other than the deformed portion 80 facing the upper surface of the platen 42 is referred to as a facing portion 81.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the deformed portion 80 of the guide film 71 is wound around the rollers 72 and 75 near the lower surface on both sides of the reciprocating direction 105 of the film carriage 41, respectively, along the height direction 102. The platen 42 is separated or approached, wound around the rollers 73 and 74 near the upper surface, and extended along the reciprocating direction 105. In the deformed portion 80 of the guide film 71, the direction wound around each of the rollers 72 and 75 and being separated from and approaching the platen 42 along the height direction 102 is referred to as a deformed direction 106 (see FIG. 12) in this specification. Is done. This deformation direction 106 corresponds to the third direction in this specification. Note that the deformation direction 106 does not necessarily coincide with the height direction 102.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the opposing portions 81 of the guide film 71 extend in the reciprocating direction 105 from both sides of the film carriage 41 at a height slightly closer to the platen than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39. . As described above, the direction in which the guide film 71 is extended outside the deformed portion 80 is the longitudinal direction, and the short direction of the guide film 71 is along the forward conveyance direction 104. Further, the front and back surfaces of the facing portion 81 extend substantially in the horizontal direction, and in this specification, the surface of the front and back surfaces of the guide film 71 that faces the platen 42 is referred to as a facing surface 82. The facing surface 82 corresponds to the plane of the long member in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the width 83 (the length along the normal conveyance direction 104) of the guide film 71 is wider than the length 84 of the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 in the normal conveyance direction 104. The guide film 71 is arranged with respect to the film carriage 41 so that the nozzle surface 40 is within the width 83 thereof. Further, the sheet detection sensor 32 provided on the carriage 38 is also arranged at a position that fits within the width 83 of the guide film 71.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in the vicinity of the carriage 38, the first interval 85 from the facing surface 82 of the guide film 71 to the upper surface of the platen 42 is from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 to the upper surface of the platen 42. The second interval 86 is slightly smaller. The position shown in FIG. 13 is a position where the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is closest to the platen 42 in the recording head 39.

  As the film carriage 41 reciprocates, the guide film 71 deforms so that the deformed portion 80 follows the reciprocation of the film carriage 41. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when the film carriage 41 moves in the direction of an arrow 117 (leftward in FIG. 17), the guide film 71 is guided by the rollers 72 to 75 and follows the film carriage 41 to form the deformed portion 80. To move to the arrow 117. In other words, the opposed portion 81 of the guide film 71 becomes the deformed portion 80 by being wound around the roller 72 of the film carriage 41, and the deformed portion 80 becomes the opposed portion 81 by passing through the roller 74 of the film carriage 41. Thus, even if the deformed portion 80 follows the reciprocating motion of the film carriage 41, the facing portion 81 does not move relative to the platen 42 in the reciprocating motion direction 105. As described above, the movement of the deformed portion 80 while changing the position of the guide film 71 in accordance with the movement of the film carriage 41 and the operation of always causing the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 to directly face the platen 42 is performed in the present invention. It is expressed that the guide film 71 follows the movement of the film carriage 41 so that the recording head 39 directly faces the platen 42.

  As shown in FIG. 14, an introduction film 87 is provided from the conveyance roller 60 toward the guide film 71 from the downstream side in the normal conveyance direction 104. The introduction film 87 has a thin film shape, and the first end 88 on the upstream side in the forward conveyance direction 104 is located immediately downstream from the roller surface of the conveyance roller 60 and slightly from the nip position between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. It is arranged above. A second end 89 on the downstream side in the forward conveyance direction 104 of the introduction film 87 enters the lower side of the guide film 71. The position of the second end 89 is set in a range that does not reach the position corresponding to the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 and the paper detection sensor 32 on the downstream side of the upstream end 70 of the guide film 71. The recording sheet nipped by the transport roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 and transported to the platen 42 is guided by the introduction film 87 and guided between the guide film 71 and the platen 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the carriage 38 includes a carriage body 185 on which the recording head 39 is mounted, and a sliding member that slides on the guide frames 43 and 44 to support the carriage body 185 at a predetermined height. 186, a coil spring 187 that elastically urges the sliding member 186 upward, and a gap adjusting member 188 interposed between the carriage body 185 and the sliding member 186. The sliding member 186, the coil spring 187, and the gap adjusting member 188 are respectively assembled on the upstream side and the downstream side of the forward conveyance direction 104 of the carriage body 185 corresponding to the guide frames 43 and 44. Since it is a configuration, a detailed configuration will be described below by taking the configuration on the downstream side of the normal transport direction 104 as an example. The sliding member 186, the coil spring 187, and the gap adjusting member 188 constitute a gap adjusting mechanism in the present invention. 10 and 11, the film carriage 41 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the sliding member 186 includes a sliding contact plate 189 that is in sliding contact with the guide frames 43 and 44, and a foot 190 that extends from the sliding contact plate 189. The sliding contact plate 189 is a rectangular flat plate whose length in the short direction is substantially the same as the length in the short direction of the gap adjusting member 188, and is slid while its bottom surface is in contact with the guide frames 43 and 44. A pair of protrusions 191 are formed on the upper surface of the sliding contact plate 189 along the edge in the longitudinal direction, and the pair of protrusions 191 are in contact with the bottom surface of the gap adjusting member 188 so that the sliding contact is achieved. The bottom surface of the plate 189 is positioned parallel to the top surfaces of the guide frames 43 and 44.

  The foot part 190 extends from the approximate center of the upper surface of the sliding contact plate 189 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the upper surface. The foot portion 190 has a flat plate shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact plate 189, and a guide groove 192 penetrating in the thickness direction of the flat plate shape is formed in the extending direction of the foot portion 190. It opens at the end (upper side in FIG. 9). A support rib 198 of a carriage body 185, which will be described later, is fitted into the guide groove 192, and the sliding member 186 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the guide groove 192. Locking portions 193 projecting outward in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact plate 189 are formed on both sides of the extending end of the foot portion 190. The sliding contact plate 189 is locked to the retaining plate 194 by the locking portion 193. The retaining plate 194 is provided with a through hole 195 for inserting the foot portion 190. The width of the through hole 195 is narrower than between the outer edges of the pair of locking portions 193. The pair of locking portions 193 are elastically deformed by being pressed inward so as to narrow the width of the guide groove 192, as in a snap fit, so that they are inserted into the through holes 195 of the retaining plate 194 and pressed. When is released, it returns elastically and protrudes outward from the periphery of the through hole 195. By this pair of locking portions 193, the sliding contact plate 189 is locked to the retaining plate 194 so that the foot portion 190 does not come out of the through hole 195.

