Liquid dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a liquid ejection device that is able to reduce the possibility that a head may come into contact with a sheet when a jam occurs.SOLUTION: A multifunction machine 10 includes: a carriage 40 that moves in leftward and rightward directions 9; a head 38 that is mounted on the carriage 40 and has nozzles 39 that eject ink 90; a conveyance mechanism that conveys paper 12 in a conveyance direction 15 that is orthogonal to the leftward and rightward directions 9; and a moving member 150 that is movable to a first position and a second position. The moving member 150 at the first position is not in contact with the carriage 40 and the head 38, and the moving member 150 at the second position is in contact with the carriage 40 or the head 38. The moving member 150 moves from the first position to the second position by the paper 12 curving toward the head 38.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device in which a carriage on which a head is mounted moves. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known device in which a carriage moves while ejecting ink from a head mounted on the carriage to record an image on a sheet (see Patent Document 1). If a jam (paper jam) occurs due to bending of the sheet, etc., the carriage stops. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-118067 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the carriage stops in the printing area while the sheet is in a bent state, the head may come into contact with the sheet, which may result in ink being drawn into the sheet and moving from the head to the sheet, consuming ink stored in the tank or cartridge.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a means for reducing the possibility that the head will come into contact with a sheet when a jam occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A liquid ejection device of the present invention comprises a carriage that moves in a scanning direction, a head mounted on the carriage and having nozzles that eject liquid, a transport mechanism that transports a sheet in a transport direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and a movable member that can move to a first position and a second position, wherein the movable member at the first position does not abut the carriage and the head, and the movable member at the second position abuts the carriage or the head, and the movable member moves from the first position to the second position due to the sheet bent toward the head.

[0007] According to the liquid ejection device, when the sheet is conveyed by the conveying mechanism without bending, the moving member at the first position does not come into contact with the sheet. When the sheet bends toward the head, the bending sheet moves the moving member from the first position to the second position. The carriage or the head moving in the scanning direction comes into contact with the moving member at the second position. This creates resistance in the carriage moving in the scanning direction, making it possible to detect a sheet jam.

[0008] (2) Preferably, the liquid ejection device further includes a detection unit that detects the moving speed of the carriage, and a controller, and the controller determines whether the moving speed of the carriage has exceeded an allowable range based on a signal output by the detection unit, and stops the carriage in response to determining that the moving speed of the carriage has exceeded the allowable range.

[0009] According to this configuration, when the moving member at the second position comes into contact and the moving speed of the carriage exceeds the allowable range, the carriage is stopped, so that the possibility of the head coming into contact with the sheet can be reduced.

[0010] (3) Preferably, the moving member has a first contact portion that contacts the carriage or the head, and the first contact portion is located outside an area in which the sheet is transported in the scanning direction.

[0011] According to this configuration, when the sheet is bent, the first contact portion contacts the carriage or the head outside the area where the sheet is transported, so that a sheet jam can be detected before the carriage enters that area.

[0012] (4) Preferably, the movable member has a first contact portion that contacts the carriage or the head, and the first contact portion has an inclined surface that is inclined toward the center of the scanning direction so as to approach the carriage or the head.

[0013] According to this configuration, as the carriage or head moves in the scanning direction, the frictional resistance caused by the inclined surface increases.

[0014] (5) Preferably, the first contact portion has a higher coefficient of friction than other portions of the moving member.

[0015] (6) Preferably, the moving member has a second contact portion that comes into contact with the sheet bent toward the head, and a plurality of the second contact portions are arranged in the scanning direction.

[0016] According to this configuration, sheets of various sizes can come into contact with the second contact portion.

[0017] (7) Preferably, the second contact portion is a spur rotatable about an axis along the scanning direction.

[0018] According to this configuration, the recording surface of the sheet is less likely to be damaged by contact with the second contact portion.

[0019] (8) Preferably, a plurality of the movable members are arranged in the scanning direction, and each of the plurality of movable members is capable of moving independently.

[0020] According to this configuration, the load on the seat caused by the moving member is reduced, so that the bending of the seat makes it easier for the moving member to move to the second position.

[0021] (9) Preferably, the moving member is located upstream of the head in the transport direction.

[0022] (10) Preferably, the moving member is located downstream of the head in the transport direction.

[0023] (11) Preferably, the moving member moves to the first position and the second position by rotation about an axis along the scanning direction.

[0024] (12) Preferably, the moving member extends from the shaft along the transport direction in a direction approaching the head.

[0025] (13) Preferably, the shaft is located on a side of the moving member away from the head. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the head will come into contact with the sheet when a jam occurs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunction peripheral 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of the printer unit 11. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the movement range of the carriage 40. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the multifunction device 10. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a moving member 150 provided on the downstream guide rail 57. As shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the moving member 150. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view that shows a schematic view of a part of the printer unit 11 in a normal state. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view that shows a schematic view of a part of the printer unit 11 when a paper jam occurs. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining image recording control by the multifunction device 10. As shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the jam detection process executed in the image recording control. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view that shows a schematic view of a part of the printer unit 11 according to a modified example when a jam occurs. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a part of a moving member 150 according to a modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of movable members 221 to 223 according to a modified example provided on the downstream guide rail 57. As shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a moving member 230 according to a modified example provided on the downstream guide rail 57. As shown in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement position of a storage section 80 according to a modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a recording unit 24 according to a modified example taken along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction 8. As shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiment described below is merely one example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the end point is expressed as a direction, and the movement on the line connecting the starting point and the end point of the arrow is expressed as a direction. In addition, in the following description, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the state in which the multifunction device 10 is installed so as to be usable (the state in FIG. 1), the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface in which the opening 13 is provided as the front surface 23, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front. The up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 are mutually perpendicular.

[0029] [Overall structure of multifunction device 10] As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 10 (an example of a liquid ejection device) has a housing 14 having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. A printer unit 11 is provided at the bottom of the housing 14. The multifunction device 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The multifunction device 10 has a function of recording an image on one side of a sheet of paper 12 (see FIG. 2) by an inkjet method as a print function. The multifunction device 10 may record an image on both sides of the sheet of paper 12. An operation unit 17 is provided at the top of the housing 14. The operation unit 17 is composed of buttons that are operated to instruct image recording and for various settings, a liquid crystal display that displays various information, and the like. In this embodiment, the operation unit 17 is composed of a touch panel having both the functions of a button and a liquid crystal display.

[0030] 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feed tray 20, a feed section 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a pair of transport rollers 59, a pair of discharge rollers 44, a platen 42, a recording section 24, an encoder 35 (see FIG. 4), a rotary encoder 75 (see FIG. 4), a controller 130 (see FIG. 4), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 4). These are arranged inside the housing 14. Inside the housing 14, various status sensors (not shown) are arranged that detect the status of the multifunction device 10 and output signals according to the detection results.

[0031] [Feed Tray 20] As shown in Fig. 1, an opening 13 is formed in a front surface 23 of the printer unit 11. The feed tray 20 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 14 through the opening 13 by moving in the front-rear direction 8. The feed tray 20 can be moved between a feed position (position shown in Figs. 1 and 2) where it is attached to the housing 14, and a non-feed position where it is removed from the housing 14. The feed tray 20 moves to the feed position by being inserted backward into the housing 14, and moves to the non-feed position by being pulled forward into the housing 14.

[0032] The feed tray 20 is a box-shaped member that is open at the top and stores the papers 12. As shown in Fig. 2, the papers 12 are supported in a stacked state on a bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20. The discharge tray 21 is disposed above the front part of the feed tray 20. The papers 12 that have been image-recorded by the recording unit 24 and discharged are supported on the upper surface of the discharge tray 21. When the feed tray 20 is in the feed position, the papers 12 supported by the feed tray 20 can be fed to the transport path 65.

[0033] [Feeding section 16] 2, the feeding unit 16 is disposed below the recording unit 24 and above the bottom plate 22 of the feeding tray 20. The feeding unit 16 includes a feeding roller 25, a feeding arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a shaft 28. The feeding roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the feeding arm 26. The feeding arm 26 rotates in the direction of the arrow 29 about the shaft 28 provided at the base end. This allows the feeding roller 25 to come into contact with and separate from the feeding tray 20 or the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20.

