JPH0479305B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Technical Field> The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus for recording characters, images, etc. on cut recording paper.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, roll paper has often been used as recording paper in inkjet recording apparatuses. Most printers have a configuration in which the roll paper is set from the top and the paper is ejected from the top, which makes the top of the printer unusable when other equipment is placed on top of the printer, which is undesirable from a space-saving perspective. There are also printers that eject paper from the front, but these have drawbacks such as difficulty in setting paper. Also, when recording on roll paper, a cutter must be equipped. Some cutters also have the disadvantage that the cutting surface is unsightly.

On the other hand, printers that handle cut paper have the disadvantage of poor operability since it is necessary to insert the cut paper one by one.

<Objective of the Invention> The present invention provides that, if the end of the ink cartridge is made to protrude even slightly from the storage part in order to manually attach and detach the ink cartridge, the device becomes larger and it becomes difficult to manually attach and detach the ink cartridge. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet device that can solve the conventional problem that the stable supply of ink is adversely affected due to the collision of ink. Further, the present invention provides an inkjet device that has improved operability and is designed to protect the ink cartridge from being accidentally removed.

The present invention, which achieves the above-mentioned various objects, comprises a storage part that removably stores an ink cartridge for storing ink to be supplied to an inkjet head, and an ink cartridge inserted into the ink cartridge in the storage part. In an inkjet device having an ink receiving needle used for supplying ink and a carriage rail for scanning the inkjet head, the storage section is located below the carriage rail, and the entire ink cartridge is stored. a housing wall that restricts the direction in which the ink cartridge leaves the ink cartridge from the ink supply position with respect to the direction of the ink receiving needle; an ejecting mechanism including a lever that presses the cartridge and ejects at least an end of the ink cartridge from the ink supply position, the ejecting mechanism being provided on the operating front side of the device and interlocking with the lever. an operating member that operates the operating member; an opening/closing door provided on the operating front side of the device to shield the storage section and the operating member from the outside;
An inkjet device characterized by comprising:

According to the present invention, it is possible to downsize the apparatus, reliably prevent operator malfunctions, and furthermore, it is possible to easily and safely remove the ink cartridge.

<Description of Embodiment> (Apparatus Appearance) Figure 1 and subsequent figures are diagrams showing the recording apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1 with the front cover 4 and stacker 5 removed, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 3 seen from the front. FIG.

In Figures 1 to 4, 1 is an upper cover, 2 is a lower cover, 3 is a bottom cover, 4 is an opening/closing door (front cover), and 5 is a stacker, into which printed paper is automatically ejected. will be stored in. 6 is a printer operation panel, and 7 is a stay cover, which functions as reinforcement and an accent stripe.

An upper plate 1a made of a translucent material (eg, acrylic) is fixed to the upper cover 1, so that the inside of the printer can be seen. This is for monitoring the printing condition before the paper is delivered to the stacker, and is designed to enable early monitoring of, for example, the condition of the color of the printed material. Then, if there is a need for correction, etc., correction can be made as soon as possible.

Further, in FIG. 2, 10 is a power cord, 11 is an input source panel, and in this embodiment, a connector 11a for inputting an NTSC signal, a connector 11b for inputting an RGB input signal, and a connector 11b for inputting an NTSC signal, and a connector 11b for inputting an RGB input signal, and a connector 11a for inputting an NTSC signal, and a connector 11b for inputting an RGB input signal. Connector 11c for inputting image data
is provided.

In FIG. 3, the supporting shaft 4a of the front cover 4 is the supporting point 2 of the lower cover 2.
a, and the front cover 4 is attached to the support shaft 4a.
It is attached rotatably around the hook 4.
b is configured to lock with the stay cover 7.

Further, the front cover 4 is configured to automatically come off from the fulcrum 2a if it is forcibly rotated downward.

FIG. 4 is a front side view of the device, in which various operation switches are arranged.

12 is an ink cartridge, 13 is an ink cartridge.
The cartridge release knob is shown.

Insert the ink cartridge 12 with the ink supply side facing toward the back. Also, when the ink runs out, swinging the release knob 13 downward will remove the ink.
Since the cartridge 12 is pulled out slightly toward the front, it can be removed from the main body of the apparatus by pulling it out toward the rear.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a knob for releasing a registration roller 103 and a pinch roller 104, which will be described later, from being pressed against the platen 101, and is released by sliding the roller release knob 14 downward. This is effective when troubles such as paper jams occur, and are intended to prevent paper from tearing during jam handling inside the printer. Of course, since the paper is not held between the pair of rollers, the jam paper can be easily pulled out.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a reset button for pressing the registration roller 103 and the pinch roller 104 against the platen 101 again, and in this embodiment, when the reset button 15 is pressed, it becomes possible to reset.

16 is a reset button for the remaining ink amount counter. When the ink cartridge in the printer runs out, the ink amount display (described below) will be displayed.
No ink is displayed by LED6K. The user swings the ink cartridge release knob 13 downward and removes the old cartridge. After installing a new ink cartridge 12, when the reset button 16 for the remaining ink amount counter is pressed, the ink amount counter, which will be described later, is reset.

17 is a paper feed cassette. In this example, approximately
100 sheets of paper can be loaded into the cassette.
The cassette can be installed by inserting it into the printer with the handle portion 17a facing you. Reference numeral 18 denotes a paper cassette release knob, and by swinging this from top to bottom, the paper cassette 17 is pushed out slightly toward you. The paper cassette 17 can be removed from the printer body by grasping the handle 17a and pulling it out.

Reference numeral 19 is a switch volume for switching inputs and adjusting image quality.

(Operation Panel) Next, the operation panel 6 will be explained with reference to FIG.

6a is a power switch, 6b is a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as LED) for displaying the power switch, 6c is a print start switch, 6d is a print display LED,
6e is a stop switch, 6f is a stop display LED,
6g is a switch to change the image size,
In this embodiment, two print sizes can be selected: large (L) and small (S). 6h1,6h
2 are LEDs that each indicate the print size
This shows that 6h1 has selected the large size (L) and 6h2 has selected the small size (S). 6i is paper jam,
LED to display paper problems such as out of paper, 6j
is an LED that indicates that no ink cartridge is installed. 6k is an LED that displays the remaining amount of ink, and in this embodiment, four LEDs of 6Ka to 6Kd are used, but any number may be used.

As described above, in this embodiment, the ink cartridge mounting section, paper cassette mounting section, recorded print paper ejection section, and operation section including the print start switch are all arranged at the front of the device. , one-sided operation provides high operability, and it is also possible to place other devices on the side, top, etc.

(Printer Overview) FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the printer viewed from the operation surface side (front), and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the printer viewed from the stacker side (left side).

20 is the main board, which is the base of the printer. 100 is a paper feed/discharge system centering on a platen, and 200 is a head and ink supply system. Although these will be described later, they are fixed to the main base plate 20. 21 is a stacker guide, 22 is a stay, and 23 is a stay support shaft. One ends of the stacker guide 21 and the stay support shaft 23 are fixed to the main base plate 20. Further, the other end of the stay support shaft 23 is fixed to the stay 22. The stacker 5 is connected to the rail surface 21a of the stacker guide 21 and the stay 22.
and 22a. The upper cover 1 has two fitting pins 1b and 1b', and the stacker 5 has fitting holes 5d and 5d'. When the stacker is attached, the pin 1b fits into the hole 5d and the pin 1b' It is configured to be fitted and positioned with the hole 5d', so that the paper discharge port 5e of the stacker 5 does not move vertically or horizontally.

24 is a leaf spring, 25 is a slide lever, 26 is a stop pin, and 27, 27' are guide shafts.

The leaf spring 24 acts as a spring that pushes the stacker 5 back in the removal direction. A stop pin 26 is fixed to the slide lever 25, and is slidably mounted on guide shafts 27, 27'. To release the stacker 5, slide the stacker knob 8 fixed to the slide lever 25 toward the back, and the stacker 5 will be released.

Reference numerals 29 and 30 indicate cassette guides, each of which is fixed to the main base plate 20. The main base plate has a part 20a that is squeezed out, and the vertical positioning of the paper cassette 17 is determined by the squeezed out part 20a and the cassette.
This is done with guides 29 and 30. This is achieved by configuring the paper feeding direction and the perpendicularity of the paper to the platen roller 101 as follows. That is, the cassette release lever 31 has a support shaft 31a and a knob attachment part 31b, and also has a positioning pin 32,
32' is fixedly installed. 33 is a lever return spring;
Reference numeral 34 designates a cassette return spring, which is constructed of a leaf spring in this embodiment, but may be of other types. The paper cassette 17 has an inclined surface 17b and a positioning recess 17c.
There is 17c'.

Hold the handle 17a and cassette guides 29,3
When the paper cassette is inserted into the paper cassette 0, the positioning pins 32, 32' will eventually engage with the paper cassette inclined surface 17b.
When the release lever 31 is pushed down and the paper cassette is further inserted, one end 17d of the cassette charges the cassette return spring 34, and finally the positioning pin 3
2, 32' and the cassette grooves 17c, 17c' are engaged and positioned. To release, use the knob attachment part 3
It is released by swinging the release knob 18 press-fitted into 1b downward.

35 and 36 are printed circuit boards, which are used for the sequence control of this printer, the image processing system,
Electric circuit parts for televisions, interfaces, etc. The electric circuit components are arranged below the main base plate 20, and can be maintained by removing the bottom cover 3.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the printer with the upper cover removed. 400 is a pump unit which is a recovery system of this printer, and 600 is a power supply unit, each of which is fixedly installed on the main base plate 20.

