JPH10193693A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a recording head from being exposed because of an erroneous manipulation at the non-printing time and make a printing apparatus compact at the non-printing time. SOLUTION: Arms 21a, 21b of a link mechanism 21 are connected respectively to leading end parts of rotary arms 32a, 32b set to a main body housing 1a. When a cap is moved downward, a rack and a gear mechanism 33 mesh with each other, thereby rotating the rotary arms 32a, 32b symmetrically right and left about shafts 31a, 31b. In consequence of the rotation, the arms 21a, 21b are moved upward and, a holder 19 and a head unit 14 connected to the arms 21a, 21b are moved upward eventually to be stored in the main body housing 1a. Accordingly, a printing apparatus 1 is turned compact when the head unit 14 is stored and a recording head 12 is prevented from being exposed because of an erroneous manipulation when the head unit 14 is stored.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a printing device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for configuring a head unit including a recording unit and a traveling unit so that the head unit can be freely inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a manual type printing apparatus has been proposed as an apparatus for printing on various recording media at desired locations. In this printing apparatus, printing is performed by ejecting ink from a printing head to a printing medium based on the amount of movement of the apparatus by manually scanning the printing medium at an arbitrary speed by a user. Therefore, the printing apparatus is often carried, and if the recording head is exposed from the apparatus during non-printing, the recording head is easily damaged. Therefore, a member such as a spring is provided on the apparatus main body, and the recording head can be moved between a printing area and a non-printing area (in the apparatus main body) by using an operation of pressing the apparatus main body against a recording medium. Was.

[0003]

However, according to the conventional printing apparatus as described above, when carrying the apparatus,
If the member such as the spring is pressed against something by mistake, the recording head is exposed, which may cause damage. Another problem is that it is difficult to reduce the size of the printing device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to prevent the recording head from being exposed due to an erroneous operation during non-printing and to reduce the size of the apparatus during non-printing. It is an object to provide a simple printing device.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, comprising: a printing head for printing on a printing medium with ink; A printing apparatus having a recording unit integrally provided with a traveling unit and performing printing on the recording medium by manually scanning the recording medium, wherein the recording unit swings with respect to the apparatus by a link mechanism. The link mechanism is provided movably, and a pair of shafts of the link mechanism are provided so as to be movable in directions away from each other. It is configured so that

[0006] In the above configuration, the recording means provided integrally with the traveling means is configured to change from the non-storage state to the storage state with respect to the apparatus main body by the reciprocal movement of the shaft portion of the link mechanism. When the recording means is stored in the apparatus main body, the apparatus can be made compact. Also,
For example, when the recording head is covered with a shutter that opens and closes with a switch mechanism made of a spring or the like, if the switch mechanism is erroneously pressed, the shutter opens and the recording head may be exposed from the apparatus main body. It is possible to prevent the recording head from being exposed due to an erroneous operation, and to reliably protect the recording head.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the link mechanism is provided between the main body and the recording means near the opposing sides. This is a crossing link mechanism provided as a pair.

In the above arrangement, a cross link mechanism is provided between the apparatus main body and the recording means as a pair near both opposing sides, so that recording on the recording medium can be performed even if the apparatus is inclined during printing travel. The posture of the head is kept constant, and a stable printing operation can be performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein a shaft of the link mechanism is bilaterally symmetrically supported by the apparatus body. Are rotatably supported on the distal ends of a pair of rotating arms that rotate in the same direction.

[0010] In the above configuration, a pair of rotating arms pivotally supported on the apparatus main body and rotating left and right symmetrically are provided at the distal ends.
Since the shaft of the link mechanism is rotatably supported, the shaft of the link mechanism moves with the rotation of the rotating arm. Accordingly, the recording means connected to the link mechanism can be reliably stored or not stored in the apparatus main body as the rotating arm moves.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the shafts of the pair of rotating arms are meshed with each other. And one of the gears is driven to rotate.

In the above configuration, the shafts of the pair of rotating arms are connected by gears meshed with each other, and one of the gears is driven to rotate. Therefore, by rotating one of the gears, the pair of rotating arms is rotated. The two arms of the rotary arm can be symmetrically rotated with respect to each other.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the printing apparatus is slidable with respect to a housing of the apparatus main body, and the one-sided printing apparatus is provided. A cap member provided with a rack that meshes with the gear of the rotation arm, the pair of rotation arms rotate with the sliding operation of the cap member, and the recording unit moves from the non-storage state to the apparatus main body. It is configured to be stored.

