JPH05262019A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the contact of a recording means and a material to be recorded at the time when the abnormality of the operation of a device is detected and improve the picture quality by separating the recording means from the material to be recorded more than at normal recording when the abnormality of the operation of the device is detected. CONSTITUTION:A cam driving motor 37 is driven by a command from the CPU of a recording device and cams 36 are turned, and the height of a base upper section 25A is lowered from the position of normal operation to the position of retreating. Consequently, the space of a recording head 8 and a platen 19 can be increased and separated. Concretely, the base upper section 25A is set at the position of retreating when each cam 36 is rotated 180 deg., and the base upper section 25A is returned to the position of normal operation when the cams 36 are further rotated 180 deg.. When the abnormality of the device such as the defective carrying of a material to be recorded occurs, the base upper section 25A is lowered to a section just under the upper section 25A before a carriage 7 is returned to a home position, and operation, in which the space between the recording head 8 and the platen 19 is lengthened, is conducted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material by recording 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, etc., is a sheet or a plastic thin plate based on image information. An image (including characters and symbols) is recorded on a recording material (recording medium) 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 conveyance 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. Recording is performed by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves along (main scanning), a predetermined amount of paper is fed (sub-scanning) after one line of recording is completed, and then the next Record line (main scan)
An image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material by repeating the operation of. 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. An image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material by repeating the operation of performing a fixed amount of paper feeding (pitch feeding) and further collectively recording the next row.

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. Further, by utilizing the advantages of the IC technology and the micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long and planar (two-dimensional), and it is also easy to make the recording means full-multi and high-density mounting. is there.

In the above recording apparatus, an abnormality in the operation of the apparatus such as a conveyance error of the recording material (defective sheet feeding) may occur during the recording operation. By detecting such an abnormality by the abnormality detecting means, , Is configured to perform predetermined abnormality processing. For example, in an inkjet recording apparatus, when an abnormal operation of the apparatus is detected, the operation is interrupted even during the recording operation, and the recording head is automatically set to the home position (a position outside the recording area). It is controlled so that the recording head is capped by moving the recording head. Then, the fact that the device operation is abnormal is displayed on the operation panel.

The user opens the predetermined door according to the above-mentioned operation abnormality display, releases the sub-scanning roller and the discharge roller to remove the recording material, and performs various measures necessary for returning to the normal operation. To do. Here, the reason why the recording head is moved to a position outside the recording area such as the home position after detecting the operation abnormality is to make it easy to perform various treatments such as removing the recording material. Second,
This is to protect the recording head by capping or the like during the above treatment.

[0008]

The above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus is a so-called non-impact recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink. Therefore, the flight distance of the ink set by the distance between the recording head and the platen (recording material holding means) has a great influence on the quality of the recorded image. That is, the shorter the flight distance, the higher the accuracy of the ink landing position on the recording material, and the higher the image quality. Therefore, in the inkjet recording device,
It is necessary to make the distance between the recording head and the recording material holding means (flying distance of ink) as short as possible, and specifically, it is required to be set to several mm or less, preferably 1 mm or less.

On the other hand, if the distance (interval) is made too short, the recording head cannot be kept flat on the platen due to poor conveyance of the recording material, and when the paper floats or the like, a recording head is formed. The possibility of contact between the recording material and the recording material increases. When the recording head and the recording material come into contact with each other, for example, the ejection port forming surface of the recording head may be scratched and the ejection performance of the ink may be deteriorated, or in the worst case, the ink may not be ejected. In order to avoid such a problem, it is possible to stop the recording head at that position when a recording material conveyance failure occurs, but in that case,
As described above, it becomes difficult for the user to remove the recording material.

Further, in a general recording apparatus including an ink jet recording apparatus, even when the recording material is normally conveyed, for example, a user opens the door of the apparatus to record the recording material, a conveyance roller, or a recording medium. When the platen or the like is touched, the recording material cannot maintain a flat surface on the platen, and the relative position of the recording head and the recording material changes, which may cause the same problem as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to perform recording even when an abnormality in the operation of the apparatus such as a poor conveyance of a recording material or a poor holding occurs. It is possible to prevent contact between the recording medium and the recording material and easily perform various measures for eliminating the abnormality, and improve the image quality by reducing the distance between the recording means and the recording material during normal operation. It is to provide a recording device capable of performing the above.

