JP2007230655A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To alleviate a shock when opening and closing a front tray and a shock in lifting-up and down. <P>SOLUTION: The front tray for lifting up is constituted so that for the purpose of preventing a failure of a recorder by the shock when opening and closing the front tray and the shock in lifting up and down, a gear member integrally formed with the front tray and rotating together with the front tray meshes with a speed reduction member arranged on a lever member supported by a guide part having one journaled on a rotary shaft of the front tray and having the other arranged on a recorder body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer that performs printing by conveying a sheet material such as paper or film.

  According to Patent Document 1, when the front tray is unlocked by the lock unit, the image forming apparatus includes a reduction unit that rotates by an urging unit that urges the front tray in an opening direction and decelerates the rotation speed. Has been proposed.

  However, in recent years, the type of media such as inkjet-dedicated coated paper has increased, and there are cases in which it is difficult to feed from an automatic feeding device for media such as cardboard. When printing on a medium such as cardboard, it is preferable to use a horizontal path, and a switchback system that can insert the medium from the front side is often adopted. In such a case, the front tray is used not only as a paper discharge tray but also as a paper feed tray. In this case, the front tray is often used after being lifted up.

In the front tray, a method of reducing the rotation speed of the front tray by using a reduction means as described in Patent Document 1 in order to alleviate the impact at the time of normal opening and closing and prevent failure of the device due to the impact. However, in the front tray that lifts up and down, it is a new problem to reduce the impact during normal opening and closing and the impact during lift up and down.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-207968

  The present invention provides a speed reducing means capable of mitigating an impact when a front tray shifts from a closed state to an open state, and can also alleviate an impact at the time of lift up and down in a front tray that is lifted up and down. With the goal.

  A gear member that is integrally formed with the front tray and rotates together with the front tray, and a speed reduction means for decelerating the rotation of the gear member is supported on one of the rotation axes of the front tray, and the other is It is provided on a lever member supported by a guide portion provided on the recording apparatus main body, and is arranged so as to mesh with the gear member.

  According to the present invention, in the front tray that is lifted up and down, the impact when the front tray transitions from the closed state to the open state is mitigated, and the impact that occurs when the front tray transitions from the lift up state to the down state is also mitigated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a recording apparatus from being damaged due to an impact.

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

1. 1. Basic Configuration 1.1 Overview of Recording System FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the flow of image data processing in a recording system applied in an embodiment of the present invention. The recording system J0011 is based on a host device J0012 that generates image data indicating an image to be recorded, a UI (user interface) for generating the data, and the like, and image data generated by the host device J0012. And a recording apparatus J0013 for recording on a recording medium. The printing apparatus J0013 includes cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm), yellow (Y), red (R), green (G), first black (K1), and second. Recording is performed with 10 color inks of black (K2) and gray (Gray). For this purpose, a recording head H1001 that discharges these 10 colors of ink is used. These 10 color inks are pigment inks containing a pigment as a coloring material.

  As programs that operate in the operating system of the host device J0012, there are applications and printer drivers. The application J0001 executes processing for creating image data to be recorded by the recording apparatus. This image data or data before editing or the like can be taken into a PC via various media. The host device according to the present embodiment can first take in, for example, JPEG format image data captured by a digital camera using a CF card. Also, for example, TIFF format image data read by a scanner or image data stored in a CD-ROM can be captured. Furthermore, data on the web can be taken in via the Internet. These captured data are displayed on the monitor of the host device and edited, processed, etc. via the application J0001, for example, image data R, G, B of sRGB standard is created. On the UI screen displayed on the monitor of the host device J0012, the user sets the type of recording medium used for recording, the quality of recording, and issues a recording instruction. In response to this recording instruction, the image data R, G, B are transferred to the printer driver.

  The printer driver includes a pre-stage process J0002, a post-stage process J0003, a γ correction J0004, a halftoning J0005, and a print data creation J0006. Hereinafter, each process J0002 to J0006 performed by the printer driver will be briefly described.

(A) Pre-processing The pre-processing J0002 performs color gamut mapping. In the present embodiment, data conversion is performed to map the color gamut reproduced by the image data R, G, B of the sRGB standard into the color gamut reproduced by the recording device J0013. Specifically, 256-gradation image data R, G, and B, each of which is represented by 8 bits, are converted into 8-bit data in the color gamut of the recording apparatus J0013 by using a three-dimensional LUT. Convert to R, G, B.

(B) Post-stage process The post-stage process J0003 is an 8-bit / 10-color color corresponding to the combination of inks that reproduces the color represented by this data based on the 8-bit data R, G, B on which the color gamut has been mapped. Processing for obtaining the decomposed data Y, M, Lm, C, Lc, K1, K2, R, G, and Gray is performed. In the present embodiment, this process is performed by using a three-dimensional LUT together with an interpolation operation as in the previous process.

(C) γ Processing The γ correction J0004 performs density value (gradation value) conversion for each color data of the color separation data obtained by the subsequent processing J0003. Specifically, by using a one-dimensional LUT corresponding to the gradation characteristics of each color ink of the printing apparatus J0013, conversion is performed so that the color separation data is linearly associated with the gradation characteristics of the printer.

(D) Halftoning Halftoning J0005 is a quantum that converts 8-bit color-separated data Y, M, Lm, C, Lc, K1, K2, R, G, and Gray that have been γ-corrected into 4-bit data. Do. In the present embodiment, 256-bit 8-bit data is converted to 9-gradation 4-bit data using an error diffusion method. This 4-bit data is data serving as an index for indicating an arrangement pattern in the dot arrangement patterning process in the printing apparatus.

(E) Recording data creation process At the end of the process performed by the printer driver, the recording data creation process J0006 creates recording data in which recording control information is added to the recording image data containing the 4-bit index data. .

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of such recording data. The recording data is composed of recording control information for controlling recording and recording image data (the above-described 4-bit index data) indicating an image to be recorded. The recording control information includes “recording medium information”, “recording quality information”, and “other control information” such as a paper feed method. The recording medium information describes the type of recording medium to be recorded, and any one type of recording medium is defined among plain paper, glossy paper, postcard, and printable disc. The recording quality information describes the quality of the recording, and any one of “clean”, “standard”, “fast”, etc. is defined. The recording control information is formed based on the content specified by the user on the UI screen on the monitor of the host device J0012. Further, it is assumed that the recorded image data describes the image data generated by the above-described halftone process J0005. The recording data generated as described above is supplied to the recording device J0013.

  The printing apparatus J0013 performs the following dot arrangement patterning process J0007 and mask data conversion process J0008 on the printing data supplied from the host apparatus J0012.