[0034] The feed roller 25 rotates by transmitting the driving force of the feed motor 102 (see FIG. 4) through a drive transmission mechanism 27 formed by meshing multiple gears. As a result, of the sheets 12 supported on the bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20 at the feed position, the uppermost sheet 12 in contact with the feed roller 25 is fed to the conveying path 65. Note that the drive transmission mechanism 27 is not limited to a form in which multiple gears are meshed, and may be, for example, a belt stretched between the shaft 28 and the shaft of the feed roller 25.

[0035] [Transport Path 65] 2, a transport path 65 extends from the rear end of the feed tray 20. The transport path 65 includes a curved portion 33 and a straight portion 34. The curved portion 33 extends upward, making a U-turn from the rear to the front. The straight portion 34 extends generally along the front-rear direction 8.

[0036] The curved portion 33 is formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 which face each other with a predetermined gap between them. The outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 are provided to extend in the left-right direction 9. The straight portion 34 is formed by the recording unit 24 and a platen 42 which face each other with a predetermined gap between them at the position where the recording unit 24 is disposed.

[0037] The paper 12 supported on the feed tray 20 is transported along the curved portion 33 by the feed roller 25 and reaches the pair of transport rollers 59. The paper 12 held between the pair of transport rollers 59 is transported forward along the straight portion 34 toward the recording unit 24. The paper 12 that has reached directly below the recording unit 24 has an image recorded on it by the recording unit 24. The paper 12 with the image recorded on it is transported forward along the straight portion 34 and discharged onto the discharge tray 21. As a result, the paper 12 is transported along the transport direction 15 indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow in FIG. 2.

[0038] [Transport roller pair 59 and discharge roller pair 44] 2, a conveying roller pair 59 is disposed in the straight section 34. A discharge roller pair 44 is disposed downstream of the conveying roller pair 59 in the straight section 34 in the conveying direction 15.

[0039] The conveying roller pair 59 includes a conveying roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 disposed below the conveying roller 60 so as to face the conveying roller 60. The pinch roller 61 is pressed against the conveying roller 60 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The conveying roller pair 59 is capable of pinching the paper 12.

[0040] The discharge roller pair 44 includes a discharge roller 62 and a spur roller 63 disposed above the discharge roller 62 so as to face the discharge roller 62. The spur roller 63 is pressed toward the discharge roller 62 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The discharge roller pair 44 is capable of clamping the paper 12.

[0041] The conveying roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 are rotated by a driving force applied from a conveying motor 101 (see FIG. 4). When the conveying roller 60 rotates with the paper 12 sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 59, the paper 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 by the conveying roller pair 59 and conveyed onto the platen 42. When the discharge roller 62 rotates with the paper 12 sandwiched between the discharge roller pair 44, the paper 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 by the discharge roller pair 44 and discharged onto the discharge tray 21. Note that a common motor may be used as the conveying motor 101 and the feeding motor 102. In this case, the drive transmission path from the common motor to each roller is configured to be switchable.

[0042] The conveying motor 101, the conveying roller pair 59, and the discharge roller pair 44 are an example of a conveying mechanism that conveys the paper 12 (an example of a sheet) in a direction (an example of a conveying direction) perpendicular to the left-right direction 9 (an example of a scanning direction). Note that the means for conveying the paper 12 is not limited to the roller pair described above. For example, a conveying belt may be arranged instead of the conveying roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44.

[0043] [Platen 42] 2, the platen 42 is disposed in the straight section 34 of the transport path 65. The platen 42 faces the recording unit 24 in the up-down direction 7. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 transported along the transport path 65 from below. The paper 12 transported along the transport path 65 passes through an area between the right and left ends of the platen 42 in the left-right direction 9 (a medium passing area 70 shown in FIG. 3).

[0044] [Record 24] 2, the recording unit 24 is disposed above the platen 42 so as to face the platen 42. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40, a head 38, and a storage unit 80.

[0045] The carriage 40 is supported by an upstream guide rail 56 and a downstream guide rail 57 arranged at an interval in the front-rear direction 8 so as to be movable in a left-right direction 9 perpendicular to the conveying direction 15 .

[0046] The upstream guide rail 56 is disposed upstream of the head 38 in the transport direction 15. The downstream guide rail 57 is disposed downstream of the head 38 in the transport direction 15. The upstream guide rail 56 and the downstream guide rail 57 are supported by a pair of side frames (not shown) disposed outside the straight portion 34 of the transport path 65 in the left-right direction 9. The carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction 9 by receiving a driving force from a carriage drive motor 103 (see FIG. 4).

[0047] 3, the leftmost position of the carriage 40 (the position when moved to the farthest left) is to the left of the medium passing area 70, and the rightmost position of the carriage 40 (the position when moved to the farthest right) is to the right of the medium passing area 70. The carriage 40 can move in the left-right direction 9 between a position to the left of the medium passing area 70 and a position to the right of the medium passing area 70. The movement direction of the carriage 40 is not limited to the left-right direction 9, and may be any direction that intersects with the transport direction 15.

[0048] An encoder 35 (see FIG. 4) is disposed on the upstream guide rail 56 or the downstream guide rail 57. The encoder 35 includes an encoder strip extending in the left-right direction 9, and an optical sensor provided at a position on the carriage 40 facing the encoder strip. The encoder strip is provided with a pattern in which light-transmitting sections that transmit light and light-shielding sections that block light are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the left-right direction 9. A pulse signal is detected by the optical sensor detecting the light-transmitting sections and the light-shielding sections. The pulse signal is a signal corresponding to the position of the carriage 40 in the left-right direction 9. The pulse signal is output to a controller 130 (see FIG. 4). The controller 130 obtains the moving speed of the carriage 40 based on the pulse signal output by the encoder 35. The encoder 35 is an example of a detection section that detects the moving speed of the carriage 40.

[0049] The head 38 is mounted on the carriage 40. A lower surface 68 of the head 38 is exposed downward and faces the platen 42. The head 38 includes a plurality of nozzles 39, an ink flow path 37, and a piezoelectric element 45 (see FIG. 4).

[0050] The multiple nozzles 39 are opened on the bottom surface 68 of the head 38. The ink flow path 37 connects the storage section 80 and the multiple nozzles 39. The piezoelectric element 45 ejects ink droplets downward from the nozzles 39 by deforming a part of the ink flow path 37. The piezoelectric element 45 is operated by being supplied with power by the controller 130 (see FIG. 4). This causes the nozzles 39 to eject ink (an example of liquid).

[0051] The storage unit 80 is supported by the carriage 40 in a state where it is attached to the carriage 40. The storage unit 80 has an internal space 81 in which the ink 90 is stored. In this embodiment, the recording unit 24 includes one storage unit 80. Black ink 90 is stored in this one storage unit 80. Note that the color of the ink 90 stored in the storage unit 80 is not limited to black.

[0052] The storage portion 80 is located above the head 38. In this embodiment, the entire storage portion 80 is located above the head 38, but a part of the storage portion 80 may be located above the head 38, and the other part of the storage portion 80 may be located at a height equal to or lower than the head 38. The internal space 81 of the storage portion 80 communicates with the multiple nozzles 39 via the ink flow path 37. As a result, ink 90 is supplied from the internal space 81 to the nozzles 39.

[0053] An inlet (not shown) for injecting ink 90 into the internal space 81 is provided on the upper wall 82 of the storage section 80. When ink 90 is not being injected, the inlet is closed with a lid (not shown). When ink 90 is to be injected, the lid is removed from the inlet, and ink 90 is injected from a bottle (not shown) into the internal space 81 through the inlet. Note that the storage section 80 may be provided with an air opening (not shown) that communicates the internal space 81 with the outside, and a back pressure mechanism (not shown) that controls the pressure in the internal space 81.

[0054] [Rotary Encoder 75] The rotary encoder 75 shown in FIG. 4 is composed of an encoder disk that is provided on the shaft of the conveyor motor 101 (see FIG. 4) and rotates together with the conveyor motor 101, and an optical sensor. The encoder disk is formed with a pattern in which light-transmitting portions and non-light-blocking portions are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. When the encoder disk rotates, a pulse signal is generated each time the optical sensor detects a light-transmitting portion and a non-transmitting portion. The generated pulse signal is output to the controller 130 (see FIG. 4). The controller 130 calculates the amount of rotation of the conveyor motor 101 based on the pulse signal. The rotary encoder 75 may be provided on a portion other than the conveyor motor 101, such as the feed motor 102 or the conveyor roller 60.