(Stacker) As described above, the stacker 5 is detachably attached to the printer body, and when the stacker knob 8 is released, it slides slightly in the direction of the arrow α in the first figure. If it is further pulled out in the direction of arrow α, it can be completely removed from the printer body. This is designed to be detachable in order to remove paper when a problem such as a paper jam occurs inside the printer. A switch SW8 (Fig. 5) is provided to determine whether the stacker 5 is attached or not. Needless to say, if the stacker 5 is detached, the paper transport system and recording system will not operate even if the print start operation button is pressed. Do not work. Further, the upper part of the stacker 5 is made of a transparent upper plate 5a, and the printing state can be monitored from the top or diagonally in front. The transparent upper plate 5a has a fulcrum 5b and is rotatably attached to the stacker 5. The printed paper in the stacker 5 can be taken out by rotating the transparent upper plate 5a, or can be taken out from the opening at the front of the apparatus without turning. That is, from the viewpoint of front operation, recorded printed paper can be taken out without rotating the transparent member 5a. Further, a portion of the transparent upper plate 5a is cut out to allow easy insertion of fingers.

Incidentally, the bottom portion 5c of the stacker 5 forms an inclined surface that gradually rises from the bottom to the top as it moves away from a paper ejection roller 124, which will be described later, to make it easier to pick up the print paper.

The bottom of the stacker 5 on the paper discharge roller 124 side is deep for the purpose of storing more curled print paper.

In this way, the stacker 5 of this embodiment has a flat upper plate (5a) and a sheet-like recording medium (P).
The upper surface of the recording medium is substantially aligned with the upper surface of the device casing, and the loading surface is inclined so that the distance from the upper plate narrows in the direction in which the recording medium is ejected. . Therefore, it is possible to place other equipment on top of the recording device or to arrange the device in a limited space, and even if the recording medium is curled in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction and is discharged, It is possible to store a large number of recording media.

(Paper Feed Cassette) The paper feed cassette 17 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

The cassette 17 is normally constructed by pushing the cut paper P between the separating claws 17e, 17e' and the middle plate 17G from the upper surface against the return springs 17f, 17f', similar to a cassette used in a copying machine or the like. Can be set. The separation claws 17e, 17e' are attached to be swingable around a support shaft (not shown), but the range of swing is restricted by a stopper (not shown) so that the recording paper does not come out of the upper surface of the cassette. Return springs 17f and 17f' act to push up the middle plate 17g and the cut paper P upward. The middle plate 17g is swingably attached around fulcrums 17h and 17h'. The paper can be stably separated one by one by the appropriate contact pressure (F) of the return spring and the friction coefficient (u) of the paper feed roller 120, which will be described later. That is, if the coefficient of friction between paper and paper is up, then (u-up)F>0...(1) becomes the paper separation force.

The return springs 17f and 17f' used here have a conical shape. That is, by forming the conical shape, even when the middle plate 17g is pushed to the lowest surface, the contact height is equal to one line diameter of the spring, thereby improving the storage property of the recording paper P.

In other words, it is convenient when you want to store a lot of recording paper and keep the overall height of the printer low. However, it is desirable to design so that the contact pressure (F) applied to the paper feed roller 120 remains constant even if the stacking height of the paper cuts P changes.

Normally, when a conical coil spring is wound at an equal pitch, the load is not proportional to the displacement of the spring, so in this example, by winding a conical compression spring at an unequal pitch, the loading height of the cut paper P changes. The contact pressure (F) applied to the paper feed roller is kept approximately constant even when the paper feed roller is rotated.

Specifically, the pitch is made small where the coil spring has a small winding diameter, and widens as the winding diameter increases.

Since a conical coil spring is used as the return spring in this way, the conical coil spring becomes a completely flat surface when the middle plate as a plate member is pressed to the maximum, and the height of the coil spring becomes equal to one wire diameter of the spring. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of storage plates for sheet recording media (P) and to reduce the size of the paper feed cassette at the same time. Reference numeral 17i indicates holes in the bottom of the paper cassette container, and although two holes are shown in this embodiment, there may be one or two or more holes. In this example, the entire printer is made compact, so
The main body of the paper cassette 17 has also become smaller. That is,
Excluding the handle portion 17a, the rest is only slightly larger than the plane of the paper P. Therefore, for example, when you insert a finger into the 17i and pull out paper that is no longer usable because it has been stored in a cassette for a long time and has become deformed or deteriorated, you can easily pull out the paper. . Further, the presence or absence of paper can be determined by the switch SW3 using the hole 17i. In this embodiment, a reflective optical sensor is used as the switch SW3, but other detection methods may be used.

