JP4935564B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that records an image by reciprocating a recording head in a predetermined direction together with a carriage, and more particularly, to an apparatus that transmits outputs from a plurality of driving sources to a plurality of driving units, respectively.

  An ink jet printer is known as an image recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink based on an input signal. Inkjet printers guide ink to the actuator of the recording head, and pressurize and eject the ink by using the bending of the actuator such as a piezoelectric element and electrostrictive element according to the input signal and the local boiling of the ink by the heating element. .

  Ink jet printers perform image recording by selectively ejecting ink from a recording head to a recording medium in a process in which recording paper is conveyed from a paper feed tray to a paper discharge tray. The feeding of the recording paper from the paper feed tray to the paper transport path and the transport of the recording paper in the paper transport path are performed by a roller called a paper feed roller or a transport roller being rotated in pressure contact with the recording paper. Done. A so-called motor such as a DC motor or a stepping motor is used as a drive source of these rollers, and drive transmission from the motor to each roller is realized by a drive transmission mechanism in which a pinion gear, a timing belt, and the like are combined.

  In a recording head used in an ink jet printer, ink ejection failure may occur due to bubbles or clogging of foreign matter in nozzles that eject ink. In order to prevent or recover from ink ejection failure, a method of sucking and removing bubbles and foreign matters from the nozzles of the recording head is known, and is generally called purge. A maintenance unit for purging includes a cap that covers the nozzles of the recording head, a pump for decompressing the cap, and the like. A motor is also used as a drive source for driving the pump in the maintenance unit and the cam for switching the exhaust valve, and the drive transmission from the motor to each drive unit is realized by the drive transmission mechanism described above.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image recording apparatus having a power transmission switching unit that switches driving transmission from a motor as a driving source to each driving unit is known. This power transmission switching means selectively transmits power to each drive unit according to the carriage movement position (see Patent Document 1). Accordingly, it is possible to transmit drive from one drive source to, for example, a conveyance roller during image recording and to transmit to a maintenance unit during purge.

  According to Patent Document 1, driving of one LF motor (42) is transmitted to a plurality of operating parts by a power transmission switching means (100). The power transmission switching means (100) includes one switching gear (102), an intermittent sheet feeding transmission gear (113), a continuous sheet feeding transmission gear (114), a lower stage sheet feeding transmission gear (121), and a maintenance transmission. There are four kinds of transmission gears of the gear (115). The switching gear (102) is selected from the transmission gear of the type corresponding to the position by positioning the lever portion (104a) on the first, second and third set portions (111, 112, 108), respectively. Mesh and transmit power. The position of the lever portion (104a) is changed by the movement of the carriage (13) corresponding to the operation mode in the main scanning direction. Reference numerals in parentheses are those shown in Patent Document 1.

JP 2007-90761 A

  As in Patent Document 1, control of a configuration in which driving of one LF motor (42) is selectively switched to four types of power transmission in accordance with the operation mode is not so complicated. However, it is conceivable that the number of operation modes further increases due to the higher functionality of the printer. For example, in order to be able to perform image recording on both sides of a recording medium, it is necessary to switch the conveyance path for switchback conveyance of the recording medium. In double-sided printing, in order to eliminate cockling of the recording medium due to absorption of ink, the ink drying time is provided, and the conveyance of the recording medium may be stopped. On the other hand, during the drying time, it is desirable to operate the carriage for capping in order to prevent the ink from drying in the recording head.

  As described above, in consideration of compatibility with many operation modes and operation of other drive units while stopping some of the drive units in double-sided printing or the like, the switching gear is alternatively selected as a large number of transmission gears. In the meshing configuration, control such as release of surface pressure and phase alignment required when switching the meshing between the switching gear and each transmission gear becomes complicated, and the time required for switching the power transmission becomes long. There is a fear. On the other hand, a configuration is possible in which a plurality of motors as drive sources are provided and a plurality of switching gears are arranged corresponding to each drive source.

  Assuming that two switching gears are provided for two motors, the same member as the lever part (104a) described above corresponds to the two switching gears in order to position and change the position of each switching gear. Two will be arranged. Then, since the carriage (13) changes the position of the two lever portions (104a), the first engagement step portion (13a) that engages with each lever portion (104a) at two positions of the carriage (13). And the second engaging step portion (13b) must be provided, and the carriage (13) is enlarged, resulting in a problem that the printer is enlarged. In addition, the carriage (13) must be given sufficient moving force to move each lever (104a) against the first biasing spring (106a) that applies an elastic biasing force to each lever portion (104a). As a result, the load on the CR motor (24) increases. As a result, the CR motor (24) must be increased in size, which may cause problems such as an increase in the size of the device and an increase in power consumption.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the object thereof is an image recording apparatus that transmits outputs from a plurality of drive sources to a plurality of drive units, respectively, without increasing the size of the apparatus. In addition, a drive transmission switching means that does not increase the load on the carriage is provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a drive transmission switching means capable of independently performing feeding and transport of a recording medium and maintenance of a recording head.

  (1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head and an area including an image recording area where the recording head records an image on a recording medium and a maintenance area where maintenance of the recording head is performed. A rotary drive is performed based on the carriage reciprocated in a predetermined direction and the drive output from the first drive source, and the rotary drive is transmitted to the first drive unit driven during maintenance of the recording head. The first drive gear is rotated based on the drive output from the second drive source, and the second drive unit driven during maintenance of the recording head or the third driven driven during conveyance of the recording medium. A second switching gear for selectively transmitting the drive to the drive unit, and a first transmission gear disposed so as to be separable from the first switch gear and transmitting the drive to the first drive unit. A second transmission gear that is disengageable with the second switching gear and transmits the drive to the second driving portion; and a third transmission gear that is disengageable with the second switching gear. A third transmission gear for driving transmission, a support shaft for slidably supporting the first switching gear and the second switching gear in a predetermined direction in which the carriage reciprocates, the first switching gear and the second switching gear. The gear is selectively positioned at any one of a plurality of drive transmission positions corresponding to the arrangement of the first transmission gear, the second transmission gear, and the third transmission gear, and the carriage is reciprocated by the contact of the carriage. A positioning member that slides in a predetermined direction to move and changes a drive transmission position of the first switching gear and the second switching gear. The positioning member is disposed so as to be in contact with the carriage near the boundary between the image recording area and the maintenance area. The first switching gear meshes with the first transmission gear at the first drive transmission position on the maintenance area side, and disengages from the first transmission gear at the second drive transmission position on the image recording area side. The second switching gear meshes with the second transmission gear at the first drive transmission position, and meshes with the third transmission gear at the second drive transmission position.

  The image recording apparatus records an image on a recording medium when the recording head is reciprocated in the image recording area together with the carriage. The recording head is moved to the maintenance area for maintenance. The image recording apparatus has two drive sources, a first drive source and a second drive source. The first driving source applies a driving force to the first driving unit driven during maintenance of the recording head via the first switching gear. The second drive source selectively applies a driving force to the second drive unit driven during maintenance of the recording head and the third drive unit driven during conveyance of the recording medium via the second switching gear. . The first switching gear and the second switching gear can slide in a predetermined direction in which the carriage reciprocates.

