JP4265593B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording sheet by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head.

  The ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head in which a large number of nozzles are arranged in parallel. A platen is disposed below the recording head, and a recording sheet on which an image is recorded is conveyed between the platen and the recording head. The recording head ejects ink droplets from the nozzles at a predetermined timing while being moved in the main scanning direction (a direction orthogonal to the recording sheet conveyance direction). The ink droplets ejected from the nozzles adhere to the recording paper, thereby recording an image on the recording paper (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, in order to record an image clearly, the relative positional relationship between the recording paper to be conveyed and the nozzle, particularly the distance between the recording paper and the nozzle is important. In order to maintain this distance constant, it is necessary to prevent the recording paper to be transported from being lifted off the platen. The cause of the lifting of the recording paper is mainly the initial deformation (bending of the recording paper being transported). It is also possible that this is a cockling phenomenon of the recording paper during recording. Since the distance between the recording paper and the nozzle is regulated within a certain range, a means for installing a guide member on the platen for suppressing the lifting of the recording paper can be considered.

JP 2000-1108058 A JP 2001-80145 A JP 2002-307769 A

  Incidentally, some recent inkjet recording apparatuses have a function of recording an image like photographic printing. Such image recording is performed without a margin on the edge of the recording paper, and is called “marginless recording”. A recording mode in which a margin is provided for this borderless recording is referred to as “bordered recording”. When recording with margins is performed, generally, a relatively large size thin paper such as A4 size plain paper or recycled paper is often used, so that the recording paper is likely to be deformed during recording. Therefore, when recording with a margin is performed, the guide member is provided to prevent a large deformation of the recording paper. As a result, the new recording is free from stains due to interference with the recording head, so-called paper jam, and the like, and a clear edged recording is realized.

  However, when borderless recording is performed, the recording head ejects ink beyond the edge of the recording paper to the outside of the recording paper. Therefore, when the guide member is arranged on the platen when borderless recording is performed, clear borderless recording is hindered. In other words, in order to achieve clear-edged recording, a guide member for restricting the lifting of the recording paper from the platen and maintaining the distance between the recording paper and the recording head within a certain range is provided on the platen. However, when borderless recording is performed, the guide member may block the ink droplets ejected from the recording head toward the recording paper, making clear borderless recording difficult. There is an inconvenience of becoming. On the other hand, when borderless recording is performed, generally thick paper such as photographic glossy paper is often used, and deformation of the recording paper during recording is unlikely to occur. Therefore, there is a situation that the necessity of the guide member is low at the time of borderless recording.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable inkjet recording capable of recording with clear edges and capable of recording clear images without blocking the ink droplets ejected to the edges of the recording paper when borderless recording is performed. Is to provide a device.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a platen that supports a recording sheet, and a recording sheet that is disposed so as to face the platen and is conveyed on the platen in a predetermined conveying direction. A recording head that records an image by ejecting ink droplets while being reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and selecting either edged recording or edgeless recording. An inkjet recording apparatus that can be used. This ink jet recording apparatus performs a borderless recording and a regulating member that restricts the distance between the recording sheet conveyed and the recording head within a certain range by overlapping the edge of the recording sheet in the conveyance direction. And a retracting means for retracting the restricting member in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction so that the overlap does not occur when the contact is made.

  A recording sheet is conveyed on the platen, and a predetermined image is recorded on the recording sheet by ejecting ink droplets while the recording head is slid in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording sheet (that is, the main scanning direction). The In general, when recording an image, it is important to maintain a constant distance between the recording paper and the recording head. Because the ink droplets ejected from the recording head are very fine, if the distance increases, the ink diffuses in a mist and the image blurs, and if the distance decreases, the ink bleeds, As a result, clear image recording becomes impossible. The reason for the change in the distance between the recording paper and the recording head is that deformation such as bending that has already occurred when the recording paper is transported onto the platen (initial deformation) or cockling that occurs during image recording It is a phenomenon.

  When recording with a border is performed, plain paper is generally used as the recording paper. In particular, when the recording paper is a relatively large size thin paper such as A4 size plain paper, the edge in the conveyance direction of the recording paper is lifted from the platen due to cockling phenomenon that occurs during recording. It tends to be easy. On the other hand, borderless recording is usually a recording mode for printing photographic images, and the recording paper is often thick paper such as photographic glossy paper. Such a thick paper is difficult to bend and the like, and the cockling phenomenon does not easily occur. Therefore, the end of the recording paper in the conveyance direction tends not to be lifted from the platen.

  When recording with a margin is made, the regulating member overlaps the edge of the recording sheet. Therefore, even if the recording paper to be transported has undergone initial deformation, and even if a cockling phenomenon occurs in the recording paper during recording, the distance between the recording paper and the recording head Is regulated within a certain range. In addition, when borderless recording is performed, the restriction member is retracted in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, so that the recording sheet conveyed on the platen and the restriction member do not overlap. Therefore, when borderless recording is performed, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head surely reach the edge of the recording paper. As described above, when borderless recording is performed, it is difficult for the recording paper to lift from the platen. Therefore, if the regulating member does not overlap the recording paper, the image quality does not deteriorate. .

  (2) The restricting member may be an elongated flat plate that is disposed between the platen and the ink ejection surface of the recording head and extends in the transport direction. Further, it is preferable that the portion of the elongated flat plate on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the moving area of the recording head is bent obliquely upward so as to extend upward from the ink discharge surface.

  Since the restriction member is formed of an elongated flat plate, there is an advantage that the structure of the restriction member is very simple. Moreover, since the elongated flat plate is bent as described above, even when the initial deformation of the recording paper conveyed on the platen is large, for example, even when the deformation to the extent that it contacts the recording head has occurred. The recording paper is guided by the elongated flat plate and is surely inserted between the regulating member and the platen. Therefore, even when the recording paper is bent, the contact between the recording paper and the recording head is avoided, and clear-edged recording is realized.

  (3) The platen preferably includes a frame on which the recording paper is placed. The retracting means is rotatably supported by an input member that is slid by the recording head in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and a predetermined rotation center axis provided on the frame, and is configured to slide on the input member. A rotating plate that is rotated in a predetermined direction based on the rotation plate and the restricting member are coupled and engaged with an engaging portion provided on the rotating plate, and a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction based on the rotation of the rotating plate. And a slide member that is slid on the surface.

  The recording head is reciprocated in the main scanning direction, and the input member is displaced in the main scanning direction as the recording head moves. Specifically, for example, every time the recording head reciprocates, the recording head presses the input member, and thereby the input member is slid. When the input member slides, the rotating plate is rotated in a predetermined direction. As the rotary plate rotates, the slide member slides in the main scanning direction. Since the restriction member is connected to the slide member, the restriction member is displaced in the main scanning direction when the slide member slides. That is, the restriction member is slid in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction so that the overlap does not occur.

  (4) It is preferable that the restricting member is disposed so as to face the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. That is, it is preferable that the pair of restricting members are disposed to face each other in the main scanning direction. The retracting means preferably includes a rack and pinion mechanism provided between a pair of slide members to which the restricting members are connected.

  Since the pair of restricting members are arranged to face each other, the pair of facing edge portions overlap with the restricting member. As a result, when bordered recording is performed, even if the cockling phenomenon occurs, the distance between the recording paper and the recording head is reliably regulated within a certain range. Further, since the pair of slide members are connected via the rack and pinion mechanism, the respective regulating members are retracted while being equally spaced apart from each other in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction. Therefore, it is reliably avoided that the recording sheet conveyed on the platen and the regulating member overlap.

  (5) The retraction means restricts the rotation of the rotating plate in the anti-predetermined direction and releases the restriction when the input member is slid to a predetermined restriction releasing position, and the rotating plate And a spring member that stores strain energy according to the rotation angle of the rotating plate in the predetermined direction.

