Printing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides a printing apparatus that can suppress misalignment of multiple flexible flat cables connected to the carriage. [Solution] The printing apparatus comprises a carriage on which an inkjet head is mounted, a control unit for controlling the inkjet head, a first flexible flat cable electrically connecting the carriage and the control unit and having multiple wires arranged in parallel along the width direction, a second flexible flat cable electrically connecting the carriage and the control unit and having multiple wires arranged in parallel along the width direction, and a clamp for holding the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable, the clamp having a support surface that supports each of the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable from one end in the width direction in a position where the other end in the width direction is higher than one end in the width direction in the vertical direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer that reduces noise caused by the collision between a clamp connected to a connector and a support member. The inkjet printer of Patent Document 1 has an inkjet head, a carriage that can scan a recording medium, a main body substrate having a control unit that controls the carriage, a connector that connects the carriage and the main body substrate and is in a long shape, a support member that supports the connector vertically below, and an ink tube that connects the inkjet head and an ink tank disposed outside the carriage. The connector has a first cable connected to a first substrate provided on the carriage, a second cable connected to a second substrate provided on the carriage and having a width different from that of the first cable, and a clamp that bundles the first cable and the second cable. The ink tube is disposed between the connector and the support member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a printing apparatus such as that of Patent Document 1, when the carriage moves, there is a risk of noise generation due to the displacement of the positions of the two cables.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One embodiment for solving the above problem is a printing apparatus comprising: a carriage equipped with an inkjet head and scannable over a printing medium; a control unit for controlling the inkjet head; a first flexible flat cable electrically connecting the carriage and the control unit, with a plurality of wires arranged in parallel along the width direction; a second flexible flat cable electrically connecting the carriage and the control unit, with a plurality of wires arranged in parallel along the width direction; and a clamp for holding the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable, wherein the clamp has a support surface that supports each of the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable from one end in the width direction in a position where the other end in the width direction is higher than one end in the width direction in the vertical direction. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] A perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A plan view showing the internal structure of a printing device. [Figure 3] Section III-III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Section III-III in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the clamp relating to the second modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the symbol FR indicates the front of the printing device 1 when it is installed on the mounting surface and in its normal operating state, the symbol UP indicates the top of the printing device 1, and the symbol LH indicates the left side of the printing device. In the following description, each direction is along these directions of the printing device 1. The front-to-back and left-to-right directions of the printing device 1 coincide with the horizontal direction, and the up-to-down direction coincides with the vertical direction.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the printing device 1 is a large-format printer (LFP) that handles long sheets of paper P, which is an example of a printing medium. The printing device 1 comprises a pair of legs 13 to which wheels 12 are attached at their lower ends, and a housing 14 assembled on the upper part of the legs 13.

[0009] A paper feeding unit 15 is located at the lower rear of the housing 14 to feed paper P toward the housing 14. A winding unit 16 is located at the lower front of the housing 14 to wind up the paper P discharged from the housing 14. Between the paper feeding unit 15 and the winding unit 16, a guide unit 17 is located along the transport path of the paper P. The rear end of the guide unit 17 is housed inside the housing 14, while the front end protrudes forward from the housing 14. On the front side of the housing 14, above the guide unit 17, an outlet 14a is formed for discharging paper P from inside the housing 14.

[0010] A tensioning mechanism 18 is provided near the winding section 16 to apply tension to the paper P located between the guide section 17 and the winding section 16. The tensioning mechanism 18 comprises a pair of arm members 19 rotatably supported at the lower part of the leg section 13, and a tension roller 20 supported at the tips of the pair of arm members 19. The winding section 16 also includes a pair of holders 21 that clamp a core material such as a paper tube, which winds the printed paper P into a cylindrical shape, from both axial sides.

[0011] The housing 14 comprises a control unit 22 for controlling the operation of the printing device 1, an operation panel 23 for performing setting and input operations on the printing device 1, and a cartridge holder 25 for detachably mounting multiple ink cartridges 24 capable of holding ink. The control unit 22 is located inside the housing 14 of the printing device 1, while the operation panel 23 is located on the top of the housing 14. The control unit 22 and the operation panel 23 are electrically connected inside the housing 14. The cartridge holder 25 is located at the right end of the lower part of the housing 14, outside the paper transport path in the scanning direction.

[0012] The housing 14 comprises a case 26 that covers the entire upper part and an opening / closing panel 27 formed on the case 26. The opening / closing panel 27 is provided on the first end side, which is the right side of the upper part of the housing 14, and is rotatably mounted relative to the case 26, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1.

