WO2016093032A1 - Carriage lifting/lowering mechanism and inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to prevent a carriage and a support mechanism for the carriage from breaking. Provided is a carriage lifting/lowering mechanism for lifting and lowering each carriage 120. A single carriage 120 has: a first lifting/lowering section 40 for supporting one end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction thereof and lifting and lowering the carriage 120; and a second lifting/lowering section 50B for supporting the other end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction thereof and lifting and lowering the carriage 120. The first and second lifting/lowering sections are individually provided with lifting/lowering motors. The carriage lifting/lowering mechanism is characterized in that: the first lifting/lowering section 40 supports the one end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction thereof so that the one end can pivot in the direction in which the other end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction thereof moves vertically; and the second lifting/lowering section 50B supports the other end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction thereof so that the carriage 120 is movable in the longitudinal direction.

Description

Carriage lifting mechanism and ink jet recording apparatus

The present invention relates to a carriage lifting mechanism and an inkjet recording apparatus that lift and lower a carriage that holds a head.

As a recording apparatus capable of forming an image on various recording media such as plain paper and plastic thin plate, there is an inkjet image forming apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus).
An ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage on which a plurality of ink jet heads that discharge ink from nozzle holes are mounted, a transport mechanism that transports a recording medium, and a carriage drive mechanism that transports the carriage along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium. I have.
In recent years, an elevating mechanism for elevating the carriage is mounted in order to perform a maintenance operation for a plurality of nozzles provided on the bottom surface of the ink jet head and to cope with recording media of various thicknesses. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
This elevating mechanism includes a base plate that supports a carriage as a support member for holding a plurality of heads with a screw shaft, a pulley having a screw hole that is screwed into the screw shaft, and a stepping motor that rotates the pulley via a timing belt. The carriage is lifted and lowered by driving a stepping motor.

JP 2002-307668 A

In recent inkjet recording apparatuses, the number of nozzles and the number of heads to be mounted have increased in order to improve the image quality of formed images, and the size of the carriage has been increasing. In particular, in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a so-called full-line head unit that is equipped with nozzles over the entire width of the recording medium in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction) and does not move the carriage in the width direction. The increase in size and weight of the carriage is remarkable.
However, since the conventional lifting mechanism lifts and lowers the carriage with a single stepping motor mounted on the base plate, the lifting and lowering operation of the carriage smoothly proceeds as the size and weight increase as described above. It was difficult.
For this, a measure to increase the number of motors to two is conceivable. However, if the two ends of the carriage are moved up and down by two motors, if one of the motors fails or malfunctions, only the remaining motors. However, there has been a risk that the carriage and its lifting mechanism may be destroyed because the carriage is tilted obliquely, deformed, or the carriage falls off by continuing the lifting operation.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the occurrence of breakage of the carriage and its lifting mechanism.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention described in claim 1
A carriage lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers a carriage that mounts a head for forming an image on a recording medium,
For one carriage, a first elevating unit that supports one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage and applies an elevating operation, and a second elevating unit that supports the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage and provides an elevating operation An elevating part,
The first elevating unit and the second elevating unit individually include elevating motors that serve as driving sources for the elevating operation,
The first elevating unit supports one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage so that the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage can move up and down,
The second elevating part supports the other end part of the carriage in the longitudinal direction so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the carriage.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the carriage lifting mechanism according to the first aspect,
The second elevating unit supports the other end portion of the carriage in the longitudinal direction so that the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage moves in the vertical direction in addition to the movement along the longitudinal direction. It is characterized by that.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the carriage lifting mechanism according to the first or second aspect,
The first elevating part supports one end part in the longitudinal direction of the carriage by a round bar, a rotating body, or a sliding contact body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the carriage lifting mechanism according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The second elevating part supports the other end part in the longitudinal direction of the carriage by a round bar, a rotating body, or a sliding contact body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the carriage lifting mechanism according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
Both the first elevating unit and the second elevating unit are supported so that the carriage is not separated upward.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the carriage lifting mechanism according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
An abnormality detection unit for detecting an abnormality in the lifting and lowering operation of the carriage;
And a stop control unit that stops driving of all the lifting motors when an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage is detected.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the carriage lifting mechanism according to the sixth aspect,
The abnormality detection unit has an upper limit sensor that detects arrival of a predetermined upper limit position for each of one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage,
The stop control unit stops driving of all the lifting motors when the carriage is lifted and the arrival of the upper limit position is not detected for at least one of the one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage. Features.

The invention described in claim 8 is the carriage lifting mechanism according to claim 6 or 7,
The abnormality detection unit has a lower limit sensor that detects the arrival of a predetermined lower limit position for each of one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage,
The stop control unit stops driving of all the lifting motors when the carriage is lowered and at least one of the one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage is not detected to reach the lower limit position. Features.

The invention according to claim 9 is an inkjet recording apparatus,
A carriage lifting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is provided.

With the above configuration, the present invention can reduce the occurrence of breakage of the carriage and its lifting mechanism.

It is a perspective view of an inkjet recording device. It is a perspective view of a carriage raising / lowering mechanism. It is a front view of a carriage raising / lowering mechanism. It is a perspective view of the one end part of a carriage. It is a perspective view of the one end part and 1st raising / lowering part of a carriage. It is a perspective view of the one end part and 1st raising / lowering part of a carriage. It is a perspective view of the support stand of a 1st raising / lowering part. It is a side view of the support stand of a 1st raising / lowering part. It is a perspective view of the other end part of a carriage, and the 2nd raising / lowering part. It is a perspective view of the support stand of a 2nd raising / lowering part. It is a side view of the support stand of a 2nd raising / lowering part. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of an inkjet recording device. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure containing the control system of a carriage raising / lowering mechanism. It is a perspective view of the other end part of a carriage, and the other example of a 1st raising / lowering part. It is a perspective view of the other end part of a carriage, and another example of the 2nd raising / lowering part. It is a schematic front view of the other end part of a carriage and the other example of a 2nd raising / lowering part. It is a schematic front view in the inclination state of a carriage.

[Inkjet recording apparatus]
An inkjet recording apparatus 100 as an image forming apparatus equipped with a carriage lifting mechanism 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire inkjet recording apparatus 100.

The ink jet recording apparatus 100 includes a plurality (not shown) of a transport device 110 that transports a recording medium along a horizontal direction and a plurality of heads (not shown) that perform image formation by ejecting ink from above onto the transported recording medium. For example, the apparatus mainly includes eight carriages 120, a carriage lifting mechanism 10 that supports each carriage 120, a control device 150 (see FIG. 12) that controls these components, and a frame 140 that supports the whole.
In the following description, the recording medium conveyance direction is the Y direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the Y direction is the X direction, and the vertical vertical direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction is the Z direction.

[Conveyor]
The transport device 110 includes a drive roller 111 and a driven roller (not shown), a transport motor 112 (see FIG. 12), and a transport belt 113.
The driving roller 111 and the driven roller are rotatably supported by the shaft, and the driving roller 111 is disposed so as to extend in the X direction. The transport motor 112 is a drive source for rotationally driving the drive roller 111, and is attached to one end side of the drive roller 111.
The conveyor belt 113 is formed in an endless shape, and is stretched between the driving roller 111 and the driven roller. When the driving roller 111 rotates, the conveying belt 113 circulates between the driving roller 111 and the driven roller and conveys the recording medium placed on the upper surface thereof in the extending direction (Y direction) of the conveying belt 113. When the rotation of the driving roller 111 is stopped, the circulation between both rollers is stopped, and the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped.
As the recording medium, it is possible to use resin films, metals, etc. in addition to paper and fabric.