  The input member and the rotation restricting member constitute a ratchet mechanism that restricts rotation of the rotating plate only in the predetermined direction and rotation in the opposite direction. For this reason, each time the recording head reciprocates, the rotating plate rotates in a predetermined direction, the spring member is distorted, and strain energy is stored in the spring member. However, when the input member is slid to a predetermined restriction release position based on the slide of the recording head, the rotation restriction of the rotating plate is released. That is, free rotation of the rotating plate is allowed. Therefore, the strain energy stored in the spring member is released, and the rotating plate rotates in the opposite direction. When the rotating plate rotates in the anti-predetermined direction, the restricting member is returned to the initial position. That is, when the recording sheet is conveyed on the platen, the edge portion of the recording sheet overlaps with the regulating member.

  (6) Preferably, the retracting means further includes a slide guide member for guiding the slide of the slide member.

  By this slide guide member, the slide member slides smoothly. Therefore, the operation of the restricting member is also smooth.

  According to the present invention, since the distance between the recording sheet and the recording head is regulated within a certain range when the margined recording is performed by providing the regulating member, even if the recording sheet is initially deformed. Even in this case, clear recording is possible even if a cockling phenomenon occurs. In addition, when borderless recording is performed, the restriction member is retracted, so that ejection of ink droplets onto the edge of the recording paper is not blocked, and therefore clear borderless recording is possible.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with appropriate reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction device 10 (ink jet recording apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the multifunction device 10.

  The multi-function device 10 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 11 at the bottom and a scanner unit 12 at the top, and has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. . The printer unit 11 of the multifunction machine 10 corresponds to the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In the multi function device 10, functions other than the printer function are arbitrary and may be omitted. That is, the present invention may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 12 and does not have a scanner function or a copy function.

  When the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is implemented as a multi-function apparatus, a plurality of paper feed cassettes and automatic document feeders (ADFs) may be used even if the apparatus is a small one such as the multifunction machine 10 shown in the present embodiment. : Auto Document Feeder). The multifunction device 10 is connected to a personal computer (not shown) and records an image or document on a recording sheet based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the personal computer. However, the usage mode of the multifunction device 10 is not limited to such a mode, and the multifunction device 10 is connected to an external device such as a digital camera, and image data output from the digital camera is recorded on a recording sheet or a memory. Various storage media such as a card can be loaded in the multi-function peripheral 10 and image data stored in the storage medium can be recorded on a recording sheet. Note that the configuration of the multifunction machine 10 disclosed in this specification is an example of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 has a substantially wide and thin rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the width and depth dimensions are set larger than the height dimension. A lower part of the multifunction machine 10 is a printer unit 11 constituting an ink jet recording apparatus. The printer unit 11 has an opening 13 formed in the front, and a paper feed tray 14 and a paper discharge tray 15 are provided in two upper and lower stages so that a part thereof is exposed from the opening 13. The paper feed tray 14 is for storing recording paper in advance. The paper feed tray 14 can accommodate recording papers of various sizes such as B5 size, A4 size or smaller, and postcard size. The paper feed tray 14 includes a slide tray 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the slide tray 16 is pulled out as necessary, and the tray surface is enlarged. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 14 is sent to the inside of the printer unit 11 as described later, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 15 after a desired image is recorded.

  The upper part of the multifunction machine 10 is a scanner unit 12. The scanner unit 12 is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scanner unit 12 includes a document cover 17. The document cover 17 functions as a top plate of the multifunction machine 10 and is provided so as to be freely opened and closed. A platen glass 18 and an image sensor 19 are provided below the document cover 17. A document on which image reading is performed is placed on the platen glass 18. The image sensor 19 is disposed below the platen glass 18. The image sensor 19 is provided so as to be slidable in the width direction of the multifunction machine 10 with the depth direction of the multifunction machine 10 as the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an operation panel 20 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 20 is for operating the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12. The operation panel 20 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit. The multifunction device 10 operates based on an operation instruction from the operation panel 20. When the multifunction device 10 is connected to a personal computer, the multifunction device 10 operates based on an instruction transmitted from the personal computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver. Further, a slot portion 21 is provided in the upper left part of the front surface of the multifunction machine 10. Various small memory cards which are storage media are loaded in the slot portion 21. Based on the input from the operation panel 20, the image data recorded in the small memory card loaded in the slot unit 21 is read, and information on the image data is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, or an arbitrary image is displayed. The data is recorded on the recording paper by the printer unit 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a separation inclined plate 22 is disposed on the back side of the paper feed tray 14 provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 10. The separation inclined plate 22 is for separating and guiding the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray 14 upward. Further, a conveyance path 23 for conveying the recording paper is formed. The conveyance path 23 turns upward from the separation inclined plate 22 and then bends to the front side. Further, the conveyance path 23 extends from the back side to the front side of the multifunction machine 10 and then passes through the image recording unit 24 to the discharge tray 15. Communicates. Accordingly, the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 14 is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side along the conveyance path 23 and reaches the image recording unit 24, and image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24. It is discharged to the paper discharge tray 15 later.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 2 and a cross-sectional view of the printer unit 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a paper feed roller 25 is provided above the paper feed tray 14. The paper feed roller 25 separates the recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 14 one by one and sends it to the transport path 23. The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of a paper feed arm 26 that moves up and down so as to be able to contact and separate from the paper feed tray 14. The paper feed roller 25 is rotated by an LF motor (not shown) via a drive transmission mechanism 27 in which a plurality of gears are engaged.

  The sheet feeding arm 26 is supported by a base end shaft 36 and is rotatable around the base end shaft 36. As a result, the paper feed arm 26 can swing up and down about the base end shaft 36 as a swing center. When the paper feed tray 14 is mounted, the paper feed arm 26 is biased toward the paper feed tray 14 by a paper feed clutch or a spring (not shown), and the paper feed tray 14 is removed. So it can be flipped up. As the paper feeding arm 26 is rotated downward, the paper feeding roller 25 pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feeding arm 26 is pressed against the surface of the recording paper on the paper feeding tray 14. In this state, when the paper supply roller 25 rotates, the frictional force between the roller surface of the paper supply roller 25 and the recording paper feeds the uppermost recording paper to the separation inclined plate 22. The leading end of the recording sheet that has been sent out is in contact with the separating inclined plate 22 and guided upward, and is fed into the transport path 23. Note that when the uppermost recording sheet is sent out by the paper feed roller 25, the recording sheet immediately below the recording sheet may be sent out together due to friction or static electricity. However, the recording paper is stopped by contacting the separating inclined plate 22.

  The conveyance path 23 is defined by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval, except for a place where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, on the back side of the multifunction device 10, the outer guide surface is configured by the surface of the frame of the multifunction device 10, and the inner guide surface is configured by the surface of the guide member 28 fixed in the frame. . The transport path 23 is defined by the outer guide surface and the inner guide surface. In addition, in the conveyance path 23, a plurality of conveyance rollers 29 are provided, particularly in a portion where the conveyance path 23 is curved. Each conveyance roller 29 is rotatably provided with the width direction of the conveyance path 23 as the rotation center axis direction. Each conveyance roller 29 is disposed such that its roller surface is exposed to the outer guide surface or the inner guide surface. These conveyance rollers 29 facilitate the conveyance of the recording paper that contacts the guide surface even at a portion where the conveyance path 23 is bent.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the printer unit 11. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the image recording unit 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, an image recording unit 24 is provided on the conveyance path 23. The image recording unit 24 includes a scanning carriage 38, a recording head 39, and a platen 42. The scanning carriage 38 reciprocates in the main scanning direction. The main scanning direction is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3 and a direction indicated by an arrow 32 in FIG. 5 and is a direction orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction. The recording head 39 is mounted on the scanning carriage 38. An ink cartridge 40 (see FIG. 4) is disposed in the multifunction device 10 independently of the recording head 39. Cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks are supplied to the recording head 39 from the ink cartridge 40 through the ink tube 41. The platen 42 is disposed to face the recording head 39 and is disposed below the recording head 39. The platen 42 supports the recording paper to be conveyed. This recording paper is placed on the upper surface of the platen 42. The recording head 39 supplied with the ink ejects each ink to the platen 42 side as minute ink droplets. By reciprocating the scanning carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted, image recording is performed on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of guide rails 43 a and 43 b are arranged on the upper side of the conveyance path 23. The pair of guide rails 43a and 43b are disposed to face each other with a predetermined interval in the recording sheet conveyance direction. Each guide rail 43 a and 43 b extends in the width direction of the transport path 23. The scanning carriage 38 is spanned between a pair of guide rails 43a and 43b, and is slidable along the guide rails 43a and 43b. The guide rail 43 a disposed on the upstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction has a flat plate shape, and the length of the conveyance path 23 in the width direction is set to be longer than the slide width of the scanning carriage 38. The upper surface of the guide rail 43a slidably supports the upstream end portion of the scanning carriage 38.

