JPH082053A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve and stabilize the recording accuracy by driving a carriage smoothly even when the contact force of a pin on the carriage side to a lead channel of a lead screw is reduced, reducing the power consumption for driving a carriage and vibration noises and also reducing sufficiently the vibration at the time of contrarotation of the carriage. CONSTITUTION:A pin 14 engaged with a lead channel 9a of a lead screw 9, a spring component 15 for bringing the pin into contact with the lead screw 9 and a damper 16 of a viscous damping type for damping the vibration of the pin are provided in a carriage 8.

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, and more particularly to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material by recording means mounted on a carriage moving in the main scanning direction.

[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. Images (including characters and symbols) on recording materials (recording media) such as (sheets for OHP)
Is configured to record. 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 (including characters, symbols, etc.) is recorded by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves (main scanning) along, and after one line of recording is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (sub-scan). An image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material by repeating the operation of performing (scanning) and then recording (main scanning) the image of the next row. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records a recording material only in the sub-scanning direction in which the recording material is fed in the transport direction, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is continuously performed at one time. A predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed) is performed, and an image is recorded on the entire recording material.

Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is a means for recording 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 requiring special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise and uses multicolor inks. Therefore, it has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image. Above all, a line type recording apparatus using a line type recording means in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the paper width direction can further speed up recording.

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 (ejection port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. Further, by utilizing the advantages of IC technology and 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. On the other hand, there are various requirements for the material of the recording material, and in recent years, in addition to the ordinary recording material such as paper and resin thin plate, thin paper and processed paper (paper with punch holes for filing and perforation). Paper, paper of any shape, etc.)
It has been required to use such as.

In the serial type recording apparatus, a recording material is conveyed (sub-scanning) by a conveying roller, and one line of recording is performed by moving a carriage (main scanning) on which a recording head is mounted. The main scanning is alternately repeated to print the entire page. In that case, the carriage moving mechanism includes a belt driving method in which a belt directly connected to the carriage is driven by a motor and a pulley to move the carriage, and a lead screw having a spiral groove (lead groove) is rotated. It can be roughly classified into a lead screw drive system in which a carriage having a pin that engages with a groove is moved as the lead screw rotates.

The belt drive system is suitable for a recording apparatus having a recording material of B4 size or more because the moving range of the carriage can be freely changed depending on the length of the belt. On the other hand, the lead screw drive method is suitable for a small recording apparatus such as a portable type recording material having an A4 size or less, because the entire apparatus can be compactly assembled. Further, as an advantage of the lead screw drive system, in the case of an inkjet recording apparatus, the drive of a recovery system for recovering clogging or non-ejection of the recording head can be taken out from the lead screw, and the recording apparatus can be further downsized. Can be mentioned.

[0008]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned lead screw drive system, there are the following problems in the relationship between the groove of the lead screw (lead groove) and the pin in the carriage that engages with the groove. . First, the pin is always biased (pressed) to the lead groove in order to prevent the carriage from rattling against the lead screw and to prevent the pin from coming off the lead groove while the carriage is moving.
However, if the urging force is large, the friction between the carriage and the lead screw as well as between the pin and the lead screw will be large, and the load on the motor will be large and the power consumption and noise will increase. Will be. Also, although the above-mentioned urging is normally performed by a spring, when the carriage is regarded as one vibration system, the pin is always loaded from the lead screw, and the load is held by the spring, which causes the carriage to vibrate significantly. Since the system is easy, minute vibrations are generated during movement of the carriage, which adversely affects the accuracy of image recording.

Secondly, if the urging force is weakened in order to prevent the increase of the power consumption and the generation of noise and further the deterioration of the recording accuracy, the urging force is changed at the moment when the moving direction of the carriage is switched. Since the pin is weak, the force received by the pin from the lead groove cannot be pressed by the urging force, and the carriage vibrates more than in the first case. This vibration is extremely large, especially when recording vertical ruled lines over several lines in a row.
This will cause a ruled line shift.

Thirdly, the pin in the carriage that engages with the lead groove of the lead screw and the lead groove always slide, and the sliding causes noise and deterioration of recording accuracy. It was As a way to solve this problem,
It is conceivable to use a ball screw instead of the lead screw and the pin, but this method using a ball screw is not suitable for a portable and small recording device because the cost increases and the mechanism becomes large.

Fourthly, in the conventional lead screw drive system, as shown in FIG. 12, the lead screw 101 and the lead follower 102 have a structure in which the lead pin 102 is pressed against the arc-shaped lead groove 103 by the leaf spring 104. However, in such a conventional configuration, the friction between the lead groove and the lead pin is large and the load on the carriage motor is large, the noise during sliding due to the vibration due to friction is large, and the groove of the lead pin is large. There is a problem that wear occurs at the contact portion with the carriage and the carriage feed accuracy is lowered, and the lead pin is disengaged from the groove.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by a recording means mounted on a carriage moving in a main scanning direction, the carriage is moved in accordance with rotation of a lead screw. An engaging member having a carriage moving mechanism and engaging with the lead screw, an urging means for urging the engaging member to the lead screw, and a vibration damping means for damping the vibration of the engaging member are provided. By being provided in the carriage, the biasing force of the engagement member can be reduced,
Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the power consumption and the vibration noise, and further to provide the recording apparatus which can also eliminate the vibration at the time of reversing the carriage by reducing the urging force by the attenuating means. Is.

According to the inventions of claims 2 and 3, in addition to the structure of claim 1, the vibration damping means has a housing and a piston, and one end of the housing or the piston is the engaging member. A structure in which the piston is fixed, the moving direction of the piston and the vibration direction of the engaging member are substantially the same, and the vibration damping means is a viscous damper that generates a load substantially proportional to the speed of the piston, or the vibration damping means. Has a housing and a rotating body, the engaging member and the rotating body are brought into contact with each other, and a vibration direction of the engaging member is substantially the same as a rotating direction of the rotating body, and the vibration damping means rotates the rotating body. By configuring the viscous damper that generates torque substantially proportional to the angular velocity of the body, it is possible to more efficiently reduce the biasing force of the engaging member, thereby reducing power consumption and vibration noise. Rukoto can, further provides a recording apparatus capable of removing this by the attenuation means also vibration during carriage reversal by lightening biasing force.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material by a recording means mounted on a carriage moving in the main scanning direction, a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage in accordance with rotation of the lead screw is provided. The carriage includes a rotating member that rolls around the lead screw according to the rotation of the lead screw, a supporting member that supports the rotating member, and an urging unit that urges the supporting member to the lead screw. With the configuration provided inside, it is possible to significantly reduce the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw, thereby improving recording accuracy and reducing vibration and noise. Is provided.

In addition to the structure of claim 4, the invention of claim 5 and claim 6 is such that the rotary member is spherical, or the rotary member is disk-shaped and the support member is a shaft. By having the configuration in which the rotating member rotates about the axis of the supporting member, the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw can be significantly reduced, and thereby the recording accuracy can be improved. The present invention provides a recording apparatus capable of improving the noise and reducing vibration and noise.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by a recording means mounted on a carriage which moves in the main scanning direction, a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage according to rotation of a lead screw is provided. The lead follower held on the carriage side and engaging with the groove of the lead screw is spherical, and the axial cross-sectional shape of the groove of the lead screw is an arc having a diameter equal to or smaller than that of the sphere of the lead follower. Thus, the lead follower can be brought into rolling contact, the friction between the lead groove and the lead follower can be reduced to reduce the load on the carriage motor, and the friction noise between the lead groove and the lead follower can be reduced. It is possible to achieve quietness and to reduce vibration during sliding due to friction between the lead groove and the lead follower. It is possible to improve the accuracy, it is to provide a recording apparatus capable of reducing the wear of the contact portion between the lead groove and the lead follower.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the following examples, a case where the recording device is an inkjet recording device will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a conveyance roller for conveying a recording material such as recording paper in a sub-scanning (paper feed) direction, 2 is a conveyance roller motor for driving the conveyance roller 1, and 3 is an end of the conveyance roller 1. Roller gears 4 attached to the transfer roller motor 2 for transmitting drive from the transport roller motor 2
Is a motor gear that is attached to and meshes with the roller gear 3 to transmit the drive of the transport roller motor.
5 is

In FIG. 1, 5 is a paper pressing plate which is urged toward the conveying roller 1 by urging means, and 6 is a recording material such as recording paper. The paper pressing plate 5 is for pressing the recording material 6 against the conveying roller 1 and conveying the recording material by utilizing the friction between the recording material and the conveying roller. Reference numeral 7 is a recording head (recording means), and 8 is a carriage for mounting the recording head 7 for main scanning.
In this embodiment, as the recording head 7, a replaceable head cartridge in which a recording head unit and an ink tank are integrated is used.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9 is a lead screw for guiding and supporting the carriage 8 and for reciprocating the carriage in the main scanning direction as the carriage 8 rotates. A lead groove 9a is provided on the surface of the lead screw 9. Reference numeral 10 is a guide shaft for guiding and supporting the carriage 7, 11 is a carriage motor for rotationally driving the lead screw 9, 12 is a belt, and 13 is a pulley.

The recording head (recording means) 7 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 head 7 is
Recording is performed by ejecting ink from the ejection port by utilizing the pressure change caused by the growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling caused by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording head 7. In FIG. 2, a recording material (recording paper or the like) 6 and a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.
A plurality of ejection ports 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the ejection port surfaces 81 facing each other at a distance of about 5 to 2.0 mm, and each liquid passage 84 that connects the common liquid chamber 83 and each ejection port 82. An electrothermal converter (heating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ejecting ink is disposed along the wall surface of the ink.
The plurality of ejection openings 82 are arranged in such a positional relationship that they are arranged in a direction intersecting the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the recording head 7. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film-boil, and the ink generated from the ejection port 82 is ejected by the pressure generated at that time. Recording means 7 is configured.

In the case of recording with the recording apparatus of FIG. 1, the recording material 6 conveyed by the conveying roller 1 is urged toward the conveying roller 1 in the recordable area by the paper pressing plate 5, and the indexing position ( Recording start position). After that, a carriage 8 is issued by a recording start command.
Moves (main scanning), and recording is performed while ejecting ink from the recording head 7 based on the image signal. When the recording for one line is completed, the conveyance roller 1 conveys the recording material 6 for one line, and the carriage 8 again performs the main scanning, and the recording head 7
Record by. Thereafter, such an operation is repeated to record on the entire recording material 6.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the structure of a main part (carriage moving mechanism) of the first embodiment of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the recording head 7 is removed. In FIG. 3, 14 is a pin mounted on the carriage 8 side so as to engage with the lead groove 9a of the lead screw 9, 14a is a flange of the pin 14, and 15 is biased toward the lead groove 9a. The pin springs 16a and 16b which press (press) are the piston housing and the piston which constitute the damper 16. The pin 14 is arranged so as to slide through the hole 8c of the carriage 8, and the spring 15 and the damper 1 are provided on the rear side of the flange 14a of the pin 14.
6 is provided. In addition, 8a and 8b are carriages 8
Of the lead screw 9.

The other ends of the spring 15 and the damper 16 are attached to the carriage 8. When the lead screw 9 rotates, the carriage 8 moves due to the sliding between the lead screw and the pin 14. At that time, pin 14
Always receives the urging force F ₁ or F ₂ from the lead screw 9, but the urging force F depends on the sliding resistance unevenness caused by the sliding of the lead screw 9 and the carriage 8 and the lead pitch of the groove 9 a of the lead screw 9. The unevenness is changing every moment due to the unevenness of the lead groove 9a and the like.
Therefore, in the conventional example, only the spring 15 is used to urge the pin 14, so that when considering the entire pin 14, the spring 15 and the carriage 8 as a vibration system, this vibration system is very likely to vibrate. The phenomenon that the pin 14 vibrates in the double-headed arrow P direction in FIG. 3 has occurred. The fact that the pin 14 vibrates in the direction of the double-headed arrow P means that the carriage 8 vibrates in the main scanning direction (direction of the double-headed arrow Q), and this vibration deteriorates the recording accuracy.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the damper 16 is provided at the rear portion of the pin 14, it is possible to prevent the vibration in the conventional example. That is, the damper 1 including the piston housing 16a and the piston 16b
6 produces a load (viscous resistance) proportional to the speed of the pin 14 in the direction of the double-headed arrow P. By selecting the viscous damping coefficient c to an appropriate value, the characteristics of the entire vibration system can be changed. Thereby, the vibration as in the above-mentioned conventional example can be suppressed.