  As shown in FIG. 10, on the downstream side of the carriage body 185 in the transport direction, the support member 196 is supported in a sliding direction of the carriage 38 (left and right direction in FIG. 10) and supports the sliding member 186 so as to move up and down. Are provided. The support member 196 has a concave portion with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring 187 recessed downward, and a through hole 197 into which the foot portion 190 of the sliding member 186 is inserted into the bottom surface of the concave portion, A support rib 198 that is inserted into the guide groove 192 of the sliding member 186 is formed. The support rib 198 is fitted into the guide groove 192 of the slide member 186, so that the slide member 186 is supported by the support member 196 so as to move up and down along the guide groove 192.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gap adjusting member 188 is an elongated rod-like flat plate, and is interposed between the sliding member 186 and the support rib 198. The gap adjusting member 188 is separated in the longitudinal direction to form a two-stage adjusting portion 199. The thickness of the two-stage adjustment portion 199 (vertical direction in FIG. 9) is changed in two stages in the sliding direction of the gap adjustment member 188. Specifically, the thin portion 210 and the thick portion 211 are formed adjacent to each other so that the thickness changes stepwise in one direction. Each upper surface of the thin part 210 and the thick part 211 is a horizontal plane, and the length in the longitudinal direction of each upper surface is slightly longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the foot part 190 of the sliding member 186.

  An inclined surface 212 is formed at the boundary between the upper surface of the thin portion 210 and the upper surface of the thick portion 211 in order to moderate the thickness change. The inclined surface 212 is continuously formed on the upper surface of the thin portion 210 and the upper surface of the thick portion 211. Since the thickness of the adjustment portion 199 is gently changed by the inclined surface 212, the gap adjustment member 188 slides smoothly. Each upper surface of the thin portion 210 and the thick portion 211 is substantially horizontal when the gap adjusting member 188 is assembled to the carriage main body 185 as shown in FIG.

  In each adjustment portion 199, a long hole 113 penetrating in the thickness direction across the thin wall portion 210 and the thick wall portion 211 is formed at the approximate center in the short direction of the gap adjustment member 188. The width of the long hole 113 in the short direction (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 10) is slightly wider than the thickness of the foot 190 of the sliding member 186, and the foot 190 penetrates the long hole 113. The extending end of the foot part 190 penetrating through the long hole 113 is inserted into the through hole 197 of the support member 196 of the carriage body 185. A support rib 198 is inserted into the guide groove 192 of the foot 190. Then, the locking portion 193 of the foot portion 190 is locked to the retaining plate 194.

  A coil spring 187 is interposed between the retaining plate 194 and the support member 196, and an upward elastic biasing force is applied to the retaining member 196 by the coil spring 187. This elastic biasing force acts on the sliding member 186 via the retaining plate 194, and the sliding member 186 is elastically biased so as to be positioned at the uppermost position within the vertical movement range allowed by the support rib 198. Further, since the gap adjusting member 188 is interposed between the support rib 198 and the sliding contact plate 189 of the sliding member 186, the sliding member has an amount corresponding to the thickness of the adjusting portion 199 of the gap adjusting member 188. 186 is moved downward against the elastic biasing force. Since the elongated hole 113 is formed in the adjustment portion 199 as described above, the gap adjustment member 188 can be slid in a state where the foot portion 190 of the sliding member 186 is penetrated in the thickness direction. As the gap adjusting member 188 slides, the thickness of the adjusting portion 199 located between the support rib 198 and the sliding contact plate 189 is changed, and the vertical position of the sliding member 186 is changed by the thickness change. Is changed. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the thin portion 210 is interposed between the support rib 198 and the slidable contact plate 189, thereby narrowing the interval between the support rib 198 and the slidable contact plate 189. As shown in FIG. 11, when the thick portion 211 is interposed between the support rib 198 and the sliding contact plate 189, the interval between the support rib 198 and the sliding contact plate 189 is expanded.

  The sliding member 186 is positioned with respect to the sliding direction of the gap adjusting member 188 by inserting the support rib 198 into the guide groove 192 of the foot 190. Furthermore, the sliding member 186 is positioned with respect to the forward conveyance direction 104 by the leg portion 190 being passed through the long hole 113 of the adjustment portion 199 of the gap adjustment member 188. Further, when the sliding contact plate 189 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the gap adjusting member 188, the sliding contact surface (bottom surface) of the sliding contact plate 189 is positioned in parallel to the upper surfaces of the guide frames 43 and 44. Thus, the carriage 38 can be supported horizontally on the guide frames 43 and 44 without twisting or rotating when the sliding member 186 moves up and down. Further, the support rib 198 supports the sliding member 186 so as to be movable up and down, and abuts against the gap adjusting member 188, thereby reducing the width of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction, so that the sliding member 186. The structure which moves up and down is implement | achieved.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the gap adjusting member 188 interposed between the sliding member 186 and the support rib 198 has such a length that both ends in the sliding direction protrude from the carriage body 185. Both ends in the sliding direction are brought into contact with walls 147 and 148 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) formed by cutting and raising both ends of the guide frames 43 and 44, whereby the sliding position of the gap adjusting member 188 is changed. The

  As shown in FIG. 7, the sliding member 186, the coil spring 187, and the gap adjusting member 188 described above are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the forward conveyance direction 104 of the carriage body 185, respectively. Support members 196 for supporting the sliding member 186 are provided. Two sliding members 186 are disposed on the downstream side of the carriage main body 185 in the normal conveyance direction 104, and the two sliding members 186 are configured to be moved up and down by the sliding position of one gap adjusting member 188. Has been. On the other hand, one sliding member 186 is disposed on the upstream side of the carriage body 185 in the normal conveyance direction 104, and an adjustment site 199 is provided at the center of the gap adjustment member 188 so as to move the one sliding member 186 up and down. Is formed.

  The positions of the gap adjusting members 188 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the forward conveyance direction 104 that hold the sliding members 186 at a predetermined height are linked to each other, and the gap adjusting members 188 are moved by the slide movement of the carriage 38. The sliding positions that change when both ends in the sliding direction are brought into contact with each other are held by the three sliding members 186 at the same height. Therefore, the carriage main body 185 is always maintained parallel to the upper surfaces of the guide frames 43 and 44, and the carriage main body 185 is moved up and down while the recording head 39 mounted on the carriage main body 185 is kept horizontal.

  A platen 42 is disposed below the guide rails 43 and 44 so as to face the recording head 39. The platen 42 is disposed so as to occupy a central portion through which the recording paper passes in an area where the carriage 38 reciprocates. The platen 42 supports the recording paper on its upper surface. The width of the upper surface of the platen 42 (reciprocating direction 105) is sufficiently wider than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be used in the printer unit 11. The recording paper supported on the upper surface of the platen 42 is kept at a constant distance from the recording head 39.

  Transmission of a recording signal or the like from a control unit 110 (see FIG. 16), which will be described later, to the head control board of the recording head 39 is performed through the flat cable 52. The flat cable 52 electrically connects the control unit 110 and the head control board. The flat cable 52 is a thin ribbon having a plurality of conductive wires that transmit electrical signals covered with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film for insulation. The flat cable 52 bends following the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38 in the same manner as the ink tube.