[flame]
As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 140 extends in the Y direction and supports the conveyor belt 113 via a driving roller 111 and a driven roller that are rotatably provided at both ends thereof.
Further, the frame 140 supports eight carriage lifting mechanisms 10 arranged in the Y direction above the transport belt 113, and each carriage lifting mechanism 10 supports the carriage 120 so as to straddle the transport belt 113. is doing.

[carriage]
The carriage lifting mechanism 10 can arbitrarily adjust the distance between the recording medium on the conveyor belt 113 and the nozzles of the inkjet head 129a (see FIG. 12) by moving the carriage 120 up and down. Thereby, the nozzle of the inkjet head 129a can be adjusted to a height suitable for image formation corresponding to various recording media having different thicknesses.
When the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a maintenance device that performs maintenance such as forced ink suction, ink discharge, nozzle surface wiping, capping, and moisturizing processing to the inkjet head 129a of each carriage 120, a carriage lifting mechanism 10, the carriage 120 can be adjusted to a height suitable for maintenance work.

2 is a perspective view of the carriage 120 and the carriage lifting mechanism 10, and FIG. 3 is a front view. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 120 includes two beam members 121, 121 along the Y direction and four column members connected to the lower portions near both ends of the beam members 121, 121. 122,..., Plate members 123, 123 installed between the two column members 122, 122 on the one end side in the Y direction and between the two column members 122, 122 on the other end side in the Y direction, The elongate member 124 erected along the Y direction between the two column members 122 and 122 located at both ends of the beam members 121 and 121, and the lower members of the plate members 123 and 123, respectively. In the state along the YZ plane inside the standing wall members 125, 125, the bottom plate 126 erected along the Y direction between the standing wall members 125, 125, and inside the standing wall members 125, 125 and the bottom plate 126 A partition plate 127 provided, That.

The beam members 121 and 121, the column members 122 and 122, the plate members 123 and 123, and the long member 124 form a rectangular frame that is entirely along the X direction at the top of the carriage 120. The frame made of these members has a plurality of (for example, eight) control boards 128 in which a drive circuit 128a (see FIG. 12) for controlling the ejection operations of the plurality of inkjet heads 129a held by the carriage 120 is incorporated in the X direction. Are kept in line. In addition, an ink pipe (not shown) that supplies and discharges ink to each inkjet head 129a is also held.
In addition, the two beam members 121 and 121 have both end portions in the X direction protruding outward at the upper end portion of the carriage 120, and the protruding portions at both ends are supported by the carriage lifting mechanism 10.

On the upper surface of the bottom plate 126, two module rows (for example, 15 per row) in which a plurality of head modules 129 formed by uniting the inkjet heads 129 a as two heads are arranged in the X direction sandwich the partition plate 127. Are arranged (one row is not shown). In these two rows of modules, each head module 129 in the other module row is arranged between the head module 129 in one module row and the head module 129 in the X direction so that the head modules 129 are arranged in a staggered manner. It is arranged to be located.
As a result, it is possible to form dots seamlessly across the entire width of the recording medium. That is, the carriage 120 constitutes a full line type head unit.

The inkjet head 129a has four nozzle rows formed of a plurality of nozzles arranged along the X direction at a uniform nozzle pitch on the bottom nozzle surface. These four nozzle rows are arranged at regular intervals in the Y direction, and the second nozzle row in the Y direction is one of the X direction (1/2 of the nozzle pitch with respect to the first nozzle row) ( Or the third nozzle row is arranged offset in one (or the other) in the X direction by 1/4 of the nozzle pitch with respect to the first nozzle row, and the fourth nozzle row. The rows are arranged offset in one (or the other) in the X direction by 1/2 of the nozzle pitch with respect to the third nozzle row.
In addition, the head module 129 is unitized with an arrangement in which two inkjet heads 129a are offset by 1/8 of the nozzle pitch in the X direction, so that a total of eight nozzle rows of the two inkjet heads 129a are arranged as nozzles. The state is offset in the X direction by 1/8 of the pitch. As a result, it is possible to perform dot formation at a dot pitch that is 1/8 of the nozzle pitch, and the density of the formed image is increased. The number of nozzle rows of each inkjet head 129a is not limited to the above, and it is sufficient that it is at least two, and the offset amount should be appropriately determined according to the number of nozzle rows.

The bottom plate 126 is formed with openings for the ink jet heads 129a of the head modules 129 to discharge ink, and the head modules 129 are positioned and attached to the openings with high accuracy. Also, when two ink jet heads 129a are attached to each head module 129, highly accurate positioning is performed.
The nozzles of the inkjet heads 129 a located at the bottom of the carriage 120 are disposed so as to face the upper surface of the transport belt 113.

The eight carriages 120 are respectively Y (yellow), Lm (light magenta), Or (orange), M (magenta), Bk (black), Bl (blue), C (cyan), and Lc (light cyan). The frame 140 is equipped to eject ink of the eight colors.
These color carriages 120 are arranged in the order of Y, Lm, Or, M, Bk, Bl, C, and Lc along the transport direction. The number of carriages is arbitrary, and the color is not limited to the above example, but can be a single color or any combination.

[Carriage lifting mechanism]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the eight carriages 120 is supported by a carriage lifting mechanism 10 so as to be movable up and down, and each carriage lifting mechanism 10 has a frame 140 above a conveying belt 113 extending in the Y direction. Are supported in a state of being aligned in the Y direction.
Each carriage elevating mechanism 10 includes beam members 11 and 11 formed of two prisms provided on the frame 140 so as to straddle the conveyor belt 113, and one end portion and the other end portion of the two beam members 11 and 11. The elevating motors 20 and 20 that are driving sources for the lifting and lowering operation of the carriage fixedly mounted on the upper ends of the support units 12 and 12, and the elevating motors 20 and 20 respectively. Electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 (see FIG. 13) as provided brake devices, and first and second elevating units as transmission mechanisms that convert torque outputs of the elevating motors 20 and 20 into vertical vertical movement forces 40 and 50 and a control system of each carriage lifting mechanism 10.
Hereinafter, each configuration of the carriage lifting mechanism 10 will be described (the control system will be described later separately).

The two beam members 11 are attached horizontally along the X direction above the transport belt 113 in the upper part of the frame 140.
Further, two support portions 12 and 12 are disposed at both ends of the two beam members 11 and 11 so as to sandwich the conveyor belt 113. A carriage 120 is disposed in a region formed by the two beam members 11 and 11 and the two support portions 12 and having a rectangular shape when viewed from above.

The two elevating motors 20 and 20 are both supported by the support portions 12 and 12 with their output shafts directed downward.
These elevating motors 20 and 20 are motors (for example, servo motors and stepping motors) whose output shaft rotation amount can be arbitrarily controlled by a control device 150 via motor drivers 21 and 21 described later. 20 and 20 are provided with encoders 22 and 22 for detecting the rotation amount of the output shaft (see FIG. 13).

The electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 include a disc rotor fixedly mounted on the output shafts of the elevating motors 20 and 20, a brake pad that generates a frictional force by sandwiching the disc rotor, and a brake pad in a direction that sandwiches the disc rotor. An elastic body for pressurization and an actuator for releasing the disk rotor from the brake pad against the elastic body are provided.
The electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 are in a braking state in which the brake pad sandwiches the disk rotor according to the elastic body when the actuator is not energized, and the disk rotor is released and released when the drive current is applied to the actuator.

Note that the single lifting motor 20 and the single electromagnetic brake 30 are integrally connected to form a motor unit 200, and the two motor units 200 are moved up and down with respect to one carriage 120. It has become.

[Carriage lifting mechanism: first lifting part]
The first elevating unit 40 employs a so-called ball screw mechanism, and a ball screw shaft 41 connected to the output shaft of the elevating motor 20, a slider 42 incorporating a ball nut, and the slider 42 slide along the Z direction. A pair of slide guides 43 (one of which is not shown) is supported.

The slider 42 is supported by a pair of slide guides 43 provided on the support plate 12a of the support portion 12 so as to be movable up and down along the Z direction. On the other hand, the ball screw shaft 41 is rotatably supported by the support plate 12a along the Z direction, and the ball screw shaft 41 is inserted into a ball nut built in the slider. When the ball screw shaft 41 is rotated by the lift motor 20, the slider 42 is given a lift operation.

Also, a position detecting piece 421 protruding outward is provided at one end of the slider 42 in the Y direction. Above the position detection piece 421, an upper limit sensor 422 for detecting the upper limit position of the predetermined lifting / lowering operation range of the carriage 120 is provided, and below the position detection piece 421, a predetermined carriage 120 is provided. A lower limit sensor 423 for detecting the lower limit position of the lifting / lowering operation range is provided. The upper limit sensor 422 and the lower limit sensor 423 are both fixed to the support plate 12a. When the position detection piece 421 reaches the detection position for the upper limit sensor 422 when the carriage is raised, it is detected that the carriage 120 has reached the upper limit position. When the position detection piece 421 reaches the detection position for the lower limit sensor 423 when the carriage is lowered, the carriage It is detected that 120 has reached the lower limit position. When these sensors 422 and 423 are detected, the driving of the elevating motors 20 and 20 is stopped, and the carriage 120 is controlled to move up and down within the range of the upper limit position from the lower limit position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an end portion of the carriage 120 on the first lifting portion 40 side. As shown in this figure, plate-like support blocks 130 and 130 are screwed on opposite surfaces of the two beam members 121 and 121 of the carriage 120 in the X direction on opposite surfaces of the beam members 121 and 121, respectively. Each support block 130, 130 is rotatably supported by a roller 131, 131 as a rotating body on the opposing surface (one support block 130 is shown by a two-dot chain line). ). The rollers 131 and 131 are supported via bearings 133 and 133 by rotating shafts 132 and 132 that protrude from the opposing surfaces of the support blocks 130 and 130 along the Y direction. Moreover, these rotating shafts 132 and 132 are arranged on the same line along the Y direction.
4 shows the end portion of the carriage 120 on the first elevating part 40 side, the same support blocks 130 and 130 and the roller 131 are also provided on the end part of the carriage 120 on the second elevating part 50 side. 131, rotating shafts 132, 132 and bearings 133, 133 are mounted in the same state.

5 is a perspective view showing a support state of the carriage 120 of the first elevating unit 40, FIG. 6 is a perspective view seen from a different direction, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the support base 44 of the first elevating unit 40. . As shown in these drawings, a support base 44 that supports one end of the carriage 120 is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the slider 42 of the first elevating unit 40.

The support table 44 is a rectangular flat block, and is fixedly mounted on the upper end surface of the slider 42 with screws in a state where the flat plate surface is along the XY plane.
That is, the support base 44 is formed with three screw holes 441,... For fixing to the slider 42 at one end in the X direction, and is mounted at one end of the carriage 120 at the other end. A pair of recesses 442, 442 into which the pair of rollers 131, 131 are individually fitted is formed. Further, the width of the support base 44 in the Y direction is equal to or slightly narrower than the distance between the opposed surfaces of the pair of support blocks 130 described above.

Each of the concave portions 442 and 442 is formed at a boundary position between the upper surface of the support base 44 and the end surface on the end side in the Y direction, and is uniformly semicircular along the Y direction. Thereby, each recessed part 442,442 can fit the lower half of a pair of rollers 131 and 131 from upper direction. Further, in a state where the pair of rollers 131 and 131 are fitted in the pair of recesses 442 and 442, one end portion of the carriage 120 in the X direction cannot move with respect to the support base 44 in all directions except the upper side. To be restrained.
Each of the recesses 442 and 442 has a chamfered inclined surface 442a at the upper end thereof to facilitate the fitting of the roller 131.
In addition, you may form each recessed part 442,442 deeper if the inner bottom part is semicircular in cross section. In that case, the rollers 131 and 131 penetrate deeply into the recesses 442 and 442 and are firmly held.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, one end portion of the carriage 120 supported by the first elevating unit 40 is disengaged upward from the support table 44 on the upper surface of the support table 44 and above the recesses 442 and 442. A detachment stop 45 is attached to restrain the detachment. The detachment stopper 45 is long in the Y direction, and a pair of rollers 131, in which extending portions 451 and 451 extending along the Y direction from the upper portions of both ends thereof are fitted in the concave portions 442 and 442, 131 is pressed from above and the upward movement of the carriage 120 is restricted. The detachment stopper 45 is fixed to the support base 44 with screws after the pair of rollers 131 and 131 are fitted in the recesses 442 and 442, respectively.

The first elevating unit 40 is supported by the above-described configuration so that the other end can be pivoted up and down around the pair of rollers 131 on the one end side of the carriage 120.

[Carriage lifting mechanism: second lifting part]
This second elevating unit 50 is different from the first elevating unit 40 only in the support base 54, and the other configurations are mainly different from the first elevating unit 40 because they are all the same. In the second elevating unit 50, the same components as those of the first elevating unit 40 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

9 is a perspective view showing a support state of the carriage 120 of the second elevating unit 50, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the support base 54 of the second elevating unit 50. As shown in these drawings, the upper end portion of the slider 42 of the second elevating unit 50 is connected to the other end portion in the Y direction of the carriage 120 (the end opposite to the end portion supported by the first elevating unit 40). The support base 54 is fixedly supported.

The support base 54 is a rectangular flat block, and is fixedly mounted on the upper end surface of the slider 42 with screws in a state where the flat plate surface is along the XY plane.
That is, the support base 54 is formed with three screw holes 541,... For fixing to the slider 42 at one end in the X direction, and is provided at the other end of the carriage 120 at the other end. A pair of recesses 542 and 542 into which the pair of rollers 131 and 131 are inserted are formed. Further, the width of the support base 54 in the Y direction is equal to or slightly narrower than the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of support blocks 130 and 130 described above.

Each recess 542, 542 is formed at a boundary position between the upper surface of the support base 54 and the end surface on the end side in the Y direction. Moreover, each recessed part 542,542 is a slit shape long in a X direction, Comprising: The one end surface side in the X direction of the support stand 54 is reached. Further, the inner bottom surface 542a of each recess 542, 542 is a flat surface along the XY plane, and the width of the inner bottom surface 542a in the Y direction is the same as or slightly wider than the width of the roller 131 in the Y direction. ing.

In addition, the carriage 120 is normally connected to a control device 150 (described later) so that the carriage 120 moves up and down within the range from the upper limit position to the lower limit position by the upper limit sensors 422 and 422 and the lower limit sensors 423 and 423 of the respective lifting units 40 and 50 described above. Is being monitored. Therefore, the maximum inclination angle of the carriage 120 that may occur due to a failure or malfunction of one lifting motor 20 is when one end of the carriage 120 is the upper limit position and the other end is the lower limit position.
Accordingly, the inner bottom surfaces 542a and 542a of the recesses 542 and 542 are at least longer than the distance that the rollers 131 and 131 move when the carriage 120 is inclined at the maximum inclination angle in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120. It has a length.
Thereby, even when the carriage 120 is inclined at the maximum angle, the support base 54 of the second elevating unit 50 can support the rollers 131 and 131 without dropping them.

Thereby, each recessed part 542,542 can insert the lower half of a pair of rollers 131,131 from upper direction, and can be mounted in inner bottom face 542a, 542a. Further, in a state where the pair of rollers 131 and 131 are placed on the inner bottom surfaces 542a and 542a of the pair of recesses 542 and 542, the other end portion in the X direction of the carriage 120 with respect to the support base 54 is not above and in the X direction. It is restrained so that it cannot move in the direction of.
That is, unlike the support base 44 of the first elevating unit 40, the support base 54 of the second elevating unit 50 supports the other end of the carriage 120 so as to be movable in the X direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120. ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the support base 54 is attached with a stopper 45 that restrains the other end portion of the carriage 120 from being detached upward with respect to the support base 54, similarly to the support base 44. Yes. The detachment stop 45 is the same as the detachment stop 45 of the first elevating unit 40.

The second elevating unit 50 is rotated in the direction in which one end moves up and down around the pair of rollers 131 and 131 on the other end side of the carriage 120 in the same manner as the first elevating unit 40 by the above configuration. I support it as possible.
In addition, the second elevating unit 50 supports a pair of rollers 131 on the other end side of the carriage 120 so as to be movable along the X direction.

[Control device]
As shown in FIG. 12, the control device 150 includes a memory 151, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 152, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 153, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 154, etc., which are connected to a bus 155. Thus, data can be exchanged between the units of the inkjet recording apparatus 100. The control device 150 is connected to an external print server, an electronic computer such as a personal computer (PC), a storage device, and a scanner device (not shown) for reading an image via a communication unit 156, and print jobs, prints Send and receive target image data.
In FIG. 12, only one of the carriage 120 and the carriage lifting mechanism 10 is shown, and the other illustrations are omitted.

The memory 151 temporarily stores image data input from the outside via the communication unit 156.
The CPU 152 performs overall control of the overall operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 and performs various arithmetic processes. The CPU 152 outputs control signals to the transport device 110, the inkjet head 129a, and the carriage lifting mechanism 10 according to a program read from the ROM 153, and performs various processes related to image formation.
Here, the CPU 152 may be controlled centrally by one processor, or may be used for various control processes such as recording medium conveyance control by the conveyance device 110, inkjet head 129a drive control, and carriage lifting mechanism 10 elevation control. It may be provided with an individual processor specialized for each. In this case, the processor functions as a control device for the carriage lifting mechanism 10.

The ROM 153 stores a control program related to image formation and initial setting data. During the operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 100, the CPU 152 reads the control program and executes it on the RAM 154.
The RAM 154 provides a working memory space for the CPU 152 and stores temporary data.

The operation display unit 157 includes a display panel that performs display according to a control signal from the CPU 152, and an operation key that receives an input operation from the outside. In addition, from this operation key, an instruction for executing various processes performed by the control device 150 and parameter values necessary for the processes are input. For example, when the thickness of the recording medium is input, the control device 150 controls each carriage lifting mechanism 10 so that each carriage 120 has an appropriate height with respect to the thickness of the recording medium.

[Control system for carriage lifting mechanism]
A control system of the carriage lifting mechanism will be described with reference to FIG.
Each carriage elevating mechanism 10 is provided with two motor units 200 each composed of an elevating motor 20 and an electromagnetic brake 30 per carriage 120, one of which is in the X direction of the carriage 120 via the first elevating unit 40. One end portion is given a lifting operation, and the other one is given a lifting operation to the other end portion in the X direction of the carriage 120 via the second lifting portion 50.
In addition, encoders 22 and 22 as rotation amount detection units are provided in the lift motors 20 and 20 of the motor units 200 and 200, respectively.
The carriage elevating mechanism 10 includes a motor driver 21 that operates by supplying a driving current to the elevating motor 20 and the electromagnetic brake 30, a motor current detecting unit 23 that detects a driving current to the elevating motor 20, and an electromagnetic brake 30. The brake current detection unit 31 that detects the drive current, the upper limit sensor 422 and the lower limit sensor 423 of the first and second elevating units 40 and 50, and the detected driving current of the two elevating motors 20 and 20, Motor current determination unit 24 that determines whether the lifting operation is abnormal, brake current determination unit 32 that determines whether the lifting operation of the carriage 120 is abnormal from the detected drive currents of the two electromagnetic brakes 30, 30, and output from the encoder 22 The counting unit 25 that counts pulses and two detected by the counting unit 25 The motor rotation determining unit 28 that determines whether the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120 is abnormal based on the rotation amount of the descending motors 20, 20, and the lifting / lowering of the carriage 120 from the upper limit sensor 422 and the lower limit sensor 423 of the first and second lifting / lowering units 40, 50. An inclination determination unit 33 that detects an abnormal operation is provided.
Corresponding to the provision of the motor unit 200 and the encoder 22, the carriage lifting mechanism 10 also includes the motor driver 21, the motor current detection unit 23, the brake current detection unit 31, and the count unit 25. Yes.

Further, the carriage elevating mechanism 10 is integrated with a pluggable connector pair provided in the drive current path of the lift motor 20 and a pluggable connector pair provided in the drive current path of the electromagnetic brake 30. A possible composite connector pair 34 is provided for each motor unit 200.
In addition, the carriage lifting mechanism 10 is connected to a connection confirmation signal line L1 that is turned on by mutual connection of the composite connector pair 34, a fixed voltage power supply 26 that applies a fixed voltage from one end of the connection confirmation signal line L1, and a connection. A connector detection circuit 27 as a connector detection unit for detecting a connection failure or non-connection state of the composite connector pair 34 by a change of a detection signal through the connection confirmation signal line L1 at the other end of the confirmation signal line L1; ing.

The motor driver 21 receives a drive command from the control device 150 of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 and drives the lift motor 20 and the electromagnetic brake 30. When the motor driver 21 sends a drive current to the lift motor 20, the drive current is simultaneously sent to the electromagnetic brake 30 to set the release state. Further, when the drive current to the lifting motor 20 is stopped, the drive current of the electromagnetic brake 30 is also stopped simultaneously to put the electromagnetic brake 30 in a braking state.
That is, by this, when driving the lifting motor 20, the electromagnetic brake 30 is switched to the released state and does not hinder its rotation, and when stopping the lifting motor 20, the electromagnetic brake 30 is immediately turned on. It becomes a braking state and can be stopped accurately by preventing overrun. That is, the carriage 120 can be accurately adjusted to the target height.

Also, the control device 150 of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 outputs one drive command to the two motor drivers 21 and 21 that the carriage elevating mechanism 10 has to raise and lower one carriage 120. Accordingly, since the two motor drivers 21 and 21 simultaneously receive a common drive command, the two lifting motors 20 and 20 and the two electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 simultaneously perform the same operation. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of the inclination of the carriage 120 and realize a favorable lifting operation while eliminating the need for control for synchronizing the two lifting motors 20 and 20.

[Carriage error detection based on motor drive current]
The two motor current detection units 23, 23 detect drive currents for the respective lift motors 20, 20 and input them to the motor current determination unit 24.
The motor current determination unit 24 takes the difference between the drive currents for the two lifting motors 20 and 20, determines that the difference is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and determines that the two lifting motors 20 and 20 are stopped. A drive inhibition signal is input to each motor driver 21, 21 so as to execute braking of the electromagnetic brakes 30, 30.
That is, the two motor current detection units 23 and 23 function as an “abnormality detection unit” that detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, and the motor current determination unit 24 detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120. In this case, it functions as a “stop controller” that stops the driving of all the lifting motors 20, 20.

For example, if the elevator motor 20 is inadvertently stopped or malfunctioned by one elevator motor 20 and the carriage 120 is inclined, the torque of the other elevator motor 20 is increased and the drive current is increased.
In addition, when the composite connector pair 34 is disconnected or in a poor connection state, the drive current does not flow and the detection current becomes zero.
Accordingly, when an abnormality such as these occurs, the difference value of the drive currents for the two lifting motors 20 and 20 becomes large. Therefore, the motor current determination unit 24 quickly detects the abnormality, Can be stopped.

[Carriage error detection based on brake drive current]
The two brake current detectors 31, 31 detect drive currents for the electromagnetic brakes 30, 30 and input them to the brake current determination unit 32.
The brake current determination unit 32 takes the difference between the drive currents for the two electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30, determines that the difference is greater than a prescribed threshold value, determines that there is an abnormality, stops the two lifting motors 20 and 20, A drive inhibition signal is input to each motor driver 21, 21 so as to execute braking of the electromagnetic brakes 30, 30.
That is, the two brake current detection units 31 and 31 function as an “abnormality detection unit” that detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, and the brake current determination unit 32 detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120. In this case, it functions as a “stop controller” that stops the driving of all the lifting motors 20, 20.

When the composite connector pair 34 is disconnected or in a poor connection state, the drive current does not flow and the detection current becomes zero.
Therefore, when such an abnormality occurs, the difference value of the drive current for the two electromagnetic brakes 30, 30 increases, so the brake current determination unit 32 quickly detects the abnormality and stops each lifting motor 20, 20. Can be made.

[Carriage error detection based on encoder]
The two encoders 22, 22 input output pulses corresponding to the rotation amounts of the output shafts of the lift motors 20, 20 to the counting units 25, 25.
In each count unit 25, 25, the output pulses from the encoders 22, 22 are integrated. Each output pulse indicates a change in the angle of the output shaft of the lifting motor 20 in a minute unit. Therefore, the rotation amount of the output shaft of the lifting motor 20 can be obtained from the integrated value of the output pulses.

The motor rotation determination unit 28 takes the difference between the integrated values of the output pulses indicating the rotation amounts of the two lift motors 20 and 20, determines that the difference is greater than a prescribed threshold value, and determines that the two lift motors 20 are abnormal. , 20 and stop of the two electromagnetic brakes 30, 30 are input to the motor drivers 21, 21 so as to execute the braking of the two electromagnetic brakes 30, 30.
That is, the two encoders 22 and 22 function as an “abnormality detection unit” that detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, and the motor rotation determination unit 28 detects all abnormalities in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120. It functions as a “stop controller” that stops the driving of the lifting motors 20, 20.

For example, if one of the lifting motors 20 stops or malfunctions due to disconnection of the composite connector pair 34 or a poor connection state, the difference value between the rotation amounts of the two lifting motors 20 and 20 increases. Therefore, the motor rotation determination unit 28 can quickly detect an abnormality and stop the lifting motors 20 and 20.

[Carriage error detection based on connector detection circuit]
The composite connector pair 34 is composed of a male connector 34a having a convex tip portion and a female connector 34b having a concave tip portion.
The male connector 34a is a plug for connecting the motor driver 21, the lift motor 20 and the electromagnetic brake 30, a plug for connecting the count unit 25 and the encoder 22, and the connection confirmation signal line L1 being separated and connected in the middle. It is equipped with a plug or the like for making it possible.
The female connector 34b is a socket for connecting the motor driver 21, the lifting motor 20 and the electromagnetic brake 30, a socket for connecting the count unit 25 and the encoder 22, and a connection confirmation signal line L1 being separated and connected in the middle. A socket or the like is provided to enable this.
The plugs of the male connector 34a and the corresponding sockets of the female connector 34b are connected to be electrically connected to each other.

The connection confirmation signal line L1 forms a path from the fixed voltage power supply 26 to the connector detection circuit 27 via the composite connector pair 34, 34 of the two motor units 200, 200. Since the fixed voltage power supply 26 generates a constant voltage, when a non-connected state or a poor connection state occurs in at least one of the composite connector pairs 34, the connector detection circuit 27 is disconnected from the voltage drop or has a poor connection state. The occurrence of a condition can be detected.
Further, when detecting the voltage drop, the connector detection circuit 27 determines that the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120 is abnormal, and stops the two lifting motors 20 and 20 and brakes the two electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30. A drive inhibition signal is input to each motor driver 21, 21.

That is, the two composite connector pairs 34 and 34 function as an “abnormality detection unit” that detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, and the connector detection circuit 27 detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120. It functions as a “stop control unit” that stops the driving of all the lifting motors 20, 20.
In FIG. 13, the connection confirmation signal line L1 connects the composite connector pairs 34, 34 of the two motor units 200, 200 in series, but is connected in parallel to provide two composite connector pairs 34. , 34 may be detected individually.

[Carriage error detection based on upper limit sensor and lower limit sensor]
The upper limit sensors 422 and 422 of the first and second elevating units 40 and 50 detect the arrival of the upper limit positions of one end and the other end of the carriage 120 that perform the ascending operation, respectively. Further, the lower limit sensors 423 and 423 of the first and second elevating parts 40 and 50 detect the arrival of the one end part and the other end part of the carriage 120 that perform the lowering operation to the lowered positions, respectively.
When the carriage 120 is properly moving up, the two upper limit sensors 422 and 422 detect the arrival of the upper limit position almost simultaneously. In addition, when the carriage 120 is properly lowered, the two lower limit sensors 423 and 423 detect reaching the lower limit position almost simultaneously.

The inclination determination unit 33 drives the two lifting motors 20 and 20 to start the lifting operation of the carriage 120, waits for detection signals for reaching the upper limit positions of the two upper limit sensors 422 and 422, and either one of the upper limit sensors 422. When the detection signal is obtained from the above, the time until the detection signal from the other upper limit sensor 422 is obtained is measured.
If a detection signal from another upper limit sensor 422 is not obtained after a predetermined determination time, it is determined that there is an abnormality, the two lifting motors 20 and 20 are stopped, and two electromagnetic brakes are detected. A drive inhibition signal is input to each of the motor drivers 21 and 21 so as to execute braking 30 and 30.

That is, the two upper limit sensors 422 and 422 function as an “abnormality detection unit” that detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, and the inclination determination unit 33 is all in the case of detecting an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120 It functions as a “stop controller” that stops the driving of the lifting motors 20, 20.

In addition, the inclination determination unit 33 drives the two lifting motors 20 and 20 to start the lowering operation of the carriage 120, waits for detection signals for reaching the lower limit positions of the two lower limit sensors 423 and 423, and waits for either lower limit. When a detection signal is obtained from the sensor 423, a time until a detection signal from another lower limit sensor 423 is obtained may be measured.
In this case, if a detection signal from another lower limit sensor 423 is not obtained even after a predetermined determination time, it is determined that there is an abnormality, the two lifting motors 20 and 20 are stopped, and two electromagnetics are detected. A drive inhibition signal is input to each motor driver 21, 21 so as to execute braking of the brakes 30, 30.
In the above example, the two lower limit sensors 423 and 423 function as an “abnormality detection unit” that detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, and the inclination determination unit 33 detects an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120. It functions as a “stop control unit” that stops the driving of all the lifting motors 20, 20.

In the above example, the carriage 120 is calculated from the elapsed time after one upper limit sensor 422 (or the lower limit sensor 423) detects that any end of the carriage 120 has reached the upper limit position (or lower limit position). However, the abnormality of the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120 may be determined based on the elapsed time after the two lifting / lowering motors 20 and 20 start driving. In this case, one or both of the upper limit sensors 422 (or the lower limit sensors 423) are in the upper limit position (or the lower limit position) even if sufficient time elapses from the start of the lifting operation until reaching the upper limit position (or lower limit position). ) Is determined to be abnormal when it is not detected that it has reached.

[Judgment timing for abnormal lifting / lowering of the carriage]
The motor current determination unit 24, the brake current determination unit 32, and the motor rotation determination unit 28 are all preferably configured to perform abnormality determination while the lift motor 20 is being driven. For example, the motor current determination unit 24, the brake current determination unit 32, and the motor rotation determination unit 28 receive the lift motor drive command from the control device 150, thereby making an abnormality determination while driving each lift motor 20. Also good. Further, it may be detected from the detection outputs of the two motor current detection units 23 and 23 that at least one of the lift motors 20 is being driven, and the abnormality determination may be performed while the lift motor 20 is being driven. . Similarly, it may be detected from the drive current of the electromagnetic brake 30 that at least one of the lift motors 20 is being driven.

The connector detection circuit 27 exemplifies a case where abnormality determination is performed while the lift motor 20 is driven. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the main power source of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is not limited to the drive of the lift motor 20. It may be configured to always perform the abnormality determination while being inserted. When it is determined that the connection of the connector is abnormal when the lift motor 20 is not driven, it is desirable to perform control so as to prohibit motor drive in response to a lift motor drive command input thereafter.

Further, it is desirable that the inclination determination unit 33 determines whether the carriage 120 is raised or lowered when the main power of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is turned on. That is, after the main power is turned on, the two lower limit sensors 423 and 423 (or the upper limit sensors 422 and 422) detect that both ends of the carriage 120 are at the lower limit position (or the upper limit position) and then the carriage 120 is lifted (or It is more desirable to start and execute the descent drive.

[Explanation of operation of carriage lifting mechanism]
The operation flow of the carriage lifting mechanism 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the ink jet recording apparatus 100, when the main power is turned on, the inclination determination unit 33 determines whether the carriage 120 is raised or lowered. Thereafter, the eight carriage lifting / lowering mechanisms 10 perform the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, but all perform the same operation, and therefore only the operation of one carriage lifting / lowering mechanism 10 will be described in the following description.
When the two lower limit sensors 423 and 423 detect that both ends of the carriage 120 are at the lower limit position, which is the initial position, the two motor drivers 21 and 21 of the carriage lifting mechanism 10 are moved up and down by the controller 150. A motor drive command is input, and at the same time, the raising and lowering operations for the motor units 200 and 200 are started.
At this time, when the arrival of the upper limit position is detected from one of the two upper limit sensors 422 and 422, the inclination determination unit 33 starts timing, and the arrival of the upper limit position of the other upper limit sensor 422 is detected. It is monitored whether or not a predetermined determination time has elapsed. When a predetermined determination time has elapsed, the inclination determination unit 33 inputs a drive prohibition signal to each motor driver 21, 21 to stop each lifting motor 20, 20 and each electromagnetic brake 30, 30. Switch to the braking state.
If the arrival of the upper limit position of the other upper limit sensor 422 is detected before the predetermined determination time elapses, the carriage 120 is in a standby state with no abnormality.

Next, when the thickness of the recording medium is input from the operation display unit 157, the control device 150 causes the eight carriage lifting mechanisms 10 to move so that the carriage 120 has an appropriate height corresponding to the thickness of the recording medium. A lift motor drive command is input to the two motor drivers 21 and 21.

The two motor drivers 21 and 21 of the carriage lifting / lowering mechanism 10 receive the same lifting / lowering motor drive command from the control device 150 and simultaneously start operation control on the motor units 200 and 200.
In other words, the two motor drivers 21 and 21 start driving by causing a drive current to flow to the respective lift motors 20 and 20 and the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30. Thereby, the braking state of the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 is released, the elevating motors 20 and 20 start driving, and the carriage 120 is raised or lowered to a target height.

On the other hand, the drive currents of the two lifting motors 20 and 20 are detected by the motor current detection units 23 and 23, and the detected values are input to the motor current determination unit 24, and whether or not the difference value exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Depending on whether or not the drive current is abnormal. If the difference between the drive currents of the lift motors 20 and 20 exceeds a predetermined threshold during the duration of the lift motor drive command from the control device 150, a drive inhibition signal is sent to each motor driver 21 and 21. This is input to stop the lifting motors 20 and 20 and switch the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 to the braking state.

Further, the drive currents of the two electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 are detected by the respective brake current detection units 31 and 31, and the detected values are input to the brake current determination unit 32, and whether or not the difference value exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Depending on whether or not the drive current is abnormal. If the difference between the drive currents of the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 exceeds a predetermined threshold during the duration of the lifting motor drive command from the control device 150, a drive inhibition signal is sent to each motor driver 21 and 21. This is input to stop the lifting motors 20 and 20 and switch the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 to the braking state.

The rotation amounts of the two lifting motors 20 and 20 are detected by the encoders 22 and 22 and the counting units 25 and 25, and the detected values are input to the motor rotation determination unit 28, and the difference value is a predetermined threshold value. An abnormality in the rotational speed is monitored depending on whether or not. If the difference between the rotation amounts of the lift motors 20 and 20 exceeds a predetermined threshold during the duration of the lift motor drive command from the control device 150, a drive inhibition signal is sent to the motor drivers 21 and 21. Is input to stop the lifting motors 20 and 20 and switch the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 to the braking state.

Further, during the driving period of each of the lift motors 20 and 20, the connector detection circuit 27 detects the voltage of the connection confirmation signal line L1, and monitors the abnormality of the voltage value. When the voltage of the connection confirmation signal line L1 falls below a predetermined threshold during the duration of the lifting / lowering motor drive command from the control device 150, a drive inhibition signal is input to each motor driver 21 and 21. The elevator motors 20 and 20 are stopped and the electromagnetic brakes 30 and 30 are switched to a braking state.

In addition, except for the case where the inclination determination unit 33 determines whether the carriage 120 is moving up or down, the control device 150 determines whether the upper and lower sensors 422 and 422 of the lifting units 40 and 50 are in an upward movement. The output is monitored, and when at least one upper limit sensor 422 detects that the upper limit has been reached, the motor unit 200 at both ends of the carriage 120 is instructed to stop operation.
Similarly, except for the case where the inclination determination unit 33 determines whether the carriage 120 is lifted or lowered, the control device 150 allows the lower limit sensors 423 of the lifts 40 and 50 to move when the carriage 120 moves downward. , 423 are monitored, and when at least one lower limit sensor 423 detects that the lower limit has been reached, the motor units 200 at both ends of the carriage 120 are instructed to stop operating.
As a result, the one end and the other end of the carriage 120 can always maintain the range from the upper limit position to the lower limit position, and even if the carriage 120 is inclined at the maximum angle within this range, The support base 54 of the unit 50 can support the roller 131 without dropping it.

While the above abnormality is monitored, the carriage 120 is moved up and down stably by the carriage lifting mechanism 10.

[Technical effects in the embodiment of the invention]
As described above, the carriage elevating mechanism 10 mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus 100 supports the first elevating unit 40 that supports one end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction and applies the elevating operation with respect to one carriage 120. The second elevating unit 50 supports the other end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction and imparts an elevating operation. The first elevating unit 40 and the second elevating unit 50 are driving sources for the elevating operation. The first elevating unit 40 includes a roller 131 and a support base 44, and the first elevating unit 40 moves in the longitudinal direction at one end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120 and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120. The second elevating unit 50 is movable along the longitudinal direction (X direction) by the roller 131 and the support base 54 along the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120. And it supports to.
The second elevating unit 50 also supports the other end portion of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction so that the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120 can move up and down.

In the above configuration, the carriage 120 can smoothly move up and down by the two lift motors 20 and 20. In particular, even in the case of a large or heavy carriage 120 such as a full-line type, it is possible to perform a lifting operation with a good balance.
Furthermore, since the raising / lowering operation of the carriage 120 is shared by the two raising / lowering motors 20, 20, a small motor can be used.

Even when one lifting motor 20 or electromagnetic brake 30 fails or malfunctions and the carriage 120 is tilted, the first lifting portion 40 and the second lifting portion 50 each have one end of the carriage 120 and the other. Since the rotation of the end portion is allowed, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of breakage of the carriage 120 and the support portions of the elevating units 40 and 50.
In addition, when the carriage 120 is inclined, the distance between the support base 44 of the first elevating unit 40 and the support base 54 of the second elevating unit 50 is increased. Since it is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of dropping of each roller 131 from the support base 44 or 54, and to reduce the occurrence of breakage of the carriage 120 and the support portions of the elevating parts 40 and 50. It becomes.

The first elevating unit 40 supports one end portion of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction with a roller 131 as a rotating body, and the second elevating unit 50 is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120 with a roller 131 as a rotating body. Since the other end is supported, when the inclined state of the carriage 120 is generated, the rotation operation generated at one end and the other end of the carriage 120 can be smoothly performed. , 50 can be reduced more effectively.

In addition, the first elevating unit 40 and the second elevating unit 50 both support the carriage 120 so as not to be separated from the support bases 44 and 54 by the stoppers 45 and 45. Even when the inclined state occurs, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of falling off any end portion of the carriage 120, and to reduce the occurrence of breakage or destruction of the ink jet head 129a or the head module 129 due to dropping and dropping. It becomes possible.
Since the inkjet head 129a and the head module 129 are precisely processed or precisely assembled, repair is difficult when subjected to an impact such as dropping, and may be replaced with a new one. Since the fall of 120 is reduced, it is also possible to reduce the maintenance cost.

In addition, as an abnormality detection unit for detecting an abnormality in the lifting / lowering operation of the carriage 120, motor current detection units 23 and 23, brake current detection units 31 and 31, encoders 22 and 22, composite connector pairs 34 and 34, upper limit sensor 422 The motor current determination unit 24 and the brake current determination unit are used as a stop control unit that stops driving of all the lift motors 20 and 20 when an abnormality in the lift operation of the carriage 120 is detected using the 422 or the lower limit sensors 423 and 423. 32, the motor rotation determination unit 28, the connector detection circuit 27, the inclination determination unit 33, and the like are used.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively detect an abnormality in the raising / lowering operation of the carriage 120 and stop the raising / lowering motors 20, 20. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on each of the lifting motors 20, 20.

Furthermore, since the carriage lifting mechanism 10 collectively controls the two motor units 200 and 200 of the carriage 120 by a common lifting motor drive command from the control device 150, the motor units 200 and 200 are synchronized. It is possible to synchronize with each other without performing control.

[Another example of the first and second lifting parts (1)]
FIG. 14 shows a first elevating unit 40A as another example (1), and FIG. 15 shows a second elevating unit 50A as another example. In addition, about the structure same as the 1st raising / lowering part 40 and the 2nd raising / lowering part 50, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.
Although the 1st raising / lowering part 40 and the 2nd raising / lowering part 50 were the structures which support the both ends of the carriage 120 rotatably with a pair of rollers 131,131, it is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a round bar 131 </ b> A having a circular cross section along the Y direction is installed below the two beam members 121, 121 at one end portion in the X direction of the carriage 120. The first elevating part 40A includes a pair of flat support blocks 44A and 44A that are provided at the upper end of the slider 42 and rotatably support the round bar 131A. FIG. 14 shows a state where the round bar 131A is separated upward from the pair of support blocks 44A and 44A.

Each of the support blocks 44A and 44A is parallel to the XZ plane, and these support blocks 44A and 44A are arranged to face each other at intervals that fit inside the pair of beam members 121 and 121.
Each support block 44A, 44A is formed with slit-shaped notches 441A, 441A into which the round bar 131A is inserted. This notch 441A is notched downward from the upper end surface of the support block 44A, and its bottom is formed in a semicircular shape.

When the round bar 131A is inserted into the cutouts 441A and 441A of the support blocks 44A and 44A, the inner surface of the bottom of the cutouts 441A and 441A and the outer peripheral surface of the round bar 131A are in sliding contact with each other, and the carriage is centered on the round bar 131A. 120 can be rotated.

Also, as shown in FIG. 15, a round bar 131A having a circular cross section along the Y direction is installed on the lower end of the two beam members 121, 121 at the other end portion of the carriage 120 in the X direction. The second elevating part 50A includes a pair of flat support blocks 54A and 54A that are provided at the upper end of the slider 42 and support the round bar 131A so as to be rotatable and movable in the X direction. . FIG. 15 also shows a state in which the round bar 131A is separated upward from the pair of support blocks 54A and 54A.

Each of the support blocks 54A and 54A is parallel to the XZ plane, and these support blocks 54A and 54A are arranged to face each other at intervals that fit inside the pair of beam members 121 and 121.
The support blocks 54A and 54A are provided with notches 541A and 541A in which the round bar 131A is disposed. The cutout 541A is formed by cutting the upper end corner into a substantially rectangular shape, whereby the flat portion 542A along the YZ plane, the flat portion 543A along the XY plane, and these planes. A peripheral surface portion 544A having an arcuate cross section that connects the portions 542A and 543A is formed.

When the round bar 131A is disposed in the notches 541A and 541A of the support blocks 54A and 54A, the outer peripheral surface of the round bar 131A is in sliding contact with the flat surface portion 543A and the peripheral surface portion 544A of the notches 541A and 541A, and the round bar 131A. The carriage 120 can be rotated around the center.
Further, the round bar 131A is slidable along the X direction on the flat surface 543A of each support block 54A.

As a result, the first and second elevating parts 40A and 50A are similar to the first and second elevating parts 40 and 50 described above even if the carriage 120 is inclined, In the lifting / lowering part 50A, the rotation of one end and the other end of the carriage 120 is allowed, so that the occurrence of breakage of the carriage 120 and the supporting parts of the lifting / lowering parts 40A and 50A can be reduced.
Even if the distance between the support block 44A of the first elevating unit 40A and the support block 54A of the second elevating unit 50A is increased due to the inclination of the carriage 120, the support block 54A extends the other end of the carriage 120 in the longitudinal direction. Since it is supported so as to be movable in the direction, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of dropping of the round bar 131A from the support block 44A or 54A, and to reduce the occurrence of breakage of the carriage 120 and the support portions of the elevating parts 40A and 50A. Become.

It should be noted that a lubricant such as grease is preferably applied between the outer peripheral surface of the round bar 131A and each support block 44A or 54A so that smooth sliding can be performed.
Further, the support block 44A or 54A may be provided with a stopper for preventing the round bar 131A from separating upward.
Further, as long as it can slide satisfactorily as in the case of the round bar 131A, the sliding contact surface is not limited to a circular shape, and other sliding contact bodies having different cross-sectional shapes in which the sliding contact surface is constituted by a peripheral surface, a curved surface, etc. Also good.

[Other examples of the first and second lifting parts (2)]
A schematic configuration of another example (2) is shown in FIG.
The second elevating unit 50 described above exemplifies the case where the other end of the carriage 120 is supported so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction (= X direction) of the carriage 120 in a state where no inclination occurs. In the example of 16A and FIG. 16B, the second elevating part 50B that always supports the other end part so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120 is illustrated. In other words, when the carriage 120 is inclined, the second elevating part 50B supports the other end part so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the inclined carriage 120.

The second elevating part 50B is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the carriage 120 by the same support base 44 as the first elevating part 40 fixedly mounted on the upper end of the slider 42 and the slide guide 52B at the other end of the carriage 120. And a pair of carriage-side sliders 53B (one is not shown) and a pair of rollers 131 (one is not shown) mounted on each carriage-side slider 53B. The table 44 is supported so as to be rotatable.
Further, in the second elevating part 50B, the configuration for elevating the slider 42 is the same as that of the second elevating part 50 described above.

When the carriage 120 is tilted due to a failure or malfunction of the lifting motor 20 of either the first lifting unit 40 or the second lifting unit 50B, the carriage-side slider 53B is moved to the slide guide 52B. The state where each roller 131 is supported by the support base 44 is maintained.
That is, even when the second elevating part 50B is provided, the occurrence of dropping of the rollers 131 from the support base 44 is reduced, and the occurrence of breakage of the carriage 120 and the supporting parts of the elevating parts 40 and 50B is reduced. Is possible.

[Others]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the roller 131 or the round bar 131A is provided on the carriage 120 side and the support bases 44 and 54 or the support blocks 44A and 54A are provided on the slider 42 is illustrated, but the support bases 44, 54 or 54A are provided on the carriage 120 side. Support blocks 44A and 54A may be provided, and a roller 131 or a round bar 131A may be provided on the slider 42 side.

In the carriage elevating mechanism 10, the first elevating unit 40 and the second elevating unit 50 each include one motor unit 200. However, each elevating unit 40, 50 includes a plurality of motor units. It is good also as a structure provided with 200. FIG.
In this case, the control device 150 outputs one common drive or stop command to all the motor units 200 that raise and lower one carriage 120, or simultaneously issues a drive or stop command to all the motor units 200. It is desirable to output.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the control device 150 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 also functions as the control device of the carriage lifting mechanism 10 is illustrated. However, a dedicated control device that controls each motor unit 200 is used for the carriage lifting mechanism 10. May be installed.
Further, the control device 150 may perform part or all of the configuration of the control system of the carriage lifting mechanism 10.

In the above embodiment, the carriage elevating mechanism 10 is used for adjusting the height of the nozzles of the carriage 120, but it can also be used for maintenance. The maintenance of the carriage 120 may be performed manually by the user even when the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is not provided with a maintenance device. In this case, each carriage 120 is moved upward to improve workability. Since it is necessary to move, the carriage 120 may be raised by the carriage lifting mechanism 10.

The present invention can be used for a carriage lifting mechanism and an ink jet recording apparatus.

10 Carriage Lifting Mechanism 20 Lifting Motor 21 Motor Driver 22 Encoder (Abnormality Detection Unit)
23 Motor current detector (abnormality detector)
24 Motor current judgment part (stop control part)
25 Count unit 26 Fixed voltage power supply 27 Connector detection circuit (stop control unit)
28 Motor rotation judgment part (stop control part)
30 Electromagnetic brake 31 Brake current detector (abnormality detector)
32 Brake current determination unit (stop control unit)
33 Inclination determination unit (stop control unit)
34 Composite connector pair (abnormality detection unit)
40, 40A First elevating part 42 Slider 44 Support bases 44A, 54A Support block 45 Detachment 50, 50A, 50B Second elevating part 54 Support base 100 Inkjet recording device 120 Carriage 121 Beam member 129 Head module 129a Inkjet head ( head)
130 Support Block 131 Roller (Rotating Body)
131A Round bar 150 Control device 200 Motor unit 422 Upper limit sensor (abnormality detection unit)
423 Lower limit sensor (abnormality detection unit)
441A, 541A Notch 442 Recess 451 Extension 542 Recess 542A Plane 542a Inner bottom 543A Plane 544A Perimeter L1 Connection confirmation signal line

Claims (9)

1. A carriage lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers a carriage that mounts a head for forming an image on a recording medium,
   For one carriage, a first elevating unit that supports one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage and applies an elevating operation, and a second elevating unit that supports the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage and provides an elevating operation An elevating part,
   The first elevating unit and the second elevating unit individually include elevating motors that serve as driving sources for the elevating operation,
   The first elevating unit supports one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage so that the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage can move up and down,
   The second lifting / lowering unit supports the other end of the carriage in the longitudinal direction so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the carriage.
2. The second elevating unit supports the other end portion of the carriage in the longitudinal direction so that the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage moves in the vertical direction in addition to the movement along the longitudinal direction. The carriage lifting mechanism according to claim 1.
3. The carriage lifting / lowering mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first lifting / lowering portion supports one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage by a round bar, a rotating body, or a sliding contact body.
4. The carriage lifting / lowering according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second lifting / lowering portion supports the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carriage by a round bar, a rotating body, or a sliding contact body. mechanism.
5. 5. The carriage lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein both the first lifting part and the second lifting part are supported so that the carriage is not separated upward. 6. .
6. An abnormality detection unit for detecting an abnormality in the lifting and lowering operation of the carriage;
   6. The carriage lifting mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: a stop control unit that stops driving of all the lifting motors when an abnormality in the lifting operation of the carriage is detected.
7. The abnormality detection unit has an upper limit sensor that detects arrival of a predetermined upper limit position for each of one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage,
   The stop control unit stops driving of all the lifting motors when the carriage is lifted and the arrival of the upper limit position is not detected for at least one of the one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage. The carriage lifting mechanism according to claim 6.
8. The abnormality detection unit has a lower limit sensor that detects the arrival of a predetermined lower limit position for each of one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage,
   The stop control unit stops driving of all the lifting motors when the carriage is lowered and at least one of the one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage is not detected to reach the lower limit position. The carriage raising / lowering mechanism according to claim 6 or 7.
9. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the carriage lifting / lowering mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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