JPH05135753A - Battery pack fitting means and recording device with this means - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and surely fit and electrically connect a battery pack and miniaturize it by providing an L-shaped lock claw and a spring-excited stopper on the battery pack side, and providing a coupling section, a hooking groove, and necessary electrical contacts on a recording device side. CONSTITUTION:When a battery pack 401 for a backup power source is moved in the direction of an arrow F against a recording device 100, the L-shaped lock claw 402 of the pack 401 and the coupling section 406 of the device 100 are matched. When the pack 401 is moved vertically and horizontally to the direction of the arrow F, the claw 402 is hooked on the hooking section 406, and the spring-excited stopper 404 of the pack 401 is coupled with the groove section 408 of the device 100. The pack 401 and the device 100 are electrically connected via electric contacts 402, 407, and the battery pack 401 can be easily and surely fitted to the recording device 100 with a small structure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery pack mounting means for mounting a battery pack on a recording apparatus and a recording apparatus having the means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device of a multifunction machine or a workstation including a computer, a word processor and the like is a sheet or a plastic thin plate based on image information. The image is recorded on a recording material such as (OHP). The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a heat sensitive type, a thermal transfer type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording system of the recording means used.

In a serial type recording apparatus which employs a recording system in which a main scanning is performed in a direction intersecting a conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and then the recording material is set. An image is recorded (main scanning) by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves along, and a predetermined amount of paper is fed (sub-scanning) after one line of recording is completed, and then the next By repeating the operation of recording (main scanning) the image of the row, image recording of the entire recording material is performed. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records a recording material only in a sub-scan that is fed in the transport direction, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is collectively performed. By performing a fixed amount of paper feed (pitch feed) and further performing the recording of the next row in a lump, the image recording on the entire recording material is performed.

Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is one in which recording is performed by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and it is easy to make the recording means compact and high definition. Images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise and uses multicolor inks. Therefore, it is easy to record a color image.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy,
Through the semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering, the electrothermal converter formed on the substrate, the electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (discharging port arrangement), and to further reduce the size.

The above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus synchronizes with the relative movement of the recording head and the recording material, ejects ink from the ejection port of the recording head according to a data signal (recording signal), and ejects an ink droplet. Recording is performed by adhering it to a recording material such as paper or a plastic thin plate. The conveyance for feeding and discharging the recording material is generally performed by bringing a rubber roller into contact with both surfaces of the recording material with pressing force (hereinafter referred to as pressure contact), and rotating the roller. However, in the ink jet recording apparatus, the recorded ink immediately after recording hits the roller in an unfixed state, the ink adheres to the roller, and the ink re-adheres to the recording material to Therefore, on the downstream side of the recording position of the recording material, a spur with a sharp tip is applied instead of the rubber roller.

On the other hand, in the recent ink jet recording apparatus, the recording head is manufactured by a semiconductor film forming process and a micro processing technique, and a smaller and cheaper recording head is being realized. Accordingly, for example, a disposable recording head (head cartridge) integrated with an ink tank has also been proposed. Along with this, there is a demand for an ink jet recording apparatus that is small in size and inexpensive in price and can be used more easily by users. Further, a recording device driven by a battery has been proposed because the recording device becomes portable because of its downsizing.

Further, the recording device is a reading device (reader).
Used as an output device of a copying machine in combination with
In order to provide a recording device with a facsimile transmission / reception function, a recording device has been proposed in which a data processing board can be added or a data processing module can be connected to a connector.

[0009]

However, in the conventional recording apparatus, the locking claw is generally provided on the recording apparatus side, and the locking claw and the electric contact are separately provided. Therefore, if the recording device is provided with a lock claw, users who do not use the battery will be able to use the recording device with a lock claw, and the electrical contacts on the recording device side are exposed on the front side. There is a problem to be solved which is not preferable in terms of preventing electrostatic breakdown on the device side.