Next, the situation when the lead screw 9 is reversed, that is, when the moving direction of the carriage 8 is reversed, will be described with reference to FIG. Now, assuming that the lead screw 9 is rotating in the θ ₁ direction in FIG. 3, the force that the pin 14 receives from the lead screw 9 is in the F ₁ direction, and therefore the carriage 8 moves in the arrow Q ₁ direction. However, the magnitude of the force F ₁ received by the pin 14 from the lead screw 9 is the entire load when the carriage 8 moves because the lead screw 9 is rotating.

Next, the lead screw 9 is moved to an arrow θ in FIG.
When the pin 14 is reversed in the _two directions, the force that the pin 14 receives from the lead screw 9 switches from F ₁ to F ₂ . Since the acceleration is applied to the carriage 8 at the time of switching, the magnitude of the force F ₂ at that time is the force before the reverse rotation (the force that the pin 14 receives from the lead screw 9 when the carriage 8 is moving at a constant speed) F _1. Will be larger than.

In this case, in the conventional example in which the biasing force of only the spring is used, the same operation as that of giving an impulse response to the entire vibration system of the pin 14, the spring 15 and the carriage 8 is performed, and the pin 14 vibrates in the direction of arrow P. The carriage 8 also vibrates in the direction of arrow Q. The amplitude at that time becomes much larger than the amplitude of the carriage 8 when the carriage 8 is moving at a constant speed. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the damper 16 is arranged at the rear part of the pin 14, the characteristics of the entire vibration system can be adjusted by appropriately selecting the viscous damping coefficient c of the damper, and the vibration can be reduced. It can be effectively removed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the damper 16. In FIG. 4, 17 is a piston flange provided at the tip of the piston 16b and having a large number of holes 19, 1
Reference numeral 8 is a silicone grease sealed in the piston housing 16a, and 20 is a seal for sealing the silicone grease 18. When the piston 16b moves in the axial direction, the silicon grease 18 moves through the hole 19 of the piston flange 17 to the chamber on the opposite side.
Has a high viscosity, the load (resistance) increases substantially in proportion to the moving speed of the piston 16b. In this case, the speed of the piston 16b is V, the viscous damping coefficient is c, and the load is D.
Then, the relationship of D = c · V generally holds. Further, the viscous damping coefficient c can be freely selected by changing the diameter of the hole 19 of the piston flange 17 and the viscosity of the silicone grease 18. Therefore, by changing them and selecting an appropriate viscous damping coefficient c,
Vibration of the carriage 8 can be suppressed.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing a main part (carriage moving mechanism) of the second embodiment of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 also shows a state in which the recording head 7 is removed. In FIG. 5, portions that are the same as or correspond to the respective portions in FIGS. 1 to 4 are indicated by the same symbols. In FIG. 5, the pin 14 of the present embodiment has a shaft portion 14b also at the rear portion thereof.
Are formed. The shaft portion 14b penetrates a spring receiver 8d formed on the carriage 8 and further extends rearward. Then, the pin 14 is biased (pressed) toward the lead screw 9 by a pin spring 15 mounted between the flange 14a and the spring receiver 8d of the carriage 8.

In FIG. 5, the shaft portion 14b of the pin 14 is
A pair of dampers 21, 21 are arranged on both sides near the rear end. Each damper 21 has a housing 21a.
And a rotary shaft 21b, and the rotary shaft 21b is mounted in the carriage 8 so that the rotary shaft 21b is in pressure contact with the shaft portion 14b of the pin 14.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the damper 21. In FIG. 6, the silicone grease 22 is sealed in the housing 21a,
A plurality of blades 23 having holes (usually a large number of holes) are fixed to the position of the rotary shaft 21b inside the housing 21a. That is, when the rotating shaft 21b rotates, the plurality of blades 23 rotate in the housing 21a, and the silicone grease 22 as a viscous substance sealed inside each blade 23 is rotated.
The blade 23 moves between the blades 23 through the hole, and the viscosity of the silicon grease 22 provides a load (rotational resistance) proportional to the angular velocity of the rotating shaft 21b.

In this case, assuming that the angular velocity of the rotary shaft 21b is ω, the viscous damping coefficient is c, and the load torque is T, T = cω
The relationship is established. Further, since the shaft portion 14b of the pin 14 is in contact with the rotary shaft 21b of the damper 21,
4 is V, the radius of the rotary shaft 21b is r, and the load received by the pin 14 is D, from D = T / r and V = rω,
The relationship of D = cV / r ² holds. Therefore, also in the second embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, the vibration of the pin 14 due to the force received by the pin 14 from the lead screw 9 can be suppressed by the damper 21, and the same as in the case of the first embodiment described above. The effect is obtained.

That is, according to the first and second embodiments described above, in the carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage 8 with the rotation of the lead screw 9, the engaging member engaging with the lead screw 9 is provided. (pin)
14 and a biasing means 15 for biasing the engaging member 14 to the lead screw 9 and a vibration damping means (damper) 16 or 21 for damping the vibration of the engaging member 14 are provided in the carriage 8. Since it is configured to be provided,
The urging force of the engaging member 14 can be reduced, thereby reducing power consumption and vibration noise, and further, the vibration at the time of reversing the carriage due to the reduction of the urging force is also attenuated. Means 16 or 2
A recording device which can eliminate this by 1 was obtained. Although the pin 14 is cylindrical in the above-described embodiment, it may be a prism having flat surfaces on both sides having the same surface as the inclined surface of the lead groove 9a.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the essential structure (carriage moving mechanism) of the third embodiment of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the recording head 7 is removed, and an engaging portion with the lead screw 9 is cross-sectioned. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 25 is a rotary member that engages with the lead groove 9 a of the lead screw 9, and 26 is a rotary member receiver (support member) for supporting the rotary member 25. The support member 26 is fitted in the inner diameter of a hole 27 formed in the carriage 8 and is slidably supported along the hole 27. Further, the rotating member 25 is formed of a steel ball in this embodiment. The steel ball 2 of the support member 26
The contact surface with 5 has a very small surface roughness and the steel ball 25
The frictional force with the surface is small.

In FIG. 7, 28 is a rotating member urging spring for urging the rotating member (steel ball) 25 toward the lead screw 9, and 8a and 8b are fitted with the lead screw 9 in the carriage 8. It is a department. Now, when the lead screw 9 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the friction coefficient between the steel ball (rotating member) 25 and the supporting member 26 is larger than the friction coefficient between the steel ball and the lead groove 9a. The steel ball 25 engaged with the lead groove 9a starts to rotate as shown by the arrow in the figure. Then, the steel ball 25 rotates,
A force for moving the carriage 8 in the arrow B direction is transmitted from the lead screw 9 to the carriage 8, and the carriage 8 moves in the arrow B direction. The third embodiment of FIG. 7 has substantially the same configuration as the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6 except for the points described above, corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, the lead screw 9 and the steel ball 25
Does not slide but moves while rolling, so the frictional resistance between them can be made extremely small, and the carriage 8
Vibration and noise when moving is also significantly reduced compared to the sliding method. That is, according to the third embodiment of FIG. 7, in the carriage moving mechanism that moves the carriage 8 with the rotation of the lead screw 9, the rotating member that rolls around the lead screw according to the rotation of the lead screw 9. 25, a support member 26 for supporting the rotating member, and an urging means 28 for urging the support member against the lead screw 9 are provided in the carriage 8. A sliding load with the screw 9 can be significantly reduced, and thus a recording apparatus that can improve recording accuracy and reduce vibration and noise can be obtained.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing an essential part (carriage moving mechanism) of the fourth embodiment of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the recording head 7 is removed, and the engaging portion with the lead screw is shown in cross section. In FIG. 8, 29 is a disk-shaped rotating member,
Reference numeral 30 is an axis that serves as a rotation center of the rotating member 29, and 31 is an axis
It is a support member that rotatably supports the rotating member 29 via the. The shaft 30 is fixed to the support member 31 at an angle corresponding to the lead angle of the lead groove 9a as shown in the figure, and therefore the disc-shaped rotating member 29 is inclined in the direction of the lead angle of the lead groove 9a. It is rotatably supported under a fixed posture.

In FIG. 8, the support member 31 is fitted into the inner diameter of the hole 27 formed in the carriage 8 and the hole 27 is formed.
It is held slidably along. The supporting member 31 is biased toward the lead screw 9 by the rotating member biasing spring 28 as in the case of the third embodiment. The other parts of the embodiment of FIG. 8 have substantially the same configuration as in the case of the third embodiment described above, the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 8, when the lead screw 9 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the friction coefficient between the rotating member 29 and the lead groove 9a is more than the friction coefficient between the rotating member 29 and the shaft 30 of the supporting member 31. Is large, the rotating member 29 engaged with the lead groove 9a rotates about the shaft 30.
Then, the rotating member 29 transmits the force for moving the carriage 8 in the arrow B direction from the lead screw 9 to the carriage 8 while rotating, and the carriage 8 moves in the arrow B direction.
Move in the direction.

As described above, since the lead screw 9 and the rotating member 29 move not by sliding but by rolling, the frictional resistance between them can be made very small, and the vibration and noise when the carriage 8 moves can also be slid. It is significantly reduced compared to the dynamic method. That is, according to the fourth embodiment of FIG. 8 as well as the case of the above-described third embodiment, the rotating member 29 that rolls around the lead screw 9 according to the rotation of the lead screw 9 and the rotating member are supported. Since the support member 31 and the urging means 28 for urging the support member against the lead screw 9 are provided in the carriage 8, the sliding load between the carriage 8 and the lead screw 9 is reduced. It is possible to obtain a recording apparatus which can be remarkably reduced and which can improve recording accuracy and reduce vibration and noise.

The material of the rotary member 25 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and the rotary member 29 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG.
Usually, iron, stainless steel or the like is used, but plastic or resin material may be used to further improve the rolling property with the lead screw 9. Further, as a material of the rotating member suitable for further reducing vibration and noise, an alloy of aluminum and zinc can be cited. This alloy has a mixing ratio of aluminum and zinc of 20 to 30% by weight and 70 to 80% by weight. In this state of the alloy, it is a fine crystal of 0.5 to 5 microns, and the vibration damping property is obtained by the action (so-called self-solving action) in which the vibration energy is absorbed as thermal energy by the interfacial friction of the crystal. Occurs. Figure 9
Is a graph showing the damping characteristics of this alloy, and FIG. 10 is a phase diagram of aluminum and zinc of this alloy.

FIG. 11 shows a fifth recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a main part configuration (carriage moving mechanism) of the embodiment. FIG. 11 shows the structure of the engaging portion between the carriage 8 and the lead screw 9. In FIG. 11, a carriage 8 on which the recording head 7 is mounted is guided and supported along the outer periphery of a lead screw 9, and by rotating the lead screw 9, the carriage 8 moves along the lead screw 9 and the guide shaft 10. . The lead groove 9a of the lead screw 9 is held by the carriage 8 side.
The lead follower 32 that engages with is spherical. In this embodiment, steel balls are used as the spherical lead followers 32. The lead follower 32 is pressed against the lead groove 9a of the lead screw 9 by a compression coil spring 33 that is also mounted inside the carriage 8.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the lead screw 9
When the ball is driven to rotate, the spherical lead follower 32 transmits a force for moving the carriage 8 in the axial direction of the lead screw 9 from the lead screw 9 to the carriage 8 while rolling, and the carriage 8 moves in the main scanning direction. To do. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment of FIG. 11, the lead follower 32, which is held on the carriage 8 side and engages with the lead groove 9a of the lead screw 9, is spherical as described above, and the axial sectional shape of the lead groove 9a is The lead follower 32 has an arc shape with a diameter equal to or smaller than that of the sphere of the lead follower 32. Other configurations of this embodiment are substantially the same as those of the respective embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 8.

According to the fifth embodiment of FIG. 11, the lead follower 3 for the lead groove 9a of the lead screw 9 is used.
The contact state of No. 2 can be rolling contact, the friction between the lead groove 9a and the lead follower 32 can be reduced, and the load on the carriage motor 11 (FIG. 1) can be reduced.
Friction noise between the lead groove 9a and the lead follower 32 can be reduced to reduce noise, and vibration during sliding due to friction between the lead groove 9a and the lead follower 32 can be reduced to improve recording accuracy. Therefore, the wear of the contact portion between the lead groove 9a and the lead follower 32 can be reduced.

If the lead follower 32 in the fifth embodiment of FIG. 11 is made of a plastic (resin) ball member instead of the above-mentioned steel ball, further noise reduction can be achieved. . In addition, the lead follower 32
By using a lubricant such as grease in combination with the lead groove 9a, it is possible to further reduce noise and improve wear resistance.

In the above 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 not limited to the wire dot type, heat sensitive type, thermal transfer type or laser beam type. The same can be applied to the recording apparatus using the recording means of the method (3), and the same operation and effect can be obtained.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the recording apparatus using one recording means is taken as an example, but the present invention records using a plurality of recording means such as for color recording and gradation recording. The present invention can be applied regardless of the form of the recording means, such as an apparatus or a recording apparatus in which one recording means is provided with a plurality of types of dot forming means, and similar effects can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus, a replaceable head cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated is used, or the recording head and the ink tank are provided separately, and ink is supplied between them. The present invention can be similarly applied to any arrangement of the recording head and the ink tank, such as the case of connecting with a tube or the like, and the same effect can be obtained.

In the case of 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, but among others, thermal energy is utilized. The present invention brings excellent effects in an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording means of a type that ejects ink. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
This is preferably done using the basic principles disclosed in 796. 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 in which is stored, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling. , Generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording means (recording head), and as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. So effective.

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 the driving signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be ejected. 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 the specification of No. 24 are adopted, 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 linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region
A configuration using the specification of No. 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 the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a structure based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a structure in which the discharge section is associated with the discharge section. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, according to the present invention, a recording head fixed to the main body of the apparatus even of the serial type as described above,
Alternatively, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the device body and supply ink from the device body when mounted on the device body, or an ink tank is integrally provided on the recording head itself. It is also effective when the above-mentioned cartridge type recording head is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means or preliminary auxiliary means to the recording head provided as a constitution of the recording apparatus in the present invention because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, in addition to the above-mentioned capping means, cleaning means, and suction recovery means for the recording head, a pressure-type recovery means, an electrothermal converter, or a heating other than this. It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary heating means using an element or a combination thereof and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording.

As described above, 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 recording heads having different recording colors and densities are provided. A plurality of inks may be provided corresponding to the ink. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either the recording head is integrally configured or a combination of a plurality of recording heads may be used. The present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of color colors or full colors by color mixing.

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. It may be in a liquid form.

In addition, the temperature rise due to the thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink is solidified in the left state for the purpose of preventing the evaporation of the ink. In either case, the ink is liquefied by the application of the thermal energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink is ejected, or the one that has already started to solidify when it reaches the recording medium, etc. The present invention can also be applied to the case of using an ink that has the property of being liquefied for the first time by thermal energy as described above.

The ink in such a case is described in JP-A-54-
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a form in which the electrothermal converter is opposed to a liquid sheet or a solid material held in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet. 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, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. And the like may be used.

[0061]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the invention, the rotation of the lead screw in the recording apparatus for recording on the recording material by the recording means mounted on the carriage moving in the main scanning direction. A carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage in response to the movement of the lead screw, an engaging member for engaging the lead screw, an urging means for urging the engaging member to the lead screw, and a vibration of the engaging member. Since the vibration damping means for this purpose is provided in the carriage, the urging force of the engaging member can be reduced, thereby reducing power consumption and vibration noise. Further, there is provided a recording apparatus capable of removing the vibration at the time of reversing the carriage by reducing the urging force by the damping means.

According to the inventions of claims 2 and 3,
In addition to the structure of claim 1, the vibration damping means has a housing and a piston, one end of the housing or the piston is fixed to the engagement member, and the movement direction of the piston and the engagement member are fixed. A configuration in which the vibration directions are substantially the same and the vibration damping means is a viscous damper that produces a load that is substantially proportional to the speed of the piston, or the vibration damping means has a housing and a rotating body, and the engaging member And the rotating body is abutted, the vibration direction of the engaging member is substantially the same as the rotating direction of the rotating body, and the vibration damping means is a viscous damper that produces a torque substantially proportional to the angular velocity of the rotating body. Since it is configured, it is possible to more efficiently reduce the biasing force of the engaging member, thereby reducing power consumption and vibration noise, and further reducing the biasing force. Recording apparatus capable of removing this by the attenuation means also vibration of Yarijji inversion time is provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in the recording apparatus for recording on the recording material by the recording means mounted on the carriage moving in the main scanning direction, the carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage in accordance with the rotation of the lead screw. A rotating member that rolls around the lead screw according to the rotation of the lead screw, a supporting member that supports the rotating member, and an urging unit that urges the supporting member to the lead screw. Since the structure is provided in the carriage, it is possible to significantly reduce the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw, thereby improving recording accuracy and reducing vibration and noise. A device is provided.

According to the inventions of claims 5 and 6,
In addition to the structure of claim 4, the rotary member is spherical, or the rotary member is disk-shaped, the support member has a shaft, the rotary member is centered on the shaft of the support member. Since it is configured to rotate in a vertical direction, it is possible to more efficiently reduce the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw, thereby improving recording accuracy and reducing vibration and noise. Will be provided.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, in the recording apparatus for recording on the recording material by the recording means mounted on the carriage which moves in the main scanning direction, the carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage as the lead screw rotates. A lead follower that is held on the carriage side and that engages with the groove of the lead screw is spherical, and the axial cross-sectional shape of the groove of the lead screw is an arc having a diameter equal to or smaller than that of the ball of the lead follower. Therefore, the lead follower can be in rolling contact, the friction between the lead groove and the lead follower can be reduced to reduce the load on the carriage motor, and the friction noise between the lead groove and the lead follower can be reduced. It is possible to achieve quietness by reducing the vibration during sliding due to friction between the lead groove and the lead follower. It is possible to improve the accuracy, the recording apparatus is provided which can reduce the wear of the contact portion between the lead groove and the lead follower.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing the configuration of the main part of the first embodiment of the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the damper shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing a main part configuration of a second embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

6 is a partially cutaway sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the damper shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing a configuration of a main part of a third embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing a configuration of a main part of a fourth embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

9 is a graph illustrating damping characteristics of an alloy of aluminum and zinc, which is suitable as a material for the rotating member in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

10 is a state diagram of an alloy of aluminum and zinc, which is suitable as a material for the rotating member in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a main part configuration of a fifth embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 12 is a schematic partial vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an engaging portion between a lead screw and a carriage of a carriage moving mechanism in a conventional recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Conveyor Roller 2 Conveyor Roller Motor 6 Recording Material 7 Recording Means (Recording Head) 8 Carriage 9 Lead Screw 9a Lead Groove 10 Guide Shaft 11 Carriage Motor 14 Engaging Member (Pin) 14a Flange 14b Shaft 15 Energizing Means (Spring) ) 16 vibration damping means (damper) 16a piston housing 16b piston 18 silicon grease 19 hole 21 vibration damping means (damper) 21a housing 21b rotating shaft 22 silicon grease 23 blade 25 rotating member (steel ball) 26 supporting member (rotating member receiving) 28 urging means (rotating member urging spring) 29 rotating member 30 shaft 31 supporting member 32 lead follower (spherical member) 33 urging means (compression coil spring) 81 discharge port surface 82 discharge port 83 common liquid chamber 85 electrothermal converter

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by a recording means mounted on a carriage moving in a main scanning direction, comprising a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage as the lead screw rotates, An engaging member to be engaged, an urging means for urging the engaging member toward the lead screw, and a vibration damping means for damping the vibration of the engaging member are provided in the carriage. Characteristic recording device. 2. The vibration damping means includes a housing and a piston, one end of the housing or the piston is fixed to the engagement member, and a moving direction of the piston and a vibration direction of the engagement member are substantially the same. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration damping means is a viscous damper that produces a load substantially proportional to the speed of the piston. 3. The vibration damping means has a housing and a rotating body, the engaging member and the rotating body are in contact with each other, and the vibration direction of the engaging member is substantially the same as the rotating direction of the rotating body. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration damping means is a viscous damper that produces a torque substantially proportional to the angular velocity of the rotating body. 4. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by a recording means mounted on a carriage moving in a main scanning direction, comprising a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage as the lead screw rotates, A rotation member that rolls around the lead screw in response to rotation, a support member that supports the rotation member, and a biasing unit that biases the support member toward the lead screw are provided in the carriage. A recording device characterized by being present. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotating member has a spherical shape. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotating member is disk-shaped, the supporting member has a shaft, and the rotating member rotates about the shaft of the supporting member. 7. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by a recording means mounted on a carriage moving in a main scanning direction, having a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage in accordance with rotation of a lead screw, and having a carriage moving mechanism on the carriage side. A recording apparatus, wherein a lead follower held and engaged with a groove of a lead screw is spherical, and an axial cross-sectional shape of the groove of the lead screw is an arc having a diameter equal to or smaller than that of the sphere of the lead follower. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is an ink jet recording unit that ejects ink from an ejection port to perform recording. 9. The ink jet recording device according to claim 8, wherein the ink jet recording device is an ink jet recording device provided with an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. . 10. The ink jet recording according to claim 9, wherein the ink jet recording means ejects the ink from an ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter. apparatus.