JPH0880654A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a recording apparatus in which a carriage equipped with a recording head is driven by a lead screw, while the driving force for operations other than recording such as recording head recovery operation is taken from the carriage drive motor, the carriage and the lead are read. The sliding load with the screw is reduced, and the vibration and noise in the carriage moving mechanism are reduced. [Structure] A spiral groove 7a of a lead screw 7 is engaged with a spiral convex portion 16a of a desired length provided on the carriage 2 side, and the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is recorded as the driving force of the lead screw 7. Clutch means 8, 9, 10, and 17 for switching to driving force other than the above operation are provided on the lead screw 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material by recording means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device of a multifunction machine or a workstation including a computer, a word processor, etc., is a sheet or a plastic thin plate based on image information. Images (including characters and symbols) on recording materials (recording media) such as (sheets for OHP)
Is configured to record. The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a heat sensitive type, a thermal transfer type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording system of the recording means used.

In a serial type recording apparatus which employs a recording system in which a main scanning is performed in a direction intersecting a conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and then the recording material is set. An image (including characters, symbols, etc.) is recorded by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves (main scanning) along, and after one line of recording is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (sub-scan). An image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material by repeating the operation of performing (scanning) and then recording (main scanning) the image of the next row. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records a recording material only in the sub-scanning direction in which the recording material is fed in the transport direction, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is continuously performed at one time. A predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed) is performed, and an image is recorded on the entire recording material.

Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is a means for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and it is easy to make the recording means compact and high definition. Images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without requiring special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise and uses multicolor inks. Therefore, it has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image. Above all, a line type recording apparatus using a line type recording means in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the paper width direction can further speed up recording.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy,
Through the semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering, the electrothermal converter formed on the substrate, the electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (ejection port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. Further, by utilizing the advantages of IC technology and micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long and planar (two-dimensional), and it is also easy to make the recording means full-multi and high-density mounting. is there. On the other hand, there are various requirements for the material of the recording material, and in recent years, in addition to the ordinary recording material such as paper and resin thin plate, thin paper and processed paper (paper with punch holes for filing and perforation). Paper, paper of any shape, etc.)
It has been required to use such as.

Conventionally, a belt drive system, a lead screw drive system, or the like has been adopted as a carriage moving mechanism in the serial type recording apparatus. Among them, the lead screw drive system has a simple structure and has the following advantages especially when used in an inkjet recording apparatus. That is, in the ink jet recording apparatus, recovery operations such as ink suction of the recording head and wiping operation of the ejection port surface are performed at a position outside the recording area.
In that case, since the drive of the recovery mechanism for performing this recovery operation can be performed using the lead screw, there is an advantage that the configuration and operation sequence of the recovery mechanism can be simplified. This is extremely advantageous in downsizing the entire device in a portable compact recording device.

In the conventional lead screw mechanism, a lead shaft (lead screw) having a spiral lead groove formed therein and also serving as a guide in the moving direction of the carriage, and a pin provided in the carriage so as to engage with the lead groove. It is composed of. The pin is urged in the axial direction of the lead shaft by a spring inside the carriage. When the lead shaft rotates, the pin engaged with the groove of the lead shaft slides in the groove, and as a result, the carriage makes a linear motion along the lead groove. In the inkjet recording device,
A recovery mechanism for performing the recovery operation of the recording head as described above is provided. Further, in the lead screw mechanism, the rotation of the lead shaft is also used as a drive source of the recovery mechanism.

The spiral groove of the lead shaft is continuous with the single circumferential groove at one end thereof, and after the carriage makes a linear motion by the rotation of the lead groove, the pin is changed from the spiral groove to the circumferential groove. And move. Then, at this position, since the pin is in the lead groove, the carriage does not move even if the lead shaft rotates. Therefore, at this position, the rotation of the lead groove can be transmitted to the recovery mechanism by a gear or the like, and the recovery mechanism can perform the recovery operation of the recording head.

[0009]

However, the recording apparatus provided with the conventional lead screw mechanism as described above has the following technical problems. First, since the pin is biased by the spring against the lead groove, there is a disadvantage that the spring vibrates when the carriage moves, and as a result, the carriage vibrates. In addition, the biasing force of the spring also increases the sliding resistance between the lead groove and the pin, resulting in an inconvenience that the load applied to the motor becomes unnecessarily large.

Second, since the pin always slides in the same position with respect to the lead groove, it is desirable that the pin is made of a metal material in consideration of durability. However, since the lead shaft (lead screw) is also made of metal, the sliding noise due to the sliding of each other becomes large, which causes noise. Also,
By the biasing force of the above-mentioned spring, the pin and the lead shaft, and further the carriage and the lead shaft are always biased with a constant force,
The vibration of the motor is transmitted from the lead shaft to the carriage, which causes further noise. When the carriage vibrates, the recording accuracy is adversely affected, and when the motor load increases, noise increases or vibration due to uneven cogging increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to remove the drive of the recovery mechanism from the drive of the carriage in the recording apparatus having the carriage moving mechanism of the lead screw drive system. However, the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw is reduced, and the vibration and noise in the carriage moving mechanism are reduced.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, recording is performed on a recording material by a recording means mounted on a carriage,
Further, in a recording apparatus that performs an operation other than recording while the recording unit is temporarily moving to the outside of the recording area, a lead screw having a spiral groove, and the lead screw engaging with the spiral groove A sliding portion provided on the carriage so as to move the carriage in synchronization with rotation;
Clutch means that is provided coaxially with the lead screw and that switches the driving force from the motor to either the rotational force of the lead screw or the driving force for performing an operation other than the recording, is adopted. Provided is a recording device capable of reducing the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw while reducing the drive of the recovery mechanism from the drive of the carriage, and reducing the vibration and noise in the carriage moving mechanism. is there.

In addition to the structure of claim 1, the invention of claims 2 to 5 is characterized in that the clutch means is switched according to the position of the carriage.
A pulley that is rotatable with respect to the lead screw, a clutch member that is linearly movable with respect to the pulley and rotatable and linearly movable with respect to the lead screw, and the clutch member is attached to the lead screw side. Urging means for urging, the sliding part is a member separate from the carriage and is fixed to the carriage, or the sliding part is a spiral of the lead screw. By adopting a configuration that has a spiral convex part that fits in a groove for a certain distance, the recovery mechanism is driven from the drive of the carriage and the sliding between the carriage and the lead screw is more efficient. The present invention provides a recording apparatus capable of reducing load and reducing vibration and noise in the carriage moving mechanism.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a recording head (recording means), 2 is a carriage, and as the recording head 1, an inkjet recording head for recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port is used. The recording head 1 is composed of an ink jet cartridge in which an ink tank portion (ink storage portion) and a recording head portion are integrated in order to reduce the size of the entire apparatus. Further, the carriage 2 is for mounting the recording head 1 and scanning a recording material (recording paper or the like) in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1).

In FIG. 1, 3 is a paper feed roller for feeding a recording material in a sub-scanning direction at a predetermined pitch, 4 is a paper feed motor for driving the paper feed roller 3, and 5 is a paper feed roller gear. Is a paper feed motor gear, and 7 is a lead screw. A spiral groove (lead groove) 7a is provided on the peripheral surface of the lead screw 7. 8 is a clutch gear, 9 is a pulley gear, 10 is a coil spring, 11 is a carriage motor for driving the lead screw 7 and a recovery mechanism (not shown), 12 is a carriage motor gear,
Reference numeral 13 is a belt for transmitting the driving force from the carriage motor gear 12 to the pulley gear 9, 14 is a recovery system gear for transmitting the driving force to a recovery mechanism for performing the recovery processing operation of the recording head, and 15 is the reciprocating carriage. 2 is a guide rail for guiding and supporting 2.

In FIG. 1, the clutch gear (clutch member) disposed coaxially with the lead screw 7.
8, a pulley gear (pulley) 9, and a coil spring (biasing means) 10 transmit the driving force from the carriage motor 11 to the rotational force of the lead screw 7, or perform other than recording such as recovery processing operation of the recording head 1. The clutch means is configured to switch whether to transmit the driving force for performing the operation.

The recording head 1 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and has an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. Further, the recording head 1 performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port by utilizing a pressure change caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. Is.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording head 1. In FIG. 2, a recording surface of a recording material (recording paper or the like) and a predetermined gap (for example,
A plurality of ink ejection ports 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch on ejection port surfaces 81 facing each other with a distance of about 0.5 to 2.0 mm, and the common liquid chamber 83 and each ejection port 82 communicate with each other. An electrothermal converter (heat generating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ejecting ink is arranged along the wall surface of each liquid path 84. The plurality of ejection ports 82 are arranged in such a positional relationship that they are arranged in a direction intersecting the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the recording head 1. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film-boil, and the pressure generated at that time ejects the ink from the ejection port 82. A recording head 1 configured to perform recording is configured.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing an engaging portion between the carriage 2 and the lead screw 7 in FIG. It should be noted that FIG. 3 is shown with the recording head 1 removed for the sake of clarity. In FIG. 3, right and left 2 of the carriage 2
Bearing portions 2a are provided at the positions, and the carriage 2 is fitted and supported by the lead screw 7 by these bearing portions 2a. A sliding portion 16 that engages with the spiral groove 7 a of the lead screw 7 is provided at the center of the carriage 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the lead screw 7 and the sliding portion 16. 3 and 4, the sliding portion 16 is formed as a member different from the carriage 2, and the material thereof has excellent slidability, and, for example, polyacetal resin is used. The lead screw 7 side of the sliding portion 16 has a spiral convex shape 16a that engages with the lead groove 7a over a distance L. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a positional relationship (engagement state) between the lead groove 7a and the convex shape 16a. The convex portion 16a of the sliding portion 16 has a spiral shape similar to that of the lead groove 7a. And is engaged with the lead groove 7a in a state as shown in FIG. 5 over substantially the entire length L thereof.

3 to 5, the positional relationship between the carriage 2 and the lead screw 7 is determined by fitting the inner diameters of the bearing portions 2a on both sides and the outer diameter of the lead screw 7, but the sliding portion 16 Is located in the middle of the bearing portions 2a on both sides, so that the positional relationship between the sliding portion 16 and the lead screw 7 is always kept substantially constant. Therefore, the gap between the groove 7a of the lead screw 7 and the convex portion 16a of the sliding portion 16 can be maintained at about 0.05 to 0.1 mm, and the sliding load between the lead screw 7 and the carriage 2 can be considerably reduced. be able to.

According to this structure, when the lead screw 7 rotates, the carriage 2 is moved by the sliding portion 16 engaged with the lead screw 7. At that time, the carriage 2
The sliding load between the lead screw 7 and the lead screw 7 can be considerably reduced, and the motor load can be reduced. Also,
Since plastic having excellent slidability is used for the sliding portion with the lead screw 7, vibration and noise can be greatly reduced. Regarding the durability, since the contact area of the sliding portion (length L) is large and the load is small, the same level of performance as in the case of the conventionally used metal pin can be obtained.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the structure of a clutch means composed of a clutch gear 8, a pulley gear 9 and a coil spring 10 arranged coaxially with the lead screw 7 in FIG. In FIG. 6, 17 is a spacer gear fixed to the stepped end surface of the lead screw 7. As shown in FIG. 6, the end portion of the lead screw 7 is a small diameter portion with an end and extends through the inner diameters of the spacer gear 17, the clutch gear 8 and the pulley gear 9.

A groove 17a as shown is formed on the end surface of the spacer gear 17. The clutch gear 8 includes a gear portion 8a and a clutch portion 8b. The gear portion 8a is formed with a tooth profile for meshing with the recovery system gear 14, and the end surface of the clutch portion 8b is engaged (fitted) with the groove 17a of the spacer gear 17. Grooves of the same shape are formed. further,
The clutch gear 8 is rotatably and axially movably supported by the small diameter portion of the lead screw 7 at its inner diameter surface 8c. The clutch gear 8 has an inner diameter surface 8d having a diameter larger than that of the inner diameter surface 8c, and a key groove 8e is formed on the inner diameter surface 8d.

In FIG. 6, the pulley gear 9 has a gear portion 9a and a key portion 9b. The gear portion 9a is for obtaining drive from the belt 13. The key part 9
In b, a key shape for engaging (fitting) with the key groove 8e of the clutch gear 8 is provided. The pulley gear 9 is attached to the lead screw 7 only in a rotatable state by a stopper 9c provided on the inner diameter thereof. As shown in FIG. 6, the coil spring 10 has its both end surfaces on the end surface of the clutch gear 8 and the pulley gear 9.
It contacts the stepped end surface (flange surface) of the clutch gear 8 and always biases the clutch gear 8 toward the spacer gear 17.

According to this structure, in the normal state,
When the pulley gear 9 rotates due to the driving force transmitted from the belt 13, the clutch gear 8 engaged with the key portion 9b and the key groove 8e also rotates. Further, since the clutch gear 8 is biased in the direction of the spacer gear 17 by the coil spring 10 and the clutch portion 8b meshes with the groove 17a, when the clutch gear 8 rotates, the spacer gear 17 and the lead screw 7 integral therewith also. Rotate as well. That is, in the normal state, the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is transmitted to the lead screw 7.

Next, the case where the clutch gear 8 moves to the left in FIG. 6 against the biasing force of the coil spring 10 will be described. Also in this case, the pulley gear 9 and the clutch gear 8 are rotated by the driving force of the belt 13 as described above. However, the clutch gear 8 no longer meshes with the spacer gear 17 (in a state in which the rotational force cannot be transmitted), and the lead screw 7 does not rotate. On the other hand, since the clutch gear 8 moves leftward, the gear portion 8a of the clutch gear 8 moves toward the recovery system gear 1
4 and the clutch gear 8
When is rotated, the recovery system gear 14 is rotated. That is, in this case, the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is transmitted to the recovery mechanism via the recovery system gear 14 and used as the driving force for the recovery operation of the recording head 1.

Next, the operation of the entire recording apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 will be described. When the recording apparatus receives the recording start command, the paper feed motor 4 is activated, and its rotational force is transmitted to the paper feed roller 3 via the paper feed motor gear 6 and the paper feed roller gear 5, and the paper feed roller 3 rotates. . The recording material set at a predetermined position is conveyed to a recordable area by the rotation of the paper feed roller 3, and recording by the recording head 1 is started.

During normal recording, since the carriage 2 moves within a range where it does not contact the clutch gear 8, the clutch gear 8 is moved by the coil spring 10 into the spacer gear 1.
It is biased in the direction of 7. Therefore, when the carriage motor 11 rotates, its driving force is transmitted from the belt 13 to the pulley gear 9, the clutch gear 8, and the lead screw 7, and becomes the rotational force of the lead screw 7. Therefore, when the carriage motor 11 rotates, the carriage 2
Moves (main scanning) along the recording surface of the recording material, and ink is ejected from the recording head 1 by a recording signal synchronized with this movement, and recording is performed on the recording material.

Next, a case will be described in which the recording head 1 is clogged, and a recovery operation is performed to eliminate or prevent defective ejection. By rotating the carriage motor 11 in either rotation direction, the carriage 2
Is moved toward the clutch gear 8 outside the recording area. When the carriage 2 moves to a position outside the recording area, the carriage 2 hits the clutch gear 8. When the carriage 2 is moved further by a predetermined distance (to the left in FIG. 1) from that position, the clutch gear 8 moves to the left against the biasing force of the coil spring 10, and the gear portion 8 is moved.
“A” meshes with the recovery system gear 14, while its clutch portion 8b separates from the spacer gear 17.

That is, in this state, the clutch gear 8
Is not transmitted to the lead screw 7 and is used as a driving force for rotating the recovery system gear 14. That is, in this state, the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is transmitted to the recovery mechanism via the recovery system gear 14, and the recovery operation of the recording head 1 (for example, capping, suction recovery,
Wiping, preliminary ejection, etc.) is used as a driving force. When the recovery operation is completed, the carriage motor 11 is rotated in the opposite direction to the carriage 2
Is moved toward the recordable area. As a result, the clutch gear 8 separates from the recovery system gear 14, engages with the spacer gear 17, and returns to the above-described recordable state.

According to the embodiment described above, the sliding load between the lead screw 7 and the carriage 2 is reduced, and then the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is switched between driving the carriage 2 and driving the recovery mechanism. You can To further explain, when the recovery operation of the recording head 1 is performed outside the recording area, that is, the clutch gear 8 is pushed by the carriage 2 and moves to the left in the figure against the biasing force of the coil spring 10. As a result, when the gear portion 8a of the clutch gear meshes with the recovery system gear 14, the clutch gear 8 is constantly subjected to the biasing force of the coil spring 10, so that the meshing with the recovery system gear 14 is uncertain. May be.

In order to prevent the meshing from becoming uncertain in this way and to ensure the meshing with the recovery system gear 14 when the recovery mechanism is driven, the latch portion 18 is provided on the side surface of the clutch gear 8. (See FIGS. 7 to 10) are provided. 7 to 10 are views showing the clutch gear 8 having the latch portion 18 and the recovery system gear 14, and FIG.
8 is a plan view when both gears 8 and 14 are separated from each other, FIG. 8 is a side view of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a plan view when both gears 8 and 14 are engaged, and FIG. FIG.

7 to 10, the clutch gear 8 is shown.
A latch portion 18 is provided on the end surface of the (gear portion 8a) within a range of a predetermined circumferential angle along the circumferential direction thereof. During normal recording, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the recovery system gear 14 and the clutch gear 8 do not mesh. When the carriage 2 moves out of the recording area from this state, the clutch gear 8 also rotates in synchronization with it and the position of the latch portion 18 in the circumferential direction also changes.

By the way, the clutch gear 8 and the spacer gear 17 are in mesh with each other (the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is transmitted to the rotational force of the lead screw 7).
Then, since the phase of the clutch gear 8 and the position of the carriage 2 in the recording direction have a one-to-one correspondence, if the phase of the clutch gear 8 with respect to the position of the carriage 2 is determined in advance, the carriage 2 will be in the recovery operation position. The phase of the clutch gear 8 (position in the rotational direction of the latch portion 18) at the time of the immediately preceding position, that is, at the moment when the carriage 2 pushes the clutch gear 8 toward the recovery system gear 14, can be set to a predetermined constant position. .

The phase of the clutch gear 8 thus determined is as shown in FIG. 8, for example. In short, the clutch gear 8 can rotate in the forward and reverse directions when the carriage 2 is moved in the recording area for recording, and the carriage 2 can be rotated when the recording operation is completed or when necessary during recording.
Moves to the recovery operation position outside the recording area, but the phase (rotational position) of the latch portion 18 of the clutch gear 8 at the moment when the carriage 2 hits the clutch gear 8 is always at the position shown in FIG.

Next, the recovery operation of the above-described recording apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) will be described. As described above, in order to perform the recovery operation for eliminating or preventing the clogging of the recording head 1, the carriage 2 moves to the recovery operation position outside the recording area, and the movement of the carriage 2 causes the clutch gear 8 to move. Is pushed to the left in the figure. At that time, since the latch portion 18 is at the position shown in FIG. 8, there is no influence on the recovery system gear 14. Therefore, the clutch gear 8 meshes with the recovery system gear 14.

In this state, the driving force of the carriage motor 11 is transmitted to the recovery system gear 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the clutch gear 8 is rotated in the direction of arrow B by a predetermined amount, and the recovery system gear 14 meshed with the clutch gear 8 is rotated.
Is also rotated in the direction of arrow C by a predetermined amount. Then, the latch portion 18 of the clutch gear 8 is latched on the side surface of the recovery system gear 14, and various recovery operations thereafter (for example, suction recovery,
Recovery gear 1 for performing wiping, preliminary discharge, etc.
4 is rotated in the normal and reverse directions, the latch portion 18 does not recover the recovery gear 14
In the range where the clutch gear 8 is latched, the clutch gear 8 is prevented from returning toward the position shown in FIG. 7 by the biasing force of the coil spring 10. That is, the latch portion 18 holds the clutch gear 8 in the recovery operation position where it meshes with the recovery system gear 14.

When the recovery operation is completed, the clutch gear 8 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow B in FIG. 10, the latch of the latch portion 18 is released, and the clutch gear 8 is released from the coil spring 10.
Is moved to the right by and the transmission of the driving force to the lead screw 7 is restarted. As described above, the latch portion 18 is provided on the side surface of the clutch gear 8 and the recovery system gear 14 is latched by the latch portion 18 during the recovery operation, so that the biasing force of the coil spring 10 does not affect the operation. The recovery operation can be performed.

According to the embodiment described above, the spiral groove 7a is provided in the recording apparatus in which the recording head 1 temporarily moves to the outside of the recording area and performs operations other than recording such as recovery operation outside the recording area. And a carriage 2 having a sliding portion 16 that engages with the spiral groove 7a and performing linear motion in synchronization with the rotation of the lead screw 7, and coaxially with the lead screw 7. Since the driving force from the motor 11 provided is switched to the rotational force of the lead screw 7 and the driving force for performing the operation other than the recording, the driving system of the carriage is configured as in the conventional case. It is possible to reduce the sliding load of the sliding portion between the carriage 2 and the lead screw 7 and to reduce the vibration and noise while adopting the configuration of driving the recovery system by utilizing it. It becomes ability.

Although the sliding portion 16 is formed as a separate member from the carriage 2 in the above embodiment, the sliding portion 16 may be integrally formed with the carriage 2. Further, the clutch portion 8b of the clutch gear 8 and the clutch portion (groove) 1 of the spacer gear 17
The driving force transmitting portion by 7a may be a friction type clutch mechanism.

In the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the wire dot type, heat sensitive type, thermal transfer type or laser beam type. The same can be applied to the recording apparatus using the recording means of the method (3), and the same operation and effect can be obtained.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the recording apparatus using one recording means is taken as an example, but the present invention records using a plurality of recording means such as for color recording and gradation recording. The present invention can be applied regardless of the form of the recording means, such as an apparatus or a recording apparatus in which one recording means is provided with a plurality of types of dot forming means, and similar effects can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus, when a replaceable head cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated is used, or the recording head and the ink tank are provided separately and ink is supplied between them. The present invention can be similarly applied to any arrangement of the recording head and the ink tank, such as the case of connecting with a tube or the like, and the same effect can be obtained.

Further, the present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus which uses a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, but among them, thermal energy is utilized. The present invention brings excellent effects in an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording means of a type that ejects ink. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

[0046]

As is clear from the above description, according to the first aspect of the invention, the recording means mounted on the carriage records on the recording material, and the recording means temporarily moves out of the recording area. In a recording device that performs an operation other than recording while moving, a lead screw having a spiral groove, and the carriage is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the lead screw by engaging with the spiral groove. A clutch provided on the sliding portion of the carriage and coaxial with the lead screw to switch the driving force from the motor to either the rotational force of the lead screw or the driving force for performing an operation other than the recording. Since the drive of the recovery mechanism is taken from the drive of the carriage, the sliding load between the carriage and the lead screw is reduced. Recording apparatus is provided which can reduce vibration and noise in the carriage moving mechanism.

According to the inventions of claims 2 to 5, in addition to the structure of claim 1, the clutch means is switched depending on the position of the carriage, and the clutch means is provided with respect to the lead screw. A rotatable pulley, a clutch member that is linearly movable with respect to the pulley and rotatable and linearly movable with respect to the lead screw, and a biasing force for biasing the clutch member toward the lead screw. And a structure in which the sliding portion is a member separate from the carriage and is fixed to the carriage, or the sliding portion is fixed to the spiral groove of the lead screw. Since the structure has a spiral protrusion that fits only the distance, the recovery mechanism is driven from the drive of the carriage, and the carriage and lead screw are more efficiently used. Reduce the sliding load between, the carriage vibration and recording apparatus capable of reducing noise in a mobile mechanism is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

3 is an enlarged plan view schematically showing an engagement portion between a carriage and a lead screw in FIG.

4 is a sectional view of a lead screw and a sliding portion in FIG.

5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the lead groove and the convex shape of the sliding portion in FIG.

6 is a partially cutaway plan view schematically showing the structure of clutch means arranged coaxially with the lead screw in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which a clutch gear having a latch portion and a recovery system gear are separated from each other.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which a clutch gear having a latch portion and a recovery system gear mesh with each other.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 recording means (recording head) 2 carriage 2a bearing part 3 paper feed roller 4 paper feed motor 7 lead screw 7a lead groove 8 clutch gear 8a gear part 8b clutch part 8e key groove 9 pulley gear 9a gear part 9b key part 9c stopper 10 coil spring 11 Carriage Motor 13 Belt 14 Recovery System Gear 15 Guide Rail 16 Sliding Part 16a Convex Part 17 Spacer Gear 17a Groove (Clutch Part) 18 Latch Part 81 Discharge Port Surface 82 Discharge Port 85 Electrothermal Converter

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location B41J 2/185 2/175 19/20 K B41J 3/04 102 R 102 Z

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A recording device for recording on a recording medium by a recording means mounted on a carriage and performing an operation other than recording while the recording means is temporarily moving out of a recording area. A lead screw having a groove of
A sliding portion provided on the carriage so as to move the carriage in synchronization with the rotation of the lead screw by engaging with the spiral groove, and a driving force from a motor provided coaxially with the lead screw. And a clutch means for switching between the rotational force of the lead screw and the driving force for performing an operation other than the recording. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clutch means is switched depending on a position of the carriage. 3. The clutch means includes a pulley that is rotatable with respect to the lead screw, and a clutch member that is linearly movable with respect to the pulley and rotatable and linearly movable with respect to the lead screw. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an urging means for urging the clutch member toward the lead screw. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding portion is a member separate from the carriage and is fixed to the carriage. 5. The sliding portion has a spiral convex portion that fits into the spiral groove of the lead screw by a predetermined distance. Recording device. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit that ejects ink to perform recording. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit including an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the recording unit ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter.