JPH03101949A - Ink jet recording head and carrier moving with the head loaded thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a travel range of a recording head for loading/unloading the recording head by a method wherein an operation mechanism for loading/ unloading the recording head is disposed on the side of the travel direction of a carrier, and the recording head is loaded or unloaded by being horizontally rotated on the carrier and linearly moved. CONSTITUTION:A contact hook 603 for loading/unloading a recording head 9 by moving engagedly with a part of a contact lever 602 conducts the loading/ unloading action by a method in which a slot 603c formed thereon is guided to a guide shaft 601c formed on a carrier body 6. For example, when the recording head is to be loaded, the contact lever 602 is rotated counterclockwise, whereby the contact hook 603 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 601c and moves leftward to be in horizontal states. At this time, the contact hook 603 moves while engaging with the a claw 906c. Thus the recording head 9 rotates clockwise about abutting parts 906a and 906b, and the position of the recording head 9 on a carrier 6 is determined.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording head for performing recording by ejecting recording Fi (ink), and a carrier for mounting and moving the recording head. In particular, the present invention relates to a structure for removably mounting an inkjet recording head equipped with an ink tank for storing ink on a carrier.

[Conventional technology]

Some inkjet recording apparatuses are known that use an inkjet recording head (hereinafter RL is referred to as a recording head) in which an ink tank and a recording head element for ejecting ink are integrated.

When loading such a print head onto a carrier on the printing apparatus side, it is necessary to accurately apply ink to an appropriate position on a recording medium such as paper and perform printing, and to install a connection cable for transmitting print signals. Since the terminals had to be connected through, the recording head had to be fixed and mounted in an appropriate position.

The methods of mounting the recording head can be roughly divided into two methods: mounting the recording head parallel or rotating it from above or behind the carrier, and inserting the recording head into the carrier from a predetermined direction and then operating a fixing lever. There was a method of pressing and fixing the recording head in an appropriate position.

As a structure using one of such mounting methods, for example, the one shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-8076 by the present applicant has been proposed.

In the structure shown above, the positioning protrusion for mounting is provided further outside the entire length of the recording head, and the mounting lever mechanism is also placed in the rear part of the carrier when the recording head is mounted. This is the configuration provided.

[Fourth Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, in recent years, inkjet recording devices, especially recording heads, have been manufactured using semiconductor film formation processes and micro-processing techniques, making them smaller and cheaper. New recording heads are being realized. Accordingly, as described above, a disposable type recording head with an integrated ink tank has also been proposed.

Along with this, there is a demand for an inkjet recording apparatus that is compact and inexpensive, and that is easier for users to use.

In view of such demands, there is still room for further improvement in the structure for removably mounting a recording head on a carrier, including the conventional example described above.

For example, in the conventional configuration shown above, the guide member and positioning protrusion increase the overall length of the recording head, and the mounting lever mechanism on the carrier is also provided behind the recording head, making it unnecessary as it moves. This creates a large amount of dead space.

Furthermore, it is desirable that the possible ranges i and b of the recording head during attachment and detachment 43 be small and do not interfere with other members of the apparatus.

Furthermore, from the perspective of the ink storage capacity of an ink tank, it is desirable that the amount of ink that can be stored is as large as possible, so the ink tank should be made as large as possible within the space allowed for the recording head and carrier. Requires configuration.

In addition, when attaching and detaching the recording head, connection of connection terminals for transmitting electrical signals such as recording signals is also an important problem associated with the configuration for attaching and detaching.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned aspects,
By arranging the operation mechanism for attaching and detaching the recording head on the moving direction side of the carrier, and performing this attaching and detaching operation by horizontal rotation and linear movement on the carrier, the length of the carrier and the recording head is limited. It is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier that can effectively utilize the length in the direction perpendicular to the carrier movement direction, for example, for an ink tank, and that can reduce the movement range of a recording head for attachment and detachment. do.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording head that can be properly attached to and detached from the carrier.

[A Thousand Steps to Solve the Problem] To this end, the present invention provides a carrier that is provided with a mechanism for removably mounting an inkjet recording head with an integrated ink tank, and that moves along a predetermined path. , an abutting portion for positioning the recording head in the horizontal direction, and a head engaging member that is rotatable and linearly movable on the moving direction side of the carrier and can be engaged with the recording head; The recording head is provided on the moving direction side of the carrier, and its operation produces the linear movement and the rotation in the head engaging member, thereby bringing the recording head into contact with the abutting portion and causing the recording head to contact the abutting portion. an operating member for rotating around a contact point; a second abutting portion for stopping the rotation in one direction by coming into contact with the rotating recording head; and for the second abutting portion. and a biasing means for biasing the abutting recording head, and the recording head is attached and detached by the operation of the operating member and the operation in the opposite direction.

Further, the inkjet recording head is characterized in that it can be attached to and detached from the carrier.

[-for production]

According to the above configuration, the operation mechanism for attaching and detaching the recording head is disposed on the moving direction side of the carrier, and the operation of attaching and detaching the bracket is performed by horizontal rotation and linear movement on the carrier. The length in the direction perpendicular to the carrier movement direction of the head can be used effectively,
Moreover, it is possible to reduce the movement range of the recording head for attachment and detachment.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 excluding the case, etc., and FIG. 3 (A) and (B) are also diagrams mainly showing the paper ejection system of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 indicates an inkjet recording device, and this device 100 is used when placed as shown in the figure, and when placed vertically as described later.
It is used in some cases and is relatively small.

101 is a device case, 102 is an outer lid, and 103 is an inner lid. When not in use, the outer lid 102 is superimposed on the inner ii 103, making the device 100 compact.

This allows the user to carry the recording device, for example, by putting it in a dedicated storage bag.

In addition, the outer 3ii102 is a recording paper 4o as shown in the same figure.
It can also be used as a paper feed guide, and in this case, 106 in the figure becomes a paper feed port. Furthermore, the outer M102 can also be used as a paper discharge tray, as will be described later.

In any of the above cases, reference numeral 107 in the figure serves as a paper discharge port.

105 is a position fixing hook of the upper i102, and 104 is an operation key, a display section, etc.

Next, the configuration of the main parts of the apparatus will be explained with reference to FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a chassis, and a left side plate 1a and a right side plate 1b, which also serve as guides for recording media such as paper, are erected on the rear side. Further, the chassis 1 is provided with a motor mounting hole for rotatably supporting a carrier motor, which will be described later, but is not shown.

1h is a lead arm that supports a lead screw, which will be described later, in the axial and radial directions, and includes a bearing part (not shown).
It is pivoted on.

2 is a lead screw, and leads ifg2a are formed at a predetermined pitch relative to the recording range. Also,
On the carrier home position side of the lead screw 2, a position groove 3b for setting a position for capping and discharge recovery is formed along a cross section perpendicular to the screw axis. Furthermore, the lead groove 2a and the position groove 3b are smoothly continuous with each other by the introduction groove 3c.

A shaft 2g is provided on the right end of the lead screw 2, and a shaft is also provided on the left end side, and the shafts are fitted into bearing holes provided on the front plate 1c and the lead arm lb, respectively.
It is rotatably supported relative to them. 3 is the groove 3b mentioned above
, 3c, and is a dowel provided on the shaft of the lead screw 2, and a boule 3a is provided at the end thereof. A driving force is transmitted from the motor 11 to the pulley 3a via the timing belt 13.

Further, the shaft 2g on the right end side of the lead screw 2 is slidably engaged with the groove of the guide plate 1c connected to the chassis right side plate 1b and the chassis 1, and is pushed in the thrust direction by the holding part 10a of the leaf spring 10. While being pressed, the shaft 2g further engages with a cam groove of a cam groove plate 50a rotatably supported by a shaft provided on the guide plate 1c. Cam groove plate 50a
Interlocking teeth are formed around the leaf spring 10.
By engaging with the ratchet portion 10c, the cam groove plate 50a can be latched at a desired rotational position. As a result, the position of %b2g that engages with the cam groove is determined in the groove of the guide plate 1c, and therefore the position of the lead screw 2 at the right end of the device is determined. This configuration is used for adjusting the gap between the recording head and the platen, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a clutch gear, which is slidably supported in the axial direction with respect to the lead bobber 3, and is engaged in the rotational direction by a part of the gear provided on the lead bobber 3, which will be described later in FIG. The rotational force of the screw 2 is transmitted. A clutch spring 5 is a compression spring that biases the clutch gear 4 in the direction of the lead groove. Note that a regulating member is formed between the clutch gear 4 and the door booby 3 to prevent the clutch gear 4 from moving within a predetermined range in the axial direction.