  As described above, the carriage 38 is reciprocated while the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are stopped. During the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38, each color ink is selectively ejected from the nozzle openings of the recording head 39 as fine ink droplets toward the platen 42. As shown in FIG. 5, the ejection direction 108 in which the ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle surface 40 is vertically downward. Therefore, the ejection direction 108 is orthogonal to the normal conveyance direction 104 and the reciprocating direction 105. The ink droplets selectively ejected from the nozzle surface 40 land on the recording paper on the platen 42, whereby a desired image is recorded on the recording paper.

[Purge mechanism 130, wiper 131 and waste ink tray 132]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 15, a purge mechanism 130, a wiper 131, and a waste ink tray 132 are disposed on both sides of the platen 42 in the reciprocating direction 105. In FIG. 4, since the purge mechanism 130, the wiper 131, and the waste ink tray 132 do not appear behind the guide film 71, their arrangement is indicated by dotted lines in the drawing. The purge mechanism 130 and the wiper 131 are arranged on the same side (the right side in FIG. 15) of the reciprocating direction 105 with respect to the platen 42, while only the waste ink tray 132 is opposite to the reciprocating direction 105 with respect to the platen 42. It is arranged on the side (left side in FIG. 15).

  The purge mechanism 130 mainly includes caps 133 and 134 and a suction pump 135. Further, the caps 133 and 134 are moved in a direction (arrow 109) in contact with and away from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 by a driving mechanism (not shown). The movement of the caps 133 and 134 is realized by drive transmission from the LF motor 128 (see FIG. 16).

  The caps 133 and 134 are in close contact with the nozzle surface 40 and cover the nozzle openings with sealed spaces. The cap 133 integrally covers nozzle ports that eject color inks of C, M, and Y, and the cap 134 integrally covers nozzle ports that eject black (Bk) ink. The lip portion where each cap 133, 134 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 40 is made of an elastic member such as rubber, and is elastically deformed when each cap 133, 134 is pressed against the nozzle surface 40. By the elastic deformation of the lip portion, the lip portion and the nozzle surface 40 are brought into close contact with each other, and the internal spaces of the caps 133 and 134 become sealed spaces.

  Openings are respectively provided in the bottom surfaces of the caps 133 and 134, and the caps 133 and 134 are connected to the suction pump 135 through flow paths 136 and 137 that lead to the openings. The suction pump 135 is a so-called tube pump, and is operated by drive transmission from the LF motor 128 (see FIG. 16). When the suction pump 135 is operated, suction pressure is generated in the internal spaces of the caps 133 and 134 through the flow paths 136 and 137. When the caps 133 and 134 are in close contact with the nozzle surface 40, the ink of each color is sucked into the caps 133 and 134 from the nozzle ports of the recording head 39 by the suction pressure. When ink of each color is sucked from the recording head 39, bubbles or dust generated in the recording head 39 are sucked into the caps 133 and 134 together with the ink. In this specification, such a suction operation is referred to as purge.

  The wiper 131 contacts the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 and wipes ink adhering to the nozzle surface 40. The wiper 131 is a flat plate member made of an elastic member such as rubber. The wiper 131 has a width longer than the range of all nozzle openings arranged in the transport direction 104 on the nozzle surface 40, so that the width direction is the transport direction 104. Has been placed. Further, the wiper 131 is moved in a direction in which the wiper 131 comes in contact with and separates from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 (arrow 109) by a drive mechanism (not shown). The movement of the wiper 131 is realized by drive transmission from the LF motor 128 (see FIG. 16).

  The wiper 131 is disposed closer to the platen 42 than the purge mechanism 130. The wiper 131 is mainly used for wiping ink remaining on the nozzle surface 40 purged by the purge mechanism 130. Accordingly, the wiper 131 is moved to the maintenance position when the purged recording head 39 returns to the position facing the platen 42 together with the carriage 38, as will be described later. In this specification, the operation of wiping off the ink on the nozzle surface 40 in this way is called wiping.

  The waste ink tray 132 receives ink droplets ejected from the recording head 39 for maintenance. The waste ink tray 132 has a tray shape corresponding to the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39, and the internal space is filled with an ink absorbing material. The ink absorbing material absorbs and holds the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 39. For example, when purging is performed and the ink on the nozzle surface 40 is wiped off by the wiper 131, ink other than the corresponding ink color may be mixed into each nozzle port or the meniscus of ink at each nozzle port is not normal. There is a risk of becoming. Accordingly, by ejecting ink droplets from all the nozzle openings of the recording head 39 after purging, the mixed ink is discharged or the meniscus of each nozzle opening is returned to a normal state. In this specification, such ink droplet ejection operation is referred to as flushing.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the guide film 71 extends in the reciprocating direction 105 to a position that also covers the caps 133, 134, the wiper 131, and the waste ink tray 132 of the purge mechanism 130 described above. In addition, the carriage 38 can move to a position facing the caps 133 and 134, the wiper 131, and the waste ink tray 132 of the purge mechanism 130. As described above, along with the movement of the carriage 38, the deformed portion 80 moves while changing the position on the guide film 71, and the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 moves directly to the purge mechanism 130, the wiper 131, or the waste ink tray. Opposed.

[Control unit 110]
The control unit 110 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10 including not only the printer unit 11 but also the scanner unit 12. Note that the configuration related to the control of the scanner unit 12 is not the main configuration of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 110 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 113, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 114. It is configured as a microcomputer. The control unit 110 is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 116 via a bus 115.

  The ROM 112 stores a program for controlling various operations of the multi-function peripheral 10 such as an image recording operation described later. The RAM 113 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 111 executes the program. The EEPROM 114 stores settings and flags that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  The ASIC 116 generates a PWM signal and the like for energizing the LF motor 128 in accordance with a command from the CPU 111. This signal is applied to the drive circuit 118 of the LF motor 128, and the drive signal is energized to the LF motor 128 via the drive circuit 118. In this way, rotation control of the LF motor 128 is performed. The LF motor 128 is a drive source for the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62, and is also a drive source for the purge mechanism 130 and the wiper 131.

  The drive circuit 118 drives the LF motor 128 at a desired rotation. The drive circuit 118 receives an output signal from the ASIC 116 and generates an electrical signal for rotating the LF motor 128. In response to this electrical signal, the LF motor 128 rotates. The rotation of the LF motor 128 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, the paper discharge roller 62, the purge mechanism 130 and the wiper 131.

  The ASIC 116 generates a PWM signal that energizes the CR motor 119 in accordance with a command from the CPU 111. This signal is applied to the drive circuit 120 of the CR motor 119, and the drive signal is passed through the CR motor 119 via the drive circuit 120. In this way, rotation control of the CR motor 119 is performed.

  The drive circuit 120 drives the CR motor 119 with a desired rotation. The drive circuit 120 receives an output signal from the ASIC 116 and generates an electrical signal for rotating the CR motor 119. In response to this electrical signal, the CR motor 119 rotates. The rotational force of the CR motor 119 is transmitted to the carriage 38 via the belt driving mechanism 46, and thereby the carriage 38 is reciprocated. In this way, the reciprocation of the carriage 38 is controlled by the control unit 110.

