JP2019147286A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording device capable of preventing carelessly falling out when a maintenance unit is pulled out and improving positioning accuracy when the maintenance unit is mounted. SOLUTION: In a recording device X1, a first guide groove 71 for restricting a flange 431 inserted into an upper surface 64A of a guide piece 64 in the width direction D2 and guiding an internal carriage 60 in the moving direction D10, and the above-mentioned identification. The flange 431 is attached to the flange 431 in a state where the stopper wall 74 that abuts on the flange 431 at a position and restricts the internal carriage 60 from moving from the housing 11 to the pull-out direction D10 and the internal carriage 60 are arranged at the specific position. The internal carriage 60 is moved from the specific position to the pull-out direction D10 with the second guide groove 72 that movably guides between the first position and the second position and the flange 431 arranged at the second position. A terminal guide surface 73 for guiding as possible is formed. [Selection diagram] FIG. 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus including an internal carriage that movably supports a maintenance unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus including a maintenance unit for maintaining or restoring the performance of a recording head (see Patent Document 1) is known. The maintenance unit includes a cap unit and a wipe unit, and these units are supported by an internal carriage. The internal carriage is made of, for example, a sheet metal and is supported by the internal frame of the casing of the inkjet recording apparatus so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction. The internal carriage is inserted into the housing through an opening formed on the side surface of the housing of the ink jet recording apparatus, and is slidably supported on a pair of rails provided on the internal frame. When not printing, the internal carriage is disposed at a standby position separated from the lower side of the recording head in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, when maintaining the recording head, the recording head is moved from the standby position to a maintenance position below the recording head. The maintenance unit is moved to a predetermined position by transmitting a driving force from a driving source such as a motor via a rack-pinion mechanism, for example.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-85601

  By the way, the maintenance unit may be removed from the casing for maintenance and inspection. In this case, the operator pulls out the maintenance unit from the opening and removes the maintenance unit from the housing. However, as described above, the maintenance unit is provided with a cap unit and a wipe unit, and because of its weight, when the internal carriage is pulled out and slid to the opening side, the support by the rail is inadvertently removed, The maintenance unit may fall. Further, when the maintenance unit is attached to the housing, the maintenance unit may be mounted in a state where the support position on one rail and the support position on the other rail are shifted in the moving direction. In this case, the movement from the standby position to the maintenance position is not smoothly performed. In addition, the maintenance unit cannot be accurately arranged at the maintenance position, resulting in capping failure and wiping failure. Further, the internal carriage may be deformed by a load applied to the internal carriage.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing the maintenance unit from being accidentally pulled out when being pulled out and improving the positioning accuracy when the maintenance unit is mounted.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an internal carriage, a rack gear, a rotating shaft, a pinion gear, a flange, a first guide portion, a restricting portion, a second guide portion, and a third guide portion. And comprising. The internal carriage is supported by the casing so as to be slidable in a first direction intersecting the vertical direction. The rack gear is provided on the internal carriage and extends in the first direction. The rotating shaft is rotatably supported by the casing, and is configured to be movable in an axial direction orthogonal to the first direction. The pinion gear is fixed to the rotating shaft and meshes with the rack gear to transmit the driving force in the first direction to the internal carriage. The flange is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the pinion gear and is formed in a circular shape. The first guide portion is provided in the inner carriage alongside the rack gear, is formed in a long groove shape extending in the first direction, restricts the inserted flange in the axial direction, and controls the inner carriage. Guide in the first direction. The restricting portion is provided in the first guide portion and restricts the inner carriage from moving in the pulling direction in which the inner carriage is pulled out from the housing by contacting the flange at a predetermined specific position. The second guide part is formed on a groove side wall of the first guide part, and the flange is inserted into the first guide part in a state where the internal carriage is disposed at the specific position. A guide is provided so as to be movable between a first position and a second position spaced away from the rack gear. The third guide portion is provided adjacent to the second guide portion, and guides the internal carriage to be movable from the specific position in the pull-out direction in a state where the flange is disposed at the second position. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the maintenance unit from being inadvertently pulled out and to improve the positioning accuracy when the maintenance unit is mounted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the transport unit is disposed at the retracted position and the maintenance unit is disposed at the standby position. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the maintenance unit is disposed at a maintenance position below the recording unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a slide support structure of the internal carriage. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an internal carriage driving device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a gear transmission mechanism of the drive device. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a rack gear formed on the internal carriage. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the flange of the pinion gear is inserted into the first guide portion. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the flange of the pinion gear has moved from the first guide portion to the third guide portion through the second guide portion. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the internal carriage slides from the specific position in the pull-out direction to the third guide portion.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is only an example which actualized this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.

