JP7125671B2 - Portable image forming apparatus and main body of portable image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a portable image forming apparatus and a portable image forming apparatus main body.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a portable image forming apparatus is known that includes a recording unit that records an image on a recording material and recording material detection means that detects the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a portable image forming apparatus (manual scanning inkjet printer) that includes a printing object detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of a recording material at a detection position as recording material detection means.

In this type of portable image forming apparatus, the recording material detecting means may not be able to properly detect the surface of the recording material, such as when the recording material has a deformed portion that is raised.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a portable image forming apparatus comprising a recording unit for recording an image on a recording material and recording material detecting means for detecting the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner. A facing surface forming member forming at least a part of a facing surface facing the recording material and having a detection opening exposing a detection portion of the recording material detecting means is provided, wherein the detection opening in the facing surface forming member , the facing surface forming member holds the recording unit and the recording material detecting means, and the facing surface forming member The portion forming the surface has a recording opening forming surface in which a recording opening exposing the recording portion is formed, and a detection opening forming surface in which the detecting opening is formed. and projecting in the normal direction of the opposing surface from the recording aperture forming surface, and further projecting in the normal direction of the opposing surface from the detection aperture forming surface . be.

According to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that the detection accuracy of detecting the surface of the recording material by the recording material detecting means can be improved.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the HMP viewed from a lower side than FIG. 2 ; FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the HMP according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from below on the left rear surface side; The external perspective view which looked at HMP from left back side upper direction. The appearance perspective view which looked at HMP from the right back side upper direction. Bottom view of HMP. The schematic sectional drawing which looked at HMP from the left side. The perspective view of HMP in the state which rotated the upper unit with respect to the lower unit. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the user's hand and the HMP when the user operates the HMP; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing how an image is formed on a recording sheet by HMP; FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the HMP with the printing guide member opened, viewed from above on the left rear side; FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the HMP with the print guide member opened; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a line feed operation during printing by HMP; 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams for explaining a printing operation in which the HMP is moved in both X-axis directions; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing part of the electrical circuitry of the HMP; Sectional drawing of HMP in the AA section in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an HMP running on deformed recording paper; Explanatory drawing of the advancing direction of HMP. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spacer that can be attached to the recording surface of the HMP; The perspective view which looked at HMP and a spacer from the diagonally downward direction. The bottom view of HMP in the state which mounted|worn with the spacer. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the HMP according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from below on the right rear side; FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the HMP according to the second embodiment taken along the line GG in FIG. 21; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a configuration using a rubber material as a roller of the HMP of Embodiment 2; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the case where the recording paper is wavy with respect to the HMP of the second embodiment;

[Embodiment 1]
A first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "Embodiment 1") in which the present invention is applied to a handy mobile ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as "HMP"), which is a portable image forming apparatus, will be described below. First, the basic configuration of the HMP according to Embodiment 1 will be described.

2 is an external perspective view of the HMP 1 according to Embodiment 1 viewed from the lower left rear side, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the HMP 1 viewed from the upper left rear side, and FIG. 4 is an upper right rear side of the HMP 1. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view as seen; FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the HMP 1 viewed from a lower side than FIG. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of HMP1.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the HMP 1 is mainly composed of an upper unit 2 and a lower unit 3. As shown in FIGS. The HMP 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and its length in the scanning direction (=printing direction: X-axis direction in the figure) is such that it can be grasped by the user's palm.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the horizontal direction (transverse direction) of the main body of the HMP 1 is defined as the X-axis direction, and the longitudinal direction of the main body perpendicular thereto is defined as the Y-axis direction. In the printing operation using the HMP 1, the HMP 1 is moved in the X-axis direction (scanning direction) when characters, patterns, etc. are to be printed linearly. Then, a line feed is caused by moving HMP1 in the Y-axis direction.
However, the print operation using HMP1 is not limited to the operation described above. It is also possible to print by moving the HMP 1 in an oblique direction other than the X-axis direction or in a curved line, for example, when arranging characters, pictures, etc. for design purposes. It is also possible to move the HMP1 in a direction other than the Y-axis direction for line feed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the HMP 1 as seen from the left side.
As shown in FIG. 6, the upper unit 2 has an L-shape including a horizontally extending portion 2a extending in the Y-axis direction and a vertically extending portion 2b extending in the Z-axis direction. A battery 15 for supplying power to each device of the HMP 1 is arranged on the vertically extending portion 2 b of the upper unit 2 . A control board 14 is arranged on the horizontally extending portion 2a, and the print button 5a and the power button 5b are connected to the control board 14. As shown in FIG. The power button 5b is a button for switching the power of the HMP 1 on and off (ON/OFF), and the print button 5a is a button for operating the ink ejection timing.

The lower unit 3 includes an upper unit rotating shaft 3a that rotatably supports the upper unit 2, a position detection sensor 18 that is an optical sensor for detecting position coordinates, an FPC contact portion 13, an upper unit lock claw 11, and a housing that holds them. 80 and so on. In addition, inside the housing 80 of the lower unit 3, an inkjet head 40 (ink cartridge) integrated with a recording unit 41 (image forming unit) and an ink tank is detachably attached to the housing 80. are placed. The inkjet head 40 forms an image by ejecting ink droplets from a recording portion 41. When the HMP 1 is used, the recording portion 41 for ejecting ink droplets is directed downward in the vertical direction.

7 is a perspective view of the HMP 1 with the upper unit 2 rotated in the direction of arrow "B" in FIG. 6 with respect to the lower unit 3. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, by rotating the upper unit 2, the upper opening of the housing 80 of the lower unit 3 is exposed, and the inkjet head 40 arranged inside the housing 80 can be removed.

A head pressing and urging member 21 is fixed to the inner surface of the upper unit 2 for pressing and locking the inkjet head 40 mounted in the lower unit 3 .
In the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the battery 15 is arranged in the vertically extending portion 2b of the upper unit 2 positioned so as to cover the front side of the lower unit 3, and the battery 15 is positioned on the front side 35 side of the inkjet head 40. there is For this reason, the height of the HMP 1 is made lower than in the configuration in which the heavy battery 15 is positioned above the inkjet head 40 . As a result, the center of gravity of the HMP 1 can be lowered, and overturning of the HMP 1 during the movement operation can be suppressed.

The size (apparatus width) of the HMP 1 in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) is only slightly wider than the inkjet head 40 . By making the device width as small as possible, the range in which the HMP 1 can be moved in the scanning direction on the surface of the recording paper P can be widened, and the recordable range on the surface of the recording paper P can be widened as much as possible.

The HMP 1 has a recording surface 30 that faces a recording material such as paper, a top surface 31 that is opposite to the recording surface 30 , and a scanning orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the scanning direction of the HMP 1 ( It has a left side surface 32 extending in the Y-axis direction in the figure). It also has a right side surface 33 extending in the scanning direction (Y-axis direction in the figure), a rear surface 34 extending in the scanning direction (X-axis direction in the figure), and a front surface 35 extending in the scanning direction. . The HMP 1 is used with the recording surface 30 facing vertically downward and the upper surface 31 facing vertically upward.