  The drive circuit 121 drives the recording head 39 at a predetermined timing. Based on the drive control procedure output from the CPU 111, the ASIC 116 generates an output signal. Based on this output signal, the drive circuit 121 drives and controls the recording head 39. The drive circuit 121 is mounted on the head control board. A signal output from the drive circuit 121 is transmitted from the main board constituting the control unit 110 to the head control board via the flat cable 52. As a result, the recording head 39 selectively ejects each color ink onto the recording paper at a predetermined timing.

  The rotation amount of the transport roller 60 is determined based on the detection signal of the rotary encoder 122. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotary encoder 122 detects the optical pattern of the encoder disk 53 that is provided coaxially with the transport roller 60 and rotates with the optical sensor 57, and an electrical signal corresponding to the optical pattern. Is output as an encoder amount. The control unit 110 grasps the position of the leading or trailing edge of the recording paper based on the detection signal of the paper detection sensor 32 or the registration sensor 37 and the encoder amount detected by the rotary encoder 122. When the leading edge of the recording sheet reaches a predetermined position on the platen 42, the control unit 110 controls the rotation of the LF motor 128 so as to intermittently convey the recording sheet for each predetermined line feed width. The line feed width is set based on the resolution input as the image recording condition.

  The position of the carriage 38 is determined based on the detection signal of the linear encoder 123. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the linear encoder 123 uses an optical sensor 35 mounted on the carriage 38 to convert the optical pattern of the encoder strip 51 provided along the guide rails 43 and 44 that guide the carriage 38. It detects and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the optical pattern as an encoder amount. The carriage 38 is moved to one end of the reciprocating range when the multifunction device 10 is turned on, and the detection position by the linear encoder 123 is initialized. When the carriage 38 moves from the initial position along the guide rails 43 and 44, the optical sensor 35 provided on the carriage 38 detects the optical pattern of the encoder strip 51 and outputs a plurality of pulse signals having different phases. The controller 110 grasps the moving direction and speed of the carriage 38 based on these pulse signals. Further, the control unit 110 controls the rotation of the CR motor 119 so as to control the reciprocation of the carriage 38 based on the moving direction and speed.

  The ASIC 116 includes the scanner unit 12, an operation panel 14 for instructing operation of the multifunction device 10, a parallel interface 124 and a USB interface 125 for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external information device such as a personal computer via a parallel cable or USB cable. It is connected to the. Further, an NCU (Network Control Unit) 126 and a modem (MODEM) 127 for realizing the facsimile function are also connected to the ASIC 116.

[Image recording operation]
The image recording operation by the printer unit 11 will be described below.

  When the start of image recording is input to the operation panel 14, the recording paper 90 (see FIG. 17) stored in the paper feed tray 20 is supplied to the paper transport path 23 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 25. The recording sheet 90 supplied to the sheet conveyance path 23 is nipped by the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 and conveyed to the platen 42. Note that the leading end position of the recording sheet 90 is grasped in the process in which the recording sheet 90 passes through the registration sensor 37.

  The leading edge of the recording paper 90 nipped and conveyed by the conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 is guided by the introduction film 87 and guided between the guide film 71 and the platen 42. When the leading edge of the recording paper 90 enters the image recording area by the recording head 39, the transport roller 60 is intermittently rotated for each predetermined transport amount. While the conveying roller 60 is intermittently stopped, the carriage 38 is reciprocated in the reciprocating direction 105. While the carriage 38 reciprocates, ink droplets of each color are selectively ejected from the nozzle surfaces 40 of the recording head 39 in the ejection direction 108. Ink droplets may be ejected in both directions in which the carriage 38 reciprocates or only in one direction. The ink droplets ejected from the nozzle surface 40 land on the recording paper 90 on the platen 42. Thereby, the image recording for one pass is completed.

  When the carriage 38 is reciprocated once, the conveyance roller 60 is rotated again by a predetermined conveyance amount, and the recording paper 90 is conveyed in the normal conveyance direction 104 on the platen 42. Then, while the conveying roller 60 is intermittently stopped, the carriage 38 is reciprocated in the reciprocating direction 105, and ink droplets are selectively ejected from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 in the second pass. Image recording is performed. This is repeated and a desired image is recorded on the recording paper 90.

  When borderless printing is performed on the recording paper 90, the edge of the recording paper on the platen 42 is detected based on the output signal of the paper detection sensor 32 mounted on the carriage 38. As described above, since the paper detection sensor 32 is arranged at a position that fits within the width 83 of the guide film 71 on the lower surface side of the carriage 38, the light emitted from the paper detection sensor 32 blocks the introduction film 87. The recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is reached without being reflected, and the reflected light also reaches the paper detection sensor 32 without being blocked by the introduction film 87. Then, ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 39 to a position corresponding to the detected edge of the recording paper 90, and borderless printing is performed on the recording paper 90.

  In the image recording as described above, a guide film 71 is provided in an area where the carriage 38 reciprocates. As shown in FIG. 17, when the carriage 38 is moved in the direction of the arrow 117, the carriage 38 moves relative to the film carriage 41, and then the side wall of the carriage 38 and the contact portion 145 of the film carriage 41 contact each other. Touch. Then, the film carriage 41 moves in the direction of the arrow 117 so as to be pushed by the side wall of the carriage 38. The deformed portion 80 of the guide film 71 follows the movement of the film carriage 41. Since the deformed portion 80 is driven by the movement of the film carriage 41, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is always directly opposed to the platen 42. Therefore, ink is applied from the recording head 39 to the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 at a desired timing. Drops are ejected. On the other hand, the facing portion 81 of the guide film 71 does not move relative to the platen 42 in the reciprocating direction 105 even when the film carriage 41 reciprocates. Therefore, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is positioned closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 by the facing portion 81 of the guide film 71.

  As described above, in the operation in which the film carriage 41 is driven by the reciprocation of the carriage 38, the tension of the guide film 71 may fluctuate between the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the film carriage 41 (arrow 117). Specifically, in the guide film 71, the tension on the rear side is larger than the tension on the front side in the direction in which the film carriage 41 travels (arrow 117). As a result, a moment for rotating the film carriage 41 is generated as indicated by an arrow 107 in FIG. Due to this moment, the film carriage 41 rotates in the direction of the arrow 107 within the range of the rattling angle θ allowed between the film carriage 41 and the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the film carriage 41 is inclined to the arrow 107.

  As described above, the film carriage 41 can rotate relative to the carriage 38 in the direction of the arrow 107 in an angle larger than the angle θ. Therefore, even if the film carriage 41 is inclined to the arrow 107 by an angle smaller than the angle θ, The inclination is not transmitted to the carriage 38, and the carriage 38 maintains a stable posture with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is maintained horizontally with respect to the recording paper 90 on the platen 40.