The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and an object of the present invention is to allow a battery pack to be easily and surely attached to a recording apparatus without imposing a load on the recording apparatus. A pack mounting means and a recording device are provided.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a battery pack mounting means for removably mounting an external battery pack to a recording device, and an L-shaped lock claw provided on the battery pack and the lock claw. And a fitting portion provided on the recording device so that the battery pack can be locked, an advanceable / retractable stopper provided on the battery pack to prevent the attached battery pack from coming off, and the stopper attached to the recording device. The above-described object is achieved by adopting a structure having a biasing spring. In addition, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration, another aspect of the present invention is to provide a battery pack mounting means which can easily connect the electrical contacts by providing the lock claws with an electrical contact.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording material by a recording means, a battery pack mounting means for detachably mounting an external battery pack is L provided on the battery pack. A V-shaped lock claw, a fitting portion provided on the recording device so as to be able to engage with the lock claw, and a stopper capable of advancing and retracting provided on the battery pack to prevent the attached battery pack from coming off. The object described above is achieved by having a structure that includes a spring that biases the stopper toward the recording apparatus. Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which, in addition to the above configuration, an electric contact is provided on the lock claw so that the electric contact can be connected more easily.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied when an automatic sheet feeder (ASF) is mounted, and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the recording apparatus of FIG. This embodiment shows a case where the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording apparatus. In FIG. 1, 100 is an inkjet recording device,
Reference numeral 120 denotes an automatic sheet feeder (ASF) attached to the inkjet recording apparatus 100. This recording device 100
1 is the case where the automatic paper feeder is installed as shown in FIG. 1 or when it is placed horizontally and used alone, and the case where it is used vertically when cardboard or envelopes are manually fed. There is a relatively small one.

In FIG. 1, 101 is a device case and 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes an outer lid, and 103 denotes an inner lid. When not in use, the outer lid 102 is superposed on the inner lid 103 to make the recording apparatus 100 compact. This allows the user to carry the recording device in a dedicated storage bag or the like, for example. Further, as shown in the figure, the outer lid 102 can also serve as a paper feed guide and a paper discharge supporter for the recording material 40 such as paper or a plastic thin plate.
The size of the outer lid 102 is limited by the size of the recording apparatus. Therefore, when the recording apparatus is downsized and the length of the sheet feeding guide and the sheet ejection supporter is insufficient, the auxiliary supporter 104 that can be taken in and out is provided. It is provided.

In FIG. 1, 106 is a paper feed port, 107 is a paper ejection port, and 108 is a stacker section for ejected recording materials. Reference numeral 105 is an operation key and a display portion, 109 is an interface connector for inputting a recording signal, and 110 is a hook portion for attaching an external module or the like. In the automatic paper feeder (ASF) 120, 1
Reference numeral 21 is a device case, 122 is a paper feed tray portion, and 123 is a lock lever of a hook for attaching the automatic paper feeding device 120 to the recording device 100.

Next, the internal structure of the recording apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a chassis, and the mechanical unit of the recording apparatus and an electric circuit board 50 are attached to the chassis 1. Reference numeral 2 denotes a recording means (recording head) mounted on the carriage 3. In this example,
The recording unit 2 has a head element (recording head) 2a for ejecting ink and an ink tank 2b that serves as an ink supply source, and has a form of a cartridge that is detachably mounted on the carriage 3, It is a disposable type that can be replaced when it is consumed.

The recording means (recording head) 2 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. Further, the recording unit 2 uses the film boiling generated by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter, and uses the pressure change generated by the growth and contraction of the bubbles due to the film boiling to eject the ink from the ejection port. Then, it records.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the head element 2a of the recording means (recording head) 2. In FIG. 3, a recording material 40 such as a recording sheet or a plastic thin plate and a predetermined gap (for example,
A plurality of ejection openings 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the ejection opening formation surface 81 facing each other at about 0.5 to 2.0 mm), and the common liquid chamber 83 and each ejection opening 82 are communicated with each other. An electrothermal converter (heat-generating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ejecting ink is arranged along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84. In this example, the recording head 2 is mounted on the carriage 3 in such a positional relationship that the ejection ports 82 are arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the carriage 3.
In this manner, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the recording signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film-boil, and the pressure generated at that time causes the ink to be ejected from the ejection port 82. The recording head 2 is configured.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 4 denotes a lead screw shaft which also serves as a guide shaft of the carriage 3, and the carriage 3 on which the recording head 2 is mounted is such that a motor (not shown) drives the lead screw shaft 4 to rotate forward and backward. Thus, the reciprocating movement is made along the lead screw shaft 4. Reference numeral 6 denotes a paper feed roller for conveying the recording material 40, which is driven by a motor (not shown). Pinch rollers 7 and 8 are pressed against the paper feed roller 6 by a spring (not shown). In FIG. 2, 5 is a paper guide, and 18 is a guide shaft of the carriage 3.

The recording apparatus of this embodiment is provided with two paper feed ports A and B as shown in FIG. The paper feed port A is used for manual paper feed of plain paper, etc.
02 serves as a paper feed guide and a paper ejection supporter in that case. The paper feed port B is a paper feed port for manually inserting thick paper or feeding paper from the automatic paper feeder 120. When a thick sheet or the like is manually inserted from the paper feed port B, recording is performed with the recording apparatus 100 standing upright (the recording head 2 stands upright at a right angle to FIG. 2 so as to face downward).
Regardless of which of the sheet feed ports A and B is used, the same path (route) is provided ahead of the pinch roller 8 (at the downstream side of the transport route).

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a paper discharge system of the recording apparatus of FIGS. Next, the path of the recording material 40 before the pinch roller 8 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIGS. 2 and 4, reference numeral 9 denotes a paper discharge roller for discharging the recorded recording material 40. The paper feed roller 6 is provided at an intermediate portion between the paper feed roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 9.
Transmission roller 10 for transmitting the rotation of the sheet to the discharge roller 9
Are arranged. The transmission of these rotations is performed by the frictional force caused by the mutual contact. The paper discharge roller 9 has a cylindrical shape with slightly different radii at both ends and the middle part, and the transmission roller 10 contacts the middle part of the paper discharge roller 9 having a small diameter. Therefore, both ends of the recording material 40 having a large diameter are rotated at a peripheral speed slightly higher than the peripheral speed of the paper feed roller 6. As a result, when the paper is discharged, the recording material 4
Since a predetermined tension acts on 0, the recording surface can be formed well.

In FIG. 4, 11 indicates a first spur,
The first spur 11 applies a pressing force to the recording material 40 conveyed by the paper discharge roller 9 to thereby cause the recording material 40 to move.
This is for restricting the paper discharge direction and applying a conveying force. Reference numeral 12 denotes a second spur, and the second spur 12
Is for reliably locking the rear end of the recording material 40 to the paper discharge roller 9 even after the recording material 40 is discharged from the spur 11. 13 is a spur holder for holding each spur 11 and 12, and 14 is a spur 1 through the spur holder 13.
The spur springs 1 and 12 are in pressure contact with the discharge roller.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing the support structure of the spur holder 13. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the spur holder 13 is supported by the inner lid 103 so as to be rotatable by the shaft portions 13a and 13b at both ends and movable in the horizontal direction.
The spur spring 14 is in contact with the left and right shafts 13a and 13b at the center line, that is, at the position coaxial with the rotation center of the spur holder 13. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 15 is a platen surface formed by a member that axially supports the paper discharge roller 9. Further, C is a vertical recording center position of the ejection port forming surface 81 of the recording head (head element) 2a, D is a recording width (height of one line) of the recording head 2a, and a two-dot chain line E
Is a paper path of the recording material 40.

In the paper path E in this embodiment, the contact point (first point) between the pinch roller 8 and the paper feed roller 6, the platen surface 15 (second point), the paper discharge roller 9 and the first spur. 1
It is regulated by three points of one contact point (third point). Here, the position of the platen surface 15 (second point) is such that the surface formed by the platen surface (second point) and the first point is parallel to the ejection port forming surface 81, and the ejection port is formed. It is a position facing the recording center C of the forming surface 81. Further, the position of the third point is in a direction slightly away from the ejection port forming surface 81 than the surface formed by the first point and the second point, and the ejection port is formed on the recording material 40 to be ejected. The position is selected so as to form a slight angle in the direction away from the surface 81. This is to prevent the discharged recording material 40 from falling toward the ejection port forming surface 81 side. Further, by adopting such an arrangement configuration, the recording material 40 is surely brought into close contact with the platen surface 15, so if the positional relationship between the platen surface 15 and the ejection port forming surface 81 is determined, the paper discharge roller 9 and the paper feed roller are determined. 6 regardless of the position error or eccentricity of the recording medium 40 and the recording material 40.
It is possible to keep the distance between and with high precision.

In FIG. 4, the second spur 12 needs to convey the trailing edge of the recording material to the position of the point P12 in order to reliably eject the recording material 40.
When is strongly pressed (pressed), the recording material 40 bends at the position of the paper discharge roller 9, and the platen surface 15 and the paper discharge roller 9 are correspondingly bent.
The recording material 40 is discharged onto the ejection port forming surface 81 (recording head 2
As a result, the recording head 2 (the ejection port forming surface 81) and the recording material 40 become inaccurate, or the expanded recording material 40 comes into contact with the recording head 2.
Therefore, in order to prevent this, the spur spring 14 is
Of the spur holder 13 at a position where a pressure contact force sufficient to obtain a sufficient conveyance force is applied to the spur 11 of the second spur 11 and a pressure contact force of the recording target material 40 is not strongly bent during recording. Is arranged to press. With such an arrangement, one spring (spur spring 14) can apply an appropriate pressure contact force to a total of four spurs 11 and 12 on the left and right.

In FIG. 2, the inner lid 103 is the spur 1
Since 1 and 12 are held, it is necessary to maintain the positional relationship with the paper discharge roller 9 with high accuracy. Also, the inner lid 103 is
It is preferable that the disposable recording head 2 can be easily opened and closed for replacement. Therefore, the inner lid 103 is pivotally supported by a member that pivotally supports the paper discharge roller 9, so that the positional relationship with the paper discharge roller 9 is accurately maintained. The opposite end of the inner lid 103 is vertically positioned by a knob 16 attached to the chassis 1, and is biased upward by a spring 17 so as to be lifted by releasing the knob 16.

FIG. 6 shows an automatic paper feeder 12 in the recording apparatus 100.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the lock mechanism when 0 is mounted | worn. Figure 6
In, the recording device 100 and the automatic paper feeding device 120 are coupled by the left and right lock claws 201a and 201b. Recording device 1 performed by a gear transmission mechanism (not shown)
In order to accurately transmit the driving force from 00 to the automatic paper feeding device 120, the lock claws 201a and 201b are engaged with the mechanism unit 105 of the recording device 100, and the automatic paper feeding device 120 and the recording device 100 are connected. Spring 2 so that there is no play
The engaging portion is pulled by 02a and 202b. The leaf switch 10 is provided on one of the lock engaging portions.
8 is provided, and the leaf switch 108 is provided with a lock claw 20.
It is turned on and off by the tip of 2a.

That is, during manual feeding, the recording material 40 abutting on the pinch roller 8 is set at the recording position by rotating the paper feed roller 6 forward, but when using the automatic paper feeding device 120, Automatic paper feeder 12
In order to drive 0, it is necessary to adopt a paper feed mode different from that in manual paper feed, and it is necessary to switch the paper feed operation mode. The leaf switch 108 is for performing this mode switching. The leaf switch 108 is operated by the engagement of the lock claw 201a on the side where the driving force is transmitted from the recording apparatus 100 to the automatic sheet feeder 120 (for example, the left side in FIG. 6). preferable.

7 to 9 are schematic perspective views showing an embodiment of the battery pack mounting means and the module (option module) mounting means in the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 is a state before mounting, FIG. 8 shows a state in the middle of mounting, and FIG. 9 shows a state after the mounting is completed. 7 to 9, 401 is a battery pack, and 402 is an L-shaped lock claw for locking the battery pack 401 on the recording apparatus 100. The lock claws 402 are fixedly (integrally) provided at two locations on the battery pack 401.

Reference numeral 403 denotes an electric contact on the battery pack 401 side integrally provided with one lock claw 402, and 404.
Is a stopper attached to the battery pack 401 so as to be able to move back and forth (slide), 405 is a spring for urging the stopper 404 in the protruding direction (towards the recording apparatus 100), 40
6 is a recording device 10 that can be locked with an L-shaped lock claw 402.
A fitting portion 408 is provided on the 0 side, and a groove portion 408 is formed on the recording device 100 side so that it can be locked with the stopper 404. The fitting portions 406 are provided at two locations on the recording device 100, corresponding to the lock claws 402. Reference numeral 407 is an electric contact on the recording apparatus 100 side provided inside the fitting portion 406 on the side corresponding to the electric contact 403.

7 to 9, reference numeral 410 is a module (option module), 411 is an L-shaped lock claw for locking the option module 410 to the recording apparatus 100, and 412 is a lateral biasing force of the lock claw 411. A spring 413, a connector for transmitting a recording signal to the recording apparatus 100, and a reference numeral 414, an operation unit for sliding the lock claw 411 laterally against the spring 412. The optional module 410 is a module connected to an interface connector for using the recording device 100 as an output device of electronic equipment such as a facsimile. Further, the L-shaped lock claw 411 has two
In the illustrated example, these lock claws 411 are formed integrally with one lock member 415 attached to the module 410, although they are provided at the positions. The lock member 415 is attached so as to be movable (slide) in the lateral direction, and is biased to one side by one of the springs 412.

Reference numeral 416 denotes a fitting portion provided on the recording apparatus 100 so that it can be locked with the lock claw 411, and 417 is a connector provided on the recording apparatus 100 so as to be electrically connectable to the connector 413. The fitting portions 416 are provided at two positions of the recording device 100, corresponding to the lock claws 411.

The mounting operation of the battery pack 401 is performed by moving the recording device 100 in the order of arrow F in FIG. 7 to arrow H in FIG. 8 and is mounted in the state shown in FIG. .. That is, FIG. 7 shows a state before mounting, and the battery pack 401 is moved in the direction of arrow F so that the L-shaped lock claw 402 on the battery pack 401 side and the fitting portion 406 of the recording apparatus 100 are aligned with each other. Figure 8
Indicates a state in the middle of mounting, and then the battery pack 4
01 is shifted in the direction of arrow H to lock the lock claw 402 on the fitting portion 406, and the tip end portion of the stopper 404 is advanced (locked) into the groove portion 408. FIG. 9 shows the state after mounting, and the stopper 404 is the recording apparatus 100.
Since the L-shaped locking claws 402 are engaged with the fitting portions 406 of the recording apparatus 100 while being locked in the groove portions 408 of the recording apparatus 100, the battery pack 401 is reliably positioned and attached to the recording apparatus 100. It will not slip or come off due to external forces such as vibration or shock.

When removing the battery pack 401, first, the operating portion (exposed side surface) of the stopper 404
The stopper 404 is slid in the backward direction against the spring 405. In this way, after the stopper 404 is retracted from the groove 408, the battery pack 401 is slid in the direction opposite to the arrow H to release the engagement between the lock claw 402 and the fitting portion 406, and is removed in the direction opposite to the arrow F. ..

According to the mounting means of the battery pack 401 described above, in order to mount the battery pack 401, the lock claw 402 integrated with the spring-biased stopper 404 is provided on the side of the battery pack 401, and recording is performed. A fitting portion (receiving portion) 406 is provided on the device 100 side.
It is only necessary to provide the battery pack 401
The electrical contact 403, 407 is pressure-welded (connected) by mounting
Is also performed, so that the recording device 100 is not overloaded, and the battery pack 401 itself is small and inexpensive, and can be easily and surely installed, and a recording device having the device. was gotten.

According to the mounting means of the battery pack 401 described above, the electric contacts 4 are provided on the locking claws 402 for locking.
No. 03 is provided, it is not necessary to provide an opening portion for electrical connection in the recording apparatus 100, and the electrical contact 40
Since the portions 3 and 407 are recessed in the main body of the recording apparatus 100, the reliability of the circuit board of the recording apparatus 100 as a countermeasure against electrostatic damage can be significantly improved. Furthermore, since the electrical contacts 403 and 407 rub against each other by the mounting operation of the battery pack 401, it is possible to prevent contact failure.

The mounting operation of the option module 410 is performed by operating the option module 410 in the order of arrow G direction in FIG. 7 → arrow J direction in FIG. It is installed in the state. In this case, since the connection (coupling) of the electrical signal connectors 413 and 417 is necessary for mounting the option module 410, the option module 410 itself cannot be slid with respect to the recording apparatus 100 during the mounting. The lock claw 411 having a character shape is operated in a slanting manner with respect to the option module 410.