  On the other hand, the guide rail 43b disposed on the downstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction has a flat plate shape, and the length thereof is set to be substantially the same as the length of the guide rail 43a. The edge 43c of the guide rail 43b supports the downstream end of the scanning carriage 38. The edge 43c is bent upward at a substantially right angle. The scanning carriage 38 is slidably supported on the upper surface of the guide rail 43b, and the edge 43c is sandwiched by a roller (not shown). Therefore, the scanning carriage 38 is slidably supported by the guide rails 43a and 43b, and reciprocates in the width direction of the transport path 23 with the edge 43c of the guide rail 43b as a reference. A sliding member for reducing friction is appropriately provided at a portion where the scanning carriage 38 contacts the upper surfaces of the guide rails 43a and 43b.

  A belt driving mechanism 44 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide rail 43b. The belt drive mechanism 44 includes a driven pulley 45, a drive pulley 46, and an endless annular timing belt 47 wound around these. The driven pulley 45 and the driving pulley 46 are provided near both ends of the conveyance path 23 in the width direction. The timing belt 47 has teeth formed on the inner side thereof, which are engaged with the driven pulley 45 and the driving pulley 46. The drive pulley 46 is driven by a CR motor 73 (see FIG. 5). The timing belt 47 moves circumferentially by the rotation of the drive pulley 46. The timing belt 47 may be an endless belt as well as an endless annular belt. In this case, it is preferable that both ends of the endless belt are fixed to the scanning carriage 38.

  The scanning carriage 38 is fixed to the timing belt 47. Therefore, the scanning carriage 38 reciprocates on the guide rails 43a and 43b with the edge 43c as a reference by the circumferential movement of the timing belt 47. Since the recording head 39 is mounted on such a scanning carriage 38, the recording head 39 can reciprocate in the width direction of the transport path 23, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording paper. An encoder strip 33 of a linear encoder is disposed along the edge 43c. This linear encoder detects the encoder strip 33 by a photo interrupter, and the reciprocating movement of the scanning carriage 38 is controlled based on the detection signal of the linear encoder.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the platen 42 is disposed below the conveyance path 23 so as to face the recording head 39 as described above. The platen 42 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the scanning carriage 38 through which the recording paper passes. The longitudinal dimension of the platen 42 (the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3) is set sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be transported, and both ends of the recording paper always pass over the platen 42. Will be. The structure of the platen 42 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a maintenance unit such as a purge mechanism 48 and a waste ink tray (not shown) is disposed outside the range where the recording paper does not pass, that is, outside the image recording range by the recording head 39. The purge mechanism 48 is for sucking and removing bubbles and foreign matters from the ink discharge ports of the recording head 39. The purge mechanism 48 includes a cap 49 that covers the ink ejection port 53 (see FIG. 6) of the recording head 39, a pump mechanism that is connected to the recording head 39 through the cap 49, and the cap 49 that serves as the ink ejection port of the recording head 39. And a moving mechanism for contacting and separating 53. In the figure, the pump mechanism and the moving mechanism are not shown, but these are known structures. When bubbles or the like are sucked and removed from the recording head 39, the scanning carriage 38 moves so that the recording head 39 is positioned on the cap 49. In this state, the cap 49 moves upward to move the lower surface of the recording head 39. The ink discharge ports 53 are in close contact with each other. By operating the pump mechanism connected to the cap 49, ink is sucked from the ink discharge ports 53 of the recording head 39.

  A process called flushing may be performed as a means for removing bubbles or the like from the recording head 39. This flushing is an idle discharge operation of ink from the recording head 39 and is not shown in the figure. However, the waste ink tray for receiving the empty ink discharge is also within the reciprocal movement range of the scanning carriage 38. Therefore, it is provided outside the image recording range. By these maintenance units, maintenance such as removal of air bubbles and mixed color ink in the recording head 39 is performed.

  The ink cartridge 40 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 30. The cartridge mounting unit 30 is provided in a frame on the left side on the front side of the printer unit 11. The cartridge mounting unit 30 is configured and arranged as a separate member from the scanning carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted in the multifunction machine 10. Therefore, the ink in the ink cartridge 40 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 30 is supplied to the scanning carriage 38 side through the ink tube 41. The ink cartridge 40 includes four ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K that store inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk). Are respectively loaded at predetermined positions. The ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K have the same configuration except that the stored ink colors are different.

  The multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment performs image recording with four colors of ink. However, the number of ink colors in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is not particularly limited. Needless to say, the number of ink cartridges 40 can be increased when performing image recording with eight color inks.

  The ink tube 41 is provided independently for each color. For this reason, ink is independently supplied to the recording head 39 for each color from each of the ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 30. Each of the ink tubes 41 </ b> C, 41 </ b> M, 41 </ b> Y, 41 </ b> K is a tube made of synthetic resin and has flexibility to bend according to the scanning of the scanning carriage 38.

  Each flow path for each ink cartridge 40 of the cartridge mounting unit 30 is connected to one end of each ink tube 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K. The ink tube 41C corresponds to the ink cartridge 40C and supplies cyan (C) ink. Similarly, the ink tubes 41M, 41Y, and 41K correspond to the ink cartridges 40M, 40Y, and 40K, respectively, and supply magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks, respectively. It is.

  Each of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K connected to the cartridge mounting unit 30 is pulled out to the vicinity of the center along the width direction of the image recording unit 24, and is temporarily fixed to an appropriate member such as a frame of the multifunction machine 10. Has been. The portions of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K from the fixed portion to the scanning carriage 38 are not fixed to the frame or the like of the multifunction machine 10, and the posture changes following the reciprocating movement of the scanning carriage 38. To do. That is, as the scanning carriage 38 moves to one end (left side in the figure) in the reciprocating direction, each ink tube 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K is bent so that the bending radius of the U-shaped curved portion becomes smaller. Then, the scanning carriage 38 moves in the moving direction. On the other hand, as the scanning carriage 38 moves to the other end (the right side in the figure) in the reciprocating direction, each of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K bends so that the bending radius of the curved portion increases, and the scanning carriage 38 Move in the direction of movement.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged bottom view of the recording head 39. In the same figure, the vertical direction is the recording paper conveyance direction, and the horizontal direction is the main scanning direction of the scanning carriage 38.

  As shown in the figure, the recording head 39 has a plurality of ink ejection ports 53 on its lower surface 41 (ink ejection surface). The ink ejection ports 53 are arranged in the recording paper conveyance direction for each color ink of C, M, Y, and Bk. A plurality of ink ejection ports 53 corresponding to the respective color inks of C, M, Y, and Bk are arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction. The pitch and number of the ink ejection ports 53 in the transport direction are appropriately set according to the resolution of the recorded image. Further, the number of columns of the ink discharge ports 53 can be increased or decreased according to the number of types of color ink.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24, there are a conveyance roller 60 and a pressure roller 61 that sandwich the recording paper conveyed along the conveyance path 23 and convey it onto the platen 42. Is provided. On the other hand, on the downstream side of the image recording unit 24, there are provided a paper discharge roller 62 and a spur roller 63 for nipping and transporting recorded recording paper. The conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are driven by an LF motor, and intermittently feed the recording paper with a predetermined line feed width. The rotation of the transport roller 60 and the rotation of the paper discharge roller 62 are synchronized. The rotary encoder provided on the transport roller 60 detects the encoder disk 75 that rotates together with the transport roller 60 with a photo interrupter, whereby the rotation of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 is controlled.

  On the other hand, the pressing roller 61 is urged by the conveying roller 60 so as to press the conveying roller 60 with a predetermined pressing force. The pressing roller 61 is rotatably provided. When a recording sheet enters between the conveying roller 60 and the pressing roller 61, the pressing roller 61 retracts by the thickness of the recording sheet and holds the recording sheet together with the conveying roller 60. Thereby, the rotational force of the conveyance roller 60 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper. A spur roller 63 is also provided in the same manner as the paper discharge roller 62. However, since the spur roller 63 is in pressure contact with the recorded recording paper, the roller surface is uneven in a spur shape so as not to deteriorate the image recorded on the recording paper.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of FIG. 5, and is an enlarged perspective view of the platen 42. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the platen 42. FIG. 9 is a perspective view seen from the bottom side of the platen 42. 10 and 11 are exploded perspective views of the platen 42. FIG.

  As described above, the platen 42 is disposed below the recording head 39 so as to face the recording head 39. The conveyed recording paper is placed on the upper surface 109 of the platen 42 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). As shown in FIG. 7, the platen 42 has a thin and long rectangular plate shape as a whole. The platen 42 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the main scanning direction. Also, in the same figure, the direction of the arrow 101 is the transport direction, and the recording paper is transported in the direction of the arrow 101.

  The platen 42 is disposed at both ends of the frame 100, first and second fixed ribs 102 and 103 provided on the frame 100, a movable rib 104 slidably provided on the frame 100, and the platen 42. And a drive mechanism 105 (retracting means) that slides the movable rib 104 as described later and retracts the restricting members 84 and 85 as described later.

  The frame 100 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin or a steel plate, and constitutes the skeleton of the platen 42. The frame 100 has a substantially C-shaped cross section (so-called channel shape). Brackets 106 and 107 are provided at the proximal end and the distal end of the frame 100, respectively. These brackets 106 and 107 are formed integrally with the frame 100. The frame 100 is locked and fixed to the frame of the multifunction machine 10 through the brackets 106 and 107 (see FIGS. 3 and 5).

  A drive mechanism mounting portion 108 is provided on the frame 100. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the drive mechanism mounting portion 108 extends from the frame 100. The drive mechanism mounting portion 108 includes a mounting plate 110 provided so as to be continuous with the upper surface 109 of the frame 100. The mounting plate 110 has a rectangular shape and is formed integrally with the frame 100. The mounting plate 110 supports the drive mechanism 105. The drive mechanism 105 will be described in detail later.

  The first fixing rib 102 and the second fixing rib 103 are provided on the upper surface 109 of the frame 100. Specifically, the first fixing rib 102 is provided at the upstream end of the upper surface 109 in the transport direction, and protrudes upward, that is, toward the recording head 39. The second fixing rib 103 is provided at the downstream end of the upper surface 109 in the transport direction and protrudes upward. As shown in FIG. 7, the first fixing rib 102 and the second fixing rib 103 are made of rectangular thin plate-like members, and these are erected on the upper surface 109. The first fixing rib 102 and the second fixing rib 103 are preferably formed integrally with the frame 100.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of first fixing ribs 102 are provided on the upper surface 109, and the first fixing ribs 102 are arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction. Similarly, a plurality of second fixing ribs 103 are provided on the upper surface 109 and are arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction. By providing the first fixing rib 102 and the second fixing rib 103 in this way, a groove 116 is formed between the first fixing rib 102 and the second fixing rib 103. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the groove 116 extends in the main scanning direction and extends in the transport direction. The width dimension of the groove 116 corresponds to the size of the recording head 39. Specifically, the width dimension 117 of the groove 116 is set to be wider than the ink ejection area 118 (see FIG. 6) of the recording head 39. As described above, the effect of the wide width 117 of the groove 116 will be described later.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, one first fixing rib 102 and one second fixing rib 103 have the above-mentioned transport direction (the direction of arrow 101) across the groove 116. It is opposed to. Moreover, as FIG. 7 shows, the corner part 112 of the 1st fixing rib 102 is chamfered, and the inclined surface is formed. Similarly, the corners 114 and 115 of the second fixing rib 103 are also chamfered to form inclined surfaces. Thus, the effect by the chamfering being performed on the corners 112 to 115 of the first fixing rib 102 and the second fixing rib 103 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, protrusions 88 and 89 are provided on both end faces of the frame 100, that is, the end faces in the main scanning direction. These protrusions 88 and 89 are formed integrally with the frame 100. These protrusions 88 and 89 are fitted to a slide member 147 and a slide member 148, which will be described later. Therefore, the slide members 147 and 148 can smoothly slide in the main scanning direction along the protrusions 88 and 89. The restriction members 84 and 85 are attached to the slide members 147 and 148 and are slid together with the slide members 147 and 148.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, a plurality of slits 119 are provided on the upper surface 109 of the frame 100. The slit 119 extends in the recording sheet conveyance direction. That is, the slit 119 is provided on the upper surface 109, and extends from the upstream end to the downstream end in the recording sheet conveyance direction. Each slit 119 is formed so as to penetrate between the adjacent first fixed ribs 102 and between the adjacent second fixed ribs 103. The movable rib 104 is fitted into the slit 119 and protrudes upward from the slit 119, that is, toward the recording head 39.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the movable rib 104 includes a base 120 formed in a box shape and a rectangular thin plate member 121. The movable rib 104 can be made of synthetic resin or metal. The base 120 is a member having a C-shaped cross section, and is fitted inside the frame 100. Both ends 86 and 87 in the main scanning direction of the base 120 are slidably supported by the frame 100. Specifically, both end portions 86 and 87 of the base 120 are made of engaging plates protruding outward, and the both end portions 86 and 87 are engaging grooves 167 provided inside the frame 100 (see FIG. 11). ). Therefore, the base 120 can be smoothly slid in the transport direction inside the frame 100.

  The thin plate member 121 is provided on the upper surface of the base 120. The thin plate member 121 is formed integrally with the base 120. The thin plate member 121 has a rectangular shape, passes through the slit 119, and protrudes upward from the upper surface 109 of the frame 100. In the present embodiment, a plurality of thin plate-like members 121 are provided on the upper surface of the base 120. Specifically, the thin plate-like members 121 are arranged on the upper surface of the base 120 at predetermined intervals along the main scanning direction. The predetermined interval corresponds to the pitch of the slits 119. Accordingly, a plurality of thin plate-like members 121 protrude upward from the respective slits 119.

  The corner portions 122 and 123 of the thin plate member 121 are chamfered in the same manner as the first fixed rib 102 and the second fixed rib 103, and a pair of inclined surfaces are formed. In the present embodiment, the inclined surfaces are formed at the corners 122 and 123 on both sides of the movable rib 104 in the conveyance direction, but it is sufficient that the inclined surfaces are formed at least at the corner 122 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. As described above, the effect of the chamfering process performed on the corner portions 122 and 123 of the movable rib 104 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the restriction members 84 and 85 are disposed at both ends of the frame 100 in the main scanning direction. Each regulating member 84, 85 has the same shape, and is made of, for example, a stainless steel plate. Each of the regulating members 84 and 85 is an elongated flat plate extending in the transport direction, and is disposed between the upper surface 109 of the frame 100 and the lower surface 41 of the recording head 39 (see FIG. 6). The clearance between each regulating member 84 and 85 and the upper surface 109 can be set to about 1.4 mm. Further, the distance between the regulating member 84 and the regulating member 85 (distance in the main scanning direction) corresponds to A4 size plain paper, and when this size recording paper is conveyed onto the upper surface 109, The edges of the recording paper in the conveying direction overlap with the regulating members 84 and 85. This overlap dimension is set to about 1.5 mm, and corresponds to the size of the area that is not printed when margined recording is performed on the recording paper, that is, the margin. The recording head 39 slides in the main scanning direction along the groove 116 so as to cross the central portion of the regulating members 84 and 85, that is, above the groove 116. Further, the tip end portions 90 of the restricting members 84, 85, that is, the portion on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the region where the recording head 39 slides is bent obliquely upward. For this reason, the tip 90 is approaching upward from the position of the lower surface 41 of the recording head 39. The operation and effect obtained by providing such restricting members 84 and 85 will be described later.

