JP6424931B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium, and more particularly to a recording apparatus provided with a carriage that reciprocates in a predetermined direction.

  An inkjet printer, which is an example of a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus, executes recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording sheet, which is an example of a recording medium, while a carriage on which the recording head is mounted reciprocates in the main scanning direction. It is configured to

  Here, there are carriages on which an ink storage portion (hereinafter referred to as “ink cartridge” as appropriate) that stores ink is mounted and in which no ink cartridge is mounted.

  In the case where the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, the carriage reciprocates in a predetermined direction with the ink cartridge mounted, and the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head inside the carriage. In the case where the ink cartridge is not mounted, the ink cartridge is provided independently from the carriage, and the ink cartridge and the carriage (recording head) are communicated with each other by an ink tube for ink supply (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-211691

  In the ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1, a carriage and a main tank are connected by a tube. The tube is flexible and deforms as the carriage moves. Here, when the tube is folded back between the carriage and the main tank, the tube extends from the right side surface of the carriage to the right (when viewed from the front of the apparatus) and then folded back (reversed) to the left main tank And extend. Therefore, when the carriage is positioned at the right end of the movement area, it is necessary to secure a large area for the tube to be folded back, which necessitates an increase in size of the apparatus.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to suppress an increase in the size of the apparatus in a configuration in which a tube for supplying ink to a recording head is folded back.

  A recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a recording head for discharging a liquid onto a recording medium and a carriage movable in a predetermined movement direction, and an apparatus height. A liquid containing portion provided at a position higher than the carriage in a direction, and a flexible tube for guiding the liquid fed from the liquid containing portion to the recording head; The tube extends from the liquid storage portion in a first direction which is a direction along the moving direction of the carriage, is folded back in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and is connected to the carriage. The connection position of the tube in the carriage is characterized by being closer to the second direction in the carriage.

  According to this aspect, the connection position of the tube in the carriage is in the second direction in the carriage, and the tube extends from the connection position in the first direction and is folded back and extends in the second direction. When the carriage is positioned at the end in the first direction, an area necessary for the tube to be folded can be secured above the carriage. As a result, the enlargement of the device can be suppressed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the carriage and the liquid storage portion are configured such that at least a portion thereof overlaps in the device depth direction, and the carriage and the liquid storage in the tube It is characterized in that the return section between the part and the part overlaps at least a part of the liquid storage part in the apparatus height direction.

  According to this aspect, since the carriage and the liquid storage unit are configured such that at least a part thereof overlaps in the apparatus depth direction, the tube extending from the liquid storage unit is folded back as it is. It can be connected to the carriage, and the tube can be arranged in a natural posture without strain. In addition, since the turnback section of the tube between the carriage and the liquid storage portion overlaps at least a part of the liquid storage portion in the device height direction, the dimension in the height direction of the device can be suppressed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the carriage and the liquid storage portion are configured such that at least a portion thereof overlaps in the height direction of the apparatus.
According to this aspect, since the carriage and the liquid storage portion are configured such that at least a part thereof overlaps in the apparatus height direction, the dimension in the height direction of the apparatus can be suppressed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the connection position of the tube in the carriage is closer to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  According to this aspect, since the connection position of the tube in the carriage is closer to the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium, when accessing the transport path from the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium, for example, When removing jammed paper, the tube does not get in the way, or its workability becomes easy.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible data line according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, which is connected to the carriage and sends a data signal for performing recording to the recording head. The data line may be wired adjacent to the tube.

  According to this aspect, since the data line is wired adjacent to the tube, when the carriage is located at the end opposite to the one side end, it is necessary for the data line to be folded back. An area can be secured above the carriage. As a result, the enlargement of the device can be suppressed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the side walls on both sides in the moving direction of the carriage are connected to the tube at least a part of the side wall far from the connecting position of the tube It is characterized in that the height is lower than the side wall near the position.

  According to this aspect, the side walls on both sides in the moving direction of the carriage lower the tube because at least a part of the side wall far from the connection position of the tube is lower in height than the side wall near the connection position of the tube It can be extended out of position, which can reduce the curvature of the folded portion of the tube. As a result, no undue stress is generated in the tube, and the reaction force received by the carriage from the tube can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to the present invention as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a sheet conveyance path of the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of an apparatus main body of the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of an apparatus main body of the printer according to the present invention. The perspective view which looked at the carriage from the front side. The perspective view inside the device of the state where the front side cover was opened. The top view of a carriage.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. On the premise that they are also included in the scope of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as a “printer”) 1 which is an embodiment of the “recording apparatus” according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the printer 1, and FIGS. 5 is a perspective view of the carriage 26 as viewed from the front side, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inside of the device with the cover 42 on the front side opened, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the carriage 26. is there.

