JP2008149647A - Fluid feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid feeding apparatus for decreasing a load on movement of a carriage while irregular movement of a fluid feeding tube is suppressed. <P>SOLUTION: The fluid feeding apparatus includes a carriage 8 which carries a recording head and moves back and forth in the main scanning direction, an ink feeding tube 13 for feeding ink to the recording head, and a steel belt 21 for supporting the ink feeding tube 13. The ink feeding tube 13 and the steel belt 21 are respectively connected with the carriage 8 on their end parts under a condition of arrangement in stacks, and they are curved into U shapes and the other end parts are connected with the connecting parts 14 of an apparatus main body. As the steel belt 21, a thin sheet member which is elastically deformed into a first equilibrium condition where the cross-section in the width direction is shaped into a gutter-shaped curve and the cross-section in the longitudinal direction is shaped into a straight line, and into a second equilibrium condition where an external force is added to this first equilibrium condition, and the cross-section in the width direction is shaped into a straight line and the cross-section in the longitudinal direction is shaped into a ring as a whole, is used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid supply apparatus that can be applied to a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid supplied from a fluid cartridge or the like, and more specifically, movement of a carriage while suppressing irregular movement of a fluid supply tube. The present invention relates to a fluid supply device that reduces the load applied to the fluid.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is a typical liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid supplied from a liquid cartridge or the like as droplets, is supplied with ink from an ink cartridge fixed to the main body via an ink tube to an ink jet head. The The ink tube is locked to the stationary part of the apparatus main body facing the traveling path of the carriage on which the recording head is mounted, and the other is bent in a U shape and connected to the carriage. When the print width of the recording head increases, the amount of movement along the guide rail of the carriage increases, and the ink tube moves irregularly. Therefore, the ink tube has been stopped on a flat cable (signal line).

  However, when color printing is performed, it is necessary to prepare ink tubes of individual colors. These ink tubes behave irregularly when there are a plurality of ink tubes. Therefore, even if the ink tube is stopped with a flat cable, the irregular movement of the ink tube cannot be sufficiently guided, and the carriage cannot be stably moved along the guide rail.

Therefore, in order to suppress irregular movement of the ink tube, a steel belt having a curved cross section is placed on the ink tube, and one end of the steel belt is fixed to a stationary part facing the carriage travel path, A recording apparatus in which the other end of the steel belt is connected to a carriage has been proposed (Patent Document 1 below).
JP 11-157288 A

  However, in the above-described conventional recording apparatus, the irregular movement of the ink tube can be suppressed by arranging the steel belt on the ink tube, but the steel belt curved in a U shape is the original shape. There is a problem that the load in the paper feed direction (in a direction orthogonal to the operation direction of the carriage) to return to is increased. When the load on the movement of the carriage becomes large, the tension and pulling force of the belt for starting the carriage must be increased. As a result, it is necessary to enlarge the carriage motor and thicken the carriage shaft. For this reason, the apparatus is increased in size, the cost of parts is increased, the power consumption is increased, and there is a disadvantage in terms of downsizing and cost reduction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid supply device that reduces the load applied to the movement of the carriage while suppressing irregular movement of the fluid supply tube.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a carriage that is equipped with a functional head that is supplied with fluid and functions to reciprocate in the main scanning direction, a fluid supply tube that supplies fluid to the functional head, A belt member for supporting the fluid supply tube, wherein the fluid supply tube and the belt member are connected to each other in a state where the fluid supply tube and the belt member are overlapped with each other, and each of the other ends is curved in a U shape The U-shaped curved portion is arranged so that one side in the main scanning direction faces the other in the main scanning direction, and the belt member serves as the belt member in the width direction. The first cross-sectional shape is a bowl-shaped curved shape and the cross-section in the longitudinal direction is a linear shape, and the external force is applied to the first balanced state, so that the cross-section in the width direction is a straight shape. And a thin plate member that is deformed into a second equilibrium state having a longitudinal cross section as a whole in a ring shape and elastically deformable between the first equilibrium state and the second equilibrium state. The gist.

