JPH0885243A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a recording device of an electronic apparatus whose record head unit and/or an ink cartridge can be exchanged, which is inexpensive and can be brought into an exchange mode easily. CONSTITUTION: In a recording device 4 of an electronic apparatus 100 having a keyboard 1 and a storable member (display unit 2) which can be changed to a storing state, displacement detection means 5, 6 of the storable member and a means 1B for outputting a signal to allow exchange of a member which is pertinent to recording only when the storing state is detected are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to a recording apparatus in which a recording head unit and / or a cartridge type ink tank (ink cartridge) can be replaced only when the apparatus is housed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an electronic apparatus including a recording device capable of recording at least input data and information together with a key input device such as a word processor and a personal computer. For example, the recording device includes a recording head unit and a recording head unit. In the case where an ink jet system that allows replacement of the ink cartridge is adopted, the above replacement is generally performed only when the electronic device is housed.

Particularly, in the case of a serial type ink jet recording apparatus in which a recording head unit and / or an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage and ink is ejected during the reciprocating movement of the carriage to perform recording, the area around the ink ejection port of the recording head is dried. In order to prevent ink non-ejection caused by this, recovery means including a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface when not in use is provided.In the stored state, the carriage is guided to, for example, the home position, where the recording head On the other hand, the cap means is covered.

In addition, in this type of recording apparatus, a display unit is generally provided that can be folded up and down so that it can be folded when it is stored, and the display unit is provided on one surface of the lid that can be opened and closed. There are many commercially available products in which the lid or the display unit is kept in the raised state so that the data or information output to the display unit can be visually recognized and key input can be performed. Furthermore, in such a device, a recording device (hereinafter, referred to as a recording unit) is covered with a lid (hereinafter, referred to as a printer protection cover) that is a separate body from a lid of an electronic device, and such a recording unit includes a key input and a display unit. In order to avoid any hindrance to the visual recognition operation of the electronic device, the electronic device is arranged at a position behind the display and the lid when the electronic device is used by key input.

Therefore, in such a recording unit, when the recording head unit and / or the ink cartridge is to be replaced, the replacement operation is difficult unless at least the cap member is separated from the recording head. Also, since it is difficult to open the printer protective cover in the use position with the lid or display part raised, in the conventional case, first, the cover or display part is tilted down to the storage position, and then a special replacement mode is provided. The keys are operated to release the recording head from the cap member and move the carriage to guide it to the replacement position.

[0006]

However, it is expensive to provide a special dedicated exchange mode key for the exchange as described above. It is also possible to provide a function according to the above-mentioned mode by a combination operation of keys on the keyboard, but in this case, if the display or the lid is overlaid on the keyboard, the key operation is generally impossible. Therefore, before putting the lid or display unit in the retracted posture,
The key operation by the above combination is required, and this combination must be remembered. Moreover, it is difficult to open the printer protective cover unless the lid or display is tilted to the storage posture after the key operation. The operation becomes troublesome.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is a recording apparatus capable of exchanging members related to recording such as a recording head unit and / or an ink cartridge, which is inexpensive and can be easily replaced. It is to provide a recording device that can be set to a mode.

[0008]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides an electronic device having a keyboard portion for input and a retractable member that can be tilted up and down and is displaceable in a storage posture. Displacement detecting means for detecting displacement of the storable member in a recording device which is arranged and is capable of recording data and the like input through the keyboard portion and in which a member relating to the recording can be exchanged freely And a means for outputting a signal permitting replacement of a member involved in the recording only when the storage attitude is detected by the displacement detecting means.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a signal for permitting replacement of a member related to recording, for example, a recording head unit and / or an ink cartridge, is output only when the displacement of the retractable member of the electronic device is detected by the displacement detecting means. The member related to recording can be made replaceable by a signal from the means for recording, and the replacement of the member related to recording is generally performed while the retractable member of the electronic device is displaced to the retracted posture. From the above, the pre-operation required at the time of replacement can automatically set the state of waiting for the permission signal output for carrying out the replacement.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail and specifically below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. Note that this example is an application example to a compact electronic device having a foldable display unit, and the keyboard unit is exposed even when the display unit is in a stored posture. In these figures, 1
Is a keyboard section having an array of function keys such as a return key 1B in addition to the data input key 1A, 2
Has a display unit 2A and is supported rotatably around the shaft 3, and the upper surface of the unit 4 has a printer protective cover 4A.
The recording unit is covered by.

In the electronic device 100 such as a small personal computer or a word processor having such a structure, the operator rotates the display unit 2 around the axis 3 from the stored state of the device 100 shown in FIG. It can be put into a use state by raising it to the state shown in FIG. Then, in such a use state, the data input key 1 on the keyboard unit 1
By pressing A etc., the text data etc.
00, and the input data and the like can be displayed on the display unit 2A. In addition, when you want to print the edited text of the input data, you can use the function keys or numeric keys to
These input sentences and images can be printed out on the recording sheet.

