JPH04185370A - Bearing mechanism and ink jet device equipped with same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a heating element to be cooled effectively and thereby improve operating accuracy by providing a lubricant groove in a bearing so that an area between a shaft and a bearing is connected to a receiving member. CONSTITUTION:A bearing 3 is connected and fixed to a carriage 2 with a jutted part 5 as a receiving member installed at the lower end of the bearing 3. A groove 4 which serves as a lubricant passage is provided in the bearing 3 so that an inner periphery part 3a communicates with an external periphery part 3b, that is, an area bewteen a shaft 1 and the bearing 3 is connected to a jutted part 5. This groove 4 is formed extending from the external periphery part 3b to the inner peripheral part 3a. Therefore, lubricant received and accumulated in the jutted part 5 fills the groove 4 and joins lubricant on a sliding surface 10 due to capillary phenomenon. That is, the force of lubricant to expand to the sliding surface 10 becomes balanced with the force of the lubricant to overflow outwardly and thereby the loss of the lubricant can be reduced to a maximum possible extent.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a bearing mechanism for a carriage that can reciprocate along an axis, and an inkjet apparatus equipped with the bearing mechanism.

[Background Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Next, the background art of the present invention will be explained.

In printers, readers, etc., a carriage on which a recording head and a reading element are placed moves back and forth while being guided by a shaft. Lubricating oil is used to lubricate the bearing mechanism of the carriage. In this case, since the area of the bearing part of the sliding part is relatively large, the lubricating oil is often lost, and for this reason, an oil pad impregnated with lubricating oil is often disposed.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a carriage on which a reading element of an image reading device is mounted, as an example for explaining the bearing mechanism of such a sliding portion. In this figure, a halogen lamp 17 and a reading port 16 are used as reading elements.
A, the reflective shade 16 and the light shielding plate 18 are each labeled with a reference numeral. Note that 19 is an electrical component and 19A is a cord.

The rail shaft IA is inserted into the carriage 14, and the belt 1
5 is hooked. Therefore, by pulling the belt 15 by a drive source (not shown), the carriage 14 slides left and right in the direction of arrow B to perform an image reading operation. A bearing 13 is arranged between the carriage 14 and the rail axis IA. An oil pad 6 impregnated with lubricating oil is arranged between these two bearings to supply lubricating oil.

FIG. 23 shows a structure in which collecting felts (hereinafter also referred to as collecting pads) 7 are provided on both sides of two bearings 13 to collect lubricating oil pushed out from between the bearings 13 and the shaft IA. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration, which allows for effective use of lubricating oil. Note that 8 is a holder for the collection felt.

By the way, in the case of an apparatus that reads or records an A4 document with a width of 10 mm, since the vertical dimension of A4 is 297 mm, the carriage must reciprocate 30 times in order to read or record an A4 size document. Therefore, for example, in a device whose lifetime is 50,000 records, it is necessary to guarantee 1.5 million reciprocating operations.

For equipment that is maintained by service personnel, there will be no problem if the equipment is lubricated several times during its lifespan, but for sold-out equipment that cannot be maintained, it is necessary to ensure that lubricating oil remains throughout the equipment's lifespan. It will happen.

However, even with the configuration shown in Figure 23, it is difficult to retain lubricating oil for a long period of time, and unless a large amount of lubricating oil is contained in the oil pad 6, the oil will run out before the device's lifespan, and the quality of reading and recording will deteriorate. There is a risk that it may worsen.

Therefore, the amount of lubricating oil will be increased. However, there is a possibility that a portion of the lubricating oil may drip out from the end face of the bearing 13 as shown at 20 in FIG. 24. In this case, there is a problem in that the lubricating oil that drips out does not return to its original state and is wasted, resulting in the life of the lubrication not being extended very much.

In addition, in a configuration in which the collection pad 7 is not provided, the lubricating oil also flows out from both end surfaces of the two bearings 13, so there is a problem that more lubricating oil is wasted.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a bearing mechanism that can improve the quality of image reading or recording, and an inkjet apparatus equipped with the bearing mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bearing mechanism that can significantly extend the life of lubricating oil, and an inkjet apparatus equipped with the bearing mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bearing mechanism that can prevent lubricating oil from falling and contaminating the inside of the apparatus, and an inkjet apparatus equipped with the bearing mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure that an appropriate amount of lubricating oil is always present on the sliding surfaces, and to improve operational accuracy by effectively cooling heating elements such as motors, which are better than conventional methods. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink sheet recording device and a reading/recording system that can obtain clearer recording.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned technical problems, provides a shaft for guiding a reciprocating carriage, a bearing connected to the carriage and sliding with respect to the shaft, and a shaft between the shaft and the bearing. a receiving member connected to the bearing so as to receive lubricating oil from a portion thereof, and communicating between a portion between the shaft and the bearing and the receiving member. The bearing mechanism is characterized in that the bearing is provided with a lubricating oil path.