A print button 5a and a power button 5b are provided within the outer edge (inside the frame) of the upper surface 31 . A USB connection port 9 is provided on the left side surface 32 of the upper unit 2 . The USB connection port 9 is for connecting a USB cable. By supplying electric power from an external power supply to a rechargeable battery 15 mounted in the HMP 1 through a USB cable connected to the USB connection port 9, the battery 15 can be charged.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the L-shaped upper unit 2 is arranged so as to cover the upper surface 31 side and the front surface 35 side of the lower unit 3. It has a wide shape (length in the X-axis direction).
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the user's hand H and the HMP 1 when the user operates the HMP 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the user moves the HMP 1 in the scanning direction (the X-axis direction in the figure) on the surface of the recording paper P for image formation, the user holds the upper unit 2 and moves the HMP 1. . By making the upper unit 2 wider than the lower unit 3, it becomes a shape that is easy for the user to hold by hand, and the vertically extending part 2b can be used to house the battery 15. FIG. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the left side surface 32 and the right side surface 33 of the lower unit 3 are formed with recessed grip recesses 39 . The grip recess 39 is formed at a position where the fingers of the hand H holding the upper unit 2 are applied (usually, the thumb and the middle finger or ring finger are applied) when the user holds and uses the HMP 1. ing. The user can stably grip the HMP 1 by placing fingers in the grip recesses 39 on the left side 32 and the right side 33 and gripping the HMP 1 .

The HMP 1 can be turned on and off (ON/OFF) by the user pressing and holding the power button 5b. When the power is turned on, image information can be acquired by the control board 14 provided in the upper unit 2 of the HMP 1 through wireless communication with a smartphone or the like using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing how an image is formed on the recording paper P by the HMP1.
After obtaining the image information, the HMP 1 is placed on the surface of the recording paper P with the recording surface 30 facing the surface of the recording paper P. As shown in FIG. Thereafter, after pressing the print button 5a once, an image can be formed on the surface of the recording paper P by moving the HMP 1 along the scanning direction (X-axis direction) as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, in image formation by the HMP1, printing can be performed while confirming the printed portion W1 that has been printed and the print-scheduled portion W2 that is to be printed.

When the HMP 1 is moved forward (to the right in FIG. 9) in one of the scanning directions (the X-axis direction in the figure) by the user's moving operation (manual scanning), it can be moved back in the other direction (to the left in FIG. 9). An image can be formed on the surface of the recording paper P each time it is moved. The ejection of ink from the inkjet head 40 may be performed continuously after the user presses and releases the print button 5a once, or may be performed only while the user is pressing the print button 5a.
The recording material is not limited to paper such as recording paper P, but includes OHP, cloth, cardboard, packaging container, glass, substrate, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the recording surface 30 of the HMP 1 has an ejection opening 30a for exposing the recording portion 41 of the inkjet head 40 mounted in the lower unit 3 (see FIG. 7) to the outside. is provided. The recording unit 41 of the inkjet head 40 has a plurality of ejection holes 41a, and ink droplets can be individually ejected from each of the ejection holes 41a by driving the piezoelectric elements.
The width of the image recording area of the recording unit 41 (the length of the image in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (Y-axis direction)) is equal to the distance between the ejection holes 41a located at both ends of the plurality of ejection holes 41a in the Y-axis direction. Equivalent to.
The ink ejected from the recording unit 41 passes through the ejection opening 30a and reaches the recording paper P, and image formation is performed.

The inkjet head 40 can use an electromechanical conversion element (piezoelectric actuator, etc.) using a laminated piezoelectric element, a thin film piezoelectric element, or the like as a drive source for ejecting ink. As another configuration of the drive source, an electrothermal conversion element such as a heating resistor, an electrostatic actuator including a diaphragm and a counter electrode, or the like can be used.

A well-known configuration can be applied to a so-called inkjet mechanism that performs recording by ejecting liquid or droplets such as ink from the inkjet head 40 . Moreover, as an inkjet mechanism, if it can be mounted on HMP1, it can be suitably adopted. In the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the inkjet mechanism corresponds to the recording section 41 that records an image on the recording paper P, and this recording section 41 is housed in the housing 80 of the lower unit 3 .

The ink (liquid) ejected from the ejection holes 41a of the recording unit 41 is not particularly limited as long as the liquid has a viscosity and surface tension that can be ejected from the ejection holes 41a. However, it is preferable that the viscosity becomes 30 [mPa·s] or less under normal temperature and normal pressure or by heating or cooling. Specifically, the ink (liquid) includes solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, functional imparting materials such as polymerizable compounds, resins and surfactants, DNA, amino acids, proteins, calcium and the like. They are solutions, suspensions, emulsions, etc. containing biocompatible materials, edible materials such as natural pigments, and the like. These can be used, for example, as inkjet inks, surface treatment liquids, constituent elements of electronic elements and light-emitting elements, liquids for forming electronic circuit resist patterns, material liquids for three-dimensional modeling, and the like.

A position detection sensor 18 as position detection means for detecting the position of the HMP 1 on the recording paper P in a non-contact manner is provided within the outer edge of the recording surface 30 . A contact type sensor using a rotary encoder or the like needs to be brought into contact with the print surface, and detection errors are likely to occur depending on the contact state. Specifically, when the detection part of the contact sensor moves away from the printing surface or slips, the actual movement distance differs from the movement distance calculated based on the detection result, resulting in a detection error. . On the other hand, by using an optical sensor as the position detection sensor 18 to detect the print surface in a non-contact manner, it is possible to perform highly accurate detection.

Further, a left first roller 37a, a left second roller 37b, a right first roller 38a, a right second roller 38b, etc., which are rotatably attached to the housing 80, are provided within the outer edge of the recording surface 30. there is The left first roller 37 a and the left second roller 37 b are fixed to a left rotating shaft 37 c , and the left rotating shaft 37 c is rotatably held with respect to the housing 80 . Similarly, the right first roller 38a and the right second roller 38b are fixed to the right rotating shaft 38c, and the right rotating shaft 38c is rotatably held with respect to the housing 80. As shown in FIG.

When the user moves the HMP 1 in the scanning direction, the four rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b) in contact with the surface of the recording paper P rotate like tires. By providing such rollers, the user can move the HMP 1 straight along the scanning direction. When the HMP 1 is moved straight in the scanning direction, only the four rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b) provided on the HMP 1 come into contact with the surface of the recording paper P and the surface of the table on which the recording paper P is placed. The recording surface 30 is not in contact with the surface of the recording paper P. Therefore, the user can move the HMP 1 straight along the scanning direction while maintaining a constant distance between the recording portion 41 of the inkjet head 40 and the surface of the recording paper P, thereby forming a desired high-quality image. be able to. That is, the four rollers are movement assisting means for guiding the movement of the HMP 1 in the scanning direction and assisting the straight movement in the scanning direction.