(F) Dot arrangement patterning process In the above-described halftone process J0005, the number of gradation levels is reduced from 256-value multi-value density information (8-bit data) to 9-value gradation value information (4-bit data). . However, data that can be actually recorded by the printing apparatus J0013 is binary data (1 bit data) indicating whether or not ink dots are printed. Therefore, in the dot arrangement patterning process J0007, for each pixel expressed by 4-bit data of gradation levels 0 to 8, which is an output value from the halftone process J0005, the gradation value (level 0 to 8) of that pixel is represented. ) Is assigned to the dot arrangement pattern. This defines whether or not ink dots are recorded (dot on / off) in each of a plurality of areas in one pixel, and 1-bit binary data of “1” or “0” for each area in one pixel. Place. Here, “1” is binary data indicating dot recording, and “0” is binary data indicating non-recording.

  FIG. 3 shows output patterns for input levels 0 to 8 that are converted by the dot arrangement patterning processing of the present embodiment. Each level value shown on the left of the drawing corresponds to level 0 to level 8 which are output values from the halftone processing unit on the host device side. An area composed of 2 vertical areas × 4 horizontal areas arranged on the right side corresponds to an area of one pixel output by halftone processing. Each area in one pixel corresponds to a minimum unit in which dot on / off is defined. In this specification, the “pixel” is a minimum unit that can express gradation, and is a target of image processing of multi-bit multi-value data (processing such as the preceding stage, the latter stage, γ correction, and halftoning). Is the smallest unit.

  In the figure, the area filled with a circle indicates an area where dots are recorded, and the number of dots to be recorded increases by one as the number of levels increases. In the present embodiment, the density information of the original image is finally reflected in such a form.

  (4n) to (4n + 3) indicate the pixel positions in the horizontal direction from the left end of the image data to be recorded by substituting an integer of 1 or more for n, and each pattern shown below is the same This indicates that a plurality of different patterns are prepared according to the pixel position even at the input level. That is, even when the same level is input, four types of dot arrangement patterns shown in (4n) to (4n + 3) are cyclically assigned on the recording medium.

  In FIG. 3, the vertical direction is the direction in which the ejection ports of the recording head are arranged, and the horizontal direction is the scanning direction of the recording head. In this way, it is possible to perform recording with a plurality of different dot arrangements for the same level. This is because the number of ejections is distributed between the nozzles located at the upper and lower positions of the dot arrangement pattern, This has the effect of dispersing various noises.

  When the dot arrangement patterning process described above is completed, all dot arrangement patterns for the recording medium are determined.

(G) Mask Data Conversion Process Since the dot arrangement patterning process J0007 described above determines the presence / absence of dots for each area on the recording medium, binary data indicating this dot arrangement is sent to the drive circuit J0009 of the recording head H1001. If input, a desired image can be recorded. In this case, so-called one-pass printing is executed, in which printing for the same scanning area on the printing medium is completed by one scan. However, here, an example of so-called multi-pass printing in which printing on the same scanning area on the printing medium is completed by a plurality of scans will be described.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a recording head and a recording pattern in order to explain the multipass recording method. The recording head H10001 applied to this embodiment actually has 768 nozzles, but here it will be described as having 16 nozzles for simplicity. As shown in the drawing, the nozzles are divided into first to fourth nozzle groups, and each nozzle group includes four nozzles. The mask pattern P0002 includes first to fourth mask patterns P0002 (a) to P0002 (d). The first to fourth mask patterns P0002 (a) to P0002 (d) define areas where the first to fourth nozzle groups can be recorded. The black area in the mask pattern indicates a recording allowable area, and the white area indicates a non-recording area. The first to fourth mask patterns P0002 (a) to P0002 (d) are complementary to each other, and when these four mask patterns are overlapped, recording of a region corresponding to a 4 × 4 area is completed. It has become.

  Each pattern indicated by P0003 to P0006 shows a state in which an image is completed by overlapping recording scans. At the end of each printing scan, the printing medium is conveyed by the width of the nozzle group (four nozzles in this figure) in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Therefore, the same area of the recording medium (area corresponding to the width of each nozzle group) is configured such that an image is completed only after four recording scans. As described above, the formation of each same area of the recording medium by a plurality of nozzle groups by a plurality of scans has an effect of reducing variations peculiar to the nozzles and variations in the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a mask pattern that can be actually applied in this embodiment. The recording head H1001 applied in this embodiment has 768 nozzles, and 192 nozzles belong to each of the four nozzle groups. The mask pattern size is 768 areas in the vertical direction equivalent to the number of nozzles and 256 areas in the horizontal direction, and the four mask patterns corresponding to each of the four nozzle groups maintain a complementary relationship with each other. It has become.

  By the way, in an ink jet recording head that discharges a large number of small droplets at a high frequency as applied in the present embodiment, an air flow is generated in the vicinity of the recording unit during a recording operation, and this air flow is particularly generated at the end of the recording head. It has been confirmed that it affects the discharge direction of the nozzle located in the position. Therefore, in the mask pattern of this embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 5, the distribution of the printing allowance is biased depending on the region in each nozzle group or the same nozzle group. As shown in FIG. 5, by applying a mask pattern having a configuration in which the recording allowance of the end nozzles is smaller than the recording allowance of the center, landing position deviation of the ink droplets ejected by the end nozzles This makes it possible to make the harmful effects caused by.

  Note that the print allowance determined by the mask pattern means a print allowance area (black area of the mask pattern P0002 in FIG. 4) and a non-print allowance area (white area of the mask pattern P0002 in FIG. 4) constituting the mask pattern. The percentage of the number of recordable areas with respect to the total number is expressed as a percentage. That is, if the mask pattern recording allowable area is M and the non-recording allowable area is N, the mask pattern recording allowable ratio (%) is M ÷ (M + N) × 100.

  In the present embodiment, the mask data shown in FIG. 5 is stored in a memory in the recording apparatus main body. In the mask data conversion process J0008, an AND process is performed between the mask data and the binary data obtained by the above-described dot arrangement patterning process, so that a binary to be recorded in each recording scan is obtained. The data is determined and the binary data is sent to the drive circuit J0009. As a result, the recording head H1001 is driven and ink is ejected according to the binary data.

  In FIG. 1, the pre-stage process J0002, the post-stage process J0003, the γ process J0004, the halftoning J0005, and the print data creation process J0006 are executed by the host device J0012, and the dot arrangement patterning process J0007 and the mask data conversion process J0008 are performed by the print apparatus. Although the form performed by J0013 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this form. For example, a part of the processes J0002 to J0005 executed by the host device J0012 may be executed by the recording device J0013, or all may be executed by the host device J0012. Alternatively, the processing J0002 to J0008 may be executed by the recording device J0013.

1.2 Configuration of Mechanism Unit The configuration of each mechanism unit in the recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment will be described. The recording apparatus main body in the present embodiment can be generally classified into a paper feed unit, a paper transport unit, a paper discharge unit, a carriage unit, a flat path recording unit, a cleaning unit, and the like based on the role of each mechanism unit. Is housed in the exterior.