〔Example〕

According to the embodiment described below, lubricating oil is stored in a receiving member connected to the bearing so as to receive lubricating oil overflowing from the area between the shaft and the bearing, and the lubricating oil is stored in the sliding part of the bearing. As the lubricating oil decreases, the lubricating oil that has accumulated can be gradually returned to the sliding part using the lubricating oil path such as the groove, so the lubrication life of the shaft can be greatly extended.

Furthermore, if the receiving member is shaped so that it approaches the shaft at a portion away from the groove, this portion becomes a bank, so that more lubricating oil can be stored.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing main parts including a carriage according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the parts of the bearing 3 on the left and right sides are symmetrical to each other. In addition, in each of the embodiments to be described below, the structure of the carriage and the connecting portion with the belt 15 are the same as those in the example shown in FIG.

Now, the bearing 3 is connected and fixed to the carriage 2 to which the eaves 5 serving as a receiving member are attached to the lower end of the bearing 3. A lubricating oil path is provided in the bearing 3 so as to connect the inner peripheral part 3a and the outer peripheral part 3b, that is, to connect the part between the shaft (rail) 1 and the bearing 3 and the eaves 5. A groove 4 is provided. Note that the oil pad 6 is fixed to the carriage 2 and follows the movement of the carriage 2.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bearing 3 shown in FIG. 1 in detail. The bearing 3 is provided with a plurality of grooves 4 radially.

Next, the effects of the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b).

Among the appropriate amount of lubricating oil (commercially available known lubricating oil) contained in the oil pad 6 (Fig. 1), a portion of the lubricating oil is absorbed by the collection pad 7 fixed to the side end of the bearing 3. However, the remainder overflows from the end face of the bearing 3 and is shown in Figure 3(a) with the number "9".
”, the lubricating oil collects in the eaves 5. The eaves 5 has a sufficient length according to the amount of lubricating oil that accumulates (3 mm to 5 m in this example).
m), all the overflowing lubricant will collect here. A groove 4 is provided on the end surface of the bearing 3, and this groove 4 extends from the outer circumference 3b of the bearing 3 to the inner circumference 3b.
a, the lubricating oil collected in the eaves 5 fills the groove 4 by capillary action and is connected to the lubricating oil on the sliding surface 10.

This is fundamentally different from the example shown as the background art in Part 3 above. In other words, the force that causes the lubricant to spread on the sliding surface 10 and the force that causes the lubricant to overflow to the outside are balanced, creating the state shown in FIG. 3(a). loss can be reduced as much as possible.

Here, when the lubricating oil present on the sliding surface 10 of the bearing 3 decreases due to wear, the above-mentioned balance is lost, and the eaves 5
The upper lubricating oil 9 moves up through the groove 4 by capillary action in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 3(b), spreads over the sliding surface 10, and stabilizes under a new balance.

In this way, the lubricating oil 9 that gradually drips out due to consumption of the lubricating oil on the sliding surface 10 returns to the sliding surface lO, so that a sufficient amount of lubricating oil can be used up without wasting it.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, a bank 11 is provided perpendicularly to the end of the eaves 5. According to this embodiment, a larger amount of lubricating oil 12
can be accumulated. It goes without saying that depending on the required lubrication life, the bank may not be provided as in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the eaves 21 are integrally provided on the bearing 13 itself, and the effect is substantially the same as the two embodiments described above. In the present invention, the eaves may be cylindrical as in this embodiment, and there is no particular limitation on the shape as long as lubricating oil can be stored therein.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, instead of eliminating the collection pad 7 mentioned above, the bearing 3
A groove 22 and a canopy 23 are further added to the other end. The lubricating oil flows through grooves 4 and 2 provided at both ends of the bearing 3.
2 is used to communicate with the sliding surface 10. According to this embodiment, the lubricating oil can be circulated more smoothly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the shape of the groove 4 is changed to an arcuate shape. As in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the grooves do not necessarily have to be straight (as long as they communicate between the sliding surface 10 and the eaves 5).Also, it is not necessarily necessary to have a large number of grooves; It is sufficient to have at least one in the area where the lubricating oil drips.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the oil pad 6 is movable, and the groove 22 is connected to the bearing 3.
This is provided only on the flange portion 3a.

In this embodiment, the carriage 2, the left and right bearings 3, the canopy 5, the canopy 23, the bank part 24, and the stopper 25 are integrally molded.

First, the bearing 3 on the left in the figure will be explained.