[0012]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording device for recording on a recording material by the recording device, when an abnormal operation of the device is detected when the recording device is located at least in the recording area. The above object is achieved by arranging the recording material and the recording material apart from those during normal recording. In addition to the above effects, another aspect of the present invention is,
After the recording means and the recording material are separated, the recording means is moved to the outside of the recording area, and the recording material holding means for holding the recording material in the recording area and the recording means are separated, A structure for separating the recording medium from the recording medium,
When a recording material conveyance abnormality or a recording material holding abnormality is detected, the recording means and the recording material holding means are separated from each other in accordance with the detection signal, or a door is opened to handle an abnormal operation of the apparatus. At this time, the above-mentioned object can be achieved more efficiently by adopting a configuration in which this is detected as an abnormal operation of the apparatus.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a configuration of a recording unit of the recording apparatus of FIG. In this example, the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording apparatus. Figure 1
In the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the recording material 1 is intermittently fed (conveyed) in a predetermined direction by a conveyance roller mechanism, and the recording means (recording head) 8 is moved (main scanning) in a direction intersecting the direction. It is configured to record while. The illustrated recording apparatus is configured to perform recording using four recording heads 8B, 8C, 8M and 8Y as described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus main body frame is composed of a left side plate 50, a right side plate 51, a bottom plate 52, a rear stay 53 and the like. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the sub-scanning roller (recording material conveying roller) 13 and the sub-scanning driven roller 14 pressed against the sub-scanning roller 13 have bearings 31 whose axial ends are fixed to the sub-scanning base 25. It is rotatably supported by (only one end is shown), and the recording material 1 entering from the direction of arrow A can be conveyed forward by the rotation of both rollers 13, 14. Sub-scanning roller 13
At a position on the downstream side in the transport direction of, the platen 19 for supporting the transported recording material 1 is fixed to the sub-scanning base 25. The sub-scanning base 25 is the bottom plate 5 of the apparatus main body.
It is attached to 2.

At a position on the downstream side of the platen 19 in the transport direction, there are a paper discharge roller 20 for carrying (discharging) the recording material 1 toward the outside of the apparatus and a paper discharge driven roller 21 pressed against the paper discharge roller 20. It is arranged. The both ends of the paper discharge roller 20 and the paper discharge driven roller 21 in the axial direction are provided with the sub-scanning base 2
It is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 33 (only one end is shown) fixed to 5. Since the bearing portions 31 and 33 (only one end is shown) of the sub-scanning roller 13 and the driven roller 14 thereof and the paper discharge roller 20 and the driven roller 21 thereof are provided on the same base 25, the sub-scanning roller is provided. 13 and the sub-scanning driven roller 14, the upper surface of the platen 19 (recording material supporting portion), and the discharge roller 2
It is easy to arrange the joint portion between 0 and the paper discharge driven roller 21 with high accuracy while the relative height between them is regulated with high accuracy. Further, the parallelism between the joint portion of the sub-scanning roller 13 and the joint portion of the paper discharge roller 20 can be easily defined with high accuracy.

Sub-scanning roller 13 and paper discharge roller 20
Has aluminum particles with a grain size of # 1000 to 2000 adhered to its surface.
Chloroprene rubber is baked on the surface of 21. By such treatment of the roller surface, a recording material conveying roller capable of conveying the recording material 1 with high conveying force and with high accuracy is configured.

Upper guide 11 provided on the sub-scanning base 25
And the lower guide 12 feeds the recording material 1 to the sub-scanning roller 13
And a sub-scanning driven roller 14 and a bearing portion 31 of the sub-scanning roller 13 (only one end is shown).
Since it is also provided on the same sub-scanning base 25,
The positional relationship with the joint portion can be easily defined with high accuracy. A discharge guide 24 for guiding the recording material 1 discharged by the discharge roller 20 and the discharge driven roller 21 to the outside of the apparatus main body is provided on the upper surface of the sub-scanning base 25. ..

A sub-scanning pulley 15 is fixed to the left end of the sub-scanning roller 13, and a paper discharging pulley 22 is fixed to the left end of the paper discharging roller 20. On the other hand, on the lower left side of the sub-scanning base 25, the conveyance motor 17 is fixed to the sub-scanning base 25 via a motor stopper (not shown). A conveyance motor pulley 18 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the conveyance motor 17, and transmits a rotational driving force to the sub-scanning pulley 15 and the paper discharge pulley 22 via the sub-scanning belt 16 and the paper discharge belt 23. At this time, the diameter of the paper discharge pulley 22 is set so that the transport speed of the paper discharge roller 20 is slightly higher than the transport speed of the sub-scanning roller 13. In addition, the sub-scanning roller 13 for the recording material 1
The gripping force of the driven roller 14 and the driven roller 14 is
It is set to be stronger than the grasping force of the driven roller 21 and the driven roller 21. Therefore, the transport amount of the recording material 1 (paper feed amount) is set.
Is defined on the sub-scanning roller 13 side.
In this way, the recording material 1 is configured to be correctly conveyed on the platen 19 without slack.