That is, FIG. 7 shows a state before mounting, and each L-shaped locking claw 41 on the option module 410 side.
The module 410 is moved in the direction of arrow G so that 1 and the fitting portions 416 on the recording apparatus 100 side are aligned with each other. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the lock member 415 is being mounted while the module is being moved in the direction of the arrow G or at an appropriate time before or after the movement of the module, and the lock member 415 is slid against the spring 412 by the operation portion 414.
After that, the connectors 413 and 417 are coupled (mounted) and the lock claws 411 are inserted into the fitting portions 416. Then, when the locking member 415 is released, the spring 4
The L-shaped lock claws 411 are connected to the fitting parts 41
It is hooked on the key shape part of 6. FIG. 9 shows a state after the mounting, in which the connectors 413 and 417 are coupled and the lock claws 411 are engaged with the fitting portions 416, so that the module 410 is reliably positioned and mounted on the recording apparatus 100. Therefore, it will not slip or come off due to external force such as vibration or shock.

When removing the module 410, first, the lock member 415 is moved to the spring 41 by operating the operation portion 414.
Slide in the direction of arrow J against 2 to lock each lock claw 41
1 and the fitting portions 416 are unlocked. Therefore, by pulling out the module 410 in the direction opposite to the arrow G,
The connectors 413 and 417 are removed and the lock member 41
Release 5. In this way, the module 410 is removed from the recording device 100.

According to the module mounting means described above, in order to mount the module (option module) 410, the spring-biased locking claw 411 is provided on the module 410 side, and the recording apparatus 1 is also provided.
It is only necessary to provide a fitting portion (reception portion) 416 on the 00 side, and since the connectors 413 and 417 are also attached (connected) by attaching the module 410, there is no load on the recording apparatus 100, Further, the module 410 itself is small and inexpensive, but can be easily and surely mounted on the recording apparatus.

In the above embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head has been described as an example, but the present invention is applicable to the wire dot recording head, the thermal recording head, or the laser beam. The same can be applied to a printing apparatus that uses printing means of another printing method such as a printing head, and similar effects can be achieved. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the serial type recording apparatus in which the recording unit (recording head) 2 is mounted on the carriage 3 and the main scanning is performed along the recording material 40 has been described as an example. The same can be applied to the case of a line type ink jet recording apparatus using a line type recording means corresponding to the whole or a part of the recording width of the recording material, and the same effect can be achieved. ..

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of the recording apparatus for single color recording using one recording head has been described as an example, but the present invention is a plurality of recording heads for recording different colors. The same can be applied regardless of the number of recording heads, such as a recording apparatus for color using a recording head, or a recording apparatus for gradation recording using a plurality of recording heads for recording with the same color but different densities. The effect of can be achieved. Also, recording means (recording head)
Reference numeral 2 denotes a recording unit and an ink tank, such as a cartridge type in which a recording head (head element) and an ink tank are integrated, and a configuration in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated and connected by an ink supply tube. No matter what the configuration of the above, the same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

When the recording apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. The present invention brings excellent effects in an ink jet recording apparatus of a type that ejects ink by utilizing thermal energy. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
This is preferably done using the basic principles disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,967. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but particularly in the case of the on-demand type, a liquid (ink) is used.
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the Since the electrothermal converter generates heat energy to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording means (recording head), as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. It is valid.

Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,633,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat. No. 43131 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise of the heat acting surface.
If the conditions described in No. 24 are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The structure using the specification of 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a configuration in which the above is associated with the discharge portion. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording material (recording medium) which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that fills the length by combining a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed. In addition, even with the serial type as in the above example, it is possible to electrically connect to the device body or supply ink from the device body by mounting it on the recording head fixed to the device body or on the device body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add a recovery means for the recording head, a preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided in the present invention as a configuration of the recording apparatus, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, electrothermal converter or other heating element or preheating means by a combination thereof, and ejection different from recording are applied to the recording head. Performing the preliminary ejection mode is also effective for stable recording.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. And a plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode only for mainstream colors such as black,
The recording head may be integrally configured or a combination of a plurality of recording heads may be used. However, the present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus having at least one of a mixed color of different colors or a full color of mixed colors.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet. In the method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. Any liquid may be used. in addition,
Whether the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink that solidifies when left standing for the purpose of preventing ink evaporation is used. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying the thermal energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink is ejected,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink which has a property of being liquefied only by thermal energy, such as one which has already started to solidify when it reaches the recording medium.

The ink in such a case is disclosed in JP-A-54-54.
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a mode in which it is held as a liquid or a solid in a concave portion or a through hole of a porous sheet and faces the electrothermal converter. May be In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the one used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. It may be in the form of the above.

[0053]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in the battery pack mounting means for removably mounting the external battery pack to the recording apparatus, the L-shaped battery pack is provided on the battery pack. A lock claw, a fitting part provided on the recording device so as to be able to engage with the lock claw, a stopper provided on the battery pack to prevent the attached battery pack from coming off, and the stopper A spring that urges the
With the above configuration, there is provided a battery pack mounting means capable of easily and reliably mounting the battery pack on the recording device without imposing a load on the recording device side. According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the lock claw is provided with an electrical contact. Therefore, in addition to the above effects, the electrical contact can be connected easily and reliably at the same time as the battery pack is mounted. Battery pack mounting means are provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording material by the recording means, the battery pack mounting means for detachably mounting an external battery pack is a battery pack. An L-shaped lock claw provided, a fitting part provided on the recording device so as to be able to engage with the lock claw, and a forward / backward movement provided on the battery pack for preventing detachment of the attached battery pack Since the recording device has a simple stopper and a spring for urging the stopper toward the recording device, the recording device can easily and surely attach the battery pack to the recording device without imposing a load on the recording device side. Will be provided. According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effect, the electric contact is provided on the lock claw, so that in addition to the above-mentioned effect, the electric contact can be easily and surely connected at the same time when the battery pack is mounted. A recording device is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording head in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view showing an arrangement configuration of a recording unit and a paper discharge system of the recording apparatus of FIG.

5 is a partial perspective view showing a supporting structure of a spur of the recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a mounting mechanism of an automatic paper feeder with respect to the recording apparatus of FIG.

7 is a schematic perspective view showing a state before attachment of a battery pack and module attachment means to the recording apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the battery pack and the module mounting means are being mounted on the recording apparatus of FIG. 2;

9 is a schematic perspective view showing a state after attachment of a battery pack and a module attachment unit to the recording apparatus of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 chassis 2 recording means (recording head) 3 carriage 4 lead screw shaft 6 paper feed roller 7 pinch roller 8 pinch roller 9 paper ejection roller 11 spur 12 spur 13 spur holder 14 spur spring 40 recording material 81 ejection port forming surface 82 ejection Outlet 85 Electrothermal converter 100 Recording device 102 Outer lid 103 Inner lid 105 Operation keys and display unit 109 Interface connector 110 Hook portion 120 Automatic paper feeder 122 Paper feed tray 123 Lock lever 401 Battery pack 402 Lock claw 403 Electric contact 404 Stopper 405 Spring 406 Fitting part 407 Electrical contact 408 Groove part 410 Module 411 Lock claw 412 Spring 413 Connector 414 Operation part 415 Lock member 416 Fitting part 417 Connector

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location G06F 1/16 G06K 15/00 7927-5B G06F 1/00 312 J

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A battery pack mounting means for removably mounting an external battery pack to a recording device, and an L-shaped lock pawl provided on the battery pack, and the recording device capable of being locked with the lock pawl. A fitting portion provided on the battery pack, a stopper provided on the battery pack to prevent the attached battery pack from coming off, and a spring urging the stopper toward the recording device. Battery pack mounting means characterized in that. 2. The battery pack mounting means according to claim 1, wherein the lock claw is provided with an electric contact. 3. A recording device for recording an image on a recording material by the recording means, wherein a battery pack mounting means for detachably mounting an external battery pack comprises:
An L-shaped lock claw provided on the battery pack, and a fitting portion provided on the recording device so as to be hooked on the lock claw,
A stopper provided on the battery pack to prevent the detached battery pack from coming off, and
A recording device, comprising: a spring for urging the stopper toward the recording device. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lock claw is provided with an electric contact. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit including an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the recording unit ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter.