JP3464082B2 - Ink jet printing and recording device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet type printer provided with a print head for ejecting ink onto a printing medium to perform printing, and a carriage for mounting the printing head and moving the carriage for printing on the printing medium. The present invention relates to a print recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a print recording apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile or a printer for a personal computer which records a dot pattern image on a printing medium such as paper based on the transferred print information. There is an ink jet type print head that performs printing by ejecting a small droplet of ink from an ejection port and adhering it to paper or the like as one type of print head that performs the above. Such an ink jet type print head is detachably mounted on a carriage which is moved for printing on a printing medium together with an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the print head, and the ink cartridge and the print head are exchanged if necessary. .

A mode in which a conventional ink jet print head unit and an ink cartridge are mounted on a carriage will be described with reference to an exploded perspective view of FIG. An ink jet print head unit 102 is mounted on a carriage 101, and an ink cartridge 103 is mounted on the head unit 102. Carriage 101
Is reciprocally driven by being guided by a carriage shaft of a printing and recording apparatus, and has a contact portion 10 for electrical connection with a head.
4 is provided, and a positioning protrusion (FIG. 1) provided on the front surface of the head unit 102 is provided.
Positioning hole 10 into which (not visible in 0) is fitted
6, a unit fixing claw 108 that is engaged with an engaging protrusion 107 provided at the rear end of the head unit 102, and
A cartridge fixing claw 110 that engages with the engaging recess 109 of the ink cartridge 103 is formed. The head unit 102 is provided with an ink flow path tube 111 for guiding ink to a print head portion provided on the front surface, a positioning hole 113 into which a positioning convex portion 112 provided on the front surface of the ink cartridge 103 is fitted, and the like. On the rear surface of the ink cartridge 103, a claw 114 serving as a handle for removing the ink cartridge 103 is provided. In addition, a seal rubber 115 is provided around the ink flow path tube 111 of the head unit 102 so as to hermetically seal the joint portions of the two when the ink cartridge 103 is mounted.

FIG. 11 shows how to detach the ink cartridge 103 having the above-described structure from the carriage 101.
Describing with reference to (a) and (b), the cartridge fixing claw 11 of the carriage 101 in the mounted state of (a).
0 is engaged with the engaging recess 109 of the ink cartridge 103 and both are locked, and in this state, a finger is pushed up against the detaching claw 114 of the ink cartridge 103 to push it up to fix the engaging recess 109 and the cartridge. The lock with the claw 110 is released, and the ink cartridge 103 can be removed, resulting in the state of (b).

Further, the procedure for attaching / detaching the head unit 102 to / from the carriage 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. In the mounted state of (a), the unit fixing claw 108 of the carriage 101 has the engaging projection 107 of the head unit 102. Both are locked by being engaged with, and the unit fixing claw 108 is pushed rearward from this state to release the lock, and the head unit 102 is removed from the rear end portion as shown in (b). When mounting, the positioning projection on the front surface of the head unit 102 is first fitted into the positioning hole 106 of the carriage 101. Also, the head unit 1
When 02 is mounted on the carriage 101 at a proper position, a cap is put on (capping) in order to prevent the print head of the head unit 102 from drying when the apparatus is not used.

[0006]

However, in the conventional ink jet print recording apparatus as described above, the user can easily detach the head unit 102 and the ink cartridge 103 from the carriage 101, and thus carelessly. In some cases, these may be left unattached, in which case the head unit 10
There is a problem in that the joint portion of the second ink cartridge 103 and the like are dried and the residual ink in the ink flow path tube 111 and the like is solidified and the flow path is clogged. Further, when the print head unit is removed from the carriage, the capping operation is not performed, so that the ink in the nozzle portion of the print head is dried and solidified, which causes a problem of ejection failure.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the removal of the print head unit and the ink cartridge must be made possible by the replacement of those equivalent to those for replacement. There is no need to leave them unprepared, and the joint with the ink cartridge of the print head unit,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet type print recording apparatus which prevents the nozzle portion and the like from being dried and clogging the flow path.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet type printing recording apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is
A print head unit including an ink jet type print head that ejects ink to a print medium to print, an ink cartridge that supplies ink to the print head, and a print head unit and the ink cartridge are mounted to print on the print medium. In an ink jet type print recording apparatus provided with a carriage for moving the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge and the carriage or the print head unit are provided with a lock mechanism that engages with each other when the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, and further, The cartridge is provided with a lock release member for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism and removing the ink cartridge from the carriage, and using the lock release member of another equivalent ink cartridge prepared for replacement, Unlock the lock mechanism It is obtained by obtaining manner.