A main scanning rail 6 is arranged above the platen 19 (more specifically, above the upstream side in the recording material conveying direction) in parallel with the axial direction of the sub-scanning roller 13. The main scanning rail 6 is fixed to the left side plate 50 and the right side plate 51. The carriage 7 on which the recording head 8 is mounted is guided and supported movably in the axial direction (horizontal direction) along the main scanning rail 6 by inserting the bearing portion 7A into the main scanning rail 6. .. The main scanning motor 2 for reciprocating the carriage 7 is arranged near the left end of the main scanning rail 6. The main scanning motor 2 is fixed to the left side plate 50. A main scanning motor pulley 3 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the main scanning motor 2 and can rotate integrally with the rotation shaft.

An idler pulley 5 is arranged on the opposite side (right side) of the main scanning motor pulley 3. The idler pulley 5 is rotatably attached to the right side plate 51. Main scanning belt 4 for moving carriage 7.
Is hung between the main scanning motor pulley 3 and the idler pulley 5, and is connected to the carriage 7 between the pulleys 3 and 5. Therefore, by controlling the rotation and the rotation direction of the main scanning motor 2, the reciprocating movement and the position (main scanning movement) of the carriage 7 are controlled via the belt 4.

In FIG. 2, a roller 7B which can roll in the carriage movement direction is rotatably attached to the lower portion of the carriage 7. The roller 7B rolls on the upper surface of the recording material 1 supported by the platen 19 so that the distance between the carriage 7 and the recording material 1 in the height direction is always constant. Specifically, in this embodiment, the value of the distance g between the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 is set to 0.5 mm ± 0.1 mm. Further, on the lower surface of the carriage 7, the sliding projection 7
C is provided, and the guide shaft 26 is provided immediately below the projection 7C.
(FIGS. 1 and 2) are provided. Both ends of the guide shaft 26 are fixed to the left side plate 50 and the right side plate 51. The guide shaft 26 serves to support the carriage 7 so that the carriage 7 does not tilt during the raising / lowering operation of the sub-scanning conveyance unit to be described later. Therefore, during normal operation, the guide shaft 26 and the sliding projection 7C are slightly apart from each other as shown in FIG.

Recording means 8 for recording on the recording material 1 is mounted on the carriage 7 in a positioned state. In this embodiment, the recording means 8 is a plurality (4) of recording means (recording heads) for recording using different inks.
It is composed of 8B, 8C, 8M and 8Y. In the case of color recording, these recording means 8B, 8C, 8M and 8Y
For example, it is configured by recording with ink colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, for example. In this specification, these four recording heads 8B, 8C, 8M,
When referring to the entire 8Y or any one of them, this is simply indicated by the recording means (recording head) 8.

Further, in this embodiment, each recording means 8 is composed of a replaceable ink cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated. A recording head portion or an ink ejection portion 80 (FIG. 2) is provided in a portion of each ink cartridge 8 that faces the platen 19 (a lower portion in the illustrated example). The ink ejection unit 80 includes a plurality of ejection ports arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 7, and a drive unit for applying ink ejection energy to each ejection port. Therefore, the ink ejection unit 80 of each recording head 8 ejects ink from the ink tank as ink droplets toward the recording material 1 supported on the platen 19 based on the electric signal (image signal or the like). be able to.

The recording head 8 is an ink jet recording head which ejects ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. Further, the recording head 8 performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port by utilizing a pressure change caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. Is.

FIG. 3 shows the ink ejecting portion 8 of the recording means 8.
It is a partial perspective view which shows the structure of 0 typically. In FIG. 3, the recording material 1 and a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.
The discharge port forming surface 81 facing each other after a distance of about 0 mm is
A plurality of ejection openings 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch, and an electrothermal converter for generating energy for ejecting ink along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84 that connects the common liquid chamber 83 and each ejection opening 82 ( A heating resistor or the like) 85 is provided. In this example, the recording head 8 is mounted on the carriage 7 in such a positional relationship that the ejection ports 82 are arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the carriage 7. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 8 is based on the image signal or the ejection signal.
A recording unit (recording head) 8 is configured to drive (energize) 5 to cause the ink in the liquid path 84 to film-boiling and to eject the ink from the ejection port 82 by the pressure generated at that time.

1 and 2, when the recording material 1 is not recorded, the carriage 7 can be moved to the home position by controlling the drive of the main scanning motor 2. In this embodiment, this home position is selected at a predetermined position outside the recording area (recording range) on the right side of the apparatus. The recovery unit 9 is arranged at the home position. The recovery unit 9 is for preventing the ink from drying at the ejection port 82 of the recording head 8 and for recovering the ink ejection abnormality due to bubbles or impurities generated inside the ejection port 82.