  The positioning member selectively positions the first switching gear and the second switching gear at the first drive transmission position or the second drive transmission position. Each drive transmission position where the first switching gear and the second switching gear are positioned can be changed by using the contact of the carriage with the positioning member as an input. The carriage contacts the positioning member in the vicinity of the boundary between the image recording area and the maintenance area. The drive transmission position includes a first drive transmission position on the maintenance area side and a second drive transmission position on the image recording area side. The first switching gear meshes with the first transmission gear at the first drive transmission position, and disengages from the first transmission gear at the second drive transmission position. The second switching gear meshes with the second transmission gear at the first drive transmission position, and meshes with the third transmission gear at the second drive transmission position.

  Therefore, the carriage can reciprocate in the maintenance region without moving the first switching gear and the second switching gear positioned at the first drive transmission position. At that time, the drive of the first drive source is transmitted to the first drive unit via the first switching gear and the first transmission gear, and the drive for maintenance is performed. The drive of the second drive source is transmitted to the second drive unit via the second switching gear and the second transmission gear, and the drive for maintenance is performed.

  On the other hand, the carriage can reciprocate in the image recording area without contacting the positioning member that positions the first switching gear and the second switching gear at the second drive transmission position. At this time, the drive of the first drive source is not transmitted to the first transmission gear, and the drive during maintenance is not performed. Further, the driving of the second driving source is transmitted to the third driving unit via the second switching gear and the third transmission gear, and driving for conveying the recording medium is performed.

  (2) The recording head may be an ink jet type that ejects ink from nozzles. And a cap disposed in the maintenance area to cover the nozzles of the recording head, wherein one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit is configured to contact and separate the cap from the recording head. A drive may be imparted.

  Thereby, the driving for capping the recording head in the maintenance area can be realized by the first driving unit or the second driving unit.

  (3) The first driving source may transmit driving to a fourth driving unit that is driven when the recording medium is conveyed.

  Accordingly, the first switching gear and the second switching gear can be positioned at the second drive transmission position, and two types of driving can be applied when the recording medium is conveyed. For example, during the conveyance of one recording medium The operation of supplying another recording medium can be realized.

  (4) The drive transmission position has a third drive transmission position where the first switching gear is disengaged from the first transmission gear and the second switching gear meshes with the second transmission gear. The two driving units may provide driving for bringing the cap into and out of contact with the recording head.

  Thereby, it is possible to realize capping of the recording head with simple control while conveying the recording medium.

  According to the present invention, the carriage can reciprocate in the maintenance area without moving the first switching gear and the second switching gear positioned at the first drive transmission position, and the carriage can be moved to the second drive transmission position. It is possible to reciprocate in the image recording area without moving the positioned first switching gear and second switching gear. Then, the drive required for maintenance is transmitted at the first drive transmission position, and the drive necessary for transporting the recording medium is transmitted at the second drive transmission position. Thereby, conveyance and maintenance of the recording medium can be realized without depending on the position of the carriage.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, this embodiment is only an example of this invention, and it cannot be overemphasized that embodiment can be changed suitably in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

[Explanation of drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration near the drive switching mechanism 70. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the drive switching mechanism 70 at the second drive transmission position. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing configurations of the input lever 74 and the contact member 75. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the drive switching mechanism 70 at the third drive transmission position. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the drive switching mechanism 70 at the first drive transmission position. Each gear shown in each figure is a spur gear unless otherwise specified, and the teeth of each gear are omitted in each figure. In FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, the carriage 62, the recording head 61, the ink tube 59, the platen 63, the belt driving mechanism 46, the purge mechanism 55, and the like are omitted.

[Schematic configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the multifunction machine 10 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 11 at the bottom and a scanner unit 12 at the top. It has a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. Of the multifunction machine 10, the printer unit 11 corresponds to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. Accordingly, in the present invention, functions other than the printer function are arbitrary. For example, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention is implemented as a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 12 and does not have a scan function or a copy function. Also good.

  The printer unit 11 is mainly connected to an external information device such as a computer, and records images and documents on a recording medium based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the external information device. The multifunction machine 10 can also record various types of storage media such as a memory card and record image data recorded on the storage medium on a recording sheet. Examples of the recording medium used in the printer unit 11 include paper and a resin sheet.

  The multifunction machine 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and an opening 13 is formed on the front surface thereof. Inside the opening 13, a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21 are provided in two upper and lower stages. The paper feed tray 20 accommodates recording paper that is a recording medium. The size of the recording paper that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 is, for example, various standard sizes such as A4 size, B5 size, and postcard size that are smaller than the legal size. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 is fed into the printer unit 11 to record a desired image and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  A paper feed cassette 14 is disposed below the opening 13. The paper feed cassette 14 can accommodate, for example, legal size, A4 size, B5 size recording paper. The paper feed cassette 14 can accommodate recording sheets of several to ten times the number of recording sheets that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray 20. Therefore, a large amount of frequently used recording paper such as A4 size is stored in the paper feed cassette 14.

  The scanner unit 12 is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a document cover 15 is provided on the upper surface of the multifunction machine 10 so as to be freely opened and closed. When the document cover 15 is opened, the platen glass 16 is exposed. An image sensor 17 is provided below the platen glass 16. The image reading is performed on the document placed on the platen glass 16 while the image sensor 17 moves. Further, the document cover 15 is provided with an auto document feeder (ADF) 18 that is an automatic document feeder. Since such a scanner unit 12 has an arbitrary configuration, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  An operation panel 19 is provided on the front upper portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 19 includes a plurality of operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit. The operation buttons include, for example, a power button for turning on / off the power, a start button for inputting start of image reading and image recording, a stop button for inputting stop of operation, a mode setting such as copy mode, scanner mode, and facsimile mode. A mode button for performing image recording, various settings such as image recording conditions and reading conditions, and a numeric keypad for inputting a facsimile number. The multifunction machine 10 operates based on an operation instruction from the operation panel 19. When the multifunction device 10 is connected to an external computer, the multifunction device 10 also operates based on an instruction transmitted from the computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver.

[Printer 11]
As shown in FIG. 2, a separation inclined plate 22 is provided on the back side of the paper feed tray 20. The separation inclined plate 22 separates the recording sheets fed from the sheet feeding tray 20 one by one and guides only the uppermost recording sheet upward. A first paper feed roller 25 that feeds the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 toward the separation inclined plate 22 is provided above the paper feed tray 20. The first paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the first arm 26. The first sheet feeding roller 25 rotates by receiving the output of an ASF (Auto Sheet Feed) motor by a drive transmission mechanism in which a plurality of gears are engaged. The first paper feed roller 25 corresponds to the third drive unit in the present invention. In the present invention, conveyance of a recording medium includes both feeding of recording paper from the paper feed tray 20 and the paper feed cassette 14 and conveyance of recording paper in the first conveyance path 23 and the second conveyance path 33. However, the second drive unit is mainly responsible for transporting the recording medium by the former. The ASF motor that applies a driving force to the first paper feed roller 25 is a DC motor and corresponds to the second drive source in the present invention.