A carrier 6 is slidably attached to the lead screw 2. Reference numeral 6a denotes a suppressing portion for pressing the end face of the clutch gear 4, and is integrally formed on the left side of the carrier. 7 is a lead bin, and lead screw 2
is engaged with the lead groove 28 of the carrier 6, and its direction of suppression is guided by a guide hole (not shown) in the carrier 6. 8 is a lead pin spring, one end of which is attached to the carrier 6, and the other end pressing the lead pin 7.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a recording head mounted on the carrier 6, and in the example shown in FIG. It is a disposable type that can be replaced when the ink is consumed. Note that an electrothermal transducer or an electromechanical transducer is used as the ejection energy generating element disposed in the head element 9a to apply ejection energy to the ink, but it is possible to implement high-density mounting of ink ejection ports, etc. The former is preferably used due to the fact that the manufacturing process is simple and the manufacturing process is simple.

A hook 6c is fixed to a part of the carrier 6, and is attached to the recording head 9 when the carrier 6 moves as described later.
This mechanism is used to stably stop at the cap position, etc.

A carrier guide shaft 5l is slidably engaged with a guide pin 6b provided at the rear end of the carrier 6. The guide shaft 5l has an eccentric shaft 51a as will be described later in FIG. Furthermore, a shaft 51 supported by the side plate 51c
The end of a is fixed to the positioning knob 51d, and the knob 51
d and a hole 51e provided in the side plate 51c.
The rotational position of the shaft 51 is determined by the engagement between the two.

As shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), the above-described configuration allows the distance between the recording surface of recording ifl=40 and the ejection opening of the head element 9a to be set appropriately depending on the type of recording paper 40. This is for the purpose of That is, the knob 51d
By manually rotating the shaft 5l, as shown in Figure 4 (^)
As shown in FIG. 4, the distance between the shaft 51a and the bottle 6b is the minimum, or as shown in FIG. 4(B), the distance can be fixed at the maximum position. Accordingly, the recording head 9
is the lead script. : Rotates around L-2 as the rotation axis, and the recording paper 40 is placed at a position corresponding to relatively thin plain paper (see Fig. 4).
A)), or at a position with a large gap (FIG. 4(B)) corresponding to relatively thick recording paper such as an envelope.

However, the above-described configuration is compatible with recording paper during recording. That is, during the ejection recovery process, the recording head 9 is moved to the position of the recovery process system shown at the left end in FIG. At this time, the recording head 9 and the recovery system must always be in a predetermined positional relationship. Therefore, Figure 4 (A
) or (e) eRegardless of the indicated position, the recording head 9 needs to take a fixed position during the ejection recovery process. The precepts for this purpose are shown in Figures 5 (8) and (B).

FIGS. 5A and 5B show views corresponding to FIGS. 4A and 8, respectively.

In the case of FIG. 5(^), @51a and pin 6b can be engaged without changing the height of the engagement position between shaft 5l and pin 6b. At this time, in order to maintain the height of the engaged position, the parallel surface of the trapezoidal cam 51g is also engaged with the pin 6b.

In the case of FIG. 5(B), the recording head 9 moves and the bin 6b
When the pin 6b attempts to engage the shaft 51a, the height of the engagement position of the bottle 6b changes. Therefore, the shaft 5l has a tapered portion 51.
f is provided, and in accordance with this, the trapezoidal cam 51g is provided with a tapered surface. As a result, as the height of the engagement position of the bottle 6b with the shaft 51 (tapered portion 51f, shaft 51a) changes, the height is maintained.

With the above configuration, when the recording head 9 reaches the position of the ejection recovery system, it is possible to always maintain a predetermined height and therefore a predetermined positional relationship with the recovery system.

Note that the rotationally fixed position of the recording head 9 is 2 as described above.
The present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to fix it at an intermediate position to accommodate recording paper of various thicknesses. In this case, the protrusion of the knob 51d and the hole 51e of the side plate 51c
All you have to do is increase the number of engagement positions.

Furthermore, the rotation of the knob 51d is not limited to manual operation; for example, the knob 51d may be rotated using the driving force of a paper feed motor or the like in accordance with the key manual power corresponding to the recording paper used.

Referring again to FIG. 2, reference numeral 1l is a carrier motor made of, for example, a pulse motor, and rotating pins lla are provided in alignment at the lower part of the front and rear surfaces of the carrier motor. (The one on the rear side is not shown) is rotatably attached to a motor attachment hole provided in a recovery system base 50 that is movable on the chassis 1. Of course, the rotating bottle may be provided on the recovery system base 50 and the mounting hole may be mounted on the motor side.

The carrier motor l1 is attached to be movable around the rotating bin lla. llb is a spring support, and is integrally formed with the carrier motor 1l, and is erected parallel to the motor shaft to receive a motor spring 14, which will be described later. A cylindrical projection is formed in the spring receiving portion, and an end portion of a coiled motor spring l4 is fixed thereto.

12 is a motor holder, which is fixed to the motor shaft of the carrier motor 1l. l3 is the timing belt,
It is stretched between the motor pulley 12 and a pulley 3a provided on the shaft of the lead screw 2.

The motor spring l4 is a compression spring in the configuration of the wooden example, and is attached between one end of the lead arm lh and the spring receiver llb of the carrier motor 11, thereby causing the carrier motor 11 to move in eight directions in the figure. The timing belt 13 is energized and tension is applied to the timing belt 13.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a set shaft, which is erected on a side plate (not shown) fixed to the base 50, to which means for improving the discharge port type control surface, a cap, and a so-called recovery system mechanism related to discharge recovery are attached.

By the way, as mentioned above, the positional relationship between this recovery system mechanism and the recording head 9 is important. For example, the recording head 9
The positional relationship between the blade and the discharge port surface is important for the blade to perform its function of wiping the discharge port surface well, and the relationship between the cap and the discharge port surface is important for the good capping function of the discharge port surface. The spacing between is important. Therefore, it is desirable that the positional relationship between these recovery system mechanisms and the recording head 9 is always kept constant.

On the other hand, the recording head 9 is driven by the lead screw 2 due to the driving force being transmitted through the lead screw 2.
Record while moving along the At this time, recording paper 4
It is clear that it is desirable that the distance between 0 and the ejection opening of the recording head 9 be the same at any position of movement.

Therefore, by adjusting the distance of the recording head 9 to the recording paper,
Although it is possible to provide an adjustment mechanism that allows the recording head to move parallel to the recording paper, this adjustment may impair the fixed positional relationship with the recovery system. Therefore, in this embodiment, the carrier motor 11 and the recovery system base 50 provided with a recovery system mechanism which will be described in detail later are made movable with respect to the chassis 1.

This movement of the base 50 and the above-mentioned cam groove plate 50a &
: By adjusting the position of the lead screw 2 at both ends thereof, the recording head 9 is moved parallel to the recording paper 40. The details of the mechanism in the base 50 for this purpose are shown in Figure 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the recovery system base 50 from the opposite direction from FIG. 2, and is shown in a partially cutaway view.

In the figure, 50e is a guide groove member fixed to the side surface of a groove provided on the back side of the base 50, and this member 5Qe
groove, and a key-shaped guide member 1k fixed to the chassis 1.
By engaging with the guide portion, the moving direction of the base 50 is regulated, and the base 50 can be prevented from floating up from the chassis 1.

In the above mechanism, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, by rotating the cam plate 50b around the shaft 50d attached to the base 5o, the cam surface can be moved to any one of the cam grooves 1°C of the chassis 1. While touching one surface, press that surface. At this time, the base 50 moves in the direction C guided by the member 50e and the member 1k due to the reaction force of the pressing force.

Note that the cam may be configured such that the cam plate is rotated around a predetermined axis by operating a shaft that engages with a predetermined cam groove formed in the cam plate.

Along with this movement, the drive system for driving the carrier motor 1.1 and motor 11 attached to the base 5o, that is, the tie belt 13, the bobbin 3.12, the lead screw 2, etc., and the base The position of one end of the lead screw 2 is adjusted while the recovery system mechanism attached to the lead screw 50 moves together.

On the other hand, the position of the other end of the lead screw 2 is adjusted by rotating the cam groove plate 50a.

With the above adjustment, the lead screw 2 can be made parallel to the recording paper, and therefore. The recording head can now move parallel to the recording paper. Note that this adjustment is performed by an assembly robot during the manufacturing process of the recording device, but it is performed by the user. However, this adjustment may also be carried out during repairs, for example after the device has been used for a long period of time.

Next, means for improving the discharge port forming surface, which is one of the recovery system mechanisms, will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 7(A) to 7(C).

16 is a blade lever (see FIG. 7(^)), and a boss portion 11ia is rotatably attached to the set shaft 15. 16b is an arm part, 16c is a hook part, 1
Reference numeral 7 denotes a blade for wiping the discharge port shaped surface, which can be made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber or chloroprene (CR) rubber. 18 is a blade shaft, which clamps the blade 17 at the center parallel to the rotating shaft, and is rotatably attached to the blade lever +6. Moreover, 18a is a rotating piece, which is formed integrally with the blade shaft l8. An ink carrier 19 is made of a hydrophilic porous material (sintered plastic, urethane foam, etc.), and is fixed to the blade lever B. Note that the blade 17 and the ink carrier 19 are arranged at a position overlapping a cap, which will be described later.

20 is a set lever, which is rotatably attached to the set @l5. 20a and 20b are stop teeth provided on the set lever 20. 20c is also the start tooth. 20d
are also rotating teeth, and the thickness of the start tooth 20c is approximately half that of the other teeth. Reference numeral 20e denotes an arm portion, and a set surface 20f and a reset surface 20g are formed by cutting a part of the arm portion in the thickness direction. blade lever l
The rotary piece 18a of the blade @18 attached to the blade 6 is fitted and combined to drive it.

A timing gear 21 is rotatably attached to the base 50 by a support member (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 7(B), the timing gear 2l has stop teeth 20a, 2 of the set lever 20 described above on a part of its outer periphery.
A stop cam 21a is formed for engaging 0b. In addition, there are three types of drive @2lb+ with some teeth missing.
2lb2. 21bs is formed, and a cap cam 21c for swinging a cap lever (described later) is formed at a predetermined position. In addition, a piston set cam 21f for pressing the piston of the pump, which will be described later, is formed as a face cam, and a piston reset cam 21g is integrally formed at a predetermined interval in correspondence with the piston set cam 21f.

Reference numeral 22 denotes an ink absorber spring, which is fixed at a predetermined position on the base 50, and as shown in FIG.
2b. 23 is an ink absorber, which is made of a hydrophilic porous material like the ink carrier 19 described above. This ink absorber 23 is formed with a wiping portion 23a that the blade 17 mentioned above comes into contact with.
Furthermore, an absorbing surface 23b is formed at the lower part of the absorbing surface 23b, which the ink carrier 19 mentioned above comes into contact with to transfer ink. The absorber holding portion of the ink absorbing rest spring 22 is biased upward with a slight elastic force, and is locked in a predetermined position by a stopper (not shown). Therefore, when the ink carrier 19 mentioned above makes contact, the ink absorber 23 deflects the ink absorber spring 22 and is displaced downward, thereby ensuring the contact state.

Next, the recovery system unit, which is one of the recovery system mechanisms, will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, 24 is a cylinder;
It has a cylindrical cylinder part 24a and a guide part 24b that guides a piston shaft, which will be described later.
4b has an ink flow path 2 by cutting out a part in the axial direction.
4c is formed. 2nd is a cap lever receiver, which is formed so that a lever seal described later is fitted therein. Further, 24e is an ink flow path, which opens at a predetermined position within the cylinder portion 24a. 24f is a rotating lever, which is integrally formed with the cylinder 24; The rotational force is applied by the spring portion 22b of the ink absorber spring 22 described above. 24g is a waste ink tube, and cylinder 24
The ink flow path 24b is formed in the waste ink pipe 24g, and its tip is cut into an acute angle to facilitate insertion into a waste ink absorber, which will be described later.

25 is a cylinder cap, which is press-fitted into the end of the cylinder 24. 25a is a lever guide, which is arranged at a position facing the cap lever receiver 24d of the cylinder 24 mentioned above.

A piston seal 26 is fitted into the cylinder 24, and its inner diameter is made slightly smaller so as to obtain a predetermined pressing force with the piston shaft, which will be described later. Further, the sliding force of the piston shaft may be reduced by applying a lubricating coating to the surface.

27 is a piston shaft, which includes an operating shaft 27a, a piston holder 27b, a piston receiver 27c. A connecting shaft 27d and a guide shaft 27e are formed, and a groove 27f serving as an ink flow path is formed along the connecting shaft 27d and the guide shaft 27e. 27g is a rotation stopper, and the movement axis 2
7a as a groove. Further, a bearing portion 27h is provided on the end surface of the operating shaft 27a.

28 is a piston, and the main body forming the inner layer when viewed from the cylinder sliding part side is formed of an elastic porous material. These include foams with single pores (such as sponges) and porous bodies with continuous pores such as continuous microporous materials, but continuous microporous materials, such as open-cell foamed urethane foam, are preferable. It can be formed using Further, a plurality of continuous pores may exist in a direction crossing the direction of elastic deformation.

The outer diameter thereof is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder 24 by a predetermined amount, and when inserted into the cylinder 24, it is in an appropriately compressed state. Also, an end surface 28b that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 28a and the piston presser 27b of the piston @27
is designed to position the solid layer (skin film) during foam molding of the piston.

Here, even if the member forming the piston body is foamed and communicated, the skin film does not communicate with liquid and maintains airtightness, so the piston 28 fulfills its function. In addition, as long as it does not have a skin film, a film for maintaining airtightness may be separately provided.

42 is a pump chamber. 29 is a piston pressing roller, which is rotatably attached to the end of the piston shaft 27. 30 is a piston return roller, and similarly the piston @
It is rotatably attached to the end of 27. 3l is the axis of these rollers.

32 is a cap lever, and a rotating shaft 32a, an ink guide 32b, and a lever guide 32c are formed. In addition, the tip has a convex spherical sealing surface 32d.
is formed. Further, an engaging portion 32e for engaging with a claw of a cap holder, which will be described later, is provided as a pair of upper and lower members. Roughly speaking, the ink flow path 32f passes through the inside of the lever from the sealing surface 32d, bends at a right angle midway through, passes through the center of the ink guide 32b, and opens at the end surface thereof. Note that a cutout 32g is provided on the lower side of the ink guide 32b.

33 is a lever seal into which the ink guide 32b is fitted and pressed into the cap lever receiver 24d. 33a is a communication hole, which communicates the notch 32g of the ink guide 32b with the ink flow path 24e.

34 is a cap holder, and a hook 34a that engages with the retaining portion 32e of the cap lever 32 is provided at an opposing position. 34b is an opening for attaching a cap, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a cap, and a cap portion 35a is formed which serves as both a sealing cap for preventing normal ink from drying and a suction cap for sucking ink. A suction port 35b is formed in the cap 35a and opens toward the cap holder 34 through the center of the cap 35.

35c is a flange portion, which prevents the cap from coming off when attached to the cap holder 34. Further, a concave spherical cap seal portion 3M having the same curvature as the sealing surface 32d of the cap lever 32 is formed on the flange portion 35c, and only the central opening communicates when the cap lever 32 is pressed. Then the others are sealed. Also, since the seal portions (32d, 35d) are spherical, the cap member has an excellent colliding function.
Even if there is a step on the discharge port forming surface C, the step can be immediately absorbed and a stable sealed state can be maintained.