The recovery unit 9 has a suction port 1 for sealing the ejection port 82 of each recording head 8 on the carriage 7.
0 (10B, 10C, 10M, 10Y).
The recovery unit 9 including these suction ports 10 has a bottom plate 52.
It is located above. It should be noted that these suction ports 10 are for preventing the ink in the ejection port 82 from drying and for preventing clogging of the ejection port 82 by keeping the ink in a wet state. Further, these suction ports 10 move toward each recording head 8 in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 7 to the home position, and a rubber-like elastic material (sealing) provided around each suction port 10 is provided. By pressing a member) around the ejection openings 82 (ejection opening formation surface 81), each ejection opening 82 is configured to be sealed (capped).

Further, the recovery unit 9 includes the suction ports 1
0 is equipped with a suction pump (not shown). This suction pump uses each suction port 10 for each recording head 8
By generating a negative pressure in each suction port 10 while the discharge port 82 is sealed (capping state),
The purpose is to suck out air bubbles in the ejection port 82 of each recording head or impurities such as fixed ink and dust together with the ink, and eliminate those impurities from the recording head 8. Further, the suction pump has a mechanism for converting the rotational drive force into a negative pressure, and obtains the pump drive force from the rotational drive force of the sub-scanning roller 13 via a gear. The recovery unit 9
Is a recovery means for maintaining the ink ejection performance of the recording head 8 and recovering the ink ejection failure by the above operation.

Since the suction port 10 is provided, the platen 19 cannot be extended to the home position. Therefore, when the carriage 7 approaches the home position, the rollers 7B provided on the carriage 7 come off the platen 19. Therefore, at a position where the carriage 7 is detached from the platen 19, the carriage 7 can move on a guide plate (not shown) provided in the recovery unit 9.

The printing operation of the printing apparatus (inkjet printing apparatus) described above is as follows. First, the recording material 1 is sent out in the direction of arrow A from the cassette 54 or 55 by a paper feeding mechanism (not shown), and is inserted between the upper guide 11 and the lower guide 12 fixed to the sub-scanning base 25. .. Further, the recording material 1 is guided in the traveling direction by both guides 11 and 12, and enters the joining portion between the sub-scanning roller 13 and the sub-scanning driven roller 14. Both guides 1
1, 12 and sub-scanning roller 13 and sub-scanning driven roller 1
The positional relationship with the recording medium 4 is accurately regulated on one sub-scanning base 25, so that the recording material 1 accurately reaches the joining portion.

Then, the sub-scanning roller 13 and the sub-scanning driven roller 14 are rotated by the drive control of the conveyance motor 17, the recording material 1 is conveyed onto the platen 19, and further the paper discharge roller 20 and the paper discharge driven. The joint portion of the roller 21 is reached. Here, the conveyance of the recording material 1 is temporarily stopped. next,
By driving and controlling the main scanning motor 3, the carriage 7 is moved in the main scanning direction. While the carriage 7 is moving, an ink ejection signal corresponding to an image is supplied from the main body control unit to the ink ejection unit 80 of each recording head 8 to eject ink onto the recording material 1 supported by the platen 19. Line recording is performed. When the recording for one line is completed, the main scanning motor 2 is driven in the reverse direction to move the carriage 7 in the opposite direction and move it outside the recording area. Next, recording material 1
Is conveyed (sub-scanning) by a predetermined amount (for example, to the next row), and then the next row is recorded.

In this way, by repeating the movement of the carriage 7 (main scanning), the ink ejection of the recording head 8 and the paper feeding of the recording material 1 (sub-scanning), the recording material 1 can have a desired two-dimensional shape. Image is formed. In that case, when the rear end of the recording material 1 is detected by a sensor (not shown) arranged in the vicinity of the recording area, the recording operation is terminated, and the recording material 1 is rotated by rotating the pair of discharge rollers 20 and 21. It is controlled so as to be discharged to the outside of the apparatus along the paper discharge guide 24.

When the recording operation on the recording material 1 is completed, the carriage 7 is moved to the home position together with the recording heads 8 by the drive control of the main scanning motor 2, and the ejection ports 10 of the recovery unit 9 eject the recording heads 8. The outlet forming surface 81 is sealed (capped). further,
When the ejection port 82 is clogged or a predetermined time elapses, the suction pump of the recovery unit 9 is operated to recover and maintain the ink ejection performance.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper discharge guide 24
Of the light reflection type paper sensor 2 at a position near the paper discharge roller 20
7 are arranged. The paper sensor 27 is for detecting the leading end and the trailing end of the recording material 1 conveyed at the time of feeding or discharging, and is one of the apparatus operation abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the recording apparatus. Is composed of. The detection signal of the paper sensor 27 is sent to the CPU which performs the recording device operation sequence and various processes. This CPU
Based on the detection signal sent to
The theoretical recording material conveyance timing calculated from the conveyance timing of 0 is compared with the actual timing when the paper edge passes therethrough. If there is a large gap between these timings, it is determined that a conveyance failure (abnormal operation) has occurred at any position on the recording material conveyance path.