  With reference to FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus X1 (hereinafter, abbreviated as “recording apparatus X1”) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a state where the transport unit 5 of the recording apparatus X1 is arranged at a recording position where printing by the recording unit 3 is possible. Further, in FIG. 1, the transport unit 5 disposed at the retreat position spaced a predetermined distance downward from the recording position is indicated by a broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus X1 includes a paper feed cassette 1, a paper feed unit 2, a recording unit 3, a transport unit 5, an elevating mechanism 6, a paper discharge unit 7, a maintenance unit 8, a decurler unit 14, and a manual feeder 25. , And a housing 11 that accommodates or supports them.

  The recording device X1 is a printer that executes print processing based on input image data. The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention can be applied not only to a printer but also to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, and the like.

  The paper feed cassette 1 is provided at the bottom of the housing 11. The paper feed cassette 1 stores paper P to be printed in the recording apparatus X1. Of course, the printing target is not limited to paper, but may be a recording medium such as an OHP sheet or cloth.

  The paper feeding unit 2 is a feeding mechanism that includes a pickup roller 21 and a transport roller 22. The pickup roller 21 takes out the sheets P from the sheet feeding cassette 1 one by one. The transport roller 22 transports the paper P taken out by the pickup roller 21 and fed to the transport path 23 </ b> A toward the registration roller pair 24. The registration roller pair 24 conveys the paper P to the recording unit 3 at a predetermined conveyance timing (image writing timing). Note that a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P is provided at appropriate positions on the transport path 23A.

  The manual feeder 25 is for placing paper on the upper surface thereof. The manual feeder 25 is provided on the right side surface of the housing 11 in FIG. The manual feeder 25 is provided with a paper feed roller 26. The paper feed roller 26 takes out the sheets placed on the manual feeder 25 one by one and conveys them toward the registration roller pair 24.

  The transport unit 5 and the recording unit 3 are disposed on the downstream side of the registration roller pair 24 in the transport direction D1.

  The recording unit 3 includes a plurality of line heads 31 corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow colors and a head frame 35 that supports them. The head frame 35 is supported by the housing 11. In the present embodiment, the recording unit 3 includes four line heads 31 corresponding to the four colors described above. Note that the number of line heads 31 is not limited to the four described above, and it is sufficient that at least one line head 31 is provided.

  The line head 31 is a so-called line head type recording head. That is, the recording apparatus X1 is a so-called line head type inkjet recording apparatus. The line head 31 is long in the width direction D2 (see FIG. 2) perpendicular to the transport direction D1 of the paper P. Specifically, the width of the line head 31 is the width of the maximum paper P to be transported. Have a corresponding length. Each of the line heads 31 is fixed to the head frame 35 at a predetermined interval along the transport direction D1 of the paper P. The lower surface of the line head 31 is an ink ejection surface. A large number of nozzles for ink ejection are provided on the ink ejection surface.

  The recording unit 3 records an image on the paper P conveyed by the conveyance unit 5. The recording unit 3 records an image on the paper P by ejecting ink from each nozzle of each line head 31. As the ink discharge method of the line head 31, for example, a piezo method in which ink is discharged using a piezo element or a thermal method in which bubbles are generated by heating to discharge ink is employed.

  The recording apparatus X1 includes an ink tank (not shown) that stores ink corresponding to each color of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The ink tank is connected to each line head 31 by an ink tube (not shown). The line head 31 is supplied with ink from the corresponding ink tank through the ink tube.