  The first arm 26 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 26 </ b> A and moves up and down so as to be able to contact and separate from the paper feed tray 20. The first arm 26 is rotated downward so as to come into contact with the paper feed tray 20 by its own weight or biased by a spring or the like, and is configured to be retractable upward when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted or removed. ing. As the first arm 26 is rotated downward, the first paper feed roller 25 pivotally supported at the tip of the first arm 26 comes into pressure contact with the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. In this state, when the first paper feeding roller 25 is rotated, the uppermost recording paper is fed to the separation inclined plate 22 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the first paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper. Is done.

  A first transport path 23 is formed so as to extend upward from the separation inclined plate 22. The first conveyance path 23 is directed upward from the separation inclined plate 22, then bends to the front side of the multifunction machine 10, and communicates with the paper discharge tray 21 through the image recording unit 24. Accordingly, the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 is guided by the first transport path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side, reaches the image recording unit 24, and image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24. Thereafter, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  The first transport path 23 is composed of a pair of guide surfaces that face each other at a predetermined interval except for a place where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the curved portion of the first conveyance path 23 on the back side of the multifunction machine 10 is configured by fixing a first guide member 27 and a second guide member 28 to the apparatus frame. In the first conveyance path 23, particularly in a place where the first conveyance path 23 is bent, the rotation roller exposes the roller surface to the outer guide surface, and the width direction of the first conveyance path 23 is set in the axial direction. May be provided so as to be freely rotatable. The recording paper that is slidably in contact with the guide surface is smoothly transported at the portion where the first transport path 23 is bent by each rotatable roller.

  An image recording unit 24 is provided downstream of the curved portion of the first conveyance path 23 in the conveyance direction. The image recording unit 24 includes a carriage 62 that is mounted with a recording head 61 and reciprocates. The recording head 61 is of a so-called ink jet type. The recording head 61 includes cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (ink) through an ink tube 59 (see FIG. 3) from an ink cartridge that is disposed independently of the recording head 61 in the multifunction machine 10. Each color ink of Bk) is supplied. While the carriage 62 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected as fine ink droplets from the nozzles of the recording head 61, thereby recording an image on a recording sheet conveyed on the platen 63. The detailed configuration of the image recording unit 24 will be described later.

  A pair of conveying rollers 29 and a pinch roller 30 are provided on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24. The transport roller 29 and the pinch roller 30 sandwich the recording paper transported through the first transport path 23 and transport it onto the platen 63. An output of an LF (Line Feed) motor is driven and transmitted to the transport roller 29 and is intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width. The pinch roller 30 is provided so as to be movable in a direction in which the pinch roller 30 contacts and separates from the conveyance roller 29, and is elastically biased by a coil spring and is pressed against the conveyance roller 29. When the recording paper enters between the conveying roller 29 and the pinch roller 30, the pinch roller 30 is retracted against the elastic biasing force by the thickness of the recording paper, and presses the recording paper against the conveying roller 29. Hold on to. Thereby, the rotational force of the conveyance roller 29 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper. The LF motor that applies a driving force to the transport roller 29 is a DC motor and corresponds to the first drive source in the present invention.

  A pair of paper discharge rollers 31 and a spur 32 are provided on the downstream side of the image recording unit 24. The paper discharge roller 31 and the spur 32 sandwich the recorded recording paper and convey it to the paper discharge tray 21. The transport roller 29 and the paper discharge roller 31 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width by driving and transmitting the output of the LF motor as the first drive source. The rotations of the transport roller 29 and the paper discharge roller 31 are synchronized. A rotary encoder (not shown) provided on the conveyance roller 29 detects an encoder disk pattern that rotates together with the conveyance roller 29 with an optical sensor. Based on this detection signal, the rotation of the LF motor as the first drive source is controlled. In FIG. 2, the rotary encoder is omitted.

  Since the spur 32 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. The spur 32 is provided so as to be movable in a direction in which the spur 32 is brought into contact with and separated from the paper discharge roller 31, and is elastically biased by a coil spring and pressed against the paper discharge roller 31. When the recording paper enters between the paper discharge roller 31 and the spur 32, the spur 32 is retracted against the urging force by the thickness of the recording paper, and the recording paper is nipped so as to be pressed against the paper discharge roller 31. To do. Thereby, the rotational force of the paper discharge roller 31 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second transport path 33 connects the part of the first transport path 23 downstream of the image recording unit 24 and the part of the paper feed tray 20 upstream of the paper feed roller 25. Is formed. The second conveyance path 33 is a path that descends while being inclined from the downstream side of the image recording unit 23 toward the paper feed roller 25. By this second transport path 33, the recording paper on which an image is recorded on one side by the image recording unit 24 is guided onto the paper feed tray 20. Similarly to the first transport path 23, the second transport path 33 is also formed by a pair of guide surfaces facing each other at a predetermined interval.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a path switching unit 34 corresponding to the second transport path 33 is provided in a portion of the first transport path 23 on the downstream side of the image recording unit 24. The path switching unit 34 feeds the recording sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path 23 to either the paper discharge tray 21 or the second conveyance path 23. The path switching unit 34 includes a switchback roller 35, a spur 36, a frame 37, and a spur 38.

  A switchback roller 35 and a spur 36 are provided on the downstream side of the first conveyance path 23 where the second conveyance path 33 is connected. When single-sided recording is performed on the recording paper, the image recording unit 24 performs image recording, and the recording paper transported through the first transport path 23 is moved to the paper discharge tray 21 by the switchback roller 35 and the spur 36. Discharged. When performing double-sided recording on a recording sheet, the image recording unit 24 performs image recording on one side, and the recording sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path 23 is switched by a switchback roller 35 and a spur 36. Back transported.

  As the recording paper is switched back, the frame 37 is rotated toward the second conveyance path 33 and the spur 38 is lowered. The recording paper transported in the switchback is guided to the second transport path 33 by a spur 38 and sent to the paper feed tray 20. When the leading edge of the recording paper reaches the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper is again transported to the image recording unit 24 through the first transport path 23 by the paper feed roller 25. At that time, the other side of the recording sheet on which no image is recorded is opposed to the recording head 61. Then, the recording sheet on which both sides of the image are recorded is discharged to the discharge tray 21 by the path switching unit 34.

  The switchback roller 35 in the path switching unit 34 is rotated by driving transmission of the output of the LF motor as the first drive source, and is synchronized with the transport roller 29. Further, the frame 37 in the path switching unit 34 is rotated by the driving transmission of the output of the ASF motor as the second drive source. That is, each of the switchback roller 35 and the frame 37 corresponds to one of a plurality of driving units in the present invention. Further, the transport roller 29, the paper discharge roller 31, and the switchback roller 35 correspond to the fourth drive unit in the present invention. In the present invention, conveyance of a recording medium includes both feeding of recording paper from the paper feed tray 20 and the paper feed cassette 14 and conveyance of recording paper in the first conveyance path 23 and the second conveyance path 33. However, the fourth drive unit is mainly responsible for transporting the recording medium by the latter.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed cassette 14 is loaded below the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed cassette 14 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape whose upper surface is open, and recording paper is stored in a stacked state therein. A separation inclined plate 39 is provided on the back side of the sheet feeding cassette 14. The separation inclined plate 39 separates the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette 14 and guides only the uppermost recording paper upward.