Below the flange portion 3a of the left bearing 3, there is a slight gap 22a (approximately 0.5 m in this embodiment) between the flange portion 3a and the flange portion 3a.
m) and the eaves 23 are provided. This eaves 23 passes below the grooves 22 provided in the flange portion 3a (in this embodiment, eight grooves are provided radially at equal intervals from the inner circumferential surface 3a to the outer circumferential surface 3b). It protrudes outward from the bearing 3. Also, below the other end of the bearing 3, an eaves 5 also protrudes outward. This eaves 5 is provided closer to the shaft 1 than the eaves 23. Furthermore, a stopper 25 is provided between both bearings 3 and below the carriage 2 . An oil pad 6 is rotatably supported between the stopper 25 and the eaves 5 so as to be movable relative to the shaft 1. On the other hand, the left bearing 3 is provided with a canopy 5 and a canopy 23 like the right bearing, and furthermore, a bank part 24 is provided vertically at the tip of the canopy 5.

In the above configuration, as the carriage 2 reciprocates along the shaft 1, the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface 10 collects in both eaves 23. Then, as in the previous embodiment, the particles are transmitted through the grooves 22 and collected on the sliding surface 22 by capillary action.

Also, since there is no groove on the center side of the carriage 2 of the left bearing 3, the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface 10 is absorbed into the eaves 5.
It will accumulate in However, in the example shown in FIG. 11, since the oil pad 6 is slidable on the shaft 1, the oil pad 6 repeatedly contacts the eaves 5 or the stopper 25 in accordance with the movement of the carriage 2. Therefore, the amount of lubricating oil that cannot be collected in the eaves 5 and overflows from the eaves 5 is collected by the oil pad 6 when the oil pad 6 comes into contact with the eaves 5.

On the other hand, since the oil pad 6 does not come into contact with the eaves 5 of the bearing 3 on the cloth side, the bank part 6 is used to increase the lubricating oil storage capacity.
4 is provided. Therefore, the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface 10 does not go over the bank and go outside. The height of the bank portion 24 is determined as appropriate depending on the amount of lubricating oil. In this embodiment, if the stopper 25 is eliminated, the oil pad 6 can come into contact with the right eaves 5, so the bank 24 can be omitted. Furthermore, in the sixth embodiment, the left eaves 5
It is also possible to provide a bank 24 at the same point.

This embodiment is particularly effective in the following respects. First, since the gap 22a is provided, the lubricating oil accumulated in the eaves 23 enters the gap 22a and reliably rises from the tip of the groove 22 due to capillary action. When starting to rise from the middle of groove 22 (depending on the state of lubricant accumulation, groove 2
2), the lubricating oil exists at the lower end and starts rising from there, so the lubricating oil rises more reliably. Second, the left bearing 3
The eaves 5 are provided above (closer to the sliding surface 1) than the eaves 23. Therefore, the lubricating oil quickly overflows from the eaves 5 and is quickly collected into the pad 6.

Here, an example of the size of each part of this embodiment will be shown.

(1) Projection length of the eaves 23 (a in the figure): Approximately 1. 5m
m(2) Projection length of eaves 5 (b in the figure) Approx. 4. mm(
3) Width of oil pad 6 (c in the figure): Approximately 10 mm (4)
Height of bank portion 24 (d in the figure): Approximately 1. 5 mm (5) Distance between bank portion 24 and bearing 3 (e in the figure).

Approximately 4 mm (6) Diameter of oil pad 6 (f in the figure) is approximately 18 mm (
7) Distance between eaves 5 and shaft 1 (g in the figure) approximately 3 mm (8
) Distance between eaves 23 and shaft 1 (h in the figure) Approximately 7 mm (9
) Distance between the eaves 5 and the stopper 25 (1 in the figure).

Approximately 14mm Further, other embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described.

In the seventh to tenth embodiments described below, lubricating oil overflowing from the area between the shaft and the bearing member is removed by a lubricating oil path such as a groove provided in the bearing member of the carriage. By guiding the shaft to the side and then collecting it with a collection member, loss of lubricating oil can be eliminated and the lubrication life of the shaft can be significantly extended.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing main parts including a carriage according to a seventh embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

In this figure, the portions of the bearings 33 on the left and right sides are symmetrical to each other. Therefore, the left and right bearings 33 and the grooves 35 will be described with the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, a bearing member having a bearing 33 and a bearing holding part 34 that holds the bearing 33 is connected to or adjacent to the bearing member 3, and serves as a lubricating oil recovery member and a holding/retaining member for the bearing member 33.
An oil pad 39 which is also a supply member is provided.

Note that the oil pad 39 may be fixed to the bearing member 38 or may be movable between the bearing 38 and the member 38. A groove 35, which is a path for lubricating oil, is formed on the surface of the bearing holding part 34, which is connected to the carriage 2 at two places, so as to communicate between the part between the shaft 1 and the bearing member 33, and the collection member 39. It is provided. That is, this groove 35 is provided so as to extend from a portion between the shaft 1 and the bearing 33 through the outer surface of the bearing holding portion 34 to the oil pad 39 located on the opposite side.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the main portion including the bearing holding portion 34, viewed from the direction of A in FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, three grooves 35 are provided in the bearing holding portion 34. As shown in FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the groove 35 viewed from the direction C in FIG. 9. FIG.