  Further, by sliding the gap adjusting member 188 described above, as shown in FIG. 19, even if the distance from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 to the upper surface of the platen 42, that is, the head gap is changed, the carriage 38 can move relative to the film carriage 41 in the height direction 102, so even if the carriage 38 is moved in the height direction 102, the film carriage 41 is not moved in the height direction 102. That is, the movement of the carriage 38 in the height direction 102 is not transmitted to the film carriage 41, and the carriage 38 only moves relative to the film carriage 41. Thereby, even if the head gap is changed, the guide film 71 is not pulled and tilted in the height direction 102, so that the movement of the carriage 38 in the height direction 102 does not affect the tension of the guide film 71. . Therefore, the carriage 38 is not tilted or the sliding resistance when the carriage 38 is moved is not changed by changing the head gap.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the printer unit 11, the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are coupled so as to be relatively rotatable relative to the guide rails 43 and 44 of the film carriage 41 so as to be relatively rotatable. Even if the tension of the guide film 71 fluctuates with the movement of 41 and the film carriage 41 is inclined with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44, the recording head 39 mounted on the carriage 38 is moved in a stable posture. High-accuracy image recording is realized.

  In addition, since the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are connected so as to be relatively movable with respect to the height direction 102, the film carriage 41 can be moved even if the head gap is adjusted and the carriage 38 is moved in the height direction 102. Since the guide film 71 is not moved in the height direction 102, the tension of the guide film 71 does not change, the posture of the carriage 38 is not disturbed, and the sliding resistance when the carriage 38 is moved does not change. Thereby, even if the gap adjusting mechanism is provided, the recording head 39 mounted on the carriage 38 is moved in a stable posture, so that highly accurate image recording is realized. Further, since it is not necessary to lengthen the guide film 71 in the extending direction for adjusting the head gap, the guide film 71 can be stably extended in the reciprocating direction 105 regardless of the head gap.

  Further, since the first interval 85 between the guide film 71 and the platen 42 is equal to or less than the second interval 86 between the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 and the platen 42, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 does not contact the recording head 39. Can be held with guide film 71

  Further, since the guide film 71 has a flat belt shape, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 can be pressed with a flat surface.

  Further, since the guide film 71 has a width in the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 larger than the length in the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 of the recording head 39, the recording head 39 thereby records on the platen 42. It is possible to reliably prevent a paper jam from occurring due to contact with the paper 50. Further, since the recording paper 90 is positioned at a predetermined distance with respect to the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39, highly accurate image recording is realized.

  In the present embodiment, the gap 139 provided for the relative movement of the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 in the height direction 102 does not hinder the relative rotation between the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 and adjusts the head gap. It is sufficient to have the necessary dimensions for. Therefore, even if the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are assembled so as to be engaged with each other in the height direction 102, a gap 139 necessary for adjusting the head gap is provided in the engaging portion. As a result, even if the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 can move relative to each other in the height direction 102, the same effects as those of the present embodiment can be obtained.

[Modification of First Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, one of the contact portions 145 and 146 of the film carriage 41 assembled so as to be relatively movable in the height direction 102 with respect to the carriage 38 is in contact with one side surface of the carriage 38. The movement of the carriage 38 is transmitted to the film carriage 41, and a gap is formed on the other side. However, instead of the contact portions 145 and 146, the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are connected to each other. Alternatively, they may be connected by elastically deformable rubbers 149 and 150.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the rubber 149 extends in the reciprocating direction 105 and connects one side surface of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction 105 to the film carriage 41. The rubber 150 reciprocates. It extends in the moving direction 105 and connects the other side surface of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction 105 to the film carriage 41. When the carriage 38 moves relative to the arrow 117 to some extent, the rubber 149 is elastically deformed and stretched, and the rubber 150 is loosened. The movement of the carriage 38 in the direction of the arrow 117 is transmitted to the film carriage 41 by the elastically deformed rubber 149. When the carriage 38 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow 117, the same applies except that the expansion and bending of the rubber 149 and the rubber 150 are interchanged.

  Even if the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are tilted or moved in the height direction 102 due to an allowable backlash or a head gap adjustment with respect to the guide frames 43 and 44, a force generated by elastic deformation in the rubbers 149 and 150 Since the component along the height direction 102 is small, the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 only move relative to each other in the reciprocating direction 105 due to a resistance force such as the weight of the carriage 38 or the film carriage 41. As a result, the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 are connected so as to be relatively rotatable and relatively movable in the height direction 102, and the film carriage 41 can be driven by the movement of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction 105. The same effects as the first embodiment described above are exhibited.

  Even if the speed of the film carriage 41 changes suddenly, for example, when the guide film 71 comes into contact with the recording paper 90 on the platen 42, the speed fluctuation of the film carriage 41 is caused by elastic deformation of the rubbers 149 and 150. By being absorbed, it is suppressed that the carriage 38 fluctuates greatly in speed.

  Further, when the film carriage 41 rotates around the forward conveyance direction 104 with respect to the carriage 38 or moves in the height direction 102, the force in the height direction 102 generated in the rubbers 149 and 150 is reciprocated in the direction 105. It can be designed to be very small compared to the force of. If the force in the height direction 102 is sufficiently smaller than the resistance force such as gravity acting on the carriage 38 or friction force generated when the carriage 38 moves in the height direction 102 with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44, the film carriage Even if 41 moves in the height direction 102, the carriage 38 does not move in the height direction 102.

  Further, when the carriage 38 reciprocates at a high speed in the reciprocating direction 105, the carriage 38 and the film carriage 41 relatively move in the reciprocating direction 105 at both ends of the reciprocating range where the moving direction is switched, and a collision sound may be generated. However, the impact sound is reduced by the rubbers 149 and 150.

  Instead of the above-described rubbers 149 and 150, other elastic deformation members such as coil springs may be used.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above mainly in the configuration of the guide films 91 and 92. Therefore, below, the structure of the guide films 91 and 92 in 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated, and description is abbreviate | omitted about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment. Guide films 91 and 92 to be described later correspond to the long members in the present invention. In addition, the member shown with the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment in 2nd Embodiment is the same as 1st Embodiment.

[Guide films 91 and 92]
As shown in FIG. 21, the film carriage 41 is provided with two winding rollers 93 and 94. Each of the winding rollers 93 and 94 is rotatably fixed to the carriage 38 with the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 21) as the axial direction. Although not shown in FIG. 21, the lengths of the winding rollers 93 and 94 in the axial direction are approximately the same as or slightly longer than the widths of guide films 91 and 92 described later. Each of the winding rollers 93 and 94 is arranged on both sides of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction 105 so that the lowest point of the roller surface is closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39.

  Although not shown in FIG. 21, each of the winding rollers 93 and 94 is provided with a coil spring that urges the guide films 91 and 92 in a rotational direction for winding the guide films 91 and 92, respectively. By each coil spring, the winding roller 93 is urged counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 21, and the winding roller 94 is urged clockwise as indicated by an arrow in FIG. The guide films 91 and 92 are wound or pulled out by the two winding rollers 93 and 94, respectively.