  6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13 are perspective views showing the external appearance of a recording apparatus applied in this embodiment. 6 is a state viewed from the front when the recording apparatus is not used, FIG. 7 is a state viewed from the rear when the recording apparatus is not used, and FIG. 8 is a state viewed from the front when the recording apparatus is used. FIG. 12 shows a state seen from the front during flat pass recording, and FIG. 13 shows a state seen from the rear during flat pass recording. FIGS. 9 to 11 and FIGS. 14 to 16 are diagrams for explaining the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus main body. 9 is a perspective view from the upper right portion, FIG. 10 is a perspective view from the upper left portion, FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the recording apparatus main body, FIG. 14 is a sectional view at the time of flat pass recording, and FIG. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the wiping mechanism in the cleaning unit, and FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the wet liquid transfer unit in the cleaning unit.

  Hereinafter, each part will be sequentially described with reference to these drawings as appropriate.

(A) Exterior part (FIGS. 6 and 7)
The exterior part is attached so as to cover the periphery of the paper feed part, paper transport part, paper discharge part, carriage part, cleaning part, flat path part and wet liquid transfer part. The exterior portion mainly includes a lower case M7080, an upper case M7040, an access cover M7030, a connector cover, and a front cover M7010.

  A lower discharge tray rail (not shown) is provided below the lower case M7080, and the divided discharge tray M3160 can be stored. Further, the front cover M7010 is configured to close the paper discharge port when not in use.

  The front cover M7010 is configured to close the paper discharge port when not in use, and the front cover M7010 is configured to accommodate a divided paper discharge tray M3160.

  An access cover M7030 is attached to the upper case M7040 and is configured to be rotatable. A part of the upper surface of the upper case has an opening, and the ink tank H1900 and the recording head H1001 (FIG. 21) can be exchanged at this position. In the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, the recording head H1001 is in the form of a unit in which a plurality of ejection portions capable of ejecting one color of ink are integrally configured, and the ink tank H1900 is independent for each color. The recording head cartridge H1000 is detachable from the recording head cartridge H1000. Further, the upper case M7040 includes a door switch lever (not shown) for detecting opening / closing of the access cover M7030, an LED guide M7060 for transmitting / displaying LED light, a power key E0018, a resume key E0019, a flat pass key E3004, and the like. Is provided. Further, the multi-stage type paper feed tray M2060 is rotatably attached, and when the paper feed unit is not used, the paper feed tray M2060 is accommodated so that it also serves as a cover for the paper feed unit. Has been.

  The upper case M7040 and the lower case M7080 are attached with elastic fitting claws, and a connector cover (not shown) covers a portion where the connector portion is provided therebetween.

  Hereinafter, the front cover M7010 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 22 explains the method of attaching the front cover M7010. The front cover M7010 opens and closes with a front cover shaft M7013 passing through the front cover M7010 as the center of rotation. Further, the front cover shaft M7013 can be lifted up and down along a long hole by a rack on a gear base (L) M7012 fixed to the lower case M7080 via a shaft gear M7013 that rotates integrally. The gear base (R) M7011 side has the same configuration.

  FIG. 23 shows a state where the front cover gear M7015 is attached to the front cover M7010, and the front cover M7010 and the front cover gear M7015 rotate together.

  FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the front cover M7010 and the effect of deceleration by the deceleration means. FIG. 24A shows a state in which the front cover M7010 is closed, and the recording apparatus corresponds to the state shown in FIG. FIG. 24B shows a state where the front cover M7010 is opened and used as a paper discharge tray at the time of printing by ASF paper supply, and the recording apparatus corresponds to the state shown in FIG. FIG. 24C shows a state in which the front cover M7010 is lifted up and used as a paper supply / discharge tray for feeding and discharging paper from the front of the recording apparatus. It corresponds to the state shown.

  When rotating from the state shown in FIG. 24A to the state shown in FIG. 24B, that is, when the front cover M7010 is opened, the front cover gear M7015 is moved in the direction of arrow A while the front cover shaft M7013 is stopped. The rotational speed of the front cover M7010 is reduced by rotating and rotating the rotary damper M7018 similarly provided on the deceleration lever M7016 via the idle gear M7017 provided freely on the deceleration lever M7016. And the impact when the front cover M7010 is opened is alleviated. At this time, one of the deceleration levers is pivotally supported by the front cover shaft M7013, and the other is supported by the guide shaft portion M7012a on the gear base (L) M7012, and the deceleration lever M7016 itself performs operations such as rotation and movement. Absent.

  The movement from the state shown in FIG. 24B to the state shown in FIG. 24C is performed when printing by flat path, but the front cover shaft M7013 is lifted in the direction of arrow B. Here, the deceleration lever M7016 is also rotated while being supported by the guide shaft portion M7012a.

  When the front cover M7010 returns from the lift-up position to the down position, the arrow B moves from the state shown in FIG. 24C to the state shown in FIG. 24B. Even in this case, the front cover gear M7015 exerts a force in the direction of rotating the rotary damper M7018 via the idle gear M7017. Therefore, when the front cover gear M7015 returns from the lift-up position to the down position, the front cover gear M7015 does not return suddenly. While going down.

  Further, although the torque value of the rotary damper M7018 can be varied according to the weight of the front cover M7010, when the weight of the front cover M7010 becomes heavier, it is necessary to set the torque of the rotary damper to a high torque. In this case, if a sufficient deceleration effect is maintained when the front cover M7010 is opened, it becomes very heavy when the front cover M7010 is closed. In such a case, by providing a 1 WAY clutch instead of the idle gear M7017, when the front cover M7010 is opened, a deceleration effect is generated by the rotary damper M7018. It becomes possible.

(B) Paper feed unit (FIGS. 8 and 11)
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11, the paper feeding unit is configured to load a pressure plate M2010 for loading recording media, a paper feeding roller M2080 for feeding recording media one by one, a separation roller M2041 for separating the recording media, and a recording medium. A return lever M2020 or the like for returning to the position is attached to the base M2000.

(C) Paper transport unit (FIGS. 8 to 11)
A conveyance roller M3060 for conveying a recording medium and a paper end sensor (hereinafter referred to as a PE sensor) E0007 are rotatably attached to a chassis M1010 made of a bent metal sheet. The conveying roller M3060 has a structure in which ceramic fine particles are coated on the surface of a metal shaft, and is attached to the chassis M1010 in a state where the metal portions of both shafts are received by bearings (not shown). The conveyance roller M3060 is provided with a roller tension spring (not shown), and by energizing the conveyance roller M3060, an appropriate amount of load is applied during rotation so that stable conveyance can be performed.

  A plurality of driven pinch rollers M3070 are provided in contact with the transport roller M3060. The pinch roller M3070 is held by the pinch roller holder M3000, but is urged by a pinch roller spring (not shown) to be brought into pressure contact with the conveyance roller M3060, and generates a conveyance force for the recording medium. At this time, the rotation shaft of the pinch roller holder M3000 is attached to the bearing of the chassis M1010 and rotates around this position.

  A paper guide flapper M3030 and a platen M3040 for guiding the recording medium are disposed at the entrance where the recording medium is conveyed. The pinch roller holder M3000 is provided with a PE sensor lever M3021, and the PE sensor lever M3021 plays a role of transmitting the detection of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording medium to the PE sensor E0007. The platen M3040 is attached to the chassis M1010 and positioned. The paper guide flapper M3030 can rotate around a bearing portion (not shown) and is positioned by contacting the chassis M1010.

