Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6022091?dq=7255627
Timestamp: 2014-12-18 16:51:08
Document Index: 609801565

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 1001', 'art 1001', 'art 2', 'arts 1001', 'art 1001', 'arts 1010', 'arts 1010', 'art 20', 'art 1030', 'arts 1100', 'arts 1100']

Patent US6022091 - Recording apparatus having an adjusting member for adjusting a guiding ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA carriage mechanism for carrying a recording head includes a carriage for carrying the recording head; a flexible cable for supplying a recording signal to the recording head; a head contact for establishing electric connection between the recording head and the carriage; a flexible cable pad on the...http://www.google.com/patents/US6022091?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6022091 - Recording apparatus having an adjusting member for adjusting a guiding member toward amd away from recording materialAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6022091 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/478,998Publication dateFeb 8, 2000Filing dateJun 7, 1995Priority dateDec 25, 1991Fee statusPaidAlso published asDE69227673D1, DE69227673T2, DE69232573D1, DE69232573T2, EP0553561A2, EP0553561A3, EP0553561B1, EP0873879A2, EP0873879A3, EP0873879B1, US6341844, US20020015076Publication number08478998, 478998, US 6022091 A, US 6022091A, US-A-6022091, US6022091 A, US6022091AInventorsYoshio Uchikata, Kou Hasegawa, Toshihide Wada, Tadashi Hanabusa, Tetsuyo Ohashi, Toshihiko Bekki, Masaharu IkadoOriginal AssigneeCanon Kabushiki KaishaExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (18), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (4), Classifications (23), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetRecording apparatus having an adjusting member for adjusting a guiding member toward amd away from recording materialUS 6022091 AAbstract A carriage mechanism for carrying a recording head includes a carriage for carrying the recording head; a flexible cable for supplying a recording signal to the recording head; a head contact for establishing electric connection between the recording head and the carriage; a flexible cable pad on the flexible cable for contact with the head contact; and a common positioning portion engageable with the recording head, the flexible cable, the head contact and the flexible cable pad to simultaneously positioning them.
What is claimed is: 1. A carriage mechanism comprising:a carriage for carrying a recording head for recording on a recording material; a guiding member for guiding said carriage in a predetermined direction and for movably supporting said carriage between one end and an opposite end of said guiding member; a supporting member for supporting an end portion of said guiding member, the end portion being at the one end of said guiding member; an adjusting member adjacent to the end portion of said guiding member for movement of said guiding member in a first direction toward and away from the recording material; a first elongated opening, formed in said supporting member, to be engaged with the end portion of said guiding member, said first elongated opening being elongated in the first direction; a fixing portion formed on said supporting member for fixing said adjusting member; a second elongated opening, formed in said adjusting member, to be engaged with the end portion of said guiding member, said second elongated opening being elongated in a second direction different from the first direction; means for permitting movement of said adjusting member in the first direction; and an elastic member, provided in said adjusting member, for urging the end portion of said guiding member toward the opposite end of said guiding member. 2. A carriage according to claim 1, wherein said guiding member comprises a screw shaft.
3. A carriage according to claim 1, wherein said recording head comprises an ink jet recording head having an ink jet outlet, said ink let recording head ejecting ink through said ink jet outlet.
4. A carriage according to claim 3, wherein said recording head comprises an electrothermal transducer for producing thermal energy to eject the ink.
5. A recording apparatus for effecting recording on a recording material using a recording head, comprising:a carriage for carrying the recording head for recording on a recording material; a guiding member for guiding said carriage in a predetermined direction and for movably supporting said carriage between one end and an opposite end of said guiding member; a supporting member for supporting an end portion of said guiding member, the end portion being at the one end of said guiding member; an adjusting member adjacent the end portion of said guiding member for movement of said guiding member in a first direction toward and away from the recording material; a first elongated opening, formed in said supporting member, to be engaged with the end portion of said guiding member, said first elongated opening being elongated in the first direction; a fixing portion formed on said supporting member for fixing said adjusting member; a second elongated opening, formed in said adjusting member, to be engaged with the end portion of said guiding member, said second elongated opening being elongated in a second direction different from the first direction; means for permitting movement of said adjusting member in the first direction; and an elastic member, provided in said adjusting member, for urging the end portion of said guiding member toward the opposite end of said guiding member. 6. A recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said guiding member comprises a screw shaft.
7. A recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the recording head comprises an ink jet recording head having an ink jet outlet, the ink jet recording head ejecting ink through the ink jet outlet.
8. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the recording head comprises an electrothermal transducer for producing thermal energy to eject the ink.
9. A recording apparatus for effecting recording on a recording material using a recording head, comprising:a carriage for carrying a recording head for recording on a recording material; a guiding member, having one end portion and an opposite end portion, for guiding said carriage in a predetermined direction and for movably supporting said carriage between said one end portion and said opposite end portion of said guiding member; and a supporting member for supporting said guiding member and for adjusting a gap between said carriage supported by said guiding member and the recording material, said supporting member having a first elongated opening extending in directions toward and away from the recording material, and a second elongated opening extending in a direction crossing with said first opening, and a fixing portion for fixing said first and second openings in an overlapping range for supporting said one end of said guiding member. 10. A recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said guiding member comprises a screw shaft.
11. A recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the recording head comprises an ink jet recording head having an ink jet outlet, the ink jet recording head ejecting ink through the ink jet outlet.
12. A recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the recording head comprises an electrothermal transducer for producing thermal energy to eject the ink.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/994,916 filed Dec. 22, 1992, now abandoned.
However, with this method, the rigidity of the overall flexible cable increases because of the influence of the flexible cables at the bent portion, with the result of reduction of the durability of the flexible cables, and therefore, the bending height "h" is required to be larger than when the overlaying structure is not used. Therefore, the space required by the flexible cable is not reduced. As shown in FIG. 45B, the inside flexible cable is locally bent at 1100'v, with the result of the reduction of the durability of the flexible cable against the bending.
(10) In a wiping mechanism of a recovery device in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, as shown in FIG. 46, a blade arm 161 supporting a blade 162 rotates about a pivot 161a to wipe the ejection side surface 160b of the recording head portion 160a of a cartridge 160. In order to completely remove the ink from the ejection side surface 160b, an entering amount a of the blade 162 relative to the ejection side surface 160b is within a certain range. However, in the conventional arrangement, the blade 162 moves arcuately and therefore, the entering amount a of the blade 162 to the ejection side surface 160b of the head is not constant. In order to completely remove the ink from the ejection side surface 160b, the positional relation between the ejection side surface 160b and the blade 162 has to be accurately controlled. This means that the required tolerance of the parts and the accuracy of assembling, is very high.
FIG. 29 illustrates the automatic sheet feeding mechanism in the first embodiment apparatus.
In FIG. 2, the pinch roller 3 is provided at the opposite ends molded bearings. It is supported by pinch roller springs 9 having ends bent into the bearings. The pinch roller spring 9 is supported so as to be rotatable about a shown shaft 9a using a pinch roller holder 10, to the pinch roller frame 11. The central portion of the shaft 9a of the pinch roller spring 9 is folded back in "U" shape to constitute a lever 9b.
The structure of operating means for changing the pressure of the pinch roller 8 by the pinch roller spring 9 is such that a slidable release angle 12 is overlaid on the pinch roller frame 11, the pinch roller spring 9 is raised by operating the angle to produce twist in the shaft 9a. The pinch roller 8 is pushed to the feeding roller 3 by the repelling force. By removing the twist, the pressing force is released.
In the state of FIG. 3, the shaft is twisted (elastic deformation) by the lever 9b being urged by the cam 12a of the release angle 12, in the state of FIG. 3. When the release angle 12 is slid in the direction of an arrow in FIG. 3, the state of FIG. 2 is established, so that the cam 12a lowers to lower the lever of the pinch roller 8. Then, the shaft 9a restores to remove the twist, and therefore, the pressing force of the pinch roller 8 to the conveying roller 4 decreases.
The lead screw gear 257 side end surface of the clutch gear 259 is provided with a flange 267. On the flange 267, trigger teeth 259a are formed to supply the control gear 102 with a rotation trigger.
On a side of the portion where the gear is cut-away, a side gear 102h is formed. The side gear 102h is engaged with the trigger tooth 259a of the clutch gear 259 through operation which will be described hereinafter so as to give a rotational trigger to the control gear 102.
With further rotation of the carriage motor 255 in the backward direction, the trigger tooth 259a of the clutch gear 259 in engaged with the side gear 102h of the control gear 102, as shown in FIG. 9, thus rotating the control gear 102 to permit the teeth of the control gear 102 to be engaged with the clutch gear 259.
In FIG. 10, the blade 104 functions to wipe the ejection side surface of the recording head 200 to clean the ink ejection side surface. The blade 104 is made of HNBR or urethane rubber or the like. It is mounted by sliding insertion of an end into a blade mounting groove 105a of the blade slider 105. As shown in FIG. 12, the blade mounting groove 105a is provided with a projection 105b having an acute angle edge to prevent release of the blade. Therefore, even if force is applied tending to pull out the blade 104 during the wiping operation, it is not pulled out because of the projection 105b.
The blade slider 105 is provided with a through hole 105c to be movable along a sliding shaft 106 parallel to the ejection side surface of the recording head. Because of the reciprocal motion along the slide shaft 106, the entering distance of the blade 104 to the recording head 200 is always constant irrespective of the position on the ejection side surface, and the ejection side surface is uniformly wiped.
The blade link 105 rotates to the position of FIG. 13C. As the rotation continues, the spring hook 107b of the blade link 107 starts to rotate the blade stopper 109 in the direction D. When the blade link 107 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 13D, the blade stopper 109 is engaged from the spring hook 107b of the blade link 107, and rotates in the direction E. However, the rotation thereof is stopped by the blocking plate 230, and therefore, rotates to the position of FIG. 13E, and the blade stopper 109 stops.
Reference numeral 111 designates a carriage stopper which is effective to prevent the carriage 203 from entering the recording range by vibration or impact thereto. The carriage stopper 110 is normally urged in a direction of an arrow G in FIG. 10 by a carriage hook spring 112. During the recording operation, it is retracted from the carriage hook 231 by a projection 102c of the control gear 102.
The operation will be described. When the lead pin 209 of the carrier 203 enters the idle groove 264, and the control gear 102 starts to rotate, the projection 102c of the control gear 102 becomes away from the carrier stopper 111. The carrier stopper 111 then rotates in the direction G in FIG. 10 to be engaged with the carrier hook 231. Therefore, in the rest state not performing the recording operation, the carriage stopper 111 is engaged with the carriage hook 231 to prevent the carriage 203 from moving to the recording position.
In FIG. 11, reference numeral 113 designates a cylinder which comprises a cylindrical portion 113a, a guide (not shown) for guiding a plunger 115 which will be described. It is partly cut-away in the axial direction to provide an ink path. A cap lever receptor 113b is formed to receive and engage with the cap lever seal which will be described hereinafter. An ink input port 113c opens at a predetermined position. An ink discharge pipe 113d is integrally formed, and the end thereof is inserted into the discharge ink absorbing material. Designated by a reference numeral 113e is a parallel pin for opening and closing the cap. When the parallel pin 113e is pushed by the cap moving cam 102a of the control gear 102, the cylinder 113 rotates to move the cap 101 to and away from the ejection side surface of the recording head 200.
Referring to FIG. 14, the description will be made as to a relation between the cap moving cam 102s of the control gear 102 and the cap movement.
The cap moving cam 102a is provided with a switching sheet 102d, by which the cap moving operation can be switched by switching the rotational direction of the carriage motor 255.
In this embodiment, as will be described hereinafter, the ink is preliminary ejected into the cap 101, and therefore, the ink accommodated in the cap 101 during the recording operation is required to be drawn into the cylinder 113, before the capping action after the carriage 203 comes into the recovery means range.
When the control gear 102 starts to rotate by the backward rotation of the carriage motor 255, the parallel pin 113e inserted into the cylinder 113 first passes by the cam 102e surface. In the Figure, the cap 101 is more open if the cam surface is closer to the center of the control gear 102. Therefore, in this case, the ink-drawing operation is possible while the cap 101 is opened (preliminary ejection drawing). Then, the control gear 102 stops, and the ink-drawing operation is completed. When it starts to rotate in the forward direction, parallel pin 113e passes by the cam surface 102f, and the cap 101 is closed first after the start of the control gear 102 rotation. Normally, the system is at rest with the cap in the closed position.
However, when the ink-drawing operation is to be started, the carriage motor 255 rotates in the backward direction, and therefore, the control gear 102 rotates in the opposite direction from the direction H. In this case, the parallel pin 113e is contacted to the cam surface 102f, and therefore, the ink-drawing operation is carried out with the cap 101 being closed.
By the provision of the switching sheet 102d, two ink-drawing operations, namely the normal ink-drawing operation and the preliminary ejection ink-drawing operation are accomplished by a single control gear.
During the recording operation, the parallel pin 113e is in a cut-away portion 102g formed in the cam, so that the control gear 102 is prevented from rotating by the friction force provided by the cap spring 114. If the control gear 102 rotates during the recording operation, the recovery operation begins at the wrong time, thus disturbing the normal recording operation.
The plunger 115 is provided with an operating shaft 115a, a piston receptor 115b, a piston confining member 115c and a pump seal confining member 115d. A groove 115e functioning as an ink passage is formed continuing from the operating shaft 115a. A part of the groove is partly in a guiding portion (not shown) of the cylinder 113 to stop rotation of the plunger 115. The operating shaft 115a has a lead groove 115f for controlling reciprocal motion of the plunger 115. An unshown projection formed in the inside of the stroke gear 103 is engaged with the lead groove 115b. Therefore, when the stroke gear 103 is rotated in one direction by a reverse drive of the carriage motor 255, the plunger 115 moves in a direction indicated by an arrow I in FIG. 11. When the stroke gear 103 is rotated in the other direction by the forward drive of the carriage motor 255, the plunger 115 is moved in the direction indicated by an arrow J in FIG. 11.
To the plunger 115, a piston 116 made of rubber material such as NBR or the like is mounted. The outer diameter of the piston 116 is larger than the inside diameter of the cylinder 113 by a predetermined amount. When the piston 116 is inserted into the cylinder 113, it is properly compressed. When the plunger 115 is moved in the direction I in FIG. 11, a vacuum is produced to draw the ink from the recording head 200. When it is moved in a direction J, the drawn-out ink is discharged to the discharge ink absorbing material through the discharge ink pipe 113d.
To the plunger 115, a pump seal 117 is mounted. The pump seal 117 is made of rubber material such as silicone rubber or LBR rubber or the like.
The inside diameter thereof is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the plunger 115 so that a predetermined pressure can be provided therebetween. It is reciprocable in the cylinder 113 by being pushed by a pump seal confining member 115d and the piston receptor 115b of the plunger 115. The sliding force between the cylinder 113 and the plunger 115 may be reduced by application of lubricant painted on the surface. In order to prevent use of grease in the cylinder, a self lubricating rubber may be used.
In FIG. 11, reference numeral 118 designates a cap lever. An ink guide (not shown) is urged to a cap lever seal 119, and the other rotational shaft 118a is mounted by snap fitting into a hole 113f of the cylinder 113. The cap lever 118 is rotatable. To the cap lever seal 119, the ink guide of the cap lever 118 is press-fitted, and is further press-fitting into a cap lever receptor 113b of the cylinder 113.
A cap 101 is in the form of a ring having a generally triangular cross-section and is an elastic member made of chlorinated butyl rubber. It is mounted to the cap mounting portion 118b of the cap lever 118. The mounting method is, as shown in FIG. 15, such that the elasticity of the rubber is advantageously used. The cap 101 is expanded and mounted to the cap lever mounting portion 118b having an inclined surface corresponding to the generally triangular cross-section. Once the cap 101 is mounted, it is not disengaged in the normal operation.
FIG. 16 is a timing chart of the operation of the recovery means by the driving force of the carriage motor 225. As shown in this Figure, the point of time, at which the control gear 102 starts to rotate after the trigger tooth 259a of the clutch gear 259 is engaged with the control gear after the carriage 203 enters the recovery means range, is used as 0 pulse point of the carriage motor 255.
In order that the preliminary ejection ink-drawing is possible by the use of the switching sheet 102d, as described hereinbefore, if the recovery operation is started by the reverse rotation of the carriage motor 255, the plunger 115 is moved while the cap 101 is open.
FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along a line a in FIG. 17 illustrating connection between the carriage 203 and the recording head 200. FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating the process. In the Figures, reference numeral 225 designates positioning pins engageable with corresponding holes of a recording head on the carriage 203 to accurately position the recording head 200 in a direction a and a direction b in FIG. 20; 226 designates a stopper fixed on the carriage 203 to stop the recording head 200 urged in a direction a in FIG. 19; 211 is a flexible cable for electrically connecting the recording head 200 and the main assembly of the recording apparatus; 211a, a positioning hole in a flexible cable 211; 211b, a positioning hole in the flexible cable 211; and 212, a flexible cable pad elastically supporting the flexible cable 211 and sandwiched between the flexible cable 211 and the carriage 203. In addition, reference numeral 212a designates a positioning hole in the flexible cable pad 212; 212b, a positioning hole in the flexible cable pad 212; 212c, an ink barrier for preventing ink entrance to the contact position; 222, a head contact portion electrically connected with the heater in the recording head of the recording head 200; 227a, a positioning hole in the head contact 227; 227b, a positioning hole in the head contact portion 227; and 227b, a stopper abutment for abutment with the end surface of the stopper 226.
The carriage 203, the flexible cable pad 212, the flexible cable 211, the head contact portion 227 and the head cartridge 203 are required to be correctly positioned relative to each other in order to assure the electric connection and the high print quality. In order to accomplish this, the following structure is used. One of the positioning pins 225a commonly engages with the positioning hole 212a, the positioning hole 211a with positioning hole 227a, the other positioning pin 225b commonly engages with the positioning hole 212b, and the positioning hole 211b with the positioning hole 227b, by which positioning in the directions a and b in FIG. 20 is accomplished. In addition, by urging in the direction a in FIG. 19 until the end surface of the stopper 226 abuts the stopper abutment portion 227c of the head contact 227, the position, in the direction c of the recording head 200 can be correctly determined.
FIGS. 48 and 49 are perspective views of the recording head cartridge and the carriage in this embodiment. As shown in the Figures, there is provided a carriage A102 for supporting and scanningly moving the recording head A1 and the ink container A2. The recording head A1 is locked or released by a head lever A106. The ink container A2 is mounted or dismounted by an ink container lever A107. Designated by a reference A117 is a head holder for urging the recording head A1. Between a shaft A117a and the shaft A102a of the carriage, a head urging spring A108 is stretched. The urging force of the head urging spring A108 is transmitted to a pressure receiving portion A1a of the recording head through a pressing portion A117b of the head holder A117. An ink container holder A118 acts on the ink container by operation of the ink container lever A107 to move the ink container, and is provided with a front acting portion A118a actable on an end of the ink container close to the recording head and a rear acting portion A118b actable on the side of the ink container remote from the recording head.
FIG. 50 is a perspective view in which the recording head and the ink container shown in FIG. 47 are taken out as a unit from the carriage A102. In this case, the head lever A105 is rotated to the upright position in the direction a in FIG. 49, so that a cam of the head lever A106 moves the head holder 117 in a direction b of FIG. 49, by which the pressure, to the recording head A1, of the head pressing spring A108 which has been pressed to the recording head through the head holder A117, is released. The head lever A106 is effective to move the ink container holder A118 in a direction b of FIG. 49. At this time, the front acting portion A118a of the ink container holder A118 is engaged to the recording head side end A2a of the ink container A2 and is moved. Therefore, the recording head A1 and the ink container A2 are moved in the direction b of FIG. 49 as a unit. With this state, the recording head A1 and the ink container A2 are movable in a direction c in FIG. 49. By gripping and raising the head tab A17 of the recording head A1, they can be taken out of the carriage to establish the off-carriage state. By the reversing operation, the recording head A1 and the ink container A2 can be connected and retained on the carriage A102.
FIG. 51 is a perspective view, when the recording head and the ink container are separated from each other on the carriage A102. At this time, the container lever A107 is rotated in the direction a in FIG. 50 to the upright position shown, so that a cam of the container lever A107 moves the ink container holder A118 in a direction b in FIG. 50. In this case, the head holder A117 does not move, so that the head pressing spring A108 presses the recording head A1. Since the front acting portion A118a of the ink container holder A118 is engaged with a recording head side end A2a of the ink container A2, and moves, the ink container A2 is released from engagement with the recording head A1 and moves in a direction b in FIG. 50. With this state, the ink container A2 can be moved in a direction c in FIG. 50. By raising the ink container, it can be taken out of the carriage to establish the off-carriage state. By the reverse operation, that is, by mounting the ink container A2 in the ink container holder A118 and rotating the container lever A107 in a direction opposite from the direction a of FIG. 50, the cam of the container lever A107 moves the ink container holder A118 in the direction opposite from the direction b in FIG. 50. At this time, the rear acting portion A118b of the ink container holder A118 is engaged with an end A2b of the ink container remote from the recording head, and moves, so that the ink container A2 moves in the direction opposite from the direction b in FIG. 50, so that it is engaged with the recording head A1. In the manner described above, the ink container A2 can be connected and supported.
In addition, if the ink enters, for one reason or another, between the flexible cable 212 and the head contact portion 227 (electric contact surfaces), the electric short circuit may occur. Therefore, it is desired to prevent this. In this embodiment, a part of a flexible cable pads 212 is projected so as to function as an ink barrier 212c, and it is urged to the end surface of the recording head 200, thus preventing the ink from the recording head 200 from entering it.
A separation roller 302 functions to separate the recording material and to feed it to the sheet feeding portion of the ink jet recording apparatus. It is rotatably supported on a separation shaft 305 and is provided with fixed separation gear 303 and a fixed separation ratchet 304. The separation shaft 305 is fixed on a separation holder 306. The separation holder 306 is rotatably supported on the main holder 301 by a main holder shaft 307. A separation spring 308 is located between a projection 306a of a separation holder 306 and a main holder 301, and is effective to rotate the separation holder 306 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 28 to urge the separation roller 302 to a separation pad 316. The urging force of the separation spring 306 is 10-50 gf in this embodiment. In the following example, it is assumed as being 10 gf.
An auxiliary roller 309 functions to feed the recording material to the separation roller 302, and is fixed to the auxiliary roller shaft 311, and is rotatably supported on an auxiliary roller holder 310 together with an auxiliary roller gear 311a fixed to the auxiliary roller shaft 311. The auxiliary roller holder 310 is rotatably supported on the main holder 301 by a main holder shaft 307.
A separation pressure arm 314 rotates the separation holder 306 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 28 by way of a projection 306a of the separation holder 306 by a separation pressure arm spring 315 about the main holder shaft 307, thus urging the separation roller 302 to the separation pad 316. The urging force of the separation roller 302 provided by the separation pressure arm spring 315 is influential to the separation performance, and therefore, it should be carefully considered. However, in this embodiment, good results are provided if it is not less than 20 gf. In the following description, it is assumed as being 100 gf.
A cam shaft 318 is driven through a reduction device 324 and a gear 318a from an automatic sheet feeding motor 323. To the cam shaft 318 are fixed a switching cam 318b for actuating and deactuating a sheet feed initial sensor 320a through a switching arm 319 and the gear 318a, a gear 318c for transmitting the rotation of the cam shaft 318 to a separation roller 302, an auxiliary roller holder cam 318d for vertically moving the auxiliary roller holder 310 in relation to a pawl 310a on the auxiliary roller holder 310, and a separation pressure cam 318e for vertically moving the separation pressure arm 314. They are integrally provided.
The driving gear 321 and the clutch disk 322 are integrally formed and are supported for rotation and slidable movement relative to the separation shaft 305. They are urged toward a separation ratchet 304 by a clutch spring 326. The driving gear 321 and the separation holder 306 have an integrally formed trapezoidal cam 321a and trapezoidal cam 306b, respectively. By the rotation of the driving gear 321, the driving gear 321 and the clutch disk 322 are moved in the direction of the axis of the separation shaft 305, so as to control the engagement between the clutch disk 322 and the separation ratchet 304, thus controlling the drive transmission from the automatic sheet feeding motor 323 to the separation roller 302. The gear ratio of the gear 318c mounted to the cam shaft 318 and the driving gear 321 is 1:1, so that the rotational phases of the cam shaft 318 and the driving gear 321 are the same.
A release lever 325 is rotatably supported on the main holder 301, and has one end in the form of a cam engageable with an end of the separation shaft 305 to vertically move the separation holder 306 to actuate and deactuate the sheet feed switching sensor 320b.
Referring back to FIG. 25, designated by a reference numeral 328 is a center line perpendicular to the separation shaft 305 for the separation roller and the auxiliary roller 309, and extends in the direction of advancement of the recording material 3. The left guide 317a is mounted on a sheet holder 317, and guides a left end surface of the recording material 3 at a predetermined position relative to the recording position. A distance L between the center line 328 and the left guide 317a is set to be not more than one half the minimum width of the recording material 3 used with the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the minimum width is the length of the longer side of a post card size, and therefore, it is 45 mm for the recording material width of 100 mm.
(A) Since the clutch disk 322 and the separation ratchet 304 are disengaged from the trapezoidal cam 321a and the trapezoidal cam 306b, the separation roller 302 is disconnected from the driving source.
(B) Since the separation pressure arm 314 and the separation pressure cam 318e are not contacted, the pressure of the separation pressure arm spring 315 is effective to urge the separation roller 302 to the separation pad 316 by way of the separation pressure arm 314, projection 306a and the separation holder 306. Since the separation spring 308 is in a similar state, the separation roller 302 receives a sum of the pressure of the separation pressure arm spring 315 and the pressure of the separation spring 306 (10+100=110 gf).
(C) Since the auxiliary roller holder cam 318d and the pawl 310a of the auxiliary roller holder 310 are contacted, the auxiliary roller 309 is away from the sheet holder 317 against the spring force of the auxiliary roller spring 313, together with the auxiliary roller holder 310.
(D) Since the switching arm 319 is in the recess of the switching cam 318b, the sheet feed initial sensor 320a is in the off-state.
(A) The trapezoidal cam 321a and the trapezoidal cam 306b are disengaged by the rotation, and the clutch disk 322 is urged to the separation ratchet 304 by the clutch spring 326. Therefore, the separation roller 302 starts to rotate by the rotation of the automatic sheet feeding motor 323.
(B) Since the separation pressure cam 318e and the separation pressure arm 314, are not contacted, the separation roller 302 starts to rotate the ink in the clockwise direction while being urged to the separation pad 316 (110 gf) by the separation pressure arm spring 315 and the separation spring 308. Therefore, only the topmost one of the recording materials 3 is separated and fed to the left by the separation pad 316 and the separation roller 302.
(C) Since the auxiliary roller holder cam 318d and the pawl 310a of the auxiliary roller holder 310, are disengaged, the auxiliary roller 309 is urged to the recording material 3 (50 gf) by the auxiliary roller spring 313 through the auxiliary roller holder 310. Furthermore, it is rotated in the clockwise direction by the separation gear 303, the idler gear 312 and the auxiliary roller gear 311a, thus feeding the recording material 3 to the left so that the recording material 3 assuredly reaches the nip between the separation roller 302 and the separation pad 316.
(D) The sheet feed initial sensor 320a is actuated by the switching arm 319 and the switching cam 318b.
In FIG. 29, (4) shows the state in which the cam shaft 318 rotates further in the counterclockwise direction. What is different here is that at (C), the auxiliary roller holder cam 318d and the pawl 310a are contacted, and the recording material 3 is fed while the auxiliary roller 309 is away from the recording material 3. At this point of time, the recording material 3 reaches the nip between the feeding roller 4 and the pinch roller 8, so that the feeding operation is prevented. However, since the feeding force of the auxiliary roller 309 is reduced, the recording material 3 is not folded or bent, and the separation roller 302 slides on the recording material 3 because of the rigidity of the recording material 3.
(B) Since the separation pressure cam 318e and 314 are contacted, the separation pressure arm 314 and the projection 306a are not contacted. Therefore, the pressure of the separation pressure arm spring 315 is not applied to the separation roller 302. Therefore, the separation roller 302 is urged to the separation pad 316 (10 gf) only by the separation spring 308.
FIG. 30 shows timing of sequential operations in this embodiment, and (1) - (5) at the bottom of this Figure correspond to (1) - (5) of FIG. 29.
Referring back to FIG. 25, since the center line 328 is disposed so as to be always at the left side of the center of the width of the recording material 3, the recording material 3 always receives the clockwise direction moment M when the recording material 3 is fed by the separation roller 302 and the auxiliary roller 309. Therefore, the trailing edge of the recording material 3 is always urged to the left guide 317a, while it is being fed, so that the recording material 3 is introduced into the recording station along the left guide 317a without being inclined.
FIG. 31 illustrates the operation of the releasing mechanism of the automatic sheet feeder. (A) shows the state in which the automatic sheet feeder is used. An end of the release lever 325 actuates a sheet feed switch sensor 320b, and is not contacted to the separation shaft 305, and therefore, the separation roller 302 is urged to the separation pad 316. In other words, when the sheet feed switching sensor 320b is actuated, it means that the automatic sheet feeder is in the operable state.
In FIG. 31, (B) shows the state in which a recording material which is not suitable for the automatic sheet feeding mechanism is used (envelope or the like). When the operator rotates the release lever 325 in the counterclockwise direction, the automatic sheet feeding is disabled. With this state, the separation shaft 305 is raised to the cam portion of the release lever 325, and the separation roller 302 is fixed away from the separation pad 316. For this reason, the recording material inserted to the right of FIG. 31, directly reaches to the nip between the feeding roller 4 and the pinch roller 8. Since with this state the sheet feed switch sensor 320b is deactuated, the disable state of the automatic sheet feeder can be detected.
In this Figure, the main switch is actuated at "START". At step S1, the discrimination is made as to whether or not the sheet feed initial sensor 320A is on- or off-state. If it is off-state, it means that it is in the initial state ((1) of FIG. 29), and therefore, the sequential operation ends to prepare for the sheet feed instructions. If the sheet feed initial sensor 320a is in the on-state at step S1, the operation proceeds to step S2, where the automatic sheet feed motor 323 is rotated in the backward direction. At the time when the sheet feed initial sensor 320a is in the off-state at step 1, the initial state is established, and therefore, the sequential operation ends.
The sheet feed instructions are generated at "START". At step S3, if the sheet feed switch sensor 320b is in the off-state, the operation proceeds to step S9 where the controller discriminates the nonusable state of the automatic sheet feeder, so that the manual feed mode is enabled.
If the sheet feed switch sensor 320b is actuated at step S3, the operation proceeds to step S4, where the automatic sheet feed motor 323 is rotated in the forward direction. If the cam shaft 318 rotates through 320 degrees, the automatic sheet feed motor 323 stops. That is, the state of (5) of FIG. 29 is established.
FIG. 52 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of an information processing apparatus 604 incorporating the recording apparatus of this embodiment. In the Figure, reference numeral 601 designates a printer described above; 602, a keyboard provided with numerical character keys, other character keys and command keys; 603, a display portion with a display; 606, a window for permitting exchange of the recording head 1 and/or the ink container 2 described hereinbefore; and 607, an openable cover for covering the window 606 other than when they are exchanged. The window 606 has a size enough to permit manipulation of the head lever 106 and the container lever 107 upon the ink container 2 exchange. Reference numeral 608 designates an exchanging switch for exchange of the recording head 1 and/or the ink container 2. When the exchanging switch 608 is actuated, the carriage motor 402a is driven, so that the carriage 102 is moved from the home position or the recording region to the window 606 position. At this position, when the exchange of the recording head 1 or the ink container 2 is completed, a release switch 609 is actuated. Then, the carriage 102 is returned to the home position, and thereafter, the recovery unit 301 carries out the recovery operation including drawing-out or ejecting the ink and wiping the recording head. Subsequently, the state before the exchange switch 608 is actuated is established. The recording material is supplied to the printer 601 through a sheet supply port 610. The keyboard 602 is openable in a direction a for setting the recording material 6.
FIG. 35 is a block diagram of the electric circuit structure of the information processing apparatus. In this Figure, a reference numeral 501 is a controller for the main control operation; 502, a CPU in the form of a microcomputer, for example, for carrying out various processes; 503, a RAM including an area for developing text data or image data and a work area; 504, a ROM for storing fixed data such as the program for the sequential operations and font data; 505, a timer for producing executing cycle of the CPU 502 and producing necessary timing for the recording operation of the printer 401; and 506, an interface for supplying the signals from the CPU 502 to the peripheral device.
In addition, a reference numeral 507 designates a controller for the printer 401; 508, a recording head detector for detecting information on the recording head such as outputs of sensors for detecting presence or absence of the recording head 200, the types thereof and the temperature thereof and outputs of the sensor for detecting presence or absence of the ink in the ink container 201; 509, a line buffer for storing record data for the recording head 200; 510, a head driver for supplying the recording signal and the electric power to the recording head 200; 511a, 511b and 511c, motor drivers for supplying necessary signals and electric power for operation of the carriage motor 255, the sheet feeding motor 5 and automatic sheet feed motor 323, respectively; and 512, sensor detectors for detecting outputs of sensors such as the home position sensor 270, the paper sensor 14, the sheet feed initial sensor 320a, the sheet feed switch sensor 320b or the like. Furthermore, a reference numeral 404 designates an external memory such as FDD, HDD, RAM card or the like; and 405 designates an external interface for communication with another information processing apparatus or for connection directly with an internal bus to control the peripheral devices. Although not shown in the block diagram, there is a power source for supplying electric power to the above electric circuits. The power source may be in the form of a chargeable battery, a disposable dry battery or an AC source converter fixedly used with the main assembly of the information processing apparatus.
FIG. 36 illustrates the processing operations when the main switch is actuated or actuated in the recording apparatus or in the information processing apparatus, wherein S1 shows the power-off state in which the functions are all stopped except for the timer 505 (FIG. 35). The operation is started by actuation of the main switch, that is, the change from the power-off to the power-on state. In the recording apparatus, the power-on process is executed at step S2. Upon completion of the step S2, the step S3 is executed, so that the power-on state is established. The recording operation or the like is carried out in the power-on state. If the power-off signal is detected in the power-on state, a step S4 is executed (power-off processing). Upon completion of step S4, the operation proceeds to step S1, by which the power-off state is established. Therefore, when the main switch is actuated or deactuated, the predetermined process operations are executed, and only then, the power-on or power-off state is established. If a temporary stop signal is detected in the step S3, the operation proceeds to step S5, by which the temporary stop process is executed. The temporary stop signal is produced by a means for detecting operator's manipulation, in the operative state, which is supposed to be effected in the inoperative state, for example, when the display portion 403 in FIG. 34 is folded over the keyboard 403 in the power-on state or when the battery is exchanged. An example of such a sensor is a sensor for detecting opening or closing the display portion 403 or mounting or dismounting of the battery. The temporary stopping operation is intended to prevent damage or malfunction even if the apparatus is operated in the manner different from the designed operation. The detail thereof will be described hereinafter. Upon completion of the temporary stop process at S5, the operation proceeds to step S6 where the apparatus is in the temporary stopped state. In this state, the power supply is shut-off, and the functions are not performed, other than those which are necessary. If the temporary stop release signal is detected in the temporary stop state, the operation proceeds to step S7 where the temporary stop releasing operation is carried out. The temporary release signal corresponds to the above-described temporary stop signal. The signal is produced when the display 403 is moved to the open state from the closed state, or when the battery is mounted. Thus, it means that the apparatus returns to the operable state. The temporary stop release process is to restore the apparatus to the state before the temporary step. The details thereof will be described hereinafter. By doing so, even if the operator erroneously closes or opens the display 403 during the apparatus operation, or the battery is removed during the recording operation, the original state can be restored. If the temporary stop release operation is completed in step S7, the operation proceeds to step S3 where the power-on state is re-established. In the temporary stop signal, the selection may be permitted as to whether or not the temporary stop processing operations are to be carried out or not upon the detection of the temporary stop signal. In the case where the display portion 403 is preferably closed due to the sheet handling during the printing operation, the temporary stop process may be prohibited when the display 403 is closed. This may be incorporated in the apparatus.
FIG. 37 is a flow chart illustrating power-on process (S2). At step S11, the home position initialization is carried out. First, the position of the carriage 203 is determined. More particularly, the carriage motor 255 is driven, and the position where the home position sensor 270 output switches is taken as a reference position of the carriage 203. Thereafter, the carriage motor is driven to establish a capped state in which the ejection outlets of the recording head 200 are covered by the cap 101. Next, the operation proceeds to step S12, where the initialization of the automatic sheet feed is carried out. More particularly, in order to avoid the influence due to the play existing in the sheet feeding driving mechanism, the sheet feed motor 5 is driven through a predetermined distance in the backward direction and forward direction. The automatic sheet feed motor is driven until the sheet feed initial sensor 320a detects the initial position. Next, the operation proceeds to S13, the timer 505 detects the time period from the last ejection or drawing-out of the recording head 200 to the current state. If the time period is not less than a predetermined period n, the operation proceeds to step S14 where the recording head recovery operation is carried out. If not, the operation proceeds to step S15. In step S14, the recording head 200 is subjected to the recovery operation. The ink is ejected from the recording head 200 into the cap 101; the blade 104 cleans the ejection side surface of the recording head 200; the ink is drawn out from the recording head 200 by the pump unit 150. By the recovery processing, the improper ink ejection can be prevented. The improper ink ejection possibly can be caused by leaving the recording head 200 in non-use state for a long period of time with the result of the ink adjacent the ejection side surface of the recording head 200 being evaporated so that the viscosity of the ink increases. After operation at step S14, the operation of S15 is carried out so that it is discriminated whether the paper sensor detects the sheet or not. If so, step S16 is carried out, and if not, the operation proceeds to S17. At step S16, the detected sheet is discharged. In other words, after the paper sensor 14 detects non-sheet, the sheet feed motor 5 is driven in the forward direction through a predetermined amount. Then, the operation proceeds to step S17 where the power-on process is completed.
Then, the operation proceeds to step S33, where the current state is stored. More particularly, if any process is interrupted, the state of the apparatus at the time of interruption (state of the display 403, that of the operation panel (not shown), on-line or off-line state or the state of power saving mode, for the saving of the power of the battery) is stored in the memory. Then, the operation proceeds to step S34 where the recording head 200 is capped. If it is already capped, nothing is done. Subsequently, step S35 is executed where the power supply to the parts not requiring power in the temporary stop state is shutoff. Then, at step S36, the temporary stop process (S5) is completed. In this processing, even if the temporary stop signal is detected during the recording operation, the recording head 200 is assuredly capped, and therefore, the occurrence of improper ejection due to the recording head 200 left uncapped, can be prevented.
Designated by a reference 1001a is a movable end of the flexible cable 1000, and 1001b is a fixed end. At the fixed end 1001b, there are contacts 1001c. Between the movable end 1001a and the fixed end 1001b, the flexible cable is divided into two parts 1001d and 1001e having a width Wd. The flexible cable 1000 is folded at a fold 1001f adjacent to the movable end 1001a of the flexible cable and at a fold 1001g adjacent a fixed end 1001b of the flexible cable, and one part is overlaid on the other, and therefore, the width of the flexible cable 1000 is Wd in the divided portion, so that the width can be made smaller than the width Wo at the movable end 1001a of the flexible cable. In the Figure, the flexible cable is divided into two parts. It may be divided into three or more parts with the result of further reduced width. In the divided portions 1001d and 1001e of the flexible cable, positioning holes 1001h, 1001h', 1001i and 1001i' are formed. The positioning holes 1001h and 1001h' are spaced apart by a predetermined distance d, and the positioning holes 1001i and 1001i' are spaced apart by the predetermined distance d.
FIG. 43B shows an apparatus using the flexible cable 1000. In the Figure, reference numeral 1002 designates a movable portion and is movable in the direction of an arrow. The movable portion 1002 has a recording head in the case of a printer, and has a sensor or the like in the case of scanner. Designated by a reference numeral 1003 is a fixed part having a positioning pin 1003a. In the portion 1001, the flexible cable 1000 is folded and overlaid, and the movable part 1001a of the flexible cable (FIG. 43A) is connected to the movable part 2. The positioning holes 1001h, 1001h', 1001i and 1001i' are inserted to the positioning pin 1003a and are fixed on the fixed portion by a fixing member 4. As described hereinbefore, since the positioning holes 1001h and 1001h' are spaced by the distance d, and the holes 1001i and 1001i' are spaced by the distance d, the bent portion of the divided parts 1001d and 1001e are deviated by a distance 1. When the thickness of the flexible cable 1000 is sufficiently small as compared with the bending height h, the distance 1 is substantially equal to d/2. Thus, the bent positions of the divided part 1001d and 1001e are different, and therefore, the bent portions are not influenced by the other flexible cable, and therefore, the durability against bending is close to that without folding.
FIG. 44A shows another embodiment, in which the flexible cable is designated by a reference numeral 1010. Designated by a reference 1010a is a movable end of the flexible cable 1010, and 1010b is a fixed end. At the fixed end 1010b of the flexible cable, there are contacts 1010c. Between the movable end 1010b of the flexible cable, the flexible cable is divided into parts 1010d and 1010e having a width Wd. The flexible cable 1010 is folded and overlaid at a fold 1010f adjacent a movable end 1010a of the flexible cable and at a fold 1010g adjacent the fixed end 1010b thereof. By doing so, the width of the flexible cable 1010 is Wd' in the divided part, which is smaller than a width Wo' at the movable end 1010a of the flexible cable. In the Figure, the flexible cable is divided into two parts. However, it may be divided into three or more parts, thus further reducing the width. The divided parts 1010d, 1010e are provided with positioning recesses 1010h, 1010h', 1010i and 1010i'. The positioning recesses 1010h and 1010h' , and the positioning holes 1010i and 1010i' are at the same position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the flexible cable.
FIG. 44B shows an apparatus using the flexible cable 1010. In this Figure, reference numeral 1020 is a movable end and is movable in the direction indicated by an arrow. The movable end 1020 has a recording head carried thereon in the case of a printer, and it has a sensor or the like carried thereon in the case of a scanner. Reference numeral 30 designates a fixed portion, where there are positioning pins 1030a and 1030b with a distance d' therebetween.
The flexible cable 1010 in this embodiment is a folded and overlaid flexible cable 1010 of FIG. 44A. The movable end 1010a (FIG. 44A) of the flexible cable is connected with a movable part 20. The positioning recesses 1100h and 1100h' of the flexible cable are engaged with a positioning pin 1030a and the positioning recesses 1100i and 1100i' of the flexible cable are engaged with the positioning pin 1030b and it is fixed to the fixed part 1030 by fixing member 1040. As described hereinbefore, the positioning pins 1030a and 1030b are spaced by a distance d', and therefore, the bent positions of the divided parts 1100d and 1100e are deviated by a distance 1'. When the thickness of the flexible cable 1100 is sufficiently smaller than the bending height h', the distance 1' is substantially equal to d'/2. Thus, the bent positions of the divided parts 1100d and 1100e of the flexible cable are different, and therefore, the bent portions are not influenced by the other part, and therefore, the durability against the bending is close to that without the folding.
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