In the above construction, the gear of one of the rotating arms and the rack of the cap member mesh with each other, whereby the pair of rotating arms are rotated with the sliding operation of the cap member. In this case, since the storage state is changed from the non-storage state to the storage state, the recording means can be moved to the storage or non-storage state in the apparatus main body without requiring a driving means such as a motor or a power supply. Further, the protection operation of the recording unit by the cap member and the movement for storing or not storing the recording unit can be easily linked.

A printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head. .

In the above configuration, since the recording means is of the ink jet type, the configuration can be simplified with respect to the recording means of the wire dot type using a print ribbon or the like, so that the entire apparatus can be downsized. Furthermore, printing can be performed more clearly.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state of printing by the printing apparatus according to the present invention. The printing device 1 is an ink jet printing device that performs printing by scanning on a recording medium P such as paper. A printing head 12 that performs printing by ejecting ink is provided below a main body housing 1a. There is provided a head unit (recording means) 14 integrally formed with a roller (running means) 13 for causing the apparatus 1 to travel on the recording medium P. Further, the main body housing 1a is swingably connected to the head unit 14 in the scanning direction and in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction by the link mechanism 24 and a link mechanism 21 described later. Thereby, even if the main body housing 1a is in the inclined state, the head unit 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a configuration that enables a proper printing while maintaining a constant posture with respect to the recording medium P. Details of this configuration will be described later. Further, a cap 35 is provided on the main body housing 1a to protect the head unit 14 during non-printing. When printing is performed by the printer 1, the printer 1 is placed at a desired print start position on the recording medium P as shown in the figure, and the printer 1 is scanned in the direction of the arrow. According to the movement of the printing device 1 due to this scanning,
Ink is ejected from the recording head 12, and printing is performed on the recording medium P.

Main body housing 1a and head unit 14
The configuration of the connection portion with the will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the head unit 14,
(B) is a perspective view schematically showing a connection mechanism between the main body housing 1a and the head unit 14, and (c) is a side view of (b). The head unit 14 includes a head holder 14 a that supports the recording head 12, and an encoder unit 14 b that supports the roller 13 and includes an encoder for detecting the amount of rotation of the roller 13 therein. The recording head 12 is configured such that a fixed gap is maintained between the recording head P and the recording medium P by the lower portion of the head holder 14a and the rollers 13.

An ink supply pipe 15 for guiding ink from an ink cartridge (not shown) to the recording head 12 is connected to a connection portion 12a provided above the recording head 12, and is connected to the recording head 12 via a manifold 12b. Ink is supplied. Further, the recording head 12 is connected to an FPC (flexible printing circuit) 16 for inputting a control signal from a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the entire printing apparatus 1. Also,
The encoder in the encoder unit 14b is also FPC17
Is connected to the control unit. A shaft 23a for attaching a link mechanism described below is attached to the head holder 14a.
23b is provided.

The head unit 14 includes the head unit 1
4 is connected to the main body housing 1a via a holder 19 provided above. Main body housing 1a and holder 19
Are connected by a link mechanism 21 configured by crossing arms. This link mechanism 2
Reference numeral 1 designates three arms, namely, a pair of arms 21b rotatably provided on shafts 18b and 20b on both sides of the main body housing 1a and the holder 19 facing each other, and a main body housing 1a and a central portion of the upper surface of the holder 19. Axis 18a. 20a.

The holder 19 and the head unit 14 are
A four-node link mechanism where nodes intersect, that is, a link mechanism 24 formed by crossing two arms, is provided with shafts 22a, 22b, 23a, and 23b provided on opposite side surfaces.
Are rotatably provided as a pair. The arms 21b and 21b of the link mechanism 21 for connecting the main body housing 1a and the holder 19 are arranged on the surface in the scanning direction, respectively.
Link mechanism 2 between holder 19 and head unit 14
The two pairs of the four arms 24a and 24b are disposed on the surface at right angles to the scanning direction. With the above configuration,
The main body housing 1a can swing in the Y direction in the figure with respect to the recording medium P by the connection by the link mechanism 21, and can swing in the X direction (printing direction) in the figure by the connection by the link mechanism 24. .