  The guide films 91 and 92 have the same flat band shape as the guide film 71 in the first embodiment. The guide films 91 and 92 are respectively connected to both sides of the reciprocating direction 105 in the region where the carriage 38 reciprocates. Each end portion of the guide films 91 and 92 on the film carriage 41 side is wound around winding rollers 93 and 94. Accordingly, the guide films 91 and 92 extend in the reciprocating direction 105 from both sides of the film carriage 41 at a height slightly closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39.

  The guide film 91 is fixed so as not to move relative to the platen 42 by the fixture 65 at the end of the region where the film carriage 41 reciprocates, and extends along the reciprocating direction 105 toward the winding roller 93. Is wound around a winding roller 93. The guide film 92 is fixed so as not to move relative to the platen 42 by a fixture 65 at the end of the region where the film carriage 41 reciprocates, and extends along the reciprocating direction 105 toward the winding roller 94. It is wound around a winding roller 94. The direction in which the guide films 91 and 92 are extended is the longitudinal direction, and the short direction of the guide films 91 and 92 is along the forward conveyance direction 104.

  The guide films 91 and 92 extending from both ends of the area where the film carriage 41 reciprocates are wound around the two take-up rollers 93 and 94, respectively, so that the guide films 91 and 92 reciprocate the film carriage 41. It is provided over the entire moving area. The guide films 91 and 92 are drawn out or taken up from the take-up rollers 93 and 94 following the reciprocation of the film carriage 41. The guide films 91 and 92 are respectively wound on the winding rollers 93 and 94, whereby the guide films 91 and 92 are separated from the platen 42 in the deformation direction 106 on both sides of the film carriage 41, and the guide films 91 and 92 are The guide films 91 and 92 approach the platen 42 on both sides of the film carriage 41 by being pulled out from the winding rollers 93 and 94, respectively.

  The front and back surfaces of the guide films 91 and 92 extend substantially in the horizontal direction. In the present specification, the surface of the front and back surfaces of the guide film 91 that faces the platen 42 is referred to as a facing surface 95. Of the front and back surfaces of the guide film 92, the surface facing the platen 42 is referred to as a facing surface 96. These opposing surfaces 95 and 96 correspond to the plane of the long member in the present invention.

  In addition, a portion of the guide film 91 that is wound around the winding roller 93 is referred to as a deformed portion 97, and a portion that the platen 42 is opposed to other than the deformed portion 97 is referred to as a facing portion 98. In addition, a portion of the guide film 92 that is wound around the winding roller 94 is referred to as a deformed portion 99, and a portion of the platen 42 that is opposed to the deformed portion 99 is referred to as a facing portion 100.

  Although not shown in FIG. 21, the width 83 (the length along the normal conveyance direction 104) of the guide films 91 and 92 is wider than the length 84 along the normal conveyance direction 104 of the nozzle surface 40 in the recording head 39. . And the guide films 91 and 92 are arrange | positioned with respect to the carriage 38 so that the nozzle surface 40 may be settled in the width | variety. The paper detection sensor 32 provided on the carriage 38 is also arranged at a position that fits within the width of the guide films 91 and 92.

  In the image recording operation similar to that in the first embodiment described above, guide films 91 and 92 are provided in a region where the film carriage 41 reciprocates, and the winding rollers 93 and 94 are films driven by the carriage 38. Following the reciprocation of the carriage 41, the guide films 91 and 92 are taken up or pulled out. As a result, the deformed portions 97 and 99 follow the movement of the carriage 38, so that the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is always directly opposed to the platen 42. On the other hand, the opposing portions 98 and 100 of the guide films 91 and 92 do not move relative to the platen 42 in the reciprocating direction 105 even when the film carriage 41 reciprocates. Therefore, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is positioned closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 by the opposing portions 98 and 100 of the guide films 91 and 92.

  Similarly to the first embodiment described above, the film carriage 41 can rotate relative to the carriage 38 by a relative amount larger than the maximum rotatable amount of the film carriage 41 with respect to the guide rails 43, 44. Even if tilted to 107, the tilt is not transmitted to the carriage 38, and the carriage 38 maintains a stable posture with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is maintained horizontally with respect to the recording paper 90 on the platen 40.

  Further, even if the head gap is changed, the guide films 91 and 92 are not pulled obliquely in the height direction 102, so that the movement of the carriage 38 in the height direction 102 causes the tension of the guide films 91 and 92. Does not affect. Therefore, the carriage 38 is not tilted or the sliding resistance when the carriage 38 is moved is not changed by changing the head gap. Thereby, the same operation effect as a 1st embodiment mentioned above is produced.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above mainly in the configuration of the guide film 141. Therefore, the configuration of the guide film 141 in the third embodiment will be described below, and the description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted. A guide film 141 described later corresponds to the long member in the present invention. In addition, the member shown with the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment in 3rd Embodiment is the same as 1st Embodiment.

[Guide film 141]
As shown in FIG. 22, two rollers 142 and 143 are provided on both sides of the moving range of the film carriage 41. Although not appearing in FIG. 22, the rollers 142 and 143 are rotatably fixed to the frame of the printer unit 11 with the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 22) as the axial direction. Yes. Further, the lengths of the rollers 142 and 143 in the axial direction are the same as or slightly longer than the width of the guide film 141 described later. The rollers 142 and 143 are disposed on both sides of the film carriage 41 in the reciprocating direction 105 so that the lowest point of the roller surface is closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39.

  The guide film 141 has the same flat band shape as the guide film 71 in the first embodiment. Both ends of the guide film 141 are connected to both sides in the reciprocating direction 105 of the film carriage 41, respectively. The connection position of the guide film 141 in the film carriage 41 is a height closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 and is the same height as the lowest point of the roller surfaces of the rollers 142 and 143 described above. .

  The guide film 141 is extended from both sides of the film carriage 41 in the reciprocating direction 105, wound around the rollers 142 and 143 at both ends of the movement range of the film carriage 41, and returned to the upper side of the film carriage 41. Thus, an endless ring is formed as a whole. The direction in which the guide film 141 is extended is the longitudinal direction, and the short direction of the guide film 141 is along the forward conveyance direction 104.

  The guide film 141 extended from both ends of the film carriage 41 is wound around the two rollers 142 and 143 to form an endless annular shape, so that the guide film 141 covers the entire area where the film carriage 41 reciprocates. Is provided. The guide film 141 follows the reciprocation of the film carriage 41 and moves between the rollers 93 and 94.

  The front and back surfaces of the guide film 141 extend substantially in the horizontal direction. In this specification, the surface of the front and back surfaces of the guide film 141 that faces the platen 42 is referred to as a facing surface 144. The facing surface 144 corresponds to the plane of the long member in the present invention.

  Although not shown in FIG. 22, the width 83 (the length along the normal conveyance direction 104) of the guide film 141 is wider than the length 84 along the normal conveyance direction 104 of the nozzle surface 40 in the recording head 39. And the guide film 141 is arrange | positioned with respect to the carriage 38 so that the nozzle surface 40 may be settled in the width | variety. Further, the paper detection sensor 32 provided on the carriage 38 is also arranged at a position that fits within the width of the guide film 141.

  In an image recording operation similar to that in the first embodiment described above, a guide film 141 is provided in a region where the carriage 38 reciprocates, and the guide film 141 is attached to the film carriage 41 that is driven by the reciprocation of the carriage 38. The counter surface 144 that follows the peripheral movement and faces the platen 42 moves in the reciprocating direction 105 together with the film carriage 41. As a result, the guide film 141 follows the movement of the carriage 38, so that the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is always directly opposed to the platen 42. In addition, the carriage 38 moves in the reciprocating direction 105 in a state where the facing surface 144 of the guide film 141 is maintained at a constant distance from the platen 42. Therefore, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is positioned closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 by the facing surface 144 of the guide film 141.

  Similarly to the first embodiment described above, the film carriage 41 can rotate relative to the carriage 38 by a relative amount larger than the maximum rotatable amount of the film carriage 41 with respect to the guide rails 43, 44. Even if tilted to 107, the tilt is not transmitted to the carriage 38, and the carriage 38 maintains a stable posture with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is maintained horizontally with respect to the recording paper 90 on the platen 40.

  Even if the head gap is changed, the guide film 141 is not pulled in the height direction 102 at both ends in the reciprocating direction 105 of the film carriage 41 so that the film is not inclined. Does not affect the tension of the guide film 141. Therefore, the carriage 38 is not tilted or the sliding resistance when the carriage 38 is moved is not changed by changing the head gap. Thereby, the same operation effect as a 1st embodiment mentioned above is produced.

  In the present embodiment, both ends of one guide film 141 having a flat belt shape are connected to the carriage 38 and wound around rollers 142 and 143 so that the guide film 141 including the film carriage 41 is endless. Although an annular form is shown, the guide film 141 itself is wound around the rollers 142 and 143 in an endless annular shape, and a through hole corresponding to the nozzle surface 40 is formed in a part of the guide film 141. Then, an embodiment in which the film carriage 41 is connected to the endless annular guide film 141 with the through hole and the nozzle surface 40 matched may be adopted in the present invention.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above mainly in the configuration of the guide films 151 and 152. Accordingly, the configuration of the guide films 151 and 152 in the fourth embodiment will be described below, and the description of the same configuration as that in the first embodiment will be omitted. Guide films 151 and 152 described later correspond to the long members in the present invention. In addition, the member shown with the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment in 4th Embodiment is the same as 1st Embodiment.

[Guide films 151, 152]
As shown in FIG. 23, two winding rollers 153 and 154 are provided at both ends of the moving range of the film carriage 41. Although not shown in FIG. 23, the winding rollers 153 and 154 are rotatably fixed to the frame of the printer unit 11 with the direction along the normal conveyance direction 104 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 23) as the axial direction. Has been. The axial lengths of the winding rollers 153 and 154 are approximately the same as or slightly longer than the widths of guide films 151 and 152 described later. The winding rollers 153 and 154 are arranged at both ends of the movement range of the carriage 38 so that the lowest point of the roller surface is closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39.

  Although not appearing in FIG. 23, each of the take-up rollers 153 and 154 is provided with a coil spring that urges the guide films 151 and 152 in the rotational direction to take up the guide films 151 and 152, respectively. By each coil spring, the winding roller 153 is biased clockwise as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 23, and the winding roller 154 is biased counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow in FIG. The guide films 151 and 152 are wound or pulled out by the two winding rollers 153 and 154, respectively.

  The guide films 151 and 152 have the same flat band shape as the guide film 71 in the first embodiment. The ends of the guide films 151 and 152 drawn from the winding rollers 153 and 154 are connected to both sides of the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction 105, respectively. Each connection position of the guide films 151 and 152 in the film carriage 41 is closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 and is the same as the lowest point of the roller surface of each of the take-up rollers 153 and 154 described above. It is height. Accordingly, the guide films 151 and 152 are extended from both sides of the film carriage 41 in the reciprocating direction 105 at a height slightly closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39. The direction in which each guide film 151, 152 is extended is the longitudinal direction, and the short direction of each guide film 151, 152 is along the forward conveyance direction 104.

  Guide films 151 and 152 extending from both ends in the reciprocating direction 105 of the film carriage 41 are wound around two winding rollers 153 and 154 respectively disposed at both ends of the moving range of the film carriage 41. Thus, the guide films 151 and 152 are provided over the entire region in which the film carriage 41 reciprocates. The guide films 151 and 152 are drawn out or taken up from the take-up rollers 153 and 154 following the reciprocation of the film carriage 41.

  The front and back surfaces of the guide films 151 and 152 extend in a substantially horizontal direction. In this specification, the surface of the front and back surfaces of the guide film 151 that faces the platen 42 is referred to as a facing surface 155. Of the front and back surfaces of the guide film 152, the surface facing the platen 42 is referred to as a facing surface 156. These facing surfaces 155 and 156 correspond to the plane of the long member in the present invention.

  Although not appearing in FIG. 23, the width 83 (the length along the normal conveyance direction 104) of the guide films 151 and 152 is wider than the length 84 along the normal conveyance direction 104 of the nozzle surface 40 in the recording head 39. . And the guide films 151 and 152 are arrange | positioned with respect to the film carriage 41 so that the nozzle surface 40 may be settled in the width | variety. The paper detection sensor 32 provided on the carriage 38 is also arranged at a position that fits within the width of the guide films 151 and 152.

  In the image recording operation similar to that in the first embodiment described above, guide films 151 and 152 are provided in areas where the carriage 38 reciprocates, and the winding rollers 153 and 154 are driven by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38. The guide films 151 and 152 are taken up and pulled out following the film carriage 41 to be operated. The opposing surfaces 155 and 156 of the guide films 151 and 152 move in the reciprocating direction 105 together with the carriage 38. As a result, the guide films 151 and 152 follow the movement of the carriage 38, so that the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is always directly opposed to the platen 42. In addition, the carriage 38 moves in the reciprocating direction 105 in a state where the opposing surfaces 155 and 156 of the guide films 151 and 152 are maintained at a constant distance from the platen 42. Therefore, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is positioned closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 by the opposing surfaces 155 and 156 of the guide films 151 and 152.

  Similarly to the first embodiment described above, the film carriage 41 can rotate relative to the carriage 38 by a relative amount larger than the maximum rotatable amount of the film carriage 41 with respect to the guide rails 43, 44. Even if tilted to 107, the tilt is not transmitted to the carriage 38, and the carriage 38 maintains a stable posture with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is maintained horizontally with respect to the recording paper 90 on the platen 40.

  Even if the head gap is changed, the guide films 151 and 152 are not pulled obliquely in the height direction 102 at both ends in the reciprocating direction 105 of the film carriage 41, so that the height direction of the carriage 38 The movement to 102 does not affect the tension of the guide films 151 and 152. Therefore, the carriage 38 is not tilted or the sliding resistance when the carriage 38 is moved is not changed by changing the head gap. Thereby, the same operation effect as a 1st embodiment mentioned above is produced.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The fifth embodiment is mainly different in the configuration of the guide wire 54 from the first embodiment described above. Accordingly, the configuration of the guide wire 54 in the fifth embodiment will be described below, and the description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted. A guide wire 54 described later corresponds to a long member (strand) in the present invention. In addition, the member shown with the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment in 5th Embodiment is the same as 1st Embodiment.

