JPS62220340A - Liquid jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve the miniaturization of an apparatus, the prevention of the bending of ink feed passage and the reduction of the stress of the joint part between a recording head and the ink feed passage, by providing a control means for controlling the direction of the ink feed passage moving synchronized with the operation of a carriage. CONSTITUTION:The ink feed passage 6 connected to a sub-ink tank 5 is connected to a main ink tank going over a pulley 14 on the midway. The pulley 14 is in a free rotation manner, fixed to a pulley axis 15 and made to travel freely on an ink feed passage 6. The pulley axis 15 is, in a free transfer manner, mounted to two guide shafts 2 apart from a carriage 3, further fixed to a timing belt 11 at a fixing part 15a and moves on the guide shaft 2 as the belt 11 moves. The timing belt 11 is made to go over other pulley 12b than the pulley 12a and moves at a rate corresponding to the radial ratio of pulley 12a to 12b following the rotating of the output axis of a motor 13. Then, the positional relation between the carriage 3 and the pulley 14 is preliminarily adjusted not to generate deflection or the like in the ink feed passage 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention has an inkjet recording head on a movable carriage, and an ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head. The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording device including a flexible ink supply path that connects the two.

[Prior Art] As a liquid jet recording device used as a high performance recording device such as a printer or facsimile as an output device of computer equipment, for example, as shown in FIGS. Two guide shafts 2 are provided, and the carriage 3 is installed using the guide shafts 2 as a running path.
There are some structures that are designed to be able to travel and move. A recording head section 4 disposed facing the platen 1 and a sub-ink tank 5 located behind it are mounted and fixed on the carriage 3. An ink supply path 6 for feeding ink from a main ink tank (not shown) is connected to the sub-ink tank 5, and the sub-ink tank 5 and the recording head section 4 are connected by an ink supply pipe 7. In this case, since the carriage 3 reciprocates on the guide shaft 2, the relative position between the main ink tank at a fixed position and the sub-ink tank 5 on the carriage 3 constantly changes. For this reason, the ink supply path 6 is set to a sufficient length in consideration of the movement of the carriage 3,
It is accommodated with a large bending radius.

However, in the conventional device, the bending radius of the ink supply path 6 is
Even when it is bent naturally, it becomes very large, posing a problem of storage space. This is true for devices with a large recording area, that is, the amount of carriage movement is large.
This is particularly problematic when a long ink supply path 6 is required. Furthermore, in high-speed printers, the diameter of the ink supply path 6 must be increased due to an increase in the amount of ink supplied, and the bending radius tends to become larger.

For this reason, attempts have been made to make the material of the ink supply path 6 softer, but simply making it soft will cause the ink supply path 6 to bend, causing problems in ink feeding. Furthermore, in high-speed printers, the faster the carriage moves, the more the ink supply path 6 swings in any direction, such as up and down or left and right. Carriage scanning could be disrupted due to contact.

However, there is a strong demand for higher performance of devices such as higher speeds, and for this reason, in the past, the bending radius of the ink supply path 6 had to be increased, and furthermore, the ink supply path 6 had to be oscillated. Coupled with the unstable behavior of the ink supply path 6, not only does the ink supply path 6 tend to come into contact with the upper surface of the casing of the liquid jet recording device and the surrounding members of the ink supply path 6, but also the ink may come into contact with the casing and surrounding members as the carriage 3 moves. Frictional contact with the supply channel 6 is repeated, and wear and tear may occur. Such an ink supply path 6
Damage to the ink may lead to failure of other parts due to leaked ink, so it is necessary to reliably avoid this. Furthermore, in an apparatus with a large recording area, as the length of the ink supply path 6 increases, the behavior of the ink supply path 6 becomes even more unstable, and contact with the surrounding areas of the ink supply path becomes more likely to occur. This also causes problems such as damage to the ink supply path and poor carriage scanning.

It may be possible to increase the height of the upper surface of the casing so that the ink supply path 6 does not come into contact with the upper surface of the casing, thereby providing ample space, but this has the disadvantage of increasing the size of the apparatus.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned conventional problems, and controls the curvature of a flexible ink supply path that communicates with an ink tank and supplies ink to an inkjet recording head, thereby reducing wear and tear. To provide a new liquid jet recording device that has a simple structure that prevents damage, downsizes the device, prevents ink supply paths from breaking, and reduces stress at the connection between a recording head and an ink supply path. The purpose is to

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above objects of the present invention are achieved by the present invention below.

A movable carriage, an inkjet recording head installed on the carriage, and an inkjet head installed on the carriage.
[・1) Call/I) included → -Puno 1 Oh? -1111'
In a liquid jet recording apparatus comprising a tank, a flexible ink supply path for communicating with the ink tank and supplying ink to the inkjet recording head, the liquid jet recording apparatus is configured to synchronize with the operation of the carriage. A liquid jet recording apparatus characterized in that a regulating means is provided for regulating the direction of the moving ink supply path.

[Example] The present invention will be described below based on the drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in the figures, this liquid jet recording apparatus has two guide shafts 2 disposed parallel to a platen 1. A carriage 3 is movably mounted. A sub-ink tank 5 is attached to the carriage 3, and the structure is such that ink is sent from a main ink tank (not shown) to the sub-ink tank 5 via an ink supply path (tube) 6.

Here, a recording head 4 faces the platen 1 and prints.
As shown in FIG. 1, it is detachable from the carriage 3 and sub-ink tank 5. The recording head 4 is supplied with ink from a main ink tank via an ink supply path 6 connected to a sub-ink tank 5 while mounted on the carriage 3 . Then, the recording head 4
and the carriage 3 equipped with the sub-ink tank 5.
It is fixed to a part of the timing belt IO passed around the pulley 12a, and reciprocatingly scans the surface of the platen l in conjunction with the belt IO. The timing belt 10 is driven by fixing a pulley 12a to the output shaft of a motor 13 whose rotational direction can be changed arbitrarily, and rotating the pulley 12a according to the rotation of the motor 13.
This is done by rotating 2a.

Here, the ink supply path 6 connected to the sub-ink tank 5 is connected to the ink supply path 6 in synchronization with the operation of the carriage 3.
Basically, the timing belt 11, pulleys 12b, 14, and pulley
The direction of the connection is restricted by the restriction means referred to in the present invention consisting of Ib15.

More specifically, the ink supply path 6 connected to the sub-ink tank 5 is connected to the main ink tank through a pulley 14 in the middle. The pulley 14 has a groove 14a.
are provided, and hold the ink supply path 6 in such a manner that the ink supply path 6 is sandwiched between the groove portion 14a. That is, the ink supply path 6
is sub ink tank 5 and main ink tank 2.
The ink supply path 6 is fixed between the points, and the connection direction thereof is regulated by the pulley 14 through which the ink supply path 6 passes. This pulley 14 moves in synchronization with the movement of the carriage 3, as will be described later. At this time, the pulley I4 moves while rotating smoothly as the ink supply path 6 moves relative to each other. Therefore, although the relative positions of the carriage 3 and the pulley 14 change, the ink supply path 6 is fixed between the main ink tank and the sub-ink tank 5 mounted on the carriage 3, and moves in synchronization with the carriage 3. The relationship in which the ink supply path 6 is connected to the pulley 14 does not change, and the connection direction of the ink supply path 6 is maintained constant regardless of whether the carriage 3 is traveling.

Here, the pulley 14 is rotatably fixed to a pulley shaft 15 and can freely run on the ink supply path 6 . The pulley shaft 15 is movably mounted on a two-piece guide shaft 2 on which a carriage 3 is mounted, separately from the carriage 3. Furthermore, the pulley @15 is attached to the fixed part 1 of the shaft 15.
5a to the timing belt 11, and the belt 1
1 moves on the guide shaft z.

This timing belt 11 is attached to a pulley 1 on which a timing belt 10 to which a carriage 3 is fixed is hung.
2a is passed to another pulley 12b, and pulley 1
According to the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 13 to which 2a and 12b are fixed, the pulleys 2a and 12b move in synchronization with the timing belt IO at a rate corresponding to the radius ratio of the pulleys 12a and +2b. Of course, the radius ratio can be set as desired, but
In this example, the pulley shaft 15 is
The radius ratio of pulley 12a and pulley 12b is set to 2=1 so that the amount of movement of is I72.

In this way, the carriage 3 fixed to each of the timing belts lO and 11 and the pulley shaft 15 move relative to each other on the guide shaft z at a rate corresponding to the radius ratio of the pulleys 12a and 12b. 15
Since the pulley 14 rotatably fixed to the ink supply path 6 rotates together with the pulley shaft 15, the ink supply path 6 and the pulley 14 rotate. The horizontal relationship with 5 does not change,
The connection direction of the ink supply path 6 to the sub-ink tank 5 on the carriage 3 is kept constant and regulated regardless of whether the carriage is traveling (see Figs. 2(a) and 2(b)).
)reference). This relationship is established between the carriage 3 and the pulley 14 so that the ink supply path 6 is not bent.
If the positional relationship is regulated in advance, it will not change regardless of whether the carriage is traveling. In the figure, 8 is a signal line for sending a print pattern signal to the recording head 4, and 4a is a nozzle hole of the recording head 4 through which ink is ejected for printing.

[Function] According to the liquid jet recording apparatus having such a configuration, the ink supply path 6 does not have a large bending radius as shown in FIG. The direction of the connection is also controlled while the connection center line is maintained in a straight line. In addition, the ink supply path follows the carriage without swinging when the carriage moves, enabling stable operation, making it possible not only to reduce the height and size of the device, but also to improve reliability. be.

This prevents the ink supply path from curving or bending not only in the vertical direction but also in the carriage scanning direction, preventing it from coming into contact with the top surface of the casing or the surrounding area of the ink supply path. This eliminates problems such as abrasion of the ink supply path and poor scanning of the carriage. Furthermore, the connection part of the ink supply path is not subjected to excessive bending and does not move vertically or horizontally.
The stress at this location can be reduced. Such effects are independent of the size of the recording area.

In the above embodiment, the bending radius of the ink supply path 6 is determined by the radius of the pulley 14, but the bending radius may be selected as appropriate depending on the material and size of the ink supply path used. Good choice. Further, although the sub-ink tank 5 is used in the above example, the present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the sub-ink tank 5 is not provided and the ink supply path 6 is directly connected to the recording head 4. It is. Of course, it goes without saying that the regulatory means are not limited to those mentioned above.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to regulate the direction of a flexible ink supply path, prevent wear and tear, reduce the size of the device, and further prevent bending of the ink supply path. It has now become possible to provide a novel liquid jet recording apparatus that can not only prevent this problem but also reduce stress at the connection between the recording head and the ink supply path.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a liquid jet recording device of the present invention;
FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams for explaining the state of the liquid jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when the carriage is running, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of essential parts of an example of a conventional liquid jet recording device, and FIG. 4 is a rear view of FIG. 3. l; platen 2; guide shaft 3; carriage 4; recording head 5; sub-ink tank 6; ink supply path 10, ll; timing belt 12a, 12b, 14; pulley 15; boolean shaft

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A movable carriage, an inkjet recording head provided on the carriage, an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the inkjet recording head, and an inkjet recording head that communicates with the ink tank and supplies ink to the inkjet recording head. A liquid jet recording apparatus having a flexible ink supply path, further comprising a regulating means for regulating the direction of the ink supply channel that moves in synchronization with the movement of the carriage. Recording device.