  In the x-y-z orthogonal coordinate system shown in each drawing, the x direction and the y direction are horizontal directions, and the x direction is the sheet width direction, and in the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the carriage 26. Yes, also in the left-right direction of the device. The y direction is the sheet conveyance direction, and also the apparatus depth direction. Furthermore, the z-direction is the gravity direction and also the device height direction.

Hereinafter, the entire configuration of the printer 1 will be outlined with reference mainly to FIGS. 1 and 2. The printer 1 includes a recording unit 2 that performs inkjet recording on a recording sheet P, which is an example of a recording medium, and a scanner unit 3 provided above the recording unit 2.
In the recording unit 2, a sheet cassette 4 accommodating a plurality of recording sheets P is detachably provided, and the recording sheets P are fed one by one from the sheet cassette 4.

  A cover 42 is provided on the front of the recording unit 2 so as to be openable and closable, and the inside of the apparatus can be accessed by opening the cover 42. Thus, a jam processing operation (paper removal operation) when a paper jam occurs Etc. (see FIG. 6). Further, by opening the cover 42, the cartridge mounting portion 37 is exposed, and the ink cartridges 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d as liquid storage portions can be replaced.

  Hereinafter, the sheet conveyance path in the recording unit 2 will be described. A lower portion of the recording unit 2 is provided with a first feeding roller 10 and a second feeding roller 12 rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and in the state where the sheet cassette 4 is mounted, the sheet cassette The first feeding roller 10 and the second feeding roller 12 are configured to be positioned above the tip end 4 (left side in FIGS. 1 and 2).

A hopper 6 is provided at the bottom of the sheet cassette 4 to push up the stored recording sheet P by swinging around the swinging shaft 6a. The hopper 6 pushes up the recording sheet P to store the recording sheet P. The uppermost one of the recording sheets P can be brought into contact with the first feed roller 10. Therefore, the recording sheet P is fed from the sheet cassette 4 by the rotation (forward rotation) of the first feeding roller 10 in this state.
The broken line in FIG. 1 indicates the passage locus of the recording sheet P delivered from the sheet cassette 4.

  A separation roller 8 is provided at an end of the sheet cassette 4 in the sheet feeding direction, and when the sheet cassette 4 is mounted, the separation roller 8 contacts the second feed roller 12. As a result, the recording sheet P fed by the first feed roller 10 is nipped between the separation roller 8 and the second feed roller 12 and separated.

On the downstream side of the second feeding roller 12, a first intermediate roller 14 as a conveyance roller for conveying the recording sheet P and a second intermediate roller 16 are provided, and the recording sheet fed from the sheet cassette 4 P receives the conveying force from the first intermediate roller 14 and the second intermediate roller 16 and is conveyed downstream.
Reference numerals 17a and 17b denote driven rollers which nip the recording sheet P with the first intermediate roller 14 and follow the rotation, and reference numerals 17c and 17d denote recording sheets P between the second intermediate roller 16 and the second intermediate roller 16. Is a driven roller that is driven to rotate by nipping.

  On the downstream side of the second intermediate roller 16, there are provided a conveyance driving roller 18 that is rotationally driven, and a driven rotation conveyance driven roller 19 that is disposed to face the conveyance driving roller 18, and these rollers are provided. Thus, the recording sheet P is sent to the recording area.

On the downstream side of the conveyance drive roller 18, a recording head 25 for discharging the ink onto the recording sheet P and a support member 21 for supporting the recording sheet P are provided. The recording head 25 is provided at the bottom of a carriage 26 driven in the sheet width direction (main scanning direction).
The carriage 26 is guided in the main scanning direction by a carriage guide shaft 24 as a guide member extended in the main scanning direction. The carriage guide shaft 24 is supported by a frame 40, and in addition to the carriage guide shaft 24, various components such as a motor (not shown) which is a power source of the carriage 26 are assembled. The carriage 26 receives the driving force from the motor and moves in the main scanning direction.

  The frame 40 includes side frames 40b and 40c located on both sides of the movement area of the carriage 26, and a center frame 40a located therebetween. The cartridge mounting portion 37 described later is supported by the side frame 40c. Further, reference numerals 46 and 47 in FIG. 2 denote connection frames for connecting the side frames 40b and 40c, and the rigidity of the entire frame 40 is improved by connecting the side frames 40b and 40c by the connection frames 46 and 47. ing. Reference numeral 48 denotes a guide frame which regulates the posture of the carriage 26 by holding the upper portion 26 a of the carriage 26 between itself and the frame 40 and stopping the rotation of the carriage 26 around the carriage guide shaft 24.

  The first discharge roller pair 22 and the second discharge roller pair 23 are provided downstream of the area (recording area) where the support member 21 and the recording head 26 face each other, and the recording paper P on which the recording is performed is The sheet is discharged toward the discharge receiving tray 5 by the discharge roller pair.

  Subsequently, the carriage 26 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The carriage 26 is entirely constituted by a housing 27 (FIG. 5), and the recording head 25 is provided at the bottom of the housing 27. Here, the printer 1 is a so-called off-carriage type in which the ink cartridge is not mounted on the carriage 26, and the ink cartridges 38a to 38d are detachably provided to the cartridge mounting portion 37 provided on the apparatus housing. Then, ink as a liquid is supplied from each ink cartridge to the recording head 25 through a tube 33 connected to the cartridge mounting portion 37 and the carriage 26.

  The cartridge mounting portion 37 is positioned above the carriage 26 in the height direction as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and is closer to one side end portion in the movement area of the carriage 26 (indicated by the symbol H). (In the present embodiment, it is provided on the left side when viewed from the front side of the apparatus). In the present embodiment, the right end of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 (right end when viewed from the front of the apparatus) is at the home position in the moving range H of the carriage 26, and the carriage 26 is at the position of FIG. The second direction is the direction from the home position to the opposite side in the movement direction of the carriage 26 (the direction from right to left in FIGS. 3 and 4), and the opposite direction (from left to right in FIGS. 3 and 4). Direction) is the first direction.

  In FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, reference numeral 29 denotes a connection portion of the carriage 26 to which the tube 33 is connected. Further, reference numeral 31 denotes a connection portion to which the tube 33 is connected in the cartridge housing portion 37. The tube 33 is routed between the connection portion 31 on the cartridge accommodating portion 37 side and the connection portion 29 provided on the carriage 26. The tubes 33 are provided in the same number as the number of ink cartridges (four in this embodiment), and a plurality of tubes 33 are arranged in parallel. The plurality of tubes 33 are bundled by clamps 34 provided at appropriate positions.

  More specifically, the connection portion 31 is provided on the right side (home position side) with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 37, and the tube 33 connected to the connection portion 31 is in the first direction from the connection portion 31 (FIGS. Extend to the right of 4). A frame 41 is provided on the upper portion of the frame 40, and the frame 41 is formed in an inverted L shape, and the tube 33 connected to the connection portion 31 extends in the first direction along the lower surface of the frame 41. And extend. Then, it is folded back (curved reverse) in the second direction so as to form the folded portion 33 a, and enters the carriage 26 and is connected to the connection portion 29 of the carriage 26.

  Reference numeral 36 denotes a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to as “FFC”) as a flexible data line, which is connected to the carriage 26 and sends a data signal for recording execution to the recording head 25. The FFC 36 is a book. In the embodiment, it is wired adjacent to the tube 33, and takes the same routing state as the tube 33. The FFC 36 is bundled together with the plurality of tubes 33 by the clamp 34.

  The tube 33 and the FFC 36 have flexibility and deform so as to follow the movement of the carriage 26. FIG. 4 shows a state where the carriage 26 has moved to the left end of the movement range H (the farthest position from the home position). In this state, the carriage 26 is located below the cartridge mounting portion 37 and the tube 33 Is the longest from the carriage 26 to the folded back portion 33a.

  Here, the positions of the connection portion 29 and the tube 33 on the carriage 26 are as shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, a symbol Ca is an occupied area of the carriage 26 in the y direction, and a symbol A1 is a central position of the occupied region Ca. Further, a code Cb is an occupied area in the x direction of the carriage 26 (however, the occupied area Cb moves with the carriage operation), and a code A2 is a central position of the occupied area Cb.

  The connection portion 29, that is, the connection position of the tube 33 in the carriage 26 is provided in the second direction in the x direction (the side farther from the home position). As a result, when the carriage 26 is at the home position as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to secure an area (occupied area of the folded back portion 33 a) necessary for folding the tube 33 above the carriage 26. As a result, it is not necessary to secure a large occupied area of the folded back portion 33a further to the right of the home position area, and it is possible to suppress an increase in size (dimension in the x direction) of the device.

  In addition, a turnback section (turnback section 33a) between the carriage 26 and the cartridge housing portion 37 in the tube 33 overlaps at least a part of the cartridge housing portion 37 in the apparatus height direction (z direction). Thereby, the dimension in the height direction of the device can be suppressed.

  Further, as is apparent from FIG. 2, since the carriage 26 and the cartridge mounting portion 37 (ink cartridges 38 a to 38 d) are configured to overlap at least in part in the device depth direction (y direction), the cartridge mounting portion The tube 33 extending from 37 can be folded downward as it is and connected to the carriage 26, and the tube 33 can be disposed in a natural posture without undue strain.

  In addition, since the carriage 26 and the cartridge mounting portion 37 (ink cartridges 38a to 38d) are configured to at least partially overlap in the apparatus height direction (z direction), the dimensions of the apparatus in the height direction are suppressed. it can.

  Further, as is apparent from FIG. 7, the position of the connection portion 29 is provided on the upstream side in the y direction, that is, in the sheet conveyance direction. Therefore, when the transport path is accessed from the downstream side in the sheet transport direction, for example, when the jammed sheet is removed in the case of a paper jam, the tube 33 does not get in the way or the workability becomes easy.

  More specifically, when the cover 42 (FIG. 1) on the front of the apparatus is opened, the access port 44 is exposed as shown in FIG. 6, and the access port 44 exposes the sheet transport station around the support member 21 (FIG. 2). And you can remove jammed paper. The access port 44 is defined by the inner cover 43, and the tube 33 is located at the back of the inner cover 43.

  As described above, since the position of the connection portion 29 is provided on the upstream side in the y direction, that is, in the sheet conveyance direction, the inner cover 43 can be disposed further back (upstream), and the access port 44 is provided. It can be secured more widely. As a result, the workability at the time of removing the jammed paper is improved.

  Further, since the FFC 36 is wired adjacent to the tube 33, when the carriage 26 is positioned at the home position as shown in FIG. 3, an area necessary for the FFC 36 to fold can be secured above the carriage 26. . As a result, enlargement of the device (dimension in the x direction) can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the side walls on both sides in the moving direction (x direction) of the housing 27 of the carriage 26 are a part of the side wall 27 b far from the connection portion 29 of the tube 33 (stepped portion However, the height is lower than the side wall 27a close to the connection portion 29). Therefore, the tube 33 can be extended from a low position through the step 27c, whereby the curvature of the folded portion 33a of the tube 33 can be reduced. As a result, no excessive stress is generated in the tube 33, and the reaction force that the carriage 26 receives from the tube 33 can be reduced.

  It goes without saying that the embodiment described above is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the cartridge mounting portion 37 (ink cartridges 38a to 38d) is provided at a position closer to the left in FIGS. 3 and 4 (the side far from the home position of the carriage 26) in this embodiment. It may be provided on the right side or may be provided on the right side. In addition, the direction in which the tube 33 is folded may be reverse to that in the present embodiment. In this case, the connection portion 29 is located on the carriage 26 at a position closer to the right in FIGS. 3 and 4. Furthermore, although the cartridge mounting portion 37 (ink cartridges 38a to 38d) is provided inside the housing of the recording portion 2 in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be provided outside the housing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 inkjet printer, 2 apparatus main body, 3 scanner unit, 4 paper cassette, 5 discharge receiving tray, 6 hopper, 6a rocking shaft, 8 separation roller, 10 1st feeding roller, 12 2nd feeding roller, 14 1st Reference Signs List 1 intermediate roller, 16 second intermediate roller, 17a to 17d driven roller, 18 transport drive roller, 19 transport driven roller, 21 support member, 22 first discharge roller pair, 23 second discharge roller pair, 24 carriage guide shaft, 25 Recording head, 26 carriage, 27 case, 27a left side wall, 27b right side wall, 27c notched part, 29 connecting part, 31 connecting part, 33 ink tube, 33a folded part, 34 clamp, 36 flexible flat cable, 37 cartridge mounting part , 38a-38d ink Cartridge, 40 frames, 41 frames, 42 cover, 43 internal cover, 44 access openings, P recording paper

Claims (3)

A carriage including a recording head for discharging a liquid onto a recording medium and movable in a predetermined movement direction;
A flexible tube for guiding the liquid to the recording head from a position higher than the carriage in the apparatus height direction;
The tube extends in a first direction which is a direction along the moving direction of the carriage, and is folded back in a second direction opposite to the first direction to be connected to the carriage.
The connection position of the tube in the carriage is closer to the second direction in the carriage,
At least a part of the side wall on the first direction side far from the connection position of the tube is lower in height than the side wall on the second direction side near the connection position of the tube on the both sides in the moving direction of the carriage ,
A recording device characterized by The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection position of the tube in the carriage is closer to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium.
A recording device characterized by The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a flexible data line connected to the carriage and sending a data signal for performing recording to the recording head.
Said data lines are routed adjacent to said tubes,
A recording device characterized by

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