In FIG. 1, on the side surface of the carriage 7,
A paper float sensor 28 for detecting the state of the recording material 1 in the recording portion during the recording operation is attached. The paper floating sensor 28 also constitutes one of device operation abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the recording apparatus. More specifically, normally, the recording material 1 is tensioned by the pair of transport rollers 13, 14 and 20, 21.
A flat surface is maintained on the platen 19. However, when the recording material 1 is loosened and floats above the upper surface of the platen 19 due to some conveyance failure or poor holding on the platen 19, when the carriage 7 moves and passes over the recording material 1, The recording head 8 and the recording material 1 approach abnormally. The paper floating sensor 28 detects a change in the gap (interval) between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1.

In this embodiment, an optical detection type sensor is used as the paper floating sensor 28, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a capacitance type sensor or a mechanical contact of a contactor is used to displace the sensor. Various types of sensors may be used as long as they can perform the above detection function, such as a sensor for detecting quantity. The detection signal from the paper floating sensor 28 is C
If it is sent to PU and the floating amount of paper is out of the specified amount,
It is determined that the recording material conveyance failure has occurred. For example, the gap (gap) between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 is 0.1.
If it is less than or equal to mm, it is determined that the conveyance is defective.

When the CPU of the recording apparatus determines that an operation abnormality such as a recording material conveyance failure or a recording material retention failure occurs, if the carriage 7 is moving in the main scanning at that time, first, the carriage 7 at that position. To stop. Then, in order to facilitate the removal of the recording material 1 that has caused the conveyance failure, the carriage 7 is returned to the home position set outside the recording material conveyance area. By the way, it is considered that all the above-mentioned defective states of the recording material 1 occur immediately below the recording head 8 or in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, if the carriage 7 is returned in that state, it is possible that the carriage 7 is moving. The recording head 8 and the recording material 1 may come into contact with each other, which may cause deterioration of recording performance (ink ejection performance) or damage to the recording head 8.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when an abnormal operation of the apparatus is detected at least when the recording head 8 is located in the recording area, the distance between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 is set at the time of normal recording. The recording head 8 is further increased, and then the recording head 8 is moved to a predetermined position (for example, a home position) outside the recording area. The configuration and operation therefor will be specifically described below.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are longitudinal sectional views showing a first embodiment of the gap increasing mechanism for increasing the distance between the recording head and the recording material. FIG. 4 shows a normal value in which the gap is set to a normal value. FIG. 5 shows the state of the operating position, and FIG. 5 shows the state of the retracted position with the gap increased. 4 and 5, the sub-scanning base 25 comprises a base upper part 25A and a base lower part 25B, and the base lower part 25B is fixed to a left side plate 50 and a bottom plate 52 (FIG. 1). 25A is supported by the base lower portion 25B so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along a pin 35 protruding from the base lower portion 25B.
A biaxially arranged slide cam 36 is rotatably supported by the base lower portion 25B, and the rotational position of each cam 36 can be drive-controlled by a cam drive motor 37 via a drive belt 38. .. And each cam 36 is the upper part 25 of the base.
It is in contact with A, and the base upper part 25A is configured to move up and down in accordance with the rotation of each cam 36.

On the upper surface of the base upper part 25A, a sub-scanning roller pair (conveying roller pair) including a sub-scanning roller 13 and a sub-scanning driven roller 14, and a paper discharging roller including a paper discharging roller 20 and a paper discharging driven roller 21. The pair (conveying roller pair) is supported at a constant height position via the bearing portion 31 and the bearing portion 33, respectively. Further, the platen 19 is supported at a fixed height position on the base upper portion 25A.

Therefore, by controlling the rotating position of the cam 36 to control the height of the upper portion 25A of the base, the platen 19 and the pair of conveying rollers 13, 14 and 2 are controlled.
The height positions of 0 and 21 can be controlled to control the gap (gap) between the recording material 1 and the recording head 8 in the recording portion. That is, the cam drive motor 37 is driven by a command from the CPU of the recording apparatus to rotate the cam 36, and the height of the upper base 25A is moved from the normal operation position (FIG. 4) to the retracted position (FIG. 5). The recording head 8 and the recording material 1 (platen 19) can be lowered and the distance between them can be increased and separated. Specifically, each cam 36 has 180
When the cam 36 is rotated 180 degrees, the base upper portion 25A is set to the retracted position (FIG. 5), and the base upper portion 25A is returned to the normal operation position (FIG. 4).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the apparatus abnormality such as the recording material conveyance failure as described above occurs, the base upper portion 25A is lowered right before the carriage 7 is returned to the home position. The operation of widening the gap between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 is performed. That is, the operation of moving from the normal operation position of FIG. 4 to the retracted position of FIG. 5 is performed. Then, after the upper part 25A of the base is moved to the retracted position, the carriage 7 is returned to the home position, and the ejection port 82 of the recording head 8 is sealed (capped) by the suction port 10 of the recovery unit 9 (FIG. 1). During this return movement, the carriage 7 is guided along the main scanning rail 6 and the guide shaft 26, and the information of the apparatus abnormality such as poor conveyance is displayed on the display unit of the recording apparatus.

