JP5751275B2 - Guide shaft bearing device, recording device - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, a guide shaft extending in the scanning direction of a recording head for recording on a recording medium is inserted, a bearing member whose inner peripheral surface is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft, and a lubricant holding for holding a lubricant The present invention relates to a casing member that forms a space around the guide shaft, and a guide shaft bearing device that includes the casing member. The present invention also relates to a recording apparatus provided with the bearing device for the guide shaft.

  A carriage provided with a recording head in a recording apparatus typified by a printer is configured to reciprocate in the main scanning direction while being guided by a guide shaft extending in the scanning direction of the recording head (hereinafter referred to as “main scanning direction”). Has been.

  The carriage is provided with a bearing device that includes a bearing member that is inserted through the guide shaft and is in sliding contact with the guide shaft during reciprocation in the main scanning direction. ~ 3.

Japanese Patent No. 3865035 JP 2006-82379 A JP 2005-193432 A

  In such a bearing device, lubricating oil or lubricating grease is used as the lubricant for reducing the frictional resistance between the guide shaft and the bearing member, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above. For example, when lubricating oil is used, as shown in Patent Document 1, a ring-shaped felt member impregnated with lubricating oil is inserted through the guide shaft, and the lubricating oil is supplied from the felt member to the guide shaft. Etc. are taken. When using lubricating grease, as shown in Patent Document 2, the lubricant filling space is divided into carriages, and the grease is supplied from the lubricant filling space to the guide shaft.

  Here, when an O-ring bearing member that is in sliding contact with the entire circumference of the guide shaft can be adopted as the bearing structure, a lubricant filling space is formed between the guide shaft outer peripheral surface at a position adjacent to the bearing member. In doing so, the lubricant filling space is easily sealed. In such a sealed lubricant filling space, air flows along the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft as the carriage moves in the main scanning direction, so that the lubricating grease is removed from the lubricant filling space. A tendency to be drawn out to the outer peripheral surface side of the guide shaft occurs. Accordingly, the lubricating grease is guided to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft over a long period of time.

  However, in some cases, an O-ring-shaped bearing member that is in sliding contact with the entire circumference of the guide shaft cannot be adopted as the bearing structure. For example, in a large printer capable of recording on extremely large size paper such as A0 size paper, the guide shaft becomes very long. Therefore, the guide shaft is bent only by supporting both ends of the guide shaft, and the recording quality is increased. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately support the guide shaft at a plurality of positions over the span in the longitudinal direction.

  In such a configuration, since the support member for the guide shaft must be avoided during the carriage movement, it is difficult to form a sealed space for holding the lubricant between the guide shaft and the outer periphery of the guide shaft. It is necessary to have a C-ring-like open structure that exposes a part. A bearing device for a guide shaft having such an open structure is described in, for example, Patent Document 3 described above.

  When an open structure that exposes part of the periphery of the guide shaft is employed, air flow along the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft hardly occurs during the movement operation of the carriage in the main scanning direction. It becomes difficult to pull out from the filling space to the outer peripheral surface side of the guide shaft. In particular, when the casing member forming the lubricant filling space is configured separately from the bearing member, the casing member is slightly separated from the guide member in order to ensure reliable contact between the guide shaft and the bearing member. In such a case, there is almost no air flow along the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft when the carriage moves in the main scanning direction.

  Therefore, even if the lubricant is fully filled in the lubricant filling space in the initial state after the assembly of the device, and the lubricating grease comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft, the use of the device is accompanied. The lubrication grease moves away from the guide shaft, and thereafter, the state in which the lubrication grease is not supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft continues, and the frictional resistance may increase. On the other hand, the lubricating oil has higher fluidity than the lubricating grease, but the bearing device having the open structure as described above has a problem such as oil leakage and does not conform to the structure.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to continuously supply the lubricant held in the lubricant holding space to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft in a bearing device having an open structure. There is in doing so.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the guide shaft bearing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the guide shaft extending in the scanning direction of the recording head for recording on the recording medium is inserted, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is A bearing device for a guide shaft, comprising: a bearing member that is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft; a casing member that forms a lubricant holding space for holding a lubricant around the guide shaft; The lubricant holding space has an open structure that exposes a part of the periphery of the guide shaft, and contacts the guide shaft at a position adjacent to the lubricant holding space from the lubricant holding space to the guide shaft. And a lubricant guide member for guiding the lubricant.

  According to this aspect, the lubricant guide member that guides the lubricant from the lubricant holding space to the guide shaft in contact with the guide shaft is provided at a position adjacent to the lubricant holding space that holds the lubricant. Therefore, even if the lubricant held in the lubricant holding space is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft, the lubricant is guided to the guide shaft by the lubricant guide member. Accordingly, in the bearing device in which the bearing member and the lubricant holding space have an open structure in which a part of the periphery of the guide shaft is exposed, the lubricant held in the lubricant holding space is continuously applied to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft. Can be supplied to.

  The guide shaft bearing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the guide shaft bearing device according to the first aspect, wherein the lubricant guide member is formed of a material having oil absorbability, and the lubricant holding Lubricating grease is held in the space, and the lubricant guide member is impregnated with lubricating oil in an initial state after assembly of the bearing device of the guide shaft.

  According to this aspect, since the lubricant guide member is formed of a material having oil absorbability and the lubricating grease is held in the lubricant holding space, the lubricating grease is lubricated by the high viscosity of the lubricating grease. At the same time, the base oil (base oil) constituting the lubricating grease is absorbed by the lubricant guide member and reliably reaches the guide shaft. Since the lubricant guide member is impregnated with lubricating oil in the initial state after the assembly of the bearing device, a large amount of lubricating grease base oil is held in the lubricant holding space soon after the start of use of the device. Can be prevented, that is, sudden reduction of the lubricating grease held in the lubricant holding space can be prevented.

  A guide shaft bearing device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the guide shaft bearing device according to the second aspect, wherein the lubricating grease held in the lubricant holding space is assembled in the guide shaft bearing device. The lubricant holding space is filled so as to come into contact with the guide shaft in a rear initial state.

  According to this aspect, the lubricating grease held in the lubricant holding space is filled in the lubricant holding space so as to come into contact with the guide shaft in the initial state after assembly of the bearing device of the guide shaft. The lubrication performance is ensured more reliably soon after the start of use of the apparatus.

  A guide shaft bearing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the guide shaft bearing device according to the second or third aspect, in which the base oil of the lubricating grease and the lubricant guide member are lubricated. It is characterized by being the same as oil.

  According to this aspect, since the base oil of the lubricating grease held in the lubricant holding space and the lubricating oil impregnated in the lubricant guiding member are the same, the base oil of the lubricating grease is added to the lubricant guiding member. Good affinity when absorbed.

  A guide shaft bearing device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the guide shaft bearing device according to any of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the bearing member contains the same oil as the base oil of the lubricating grease. It is characterized by being a sintered oil-impregnated bearing.

According to this aspect, since the bearing member is a sintered oil-impregnated bearing, and the oil contained therein is the same as the base oil of the lubricating grease, the lubricant supplied to the guide shaft by the lubricant guide member Good compatibility with (that is, base oil of lubricating grease).
A guide shaft bearing device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the guide shaft bearing device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the casing member is screwed to the mounting portion to which the casing member is attached. A screw hole for fixing is formed, and at least one of the casing member and the attachment portion blocks entry of the lubricant component leaked from the lubricant holding space into the screw hole. A blocking part is provided.
Since a stress concentration portion is formed inside the screw hole, if the mounting portion is made of a resin material and a lubricant component enters the screw hole, a crack may occur due to a chemical attack. However, according to this aspect, since the blocking part for blocking the entry of the lubricant component leaked from the lubricant holding space into the screw hole is provided, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the above-described problems. it can.

  A recording apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes a recording head for recording on a recording medium, a guide shaft extending in the scanning direction of the recording head, the recording head, and any one of the first to sixth aspects. And a carriage having a bearing device for the guide shaft according to the above. According to this aspect, in the recording apparatus, it is possible to obtain the same effects as any of the first to sixth aspects.

1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part of the printer according to the invention. The perspective view which shows the support state of a guide shaft and a guide plate. The perspective view of the state which attached the bearing apparatus of the guide shaft which concerns on this invention to the carriage. The perspective view of the bearing apparatus of the guide shaft which concerns on this invention. The cross-sectional view of the guide shaft bearing device according to the present invention. The perspective view of a casing member. The cross-sectional view of the bearing device according to the present invention. The perspective view of the casing member which concerns on other embodiment. The rear view of the casing member which concerns on other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an example of a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part, and FIG. 3 is a guide shaft 18 and a guide plate 19. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where a guide shaft bearing device (hereinafter simply referred to as “bearing device”) 32 according to the present invention is attached to the carriage 16, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the same.