The position detection sensor 18 is a sensor that detects the distance to the surface of the recording paper P, the surface condition (for example, unevenness), and the movement distance of the HMP 1. For example, an optical mouse (pointing device) of a personal computer. You can use the same one used in . The position detection sensor 18 irradiates light to the place (recording paper P) where it is placed, and reads the state of that portion as a "pattern". Then, by continuously capturing how the “pattern” moves with respect to the movement of the position detection sensor 18, the amount of movement is calculated. As the position detection sensor 18, it is sufficient if it can detect a change in position with respect to the recording paper P without contact, and a sensor other than an optical sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor can also be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, both side surfaces (32, 33) of the lower unit 3 are printed as indicating members indicating the width of the recording area (the length in the Y-axis direction in the drawings) of the recording unit 41. A guide member 7 is provided. The printing guide member 7 is a guide member used when performing a line feed operation during printing.
The print guide members 7 are rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the housing 80 of the lower unit 3. In the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the two print guide members 7 are closed and the housing 80 are housed on both sides of the

10 is an external perspective view of the HMP 1 with the print guide member 7 opened, viewed from above on the left rear side, and FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the HMP 1 with the print guide member 7 opened.
The print guide member 7 is mounted via hinges near the lower ends of both side surfaces of the housing 80 of the HMP 1 and is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the housing 80 . As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the print guide member 7 is used, the print guide member 7 is opened, and when it is not used, the print guide member 7 can be stored on the side surface of the housing 80. It's becoming

The user can open the print guide member 7 by holding the upper portion of the print guide member 7 housed in the housing 80 and rotating it as indicated by the arrow "R" in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, there is a gap S between the housing 80 and the retracted print guide member 7 . That is, the housing 80 is formed with a notch 80c at a position above the upper edge of the print guide member 7 accommodated therein. The gap S of the notch 80c has a length that allows the user to insert his or her finger. This allows the user to easily rotate the print guide member 7 housed in the housing 80 .

The print guide member 7 is made of a transparent resin material, and since it is transparent, the object behind the print guide member 7 can be seen. It is configured so that you can see it.
As shown in FIG. 11 , the print guide member 7 is positioned on an extension line in the Y-axis direction with respect to the recording section 41 . Further, the width of the print guide member 7 (the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (the length in the Y-axis direction in the drawing)) “L” is the print width of the recording portion 41 of the inkjet head 40 (the recording width of the image of the recording portion 41 described above). area width).
The user can easily print at a desired position on the surface of the recording paper P by operating the HMP 1 while comparing the positions of the print guide member 7 and the surface of the recording paper P.

The width “L” may be different from the printing width of the recording section 41 , but is preferably equal to or greater than the printing width of the recording section 41 of the inkjet head 40 . By setting the width "L" of the print guide member 7 to be equal to or greater than the width of the recording portion 41 of the inkjet head 40, for example, when the user prints two lines of characters adjacent to each other, the characters can be prevented from overlapping each other. . The width "L" of the print guide member 7 is preferably within +10[%] of the print width of the recording section 41, more preferably within +5[%], in order to accurately grasp the print position. .

The print guide member 7 as a marking member has a facing position (FIGS. 10 and 11) facing the surface of the recording paper P on the scanning direction upstream side or downstream side of the recording unit 41, and a retracted position retreated from the facing position. (FIGS. 3 to 5). The print guide member 7 has a storage position (FIGS. 3 to 5) where it is stored in the housing 80 of the HMP 1, and a projecting position (FIGS. 3 to 5) where the print guide member 7 projects from the housing 80 of the HMP 1 toward the upstream side or downstream side in the scanning direction from the storage position. 10 and 11). Further, the printing guide member 7 is movable between a storage position (FIGS. 3 to 5) stored in the housing 80 of the HMP 1 and a marking position (FIGS. 10 and 11) indicating the recording area of the recording unit 41. is. As a result, the printing range/recording range becomes clear, and the user can easily grasp the position of the recording area of the recording unit 41 and print at a desired position on the recording paper P. FIG. Further, by moving the print guide member 7 to the storage position, the print guide member 7 does not become an obstacle when the HMP 1 is not used and can be stored without taking up a large space.

Instead of configuring the print guide member 7 to be rotatable with respect to the housing 80 , the print guide member 7 may be configured to be advanceable and retractable from the housing 80 in the X-axis direction. Further, instead of configuring the print guide member 7 so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 80 around a rotation axis (hinge) parallel to the Y-axis direction, the print guide member 7 can be moved in the height direction of the HMP 1 (that is, in the recording direction). It may be configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the direction perpendicular to the surface of the paper P).

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a line feed operation during printing by the HMP1.
Here, a line feed operation for printing a plurality of lines in the same manner as in a normal printer (a printer having a non-portable paper transport mechanism) will be described.
FIG. 12(a) shows how the central portion of the print area is printed. The user manually moves the HMP 1 from left to right (the positive direction of the X-axis in the drawing) to perform printing while performing freehand operation.

FIG. 12(b) shows the state when printing is completed up to the right end of the print area. In the state shown in FIG. 12(b), it is necessary to lift the main body of the HMP 1 from the recording paper P and perform a line feed operation. At this time, since the area to be printed next is indicated by the printing guide member 7 as the recording area, the next printing range is clarified by the printing guide member 7 . Therefore, at the time of line feed, as shown in FIG. 12(c), the upper edge of the print guide member 7 is aligned with the lowermost portion of the printed portion W1. As a result, it is possible to easily perform an appropriate line feed operation without overlapping with the printed part W1 before the line feed, without creating a gap (the gap becomes larger than necessary), or without making the gap too narrow.

Further, the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1 can print by moving in either the positive or negative direction in the X-axis direction. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a printing operation in which the HMP1 is moved in both the positive direction of the X-axis and the negative direction of the X-axis.
In FIG. 13, for convenience of explanation, of the two print guide members 7, the right print guide member 7R and the left print guide member 7L will be described.

FIG. 13(a) shows how the central portion of the print area is printed. The user manually moves the HMP 1 from left to right to perform printing while performing freehand operation. FIG. 13(b) shows the state when printing is completed up to the right end of the printing area. In the state shown in FIG. 13(b), HMP1 is moved in the positive direction of the Y axis (downward in FIG. 13) to perform a line feed while keeping the position in the X axis direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 13). At this time, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the upper edge of the left print guide member 7L is aligned with the lowermost portion of the printed portion W1. As a result, it is possible to easily perform an appropriate line feed operation without overlapping with the printed part W1 before the line feed, without creating a gap (the gap becomes larger than necessary), or making the gap too narrow.