[0013] Figure 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the printing device 1. In Figure 2, the housing 14 of the printing device 1 is omitted, and the parts housed inside the housing 14 are shown. Figure 2 shows the state of the carriage 33 and cable unit 60 when the printing device 1 is not performing printing. In Figure 2, the carriage 33 located at the right end of the scanning axis 31 is shown with a solid line, and the carriage 33 located at the left end and the cable unit 60 are shown with a dashed line.

[0014] Next, we will describe the various parts housed inside the enclosure 14. As shown in Figure 2, the printing device 1 includes a printing unit 30 inside the housing 14 that prints images such as characters and figures onto paper P. The printing unit 30 includes a scanning axis 31. The scanning axis 31 extends in the left-right direction. The scanning axis 31 may be arranged such that, for example, two axes are aligned parallel to each other along the vertical direction.

[0015] The printing unit 30 includes a carriage 33 that is movably supported on the scanning axis 31, and an inkjet head 34 that is supported by the carriage 33 and moves back and forth along the scanning axis 31 together with the carriage 33.

[0016] The ink cartridge 24 and the inkjet head 34 are connected by ink tubes 35. In this embodiment, four ink tubes 35 connect each of the ink cartridges 24 to the inkjet head 34. The ink tubes 35 are flexible tubular members. As a result, the ink contained in each of the ink cartridges 24 is supplied to the inkjet head 34 via the ink tubes 35.

[0017] The inkjet head 34 moves in the left - right direction, which is the scanning direction, together with the carriage 33. That is, the inkjet head 34 reciprocates in the left - right direction with respect to the paper P and ejects ink onto the paper P to print an image on the paper P. In the case where the printing device 1 does not perform printing, the carriage 33 is arranged at the right end portion of the scanning shaft 31.

[0018] In the printing unit 30, on the front side of the scanning shaft 31, a support surface portion 40 having a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction is provided. The support surface portion 40 is arranged between the scanning shaft 31 and the guide portion 17 in the front - rear direction and is located below the scanning shaft 31 in the vertical direction. The support surface portion 40 supports the paper P from below when the inkjet head 34 ejects ink onto the paper P to print an image on the paper P.

[0019] Below the scanning shaft 31, a conveyance roller 42 is provided. By rotating, the conveyance roller 42 functions as a conveyance unit that conveys the paper P from the rear to the front.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross - sectional view taken along the line III - III of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross - sectional view of the moving clamp 70 in a plane that is orthogonal to the scanning direction of the carriage 33 and intersects the ink tube 35, the first cable 62, and the second cable 64. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the printing unit 30, behind the conveyance roller 42, a plate - shaped placement frame 44 having a placement surface 45 which is a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction and a plate - shaped standing frame 46 forming a standing surface 47 which is a plane orthogonal to the front - rear direction are provided. Both the placement frame 44 and the standing frame 46 extend substantially over the entire left - right direction of the housing 14 and have a length dimension longer than that of the scanning shaft 31. The standing frame 46 is attached to the front end portion of the placement frame 44. In the vertical direction, the mounting frame 44 is located below the scanning axis 31, and the upright frame 46 has its lower end located below the scanning axis 31 and its upper end extending above the scanning axis 31. If two scanning axes 31 are provided along the vertical direction, the lower scanning axis 31 may be located below the lower end of the upright frame 46.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 is covered by the covering member 48, and the rearward-facing surface of the upright frame 46 is covered by the covering member 49. As shown in Figure 2, the rear end of the mounting frame 44 is provided with an upright surface portion 43 that rises upward.

[0022] The control unit 22 is located at the right end of the mounting frame 44. The control unit 22 is located behind the scanning axis 31. The control unit 22 controls the driving of the carriage 33, the inkjet head 34, and various sensor drive units. The control unit 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing various programs, RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing data and programs, etc. The control unit 22 also includes ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various data and programs are pre-recorded non-volatilely, and interfaces, etc. The CPU processes various signals input via the interfaces in the control unit 22 based on the data in the RAM and ROM, and outputs control signals to the drive units, etc. via the interfaces.

[0023] A cable unit 60 connecting the carriage 33 and the control unit 22 is provided on the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 and behind the upright frame 46. The cable unit 60 includes a first cable 62 that electrically connects the carriage 33 and the control unit 22, and a second cable 64 that similarly electrically connects the carriage 33 and the control unit 22. The first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are flexible flat cables (FFCs), formed in a long, flat plate shape, and possessing flexibility that allows them to bend and curve. Multiple wires are arranged in parallel along the width direction, which is the direction that intersects the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction of the plate, in the first cable 62 and the second cable 64. Here, the width direction is the direction in which the multiple wires are arranged in parallel, and can therefore also be expressed as the arrangement direction. The first cable 62 is formed so that its width dimension, which is its length dimension in the width direction, is longer than the width dimension of the second cable 64.

[0024] The control unit 22 transmits control signals to the inkjet head 34, for example, via the first cable 62 or the second cable 64, and controls the ejection of ink from the inkjet head 34. The first cable 62 is an example of the “first flexible flat cable” of this disclosure. The second cable 64 is an example of the “second flexible flat cable” of this disclosure.

[0025] The first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are connected at a point on the carriage 33 located behind the scanning axis 31, with one end of each cable in its longitudinal direction. The first cable 62 and the second cable 64 extend from the carriage 33, are routed along the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 and behind the upright frame 46, and then connect to the control unit 22, which is located even further behind the carriage 33 and the scanning axis 31. Therefore, the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 extending from the carriage 33 extend to the left on the upper surface of the mounting frame 44, then bend towards the rear, and are routed further to the right before connecting to the control unit 22.

[0026] The first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are bent towards the rear on the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 and then secured by a plurality of fixing clamps 50. The fixing clamps 50 are attached to the upright surface portion 43 and are, for example, members formed in an annular shape. The first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are inserted through each of the fixing clamps 50 and routed along the plane of the upright surface portion 43 so as to extend in the left-right direction. Each of the fixing clamps 50 is provided on the upright surface portion 43, when viewed from the front-rear direction, from a position overlapping the midpoint of both ends of the scanning axis 31 to the control unit 22, at predetermined intervals from each other.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cable unit 60 is equipped with a plurality of movable clamps 70. The movable clamps 70 are arranged in a line with predetermined intervals between them in the longitudinal direction of the first cable 62 and the second cable 64, from the end connected to the carriage 33 to the point where they are fixed to the fixed clamp 50. The movable clamp 70 is an example of a "clamp".

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the movable clamp 70 includes a clamp body 72 that holds the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 in a position where, in the vertical direction, the other end in the width direction is higher than one end in the width direction. The clamp body 72 is formed in a substantially T shape when viewed from the left and right directions, and includes a sliding surface portion 74 at its lower end, which has a flat sliding surface 75, and a main body portion 76 that extends upward from the sliding surface portion 74. The sliding surface portion 74 extends in the front-rear direction for a predetermined length. The clamp body 72 is placed on the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 with the entire sliding surface 75 in contact with the covering member 48.

[0029] The main body portion 76 extends upward from approximately the center of the sliding surface portion 74 in the front-rear direction. The main body portion 76 is provided with a first retaining portion 77 formed by the rear surface 71 facing the rear being recessed towards the front. When viewed from the left-right direction, the first retaining portion 77 is formed in the shape of a groove that is recessed towards the front.

[0030] The first retaining portion 77 includes a front retaining surface 77A which is a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction and substantially parallel to the rear surface 71, an upper end surface 77B which is a plane connecting the upper end of the front retaining surface 77A and the rear surface 71, and a lower end surface 77C which is a plane opposite to the upper end surface 77B. The front holding surface 77A is an example of a "holding surface" that holds the first cable 62 along the width direction. The lower end surface 77C is an example of a "support surface" and "first support surface" that supports one end in the width direction of the first cable 62, the second cable 64, or the third cable 66 described later, from below, in a position where the other end in the width direction is higher than one end in the width direction in the vertical direction.

[0031] The upper end surface 77B is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. On the upper end surface 77B, a rib-shaped support portion 78 is provided at the end located on the rear surface 71 side, projecting downwards for a predetermined length. The lower end surface 77C is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The upper end surface 77B and the lower end surface 77C are arranged approximately parallel to each other with a predetermined distance between them in the vertical direction. On the lower end surface 77C, a rib-shaped support portion 79 is provided at the end located on the rear surface 71 side, projecting upward for a predetermined length.

[0032] A plate-shaped or thin film-shaped cover member 80 may be provided inside the first holding portion 77. The cover member 80 is positioned in the first holding portion 77 such that its thickness direction is aligned with the front-rear direction. The upper end of the cover member 80 may be attached to the support portion 78, and the lower end may be attached to the support portion 79. In this way, the first holding portion 77 may be covered by the cover member 80. The cover member 80 may be omitted.

