JPH04288268A - recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a recording device.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art The gap (hereinafter also referred to as gap) between a recording medium such as paper or OHP film (hereinafter also simply referred to as paper) and a recording head that performs recording on the medium is relatively small.
In a recording device, such as an inkjet recording device, where it is desirable to maintain this almost regardless of the thickness of the recording medium, when recording on thick recording media (hereinafter also referred to as cardboard) such as postcards and envelopes, the recording head There is a device that is configured to displace according to the thickness of the recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as paper thickness).

FIG. 1 shows an example of such a recording device. Here, reference numeral 1 denotes a recording head in the form of an inkjet head, and a portion facing the recording medium 10 has an ejection orifice array surface (hereinafter referred to as an ejection surface) in which a plurality of ink ejection orifices are arranged in the recording medium conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction). ) is formed. 2 is a carriage on which the recording head 1 is mounted, and the guide shaft 3 at the bottom and the guide shaft 4 at the top are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the drawing (
The recording head 1 is supported so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction (main scanning direction), and by driving the recording head 1 while scanning in that direction, one line of recording is performed on the recording medium 10 .

Reference numeral 5 denotes a pinch roller lever that is rotatable around an axis 5A, and a spring 7 imparts a counterclockwise rotational behavior in the drawing to urge the pinch roller 6 toward the conveying roller 8. That is, the recording medium 10 is held between the conveyance roller 8 and the pinch roller 6, and is conveyed as a motor (not shown) engaged with the conveyance roller 8 is driven. In addition,
A platen 9 faces the ejection surface 1A and regulates the recording surface of the recording medium 10.

[0005] Furthermore, the guide shaft 4 is eccentrically supported.
When cardboard is used as the recording medium, the gap is adjusted by rotating the carriage 2 and displacing the recording head 1 by operating the adjustment knob 4B provided on the guide shaft 4, as shown in the figure. It is configured as follows.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional example described above, it is difficult to judge the paper thickness and the amount of adjustment corresponding to this, and as a result, the adjustment accuracy becomes rough, or recording is performed without making adjustments. There were problems such as storage. Further, it was also necessary to provide and operate a fixing means to prevent the upper guide shaft 4 from moving after adjustment.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention aims to solve such problems, and for this purpose, the present invention provides a recording device for recording on a recording medium. a recording head, and a pair of support members extending in the main scanning direction of recording to support the recording head, one of which is movable to rotate the recording head around the other support member. The pair of support members;
It is characterized by comprising a recording medium holding member that can be displaced according to the thickness of the recording medium, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the displacement of the holding member to the one supporting member and causes the displacement to occur. .

[0008] Here, the one support member may be a support shaft capable of eccentric rotation.

Further, the recording head may be a serial recording head that performs recording by moving in the main scanning direction, and the pair of support members may serve as guides for a carriage that carries the recording head and moves.

Further, the pressing member is a pinch roller that presses the recording medium toward a conveying member for conveying the recording medium, and the conveying member and the pinch roller are arranged near the recording device using the recording head. can be placed.

[0011] In the above, the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink,
The inkjet recording head may include an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink as energy used to eject the ink.

0012

[Operation] According to the present invention, by providing a mechanism in which the recording head is linked to a presser member that is displaced according to the paper thickness of the recording medium, there is no need for humans to judge the paper thickness, and there is no need to forget the adjustment operation. It becomes possible to automatically adjust the distance between the print head and the print medium without fear.

[0013]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

Here, the carriage 102 is moved by driving force transmission gears 110 and 1 in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 113.
It has a pin (not shown) that engages with the helical groove 103A of the lead screw roller 103 rotating through the pins 11 and 109, and extends parallel to the lead screw roller 103 as the lead screw roller 103 rotates. It is reciprocated along the guide shaft 104 in the directions of arrows a and b. Mounted on the carriage 102 is a head cartridge 100 that integrally includes a recording head 101 having an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as energy used for ink ejection, and an ink tank 101T. Note that illustration of the configuration for this mounting and electrical signal connection between the recording head and the main body of the apparatus is omitted in FIG.
The material disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 081 can be used. Numerals 107 and 108 are photocouplers, which are home position detection means for confirming the presence of the light shielding plate 106 provided on the carriage 2 in this area and switching the rotational direction of the motor 113.

A conveyance roller 118 conveys the recording medium 10 fed into the apparatus through an opening 119, and as the drive motor 113 rotates, a gear 110 fixed to the motor shaft and a gear meshing with the gear 110 are rotated. 111, gear 121 fixed coaxially with this, gear 1 on the roller shaft that meshes with this
It is rotationally driven via 25.

The transmission mechanism consisting of the gears 111, 121 and their shafts is movable as shown by the arrow in the figure, and the gear 111 meshes with the gear 109 provided on the shaft of the lead screw roller 103, and It can be set to a main scanning position where the gear 121 does not mesh with the gear 125 provided on the shaft of the conveyance roller 118, and a sub-scanning position where the gear 121 meshes with the gear 125 and the gear 111 does not mesh with the gear 109. That is, at the main scanning position, the lead screw roller 103 rotates to perform main scanning (scanning of the recording head), and at the sub-scanning position, the conveying roller 118 rotates to perform sub-scanning (conveying the recording medium).

The recording medium 10 cooperates with the conveyance roller 118.
Pinch rollers for pinching and conveying the material and other unique structures used in this embodiment are provided, but illustration thereof is omitted in FIG. 2, and these will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 and the like.

Further, a cap member capable of capping the ejection surface of the recording head 101;
It is possible to provide a suction recovery means for applying suction force in the capping state to forcibly discharge foreign substances such as thickened ink, dust, and air bubbles, and a member that engages with the ejection surface and wipes it. can. These members can also be driven by the motor 113 by appropriately configuring and controlling the transmission mechanism 123.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a schematic side view and a front view, respectively, showing the main parts of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Here, 150 is a pinch roller lever, which is rotatable around a shaft 150B and supports a pinch roller 160 at one end. Reference numeral 170 denotes a spring that gives the pinch roller lever 150 a counterclockwise rotation behavior in FIG. A gear 150A is formed on the other end side of the pinch roller lever 150, and a gear 150A is formed on the other end side of the pinch roller lever 150.
It meshes with a gear 141 provided in a drive mechanism 140. The drive mechanism 140 has an upper guide shaft drive lever 142 fixed concentrically with a gear 141, and a gear 142A is provided at the end of the upper guide shaft drive lever 142, which is attached to the eccentric shaft 104B of the guide shaft 104 at the top in the figure. The gear 104A is meshed with the gear 104A.

In this configuration, when the recording medium 10 is fed, one end of the pinch roller lever 150 stops rotating about the shaft 150B in accordance with the thickness of the paper. The rotation is transmitted to the gear 104A via the gear 150A provided on the other end side of the pinch roller lever 150 and the gears 141 and 142A of the guide shaft drive mechanism 140, and according to the rotation, the guide shaft 104B is guided around the eccentric shaft 104B. The shaft 104 rotates. As a result, the carriage 102 moves to the lead screw roller 103.
By rotating around , the gap between the ejection surface 101A of the print head and the print medium 10 is adjusted.

In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the upper guide roller 104 is moved by a transmission mechanism using gears has been described, but a configuration using a transmission mechanism such as a link mechanism may also be used. Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained even if the upper guide shaft 104 is fixed and the lead screw roller 103 is linked to the movement of the pinch roller lever 150 using a transmission mechanism similar to that of the above embodiment. Although a configuration in which a lead screw is used as the main scanning mechanism has been described, the carriage may be scanned by a timing belt. Furthermore, although the ejection surface of the recording head is arranged vertically downward, it goes without saying that the orientation can be selected as appropriate depending on the apparatus configuration. Further, in the above example, the recording medium is fed, conveyed, and ejected almost in a flat plane, but it may also be fed, conveyed, and ejected while being bent.

(Others) Although the present invention is effective when applied to various types of recording devices in which the distance between the recording head and the recording medium is a problem, it is particularly applicable to inkjet recording type devices. In some cases, a method is provided in which a means for generating thermal energy (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) is provided as the energy used to discharge ink, and the thermal energy causes a change in the state of the ink. This provides excellent effects in recording heads and recording devices. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
Preferably, it is carried out using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method is the so-called on-demand type.
It is applicable to both continuous types, but in particular, in the case of on-demand type, it is applicable to the electrothermal converter placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path. , by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy to produce film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head. liquid (ink) that corresponds one-to-one to this drive signal.
This is effective because it can form air bubbles inside. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, making it possible to eject liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat.
345262 are suitable. Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

[0026] In addition to the configuration of the recording head that is a combination of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44 disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 138461/1985 which discloses a configuration corresponding to the discharge section. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have either a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally.

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

Furthermore, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. to the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, since this further stabilizes the effects of the present invention. Specifically, these include heating the recording head using a capping means, a cleaning means, a pressure or suction means, an electrothermal transducer, a separate heating element, or a combination thereof. For example, there may be mentioned a pre-heating means for performing the ejection, and a pre-ejection means for ejecting other than recording.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to a single head that corresponds to a single color ink, there are also systems that correspond to a plurality of inks of different recording colors and densities. A plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode for only a mainstream color such as black, but may also be a recording mode in which the recording head is configured integrally or in a combination of multiple colors, Alternatively, the present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus equipped with at least one of the full-color recording modes using color mixing.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, and that softens or liquefies at room temperature, may also be used. Generally speaking, in inkjet systems, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within the range of 30°C or higher and 70°C or lower to keep the viscosity of the ink within a stable ejection range. Sometimes, ink in liquid form may be used. In addition, in order to actively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using the energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent ink from evaporating, it is possible to solidify and heat the ink when left standing. An ink that is liquefied by water may also be used. In any case, by applying thermal energy in accordance with the recording signal, the ink is liquefied and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink has already begun to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied for the first time. Ink in such cases is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 54-56847 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-71.
In a state where it is held as a liquid or solid in the porous sheet recesses or through holes, as described in Japanese Patent No. 260,
It may also be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention can be used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying machine combined with a reader, or a facsimile machine having a transmitting/receiving function. It may also take a form.

[0033]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
By using a simple mechanism to link the displacement of a holding member such as a pinch roller, which is displaced according to the paper thickness of the recording medium, with the displacement of a member such as a carriage on which the recording head is mounted, the system automatically moves as the recording medium is fed. The distance (gap) between the recording medium and the ejection surface of the recording head can be kept constant, and erroneous adjustments can be prevented and gap retention accuracy can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a conventional head and recording medium gap adjustment mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of the configuration of main parts of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view as well.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,101 Recording head 1A, 101A Discharge surface 2,102 Carriage 3,4,104 Guide shaft 5,150 Pinch roller lever 6,160 Pinch roller 8,118 Conveyance roller 10 Recording medium 140 Guide shaft drive mechanism 150 Pinch roller lever 170 spring

Claims (7)

[Claims] Claim 1: A recording device for recording on a recording medium, comprising: a recording head for recording on the recording medium;
A pair of support members extending in the main scanning direction of recording and supporting the recording head, one of which is movable to rotate the recording head around the other support member. a recording medium holding member that can be displaced according to the thickness of the recording medium; and a transmission mechanism that transmits the displacement of the holding member to the one support member and causes the displacement to occur.
A recording device characterized by comprising: 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one support member is a support shaft capable of eccentric rotation. 3. The recording head is a serial recording head that performs recording by moving in the main scanning direction, and the pair of support members are guides for a carriage that carries the recording head and moves. Claim 1 or 2
The recording device described in . 4. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a pinch roller that presses the recording medium toward a conveying member for conveying the recording medium. Device. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the conveying member and the pinch roller are arranged near a recording apparatus using the recording head. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink. 7. The inkjet recording head includes an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink as energy used to eject the ink. Recording device as described.