FIG. 13(d) shows a state in which printing is performed by moving in a direction opposite to that in FIG. 13(a), that is, from right to left in FIG.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 13, as in the case of FIG. 12, HMP1 is moved from the right end (one end in the X-axis direction) of the print area to the left end (the other end in the X-axis direction) at the time of line feed. Printing can be done by moving in a zigzag pattern. Therefore, it is possible to save the trouble of moving and to perform the print operation with the line feed with a simpler operation.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing part of the electrical circuitry of HMP1.
The control board 14 includes a CPU 55 that performs various arithmetic processing and program execution, a Bt board 52 for short-range wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark), a RAM 53 and a ROM 54 that temporarily store data, a recording control unit 56, and the like. ing. The control board 14 is fixed inside the USB connection port 9 in the hollow of the upper unit 2 .

The Bt board 52 performs data communication with an external device such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal by short-range wireless communication. The ROM 54 stores firmware for hardware control of the HMP 1, drive waveform data for the inkjet head 40, and the like. The recording control unit 56 also executes data processing for driving the inkjet head 40 and generates a driving waveform.

The control board 14 is electrically connected to the gyro sensor 58, the position detection sensor 18, the LED lamp 59, the inkjet head 40, the print button 5a, the power button 5b, the battery 15, and the like. The gyro sensor 58 detects the tilt and rotation angle of the HMP 1 using well-known technology, and transmits the result to the control board 14 . The LED lamp 59 is provided inside the exterior cover of the print button 5a made of a light-transmissive material, and causes the print button 5a to emit light.

When the power button 5b is pressed to turn on the power of the HMP 1, power is supplied to each module, and the CPU 55 starts booting based on the program stored in the ROM 54, and loads the program and each data in the RAM 53. When image data of an image to be formed is received from an external device by short-range wireless communication, the recording control unit 56 generates a drive waveform according to the received image data. Then, the ejection of ink from the inkjet head 40 is controlled so as to form an image corresponding to the position on the surface of the recording paper P detected by the position detection sensor 18 .

Further, when the control board 14 acquires image data through short-range wireless communication with an external device, the LED lamp 59 blinks, thereby blinking the light-transmitting print button 5a. Upon seeing this, the user knows that the HMP 1 has finished obtaining the image data, places the HMP 1 on the recording paper P, and presses the print button 5a.

On the other hand, after starting blink control of the LED lamp 59, the control board 14 waits for the print button 5a to be pressed. Then, when the print button 5a is pressed, the LED lamp 59 is lit continuously, causing the print button 5a to emit light continuously. Upon seeing this, the user starts moving the HMP 1 in the scanning direction (manual scanning).

After completing the movement operation (manual scanning) of the HMP 1, the user presses the print button 5a again. As a result, the control board 14 turns off the LED lamp 59 and stops the light emission of the print button 5a. In addition, the HMP 1 may be picked up from the recording paper P without pressing the print button 5a and placed on a desk as it is, or may be placed on a cover member that covers the recording surface 30. FIG. In these cases, the position detection sensor 18 cannot detect the position when the HMP 1 is picked up from the recording paper P. The control board 14 turns off the LED lamp 59 at the timing when the position detection sensor 18 stops detecting the position, and stops the print button 5a from emitting light. The user who sees this can understand that the print processing of HMP1 has ended.

It is not necessary to keep pressing the print button 5a during the moving operation (manual scanning). If the print button 5a is pressed and released prior to the movement operation, the print processing is continued until a predetermined timing. As the predetermined timing, the timing when the image forming process based on the detection result by the position detection sensor 18 ends, the timing when the print button 5a is pressed again, or the timing when the position detection by the position detection sensor 18 becomes impossible. be able to.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the HMP 1 taken along line AA in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 15, the recording surface 30 of the HMP 1 is an ejection opening plane formed with an ejection opening 30a for exposing the recording portion 41 of the inkjet head 40 mounted in the lower unit 3 to the outside. It has a part 301 . Further, the recording surface 30 has a detection opening flat portion 303 formed with a detection opening 302 for exposing the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 as detection means for detecting the position of the HMP 1 on the recording paper P.

The detection opening plane portion 303 has a convex shape protruding in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) with respect to the ejection opening plane portion 301 . Further, around the detection opening 302 of the detection opening plane 303, a convex detection opening edge projection 304 further protruding in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) with respect to the detection opening plane 303 is provided. ing.
The discharge opening plane portion 301 , the detection opening plane portion 303 and the detection opening edge projection portion 304 are part of the lower surface of the housing 80 of the lower unit 3 .

In FIG. 15, the position of the tip of the detection opening edge protrusion 304 in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) (hereinafter referred to as "protrusion tip position F3") is indicated by a dashed line. As shown in FIG. 15, the protrusion tip position F3 is a virtual plane (a plane indicated by a solid line in FIG. 15) in which rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, 38b), which are guide rollers, contact the printing surface. It is located on the nearer side in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) than the surface F1.

If the surface to be detected (printed surface) is too close to the detection section, the position detection sensor 18 may not operate properly and may erroneously detect the position. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate distance between the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 and the detection target surface. In FIG. 15, the virtual plane at which the position detection sensor 18 does not detect erroneously is the closest distance, which is indicated by a dashed line and is defined as a erroneous detection prevention virtual plane F2. The distance from the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 to the erroneous detection prevention virtual plane F2 is determined by the specifications of the sensor, and is 1.5 [mm] in the position detection sensor 18 used in the first embodiment. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the protrusion tip position F3 is located on the side protruding in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) from the erroneous detection prevention virtual plane F2.

As shown in FIG. 15, the protrusion tip position F3 is positioned between the imaginary print plane F1 and the erroneous detection prevention imaginary plane F2.
The housing 80 is provided with a plurality of rollers that come into contact with the recording paper P during scanning. As shown in FIG. 15, the tip position F3 of the protrusion is located farther from the recording paper P than the imaginary printing plane F1, so the tip of the detection opening edge protrusion 304 comes into contact with the recording paper P on the peripheral surface of the roller. The position is farther from the surface of the recording paper P than the portion (recording material contact portion).

If the nozzle surface (the surface of the recording section 41) of the inkjet head 40 and the printing surface (the surface of the recording paper P) are too far apart, the printing will be blurred. Since the tip of the detection opening edge protrusion 304 is located at a position farther from the surface of the recording paper P than the portion of the peripheral surface of the roller that contacts the recording paper P, the detection opening edge protrusion 304 is detected before the roller. Prevent contact with the recording paper P. As a result, an appropriate distance can be maintained between the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 40 (the surface of the recording section 41) and the printing surface (the surface of the recording paper P), and blurred printing can be prevented.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of the HMP 1 traveling on the deformed recording paper P, and is an explanatory diagram of the CC cross section in FIG. The arrow "D" in FIG. 16 indicates the printing direction of the HMP 1, FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the recording paper P is passing through a deformed portion;

The distance between the position detection sensor 18 and the surface of the recording paper P to be detected is determined by the position of the lower end of the guide roller and the position of the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 . However, if the recording paper P is not flat, such as when the recording paper P is deformed, and there is a portion protruding in the direction normal to the surface of the table on which the recording paper P is placed, the position detection sensor 18 The distance to the surface of the recording paper P becomes closer.