When the user recognizes the information about the apparatus abnormality, he opens the sheet discharge door 56 (FIG. 1) on the sheet discharge side of the recording apparatus, and uses a mechanism (not shown) to convey roller pairs 13, 14 and 20, 21. Release (separate) the pressure contact state of. Then, after removing the recording material 1 on the transport path, each transport roller pair is brought into a pressure contact state again, and the paper discharge door 56 is closed.

In FIG. 1, a detection plate 56 is attached to the door 56.
A is fixed, and when the door 56 is closed, the detection plate 56A
Is inserted into the opening of the door open / close detection unit 29 fixed to the apparatus body side. As a result, a signal indicating that the door 56 is closed is sent from the door open / close detection unit 29 to the CPU.
Sent to. When the CPU receives this signal, the CPU drives the cam drive motor 37 to rotate the cam 36 by 180 degrees, and raises the base upper portion 25A to the normal operation position (FIG. 4).

According to the above-described embodiment, even if the recording material 1 is floated on the platen 19 due to poor conveyance, the contact between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 is eliminated and the recording head 1 is removed. The carriage 7 can be returned to the home position without damaging the carriage 8. Further, since the carriage 7 can be surely returned to the home position, the work for removing the recording material 1 can be easily performed. Furthermore, the recording head 8
Since the possibility of contact between the recording material 1 and the recording material 1 is significantly reduced, it is possible to reduce the distance between the recording head 8 and the platen 19 in the normal state to bring them closer to each other.
As a result, it has become possible to improve the quality of recorded images.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, when the apparatus operation abnormality occurs, the recording head 8 is automatically and unconditionally controlled to return to the home position. However, this is not a necessary operation, and the recording head is not necessarily required. 8 and the platen 19 are separated from each other, the recording head 8 (carriage 7) may be manually moved, for example, and the user may determine whether to move the recording head 8 automatically or manually. May be left to the selection of. In that case, a stepping motor may be used as the main scanning motor 2 in the present embodiment, and by turning off the excitation of the motor, the rotation of the motor can be made free so that the carriage 7 can be manually moved. Also, the position where the recording head 8 (carriage 7) is returned does not necessarily need to be set to the home position described above if capping is not necessary, and may be set to an arbitrary position outside the recording area.

6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views showing a second embodiment of the gap increasing mechanism for increasing the distance between the recording head and the recording material. In FIG. 6, the gap is set to a normal value. FIG. 7 shows the state of the normal operation position, and FIG. 7 shows the state of the retracted position with the gap increased. Although the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 are separated by lowering the sub-scanning base 25 (upper base 25A) in the above-described embodiment, the sub-scanning base 25 is fixed in this embodiment. In addition, the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 are separated from each other by moving (raising) the carriage 7.
The configuration of the other parts of the present embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the guide shaft 26 of the carriage 7 is rotatably supported by the left side plate 50 and the right side plate 51, and the cross section of the range excluding the shaft supporting portion of the guide shaft 26 is cammed. The guide shaft 26 having a shape 60 is formed by controlling the drive motor 61 via gear means 62.
Is controlled so that the carriage 7 is swung about the main scanning rail 6 by the cam shape 60. That is, when the cam shape 60 of the guide shaft 26 is in the downward position shown in FIG. 6, the carriage 7 is in the normal operation position, and the recording head 8 and the platen 1 are in position.
9 comes close (state at the time of recording). On the other hand, when the cam shape 60 is in the upward position shown in FIG. 7, the carriage 7 is rotated around the main scanning rail 6 downward in the drawing to the retracted position, and the distance between the recording head 8 and the platen 19 is increased. It becomes a state.

The operation of the recording apparatus having the gap increasing mechanism shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 will be specifically described below. During normal operation, as shown in FIG. 6, there is a slight gap between the carriage 7 and the cam shape 60, and the rollers 7B (FIG. 2) of the carriage 7 are in contact with the recording material 1 or the platen 19. ing. Therefore, when an abnormality such as the above-described paper floating is detected during the operation of the apparatus, the abnormality processing operation as described below is performed.

In the abnormality processing operation, first, the main scanning movement of the carriage 7 is stopped. And C of the recording device
The drive motor 61 is drive-controlled by a drive signal from the PU. When the guide shaft 26 starts to rotate by the drive of the drive motor 61, the lower surface of the carriage 7 (specifically, the sliding projection 7C in FIG. 2) comes into contact with the cam shape 60, and the carriage 7 moves the cam. Ascends to the right along the shape 60. The cam shape 60 stops when it rotates 180 degrees, and becomes the retracted position shown in FIG. 7. As a result, the recording head 8 mounted on the carriage 7 and the platen 19 installed on the sub-scanning base 25 are separated from each other, and the distance between them is increased to G in the figure.

In the state where the above interval is increased, the main scanning motor 2 is driven to move the carriage 7 to the home position. When the home position is reached, the guide shaft 26 (cam shape 60) is rotated 180 degrees to lower the carriage 7 again. As a result, the ejection port forming surface 81 of the recording head 8 is automatically capped and the ejection port 82 is sealed. Then, the operation abnormality is displayed on the display unit of the recording apparatus, and the abnormality processing is performed in the same procedure as in the above-described embodiment.

In the second embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7,
By the rotation of the cam shape 60, for example, a vertical stroke of about 6 mm is generated at the position of the cam shape 60, but the vertical movement of the carriage 7 associated therewith causes the main scanning rail 6 to swing, so that recording is performed. The amount of vertical movement at the position of the head 8 is about half the stroke of the cam shape 60, which is about 3 mm.

According to the second embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, in addition to the same operational effects as in the first embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the recording head 8 and the platen 1 are obtained.
The gap increasing mechanism for separating 9 and 9 can have a simple structure, and the recording device can be made compact and inexpensive. Further, as compared with the case where the heavy sub-scanning base on which many components such as various rollers and guides are mounted is moved up and down as in the first embodiment, moving the carriage 7 up and down as in this embodiment requires a smaller load. So
The effect of saving energy was also obtained.

According to each of the embodiments described above, a defect in the operation of the apparatus is detected, and the recording head 8 and the recording surface (or platen surface) of the recording material 1 are separated in accordance therewith, and then the recording head 8 is separated. Since the configuration and the sequence for moving the (carriage 7) are adopted, even if an apparatus operation abnormality such as a conveyance failure or a holding failure of the recording material 1 occurs, the recording material 1
The contact between the recording head 8 and the recording head 8 can be prevented, and the initial performance of the recording head 8 can be maintained. Also, it has become possible for the user to easily take various measures against the apparatus abnormality. Further, the recording head 8 and the platen 19 are prevented from being damaged by the contact.
It is possible to further reduce the interval between the ink jet recording method and the ink jet recording method, and it is possible to improve the accuracy of the ink droplet landing position and the quality of the recorded image.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the recording material conveyance abnormality is detected by the sensor as the apparatus operation abnormality has been described. In addition, although the recording material conveyance and holding are normal, some external force is applied. It is possible that the state of the recording material becomes unstable due to the influence of (1), and the present invention can be similarly applied to such a case. For example, the user may intentionally open the paper discharge door 56 to pull the recording material 1 being recorded, or release the pressure contact of the pair of conveying rollers. It is conceivable that the recording head 8 comes into contact with the recording material 1 after being floated from 19. The present invention can be similarly applied to such a case, and the above-described gap increasing operation can be performed in the sequence described below.

That is, in FIG. 1, when the door open / close detection unit 29 detects that the paper discharge door 56 is opened, it is judged that the apparatus operation is abnormal, and the recording head 8 and the platen are detected based on the detection signal. The operation for separating 19 is performed, which also eliminates the contact between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 (platen 19) and facilitates the abnormality processing operation. In addition, even if the recording material is not conveyed properly, the user must always eject the paper ejection door 56.
If the processing operation is to be performed by opening the
It is also possible to adopt a sequence in which the opening / closing operation of is detected and the gap increasing operation (separation operation) is performed. That is, in any case, the separating operation between the recording head 8 and the recording material 1 (platen 19) can be linked to the opening / closing operation of the door, and by such linking, the operation sequence at the time of the apparatus abnormality can be simplified. It becomes possible to change.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the conveying system for the recording material 1 is constituted by the platen 19 having a flat surface and two pairs of conveying rollers is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case of a transport system of another system, such as a configuration in which a recording material is electrostatically adsorbed on an endless belt and intermittent feeding is performed. That is, the present invention can be similarly applied to any method as long as the recording material is conveyed to the recording section by any method, and the same effect can be achieved.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is applicable to the wire dot recording apparatus, the laser beam recording apparatus, the thermal transfer recording apparatus, and the heat-sensitive recording apparatus. The present invention can be applied to various recording devices regardless of the recording method of a recording unit (recording head) such as a recording type recording device, and further, a facsimile or a copying machine integrated with an image input unit (image reading unit). Alternatively, the invention can be similarly applied to a recording device used as an output device of a multifunction machine or a workstation including a computer, a word processor, and the like, and the same operational effect can be achieved.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of the recording apparatus for color recording using a plurality of recording heads for recording in different colors has been described as an example, but the present invention is the recording using one recording head. The present invention can be applied to various recording devices such as a recording device, a recording device for gradation recording that uses a plurality of recording heads that perform recording with the same color and different densities, or a recording device that combines these, and the same operational effects can be obtained. It can be achieved.