  The transport unit 5 is disposed below the recording unit 3. The transport unit 5 transports the paper P in the transport direction D1 while facing the ink ejection surface of the line head 31. Specifically, the transport unit 5 includes a paper transport belt 37 on which the paper P is placed, a stretching roller 38 that stretches the paper transport belt 37, and a unit frame 39 (see FIG. 2) that supports them. ing. The unit frame 39 is attached to the housing 11. The interval between the paper transport belt 37 and the ink ejection surface is adjusted so that the gap between the surface of the paper P and the ink ejection surface during image recording is 1 mm, for example. When the tension roller 38 is rotated by a driving force transmitted from a driving unit such as a motor, the paper transport belt 37 rotates in a direction in which the paper P can be transported in the transport direction D1. As a result, the paper P supplied from the paper supply unit 2 is conveyed by the conveyance unit 5 toward the paper discharge unit 7 via the recording unit 3. The transport unit 5 is also provided with a suction unit (not shown) that sucks air from a large number of through holes formed in the paper transport belt 37 in order to attract the paper P to the paper transport belt 37.

  A lifting mechanism 6 is provided below the transport unit 5. The elevating mechanism 6 supports the transport unit 5 from below and moves the transport unit 5 up and down with respect to the line head 31. That is, the elevating mechanism 6 moves the transport unit 5 and the line head 31 up and down relatively to separate and approach the transport unit 5 and the line head 31. Specifically, the elevating mechanism 6 has a recording position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) where printing by the recording unit 3 is possible, and a retreat position (a broken line in FIG. 1) spaced a predetermined distance downward from the recording position. The transport unit 5 is moved between the position shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the transport unit 5 is disposed at the retracted position and the maintenance unit 8 is disposed at a standby position to be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the retracted position is the position where the transport unit 5 is the lowest in the vertical direction and the transport unit 5 is the farthest away from the line head 31. When the transport unit 5 is in the retracted position, the paper P remaining on the transport unit 5 can be removed. Further, when the transport unit 5 is in the retracted position, the maintenance unit 8 can move to a space vacated on the lower side of the recording unit 3. Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the maintenance unit 8 is disposed at a later-described maintenance position defined below the recording unit 3. In a state where the maintenance unit 8 is disposed in the space, a capping operation for covering the nozzles on the ink ejection surface by the cap unit 9 and a wiping operation by the wipe unit 10 can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge unit 7 is provided downstream of the recording unit 3 in the transport direction D1. The paper discharge unit 7 includes a paper transport belt on which the paper P is placed, a stretching roller that stretches the paper transport belt, and a frame that supports these. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 3 is conveyed to the paper discharge unit 7. Then, while being transported on the paper transport belt of the paper discharge unit 7, the ink attached to the paper P is dried.

  A decurler unit 14 is provided downstream of the paper discharge unit 7 in the transport direction D1. The paper P from which the ink has been dried in the paper discharge unit 7 is conveyed to the decurler unit 14, and the curl generated on the paper P is corrected using a plurality of rollers arranged in the width direction D2 of the paper P. The paper discharge unit 7 is also provided with a drying unit (not shown) that blows air on the paper P during the conveyance of the paper P to dry the ink.

  When the double-sided recording is not performed, the paper P that has passed through the decurler unit 14 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 27 through a conveyance path 23B that reaches the paper discharge tray 27 provided on the left side surface of the housing 11 in FIG. Is done. Note that a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P is provided at appropriate positions on the transport path 23B.

  A reversal conveyance path 23 </ b> C for performing double-sided recording is provided above the casing 11 and above the recording unit 3. When performing double-sided recording, the paper P on which recording on the first side has been completed is transported to the transport path 23B and then sent to the reverse transport path 23C branched from the transport path 23B. The paper P sent to the reverse conveyance path 23C is subsequently switched in the conveyance direction for recording on the second side, passes through the upper part of the housing 11, and is sent to the right side in FIG. Thereafter, the paper P is transported to the transport unit 5 again through the transport path 23A and the registration roller pair 24 with the second surface facing upward. Note that a transport roller pair for transporting the paper P is provided at an appropriate position on the reverse transport path 23C.

  The maintenance unit 8 is arranged at a standby position (position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) defined below the paper discharge unit 7 on the downstream side of the recording unit 3 in the transport direction D1 during non-printing. The maintenance unit 8 is a mechanism that maintains or restores the discharge performance of the line head 31, and includes a cap unit 9 and a wipe unit 10.

  The cap unit 9 has a cap member that caps and covers the nozzles of the line head 31, and covers the nozzles of the line head 31 when not printing. Thereby, drying of the ink in the nozzle is prevented. The cap unit 9 can be moved in the horizontal direction in the casing 11 by an internal frame of the casing 11 or the like. As a result, the cap unit 9 has a standby position defined below the paper discharge unit 7 downstream of the recording unit 3 in the transport direction D1, and a maintenance position defined below the line head 31 of the recording unit 3. It becomes possible to move between.