When the HMP 1 travels on the recording paper P having a deformed portion that floats upward (in the Z-axis direction) like the recording paper P shown in FIG. ) passes through the deformed portion, the deformed portion is pressed down. However, after the roller on the downstream side in the traveling direction passes through the deformed portion, the roller on the upstream side in the traveling direction (“37b” in FIG. 16) presses the deformed portion of the recording paper P. There is a risk that the deformed part will rise. The surface of the deformed portion that has risen is located above the lower end of the roller, and is closer to the detection part of the position detection sensor 18 than the false detection prevention imaginary plane F2, which may result in false detection.

On the other hand, the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1 includes detection opening edge projections 304 . As described above, the protrusion tip position F3 is located on the side protruding in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) from the false detection prevention virtual plane F2. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the recording paper P and the detecting portion of the position detecting sensor 18 is set to a distance that does not cause erroneous detection by the position detecting sensor 18 when the recording paper P is in contact with the tip of the detection opening edge protrusion 304 . can be kept in As a result, for example, even if the surface of the recording paper P to be printed is deformed, as shown in FIG. can be suppressed to a distance that does not cause erroneous detection. Therefore, the moving distance of the HMP 1 can be accurately detected by the position detection sensor 18, and the position detection accuracy can be improved.

As a configuration for maintaining the distance between the position detection sensor 18 and the recording paper P to be printed at a distance at which erroneous detection does not occur, the entire surface of the recording surface 30 is moved further away from the position detection sensor 18 than the erroneous detection prevention virtual plane F2. It is conceivable to place it in the direction However, if the entire recording surface 30 is protruded, it is difficult to obtain positional accuracy for the amount of protrusion, and due to accuracy errors, a part of the recording surface 30 may protrude beyond the guide rollers and come into contact with the surface of the recording paper P during travel. There is
In the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the detection opening edge projection 304 is formed by projecting the edge of the detection opening 302, which is a relatively narrow range. As a result, the protrusion (detection opening edge protrusion 304) for maintaining the distance between the position detection sensor 18 and the recording paper P can be prevented from coming into contact with the recording paper P during running.

In the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the detection opening edge projections 304 are arranged over the entire periphery of the detection opening 302, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be arranged only on the extension line of the moving direction of HMP 1 during printing with respect to the detection opening 302 . The detection opening edge projection 304 may be arranged only downstream of the detection opening 302 in the scanning direction (positive direction of the X-axis in the figure), or may be arranged upstream of the detection opening 302 in the scanning direction. It may be arranged on both downstream sides.

As the scanning method of the HMP 1, there are cases where it is necessary to scan a surface such as a picture, in which case the user scans in an arbitrary direction, so that the detection aperture edge projections 304 are provided around the entire periphery of the detection aperture 302. is desirable. Also, the main usage is to print characters, barcodes, etc. In this case, scanning is performed in one direction. For this reason, the detection opening edge protrusion 304 should be provided on the extension of the scanning direction (X-axis direction) with respect to the detection opening 302 at least when printing characters and barcodes, which are the main usages. is desirable. When printing characters or barcodes, the main moving direction during image forming operation is the X-axis direction. For this reason, by providing the detection opening edge protrusion 304 on the extension of the detection opening 302 in the X-axis direction, the surface of the recording paper P at the position facing the detection opening 302 does not extend beyond the detection opening edge protrusion 304 . It is possible to prevent the tip from approaching the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 .

If the recording material such as the recording paper P is wavy or bent and is not flat, the distance between the recording material and the detecting portion of the position detection sensor 18 may fluctuate. In this case, an error occurs between the actual moving distance of the HMP 1 by the user's operation and the moving distance calculated based on the detection result of the position detection sensor 18, and printing based on the calculated moving distance results in correct printing. There may be problems that are not done. On the other hand, the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1 is provided with the detection opening edge protrusion 304 in which the protrusion tip position F3 is positioned between the imaginary print plane F1 and the erroneous detection prevention imaginary plane F2. As a result, the range in which the surface of the recording material facing the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 can be set between the imaginary printing plane F1 and the projection tip position F3. It is possible to suppress fluctuations in the distance from the detection unit. Therefore, in the first embodiment, in the HMP 1, which is a handy mobile type image recording apparatus (portable image forming apparatus) that records an image on a recording material by manually scanning in the print movement direction, the position detection sensor 18 during manual scanning detection accuracy can be improved.

The position detection sensor 18 has specifications for a distance (distance from the surface of the detection target to the detection unit) for correctly detecting the detection target. When the surface (printed surface) of the object to be detected comes too close to the detecting portion of the position detecting sensor 18, the position detecting sensor 18 does not operate properly, resulting in erroneous detection. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate distance between the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 and the surface (printed surface) of the detection target. In the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the position of the tip of the detection opening edge protrusion 304 is set at a position where the position detection sensor 18 can maintain a distance that does not cause erroneous detection. As a result, even if the recording paper P to be printed is deformed in a direction approaching the detection unit, the position of the surface of the recording paper P becomes a position farther from the detection unit than the tip of the detection opening edge protrusion 304, and the detection unit and the recording paper P can be appropriately maintained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection caused by the recording paper P coming too close to the detection unit.

The HMP 1 of Embodiment 1 is configured to eject ink from the recording unit 41 for printing. decrease and cause abnormal images. On the other hand, in the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the detection opening 302 is surrounded by the detection opening edge projections 304 , so that the airflow containing the ink mist does not easily enter the detection opening 302 . As a result, ink mist generated from the recording section 41 of the inkjet head 40 can be prevented from adhering to the position detection sensor 18 .

In the first embodiment, the position detection sensor 18, which is recording material detection means for detecting the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner, detects the surface of the recording paper P, thereby detecting the amount of movement with respect to the recording paper P and detecting the movement of the recording paper. It is an optical sensor for position coordinate detection that detects a position with respect to P. The recording material detecting means used in the portable image forming apparatus provided with the protrusions of the present invention is not limited to a sensor for position detection, but may be a sensor for non-contact detection of the presence or absence of the recording material at the position facing the detection section. There may be.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the traveling direction of the HMP 1, and the arrows in FIG. 17 indicate the traveling direction of the HMP 1. As shown in FIG. 17(a) is an explanatory diagram for printing characters, and FIG. 17(b) is an explanatory diagram for printing an image I. FIG. Although FIG. 17 is a top view, the four rollers arranged on the lower surface of the HMP 1 and the recording section 41 are indicated by solid lines for the sake of convenience.

As described above, the four guide rollers guide the movement of the HMP 1 in the scanning direction.
When characters or bar codes are printed in a straight line along the scanning direction as shown in FIG. be. However, when printing an image I wider than the width of the recording section 41 as shown in FIG. 17B, the guide of the roller interferes with the direction of travel, generating unnecessary resistance and requiring an operating force. .

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a spacer 60 that can be attached to the recording surface 30 of the HMP 1, and FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the HMP 1 and the spacer 60 seen obliquely from below. FIG. 20 is a bottom view of HMP 1 with spacer 60 attached.

When the spacer 60 is attached to the recording surface 30 of the HMP 1, as shown in FIG. 63 is in a protruded state. As a result, when the HMP 1 is placed on the surface of the recording paper P, the contact convex portion 63 comes into contact with the recording paper P, and the roller does not come into contact with the recording paper P, so that the guide by the roller can be disabled. Therefore, when printing an image I wider than the width of the recording section 41 as shown in FIG. 17(b), generation of unnecessary resistance can be eliminated.

As shown in FIG. 18, the spacer 60 has two magnets 61 on its upper surface, and the magnets 61 are attached to the two iron members 62 (see FIGS. 1 and 19) placed on the recording surface 30 of the HMP 1 by magnetic force. By sticking, the spacer 60 can be attached to the HMP1.
The spacer 60 has a spacer ejection opening 60a at a position facing the ejection opening 30a, and exposes the recording section 41 to the outside. Further, the spacer 60 has a spacer detection opening 60 b at a position facing the detection opening plane portion 303 . By providing these two openings, position detection by the position detection sensor 18 and image formation by the inkjet head 40 can be performed with the spacer 60 attached.

When the spacers 60 are attached, the spacers 60 can prevent the recording paper P from floating, so that erroneous detection due to the recording paper P coming too close to the detection section of the position detection sensor 18 can be suppressed. However, by providing the detection opening edge protrusion 304 so as to surround the detection opening 302 , it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to the floating of the recording paper P that could not be suppressed by the spacer 60 . Furthermore, it is possible to prevent ink mist generated from the recording section 41 of the inkjet head 40 from adhering to the position detection sensor 18 .

[Embodiment 2]
A second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "second embodiment") in which the present invention is applied to the HMP 1 will be described below.
FIG. 21 is an external perspective view of the HMP 1 according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from below on the right rear side. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the HMP 1 according to the second embodiment taken along the line GG in FIG. The arrow "D" in FIGS. 21 and 22 indicates the printing direction of the HMP1, and the arrow "E" in FIG. showing.

The HMP 1 of Embodiment 2 has a structure in which the sheet member 100 is attached to the detection opening plane portion 303 of the housing 80, which is a facing surface forming member, instead of the detection opening edge protrusion 304 of Embodiment 1 described above. Since the HMP 1 is the same as the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1 described above except that the sheet member 100 is provided instead of the detection opening edge protrusion 304, the description of the common configuration will be omitted as appropriate, and the differences will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, in the HMP 1 of the second embodiment, the sheet members 100 are arranged on both sides of the detection opening 302 in the printing direction. The surface of the sheet member 100 is positioned to protrude further in the printing surface direction (ink ejection direction) with respect to the detection opening flat portion 303 . Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the surface of the sheet member 100 on the side of the recording paper P is the most recording material among the members other than the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, 38b) in contact with the surface of the recording paper P in the HMP1. It is a projecting portion that protrudes toward the paper P side.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, by arranging the sheet member 100 on both the upstream side and the downstream side in the printing direction of the detection opening 302 exposing the position detection sensor 18, the recording paper P in the printing direction is Fluttering can be suppressed.

In the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, since the detection opening edge protrusion 304 is formed by protruding a part of the lower surface of the housing 80, the sliding load when the recording paper P contacts the detection opening edge protrusion 304 is It depends on the material of the housing 80 . Since the housing 80 supports each member that constitutes the lower unit 3, the material of the housing 80 is required to be a material with high rigidity, and it is difficult to improve the slidability with the same material.
Therefore, in the HMP 1 of Embodiment 1, the sliding resistance when the recording paper P contacts the detection opening edge protrusion 304 increases, and the operating force required for operation in the printing direction increases, resulting in improved operability. It may get worse.
Further, when the HMP 1 is scanned while the recording paper P is in contact with the detection opening edge protrusion 304, which is not very slidable, a rubbing sound is generated between the detection opening edge protrusion 304 and the recording paper P, and the operation is performed. It may make the user feel uncomfortable.

On the other hand, in the HMP 1 of Embodiment 2, by using a material with higher slidability than the material of the housing 80 for the material of the sheet member 100, when the sheet member 100 is in contact with the recording paper P, when the sheet member 100 is operated in the printing direction, Required operating force is reduced and operability is improved.
In addition, by using the sheet member 100 with high slidability, it is possible to suppress rubbing noise when the recording paper P comes into contact with the sheet member 100, thereby suppressing discomfort to the user who operates the sheet member 100. improve the feeling.

Since the HMP 1 of Embodiment 2 is provided with rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, 38b) that guide the movement direction so as to move straight in the printing direction, the sheet member 100 is arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the printing direction. is doing. In the configuration in which the operation is performed while operating in the line feed direction (the direction of the arrow "E" in FIG. 21), the sheet member 100 is arranged upstream and downstream of the position detection sensor 18 in the line feed direction, which is the same as in the second embodiment. effect can be obtained.

In the HMP 1 of the second embodiment, when the recording paper P is wavy and a part of the recording paper P protrudes above the part in contact with the roller, the protruding part of the recording paper P and the sheet member 100 come into contact with each other. and slides.
The sheet member 100 is adhered to the bottom surface of the housing 80 by double-sided tape or adhesive. A sheet protection stepped portion 310 is provided at. As shown in FIG. 22, the sheet protection stepped portion 310 protrudes downward from the attachment surface of the sheet member 100 in the housing 80 and is positioned above the surface of the sheet member 100 attached to the attachment surface. It is a shape that

By providing the sheet protection stepped portion 310 so as to surround the sheet member 100, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering between the adhesive surface of the sheet member 100 and the housing 80 during operation or the like. As a result, it is possible to prevent the adhesion force of the sheet member 100 from weakening and the sheet member 100 from peeling off from the housing 80 due to the entry of foreign matter.

If the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b) slip on the recording paper P when the HMP 1 is pressed against the surface of the recording paper P and operated in the printing direction, the HMP 1 cannot be operated straight, and the HMP 1 cannot be operated. There is a possibility that the direction of movement will be bent. Therefore, as the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b), it is conceivable to use rollers made of rubber in order to improve the gripping force with the recording paper P. FIG.
However, if the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b) are made of rubber material, the rubber material is crushed when the HMP 1 is pressed against the recording paper P, and the lower surface of the main body of the HMP 1 and the recording paper P rub against each other. There is a risk of doing so. If the lower surface of the main body of the HMP 1 rubs against the recording paper P, problems such as damage to the recording paper P and generation of rubbing noise may occur.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the HMP 1 is pressed against the surface of the recording paper P, using a rubber material as the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b) of the HMP 1 of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 23, when the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b) are crushed, the recording paper P and the sheet member 100 are in contact with each other and rubbed against each other. The above problems caused by collapse can be solved.

Also, the position detection sensor 18 of the second embodiment is an optical sensor using a laser beam similar to that of the first embodiment. When the surface to be detected (printing surface) is too close to the detection unit, the position detection sensor 18 does not operate properly, and the position detection sensor 18 erroneously detects the position, causing a problem that the print image cannot be printed correctly. There is a risk. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate distance between the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 and the detection target surface. In FIG. 23, the configuration is such that the position detection sensor 18 maintains the closest distance J that does not cause erroneous detection. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection caused by the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 coming too close to the surface of the recording paper P, and to prevent printing defects caused by erroneous detection.

Further, even if the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b) are made of a material that is hard to be crushed, the lower surface of the main body of the HMP 1 (housing 80 ) and the recording paper P may rub against each other. When the lower surface of the main body of the HMP 1 rubs against the recording paper P, problems such as damage to the recording paper P and generation of rubbing noise occur. There may be a problem of false positives due to too much.
FIG. 24 shows a state in which the recording paper P is wavy in HMP1 in which the hardness of the rollers (37a, 37b, 38a and 38b) is high.

As shown in FIG. 24, when the recording paper P is in a wavy state, the recording paper P and the sheet member 100 are in contact with each other and rubbed against each other. It is possible to solve the above-described problems caused by P rubbing against the housing 80. FIG. That is, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rubbing noise and the deterioration of operability caused by rubbing, and furthermore, the occurrence of erroneous detection caused by the detection portion of the position detection sensor 18 coming too close to the surface of the recording paper P can be prevented. can be prevented.

In the second embodiment, the sheet member 100 is attached to the lower surface of the housing 80 that forms the facing surface, and the protrusion projecting from the lower surface of the housing 80 is the sheet member 100 with higher slidability than the housing 80 . As a structure for protruding a highly slidable material, the same material as the housing 80 or a projection may be provided as part of the housing 80, and a highly slidable material may be attached to the tip of the projection.

A mixed material of PC (polycarbonate) and ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) is used as the material of the housing 80 of the first and second embodiments. Thereby, the housing 80 having the rigidity required to support each member can be realized. Also, as the sheet member 100 of the second embodiment, a polyslider tape manufactured by Asahi Polyslider Co., Ltd. is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. By using POM (polyacetal) as the material of the sheet member 100 , a configuration including the sheet member 100 having higher slidability than the housing 80 can be realized.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, an example in which the present invention is applied to the HMP 1 of the inkjet system has been described, but the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to apparatuses using other image forming methods. For example, it can be applied to a suitable type recording apparatus such as a thermal type or a thermal transfer type.

What has been described above is only an example, and each of the following aspects has a unique effect.

(Aspect 1)
A portable image such as an HMP 1 including a recording unit such as a recording unit 41 for recording an image on a recording material such as a recording paper P, and recording material detection means such as a position detection sensor 18 for detecting the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner. In the forming apparatus, a housing 80 or the like that forms at least a part of a facing surface such as the recording surface 30 facing the recording material and has a detection opening such as the detection opening 302 that exposes the detection portion of the recording material detection means. and a projection such as a detection opening edge projection 304 protruding in the normal direction of the facing surface (ink ejection direction, etc.) around the detection opening in the facing surface forming member. It is characterized.
As a result of intensive studies by the inventors of the present invention, it has been found that in the non-contact type recording material detection means, the surface of the recording material is properly controlled by causing the deformed portion of the recording material that has floated up to come too close to the detection portion of the recording material detection means. It turned out that it could not be detected. In mode 1, even when the recording material has a deformed part that has risen, the lifted deformed part hits the tip of the protrusion, and the surface of the recording material can be prevented from approaching the detection part more than the position of the tip of the protrusion. Therefore, the surface of the recording material can be prevented from coming too close to the detection unit, the recording material detection means can appropriately detect the surface of the recording material, and the detection accuracy of the surface of the recording material can be improved.

(Aspect 2)
Aspect 1 is characterized in that the distance from the detection section to the tip of the projection is greater than or equal to the distance from the detection section to the detection target at which recording material detection means does not cause erroneous detection.
According to this, the distance between the surface of the recording material and the detection unit can be kept at a distance that does not cause erroneous detection by the recording material detecting means in a state where the recording material is in contact with the tip of the protrusion, and the recording material is detected. It is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the surface of the recording material by means.

(Aspect 3)
In mode 1 or 2, the facing surface forming member includes a recording material contact portion such as rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, 38b) that contacts the surface of the recording material, and the tip of the protrusion is positioned closer to the recording material contact portion than the recording material contact portion. It is characterized in that it is positioned away from the surface of the recording material.
According to this, if the recording material is planar, the recording material contact portion comes into contact with the surface of the recording material when the portable image forming apparatus is brought close to the recording material, and the projection first contacts the surface of the recording material. A non-contact configuration can be realized. Accordingly, the distance between the surface of the recording material and the recording portion can be defined by the recording material contact portion, and the distance between the surface of the recording material and the recording portion can be maintained at an appropriate distance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the surface of the recording material and the recording portion from being too far apart due to the excessive protrusion of the protrusions, and the printing becomes blurred due to the distance between the surface of the recording material and the recording portion being too far. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of defective images such as

(Aspect 4)
Aspects 1 to 3 are characterized in that the protrusion is provided over the entire circumference of the detection opening.
According to this, even if the user scans the portable image forming apparatus in any direction, it is possible to prevent the recording material at the position facing the detection opening from coming closer to the detection section than the tip of the protrusion.

(Aspect 5)
Aspects 1 to 3 are characterized in that the protrusion is provided on an extension line of the moving direction during the image forming operation with respect to the detection opening.
According to this, when the user scans the portable image forming apparatus in a predetermined movement direction such as the X-axis direction, the surface of the recording material at the position facing the detection opening is positioned closer to the detection portion than the tip of the protrusion. can be prevented from approaching

(Aspect 6)
In any one of Modes 1 to 5, the tip of the protrusion of the sheet member 100 or the like is made of a material having higher slidability than the opposing surface forming member.
According to this, it is possible to reduce the sliding load when the recording material contacts and slides on the tip of the protrusion, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rubbing noise and the deterioration of operability due to the sliding load.

(Aspect 7)
In aspect 6, the protrusion is a sliding member, such as a sheet member 100 with high slidability, attached to the facing surface forming member, and is formed around the attaching surface of the facing surface forming member to which the sliding member is attached. and a stepped portion such as the sheet protection stepped portion 310 that protrudes in the normal direction from the attachment surface and does not protrude in the normal direction from the surface of the sliding member attached to the attachment surface. It is characterized.
According to this, it is possible to prevent the sliding member from being peeled off from the facing surface forming member due to weakening of the adhesive strength due to foreign matter entering between the sliding member and the facing surface forming member.

(Aspect 8)
In any one of Aspects 1 to 7, the recording material detection means is a position detection means for detecting the surface of the recording material and detecting the moving distance with respect to the recording material.
According to this, since the detection accuracy of the surface of the recording material can be improved, the moving distance with respect to the recording material can be detected with high accuracy, and the detection accuracy of the position with respect to the recording material can be improved.

(Aspect 9)
In any one of modes 1 to 8, the recording material detection means is an optical sensor.
According to this, it is possible to prevent the surface of the recording material from coming too close to the detection unit of the optical sensor, and it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the surface of the recording material by the optical sensor.

(Mode 10)
In any one of modes 1 to 8, the facing surface forming member holds the recording section and the recording material detection means, and the portion forming the facing surface of the facing surface forming member is an ejection opening exposing the recording section. It has a recording opening forming surface such as an ejection opening flat portion 301 in which recording openings such as the portion 30a are formed, and a detection opening forming surface such as a detection opening flat portion 303 in which a detection opening is formed. The forming surface protrudes from the recording aperture forming surface in the direction normal to the opposing surface, and the protrusion protrudes further than the detection aperture forming surface in the direction normal to the opposing surface.
According to this, in the portion forming the facing surface of the facing surface forming member, the protruding portion protrudes the most. In order to keep the distance between the detection section and the surface of the recording material, it is easier to achieve accuracy in the amount of protrusion of the portion that protrudes rather than the shape in which the entire facing surface protrudes.

(Aspect 11)
A mobile phone such as an HMP 1 that includes recording material detection means such as a position detection sensor 18 that detects the surface of a recording material such as recording paper P in a non-contact manner, and to which a recording unit such as a recording unit 41 that records an image on a recording material is detachable. In the main body of the image forming apparatus, a detection opening such as a detection opening 302 that forms at least a part of a facing surface such as the recording surface 30 facing the recording material and exposes a detection portion of the recording material detection means is formed. A facing surface forming member such as the housing 80 is provided, and projections such as the detection opening edge projections 304 protruding in the normal direction of the facing surface (ink ejection direction, etc.) are provided around the detection opening of the facing surface forming member. It is characterized by having
According to this, as in mode 1, the surface of the recording material can be prevented from coming too close to the detection unit, the recording material detection means can appropriately detect the surface of the recording material, and the surface of the recording material can be detected. Detection accuracy can be improved.

1 HMP
2 Upper unit 2a Horizontal extension 2b Vertical extension 3 Lower unit 3a Upper unit rotating shaft 5a Print button 5b Power button 7 Print guide member 7R Right print guide member 7L Left print guide member 9 USB connection port 11 Upper unit lock claw 13 FPC contact portion 14 Control board 15 Battery 18 Position detection sensor 21 Biasing member 30 Recording surface 30a Discharge opening 31 Top surface 32 Left side 33 Right side 34 Back 35 Front 37a Left first roller 37b Left second roller 38a Right first Roller 38b Right second roller 39 Grip recess 40 Inkjet head 41 Recording unit 41a Ejection hole 52 Bt substrate 53 RAM
54 ROMs
55 CPUs
56 recording control unit 58 gyro sensor 59 LED lamp 60 spacer 60a spacer discharge opening 60b spacer detection opening 61 magnet 62 iron member 63 contact protrusion 80 housing 100 sheet member 301 discharge opening plane 302 detection opening 303 detection opening plane 304 detection opening edge protrusion 310 sheet protection stepped portion F1 printing virtual surface F2 erroneous detection prevention virtual plane F3 protrusion tip position H hand I image P recording paper S gap W1 printing portion W2 portion to be printed

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-315385

Claims (11)

a recording unit that records an image on a recording material;
A portable image forming apparatus comprising recording material detection means for detecting the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner,
a facing surface forming member forming at least a part of the facing surface facing the recording material and having a detection opening for exposing a detecting portion of the recording material detecting means;
around the detection opening in the facing surface forming member, a projecting portion protruding in a direction normal to the facing surface ;
The facing surface forming member holds the recording unit and the recording material detection means,
A portion of the facing surface forming member forming the facing surface has a recording opening forming surface in which a recording opening exposing the recording portion is formed, and a detection opening forming surface in which the detecting opening is formed. death,
the detection aperture forming surface protrudes in a direction normal to the opposing surface from the recording aperture forming surface;
The portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion protrudes further in a direction normal to the facing surface than the detection aperture forming surface . The portable image forming apparatus of claim 1,
A portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance from the detection section to the tip of the protrusion is greater than or equal to the distance from the detection section to the detection target at which the recording material detection means does not cause an erroneous detection. The portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
the opposing surface forming member includes a recording material contact portion that contacts the surface of the recording material;
A portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the protrusion is positioned farther from the surface of the recording material than the recording material contact portion. The portable image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A portable image forming apparatus, wherein the protrusion is provided along the entire circumference of the detection opening. The portable image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on an extension line of the detection opening in a moving direction during image forming operation. The portable image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tips of the projections are made of a material having higher slidability than the facing surface forming member. a recording unit that records an image on a recording material;
A portable image forming apparatus comprising recording material detection means for detecting the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner,
a facing surface forming member forming at least a part of the facing surface facing the recording material and having a detection opening for exposing a detecting portion of the recording material detecting means;
around the detection opening in the facing surface forming member, a projecting portion protruding in a direction normal to the facing surface;
A portable image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tips of the projections are made of a material having higher slidability than the facing surface forming member. The portable image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 ,
The protrusion is a highly slidable sliding member attached to the opposing surface forming member,
Around the attachment surface of the facing surface forming member to which the sliding member is attached, it protrudes in the normal direction from the attachment surface and is above the surface of the sliding member attached to the attachment surface. A portable image forming apparatus, further comprising a stepped portion having a shape that does not protrude in the normal direction. The portable image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The portable image forming apparatus, wherein the recording material detection means is position detection means for detecting the surface of the recording material and detecting a moving distance with respect to the recording material. The portable image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
A portable image forming apparatus, wherein the recording material detecting means is an optical sensor . recording material detecting means for detecting the surface of the recording material in a non-contact manner;
In a portable image forming apparatus main body in which a recording unit for recording an image on the recording material is detachable,
a facing surface forming member forming at least a part of the facing surface facing the recording material and having a detection opening for exposing a detecting portion of the recording material detecting means;
around the detection opening in the facing surface forming member, a projecting portion protruding in a direction normal to the facing surface ;
The opposing surface forming member holds the recording material detection means,
A portion of the facing surface forming member forming the facing surface has a recording opening forming surface in which a recording opening exposing the recording portion is formed, and a detection opening forming surface in which the detecting opening is formed. death,
the detection aperture forming surface protrudes in a direction normal to the opposing surface from the recording aperture forming surface;
The main body of the portable image forming apparatus , wherein the protrusion protrudes further in a direction normal to the facing surface than the detection aperture forming surface .

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