Now, referring again to FIG. 2, 36 is a paper feed roller for conveying a recording medium such as paper, and is made by applying an elastic paint (urethane resin, acrylic resin, etc.) to the surface of, for example, a drawn aluminum tube. It can be formed by Also,
The roller 36 functions on its outer surface as a platen that regulates the recording surface of the recording medium, and its interior serves as a storage section for waste ink. Reference numeral 37 denotes a waste ink absorbing section provided inside the roller 36, which is constructed by filling a thin tube made of plastic such as vinyl chloride with an absorbing material such as polyester cotton so that it can absorb ink well in the axial direction. Note that the waste ink pipe 24g of the cylinder 24 is inserted into the waste ink absorbing portion 37, but even if the recovery system mechanism moves with the movement of the base 50, the inside of the absorbing portion 37 should be kept to an extent that does not impede the movement. Supported by Furthermore, the fibers of the absorbent material themselves are preferably made of a non-liquid-absorbing material such as resin or metal, but may be slightly liquid-absorbing.

38 is fluorocarbon resin. It is a paper press plate made of carbon fiber mixed material, etc., and has four parts C as detailed in Fig. 3.
It is separated and attached to the chassis 1. Further, a gear 38B is fixed to one end of @388 for releasing the pressing force of the paper pressing plate 38, and the other end engages with a bearing 38G that supports the shaft 38A. The bearing 38c is fixed to the chassis 1. Note that a gear portion of the release lever meshes with the gear 38B, but is not shown here. Reference numeral 39 denotes a paper feed motor, which is connected to the paper feed roller 36 via a speed reduction mechanism with a predetermined ratio.

40 is a recording paper such as paper or film.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

First, during normal recording operation, the lead screw 2 rotates via the timing belt 13 due to the rotation of the shaft of the carrier motor 11, so that the lead screw 2 is engaged with the lead 71Il2a, and the carrier 6 is moved in the direction of the printing digits by the doping pin 7. 40 is scanned along. Here, the carrier motor 11
is biased by the motor spring l4, so the timing vent lever l3 is always arched and good transmission is achieved.

When moving the carrier 6, an inertial force acts upon starting and stopping, but since the weight of the carrier motor 1l absorbs this inertial force, the load applied to the motor spring 14 can be reduced.
The load applied to the rotation of the motor can also be reduced. Further, if an air damper or a hydraulic damper is provided in connection with this spring, noise caused by vibration of the rotor of the motor 11 when the carrier 6 is started or stopped can be reduced. The weight of this motor. By appropriately selecting the weight of the carrier portion and the coefficient of the motor spring damper, overshoot of the rotor can be reduced and noise can be reduced.

Next, the operation of this embodiment during non-recording will be explained with reference to FIGS. 10 to 16.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of each part, and the operation timing of each part as shown can be determined by the number of pulses applied to the motor l1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the above-described clutch latch gear 4 and timing gear 2l.
By engaging with h, it slides on the lead screw 2 and rotates together.

Further, the clutch gear 4 is urged in the direction of the carrier 6 by a spring 5, and is normally in a predetermined position by the lead screw 2 at the time of recording and rotates together with the lead screw 2. When the recording head 9 moves to the home position, the clutch gear 4 is pushed by the carrier 6 and starts to engage with the timing gear 2l.

The clutch gear 4 has start teeth 4c. and normal drive tooth 4
c2, and the start tooth 4c and the drive tooth 4c2 are formed at different positions in the width direction of the clutch gear. Furthermore, the driving teeth 4c are not formed in the same manner over the entire circumference of the gear, and a portion thereof has a curved surface portion 4b. Furthermore, at the end of the clutch gear 4, over the entire circumference,
A collar 4a is formed.

As shown in FIG. 7 (8), the timing gear 2l is
Start tooth 2lb,. and two types of drive @2lb2. with different positions. 2] b3, and these teeth 2lb21b
z and 21b3 are formed at different positions in the width direction of the gear 21.

Figure 12 (^) - (C). and Figure 13(A).
(B) is a diagram showing the engaged state of the tutaratch gear 4 and the timing gear 2l, respectively.

During normal recording, Figure 12 (^) and Figure 13 (A
) is in the engaged state as shown in FIG. However, at this time, the first
In Figure 3 (A), it is not located near lead bin 7,
Further, although not shown, the blade 17 and the ink carrier 19 are located above the ink absorber 23.

At this time, the clutch gear 4 rotates as the lead screw 2 rotates, but the start @ 4c1 and the start tooth 2lb are not in a positional relationship to engage (Fig. 13(A)
reference). Therefore, the timing gear 21 does not rotate, and the driving tooth 2lb2 and the collar 21h at the left end of the timing gear 2l are in a positional relationship where they can come into contact with the collar 4a of the clutch gear 4 with a slight gap. Timing gear 21 cannot rotate in either direction.

As a result, even if some rotational force or artificial force is applied to the timing gear 2l, it will not rotate unexpectedly, and errors in the operating position of the recovery system mechanism can be prevented. can.

When the recording head 9 moves toward the home position and the carrier 6 pushes the clutch gear 4, the positional relationship between the clutch gear 4 and the timing gear 2l is finally as shown in FIG. 13(B).
It becomes as shown in . In this process, the start tooth 4c,
and 21b1 have a positional relationship that allows them to be matched (however, at this time, the lead bin 7 is not yet in this position).

Next, as the lead bin 7 moves from the groove 3c to the groove 3b, the clutch gear 4 rotates clockwise in FIG. 12, and the positional relationship is shown from FIG. ) changes sequentially to the states shown below. At this time, the start tooth 4c,
Until 2lb and 2lb engage with each other, the curved surface portion 4b as a non-meshing portion shown in FIG. The other drive teeth do not move to engage each other first.

As a result, the gear engagement between the clutch gear 4 and the timing gear 2l always starts with the start teeth starting from each other, so that the rotation of the timing gear 2l always starts from the correct position.

As a result, the operation of the recovery system mechanism driven via the timing gear 2l becomes accurate.

Further, there are advantages such as there being no need to change the mounting accuracy of the clutch gear 4 and the timing gear 21 to such a high degree. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7(B), the timing gear 21
Of the drive teeth, the drive teeth 2lb, whose positions are different, are drive teeth that engage when the curved surface portion 4b comes into contact with the timing gear 21 again. That is, normal drive tooth 2
If these driving teeth are located at the same position as 1b2, the curved surface portion 4b
Since the drive teeth come into contact with each other, the drive teeth are moved to engage each other.

Further, while the driving teeth are engaged with each other and the timing gear 21 is rotating, the hook 6 attached to the carrier 6
c slides the side of the timing gear 2l.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the recording head 9 from leaving the home position due to, for example, the lead bin 7 leaving the full position 3b before predetermined teeth engage with each other. This is because the lead screw rotates twice when the recording head 9 is at the home position and performs a series of recovery processes, so the lead bin 7 may move to the groove 3c.

In addition, in the above example, the series of recovery processing is performed using the lead screw 2.
Although the rotation is performed in this embodiment, the rotation is not limited to this, and any rotation can be set, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the clutch mechanism and the like.

Figures 14 (^) to (D) are explanatory diagrams showing the sequential operating states of mechanisms related to the blade 17, etc., and Figures 15 (^) to (C
) are explanatory diagrams showing the sequential operating states of the mechanism related to the cap 35, and FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the mechanism for introducing waste ink into the waste ink storage portion 37 in the roller 36. The operation will be described with reference to these figures and the above-mentioned FIGS. 12 and 13.

First, the carrier 6 moves toward the home position (in the direction of arrow B). At this time, as shown in Fig. 13 (^), the lead pin 7 is engaged with the lead groove 28, and the ejection port 9C of the head element 9a is opposed to the ink carrier 19 (see Fig. 14 (A)). At this position, all of the ejection energy generating elements of the head element 9a are driven to perform an ejection operation (hereinafter referred to as preliminary ejection), and slightly thickened ink, etc. is ejected with that ejection force.
The recovery operation based on this preliminary ejection can be completed. Preliminary ejection is also performed at this position, which is periodically performed to prevent the ink in unused ejection ports from increasing in viscosity during normal printing. Note that FIG. 14(A) is a side view of the vicinity of the same position.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13(B), when the lead screw 2 is rotated and the carrier 6 is moved in the B direction, the clutch gear 4 is pressed by the pressing part 6a, and the clutch gear 4 is also moved in the B direction and started. i4c, timing gear 2
It is in a position where it can engage with the start tooth 2lb of 1. After that, the clutch gear 4 rotates in synchronization with the lead screw 2, and the start teeth engage with each other, causing the timing gear 2l to rotate.
rotates in the D direction as shown in FIG. 14(B). On the other hand, since the lead pin 7 enters the position groove 3b from the introduction groove 30, the carrier 6 does not move even if the lead screw 2 rotates.