  That is, according to the present invention, as the belt member, when an external force is applied to the first equilibrium state, the cross-section in the width direction is linear and the entire cross-section in the longitudinal direction is ring-shaped as a whole. Since the deformable thin plate member is used, the U-shaped curved portion maintains the second equilibrium ring-shaped curvature while the belt member is curved in the U-shape, and the U-shaped linear portion is the first curved portion. Maintain an equilibrium band of 1. For this reason, almost no load is applied in the direction of restoring the U-shape, and the irregular movement of the fluid supply tube can be suppressed, and the load on the movement of the carriage can be greatly suppressed. Therefore, the tension and pulling force of the belt for starting the carriage can be suppressed to a small size, the carriage motor can be made small, and the carriage shaft can be made thin. For this reason, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption is reduced, which is advantageous in terms of downsizing and cost reduction.

  In the present invention, when the ring-shaped bending radius in the second equilibrium state is set to be substantially equal to the U-shaped bending radius when attached to the apparatus, the belt member Is curved in a U shape, the load in the direction of restoring the U shape becomes extremely small. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  In the present invention, when the bending radius in the width direction in the first equilibrium state and the U-shaped bending radius when attached to the apparatus are set to be substantially equal, Since the bending radius when the external force is applied to the equilibrium state and elastically deformed to the second equilibrium state becomes substantially equal to the U-shaped bending radius, the belt member is curved in the U shape, The load in the direction of restoring the U shape is extremely small. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  In the present invention, if the ring-shaped bending radius in the second equilibrium state and the bending radius in the width direction in the first equilibrium state are set to be substantially equal, Since the bending radius when the external force is applied to the equilibrium state and elastically deformed to the second equilibrium state becomes substantially equal to the U-shaped bending radius, the belt member is bent in the U-shape, The load in the direction of restoring the character shape is substantially zero. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  In the present invention, when the belt member is elastically deformed into a ring shape in the second equilibrium state with the convex surface side of the curved shape in the first equilibrium state on the inside, the belt member has a smooth elastic deformation and a stable equilibrium state. In the state where the belt member is curved in a U shape, the load in the direction of restoring the U shape becomes substantially zero. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  In the present invention, when the stationary portion is provided in an area facing the carriage movement area, the length of the fluid supply tube and the belt member is relatively short and can cover the entire area of the carriage movement area. There is little waste.

  In the present invention, when the stationary portion is provided at a portion corresponding to the substantially central portion of the carriage movement area, the length of the fluid supply tube and the belt member is the shortest and the entire area of the carriage movement area can be covered. There is no structural waste.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure in which a fluid supply device of the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus as a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 as a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a substantially rectangular frame 2. A paper feed tray 3 is provided on the back surface of the frame 2, and a paper discharge tray 4 is provided on the front surface. The paper discharge tray 4 can be folded and accommodated in a hinge structure with respect to an exterior case (not shown).

  Various devices described below are attached in the frame 2. A platen 6 is arranged in the longitudinal direction at the center of the inside, and on the platen 6, a recording sheet (none of which is shown) is inserted into the outer case from the sheet feeding tray 3 by a sheet feeding mechanism. Is to be fed. The fed recording paper is discharged from the paper discharge tray 4 to the outside of the outer case.

  A guide member 7 is installed in the frame 2 so as to be parallel to the platen 6. A carriage 8 that is movable along the guide member 7 is inserted into and supported by the guide member 7 so as to face the platen 6. A carriage motor 17 is attached to the frame 2, and a carriage 8 is drivingly connected to the carriage motor 17 via a timing belt 5 hung on a pair of pulleys. The carriage 8 is guided by the guide member 7 and reciprocates in parallel with the platen 6 (main scanning direction) by driving the carriage motor 17. In the present invention, the area in which the carriage 8 reciprocates is referred to as a carriage movement area.

  On the lower surface of the carriage 8 (the surface facing the platen 6), a recording head (not shown) is provided as a functional head that functions by being supplied with fluid (in this example, a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid as the supplied fluid). It has been. The recording head has a nozzle forming surface (not shown) that faces the recording paper fed on the platen 6. On the nozzle forming surface, four nozzle rows (none of which are shown) each including n nozzles (n is a natural number) are formed. A valve unit as pressure adjusting means (not shown) is mounted on the carriage 8, and the valve unit supplies the temporarily stored ink as the liquid to the recording head with the pressure adjusted. ing.

  In the present embodiment, the valve unit functions as a damper member that can be individually supplied to the recording head in a state in which one type of ink is pressure-adjusted. In this embodiment, a total of four valve units are provided, which correspond to the four ink colors (black, yellow, magenta, cyan).

