JP3901478B2 - Unit connecting device, recording device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a unit connecting apparatus for connecting units in a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, in which an apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units. The present invention also relates to a recording apparatus using the unit connecting device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A recording apparatus typified by a FAX, a printer, or the like includes, for example, a main frame that is a base of the apparatus, and each component of the recording apparatus is assembled to the main frame, and the entire recording apparatus is integrated around the main frame. There is something that was configured. However, when the entire recording apparatus is configured integrally with the main frame as the core, the assembling work of the apparatus cannot be divided, the assembling cannot be performed efficiently, and the maintainability is lowered. Therefore, there is a case in which the recording apparatus is divided for each unit, and after the assembly operation is performed for each unit, the units are finally combined.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the assembly work for assembling a recording apparatus by combining a plurality of units in this way, the connection work for connecting the units can be easily and easily performed, thereby reducing the cost by reducing the assembly time. In addition to being able to measure, maintainability in the event of a failure or the like is also improved.
[0004]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above viewpoint, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to more easily connect or disconnect units from each other in a recording apparatus in which an apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units. Therefore, the assembling property or maintenance property of the recording apparatus is improved.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a unit connecting device according to claim 1 of the present application is a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, in which an apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units. A unit coupling device for coupling a second unit, the first engagement portion provided in the first unit, the second engagement portion provided in the second unit, and the first Between the first unit and the second engagement part by engaging with the first engagement part and the second engagement part. A coupling member that couples the two units, and the engagement between the first engagement portion and the coupling member is performed by a latching unit that latches the coupling member on the first engagement portion. And the engagement between the second engaging portion and the connecting member is performed on one side. Convex portions formed in the recess formed on the other side, characterized in that it is constructed as performed by snap means for fitting by the resilient means.
[0006]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further improve the assemblability and maintainability of the recording apparatus in which the apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units. That is, since the recording apparatus is configured by combining a plurality of units, the apparatus main body is configured, so that any two units among the plurality of units, that is, these units between the first unit and the second unit. The connection work which connects each other is required. Here, the unit connection device according to claim 1 for connecting the first unit and the second unit is provided in the first unit and the second unit provided in the first unit. And a connecting member that engages with the first and second engaging portions, and the connecting member is engaged with the first engaging portion. Snap means for engaging the first engaging portion by means, and with respect to the second engaging portion, a convex portion formed on the other side is inserted into a concave portion formed on one side. Engage with the second engaging portion. Accordingly, the connection and disconnection work between the first unit and the second unit can be easily performed without the need for any tools, thereby improving both the assembly and maintenance of the recording apparatus. be able to.
[0007]
The unit connecting device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the unit connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engaging portions are respectively upper portions of the first and second units and are substantially the same height. The connecting member is formed of a plate-like body extending substantially horizontally across the first and second engaging portions, and the first engaging portion is the first engaging portion. And a tongue piece having a substantially T-shape when viewed from the front, provided along a plane orthogonal to the connection direction of the second unit, and the second engagement portion supports the lower surface of the connection member A support surface, an elastically deformable snap plate as the elastic means that press-contacts the upper surface of the connecting member, and a fitting protrusion as the convex portion that protrudes downward from the snap plate, The tongue is inserted into the connecting member so as to protrude upward from the connecting member. A first slot having a size smaller than the first slot, a second slot for engaging the connecting member with the tongue piece, and rotating the connecting member substantially horizontally. To form a guide slot for moving the tongue piece from the first slot to the second slot, and a fitting hole as the recess into which the fitting projection is fitted. When the first and second engaging portions and the connecting member are engaged, the connecting member is rotated substantially horizontally after the tongue piece protrudes from the connecting member by the first slot. The tongue piece is guided from the first slot to the second slot to complete the engaging operation between the first engaging portion and the connecting member, and the connecting member Is inserted between the support surface and the snap plate to fit the fitting protrusion into the fitting hole, Characterized in that to complete the engagement operation between the coupling member and the second engagement portion Te.
[0008]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the first engaging portion is formed of a tongue piece having a substantially T-shape when viewed from the front, the connecting member that is hooked to the first engaging portion is the T With the shape of the letter shape, it can be securely hooked without being disengaged upward, so that the connection state between the first unit and the second unit can be ensured.