  When the capping operation described above is executed, the cap unit 9 is horizontally moved to the maintenance position below the line head 31 and is further moved upward to be arranged at the capping position. The capping position is a position where the nozzle of the line head 31 can be covered. Specifically, the cap unit 9 is disposed at the standby position defined below the paper discharge unit 7 during normal times (during printing). Then, when an instruction for performing the capping operation is input or when an operation condition for performing the capping operation is satisfied, the cap unit 9 is moved to the maintenance position below the line head 31 together with the internal carriage 60. The Thereafter, the cap unit 9 is moved upward by a wire drive mechanism (not shown) to cover the nozzles of the line head 31.

  The wipe unit 10 includes an ink tray (not shown) that receives ink discharged from the nozzles of the line head 31, and a plurality of wiper members (not shown) that clean the ink discharge surface of the line head 31. The wiper member of the wipe unit 10 contacts the ink discharge surface of the line head 31 and moves horizontally, thereby wiping off the ink discharged from the nozzles and collecting the wiped ink. The wipe unit 10 is supported by the internal carriage 60.

  When the wiping operation described above is executed, the wiping unit 10 moves horizontally with the internal carriage 60 to a position below the line head 31 and is disposed at a wiping position where the wiping operation is possible. Specifically, the wipe unit 10 is disposed at the standby position below the paper discharge unit 7 and at a position below the cap unit 9 during normal (printing) time. Then, when an instruction for performing the wiping operation is input or when an operation condition for performing the wiping operation is satisfied, the internal carriage 60 is moved to the maintenance position below the line head 31. At this time, the cap unit 9 does not move with the internal carriage 60 but maintains the state of being placed at the standby position.

  The internal carriage 60 moves the wipe unit 10 to the maintenance position below the line head 31. Thereafter, the wipe unit 10 is moved upward by a wire driving mechanism (not shown), and the wipe member comes into contact with the ink ejection surface. In this state, the wipe member is moved horizontally, and the ink ejection surface is wiped. When the wiping operation is completed, the wipe unit 10 is moved downward from the ink ejection surface, and the internal carriage 60 is returned to the original position, that is, the standby position together with the wipe unit 10.

  The internal carriage 60 is configured to be able to be inserted into and removed from the housing 11 through an opening (not shown) formed on the left side surface of the housing 11 in FIG. The opening is closed by a cover or a door, and is opened when the internal carriage 60 is attached to the housing 11 or when the internal carriage 60 is removed.

  The internal carriage 60 supports the wipe unit 10 and is supported by the housing 11 so as to be slidable horizontally in a predetermined movement direction D10 inside the housing 11. In the internal carriage 60, the wipe unit 10 is placed on the bottom side, and is moved up and down as needed by the wire drive mechanism (not shown). The moving direction D10 is a direction that coincides with the left-right direction in FIG. 1, and is an example of a direction that intersects the vertical direction (first direction of the present invention).

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a slide support structure of the internal carriage 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 11 includes a pair of plate-like inner frames 11A that face each other in the width direction D2. A support rail 12 extending in the same direction as the moving direction D10 is attached to each inner side surface of the inner frame 11A. That is, the housing 11 is provided with a pair of support rails 12 extending horizontally along the moving direction D10.

  The internal carriage 60 is made of, for example, a sheet metal, and includes a bottom plate 61 on which the wipe unit 10 is placed, and side plates 62 erected on the bottom plate 61 from both ends in the width direction D2. . A pair of guide pieces 64 that are supported by the support rails 12 are provided at the upper ends of the side plates 62. That is, the guide pieces 64 are provided at both ends in the width direction D <b> 2 at the upper part of the internal carriage 60. Each guide piece 64 is formed in a shape in which the upper end portion of the side plate 62 is bent outwardly in a bowl shape.