When the timing gear 2l rotates in the D direction, the gear part and the gear part of the set lever 20 are engaged, so the set lever 20 starts to rotate in the E direction. Up until this point, the hook portion 16c of the blade lever 16 is engaged with the claw portion of the chassis, so only the set lever 20 rotates.
The blade lever 16 is stopped, but eventually the set surface 2Of of the set lever 20 rotates in the F direction while pushing down the rotating piece 18a of the blade shaft l8, so the blade l7 rotates in the G direction and closes the discharge port. set in a state capable of engaging with a surface.

When the timing gear 2l further rotates in the D direction, the hook part 6 of the blade lever 16 is detached from the pawl part of the chassis, and the set lever 20 and the blade lever l6 are further rotated, and the blade 17 is rotated as shown in FIG. 14(C). The ejection port surface of the head 9 is wiped with the cleaning method. At this time, the ink liquid and the like that are removed by wiping the plate l7 are removed only in one direction, that is, only downward in this case, and the removed ink liquid and the like are absorbed or retained in the upper part of the ink carrier l9. Also, at this time, the ink carrier 19 begins to come into contact with the ink absorber 23. When the set lever 20 further rotates, as shown in FIG. 14(D), the ink carrier 19 and the blade 17 slide against the surface of the wiping portion 23a of the ink absorber 23, so that they are not received by the ink carrier 19 during preliminary ejection. The wiping part 23a removes ink and dust wiped by the blade l7 from the ejection port forming surface.
At the same time, ink droplets adhering to the ejection port surface are also absorbed. As a result, ink carrier 1
9's ink absorption ability can maintain its ability for a long time. Further, the timing gear 21 rotates in the D direction, but since the stops i20a, 20b of the set lever 20 and the stop cam 21a of the timing gear 2l face each other and contact each other, the rotation of the set lever 20 is restricted. At the same time, since the driving teeth of the timing gear 2l are missing teeth, no force for rotating the timing gear 2l is exerted.

As mentioned above, since the blade and the absorber that holds the ink liquid etc. removed by the blade are the same as the ink receiver during preliminary ejection, the device can be made smaller and the time required for these recovery operations can be shortened. can.

When the timing gear 21 rotates further, the cap cam 21c of the timing gear 21 initially restricts the rotating shaft 32a of the cap lever 32c shown in FIG. 8, so the cap rotates as shown in FIG. 15(A). 35 is stopped at a position away from the discharge port surface of the head element 9a. Next, when the timing gear 2l is further rotated in the D direction, it comes off the cap cam 21c and the regulating state is released, so that the cylinder 2
The rotation lever 24f of No. 4 is biased by the spring portion 22b of the ink absorber spring 22, the cylinder 24 rotates in the direction F, and the cap portion 35a of the cap 35 comes into pressure contact with the discharge port surface, completing the capping operation. do. Note that FIG. 13(B) does not show a top view at this time. At this time, the seal surface 32d and the cap seal portion 35d are also tightly sealed due to the pressing force of the cap.

Now, the above is the cleaning and capping operation of the nozzle surface, and normally the nozzle surface is cleaned and the cap operation is stopped here, and the above operation is performed in reverse according to the human power of the next recording signal, and then the recording operation is started.

Next, we will discuss the suction recovery operation that is performed when the discharge condition is not improved even with preliminary discharge. When starting this, the tie prong gear 21 is further rotated from the cap position, and the cap lever 32 is pressed by the cap cam 21f, so that the cap 35 is slightly separated from the discharge port forming surface as shown in FIG. 15(C). let

When the timing gear 21 roughly rotates in the D direction, it comes off again from the cap cam 21f, so the cap portion 35a
comes into pressure contact with the discharge port surface.

Now, talking about bomb operation, when the recovery operation starts after the aforementioned sealing cap is completed, the suction operation starts.

At this time, first, due to the rotation of the timing gear 21, the piston set cam 21g pushes the piston pressing roller 29 attached to the piston shaft 27, so the piston shaft 27
moves in the H direction as shown in Figure 16(A). Then, the piston 28 is pressed by the piston presser 27b and moves in the H direction, and the bomb chamber 42 becomes in a negative pressure state. Since there is a skin layer on the outer periphery of the piston 28 and the contact surface C with the piston presser foot 27b, ink will not leak through the communication hole of the foam material.

Further, the ink flow path 24e of the cylinder 24 is connected to the piston 28.
Since the piston 28 is closed, the piston 28 is in a movable state only by increasing the negative pressure in the pump chamber 42. on the other hand,
As shown in FIG. 16(A) after the above-mentioned recapping, the ink flow path 24e is opened, so that the ink in the head 9 is sucked through the suction port 35b of the cap 35. The sucked ink passes through the ink flow path 32f formed inside the cap lever 32, passes through the communication hole of the lever seal 33,
The ink further flows into the pump chamber 42 through the ink flow path 24e of the cylinder 24.

When the timing gear 21 further rotates, the cap 35 is moved slightly away from the discharge port surface by the cap cam 21h again, and due to the residual negative pressure in the bomb chamber, the discharge port surface and the cap portion 35
The ink inside a is suctioned to eliminate any remaining ink in these areas.

Next, when the timing gear 21 is rotated in the opposite direction (the direction shown by the arrow 1'tl in FIG. 14(D)), the piston reset cam 21i pulls the piston return roller 30, and as shown in FIG. 16(B). The vist shaft 27 is moved in the direction of arrow J as shown. At this time, since the piston 28 moves after coming into contact with the piston receiver 27c of the piston shaft 27, a gap Δk is created between the end surface 28b of the piston 28 and the piston retainer 27b.

As a result of the movement of the piston shaft 27 and the piston 28, the waste ink sucked into the bimp chamber 42 passes through the above-mentioned gap Δ°C, passes through the groove 27f of the piston shaft,
The ink passes through the ink flow path 24c of the cylinder 24, and further passes through the waste ink pipe 24g, and is discharged near the center of the waste ink absorber 37. At this time, since the ink flow path 24e of the cylinder 24 is closed by the piston 28 at the beginning of the operation of the piston 28, waste ink does not flow back toward the cap.

Figure i17 collectively shows the sequence of the preliminary ejection or suction recovery described above. However, in the diagram, blade 1
7 is in a state where wiping is possible (set state. Fig. 14 (8
)), and after wiping, the blade l7 is tilted with respect to the absorber 23 (reset state. Fig. 14 (
^)), and then immediately before the set lever 20 returns to its original position, the blade l7 is brought into a set state in which wiping is possible.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3(A) and 3(8), a recording paper transport mechanism from recording to paper ejection in the apparatus of the wooden embodiment will be described.

In these figures, 38 is a fluorocarbon resin as mentioned above. This is a paper press plate made of a material mixed with carbon fiber or the like, and applies a pressing force to the recording paper being fed so that there is a predetermined distance between the ejection port surface of the recording head 9 and the recording paper.

The pressing force of the paper press plate 38 is based on the elastic force of the spring plate 38D. The details of this mechanism are shown in Figure 18 (^) and (
Shown in B).

FIG. 18(^) is a diagram showing a state in which the paper pressing plate 38 is applying a pressing force to the paper feed roller. In this case, the spring plate 38 has a D-shape in which a part of the circumference is linearly cut out, and the notch part of the shaft 388 that can slide in the rotational direction with respect to the paper press plate 38 is connected to the spring plate 38.
At this time, the end 38E of the paper press plate receives a biasing force upward in the figure by the spring plate 38D. As a result, the paper presser plate 38 attempts to rotate clockwise around @388, applying a pressing force to the paper feed roller 36.