  A recording head H1001 (FIG. 21) is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance roller M3060 in the recording medium conveyance direction.

  The conveyance process in the above configuration will be described. The recording medium sent to the paper transport unit is guided by the pinch roller holder M3000 and the paper guide flapper M3030, and is sent to the roller pair of the transport roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. At this time, the PE sensor lever M3021 detects the leading edge of the recording medium, and thereby the recording position with respect to the recording medium is obtained. A roller pair composed of a conveyance roller M3060 and a pinch roller M3070 is rotated by driving of the LF motor E0002, and the recording medium is conveyed on the platen M3040 by this rotation. The platen M3040 is provided with a rib serving as a conveyance reference surface, and a gap between the recording head H1001 and the recording medium surface is managed by the rib. At the same time, the ribs play a role of suppressing the undulation of the recording medium together with a paper discharge unit described later.

  The driving force for rotating the transport roller M3060 is transmitted, for example, to the pulley M3061 provided on the shaft of the transport roller M3060 via a timing belt (not shown) from the LF motor E0002 made of a DC motor. It is obtained by doing. Further, a code wheel M3062 for detecting the amount of conveyance by the conveyance roller M3060 is provided on the axis of the conveyance roller M3060, and an adjacent chassis M1010 is used for reading the marking formed on the code wheel M3062. An encode sensor M3090 is provided. The markings formed on the code wheel M3062 are formed at a pitch of 150 to 300 lpi (line / inch; reference value).

(D) Paper discharge section (FIGS. 8 to 11)
The paper discharge unit includes a first paper discharge roller M3100, a second paper discharge roller M3110, a plurality of spurs M3120, a gear train, and the like.

  The first paper discharge roller M3100 is configured by providing a plurality of rubber portions on a metal shaft. The first paper discharge roller M3100 is driven by transmitting the driving of the transport roller M3060 to the first paper discharge roller M3100 via an idler gear.

  The second paper discharge roller M3110 has a structure in which a plurality of elastomer elastic bodies M3111 are attached to a resin shaft. The second paper discharge roller M3110 is driven by transmitting the drive of the first paper discharge roller M3100 via an idler gear.

  The spur M3120 is formed by integrating a circular thin plate made of, for example, SUS, which has a plurality of convex shapes around the resin portion, and is attached to the spur holder M3130. This attachment is performed by a spur spring provided with a coil spring in a rod shape. At the same time, the spring force of the spur spring causes the spur M3120 to contact the discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 with a predetermined pressure. With this configuration, the spur M3120 can be rotated following the two discharge rollers M3100 and M3110. Some of the spurs M3120 are provided at the position of the rubber portion of the first paper discharge roller M3100 or the elastic body M3111 of the second paper discharge roller M3110, and mainly play a role of generating the conveyance force of the recording medium. Yes. In addition, some others are provided at positions where the rubber part or the elastic body M3111 is not present, and mainly play a role of suppressing the lifting of the recording medium during recording.

  Further, the gear train plays a role of transmitting the driving of the transport roller M3060 to the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110.

  With the above configuration, the recording medium on which an image has been formed is sandwiched between the nip between the first paper discharge roller M3110 and the spur M3120, conveyed, and discharged to the paper discharge tray M3160. The paper discharge tray M3160 is divided into a plurality of parts and can be stored in a lower part of a lower case M7080 described later. When used, pull out. Further, the discharge tray M3160 is designed such that its height increases toward the leading end, and both ends thereof are held at high positions, improving the stackability of the discharged recording medium, rubbing the recording surface, and the like. Is preventing.

(E) Carriage part (FIGS. 9 to 11)
The carriage unit has a carriage M4000 for mounting the recording head H1001, and the carriage M4000 is supported by a guide shaft M4020 and a guide rail M1011. The guide shaft M4020 is attached to the chassis M1010 and guides and supports the carriage M4000 to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. The guide rail M1011 is formed integrally with the chassis M1010, and holds the rear end of the carriage M4000 and plays a role of maintaining a gap between the recording head H1001 and the recording medium. Further, a sliding sheet M4030 made of a thin plate of stainless steel or the like is stretched on the sliding side of the guide rail M1011 with respect to the carriage M4000 so as to reduce the sliding noise of the recording apparatus.

  The carriage M4000 is driven via a timing belt M4041 by a carriage motor E0001 attached to the chassis M1010. The timing belt M4041 is stretched and supported by an idle pulley M4042. Further, the timing belt M4041 is coupled to the carriage M4000 via a carriage damper made of rubber or the like, and the unevenness of the recorded image is reduced by attenuating the vibration of the carriage motor E0001 or the like.

  An encoder scale E0005 (described later with reference to FIG. 18) for detecting the position of the carriage M4000 is provided in parallel with the timing belt M4041. On the encoder scale E0005, markings are formed at a pitch of 150 lpi to 300 lpi, and an encoder sensor E0004 (described later with reference to FIG. 18) for reading the markings is mounted on a carriage M4000 (refer to FIG. 18). Provided later). The carriage substrate E0013 is also provided with a head contact E0101 for electrical connection with the recording head H1001. In addition, a flexible cable E0012 (not shown) for transmitting a drive signal from the electric board E0014 to the recording head H1001 is connected to the carriage M4000.

  As a configuration for fixing the recording head H1001 to the carriage M4000, an abutting portion (not shown) for positioning the recording head H1001 while pressing the recording head H1001 and a pressing means (not shown) for fixing the recording head H1001 at a predetermined position are provided. It is provided on the carriage M4000. The pressing means is mounted on the head set lever M4010, and is configured to act on the recording head H1001 by turning the head set lever M4010 about the rotation fulcrum when setting the recording head H1001.

  Further, the carriage M4000 is provided with a position detection sensor M4090 including a reflection type optical sensor for recording on a special medium such as a CD-R or for detecting the position of a recording result or a sheet edge. . The position detection sensor M4090 can detect the current position of the carriage M4000 by emitting light from the light emitting element and receiving the reflected light.

  When an image is formed on the recording medium in the above configuration, the roller pair including the conveyance roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 conveys and positions the recording medium with respect to the row position. For the row position, the carriage M4000 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the carriage motor E0001 to place the recording head H1001 at the target image forming position. The positioned recording head H1001 ejects ink to the recording medium in accordance with a signal from the electric substrate E0014. Although the detailed configuration and recording system of the recording head H1001 will be described later, in the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, a recording main scan in which the carriage M4000 scans in the column direction while recording is performed by the recording head H1001, and a conveyance roller M3060. An image is formed on the recording medium by alternately repeating sub-scanning in which the recording medium is conveyed in the row direction.

