JPH03246051A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely fix a carriage with a recording head kept in a capped state by providing an engaging member which engages with a part of a support member which can mount the recording head thereon to regulate the movement of the support member toward a recording area. CONSTITUTION:When a recording head 1 is to be capped after recording, a carriage 2 is moved toward a non-recording area, and an engaging projection 15 of the recording head 1 engages with an engaging window 14A of an engaging member 14 of a capping member 12. The capping member 12 still in the engaged state moves along a cap slide cam 13. The capping member 12 covers the delivery surface of the recording head 1 by the action of the cam 13. At this time, a cap 12A of the capping member 12 is kept in contact with the ink delivery surface 1A of the recording head 1. When a cam 10 is rotated by a sheet feed motor 8, a carriage engaging lever 11 is shaked so that an engaging groove 11A is engaged with an engaging rib 2A of the carriage 2. In this manner, the movement of the carriage 2 can be restricted with the recording head 1 kept in a capped state.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device, and in detail,
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus including a mechanism in which a carriage carrying a recording head and moving and scanning parallel to a recording material is locked when the recording head is capped.

[Prior Art] An inkjet recording device that performs recording by discharging ink from the recording head by performing relative movement between the scanning of a carriage equipped with a recording head and the conveyance of a recording material, uses other methods such as wire tod and thermal transfer methods. Unlike the above printing apparatus, since the ink ejection port array of the print head is filled with ink, capping is required to prevent the ink from evaporating and drying when not printing. Also, if the cap comes off due to an impact, etc., the ink will harden and cause non-ejection (on top of that, ink may leak from the ink ejection port,
Since there is a risk of contaminating the interior and surroundings of the machine, it has been strongly desired in this type of recording apparatus that the carriage be securely fixed so that it does not move while the recording head is capped.

The following devices are known as serial type inkjet recording devices in which the carriage is locked.

l) A spacer is inserted between the guide shaft that supports the carriage and the surrounding plate to fix the carriage so that it does not move when the recording device is being moved such as when being transported.

2) Temporarily fasten part of the carriage to the side plate of the aircraft using screws, etc.

3) U.S. Patent No. 4808020 and U.S. Pat. No. 62-138
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 041, openings are provided in a part of the carriage and a corresponding side plate, and the carriage is fixed by connecting the openings with an engaging member.

4) In conjunction with the operation of capping the recording head, the cap holding member is engaged with the carriage to fix the carriage.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in 1) and 2) of the above-mentioned conventional examples, the fixation may not be reliable because elaborate work is required, and sometimes the fixing members are There is a risk that the product may fall into the equipment by mistake, causing a short circuit after the electrical equipment is installed or a malfunction in the mechanism.

Furthermore, in the case of conventional example 3), the troublesome work as mentioned above is not required, but since the engaging member is detachable, there is a risk that it will become weaker due to the opening in the side plate. It is easily distorted and bent, which affects recording accuracy.Furthermore, since the carriage opening protrudes in the scanning direction, the width of the carriage increases the size of the apparatus.

In the case of conventional example 4), it is built into the capping device itself, and engages with the carriage in conjunction with the capping operation and maintains that state. It is highly reliable as there are no additional parts required. Incidentally, the configuration will be explained with reference to FIG.

Here, 101 is a recording head that is mounted on a carriage 102 and is movable along a guide shaft 103, and ink is directed from the recording head 101 toward a recording material (not shown) kept at a position opposite to the recording head 101. It is ejected and recorded. Further, 104 is a guide shaft for preventing the recording head 101 from rotating around the guide shaft 103 (maintaining a posture in a constant direction), and 105 is a guide shaft for preventing the recording head 101 from rotating around the guide shaft 103 (maintaining a posture in a constant direction). A cap member that contacts and seals around the discharge port; 106 is a cap member 105;
This is a cap holding/carriage locking member that can be moved in the direction of the arrow and engaged with the carriage 102 to inhibit movement of the carriage 102.

By the way, inkjet recording devices generally perform recording by flying ink droplets and landing them on a recording material, so if the direction of the flight is bent by the influence of airflow, the recording will be disturbed. . Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the distance from the ink ejection surface of the print head to the recording material as much as possible, and in response to this desire, a provision has been made to restrict the movement of the carriage in the rotational direction.For example, as shown in FIG. A configuration has been proposed in which the guide shaft 104 is omitted (the carriage is held only by the guide shaft 103, and a part of the carriage is slid and moved while being in contact with a recording material holding member. For example, the carriage can be moved while keeping the recording head at a predetermined small distance from the recording material regardless of whether the recording material is thin or thick.