  First, the configuration of the printer 1 will be outlined with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The printer 1 is a large-sized printer capable of recording up to a roll paper (recording medium) P having a relatively large width such as JIS standard A0 size, B0 size, etc., and includes a roll paper supply unit 3 and a recording execution unit. 4 is provided with a main body portion 2 provided with 4 and a paper discharge receiving portion 5.

  The main body 2 is provided on an upper portion of a support column 8 erected on the base 9 and has a discharge port 6 for discharging the recorded roll paper P obliquely downward. An opening 7 of the stacker 10 is located below the discharge port 6, and the recorded roll paper P is discharged from the discharge port 6 toward the opening 7 and received by the stacker 10.

  The roll paper supply unit 3 is configured to be capable of storing a roll paper roll (hereinafter referred to as “roll”) R, and the roll paper P is fed out from the roll R and supplied obliquely downward to the recording execution unit 4 that executes recording. Is done. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 15 denotes a roll paper holder, a spindle (not shown) for inserting the shaft core of a roll R having a hollow shaft core, and flanges (disc-shaped members shown) provided at both ends thereof. The roll R is set in the roll paper holder 15. When the roll paper is supplied, the roll paper P is supplied to the downstream side by rotating the roll paper holder 15 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  The recording execution unit 4 is provided on the upstream side of the recording head 17, the recording head 17 that discharges ink to the roll paper P, the guide member 25 that is disposed to face the recording head 17, and the roll paper P to the downstream side. A transport driving roller 23 for transporting and a transport driven roller 24 in pressure contact therewith are provided.

  The recording head 17 is provided on the carriage 16, and the carriage 16 extends in the scanning direction of the recording head 17 (the front and back direction in FIG. 2: hereinafter referred to as “main scanning direction”), and similarly in the main scanning direction. While being guided by the extending guide plate 19, it receives power from a motor (not shown) and moves in the main scanning direction.

  Further, the carriage 16 is supported by the guide shaft 18 and the guide plate 19, whereby the distance between the head surface of the recording head 17 and the roll paper P is regulated. Here, the distance between the head surface of the recording head 17 and the roll paper P is a concept including the parallelism between the head surface of the recording head 17 and the roll paper P.

  A paper suction unit (not shown) is provided on the downstream side of the recording head 17. The paper suction unit places the roll paper P in a restricted state so that the roll paper P does not float on the downstream side of the recording head 17. Deterioration of recording quality due to the floating of P is prevented.

The above is the general configuration of the printer 1, and the bearing device 32 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.
2 and 3, reference numeral 12 denotes a base frame extending in the main scanning direction. A plurality of support members 30 are attached to the base frame 12 with a substantially constant span in the main scanning direction. Thus, the guide shaft 18 is supported from below at an appropriate support interval. A plurality of support members 27 are attached with a substantially constant span in the main scanning direction like the support member 30 and the guide plate 19 is supported.

  The carriage 16 is provided with bearing devices 32 on both sides in the main scanning direction. When the guide shaft 18 is inserted through the bearing devices 32, the two bearing devices 32, that is, the carriage 16 are moved by the guide shaft 18. It becomes a supported state. FIG. 4 shows one of the bearing devices 32 provided on both sides of the carriage 16 in the main scanning direction.

  The guide plate 19 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the guide shaft 18 on the upstream side in the roll paper conveyance direction. On the other hand, sliders 31 a and 31 b are provided on the carriage 16 so as to sandwich the guide plate 19. The sliders 31 a and 31 b are brought into sliding contact with the guide plate 19 as the carriage 16 moves.

  With the above configuration, the carriage 16 hangs almost all of its own weight on the guide shaft 18, and the turning tendency (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2) around the guide shaft 18 is stopped by the guide plate 19. The distance between the recording head 17 and the guide member 25 is defined.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the bearing device 32 includes a casing member 33, a lubricant guide member 34 disposed in the casing member 33, and a bearing member provided adjacent to the casing member 33. 35.

  The casing member 33 has an open structure having a substantially C shape (C ring shape) in front view in which a part of a cylindrical shape is cut out (see also FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, a resin material is used. Is formed by. The casing member 33 has a lubricant holding that holds an inner circumferential surface of the casing member 33 with the circumferential surface of the guide shaft 18 in a state where the guide shaft 18 is inserted (in this embodiment, grease indicated by a symbol G). A space 33a is formed.

  The bearing member 35 has an open structure having a substantially C shape (C ring shape) in front view in which a part of the cylindrical shape is cut out in the same manner as the casing member 33. In this embodiment, the bearing member 35 is a sliding bearing. More specifically, it is a sintered oil-impregnated bearing formed of a metal material, and its inner peripheral surface comes into sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 as the carriage 16 moves in the main scanning direction.