On the other hand, FIG. 18 (8) shows a state in which the pressing force exerted by the paper pressing plate 38 is released. In this case, @38A rotates and the arc portion of @38^ presses the end 38F. At this time, the entire spring plate 380 is pushed down in the figure. As a result, the end portion 38E does not receive any biasing force from the spring plate 38D.

When this biasing force is released, @38A and the paper press plate 38 are engaged with each other with a certain amount of frictional force, so the paper press plate 38 does not change its rotational position significantly. As a result, even when it becomes necessary to release the pressing force of the paper presser plate 38, the paper presser plate does not interfere with the movement of the recording head.

Further, the paper pressing mechanism described above is a mechanism that can apply a pressing force that does not prevent the paper feed roller 36 from properly conveying the recording paper within a limited space.

In other words, without using an elastic member in the paper press plate itself,
The pressing force is normally applied to the bottom chassis 1 of the device, which is a dead space.
Since the force is generated by a leaf spring arranged along the top, the degree of freedom in setting the pressing force by adjusting the length of the leaf spring increases, and the paper pressing member can be made smaller.

Note that the leaf spring 380 is attached to the chassis 1 by a fixing member (not shown).

Referring again to FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), 60 is a paper discharge roller for discharging the recorded recording paper, and 6l is a paper discharge roller that applies pressing force to the recording paper conveyed by the paper discharge roller 60 to perform recording. This is a spur that regulates the direction of paper discharge and generates conveying force.

Reference numeral 62 denotes a transmission roller that is disposed at an intermediate portion between the paper ejection roller 60 and the paper feed roller 36 and transmits the rotation of the paper feed roller 36 to the paper ejection roller 60. The transmission of these rotations is performed by the frictional force caused by the mutual contact between the J's.

The paper ejection roller 60 has a cylindrical shape with different radii at both ends and a middle part, and the transmission roller 62 contacts the middle part of the paper ejection roller 60 with a smaller diameter. Therefore, both ends of the recording paper with the larger diameter, which carry the recording paper, rotate at a slightly higher circumferential speed than the circumferential speed of the paper feed roller 36. As a result,
When the recording paper is ejected, the recording paper is conveyed with great force, so that a good recording surface can be formed.

Note that coil springs having appropriate elastic coefficients are used for the rotation shafts of the transmission roller 62 and the spur 61, respectively. The details of the mechanism will be explained with reference to FIG. 19, taking the case of the spur 6l as an example.

In Fig. 19, 61^ is a coil spring and the spur 6
an axis passing through the center of l and extending on both sides of the spur 6
l and 103B are rotatably engaged with each other.
This is a shaft support member that pivotally supports both ends of 61A, and is formed as a part of inner i103 shown in FIG. Axial support material 103
B supports the shaft 61A so as to be slidable in the axial direction thereof. 10
3C is a regulating member for regulating the movement of the spur 61 in the direction of the rotation axis and in a direction perpendicular thereto, and is provided on both sides of the spur 6l. Regulating member 1. -0 3 G is also formed as a part of lto3 in the same way as the shaft support member 103B.

With the above configuration, the shaft 61A pivotally supports the spur 61 and obtains a pressing force of the spur 6l against the paper ejection roller 60 by its bending elastic force.

The inner M103 has a spring member 103A at its rear end as shown in FIG.
Therefore, a pressing force is applied in the direction of the paper ejection roller. The interaction between this pressing force and the elastic force of the rotating shaft 618 causes the spur 6l to
applies an appropriate pressing force to the paper discharge roller 60.

Further, when the inner lid 103 receives the above-mentioned pressing force, the fixing member 1 of the inner lid 103 is fixed as shown in FIG. 3(A).
03D and the rotating shaft 60G of the paper ejection roller 60 are securely engaged. As a result, the positional relationship between the spur 6l and the paper discharge roller 60 is always kept constant. Alternatively, by fixing the rotating shaft 60G against a hooking member or the like, a precise relationship can be maintained regardless of the precision of the inner cover.

In the transmission roller 62, the rotary shaft 62^ made of a coil spring has the same function, and the elastic force of the shaft 82A provides a contact force to the paper feed roller 36 and the paper discharge roller 6o.

As described above, the paper discharge roller 60 has a shape in which the diameter of the middle portion is smaller than that of both ends. The details of this four-way formation are explained in the second section.
Shown in Figure 0.

In FIG. 20, 60^ is a cover member made of a rubber material, and 600 is a cylindrical core member whose diameter is smaller at the middle part than at both ends. The paper discharge roller 60 is formed by covering the core member 600 with a vibrator-shaped cover member 60^.

As a result, it is not necessary to integrally mold such a shape with a rubber member or the like, and the paper ejection roller can be obtained relatively easily and at low cost.

Note that the groove portion 60B that is continuously provided at one end C of the paper ejection roller 60 can catch the terminal end of the recording paper when it is ejected by the paper ejection roller 60, and prevents the recording paper from being misaligned. This makes it possible to ensure that the paper is ejected reliably.

Note that the shape of the core member 60D is not limited to the above-mentioned shape, and for example, it may be a shape that is an extension of the shape of the full portion 60B, with a smaller intermediate portion, or a cylindrical shape may be obtained by covering with a rubber material.

Next, a case where the wood-based inkjet recording apparatus is used in an upright position will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22.

When the apparatus is used in an upright position, there are cases in which it is used together with an auto feeder 200 as shown in these figures, and cases in which thick paper such as envelopes is fed from a paper feed port on the back side of the apparatus.

In the case of normal recording paper that uses an auto feeder, the upper lid 102 can be used as a stacker for the discharged recording paper. At this time, as shown in Figure 1, the upper i102
Fix it at a different angle than when using it as a paper guide for feeding paper.

The conditions when using the upper i1Q2 as a stacker are as follows.

That is, the ejected recording paper is conveyed through the air to some extent by its own strain strength, and the position where it first contacts the upper lid 102 or the already stacked recording paper is the upper end 102 of the upper lid 102.
^ Make sure it is nearby. As a result, only the leading edge of the recording paper that is ejected slides over the already stacked recording paper, etc., and sliding can be avoided as much as possible. Can prevent dirt.

The configuration for this requires that the upper end 102^ be located near the common tangent line of the paper feed roller 36 and the paper ejection roller 60 in the paper ejecting direction, that is, in the case of a wooden example, and that the lower end 102B be lowered. becomes.

Further, when the trailing edge of the recording paper stopped on the upper end portion 102^ is completely discharged, it is lowered at that position and stacked without rubbing.

For this purpose, the length of the top cover 102 in the paper ejection direction (the length from the upper end 102A to the lower end 102B) is a requirement, and using commonly used recording paper, the paper should be ejected almost horizontally as in the wooden example. In this case, the length is 60% to 90%, more preferably 70% to 80%, of the length of the recording paper.

Note that if the configuration of the recording apparatus or the usage conditions are different and the paper ejection direction is different from the above, the length of the stacker may be determined while taking the first requirement above into consideration.

Further, 108 shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 is an entrainment prevention piece, which prevents the stacked recording sheets from entering the paper feed port 101i.
can be prevented from entering.

Next, details C of the recording head 9 and carrier 6 described above.
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 23 to 28.

FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the appearance of the recording head 9 that integrates the ejection element 9a and the ink tank 9b. It is the nail that stops me. As is clear from the figure, the pawl 906e is disposed inside the entire extension of the recording head. Further, near the front ejection element 9a of the recording head 9, a positioning abutting portion is provided, although not shown in this figure. 906f is a head opening into which a support plate for supporting a flexible substrate and a rubber pad is inserted into the carrier.

Figures 24 (^) and (B) show exploded views of the inkjet recording head shown in Figure 23, which is a disposable type with an integrated ink storage section as an ink supply source as described above. It is said that.

In the figure (^), reference numeral 110 is a heater board in which an electrothermal transducer element (discharge heater) and wiring such as A1 for supplying electric power to the electrothermal transducer element (discharge heater) are formed on an St substrate by film-forming technology. 210 is a wiring board for the heater board 110, and the corresponding wiring is connected by wire bonding, for example.

Reference numeral 400 denotes a top plate provided with a partition wall for limiting the ink flow path, a common liquid chamber, etc., and in this example, it is made of a resin material and integrally has an orifice plate portion.