In this embodiment, unlike the background art example shown in FIG. 22, there is no oil pad between the two bearings 33, and oil pads 39 placed outside the left and right bearings hold/supply lubricating oil. Is going. This is because, as will be described later, with the configuration of this embodiment, there is no loss of lubricating oil, so the total amount of lubricating oil can be reduced.

Next, Fig. 12(a), Fig. 12(b) and Fig. 12(
Using c), the effects of this example will be explained in detail.

Of the lubricating oil supplied from the oil pad 39 (only one side is shown in these figures), the surplus overflows from the end surface of the bearing 33 due to the reciprocating movement of the carriage. The released lubricating oil either directly touches the oil pad 39 and is absorbed, or falls onto the bearing holding part 34 and is then collected by the oil pad 39. The first overflowing from the side opposite to the oil pad 39 (other end side)
The lubricating oil 40 in FIG. 2(a) moves in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12(b) through the groove 35 provided on the surface of the bearing holding part 34 due to capillary action, and forms a state as shown in FIG. 12(C). The oil pad 39 reaches the end surface that comes into contact with the oil pad 39.
The oil touches the surface of the oil pad 39 and is absorbed and collected by the oil pad 39.

Since the lubricating oil moves through capillary action, the lubricating oil will not fall down even in grooves that open downward, and it can rise even in vertical grooves on the end face.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, surplus lubricating oil that has been wasted up to now can be recovered and reused, and the lubrication life of the lubricating oil can be significantly extended.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing an eighth embodiment to which the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, the groove 41 is provided on the joint surface side with the bearing 33, and has the advantage that overflowing lubricating oil is not visible from the outside and is less likely to come into contact with hands.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a bearing holding portion 34 according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the grooves are formed by ribs 42.51 on the bearing holding part 34. Not only the portion 52 but also the corner portions 53 and 54 can be regarded as grooves, and the lubricating oil can actually move by capillary action.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a tenth embodiment to which the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, an oil pad 56, which is a lubricating oil holding/recovery member, is provided so as to be movable inside the two bearings 33. That is, carriage 2 is F.
When the carriage 2 moves in the E direction, the oil pad 56 is moved in the E direction and comes into contact with the point 57, and when the carriage 2 moves in the E direction, the oil pad 56 is moved in the F direction and comes into contact with the point 58. By repeating this process, the lubricating oil overflowing from the bearing can be collected. Lubricating oil overflowing from the outside of the left and right bearings 33 is guided inside by the groove 55. Although this method is different from the above embodiment in which the oil pad is always in contact with or close to the bearing, it has the advantage that only one oil pad is required.

In this example, by setting the width of each of the aforementioned grooves to approximately 100 μm or more and approximately 5 mm or less, preferably approximately 2 mm or less, the lubricating oil could be efficiently circulated. The width of the groove can be appropriately selected depending on the amount or viscosity of the lubricating oil to be circulated without being limited to a numerical value.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the number of grooves may be one or more depending on the amount, viscosity, etc. of the lubricating oil to be supplied.

In the present invention, what is placed on the carriage is not limited to the above-mentioned reading element, but can include various things such as an inkjet head and a thermal head. Among these, the present invention is particularly effective for a cartridge type inkjet head that is integrally provided with an ink tank for storing ejected ink. The reason for this is that in this cartridge type inkjet head, the weight of the head itself changes greatly as the ink is consumed, so the lubricating oil tends to spread on the sliding surface 10 and overflow outside. This is because the above-mentioned technical content of the present invention that balances the above is effectively utilized.

Next, a copying machine (reading/recording system) to which each of the above embodiments can be applied to the carriage 116 and/or the carriage 137 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21. The copying machine described below applies each of the above-described embodiments to the carriage 116 that moves back and forth for image reading, and also opens an air passage by guiding the air passage from the cross-flow fan to the vicinity of a heat-generating member provided near the fan. By doing so, the surrounding hot air can be drawn in to effectively cool the heat generating member. In other words, the reading/recording system described below is superior to conventional systems because of the fact that an appropriate amount of lubricating oil is always present on the sliding surfaces and that operational accuracy is improved by effectively cooling heating elements such as motors. As a result, even clearer records can be obtained.

The present embodiment will be described in detail and specifically below based on the drawings.

FIG. 16 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine having a printer section of a liquid jet recording type. Here, 101 is an image reading section, 102 is a printer section, ]03 is a casing as an exterior, and 104 is a door provided at the front of the copying machine that can be opened and closed around pin ]05. By opening and closing, you can change the recording head, remove paper jams, etc. In this example, the liquid jet recording head (inkjet recording head) of the printer unit 102 is one in which 128 ejection ports are arranged at a pitch of 63.5 μm, and a recording width of 8.128 mm is made in − times of main scanning. Accordingly, the reading section 101 is also configured to read a width of 8.128 mm in one main scan.