Further, as the recording means, in addition to the cartridge type in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated, the recording head and the ink tank are separately provided and connected by an ink supply tube, the recording means and Whatever the configuration of the ink tank,
The same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

When the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus, it 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 inkjet recording apparatus that uses a recording unit that ejects ink by using 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 ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight 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 recovery means for the recording head, 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 the number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, and 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 that 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 described in JP-A-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, besides 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.

[0071]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in the recording apparatus for recording on the recording material by the recording means, the abnormality of the apparatus operation is detected when the recording means is located at least in the recording area. In this case, since the recording means and the recording material are separated from those during normal recording, even when an abnormal operation of the apparatus such as a conveyance failure or a holding failure of the recording material occurs, the recording means and the recording material It is possible to prevent the contact between the recording medium and various measures for eliminating the abnormality, and to improve the image quality by reducing the distance between the recording means and the recording material during normal operation. A device is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration,
After the recording means and the recording material are separated from each other, the recording means is moved to the outside of the recording area, and the recording material holding means for holding the recording material in the recording area is separated from the recording means to perform recording. A structure for separating the recording medium from the recording medium,
When a recording material conveyance abnormality or a recording material holding abnormality is detected, the recording means and the recording material holding means are separated from each other in accordance with the detection signal, or a door is opened to handle an abnormal operation of the apparatus. At this time, this is configured to be detected as an abnormality in the apparatus operation. Therefore, when an abnormality in the apparatus operation such as a conveyance failure or a retention failure of the recording material occurs, the contact between the recording unit and the recording material can be more efficiently performed. (EN) Provided is a recording apparatus that can prevent various problems and can easily perform various actions for eliminating abnormalities, and can also improve image quality by reducing the distance between the recording head and the recording material during normal operation. To be done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a door of an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied is opened.

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a recording unit 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 means in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state of a normal operation position of the first embodiment of the gap increasing mechanism for separating the recording means and the recording material of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state of the gap increasing mechanism of FIG. 4 in a separated position (retracted position).

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in a normal operation position of a second embodiment of the gap increasing mechanism for separating the recording means and the recording material of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state of the gap increasing mechanism of FIG. 6 in a separated position (retracted position).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording material 2 Main scanning motor 4 Main scanning belt 6 Main scanning rail 7 Carriage 7A Bearing part (carriage) 7B Roller (carriage) 7C Sliding protrusion (carriage) 8 Recording means (recording head) 9 Recovery unit 10 Suction port 11 Upper guide 12 Lower guide 13 Sub-scanning roller 14 Sub-scanning driven roller 17 Conveying motor 19 Platen 20 Paper ejection roller 21 Paper ejection driven roller 24 Paper ejection guide 25 Sub scanning base 25A Base upper part 25B Base lower part 26 Guide shaft 27 Paper Sensor 28 Paper floating sensor 29 Door open / close detection unit 31 Bearing part (sub-scanning roller pair) 33 Bearing part (paper ejection roller pair) 35 Pin 36 Sliding cam 37 Cam drive motor 38 Belt 50 Left side plate 51 Right side plate 52 Bottom plate 56 Discharge Paper door 56A Detection plate 60 Cam shape (guide shaft) 61 Drive motor 62 gear 80 ink ejection part 81 ejection port forming surface 82 ejection port 85 electrothermal converter

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Seiichiro Adachi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording material by the recording means, the recording means and the recording material are normally recorded when an abnormal operation of the apparatus is detected when the recording means is located at least in a recording area. A recording device characterized by being separated from time. 2. After separating the recording means and the recording material from each other,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is moved to the outside of the recording area. 3. The recording means according to claim 1, wherein the recording means and the recording material are separated from each other by separating the recording material holding means for holding the recording material in the recording area from the recording means. apparatus. 4. When the recording material conveyance abnormality or the recording material holding abnormality is detected, the recording means and the recording material holding means are separated from each other according to the detection signal.
Recording device. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a door for processing an abnormal operation of the apparatus is opened, this is detected as an abnormal operation of the apparatus. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is an inkjet recording means. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording means is an inkjet recording means provided with an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the recording means ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing the film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter.