JP5742904B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that records an image on a sheet, and more particularly, to an image recording apparatus in which a user can directly abut the leading end of a sheet against a pair of conveyance rollers disposed in a sheet conveyance path.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image recording apparatus in which a user can bring a sheet into contact with a nip position of a pair of conveying rollers as a setting reference position is known. As such an image recording apparatus, Patent Document 1 discloses a printer. In the printer described in Patent Document 1, the user strikes the sheet at the nip position of the pair of conveying rollers while following the sheet guide by hand. By the operation of the paper insertion detector, it is detected in the control circuit section that a paper has been inserted. When the insertion of the sheet is detected, the control circuit unit operates the motor driving unit that drives the pair of conveying rollers, and the sheet feeding is executed.

  When the user can bring the sheet into contact with the nip position of the conveying roller pair, the feeding roller that feeds the sheet from the tray on which the sheet is placed to the nip position of the conveying roller pair (what is the conveying roller pair? This eliminates the need for another roller) and contributes to cost reduction of the apparatus.

JP-A-4-329166

  Also, an image recording apparatus is known in which a drive source that drives a pair of conveyance rollers and a drive source of another mechanism mounted on the apparatus are used as a common drive source.

  In the printer described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to nip the sheet at the nip position of the pair of conveying rollers. In order to nip the sheet, it is considered that the image recording apparatus is provided with a control mechanism in which the conveying roller pair performs normal rotation by a predetermined amount (for example, several millimeters) after the user contacts the sheet at the nip position of the conveying roller pair It is done.

  However, a structure in which the driving source for driving the conveying roller pair and the driving source of another mechanism mounted in the apparatus are used as a common driving source is disclosed in Patent Document 1, in which the user is at the nip position of the conveying roller pair. When employed in an image recording apparatus capable of bringing a sheet into contact, the following problems may occur. When the conveyance roller pair is rotated forward in order to nip the sheet abutted against the conveyance roller pair, there is a possibility that another mechanism having a common drive source with the conveyance roller pair is driven in a state where it should not be driven originally. is there.

  For example, when the driving source for driving the pair of conveying rollers is the same as the driving source for driving the suction mechanism for sucking ink from the nozzles that eject ink droplets on the sheet, the pair of conveying rollers is driven to nip the sheet. Each time the ink is sucked from the nozzle by the suction mechanism, the amount of ink consumed increases. When the driving source for driving the conveying roller pair is the same as the feeding roller for feeding the sheet held on the tray, the feeding roller pair drives the tray every time the conveying roller pair is driven to nip the sheet. A new sheet will be fed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to remove a sheet abutted against a pair of conveying rollers by a user without adversely affecting the apparatus by driving other mechanisms in the apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of nipping with a pair of conveying rollers.

(1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a first tray on which a sheet is placed, a drive source capable of forward / reverse rotation, and a pair of conveying rollers disposed in a sheet conveying path. A pair of conveying rollers capable of nipping the leading edge of the sheet placed on the driving mechanism, a driving mechanism that performs drive function transmission from the driving source and performs a function realizing operation of the apparatus, and the driving mechanism that transmits driving force from the driving source and A switching mechanism capable of switching to a first state in which the function realizing operation is performed, and a second state in which the driving mechanism does not perform the function realizing operation even when driving is transmitted from the driving source, and forward or reverse rotation of the driving source. A drive transmission mechanism for transmitting either one of the driving to the pair of conveying rollers and the driving mechanism, and transmitting the other driving to the pair of conveying rollers and the switching mechanism; and a sheet placed on the first tray. Sheet detection unit that detects presence or absence And on the condition that the sheet detecting unit detects that the sheet is placed on the first tray, the driving source is driven to the other of the forward rotation and the reverse rotation to move the switching mechanism to the second state. And a control mechanism for driving the drive source forward or backward to nip the sheet to the pair of conveying rollers.

  The sheet placed on the first tray is detected by the sheet detection unit. When this detection is confirmed by the control mechanism, the drive mechanism is driven to the other of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation by the control mechanism, and the switching mechanism is switched to the second state. Thereafter, the drive source is driven in one of forward rotation and reverse rotation by the control mechanism, and the drive mechanism is driven. Even when the driving mechanism is driven, the switching mechanism is switched to the second state, so that the driving mechanism does not perform the function realizing operation. On the other hand, in the conveying roller pair, the drive to one of the driving sources is transmitted, and the sheet abutted on the conveying roller pair is nipped. In the image recording apparatus of the present invention, it is sufficient that one of the forward rotation and the reverse rotation from the driving source is transmitted to at least one of the rollers constituting the conveying roller pair, and the conveying roller pair is not necessarily configured. It need not be transmitted to both rollers.

(2) In the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the posture is changed between a recording head that discharges ink droplets from the nozzles, a first posture that is in close contact with the recording head and covers the nozzles, and a second posture that is separated from the recording head. And a cap to be further provided. The drive mechanism may include a suction mechanism that communicates with the cap and sucks ink from the nozzle. The function realizing operation is suction of ink by the suction mechanism, and the switching mechanism is configured such that the first state in which the cap and the suction mechanism are communicated with each other and the communication between the cap and the suction mechanism is blocked. It can be switched between two states.

  When the cap is in the first posture, the nozzle is covered with the cap and sealed, so that the ink is sucked when the suction mechanism is driven. On the other hand, when the cap is in the second posture, the nozzle is not sealed, so that the ink is not sucked even if the suction mechanism is driven. Therefore, control for switching the state of the switching mechanism by the control mechanism is executed only when the cap is in the first posture.

  When the drive mechanism is transmitted from the drive source to the suction mechanism, if the switching mechanism is in the first state, the cap and the suction mechanism are in communication with each other, so that the ink is sucked from the nozzle. When the drive mechanism is transmitted from the drive source to the suction mechanism, if the switching mechanism is in the second state, since the communication between the cap and the suction mechanism is blocked, the ink is not sucked from the nozzles.

When the sheet placed on the first tray is detected by the sheet detection unit and the cap is in the first posture, the drive mechanism is driven to the other by the control mechanism, and the switching mechanism is switched to the second state. Thereafter, the drive mechanism is driven to one side by the control mechanism, but since the switching mechanism is switched to the second state, ink is not sucked from the recording head. On the other hand, in the conveying roller pair, the drive to one of the driving sources is transmitted, and the sheet abutted on the conveying roller pair is nipped. As described above, the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveyance rollers while preventing wasteful ink consumption.

(3) The image recording apparatus of the present invention may further include a switching detection unit that detects the state of the switching mechanism. The control mechanism detects that the switching mechanism is in the second state when the sheet detection unit detects that a sheet is placed on the first tray. With this condition, the drive source is driven to one of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation without being driven to the other of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation, and the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveying rollers.

  Under the above conditions, the switching mechanism is already in the second state. Therefore, the control mechanism does not drive the drive source for switching the switching mechanism. That is, the control mechanism drives the drive source to one side without driving the other. Therefore, the operation of causing the sheet to nip the conveyance roller pair is quickly executed.

(4) The image recording apparatus of the present invention may further include a cap detection unit that detects the posture of the cap. The control mechanism detects that the cap is in the second posture by the cap detection unit when the sheet detection unit detects that a sheet is placed on the first tray. As a condition, the drive source is driven to one of normal rotation and reverse rotation without being driven to the other of normal rotation and reverse rotation, and the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveying rollers.

  Under the above-described conditions, the cap is separated from the recording head. Therefore, ink is not sucked from the nozzles even if the suction mechanism is driven when the switching mechanism is in the first state (a state where the cap and the suction mechanism are in communication). That is, even if the switching mechanism is not switched to the second state, wasteful ink consumption is prevented. Therefore, the control mechanism does not drive the drive source for switching the switching mechanism. That is, the control mechanism drives the drive source to one side without driving the other. Therefore, the operation of causing the sheet to nip the conveyance roller pair is quickly executed.

(5) The image recording apparatus further includes a second tray for holding a sheet, and the driving mechanism abuts on the sheet held on the second tray and moves from the second tray to the pair of conveying rollers. And a sheet feeding roller capable of feeding a sheet. The function realizing operation is feeding of a sheet by the feeding roller, and the switching mechanism is a paper feeding arm that rotates the paper feeding roller that is pivotally supported at a leading end. A posture change between a first state in which the sheet held on the sheet feeding roller and the second tray is in contact and a second state in which the sheet held on the sheet feed roller and the second tray is separated from each other. It is.

  Even if the drive source is driven to one side, if the sheet feeding arm is switched to the second state, the sheet held on the second tray is separated from the sheet feeding roller, so that the sheet is not fed from the second tray. . On the other hand, in the conveying roller pair, the drive to one of the driving sources is transmitted, and the sheet abutted on the conveying roller pair is nipped. Accordingly, the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveying rollers while avoiding erroneous sheet feeding from the second tray.

(6) The sheet detection unit may detect the presence or absence of a sheet fed from the second tray to the transport roller pair by the sheet feeding roller.

  The detection of the sheet placed on the first tray and in contact with the pair of conveyance rollers and the detection of the sheet held on the second tray and brought into contact with the pair of conveyance rollers are performed by the same sheet detection unit. Therefore, the number of detection units mounted on the apparatus can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, an image recording apparatus capable of nipping a sheet abutted against a pair of conveyance rollers by a user without adversely affecting the apparatus by driving another mechanism in the apparatus. Can be provided.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 that is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit 80. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the purge mechanism 44. FIG. 5A shows a state where the cap 46 is not lifted up, and FIG. 5B shows a state where the cap 46 is lifted up. Yes. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit 80 and is a view showing the appearance of the port switching mechanism 59. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the port switching mechanism 59. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the intake port 93 is not in communication with any of the other ports 94 to 98, and FIG. 7B shows the intake port. 93 and the Bk port 95 are shown in communication with each other, and (C) shows a state in which the intake port 93 is not in communication with any of the other ports 94 to 98. Fig. 5 shows a state where the intake port 93 and the Co port 96 are communicated with each other. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 130. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a nip control procedure performed by the control unit 130. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a nip control procedure performed by the control unit 130.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a multifunction machine 10 as an example of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state in which the multifunction device 10 is installed (the state in FIG. 1), and the side on which the operation panel 121 is provided is the front side (front side). A direction 8 is defined, and a left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side (front).

  An image reading unit 12 is provided in the upper part of the multifunction device 10, an operation panel 121 is provided on the front side of the upper surface, and an ink jet recording type printer unit 11 is provided in the lower part. The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a copy function. In the present embodiment, the multifunction device 10 having only a single-sided image recording function as a printer function is described, but the multifunction device 10 may have a double-sided image recording function.

[Configuration of Image Reading Unit 12]
The image reading unit 12 is disposed on the upper part of the printer unit 11 and includes a scanner unit 122. The scanner unit 122 is configured as a flat bed scanner (FBS) and an automatic document feeder (ADF). In the present invention, the scanner unit 122 reads an image recorded on a document. Any configuration is possible so long as it is not described in detail in this specification.

[Configuration of Operation Panel 121]
An operation panel 121 for operating the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 122 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the multifunction machine 10 and on the upper surface of the front side of the scanner unit 122. The operation panel 121 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit. The multifunction machine 10 operates in response to an instruction input from the operation panel 121.

[Configuration of Printer Unit 11]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer unit 11 includes a casing (housing) 14 having openings formed on the front surface and the back surface. Each component of the printer unit 11 is disposed in the casing 14. A storage chamber is defined so as to continue from an opening (not shown) in front of the printer unit 11 to the inside of the casing 14. A paper feed cassette 78 (an example of the second tray of the present invention, see FIG. 2) is mounted in the accommodation chamber. The paper feed cassette 78 is configured to be able to be inserted into and removed from the front opening 8 in the front-rear direction 8. The paper feed cassette 78 can hold recording paper of various sizes (an example of the sheet of the present invention). In the present embodiment, the multi-function device 10 capable of mounting only one paper feed cassette 78 is described, but the multi-function device 10 may be capable of mounting a plurality of paper feed cassettes 78.

  On the back surface 14 </ b> A of the printer unit 11, a manual feed tray 20 (an example of the first tray of the present invention) is disposed at a height between the scanner unit 122 and the paper feed cassette 78 so as to be openable and closable. 2, the manual feed tray 20 is opened and closed by rotating about the base shaft 21 as a rotation center axis. FIG. 1 shows a state where the manual feed tray 20 is closed. In FIG. 2, a state in which the manual feed tray 20 is opened is indicated by a solid line, and a state in which the manual feed tray 20 is closed is indicated by a broken line. Various sizes of recording paper can be placed on the manual feed tray 20 in an opened state. On the back surface 14 </ b> A of the printer unit 11, a back surface opening 13 is provided at a position facing the base end portion (lower end portion) of the manual feed tray 20. The recording sheet is inserted by the user of the multifunction machine 10 forward from the back opening 13 while being held on the sheet placement surface of the manual feed tray 20.

  Next, the configuration of the printer unit 11 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, illustration of the front side (the right side of the paper) of the paper feed cassette 78 is omitted. In addition to the paper feeding cassette 78, the printer unit 11 picks up recording paper from the paper feeding cassette 78 and feeds (feeds) the recording paper, and ink is applied to the recording paper fed by the feeding unit 15. An ink jet recording type recording unit 24 that discharges droplets to form an image on recording paper is provided.

[Conveyance path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, a conveyance path 65 extending from the paper feed cassette 78 and the manual feed tray 20 through the recording unit 24 to the paper discharge holding unit 79 is formed inside the printer unit 11. The conveyance path 65 includes a curved path 65A formed between the front end (rear side end) of the paper feed cassette 78 and the recording unit 24, and a curved path 65A from the front end (front end) of the manual feed tray 20. And a paper discharge path 65C formed between the recording unit 24 and the paper discharge holding unit 79. The paper discharge holding unit 79 may be configured integrally with the paper feed cassette 78 or may be fixed to the frame of the printer unit 11 or the like.

The curved path 65 </ b> A is a curved path extending from the vicinity of the upper end of the separation inclined plate 22 provided in the paper feed cassette 78 to the recording unit 24. The recording paper is conveyed backward from the paper feed cassette 78. The recording sheet is U-turned from the lower side to the upper side by the curved path 65A on the back side of the apparatus. Thereafter, the recording sheet is conveyed forward. The curved path 65A is partitioned by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that face each other with a predetermined interval. In addition, the outer side guide member 18 and the inner side guide member 19, and also the 1st lower side guide member 180 mentioned later, the 1st upper side guide member 181, the 2nd upper side guide member 182, the 2nd lower side guide member 183, and the 3rd upper side guide Each member 184 extends in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2 (the horizontal direction 9 in FIG. 1).

  The conveyance path 65B is a linear path extending from the back opening 13 of the printer 11 to the junction 65D with the curved path 65A. The recording paper is inserted through the back opening 13 and the conveyance path 65B so as to contact the nip position 60A of the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 (an example of the conveyance roller pair of the present invention). The conveyance path 65B is partitioned by a first lower guide member 180 and a first upper guide member 181 that face each other with a predetermined interval therebetween. A second upper guide member 182 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the first upper guide member 181. Here, the conveyance direction refers to the direction in which the recording paper is conveyed along the conveyance path 65 (the direction indicated by the two-dot chain line with an arrow in FIG. 2). The second upper guide member 182 extends so as to connect the tip (front end) of the first upper guide member 82 and the vicinity of the upper side of the confluence 65D, and the recording sheet inserted from the manual feed tray 20 is connected to the second upper guide member 182. Then, it is guided to the nip position 60A through the junction 65D. In the present embodiment, the first lower guide member 180 and the outer guide member 18 are formed separately, but both may be formed integrally. Moreover, although the 1st upper side guide member 181 and the 2nd upper side guide member 182 are formed separately, both may be formed integrally.

  The paper discharge path 65C is partitioned by a second lower guide member 183 and a third upper guide member 184 that are provided downstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction. The paper discharge path 65C guides to the downstream side in the transport direction while supporting the lower surface of the image-recorded recording paper transported by the second transport roller 62. The third upper guide member 184 is disposed above the second lower guide member 183. The third upper guide member 184 and the second lower guide member 183 are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval through which the recording paper can pass.

[Feeding unit 15]
The feeding unit 15 is for conveying the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 78 toward the curved path 65A, and includes a paper feed roller 25 (an example of the paper feed roller of the present invention) and a paper feed arm. 26 (an example of a switching mechanism and a paper feed arm of the present invention) and a paper feed drive transmission mechanism 27. The paper feed roller 25 is disposed above the paper feed cassette 78. The paper feed roller 25 picks up the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 78 and feeds it to the curved path 65 </ b> A, and is rotatably supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed roller 25 is driven to rotate when the rotational force of the paper feed motor is transmitted via the paper feed drive transmission mechanism 27. The paper feed drive transmission mechanism 27 is pivotally supported by the paper feed arm 26 and is composed of a plurality of gears arranged in a straight line substantially along the extending direction of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed roller 25 rotates around the base shaft 28 as a rotation center axis, and can be pressed against the upper surface of the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 78.

[Registration sensor 110]
The curved path 65A has a resist for detecting the leading end position of a recording sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette 78 and conveyed through the curved path 65A, or a recording sheet inserted from the manual feed tray 20 via the conveyance path 65B. A sensor 110 (an example of a sheet detection unit of the present invention) is provided. The resist sensor 110 is, for example, a photo interrupter having a rotating body having detectors 112A and 112B, a light emitting element (for example, a light emitting diode), and a light receiving element (for example, a phototransistor) that receives light emitted from the light emitting element. The optical sensor 111 is comprised. The rotating body is provided to be rotatable about the support shaft 113. Detector 112
A protrudes from the support shaft 113 to the curved path 65A. In a state where no external force is applied to the rotator 112, the detector 112B enters an optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element of the optical sensor 111 and blocks light passing through this optical path.

[Recording unit 24]
FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit 11. The recording unit 24 is disposed above the paper feed cassette 78. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the recording unit 24 includes a carriage 31 that carries a recording head 30 (an example of the recording head of the present invention) and reciprocates in the main scanning direction. The recording head 30 is supplied with inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) from an ink cartridge (not shown) through an ink tube 33. The head carriage 31 reciprocates along guide rails 35 and 36 extended in the main scanning direction. Accordingly, the recording head 30 is scanned with respect to the recording sheet, and image recording is performed on the recording sheet conveyed on the platen 34 provided below the recording unit 24.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 30 is exposed on the lower surface side of the carriage 31. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) are provided on the nozzle surface 48 of the recording head 30. Each nozzle is provided for each color ink of CMYBk. Each color ink is ejected from each nozzle as a fine ink droplet. Four exhaust holes (not shown) are provided on the left or right side of the nozzle. Each exhaust hole corresponds to each color ink of CMYBk. Each exhaust hole communicates with a bubble storage chamber (not shown) provided inside the recording head 30.

  A first transport roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 are provided between the end of the curved path 65 </ b> A and the recording unit 24. These are paired. The pinch roller 61 is disposed below the first transport roller 60 and is pressed against the roller surface of the first transport roller 60 by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown). The first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 nipping the recording sheet conveyed through the curved path 65A and the conveyance path 65B and feeding it onto the platen 34. A second transport roller 62 and a spur roller 63 are provided between the recording unit 24 and the start end of the paper discharge path 65C. These are paired. The second conveying roller 62 and the spur roller 63 pinch the recorded recording sheet and further convey it to the downstream side (the discharge holding section 79 side) in the conveying direction.

  The first conveyance roller 60 and the second conveyance roller 62 are supplied from a conveyance motor 76 (an example of a drive source of the present invention, see FIG. 8) via a drive transmission mechanism (an example of a drive transmission mechanism of the present invention, not shown). The rotational driving force is transmitted and rotated. The first transport roller 60 and the second transport roller 62 are intermittently driven during image recording. Therefore, image recording is performed while the recording sheet is sent with a predetermined line feed width.

[Drive transmission mechanism]
The drive transmission mechanism is composed of a planetary gear or the like, and transmits one of the forward drive force and the reverse drive force of the transport motor 76 to a pump 54 (an example of the drive mechanism and suction mechanism of the present invention) described later. The other rotational driving force opposite to the one rotational driving force is transmitted to a port switching mechanism 59 (an example of the switching mechanism of the present invention) described later. The first transport roller 60 and the second transport roller 62 are rotated in the direction in which the recording paper is transported downstream in the transport direction by one rotational driving force of the transport motor 76, and the other of the transport motor 76 is rotated. The recording paper is rotated in the direction to be transported upstream in the transport direction by the rotational driving force.

[Maintenance unit]
As shown in FIG. 3, a maintenance unit 80 is disposed in a region where the recording paper on both sides in the left-right direction 9 of the platen 34 does not pass. As shown in FIG. 4, the maintenance unit 80 includes a purge mechanism 44 and a waste liquid tank 81. In FIG. 3, the waste liquid tank 81 is disposed below the guide rail 36 and is not shown in the figure.

  The purge mechanism 44 sucks and removes bubbles and foreign substances together with ink from the nozzles of the recording head 30. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the purge mechanism 44 includes a cap 46 (an example of a cap of the present invention) that covers the nozzles of the recording head 30, an exhaust cap 53 that covers the exhaust holes of the recording head 30, and the cap 46. Alternatively, a pump 54 connected to the exhaust cap 53 for suction, a lift-up mechanism 55 (see FIG. 5) for bringing the cap 46 and the exhaust cap 53 into and out of contact with the recording head 30, and the pump 54 and the waste liquid tank 81 are connected. A pump tube 82 and the like.

  The cap 46 is made of rubber. The cap 46 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface 48 (see FIG. 2) by the lift-up mechanism 55 to form a space between the nozzle surface 48 and surround the nozzle. The inside of the cap 46 is divided into two spaces according to the color ink (CMY) nozzles and the black ink (Bk) nozzles. A space is formed. Although not shown, an air inlet is provided at the bottom of each space of the cap 46, and each air inlet is connected to the pump 54 via a port switching mechanism 59. The port switching mechanism 59 will be described later.

  The exhaust cap 53 is also made of rubber. The exhaust cap 53 is also in close contact with the nozzle surface 48 (see FIG. 2) and surrounds the exhaust hole of the recording head 30. In the exhaust cap 53, four push rods 50 corresponding to the exhaust holes for the respective color inks of CMYBk are erected vertically upward. By inserting the push rod 50 into the exhaust hole, the check valve provided in the exhaust hole is relieved. An intake port (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the exhaust cap 53, and this intake port is connected to the pump 54 via a port switching mechanism 59.

  The pump 54 is a rotary tube pump. In the present embodiment, the pump 54 includes a casing having an inner wall surface and a roller that rolls along the inner wall surface. A pump tube 82 is disposed between the roller and the inner wall surface, and the roller is driven. As a result, the pump tube 82 is handled, and the ink in the pump tube 82 is pushed from the upstream side (such as the intake port of the cap 46 and the exhaust cap 53) to the downstream side (waste liquid tank 81).

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the lift-up mechanism 55 includes a pair of left and right isometric links 64. By rotating the isometric link 64, the holder 90 is translated and displaced between the standby position and the contact position. In FIG. 5A, the holder 90 is in the standby position, and in FIG. 5B, the holder 90 is in the contact position. The holder 90 includes a contact lever 91 protruding vertically upward. When the carriage 31 presses the contact lever 91 in the right direction in FIG. 5, the holder 90 is moved to the contact position. The cap 46 and the exhaust cap 53 are mounted on the holder 90. The cap 46 and the exhaust cap 53 are brought into close contact with the periphery of the nozzles of the recording head 30 and the exhaust hole when the holder 90 is moved to the close contact position (corresponding to the first posture of the present invention). By being moved to the position, it is separated from the recording head 30 (corresponding to the second posture of the present invention). The carriage 31 is moved by a motor (for example, a carriage (CR) driving motor 311, see FIG. 8). Further, as long as the cap 46 is changed in posture to the first posture and the second posture, the structure for changing the posture of the cap 46 is not limited to the one performed by the lift-up mechanism 55 as described above.

In the vicinity of the cap 46, a position detection sensor 461 (an example of the cap detection unit of the present invention, see FIG. 8) for detecting the posture of the cap 46 is provided. The position detection sensor 461 includes, for example, a sliding body that slides up and down in response to a change in the posture of the cap 46, a light emitting element (for example, a light emitting diode), and a light receiving element (for example, a photo detector) that receives light emitted from the light emitting element. And an optical sensor such as a photo interrupter having a transistor). When the cap 46 is in the first posture, the sliding body is positioned in the optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element, and blocks light passing through the optical path. The posture of the cap 46 is detected based on the presence or absence of the blocking.

[Switching section]
The port switching mechanism 59 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) switches the cap 46, the exhaust cap 53, and the pump 54 to a connected state or a disconnected state. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the port switching mechanism 59 includes a cover 99 provided with six ports 93 to 98, and a disk-shaped switching member 92 disposed inside the cover 99. . The switching member 92 is rotated by a conveyance motor 76 (see FIG. 8), and connects the ports 93 to 98 as described later. The cover 99 is made of resin and has a bottomed cylindrical shape. An intake port 93 is formed at the center of the bottom wall of the cover 99. A pump tube 82 is connected to the intake port 93. The pump tube 82 is connected to the tube joint 105 of the waste liquid tank 81 through the pump 54 and the tube joint 82A.

  The other five ports 94 to 98 are provided on the side wall of the cover 99 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The exhaust port 94 communicates with the exhaust cap 53 (see FIG. 4) via the tube 100. The Bk port 95 communicates with the cap 46 (see FIG. 4) via the tube 101. Specifically, the Bk port 95 communicates with a black ink space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48. The Co port 96 communicates with the cap 46 (see FIG. 4) via the tube 102. Specifically, the Co port 96 communicates with a color ink space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48. Atmospheric ports 97 and 98 are open to the atmosphere.

  The ink sucked from the recording head 30 by the maintenance unit 80 is sent to the waste liquid tank 81 as follows. Hereinafter, the ink suction processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the carriage 31 is slid and the contact lever 91 is pressed rightward, the holder 90 is moved to the close contact position. That is, the cap 46 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface 48 by the lift-up mechanism 55 to form a space therebetween. The switching member 92 is driven, and the intake port 93 is not in communication with any of the other ports 94 to 98 (FIG. 7A). That is, the space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48 is blocked from the atmosphere and is in a non-communication state with the pump 54 (corresponding to the second state of the present invention). In this state, the pump 54 is driven and negative pressure is charged in the pump tube 82. The switching member 92 is driven, and the intake port 93 and the Bk port 95 are communicated (FIG. 7B). That is, a portion corresponding to black ink in the space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48 is connected to the pump 54 (corresponding to the first state of the present invention). As a result, the black ink stored in the portion corresponding to the black ink in the space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48 is sucked to the pump 54 side at once. The sucked ink is absorbed by the waste liquid tank 81 through the tube pump 82.

The switching member 92 is driven, and the intake port 93 is not in communication with any of the other ports 94 to 98 (FIG. 7C). That is, the space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48 is blocked from the atmosphere and is in a non-communication state with the pump 54 (corresponding to the second state of the present invention). In this state, the pump 54 is driven, and the pump tube 82 is charged with negative pressure. The switching member 92 is driven, and the intake port 93 and the Co port 96 are communicated (FIG. 7D). That is, the portion corresponding to the color ink in the space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48 is connected to the pump 54 (corresponding to the first state of the present invention). As a result, the color ink stored in the portion corresponding to the color ink in the space formed between the cap 46 and the nozzle surface 48 is sucked to the pump 54 side at once. The sucked ink is absorbed by the waste liquid tank 81 through the tube pump 82. Thereafter, when the carriage 31 is slid away from the contact lever 91, the cap 46 is returned to the second posture by the lift-up mechanism 55.

  As shown by a broken line in FIG. 7A, a rotating body 92 </ b> A that rotates integrally with the switching member 92 is provided above or below the switching member 92. The rotating body 92A is provided with convex portions 92B, 92C, and 92D that protrude outward in the radial direction. These convex portions 92B, 92C, and 92D are disposed at positions that are out of phase with respect to the rotation of the rotating body 92A, and the convex portions 92B, 92C, and 92D are separated by a predetermined rotation angle of the rotating body 92A. Has been. A sensor 92E is disposed at a position facing the outer periphery of the rotating body 92A. When the sensor 92E and the convex portions 92B, 92C, and 92D face each other, an ON electrical signal is output from the sensor 92E. When the sensor 92E and the convex portions 92B, 92C, and 92D do not face each other, an OFF electrical signal is output from the sensor 92E. Is done. The rotational phase of the switching member 92 is grasped by the output (on / off) cycle of the sensor 92E. That is, the rotating body 92A and the sensor 92E are examples of the switching detection unit of the present invention.

[Control unit 130]
Hereinafter, a schematic configuration of the control unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. When the control unit 130 performs nip control according to a flowchart described later, the control mechanism of the present invention is realized by the control unit 130.

  The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10. The control unit 130 is configured as a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 131, a ROM 132, a RAM 133, an EEPROM 134, and an ASIC 135. These are connected by an internal bus 137.

  The ROM 132 stores a program for the CPU 131 to control various operations of the multifunction machine 10 and a program for executing a state determination process described later. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data and signals used when the CPU 131 executes the program, or as a work area for data processing. The EEPROM 134 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  The ASIC 135 is connected to an optical sensor 111, a conveyance motor 76, and the like. The ASIC 135 incorporates a drive circuit that controls the conveyance motor 76. When a drive signal for rotating the transport motor 76 is input from the CPU 131 to the drive circuit, a drive current corresponding to the drive signal is output from the drive circuit to the transport motor 76, whereby the transport motor 76 is Forward or reverse rotation at a predetermined rotation speed. The switching member 92, the first conveyance roller 60, and the second conveyance roller 62 are rotated by the rotation of the conveyance motor 76.

  The optical sensor 111 outputs an analog electric signal (voltage signal or current signal) corresponding to the intensity of light received by the light receiving element. The output signal is input to the control unit 130, and the control unit 130 determines whether the electrical level (voltage value or current value) is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. When the input signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, it is determined as a HIGH level signal, and when it is less than the predetermined threshold, it is determined as a LOW level signal.

[Nip control]
In the printer unit 11 configured as described above, the control unit 130 performs nip control for sandwiching the recording sheet in contact with the nip position 60 </ b> A between the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. Hereinafter, the processing procedure of the nip control will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. In this nip control, for example, the standby state in which the paper feed roller 25, the first transport roller 60, and the like are not driven (the paper feed command from the paper feed cassette 78, the print command, etc. are not instructed by the control unit 130. In this state, the processing is executed when the registration sensor 110 detects the recording sheet. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, when the conveyance motor 76 is rotated forward, the recording paper is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction, and the ink is discharged from the nozzles of the recording head 30 by the purge mechanism 44. When the conveyance motor 76 is reversely rotated, the recording sheet is conveyed upstream in the conveyance direction, and the cap 46 and the pump 54 are switched between the connected state and the disconnected state by the port switching mechanism 59. Shall be.

  In the standby state, when the recording paper is placed on the manual feed tray 20 and inserted so as to contact the nip position 60 </ b> A by the user of the multifunction machine 10, the registration sensor 110 detects the leading end portion of the recording paper. (S10).

  In step S10, when the registration sensor 110 detects the leading edge of the recording paper, the control unit 130 waits for a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) until the next process is executed (S20). Thereafter, when the multifunction machine 10 is an apparatus having a function of correcting the skew of the recording paper (S30), the skew correction of the inserted recording paper is executed (S40). Specifically, the conveyance motor 76 is reversely rotated by a predetermined phase amount by the control unit 130 to release the state in which the recording paper inserted obliquely into the nip position 60A is inserted from the nip position 60A. It abuts on the nip position 60A in a state where the skew is corrected by its own weight.

  Further, the port switching mechanism 59 is driven by reversely rotating the transport motor 76. By this driving, the intake port 93 is not communicated with any of the other ports 94 to 98, that is, the second state shown in FIG. 7A (S50).

  In step S30, if the multifunction machine 10 is an apparatus that does not have the function of correcting the skew of the recording paper, whether or not the switching member 92 of the port switching mechanism 59 is in the second state is determined by the rotating body 92A and the sensor. It is detected by 92E (S60). When it is detected that the switching member 92 is not in the second state, it is detected by the position detection sensor whether the cap 46 is in the second posture separated from the recording head 30 (S70). When it is detected that the cap 46 is not in the second posture, the port switching mechanism 59 is shifted to the second state (S50).

  If it is detected in step S60 that the switching member 92 is in the second state, if it is detected in step S70 that the cap 46 is in the second posture, or the port switching mechanism 59 is shifted to the second state in step S50. After that, a nip process is executed by the control unit 130 (S80). Specifically, the conveyance motor 76 is rotated forward by a predetermined phase amount by the control unit 130, and the recording paper that has been in contact with the nip position 60A is moved to the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 by the amount corresponding to the forward rotation. Is sandwiched between.

  Thereafter, the control unit 130 notifies the user that the recording paper placed on the manual feed tray 20 has been normally nipped, that is, has been normally fed (S90). For example, a message to that effect is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation panel 121.

[Effect of the embodiment]
The recording paper placed on the manual feed tray 20 is detected by the registration sensor 110. When the detection is confirmed by the control unit 130, the control unit 130 drives the conveyance motor 76 to the other of forward rotation and reverse rotation, and the port switching mechanism 59 is in the second state (the intake port 93 is connected to the other ports 94 to 98). The state is not communicated with any of the above. Thereafter, the controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 76 to one of forward rotation and reverse rotation, and the pump 54 is driven. Even when the pump 54 is driven, since the intake port 76 is not connected to any of the other ports 94 to 98, ink is not sucked by the pump 54. On the other hand, in the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, the drive to one of the conveying rollers 76 is transmitted, and the recording paper abutted on the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 is nipped.

  When the cap 46 is in the first posture, the nozzle is covered and sealed with the cap 46, so that ink is sucked when the pump 54 is driven. On the other hand, when the cap 46 is in the second posture, the nozzle is not sealed, so that ink is not sucked even when the pump 54 is driven. Therefore, control for switching the state of the port switching mechanism 59 is performed by the control unit 130 only when the cap 46 is in the first posture.

  If the port switching mechanism 59 is in the first state when driving is transmitted from the transport motor 76 to the pump 54, the cap 46 and the pump 54 are in communication with each other, so that ink is sucked from the nozzles. If the port switching mechanism 59 is in the second state when driving is transmitted from the transport motor 76 to the pump 54, the communication between the cap 46 and the pump 54 is blocked, so that ink is not sucked from the nozzles.

  When the recording sheet placed on the manual feed tray 20 is detected by the registration sensor 110 and the cap 46 is in the first posture, the control motor 130 drives the transport motor 76 to the other side, and the port switching mechanism 59 is moved to the second position. Switch to state. Thereafter, the transport motor 76 is driven in one direction by the control unit 130, but ink is not sucked from the recording head 30 because the port switching mechanism 59 is switched to the second state. On the other hand, in the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, the drive to one of the conveying rollers 76 is transmitted, and the recording paper abutted on the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 is nipped. As described above, the recording paper is nipped by the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 while preventing wasteful ink consumption.

  When it is detected by the rotating body 92A and the sensor 92E that the port switching mechanism 59 is in the second state, the control unit 130 switches the port switching mechanism 59 from the first state to the second state for the conveyance motor 76. Do not drive. That is, the control unit 130 drives the conveyance motor 76 in one direction without driving it in the other direction. Therefore, the operation of nipping the recording paper between the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 is quickly executed.

  When the position detection sensor detects that the cap 46 is in the second posture, the cap 46 is separated from the recording head 30. Therefore, even if the pump 54 is driven when the port switching mechanism 59 is in the first state, ink is not sucked from the nozzles. That is, even if the port switching mechanism 59 is not switched to the second state, wasteful ink consumption is prevented. Therefore, the control unit 130 does not drive the transport motor 76 in order to switch the port switching mechanism 59 to the second state. That is, the control unit 130 drives the conveyance motor 76 in one direction without driving it in the other direction. Therefore, the operation of nipping the recording paper between the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 is quickly executed.

[Modification of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the driving mechanism is configured by the pump 54 and the switching mechanism is configured by the port switching mechanism 59. However, the driving mechanism is configured by the sheet feeding roller 25, and the switching mechanism is configured by the sheet feeding arm 26. It may be constituted by.

  In this embodiment, the driving force of the conveyance motor 76 is transmitted to the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed arm 26 rotates around the base shaft 28 as a rotation center axis by the other rotational driving force opposite to one of the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the conveyance motor 76. As a result, the paper feed arm 26 is switched between a first state in which the paper feed roller 25 abuts on the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 78 and a second state in which the paper feed roller 25 is separated from the recording paper.

  Further, an arm state detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the state of the paper feed arm 26 is provided. The arm state detection sensor has the same configuration as the position detection sensor that detects the posture of the cap 46 described above, for example. In the above-described embodiment, whether or not the switching mechanism (port switching mechanism 59) is in the second state is detected by the sensor 92E, but in this embodiment, the switching mechanism (paper feeding arm 26). Whether or not is in the second state is detected by an arm state detection sensor. That is, the role of the sensor 92E in the above-described embodiment is played by the arm state detection sensor in this embodiment.

  In the case of this embodiment, in the printer unit 11, the nip control is performed by the control unit 130 according to the procedure shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the processing procedure of the nip control will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. Note that the description of the same procedure as that shown in FIG. 9 is omitted.

  The processing from step S210 to S250 is the same as the processing from step S10 to S50 in FIG. In step S230, if the multifunction machine 10 is an apparatus that does not have the function of correcting the skew of the recording paper, whether or not the paper feed arm 26 is in the second state is detected by the arm state detection sensor ( S260). If it is detected that the paper feed arm 26 is not in the second state, the paper feed arm 26 is shifted to the second state (S250). When it is detected in step S260 that the switching member 92 is in the second state, or after the sheet feeding arm 26 is shifted to the second state in step S250, the nip process is executed by the control unit 130 (S280). The processes in steps S280 and S290 are the same as the processes in steps S80 and S90 in FIG.

  Even if the conveyance motor 76 is driven to one side, if the paper feeding arm 26 is switched to the second state, the paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper held in the paper feeding cassette 78 are separated from each other. Are not fed from the paper feed cassette 78. On the other hand, in the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, the drive to one of the conveyance motors 76 is transmitted, and the recording paper abutted on the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 is nipped. Accordingly, the recording paper is nipped by the first conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 while avoiding erroneous feeding of the recording paper from the paper feed cassette 78.

  Detection of a recording sheet placed on the manual feed tray 20 and in contact with the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 and detection of the recording sheet held by the sheet feeding cassette 78 against the first conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. Since the recording sheet that is in contact is detected by the same registration sensor 110, it is possible to reduce the number of means for detecting the recording sheet such as the registration sensor 110 that is mounted in the multifunction machine 10.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 11 ... Printer part 20 ... Manual feed tray 54 ... Pump 59 ... Port switching mechanism 110 ... Registration sensor 130 ... Control part

Claims (9)

A bypass tray,
A drive motor;
When the drive motor rotates in one direction, the sheet that is manually fed via the manual feed tray by nip is conveyed by nip and conveyed, and a pair of conveyance rollers that are reversed when the drive motor rotates in the other direction;
A recording head that ejects ink onto a sheet conveyed by the pair of conveying rollers that normally rotate;
A switching mechanism that switches between a suction state in which a suction force of a pump for sucking ink from the recording head acts and a non-suction state in which the suction force of the pump does not act when the drive motor rotates in the other direction;
A control unit, the control unit,
After executing the transition process of rotating the drive motor in the other direction to bring the switching mechanism into the non-suction state, the drive motor is rotated in one direction by a predetermined amount to manually feed the pair of transport rollers via the manual feed tray. Image recording apparatus for executing a nip process for nipping the leading end portion of the sheet.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump operates so that the suction force of the pump acts when the drive motor rotates in one direction, and does not operate when the drive motor rotates in the other direction. A cap for covering the ink discharge surface of the recording head;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the switching mechanism switches between the suction state that seals the communication path from the cap to the pump and the non-suction state that opens the communication path to the atmosphere. The switching mechanism has a switching member that is rotated by the drive motor, and the switching member periodically changes to either the suction phase or the non-suction phase when the drive motor rotates in the other direction, and the switching member sucks the switching member. 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching mechanism is in the suction state when positioned in a phase, and the switching mechanism is in the non-suction state when the switching member is positioned in a non-suction phase. The switching mechanism operates to switch between the suction state and the non-suction state when the drive motor rotates in the other direction, and does not operate when the drive motor rotates in one direction. The image recording apparatus described in 1. A sheet detection unit that outputs a detection signal when a sheet is present at a detection position between the manual feed tray and the pair of conveyance rollers;
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit executes the transition process and the nip process when the switching mechanism is in the suction state when the sheet detection unit outputs the detection signal. The image recording apparatus described. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit executes the nip process when the switching mechanism is in the non-suction state when the sheet detection unit outputs the detection signal.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit executes the nip process at least after a predetermined time has elapsed since the sheet detection unit output the detection signal.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a notification process for notifying a user after performing the nip process.

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