If, for example, an on-demand type ink jet recording apparatus is adopted for the recording unit 4, the recording unit 4 is reciprocally scanned for recording by a carriage (not shown) equipped with a recording head unit and / or an ink cartridge. Therefore, it is necessary to replace at least the ink cartridge when the ink is consumed. Further, as described above, the ink ejection surface of the recording head is capped when not in use, and the stop position of the recording head unit is also predetermined,
At the time of the above replacement, at least the ink cartridge needs to be kept at a stop position where it can be easily taken out.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ink cartridge or the like can be easily taken out from the recording unit 4 in association with the operation of pulling down the display unit 2 at the time of replacement as described above in which the print protection cover 4A needs to be opened. I made it a state. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 5 denotes an operating protrusion projecting outward from a supporting portion 2B supported by the shaft 3 of the display unit 2, 6 is provided in the case 100A of the device 100, and the operating protrusion 5 is provided. It is a micro switch that can be turned on and off by. In this example, the operating protrusion 5 keeps the micro switch 6 in the “ON” state in the display state of the display unit 2A (the use state of the device 100) as shown in FIG.

Further, in such an "ON" state of the micro switch 6, as shown in FIG. 4, the posture of the display unit 2 is, for example, the posture of 2-1 indicated by the display and the posture indicated by the broken line 2
It does not change until the posture becomes −2, and it changes to “OFF” between the posture 2-2 and the stored posture 2-3 shown by the chain double-dashed line. That is, the operating piece 6A involved in turning on / off the micro switch 6 is operated by the operating protrusion 5 from the above-mentioned postures 2-1 to 2-2.
Functions to keep the contact state.

Therefore, the electronic device 10 thus configured
When it is necessary to replace, for example, the ink cartridge of the recording head incorporated in the recording unit 4 of 0,
Just by pulling down the display unit 2 from the posture 2-1 in the use state to the posture 2-3 in the stored state,
The microswitch 6 is set to the “off” state, and the enable state provided at the time of replacement is obtained.
As described above, by tilting the display unit 2, the same functional operation as the exchange mode input can be performed. Therefore, thereafter, by simply pressing the return key 1B on the keyboard 1, for example, an operation such as releasing the recording head from the cap state can be performed.

In the case of a device in which the return key 1B is covered by the storage operation due to the tilt of the display unit 2, a replacement operation key may be provided separately on the exposed part of the device, but in addition, for example, Printer protection cover 4
It is also possible to configure so that the above-mentioned releasing operation is interlocked with the lid closing operation of A.

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device 100 in which the keyboard unit 1 is exposed in the storage posture of the display unit 2 has been described, but the display unit completely covers the keyboard unit in the storage posture. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a device that also serves as a lid that opens, or a device that can be opened and closed with respect to the device body separately from the keyboard part.

Furthermore, in addition to the raising / lowering operation of the display unit, it is also possible to obtain the unit replacement mode of the ink cartridge in the printer by the opening / closing operation of the printer protection cover 4A. Instead of the micro switch, a position detection sensor or the like capable of detecting the opening and closing of these may be provided. Furthermore, even in the case of microswitches, the above "on"
It is also possible to configure the state and the "off" state to be reversed, and as described above, the means for detecting the up and down of the lid and the display unit is a so-called cover switch for detecting the rest state of the device. It may be combined with. The point is that any configuration may be used as long as the enable state for exchange is obtained in conjunction with the pre-operation required at the time of exchange as described above.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, an electronic device having a keyboard portion for input and a retractable member that can be tilted up and down and is displaceable in a storage posture is provided. In a recording device capable of recording data or the like input via the keyboard portion and having a member for recording that can be exchanged freely, a displacement detecting means for detecting displacement of the storable member, Since there is provided means for outputting a signal permitting replacement of the member involved in the recording only when the storage attitude is detected by the displacement detecting means, a special key for the replacement mode or a complicated key combination is purposely provided. It is not necessary to set, and the exchange mode can be set in conjunction with the pre-operation required at the time of exchange, and it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that is inexpensive and easy to perform exchange operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an electronic device to which the present invention can be applied in a use state.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 and a storage posture.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the display unit raising / lowering mechanism of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention with a part thereof crushed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation by the display unit raising / lowering mechanism shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Keyboard part 1A Data input key 1B Return key 2 Display unit 2A Display part 3 Axis 4 Recording part 4A Printer protection cover 5 Operating protrusion 6 Micro switch 6A Operating piece 100 Electronic equipment

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An electronic device having a keyboard portion for input and a retractable member that can be tilted up and down and is displaceable in a storage posture, and stores data and the like input through the keyboard portion. In a recording apparatus capable of recording and in which a member involved in the recording can be exchanged freely, a displacement detecting means for detecting a displacement of the storable member, and a storage posture detected by the displacement detecting means. And a means for outputting a signal permitting replacement of a member relating to the recording only. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storable member is a display unit capable of displaying data input from the keyboard unit. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storable member functions as a lid member that covers the electronic device. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storable member functions as a lid member that is opened and closed when a member related to the recording is replaced. 5. The signal according to claim 1, wherein the signal permitting replacement of a member related to recording is a signal that makes a member related to recording changeable. Recording device. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording pause state is set when the storage attitude is detected by the displacement detecting means. 7. The member related to recording is a recording head unit and / or an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage for recording during scanning, and the member related to recording is replaced from the ink ejection surface of the recording head. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording member is allowed with the cap member sealed on the ink ejection surface being released. 8. The recording head unit according to claim 7, wherein the recording head unit has an electrothermal conversion element that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink, as an element that generates energy for ejecting ink. Recording device.