(F) Flat pass recording unit (FIGS. 12 to 14)
Paper feeding from the paper feeding unit is performed in a state where the recording medium is bent because the path through which the recording medium passes is bent until reaching the pinch roller as shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, when a thick recording medium of about 0.5 mm or more is to be fed from the sheet feeding unit, a reaction force of the bent recording medium may be generated, and the sheet feeding resistance may increase to prevent sheet feeding. . Even if paper can be fed, the recording medium after being ejected may remain bent or bend.

  Flat-pass recording is performed on a recording medium that is not desired to be bent, such as a thick recording medium, or a recording medium that cannot be bent, such as a CD-R.

  Here, in flat pass recording, there is a type in which recording is performed by causing a recording medium to be nipped by a pinch roller of the main body from the opening on the slit on the back of the main body (under the paper feeding device) in a manual feed mode. However, the flat-pass recording according to the present embodiment is a mode in which recording is performed after a recording medium is fed from a paper discharge port on the front side of the main body to a recording position and switched back.

  The front cover M7010 is below the paper discharge unit to serve also as a tray for stacking about several tens of normally recorded recording media (FIG. 8). During flat-pass recording, the front tray M7010 is raised to the position of the paper discharge port in order to feed the recording medium horizontally from the paper discharge port in the direction opposite to the normal transport direction (FIG. 12). The front tray M7010 is provided with a hook or the like (not shown), and the front tray can be fixed at the flat path paper feed position. The presence of the front tray M7010 at the flat pass recording position can be detected by a sensor, and the flat pass recording mode can be determined according to the detection.

  In the flat pass recording mode, in order to place the recording medium on the front tray M7010 and insert the recording medium from the paper discharge outlet, first, the flat pass key E3004 is operated to reach a position higher than the assumed thickness of the recording medium. The spur holder M3130 and the pinch roller holder M3000 are lifted by a mechanism (not shown). Further, the rear tray M7090 can be opened by pressing the rear tray button M7110, and the rear subtray M7091 can be opened in a V shape (FIG. 13). The rear tray M7090 and the rear sub-tray M7091 are trays for supporting a long recording medium also on the back of the main body, since the rear recording tray protrudes from the back of the main body when a long recording medium is inserted from the front of the main body. If a thick recording medium does not maintain a flat posture during recording, it may rub against the head face surface or the transport load may change, which may affect the recording quality. It is. However, if the recording medium has a length that does not protrude from the back of the main body, the rear tray M7090 or the like need not be opened.

  As described above, the recording medium can be inserted into the main body from the paper discharge port. The rear end of the recording medium (the end on the near side closest to the user) and the right end are aligned with the marker position of the front tray M7010 and placed on the front tray M7010.

  When the flat pass key E3004 is operated again here, the spur holder 3130 descends and the recording medium is nipped by the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 and the spur 3120. Thereafter, the recording medium is pulled into the main body by a predetermined amount by the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 (the direction opposite to the conveying direction during normal recording). When the recording medium is set for the first time, the front end (rear end) of the recording medium is aligned, so the front end of the short recording medium (end farthest from the user's end) is the transport roller M3060. May not reach. Accordingly, the predetermined amount is a distance until the rear end of the assumed shortest recording medium reaches the conveyance roller M3060. Since the recording medium fed by a predetermined amount reaches the conveying roller M3060, the pinch roller holder M3000 is lowered at that position, and the recording medium is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. Then, the recording medium is further fed so that the rear end portion is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. This completes the feeding of the recording medium for flat path recording (recording standby position).

  The nip force between the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 and the spur M3120 is set to be relatively low so as not to affect the formed image during paper discharge during normal recording. Accordingly, there is a risk that the position of the recording medium may be shifted before recording is performed during flat pass recording. However, in the present embodiment, the recording medium is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 having a relatively high nip force, so that the setting position of the recording medium is secured. Further, when the recording medium is fed into the main body by the predetermined amount, the rear end position of the recording medium (the front end position at the time of recording) is detected by the flat path paper detection sensor M3170 located between the platen M3040 and the spur holder M3130. be able to.

  When the recording medium is set at the recording standby position, a recording command is executed. In other words, the recording medium is transported by the transport roller M3060 to the recording position by the recording head H1001, and thereafter, recording is performed in the same manner as the normal recording operation, and the paper is discharged to the front tray M7010 after recording.

  If further flat pass recording is desired, the recorded recording medium is taken out from the front tray M7010, the next recording medium is set, and then the above-described processing is repeated. Specifically, it starts by pushing the flat pass key E3004 to lift the spur holder M3130 and the pinch roller holder M3000 and set the recording medium.

  On the other hand, when the flat pass recording is ended, the normal recording mode can be restored by returning the front tray M7010 to the normal recording position.

(G) Cleaning unit (FIGS. 15 and 16)
The cleaning unit is a mechanism for cleaning the recording head H1001, and includes a pump M5000, a cap M5010 for suppressing the drying of the recording head H1001, a blade M5020 for cleaning the discharge port forming surface of the recording head H1001, and the like. ing.

  A dedicated cleaning motor E0003 is disposed in the cleaning unit. The cleaning motor E0003 is provided with a one-way clutch (not shown) that operates the pump M5000 by rotating in one direction, and moves the blade M5020 and moves the cap M5010 up and down by rotating in the other direction. Yes.

  The cap M5010 is driven by a motor E0003 so as to be able to move up and down via a lifting mechanism (not shown). At the raised position, capping is performed for each of the face surfaces of several ejection portions provided in the recording head H1500. The protection can be performed, or the suction recovery can be performed. Further, it is set at a lowered position that avoids interference with the recording head 9 during the recording operation, and it is possible to receive preliminary ejection by facing the face surface. For example, in the example shown in the figure, two caps M5010 are provided so that the recording head H1001 is provided with ten ejection units, and the face surfaces of the five ejection units can be collectively capped. .

  A wiper portion H5020 made of an elastic member such as rubber is fixed to a wiper holder H5021. The wiper holder H5021 is movable in the + Y and -Y directions (arrangement direction of the discharge ports in the discharge unit) in FIG. Then, when the recording head H1001 reaches the home position, the wiper holder 25 moves in the arrow -Y direction, so that wiping is possible. When the wiping operation is completed, the carriage is retracted out of the wiping area and then returned to a position where the wiper does not interfere with the face surface or the like. In the wiper unit M5020 of this example, a wiper blade M5020A for wiping the entire surface of the recording head H1001 including the face surfaces of all the discharge units, and wiping 2 near the nozzles for each of the face surfaces of the five discharge units. Two wiper blades M5020B and M5020C are provided.

  Then, after wiping, the wiper portion M5020 abuts against the blade cleaner M5060, so that the ink attached to the wiper blades M5020A to M5020C itself can be removed. Further, a configuration (wet liquid transfer portion) is provided that improves the cleaning performance by wiping by transferring the wet liquid to the wiper blades M5020A to M5020C prior to wiping. The configuration of the wet liquid transfer unit and the wiping operation will be described later.

  The suction pump M5000 can generate a negative pressure in a state where a cap M5010 is joined to the face surface and a sealed space is formed therein. As a result, ink can be filled into the ejection portion from the ink tank H1900, and dust, sticking matter, bubbles, etc. existing in the ejection port or the ink path inside the ejection port can be removed by suction.

  As the suction pump M5000, for example, a tube pump type is used. This includes a member formed with a curved surface that holds at least a part of a flexible tube, a roller that can press the flexible tube toward the member, and a roller that supports the roller. And a rotatable roller support portion. That is, by rotating the roller support portion in a predetermined direction, the roller rolls while crushing the flexible tube on the curved surface forming member. Along with this, negative pressure is generated in the sealed space formed by the cap M5010, the ink is sucked from the discharge port, and drawn from the cap M5010 to the tube or the suction pump. The drawn ink is further provided in the lower case M7080. It is transported toward an appropriate member (waste ink absorber).

  Note that an absorber M5011 is provided in an inner portion of the cap M5010 in order to reduce ink remaining on the face surface of the recording head H1001 after suction. Further, by sucking the ink remaining in the cap M5010 or the absorber M5011 with the cap M5010 opened, consideration is given to preventing the remaining ink from sticking and the subsequent adverse effects. Here, an air release valve (not shown) is provided in the middle of the ink suction path, and when the cap M5010 is released from the face surface in advance, the negative pressure does not act on the face surface. It is preferable to keep it.

  The suction pump M5000 can be operated not only for suction recovery, but also for discharging ink received in the cap M5010 by a preliminary ejection operation performed with the cap M5010 facing the face surface. That is, by operating the suction pump M5000 when the pre-discharged ink held in the cap M5010 reaches a predetermined amount, the ink held in the cap M5010 is transferred to the waste ink absorber through the tube. can do.

  A series of operations continuously performed such as the operation of the wiper unit M5020, the raising and lowering of the cap M5010, and the opening and closing of the valve are performed by a main cam (not shown) provided on the output shaft of the motor E0003 and a plurality of cams driven by the main cam. It can be controlled by an arm or the like. That is, a predetermined operation can be performed by operating the cam portions, arms, and the like of the respective portions by the rotation of the main cam in accordance with the rotation direction of the motor E0003. The position of the main cam can be detected by a position detection sensor such as a photo interrupter.

(H) Wet liquid transfer part (FIGS. 17 and 16)
Recently, for the purpose of improving the recording density, water resistance, light resistance and the like of recorded matter, an ink containing a pigment component (hereinafter referred to as “pigment ink”) is increasingly used as a coloring material. The pigment ink is obtained by dispersing a solid color material in water by introducing a functional group on the surface of the pigment or the pigment. Therefore, the dried pigment ink dried by evaporation of moisture in the ink on the face surface is more damaging to the face surface than the dry fixed matter of dye-based ink in which the colorant itself is dissolved at the molecular level. . In addition, there is a property that the polymer compound used for dispersing the pigment in the solvent is easily adsorbed to the ejection surface. This is a problem that occurs other than the pigment ink when a high molecular compound is present in the ink as a result of adding the reaction liquid to the ink for the purpose of adjusting the viscosity of the ink, improving light resistance, or the like.

  In response to this problem, in the present embodiment, liquid is transferred to and attached to the blade M5020, and wiping is performed with the wet blade M5020, thereby preventing deterioration of the face surface due to pigment ink and reducing wiper wear. Further, the accumulated matter is removed by dissolving the ink residue accumulated on the face surface. In the present specification, such a liquid is referred to as a wet liquid, and wiping using the liquid is referred to as wet wiping.

  In the present embodiment, the wet liquid is stored inside the recording apparatus main body. M5090 is a wet liquid tank, which stores a glycerin solution or the like as the wet liquid. M5100 is a wet liquid holding member, which is a fibrous member having an appropriate surface tension so that the wet liquid does not leak from the wet liquid tank M5090, and is impregnated and held with the wet liquid. M5080 is a wet liquid transfer member, which is made of, for example, a porous material having an appropriate capillary force, and has a wet liquid transfer portion M5081 in contact with the wiper blade. The wet liquid transfer member M5080 is also in contact with the wet liquid holding member M5090 soaked with the wet liquid, so that the wet liquid also soaks into the wet liquid transfer member M5080. The wet liquid transfer member M5080 is made of a material having a capillary force that can supply the wet liquid to the wet liquid transfer portion M5081 even when the remaining wet liquid is low.

  The operation of the wet liquid transfer unit and the wiper unit will be described.

  First, the cap M5010 is set to the lowered position, and the carriage M4000 is retracted to a position where it does not touch the blades M5020A to M5020C. In this state, the wiper part M5020 is moved in the −Y direction, passes through the part of the blade cleaner M5060, and is brought into contact with the wet liquid transfer part M5081 (FIG. 17). By maintaining the contact state for an appropriate time, an appropriate amount of wet liquid is transferred to the blade M5020.

  Next, the wiper part M5020 is moved in the + Y direction. Since the blade touches the blade cleaner M5060 on the surface where the wet liquid is not attached, the wet liquid remains held by the blade.

  After returning the blade to the wiping start position, the carriage M4000 is moved to the wiping position. By moving the wiper unit M5020 in the −Y direction again, the face surface of the recording head H1001 can be wiped with the surface with the wet liquid.

1.3 Electrical Circuit Configuration Next, the configuration of the electrical circuit in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a block diagram for schematically explaining the overall configuration of the electrical circuit in the recording apparatus J0013. The recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment is mainly configured by a carriage substrate E0013, a main substrate E0014, a power supply unit E0015, a front panel E0106, and the like.

  Here, the power supply unit E0015 is connected to the main board E0014 and supplies various driving powers.

  The carriage substrate E0013 is a printed circuit board unit mounted on the carriage M4000, and functions as an interface for exchanging signals with the recording head H1001 and supplying head drive power through the head connector E0101. As a part for controlling the head drive power supply, a head drive voltage modulation circuit E3001 of a plurality of channels for each color discharge portion of the print head H1001 is provided, and the head drive is performed according to a condition specified from the main board E0014 through a flexible flat cable (CRFFC) E0012. Generate power supply voltage. Further, a change in the positional relationship between the encoder scale E0005 and the encoder sensor E0004 is detected based on a pulse signal output from the encoder sensor E0004 as the carriage M4000 moves, and the output signal is further transmitted to a flexible flat cable (CRFFC). Output to the main board E0014 through E0012.

  As shown in FIG. 20, an optical sensor and a thermistor for detecting the ambient temperature are connected to the carriage substrate E0013 (hereinafter, these sensors are referred to as a multi-sensor E3000). Information obtained by the multi-sensor E3000 is output to the main board E0014 through a flexible flat cable (CRFFC) E0012.