First, the configuration of the reading section 101 will be described.

In the reading section 101, reference numeral 110 denotes a document placing table made of glass on which a document to be read is placed. 111
is a sub-scanning table provided to slidably engage with the sub-scanning rail 112 and reciprocate along the sub-scanning rail 112 in the direction perpendicular to the figure;
113 is connected to a part of the sub-scanning table 111;
114 is the belt 11 for reciprocating the
This is a drive motor for scanning the sub-scanning table 1-1 through the sub-scanning table 1-1. Further, 115 is a main scanning rail attached to the sub-scanning table 111, and 116 is a main scanning carriage that is slidably engaged with the main scanning rail 115. A lamp 117, a lens array 118, and a light receiving element 119 for receiving reflected light from the original are provided. The carriage 116 is partially connected to an endless belt 120 and is thereby moved along the rail 115.

Note that each of the above embodiments can be applied to the bearing portion 3 (33) of this carriage 116. 121 is a main scanning motor that moves the carriage 116 via the belt 120;
122 is a signal cable for guiding the electrical signal photoelectrically converted by the light receiving element 119 to the signal processing processor 123. One end of the signal cable 122 is connected to the sub-scanning table 1
11, and the other end is connected to the processor 123. Thereby, following the movement of the sub-scanning table 111, a drive signal to the main-scanning motor 121 or an image signal from the light-receiving element 119 is exchanged with the processor 123.

In the reading unit 101, images and printed information irradiated by a lamp 117 as the carriage 116 moves in the main scanning direction, that is, in the horizontal direction in the figure, from the bottom side of the original (not shown) placed on the original placing table 110. Lens array 1
18, and is read by the light receiving element 119, and further, by movement in the sub-scanning direction, images and prints of the entire document are sequentially read.

This read image etc. is sent to the light receiving element 119 as described above.
It is processed by the processor 123 as an electrical signal from the processor 123 and output to the printer unit 102.

Next, the printer section 102 will be described. A cassette 130 stores a recording sheet 131, which is a recording material, and is detachably attached to the main body of the copying machine. A feeding roller 132 separates the recording sheets 131 one by one from the cassette 130 and feeds them to the recording paper conveyance path of the printer section 102, and is driven by a motor (not shown). 133 and 134 move the recording sheet 131 in the sub-scanning direction, that is,
This is a pair of rollers that transport the recording sheet 131 in the left-right direction in the figure according to the recording operation, and is driven by a motor (not shown). Reference numeral 135 denotes a liquid jet recording head that is integrated with an ink tank 136, and the integrated head 135 and ink tank 136 are detachably mounted on a carriage 37. The carriage 137 is connected to the main scanning rail 13
8 and is also connected to the belt 139, so that the main scanning motor 140 is driven via the belt 139 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the figure along the rail 138. Movement becomes possible. With this movement, ink droplets are ejected from the head 135 toward the recording surface of the recording sheet formed between the pair of rollers 133 and 134, and recording corresponding to the aforementioned recording width is performed. Note that each of the above-described embodiments can be applied to the bearing portion 3 (33) of this carriage 137.

Thus, in the printer section 102, the reading section 101 first prints the image on the recording sheet 131 by one main scan as described above.
Recording corresponding to a predetermined recording width read by is performed, and each time the sheet is fed in the sub-scanning direction by a pair of rollers 133 and 134, and when the entire recording is completed, the sheet is discharged from the casing 103.

Next, the cooling mechanism applied to the copying machine of this embodiment will be explained with further reference to FIGS. 17 to 19.

FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of the cross-flow fan 150 and the housing 151 seen from the left side of FIG. 16, and the cross-flow fan 150 is attached to the wall of the casing 103. The housing 151 of the crossflow fan 150 has an opening over which the duct 15 is installed.
3 is placed.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the cross flow fan 150 and its surroundings. Since the duct 153 has a downward opening, ie, an intake port 154 near the cross flow fan 131, air is sucked from the outside of the duct in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

In the configuration of this embodiment, the air sent out from the cross-flow fan 150 tends to spread upward within the copying machine, and the air tends to stagnate near the cross-flow fan 150.

FIG. 19 is a top view of the copying machine of this embodiment, excluding the reader part 101, in which the air blown from the cross flow fan 150 is oriented in the C direction, and the - side louver 15
This shows how the fuel is being ejected from No. 5 to the outside of the aircraft.

150 is the casing 10 of the device as shown in FIG.
151 is the house sink, 152 is the cross flow fan 1 of the casing 103.
This is a louver with an opening in the 50 mounting part. Further, 153 is a duct that similarly contacts the casing 103 above the louver 152 and is attached to the upper part of the house sink 151. The duct 153 is connected to the casing 103 as shown in FIG.
The air intake port 15 is provided on the lower surface side of one end.
4 is open.

The air flow caused by the rotation of the fan 150 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 16, the opening position of the air intake port 154 is set above the recording head main scanning motor 140, which is a heat source and is placed out of reach of the air blown from the fan 150. The hot accumulated air is sucked (suction in direction B shown in FIGS. 17 to 19), thereby cooling the main scanning motor 140 disposed near the fan 150. Note that since this motor] 40 is constituted by a stepping motor, it cannot cool itself by attaching a fan to its rotating shaft.

This sucked air passes through the duct 153 and passes through the opening of the housing 151 in the D direction (FIG. 16,
(see Figure 7), mixed with air introduced from outside the copying machine through the louver 152, and finally blown into the machine in direction C (see Figures 17, 18, and 19). .

In No. 19e, 155 is a cross flow fan 150
and an exhaust louver provided on the wall of the casing 103 opposite to the wall of the casing 103 on which the intake louver 152 is provided.
8 and 19), the outside air sucked in through the intake louver 152 and the air sucked in from the above-mentioned intake port 154 inside the copying machine and guided in the direction D as mentioned above are combined. After being blown out in the direction of arrow C and cooling the lamp 117, it is discharged from the exhaust louver 155. Here, the air blown in the direction of arrow C to cool the lamp 117 cools the main scanning motor 140, and includes air inside the copying machine sucked in from the intake port 154 and air from outside the copying machine via the louver 152. However, new air is supplied from the louver 152 by mixing, and the other louver 15
5, so the temperature will not rise to high temperatures.

Note that "cooling" as used in the present specification means removing the temperature increase of the atmosphere within the apparatus.

Moreover, between the reading section 101 and the printer section 102,
As shown in FIG. 16, a partition wall 16 separating the two sides
0 is provided, and the flow of air in the direction of arrow C sent out from the cross-flow fan 150 is guided to the area of the reading unit 101, so that the wind does not affect the recording area of the printer unit 102. . In addition, the duct 153
Although the air intake port 154 is opened in the area of the printer unit 102, its suction action does not generate enough air flow in the printing area to affect printing.

FIG. 20 shows another embodiment and is a diagram similar to FIG. 17. In this example, a rib 103A protrudes from the casing 103.
A duct 162 is formed by the frame 161 and the frame 161 constituting other parts of the copying machine, and there is no need to form a new duct, resulting in an effect of reducing the number of parts.

Note that the formation of such a duct 162 is not limited to this method, and it goes without saying that it may be formed in any manner as long as it produces a duct effect. Since the operation and effect are the same as those of the previously described embodiment, the explanation thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 21 shows yet another embodiment, and is a diagram similar to FIG. 18. In this example, a duct 153 provided on the suction side of a cross-flow fan 150 is provided extending on both sides along the axial direction of the fan, and air is supplied from two intake ports 154A and 154B as shown in the figure. Can be inhaled. As a result, heat can be taken away from the heating elements disposed at two locations and the system can be cooled.

In addition, in this example and the above two embodiments, the intake port was formed facing the lower side of the duct, but the opening may be opened in any direction, and may be opened in the direction in which the heating element is arranged. Bye.

In addition, in the embodiments described above, the number of intake ports was one or two, but depending on the number or situation of heating elements placed near the cross flow fan, the suction can be drawn more or less evenly. It is also possible to provide more than two intake ports, as shown in FIG. , - layer cooling effect can be enhanced.

Furthermore, although the above explanation has been given as an example in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine consisting of a reading section and a printer section, the application of the present invention is not limited to such a copying machine. The present invention can be widely applied to devices that have a fixed member that uses a fan for cooling, such as general recording devices that have heat generating parts such as multiple drive motors, recording heads, or fixing heaters. Needless to say.

The ink sheet recording head used in the recording section of this embodiment is a bubble jet type recording head proposed by Canon ■, and has an excellent image forming effect in a recording device using this. It is something that brings.

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) corresponding to the sheet and liquid path. 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. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. 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.

As for the configuration of the recording head, in addition to a combination configuration of an ejection port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path), a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending area is disclosed. U.S. Patent No. 4,558,333, U.S. Patent No. 4
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 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 converters, 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 Application Laid-Open No. 138461/1983 which discloses a configuration corresponding to the discharge section. In other words, regardless of the form of the recording head, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the recording section may use a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by the 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 as a single recording head formed integrally.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head, which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, because the effect of image formation can be further stabilized.

Specifically, these include capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means for the recording head,
Preheating means using an electrothermal transducer, a separate heating element, or a combination thereof, and a preliminary ejection mode that performs ejection other than recording are also effective for stable recording.

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.

In addition, the recording device to which the present invention is applied may be used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer as described above, as well as a copying device combined with a reader or the like, and furthermore, a device having a transmission function. It may also take the form of a facsimile machine.

As explained above, according to the above-mentioned copying machine, the carriage can always be moved smoothly, and the heating element disposed near the cross-flow fan can be In particular, in copying machines, etc., the main scanning stepping motor of the printer section can be effectively cooled by a cross-flow fan used to cool the reading section. As a result, the accuracy of each movement has improved, and even clearer recordings can be obtained.

As explained above, according to the present invention, an eave-shaped receiving member, for example, connected to the bearing is provided so as to receive the lubricating oil overflowing from the portion between the shaft and the bearing, and the sliding portion of the bearing and the receiving member are connected to the bearing. The overflowing lubricating oil is collected on the member by communicating with the lubricating oil path such as a groove, and the lubricating oil that gradually accumulates as the lubricating oil on the sliding part of the bearing decreases. can be returned to the sliding part, making it possible to significantly extend the lubrication life of the shaft of the sliding part. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the lubricating oil overflowing from the end of the bearing is guided to the opposite side through the lubricating oil path provided in the bearing member of the carriage and collected by the recovery member, thereby eliminating loss of lubricating oil and removing the lubricating oil from the shaft. Lubrication life can be significantly extended. Furthermore, since there is no loss of lubricating oil, the total amount of lubricating oil can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the main parts including the carriage according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bearing according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3(a) , (b) and 4 are cross-sectional views for explaining the effects of the present invention, and FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are sectional views of the first embodiment of the present invention, respectively FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the main part including a carriage according to another embodiment of the invention; FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the main part including the bearing holding part. FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the groove seen from direction A in FIG. 9. FIGS. Detailed explanatory drawings; FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 are sectional views showing other embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the application of the present invention to a copying apparatus; FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the cooling mechanism of this embodiment, FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the cooling mechanism shown in FIG. 17, and FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the cooling mechanism shown in FIG. 16 viewed from above. , FIG. 20 is a configuration diagram of still another embodiment of this embodiment, FIG. 21 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of this embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view according to the prior art showing a carriage on which a reading element of an image reading device is mounted, as an example for explaining the bearing mechanism of the slide part. FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the prior art showing a configuration in which collecting felts for collecting lubricating oil are provided on both sides of two bearings; FIG. 24 is a prior art showing the main parts including the bearings of FIG. It is an enlarged sectional view. In the figure, l is the shaft, 2 is the carriage, 3 is the bearing, and 4
1 is a groove, 5 is an eaves, 6 is an oil butt, 101 is a reading section, 102 is a printer section, 103 is a casing, 135
is a recording head, 137 is a carriage, 140 is a main scanning motor, 150 is a cross flow fan, 151 is a housing, 152.155 is a louver, 153.162 is a duct, 154.154A, 154B are air intake ports, 160 is a partition wall . Figure 3(b) Figure 72(b) β! / 73rd Group 4/ W 31.51 E F frame/6/

Claims (27)

[Claims] (1) a shaft that guides a reciprocating carriage; a bearing that is connected to the carriage and slides with respect to the shaft; a receiving member connected to the bearing; and a lubricating oil passage provided in the bearing so as to communicate between a portion between the shaft and the bearing and the receiving member. A bearing mechanism characterized by: (2) The bearing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the receiving member is eave-shaped, and the path is provided as a groove on the surface of the bearing. (3) The bearing mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving member has a portion for storing lubricating oil at a location away from the path and close to the shaft. (4) Claims (1) to (3) characterized in that the receiving member has a length sufficient to collect the entire amount of lubricating oil overflowing from the portion between the shaft and the bearing.
) bearing mechanism described in any of the above. (5) The bearing mechanism according to any one of claims (1) to (4), wherein the receiving member is formed integrally with the bearing. (6) an inkjet head, a carriage that carries the inkjet head and moves back and forth, a shaft that guides the carriage, a bearing that is connected to the carriage and slides with respect to the shaft, and the shaft and the a receiving member connected to the bearing so as to receive lubricating oil overflowing from a portion between the bearing and the bearing;
An inkjet apparatus comprising: a bearing mechanism in which a lubricating oil path is provided in the bearing so as to communicate between a portion between the shaft and the bearing and the receiving member. (7) The inkjet apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inkjet head is a cartridge type head that is integrally provided with an ink tank for storing ejected ink. (8) The inkjet head includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as an energy generator that generates energy used to eject ink. 7) The inkjet device according to item 7). (9) A shaft that guides a reciprocating carriage, a bearing member that is connected to the carriage and slides with respect to the shaft, and one end and/or the other end of a portion between the shaft and the bearing member. a collection member provided on the one end side so as to be in contact with the shaft, in order to collect lubricating oil overflowing from the side; A bearing mechanism characterized in that the bearing member is provided with a path for lubricating oil. (10) The bearing member has a bearing and a bearing holding portion that holds the bearing, and the path is provided as a groove on the surface of the bearing holding portion.
8) The bearing mechanism described in 8). (11) The bearing mechanism according to claim (8) or (9), wherein the recovery member also serves as a lubricating oil holding/supplying member. (12) an inkjet head; a carriage that carries the inkjet head and moves back and forth; a shaft that guides the carriage; a bearing member that is connected to the carriage and slides with respect to the shaft; a collection member provided on the one end side so as to be in contact with the shaft in order to collect lubricating oil overflowing from one end side and/or the other end side of the part between the bearing member, An inkjet apparatus comprising: a bearing mechanism in which the bearing member is provided with a lubricating oil path so as to communicate between the other end side and the collection member. (13) The inkjet apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the inkjet head is a cartridge type head that is integrally provided with an ink tank for storing ejected ink. (14) The inkjet head includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as an energy generator that generates energy used to eject ink. 12)
The inkjet device described in . (15) A recording device that records on a recording medium, a recording device that records on the recording medium, a cooling device that prevents temperature rise by removing heat generated within the device with an air flow, and the recording device. a shaft for guiding a reciprocating carriage; a bearing connected to the carriage and sliding with respect to the shaft; a receiving member connected to the bearing, and a lubricating oil path is provided in the bearing so as to communicate between a portion between the shaft and the bearing and the receiving member. a bearing mechanism,
A recording device comprising: (16) The recording means is an inkjet head, and includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as an energy generator that generates energy used to eject ink. (14
) Recording device described in . (17) In an image reading/recording system, a reading means for reading an image, a recording means for recording on a recording medium according to information read by the reading means, a shaft for guiding a reciprocating carriage, and a shaft for guiding a reciprocating carriage; A bearing connected to the carriage and sliding on the shaft, and a receiving member connected to the bearing and provided to receive lubricating oil overflowing from a portion between the shaft and the bearing. and a bearing mechanism in which a lubricating oil path is provided in the bearing so as to communicate between a portion between the shaft and the bearing and the receiving member. Reading and recording system. (18) The image reading/recording system according to claim (16), wherein the reading means is provided on the carriage. (19) The image reading/recording system according to claim (16), wherein the recording means is provided on the carriage. (20) In claims (16), (17), and (18), the recording means is an inkjet head that generates thermal energy as an energy generator that generates energy used to eject ink. Claims (16) and (1) characterized by comprising an electrothermal converter.
7) and the image reading/recording system described in (18). (21) A recording device comprising: a recording section that performs recording based on input recording information; and a cooling means that cools the device by removing heat generated within the device using the generated air flow, The cooling means is provided in an exterior casing of the apparatus, and includes a first opening area for forming an air flow from outside the exterior casing, and a cooling means is provided between a cover of the cooling means and the exterior casing, and is provided between a cover of the cooling means and the exterior casing. a second opening area for forming an airflow from the vicinity of the cooling means; and a third opening area for making the airflow from the first and second opening areas into an airflow outside the vicinity area. A recording device comprising: an air flow from the vicinity of the cooling means to simultaneously cool the vicinity area, and an air flow outside the vicinity area to simultaneously cool the outside of the vicinity area. (22) The recording device includes a partition wall that partitions the outside area from the space in which the recording unit is provided, and the partition wall allows airflow from the third opening area to be directed outside the vicinity. 21. The recording device according to claim 20, wherein the recording device is oriented toward a region. (23) The vicinity of the cooling means and the recording section area are cooled by the airflow to the second opening area of the cooling means, and the area outside the vicinity is cooled by the airflow from the third opening area. Claim (20) characterized in that
Or the recording device according to (21). (24) An information reading unit that reads image information, a recording unit that performs recording based on information input by the information reading unit, an operation control unit that includes a circuit that controls these operations, and a record that includes these. A recording device comprising a cooling means for cooling the heat generated within the device by generating an air flow within the device, wherein the cooling means is provided in an outer casing of the device, and the cooling means is provided in an outer casing of the device, and the cooling means is provided in an outer casing of the device, and the cooling means is provided in an outer casing of the device, a first air inflow passage that takes in air; and a second air inflow passage that is provided between the cover of the cooling means and the exterior casing and that introduces air near the recording section area in the apparatus into the cooling means. and an air exhaust passage that discharges air that has flowed in from the first and second air inflow passages to the information reading section area. (25) The vicinity of the cooling means and the recording area are cooled by the air flow into the second air inflow passage of the cooling means, and the reading area is cooled by the air flow from the air discharge passage. The recording device according to claim 23, characterized in that: (26) The recording device includes a partition wall that partitions a space in which the reading section area and the recording section area are provided, and the partition wall allows the flow of air discharged from the air exhaust passage to be The recording device according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that the recording device is oriented toward a reading area. (27) The recording unit includes a recording head that performs recording by discharging ink from an ejection port, and the ink is discharged using thermal energy generated by a heating element provided in the recording head. The recording device according to any one of claims (23) to (25).