  The inner carriage 60 is provided with a rack gear 65 that extends horizontally along the moving direction D10. The rack gear 65 is formed of a resin member, for example. The rack gear 65 is attached to the upper surface 64A (see FIG. 7) of each of the pair of guide pieces 64. The rack gear 65 is engaged with a pinion gear 43 described later. When the rotational force transmitted to the pinion gear 43 is transmitted to the rack gear 65, the rotational force acts as a force for moving the internal carriage 60 in the movement direction D10.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the driving device 40 of the internal carriage 60. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the gear transmission mechanism 42 of the drive device 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drive device 40 includes a motor 41, a gear transmission mechanism 42, two pinion gears 43, and a rotation shaft 44.

  The rotation shaft 44 is rotatably supported by the housing 11. The rotating shaft 44 extends in the width direction D2 orthogonal to the moving direction D10, and is rotatably supported by brackets 46 (46A, 46B) fixed to the inner frame 11A (see FIG. 4) of the housing 11. Has been. A shaft hole that penetrates the bracket 46 is formed in the bracket 46, and both end portions of the rotating shaft 44 are inserted into the shaft hole. One bracket 46A is fixed to one support rail 12 with screws or the like. The bracket 46A also serves as a case for supporting and housing the motor 41 and the gear transmission mechanism 42. The other bracket 46B is formed integrally with the other support rail 12. In FIG. 6, the bracket 46A is not shown.

  A pinion gear 43 (43A, 43B) is fixed to the rotating shaft 44. The pinion gear 43 is attached to each end of the rotating shaft 44 and meshes with the corresponding rack gear 65. Both ends of the rotating shaft 44 are formed in a D cut shape in cross section. The shaft hole formed at the center of the pinion gear 43 is formed in a D-cut shape so that the D-cut rotation shaft 44 can be inserted. The pinion gear 43 is fixed to the rotating shaft 44 by a fixing pin so that the rotating shaft 44 is not displaced in the axial direction. Each pinion gear 43 meshes with the corresponding rack gear 65 to convert the rotational force input to the pinion gear 43 into a driving force in the moving direction D10 (linear driving force) and transmit it to the internal carriage 60.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a motor 41 and a gear transmission mechanism 42 are provided outside the one pinion gear 43 </ b> A in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 44. The motor 41 supplies a driving force for moving the internal carriage 60 in the moving direction D10. Gear teeth are formed on the output shaft 411 of the motor 41. A gear transmission mechanism 42 is provided in a transmission path from the output shaft 411 to the pinion gear 43A.

  The gear transmission mechanism 42 includes a first speed increasing gear 421, a second speed increasing gear 422, a first idle gear 423, and a second idle gear 424. These gears 421 to 423 are formed of a resin member. Of the four gears 421 to 424, the gears 421 to 423 are rotatably supported by the bracket 46A.

  The first speed increasing gear 421 has a large-diameter gear 421A and a small-diameter gear 421B arranged in two stages, and the large-diameter gear 421A meshes with the output shaft 411.

  The second speed increasing gear 422 includes a large diameter gear 422A and a small diameter gear 422B arranged in two stages, and the large diameter gear 422A meshes with the large diameter gear 421A of the first speed increasing gear 421.

  The first idle gear 423 meshes with the small diameter gear 422B of the second speed increasing gear 422, and also meshes with the second idle gear 424.

  The second idle gear 424 is connected to the end of the rotating shaft 44 that passes through the pinion gear 43A and protrudes outward in the axial direction. The shaft hole of the second idle gear 424 is also formed in a D-cut shape so that the cut-shaped rotating shaft 44 can be inserted. The second idle gear 424 is not fixed to the rotating shaft 44 by a fixing pin or the like, and therefore, the rotating shaft 44 can be slid in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an operation unit 48 is attached to the end of the rotating shaft 44. The operation portion 48 is attached to a portion that penetrates the second idle gear 424 and protrudes outward in the axial direction. The operation unit 48 is for applying a driving force for moving a flange 431 (described later) provided in each pinion gear 43 in the axial direction, and is a part operated by an operator. The operator presses the operation unit 48 along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 44 in a predetermined pushing direction D20 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) or pulls the operating portion 48 in the opposite direction, thereby bringing the operating unit 48 together with the rotating shaft 44. The pinion gear 43 and the flange 431 are moved in the axial direction.

  A circular flange 431 is integrally formed with the pinion gear 43A. The flange 431 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the pinion gear 43A. Specifically, the flange 431 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the side surface on the pushing direction D20 side in the pinion gear 43A. The outer diameter of the flange 431 is larger than the outer diameter of the pinion gear 43A, and protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral edge of the pinion gear 43A in a side view. The flange 431 is inserted into a first guide groove 71 (an example of the first guide portion of the present invention) described later. The pinion gear 43B is also provided with a flange 431 on the outer peripheral edge of the side surface in the pushing direction D20.

  By the way, the maintenance unit 8 may be removed from the housing 11 for maintenance and inspection. In this case, the operator pulls out the maintenance unit 8 from the opening of the housing 11 and removes the maintenance unit 8 from the housing 11. However, since the maintenance unit 8 includes the wipe unit 10 and is heavy, when the internal carriage 60 is pulled out and slid to the opening side, the support rail 12 is inadvertently removed and the maintenance unit 8 falls. There is a risk. Further, when the maintenance unit 8 is attached to the housing 11, the maintenance unit 8 is mounted in a state where the support position on one support rail 12 and the support position on the other support rail 12 are shifted in the movement direction D10. There is. In this case, the movement from the standby position to the maintenance position is not smoothly performed. In addition, the maintenance unit 8 cannot be accurately placed at the maintenance position, resulting in capping failure and wiping failure. Further, the internal carriage 60 may be deformed by a load applied to the internal carriage 60.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present embodiment, the support structure of the flange 431 is configured as described later, thereby preventing the maintenance unit 8 from being accidentally pulled out and the maintenance unit 8 being attached. The positioning accuracy at the time is improved.

  FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view showing the structure around the rack gear 65 formed on the guide piece 64 of the internal carriage 60. The rack gear 65 shown in FIG. 7 is a portion where the pinion gear 43A is engaged.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the one guide piece 64 corresponding to the pinion gear 43A has a first guide groove 71, a second guide groove 72 (an example of the second guide portion of the present invention), and an end guide surface 73 ( An example of the third guide portion of the present invention and a stopper wall 74 (an example of the restriction portion of the present invention) are formed. The first guide groove 71, the second guide groove 72, the terminal guide surface 73, and the stopper wall 74 are all formed on the upper surface 64A of the guide piece 64.

  As described above, the first guide groove 71 is a portion into which the flange 431 is inserted. The first guide groove 71 is formed closer to the pushing direction D20 than the rack gear 65, and extends in the moving direction D10 so as to be aligned with the rack gear 65. The first guide groove 71 is a long groove formed in the same width over the moving direction D10. The length of the first guide groove 71 is slightly longer than the rack gear 65, and the depth thereof is approximately the same as the protruding length of the flange 431.

  The flange 431 is inserted into the first guide groove 71 in a state where the pinion gear 43 </ b> A is engaged with the corresponding rack gear 65. This restricts the flange 431 from moving in the axial direction, and further prevents the pinion gear 43A from being removed from the rack gear 65. When a rotational driving force is input to the pinion gear 43A, the pinion gear 43A rolls on the rack gear 65 with the flange 431 inserted through the first guide groove 71. For this reason, the internal carriage 60 is guided straight in the moving direction D10 without deviating from the moving direction D10.

  The stopper wall 74 restricts the movement of the internal carriage 60 in the drawing direction D11 drawn from the housing 11 at a predetermined specific position. The stopper wall 74 is, for example, a wall constituting the terminal end of the first guide groove 71 in the guide piece 64. As shown in FIG. 8, the specific position is the position of the internal carriage 60 when the flange 431 comes into contact with the stopper wall 74 of the first guide groove 71 when the internal carriage 60 is pulled out in the pull-out direction D11. It is.

  The second guide groove 72 is formed on the side wall 711 (groove side wall) on the inner side of the first guide groove 71. The 2nd guide groove 72 is formed in the concave shape which notched the side wall 711 to the axial direction. The second guide groove 72 guides the flange 431 so as to be movable between a first position and a second position described later. The first position is a position shown in FIG. 8 and is a position where the flange 431 is inserted into the first guide groove in a state where the internal carriage 60 is disposed at the specific position. Further, the second position is a position shown in FIG. 9 and is a position separated from the first position toward the pushing direction D20. The second position is a position where the flange 431 is disposed on the terminal guide surface 73 described later after passing through the second guide groove 72.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the second guide groove 72 is a recess that is recessed from the upper end of the side wall 711 of the first guide groove 71 to the groove bottom surface of the first guide groove 71. The groove bottom surface of the second guide groove 72 is formed into an arc surface having a curvature corresponding to the arc shape of the outer periphery of the flange 431. Specifically, the curvature is slightly smaller than the curvature of the arc of the outer periphery of the flange 431. Is formed. That is, the arc surface of the bottom surface of the second guide groove 72 is looser than the arc shape of the outer periphery of the flange 431. For this reason, the flange 431 disposed at the first position can smoothly move through the second guide groove 72 toward the second position. Further, the flange 431 disposed at the second position can smoothly move through the second guide groove 72 toward the first position.

  The terminal guide surface 73 is formed continuously with the second guide groove 72, and is provided adjacent to the second guide groove 72 on the side of the pushing direction D <b> 20. The end guide surface 73 guides the internal carriage 60 to be movable from the specific position in the pull-out direction D11 in a state where the flange 431 is disposed at the second position. Specifically, the end guide surface 73 is a flat stepped surface that falls downward from the upper surface 64 </ b> A at the inner edge of the end portion of the guide piece 64. On the end guide surface 73, an inclined surface 731 reaching the upper surface 64A is formed at the end in the drawing direction D11. The end guide surface 73 is formed from the second guide groove 72 to the end of the guide piece 64 in a side view. For this reason, in the state where the flange 431 is disposed at the second position, the restriction by the stopper wall 74 does not work. For this reason, the internal carriage 60 in the specific position can be removed from the housing 11 by being further pulled out in the pull-out direction D11.

  A first guide groove 71, a second guide groove 72, a terminal guide surface 73, and a stopper wall 74 are also formed in the guide piece 64 corresponding to the other pinion gear 43B. Since these are the same configurations as those formed on the guide piece 64 corresponding to the pinion gear 43A, description thereof will be omitted.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the first guide groove 71 that restricts the inserted flange 431 in the width direction D2 and guides the internal carriage 60 in the movement direction D10 on the upper surface 64A of the guide piece 64; A stopper wall 74 that abuts the flange 431 at a specific position and restricts the internal carriage 60 from moving in the pull-out direction D11 from the housing 11, and the flange 431 is placed in the state where the internal carriage 60 is disposed at the specific position. With the second guide groove 72 guided so as to be movable between the first position and the second position, and the flange 431 disposed at the second position, the internal carriage 60 is moved from the specific position in the pull-out direction D11. An end guide surface 73 that is movably guided is formed. Therefore, when the internal carriage 60 is mounted on the housing 11 and the pinion gear 43 is engaged with the rack gear 65, even if the internal carriage 60 is pulled out from the housing 11 in the pull-out direction D11, the stopper wall 74 is used at the specific position. The movement in the pull-out direction D11 is restricted and cannot be pulled out any further. Therefore, when the operator pulls out the internal carriage 60 in the pull-out direction D11, the support by the support rail 12 is not inadvertently removed and the internal carriage 60 does not fall.

  In addition, when the operator operates the operation unit 48 to push in the pushing direction D20 in a state where the movement in the pull-out direction D11 is restricted by the stopper wall 74 at the specific position, the pushing shaft causes the rotating shaft 44 to move. The pinion gear 43 and the flange 431 move in the same direction as the pinion gear 43 and the flange 431 move in the pushing direction D20. In this case, since the second guide groove 72 is provided, the movement of the flange 431 in the axial direction is not restricted by the first guide groove 71 and the movement in the same direction is allowed. After that, when the flange 431 is disposed at the second position, the restriction of the stopper wall 74 is eliminated, and therefore the internal carriage 60 can be removed from the housing 11 by further pulling the internal carriage 60 in the pull-out direction D11. it can. As described above, by adding the operation of operating the operation unit 48 as a preparation for the removal work to the process of removing the internal carriage 60, the operator can sufficiently prevent the internal carriage 60 from dropping when the internal carriage 60 is removed. As a result, careless dropping can be prevented.