300 is a support made of metal, for example, 500 is a pressing spring, and a heater board 110 and a top plate 400 are placed between them.
By engaging the two in a sandwiched state, the heater board +00 and the top plate 400 are crimped and fixed by the biasing force of the pressing spring 500. Note that the support body 300 may also have the wiring board 210 attached thereto by adhesion or the like, and may also have a positioning reference for the carrier 6 on which the head scans.

The support body 300 also functions as a member that radiates and cools the heat of the heater board 110 that is generated during driving.

600 is a supply tank which receives ink supply from the ink storage section 9b serving as an ink supply source, and which is connected to the heater board 110.
It functions as a sub-tank that guides ink to a common liquid chamber formed by joining the top plate 400 and the top plate 400. Reference numeral 700 indicates a filter disposed in a portion within the supply tank 600 near the ink supply port to the common liquid chamber, and 800 indicates a lid member of the supply tank 600.

Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber for impregnating ink, and is disposed within the ink tank body 9b. Reference numeral 1200 denotes a supply port for supplying ink to the ejection unit 9a consisting of the above-mentioned parts 110 to 800, and ink is injected from the supply port l200 in a process before placing the unit in the part 1010 of the ink tank body 9b. By doing so, the absorber 900 can be impregnated with ink.

1100 is a lid member of the cartridge main body, 1400 is an atmosphere ventilation port provided in the lid member to communicate the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere, and a 1300 is a liquid repellent material disposed inside the dog air communication port 1400. As a result, the atmosphere communication port 14
Ink leakage from 00 is prevented.

When the filling of ink into the ink tank 9b via the delivery port 1200 is completed, the ejection unit 9a consisting of each part 110 to 800 is positioned and disposed in the part 1010.

Positioning or fixing at this time can be performed, for example, by fitting the protrusion 1012 provided on the ink tank body 9b and the corresponding hole 312 provided on the support body 300. The cartridge-shaped recording head 9 shown in Figure (B) is perfect.

The ink is supplied from inside the cartridge through the supply port 1200.
, support 300e provided 320 and supply tank 600
24 (Al is supplied into the supply tank 600 through an inlet provided on the back side of the ink, and after passing through the interior, is connected to an appropriate supply pipe and the ink inlet 4 of the top plate 400 from the outlet.
20 into the common liquid chamber. A packing made of, for example, silicone rubber or butyl rubber is disposed at the above-mentioned connection portion for ink communication, and this seals and secures an ink supply path.

25(^) to (C) are a top view, a left side view, and a right filJ side view showing details of the carrier 6, respectively. In these figures, 606 is a support plate erected at the bottom of the carrier 6, and a flexible substrate 604
, and a rubber pad 605 having protrusions 605^ provided corresponding to terminal pads formed on the substrate 604.

Reference numeral 607 denotes an abutting member that is also erected at the bottom of the carrier 6 in front of it. The abutting member 607 is formed to have a thin wall thickness in order to secure as much space for the ink tank as possible within the limited installation space of the recording head and carrier. For this reason, member 6
07 is formed with three ribs 608 to ensure strength. The direction in which the ribs 608 extend corresponds to the direction of movement of the carrier 6 so that the carrier 6 has strength corresponding to movement in the rotating direction when the recording head is attached and detached. Also, rib 608
is when the recording head 9 is attached. It is formed so as to protrude approximately 0.1 mm ahead of the ejection surface. Thereby, even if the recording paper protrudes into the movement path of the recording head due to some action, it is possible to prevent the recording paper from rubbing against the ejection surface and causing damage.

602 is a contact lever for attaching and detaching the recording head, and is connected to a shaft 601 provided on the main body of the carrier 6.
It is rotatably supported by d. Reference numeral 603 denotes a contact hook for attaching and detaching the recording head 9, which is partially engaged by the movement of the contact lever 602.

The hook 603 performs the above-mentioned attachment/detachment operation by having an elongated length 603C formed therein guided by a guide shaft 601c provided on the main body of the carrier 6.

Hand lever 602 and contact hook 603
Since the attachment/detachment operation mechanism consisting of the above is provided on the side of the carrier 6, that is, on the side in the movement direction of the carrier 6, the attachment/detachment operation mechanism does not form a large dead space due to movement of the carrier.

Next, a description will be given of the abutting portion for positioning when the recording head is attached.

Reference numeral 601a denotes abutment portions for positioning in the left-right direction, and two abutment portions are provided on the sides of the abutment member 607. Note that for positioning in the left-right direction, an abutment part 801f provided on the support plate 606 is used in addition to the abutment part 601a.

60lb is an abutting portion for positioning in the front-rear direction, and is formed at the lower side of the abutting member 607.

Reference numeral 601c denotes abutting portions for vertical positioning, which are formed at two locations, one at the lower side of the abutment member 607 and the lower side at the side of the support plate.

FIGS. 26(A) and 26(B) are a top view and a left side view, respectively, showing the state when the recording head 9 is attached to the carrier 6.

In these figures, 906a is the recording head 9 so that it can come into contact with the abutting portion of the carrier 6 when the recording head is attached.
906b and 906C are abutting portions respectively corresponding to the abutting portions 60lb and 601c.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 26(A), the relationship between the various parts when the recording head is mounted will be explained.

The abutting part 906a of the recording head 9 is in contact with the abutting part 601a of the carrier 6, and at the same time, the pawl 906 of the recording head 9 is in contact with the pawl 906 of the recording head 9 via the hook 603 hooked thereto.
Due to the biasing force of the coil spring 607, a force is applied to the left in the figure. As a result, the recording head 9 receives a moment force centered on the abutting portion.

At this time, the substrate 906d provided on the recording head comes into contact with the abutting portion 601f, and as a result, the recording head 9 is positioned in the left-right direction and the position is maintained.

At this time, the protrusions 6058 of the rubber pad 605 are compressed and deformed by contact with the substrate 906d. This deformation causes the terminal pads of the flexible substrate 604 and the substrate 9 to
A force is generated that presses the terminal 06d. In this case, since the substrate 906d is in contact with the abutting portion 601f, the amount of deformation of the protrusion 605^ is constant, and the above-mentioned stable pressure contact force can be obtained.

Note that the above diagram does not show the compressed and deformed state of the protrusion 6115A.

Furthermore, as will be described later, the recording head 9 has already been positioned in the front-rear and up-down directions during the mounting process.

FIG. 27 is a top view showing the carrier before the recording head is attached, and the contact lever 602 is omitted in this figure.

The state shown in this figure is the state in which the contact lever 602 is pulled backward (see FIG. 25(B)), and at this time, the contact hook is in the position shown in FIG. 27, and the recording head is in this position. Waiting for it to be loaded.

FIGS. 28(A) to 28(C) are top views sequentially showing the process of mounting the recording head.

The recording head 9 is loaded from above the carrier so that the support plate 606 of the carrier 6 is inserted into the opening 905f. At this time, as shown in FIG. 28(^), the abutting member 607, the support plate 606, and the contact hook 60
3, the full extension of the recording head 9, and the opening 9
06f, the recording head 9 is accommodated in the carrier 6 in an oblique state.

Next, when the contact lever 602 is rotated counterclockwise (see FIG. 25(B)), the contact hook 603
rotates counterclockwise around axis 1i01c,
After that, when it becomes horizontal in the figure, it moves to the left as shown in Figure 28 (B
).

With this movement of the contact hook 603, the recording head 9 is pushed diagonally upward to the left in the figure by contact with the contact hook 603. As a result, the abutting part 906a of the recording head rides on the abutting part 601a of the carrier, and the abutting part 906b moves onto the abutting part 80l.
b. At this time, the substrate 906d and the flexible substrate 604 are not in contact with each other.

Further, when the contact lever 602 is rotated counterclockwise, the contact hook 603 further moves to the left. At this time, since the recording head 9 moves while retaining the claw 906C, the recording head 9
The recording head 9 rotates clockwise around the center of rotation to reach the state shown in FIG. 28(C), and the position of the recording head 9 on the carrier 6 is determined.

Note that the positions in the front-rear and up-down directions are determined during the series of movements in the above-described mounting process.

In the state shown in FIG. 28(c)e, as described above, the contact lever 602 is biased to the left by the coil spring 607 provided inside its rotating shaft, and this biasing force is applied to the contact hook 603. The recording head 9 is fixed to the carrier 6 through the carrier 6.

As is clear from the above, mounting the recording head using the wooden example is a combination of linear motion and rotational motion of the recording head, and the rotational deviation angle is about 5 degrees.

That is, since the recording head is mounted with a small rotation angle, no special space is required for mounting the recording head.

Next, the relationship between the contact lever and the contact hook will be explained with reference to FIG. 25(A) and FIG. 26(^).

As shown in these figures, the contact lever 602 has two
It has two flat parts 602a, 602b and one slope (cam surface) 602c, and when the recording head is fixed (see FIG. 28(C)), the flat surface 602a engages with a portion 603a of the contact hook 603. A biasing force is transmitted to the hook 603.

Furthermore, the relationship between the lever 602 and the hook 603 is
The process of attaching and detaching the recording head will be explained. When the contact 1 knob 602 is rotated in the opposite direction to the mounting process in the state h shown in FIG. 26(^), the cam surface 6 of the contact lever
02C rotates while contacting the cam surface 603b of the contact hook. Along with this, the contact hook 603 moves to the right until the left end of its long length 603C hits the shaft 601c of the carrier, and then moves around the shaft 601C.
When the contact surface of the contact lever 602 becomes a flat surface 602b by rotating clockwise, the cam surface 6 of the contact hook
03b and the state shown in FIG. 25 (8) is reached.

In the process from FIG. 26(A) to FIG. 25(A), the recording head 9 is pushed out by the contact hook portion 603d.

(Others) The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in a bubble jet type recording head and recording apparatus among inkjet recording types.

This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition, and it is expected that the fixing speed will be even slower depending on the recording pattern.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129. It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of the same No. 4740796. This method is the so-called on-demand type. It is applicable to both continuous types, but in particular, in the case of on-demand type, it is applicable to the electrothermal converter placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path. ,
By applying at least one drive {No. It caused a boil, and as a result, this kaku! It is effective because it has a one-to-one correspondence with the JIJ signal and can form bubbles in the liquid (ink). The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, making it possible to eject liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359. Same No. 434
The one described in the specification of No. 5262 is used. Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head includes ejection ports as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 discloses, in addition to the combined structure of the rIi path 1 electrothermal converter (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path), a structure in which the heat acting portion is disposed in a bending region. US Patent No. 4459
A configuration using the specification of No. 600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal transducers, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-138461 which discloses a configuration corresponding to the discharge section. In other words, regardless of the form of the printhead, printing can be performed reliably and efficiently.

In addition, regarding the number of different types of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to only one recording head for single-color ink, there are also multiple recording heads for recording multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. It may be provided in number.

In addition. In addition, the inkjet recording device of the present invention may take the form of a copying device combined with a reader or the like, as well as a facsimile device having a transmitting and receiving function, in addition to being used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer. It may be something.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the operation mechanism for attaching and detaching the recording head is disposed on the moving direction side of the carrier, and the attaching and detaching operation is performed by horizontal rotation and rotation on the carrier. By performing linear movement, it is possible to effectively utilize the lengths of the carrier and the recording head in the direction perpendicular to the carrier movement direction, and it is possible to reduce the movement range of the recording head for attaching and detaching.

As a result, the length of the print head in the direction perpendicular to its movement direction, which is limited due to the miniaturization of printing devices, can be effectively used for the ink tank capacity, etc. It is also possible to eliminate dead space.

In addition, no special space is required for attachment and detachment,
This can contribute to downsizing of the device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an inkjet printer according to a wooden invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the cover removed; FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. Fig. 1 is a perspective view mainly showing the paper ejection system of the device, Fig. 3 (B) is a side view of the drawing shown in Fig. 3 (^>), Fig. 4 (^) and (B) 5A and 5B are side views showing an embodiment of the recording head corresponding to the recording paper, respectively, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are rear views showing an embodiment of the recording head at the home position corresponding to the recording paper, respectively. Figure 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an example of the state in which the base equipped with the recovery system is engaged with the chassis, and Figures 7 (^) to (C) are the blades and ink carriers relative to the recording head. FIGS. 8 and 9 are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of an embodiment of the suction recovery system for the recording head. FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of each part of the embodiment. A timing chart showing the operation timing; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a clutch mechanism for transmitting driving force to the recovery system mechanism; FIGS.
C) is a side view showing the engagement state of the clutch gear, hook, and tying gear in the clutch mechanism shown in FIG. 11, and FIGS. 13(A) and (B) are front views similar to those in FIG. 12. Figures 14(A) to 14(D) are side views for explaining the sequential operations of the blade and the ink carrier section, and FIGS. 15(A) to 15(C) are side views for explaining the sequential operations of the cap section. Figures 16 (8) and (B) are side sectional views for explaining the operation of the pump section for suction recovery, and Figure 17 is a wooden example (some other examples). 18(A) and (It) are side views showing one embodiment of the paper presser plate pressing mechanism; FIG. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the support state of the spur in paper-based paper; FIG. 20 is a front view showing an embodiment of the paper discharge roller;
The diagram is. A perspective view showing another example of the usage state of the wood example device, FIG. 22 is a side sectional view of the state shown in FIG. 21, and FIG.
The figure is an external perspective view of the recording head according to the wooden example, Figure 24 (^) and (B) are respectively an exploded perspective view and an external perspective view of the recording head according to the wooden example, and Figure 25 (^) ~ (C) is a top view, left side view, and right side view of the carrier on the wooden example, and Figure 26 (^) and (B) are the state in which the recording head is attached to the carrier shown in Figure 25. FIG. 27 is a top view showing the state of the carrier according to this example before the recording head is attached, and FIGS. 28 (A) to (C) show the recording head attachment process. !...Chassis, 2...Lead screw 2a...Ri-} one groove, 3a...Lead bobbly, 3b...Position groove, 3c... Introduction groove, 4... Clutch gear, 5... Clutch spring, 6... Carrier, 6C... Hook, 7... Lead pin, 9... Recording head, 9a... Head chip (discharge element), 9b...
・Ink tank part, 9C...Discharge port, 9d...Discharge port forming surface, l1...Carrier motor, l3...Timing belt, 15...Set shaft, l6...Blade lever 17・...Blade, 19...Ink carrier, 20...Set lever 21...Timing gear, 22...Ink absorber spring, 23...Ink absorber, 24...Cylinder, 27...・Piston shaft, 28... Piston, 29... Piston pressing roller, 32... Cap lever 34... Cap holder, 35... Cap, 35a... Cap part, 36... Paper feed Roller, 37... Waste ink absorber section, 38... Paper press plate, 40... Recording paper, 50... Pace, 5l... Guide shaft, 60... Paper discharge roller, 61. . . . Spur, 62 . Contact lever 603... Contact hook, 604... Flexible board, 605... Rubber pad, 606... Support plate, 607... Abutment member, 60B... Rib, 906a, 'l06b, 906c.・-Abutment part, 906
d...Substrate, 906e...Claw. (B) Figure 4 I Figure 5 Figure 210 13 Figure 15 Figure 20 60 Figure 19 Figure 25 (A) Figure 27 Figure 28 (C)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A carrier for moving along a predetermined path, comprising a mechanism for removably mounting an inkjet recording head with an integrated ink tank, the mechanism comprising: a horizontal direction of the recording head; an abutting portion for positioning; a head engaging member that is rotatable and linearly movable on the side of the carrier movement and capable of engaging with the recording head; and a head engagement member that is also provided on the side of the carrier movement an operation for bringing the recording head into contact with the abutting portion and rotating about the contact point by causing the head engaging member to move in the linear direction and rotate the head engaging member; a member; a second abutting portion for stopping the rotation in one direction by abutting against the rotating recording head; and urging the abutting recording head against the second abutting portion. a carrier for attaching and detaching the recording head by the operation of the operation member and the operation in the opposite direction to the operation of the operation member. 2) An inkjet recording head that is detachable from the carrier according to claim 1. 3) An inkjet recording head according to claim 2, wherein the inkjet recording head ejects ink droplets using heat generated by an electrothermal transducer.