  The ink supply unit 16 provided in the exterior case passes through each flow path of the flow path forming member 12 and the ink supply tube 13 according to the pressurized air supplied from the pressure pump 15 such as a bellows pump. Thus, ink corresponding to each nozzle of the recording head is supplied. That is, the printer 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called off-carriage type, and black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are respectively supplied to the corresponding nozzles of the recording head. Then, the printer 1 moves the carriage 8 along the guide member 7 and discharges ink supplied from the ink supply unit 16 as liquid storage means from each nozzle of the recording head to perform recording on the recording paper. It has become.

  Here, the ink supplied to the recording head is supplied by an ink supply tube 13 as a fluid supply tube for supplying ink to the recording head. The ink supply tube 13 has one end connected to the carriage 8 and the other end connected to a connecting portion 14 that is a stationary portion of the apparatus main body, and supplies ink from a liquid storage means for storing ink to the recording head. It functions as a liquid supply path for this.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 18 is provided in an area outside the recording area within the movement area of the carriage 8 to prevent the nozzle from drying by capping the nozzle formation surface of the recording head while the apparatus is at rest, and suction (not shown). This is a capping device 18 for recovering nozzle clogging and the like by forcibly discharging ink by applying negative pressure from a pump to the nozzle. Similarly, reference numeral 19 denotes a wiping device 19 for wiping the nozzle forming surface wet with ink after suction.

  Next, a fluid supply mechanism for supplying ink to the recording head mounted on the carriage 8 will be described in detail.

  2A is a plan view showing the main part of the fluid supply mechanism, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the fluid supply mechanism.

  The fluid supply mechanism includes a steel belt 21 as a belt member that supports the ink supply tube 13 and a flexible cable 23 for transmitting an electrical signal such as ink ejection to the recording head.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the ink supply tube 13 has one end connected to the carriage 8 and is curved in a U shape, and the other end is connected to the connecting portion 14 which is a stationary portion of the apparatus main body. It is connected. The U-shaped curved portion is arranged so that one side in the main scanning direction faces the other, and the U-shaped open portion faces the other side in the main scanning direction.

  In this state, the U-shaped curved portion of the ink supply tube 13 is configured to follow the movement of the carriage 8 that reciprocates in the main scanning direction along the guide member 7.

  Here, it is preferable that the connection portion 14 as the stationary portion is provided in a region facing the moving region of the carriage 8 and provided in a portion substantially corresponding to the central portion of the moving region of the carriage 8.

  The steel belt 21 is arranged in equilibrium with the ink supply tube 13 at a predetermined interval, and the steel belt 21 and the ink supply tube 13 are arranged in an overlapping manner. Similar to the ink supply tube 13, the steel belt 21 is connected to the carriage 8 at one end, is bent in a U shape, and is connected to the connecting portion 14 which is a stationary portion of the apparatus main body. Yes. The U-shaped curved portion is arranged so that one side in the main scanning direction faces the other, and the U-shaped open portion faces the other side in the main scanning direction.

  That is, in a state where the ink supply tube 13 and the steel belt 21 are arranged so as to overlap each other, one end portion thereof is connected to the carriage 8 and is bent in a U shape, and the other end portion is a stationary portion of the apparatus main body. Is connected to the connecting portion 14. The U-shaped curved portion is arranged so that one side in the main scanning direction faces the other, and the U-shaped open portion faces the other side in the main scanning direction.

  The flexible cable 23 is arranged in equilibrium with the ink supply tube 13 at a predetermined interval, and the steel belt 21, the ink supply tube 13 and the flexible cable are arranged in an overlapping manner. As with the ink supply tube 13 and the steel belt 21, the steel belt 21 is connected to the carriage 8 at one end and is curved in a U shape, and the connection portion 14 is bent at the other end to be a stationary portion of the apparatus main body. It is connected to the. The U-shaped curved portion is arranged so that one side in the main scanning direction faces the other, and the U-shaped open portion faces the other side in the main scanning direction.

  In this example, the steel belt 21 is disposed outside the U shape with the ink supply tube 13 interposed therebetween, and the flexible cable 23 is disposed inside the U shape. The steel belt 21, the ink supply tube 13, and the flexible cable 23 are held by a plurality of holding members 22, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the holding member 22 includes a main body portion 22a extending in the vertical direction, and four tube holding grooves 22b are formed in the main body portion 22a. Each tube holding groove 22b is a groove having a substantially circular cross section into which each ink supply tube 13 can be fitted from the same side, and is formed at regular intervals. The ink supply tube 13 is fitted into the tube holding groove 22b by an external force due to the movement of the U-shaped curved portion caused by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 8, and the fitting portion slightly slides in the longitudinal direction of the ink supply tube 13. This is a state that allows movement.

  The holding member 22 has a belt holding portion 22c formed by projecting a wall portion forming the tube holding groove 22b at the upper end portion and the lower end portion toward the groove opening side. A belt fitting groove 22d is formed on the inner side surfaces of the belt holding portions 22c so as to face each other, and both end portions in the width direction of the steel belt 21 are fitted into the belt fitting grooves 22d. It has become. The fitting state of the steel belt 21 to the belt fitting groove 22d is an external force caused by the movement of the U-shaped curved portion by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 8, and the fitting portion is slightly slid in the longitudinal direction of the steel belt 21. It is in a state that allows to do.

  The holding member 22 has a cable holding portion 22e formed by projecting the upper and lower ends of the main body portion 22a opposite to the opening side of the tube holding groove 22b to the opposite side of the protruding direction of the belt holding portion 22c. Has been. At the tip of the cable holding portion 22e, a retaining member 22f protruding inward is formed. The flexible cable 23 is held in the space between the cable holding portions 22e. The holding state of the flexible cable 23 is a state in which the holding portion is allowed to slide slightly in the longitudinal direction of the flexible cable 23 by an external force due to the movement of the U-shaped curved portion due to the reciprocating movement of the carriage 8.

  After the ink supply tubes 13 are fitted into the tube holding grooves 22b of the holding member 22 having the above-described configuration, the steel belt 21 is fitted into the belt fitting grooves 22d of the belt holding portion 22c. As a result, the ink supply tubes 13 are bundled in a state where they are aligned at regular intervals in the vertical direction, and are held in a state of being arranged along the inner surface of the steel belt 21. Further, the flexible cable 23 is held inside each ink supply tube 13 by holding the flexible cable 23 in the cable holding portion 22e.

  Then, the holding member 22 is placed at a plurality of locations (for example, six locations in the figure) in the longitudinal direction of the flexible cable 23, the ink supply tube 13, and the steel belt 21 which are arranged in a U-shape so as to overlap each other. By arranging, the steel belt 21, the ink supply tube 13 and the flexible cable 23 are connected to each other so as to be relatively movable along the longitudinal direction, and the ink supply tube 13 and the flexible cable 23 are supported by the steel belt 21.

  In this state, each ink supply tube 13 is disposed inside the upper and lower edges of the steel belt 21. Therefore, the ink supply tube 13 does not hit each part of the ink jet printer arranged on the upper side or the lower side.

  Next, the steel belt 21 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the steel belt 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the steel belt 21 is a spring material made of carbon steel, and has a first equilibrium state in which the cross section in the width direction has a bowl-shaped curved shape and the cross section in the longitudinal direction has a linear shape ( The state of the solid line in the figure and the second equilibrium state in which the cross section in the width direction becomes a linear shape and the cross section in the longitudinal direction as a whole has a ring shape by applying an external force to the first equilibrium state. It is transformed into a chain line state). And it is a member on the thin plate which can be elastically deformed mutually between the first equilibrium state and the second equilibrium state.

  Further, in this example, the steel belt 21 is configured to be elastically deformed into a second equilibrium ring shape with the convex surface side of the first equilibrium state curved inward.

  Such a steel belt 21 is referred to as a so-called convex conston member, and is used, for example, as an armband or a core material of a wristband. The convex member is a long thin plate spring material shaped like a rain gutter represented by a so-called convex rule, and the Conston member is a spring material in which a long thin plate is rolled up in the longitudinal direction. The convex conston member used for the steel belt 21 of the present invention is a long thin plate having the characteristics of both the convex member and the conston member. That is, when a shape is stably maintained in a first equilibrium state that is rain gutter-like in the width direction and linear in the longitudinal direction, and an external force is applied by hitting the surface in the first equilibrium state, Is flat and rounded in the longitudinal direction, and stably holds the shape in a second equilibrium state that assumes a ring shape as a whole. Further, when the ring shape in the second equilibrium state is spread by hand to form a linear body, the shape is stably held again in the first equilibrium state.

  4-6 is a figure explaining the effect | action of the said steel belt 21. FIG. FIG. 4A shows a cross section in the width direction in the first equilibrium state, and FIG. 4B similarly shows a cross section in the longitudinal direction in the first equilibrium state. FIG. 5A shows a cross section in the width direction in the second equilibrium state, and FIG. 5B similarly shows a cross section in the longitudinal direction in the second equilibrium state. FIG. 6 shows a U-shaped curve when attached to the apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cross section in the width direction in the first equilibrium state is a bowl-shaped curved shape, and the curved radius R is U-shaped when attached to the apparatus. It is set to be substantially equal to the bending radius R.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the longitudinal cross section in the second equilibrium state is generally ring-shaped, and the radius of curvature R is a U-shaped curve when attached to the apparatus. It is set to be substantially equal to the radius R. Since the total length is set longer than the circumferential length of the ring in the second equilibrium state, the ring as a whole was rolled up so as to overlap with the outside of the arc having the smallest radius in order with almost no gap. State. In the steel belt 21 of the present invention, in the first equilibrium state, no matter which position in the longitudinal direction is flat, the curved radius R rounded in the longitudinal direction can be obtained when it is attached to the apparatus. Is set to be substantially equal to the U-shaped bending radius R.

  Accordingly, the ring-shaped bending radius R in the second equilibrium state and the bending radius R in the width direction in the first equilibrium state are set to be substantially equal.

  In the above configuration, when the carriage 8 moves in the reciprocating direction along the guide member 7, the steel belt 21, the ink supply tube 13, and the flexible cable 23 change the positions of the respective U-shaped curved portions while moving the carriage. Move following 8 movement. When the carriage 8 moves, the ink supply tube 13 and the steel belt 21 that are connected to each other in an overlapping manner, and the ink supply tube 13 and the flexible cable 23 move relative to each other in the longitudinal direction, and follow the movement of the carriage 8. Is done.

  With the configuration described above, the present embodiment is the second belt member in which the external force is applied to the first equilibrium state, whereby the cross-section in the width direction is linear and the entire cross-section in the longitudinal direction is ring-shaped. Since the steel belt 21 that is a thin plate member that is deformed into an equilibrium state is used, the U-shaped curved portion maintains the second equilibrium state of the ring-shaped curve while the steel belt 21 is curved in a U-shape. The U-shaped straight line portion maintains the first equilibrium band shape. For this reason, almost no load is applied in the direction of restoring the U-shape, and the irregular movement of the ink supply tube 13 can be suppressed, and the load on the movement of the carriage 8 can be greatly suppressed. Therefore, the tension force and the pulling force of the timing belt 5 for starting the carriage 8 can be kept small, the carriage motor 17 can be made small, and the guide member 7 that is the carriage shaft can be made thin. For this reason, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption is reduced, which is advantageous in terms of downsizing and cost reduction.

  In addition, since the ring-shaped bending radius R in the second equilibrium state and the U-shaped bending radius R when attached to the apparatus are set to be substantially equal, the steel belt 21 is The load in the direction of restoring the U-shape is substantially zero in the state of being curved in the U-shape. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage 8 can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, since the bending radius R in the width direction in the first equilibrium state and the U-shaped bending radius R when attached to the apparatus are set to be substantially equal, the first equilibrium is set. Since the bending radius R when the external force is applied to the state and elastically deformed to the second equilibrium state becomes substantially equal to the U-shaped bending radius R, the steel belt 21 is bent in the U-shape. The load in the direction of restoring the U-shape is substantially zero. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage 8 can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, since the ring-shaped bending radius R in the second equilibrium state and the bending radius R in the width direction in the first equilibrium state are set to be substantially equal, the first equilibrium state Since the bending radius R when the external force is applied and elastically deformed to the second equilibrium state becomes substantially equal to the U-shaped bending radius R, the steel belt 21 is bent in the U-shape, The load in the direction of restoring the U shape is extremely small. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage 8 can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, the steel belt 21 is elastically deformed into a ring shape in the second equilibrium state with the convex surface side of the curved shape in the first equilibrium state on the inside, so that smooth elastic deformation and a stable equilibrium state can be maintained. Thus, in the state where FIG. 6 is curved in a U-shape, the load in the direction of restoring the U-shape is extremely reduced. For this reason, the load with respect to the movement of the carriage 8 can be greatly suppressed, the apparatus can be downsized, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, since the connecting portion 14 as the stationary portion is provided in a region facing the moving region of the carriage 8, the lengths of the ink supply tube 13 and the steel belt 21 are relatively short so as to cover the entire carriage moving region. This reduces the structural waste.

  Further, since the connecting portion 14 as the stationary portion is provided in a portion corresponding to the substantially central portion of the moving region of the carriage 8, the lengths of the ink supply tube 13 and the steel belt 21 are the shortest, and the carriage moving region is short. Since the entire area can be covered, there is no structural waste.

  7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention.

  In this example, the steel belt 21 is disposed on the innermost side of the U shape, the ink supply tube 13 is disposed on the outer side of the U shape, and the flexible cable 23 is disposed on the outer side.

  In the drawing, reference numeral 32 denotes a guide rail 32 of the ink jet printer, which is installed on the printer body (not shown). A carriage 8 is movably attached to the guide rail 32, and an inkjet head (not shown) is attached to the carriage 8. On one side of the cursor travel path along the guide rail 32, each of the four ink supply tubes 13 made of synthetic resin arranged in parallel and the flexible cable 23 by the connecting portion 14 (not shown). One is held in place. The other of the ink supply tube 13 and the other of the flexible cable 23 are fixed to the carriage 8 by a mounting bracket 28.

  The ink supply tube 13 and the flexible cable 23 are coupled to the carriage 8 with a middle portion bent in a U shape so that the movement along the guide rail 32 of the carriage 8 can be followed. Reference numeral 34 denotes a long strip-shaped tube guide 34 having a length substantially the same as the length of the ink supply tube 13 in the cursor travel path, and has a two-layer structure in which a sponge is bonded to an elastic strip-shaped synthetic resin film. It is configured. The tube guide 34 is provided with a tube stopper 36 made of a synthetic resin band and a belt stopper 38 at predetermined intervals.

  The tube guide 34 is disposed in contact with the parallel surface inside the ink supply tube 13 so that the sponge surface is in contact with the entire length of the tube guide 34, and can move relative to the ink supply tube 13 by a tube stopper 36. It is connected to. One end of the tube guide 34 is in contact with or connected to the connection portion 14 in a free state, and the other end is in contact with or connected to the mounting bracket 28. The steel belt 21 is disposed so as to be in contact with the entire length of the film surface inside the tube guide 34, one end portion is fixed to the connection portion 14, and the other end portion is fixed to the carriage 8 by a mounting bracket 28. The tube guide 34 is connected to the steel belt 21 by a belt stopper 38 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction thereto.

  Also in this example, the steel belt 21 showing the elastic deformation and shape retention characteristics as the convex conston member similar to that described above is used, and the same operational effects as in the above embodiment are achieved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, It is the meaning including the following modifications.

  In each of the above explanations, the belt member is made of steel. However, the belt member is not limited to this, and any steel may be used as long as it exhibits elastic deformation and shape retention characteristics as the convex conston member. It is not limited to manufacturing.

  Moreover, in each description mentioned above, although the tube with a circular cross section was illustrated as the ink supply tube 13, it is not limited to this, A tube with a polygonal cross section can also be applied, and a strip | belt-shaped flexible member is used. An ink supply member may be used in which a groove serving as a flow path extending along the longitudinal direction is formed on the surface, and the groove formation surface is covered with a flexible sheet to form an ink supply path.

  In the first embodiment, the ink supply tube 13 is arranged inside the steel belt 21 and the flexible cable 23 is arranged inside the steel belt 21, and in the second embodiment, the steel belt 21 is arranged outside the steel belt 21. Although the ink supply tube 13 is disposed and the flexible cable 23 is disposed outside the ink supply tube 13, the present invention is not limited to this, and the steel belt 21 supports the ink supply tube 13 and the flexible cable 23. The arrangement of the steel belt 21, the ink supply tube 13, and the flexible cable 23 is not limited.

  In the above description, the ink supply tube 13 that supplies four colors of ink has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ink supply tube 13 that supplies ink of three colors or less and 5 The present invention can also be applied to the ink supply tube 13 that supplies ink of a color or higher.

  In the above description, the case where the curved portion of the ink supply tube 13 curved in a substantially U shape is on the home position side has been described as an example. However, in the present invention, the curved portion of the ink supply tube 13 is It can also be applied to the opposite side of the home position.

  In the above description, the connecting portion 14 is disposed on the front side (sheet discharge side) of the apparatus main body, the carriage movement region is disposed on the rear side (sheet feeding side) of the apparatus main body, and the ink supply tube 13 is connected to the open end. Although an example has been described in which one end is disposed on the back side of the apparatus and the other end side of the open end is disposed on the front side of the apparatus main body, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the connection portion 14 is disposed on the back side of the apparatus and the carriage 8 is disposed on the front side of the apparatus, and the ink supply tube 13 is substantially U-shaped. The present invention can also be applied to a U-shaped configuration in which one end of the open end is disposed on the upper surface side of the apparatus and the other end side of the open end is disposed on the lower surface side of the apparatus main body.

  Further, as described above, the present embodiment is a support structure of the ink supply tube 13 as a liquid supply path for supplying the liquid of the liquid storage means for storing the liquid to the recording head, and the recording head. It is also a support structure of the flexible cable 23 such as a flexible printed circuit board or a flexible printed wiring board for supplying an electric signal or the like to the cable. Therefore, what can be supported by the steel belt 21 is applicable to various types as long as one end is connected to the carriage 8 and the other end is connected to the stationary part of the apparatus main body. is there.

  Therefore, the support structure described above can be applied not only to the above-described off-carriage type recording apparatus, but also to an on-carriage type recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent the flexible cable from interfering with the housing case and the like, thereby preventing the damage and obtaining the same effects as the above-described effects.

  The present invention is applicable to a fluid ejecting apparatus, and a typical example thereof is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink jet recording head for image recording. As other fluid ejecting apparatuses, for example, an apparatus having a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display, a surface emitting display (FED), etc. ) An apparatus equipped with an ejection head, an apparatus equipped with a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip manufacturing, an apparatus equipped with a sample ejection head as a precision pipette, and the like.

It is a top view which shows an example of the recording device with which this invention is applied. It is the top view and sectional drawing which show the ink supply mechanism of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a steel plate. It is a figure explaining the 1st equilibrium state of the said steel plate. It is a figure explaining the 2nd equilibrium state of the said steel plate. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the said steel plate. It is the top view and sectional drawing which show the 2nd example of the ink supply mechanism of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 2 Frame, 3 Paper feed tray, 4 Paper discharge tray, 5 Timing belt, 6 Platen, 7 Guide member, 8 Carriage, 12 Flow path formation member, 13 Ink supply tube, 14 Connection part, 15 Pressure pump, 16 Ink supply section, 17 Carriage motor, 18 Capping device, 19 Wiping device, 21 Steel belt, 22 Holding member, 22a Body portion, 22b Tube holding groove, 22c Belt holding portion, 22d Belt fitting groove, 22e Cable holding portion, 22f Stopper, 23 Flexible cable, 28 Mounting bracket, 32 Guide rail, 34 Tube guide, 36 Tube stopper, 38 Belt stopper

Claims (7)

A carriage mounted with a functional head that functions by supplying fluid and reciprocatingly moves in the main scanning direction, a fluid supply tube for supplying fluid to the functional head, and a belt member that supports the fluid supply tube ,
In the state where the fluid supply tube and the belt member are arranged in an overlapping manner, one end portion is connected to the carriage, the other end portion is curved in a U shape, and the other end portion is connected to the stationary portion of the apparatus main body. The U-shaped curved portion is arranged so that one side in the main scanning direction faces the other in the main scanning direction, and the U-shaped opening portion faces the other in the main scanning direction,
As the belt member, a first equilibrium state in which the cross section in the width direction has a bowl-shaped curved shape and a cross section in the longitudinal direction has a linear shape, and an external force is applied to the first equilibrium state, A thin plate having a linear cross section and a ring shaped cross section in the longitudinal direction as a whole, deformed into a second equilibrium state, and elastically deformable between the first equilibrium state and the second equilibrium state. A fluid supply device using a member.   The fluid supply device according to claim 1, wherein a ring-shaped bending radius in the second equilibrium state and a U-shaped bending radius when attached to the device are set to be substantially equal.   The fluid supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a bending radius in the width direction in the first equilibrium state and a U-shaped bending radius when attached to the device are set to be substantially equal. .   The ring-shaped bending radius in the second equilibrium state and the bending radius in the width direction in the first equilibrium state are set to be substantially equal to each other. The fluid supply apparatus described.   5. The fluid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the belt member is elastically deformed into a ring shape in a second equilibrium state with a convex surface of the curved shape in the first equilibrium state on the inside.   The fluid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the stationary portion is provided in a region facing the carriage movement region.   The fluid supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the stationary portion is provided at a portion corresponding to a substantially central portion of the carriage movement region.

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