In this way, the paper feed cassette of this embodiment has a hole large enough to allow you to insert your finger into the bottom of the paper feed cassette container, so that it is extremely easy to remove and replace recording media, and at the same time, the paper cassette can be removed easily. Since it is only necessary to make the size of the paper slightly larger than the size of the recording medium, it also contributes to miniaturization of the paper feed cassette.

(Paper feeding system) Here, we will briefly describe the flow of paper using Figure 5.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the paper cassette 17 and the ink cartridge 12 are installed from the front side, and the paper is fed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which these are installed.

That is, the topmost sheet of paper is separated by the rotational force of the paper feed roller 120, and the paper guides 143, 146a
During this time, the paper is conveyed, hits the joint between the platen roller (hereinafter referred to as platen) 101 and the registration roller 103, and is further fed to form a loop between the paper feed roller 120 and the registration roller 103. The platen 101 rotates according to the timing described later,
The recording paper is conveyed in close contact with the platen 101 by the pressing spring 102, and then the paper is conveyed while being held between the platen 101 and the pinch roller 104. Platen 10
1 prints while performing step feed,
When printing is completed, the paper is ejected to the stacker 5 between the paper guides 144 and 146 and by the pair of ejection rollers 124 and 145 with the print side facing up.

Here, the paper guide 144 is a translucent paper guide, and as described above, the upper plate 144 forming the device housing
A is also made of a translucent member. In this manner, the guide member that allows the recording medium to pass between the platen roller and the portion of the device housing that faces the guide member are made of a transparent material. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the printing state immediately after printing without touching the recording medium, and for example, it is possible to quickly perform re-recording or correction of image characteristics, etc., without preventing a decrease in paper feeding accuracy. I can do it.

(Paper feed mechanism) The paper feeding mechanism will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view 1 of the platen unit, as seen from the direction A in FIG.

In FIG. 8, 101 is a platen for feeding paper, and is rotatably supported by side plates 151, 152 (FIG. 7) via bearings (not shown).

In this embodiment, the shaft is made of an elastic body such as rubber (the shaft is metal), but the invention is not limited to this. Reference numeral 102 is a paper pressing spring, which is attached to a carriage main plate 216 (seventh
(Fig.), and below the curved part (R
part) 102a and 102a' contact the platen 101 and apply appropriate contact pressure, and the recording paper can be smoothly moved between the pinch roller 104 and the platen 10, which will be described later.
1 to the vicinity of the pinch roller 104 so that the guide portions 102b and 10 bite into the joint with the guide portion 1 without slack.
It is guided by 2b'. Guide parts 102b, 10
2b' is not in contact with the platen 101, but since the gap is small, the pinch roller 10 is
There is no slack in the recording paper up to the joint between the platen 4 and the platen 101, and the platen 101 and the recording paper can rotate as one without slipping.

Reference numeral 103 denotes a registration roller, which is rotatably supported by the paper guide 143, and is also rotatably supported by the sleeve 107,
Spring 10 via 108 and 107', 108'
5, 105' (FIG. 5) is in contact with the platen 101 at a contact pressure _f1 . In this embodiment, the joint between the platen 101 and the pinch roller 103 is configured to span the entire width of the recording paper. This is to prevent wrinkles, creases, etc. from occurring when even a recording paper that is deformed such as curl is brought into contact with this joint and its leading edge is aligned.

104 is a pinch roller and a translucent paper guide 144
The sleep 10 is rotatably supported by the
Spring 1 via 9, 108 and 109', 108'
06,106' (Fig. 5)
is in contact with the contact pressure _f2 . pinch roller 1
04 and the platen 101 are connected to the guide portions 102b and 102 of the paper pressing spring 102 mentioned earlier.
It is configured so that it is located only near b', that is, at both ends of the recording paper P. This is because the printing position of the paper pressing spring 102 is notched, so that the center part of the paper is lifted up from the platen 101 as it is fed. If the registration roller 103 is used, wrinkles, etc. will be formed on the contrary.

The platen 101, paper pressing spring 102, registration roller 103, and pinch roller 104 ensure the feeding accuracy of the recording paper, the flatness of the printing section, etc. That is, the leading edge of the recording paper whose leading edge has been aligned by the platen 101 and the registration rollers 103 enters between the platen 101 and the paper guide 143 (FIG. 5) by the rotation of the platen 101, and further between the platen 101 and the paper pressing spring 102. R part 102 of
a, 102a'. Up to this point, the angle at which the recording paper wraps around the platen 101 is small, there is an appropriate gap between the platen 101 and the paper guide 143, and the recording paper is pushed in by the platen 101 and the registration rollers 103. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the platen 101 and the recording paper will be fed without slipping. Therefore, from the R portions 102a and 102a' of the paper pressing spring 102 to the guide portions 102b and 102b',
Up to 4, the platen 101 and the recording paper are fed in close contact with each other. After that, the platen 101 and the pinch roller 104 are used to wind up the recording paper, and the R portions 102a and 102, which are the printing positions, are used.
In the section from a' to the platen 101 and the pinch roller 104, the recording paper is in close contact with each other, and the wrapping angle of the recording paper is also large, so the recording paper and the platen 101 are integrated without slipping at the printing position. The paper can be fed with a sufficient flatness at the printing position. If flatness cannot be obtained, the position of the impact point in the main scanning direction of the ink droplet ejected from the head may be due to the recording paper coming into contact with the head, which will be described later, or due to variations in the distance between the head and the recording paper. deviates from the target position, resulting in significant deterioration of image quality. Also, the platen 101 in the sub-scanning direction
With respect to the feeding accuracy, if there is slippage between the platen 101 and the recording paper, the position of the target landing point in the sub-scanning direction will still be shifted.

Also, springs 105, 105' and 106, 10
The pressure 6' eliminates instability of the platen 101 caused by vibrations of the motor M1 and the like. In other words, since the load on the platen 101 is moderate when viewed from the drive side, the platen does not wobble even if there is play such as bumping of the gears of the platen feeding mechanism, and the positioning function is fully performed. Become.

Here, the sleeves 107, 107', 108,
The springs 108' and 109' and 109' are applied by the rotation of the platen 101.
This is to eliminate twisting, twisting, etc. of 05', 106, and 106', and to obtain smooth rotation of the platen. The material of the sleeve is preferably a low friction material such as plastic.

In addition, it is desirable to set the relationship between the contact pressures f ₁ and f ₂ so that f ₁ < f ₂ (2) from the viewpoint of paper feeding accuracy and stability.
Since spring 01 is made of rubber, and registration roller 103 and pinch roller 104 are made of metal, spring 1
By changing the spring pressures of 05, 105' and 106, 106', formula (2) was made to be satisfied. but,
For this purpose, the platen 101 and the pinch roller 10
4 is used as the main drive for paper feeding, so the following configuration may be used. That is, the spring is connected to the registration roller 103 and the pinch roller 104 through the sleeve.
suspended between. Of course, separate springs may be suspended as in this embodiment. Further, the strength of the springs may be different. By changing the materials of the pinch roller 104 and registration roller 103, the pinch roller 1
04 may be configured to be larger than the friction coefficient of the registration roller 103.

Furthermore, without the pinch roller 104, the leading edge of the paper being printed would enter the stacker 5, for example, and pulling or pushing the leading edge of the printing paper in that state would affect the positional accuracy of the paper being printed. give. Since a spring with a large load is suspended between the platen 101 and the pinch roller 104 to provide the main drive, printing accuracy is less susceptible to external effects during printing.

(Drive Mechanism for Paper Feed) Next, the drive mechanism for paper feed will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, the rotation of the platen 101 will be explained.

M1 is a pulse motor, 110 and 114 are gears, and the rotation platen 101 of the pulse motor M1
to communicate. The gear ratio is determined by the feed angle of the pulse motor M1, etc. These gears are installed on the side plate 1
51 (FIG. 7).

Next, the paper feed section will be explained.

115 is a known friction clutch, and gear 115
a, 115b, a spring (not shown), etc. Further, the gear 115a is connected to the motor M1 via a gear (not shown), and the gear 115a is connected to the motor M1 via a gear (not shown).
5b is connected to the sector gear 118 via the gear 116.
It engages with the gear portion 118b and is rotatably supported by the side plate 151.

Sector gear 11 having a notch 118a
8. This sector gear 118 is coaxially rotatably supported on the side plate 151 together with a gear 129, which will be described later. The gear 129 is rotatably supported by the aforementioned side plate 151 and connected to the motor M2 via the gear 125.

The shaft 120b of the paper feed roller 120 is rotatably supported on the sector gear 118, and
It swings up and down by the rotation of 18. A gear 121 is connected to the paper feed roller shaft in one direction via a clutch 111, and is connected to the gear 12 via a gear (not shown).
9. Therefore, the paper feed roller 120 is
Motor M2 is operated in one direction (direction of arrow C) by gears 125, 129, 121 and one-way clutch 111.
It is rotationally driven only in the direction of arrow A. Also,
Even if the sector gear 118 rotates, the sector gear 118 rotates coaxially with the gear 129, so the gear 12
There is no problem in connecting 9,121.

The paper feed roller 120 includes a metal shaft 120b and an elastic roller 120a made of rubber or the like fixed to the metal shaft 120b, and is supported by the sector gear 118 and a side plate 136 facing the sector gear 118. That is, the position of the roller 120a is moved up and down by the pulse motor M1, and the roller 120a is moved by the motor M2.
20 rotates. These two operations are controlled independently.

Next, driving of the discharge roller 124 will be explained. The discharge part includes a side plate 123 having a bent part 123a,
Side plate 137 facing it, gears 131, 135
and a discharge roller 124.

The discharge roller 124 consists of a metal shaft 124b and an elastic roller 124a fixed to the metal shaft 124b.
23 and is rotatably supported by a base plate 137 opposite to the base plate.

Here, the gear 131 is rotatably supported by the side plate 151, and is connected to the gear 129 via a gear (not shown), and further connected to the motor M2. Furthermore, the gear 131 is fixed to the discharge roller shaft 124b via a gear train (not shown).
It meshes with 35. That is, the rotation of motor M2 is transmitted to gear 135. In addition, by adjusting the number of gear stages, it rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feed roller 120. That is, when the motor M2 is driven in the direction opposite to the non-driving direction arrow C of the paper feed roller 120, the discharge roller 124 rotates in the direction of the arrow B, that is, in the recording paper discharge direction. The side plate 123 is rotatably supported by the side plate 151 coaxially with the gear 131, and
The bent portion 123a meshes with the notch portion 118a of the sector gear 118. Therefore, as the sector gear 118 rotates, the side plate 123 rotates around the support shaft 32, and the discharge roller shaft 124b swings up and down.

Here, when the sector gear 118 is rotated in the direction of arrow E by the motor M1, the paper feed roller shaft 120b
moves downward, and the discharge roller shaft 124b moves upward, making it possible to feed the paper. Further, the respective roller shafts on which the sector gear 118 rotates in the opposite direction move in the opposite direction and move to the retracted position.

Then, when the motor M2 rotates in the direction of arrow C in the paper feeding enabled state, the gear 121 rotates the paper feed roller 120 in the paper feeding direction (arrow A) to feed the paper. At this time, the ejection roller 124 rotates in the opposite direction to the ejection direction, but there is no problem because the recording paper is not in the ejection roller portion at this time.

Thereafter, the recording paper is fed by the platen 101. During ejection, the motor M2 rotates in the opposite direction to the arrow C, and the ejection roller 125 rotates in the ejection direction. On the other hand, since the paper feed roller 120 is not rotated by the one-way clutch 111, it does not affect the ejection operation.

Although the side plate 123 and the sector gear 118 are shown as separate members for the sake of simplicity, they can also be made of the same member.

(Registration roller and pinch roller release and reset mechanism) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the platen unit, seen from the direction B in FIG. 7. Using FIG. 9, the pinch roller 10 is pressed against the platen 101.
4 and the release and reset of the registration roller 103 will be explained.

Reference numeral 138 denotes a stopper for releasing the pinch roller 104 and registration roller 103, which is fixed to the side plate 151.

Reference numeral 139 denotes a release lever that is connected to the side plate 152 by pins 140a, 140b and guide grooves 139a, 1.
39b so as to be slidable. The release lever 139 is an operating section (bending section) that is connected to the exterior knob 14 by a member not shown.
139g, pin 139c arm part 139d, SW
It is composed of a portion 139e and a stopper portion 139f. The switch SW7 includes a pinch roller 104,
This is a switch that is turned on when the registration roller 103 is in the set position (printable position).

141 is a lever rotatably supported around 141a, 142 is a leaf spring, and side plate 152
A lower end 142a is fixed to the upper end, a stopper pin 142b is fixed to the upper end, and an exterior reset knob 15 is fixed to the center. 4 is the aforementioned front cover, 4a is a hinge connected to the main body, 4b is a locking claw, and 4c is a hinge 4a.By rotating the front cover 4 (closing the cover), the exterior reset button 15 is fixed in the position to be pressed. It is a raised part.

[1] Pinch roller and registration roller release operation When paper is jammed, it is necessary to make it easy to remove the jammed recording paper. At that time, exterior knob 1
4 downward, the release lever 139 can be moved between the guide grooves 139a, 139b and the pin 140a,
140b to slide down. At that time,
The pin 139c pushes the lever 141, and the shaft 141
a to push up the pinch roller 104. At the same time, the arm portion 139d lowers the registration roller 103. Then, the other ends of both roller shafts are pulled away from the platen 101 using the end surface of the stopper 138 as a fulcrum. Then, when the release lever 139 is further pushed down, the leaf spring 1
42 pins 142b ride on the stopper portion 139f due to the spring force and are locked.

This operation breaks the contact between the platen 101, the pinch roller 104, and the registration roller 103, and the paper wrapped around the platen 101 can be easily removed.