On the other hand, a device has also been proposed in which the capping operation of the cap member is linked to the moving movement of the carriage, thereby reducing the size of the device, reducing costs, and
Efforts have been made to improve throughput, but compared to conventional recording devices in which the carriage slides along the recording material holding member or inkjet recording devices in which the cap operation is linked to the movement of the carriage. It was difficult to provide a device to securely fix the carriage in the capped state. For example, in a device without the guide shaft 104, even if a means for locking the carriage of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is provided, since the carriage can rotate around the guide shaft, engagement with the locking member is easy. It will come off.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to take advantage of the advantages of the conventional compact inkjet recording device, while reliably fixing the carriage in a capped state to the recording head, so that it can be carried with peace of mind. The objective is to provide an inkjet recording device that can.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording head that is provided so as to be able to move and scan along a guide shaft, and that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording material. In an inkjet recording apparatus, the inkjet recording apparatus includes a support member that can be mounted, and a cap means for capping the recording head in a non-recording area outside a recording area of the recording head. The present invention is characterized in that it includes a locking member that engages with the support member to restrict movement of the support member toward at least the recording area.

[Function] According to the present invention, when the carriage is guided along the guide axis to the initial position in the non-recording area outside the recording area, and the recording head is capped by the capping means, the carriage is moved in conjunction with the movement. The locking member is driven and engaged with a portion of the carriage, thereby restricting movement of the carriage.

In particular, the carriage is reliably held in a restrained state by having a structure in which the locking member straddles and engages a protrusion provided on a part of the carriage and a shoulder member supporting the guide shaft. Don't require the user's help every time (
Therefore, it is possible to reliably hold the capped recording head together with the carriage in the same state.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail and specifically based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention. Here, l is the recording head mounted on the carriage 2, 3 is a guide shaft that holds the carriage 2 movably, and 4 is a sheet presser plate that holds the recording sheet 5, which is the recording material, pressed against the platen 6. The carriage 2 moves along the guide shaft 3 while one end thereof is in sliding contact with the sheet holding plate 4. Reference numeral 7 denotes a fixing member on the initial position side that supports and fixes one end of the guide shaft 3. Reference numeral 8 denotes a sheet feed motor for feeding the recording sheet 5. In this example, a cam 10 is switched and driven by the sheet feed motor 8 via a gear train 9 during capping operation for the recording head 1. ,
The carriage locking lever 11 can be rotated as described later.

12 is a cap member that is movable along the cap slide cam 13; 14 is a locking member that has a locking window and projects from the cap member 12; 15 is a locking member that extends from the side of the recording head l toward the cap member 12; This is an engaging protrusion that protrudes.

In the inkjet recording apparatus configured as described above, the carriage 2 is moved along the guide shaft 3 by a driving means (not shown) while being in contact with the sheet pressing plate 4, and the carriage 2 is moved along the guide shaft 3 by a driving means (not shown), and prints from the ink ejection opening (not shown) of the recording head 1. Ink is ejected toward the sheet 5 to perform recording. In this case, since the sheet presser plate 4 is kept movable in the sheet pressing direction, it is displaced in accordance with the thickness of the recording sheet 5, and thereby the ink between the recording sheet 5 and the recording head 1 is The distance between the discharge surface IA and the discharge surface IA can always be kept constant.

When capping the recording head 1 after recording, move the carriage 2 to the left (towards the non-recording area) in FIG. is the locking window 1 of the locking member 14 of the cap member 12
Engages with 4A. Then, as the carriage 2 continues to move, the cap member 12 moves along the cap slide cam 13 in the engaged state, and the cam 13 causes the cap member 12 to cover the ejection surface of the recording head 1.

FIG. 2 shows this state, in which the cap 12A of the cap member 12 is kept in contact with the ink ejection surface IA of the recording head l.

Furthermore, in FIG. 2, 2A is an engagement rib protruding from the leg of the carriage 2, and IIA is provided at the tip of the carriage locking lever 11, and has a fork shape as shown in FIG. This is a locking groove that can be engaged with the rib 2A. In addition,
At the other end of the carriage locking lever 11 is a bottle IIB.
are provided and are fitted together so as to be movable along the groove of the cam 10, so that the lever 11 can be swung as the cam 100 rotates.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 2, the cam 10 is rotated by the sheet feed motor 8, and the carriage locking lever 11 is swung as shown in FIG.
By engaging the locking groove 11A with the engagement rib 2A of the carriage 2, the movement of the carriage 2 is controlled by the recording head 1.
It can be restrained in the capping state. Furthermore, the drive source for the cam lO is not limited to the sheet feed motor, but an independent drive source may also be used (or even a recovery system drive used when performing a recording head recovery operation after capping). It goes without saying that a source may also be used. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the state in which the movement of the carriage 2 is regulated by the carriage locking lever 11 in this manner.

Note that the fitting play between the locking groove 11A, the engagement rib 2A, and the fixing member 7 may be set by taking into consideration the play that occurs in relation to each component and the driving means. Further, the dimensions of each member configured to restrain the carriage 2 may be set in consideration of the weight of the carriage 2 itself, etc., so as to obtain sufficient strength. Furthermore, it is also desirable to chamfer the end shapes of the portions of the engaging ribs 2A and the locking grooves 11A that are involved in fitting so that they can be easily fitted together.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention. In this example, a flag member 21 is provided protruding from the carriage locking lever 11, and
The carriage 2 is provided with a detection sensor 22 that engages with and detects the flag member 21 when the carriage 2 is restricted from moving by the lever 11 as shown in FIG. It is something. According to this embodiment, when the movement of the carriage 2 is restricted, the detection sensor 22 detects the condition, so that it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the movement of the carriage 2 is restricted, and to prevent malfunctions and to regulate the movement of the carriage. This will increase the certainty of

Therefore, the user can be freed from the need to perform troublesome operations for fixing and releasing the carriage each time.

(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.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is necessary to arrange the liquid (ink) in accordance with the sheet and liquid path that hold it. The electrothermal converter that is
Generating thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer and producing film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling. This is effective because, as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in pairs corresponding to the drive signals. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately.
Particularly responsive liquid (ink) ejection can be achieved,
More preferred. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262.
Those described in the specification are suitable. 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, in addition to the combination configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the wafer is placed in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1989-5 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters.
No. 9-123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59/1989 which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion is made to correspond to an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy.
The effects of the present invention are also effective even if the structure is based on the publication No.-138461. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by a recording apparatus.

Such a recording head may have either a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration in which a single recording head is formed in one direction.

In addition, even with the serial type shown above, the recording head is fixed to the device body, or by being attached to the device body, electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body are possible. The present invention is also effective when using a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these include gear rubbing means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof; It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

In addition, regarding the type and number of recording heads installed, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to single-color ink, there is also a plurality of recording heads that correspond to multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. It may be something that can be done. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode for only a mainstream color such as black, but may also be a recording mode in which the recording head is configured integrally or in a combination of multiple colors, The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color by color mixture.

Additionally, in the embodiments of the present invention described above,
Although ink is described as a liquid, it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, but also softens at room temperature. Since the temperature is generally controlled so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range, it is sufficient if the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. Either the temperature rise caused by energy can be prevented by using the energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or
Or, in order to prevent ink evaporation, ink that solidifies when left unused is used, and in either case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the recording medium The present invention is also applicable to the case where an ink that is liquefied only by thermal energy is used, such as an ink that begins to solidify by the time it reaches . The ink for such cases is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-56847 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-7126.
As described in Japanese Patent No. 0, the porous sheet may be held as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through-holes of the porous sheet, facing the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, in addition to being used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention may also take the form of a copying machine combined with a league, etc., or a facsimile machine having a transmission/reception function. It may also be something.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the protrusion protrudes from the carriage toward the recording material side, the elbow plate supports the end of the guide shaft on the initial position side, A locking member is provided that straddles and engages between the elbow plate and the protrusion when the recording head is capped, and restrains the movement of the carriage.In order to prevent the carriage from moving, a separate locking member is provided. There is no need to attach and detach the stopper each time (especially when the guide shaft is
A suitable carriage locking means can be provided for an inkjet recording apparatus in which the capping operation is linked to the movement of the carriage.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams of the carriage locking operation according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is the carriage locking shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of a conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording head, 2... Carriage, 2A... Engaging rib, 3... Guide shaft, 4... Sheet holding plate, 7... Fixing member, 8... Sheet feed motor , lO... cam, 11... carriage locking lever 11A... locking groove, 11B... pin, 12... cap member, 14... locking member, 14A... locking Window, 15... Engaging protrusion, 21... Flag member, 22... Detection sensor. Figure 4 of the ten rhyme diagram of the eastward state of cassoggi shown in No. 31!1

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A support member that is provided to be movable and scannable along a guide shaft and capable of mounting a recording head that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, and recording by the recording head. In an inkjet recording apparatus, the inkjet recording apparatus includes: a cap means for capping the recording head in a non-recording area outside the recording area; An inkjet recording device characterized by comprising a locking member that restricts movement of the inkjet recording device. 2) A support member that is movable along a guide shaft and allows mounting of a recording head that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, and a cap that caps the recording head near its initial position. an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a protrusion protruding from the carriage; an elbow member supporting an end of the guide shaft on the initial position side; and driving the recording head in a capped state by the capping means. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a locking member that straddles and engages the elbow member and the protrusion to restrain movement of the carriage. 3) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking member is driven by a drive source that feeds the recording material in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage. . 4) Claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking member is driven by a drive source for recovery operation of the recording head.
The inkjet recording device described in . 5) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a state in which movement of the carriage is restricted by the locking member. 6) The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cap means is attached to and detached from the recording head in conjunction with the movement of the carriage. 7) The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as energy used to eject ink.