[0009]
The unit connecting device according to claim 3 of the present invention is the unit connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engaging portions are the upper portions of the first and second units, respectively, and are substantially the same height. The connecting member is formed of a plate-like body extending substantially horizontally across the first and second engaging portions, and the first engaging portion is the first engaging portion. And a third slot extending in a direction orthogonal to the connecting direction of the second unit, the second engaging portion supporting a lower surface of the connecting member, and an upper surface of the connecting member An elastically deformable snap plate serving as the elastic means, and a fitting projection serving as the convex portion projecting downward from the snap plate, and the connecting member includes the third groove. The connecting portion that is hooked into the hole from below and is slidable along the third slot And a fitting hole as the recess into which the fitting protrusion is fitted, and the first and second engaging portions and the connecting member. When engaging, by sliding the connecting member in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction of the first unit and the second unit while the tongue is hooked in the third slot, The engagement operation between the first engagement portion and the connecting member is completed, and the fitting protrusion is inserted into the fitting protrusion by sandwiching the connecting member between the support surface and the snap plate by the sliding operation. It is inserted into the fitting hole, thereby completing the engaging operation between the connecting member and the second engaging portion.
[0010]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the tongue piece constituting the latching means between the first engaging portion and the connecting member is provided on the connecting member side as a small component. That is, the latching means between the first engagement portion and the connecting member can be easily configured.
[0011]
The recording apparatus according to claim 4 of the present application is a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, in which the apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units, wherein the units are connected to each other. At least one of the unit connecting devices according to any one of the above is used.
[0012]
According to the invention of claim 4 of the present application, in connection of the units in a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, in which the apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units, claims 1 to 3 of the present application. Since at least one of the unit connecting devices according to any one of the above is used, the same effect as the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 can be obtained.
[0013]
The recording apparatus according to claim 5 is a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording material, in which the apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units, and an ink jet recording head that ejects ink droplets onto the recording material. A carriage unit comprising: a carriage unit as the first unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the carriage unit is connected to a rear side of the carriage unit. A sheet feeding unit as the second unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a feeding unit configured to feed a recording material downstream, and the carriage The front of the carriage unit has an operation button that constitutes the operation unit of the recording apparatus at the top and a paper detector that detects the passage of the recording material at the bottom. 5. A circuit board constituting a control unit of the recording apparatus, which is disposed substantially perpendicularly on a side facing the paper feed unit, is provided, wherein the carriage unit and the paper feed unit are any one of claims 1 to 4. It is connected by the unit connecting device described in the item.
[0014]
According to the present invention, the first unit is a carriage unit including a carriage, and the second unit is a sheet feeding unit including a recording material feeding unit. Between the units, a circuit board constituting the control unit of the recording apparatus is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the two units. Since the carriage unit and the paper feeding unit are connected by the unit connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the two units can be easily connected and disconnected. The circuit board can be easily replaced.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Configuration of the main body of the inkjet printer>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the apparatus main body of the ink jet printer according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the main body of the ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) 100, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, FIG. 3 is a sectional side view thereof, and FIG. FIG.
[0016]
1 and 2, the printer main body is divided into a plurality of units, and the apparatus main body is configured by combining the plurality of units. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a paper feeding unit as a paper feeding device capable of feeding paper P (see FIG. 3) or roll paper (not shown) as a recording material, and reference numeral 20 denotes an ink jet recording head 24 (see FIG. 3 is a carriage unit including a carriage 22, 60 is a conveyance unit for conveying a recording material, and 80 is an ink system unit for maintaining the inkjet recording head 24. 2 is divided into these four units as shown in FIG. 2, and these four units are combined as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the carriage unit 20 and the ink system unit 80 are connected to the upper side and the right side (right side in FIG. 4) of the transport unit 60, respectively, and the paper feed unit 1 is connected to the back side of the carriage unit 20. Thus, the four units are configured to be united, and a unit connecting device, which will be described in detail later, is used for connecting the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20.