  When the internal carriage 60 is mounted inside the housing 11, the internal carriage 60 is inserted into the housing 11 while the operation unit 48 is pushed in. At this time, the flange 431 of each pinion gear 43 is guided by the terminal guide surface 73 and rolls toward the inclined surface 731 side. When the flange 431 comes into contact with the inclined surface 731, further rolling is restricted. At this time, the flange 431 is disposed at the second position. In other words, the flange 431 of each pinion gear 43 abuts on the inclined surface 731 so that the flange 431 of each pinion gear 43 can be accurately positioned at the second position. In this state, when the operator pulls the operation unit 48 in the direction opposite to the pushing direction D20, the rotating shaft 44 moves in the direction opposite to the pushing direction D20 by the pulling force, and each pinion gear 43 and The flange 431 also tries to move in the same direction. In this case, since the second guide groove 72 is provided, the flange 431 can move from the second position to the first guide groove 71 through the second guide groove 72. Further, the flange 431 moves in the first guide groove 71 and the teeth of the pinion gear 43 mesh with the teeth of the rack gear 65. As a result, there is no deviation in the moving direction D10 with respect to the meshing of the pinion gear 43 with each rack gear 65 spaced apart in the width direction D2. As a result, the problem of the internal carriage 60 due to the misalignment, that is, the movement failure of the internal carriage 60, the deformation of the internal carriage 60, the capping failure, and the wiping failure are prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, the rail support structure in which the internal carriage 60 is supported by the support rail 12 and the guide piece 64 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction is exemplified. However, the support structure of the internal carriage 60 is limited to this configuration. Absent. For example, the bottom plate 61 of the internal carriage 60 may be configured to slidably support the bottom of the wipe unit 10.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the rack gear 65 and the like are provided on the upper surface 64A of the guide piece 64 is illustrated. However, in the present invention, the rack gear 65 is provided on the outer surface of the side plate 62 of the internal carriage 60. A configuration provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate 61 can also be applied. That is, the mounting position of the rack gear 65 is not limited, and the rack gear 65 may be provided at a position where the driving force capable of moving the internal carriage 60 in the horizontal direction can be transmitted to the internal carriage 60.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the internal carriage 60 is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction is illustrated. However, the movement direction of the internal carriage 60 is not limited to the horizontal direction, and is a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. There may be.

8: Maintenance unit 9: Cap unit 10: Wipe unit 11: Housing 11A: Internal frame 12: Support rail 40: Drive device 41: Motor 42: Gear transmission mechanism 43: Pinion gear 43A: Pinion gear 44: Rotating shaft 46: Bracket 48 : Operation unit 60: Internal carriage 65: Rack gear 71: First guide groove 72: Second guide groove 73: Terminal guide surface 74: Stopper wall 411: Output shaft 431: Flange

Claims (5)

An internal carriage supported by the housing so as to be slidable in a first direction intersecting the vertical direction;
A rack gear provided on the internal carriage and extending in the first direction;
A rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by the housing and is movable in an axial direction perpendicular to the first direction;
A pinion gear fixed to the rotating shaft and meshing with the rack gear to transmit the driving force in the first direction to the internal carriage;
A circular flange provided on the outer peripheral edge of the pinion gear;
Along with the rack gear, provided on the internal carriage and formed in the shape of a long groove extending in the first direction, the inserted flange is restricted in the axial direction and the internal carriage is guided in the first direction. A first guide part;
A restricting portion that is provided in the first guide portion and restricts the inner carriage from moving in a pulling direction in which the inner carriage is pulled out from the housing by contacting the flange at a predetermined specific position;
A flange formed on the groove side wall of the first guide portion, and the flange is inserted into the first guide portion with the internal carriage disposed at the specific position, and the rack gear from the first position. Is a second guide portion that is movably guided between a second position separated to the opposite side;
A third guide portion that is provided adjacent to the second guide portion and guides the internal carriage movably from the specific position in the pull-out direction in a state where the flange is disposed at the second position. An ink jet recording apparatus.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide portion is a recess that is recessed from an upper end of the groove side wall of the first guide portion to a groove bottom surface.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the concave portion has an arc surface having a curvature corresponding to an arc shape on an outer periphery of the flange. The housing is provided with a pair of support rails extending in the first direction,
A pair of guide pieces supported by the support rails are provided at both ends in the axial direction at the upper part of the internal carriage,
The inkjet recording according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rack gear, the first guide portion, the second guide portion, and the third guide portion are provided on an upper surface of each of the pair of guide pieces. apparatus.   5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that applies a driving force to the flange to move the flange between the first position and the second position. 6.

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