[0033] The main body 76 includes a second retaining portion 81 formed by the lower side of the front retaining surface 77A of the first retaining portion 77 being recessed toward the front. The second retaining portion 81 is formed in the shape of a groove that is recessed toward the front when viewed from the left or right direction.

[0034] The second retaining portion 81 is perpendicular to the front-rear direction and comprises a rear surface 71, a front retaining surface 81A which is a plane substantially parallel to the front retaining surface 77A, and an upper end surface 81B which is a plane connecting the upper end of the front retaining surface 81A and the lower end of the front retaining surface 77A. The upper end surface 81B is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. On the upper end surface 81B, a rib-shaped support portion 82 is provided at the end located on the side of the front holding surface 77A, projecting downwards for a predetermined length.

[0035] The lower end of the front retaining surface 81A is connected to the front end of the lower end surface 77C. That is, the lower end surface 77C forms the lower end of the second retaining portion 81.

[0036] The first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are held by the movable clamp 70 by being inserted through the second holding part 81. Both the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are inserted through the second holding part 81 with their width direction aligned with the vertical direction, and the lower ends of the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 abut against the lower end surface 77C. In other words, both the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are placed on the lower end surface 77C with their width direction aligned with the vertical direction.

[0037] In the second retaining section 81, the second cable 64 is positioned adjacent to or in contact with the front retaining surface 81A, while the first cable 62 is positioned on the opposite side of the front retaining surface 81A, with the second cable 64 in between. In the second holding section 81, the upper end of the first cable 62 is supported from the rear by the support section 82.

[0038] Thus, in the second holding portion 81, the second cable 64 is sandwiched between the front holding surface 81A and the first cable 62, and the first cable 62 is sandwiched between the second cable 64 and the support portion 82. This prevents misalignment between the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 in the front-rear direction, i.e., in the plate thickness direction. In addition, in the movable clamp 70, misalignment of the second cable 64 in the plate thickness direction is prevented without providing any ribs or the like that protruding upward in the middle of the lower end surface 77C in the front-rear direction.

[0039] The movable clamp 70 includes a tube clamp 90 that is attached to the main body 76. The tube clamp 90 is attached to the front surface 73 of the main body 76, which faces forward. The tube clamp 90 is formed in a roughly C shape when viewed from the left and right directions, with the upper end of the tube clamp 90 connected to the upper end of the main body 76 and the lower end of the tube clamp 90 connected to the upper end of the main body 76.

[0040] Each of the ink tubes 35 is sandwiched between the tube clamper 90 and the front surface 73. Multiple ink tubes 35 are arranged in a line along the vertical direction between the tube clamper 90 and the front surface 73. A flexible cushioning material 98, such as rubber, may be sandwiched between each of the ink tubes 35 and the front surface 73. As a result, the movable clamp 70 clamps the first cable 62 and the second cable 64, and the multiple ink tubes 35.

[0041] The tube clamper 90 is provided with a plurality of sliding ribs 92 projecting forward on the surface opposite to the surface facing the front surface 73. The sliding ribs 92 are arranged in a line along the vertical direction.

[0042] Next, the operation of the cable unit 60 in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 33 will be described. As described above, when the printing device 1 performs printing, the inkjet head 34, together with the carriage 33, moves back and forth in the scanning direction relative to the paper P, ejecting ink onto the paper P to print an image on the paper P. Therefore, since one end of the cable unit 60 in the longitudinal direction is connected to the carriage 33, it follows the movement of the carriage 33.

[0043] When the carriage 33 moves from the right end to the left end of the scanning axis 31, the moving clamp 70 moves to the left along the upright frame 46. In this case, the sliding rib 92 slides along the surface of the covering member 49, and the sliding surface 75 slides along the upper surface of the covering member 48. The movable clamp 70 moves to the left along the upright frame 46, then moves from the upright frame 46 toward the upright surface 43, and the sliding rib 92 comes into contact with the upright surface 43.

[0044] When the carriage 33 moves from the left end to the right end of the scanning axis 31, the moving clamp 70 slides along the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 and moves from the upright surface portion 43 toward the upright frame 46. When the sliding rib 92 of the moving clamp 70 comes into contact with the upright frame 46, it moves to the right along the upright frame 46 and moves to a predetermined position in the left-right direction according to the position of the carriage 33.

[0045] As the carriage 33 moves, the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are bent or stretched with their planes facing each other. When the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are bent and stretched, a misalignment occurs in the width direction relative to each other, which may cause noise to be generated as the wires of each cable are aligned.

[0046] In this embodiment, both the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are held by the movable clamp 70 with their width direction extending vertically. Furthermore, the lower ends of both the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 in the width direction abut against the lower end surface 77C. Since both the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 are held by the movable clamp 70 in a position where one end in the width direction is higher than the other end in the width direction in the vertical direction, one end in the width direction is the lower end in the width direction. In this way, each of the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the lower end surface 77C, so that misalignment in the width direction is suppressed even when they are bent or stretched. For this reason, noise generation in the cable unit 60 of the printing apparatus 1 is suppressed.

[0047] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows the cable unit 60 when the printing device 1 is equipped with a third cable 66 having a longer width dimension than the first cable 62, instead of the second cable 64. As shown in Figure 4, when the printing device 1 is equipped with a third cable 66 having a longer width dimension than the first cable 62 instead of the second cable 64, the third cable 66 is held by being inserted into the first holding part 77 with its width direction aligned with the vertical direction. The third cable 66 is placed on the lower end surface 77C with its width direction aligned with the vertical direction. The front side of the upper end of the third cable 66 is positioned adjacent to or in contact with the front holding surface 77A, and the upper end is further supported from the rear by a support part 78, and the lower end is supported from the rear by a support part 79.

[0048] Thus, the movable clamp 70 is equipped with a first holding portion 77 and a second holding portion 81, each having a different width dimension in the vertical direction, making it possible to hold flexible flat cables of different width dimensions. Furthermore, the movable clamp 70 supports the flexible flat cables held by the first holding portion 77 and the second holding portion 81 from below by the lower end surface 77C. Therefore, the printing apparatus 1 can more reliably suppress misalignment of the flexible flat cables held by the movable clamp 70 in the width direction.

[0049] As described above, the movable clamp 70 holds the first cable 62 and the second cable 64 on the rear side 71, and the ink tube 35 on the front side 73, with the clamp body 72 in between. As a result, in the printing device 1, when performing tasks such as replacing either the first cable 62 or the second cable 64 with the ink tube 35, the other can be replaced without removing it from the movable clamp 70. Therefore, the maintainability of the printing device 1 is improved.

[0050] The embodiments described above illustrate one aspect of the present invention and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0051] Figure 5 is a view of a modified movable clamp 170 according to this embodiment, seen from the left and right directions. In Figure 5, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as in Figure 3, and their descriptions are omitted. As shown in Figure 5, the printing apparatus 1 may be equipped with a movable clamp 170 instead of the movable clamp 70. In the movable clamp 170, the front holding surface 81A is provided with a support rib 172 that protrudes toward the rear from the middle of the vertical direction. The tip of the support rib 172 protrudes to a position that overlaps with the support part 82 in a plan view. The support rib 172 is provided with a support surface 173 which is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The support surface 173 is positioned above the lower end surface 77C in the vertical direction. The support surface 173 is an example of a "second support surface" that supports one end of the second cable 64 in the width direction from below.

[0052] When the printing device 1 is equipped with a second cable 64 and a third cable 66, the second cable 64 is held by the movable clamp 170 by being inserted through the second holding part 81. The second cable 64 is inserted through the second holding part 81 with its width direction aligned with the vertical direction, and its lower end contacts the support surface 173. In the second holding portion 81, the second cable 64 is positioned so that its front side is adjacent to or in contact with the front holding surface 81A, and its upper end is supported from the rear by the support portion 82.

[0053] In this way, the printing apparatus 1 can hold the second cable 64 and the third cable 66, which have different width dimensions, from their respective lower ends in the width direction by supporting them with the movable clamp 170, thereby suppressing the generation of noise.

[0054] In the embodiment described above, the printing apparatus 1 is assumed to hold flexible flat cables having different width dimensions by the movable clamps 70 and 170. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the printing apparatus 1 may also hold flexible flat cables having substantially the same width dimension by the movable clamps 70 and 170. Furthermore, for example, three or more flexible flat cables may be held by the movable clamps 70 and 170.

[0055] In the embodiment described above, the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 was assumed to be a substantially horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. However, the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 is not limited to this, and may be an inclined surface that faces upward and is inclined in any direction. In this case, in the movable clamps 70 and 170, the sliding surface 75 is formed as an inclined surface that is inclined in substantially the same direction as the upper surface of the mounting frame 44, and the lower end surface 77C and the support surface 173 may be formed as substantially horizontal planes perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0056] For example, if the upper surface of the mounting frame 44 is an inclined surface that faces upward and slopes in either direction, the lower end surface 77C and the support surface 173 may also be inclined surfaces that face upward and slope in either direction, as long as they can support the flexible flat cable from below. Furthermore, if the movable clamps 70 and 170 move as the carriage 33 moves, the directional description of the movable clamps 70 and 170 described above will change, except for the vertical direction, depending on the orientation of the movable clamps 70 and 170 at that time.