[0017]
Next, the paper conveyance path of the printer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following, the left side of FIG. 3 (the rear side of the printer 100) is referred to as “upstream side”, and the right side of FIG. 3 (the front side of the printer 100) is referred to as the downstream side. The printer 100 includes a hopper 6 on the upstream side, and a sheet P as a cut sheet is stacked and stored on the hopper 6 in an inclined posture. The hopper 6 is provided so as to be rotatable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions of FIG. 3 around a rotation fulcrum (not shown) located at the upper portion, and the lower portion is relative to the paper feed roller 3 by rotating. The pressure contact and separation operation are performed. The hopper 6 includes a movable guide 4 that can slide in the width direction of the paper P (see FIG. 1), and guides the side edge of the accumulated paper P together with the fixed guide 5 (see FIG. 1). Then, the uppermost one of the stacked sheets P is fed out to the downstream side when the hopper 6 presses the sheet feeding roller 3 and the sheet feeding roller 3 rotates in the pressed state. The paper feed roller 3 has a substantially D shape when viewed from the side, and is controlled so that its flat portion faces the paper P during the printing operation (the state shown in FIG. 3), thereby generating the transport load of the paper P. It comes to prevent.
[0018]
Next, a sheet guide 67 as a plate-like body is provided substantially horizontally downstream from the sheet feed roller 3, and the leading edge of the sheet P fed out by the sheet feed roller 3 strikes the sheet guide 67 obliquely. It touches and is guided smoothly downstream. A conveyance driving roller 62 that is rotationally driven and a conveyance driven roller 63 that is in pressure contact with the conveyance driving roller 62 are provided downstream from the paper guide 67, and the sheet P includes the conveyance driving roller 62, the conveyance driven roller 63, and the like. And is conveyed downstream at a constant pitch.
[0019]
The conveyance driven roller 63 is pivotally supported on the downstream side of the conveyance driven roller holder 64, and the conveyance driven roller holder 64 is provided so as to be rotatable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in FIG. 3 around the rotation shaft 64a. In addition, the conveyance driven roller 63 is always urged to rotate in a direction in which it is pressed against the conveyance driving roller 62 (clockwise in FIG. 3) by a torsion coil spring (not shown).
[0020]
Next, in the vicinity of the conveyance driven roller holder 64 located on the most digit side (right front side in FIG. 2), a paper detector 36 comprising a sensor main body 36b and a detector 36a for detecting the passage of the paper P is provided. It is arranged. The detector 36a has a substantially "<" shape when viewed from the side, and is provided so as to be pivotable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in FIG. 2 about a pivot shaft 36c near the center thereof. The sensor main body 36b positioned above the detector 36a includes a light emitting portion (not shown) and a light receiving portion (not shown) that receives light from the light emitting portion, and the upper side of the rotation axis 36c of the detector 36a is on the upper side. The rotation operation blocks and passes light from the light emitting portion toward the light receiving portion. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, when the detector 36a is rotated so as to be pushed upward with the passage of the paper P, the upper side of the detector 36a is detached from the sensor main body 36b. Thus, the passage of the paper P is detected.
[0021]
Subsequently, the platen 66 and the inkjet recording head 24 are arranged downstream of the transport driving roller 62 so as to face each other. The platen 66 is long in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 2), and the sheet P conveyed below the inkjet recording head 24 by the rotation of the conveyance driving roller 62 is supported from below by the platen 66. The ink jet recording head 24 is provided at the bottom of a carriage 22 on which the ink cartridge 23 is mounted. The carriage 22 reciprocates in the main scanning direction while being guided by a carriage guide shaft 25 extending in the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 23 is composed of four cartridges as shown in FIG. 4, that is, four cartridges filled with four colors of ink (black, yellow, cyan, magenta), respectively, Are separately replaceable.
[0022]
Next, downstream of the ink jet recording head 24 is a paper discharge portion of the printer 100, and a paper discharge driving roller 65, a paper discharge driven roller 31, and a paper discharge auxiliary roller 32 are disposed. A plurality of paper discharge drive rollers 65 are attached in the axial direction of the paper discharge drive roller shaft 65a that is rotationally driven (see FIG. 4), and the paper discharge driven roller 31 that is pivotally supported by the paper discharge driven roller holder 31a. The paper discharge drive roller 65 is provided so as to be driven and rotated by being pressed lightly. Accordingly, the paper P printed by the ink jet recording head 24 is rotated in a state where the paper P is nipped by the paper discharge driving roller 65 and the paper discharge driven roller 31, so that the paper discharge direction (see FIG. (In the direction of arrow 3). The paper discharge auxiliary roller 32 pivotally supported by the paper discharge auxiliary roller holder 32a is provided slightly upstream of the paper discharge driven roller 31. The paper discharge roller 32 presses the paper P slightly downward from the platen 66. Thus, the distance between the paper P and the inkjet recording head 24 is restricted.