  A third transport path 40 is formed upward from the separation inclined plate 39. The third conveyance path 40 is directed upward from the separation inclined plate 39, then bends to the front side, and communicates with the first conveyance path 23 on the upstream side of the conveyance roller 29 in the conveyance direction. The third conveyance path 40 has a back side of the second guide member 28 that forms the outer guide surface of the first conveyance path 23 as an inner guide surface, and is disposed further outside at a predetermined interval from the second guide member 28. The third guide member 41 is formed. The recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 14 is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side by the third conveyance path 40 and enters the first conveyance path 23, and image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24. Thereafter, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  On the upper side of the paper feed cassette 14, a second paper feed roller 42 that supplies the recording paper loaded in the paper feed cassette 14 to the third transport path 40 is provided. The second paper feed roller 42 is pivotally supported at the tip of the second arm 43. The second paper feed roller 42 rotates when the output of the ASF motor as the second drive source is transmitted by a drive transmission mechanism in which a plurality of gears are engaged. The second paper feed roller 42 corresponds to the third drive unit in the present invention.

  The second arm 43 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 43 </ b> A and moves up and down so as to be able to contact and separate from the bottom surface inside the sheet feeding cassette 14. The second arm 43 is rotated downward so as to come into contact with the paper feed cassette 14 by its own weight or biased by a spring or the like, and is configured to be retractable upward when the paper feed cassette 14 is inserted or removed. ing. When the second arm 43 is rotated downward, the second paper feed roller 42 pivotally supported at the tip of the second arm 43 comes into pressure contact with the recording paper in the paper feed cassette 14. In this state, when the second paper feeding roller 42 is rotated, the uppermost recording paper is fed to the separation inclined plate 39 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the second paper feeding roller 42 and the recording paper. Is done. The leading edge of the recording sheet abuts on the separation inclined plate 39 and is guided upward, and is sent out to the third conveyance path 40.

[Image recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of guide rails 44 and 45 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the recording sheet conveyance direction (from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 3) above the first conveyance path 23. It extends in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3). The guide rails 44 and 45 are provided in the housing of the printer unit 11 and constitute a part of a frame that supports each member constituting the printer unit 11. The carriage 62 is placed so as to straddle the guide rails 44 and 45, and can slide on the guide rails 44 and 45 in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording paper.

  The guide rail 44 disposed on the upstream side of the recording paper conveyance direction is a flat plate whose length in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 3) of the first conveyance path 23 is longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 62. . The guide rail 45 disposed on the downstream side of the recording paper in the conveyance direction is a flat plate whose length in the width direction of the first conveyance path 23 is substantially the same as that of the guide rail 44. The upstream end of the carriage 62 in the transport direction is placed on the guide rail 44, and the downstream end is placed on the guide rail 45, and the carriage 62 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the guide rails 44, 45. To be slid. An edge 45A on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the guide rail 45 is bent at a substantially right angle upward. The carriage 62 carried on the guide rails 44 and 45 has the edge 45A slidably held by a holding member such as a roller pair. As a result, the carriage 62 is positioned with respect to the recording paper conveyance direction and is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction.

  A belt driving mechanism 46 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide rail 45. In the belt driving mechanism 46, an endless annular belt 49 having teeth provided inside is stretched between a driving pulley 47 and a driven pulley 48 that are respectively provided near both ends in the width direction of the first conveying path 23. It will be. A driving force is input from a CR motor (not shown) to the shaft of the driving pulley 47, and the belt 49 moves in a circumferential motion by the rotation of the driving pulley 47. In addition to the endless annular belt 49, a belt 49 that fixes both ends of the endless belt to the carriage 62 may be used.

  The carriage 62 is fixed to the belt 49 on the bottom surface side. Therefore, based on the circumferential movement of the belt 49 by the CR motor, the carriage 62 reciprocates on the guide rails 44 and 45 with the edge 45 as a reference. The recording head 61 is mounted on such a carriage 62, and the recording head 61 is reciprocated with the width direction of the first transport path 23 as a predetermined direction.

  The guide rail 44 is provided with an encoder strip 50 of a linear encoder (not shown). The encoder strip 50 is in the form of a strip made of a transparent resin. A pair of support portions 51 and 52 are formed at both ends of the guide rail 44 in the width direction (reciprocating direction of the carriage 62) so as to stand up from the upper surface thereof. Both ends of the encoder strip 50 are engaged with the support portions 51 and 52, and are erected along the edge 45.

  The encoder strip 50 has a pattern in which translucent portions that transmit light and light-shielding portions that block light are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction at equal pitches. An optical sensor 53 that is a transmission type sensor is provided at a position corresponding to the encoder strip 50 on the upper surface of the carriage 62. The optical sensor 53 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the encoder strip 50 together with the carriage 62, and detects the pattern of the encoder strip 50 during the reciprocation. The recording head 61 is provided with a head control board that controls ink ejection. The head control board outputs a pulse signal based on the detection signal of the optical sensor 53, the position of the carriage 62 is determined based on this pulse signal, and the rotational drive of the CR motor is controlled. In FIG. 3, the head control board mounted on the carriage 62 is covered with a cover and does not appear in the figure.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a platen 63 is disposed below the first conveyance path 23 so as to face the recording head 61. The platen 63 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the carriage 62 through which the recording paper passes. Since the width of the platen 63 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be transported, both ends in the width direction of the recording paper transported through the first transport path 23 always pass over the platen 63. The area on the platen 63 is the image recording area A1, which corresponds to the image recording area in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a purge mechanism 55 is disposed on one side of the platen 63 in the width direction, and a waste ink tray 56 is disposed on the other side. The purge mechanism 55 and the waste ink tray 56 perform maintenance of the recording head 61. The area where the purge mechanism 55 is disposed is the first maintenance area M1, which corresponds to the maintenance area in the present invention. The area where the waste ink tray 56 is disposed is the second maintenance area M2. The first maintenance area M1 and the second maintenance area M2 are located adjacent to both ends of the image recording area A1, respectively. The carriage 62 can reciprocate across the image recording area A1, the first maintenance area M1, and the second maintenance area M2.

  The purge mechanism 55 sucks and removes bubbles and foreign matters from the nozzles of the recording head 61. The purge mechanism 55 includes a nozzle cap 57 that covers the nozzles of the recording head 61 and an exhaust cap 58 that covers the exhaust port of the recording head 61. The nozzle cap 57 and the exhaust cap 58 are moved up and down by a known lift-up mechanism to come in contact with and away from the recording head 61. Although not appearing in FIG. 3, the purge mechanism 55 further includes a suction pump. The suction pump is connected to the nozzle cap 57 and the exhaust cap 58, and when the suction pump is operated, the inside of the nozzle cap 57 and the exhaust cap 58 is set to a negative pressure. When the suction pump is operated in a state where the nozzle cap 57 and the exhaust cap 58 are in contact with the recording head 61 and cover the nozzle and the exhaust port, bubbles and foreign matters are sucked and removed from the recording head 61. The suction pump in the purge mechanism 55 is operated by drivingly transmitting the output of the LF motor that is the first drive source. Further, the lift-up mechanism in the purge mechanism 55 is operated by the drive transmission of the output of the ASF motor that is the second drive source. That is, the suction pump in the purge mechanism 55 corresponds to the first drive unit in the present invention, and the lift-up mechanism corresponds to the second drive unit in the present invention.

