JPH07205418A - Recording device and information processing system including the device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To prevent damage to the head face when replacing the recording head cartridge. [Structure] A small-diameter recess 41a is formed in a paper discharge roller 41 in an area corresponding to a print head replacement position defined within a scanning range of a carriage 50 of a print head of a printing apparatus 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having recording means for outputting input information such as characters and images on a recording medium, and a copying machine, a facsimile machine, which is equipped with the recording apparatus as output means. The present invention relates to an information processing system such as a printer, a word processor and a personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, paper, cloth, plastic sheet, O
A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium such as a HP sheet (hereinafter also simply referred to as recording paper) can be equipped with recording heads of various recording methods, for example, a wire dot method, a thermal method, a thermal transfer method, and an inkjet method. It has been proposed as a form.

In such a recording apparatus, as low-noise non-impact recording, recording is performed on recording paper by ejecting ink from ejection ports (nozzles) by operating a recording element as an energy generating means for ejecting ink. A recording apparatus (hereinafter, also referred to as an inkjet recording apparatus) equipped with an inkjet type recording head for performing the above can perform high-density and high-speed recording operation.

The ink jet recording apparatus has a structure corresponding to a peculiar function, a usage form, etc. of a system to which the apparatus is applied. In general, an inkjet recording apparatus includes a carriage on which a recording head and an ink tank are mounted, a conveyance unit that conveys recording paper, and a control unit that controls these.

Then, the recording head for ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of ejection ports is serially scanned in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction (sub scanning direction),
On the other hand, during non-recording, the recording paper is intermittently conveyed (pitch feed) by an amount equal to the recording width. By using a recording head in which a large number of nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged linearly in the sub-scanning direction, the recording head scans the recording paper once to perform recording with a width corresponding to the number of nozzles.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus has a low running cost, the apparatus can be made compact, and it is easy to use a multi-color ink for color image recording. Above all, the line type recording apparatus using the line type recording means in which a large number of ejection openings are arranged in the width direction of the recording paper can further increase the recording speed.

For the above reasons, the ink jet recording apparatus is an output means of an information processing system, for example, a printer as an output terminal such as a copying machine, a facsimile, an electronic typewriter, a word processor, a workstation, or a personal computer, a host computer, It is used and commercialized as a handy or portable device provided in an optical disc device, a video device, and the like.

A recording element of the ink jet recording means,
That is, as the energy generating means for generating energy for ejecting ink, those using a converter that mechanically deforms by applying a voltage such as a piezo element, irradiate electromagnetic waves such as laser to generate heat, There are a type that discharges droplets by the action of this heat generation, and a type that heats the liquid by an electrothermal conversion element having a heating resistor.

Among them, in the ink jet recording type recording head of the type in which the liquid is ejected by utilizing thermal energy, the liquid ejection ports can be arranged at a high density, and therefore high resolution recording can be performed. Among them, the recording head using the electrothermal conversion element as an energy generating means for ejecting ink is easy to be made compact, and IC technology and the recent remarkable technological advance in the semiconductor field and remarkable improvement in reliability, This is an advantage because it is easy to realize high-density mounting by fully utilizing the advantages of the micro processing technology and the manufacturing cost is low.

The ink tank used for supplying ink to the recording head is roughly composed of an ink absorber, a container for housing the ink absorber, and a lid member for sealing the container. Further, the recording head is classified into a chip type integrated with such an ink tank, and a recording head detachably coupled to the ink tank.
In both types, the positioning of the recording head and the ink tank, or the positioning of the head cartridge and carriage in which these members are integrated is an important item related to print quality. As one of those positioning means, there is one that accurately performs positioning by using a fitting hole and a fitting pin.

A recording apparatus in which a head cartridge is mounted generally has the following head recovery device for protecting the recording head.

First, the head recovery device will be described. The head recovery device is arranged at one end of the movement path of the recording head, for example, at a position facing the home position. The driving force of the motor transmitted through the power transmission mechanism operates the head recovery device to cap the recording head. In association with the capping of the recording head by the cap portion of the head recovery device, ink is absorbed (suction recovery) by an appropriate suction means (for example, a suction pump) provided in the head recovery device, thereby ejecting the ink. The ejection recovery process is performed such as forcibly ejecting the thickened ink from the ejection port to remove the thickened ink in the ejection port that hinders the ejection of the ink. Further, the recording head is protected by capping at the end of recording. Such an ejection recovery process is performed when the power is turned on, when the recording head is replaced, or when the recording operation is not performed for a certain period of time.