[0023]
Here, the hopper 6, the movable guide 4, the fixed guide 5, and the paper feed roller 3 described above are provided in the paper feed unit 1 shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet feeding unit 1 is arranged by a sheet feeding unit frame 2 having a substantially columnar mounting portion right 2a and a mounting portion left 2b, which are erected on the left and right sides with a hopper 6 interposed therebetween. A base is configured, and the hopper 6, the rotation shaft 3a of the paper feed roller 3, and the like are provided in the paper feed unit frame 2. The paper feed unit 1 is connected to the rear side of the carriage unit 20 at the upper part of the attachment part 2a and the attachment part 2b, as will be described in detail later.
[0024]
Next, the paper guide 67, the transport drive roller 62, the transport driven roller holder 64, and the paper discharge drive roller shaft 65a are provided in the transport unit 60 shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 60 includes a transport unit frame 61 having a substantially U-shape in plan view. The transport unit frame 61 includes a power supply unit 68 that is a power supply unit of the printer 100 on the rear side. The drive roller shaft 65a is pivotally supported by the conveyance drive roller 62 in the middle of the main body, the platen 66 is provided at the upper front portion, and the conveyance driven roller holder 64 is provided at the upper middle portion. The conveyance unit 60 has a drive motor 69 (see FIG. 5) on the lower left side, which is a common drive source for the paper feed roller 3, the conveyance drive roller 62, the paper discharge drive roller 65, a pump device 82 and a blade unit 84 described later. 4). The drive motor 69 and the five driving objects driven by the drive motor 69 are coupled by a power transmission mechanism that is not shown and described in a state where the four units are combined as shown in FIG. In addition, it can be selectively driven.
[0025]
An ink system unit 80 connected to the right side of the transport unit 60 and serving as maintenance means for the ink jet recording head 24 is a frame serving as a unit base connected to the right side of the transport unit frame 61 as shown in FIG. 81, and the frame 81 is provided with a cap device 83, a pump device 82, and a blade unit 84. In the cap device 83, the carriage 22 is at the home position (a in FIG. ₁ The ink jet recording head 24 is capped to move the nozzle surface (not shown) when it moves into the region), and the pump device 82 supplies negative pressure to the cap device 83 in the capped state. Ink is sucked from the nozzle opening. The blade unit 84 can move between a position crossing the reciprocating area of the carriage 22 and a position retracting from the reciprocating area. The blade unit 84 moves to a position crossing the reciprocating area of the carriage 22, and the carriage 22 prints. Region (a in FIG. ₀ Area) to home position (a in FIG. 4) ₁ Cleaning is performed by wiping the nozzle surface (not shown) of the inkjet recording head 24 by moving into the region) or by moving in the opposite direction.
[0026]
The carriage guide shaft 25 and the paper detector 36 are provided in the carriage unit 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage unit 20 includes a main frame 21a, and a side frame right 21b and a side frame left 21c erected on both sides of the main frame 21a. 25 is supported.
[0027]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the carriage unit 20 includes a carriage motor 27 on the rear left side of the unit, and a drive pulley 28 is attached to the carriage motor 27. A driven pulley 29 is provided on the right side of the unit. A carriage belt 26 is suspended between the driving pulley 28 and the driven pulley 29, and a part of the carriage belt 26 is fixed to the carriage 22. . Therefore, the carriage 22 reciprocates in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) by the rotation of the carriage motor 27.
[0028]
In FIG. 2, the paper discharge frame 30 is attached to the carriage unit 20 side. However, the paper discharge frame 30 can be attached to the carriage unit 20 side or the transport unit 60 side. It is also possible to belong to the side.
[0029]
The above is the configuration of the apparatus main body of the printer 100, and the printer 100 is movable when the four units are combined and connected. The carriage unit 20 and the paper feeding unit 1 are connected by one unit connecting device and one connecting portion described later, and the other units are connected by fixing screws (not shown).
[0030]
<Carriage unit width>
Next, the width dimension of the carriage unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the carriage 22 prints on the paper P by reciprocating in the main scanning direction as described above. The reciprocating operation area of the carriage 22 is an area a as shown in FIG. ₀ , A ₁ , A ₂ Can be divided into That is, region a ₀ Is a printing area, and the carriage 22 is in the area a. ₀ At constant speed (V ₀ ), Ink droplets are ejected onto the paper P while performing main scanning, and printing is performed. Also, region a ₁ Are an acceleration / deceleration area and a standby area. The carriage 22 is in a standby state at a home position (not shown) set in the areas, and maintenance such as capping and ink suction is performed by the ink system unit 80 as described above. Print area a ₀ The area a ₁ Print area a ₀ Main scanning speed (V ₀ Accelerates to reach). Also, region a ₂ Is region a ₁ Like the print area a ₀ The area a ₂ Print area a ₀ Main scanning speed (V ₀ ) Accelerate to reach). Region a ₀ And region a ₂ Also serves as a deceleration area for the carriage 22 to stop at both ends of the main scanning area.
[0031]
Here, when the design of the printer is changed, the number of ink colors (the number of ink cartridges 23: four in this embodiment) mounted on the carriage 22 and the capacity of the ink cartridges 23 are often changed. . Therefore, the design of the carriage 22 is changed for each design of the printer, and accordingly, the weight or width dimension of the carriage 22 is different. When the weight of the carriage 22 is different, the main scanning speed (V ₀ ) The size of the acceleration region necessary to reach ₁ And a ₂ Needs to be changed so that the region a ₁ And a ₂ Therefore, it is necessary to change the design related to the size of the main frame 21a and the carriage guide shaft 25.
[0032]
Further, if the width dimension of the carriage 22 is different, this also causes the region a. ₁ And a ₂ Need to be changed, and therefore, as before, the region a ₁ And a ₂ Therefore, it is necessary to change the design of the components related to the size of the main frame 21a, that is, the main frame 21a and the carriage guide shaft 25. The design of the carriage 22 remains the same and the print area a ₀ Main scanning speed (V ₀ ), The required acceleration region, that is, the region a ₁ And a ₂ Needs to be changed, and this also changes the area a. ₁ And a ₂ Therefore, it is necessary to change the design of the components related to the size of the main frame 21a, that is, the main frame 21a and the carriage guide shaft 25.
[0033]
Thus, in most cases of changing the printer design, the region a ₁ And a ₂ Therefore, for example, the main frame 21a is used as a base body of the apparatus main body, and the printer components are assembled to the main frame 21a to form an integrated configuration. In the case of a printer, the area a is changed with the design change of the main frame 21a. ₁ And a ₂ It is necessary to change the design of components that are not related to the size of the paper, for example, the conveyance drive roller 62, the discharge drive roller shaft 65a, etc. It becomes a barrier to conversion.
[0034]
However, in the printer 100 according to the present embodiment, the apparatus main body is configured by combining the paper feed unit 1, the carriage unit 20, the transport unit 60, and the ink system unit 80 as described above. Units other than the carriage unit 20 provided with 22 are configured by components that do not require a design change even when the printer design is changed. In other words, the printer 100 includes a general-purpose unit (a paper feeding unit 1, a transport unit 60, and an ink system unit 80) that can be shared by a plurality of printers with different designs, including components whose width-direction dimensions do not change, Since each design includes a unique dedicated unit (carriage unit 20) including components whose directional dimensions vary, therefore, when changing the design of the printer, in most cases, only the carriage unit 20 is changed. As a result, it is possible to easily change the design of the printer, and it is possible to reduce the cost by using common parts.
[0035]
Note that when the design of the inkjet recording head 24 is changed, particularly when the number of nozzles is increased, the size of the inkjet recording head 24 is different, and thus a unit including a cap device 83 that caps the inkjet recording head 24. It will be necessary to change the design of the ink system unit 80.
[0036]
<Configuration of unit connecting device>
Next, a configuration of a unit connecting device that connects the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 is an external perspective view of the apparatus main body of the printer 100 as viewed from the rear, FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the paper feeding unit 1 is separated from the state of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the circuit board. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the printer 100. 9 is an external perspective view of the unit connecting device 50, FIG. 10 is a plan view of the connecting member 37, FIG. 11 is a state transition diagram showing a connecting method by the unit connecting device 50, and FIG. 12 is a unit according to another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20.
[0037]
First, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the paper feeding unit 1 is connected to the back side of the carriage unit 20 so as to sandwich the circuit board 33 constituting the control unit of the printer 100. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the circuit board 33 is erected vertically near the center of the printer 100. As shown in detail in FIG. 7, the power switch 34 and control switches 35 and 35 of the printer 100 are provided at the upper portion. 3 includes a detection unit 36b (see FIG. 3) of the paper detector 36.
[0038]
The power-on switch 34 and the control switches 35 and 35 can be pressed by a panel button 91 disposed on the upper surface of a cover member 90 constituting the appearance of the printer 100 as shown in FIG. Here, in a printer having a configuration in which the panel button 91 is disposed on the front surface of the cover member 90, a power-on switch 34 and control switches 35, 35 are arranged separately from the circuit board 33 constituting the control unit. Although it is necessary to separately arrange the printed circuit board to be provided on the front and back of the cover member 90, in this embodiment, the panel button 91 is disposed on the upper surface of the cover member 90, and the circuit board 33 is disposed near the center of the apparatus. By being erected vertically, the power-on switch 34 and the control switches 35 and 35 can be disposed on the circuit board 33, so that the printed board is not necessary.
[0039]
Further, in a printer having a configuration in which the circuit board 33 is horizontally arranged at the bottom of the apparatus, for example, a printed board for arranging the detection unit 36b of the paper detector 36 is separately conveyed and driven roller holder 64 (FIG. 3), in the present embodiment, the circuit board 33 is erected vertically in the vicinity of the center of the apparatus, so that the detection unit 36b of the paper detector 36 is provided below the circuit board 33. Therefore, the printed circuit board is not necessary.
[0040]
Since the circuit board 33 is disposed on the back side of the main frame 21 a of the carriage unit 20, the distance between the circuit board 33 and the carriage 22 approaches so that the circuit board 33 and the carriage 22 are connected to each other. It is possible to shorten the cable length of the cable 48 (see FIG. 5).
[0041]
Next, the sheet feeding unit 1 is connected to the main frame 21a of the carriage unit 20 at the upper part of each of the attachment portion 2a and the attachment portion 2b. More specifically, the upper portion of the mounting portion 2a is connected by a unit connecting device 50 described in detail later, and the upper portion of the mounting portion 2b is an L-shaped hook provided on the main frame 21a as shown in detail in FIG. The hook portion 8 having an inverted U shape provided on the mounting portion 2b is connected to the receiving portion 46 by being hooked.
[0042]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the unit connecting device 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9A, the unit connecting device 50 includes a tongue piece 41 as a “first engaging portion”, a connecting member 37, a snap plate 44 that constitutes a “second engaging portion”, and And a support surface 43. The tongue piece 41 is formed along a plane orthogonal to the connecting direction (left and right direction in FIG. 11) between the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20, and has a substantially T-shape when viewed from the front. The snap plate 44 is made of a resin material that can be elastically deformed as an “elastic means”.
[0043]
The connecting member 37 is formed of a plate-like body, and as shown in FIG. 10, a fitting hole 39 as a “recess” and a slot 38 are formed. The fitting hole 39 is inserted into a fitting protrusion 45 (see FIG. 11) as a “convex portion” formed so as to protrude toward the support surface 43 in the snap plate 44, whereby the coupling member 37 and the snap plate 44 are inserted. And the engagement state with the support surface 43 (2nd engaging part) is formed. Further, the slot 38 is for the connecting member 37 to be hooked on the tongue piece 41. When the connecting member 37 is hooked on the tongue piece 41 by the slot 38, the tongue piece 41 (first engagement) is provided. The engagement state between the joint portion and the connecting member 37 is formed.
[0044]
The unit connecting apparatus 50 configured as described above can connect the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 by the following two methods. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 9A, the connecting member 37 is inserted between the snap plate 44 and the support surface 43 in advance, and the fitting hole 39 is inserted into the fitting protrusion 45 to connect the connecting member 37. 37 is attached to the attachment portion 2a of the paper feeding unit 1. Then, the paper feeding unit 1 is lifted, and the connecting member 37 is hooked on the tongue piece 41 by the slot 38, thereby connecting the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 as shown in FIG. 9B. be able to. Here, the tongue piece 41 extends in the width direction of the tongue piece 41 and is inserted so as to protrude upward from the connecting member 37 by a slot portion indicated by reference numeral 38b in FIG. 10, and then parallel to the slot portion 38b. The connecting member 37 is engaged with the tongue piece 41 by moving to a slot portion as a “second slot” indicated by reference numeral 38a.
[0045]
Next, a state where only the attachment portion 2b and the main frame 21a are connected by the connecting portion shown in FIG. 13, that is, a state where the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 are combined but the connection is not completed. 11 (a) to 11 (c), the attachment member 37 can be rotated horizontally to be in a connected state, that is, the unit connecting device 50 can be locked. More specifically, the tongue piece 41 is moved from the connecting member 37 by a slot portion as a “first slot” indicated by reference numeral 38 c formed so as to obliquely intersect the slot portion 38 b as shown in FIG. 10. Projecting (state shown in FIG. 11A), the connecting member 37 is rotated substantially horizontally to guide the tongue piece 41 from the slot 38c to the slot 38a. The joint operation is completed (FIGS. 11B and 11C), and the fitting protrusion 45 is fitted into the fitting hole 39 by sandwiching the connecting member 37 between the support surface 43 and the snap plate 44. Thus, the engaging operation of the connecting member 37 with the support surface 43 and the snap plate 44 is completed.
[0046]
In addition, the slot area | region shown with the code | symbol 38d in FIG. 10 is a guide slot area for guide | inducing the tongue piece 41 from the slot part 38c to 38a. Further, in order to make the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 detachable, the connecting member 37 is rotated in the reverse order as described above, that is, in the order shown in FIGS. This can be done by removing the connecting member 37.
[0047]
As described above, in the unit connecting device 50, the connecting member 37 and the tongue 41 are engaged by the latching means, and the snapping means in which the fitting protrusion 45 is fitted in the fitting hole 39 is engaged. Since the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 are connected to each other, a tool such as a screwdriver is not required for connecting or disconnecting the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20, and thus the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 can be easily used. Can be connected or disconnected.
[0048]
The unit connecting device 50 may be an embodiment as shown in FIG. In the embodiment of the unit connecting device 50 shown in FIG. 12, the tongue piece 41 provided on the main frame 21a in FIG. 9 is provided on the connecting member 37 side, and the slot provided on the connecting member 37 side. The part 38a is provided on the main frame 21a side. That is, the connecting member 37 ′ shown in FIG. 12 includes a tongue piece 41 ′ provided along a plane orthogonal to the connecting direction (left and right direction in FIG. 12) between the carriage unit 20 and the paper feeding unit 1, and is attached to the main frame 21 a. Similarly, a slot portion 38a ′ serving as a “third slot” is formed that extends in a direction orthogonal to the connecting direction of the carriage unit 20 and the sheet feeding unit 1.
[0049]
Accordingly, when the carriage unit 20 and the paper feeding unit 1 are connected, as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (b), the connecting member 37 ′ is held while the tongue piece 41 ′ is hooked in the slot 38a ′. By sliding in the direction perpendicular to the connecting direction of the carriage unit 20 and the paper feeding unit 1 (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12A), the engaging operation between the connecting member 37 ′ and the slot 38a is completed. At the same time, by inserting the connecting member 37 ′ between the support surface 43 and the snap plate 44 by the sliding operation, the fitting protrusion 45 is inserted into the fitting hole 39, so that the connecting member 37 ′ and the support surface 43 are inserted. And the engaging operation with the snap plate 44 is completed. As described above, operations and effects similar to those of the above-described embodiment with reference to FIG. 11, that is, operations that allow the paper feeding unit 1 and the carriage unit 20 to be easily connected or disconnected without requiring a tool such as a driver. An effect can be obtained.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the unit connecting device that connects the two units constituting the recording apparatus main body is provided in the first engaging portion provided in the first unit and the second unit. And a connecting member that engages with the first and second engaging portions, and the connecting member is engaged with the first engaging portion. Snap means for engaging the first engaging portion by means, and with respect to the second engaging portion, a convex portion formed on the other side is inserted into a concave portion formed on one side. Since it engages with the second engaging portion, the connection and disconnection work between the first unit and the second unit can be easily performed without requiring any tools, and thus the recording apparatus. Both assemblability and maintainability can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an apparatus main body of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an apparatus main body of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the main body of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of an apparatus main body of the ink jet printer according to the present invention as viewed from the rear.
FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the apparatus main body and the paper feed unit as viewed from the rear in a state where the paper feed unit is separated from the apparatus main body of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a circuit board of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of a unit connecting device.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a connecting member constituting the unit connecting device.
FIG. 11 is a state transition diagram (plan view) showing a coupling method by the unit coupling device.
FIG. 12 is a state transition diagram showing a connecting method of a unit connecting device according to another embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between a paper feeding unit and a carriage unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Paper feed unit
2 Paper unit frame
2a Mounting part right
2b Mounting part left
8 Hook part
20 Carriage unit
21a Main frame
22 Carriage
23 Ink cartridge
24 Inkjet recording head
25 Carriage guide shaft
33 Circuit board
34 Power-on switch
35 Control switch
36 Paper detector
37 Connecting members
38a-38d Slot part
39 Fitting hole
41 Tongue
43 Support surface
44 Snap board
45 Mating protrusion
46 Hook receiving part
50 unit mounting device
60 transport unit
61 Transport unit frame
80 Ink system unit
81 frames
100 Inkjet printer

Claims (5)

In a recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, in which the apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units, a unit connecting apparatus that connects the first unit and the second unit,
A first engaging portion provided in the first unit;
A second engaging portion provided in the second unit;
The first unit is disposed so as to straddle the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion, and is engaged with the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion. And a connecting member for connecting the second unit,
The engagement between the first engaging portion and the connecting member is performed by a hooking means for hooking the connecting member to the first engaging portion, and the second engaging portion and the connecting member are engaged with each other. A unit connecting device characterized in that the engagement with the connecting member is performed by a snap means in which a convex portion formed on the other side is fitted into a concave portion formed on one side by an elastic means. The first and second engaging portions according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engaging portions are respectively disposed at upper portions of the first and second units and at substantially the same height.
The connecting member is composed of a plate-like body straddling the first and second engaging portions substantially horizontally,
The first engagement portion is formed of a tongue piece having a substantially T-shape when viewed from the front, provided along a plane orthogonal to the connection direction of the first and second units.
The second engagement portion supports a lower surface of the connecting member;
An elastically deformable snap plate as the elastic means that press-contacts the upper surface of the connecting member;
A projection protruding downward from the snap plate, and a fitting projection as the convex portion,
The connecting member has a first slot through which the tongue piece is inserted so as to protrude upward from the connecting member;
A second slot having a size smaller than that of the first slot and for latching the connecting member on the tongue;
A guide slot for moving the tongue from the first slot to the second slot by rotating the connecting member substantially horizontally;
A fitting hole as the concave portion into which the fitting protrusion is fitted, and
When the first and second engaging portions are engaged with the connecting member, the connecting member is rotated substantially horizontally after the tongue piece protrudes from the connecting member by the first slot. Thus, the tongue piece is guided from the first slot to the second slot to complete the engaging operation between the first engaging portion and the connecting member. The fitting protrusion is fitted into the fitting hole by being sandwiched between the support surface and the snap plate, thereby completing the engaging operation between the connecting member and the second engaging portion. A unit coupling device. The first and second engaging portions according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engaging portions are respectively disposed at upper portions of the first and second units and at substantially the same height.
The connecting member is composed of a plate-like body straddling the first and second engaging portions substantially horizontally,
The first engaging portion comprises a third slot extending in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction of the first and second units;
The second engagement portion supports a lower surface of the connecting member;
An elastically deformable snap plate as the elastic means that press-contacts the upper surface of the connecting member;
A projection protruding downward from the snap plate, and a fitting projection as the convex portion,
The connecting member includes a tongue piece that is hooked from below into the third slot and is slidable along the third slot and protrudes upward from the connecting member;
A fitting hole as the concave portion into which the fitting protrusion is fitted, and
When engaging the first and second engaging portions with the connecting member, the connecting member is connected to the first unit and the second while the tongue piece is hooked in the third slot. By sliding in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction with the unit, the engaging operation between the first engaging portion and the connecting member is completed, and the connecting member is moved to the support surface by the sliding operation. The fitting protrusion is inserted into the fitting hole by being inserted between the snap plate and the engagement operation between the connecting member and the second engaging portion is completed. Unit coupling device. 4. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, wherein the apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units, wherein the unit according to claim 1 is connected to the units. A recording apparatus, wherein at least one coupling device is used. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording material, in which an apparatus main body is configured by combining a plurality of units,
The carriage as the first unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a carriage including an ink jet recording head that discharges ink droplets onto a recording material is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating in a main scanning direction. Unit,
4. The sheet feeding as the second unit according to claim 1, further comprising a feeding unit that is coupled to a rear side of the carriage unit and feeds a recording material to the downstream side. 5. A unit, and
In the carriage unit, the paper feed unit is provided with an operation button constituting an operation unit of the recording apparatus at an upper portion and a paper detector for detecting passage of a recording material at a lower portion. A circuit board that constitutes a control unit of the recording apparatus, disposed substantially vertically on the side facing the
The recording apparatus, wherein the carriage unit and the paper feeding unit are connected by the unit connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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