In the above structure, when the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, it is locked by the lock mechanism and the ink cartridge is provided with the unlocking member. However, this member alone should be operated to unlock. Instead, it can only be unlocked by using the unlocking member of another equivalent ink cartridge provided for replacement. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge in the mounted state from being unintentionally removed and left unattended while the user has not prepared another equivalent ink cartridge for replacement.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet print recording apparatus, which includes a print head unit including an ink jet print head for ejecting ink onto a printing medium to perform printing, and an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the print head. And a carriage for mounting a print head unit and an ink cartridge and moving the print head unit for printing on an object to be printed, in which the print head unit is mounted on the carriage. A lock mechanism is provided that engages each other when the print head unit is
A lock release member is provided for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism and removing the print head unit from the carriage, and the lock release member of another equivalent print head unit prepared for replacement is used. It is designed so that the lock of can be unlocked.

In the above structure, when the print head unit is mounted on the carriage, the lock mechanism locks the print head unit, and the print head unit is provided with the unlock member. However, this member alone is operated to unlock the print head unit. This is impractical and can only be unlocked using another equivalent printhead unit unlocking member provided for replacement. This will, like the above,
It is possible to prevent careless removal and leaving of the mounted print head unit without the user preparing another equivalent print head unit for replacement.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet print recording apparatus in which an ink jet print head for ejecting ink onto a printing medium for printing and an ink cartridge for holding the ink are integrated. In an ink jet type print recording apparatus provided with a cartridge and a carriage for mounting the integrated cartridge and moving it for printing on an object to be printed, the integrated cartridge and the carriage have the integrated cartridge mounted on the carriage. Sometimes a locking mechanism is provided that engages each other,
Furthermore, the integrated cartridge is provided with a lock release member for unlocking the lock mechanism and removing the integrated cartridge from the carriage, and the lock of another equivalent integrated cartridge prepared for replacement. The unlocking member is used to unlock the lock mechanism.

In the above construction, when the integrated cartridge is mounted on the carriage, it is locked by the lock mechanism, and the integrated cartridge is provided with the unlocking member. However, this member alone is operated to unlock. This is impractical and can only be unlocked by using the unlocking member of another equivalent integrated cartridge provided for replacement. This will, like the above,
It is possible to prevent the integrated cartridge in the mounted state from being unintentionally removed and left unattended while the user has not prepared another equivalent integrated cartridge for replacement.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment in which an ink jet type print recording apparatus according to the present invention is embodied as an ink jet printer will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer. In FIG. 1, a manual feed unit 3 is provided in a front portion of a main body frame 2 of an inkjet printer 1, and an ink jet type of an inkjet type described later is provided on an upper portion of the main body frame 2 behind the manual feed unit 3. A carriage 9 on which the print head 10 is mounted and a sub-frame 4 including a purging device 18 and the like are mounted. A paper feed cassette 5 for storing a plurality of printing papers is detachably attached to the upper rear part of the sub-frame 4, and a paper discharge tray (not shown) for discharging the paper after printing is provided in the paper feed cassette 5 It is attached to the front side opposite to.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the sub-frame 4, the print head 10 built in the sub-frame 4, the purging device 18, the paper feeding mechanism 19 and the like. In FIG. 2, a cylindrical platen roller 6 is arranged behind the sub-frame 4 inside. The platen roller 6 conveys the print paper supplied from the paper feed cassette 5 or the manual paper feed unit 3 while facing the print head 10, and forms a part of the paper feed mechanism 19. A pressure roller 8 is provided above the platen roller 6 to bring the printing paper into close contact with the platen roller 6. The platen roller 6 is driven via a platen gear 7 by a paper feed motor (not shown). The platen gear 7 includes one sheet of printing paper from the paper feeding cassette 5,
The drive is also transmitted to a sheet feeding gear train for feeding the platen roller 6.

Further, a carriage 9 is provided in front of the platen roller 6. The carriage 9 has a print head 10 mounted thereon and is movable along a carriage shaft 11 provided in parallel with the platen roller 6. The carriage 9 is driven by a carriage motor 12 via a belt 13. A purge device 18 is provided on the side of the platen roller 6. Since the ink jet type print head 10 may cause ejection failure due to the generation of air bubbles inside or the deposition of ink droplets on the ejection surface during its use, this is solved and good ejection is achieved. There is a purging device 18 to restore the condition. The purging device 18 is provided with a cap 15 at its tip, and when the print head 10 is covered with the cap 15, a negative pressure is generated by a pump to suck the defective ink inside the print head 10. The print head 10 is recovered. The print head 10 is provided integrally with the head unit 20, and an ink cartridge 22 that supplies ink to the print head 10 is detachably mounted on the carriage 9 together with the head unit 20.