[0057] The printing device 1 can be any device that has a carriage 33 and performs printing.

[0058] In the embodiments described above, the horizontal and vertical directions and various shapes, unless otherwise specified, include an equal range that produces the same effects and functions as those directions and shapes.

[0059] [Summary of this disclosure] A summary of this disclosure is provided below.

[0060] (Note 1) A printing apparatus comprising: a carriage equipped with an inkjet head and scannable over a printing medium; a control unit for controlling the inkjet head; a first flexible flat cable electrically connecting the carriage and the control unit, with a plurality of wires arranged in parallel along the width direction; a second flexible flat cable electrically connecting the carriage and the control unit, with a plurality of wires arranged in parallel along the width direction; and a clamp for holding the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable, wherein the clamp has a support surface that supports each of the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable from one end in the width direction, in a position where the other end in the width direction is higher than one end in the width direction in the vertical direction. As a result, in the printing device, the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable are held in contact with the support surface due to gravity. Therefore, misalignment between the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable is suppressed in the printing device, and noise generation can be reduced.

[0061] (Note 2) The printing apparatus according to Appendix 1, wherein the clamp comprises a holding portion for holding the first flexible flat cable, the holding portion comprising a holding surface for holding the first flexible flat cable along the width direction, and a support portion for supporting the upper end of the first flexible flat cable. As a result, in the printing device, the first flexible flat cable is held in a state where it is supported by the support part, thereby preventing the first flexible flat cable from separating from the support surface.

[0062] (Note 3) The printing apparatus described in Appendix 2, wherein the second flexible flat cable is positioned between the holding surface and the first flexible flat cable. As a result, the printing device can hold the second flexible flat cable without providing a structure in the clamp to support it from the direction of the plate thickness.

[0063] (Note 4) The printing apparatus according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, wherein the first flexible flat cable is formed with a first width dimension, and the second flexible flat cable is formed with a second width dimension different from the first width dimension. This suppresses vertical misalignment between the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable, thereby reducing noise generation.

[0064] (Note 5) The printing apparatus according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, wherein the support surface comprises a first support surface that supports one end of the first flexible flat cable in the width direction from below, and a second support surface that supports one end of the second flexible flat cable in the width direction from below, and the first support surface and the second support surface are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. As a result, the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable are held at different positions in the vertical direction, reducing noise generation. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1…Printing device, 14…Housing, 22…Control unit, 30…Printing unit, 31…Scanning axis, 33…Carriage, 34…Inkjet head, 35…Ink tube, 60…Cable unit, 62…First cable, 64…Second cable, 66…Third cable, 70, 170…Movement clamp, 77…First holding part, 77A, 81A…Front holding surface, 77B, 81B…Upper end surface, 77C…Lower end surface, 78, 79, 82…Support part, 81…Second holding part, 90…Tube clamper.

Claims

1. Equipped with an inkjet head, a carriage capable of scanning the printing medium, A control unit for controlling the inkjet head, A first flexible flat cable electrically connects the carriage and the control unit, and has multiple wires arranged in parallel along the width direction, A second flexible flat cable electrically connects the carriage and the control unit, and has multiple wires arranged in parallel along the width direction, A clamp for holding the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable, Equipped with, The clamp mentioned above is Each of the first flexible flat cable and the second flexible flat cable is provided with a support surface that supports them from one end in the width direction, such that the other end in the width direction is higher than the other end in the width direction in the vertical direction. Printing device.

2. The clamp includes a holding portion for holding the first flexible flat cable, The holding portion includes a holding surface that holds the first flexible flat cable along the width direction, A support portion that supports the upper end of the first flexible flat cable, A will be established. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The second flexible flat cable is positioned between the holding surface and the first flexible flat cable. The printing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The first flexible flat cable is formed with a first width dimension, The second flexible flat cable is formed with a second width dimension that is different from the first width dimension. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The aforementioned support surface is A first support surface that supports one end of the first flexible flat cable in the width direction from below, A second support surface that supports one end of the second flexible flat cable in the width direction from below, It consists of, The first support surface and the second support surface are positioned at different locations in the vertical direction. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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