Next, the swing of the head unit 14 with respect to the holder 19 by the link mechanism 24 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state in which the head unit 14 is not swinging, and FIG.
4 is a sectional view showing a state where the head unit 14 swings in the printing direction, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a state where the head unit 14 swings in the direction opposite to the printing direction. As described above, the link mechanism 24
Is composed of two crossed arms 24a and 24b. In a normal state, that is, in a state in which no force is applied to the main body housing 1a in the printing direction or in the opposite direction, the arms 24a and 24b move the head unit 14 to the main body housing 1a as shown in FIG. It is set to be parallel to In this state, when a force is applied to the main body housing 1a in the printing direction, the arm 24a is accordingly moved around the shaft 22a.
b rotates counterclockwise in the figure around the shaft 22b. As a result, as shown in FIG.
4 swings in the printing direction with respect to the holder 19, and the main body housing 1a
While maintaining the same posture as in the normal case, tilt in the printing direction.

When a force is applied to the main body housing 1a in a direction opposite to the printing direction from the normal state, the arm 24a is accordingly moved around the shaft 22a and the arm 24b is moved around the shaft 22b. Rotate clockwise. As a result, as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 4 swings in the direction opposite to the printing direction with respect to the holder 19, and the main body housing 1a tilts in the direction opposite to the printing direction while maintaining the attitude of the head unit 14 with respect to the recording medium P in the same manner as in normal times. . At this time, a force is applied to the link mechanism 21 connecting the holder 19 and the main body housing 1a in a direction perpendicular to the plane on which the arms 21a and 21b rotate, so that the head unit 14 swings by the link mechanism 21. Absent.

Next, the swing of the holder 19 and the head unit 14 with respect to the main body housing 1a by the link mechanism 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state where the holder 19 and the head unit 14 are not swinging, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the reference numeral 4 swings forward when viewed from the user. As described above, the link mechanism 21 is composed of three arms set to cross each other, that is, a pair of arms 21 b attached to the side surface of the holder 19 and an arm 21 a attached to the upper surface of the holder 19. In a normal state where no force is applied to the main body housing 1a on the front side or the opposite side when viewed from the user,
The arms 21a and 21b are, as shown in FIG.
The head unit 14 is set so as to be parallel to the main body housing 1a. From this state, when a force is applied to the main body housing 1a in a direction toward the user as viewed from the user, that is, in the right direction in the figure, the arm 21a
The arm 21b rotates counterclockwise in the figure around the shaft 18a and around the shaft 18b. As a result, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the holder 19 and the head unit 14 swing rightward, that is, toward the front side as viewed from the user, and the main body housing 1a changes the posture of the head unit 14 with respect to the recording medium P in the same manner as in the normal state. While keeping it, tilt it toward you as viewed from the user. At this time, the link 2 connecting the holder 19 and the head unit 14 has the arm 2
Since a force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the plane on which the 4a and 24b rotate, the head unit 14
There is no swing.

Although not particularly shown, when a force is applied to the main body housing 1a from the normal state in a direction opposite to the front side as viewed from the user, that is, in the left direction in the figure, the arm 21a is accordingly actuated. The arm 21b rotates clockwise about the axis 18a about the axis 18a. As a result, the holder 19 and the head unit 14 swing with respect to the main body housing 1a in a direction opposite to the front side as viewed from the user, and the main body housing 1a sets the posture of the head unit 14 with respect to the recording medium P as normal. In the same way, the user leans away from the user. Again,
There is no swing of the head unit 14 by the link mechanism 24. In FIG. 6, a detection switch 3 for detecting the presence or absence of the recording medium P is provided on the left side of the head unit 14a.
0 is provided.

Next, the movement of the head unit 14 between the print area and the non-print area will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing the printing apparatus 1 in a state where the head unit 14 is in a printing area, FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing the printing apparatus 1 in a state where the head unit 14 is in a non-printing area, and FIG. a) to (g)
Are the link mechanism 21 and the rotating arms 32a, 3a when the head unit 14 moves between the print area and the non-print area.
It is the side view which showed operation | movement of 2b part sequentially. The shafts 31a, 3d connected by gears 31c, 31d meshed with each other are provided on the upper portions of the shafts 18a, 18b of the link mechanism 21.
1b is provided. The shafts 31a and 31b are connected to the shafts 18a and 18b of the link mechanism 21 by rotating arms 32a and 32b, respectively. In this configuration,
When the shaft 31b is rotated counterclockwise, the shaft 31a rotates clockwise due to the engagement of the gear 31c and the gear 31d. As the shafts 31a and 31b rotate, the rotating arms 32a and 32b also rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, respectively.

When the rotating arms 32a and 32b rotate as described above, the rotating arms 32a and 32b
Arms 21a and 21 respectively connected to the tip of 2b
b moves sequentially as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (g). By the movement of the arms 21a and 21b, the holder 19 and the head unit 14 connected to the arms 21a and 21b are moved from the print area position shown in FIG.
It is moved upward to the non-printing area position shown in FIG. Each of the rotation arms 32a and 32b has a rotation angle of 90 degrees.
The arm 21a, 21b is set to be at the uppermost position when the arm 21a is moved 90 degrees (FIG. 9 (g)).

Next, the gear mechanism 33 for rotating the shaft 31b will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the printing apparatus 1 and the gear mechanism 33 in a state where the head unit 14 is in the non-printing area. A cap (cap member) 35 for protecting the head unit 14 is provided on the outer periphery of the main body housing 1a.
Is provided. The cap 35 is configured to be slidable with respect to the main body housing 1a,
A rack 35a that meshes with the gear 33a is formed. The gear mechanism 33 includes a gear 33a that converts a linear motion of the rack 35a into a rotary motion, and a shaft 31b of the rotary arm 32b.
A gear 33b having a large diameter that is coaxial with the shaft 31b and that rotates, and a gear 33c that transmits the rotation of the gear 33a to the gear 33b.

In the rack 35a and the gear mechanism 33 having the above configuration, when the cap 35 is moved downward when the head unit 14 is in the printing area (see FIG. 6), the rack 35a moves downward. With gear 3
3a rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The gear 33c meshing with the gear 33a rotates clockwise, and the gear 33b meshing with the gear 33c rotates counterclockwise. This gear 33
Due to the counterclockwise rotation of b, the shaft 31b and the rotating arm 32b also rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Shaft 31b and Shaft 31
Since a is meshed with the gears 31c and 31d, the shaft 31a and the rotating arm 32a rotate clockwise symmetrically with the shaft 31b and the rotating arm 32b. By this rotation, the rotation arms 32a and 32b move the arms 21a and 21b of the link mechanism 21 as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9G, so that the holder 19 and the head unit 14 move upward. And moves to the non-printing area shown in FIG. When moving the head unit 14 from the non-printing area to the printing area, the cap 35 is moved upward, and the gears of the gear mechanism 33 and the rotating arms 32a, 3a are moved.
2b and the shafts 31a, 31b are rotated in the opposite direction.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the cap 35 is moved, the linear movement of the cap 35 is converted into the rotational movement by the rack 35a and the gear mechanism 33, and the rotation is performed on the shafts 31b and 31a. Since the rotation is transmitted and the rotation arms 32a and 32b rotate symmetrically, the arms 21a and 21b of the link mechanism 21 rotate symmetrically to move the head unit 14 upward and housed in the main body housing 1a. I do. Thereby, the head unit 14
Can be freely inserted into and removed from the main body housing 1a, so that the possibility that the head unit 14 is exposed from the main body housing 1a due to an erroneous operation when the head unit 14 is stored can be reduced. In addition, the printing device 1 during non-printing can be made compact.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation arms 32a and 32b are rotated by the rack 35a and the gear mechanism 33 formed on the cap 35, but are not necessarily limited to this configuration. , For example, may be rotated by a motor or the like that is driven and controlled in accordance with the vertical movement of the cap 35. In the above-described embodiment, the cap 35 rotates the shaft 31b of the rotating arm 32b.
1a to be rotated, and the rotating arm 3
The shaft 31b of 2b may be rotated. Also,
In the above embodiment, the printing method of the recording head 12 is an ink jet method, but may be another printing method, for example, a wire dot method.

[0032]

As described above, according to the printing apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the recording means is moved from the non-storage state to the storage state with respect to the apparatus main body by the separation movement of the shaft of the link mechanism. In a state where the recording means is stored in the apparatus main body, the apparatus can be configured to be small. In addition, for example, when the recording head is covered by a shutter that opens and closes with a switch mechanism formed of a spring or the like, if the switch mechanism is erroneously pressed, the shutter opens and the recording head may be exposed from the apparatus main body. Exposure of the recording head due to such an erroneous operation can be prevented. Therefore, the recording head during non-printing can be reliably protected and breakage can be prevented.

In the printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, a crossing link mechanism is provided between the apparatus main body and the recording means as a pair near both opposing side surfaces. Even if the apparatus is tilted, only the apparatus body is tilted, the attitude of the recording head with respect to the recording medium is kept constant, and a stable printing operation can be performed.

According to the printing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, since the shaft of the link mechanism is rotatably supported at the distal ends of the pair of rotating arms, the shaft of the link mechanism can rotate. It moves with the rotation of the moving arm. Thus, by rotating the rotating arm, the recording means connected to the link mechanism can be reliably housed or not housed in the apparatus main body.

According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the shafts of the pair of rotating arms are connected by gears meshed with each other, and one of the gears is driven to rotate. Therefore, if one of the gears is rotated, both of the rotating arms can be rotated symmetrically to each other. Accordingly, the shaft of the link mechanism can be simultaneously moved symmetrically.

According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the gear of one of the rotating arms meshes with the rack of the cap member so that the cap member slides and the pair of rotating arms. Rotates, and the recording means is changed from the non-storage state to the storage state with respect to the apparatus main body. Therefore, the storage means can be stored in the apparatus main body without the need of a driving means such as a motor or a power supply. A storing operation can be performed. Further, the protection operation of the recording unit by the cap member and the movement for storing or not storing the recording unit can be easily linked.

Further, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the recording means is of the ink jet type, the configuration is simplified with respect to the recording means of the wire dot type using a printing ribbon or the like. Therefore, the size of the entire apparatus can be reduced, and printing can be performed more clearly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing state by a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a head unit.
(B) is a perspective view schematically showing a connection mechanism portion between the main body housing and the head unit, and (c) is a side view of (b).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the head unit is not swinging.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the head unit swings in the printing direction.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the head unit swings in a direction opposite to a printing direction.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state where the holder and the head unit are not swinging.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder and the head unit swing toward the user as viewed from the user.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the printing apparatus in a state where the head unit is in a printing area, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the printing apparatus in a state where the head unit is in a non-printing area.

FIGS. 9A to 9G are side views sequentially showing the operations of the link mechanism and the rotating arm when the head unit moves between the print area and the non-print area.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing device and the gear mechanism in a state where the head unit is in a non-printing area.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 1a Main body housing (apparatus main body) 12 Recording head 13 Roller (running means) 14 Head unit (recording means) 18a, 18b Axis (link mechanism axis) 21, 24 Link mechanism 31a, 31b Axis (rotation arm Shaft) 31c, 31d Gear 32a, 32b Rotating arm 35 Cap (cap member) 35a Rack

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A recording device, comprising: a recording head for performing printing on a recording medium with ink; and a traveling unit for traveling the apparatus on the recording medium, wherein the recording unit is manually scanned. In a printing apparatus for performing printing on a recording medium, the recording means is provided to be swingable with respect to the apparatus by a link mechanism, and a pair of shaft portions of the link mechanism are movable in directions away from each other. A printing apparatus, wherein the printing unit is provided so as to be moved from a non-storage state to a storage state with respect to the apparatus main body by the separation movement of the shaft portion. 2. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein the link mechanism is a cross-link mechanism provided as a pair near both opposing side surfaces between the apparatus main body and the recording means. apparatus. 3. The link mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a shaft of the link mechanism is rotatably supported at a distal end side of a pair of symmetrically rotatable rotating arms pivotally supported on the apparatus main body side. Item 3. The printing device according to Item 2. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shafts of said pair of rotating arms are connected by gears meshed with each other, and one of said gears is driven to rotate. 3. The printing device according to any one of 3. 5. A cap member which is slidable with respect to a housing of the apparatus main body and provided with a rack which meshes with a gear of said one rotating arm, is provided with a sliding operation of said cap member. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pair of rotation arms rotate, and the recording unit is configured to change from a non-storage state to a storage state with respect to the apparatus main body. . 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printhead is an ink-jet printhead.