JPH0732067Y2 - Inkjet head stop device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an extremely inexpensive device for safely and securely stopping the head of an inkjet printer such as a facsimile machine at a predetermined position.

[Prior Art] When not in use, the inkjet head must be accurately returned to its home position and covered with a cap to prevent nozzle clogging. Therefore, a rubber stopper is required at the home position. It is provided.

There is also provided a device for stopping the head more accurately (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-29270).

[Problems to be solved by the invention] The carriage does not stop immediately even when the scanning motor switch is opened, and it continues to move slightly due to inertia, so it is necessary to open the switch slightly before the regular stop position. ,
If the timing of opening the switch is slightly delayed, the former means described above may collide with the stopper due to inertia, causing the carriage to stop apart from the stopper due to reaction, or in some cases, to damage the head. If the stop position shifts, the cap cannot be completely covered, a gap is created, or the cap collides with the nozzle, and if the nozzle is made of glass, it may be damaged.

Further, in the latter means, although the stop position of the carriage is accurate, the device is complicated and therefore expensive, and there is a risk of failure.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the present invention, a soft cushioning member made of sponge, which is provided by extending a carriage stop mechanism toward the carriage, is formed to be shorter than the soft cushioning member. By using a hard stopper made of rubber for positioning the carriage, the above problems are solved.

[Operation] According to the present invention, the carriage moving toward the home position is first contacted with the soft cushioning member made of sponge to absorb the interlocking energy, and is sufficiently decelerated. By contacting the hard stopper made of, it is stopped at a predetermined position.

[Embodiment of the Invention] FIG. 1 schematically shows the vicinity of a home position of an inkjet head of a printer to which the present invention is applied. Reference numeral 1 is a carriage in which a head (not shown) is installed, and 2 is an X of the carriage 1. A guide rod that guides scanning in the axial direction (lateral direction),
3 is a guide rod together with the guide rod 2 for guiding the carriage 1 in the Y-axis direction (longitudinal direction), 4 is a head when the head is not used,
The home position of the carriage 1.

Between the guide plate 3 and the home position 4, a stopper 5 as described below is fixedly provided on the right surface of the guide plate 3 in FIG.

The stopper 5 includes a soft cushioning member 6 having a right end protruding into the home position 4 such as a synthetic resin sponge, and a right end surface located at the left end of the home position 4. For example, the elastic member 7 is made of rubber and is relatively hard.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 1 is scanned in the arrow direction by an X-axis scanning motor and a Y-axis scanning motor (not shown) to print on the paper 8.

In the above-mentioned printer, when the head finishes the predetermined printing, both scanning motors reversely rotate, the carriage 1 starts returning toward the home position 4, and when the carriage 1 approaches the stopper 5, the motor switch opens.

Then, the carriage 1 first comes into contact with the cushioning member 6, absorbs inertial energy while compressing the cushioning member 6, is significantly decelerated, and is then positioned by the elastic member 7 so as to properly stop at the home position 4.

[Advantage of the Invention] According to the present invention, the carriage moving toward the home position first comes into contact with the soft cushioning member made of sponge to absorb its kinetic energy and is sufficiently decelerated. Furthermore, since it stops at a predetermined position by contacting a hard stopper made of rubber, there is no risk of the carriage colliding with the stopper and damaging the head, and the carriage can always be stably stopped at the correct position. Yes, you can put the cap on correctly.

Further, since the stop mechanism is composed of the soft cushioning member made of sponge and the hard stopper made of rubber, its structure is simple and inexpensive.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the vicinity of a home position of a print head to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing scanning of the head. 1 ... Carriage, 4 ... Home position, 5 ... Stopper, 6 ... Buffer member, 7 ... Elastic member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A stopping device for an inkjet head in an inkjet printer that prints on a paper by moving a carriage having an ink jet head relative to the paper, wherein the inkjet head is installed inside. A soft cushioning member formed of a sponge for impact absorption, which is provided on the side of the home position of the carriage and extends toward the carriage so as to come into contact with the carriage moving toward the home position. And a hard stopper made of rubber for positioning the carriage, the stopper being formed shorter than the soft cushioning member.