  As described above, the driving mechanism 105 slides the movable rib 104 in the transport direction and moves the regulating members 84 and 85 in the main scanning direction to retract from the upper surface 109 of the platen 42. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the drive mechanism 105 includes an input member 124, a rotating plate 125, a swing member 126, and slide members 147 and 148. In the present embodiment, a rotation restricting member 127 that restricts the rotation of the rotating plate 125 as described later, a spiral spring 149 (spring member) connected to the rotating plate 125, and the base 120 are supported to support the frame 100. A partition member 91 is further provided for positioning inside. The spiral spring 149 is deformed with the rotation of the rotating plate 125, and stores the distortion energy corresponding to the rotation angle when the rotating plate 125 is rotated in a predetermined direction, that is, counterclockwise in FIG. Therefore, if this strain energy is released from the spiral spring 149, the rotating plate 125 is rotated in the anti-predetermined direction, that is, clockwise in FIG.

  The input member 124 is formed in a substantially L shape, and includes a first arm 129 and a second arm 130. The input member 124 is disposed outside the printing area in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 5) and is supported by the mounting plate 110 (see FIG. 7). As a result, the input member 124 can slide in the direction of the arrow 34 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, an engagement claw 131 is formed at the tip of the first arm 129. The engaging claw 131 is formed in a thin plate shape and extends in the longitudinal direction of the first arm 129. The engaging claw 131 can be elastically deformed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof, that is, in a thickness direction. Further, a restriction release arm 132 is formed on the proximal end side of the engagement claw 131. Although the rotation restricting member 127 restricts the free rotation of the rotating plate 125, the restriction releasing arm 132 releases the rotation restricting of the rotating plate 125 as described later.

  On the other hand, the second arm 130 is continuous with the base end of the first arm 129 and is orthogonal to the first arm 129. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the second arm 130 extends upward from the mounting plate 110 of the drive mechanism mounting portion 108 by a predetermined distance, and when the recording head 39 is slid, the scanning carriage 38 is moved to the first position. The two arms 130 are pressed in the direction of the arrow 34 (main scanning direction). An elastic member not shown is connected to the input member 124. Thereby, the input member 124 is always elastically biased in the direction opposite to the arrow 34. Accordingly, when the scanning carriage 38 presses the input member 124 in the direction of the arrow 34 and then moves away from the input member 124, the input member 124 is returned in the direction opposite to the arrow 34 by the elastic member.

  12 is a plan view of the rotating plate 125, and FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the rotating plate 125. As shown in FIG.

  The rotating plate 125 is formed in a disk shape. As shown in FIG. 11, a rotation center shaft 134 is projected on the lower surface of the partition wall member 91. The rotating plate 125 is fitted to the rotation center shaft 134 and is rotatably supported. In the present embodiment, the rotation center shaft 134 is fitted to the center of the rotation plate 125. A plurality of teeth 135 are continuously formed on the peripheral surface of the rotating plate 125. The teeth 135 are engaged with the engaging claws 131 of the input member 124. As shown in the drawing, the engaging claw 131 is engaged with a blade 135 on the front side of the rotating plate 125. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 13, the tooth 135 includes a guide surface 165 that is inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction from the circumferential surface of the rotation plate 125 and extends outward, and the rotation plate from the tip of the guide surface 165. 125 and a regulating surface 166 extending inward in the radial direction. The engagement claw 131 is in contact with the restriction surface 166. Therefore, as described above, when the input member 124 is slid in the direction of the arrow 34 (see FIG. 7), the engaging claw 131 pulls the restricting surface 166, thereby rotating as shown in FIG. The plate 125 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation center axis 134. Since the input member 124 is elastically biased in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 34 as described above, when the scanning carriage 38 moves after being pressed in the direction of the arrow 34, the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 34 is obtained. Slide in the direction. As a result, the engaging claw 131 slides on the guide surface 165 while being elastically deformed, and comes into contact with the regulating surface 166 of the tooth 135 adjacent to the regulating surface 166, whereby the elastic deformation is restored. Thereafter, when the input member 124 is further slid, the rotating plate 125 is rotated intermittently.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the rotating plate 125 is provided with an engaging groove 92 on the surface. The engagement groove 92 is formed in a curved shape, and includes a curvature changing portion 151 in which the curvature gradually changes, and an arc portion 152 that is continuous therewith. The slide member 148 is engaged with the engagement groove 92. Specifically, a pin 94 (see FIG. 11) that protrudes from the slide member 148 is fitted in the engagement groove 92. The pin 94 can slide along the engagement groove 92. Therefore, when the rotating plate 125 rotates, the pin 94 contacts and separates from the center of the rotating plate 125.

  Moreover, as FIG.11 and FIG.13 shows, the engaging groove 93 is provided in the back surface of the rotating plate 125. FIG. The engagement groove 93 is also formed in a curved shape, and a first curvature change portion 153 in which the radius of curvature from the center of the rotating plate 125 gradually increases, and a second curvature change in which the radius of curvature gradually decreases continuously. Part 154. The central portion of the swing member 126 is engaged with the engagement groove 93. Specifically, a pin 95 (see FIG. 10) protruding from the center of the swing member 126 is fitted in the engagement groove 93. The pin 95 can slide along the engagement groove 93. Therefore, when the rotating plate 125 rotates, the pin 95 contacts and separates from the center of the rotating plate 125.

  A base end portion 96 of the swing member 126 is rotatably connected to a swing center shaft 97 provided on the mounting plate 110. Further, the tip end portion 98 of the swing member 126 penetrates the partition wall member 91 and is connected to the bearing portion 155 (see FIG. 11) of the base 120. The bearing portion 155 extends in the longitudinal direction of the base 120, and allows the base 120 to slide in the longitudinal direction while holding the distal end portion 98 of the swing member 126. The partition member 91 includes an arc-shaped long hole 99 through which the tip end portion 98 is penetrated. Therefore, even when the rotating plate 125 rotates and the swing member 126 swings about the swing center shaft 97, the swing member 126 does not interfere with the partition member 91 and does not interfere with the partition member 91. The base 120 is moved. As described above, the base 120 is slidable in the transport direction along the frame 100. Therefore, when the swinging member 126 swings, the base 120 follows the swinging member 126. Slide along the frame 100 in the transport direction. That is, the movable rib 104 slides in the transport direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, since the pin 94 of the slide member 148 is fitted in the engagement groove 92, the pin 94 is separated from the other slide member 147 when the rotating plate 125 rotates. It is designed to move in the direction you want. In the present embodiment, a rack and pinion mechanism 150 is provided between the slide members 147 and 148 arranged to face each other. Specifically, each of the slide member 147 and the slide member 148 is formed with a rack 156, and these racks 156 are arranged to face each other. And the pinion gear 157 is arrange | positioned so that each rack 156 may be engaged. The pinion gear 157 is fitted and held in a freely rotatable manner on a gear holding portion 168 that protrudes from the lower surface of the partition wall member 91. The partition member 91 is provided with a pair of guide plates 169. The portion of the slide members 147 and 148 where the rack 156 is formed is supported by the guide plate 169 and slides while being guided by the guide plate 169. Therefore, when the slide member 148 comes into contact with or separates from the slide member 147, the slide member 147 also slides toward the slide member 148 via the rack and pinion mechanism 150. In other words, they are close to each other.

  The end 158 of the slide member 147 and the end 159 of the slide member 148 are bent upward. Each of the end portions 158 and 159 is formed in a flat plate shape, and a through hole 160 is provided in the end portion 158 and a through hole 161 is provided in the end portion 159. A projection 88 provided on the frame 100 is fitted into the through hole 160 of the end 158, and a projection 89 provided on the frame 100 is fitted into the through hole 161 of the end 159. Therefore, the slide members 147 and 148 are arranged so as to hold the frame 100 in the main scanning direction, and the upper ends of the end portions 158 and 159 are located above the upper surface 109 of the frame 100. And the said limitation members 84 and 85 are being fixed to the upper end of these edge parts 158 and 159, respectively. Therefore, when the slide members 147 and 148 come in contact with each other, the restriction members 84 and 85 also come in contact with and separate from each other on the frame 100. That is, when the regulating members 84 and 85 are close to each other, they overlap with the edge of the recording sheet being transported (the edge in the transport direction). Further, when the regulating members 84 and 85 are separated from each other, they are retracted from the frame 100 so that the overlap does not occur.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rotation restricting member 127 is a plate-like member that engages with the rotating plate 125. The rotation restricting member 127 is rotatably supported by a support pin (not shown). An engaging claw 143 is formed at the tip of the rotation restricting member 127. The engaging claws 143 are engaged with the teeth 135 of the rotating plate 125, whereby the rotating plate 125 is allowed to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 10, but the clockwise rotation is restricted. Yes. The rotation restricting member 127 is elastically biased toward the rotating plate 125. Therefore, the engaging claw 143 is normally engaged with the rotating plate 125, and the rotating plate 125 is always subjected to the rotation restriction. ing.

  As described above, the input member 124 is slid in the direction of the arrow 34 (see FIG. 7). When the input member 124 is slid to a predetermined restriction release position, the restriction release arm 132 is moved to the rotation restriction. It abuts on the member 127 and presses in the direction of the arrow 34. Thereby, the engaging claw 143 of the rotation restricting member 127 is separated from the rotating plate 125, and as a result, the rotation restricting of the rotating plate 125 is released.

  In the present embodiment, the pin 95 of the swing member 126 is engaged with the engagement groove 93 (see FIG. 11), and the engagement groove 93 supports the center of rotation of the rotating plate 125. Rotate around 134. That is, the engaging groove 93 that is eccentric with respect to the rotation center shaft 134 rotates around the rotation center shaft 134. Normally, the pin 95 is set to be positioned at an end 162 of the first curvature changing portion 153 of the engagement groove 93 in FIG. At this time, the movable rib 104 is located at a substantially central portion of the frame 100, and is located between the first fixed rib 102 and the second fixed rib 103 as shown in FIG. Further, the pin 94 of the slide member 148 is engaged with the engagement groove 92 (see FIG. 10), and the engagement groove 92 rotates around the rotation center shaft 134. That is, the engagement groove 92 that is eccentric with respect to the rotation center shaft 134 rotates around the rotation center shaft 134. Normally, the pin 94 is set so as to be positioned at the end 163 of the curvature changing portion 151 of the engagement groove 92 in FIG. At this time, the slide members 147 and 148 are close to each other, and therefore the regulating members 84 and 85 overlap the upper surface 109 of the frame 100 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 64 of the multifunction machine 10.

  The control unit 64 is provided, for example, in the frame of the multifunction machine 10 (see FIG. 4). The control unit 64 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10 including not only the scanner unit 12 but also the printer unit 11. However, since the scanner unit 12 is not the main configuration of the present invention, a detailed description of its control is omitted. As shown in the figure, the control unit 64 is configured as a microcomputer having a CPU 65, a ROM 66, a RAM 67, and an EEPROM 68, and is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 70 via a bus 69.

  The ROM 66 stores a program for controlling various operations of the multifunction machine 10. The RAM 67 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 65 executes the program. The EEPROM 68 stores settings and flags that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  The ASIC 70 generates a phase excitation signal and the like for energizing the LF motor 71 according to a command from the CPU 65. This signal is applied to the drive circuit 72 of the LF motor 71, and the drive signal is energized to the LF motor 71 via the drive circuit 72. Thereby, rotation control of the LF motor 71 is performed.

  The drive circuit 72 drives the LF motor 71 connected to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, the paper discharge roller 62 (see FIG. 3), and the purge mechanism 48 (see FIG. 4). In response to the output signal, an electric signal for rotating the LF motor 71 is formed. In response to this electrical signal, the LF motor 71 rotates, and the rotational force of the LF motor 71 is fed via a known drive mechanism including a gear, a drive shaft, and the like. And is transmitted to the purge mechanism 48.

  Similarly, the ASIC 70 generates a phase excitation signal and the like for energizing the above-described CR motor 73 in accordance with a command from the CPU 65. This signal is applied to the drive circuit 74 of the CR motor 73, and the drive signal is energized to the CR motor 73 via the drive circuit 74. Thereby, rotation control of CR motor 73 is performed.

  The drive circuit 74 drives the CR motor 73 connected to the scanning carriage 38. The drive circuit 74 receives an output signal from the ASIC 70 and forms an electric signal for rotating the CR motor 73. Upon receipt of this electrical signal, the CR motor 73 rotates, and the rotational force of the CR motor 73 is transmitted to the scanning carriage 38 via the belt drive mechanism 44 (see FIG. 4). Thereby, the scanning carriage 38 is slid in the main scanning direction.

  The drive circuit 75 selectively ejects ink from the recording head 39 to the recording paper at a predetermined timing. The drive circuit 75 receives the output signal generated in the ASIC 70 based on the drive control procedure output from the CPU 65, and drives and controls the recording head 39.

  Further, the ASIC 70 is connected to a rotary encoder 76 for detecting the rotation amount of the transport roller 60 and a linear encoder 77 for detecting the movement amount of the scanning carriage 38. The ASIC 70 includes a scanner unit 12, an operation panel 20 for instructing operation of the multifunction device 10, a slot unit 21 (see FIG. 1) into which various small memory cards are inserted, an external device such as a personal computer, and a parallel cable. A parallel interface 78 and a USB interface 79 for transmitting and receiving data via a USB cable are connected. Further, an NCU (Network Control Unit) 80 and MODEM 81 for realizing a facsimile function are also connected.

  In the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the mode of image recording can be selected by operating the operation panel 20. That is, when the user operates the operation panel 20, so-called margined recording or marginless recording can be arbitrarily selected. When the recording mode is set by the operation panel 20, a signal for instructing the recording mode is sent from the ASIC 70 to the CPU 65. Upon receiving this signal, the CPU 65 issues a command for driving the CR motor 73 and the recording head 39 to the drive circuit 74 and the drive circuit 75. Specifically, when borderless recording is set, the CR motor 73 is driven so that the scanning carriage 38 presses the input member 124.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 64 includes a main board 82, and recording signals and the like are transmitted from the main board 82 to the recording head 39 through the flat cable 83. The flat cable 83 is a ribbon-like one in which a conductor for transmitting an electrical signal is covered with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film and insulated, and the main board 82 and the control board (not shown) of the recording head 39 are electrically connected. Connected. Further, the flat cable 83 is led out from the scanning carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction, and is bent so as to be substantially U-shaped in the vertical direction. The substantially U-shaped portion is not fixed to other members, and changes its posture following the reciprocating movement of the scanning carriage 38.

  In the multifunction machine 10, when the recording mode is set to borderless recording, the recording head 39 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction, and the input member 124 is intermittently or continuously pressed by the scanning carriage 38 ( (See FIG. 7). As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the rotating member 125 is intermittently rotated counterclockwise for each predetermined rotation angle, that is, for each rotation angle corresponding to the rotation feed amount by the teeth 135. When the rotating plate 125 is rotated in this way, the engagement groove 93 rotates about the rotation center shaft 134 as shown in FIG. 11, and therefore the pin 95 engaged with the engagement groove 93 is As the rotating plate 125 rotates, it moves radially outward (see FIG. 13). When the rotation angle of the rotating plate 125 reaches 90 ° (degree), the engagement pin 95 starts to move in the opposite direction (inward in the radial direction) as the rotating plate 125 rotates, and the rotation of the rotating plate 125 rotates. Move in the same direction until the angle is 270 °. As shown in FIG. 11, when the rotating member 125 is rotated, the engaging groove 92 rotates around the rotation center shaft 134, so that the pin 94 engaged with the engaging groove 92 is As the rotating plate 125 rotates, it moves radially outward (see FIG. 12). Even when the rotation angle of the rotating plate 125 exceeds 90 °, the radius of curvature of the arc portion 152 of the engaging groove 92 is constant, so that the engaging pin 94 rotates the rotating plate 125. Regardless of whether or not it moves in the radial direction.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the movable rib 104 and the regulating members 84 and 85 in the order of (a) to (d) during conveyance of the recording paper.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7, the movable rib 104 is normally located between the first fixed rib 102 and the second fixed rib 103 (initial position), but FIG. 15B shows. Thus, when the recording sheet is conveyed to the upstream end of the platen 42 in the conveying direction, the recording sheet moves to the upstream side in the conveying direction to receive the recording sheet. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the recording sheet is fed along the conveyance path 23 and is fed onto the platen 42 by the conveyance roller 60 and the pressing roller 61. While the recording paper is being fed along the conveyance path 23, the CR motor 73 is driven and the scanning carriage 38 is slid. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the input member 124 is pressed, the rotating plate 125 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 11, and the movable rib 104 moves upstream in the transport direction. When the rotation angle of the rotating plate 125 reaches 90 °, the movable rib 104 reaches the upstream end in the conveying direction of the platen 42 and receives the recording sheet.

  By rotating the rotating plate 125 in this way, the slide members 147 and 148 are separated from each other as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 84 and 85 are separated. That is, the regulating members 84 and 85 move in a direction perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction (in the direction of the arrow 34 in FIG. 7) and retract from the platen 42.

  Thereafter, the input member 124 is pressed by the scanning carriage 38 together with the image recording, and the rotating plate 125 is further rotated. As a result, the movable rib 104 moves downstream in the conveyance direction following the recording sheet conveyed while supporting the front end portion of the recording sheet. When the rotation angle of the rotating plate 125 reaches 180 °, as shown in FIG. 15C, the movable rib 104 reaches the initial position (the central portion of the groove 116). At this time, the image recording is continued while the movable rib 104 is held at the initial position. As described above, as a means for holding the movable rib 104 while conveying the recording paper, the slide distance of the recording head 39 is controlled so that the scanning carriage 38 holding the recording head 39 does not contact the input member 124. It only has to be done.

  When the trailing edge of the recording sheet is conveyed onto the movable rib 104, the movable rib 104 is slid again in the conveying direction and follows the recording sheet conveyed while supporting the trailing edge of the recording sheet. Then, it further moves downstream in the transport direction. Specifically, the input member 124 is pressed by the scanning carriage 38, the rotating plate 125 is further rotated, and the movable rib 104 is further moved downstream in the transport direction. When the rotation angle of the rotating plate 125 reaches 270 °, the movable rib 104 reaches the downstream end in the transport direction as shown in FIG. As described above, as a means for moving the movable rib 104 at the initial position again, the slide distance of the recording head 39 is controlled so that the scanning carriage 38 holding the recording head 39 comes into contact with the input member 124 again. It only has to be done.

  When the recording paper on which the image is recorded is discharged, the scanning carriage 38 holding the recording head 39 slides the input member 124 to the above-described restriction release position. The slide of the scanning carriage 38 is performed by driving control of the CR motor 73. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the input member 124 is slid in the direction of the arrow 34 (see FIG. 7), and the restriction release arm 132 engages the engagement claw 143 with the blade 135 of the rotating plate 125. To release. Thereby, the rotation restriction | limiting of the rotating plate 125 is cancelled | released. As described above, since the distortion energy is accumulated in the spiral spring 149 as the rotating plate 125 rotates, the distortion energy is released by releasing the rotation restriction of the rotating plate 125. The rotating plate 125 rotates in the reverse direction (clockwise in FIG. 10). When all the strain energy is released, the rotating plate 125 rotates 270 ° clockwise, the movable rib 104 returns to the initial position again, and the restricting members 84 and 85 again return the upper surface 109 of the platen 42. Will overlap.

  In the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, a recording sheet is conveyed onto the platen 42, and a predetermined image is recorded on the recording sheet by ejecting ink droplets while the recording head 39 is slid in the main scanning direction. . When the margined recording is set by the operation panel 20, the input member 124 is not operated, and the regulating members 84 and 85 are disposed on the platen 42 (see FIG. 7). That is, the restricting members 84 and 85 overlap the edge of the recording sheet sent on the platen 42. Therefore, even if the recording paper transported has undergone initial deformation, and even if a cockling phenomenon occurs in the recording paper during recording, there is a problem between the recording paper and the recording head 39. The distance is regulated within a certain range. On the other hand, when borderless recording is set by the operation panel 20, as shown in FIG. 15, since the regulating members 84 and 85 are retracted from the platen 42, the recording paper and the regulating member conveyed on the platen 42 are used. 84 and 85 do not overlap. Accordingly, when borderless recording is performed, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 39 surely reach the edge of the recording paper.

  As described above, in the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the distance between the recording sheet and the recording head 39 is regulated to a certain range when the marginal recording is performed by providing the regulating members 84 and 85. Even if the recording sheet is initially deformed, and even if a cockling phenomenon occurs, clear recording is possible. In addition, when borderless recording is performed, the restriction members 84 and 85 are retracted, so that the ejection of ink droplets onto the edge of the recording paper is not blocked, and therefore clear borderless recording is possible. It becomes.

  In the present embodiment, since the restriction members 84 and 85 are formed of elongated flat plates, there is an advantage that the structure of the restriction members 84 and 85 is very simple. In addition, since the leading end portions 90 of the regulating members 84 and 85 are bent as described above, when the initial deformation of the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42 is large, for example, deformation that is in contact with the recording head 39. Even if this occurs, the recording sheet is guided by the leading end portion 90 and reliably inserted between the regulating members 84 and 85 and the platen 42. Therefore, even when the recording sheet is bent, the contact between the recording sheet and the recording head 39 is avoided, and clear-edged recording is realized.

  The movement of the regulating members 84 and 85 is realized by the input member 124, the rotating plate 125 rotated thereby, and the slide members 147 and 148 slidable thereby. That is, since the movement of the regulating members 84 and 85 is realized by a simple mechanism, there is an advantage that an increase in manufacturing cost of the image recording unit 24 can be suppressed. In addition, since the LF motor 71 is not a direct drive source of the regulating members 84 and 85, there is an advantage that accurate conveyance of the recording paper is not hindered. In particular, the slide members 147 and 148 that slide the regulating members 84 and 85 slide while being guided by the protrusions 88 and 89 (see FIGS. 10 and 11), so that the slide members 147 and 148 move smoothly. Therefore, the regulating members 84 and 85 can be smoothly retracted from the platen top 42 and can be returned.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the pair of restricting members 84 and 85 are disposed to face each other, the pair of facing edge portions of the recording sheet to be conveyed overlap the restricting members 84 and 85. As a result, when bordered recording is performed, even if the cockling phenomenon occurs, the distance between the recording paper and the recording head 39 is reliably regulated within a certain range. Therefore, clearer marginal recording is realized. Further, since these restricting members 84 and 85 are connected via the rack and pinion mechanism 150, they are equally contacted and separated in the main scanning direction. Therefore, when borderless recording is performed, there is an advantage that the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42 and the regulating members 84 and 85 are reliably prevented from overlapping.

  In this embodiment, after the image recording on the recording paper is completed, the movable rib 104 returns to the initial position, and the regulating members 84 and 85 also return to the platen 42. Therefore, for example, even when a margined recording is subsequently performed, the restriction members 84 and 85 can reliably overlap the recording sheet, and the marginless recording is continuously performed on the recording sheet. Even if it is a case, the slide of the said movable rib 104 and the limitation members 84 and 85 is repeated. Therefore, clear bordered recording and borderless recording are continuously performed. Moreover, the means for returning the movable rib 104 to the initial position and returning the restriction members 84 and 85 onto the platen 42 does not use the CR motor 73 or the LF motor 71, and has a very simple structure. Therefore, there is an advantage that the accurate conveyance of the recording paper is not hindered.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the rotation restricting member 127 restricts the rotation of the rotating plate 125. In this case, the input member 124 and the rotation restricting member 127 constitute a ratchet mechanism that rotates the rotating plate 125 only in one direction. Therefore, each time the recording head 39 reciprocates, the rotating plate 125 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 10, and the regulating members 84 and 85 are surely retracted from the platen 42. At this time, the slide of the recording head 39 is controlled by the control unit 64, and the rotating plate 125 may be rotated every time the recording head 39 is reciprocated, or the rotating plate 125 is rotated every time the recording head 39 is reciprocated a plurality of times. It may be adjusted so that.

  The recording sheet is further conveyed in the conveyance direction together with image recording. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the movable rib 104 slides in the conveyance direction while supporting the recording sheet. In other words, the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording sheet are always supported by the movable rib 104 during image recording, and therefore do not bend in the transport direction. Even if the groove 116 is formed between the first fixed rib 102 and the second fixed rib 103 as in the present embodiment, the recording paper does not sag toward the groove 116, and the recording paper The distance from the recording head 39 is kept constant. As a result, high quality printing is realized.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the recording sheet conveyed on the platen 42 is first supported by the first fixing rib 102, and further passes through the groove 116 and is sent to the second fixing rib 103 side. It is done. The groove 116 can receive ink droplets ejected from the recording head 39 beyond the edge of the recording paper, particularly when borderless recording is performed. This prevents ink from adhering to the back side of the recording paper. When the recording sheet passes over the groove 116, the movable rib 104 is slid in the conveying direction following the recording sheet to be conveyed. That is, the movable rib 104 supports the recording paper while sliding. Therefore, the end of the recording paper is always reliably supported by the movable rib 104 and does not enter the groove 116.

  In addition, since the recording paper is supported by the movable rib 104, the width of the groove 116 can be set large in the design of the platen 42. As a result, the recording head 39 can be increased in size, and the groove 116 can cover the entire ink ejection region 118 of the recording head 39 even when the recording head 39 is enlarged. As a result, there is an advantage that speeding up of borderless recording is also realized.

  In particular, since the member that supports the recording paper is a rib, there is an advantage that the structure of the member that supports the recording paper becomes very simple. Further, since the contact area between the recording paper and the first fixed rib 102, the second fixed rib 103, and the movable rib 104 is reduced, the recording paper can be smoothly conveyed.

  In the present embodiment, the width of the groove 116 is set to be wider than the ink ejection area 118 of the recording head 39. As a result, even if the recording paper is not arranged on the platen 42, even if ink droplets are ejected from all the nozzles (ink ejection ports 53) of the recording head 39, all of these ink droplets remain in the groove 116. To be accepted. Therefore, when borderless recording is performed, it is possible to record an image on the edge of the recording paper while ejecting ink droplets from all the nozzles of the recording head 39. In other words, borderless recording is performed at high speed, and complicated control is not required for ejection of ink droplets from the ink ejection port 53. Furthermore, in addition to the cross-sectional shape of the ink discharge port 53 being not necessarily a perfect circle, fine dust may adhere to the ink discharge port 53, so that the ink droplets are straight from the ink discharge port 53. In some cases, the ink is discharged in a slightly oblique direction instead of being discharged. Even in such a case, the width of the groove 116 is set wider than the ink discharge area 118 of the recording head 39, so that ink droplets do not adhere to the outside of the groove 116. As a result, the back surface of the recording paper is reliably prevented from being stained with ink.

  Further, in this embodiment, the corner portions 122 and 123 of the movable rib 104 are chamfered (see FIG. 7), and the corner portions 122 and 123 are formed with inclined surfaces. As a result, even when the end of the recording paper that has passed through the first fixed rib 102 contacts the corner 122 of the movable rib 104, the end of the recording paper is smoothly placed on the upper surface of the movable rib 104. Guided. Therefore, the smooth conveyance of the recording paper is not hindered due to the provision of the movable rib 104. Similarly, the corner portions 112 to 115 of the first fixed rib 102 and the second fixed rib 103 are also chamfered, and this portion is configured as an inclined surface. For this reason, even when the recording sheet being conveyed contacts the corners 112 to 115, smooth conveyance of the recording sheet is not hindered.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the recording paper is transported to the platen 42, the movable rib 104 once picks up the recording paper to the upstream side in the transport direction, and then the recording paper is transported along with the transport of the recording paper. Slide to the downstream side in the transport direction while supporting the end of. Thereby, there is an advantage that the end portion of the recording sheet is reliably supported by the movable rib 104 and is reliably prevented from entering the groove 116 during conveyance.

  In addition, as described above, in the driving mechanism 115 that drives the movable rib 104, the scanning carriage 38 that is slid by the CR motor 73 slides the input member 124, and the sliding of the input member 124 causes the rotating plate 125 and the swinging movement. It is converted into a slide of the movable rib 104 through the member 126. In other words, since the LF motor 71 is not a direct drive source of the movable rib 104, there is an advantage that accurate conveyance of the recording paper is not hindered. In this embodiment, the drive source of the movable rib 104 is the CR motor 73, but the CR motor 73 is the input member 124 in a region outside the scanning range of the scanning carriage 38 (that is, a region outside the image recording range). Therefore, accurate conveyance of the recording paper within the image recording range is ensured. Of course, the CR motor 73 and the LF motor 71 may be employed as a direct drive source for the movable rib 104 and the regulating members 84 and 85 as long as accurate conveyance of the recording paper is ensured. .

  As described above, the input member 124 and the rotation restricting member 127 constitute a ratchet mechanism. Therefore, each time the recording head 39 reciprocates, the rotating plate 125 rotates, and the movable rib 104 reliably moves in the above-described direction to support the recording paper. The slide of the recording head 39 is controlled by the control unit 64, and the rotating plate 125 may be rotated every time the recording head 39 is reciprocated, or the rotating plate 125 is rotated every time the recording head 39 is reciprocated a plurality of times. It may be adjusted as described above.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the drive mechanism 105 has a function of sliding the movable rib 104 and a function of retracting the restricting members 84 and 85, both of which are linked, but the movable rib 104 is slid. Needless to say, the mechanism to be operated and the mechanism to retract the restriction members 84 and 85 may be configured separately and operated independently of each other. In that case, the regulating members 84 and 85 may be driven by an electrically operated actuator or the like. In short, the regulating members 84 and 85 may be retracted when the recording paper reaches the platen 42 so that the recording paper does not overlap with the recording paper when borderless recording is performed.

  The present invention can be applied to an inkjet recording apparatus and a multi-function machine including the same.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the printer unit of the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the image recording unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged bottom view of the recording head of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the platen of the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view seen from the bottom side of the platen of the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the platen of the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the platen of the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view of a platen rotating plate of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the platen rotary plate of the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the movable rib and the regulating member during the conveyance of the recording paper in the order of (a) to (d).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 11 ... Printer part 24 ... Image recording unit 39 ... Recording head 42 ... Platen 84 ... Restriction member 85 ... Restriction member 88 ... Protrusion 89 ...・ Protrusions 90... Tip portion 100... Frame 105... Drive mechanism 109 .. Upper surface of frame 124... Input member 125. Release arm 149 ... Spiral spring 150 ... Rack and pinion mechanism

Claims (6)

A platen that supports the recording paper, and is disposed so as to face the platen, and ejects ink droplets while being reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction with respect to the recording paper conveyed on the platen in a predetermined conveying direction. An ink jet recording apparatus that can perform recording by selecting either margined recording or marginless recording.
A regulating member that regulates the distance between the recording sheet to be conveyed and the recording head within a certain range by overlapping the edge in the conveyance direction of the recording sheet;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a retracting unit configured to retract the regulating member in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction so that the overlap does not occur when borderless recording is performed. The restricting member is an elongated flat plate disposed between the platen and the ink discharge surface of the recording head and extending in the transport direction,
2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the elongated flat plate on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the moving region of the recording head is bent obliquely upward so as to extend upward from the ink discharge surface. The platen is
A frame on which the recording paper is placed;
The evacuation means is
An input member that is slid by the recording head in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction;
A rotating plate that is rotatably supported by a predetermined rotation center axis provided on the frame and is rotated in a predetermined direction based on the slide of the input member;
2. A slide member coupled to the restricting member and engaged with an engaging portion provided on the rotating plate and slid in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction based on rotation of the rotating plate. Or the inkjet recording apparatus according to 2; The regulating member is
Opposed to the direction perpendicular to the transport direction,
The evacuation means is
4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rack and pinion mechanism provided between a pair of slide members to which the respective regulating members are connected. The evacuation means is
A rotation restricting member that restricts rotation of the rotating plate in the anti-predetermined direction and releases the restriction by sliding the input member to a predetermined restriction releasing position;
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a spring member attached to the rotating plate and storing strain energy according to a rotation angle of the rotating plate in the predetermined direction. The evacuation means is
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a slide guide member that guides the slide of the slide member.

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