[2] Pinch roller, registration roller, reset operation Next, after removing the paper, in order to set each roller 103, 104 to the printable state (position in the figure), move the outer set knob 15 to the leaf spring 1.
Push against 42. This operation causes the stopper pin 142b and the stopper portion 139f to break contact. As a result, the springs 105, 105', 1
Due to the force of 06,106', the pinch roller 10
4. The registration roller 103 contacts the platen 101 and returns to the initial position. At the same time, the lever 141 rotates in the opposite direction to the above, and the pin 139
c and push up the release lever 139. Then, the switch SW7 is turned on, and each member is set at the printable position as shown in the figure.

The above operation was set by the operator pressing the knob 15, but even if the front cover 4 is closed,
Since the convex portion 4c presses the knob 15, resetting is possible by simply closing the front cover 4. In this way, both rollers 103 and 104 return to the printable position.

As mentioned above, the operator goes out of his way to turn knob 15.
Both the resist and pinch rollers are automatically reset by simply closing the front cover 4 without pressing .

(Head and Ink Supply System) Next, the specific configuration of the head and ink supply system 200 in this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of one head of the head unit 211.The basic configuration is that a sub-tank body 301 and a sub-tank lid 302 are integrally attached, and in this embodiment there are four (Y: yellow) in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper. , M: magenta, C: cyan, B: black), and a nozzle unit is attached to each ink chamber. The nozzle unit is composed of a cylindrical nozzle 304 made of glass or the like, a cylindrical piezo 305 fixed around the nozzle with adhesive or the like, and a filter 306 for preventing dust from entering the nozzle and adjusting flow resistance. By applying the driving pulse 309, the nozzle 304 integrated with the piezo contracts.
Eject ink droplets.

307 is a supply tube for supplying ink to the ink chamber 303 from a main tank bag 355 stored in the ink cartridge 12, which will be described later. 308 is a supply tube for supplying ink to the ink chamber 303 when the nozzle 304 becomes clogged. Pop unit 4 for recovery
This is a recovery tube connected to 00.

The head unit 211 is equipped with a heater 213 on the lower surface of the sub-tank body 301 in order to prevent unstable ejection due to changes in ink characteristics at low temperatures (particularly wide fluctuations in viscosity).
A side temperature resistor (not shown) detects the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere or the temperature of the ink itself, and a control circuit (not shown) is activated to maintain the ink in the sub-tank at a constant temperature.

The detailed structure of the ink cartridge 12 and its attachment to and removal from the printer body will be described in detail.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X in FIG. 7, and the ink cartridge 12 is operated in the storage section, which is a space formed by a storage wall including the main base plate 20, the carriage base plate 216, and the left and right guide plates 351, 352. It is inserted from the front side. The housing is located below the carriage rail for scanning the inkjet heads. The storage wall regulates the direction in which the ink cartridge is removed from the ink supply position where the entire ink cartridge is stored and ink is supplied with respect to the direction of the ink receiving needle (hollow pin) 360.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along the Y-Y direction of FIG. 7, showing a state in which the ink cartridge 12 is stored and forms an ink supply path.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the configuration of the ejection mechanism for removing the ink cartridge 12 from the printer body, as seen from the direction C in FIG. 7.

In Figures 11 and 12, ink cartridge 1
2 is a cartridge main body 353 and a cartridge lid 35
4. It is composed of a flexible main tank bag 355 that stores ink of each color of Y, M, C, and B, a waste ink absorbing member 356, and a partition plate 357,
In this embodiment, there are four main tank bags 355 (Y,
M, C, B) are stored in the vertical direction, and a waste ink absorbing member 356 is installed below the main tank bag 355 and separated by a partition plate 357.

Cartridge body 353 and cartridge lid 35
4 is integrally connected during assembly by a known claw method.

A rubber plug 358 is attached to one end of the main tank bag 355.
are integrally attached, and are sandwiched and fixed between the cartridge body 353 and the cartridge lid 354.

To load the ink cartridge 12 into the printer body, insert the ink cartridge 12 with the rubber stopper 358 side facing toward the back. At this time, the hollow pin 360 fixed to the printer main body pushes the rubber stopper 358 and reaches the ink space 358a inside the rubber stopper, forming an ink supply path and supplying the head unit 211 via the flexible supply tube 307. Ink is supplied to the ink chamber 303. The ink absorbing member 356 absorbs waste ink from a recovery system, which will be described later.

From the main tank bag 355 to the ink chamber 303
Ink is supplied to the ink via four flexible supply tubes 307. That is, each time one ink droplet is ejected, ink is supplied to the ink chamber 303 by the main tank bag 355 due to capillary action. flexible supply tube 30
7 is coupled to a hollow pin 360 fixed to the printer body approximately in the center of the carriage travel range. And as mentioned above, main tank bag 3
A rubber stopper 358 attached to one end of the ink cartridge 55 is connected to a hollow pin 360 in conjunction with the installation operation of the ink cartridge 12, and the tip of the hollow pin 360 reaches a hollow part filled with ink inside the rubber stopper 358. and an ink path is formed.

Next, the removal of the ink cartridge 12 from the main body will be explained.

In FIG. 13, reference numeral 13 denotes an operating member (knob) for removing the ink cartridge; 370, 37;
1,372 is husband shaft 370b, 371b, 372
The lever 372 is a lever that rotates around b, and the lever 372 has a pressing surface 372 that contacts the surface of the ink cartridge on the rubber stopper side in order to push out the ink cartridge 12.
It has a.

When the knob 13 is pushed down, the levers 370,3
71 and 372 rotate in the direction of the arrow, respectively, and press the pressing surface 3.
72a pushes the ink cartridge 12 toward the operation surface.

In other words, when the ink cartridge 12 is completely stored in the printer body, there is no space to grasp the ink cartridge 12 with your fingers, and the force required to pull out the rubber stopper 358 from the hollow pin 360 is greater than expected, making it difficult to pull it out. It is difficult.

In this embodiment, in the case of detachment, by using a lever movement, it is possible to pull out only the connecting stroke of the hollow pin 360 and the rubber stopper 358 with a slight force, and then the ink cartridge 12 can be pulled out by hand. It is configured.

When the rubber stopper 358 of the ink cartridge 12 is removed from the hollow pin 360, the ink cartridge 12 protrudes slightly (approximately 30 mm in this embodiment) from the printer body, so it is easy to remove the ink cartridge 12 by hand. You can easily remove it by holding it.

As described in detail above, the inkjet printer of the present invention has an automatic paper feed/discharge mechanism that feeds a sheet of recording paper from a cassette to a recording position, and further discharges it from the recording position to a discharge stacker. A cassette for storing paper, a mounting part for an ink cartridge, and a take-out part for taking out recording paper from an ejection stacker are provided on the same side. Therefore, most operations on the inkjet recording device, including loading and unloading recording paper, replacing the ink cartridge, etc., can be performed from the same side, improving operability and allowing the inkjet recording device to be stored in a limited space. It becomes possible to place other equipment on the top surface of the device.

Furthermore, by providing both the mounting portions and the ejection portion on the operation surface side that has an operation switch for instructing the start of operation of the device, all operations of the recording device can be performed while it is housed in the storage casing with only one side open. becomes possible.

As described above, the present invention overcomes the conventional configuration in which the end of the ink cartridge protrudes from the storage portion in order to attach and detach the ink cartridge, which is contrary to the miniaturization of the ink jet device and the stable supply of ink from the ink cartridge. This is an improved version of . To this end, in the present invention, first, the space below the carriage rail is effectively utilized to rationally arrange the ink cartridge storage section within the apparatus, and at the same time, the storage section stores the entire ink cartridge at the ink supply position. This makes it difficult to hit the ink cartridge and maintains a stable supply of ink. Furthermore, the present invention allows the operator to easily operate the device from the front. In addition, in the present invention, by providing an opening/closing door, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge from accidentally coming off from the storage section due to malfunction caused by front operation. Furthermore, in the present invention, the ink cartridge can be easily and safely removed from the storage section by the ejection mechanism including the lever and the operating member interlocked with the lever.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inkjet recording apparatus of this embodiment seen from the front, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 seen from the back, and FIG. 3 shows the front cover 4 and A perspective view with the stacker 5 removed,
Figure 4 is a view of Figure 3 from the front (operation surface) side.
5 is a sectional view taken along line X-X' in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line Y-Y' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a top view with the top cover removed from FIG. FIG. 8 is a first perspective view around the platen 101, and FIG. 9 is a first perspective view of the platen 1.
10 is a sectional view of the inkjet head unit 211, FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the intercartridge taken along line XX' in FIG. 7,
Figure 12 shows Figure 7 Y- of the intercartridge.
FIG. 13, a sectional view taken along the Y' line, is a diagram showing the intercartridge removal mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A storage section for removably storing an ink cartridge for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet head, and a storage section for inserting into the ink cartridge in the storage section to supply ink. In the inkjet device, the inkjet device has an ink receiving needle used for scanning the inkjet head, and a carriage rail for scanning the inkjet head. A storage wall that restricts the direction in which the ink cartridge is removed from the ink supply position with respect to the direction of the ink receiving needle, and a storage wall that presses the ink cartridge in the direction in which the ink cartridge is removed from the ink supply position. an ejecting mechanism including a lever for ejecting at least an end portion of the ink cartridge from the ink supply position, the ejecting mechanism being provided on the operating front side of the device and operating the ejecting mechanism in conjunction with the lever. an opening/closing door provided on the operating front side of the device to shield the storage section and the operating member from the outside;
An inkjet device comprising: