JPH08318660A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a recording apparatus capable of performing beautiful recording by properly pressing a lead pin to a lead screw revolving at a constant speed to smoothly move a carrier. CONSTITUTION: A carrier moving means consists of the revolved lead screw 103 provided to a recording apparatus main body and the lead pin 108 held to the carrier movable in the direction vertical to the lead screw 103. The lead pin 108 is pressed by the lead pin spring 109 connected to a carrier part 1302 at one end thereof and having a rubbery or sponge like elastic member 1303 attached thereto toward the stopper 1304 provided to the carrier at the other end part thereof.

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 moving a recording head mounted on a carrier in a predetermined direction with respect to a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium, and more specifically, as a moving means for moving the carrier. The present invention relates to a recording device having a rotated lead screw.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a carrier equipped with a printing mechanism is slidably guided in parallel with respect to a printing paper, and in a printing apparatus using a lead screw as a carrier driving mechanism, the carrier is interlocked with the operation of the lead screw. For this purpose, a lead pin guided by a carrier so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the lead screw is generally pressed against a groove of the lead screw by a spring member.

[0003]

With the above-mentioned structure, when the lead pin initially moves in the direction perpendicular to the lead screw, the lead pin is overcome by the parallel sliding load on the printing paper of the carrier. The load is set so that it can be pushed to the bottom of the lead screw thread, and when operating with a larger load, pushing with a strong load that can overcome the inertial force during acceleration / deceleration eliminates the extra frictional load between the lead screw and the lead pin. It is required to ensure the supple followability of the carrier to. However, a leaf spring, a coil spring, or the like is usually used as the spring member, and the load generated by the displacement of the spring with respect to the action point of the spring is linear or approximate linear, and the above characteristics cannot be obtained. It was

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus having the necessary load characteristics applied to the lead pins as described above.

[0005]

Therefore, a recording apparatus according to the present invention is a recording apparatus for moving a recording head mounted on a carrier in a predetermined direction with respect to a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium for recording. The moving means for moving the carrier has a lead screw that is provided in the main body of the recording apparatus and is rotated, and a lead pin that is held by the carrier so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the lead screw, and a tip portion of the lead pin. Is engaged with the groove of the lead screw and pressed by the elastic pressing member toward the bottom of the groove of the lead screw, and the pressing load by the elastic pressing member is proportional to the amount of vertical movement of the lead pin to the lead screw. The above-mentioned object is to be achieved by a configuration characterized by not being a simple load change.

Further, the elastic pressing member is composed of a thin plate spring member having one end joined to the carrier and the other end having a rubber-like or sponge-like elastic member attached to a stopper provided on the carrier. The elastic pressing member has a thin plate spring member whose one end is connected to the carrier, and a link whose one end is rotatably connected to the carrier and is in contact with the thin plate spring member. A structure in which the contact position between the link member and the thin plate spring-like member changes depending on the amount of movement of the lead pin in the vertical direction with respect to the lead screw, or
The elastic pressing member includes a thin plate spring-like member whose one end is connected to the carrier, and a stopper having a convex portion that restricts the movement of the thin plate spring-like member formed on the carrier. The protrusion of the stopper comes into contact with the thin plate spring-like member according to the amount of vertical movement to enhance the pressing force on the lead pin, or the elastic pressing member is a thin plate spring-like member. One end is coupled to the carrier, the other end is divided into two forks from the other end, and the first other end faces a stopper having a convex portion formed on the carrier to restrict the movement of the thin leaf spring-like member, and the second other end. The object of the present invention is to achieve the above-mentioned object by a structure characterized in that it faces the lead pin.

[0007]

With the above construction, while the recording head is recording, the lead pin is appropriately pressed by the lead screw which rotates at a constant speed, and the carrier moves smoothly to perform neat recording. When the lead screw starts rotating or stops rotating, the lead pin can be appropriately and strongly pressed against the lead screw, and the driving can be started and ended as required.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a head cartridge provided in the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a carrier 102 has a recording head 202 and an ink tank 203 which constitute recording means.
A head cartridge 201 in which (FIG. 2) is integrated is mounted. One end of the carrier 102 is fitted to a lead screw 103 rotatably attached to the chassis 101 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and a guide 104 is arranged at the other end of the carrier 102. The guide 104 is slidably fitted in a guide rail 105 formed on the chassis 101 in parallel with the axial direction of the lead screw 103.

The carrier 102 is constructed so as to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction thereof as the lead screw 103 rotates while the posture thereof is always kept constant. Both ends of the lead screw 103 are rotatably supported by the chassis 101. A gear (not shown) is fixed to the left end of the lead screw 103, and a rotational force is transmitted by meshing with a pinion gear (not shown) fixed to the output shaft of the carrier motor 106.

The lead screw 103 is provided with a lead pin (108 shown in FIG. 13) attached to the carrier 102 on a guide strip 107 formed in a spiral shape at a predetermined pitch.
Lead screw 103 by lead pin spring 109
It is press-fitted and slidably fitted to. Therefore, as the carrier motor rotates forward and backward, the lead screw 10
When 3 rotates, the carrier 102 reciprocates. This part will be described in detail later. A home position sensor 120 detects a shield plate formed on the carrier 102 when the power is turned on and determines the print position of the carrier.

Reference numeral 111 denotes a flexible cable for transmitting a print signal from the electric circuit described later to the recording head 202, and reference numeral 119 denotes a lock lever engaging with the recording head 201.

One line recording can be performed on the recording material 112 by driving the recording head 202 in synchronization with the reciprocating movement of the carrier 102 and ejecting ink according to a recording signal. That is, the recording head 202 is used for ejecting liquid by acting on the liquid in the acting portion and the energy acting portion provided in the minute liquid ejection port (orifice), the liquid passage and a part of the liquid passage. And an energy generating means for generating the droplet forming energy.

A recording method using a piezo element or the like as an energy generating means for generating such energy, a recording method of irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser to generate heat, and ejecting a liquid by the action of the heat generation, or a heating resistance. There is a recording method using an energy generating means for heating a liquid and discharging the liquid by an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having a body.

Among them, the recording head used in the ink jet recording method for ejecting a liquid by thermal energy can arrange the liquid ejection ports for ejecting the recording liquid to form droplets at a high density. It is possible to record at high resolution. Among them, the recording head using the electrothermal converter as the energy generating means,
It can be easily made compact, and the advantages of IC technology and micro processing technology, which have been significantly improved in technology and reliability in the recent semiconductor field, can be fully utilized, high-density mounting is easy, and manufacturing cost is also high. It is advantageous because it is cheap.

When one line is recorded by scanning the carrier 102, the recording material 112 is conveyed by one line by the conveying means to record the next line. The conveyance of the recording material 112 is performed by the conveying roller. It is performed by a rotating pair of 113 and a pinch roller 114 that is in pressure contact therewith, and a rotating pair of a discharge roller 115 and a spur 116 that is in contact with this.

This will be described in detail. The recording material 112 whose recording surface faces the ejection opening surface of the recording head 202.
Is pressed against the conveying roller 113 by the pinch roller 114, and the conveying roller 113 is rotated by the paper feed motor 117, so that the sheet is conveyed to the recording position as much as necessary. After the recording, the recording material 11 is spun by the spur 116.
2 is pressed against the discharge roller 115,
It is discharged and conveyed to the outside of the device by rotating.

The transport roller 113 and the discharge roller 1
15 is driven by the paper feed motor 117,
The transmission of the driving force is performed by a reduction gear train (not shown).

The rotating shaft of the spur 116 that contacts the recording surface of the recording material 112 is fixed, and the contact position between the spur 116 and the recording material 112 does not change regardless of the thickness of the recording material 112. On the other hand, the discharge roller 115 that comes into contact with the non-recording surface side of the recording material 112 is configured such that the discharging roller 115 is deformed according to the thickness of the recording material 112 and the thickness of the recording material 112 changes. Has become. In particular,
The discharge roller 115 is made of thin rubber, has a conical shape, and deforms with a restoring force in the radial direction. Therefore, the deformation is performed according to the pressure contact force against the spur 116 and the thickness of the recording material 112.