  The lubricant guide member 34 has an open structure having a C-ring shape like the casing member 33. In the present embodiment, the lubricant guide member 34 is formed of a material having oil absorbability (for example, a felt material). The inner peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 comes into sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 in accordance with the movement operation in the scanning direction. The lubricant guide member 34 is disposed at a position adjacent to the lubricant holding space 33a, and the guide shaft 18 is provided inside the casing member 33 by a locking means (not shown) provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the casing member 33. It is held so as not to move in the axial direction.

  Here, the lubricant retained in the lubricant retaining space 33a is grease (indicated by symbol G in FIG. 6) in the present embodiment, and in the present embodiment, the initial state after assembly of the device (the lifetime of the device). The inside of the lubricant holding space 33a is fully filled through the lubricant injection hole 33b formed in the casing member 33. That is, the grease G in the lubricant holding space 33a is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 in the initial state after the assembly of the apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the lubricant guide member 34 is impregnated with lubricating oil. In the initial state after the assembly of the apparatus, the lubricant guide member 34 is impregnated with the lubricating oil. Yes. In the present embodiment, the lubricating oil impregnated in the lubricant guide member 34 is the same as the base oil of the lubricating grease G held in the lubricant holding space 33a.

  When the casing member 33 and the bearing member 35 are attached to the carriage 16, the bearing member 35 is disposed inside the carriage 16 and the casing member 33 is disposed outside the carriage 16. The lubricant holding space 33a is disposed between the bearing member 35 and the lubricant guide member 34.

  The bearing device 32 (the casing member 33, the lubricant guide member 34, and the bearing member 35) has an open structure that exposes part of the periphery of the guide shaft 18 for the following reason. That is, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment is a large-sized printer that can record up to a roll paper (recording medium) P having a relatively large width such as A0 size or B0 size, that is, the guide shaft 18 is long. is there.

  For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the guide shaft 18 from being bent. Therefore, as described with reference to FIG. 3, a configuration is adopted in which the guide shaft 18 is supported by the support member 30 at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal span. For this reason, in the bearing device 32, it is necessary to avoid the support member 30 in accordance with the operation of the carriage 16. Therefore, an open structure that exposes a part of the periphery of the guide shaft 18 is adopted.

  The effects of the bearing device 32 configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG. In the initial state after the assembly of the apparatus, the lubricant guide member 34 is impregnated with lubricating oil, so that the lubricant is lubricated from the inner peripheral surface of the lubricant guide member 34 to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 during the operation of the carriage 16. Oil is supplied, and sliding frictional resistance between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member 35 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 is reduced.

  Similarly, in the initial state after the assembly of the device, the lubricating grease G inside the lubricant holding space 33a is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18, so that the lubricating grease G is obtained soon after the start of use of the device. Thus, the sliding frictional resistance between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member 35 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 is reduced.

  As described above, the bearing device 32 has an open structure that exposes a part of the periphery of the guide shaft 18, and since the sealing property of the lubricant holding space 33 a is not ensured, the lubricant holding space accompanying the movement operation of the carriage 16. The grease G in the guide shaft 18 is not attracted to the outer peripheral surface side of the guide shaft 18, so that the grease G in the lubricant holding space 33a is immediately after the start of use of the apparatus as shown in FIG. Get away from.

  However, since the lubricant guide member 34 is disposed adjacent to the lubricant holding space 33a, the base oil of the grease G held in the lubricant holding space 33a is guided by the lubricant as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. It is absorbed by the member 34 and guided to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 18 through the lubricant guide member 34.

  As described above, even in the bearing device 32 having an open structure that exposes a part of the periphery of the guide shaft 18, the grease G (base oil of the grease G) held in the lubricant holding space 33 a is removed from the guide shaft 18. It becomes possible to continuously supply to the outer peripheral surface.

In the present embodiment, the base oil of grease G held in the lubricant holding space 33a, the lubricating oil impregnated in the lubricant guide member 34, and the oil contained in the bearing member 35 that is a sintered oil-impregnated bearing, Since the same thing is used for all of these, the affinity of the oil component is ensured.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the lubricant holding space 33a is sandwiched between the bearing member 35 and the lubricant guide member 34, wear powder or the like directly enters the lubricant holding space 33a and enters the grease G. Can be prevented.

  The embodiment described above is an example, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible. For example, in the present embodiment, the lubricant guide member 34 is preliminarily impregnated with lubricating oil, but need not be impregnated with the lubricating oil in advance. However, if the oil impregnated in advance is used, it is possible to prevent the base oil of the grease G held in the lubricant holding space 33a from rapidly decreasing immediately after the start of use of the apparatus. The material of the lubricant guide member 34 is not limited to the felt material used in the present embodiment as long as it has oil absorbability.

<< Other Embodiments of Casing Member >>
Subsequently, another embodiment of the bearing device according to the present invention, more specifically, another embodiment of the casing member will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a perspective view of the already described casing member 33, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the already described bearing device 32, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a casing member 33 ′ (bearing device 32 ′) according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a rear view of the casing member 33 ′.

  First, the wraparound of oil as a lubricant component constituting the grease G will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 36 indicates a screw for fixing the casing member 33 to the carriage 16 as an “attachment portion”. The screw 36 is screwed into the screw hole 16 a formed in the carriage 16. The screw 36 is inserted into the screw hole 16 a through the insertion hole 33 e formed in the casing member 33, and the casing member 33 is screwed into the carriage 16. Secure to.

  Here, since the lubricant injection hole 33b is formed in the casing member 33, the oil component of the grease G filled in the lubricant holding space 33a leaks out from the lubricant injection hole 33b as indicated by an arrow R1. However, there is a risk of entering the screw hole 16 a through the screw 36. Further, the oil component may enter the screw hole 16a through the contact surface between the casing member 33 and the bearing member 35 and the contact surface between the casing member 33 and the carriage 16 as shown by an arrow R2 in FIG. There is.

  Here, since stress concentration occurs in the screw hole 16a due to screwing with the screw 36, when the carriage 16 is formed of a resin material, a chemical attack occurs due to the oil component entering the screw hole 16a, There is a risk of cracks.

  Therefore, in the casing member 33 ′ according to the present embodiment, a rib (blocking portion) 33c is formed on the entry path of the oil component indicated by the arrow R1 into the screw hole 16a as shown in FIG. It is configured to block entry into the screw hole 16a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a recess (blocking portion) 33 d is formed on the back side of the casing member 33 ′, specifically, the side that comes into contact with the carriage 16 at the time of attachment. The oil component indicated by arrow R2 is configured to block entry into the screw hole 16a. In addition, the hatched area in FIG. 10 is an area recessed from the other areas, and forms a predetermined interval with the contact surface with which the casing member 33 ′ is in contact in the attached state.

  The blocking portion for preventing the oil component from entering the screw hole 16a can be provided on the carriage 16 side as well as on the casing member 33 'side as described above. That is, as long as it is possible to prevent the oil component leaked from the lubricant holding space 33a from entering the screw hole 16a, a blocking portion may be provided on either side of the casing member 33 'and the carriage 16.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 main-body part, 3 roll paper supply part, 4 recording execution part, 5 discharge receiving part, 6 roll paper discharge port, 7 opening part, 8 support | pillar, 9 base, 10 roll paper stacker, 12 base frame, 15 Roll paper holder, 16 Carriage, 17 Recording head, 18 Guide shaft, 19 Guide plate, 23 Transport drive roller, 24 Transport driven roller, 25 Guide member, 27 Support member, 30 Support member, 31a, 31b Slider, 32, 32 'Bearing device, 33, 33' casing member, 33a lubricant holding space, 33b lubricant injection hole, 33c rib, 33d recess, 33e insertion hole, 34 lubricant guide member, 35 bearing member, 36 screw, G lubrication grease, P roll paper, R roll paper roll.

Claims (5)

A shaft member;
A recording head for recording on a recording medium;
A carriage having a bearing device in contact with the recording head and the shaft member;
The bearing device includes:
A casing member having a lubricant injection hole for injecting a lubricant and holding the lubricant; a lubricant guide member for absorbing the lubricant component contained in the lubricant and guiding the lubricant component to the shaft member ; A blocking part for blocking the movement of the lubricant component leaked from the lubricant injection hole ,
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The bearing device includes a bearing member that is in sliding contact with the shaft member. The recording apparatus according to claim 2,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the casing member and the bearing member have an open structure that exposes a part of the periphery of the shaft member. The recording apparatus according to claim 3,
A recording apparatus comprising a support member for supporting the shaft member. A bearing device used in a recording apparatus and in contact with a shaft member,
A casing member having a lubricant injection hole for injecting a lubricant and holding the lubricant; a lubricant guide member for absorbing the lubricant component contained in the lubricant and guiding the lubricant component to the shaft member ; A blocking part for blocking the movement of the lubricant component leaked from the lubricant injection hole ,
A bearing device characterized by that.

Images