Next, the wiping device will be described. The wiping device is provided on the side surface of the head recovery device and has a blade as a wiping member formed of silicon rubber. The blade is held by the blade holding member in the form of a cantilever, and similarly to the head recovery device, is operated by the motor and the transmission mechanism and can be engaged with the ejection surface of the recording head. At appropriate timing in the recording operation of the recording head, or after the ejection recovery process using the head recovery device, the blade is projected into the movement path of the recording head, and the dew condensation or wetting on the ejection surface of the head is accompanied by the movement operation of the head. Alternatively, dust or the like is wiped off with a blade.

As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus uses the head recovery device and the wiping device to stabilize the ink ejection operation. Therefore, when these members (for example, the head cartridge in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated) are attached to or removed from the carriage, the nozzle surface of the recording head comes into contact with the recovery device or the platen, It is necessary to take care not to deform not only the recording head and the recovery device but also other members.

[0015]

However, in the above-described conventional recording apparatus, even if the user carefully performs the mounting / removing operation of the head cartridge, the recording head is deformed or damaged due to the following structural problems. There was something to do. An example of conventional problems will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16A is a diagram for explaining a case where the head cartridge 7 is mounted on the carriage and capping is performed, and FIG. 16B is a diagram for explaining the case where the head cartridge 7 is fitted to the fitting portion on the carriage. It is a figure for demonstrating the case where it is made to slide in a predetermined direction and capping is performed.

In the conventional recording apparatus, the head cartridge is slid in a predetermined direction with respect to the fitting portion on the carriage for capping. At this time, the cap 61 connected to the pump 60 is interlocked with the movement of the carriage. Since the print head moves like capping, the carriage does not move even if only the print head part moves. For example, when the head cartridge 7 is mounted on a carriage (not shown) as shown in FIG. 16A, the head cartridge 7 moves in the direction of arrow B by driving the carriage. With this movement, the cap 61, which is inclined, changes the angle in the movement direction to cap the nozzle 70 of the head cartridge 7.

However, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the head cartridge is moved without driving the carriage (when the head cartridge is mounted on the carriage), the carriage remains stationary and the head cartridge 7 moves in the direction of arrow B. The cap 61 that moves in synchronization with the movement of the carriage remains stationary and does not perform the movement corresponding to the movement of the head cartridge 7. Therefore, when the head cartridge 7 and the cap 61 come into contact with each other, the cap 61 does not move. Pressure in the direction of arrow B is applied to 61. Therefore, the deformation as shown in the figure may occur. further,
In order to avoid such deformation, it is possible to provide a head attachment / detachment position outside the cap position and the recording area, but it is necessary to increase the device size because it is necessary to secure a space for this. We cannot meet the demand for compactness. On the other hand, when the head replacement position is provided in the recording area, the distance between the tip of the nozzle of the recording head and the surface of the recording paper on which recording is performed is narrowed to about 1 to 2 mm in order to guarantee the recording image quality. When the head is attached or detached, the tip of the recording head (face surface) may rub against the guide of the recording paper conveying means. In this case, if the head face surface is scratched, the recording quality will be degraded.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned points, and the ink is recorded on the recording medium on at least one exchange position set along the scanning direction. An attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching a recording means for ejecting and forming an image at a predetermined position on a carriage, a conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction, and a recording medium for recording the conveyed recording medium. In a recording apparatus having guide means for guiding to a predetermined recording position facing the means, and discharge means for discharging the recording medium on which the image is formed by the recording means, the discharge means is the recording means. It is characterized in that at least one recess is formed in a region corresponding to the exchange position. Moreover, it has the following characteristics. (1) The paper discharging means is composed of a roller, and the concave portion is provided on the circumference of the roller. (2) The replacement position is within the print area of the recording medium. (3) The recording unit has a front end surface with a step formed, and the height of the step is smaller than the depth of the recess formed in the sheet ejection unit corresponding to the sheet ejection unit. (4) The guide means is provided with a recess corresponding to the recess of the paper discharge means.

Detaching means for attaching / detaching the recording means for ejecting ink to the recording medium to form an image at a predetermined position on the carriage on at least one exchange position set along the main scanning direction. A conveying means for conveying the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, a guiding means for guiding the conveyed recording medium to a predetermined recording position facing the recording means, and an image-formed recording medium formed by the recording means. In a recording apparatus having a paper ejecting unit for ejecting a recording medium, the paper ejecting unit is provided with an elastic absorber in a region corresponding to a replacement position of the recording unit. Moreover, it has the following characteristics. (1) The paper discharging means is composed of a roller, and the elastic absorber is provided on the circumference of the roller. (2) A plurality of exchange positions of the recording means are provided, and a plurality of elastic absorbers are provided in the areas corresponding to them, and the exchange positions are exchanged at a predetermined cycle.

Further, the recording means is an ink jet recording head using an electrothermal converter that causes film boiling of the ink as a means for generating energy for ejecting the ink, and an ink tank for supplying the ink to the ink tank. Is a head cartridge that is integrated with.