  The main board E0014 is a printed circuit board unit that controls the drive of each part of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, and has a host interface (host I / F) E0017 on the board. The recording operation is controlled based on the received data. Also, a carriage motor E0001 as a driving source for main-scanning the carriage M4000, an LF motor E0002 as a driving source for transporting the recording medium, a recovery source for the recording head H1001, and a driving source for the recording medium feeding operation These are connected to various motors such as an AP motor E3005 and a PR motor E3006 as a driving source for flat-pass recording operation, and control of driving of each function is performed. Furthermore, it connects to the sensor signal E0104 for transmitting and receiving control signals and detection signals to various sensors that detect the operating state of each part of the printer, such as PE sensors, CR lift sensors, LF encoder sensors, and PG sensors. Is done. The main board E0014 is connected to each of the CRFFC E0012 and the power supply unit E0015, and further has an interface for exchanging information with the front panel E0106 via a panel signal E0107.

  The front panel E0106 is a unit provided on the front surface of the recording apparatus main body for the convenience of the user operation, and includes a resume key E0019, an LED E0020, a power key E0018, and a flat pass key E3004 (FIG. 6). It has a device I / F E0100 used for connection with peripheral devices such as cameras.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the main board E1004.

  In the figure, reference numeral E1102 denotes an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), which is connected to the ROM E1004 through the control bus E1014 and performs various controls according to a program stored in the ROM E1004. For example, the sensor signal E0104 related to various sensors and the multi-sensor signal E4003 related to the multi-sensor E3000 are transmitted and received, as well as from the encoder signal E1020, the power key E0018 on the front panel E0106, the resume key E0019 and the flat pass key E3004. The output status is detected. Also, according to the connection and data input state of the host I / F E0017 and the device I / F E0100 on the front panel, various logical operations and condition judgments are performed, each component is controlled, and drive control of the ink jet recording apparatus is performed. I am in charge.

  E1103 is a driver / reset circuit which generates a CR motor drive signal E1037, an LF motor drive signal E1035, an AP motor drive signal E4001 and a PR motor drive signal E4002 in accordance with a motor control signal E1106 from the ASIC E1102. To drive. Further, the driver / reset circuit E1103 has a power supply circuit, and supplies necessary power to each part such as the main board E0014, the carriage board E0013, the front panel E0106, and further detects a drop in the power supply voltage and resets it. Signal E1015 is generated and initialized.

  E1010 is a power supply control circuit that controls power supply to each sensor having a light emitting element in accordance with a power supply control signal E1024 from the ASIC E1102.

  The host I / F E0017 transmits a host I / F signal E1028 from the ASIC E1102 to a host I / F cable E1029 connected to the outside, and transmits a signal from the cable E1029 to the ASIC E1102.

  On the other hand, power is supplied from the power supply unit E0015. The supplied power is supplied to each part inside and outside the main board E0014 after voltage conversion as necessary. A power supply unit control signal E4000 from the ASIC E1102 is connected to the power supply unit E0015, and controls a low power consumption mode and the like of the recording apparatus main body.

  The ASIC E1102 is a one-chip semiconductor integrated circuit with an arithmetic processing unit, and outputs the motor control signal E1106, the power supply control signal E1024, the power supply unit control signal E4000, and the like described above. Then, signals are exchanged with the host I / F E0017, and signals are exchanged with the device I / F E0100 on the front panel through the panel signal E0107. Further, each sensor such as a PE sensor and an ASF sensor is controlled through the sensor signal E0104, and the multisensor E3000 is controlled through the multisensor signal E4003, and the state of the panel signal E0107 is detected, and the state of the panel signal E0107 is detected. The LED E0020 on the front panel is blinked by controlling the driving.

  Further, the ASIC E1102 detects the state of the encoder signal (ENC) E1020 to generate a timing signal, and controls the recording operation by interfacing with the recording head H1001 using the head control signal E1021. Here, the encoder signal (ENC) E1020 is an output signal of the encoder sensor E0004 inputted through the CRFFC E0012. The head control signal E1021 is connected to the carriage substrate E0013 through the flexible flat cable E0012, supplied to the recording head H1001 through the head driving voltage modulation circuit E3001 and the head connector E0101, and various information from the recording head H1001. To ASIC E1102. Among these, the head temperature information for each ejection unit is amplified by the head temperature detection circuit E3002 on the main substrate, and then input to the ASIC E1102 to be used for various control determinations.

  In the figure, E3007 is a DRAM, which is used as a data buffer for recording, a data buffer received from the host computer, etc., and also as a work area necessary for various control operations.

1.4 Recording Head Configuration The configuration of the head cartridge H1000 applied in this embodiment will be described below.

  The head cartridge H1000 in this embodiment has a recording head H1001, means for mounting the ink tank H1900, and means for supplying ink from the ink tank H1900 to the recording head, and is detachable from the carriage M4000. Installed.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the ink tank H1900 is attached to the head cartridge H1000 applied in the present embodiment. The recording apparatus of this embodiment includes cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm), yellow (Y), first black (K1), second black (K2), red ( An image is formed with 10 color pigment inks of R), green (G), and gray (Gray), and therefore the ink tank T0001 is also prepared for 10 colors independently. As shown in the figure, each ink tank is detachable from the head cartridge H1000. The ink tank H1900 can be attached and detached while the head cartridge H1000 is mounted on the carriage M4000.

1.5 Ink Configuration The 10 color inks used in the present invention will be described below.

  The ten colors used in the present invention are cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, first black, second black, gray, red and green. All of the colorants used for each color are preferably pigments. In the gist of the present invention, the colorant used for at least some of the colors may be a dye. Further, the colorant used for at least some of the colors may be a form in which pigments and dyes are toned, and a plurality of types of pigments may be included. Further, the 10-color ink used in the present invention may contain at least one selected from water-soluble organic solvents, additives, surfactants, binders, and preservatives within the scope of the present invention. .

  The ink of the present invention is used for an ink jet ejection type head, and is also effective as an ink storage container in which the ink is stored or as a filling ink. In particular, the present invention has an excellent effect in a recording head and a recording apparatus having an element that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in ink as energy used for ejecting ink, among inkjet recording methods. Is what it brings.

  As its typical configuration and principle, for example, those performed using the basic principle disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796 are preferable. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, the electric circuit arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the ink is used. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the heat conversion body, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal conversion body, and the heat acting surface of the recording head This is effective because the film can be boiled, and as a result, the drive signals can be made to correspond one-to-one and bubbles in the ink can be formed. By the growth and contraction of the bubbles, ink is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable that the drive signal has a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction is performed immediately and appropriately, and thus ink discharge with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further excellent recording can be performed by employing the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface.

  As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration (straight liquid channel or right-angle liquid channel) of the discharge port, the liquid channel, and the electrothermal transducer as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications, the heat acting part Are disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,459,600, or US Pat. No. 4,962,880, US Pat. No. 3,246,949. The present invention is also effective for the discharge method of the atmospheric communication method described in JP-A-11-188870. In addition, the present invention is also effective for a configuration (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-123670, etc.) in which a discharge hole is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal transducer when common to a plurality of electrothermal transducers. .

  Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is set by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. Either a satisfying configuration or a single recording head configuration may be used, but the present invention can exhibit the above-described effects more effectively.

  In addition, it is mounted on the main body of the device so that it can be electrically connected to the main body of the device and supplied with ink from the main body of the device. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to add a recovery means for the recording head, a preliminary auxiliary means, etc. provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus to be applied, because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. . Specific examples thereof include a capping unit for the recording head, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit, an electrothermal converter, a heating element different from this, or a preheating unit using a combination thereof, This is a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection different from recording is performed.

Next, preferred materials constituting the 10-color ink used in the present invention will be specifically described below.
(About pigments)
Examples of color pigments include organic pigments, and specific examples include dye dye lake pigments such as acid dye lakes and basic dye lakes, monoazo yellow, disazo yellow, β-naphthol, naphthol AS, and pyrazolone. , Benzimidazolone-based insoluble azo pigments, condensed azo pigments, azo lake pigments, phthalocyanine-based, quinacridone-based, anthraquinone-based, perylene-based, indigo-based, dioxazine-based, quinophthalone-based, isoindolinone-based, diketopyrrolopyrrole Examples thereof include condensed polycyclic pigments such as those of the type, but are not limited thereto, and other organic pigments may be used.

  Carbon black is suitable as the pigment used for the black pigment. For example, carbon black such as furnace black, lamp black, acetylene black and channel black can be used. Carbon black newly prepared for the present invention can also be used. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and any conventionally known carbon black can be used. Further, the material is not limited to carbon black, and magnetic fine particles such as magnetite and ferrite, titanium black, and the like may be used as a black pigment.

  Here, in order to disperse the pigment, a known general dispersant may be used, or the pigment surface may be modified by a known general method to impart self-dispersibility.

  In addition, a water-soluble organic solvent, an additive, a surfactant, and an antiseptic can be added to the ink, and as these materials, known general materials can be used.

It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the image data process in the recording system applied by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of recording data that is transferred from the printer driver of the host device to the recording apparatus in the recording system of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an output pattern with respect to an input level that is converted by a dot array patterning process by a recording apparatus used in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the multipass printing method which the printing apparatus used by embodiment performs. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the mask pattern applied to the multipass printing method which the printing apparatus used by embodiment performs. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in the embodiment, and shows a state viewed from the front when not in use. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in the embodiment, and shows a state viewed from the back when not in use. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in an embodiment, and shows a state viewed from the front surface during use. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the recording device main body used by embodiment, and is a perspective view from an upper right part. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the recording device main body used by embodiment, and is a perspective view from the upper left part. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view for explaining an internal mechanism of the recording apparatus main body used in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in the embodiment, and shows a state viewed from the front surface during flat pass recording. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in the embodiment, and shows a state viewed from the back side during flat pass recording. It is a typical sectional side view for demonstrating the flat pass recording performed by embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the cleaning part in the recording device main body used by embodiment. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the wiper part in 15 cleaning parts. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of a wet liquid transfer unit in a cleaning unit 15; 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an electrical circuit in an embodiment of the invention. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a main board in FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a multi-sensor mounted on a carriage substrate in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where an ink tank is mounted on the head cartridge applied in the embodiment. Front cover mounting schematic diagram used in the embodiment Front cover gear mounting schematic diagram used in the embodiment Illustration of deceleration method in embodiment

Explanation of symbols

J0001 Application J0002 First stage J0003 Second stage J0004 Gamma correction J0005 Half toning J0006 Print data creation J0007 Dot arrangement patterning process J0008 Mask data conversion process J0009 Head drive circuit H1001 Recording head J0011 Recording system J0012 Host device J0013 Recording device P0002 Mask pattern P0002 (a ) To P0002 (d) 1st mask pattern to 4th mask pattern M1010 Chassis M1011 Guide rail M2000 Base M2010 Pressure plate M2012 Pressure plate spring M2013 Separation sheet M2020 Return lever M2021 Return lever spring M2013 Movable side guide M2040 Separation roller holder M2041 Separation roller holder M2041 Separation row Larelease shaft M2060 Paper feed tray M2061 Paper feed sub-tray M2070 Drive unit M2080 Paper feed roller M3000 Pinch roller holder M3021 PE sensor lever M3030 Paper guide flapper M3040 Platen M3041 Paper press M3060 Transport roller M3061 Pulley M3061 Code roller M3070 Pinch roller M3070 Paper discharge roller M3110 Second paper discharge roller M3111 Elastic body M3120 Spur M3130 Spur holder M3160 Paper discharge tray M4000 Carriage M4010 Headset lever M4020 Guide shaft M4041 Timing belt M4042 Idle pulley M4090 Position detection sensor M5000 Pump M5011 Cap M5011 Cap M5011 Cap 020 Blade M5060 Blade cleaner M5070 Wet liquid transfer member M5080 Wet liquid holding member M5081 Wet liquid transfer part M5090 Wet liquid tank M7010 Front cover M7015 Front cover gear M7016 Deceleration lever M7018 Rotary damper M7070 LED Upper cover M7090 LED Upper case M7060 Rear tray M7091 Rear subtray E0001 Carriage motor E0002 LF motor E0004 Encoder sensor E0005 Encoder scale E0012 CRFFC (flexible flat cable)
E0013 Carriage board E0014 Main board E0015 Power supply unit E0017 Host I / F
E0018 Power key E0019 Resume key E0020 LED
E0100 Device I / F
E0101 Head connector E0104 Sensor signal E0106 Front panel E0107 Panel signal E1004 ROM
E1010 Power supply control circuit E1014 Control bus E1015 RESET (Reset signal)
E1020 ENC (encoder signal)
E1021 Head control signal E1024 Power supply control signal E1028 Host I / F signal E1029 Host I / F cable E1035 LF motor drive signal E1037 CR motor drive signal E1100 Device I / F signal E1102 ASIC
E1103 Driver reset circuit E1106 Motor control signal E3000 Multi sensor E3001 Head drive voltage modulation circuit E3002 Head temperature detection circuit E3004 Flat pass key E3005 AP motor E3006 PR motor E3007 RAM
E4000 Power supply unit control signal E4001 AP motor drive signal E4002 PR motor drive signal E4003 Multi-sensor signal H1000 Head cartridge H1001 Recording head H1900 Ink tank

Claims (5)

  A front tray that can be opened and closed is provided, the front tray can be lifted up and down, has a gear member that rotates integrally with the front tray, and reduces the rotation speed of the gear member. And a speed reducing means.   One of the speed reduction means is pivotally supported on the rotation axis of the front tray, and the other is provided on a lever member supported by a guide portion provided in the recording apparatus main body, and the speed reduction means is the gear member. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a deceleration effect is exhibited by meshing with the recording apparatus.   A first printing mode in which a recording medium is fed from an automatic paper feeder to perform printing, and a second printing mode in which the recording medium is manually fed from the front of the recording apparatus to perform flat-pass printing. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is a recording apparatus.   In the first print mode, the front tray functions as a paper discharge tray, and in the second print mode, the front tray is lifted up to feed a paper feed tray or a paper feed / discharge tray. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording apparatus has a second position that functions as a recording medium.   The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the front tray is lowered from the second position to the first position, the lowering speed is reduced by the reduction means.

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