Next, the head unit 2 of the print head 10
No. 0 and the ink cartridge 22 are mounted on the carriage 9 and a method of attaching and detaching them will be described.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing their mounting structure according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view for explaining the attaching / detaching method. The inkjet print head unit 20 is positioned and mounted on the carriage 9, and further,
The ink cartridge 22 is positioned and mounted on the head unit 20.

The carriage 9 is provided with a through hole 9a through which the carriage shaft 11 is inserted, a head substrate 9c having a contact portion 9b for electrical connection with the print head 10, and a front surface of the head unit 20. A positioning hole 9d into which a positioning protrusion (not visible in FIG. 3) is fitted, a unit fixing claw 9e engaged with an engaging projection 20a provided at the rear end of the head unit 20, and A cartridge fixing claw 9f that engages with an engaging recess 22a provided on the back surface of the ink cartridge 22 is formed. The cartridge fixing claw 9f is made of a resin material or the like and has a spring property. The cartridge fixing claw 9f and the engaging concave portion 22a form the ink cartridge 22.
The lock mechanism 25 is configured to engage with each other when mounted on the carriage 9.

The head unit 20 has an ink passage tube 20 for guiding ink to the print head portion 10 provided on the front surface.
b, the filter 20c, the seal rubber 20d for air-tightening the joint portions of the ink cartridge 22 when the ink cartridge 22 is mounted, and the positioning hole 20 into which the positioning protrusion 22b provided at the lower end of the front surface of the ink cartridge 22 is fitted.
e, etc. are provided. In addition, the ink cartridge 22
Is a projection 22c (unlocking member) for taking out the ink cartridge 22 from the carriage 9 by unlocking the lock mechanism 25 at the upper end of the front surface thereof.
Is provided, and the conventional detaching claw 114 shown in FIG. 10 is eliminated. The ink cartridge 22 contains a porous material impregnated with ink. The head substrate 9c of the carriage 9 and the print head 1 of the print head unit 20 mounted on the head substrate 9c.
0 is electrically connected by a flexible cable (FPC) 27. Further, the print head 10 can be configured by using a piezoelectric element or the like as a drive source.
The ink may be ejected by generating pressure by heat, vibration, or the like.

In the above structure, when the ink cartridge 22 is mounted on the carriage 9, the ink cartridge 22 has the cartridge fixing claw 9f and the engaging recess 22.
When a and a are engaged, the lock mechanism 25 operates and the lock state is established. At this time, the take-out convex portion 22c is configured so as not to interfere with the head unit 20 by the escape portion 20f provided on the head unit 20 side. When the ink in the ink cartridge 22 becomes empty, etc., when removing the ink, as shown in FIG.
Another equivalent new ink cartridge for replacement 2
2 is prepared, and by inserting the take-out convex portion 22c between the back surface of the mounted ink cartridge 22 and the cartridge fixing claw 9f and twisting the same, the fixing claw 9f of the ink cartridge 22 is removed. The lock mechanism 25 can be unlocked by pushing the ink cartridge 22 toward the back surface, and the ink cartridge 22 can be removed.

According to this embodiment, the ink cartridge 2
When 2 is mounted on the carriage 9, the cartridge fixing claw 9f cannot be operated with fingers, and the replacement ink cartridge 22 serves as a jig for replacing a used product. In addition, the mounted ink cartridge 22 will not be easily removed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge 22 from being carelessly removed and left unattended, and the ink in the joint portion or the like with the print head unit 20 is hardened to cause a problem.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a mounting mode and a mounting / removing method of an ink cartridge on a carriage according to the second embodiment, and FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are an exploded perspective view and a partially enlarged view thereof. . In this embodiment, the carriage 9 is provided with a cartridge fixing rotation claw 9g (hereinafter referred to as a rotation claw) so as to be rotatable, and an ink cartridge 22 is provided with an engagement pin 22d. A lock mechanism 25 is configured to engage with each other when the cartridge 22 is mounted on the carriage 9. Further, a triangular hole 9h is provided on the front surface of the shaft portion of the rotating claw 9g, and a triangular hole 9h that can be fitted into the triangular hole 9h of the rotating claw 9g is provided on the upper end of the front surface of the ink cartridge 22. Convex portion 22e
(Lock release member) is provided. This triangular convex part 2
By inserting 2e into the triangular hole 9h and rotating it, the rotating claw 9g can be rotated.
The engagement with 2d can be released. Other than that, the configuration of the positioning convex portion 22b and the like is similar to that of the first embodiment.

In the structure of the second embodiment, in order to remove the ink cartridge 22 which is mounted on the carriage 9 and which is locked by the lock mechanism 25, another triangular protrusion of an equivalent ink cartridge 22 prepared for replacement is removed. By inserting the portion 22e into the triangular hole 9h of the ink cartridge 22 in the locked state and turning it, the engagement between the turning claw 9g and the engaging pin 22d can be released, that is, the locking mechanism 25 Can be unlocked,
The ink cartridge 22 can be removed from the carriage 9. The replacement ink cartridge 22
When installing, remove the ink cartridge 22
The rotating claw 9g is retracted from the lock position by using the triangular convex portion 22e, and then the replacement ink cartridge is mounted.
The rotating claw 9g is preferably biased by a spring spring or the like so that the locked state can be maintained. Even in the configuration of this embodiment, the same operational effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

As a modification of the method of mounting the replacement ink cartridge according to the second embodiment, a sloping surface is formed on the rotating claw 9g, and this sloping surface is used as the replacement ink cartridge 22.
By pushing with the engaging pin 22d on the side, the rotating claw 9g can be retracted from the lock position, and the mounting operation can be simplified. However, in this case, the biasing by the spring spring or the like is essential.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a mounting form and a mounting / removing method of the print head unit according to the third embodiment on the carriage, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing the structure of the print head unit. The third embodiment applies a lock mechanism and a lock release member to the print head unit, and is basically the same as the case of the ink cartridge of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The print head unit 20 is the carriage 9
A print head unit fixing claw 9i (hereinafter, referred to as a fixing claw) having a spring property is provided on the carriage 9, which is positioned and mounted on the top (the ink cartridge is not shown), and on the back surface of the print head unit 20. , Engaging projection 2
0 g is provided, and these constitute a locking mechanism 35 that engages with each other when the print head unit 20 is mounted on the carriage 9. Furthermore, the print head unit 2
0 is provided with a take-out convex portion 20h (lock releasing member) for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism 35 to remove the print head unit 20 from the carriage 9, and a front lower end of the 0. A protrusion 20 i for positioning with respect to the carriage 9 is provided.

In the state where the print head unit 20 is mounted on the carriage 9, the print head unit 20 is brought into a locked state by engaging the fixed claw 9i and the engaging convex portion 20g and operating the lock mechanism 35. At that time, the protrusion 20 for taking out
h is positioned so as to cover the upper part of the lock mechanism 35, and
The positioning protrusion 20i is inserted into a positioning hole 9j provided in the carriage 9.

When the print head unit 20 is removed for replacement or the like, as shown in FIG. 7, another equivalent new print head unit 20 for replacement is used.
Is prepared, and the protruding projection 20h is inserted between the back surface of the mounted print head unit 20 and the fixed claw 9i so that the fixed claw 9i can be twisted, thereby fixing the fixed claw 9i to the rear surface of the print head unit 20. The lock of the lock mechanism 35 can be released by pushing and expanding, and the print head unit 20 can be removed.

According to this embodiment, the print head unit 2
When 0 is mounted on the carriage 9, the protruding projection 20h covers the fixed claw 9i, so that it cannot be operated by fingers, and the replacement print head unit 20
It is possible to prevent the print head unit 20 in the mounted state from being easily removed without preparing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print head unit 20 from being inadvertently removed and left unattended, and the ink in the nozzle portion of the print head portion 10 or the like is hardened to cause a problem. As a modification of the third embodiment, the lock mechanism of the print head unit 20 may employ the structure of the rotating claw according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a mounting mode and a mounting / removing method of an integrated cartridge in which a print head according to the fourth embodiment and an ink cartridge holding the ink are integrated. An engaging convex portion 40a is provided on the back surface of the integrated cartridge 40, and an ejecting convex portion 40b (lock releasing member) is provided on the upper end portion of the rear surface. The carriage 9 is provided with a cartridge fixing claw 9f. When the cartridge 40 is mounted, the fixed claw 9f and the engaging convex portion 40a engage with each other, and these constitute the lock mechanism 45.

In this structure, the integrated cartridge 4
When removing this for replacement of 0 or the like, as shown in FIG. 9, another equivalent new integrated cartridge 40 is prepared for replacement, and the projection 40b for taking it out is mounted. Back of the integrated cartridge 40 and the fixing claw 9
By inserting it between f and twisting it,
Similar to the embodiment, the lock mechanism 45 can be unlocked and the integrated cartridge 40 can be removed. In this embodiment, the ink is prevented from being dried and solidified in the nozzle portion due to the capping operation not performed because the integrated cartridge is accidentally removed and left.

[0033]

As described above, according to the ink jet type print recording apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the lock mechanism is provided which engages with each other when the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, and the ink cartridge is provided in the ink cartridge. Since a lock release member for removing the ink from the carriage is provided and the lock release member of another equivalent ink cartridge prepared for replacement can be used to release the lock of the lock mechanism, It is possible to prevent the ink cartridge from being easily removed and left unattended, so that the joint portion of the print head with the cartridge is not dried and the ink is not solidified and the flow path is not clogged. According to the ink jet type print recording apparatus of the second aspect of the invention, the print head unit is prevented from being unintentionally removed and left as is the case with the ink cartridge of the first aspect. It is possible to prevent the ink from drying and solidifying at the nozzle of the print head. Further, according to the ink jet print recording apparatus of the invention of claim 3, the integrated cartridge is not accidentally removed and left as is the case with the print head unit of claim 2. , The same effect can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sub-frame of the printer, a print head incorporated therein, and the like.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure of an ink cartridge or the like on a carriage according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of attaching and detaching an ink cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a mounting form and an attaching / detaching method of an ink cartridge on a carriage according to a second embodiment.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are an exploded perspective view and a partially enlarged view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a mounting form and a mounting / demounting method of a print head unit on a carriage according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a configuration of a print head unit according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a mounting form and a mounting / removing method of a one-piece type cartridge according to a fourth embodiment on a carriage.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a form in which a conventional ink jet print head unit and an ink cartridge are mounted on a carriage.

11 (a) and 11 (b) are diagrams showing a procedure for attaching / detaching a conventional ink cartridge to / from a carriage.

12 (a) and 12 (b) are views showing a procedure for attaching / detaching a conventional head unit to / from a carriage.

[Explanation of symbols]

9 carriage 9f Cartridge fixing claw Rotating claw for fixing 9g cartridge 9i Print head unit fixing claw 10 print head 20 head units 20g engagement protrusion 20h Take-out projection (lock release member) 22 ink cartridges 22a Engagement recess 22c Convex part for taking out (lock release member) 22d Engagement pin 22e Triangular convex part (lock release member) 25,35,45 lock mechanism 40 integrated cartridge 40b Take-out projection (lock release member)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A print head unit including an ink jet print head for ejecting ink onto a printing medium for printing, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the print head, and the print head unit and the ink cartridge mounted. In the ink jet type print recording apparatus including a carriage that is moved for printing on a printing medium, the ink cartridge and the carriage or the print head unit are interlocked with each other when the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage. A lock mechanism for mating is provided, and further, the ink cartridge is provided with a lock release member for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism and removing the ink cartridge from the carriage, and is prepared for replacement. Another equivalent ink cartridge Of using a lock release member, the ink jet print recording apparatus characterized by the the like can unlock the lock mechanism. 2. A print head unit including an ink jet print head for ejecting and printing ink on a printing medium, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the print head, and the print head unit and the ink cartridge mounted. And a carriage which is moved for printing on a printing medium, the carriage and the print head unit are engaged with each other when the print head unit is mounted on the carriage. A lock mechanism is provided, and further, the print head unit is provided with a lock release member for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism and removing the print head unit from the carriage, and is prepared for replacement. Using the unlock member of another equivalent print head unit Ink jet print recording apparatus characterized in that as may unlock the locking mechanism. 3. An integrated type cartridge in which an ink jet type print head for ejecting and printing ink on an object to be printed and an ink cartridge for holding the ink are integrated, and the integrated type cartridge is mounted to perform printing. In an ink jet type print recording apparatus including a carriage that is moved for printing on a body, the integral cartridge and the carriage are provided with a lock mechanism that engages each other when the integral cartridge is mounted on the carriage. Further, the integrated cartridge is provided with a lock release member for unlocking the lock mechanism and removing the integrated cartridge from the carriage, and another equivalent cartridge prepared for replacement is provided. Unlock the lock mechanism using the lock release member of the integrated cartridge of Ink jet print recording apparatus characterized by the obtaining manner.