Further, the information processing system according to the present invention comprises a recording device as an output means.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, when the concave portion is provided in the paper discharging means, the carriage can be attached and detached without rubbing the face surface of the recording head against the paper discharging means, thus lowering the recording quality. It is possible to form an image without performing the above. Furthermore, when an elastic absorber is provided in the paper discharge means, the carriage can be attached and detached without damaging the face surface of the head, so that the recording quality is not deteriorated,
Image formation can be performed. In addition, when the carriage is attached or detached, dirt on the face surface of the head can be wiped off.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. <Example 1> A schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
First, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a recording device 1.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the recording apparatus 1.

The recording apparatus 1 having an automatic feeder comprises a paper feed unit 2, a paper feed unit 3, a paper discharge unit 4, a carriage unit 15, and a cleaning unit 6. Therefore, these are divided into items and the outline is described sequentially. (A) Paper Feeding Unit The paper feeding unit 2 is configured such that the pressure plate 21 on which the recording sheets P are stacked and the feeding rotating body 22 that feeds the sheet material P are attached to the base 20. A movable side guide 23 is movably provided on the pressure plate 21 to regulate the stacking position of the recording paper P. The pressure plate 21 is rotatable about an axis coupled to the base 20, and the pressure plate spring 24 causes the feeding rotary member 2 to rotate.
It is urged to 2. A separation pad 25 made of a material having a large friction coefficient, such as an artificial leather, which prevents double feeding of the recording paper P is provided at a portion of the pressure plate 21 that faces the feeding rotating body 22. Further, the base 20 covers a corner portion of the recording paper P in one direction, and a separation claw 2 for separating the recording paper P one by one.
6, a bank 27 integrally formed on the base 20 to separate the unusable separation claws 26 such as thick paper, the separation claws 26 operate at the plain paper position, and the separation claws 26 do not operate at the thick paper position. There is provided a switching lever 28 and a release cam 29 for releasing the contact between the pressure plate 21 and the feeding rotary body 22.

In the above structure, the release cam 29 pushes down the pressure plate 21 to a predetermined position in the standby state. As a result, the contact between the pressure plate 21 and the feeding rotary body 22 is released. Then, in this state, the driving force of the conveying roller 36 is changed by the gear or the like to the feeding rotating body 22 and the release cam 29.
Release cam 29 separates from the pressure plate 21, the pressure plate 21 rises, the feeding rotating body 22 and the recording sheet P come into contact with each other, and the recording sheet P is picked up as the feeding rotating body 22 rotates. The paper is started, separated one by one by the separation claw 26, and sent to the paper feeding unit 3. The feeding rotating body 22 and the release cam 29 rotate until the recording sheet P is fed into the sheet feeding unit 3, and the contact state between the recording sheet P and the feeding rotating body 22 is released again, and the conveyance roller 36 is set. The driving force from is cut off. (B) Paper Feeding Section The paper feeding section 3 has a carrying roller 36 for carrying the recording paper P and a PE sensor 32. A pinch roller 37 that is driven is provided in contact with the transport roller 36. The pinch roller 37 is held by the pinch roller guide 30 and is urged by a pinch roller spring 31 to press the pinch roller 37 against the conveying roller 36 to generate a conveying force of the recording paper P. Further, an upper guide 33 and a platen 34 for guiding the recording paper P are arranged at the entrance of the paper feeding unit 3 to which the recording paper P is conveyed. Further, the upper guide 33 is provided with a PE sensor lever 35 that transmits the detection of the front end and the rear end of the recording paper P to the PE sensor 32. further,
On the downstream side of the conveyance roller 36 in the recording paper conveyance direction,
A head cartridge 7 that forms an image based on image information is provided.

In the above structure, the recording paper P sent to the paper feeding unit 3 is guided by the platen 34, the pinch roller guide 30 and the upper guide 33, and is sent to the roller pair of the conveying roller 36 and the pinch roller 37. At this time, the PE sensor lever 35 detects the leading edge of the conveyed recording paper P, and thereby obtains the printing position of the recording paper P. Further, the recording paper P is set to a roller pair 3 by an LF motor (not shown)
When the plates 6 and 37 rotate, they are conveyed on the platen 34.

As the head cartridge 7, an easily replaceable ink jet recording head formed integrally with an ink tank is used. This recording head can apply heat to the ink by a heater or the like. Then, the heat causes the ink to film-boil, and the pressure change caused by the growth or contraction of the bubbles due to the film-boiling causes the ink to be ejected from the nozzle 70 of the recording head as shown in FIG. An image is formed on. (C) Carriage Unit The carriage unit 15 has a carriage 50 to which the head cartridge 7 is attached. And the carriage 50
Is supported by a guide shaft 81 for reciprocal scanning in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording paper P, and a guide rail 82 for holding the upper rear end of the carriage 50 and maintaining a gap between the head cartridge 7 and the recording paper P. Has been done. The guide shaft 81 and the guide rail 82 are attached to the chassis 8. Also, the carriage 5
0 is a carriage motor 80 attached to the chassis 8
Is driven via the timing belt 83. The timing belt 83 is stretched and supported by an idle pulley 84. Further, the carriage 50 has
A flexible substrate 56 as shown in FIG. 5 is provided for transmitting a head signal from the electric substrate 9 to the head cartridge 7.

In the above structure, when an image is formed on the recording paper P, the roller pairs 36 and 37 convey the recording paper P to the line position (the position in the conveying direction of the recording paper P) for image formation.
Then, the carriage motor 80 moves the carriages 50 to a column position where images are formed (a position perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper P), and the head cartridge 7 is opposed to the image formation position. After that, the head cartridge 7 ejects ink toward the recording paper P in response to a signal from the electric substrate 9 to form an image. (D) Paper Discharging Section In the paper discharging section 4, the transmission roller 40 is in contact with the transport roller 36, and the transmission roller 40 is in contact with the paper ejection roller 41. Therefore, the driving force of the transport roller 36 is transmitted to the paper discharge roller 41 via the transmission roller 40. Further, a spur 42 is in contact with the paper discharge roller 41 so as to be rotatable following the paper discharge roller 41. With the above configuration, the recording paper P on which an image is formed by the carriage unit 15
Is sandwiched in the nip between the paper discharge roller 41 and the spur 42, conveyed, and discharged to a paper discharge tray or the like (not shown). (E) Cleaning Section The cleaning section 6 includes a pump 60 for cleaning the head cartridge 7, a cap 61 for suppressing the drying of the head cartridge 7, and the transport roller 36.
And a drive switching arm 62 for switching the driving force from the sheet feeding unit 2 and the pump 60. When the drive switching arm 62 is not for feeding and cleaning, the planetary gear (not shown) that rotates around the shaft center of the transport roller 36 is fixed at a predetermined position.
No driving force is transmitted to. When the drive switching arm 62 is moved in the direction of arrow A by moving the carriage 50, the planetary gear becomes free, so that the planetary gear moves in accordance with the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the transport roller 36, and the transport roller 36 moves forward. The driving force is transmitted to the sheet feeding section 2 when the sheet is rotated, and the driving force is transmitted to the pump 60 when the sheet is rotated reversely.

Next, the details of each main part of the discharge roller 41 corresponding to the discharge means of the carriage portion 15 and the discharge portion 4 according to the present invention will be described.

In the carriage section 15, each component is attached to the carriage 50 to form a unit. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the outer appearance of the head cartridge 7,
(A) is a rear view, (b) is a front view seen from the arrow 4B of (a), (c) and (d) are respectively the arrow 4C of (a).
It is the side view seen from and arrow 4D. 5A and 5B are front views of the carriage unit 15, where FIG. 5A shows a state before the head cartridge 7 is completely attached, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the head cartridge 7 is completely attached. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the carriage unit 15. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the contact portion 503 (see FIG. 5A) of the carriage portion 15 and the like. 8A and 8B are views for explaining the configuration of the main part of the attachment / detachment mechanism of the head cartridge 7, where FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a front view. Figure 9
Is the head cartridge 7 fitting pin 50 of the carriage 50
5A and 5B are views for explaining the configuration of FIG. 5, and FIGS. 5A and 5B show fitting pins provided at different positions. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the assembled state of the tip portion 562 of the flexible substrate 56, and FIG.
2 is assembled, (b) and (c) are for explaining the tip insertion process.

As shown in FIG. 5, the head cartridge 7
The attachment / detachment part includes a carriage 50, a head holder 51, a base cover 52, a hook lever 53, and a contact spring 5.
4, hook cover 55, flexible substrate 56, FIG.
As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the head holder 51 has a guide 501 provided on the carriage 50 (see FIG. 7).
The head cartridge 7 is mounted along the above so as to slide to the left and right. Head holder 51
Includes a guide portion 51 for guiding the head cartridge 7.
1, and a side plate 502 that is vertically set on the carriage 50.
A pressing portion (see FIG. 8) 512 for pressing the head cartridge 7 is provided on the contact surface 503 and the positioning surface 504. There are three positioning surfaces on the side plate 502 of the carriage. Two points are arranged on the base plate 72 near the nozzle 70 of the head cartridge 7, and one point is arranged above the ink tank 73 of the head cartridge 7. The contact surface 503 of the head cartridge 7 and the carriage 50 is configured to be located inside the triangle formed by the three points of the positioning surface 504. The pressing position of the pressing portion 512 of the head holder 51 is inside this triangle. In addition, the pressing portion 51 of the head holder 51
A guide arm 513 is provided at a position facing each other,
The guide arm 513 acts on the head 7 when the head cartridge 7 is separated from the contact surface 503. The side plate 502 of the carriage 50 is provided with a rib 509 which also serves as a guide when the head cartridge 7 is attached / detached, and protects a contact surface 561 and the like of a flexible substrate 56, which will be described later, and blinds them (see FIG. 7).

The head cartridge 7 of the present invention has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in, a guide 74 is provided on the side surface of the ink tank 73, and is attached along the upper surface of the guide arm 513. Then, at a predetermined position where the head cartridge 7 is mounted, the guide 74 of the head cartridge 7
A concave portion 75 and a convex portion 514 as a restricting means are provided at corresponding positions of the head holder 51. Further, the bottom surface of the head cartridge 7 is provided with a convex portion 76, and the corresponding receiving portion of the head holder 51 is provided with a concave portion 515 corresponding to the convex portion 76. As a result, when the head cartridge 7 is mounted, the nozzle surface 70 is moved to the platen 34
Therefore, the head cartridge 7 is not damaged. Then, a click feeling at the time of wearing is obtained, and the wearing feeling is improved. Also, the head holder 51
When the head cartridge 7 is attached / detached, the head cartridge 7 may be dropped on the front surface due to the catching of the convex portion 514, and an instability such as a positional deviation after mounting can be eliminated.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hook lever 53 is rotatably attached to the side plate 502 of the carriage 50. A contact spring 54 is provided at the center of rotation of the hook lever 53, and the hook lever 53 is moved in the direction of arrow A.
(See FIG. 3). The hook cover 55 is attached so as to cover the hook lever 53, and holds the hook lever 53 so as not to come off from the carriage 50. As shown in FIG. 8, the hook lever 53 and the head holder 51 respectively have cams 516 and 531 that abut against each other, and the head holder 51 is configured to move in the arrow B direction by the rotation of the hook lever 53. There is. The biasing force of the contact spring 54 acts as a pressing force on the head cartridge 7 of the head holder 51 via the hook lever 53.

A fitting pin 505 for positioning the head cartridge 7 is provided on the side plate 502 of the carriage 50.
a and b are provided. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, two fitting pins 505a and 505 are provided corresponding to the fitting holes 77a and 77b of the base plate 72 of the head cartridge 7. The base plate 72 of the head cartridge 7 shown in FIG. 4 is configured to be inclined from the driving of the head cartridge 7 by about 1 ° to 4 ° with respect to the scanning direction of the carriage unit 15. In order to correspond to the inclined fitting hole 77, one of the fitting holes 77 of the base plate 72 of the head cartridge 7 is made into a square hole 77a, and a corresponding fitting pin 505a on the carriage 50 side is partially cylindrical. It was a square pin having. Further, the fitting pin 5 on the carriage side corresponding to the round hole 77b
The portion of 05b which is an undercut due to the mold configuration of the carriage is removed so that the head cartridge 7 can be fitted to the positioning surface 504 of the carriage. By doing so, the head cartridge 7 can be accurately and smoothly positioned with respect to the inclined base plate 72 without requiring a complicated mold structure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the side plate 5 of the carriage 50.
The contact surface 503 (FIG. 5) provided on the No. 02 has a rubber pad 57 made of an elastic body such as silicon rubber having a rubber hardness of 30 ° to 50 ° (JIS standard) for making electrical contact with the head cartridge 7. . Then, the contact portion 561 of the flexible substrate 56 is provided thereon. Rubber pad 57, flexible substrate 56
Are positioned by a positioning pin 506 provided on the side plate 502 of the carriage 50. A slit 563 is provided on the opposite side of the contact portion 561 of the positioning portion of the flexible board 56,
The contact portion 561 is not affected by deformation or the like in assembly of No. 6. The tip 562 of the contact portion 561 of the flexible substrate 56 is thin according to the shape of the base plate 72 of the head cartridge, and the hook portion 562 is provided at the end portion (see FIG. 10). As described above, by forming the contact portion 561 into a triangular shape and reducing the number of contact pads toward the tip, the forming of the signal line is facilitated and the density can be increased. further,
Processing of the tip portion 562 of the flexible substrate 56 is facilitated. The side plate 502 of the carriage 50 is provided with a slit hole 507 into which the tip portion 562 of the flexible substrate 56 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 10B, the tip portion 562 is bent and inserted into the slit hole 507. After passing through the slit hole 507, as shown in (c) of FIG. 10, the tip portion becomes straight and is not caught because it is caught. With this configuration, the tip portion is free and the contact surface 561 of the flexible substrate 56 does not have rigidity, so good contact can be made with the contact surface of the head cartridge 7. When the head cartridge 7 is mounted, the contact surface 503 of the carriage 50 enters the cutout portion 79 of the base plate 72 of the head cartridge 7, and contacts the contact surface 78 on the substrate formed inside the cutout portion 79.

As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible substrate 56
Is drawn along the side plate 502 of the carriage 50, folded vertically and fixed to the carriage 50 by the base cover 52. At this time, the flexible substrate 56 is provided with the temporary fixing convex portion 563, and the flexible substrate 56 can be fixed by fixing the convex portion 563 to the carriage 50. Therefore, when the base cover 52 is attached, the assembly is efficiently performed. It can be performed. Further, the base cover 52 is provided with positioning holes for the rubber pad 57 and the flexible substrate 56, and a holding portion 521 for preventing the fitting portions from coming out from the pins 506 on the carriage 50. Further, the head cartridge 7 of the present invention is provided with a recess 731 for escaping the protrusion of the positioning pin 506 and the pressing portion 521 of the base cover 52. Therefore, since the length of the positioning pin 506 and the thickness of the pressing portion 502 of the base cover 52 can be increased, the rubber pad 57 and the flexible substrate 56 can be positioned and prevented from coming off securely. Flexible board 5
6 is fixed to the chassis 8 by a flexible fixing plate 85, its curvature is changed according to the position of the carriage portion 15,
A head drive signal from the electric board 9 is transmitted to the head cartridge 7 in response to the movement of the carriage portion 15 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

With the above structure, the head cartridge 7 can be easily attached / detached to / from the carriage portion 15, held, positioned, and electrically contacted.

Next, the operation of replacing the head cartridge 7 will be described. When the ink in the head cartridge is exhausted, or when the color recording head cartridge or the like needs to be replaced when used, the operator presses a predetermined head cartridge replacement key switch. Normally, the head cartridge is retracted at the capping position, but this causes the carriage to move to the head cartridge replacement position.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the carriage portion 15 at the time of attachment / detachment. When mounting the head cartridge 7, by rotating the hook lever 53 upward as shown in the drawing, the head holder 51 is moved to the left side in the figure (that is, the left side of the recording apparatus main body) so that the head cartridge 7 can be mounted. (FIG. 5 (a)). In this state, the head cartridge 7 is attached to the head holder 51, and the hook lever 53
When is rotated downward, the head holder 51 moves to the right side together with the head cartridge 7, and the head cartridge 7 is positioned and electrically contacted (see FIG. 5).
(B)). In this state, an image can be formed on the recording paper P. Further, the head cartridge 7 is attached to the carriage portion 15
To remove the head holder 51, the hook lever 53 is rotated upward as shown in FIG. 5A to move the head holder 51 to the left. As a result, the guide arm 513 of the head holder 51 pushes the head cartridge 7 to the left, so that the head cartridge 7 is removed from the contact portion of the carriage portion 15. In this state, the operator can take out the head cartridge 7 perpendicularly to the sliding direction of the head holder 51. At this time, at the head cartridge replacement position, a recess 41a as shown in FIG. 1 is provided on the circumference of the paper discharge roller 41 at a position facing the face surface of the head cartridge 7. The depth is 0.5 mm, and the width is larger than the sum of the width of the face surface of the head cartridge 7 and the amount of slide required for removing the fitting of the head cartridge 7. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the risk of the operator rubbing the face surface of the head cartridge 7 against the paper discharge roller 41, and to prevent the deterioration of the recording quality due to the damage to the face surface of the head cartridge. Further, as described above, even when the operator mounts the new head cartridge 7, there is little risk of rubbing the face surface of the head cartridge 7. Then, when the hook lever 53 is rotated downward as shown in FIG. 5A, the head holder 51 moves to the right side together with the head cartridge 7, and the head cartridge 7 is positioned and electrically contacted. When the replacement of the head cartridge 7 is completed and the operator presses the head cartridge replacement key switch again, the carriage returns to the capping position and capping is performed.

On the upper part of the carriage 50, for adjusting the gap between the head cartridge 7 and the recording sheet P,
A paper interval adjusting unit 58 is provided (see FIG. 6). The paper interval adjusting unit includes an adjusting lever 581, a pressure contact lever 582, a pressure contact spring 583, and a top cover 584.

The adjusting lever 581 is constructed such that a pin is inserted into a hole provided in the carriage 50 so as to be rotatable. The adjusting lever 581 has a polygonal sliding surface 585 having a different distance from the rotation center of the adjusting lever according to the number of positions between sheets. The pressing lever 582 is the carriage 5
It is possible to rotate around the pin provided on the
The sliding surface 585 of the adjusting lever 581 is urged to the guide rail 82 by 3. Sliding surface 58 of adjusting lever 581
By changing the number 5, the carriage 50 rotates around the guide shaft 81, so that the distance between sheets can be changed. The top cover 584 is fixed to the carriage 50 with nails on both sides,
The adjustment lever 581, the pressure contact lever 582, etc. are held. Further, the lever tip portion of the adjusting lever 581 has elasticity, and the groove 58 of the top cover 584 is provided.
The adjusting lever 581 is fixed corresponding to No. 6 to form a predetermined sheet interval.

The carriage unit 15 has a guide shaft 81 attached to the chassis 8 and a bearing of the carriage 50.
The adjustment lever 581 and the pressure contact lever 582 can be slid on the guide rail 82 that is also attached to the chassis 8 to perform reciprocal scanning. A timing belt 83 is attached to the back surface of the carriage 50. The timing belt 83 is suspended on a pulley 801 mounted on the shaft of a carriage motor 80 mounted on the chassis 8 and an idle pulley 84 mounted on the chassis 8 and tensioning the timing belt 83 (see FIG. 2). . <Embodiment 2> In Embodiment 1, the recess 41a is provided in a part of the circumference of the paper discharge roller 41. However, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of ribs 411 extending in the sub-scanning direction are provided in the paper discharge means ( A plurality of recesses 41a may be provided on the sheet discharge roller) by the ribs and the surface sandwiched by the ribs. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the step L1 between the first tip surface 701 closest to the paper discharge roller 41 of the head cartridge 7 and the second tip surface 702 closest to the second is smaller than the recess depth L2 of the guide means ( L1 <L2) may be satisfied. In this case, even if the second tip surface 702 contacts the paper discharge roller 41,
Since the first tip surface 701 does not come into contact with the bottom of the recess, the face surface of the head cartridge 7 is not damaged at the time of attachment / detachment. Other configurations are described in Example 1.
Is the same as. <Embodiment 3> In addition to the embodiments described above, as shown in FIG.
The platen 34 may be provided with a recess 34a at the head cartridge replacement position. By providing the recess 34a with the same width as the recess 41a of the paper discharge roller 41, the head cartridge 7 can be attached and detached more smoothly. Further, it goes without saying that the face surface of the head cartridge 7 is not damaged. Other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment. <Embodiment 4> In Embodiment 1, the paper discharge means is provided with a recess, but as shown in FIG. 14, an elastic absorber 41b such as a sponge is provided around the circumference of the paper discharge roller corresponding to the head cartridge replacement position. May be provided. With such a configuration, the face surface of the head cartridge 7 is not damaged when the head cartridge 7 is attached or detached, and dirt on the face surface can be wiped off. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of head cartridge replacement positions may be provided, and an elastic absorber 41b may be provided in the area of the transport roller 41 corresponding thereto, and the head cartridge replacement position may be replaced at a predetermined cycle. . With this configuration, the elastic absorber can be suppressed from becoming dirty. Other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment.

The present invention provides excellent effects particularly in an ink jet type recording head and a recording apparatus for recording by forming flying droplets by utilizing thermal energy among the ink jet recording systems.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which is stored, a rapid temperature rise corresponding to the recorded information and exceeding nucleate boiling is applied. , It is effective because it generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter, causes film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, and as a result, can form bubbles in the liquid (ink) that correspond one-to-one to this drive signal. Is. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved.

Suitable pulse-shaped drive signals are those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.

In addition, JP-A-59-123670, which discloses a structure in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which an opening corresponds to a discharge portion.

Furthermore, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum recording medium width that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. The present invention can exert the above-mentioned effects more effectively, although it may have a configuration that satisfies the above requirement or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed.

In addition, by being attached to the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type recording head or the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head provided with an ink tank is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means for the recording head, preheating means using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection other than recording It is also effective to perform stable recording.

Further, as the recording mode of the recording apparatus, not only the mainstream color such as black but not only the recording mode, the recording heads may be integrally formed or a plurality of them may be combined. The present invention is also extremely effective for a device provided with at least one of full colors by color mixing.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens at room temperature, or is a liquid, or the above-mentioned. In the inkjet method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. It may be in a liquid form.

In addition, the temperature rise due to the thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink is solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. In some cases, such as ink that is liquefied by applying heat energy according to a recording signal and ejected as a liquid ink, or one that has already started to solidify when it reaches a recording medium. The use of an ink having a property of being liquefied only by heat energy is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5684.
No. 7 or JP-A-60-71260, a mode in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in the state of being held as a liquid or solid in the recess or through hole of the porous sheet. May be In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to a recording apparatus integrally or separately provided as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a word processor or a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like is further provided. May take the form of a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function.

[0056]

The present invention has the following effects. (1) At the head cartridge replacement position, since the paper discharge means corresponding to the head cartridge is provided with the recessed portion, there is no risk of the head cartridge face surface falling down and rubbing the paper discharge means when the head cartridge is attached or detached, and the face surface is not scratched. There is no deterioration in printing quality due to the occurrence. (2) The head cartridge replacement position can be provided within the print area, and the increase in the size of the device can be prevented. (3) At the head cartridge exchange position, by providing an elastic absorber such as a sponge in the paper discharging means corresponding to the head cartridge, there is no risk of the head cartridge face surface falling down and rubbing the paper discharging means when the head cartridge is attached or detached. There is no deterioration in printing quality due to scratches on the surface. (4) A plurality of head cartridge replacement positions are provided, an elastic absorber such as a sponge is provided in the paper discharging means corresponding to the head cartridge replacement positions, and the head cartridge replacement positions are replaced at a predetermined cycle to reduce the contamination of the elastic absorber. Can be suppressed. (5) By forming the concave portion in the platen at the head cartridge exchange position, the head cartridge can be easily attached and detached and the face surface can be prevented from being damaged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

4A and 4B are views for explaining the outer appearance of a head cartridge mounted in a recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a rear view and FIG. 4B is a front view seen from an arrow 4B in FIG.
(C) And (d) is a side view seen from arrow 4C and arrow 4D of (a), respectively.

5A and 5B are front views of the carriage portion of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 5A shows a state before the head cartridge 7 is completely attached, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the head cartridge 7 is completely attached.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a carriage unit of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a contact portion and the like of a carriage portion of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

8A and 8B are explanatory views of the configuration of the main part of the head attachment / detachment mechanism of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a front view.

9A and 9B are views for explaining the configuration of the head fitting pin of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 9A and 9B are enlarged views of the fitting pin provided at different positions.

10A and 10B are views for explaining the assembled state of the tip portion of the flexible substrate of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, where FIG. 10A is a state in which the tip portion 562 is incorporated, and FIGS. It is explanatory drawing of a process.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a head and a paper discharge roller in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a recording apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of another recording apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

16A and 16B are schematic diagrams for explaining the positional relationship between a conventional head and a carriage. FIG. 16A shows a case where the head is mounted on the carriage to move, and FIG. 16B shows a case where only the head slides. is there.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Device 2 Paper Feeding Section 3 Paper Feeding Section 4 Paper Discharging Section 6 Cleaning Section 7 Head Cartridge 8 Chassis 9 Electric Board 15 Carriage Section 34 Platen 36 Conveying Roller 37 Pinch Roller 41 Discharging Roller 50 Carriage 51 Head Holder 52 Base Cover 53 Hook lever 54 Contact spring 55 Hook cover 56 Flexible board 57 Rubber pad 58 Paper interval adjusting unit 80 Carriage motor 81 Guide shaft 82 Guide rail 83 Timing belt 84 Idle pulley

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical indication location B41J 25/34 (72) Inventor Tan Attoming 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Masahiro Yaniguro 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Koichi Tanno 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaya Shinmachi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Invention Person Tetsuo Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching a recording means for ejecting ink to a recording medium to form an image at a predetermined position on a carriage on at least one exchange position set along a main scanning direction. A conveying means for conveying the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, a guide means for guiding the conveyed recording medium to a predetermined recording position facing the recording means, and an image formed by the recording means. A recording apparatus having a sheet discharging unit configured to discharge the formed recording medium, wherein the sheet discharging unit is formed with at least one recess in an area corresponding to a replacement position of the recording unit. apparatus. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper discharge unit is a roller, and the recess is provided on the circumference of the roller. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exchange position is within a print area of a recording medium. 4. The recording means has a front end surface having a step formed therein, and the height of the step is smaller than the depth of the recess formed in the paper discharging means corresponding to the paper discharging means. The recording apparatus according to claim 1. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide means is provided with a recess corresponding to the recess of the paper discharge means. 6. An attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching a recording means for ejecting ink to a recording medium to form an image at a predetermined position on a carriage on at least one exchange position set along a main scanning direction. A conveying means for conveying the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, a guide means for guiding the conveyed recording medium to a predetermined recording position facing the recording means, and an image formed by the recording means. A recording apparatus having a discharge unit for discharging the formed recording medium, wherein the discharge unit is provided with an elastic absorber in a region corresponding to a replacement position of the recording unit. . 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the paper discharge unit is formed of a roller, and the elastic absorber is provided on the circumference of the roller. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording means has a plurality of exchange positions, and a plurality of elastic absorbers are provided in regions corresponding to the exchange positions, and the exchange positions are exchanged at a predetermined cycle. 9. In the recording apparatus, the recording means includes an inkjet recording head that uses an electrothermal converter that causes film boiling of the ink, as means for generating energy for ejecting the ink. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is a head cartridge that is integrated with an ink tank that supplies ink to the ink tank. 10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is provided as an output unit.