  The waste ink tray 56 is for receiving idle ink discharge from the recording head 61 called flushing. A felt is laid as an ink absorbing material in the waste ink tray 56, and the flushed ink is absorbed and held by the felt. Thus, the purge mechanism 55 and the waste ink tray 56 are used to perform maintenance such as removal of bubbles and mixed color ink in the recording head 61 and prevention of drying.

  Although not shown in each figure, the printer unit 11 is provided with a cartridge mounting unit, and an ink cartridge for storing various inks is mounted. A plurality of ink tubes 59 corresponding to the respective color inks are routed from the cartridge mounting portion to the carriage 62. The recording head 61 mounted on the carriage 62 is supplied with ink of each color from the ink cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion through each ink tube 59. The ink tube 59 is a tube made of synthetic resin, and has flexibility to bend following the reciprocation of the carriage 62.

  A recording signal or the like is transmitted through the flat cable 60 from the main board constituting the control unit (not shown) to the head control board of the recording head 61. The main board is disposed on the front side of the apparatus (front side in FIG. 3) and does not appear in FIG. The flat cable 60 is in the form of a thin strip in which a plurality of conductive wires for transmitting electrical signals are covered with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film and insulated, and electrically connects the main board and the head control board. . The flat cable 60 has the flexibility to bend following the reciprocation of the carriage 62.

[Drive switching mechanism 70]
Hereinafter, the drive switching mechanism 70 from the two motors (LF motor and ASF motor) to the first paper feed roller 25, the purge mechanism 55, and the second paper feed roller 42 will be described. The drive switching mechanism 70 is arranged on the right side (right side in FIG. 2) of the frame constituted by the guide rails 44, 45, etc., and is a two-system drive that is independently output from two motors (LF motor and ASF motor). Are selectively transmitted to each drive unit.

  Although two motors (LF motor and ASF motor) do not appear in each figure, the output of one LF motor is input to one end (left side in FIG. 3) of the transport roller 29. A first drive gear (not shown) is provided at the other end (right side in FIG. 3) of the transport roller 29 so as to rotate coaxially and integrally with the transport roller 29. The first switching gear 71 is meshed with the first driving gear, and the first switching gear 71 is rotationally driven based on the output of the LF motor. One LF motor for rotationally driving the first switching gear 71 corresponds to the first drive source in the present invention. Since the thickness of the first drive gear is sufficiently thicker than the sliding range of the first switching gear 71, the first switching gear 71 and the first driving gear are always meshed within the sliding range of the first switching gear 71. The axis of the first switching gear 71 is parallel to the axis of the first drive gear, and the first switching gear 71 can be translated with respect to the first drive gear. The axial thickness of the first drive gear corresponds to the moving range of the first switching gear 71, and the meshing between the first driving gear and the first switching gear 71 is maintained in the moving range of the first switching gear 71. Is done.

  The other ASF motor is disposed in the vicinity of the drive switching mechanism 70, and an output is transmitted from its output shaft to the second switching gear 72 via a second driving gear (not shown), so that the second switching gear 72 rotates. Driven. The other ASF motor for rotationally driving the second switching gear 72 corresponds to the second drive source in the present invention. Since the thickness of the second drive gear is sufficiently thicker than the slide range of the second switching gear 72, the second switch gear 72 and the second drive gear are always meshed with each other in the slide range of the second switch gear 72. . The axis of the second switching gear 72 is parallel to the axis of the second driving gear, and the second switching gear 72 is movable in parallel with the second driving gear. The thickness of the second drive gear in the axial direction corresponds to the moving range of the second switching gear 72, and the meshing between the second driving gear and the second switching gear 72 is maintained in the moving range of the second switching gear 72. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are pivotally supported on one supporting shaft 73 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The first switching gear 71 is disposed outside the apparatus (right side in FIG. 5), and the second switching gear 72 is disposed inside the apparatus (left side in FIG. 5). The support shaft 73 is supported in the horizontal direction by the frame. The axial direction of the support shaft 73 (the left-right direction in FIG. 5) coincides with the direction in which the carriage 62 reciprocates. When the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are slid along the support shaft 73, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 and first to third transmission gears 101, 102, 103, which will be described later. Is selected.

  An input lever 74 and a contact member 75 are slidably provided on the support shaft 73 on the outer side of the carriage 62 in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 62 (on the right side in FIG. 5). A positioning member according to the present invention is realized by the input lever 74 and the contact member 75 and a lever guide 83 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the input lever 74 includes a cylindrical shaft 76 that is externally fitted to the support shaft 73, and a lever 77 that projects from the cylindrical shaft 76 in the radial direction. The cylindrical shaft 76 is fitted on the support shaft 73 and is slidable and rotatable in the axial direction. That is, the lever 77 can be slid in the axial direction of the support shaft 73 and can be rotated around the support shaft 73. Near the base end of the lever 77, a rib 78 extends in the axial direction of the cylindrical shaft 76.

  The contact member 75 includes a cylindrical shaft 79 that is fitted on the cylindrical shaft 76 of the input lever 74, and a slide guide 80 that protrudes from the cylindrical shaft 79 in a Y shape in the radial direction. The cylindrical shaft 79 is fitted on the cylindrical shaft 76 of the input lever 74 and is slidable and rotatable in the axial direction. At the end of the cylindrical shaft 79 on the input lever 74 side, a guide surface 81 that spirals around the axis from the end surface is formed so that a part of the cylindrical shaft 79 is cut away. The guide surface 81 is formed in a range corresponding to the Y-shaped slide guide 80. The end 82 on the opposite side of the cylindrical shaft 79 is reduced in diameter in a tapered shape. The end 82 is reduced in diameter so that its inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical shaft 76 of the input lever 74. Thereby, the external fitting position of the cylindrical shaft 79 with respect to the cylindrical shaft 76 is regulated.

  The slide guide 80 has a Y shape straddling the lever guide 83. When the slide guide 80 comes into contact with the lever guide 83, the contact member 75 is restricted from rotating around the cylindrical shaft 76 of the input lever 74. Accordingly, the contact member 75 is slid in the axial direction while maintaining a predetermined rotational attitude with respect to the cylindrical shaft 76 of the input lever 74.

  The guide surface 81 of the contact member 75 is in contact with the rib 78 of the input lever 74. Although not shown in the drawing, the contact member 75 is urged toward the input lever 74 side (arrow 84 in FIG. 5) by a coil spring that expands and contracts in the axial direction of the support shaft 73. The second switching gear 72 is biased toward the input lever 74 side (arrow 85 in FIG. 5) by another coil spring that expands and contracts in the axial direction of the support shaft 73. With the second switching gear 72 interposed, the first switching gear 71 is also urged toward the input lever 74 by the same coil spring. That is, the second switching gear 72 and the abutting member 75 are urged in a direction approaching each other via the first switching gear 71 and the input lever 74 by two coil springs that urge in opposite directions. . As a result, the second switching gear 72, the first switching gear 71, the input lever 74, and the contact member 75 are brought into contact with each other on the support shaft 73 and are integrated. The biasing force (arrow 84) of the coil spring that biases the contact member 75 is larger than the biasing force (arrow 85) of the coil spring that biases the second switching gear 72. Therefore, the second switching gear 72, the first switching gear 71, the input lever 74, and the contact member 75 slide the support shaft 73 toward the arrow 84 unless an external force is applied. In addition, the 1st switching gear 71 and the 2nd switching gear 72 which mutually contact | abutted by the two coil springs can rotate independently in the integrated state.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a lever guide 83 is provided on the upper side of the support shaft 73. The lever guide 83 is fixed to the guide rail 44 by being fitted into a hole 85 (see FIG. 4) formed on the purge mechanism 55 side of the guide rail 44. The lever guide 83 is a substantially flat member having a guide hole 86 having a predetermined shape formed therein. The lever 77 of the input lever 74 is inserted into the guide hole 86 and protrudes upward of the guide rail 44. As described above, the contact member 75 maintains a predetermined rotation posture with respect to the cylindrical shaft 76 of the input lever 74, and the guide surface 81 is substantially at the same rotation position as the slide guide 80 in the rotation posture. . The rib 78 of the input lever 74 abuts on the guide surface 81, receives the urging force of the coil spring, and is guided along the guide surface 81 to an arrow 87 (see FIG. 6). As a result, the lever 77 inserted into the guide hole 86 is, as shown in FIG. 4, the first guide position that is the corner between the downstream side in the transport direction and the inside of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 88. The first guide position 88 corresponds to the second drive transmission position.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a second guide position 89 and a third guide position 90 are sequentially formed from the first guide position 88 toward the outside of the apparatus at the downstream edge of the guide hole 86 in the transport direction. . The second guide position 89 is recessed from the first guide position 152 to the downstream side in the transport direction. The second guide position 89 can lock the lever 77 with respect to the arrow 84 side on which the input lever 74 is elastically biased by the recess. An inclined surface is formed from the second guide position 89 to the third guide position 90, and the lever 77 is guided from the second guide position 89 to the third guide position 90 by being guided by the inclined surface. It can move smoothly. The second guide position 89 corresponds to the third drive transmission position, and the third guide position 90 corresponds to the first drive transmission position.

  A return guide 91 is formed at the upstream edge of the guide hole 86 in the transport direction. The return guide 91 protrudes vertically upward from the edge of the guide hole 86 and extends in the horizontal direction to the vicinity of the center of the guide hole 86 toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the extended end is below the upper end of the lever 77. As shown in the figure, it has a hook shape that hangs vertically downward. The return guide 91 guides a route when the lever 77 returns from the third guide position 90 to the first guide position 88.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a guide piece 92 is provided at the upstream end in the transport direction of the carriage 62 so as to protrude in the horizontal direction upstream in the transport direction. The guide piece 92 is reciprocated together with the carriage 62. An inclined surface 93 is formed on the proximal end side of the carriage 62 and an engagement portion 94 is formed on the distal end side of the end portion of the guide piece 92 on the side in contact with the lever 77 (right side in FIGS. 3 and 5). Yes. The inclined surface 93 can contact the lever 77 at the first guide position 88 or the second guide position 89, and the contact surface is inclined toward the downstream side in the transport direction. When the guide piece 92 is moved together with the carriage 62, the inclined surface 93 comes into contact with the lever 77 located at the first guide position 88 or the second guide position 89, and the lever 77 is moved downstream in the transport direction by the inclined surface 93. The second guide position 89 or the third guide position 90 is moved while being pushed.

  The engaging portion 94 of the guide piece 92 engages with the lever 77 at the third guide position 90. When the lever 77 is moved from the second guide position 89 to the third guide position 90, the lever 77 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow 87 and engages with the engaging portion 94 of the guide piece 92 at the third guide position 90. . The lever 77 is urged to an arrow 84 by a coil spring, and is urged to an arrow 87 by a guide surface 81 of the contact member 75. The engagement between the lever 77 and the engaging portion 94 is maintained by these urging forces.

  When the guide piece 92 moves together with the carriage 62 to the arrow 96, the lever 77 engaged with the engaging portion 94 moves together with the guide piece 92 to the arrow 96 due to the urging force to the arrow 84. At that time, the lever 77 is guided by the return guide 91 and moves along the edge of the guide hole 86 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction to the corner on the upstream side in the conveyance direction facing the first guide position 88, and the edge thereof. By disengaging from the engaging portion 94. The lever 77 released from the engaging portion 94 is urged by the guide surface 81 of the contact member 75 to rotate toward the arrow 87 side and is positioned at the first guide position 88. In this way, by controlling the reciprocation of the carriage 62, the input lever 74 is selectively moved to one of the first to third guide positions 88 to 89, and the first switching gear 71 is correspondingly corresponding thereto. The second switching gear 72 is selectively moved to any one of the first drive transmission position to the third drive transmission position for positioning.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the input lever 74 is disposed slightly on the first maintenance area M1 side from the boundary between the image recording area A1 and the first maintenance area M1. Such an arrangement is included in the vicinity of the boundary between the image recording area and the maintenance area in the present invention. Of course, even if the input lever 74 is arranged slightly on the image recording area A1 side with respect to the boundary between the image recording area A1 and the first maintenance area M1, the effect of the present invention is exhibited. Since the change in the load due to contact with the lever 77 may cause deterioration in the recording image quality, the input lever 74 is preferably arranged on the first maintenance area M1 side from the boundary.

  As shown in FIG. 5, below the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72, the first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear are connected to the support shaft 100 parallel to the support shaft 73. 103 are arranged in parallel. The first transmission gear 101 can be separated from the first switching gear 71. The second transmission gear 102 and the third transmission gear 103 can be separated from the second switching gear 72. The first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear 103 have the same outer diameter, although the thickness and presence / absence of the bevel gear 104 are different. The first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear 103 are arranged on the support shaft 100 in order from the maintenance area M1 side to the image recording area A1 side (from the right side to the left side in FIG. 5). In addition, a spacer 106 corresponding to the thickness of the second transmission gear 102 is provided between the first transmission gear 101 and the second transmission gear 102, and these are separated. In such an arrangement, the first transmission gear 101 can be separated from the first switching gear 71, and the second transmission gear 102 and the third transmission gear 103 can be separated from the second switching gear 72.

  The first transmission gear 101 and the third transmission gear 103 are equivalent to or slightly thicker than the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72. In the present embodiment, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 have the same thickness and correspond to one drive transmission position. Further, in the present embodiment, when simply referred to as “thickness”, it means the thickness in the axial direction of the gear (left and right direction in FIG. 5). On the other hand, the thickness of the second transmission gear 102 is about twice the thickness of the first transmission gear 101 or the third transmission gear 103, and corresponds to two drive transmission positions.

  A bevel gear 104 is provided on the maintenance area M1 side of the first transmission gear 101. The outer diameter of the bevel gear 104 is larger than that of the first transmission gear 101, thereby forming a regulating surface 105 projecting radially outward therebetween. The first switching gear 71 abuts against the restriction surface 105, thereby further preventing the sliding movement from the position meshed with the first transmission gear 101 to the arrow 85. Accordingly, the meshing between the first switching gear 71 and the first transmission gear 101 is maintained, and the input lever 74 and the contact member 75 are separated from the first switching gear 71.

  The 1st transmission gear 101, the 2nd transmission gear 102, and the 3rd transmission gear 103 are for transmitting a driving force to each drive part, respectively. Specifically, the first transmission gear 101 transmits drive to a suction pump or the like in the purge mechanism 55 together with the bevel gear 104 provided on one end side thereof. The second transmission gear 102 selectively transmits a drive to the lift-up mechanism of the nozzle cap 57 in the path switching unit 34 or the purge mechanism 55 depending on whether the rotation direction is normal or reverse. The third transmission gear 103 selectively transmits drive to the first paper feed roller 25 or the second paper feed roller 42 depending on whether the rotation direction is normal or reverse. The drive of the suction pump and the lift-up mechanism of the nozzle cap 57 in the purge mechanism 55 is a drive for maintenance in the present invention. In the present invention, the term “maintenance” does not necessarily require a purge operation, but simply includes an operation of capping the nozzles of the recording head 61. In the present invention, the term “conveyance” refers to conveyance of recording paper by the conveyance roller 29, paper discharge roller 31 and switchback roller 35, and feeding of recording paper by the first paper supply roller 25 and second paper supply roller 42. Including meaning.

  As described above, the first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear 103 are assigned to transmit the driving force to each of the plurality of driving units. As the drive transmission mechanism from the first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear 103 to each drive unit, a known drive transmission mechanism using a gear train or a belt can be adopted. Since it does not directly affect the gist of the present invention, detailed description is omitted here.

[Drive switching in drive transmission mechanism 70]
Hereinafter, switching of meshing between the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 and the first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear 103 will be described with reference to Table 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and Table 1, when the lever 77 inserted into the guide hole 86 is in the first guide position 88, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are in the second drive transmission. Located in position. In the second drive transmission position, the first switching gear 71 is located on the second transmission gear 102 side in the space formed by the spacer 106. At this time, the driving force is not transmitted from the first switching gear 71 to any driving unit, but the first driving gear meshing with the first switching gear 71 is rotated by the output of the LF motor (first driving source) together with the conveying roller 29. Then, the paper discharge roller 31 and the switchback roller 35 synchronized with the transport roller 29 are also rotated. The second switching gear 72 meshes with the third transmission gear 103 and transmits the output of the ASF motor (second drive source) to the first paper feed roller 25 or the second paper feed roller 42. Since the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are rotated by receiving the outputs of two independent motors (LF motor and ASF motor), at the first drive transmission position, the paper feed tray 20 or the feeding gear 72 is fed. Paper feeding from the paper cassette 14 and paper conveyance in the first conveyance path 23 can be controlled independently. Therefore, for example, another recording sheet is fed from the sheet feeding tray 20 or the sheet feeding cassette 14 during conveyance of one recording sheet, or the first sheet feeding roller 25 is set at an arbitrary timing in switchback conveyance in duplex printing. It can be operated. The carriage 62 can reciprocate in the image recording area A1 without contacting the input lever 74 for positioning the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 at the second drive transmission position.

  As shown in FIG. 7 and Table 1, when the guide piece 92 comes into contact with the lever 77 as the carriage 62 moves, and the lever 77 is moved to the second guide position 89 (see FIG. 4), the first switching is performed. The gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are urged to the arrow 85 by the elastic urging force of the coil spring and slide to the third drive transmission position. In the third drive transmission position, the first switching gear 71 is located on the first transmission gear 101 side in the space formed by the spacer 106. At this time, the driving force is not transmitted from the first switching gear 71 to any of the driving units, but the transport roller 29, the paper discharge roller 31, and the switchback roller 35 are output from the LF motor (first driving source) as described above. Is rotated by.

  As the second switching gear 72 moves from the second drive transmission position to the third drive transmission position, the second switching gear 72 is disengaged from the third transmission gear 103 by sliding movement and meshes with the second transmission gear 102. When the second switching gear 72 is disengaged from the third transmission gear 103 and meshes with the second transmission gear 102, the second drive gear is slightly reversely rotated with respect to the previous rotation direction, thereby The surface pressure between the switching gear 72 and the third transmission gear 103 is released. Then, in order to match the phases of the second switching gear 72 and the second transmission gear 102, minute forward rotation and reverse rotation are alternately and repeatedly performed on the second drive gear. As a result, the phases of the second switching gear 72 and the second transmission gear 102 coincide with each other, and the second switching gear 72 slides on the support shaft 73 by the elastic biasing force of the coil spring and is detached from the third transmission gear 103. At the same time, it meshes with the second transmission gear 102. The forward / reverse rotation of the second switching gear 72 and the rotation of the first switching gear 71 for releasing the surface pressure and adjusting the phase can be controlled independently. That is, when the second switching gear 72 is rotated forward and backward, the first switching gear 71 can be rotated stationary or in one direction. Further, when changing from the second drive transmission position to the third drive transmission position, the first switching gear 71 does not mesh with any of the first transmission gear 101, the second transmission gear 102, and the third transmission gear 103. For the one switching gear 71, it is not necessary to perform rotation control for releasing the surface pressure or adjusting the phase.

  The second transmission gear 102 transmits the output of the ASF motor (second drive source) to the path switching unit 34 or the nozzle cap 57. Since the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are rotated by receiving the outputs of two independent LF motors, at the third drive transmission position, the path switching or capping in the path switching unit 34, Paper conveyance in one conveyance path 23 can be controlled independently.

  For example, in the double-sided printing, when the recording head 61 is capped while the conveyance of the recording paper is stopped to dry the ink, the carriage 62 is moved immediately above the nozzle cap 57. At this time, the guide piece 92 of the carriage 62 comes into contact with the lever 77 and the lever 77 moves to the third guide position 90. As will be described later, the second switching gear 72 is engaged with the second transmission gear 102. Thus, the nozzle cap 57 can be lifted up by the output of the ASF motor (second drive source). The first switching gear 71 can mesh with the first transmission gear 101 as the lever 77 moves to the third guide position 90. Whether or not the first switching gear 71 meshes with the first transmission gear 101 depends on whether or not the phase of the first switching gear 71 and the phase of the first transmission gear 101 coincide with each other when the conveyance of the recording paper is stopped. by. However, since the LF motor (first drive source) is stopped while the conveyance of the recording paper is stopped, the first switching gear 71 slides on the support shaft 73 and meshes with the first transmission gear 101. Even then, the lever 77 is moved to the first guide position 88 or the second guide position 89, so that the first switching gear 71 slides on the support shaft 73 without releasing the surface pressure. 1 It disengages from the transmission gear 101.