The same effect can be obtained by constructing the discharge roller 115 with a material having a large elastic deformation, such as a porous sponge or a resin or rubber having a very low hardness. Further, the entire discharge roller 115 may be pressed against the spur 116 with a spring or the like. Therefore, regardless of the thickness of the recording material 112, the recording head 202 and the recording material 1
The interval of 12 can be maintained at a predetermined amount, and stable transportation can be performed.

A paper sensor 118 detects the presence or absence of the recording material 112.

The pinch roller 114 has holes at both ends thereof, and an end of a pinch roller spring (not shown) is bent into the pinch roller 114 to support the pinch roller 114 in a shaft shape.
Moves rotatably around the end of the pinch roller spring, and is pressed against the conveying roller 113 by the tension of the pinch roller spring.

Reference numeral 121 is a cap for protecting the recording head 202. This caps the ink ejection portion when the recording head 202 is at the home position by a drive mechanism (not shown). A suction pump (not shown) is connected to the cap 121, and when the ink is not ejected, the suction operation is performed in the capping state to recover the function of the ink ejection port. Further, the sucked waste ink is guided into the hollow platen 123 and does not leak to the outside. Reference numeral 122 indicates when the ink ejection port surface is dirty,
A blade for wiping the ink ejection port surface by a drive mechanism (not shown) to wipe off dirt.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the head cartridge portion of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, 202 is a recording head for ejecting ink by an electric signal, 214 is a head contact portion for guiding the electric signal to the recording head, and an electrode formed on the end face of the flexible cable 111 guided into the carrier. Contact and transmit signals. An ink tank 203 stores ink and supplies the ink to the recording head 202.
Reference numeral 213 is a guide groove for mounting the head cartridge 201 in the carrier 102, and the lock lever 119 on the carrier is formed by the guide groove 213 and the positioning hole 215.
The head cartridge 201 is fixed to the carrier 102. At this time, the flexible cable 111 and the head contact 214 contact each other.

The recording head 202 includes a substrate on which a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements that generate thermal energy used for ejecting ink and a drive circuit for driving the electrothermal conversion elements are formed, and the plurality of substrates on the substrate. The discharge ports and liquid paths corresponding to the respective electrothermal conversion elements, and the top plate for forming a common liquid chamber communicating with the respective liquid paths are laminated, and a signal is applied to the drive circuit from the recording apparatus main body. Electrical contacts are provided. Further, the sensor for detecting the state of the head from the main body of the recording apparatus is an ink remaining amount detection sensor, a temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element, and a head cartridge of a different type while being replaced. There is a head type determination sensor that specifies the type of head cartridge when used. The printing apparatus main body can judge the signals from these sensors and control the signals applied to the electrothermal conversion elements to optimize the printing state. Then, the ejection ports of the recording head thus configured are arranged and mounted on the recording apparatus so that the ejection port surface faces the recording medium.

Although not shown, it is also possible to attach an automatic paper feeding device for a recording medium which is composed of an automatic paper feeding motor, a paper feeding initial sensor, a manual / automatic paper feeding switching sensor, and the like.

Next, the configuration and electric circuit of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the external appearance of an information processing device 400 incorporating the recording device of this embodiment.

In FIG. 4, 401 is the printer unit, 402 is a keyboard unit for inputting characters, numbers and other characters, keys for giving various commands, and 403 is a display unit. It is a display unit provided.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electric circuit configuration of an information processing apparatus having this embodiment. In FIG. 5, 5
Reference numeral 01 is a controller that performs main control, and 502 is a microcomputer type C that executes a predetermined procedure.
PU, 503 is a RAM provided with an area for expanding text data and image data, an area for work, etc., 504
Is a ROM storing fixed data such as a program corresponding to the above procedure and other font data, and 505 is a timer which creates an execution cycle of the CPU 502 and creates a timing necessary for a printing operation by the printer unit 401. An interface unit 506 connects a signal from the CPU 502 and a peripheral device.

Reference numeral 507 is a controller of the printer unit 401. Reference numeral 508 denotes a head detection unit that displays information about the print head such as the presence / absence and type of the head cartridge 201, the output value of a sensor that detects the temperature of the print head 202, and the output of a sensor that detects the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank 203. To detect. Reference numeral 509 is a line buffer for storing print data of the head cartridge 201, 510 is a head driver for sending a print signal, power, etc. to the head cartridge 201, and 511a, b, and c are carrier motor 106, paper feed motor 117, and automatic feed, respectively. Paper motor 520
It is a motor driver that sends out signals and electric power necessary to drive the motor.

Reference numeral 512 denotes the home position sensor 120,
Paper sensor 118, paper feed initial sensor 521,
A sensor detection unit that detects the output of a sensor such as the paper feed switching sensor 522. Further, 404 is, for example, FDD,
An external storage device such as an HDD or a RAM card, and 405 is an external interface for communicating with other information processing devices or directly connecting to an internal bus to control peripheral devices.

Although not shown in the block diagram of FIG. 5, there is another power supply unit for supplying electric power to the above electric circuit, which includes, for example, a rechargeable battery or a disposable dry battery. Alternatively, there is a converter for AC power supply when the information processing apparatus main body is fixed and used.

Recording can be performed on the recording material (paper) 112 in the recording device section by the above-mentioned electric circuit configuration. An outline of the recording operation control sequence will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIG. 6 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the processing when the power supply of the recording device or the information processing device is turned on and off.

In step S1, the power is off.
Functions are stopped except for the operation of the timer 505 (FIG. 5). The operation is started from the power-off state by a power-on signal, that is, the power switch is turned on. In the recording apparatus, the power-on process of S2 is first executed. When S2 ends, the process next proceeds to S3, in which the power is turned on. The recording operation and the like are performed in the power-on state. When a power-off signal is detected in the power-on state, the process proceeds to S4 and power-off processing is executed. When S4 ends, the process proceeds to S1 and the power is turned off. Therefore, when the power is turned on and off, the power is turned on and off through a predetermined process.

When the pause signal is detected in the state of S3, the process proceeds to S5 and the pause process is executed. The pause signal is, for example, the display unit 403 shown in FIG.
When the display unit 403 is laid down on the keyboard unit 402 or the battery is replaced while the power is on, the user may perform an action that is performed while the device is operating but not operating. When it is carried out, it is detected by means for detecting this, for example, a sensor for detecting opening / closing of the display unit 403, a sensor for detecting attachment / detachment of a battery, or the like.
The suspending process is a process performed to prevent damage to the device and the occurrence of defects when the device is used differently from the basic use, and will be described in detail later. When the suspension process is completed in S5, the process proceeds to S6 and the suspension state is set.

In the temporary stop state, the functions other than the necessary parts are stopped or the power is turned off. When the temporary stop release signal is detected in the temporary stop state, the process proceeds to S7 and the temporary stop release processing is performed. The pause release signal is a signal paired with the pause signal, for example, when the display portion 403 changes from a closed state to an open state, or when the battery is removed from the attached state. Etc. is a signal indicating that the device has returned to the operable state. Further, the temporary stop cancellation process is a process for returning to the state before the temporary stop, and the details will be described later.

As a result, even when the user carelessly opens and closes the display unit 403 during the operation of the apparatus or detaches the battery, it is possible to return to the original state. When the suspension canceling process ends in S7, the process proceeds to S3 and returns to the power-on state. In the pause signal,
It may be possible to select whether or not to perform the pause process when the signal is detected. For example, when it is better to close the display unit 403 because the recording device handles paper during operation, it is possible to select the device so as to prohibit the pause process when the display unit 403 is opened and closed. it can.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the above S2 power-on processing.

First, in S11, home position initialization, that is, the position of the carrier 102 is determined. Specifically, after driving the carrier motor 106 and setting the position at which the output of the home position sensor 120 switches to the reference position (home position) of the carrier 102,
The ejection port of the recording head 202 is capped with the cap 121. Next, in S12, the paper is fed and the automatic paper feeding is initialized. Specifically, in order to eliminate play of the paper feed, the paper feed motor 117 is driven in the reverse direction and the forward direction by a predetermined amount, and the automatic paper feed motor 520 is driven until the paper feed initial sensor 521 detects the initial position. Next, the process proceeds to S13, in which the timer 505 measures the time from the last ejection or suction of the recording head 202 to the present time, and if the interval is a predetermined time n or more, the process proceeds to S14 to perform the recovery process of the recording head. , If not, the process proceeds to S15.

In S14, as the recovery processing of the recording head 202, ejection into the cap 121 of the recording head 202, cleaning of the ejection portion of the recording head 202 by the blade 122, suction of ink from the recording head 202 by a pump, and the like are performed. By the recovery process, the long-time recording head 20
As a result of 2 being left unused, it is possible to prevent the ejection portion ink of the recording head 202 from evaporating and causing an ink ejection failure due to an increase in viscosity. After S14 S1
In step 5, it is checked whether the paper sensor 118 detects the presence of paper. If the paper is present, the process proceeds to step S16. If the paper is not present, the process proceeds to step S17. In S16, the detected paper is discharged. That is, after the paper sensor 118 detects that there is no paper, the paper feed motor 117 is driven in the forward direction up to a predetermined amount. Next, the process proceeds to S17 to end the power-on process.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the power-off process of S4.

First, in S21, it is checked whether the recording head 202 is in the capping state. If it is not in the capping state, the process proceeds to S22, and if it is in the capping state, S2.
Go to 3. In S22, the carrier motor 106 is driven to bring the recording head 202 into the capping state. Then S
At 23, the power of the recording apparatus is turned off and the function is stopped.

Even if the recording head 202 is not in the capping state by this processing, that is, even if the power switch is turned off during the execution of recording, the recording head 202 is surely turned off after the capping state. This prevents the ejection portion of the head 202 from being exposed to the atmosphere and increasing in viscosity due to evaporation of ink to cause ejection failure.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart for explaining the above S5 temporary stop processing.

First, in S31, it is checked whether or not there is a process currently being executed. If there is a process being executed, the process proceeds to S32, and if not, the process proceeds to S33. In S32, the process currently being executed is executed by a predetermined amount. Specifically, if recording is being executed, processing is performed until the processing of the row being executed is completed, and if paper feeding or automatic paper feeding is being performed, processing is completed until the operation is completed. Also,
If the paper is being discharged, the processing is immediately stopped. Next, in S33, the current state is stored. That is, if there is any interrupted processing, the interrupted status, the status of the display unit 403 or the operation panel (not shown), the online status, the offline status, or the power saving mode for battery power supply, if any, is stored in the memory. save. Next, in S34, the recording head 2
02 is capped. If already capped, do nothing. Next, the process proceeds to S35, and power is turned off for unnecessary parts in the temporary stop state. Then S36
Then, the process proceeds to step S5 to end the temporary stop process.

By this processing, even if the pause signal is detected during printing, the recording head 202 is surely capped, and it is prevented that the recording head 202 is left without capping and ejection failure occurs. .

FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the above S7 temporary stop processing.

First, in S41, a predetermined initialization is performed. Specifically, the position determination (home position) of the carrier 102 shown in S11 and S12, the play of the paper feed motor 117, the initial position setting of the automatic paper feed mechanism, and the like are performed. Next, the process proceeds to S42, and the pre-pause state stored in S33 is checked. Next, the process proceeds to S43 and the process of returning to the state before the temporary stop is performed. Specifically, if there is any interrupted process, the process is completed and the states of the display unit 403 and the operation panel are restored. Next, it progresses to S44 and S
7. The suspension canceling process ends.

Therefore, even if the recording apparatus is temporarily suspended during processing, it is possible to continue the processing after the restoration and before the temporary stop.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart for explaining the processing in the S3 power-on state.

First, in S51, various errors are checked and error processing is performed. Specifically, for example, when there is no paper in the recording device, when the head cartridge 201 is not mounted, when a paper jam is detected during the recording process,
When the temperature of the recording head 202 rises abnormally or when a scanning error of various motors is detected, an error is displayed on the display unit 403 or the operation panel or a buzzer sounds to warn.

Next, in S52, the keyboard section 402,
Key operation and command reception are checked from the operation panel, the external interface unit 405, etc., and corresponding processing is performed. Specifically, when the paper feed key is pressed, paper insertion, ejection, and paper feed of a predetermined amount are performed depending on the situation. When the online key is pressed, or when an online or offline command is received, the error status is checked and the online status and offline status are processed.
Further, when a command regarding recording or the like is received, a corresponding process is performed. Furthermore, the head cartridge 201
When the key input for performing the replacement is detected, the carrier motor 106 is driven to move the carrier 102 to a position where it is easy to replace, and after the replacement is completed, the carrier motor 106 is driven to return to the home position, 1
At 21, the recording head 202 is capped, and ink is sucked from the ejection port of the recording head 202 by a pump. Even when air is mixed in the ink flow path in the recording head 202 and the ink tank 201 when the head cartridge 201 is replaced, the mixed air can be sucked out of the recording head 202 by sucking the ink, and the air in the recording head 202 is mixed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of ejection failure due to.

Next, in S53, recording processing is performed. Details will be described later. Next, in S54, the power-off signal is checked, and if the power-off signal is detected, the process proceeds to the power-off process in S4. If not detected, the process returns to S51.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart for explaining the S53 recording process.

First, in S61, it is checked whether or not a command to execute recording, for example, a paper feed command or data to be recorded is received. If there is a recording command, the process proceeds to step S62, and if not, the process proceeds to step S69 to end this processing. S
At 62, the online state is checked, and if it is online, proceed to S63. If it is offline, S
The process proceeds to 69 to end this processing.

In S63, a process for starting recording is performed. Specifically, the temperature of the recording head 202 is adjusted by the heater in the recording head 202, the ejection adjustment is performed by ejecting the recording head 202 to the outside of the recording area, and the deviation amount during forward and reverse scanning of the carrier motor 106 is adjusted. Is measured by the home position sensor 120 to correct the deviation during bidirectional recording. Next, in S64, the paper feeding is checked. When the paper is not inserted at the recording position in the automatic paper feed state, the automatic paper feed motor 520 is driven to feed the paper.

Next, the process proceeds to S65, and recording is performed in units of one line. Specifically, the carrier motor 106 is driven, ink is ejected from the recording head 202 for recording, and when one line of recording is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed and the process proceeds to S66. S
In 66, an error check is performed. If there is an error, the process proceeds to S68, and if there is no error, the process proceeds to S67. The error check is, for example, the detection of the lower end of the paper, the detection of the paper jam, the detection of the presence or absence of ink, the scanning error of various motors, and the like, and the detected error is processed in S51.

In S67, the reception of a command indicating the end of recording, for example, a paper discharge command is checked. If recording is completed, the process proceeds to S68, and if recording is not completed, S6
Return to 5 and continue recording. In S68, recording end processing is performed. Specifically, the paper is discharged. Then S6
9 and the S53 recording process ends.

FIG. 13 shows the lead pin spring 10 shown in FIG.
It is a lead screw mechanism figure which expanded and showed 9 parts.

The lead pin 108 is attached to the lead screw 103 by a guide 1301 formed on the carrier 102.
Is supported slidably in the vertical direction with respect to, and is pressed against the lead screw 103 at one end of the lead pin spring 109. The other end of the lead pin spring 109 is the carrier 102.
The carrier 102 is formed by the joining member 1302 formed on the
Be combined with. Lead pin 10 of the lead pin spring 109
An elastic member 1303 made of rubber or sponge is coupled to the side opposite to the contact portion with 8. 1304
Is a stopper formed with a gap d with the elastic member 1303 formed on the carrier 102.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the displacement of the lead pin 108 and the load of the lead pin spring 109.

In FIG. 3, point a is the lead pin spring 109.
Is the load pressing the lead pin 108 against the lead screw 103. This value is obtained when the carrier 102 moves the lead screw 103 and the guide rail 105 on the recording material 1
12 to the bottom of the strip 107 of the lead screw 103 without losing the sliding load when moving parallel to the lead pin 10.
It is a load that can push 8 in. Until the elastic member 1303 hits the stopper 1304 (displacement 0 to d), the lead pin 108 is displaced only by the lead pin spring 109,
The spring constant of the lead pin spring 109 is reduced to reduce the change in load (load ab). This is lead pin 10
This is because when the displacement of 8 is small (mainly during the uniform velocity movement of the carrier 102), the change of the urging load is suppressed and the increase of the frictional resistance due to the increase of the urging load is prevented.

When the lead screw 103 is rotated by the carrier motor 106 and the carrier is reciprocated, the lead pin 108 is moved by the inertial force of the carrier 102 during the rotational acceleration of the lead screw 103.
13 is pushed upward in FIG. 13 (displacement d ~
e). At this time, the elastic member 1303 comes into contact with the stopper 1304, the spring constant increases, and the change in load also increases (loads b to c).

This is because when the lead pin 108 is about to be largely displaced, the lead pin 108 is pressed with a large load to suppress the phase shift between the lead screw 103 and the carrier 102 as much as possible. Due to the above load characteristics, the carrier 10 does not move against the operation of the lead screw 103.
A supple follow-up of 2 is possible.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the essential parts of the second embodiment. The structure of the other parts is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The movement of the lead pin 108 depends on the movement of the carrier 102.
It is transmitted to the link member 1405 that is rotatably fitted to the shaft 1403 formed in the. One end 109a of a lead pin spring 109 is pressed against the link member 1405 so that the load a is applied to the lead pin 108. Ring member 14
One end of 05 is separated by a distance d'that abuts a part 109b of the lead pin spring 109 when the lead pin 108 is displaced by d. When the displacement of the lead pin 108 is d or less, the load applied to the lead pin 108 is one end of the lead pin spring. Although the load has 109a as an action point, when the displacement exceeds d, one end of the link member 1405 pushes up a part 109b of the lead pin spring to change the action point. 1401
Is a guide of the lead pin 108, 1402 is a joining member of the lead pin spring 109 to the carrier 102, and 1404 is a stopper for restricting the operation of the lead pin spring 109.

With the above structure, the displacement load characteristic shown in FIG. 3 is obtained.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the essential parts of the third embodiment, and the structure of the other parts is similar to that of the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be described.

A part of the stopper 1503 for restricting the operation of the lead pin spring 109 is separated by a distance d'that abuts a part 109b of the lead pin spring 109 when the lead pin 108 is displaced, and the displacement of the lead pin 108 is d or less. In this case, the load applied to the lead pin 108 is a load with the one end 109a of the lead pin spring as a fulcrum, but when the displacement exceeds d, one end of the stopper 1503 abuts on a part 109b of the lead pin spring 109 and changes the fulcrum. Reference numeral 1501 is a guide of the lead pin 108, and 1502 is a joining member of the lead pin spring 109 to the carrier 102.

With the above structure, the displacement load characteristic shown in FIG. 3 is obtained.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the essential parts of the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the essential parts.

A part of the stopper 1603 for restricting the operation of the lead pin spring 109 is separated by a distance d'that abuts on one end 109a of the lead pin spring 109 when the lead pin 108 is displaced by d. The lead pin spring 109 has one end 109b that receives the displacement of the lead pin 108 and
09a has a shape as shown in FIG. 16, and when the displacement of the lead pin 108 is d or less, the lead pin 108
The load applied to the lead pin spring 109 main body and one end 10
Although the spring load is on the portion 9b, when the displacement exceeds d, the spring load on the other end 109a is also applied. The displacement load characteristic shown in FIG. 3 is created by the above configuration. Incidentally, 1601 is a guide for the lead pin 108, and 1602 is the lead pin spring 10.
9 is a joining member to the carrier 102.

The first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment of the present invention are used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system. A recording head that has a means for generating thermal energy as the energy (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) and that causes a change in the state of the ink by the thermal energy, and a method that produces an excellent effect in a recording apparatus. It is a thing. 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 4,740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Cause
As a result, it is possible to form bubbles in the liquid (ink) that correspond one-to-one to this drive signal, which is effective. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The structure using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-123670 discloses a structure in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the structure is based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-138461, which discloses a structure in which the opening corresponds to the ejection portion. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Furthermore, 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 medium which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as in the above example, the recording head fixed to the main body of the apparatus or the ink jet from the main body of the apparatus can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus by being attached to the main body of the apparatus. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, as the constitution of the recording apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add the ejection recovery means of the recording head, the auxiliary auxiliary means, etc. because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, heating is performed by using a capping means, a cleaning means, a pressure or suction means for the recording head, an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof. The preheating means for performing the preheating means and the preheating means for performing the ejection different from the recording can be mentioned.

Regarding the type or number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of pieces may be provided. 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 it may be either the recording head is integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full-color recording modes by color mixing.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used, or an ink jet system. In the method, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within the 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. You may use what forms.

In addition, the temperature rise due to 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 a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. In some cases, whether ink is used, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or it starts to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink that has a property of liquefying only when heat energy is applied. The ink in such a case is disclosed in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7126.
It is also possible to adopt a form as opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the recessed portions or through holes of the porous sheet as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 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 a mode of the present invention, one used as a terminal of a host computer or the like, one combined with a reader or the like, one in which a recording head and a reading head can be replaced, and a facsimile function are provided. It may be one or the like.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The lead pin spring, which applies pressure to the lead pin that transmits the movement of the lead screw to the carrier, has a non-linear characteristic as shown in FIG. Since the carrier can flexibly follow the lead screw without increasing the sliding resistance between them, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus with excellent recording quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a recording apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a head cartridge used in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic graph of a lead pin spring load with respect to a lead pin displacement of an example.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an information processing apparatus incorporating a recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electrical configuration of an information processing apparatus incorporating a recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a power on / off processing flowchart of an information processing apparatus incorporating a recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a power-on processing flowchart of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a power-off processing flowchart of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a pause process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a temporary stop release process of the information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a power-on processing flowchart of an information processing apparatus incorporating a recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a recording processing flowchart of an information processing apparatus incorporating the recording apparatus embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of the lead screw mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of a lead screw mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a lead screw mechanism diagram of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a lead screw mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a lead screw mechanism diagram of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 chassis 102 carrier 103 lead screw 106 carrier motor 107 guide strip 108 lead pin 109 lead pin spring 111 flexible cable 112 recording material 113 transport roller 114 pinch roller 115 discharge roller 116 spur 117 paper feed motor 118 paper sensor 120 home position sensor 201 head cartridge 202 Recording head 203 Ink tank 400 Information processing device 402 Keyboard unit 403 Display unit 502 CPU 503 RAM 504 ROM 505 Timer 506 Interface unit 1301 Guide 1302 Joining member 1303 Elastic member 1304 Stopper

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus for moving a recording head mounted on a carrier in a predetermined direction with respect to a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium, the moving means for moving the carrier being provided in a recording apparatus main body. It has a lead screw that is rotated and a lead pin that is held by a carrier so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the lead screw, and a tip end portion of the lead pin engages with a groove of the lead screw and is elastically pressed by an elastic pressing member. A recording apparatus which is pressed toward the bottom of a groove of a lead screw and in which the pressing load applied by the elastic pressing member is not a simple load change proportional to the amount of vertical movement of the lead pin to the lead screw. 2. The elastic pressing member is a thin plate spring member having one end coupled to the carrier and the other end having a rubber-like or sponge-like elastic member attached to a stopper provided on the carrier. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The elastic pressing member comprises a thin leaf spring-like member having one end coupled to the carrier, and a link member having one end rotatably coupled to the carrier and abutting the thin leaf spring-like member. 2. The contact position between the link member and the thin plate spring member changes depending on the amount of movement of the lead pin in the vertical direction with respect to the lead screw.
The recording device described. 4. The elastic pressing member comprises a thin leaf spring-like member having one end coupled to the carrier, and a stopper having a convex portion for limiting the movement of the thin leaf spring-like member formed on the carrier. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion of the stopper abuts the thin plate spring member by the amount of vertical movement of the lead screw to the thin plate spring-like member to enhance the pressing force to the lead pin. 5. The elastic pressing member has one end of a thin leaf spring-like member coupled to the carrier, is split into two in the middle of the other end, and has a first other end formed on the carrier to move the thin leaf spring-like member. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is opposed to a stopper having a protruding convex portion and the second end is opposed to the lead pin.