JPH04308150A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the pollution on recording faces and miniaturize a device main body by providing a recess along the advance direction of recording mediums on the reception section of the recording mediums. CONSTITUTION:A recess 10 provided on the reception section 11 of recording mediums 31 has a semi-circular cross section, and the discharged recording mediums 31 are stacked on the recess 10. The recess 10 is inclined downward toward the discharge direction. The width of the recess 10 is made narrower than the width of the recording mediums 31. When the discharge of a recording medium 31 is completed, it is bent downward along the shape of the recess 10 by its tare weight. When the next recording medium 31 is discharged, the lower face of the recording medium 31 drooping downward rides on the U-shaped edge section of the recording medium 31 discharged previously. The recording face discharged previously is not rubbed by the recording medium 31 discharged next, thus the recording face is not polluted by ink.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

0002

[Prior Art] Recording devices in recent years are required to have various elements such as small size, low cost, quietness, and ease of use, but among the many recording methods, there is one that can reliably meet these demands. It is an inkjet method. Inkjet recording devices have various advantages that meet the above demands, but since the ink is ejected toward the recording medium, drying of the ink on the recording medium has been a major issue with the inkjet method. . Conventionally, there have been two main approaches to drying ink. One is to forcibly dry the ink using a heat source such as a heater, and the other is to use a configuration in which the recording medium to be ejected next does not come into contact with the recording medium that has already been ejected for as long as possible. It is. The former method is not considered to be a good idea in terms of cost, and the latter method is often proposed. For example, a recording medium receiving member is provided below the recording medium ejection position, the ejected recording medium is placed on this receiving member, and the recording medium receiving member is removed after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the ejection of the recording medium is completed. A configuration is known in which the recording medium placed on top is dropped by rotating or sliding it. In such a configuration, it is not until recording is performed on the recording medium, ejection is completed, and the recording medium falls down, i.e., overlaps the already ejected recording medium, that other recording media appear on the recording surface. comes into contact. Therefore, because the time period is long and the recording surface is not rubbed by other recording media, the problems caused by insufficient drying, such as stains and irregularities of recording, do not occur, and good recording can be achieved. It will be done.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above configuration requires a movable receiving member for the recording medium, and requires a drive mechanism to open and close this member, making the configuration complicated and increasing costs. The problem was that it was expensive. Further, the recording medium receiving portion needs to receive almost the entire longitudinal length of the recording medium, so a space is required;
Recording devices had to be made larger. As a result, costs also increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can solve all or most of the above problems.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To this end, the present invention provides
An inkjet recording device that records on a recording medium includes an inkjet recording means that discharges ink from an ejection port to record on the recording medium, a conveyance means that conveys the recording medium, and a recording medium receiver that receives the recording medium after recording. Department and
The recording medium receiving portion is characterized in that the recording medium receiving portion includes a recess along the traveling direction of the recording medium.

[0006] Here, the width of the recess can be set narrower than the width of the recording medium.

[0007] Furthermore, both ends of the recessed portion can be connected to the recording medium insertion opening of the main body of the recording apparatus, and can also serve as a guide when inserting the recording medium.

[0008] Here, the recess can have a semicircular arc shape.

[0009] Furthermore, the recess may have a rectangular shape.

Furthermore, the precursor recess may have an inclined surface that slopes downward in the direction in which the recording medium is ejected.

[0011] Furthermore, the recess may have a receiving member that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is ejected.

[0012] Here, the recording medium receiving section is provided at the front of the apparatus main body, and can receive a recording medium fed from a cassette provided at the rear of the apparatus main body.

[0013] Furthermore, the recording medium receiving portion may include a pressing means for pressing the rear end of the recording medium discharged onto the recessed portion from above.

On the other hand, in an inkjet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium, an inkjet recording means that discharges ink from an ejection port to record on the recording medium, a conveyance means that conveys the recording medium, and a conveyance means that transports the recording medium after recording. The recording medium receiving section may include a recording medium receiving section for receiving the recording medium, and a discharging means for guiding the recorded recording medium to the recording medium receiving section, and a lower portion of the recording medium conveying path can be retracted downward.

[0015] Here, the recording medium receiving portion includes a recess;
The recording medium may further include a pressing means for pressing the rear end of the recording medium discharged onto the recessed portion from above.

The inkjet recording means of the above-described inkjet recording apparatus is an inkjet recording head, and the inkjet recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy, and the inkjet recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy. It is characterized by ejecting ink from an ejection port using thermal energy.

Furthermore, the electrothermal converter generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink, and the inkjet recording head ejects ink from the ejection port based on a pressure change caused by the growth of bubbles.

[0018]

[Operation] According to the present invention, the ejected recording medium causes a downward convex deflection due to the concave portion, and the back side of the next ejected recording medium passes over both widthwise ends of the first ejected recording medium. Since the recording medium is rubbed and ejected, the recording surface of the first ejected recording medium is not rubbed by the next ejected recording medium, and the recording surface is not stained. In addition, since both ends of the recording medium in the width direction serve as receivers for the next recording medium to be ejected over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, there is no need to provide a special receiving member that spans the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium, resulting in a more compact recording device. This makes it possible to reduce costs.

[0019]

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

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, numeral 1 is an inkjet recording head, which utilizes thermal energy generated by an electrothermal transducer to connect ejection ports (not shown).
Ink is ejected from. An inkjet recording head 1 is attached to a carriage 2. The carriage 2 is fitted into a lead screw 12, and as the lead screw 12 rotates, the carriage 2 scans in the width direction of the recording medium (the front and back directions of the paper surface), and at this time, the inkjet recording head 1 performs recording on the recording medium. . The carriage 2 is supported on one side by a guide shaft 13, and rotation of the carriage 2 itself is prevented. 3 is a conveyance roller;
The recording medium is rotated by a drive means (not shown) and automatically fed from a cassette, which will be described later, and is manually inserted through a manual insertion slot 8, which will be described later, in cooperation with a first pinch roller 6 that is in pressure contact with the recording medium. The recording medium is conveyed by cooperation with the second pinch roller 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a manual insertion slot for the recording medium, which is mainly used when inserting the recording medium into the recording apparatus by hand. A discharge roller 4 is provided to discharge the recording medium after recording from the recording section. The discharge roller 4 is interlocked with the conveyance roller 3, and discharges the recording medium while holding the recording medium between it and a spur 5 that is in pressure contact with the recording medium. The spur 5 makes point contact with the recording surface,
This prevents excess ink from being transferred to the recording medium. A platen 15 guides the recording medium to a recording position and also supports the discharge roller 4. Reference numeral 9 denotes a manual insertion guide for the recording medium, which guides the manually inserted recording medium to the manual insertion slot 8 and smoothly guides it between the conveyance roller 3 and the second pinch roller 7. Reference numeral 10 denotes a recessed portion, which is provided in the receiving portion 11 of the recording medium. 14 is a chassis, on which each of the above members is supported.

Further, 17 is a cassette into which a recording medium is loaded. The recording medium is placed on the pressure plate 18, and is pushed to the feeding roller 1 by pressure plate pushing means (not shown).
It is biased toward 9. The feeding roller 19 rotates at a predetermined timing, separates the recording medium one by one, and feeds the recording medium between the conveying roller 3 and the first pinch roller 6. Note that 20 is a sliding roller that conveys the recording medium sent out from the cassette 17 in different directions.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of a recording apparatus in a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2
, 111 is a programmable peripheral interface (hereinafter referred to as PPI), which receives command signals (commands) and recording information signals sent from the host computer in parallel and transfers them to the MPU 112, as well as controlling the console 116 and controlling the carriage home. One sensor 117 input processing is performed.

The MPU (microprocessing unit) 112 controls each section within the recording apparatus. 113
114 is a RAM for storing received signals; 114 is a font generation ROM for outputting images such as characters and symbols; 115
is a control ROM in which processing procedures executed by the MPU 112 are stored. Each of these units is controlled via an address bus 127 and a data bus 128, respectively.

Reference numeral 118 is a carriage motor for moving the carriage 2, 120 is a feed motor for transporting the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 2, and 123 is a drive motor for driving a cap member (not shown). 1 and 2 show capping motors that come into contact with ink ejection ports (not shown) of the recording head 1 to block the ink ejection ports from the outside air.

125 is a driver for driving the carriage motor 118, 126 is a driver for driving the feed motor 120, and 124 is a capping motor 123.
This is a driver for driving. The 116 console is provided with a keyboard switch, an indicator lamp, and the like.

The home position sensor 117 is provided near the home position of the carriage 2, and detects when the carriage 2 carrying the recording head 1 has reached the home position. Reference numeral 119 indicates a sheet sensor that detects the presence or absence of a recording medium such as recording paper, that is, whether or not a recording medium is supplied to the recording section.

Reference numeral 122 is an inkjet recording device using the above-mentioned method of ejecting ink using thermal energy, and the recording head 122 has ejection ports (not shown).
, a discharge heater (electrothermal converter) (not shown), and the like are provided. Reference numeral 121 denotes a driver for driving the ejection heater of the recording head 122 in accordance with the recording information signal.

Reference numeral 129 denotes a power supply section that supplies power to each of the above sections, and has an AC adapter and a battery as a driving power supply device.

In the above configuration, the MPU 112 is connected to a host device such as a computer via the PPI 111, and processes commands and recorded information signals sent from the host device and programs stored in the control ROM 115. The recording operation is controlled based on the procedure and recording information stored in the RAM 113.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 4 shows a state in which a recording medium 32 is loaded in the cassette 17 of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the recording medium 32 fed from the recording medium 32 is discharged from the discharge port 25 of the inkjet recording device 16. In FIG. 3, 10 is a recess provided in the recording medium receiving portion 11, and has a semicircular arc cross section. The ejected recording medium is stacked on this recess 10. As can be understood from FIG. 1, the recessed portion 10 is provided along the ejection direction of the recording medium, and is inclined downward in the ejection direction. The width of this recessed portion 10 is set to be narrower than the width of the recording medium 32 used for recording. When the recording medium ejected onto such a recess 10 is completely ejected, it bends downward along the shape of the recess 10 due to its own weight, and the downstream side in the ejection direction is downward, as in the case of the recording medium shown at 30 in FIG. Forms a convex U-shape. The next recording medium 31 is ejected onto the recording medium 30 stacked in this manner. The portion of the recording medium that is being discharged near the discharge roller 4 is completely isolated from the recording medium 30 that has already been discharged and is stacked on the receiver 11, but the length of the recording medium that is discharged from the discharge roller 4 is long. As the recording medium 31 increases, the recording medium 31 sags downward due to its own weight. The lower surface of the recording medium 31 that has fallen down rests on the U-shaped edge portion 30a of the recording medium 30 that has already been ejected. That is, the recording medium 31 to be discharged next does not rub the recording surface (the surface on which an image is formed with ink) of the recording medium 30 that has already been discharged, and the edge portions at both ends of the U-shape of the recording medium 30 are not rubbed. 30a
Since the recording surface is rubbed with ink, the recording surface is not stained with ink. Moreover, according to the present embodiment, due to the above-mentioned configuration, the time until the recording medium 31 is stacked on the recording surface of the already discharged recording medium 30 becomes long, so that the ink dries during this time. The recording surface is not affected by ink. The most distinctive feature here is that the role of the dedicated recording medium receiving member in the conventional example is realized by the deflection of the recording medium itself. Furthermore, in the conventional example, in order to drop the recording medium placed on the recording medium receiving part downward from the recording medium receiving part, a mechanism was required to make the recording medium receiving part movable and drive it. In the embodiment of the invention, when the recording medium to be discharged is released from between the discharge roller 4 and the spur 5, the recording medium falls down under its own weight, and at the same time bends in a U-shape like the recording medium that has already been discharged. It constitutes a receiver for the recording medium that is ejected. Therefore, there is no need for a mechanism for driving the receiving portion as in the conventional example.

Furthermore, since the recording medium itself serves as the recording medium receiving portion, there is no need to provide a receiving member that spans the entire length of the recording medium in the longitudinal direction, as in the conventional case, and the recess 10 is formed, for example, in approximately the length of the recording medium in the longitudinal direction. The length may be about half or less, and the size of the entire recording device becomes extremely small. When the recording medium is ejected, space is required for the protrusion of the recording medium from the recording device, but when the ejected recording medium is removed, for example when the device is not in use, the space required is extremely small, making it difficult to use. improves.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, a recording medium guide section 9 is provided so as to be smoothly connected to the recording medium insertion opening 8. The recording medium guide section 9 not only serves as a guide for the operator to manually insert a recording medium into the recording medium insertion slot 8, but also serves as a place for stacking the ejected recording medium as described above. Therefore, compared to conventional devices in which a recording medium insertion path and a loading location for ejected recording media are provided separately, there is an advantage that the device can be made smaller. The fact that the size can be reduced as described above naturally also reduces the cost of the device.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a perspective view showing an example. In this embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, the recess 10 is not inclined downward in the direction of ejection of the recording medium, and a recess with the same cross section is formed from directly below the ejection roller 4. By forming the recess in this manner, when the recording medium is ejected and stacked on the recess 10, the recording medium forms a U-shape over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. That is, the next ejected recording medium rides on the U-shaped edge portion over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and the non-contact performance with the recording surface is further improved than in the first embodiment. Here, 9 is a recording medium insertion guide, which is smoothly connected to the recording medium insertion slot 8. Since the recess 10 is configured to be narrower than the width of the recording medium, when inserting the recording medium from the recording medium insertion slot 8, both ends of the recording medium are inserted into the recording medium insertion guides 9 provided at both ends of the recess 10. will be inserted along. At this time, a step is formed between the recess 10 and the recording medium insertion slot 8, so in this embodiment, a chamfer 40 is provided in this step to prevent the edge of the center in the width direction of the recording medium from getting caught. There is. Of course, the chamfer 40 may have a smooth shape, such as a rounded shape, so that the recording medium will not get caught.

Other features of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In the present invention, the recess 10 in the second embodiment has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Even with such a rectangular shape, the function is the same as in the second embodiment. That is, the corners 41 and 4 at both ends of the recess 10
2, and the depth of the recess 10 determines the shape of the recording medium when it is loaded, so the shape of the recess 10 may be rectangular as in this embodiment, or may have another shape, such as an inverted trapezoid. etc. is also fine. That is, the embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of having a large degree of freedom in design.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the recess 10 has a rectangular cross section, and is further provided with a receiving member 43 movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is ejected. This receiving member 43 is provided to cope with the case where there are a plurality of width types of recording media to be ejected, that is, when recording media of a plurality of sizes are used for recording. For example, if the width of the recess 10 is the width of A4 size, the optimal U
When the width is set to form a letter shape, if a B5 size recording medium is set in the cassette 17 and recording is performed,
The ejected recording medium falls inside the recess 10 and no longer forms a U-shape. Therefore, a receiving member 43 that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium ejection direction is provided inside the recess 10, and the receiving member 43 is moved to a position where an optimal U-shape is formed according to the width of the recording medium to be ejected. Set. With this configuration, even if the cassette 17 is a so-called universal cassette compatible with a plurality of recording medium widths, the receiving member 43
By appropriately moving and setting, an optimal U-shape is always formed, and as in the above-described embodiment, a good record can be obtained without staining the record formed on the recording medium.

Furthermore, if the recording medium width regulating member 44 of the cassette 17 and the receiving member 43 are configured to interlock with each other, the receiving portion will automatically move to the optimal position at the same time as the recording medium is set in the cassette portion. and improves usability. Note that for the movable structure of the receiving member 43 and the width regulating member 44, a known structure can be used as appropriate.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 11 is a side view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the recess 10 has a rectangular cross section as in the third embodiment, and has the same cross section over the entire length from just below the discharge roller 4.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the ejection mechanism in FIG. 11 showing the features of this embodiment. Figure 1
2, 52 is an auxiliary discharge roller, and an auxiliary spur 53 is provided opposite to this. The auxiliary discharge roller 52 is rotatably provided on the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50. The auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 is
The discharging roller 4 is rotatably provided around the rotating shaft 56 . Further, the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 has rollers 5
1 is rotatably provided. This roller 51 is provided in contact with the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 3. Therefore, the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 swings clockwise and counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 56 as the conveying roller 3 rotates forward and backward.

FIG. 13 shows the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50.
FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating how the recording medium oscillates and the movement of the recording medium due to the oscillation. Next, the manner in which the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 swings will be explained using FIG. 13.

In FIG. 13(a), the conveying roller 3 is rotating in the forward direction (clockwise), that is, in the direction of ■. At this time, the roller 51 supported by the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 is rotating while contacting the conveyance roller 3. This roller 51 is supported by an elongated hole 54 provided in the support member 50, and is movable in the direction of the elongated hole 54. The roller 51 within the elongated hole 54 is urged toward the conveyance roller 3 by means not shown. Here, conveyance roller 3
When the auxiliary ejection roller support member 50 rotates in the opposite direction (counterclockwise), that is, in the direction shown in FIG. The auxiliary discharge roller 52 rotates in the right direction (clockwise), that is, in the direction in which the auxiliary discharge roller 52 falls. At this time, the roller 51 rotates while moving along the elongated hole 54 in opposition to the biasing force. Next, the auxiliary discharge roller support member 5
The circular arc surface 55 of 0 comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 3, and depending on the friction therebetween, it rotates further in the clockwise rotation direction. When the conveyance roller 3 reversely rotates by a predetermined amount and stops, the auxiliary discharge roller 52 is located directly below the discharge roller 4.

In this embodiment, the mechanism described above does not eject the ejected recording medium from between the ejecting roller 4 and the spur 5, but instead allows the once stopped recording medium to remain in the same position, that is, approximately. Since the recording medium can be dropped while maintaining a horizontal state (the state of the recording medium is shown by a chain double-dashed line and a solid line), alignment of the recording medium by the receiving portion 11 can be improved. Note that this configuration is even more effective when applied to a sixth embodiment to be described later.

Next, the recording medium ejecting sequence in the fifth embodiment will be explained using FIG. 14.

First, in S1 shown in FIG. 14, inkjet recording is performed on the recording medium in the recording apparatus as described above. Next, in S2, the conveyance roller 3 rotates in the forward direction. During this operation, the sheet sensor 19 is turned off in S3.
It determines whether it is F. The forward rotation of the conveyance roller 3 continues until the sheet sensor 19 is turned off. When the sheet sensor 19 is turned off, the recording medium is further conveyed in the positive direction of the X pulse from that position in S4. Here, the X pulse is the number of pulses when the rear end of the recording medium passes the ejection roller 4 and reaches the auxiliary ejection roller 52 (here, the number of pulses refers to the number of pulses that rotate the conveyance roller 3 (This is the number of rotational pulses of the pulse motor.) At this time, the recording medium is held between the auxiliary discharge roller 52 and the auxiliary spur 53,
The recording medium is held in a substantially horizontal state by straining. Next, in S5, the conveyance roller 3 is reversely rotated by Y pulse. Then, as described above, the auxiliary ejection roller moves downward, and when the auxiliary ejection roller support member 50 stops at a predetermined position, the recording medium falls in the same position, that is, in a substantially horizontal state, and the receiving portion 11 It will be loaded on.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the recording medium is ejected from the discharge roller, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from falling apart when being stacked and making handling inconvenient. Here, this embodiment can be sufficiently effective even if it is not based on the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention, and if the inkjet recording device discharges the recording medium horizontally from the recording device, the discharge It is possible to improve alignment.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIGS. 15 and 16 are a side view and a perspective view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the mechanism for ejecting the recording medium is similar to that shown in the fifth embodiment, but the rear end of the ejected recording medium is placed near the bottom of the auxiliary ejection roller 52 upward. It is equipped with a pressing means for pressing from above. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the purpose of this embodiment is to disturb the recording on the recording medium because the U-shape at the leading edge of the recording medium opens due to the rigidity of the recording medium, making it impossible to form a proper U-shape. In addition to preventing this from occurring, the purpose is to further improve the alignment of the recording media discharged by the method described below.

Next, a detailed explanation of this embodiment will be given. Figure 15
, in FIG. 16, 60 is a pulley that rotates together with a shaft 65. In FIG. Further, 66 is a pulley that is provided coaxially with the conveyance roller 3 and rotates together with the conveyance roller 3. Furthermore, a belt 63 is stretched between the pulley 60 and the pulley 66. A pulley 67 is integrally provided on the shaft 65, and an arm 64 is further provided so as to surround the pulley 67. The arm 64 is fitted around the shaft 65 and is rotatable about the shaft 65 . Furthermore, a spur 61 and a pulley 68 are provided coaxially with each other at one end of the arm 64 and are rotatable. Also pulley 6
A belt 62 is stretched between the pulley 68 and the pulley 68. Here, between the shaft 65 and the pulley 67, and the pulley 6
8 and the spur 61 are free-wound with friction, and depending on a certain torque, they rotate or rotate synchronously, and when a certain torque is exceeded, they slip against each other and spin idly. .

The operation of this mechanism in such a configuration will be explained next.

FIG. 15 shows a state in which the conveyance roller 3 is rotating in the normal direction. At this time, the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 is in a position where the auxiliary discharge roller 52 faces the auxiliary spur 53. On the other hand, the arm 64 is biased in the clockwise rotation direction by the friction between the shaft 65 and the pulley 67. At this time, the spur 61 is urged toward the recessed portion, and at the same time is given a clockwise rotational force. Here, the spur 61 and the pulley 68 slide against each other due to friction, and when more torque than necessary is applied to the spur 61, the rotation of the spur stops. Next, as shown in FIG. 17, when the conveyance roller 3 rotates in the opposite direction, the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 rotates in the clockwise rotation direction, and the arm rotates in the counterclockwise rotation direction due to the friction between it and the shaft 65. go. When the conveyance roller 3 is further reversed by a predetermined pulse, the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 completely faces downward and the arm 64 completely faces upward, as shown in FIG. Next, when the conveyance roller 3 rotates normally again, it performs completely opposite operations, and finally returns to the positional relationship as shown in FIG. 15.

Now, how the recording medium moves as a result of such an operation can be explained with reference to a flowchart for explaining the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. This will be explained below according to the flowchart in FIG.

In S1 shown in FIG. 14, inkjet printing is performed on the printing medium within the printing apparatus. Next, in S2, the conveyance roller 3 rotates in the forward direction. During this operation, it is determined in S3 whether the sheet sensor 19 is turned off. The conveyance roller 3 is rotated until the sheet sensor 19 turns OFF.
The forward rotation continues, and when the sheet sensor 19 is turned off, the recording medium is further conveyed in the forward direction of the X pulse from that position in S4. Here, the X pulse is the number of pulses when the rear end of the recording medium passes the ejection roller 4 and reaches the auxiliary ejection roller 52 (here, the number of pulses refers to the number of pulses that rotate the conveyance roller 3 (This is the number of rotational pulses of the pulse motor.) At this time, the recording medium is held between the auxiliary discharge roller 52 and the auxiliary spur 53, and is held in a substantially horizontal state by straining the recording medium. Next, in S5, the conveyance roller 3
Rotate the Y pulse in the opposite direction. Then, as described above, the auxiliary discharge roller 52 moves downward, and at the same time, the arm 64 rotates and the spur 61 rises. As a result of this action, the recording medium that was being held in place falls downward.
The arm 64 and the auxiliary discharge roller support member 50 are arranged so that the descending recording medium does not interfere with the arm, and the operation timing is also set by the reduction ratio of the pulley. When the auxiliary ejection roller support member 50 and the arm 64 stop at a predetermined position, the recording medium falls in the same position, that is, in a substantially horizontal state, and is stacked on the receiving portion 11.

Since the two arms 64 press from above a position inside the rear end of the recording medium by a predetermined distance from both ends of the recess 10,
As shown in FIG. 2, even if the U-shape at the leading end of the recording medium opens due to the rigidity of the recording medium, a proper U-shape can be obtained and the recording on the recording medium will not be disturbed.

Furthermore, since a spur 61 is provided at the tip of the arm 64 and rotates in a direction to draw the recording medium into the recording apparatus, alignment of the lowered recording medium is poor, and for example, as shown in FIG. Even if the recording medium is slanted, the spur 61 pulls it and aligns the rear end of the recording medium against the wall 65, so that the alignment of the recording medium is extremely good. As mentioned above, the spur 61 and the pulley 68 fit together with friction, so when the recording media have been aligned and the recording media can no longer move, the spur 61 idles relative to the pulley. , the spur itself stops. Therefore, the spur 11 does not stain the recording surface of the recording medium.

As described above, in this embodiment, the alignment of ink drying and discharge can be greatly improved.

It goes without saying that sufficient effects can be obtained even if the pressing means described above is applied to the first to fourth embodiments.

(Others) In the recording apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 22, an electric board is provided over a wide area of the bottom surface, switches and LEDs for the control panel are directly provided on the board, and a cover is placed on top of the electrical board. By arranging the operation section in one section, it is possible to provide a recording device that uses space efficiently and has a well-organized design.

Next, the above-mentioned inkjet recording apparatus employs an inkjet recording head of an inkjet recording method that performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port using thermal energy generated by an electrothermal converter as recording energy. will be explained in more detail.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129;
, 740,796 is preferred.

[0060] This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is possible to By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to recording information to the correspondingly arranged electrothermal transducers and causing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling in the recording liquid, the electrothermal transducers are Thermal energy is generated to film-boil the recording liquid near the heat-active surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles in the recording liquid can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective.

[0061] The recording liquid is ejected into the atmosphere by the acting force generated during the bubble growth and contraction process, thereby forming at least one droplet.

[0062] It is more preferable to use a pulse-shaped drive signal because the growth and contraction of the bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of the recording liquid with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,463,3.
59 and 4,345,262 are suitable.

Further, even more excellent recording can be achieved by adopting the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface.

[0064] In addition to the configuration of the recording head, which 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, The present invention also includes configurations using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region. It is.

Furthermore, the length can be increased by a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of the recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, or by a combination of multiple recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used, but in either case, the present invention
The above-mentioned effects can be more effectively exhibited.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head or an ink supply tank that is attached to the main body of the apparatus enables electrical connection with the main body of the apparatus and supply of ink from the main body of the apparatus. The present invention is also effective when using a cartridge type recording head that is integrally provided with the head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head, which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. .

Specifically, these include: capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means for the recording head using an electrothermal conversion pair or another heating element, or a combination thereof. It is also effective to perform stable printing. A plurality of them may be provided.

Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording apparatus does not include a recording mode of only mainstream colors such as black, but it is also possible to configure the recording head integrally or by combining a plurality of them, but it is possible to use multiple colors of different colors. The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color by color mixture.

Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or lower, the ink may become liquid or soften when a recording signal is applied. It's fine as long as it's something.

In the present invention, the most effective method for the above-mentioned inks is the one that implements the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0072]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
A recess is provided in the part that receives the ejected recording medium, so
The recording medium causes a downward convex deflection due to the concave portion, and the back surface of the next discharged recording medium rubs the tops of both ends in the width direction of the recording medium and is discharged. It will not be rubbed by the medium and the recording surface will not get dirty. In addition, since both ends of the recording medium in the width direction serve as receivers for the next recording medium to be ejected over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, there is no need to provide a special receiving member that spans the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium, resulting in a more compact recording device. This makes it possible to reduce costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing details of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the operation of the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a sequence of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic side view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic front view showing the effects of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

20 is a schematic perspective view showing FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 21 is a schematic plan view showing the effects of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Inkjet recording head 2 Carriage 3 Conveyance roller 4 Discharge roller 5 Spur 9 Recording medium insertion guide 10 Recess 17 Cassette 50 Auxiliary discharge roller support member 51 Koro 52 Auxiliary discharge roller 53 Auxiliary spur 60 Pulley 61 Spur 62 Belt 64 Arm 70 Electrical board 71　Operation section

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium, comprising an inkjet recording means that discharges ink from an ejection port to record on the recording medium, a conveyance means that conveys the recording medium, and a recording medium after recording. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a recording medium receiving part for receiving the recording medium, the recording medium receiving part having a recess along the traveling direction of the recording medium. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width of the recess is narrower than the width of the recording medium. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the recess is connected to a recording medium insertion opening of the recording apparatus main body, and also serves as a guide when inserting the recording medium. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recess has a semicircular arc shape. 5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recess has a rectangular shape. 6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the precursor recess has an inclined surface that slopes downward in the direction in which the recording medium is discharged. 7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recess has a receiving member movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is discharged. 8. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium receiving portion is provided at the front of the apparatus main body and receives the recording medium fed from a cassette provided at the rear of the apparatus main body. Device. 9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium receiving section has a pressing means for pressing the rear end of the recording medium discharged onto the recess from above. 10. An inkjet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium, comprising: an inkjet recording means that discharges ink from an ejection port to record on the recording medium; a conveying means that conveys the recording medium; and a recording medium after recording. Inkjet recording characterized by having a recording medium receiving section for receiving a recording medium, and a discharging means for guiding the recording medium after recording to the recording medium receiving section, and a lower part of the recording medium conveyance path can be retracted downward. Device. 11. The inkjet according to claim 10, wherein the recording medium receiving portion has a recess and a pressing means for pressing the rear end of the recording medium discharged onto the recess from above. Recording device. 12. The inkjet recording means is an inkjet recording head, the inkjet recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy, and the inkjet recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy. 12. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus ejects ink from an ejection port. 13. The electrothermal converter generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink, and the inkjet recording head ejects the ink from the ejection port due to a pressure change caused by the growth of bubbles. Item 1
2. The inkjet recording device according to 2.