  Prior to the drying of the ink and the transport of the recording paper, the carriage 62 is moved to the image recording area A1. Along with this, the guide piece 92 moves the lever 77 from the third guide position 90 to the first guide position 88. When the lever 77 moves to the first guide position 88, the second switching gear 72 is engaged with the third transmission gear 103. That is, the surface pressure is released and the phase is adjusted under the control of the ASF motor (second drive source), and the second switching gear 72 meshes with the third transmission gear 103. Further, the carriage 62 is moved to the maintenance area M1 side, and the guide piece 92 moves the lever 77 from the first guide position 88 to the second guide position 89. As the lever 77 moves, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 return to the third drive transmission position, the second switching gear 72 is detached from the third transmission gear 101, and the second transmission gear. Mesh with 102. At this time, as described above, the surface pressure is released and the phase is adjusted by controlling the ASF motor (second drive source). On the other hand, after the first switching gear 71 is disengaged from the first transmission gear 101, it does not mesh with any of the transmission gears 101-103. There is no need. Therefore, switching control by the drive switching mechanism 70 is easy.

  As shown in FIG. 8 and Table 1, as the carriage 62 moves right above the nozzle cap 57, the guide piece 92 comes into contact with the lever 77, and the lever 77 is moved to the third guide position 90 (see FIG. 4). Move to. As a result, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 are urged toward the arrow 85 by the elastic urging force of the coil spring, and slide to the first drive transmission position. As the lever 77 is moved to the third guide position 90, the first switching gear 71 comes into contact with the restriction surface 105 of the first transmission gear 101, and does not move further to the arrow 85 for the first drive. Stopped at the transmission position. The second switching gear 72 is also restrained at the first drive transmission position together with the first switching gear 71. The input lever 74 and the contact member 75 are further moved to the arrow 85 together with the carriage 62, the contact member 75 is moved away from the first switching gear 71, and the lever 77 is moved to the third guide position 90.

  At the first drive transmission position, the first switching gear 71 meshes with the first transmission gear 101. When the first switching gear 71 meshes with the first transmission gear 101, in order to match the phases of the first switching gear 71 and the first transmission gear 101, a slight forward rotation and reverse rotation with respect to the first drive gear are performed. It is repeated alternately. As a result, the phases of the first switching gear 71 and the first transmission gear 101 are matched, and the first switching gear 71 slides on the support shaft 73 by the elastic biasing force of the coil spring, and meshes with the first transmission gear 101. . The forward / reverse rotation of the first switching gear 71 and the rotation of the second switching gear 72 for phase matching can be controlled independently. That is, when the first switching gear 71 is rotated forward and backward, the second switching gear 72 can be rotated stationary or in one direction.

  In the first drive transmission position, the second switching gear 72 maintains meshing with the second transmission gear 102 while sliding the support shaft 73. That is, when changing from the third drive transmission position to the first drive transmission position, the second switching gear 72 slides while meshing with the second transmission gear 102, so that the second switching gear 72 is phase-adjusted. There is no need to perform rotation control.

  The carriage 62 can reciprocate in the maintenance area M1 without moving the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 positioned at the first drive transmission position. The output of one LF motor (first drive source) is transmitted to the suction pump of the purge mechanism 55 via the first switching gear 71 and the first transmission gear 101, and the drive for maintenance is performed. Is called. The output of the other ASF motor (second drive source) is transmitted to the lift-up mechanism of the nozzle cap 57 via the second switching gear 72 and the second transmission gear 102, and the recording head 61 is capped. Is called.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
Thus, according to the present embodiment, the carriage 62 can reciprocate in the maintenance region M1 without moving the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 positioned at the first drive transmission position. Further, the first switching gear 71 and the second switching gear 72 positioned at the second drive transmission position can be reciprocated in the image recording area A1 without moving. In the drive transmission mechanism 70, the drive required for maintenance is transmitted at the first drive transmission position, and the drive required for transporting the recording paper is transmitted at the second drive transmission position. Thereby, the conveyance and maintenance of the recording paper can be realized without depending on the position of the carriage 62.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration near the drive switching mechanism 70. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the drive switching mechanism 70 at the second drive transmission position. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing configurations of the input lever 74 and the contact member 75. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the drive switching mechanism 70 at the third drive transmission position. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the drive switching mechanism 70 at the first drive transmission position.

Explanation of symbols

10. Multifunction machine (image recording device)
25... First feed roller (third drive unit)
29 ... Conveying roller (fourth drive unit)
31... Discharge roller (fourth drive unit)
35 ... switchback roller (fourth drive part)
42... Second paper feed roller (third drive unit)
55... Purge mechanism (first drive unit, second drive unit)
61 ... recording head 62 ... carriage 71 ... first switching gear 72 ... second switching gear 73 ... support shaft 74 ... input lever (positioning member)
75 ... Contact member (positioning member)
83 ... Lever guide (positioning member)
101 ... 1st transmission gear 102 ... 2nd transmission gear 103 ... 3rd transmission gear

Claims (4)

A carriage mounted with a recording head, the recording head reciprocating in a predetermined direction in an image recording area for recording an image on a recording medium, and an area including a maintenance area for maintenance of the recording head;
A first switching gear for rotationally driving based on the driving output from the first driving source and transmitting the rotational driving to the first driving unit driven during maintenance of the recording head;
The rotary drive is driven based on the drive output from the second drive source, and the rotary drive is selectively applied to the second drive unit driven during maintenance of the recording head or the third drive unit driven during conveyance of the recording medium. A second switching gear for transmitting the drive to
A first transmission gear, which is arranged to be separable from the first switching gear and transmits the drive to the first drive unit;
A second transmission gear, which is disposed so as to be separable from the second switching gear and transmits the drive to the second drive unit;
A third transmission gear, which is arranged to be separable from the second switching gear and transmits the drive to the third drive unit;
A support shaft that slidably supports the first switching gear and the second switching gear in a predetermined direction in which the carriage reciprocates;
Selectively positioning the first switching gear and the second switching gear at any one of a plurality of drive transmission positions corresponding to the arrangement of the first transmission gear, the second transmission gear, and the third transmission gear; A positioning member that slides in a predetermined direction in which the carriage reciprocates due to contact of the carriage and changes a drive transmission position of the first switching gear and the second switching gear;
The positioning member is disposed so as to be in contact with the carriage near a boundary between the image recording area and the maintenance area;
The first switching gear meshes with the first transmission gear at the first drive transmission position on the maintenance area side, and disengages from the first transmission gear at the second drive transmission position on the image recording area side;
An image recording apparatus in which the second switching gear meshes with the second transmission gear at the first drive transmission position and meshes with the third transmission gear at the second drive transmission position. The recording head is an ink jet type that ejects ink from nozzles,
A cap that is disposed in the maintenance area and covers the nozzles of the recording head;
2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit provides driving for bringing the cap into and out of contact with the recording head.   3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first driving source transmits driving to a fourth driving unit that is driven when the recording medium is conveyed. The drive transmission position has a third drive transmission position where the first switching gear is disengaged from the first transmission gear and the second switching gear meshes with the second transmission gear;
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second driving unit provides driving for bringing the cap into and out of contact with the recording head. 5.

Images