[Guide wire 54]
Similar to the first embodiment, the film carriage 41 is provided with four rollers 72 to 75. As shown in FIG. 24, the guide wire 54 is a rope. The guide wires 54 are respectively connected to both sides of the reciprocation direction 105 in the region where the film carriage 41 reciprocates, and are stretched along the reciprocation direction 105 with a predetermined tension. In the present embodiment, a plurality of guide wires 54 are stretched side by side at a predetermined interval with respect to the normal conveyance direction 104. In FIG. 24, the purge mechanism 130, the wiper 131, and the waste ink tray 132 are omitted, but the guide wire 54 is extended to a position that covers the purge mechanism 130, the wiper 131, and the waste ink tray 132. .

  The guide wire 54 is wound around each of the rollers 72 to 75 provided on the film carriage 41 and is deformed so as to surround other than the lower side of the film carriage 41. A part in which the guide wire 54 is deformed around the film carriage 41 is referred to as a deformed portion 55 in this specification. A part of the guide wire 54 other than the deformed portion 55 facing the upper surface of the platen 42 is referred to as a facing portion 56. In the deformed portion 55 of the guide wire 54, the direction in which the rollers 72 and 75 are respectively wound and separated and approached to the platen 42 is the deformation direction 106 described above.

  Opposing portions 56 of the guide wire 54 extend from both sides of the film carriage 41 in the reciprocating direction 105 at a height closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39. And it fixes so that it may not move relatively with respect to the platen 42 by the fixing tool 65 and the roller 66 on both sides of the reciprocating region. As described above, the direction in which the guide wire 54 extends in the portion other than the deformed portion 55 is the longitudinal direction. The length along the normal conveyance direction 104 in the region where the plurality of guide wires 54 is stretched is wider than the length 84 of the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 in the normal conveyance direction 104.

  Although not shown in FIG. 24, the distance from the facing portion 56 of the guide wire 54 to the upper surface of the platen 42 is slightly smaller than the distance from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 to the upper surface of the platen 42.

  Similar to the guide film 71 of the first embodiment, the film carriage 41 is driven by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38, so that the guide wire 54 follows the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38. Deform. That is, since the deformed portion 55 follows the movement of the carriage 38, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is always directly opposed to the platen 42. On the other hand, even if the deformed portion 55 follows the reciprocating motion of the carriage 38, the facing portion 56 does not move relative to the platen 42 in the reciprocating motion direction 105. Therefore, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is positioned closer to the platen 42 than the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 by the facing portion 56 of the guide wire 54.

  Similarly to the first embodiment described above, the film carriage 41 can rotate relative to the carriage 38 by a relative amount larger than the maximum rotatable amount of the film carriage 41 with respect to the guide rails 43, 44. Even if tilted to 107, the tilt is not transmitted to the carriage 38, and the carriage 38 maintains a stable posture with respect to the guide rails 43 and 44. That is, the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39 is maintained horizontally with respect to the recording paper 90 on the platen 40.

  Further, even if the head gap is changed, the guide wires 54 are not pulled obliquely in the height direction 102 at both ends in the reciprocating direction 105 of the film carriage 41, so that the height direction 102 of the carriage 38 is not inclined. Does not affect the tension of each guide wire 54. Therefore, the carriage 38 is not tilted or the sliding resistance when the carriage 38 is moved is not changed by changing the head gap. Thereby, the same operation effect as a 1st embodiment mentioned above is produced.

  Further, since the plurality of guide wires 54 are arranged along the normal conveyance direction 104, the recording paper 90 can be positioned at a predetermined distance from the platen 42 at a plurality of locations along the normal conveyance direction 104 on the platen 42. it can.

  In this embodiment, a plurality of guide wires 54 are provided. However, even if there is only one guide wire 54, the recording paper 90 on the platen 42 is moved to the platen 42 side from the nozzle surface 40 of the recording head 39. Can be positioned.

11: Printer unit (image recording device)
38 ... Carriage (first carriage)
39: Recording head 41 ... Film carriage (second carriage)
42 ... Platen 46 ... Belt drive mechanism (drive mechanism)
54 ... Guide wire (long member, rope)
65 ... Fixing tool (support member)
71, 91, 92, 141, 151, 152 ... Guide film (long member)
72-75 ... Roller (guide member)
93, 94 ... winding rollers 133, 134 ... caps 142, 143 ... rollers 149, 150 ... rubber (elastic deformation member)
153, 154 ... Winding roller

Claims (15)

A platen that supports the sheet;
A first carriage that faces the platen and is guided by a guide and is movable in a first direction along the sheet;
A recording head mounted on the first carriage for selectively ejecting ink droplets onto the sheet;
The platen faces the platen, is guided by a guide and is movable in the first direction, transmits a force in the first direction to and from the first carriage, and is applied to the first carriage. A second carriage parallel to the platen and relatively rotatable about a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and greater than a predetermined first angle;
A regulating member that is provided on the second carriage and regulates a relative rotation angle of the second carriage around the second direction with respect to the guide to be equal to or less than the first angle by contacting the guide;
A drive mechanism for moving the first carriage;
A long member that extends in the first direction and faces the platen in a region where the second carriage moves, and that is driven by the movement of the second carriage so that the recording head directly faces the platen. And an image recording apparatus.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second carriage is movable relative to the first carriage in a third direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the platen.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a gap adjusting mechanism for changing a distance between the recording head and the platen is provided in the first carriage.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first carriage and the second carriage can come into contact with each other by being relatively moved in the first direction.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first carriage and the second carriage are connected by an elastically deformable member that is elastically deformable in the first direction. A support member for fixing the elongated member with respect to the first direction;
A guide member provided on the second carriage and further driven in a third direction in which the elongate member is separated and approached from the platen as the second carriage moves. An image recording apparatus according to any one of the above.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the guide member is configured to deform the long member in the third direction so as to surround the second carriage. The guide member is a winding roller provided on each side of the second carriage in the first direction;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the long member is wound around the winding roller and deformed in the third direction.   The elongate member is connected to both sides of the second carriage in the first direction, and is wound around rollers provided at both ends of the moving range of the second carriage to form an endless ring. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1.   The long member is connected to both sides of the second carriage in the first direction, and is wound around respective winding rollers respectively provided at both ends of the moving range of the second carriage. 6. The image recording apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 5.   11. The first interval between the long member and the platen in the vicinity of the second carriage is equal to or less than the second interval between the position closest to the platen and the platen in the recording head. The image recording apparatus described in 1.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elongate member has a flat belt shape having a flat surface facing the platen.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the long member has a width in the second direction wider than a length in a second direction of a recording area in the recording head on the plane.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the long member is a rope.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the elongate member is formed by arranging a plurality of ropes facing the platen and arranged in the second direction.

Images