[0055] [Controller 130 and Memory 140] The configurations of the controller 130 and the memory 140 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. The controller 130 controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 10. The controller 130 includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135. The memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, the ROM 132, the RAM 133, and the EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0056] The ROM 132 stores programs for the CPU 131 to control various operations. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data and signals used when the CPU 131 executes the programs, or as a working area for data processing. The EEPROM 134 stores settings and flags that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

[0057] The ASIC 135 is connected to the conveying motor 101, the feeding motor 102, and the carriage driving motor 103. The ASIC 135 incorporates a driving circuit for controlling each motor. The CPU 131 outputs a driving signal for rotating each motor to the driving circuit corresponding to each motor. The driving circuit outputs a driving current corresponding to the driving signal acquired from the CPU 131 to the corresponding motor. This causes the corresponding motor to rotate. That is, the controller 130 controls the feeding motor 102 to cause the feeding unit 16 to feed the paper 12. The controller 130 also controls the conveying motor 101 to cause the conveying roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 to convey the paper 12. The controller 130 also controls the carriage driving motor 103 to move the carriage 40.

[0058] In addition, an optical sensor of the rotary encoder 75 is connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 calculates the amount of rotation of the conveyor motor 101 based on the electrical signal received from the optical sensor of the rotary encoder 75. In addition, an encoder 35 is connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 recognizes the position and moving speed of the carriage 40 based on the pulse signal received from the encoder 35.

[0059] A piezoelectric element 45 is also connected to the ASIC 135. The piezoelectric element 45 is operated by being supplied with power by the controller 130 via a drive circuit (not shown). The controller 130 controls the supply of power to the piezoelectric element 45 and causes ink droplets to be selectively ejected from the multiple nozzles 39. A status sensor (not shown) is also connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 performs image recording and abnormality processing, as described below, based on a signal received from the status sensor.

[0060] When recording an image on the paper 12, the controller 130 alternately executes a transport process and a printing process. The transport process is a process in which the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 transport the paper 12 by a predetermined line feed amount. The controller 130 controls the transport motor 101 to cause the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 to execute the transport process. The printing process is a process in which the carriage 40 is moved in the left-right direction 9 while controlling the power supply to the piezoelectric element 45 to cause the head 38 to eject ink droplets from the nozzle 39. During the printing process, the carriage 40 is located within the medium passing area 70 shown in FIG. 3 and faces the platen 42.

[0061] The controller 130 stops the paper 12 for a certain period between the current transport process and the next transport process. Then, while the paper 12 is stopped, the printing process is executed. That is, in the printing process, the controller 130 executes one pass in which ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 39 while moving the carriage 40 rightward or leftward. In this way, one pass of image recording is executed on the paper 12.

[0062] The controller 130 alternately and repeatedly executes the transport process and the printing process, thereby making it possible to record an image in the entire image recordable area of ​​the paper 12. In other words, the controller 130 causes an image to be recorded on one sheet of paper 12 in multiple passes.

[0063] The controller 130 is not limited to the above, and may be one in which only the CPU 131 performs various processes, or one in which only the ASIC 135 performs various processes, or one in which the CPU 131 and the ASIC 135 work together to perform various processes. The controller 130 may be one in which one CPU 131 performs processes independently, or one in which multiple CPUs 131 share the processes. The controller 130 may be one in which one ASIC 135 performs processes independently, or one in which multiple ASICs 135 share the processes.

[0064] [Moving member 150] 5 to 8, the movable member 150 provided for detecting a jam of the paper 12 will be described below. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 7, the downstream guide rail 57 has a bottom surface 171, a left side surface 172, a rear side surface 173, a right side surface 174, and a front side surface 175. The movable member 150 is provided to span the space defined by these five surfaces and the space below them.

[0065] The movable member 150 has a left side portion 151, an intermediate portion 152, a right side portion 153, and three paper detection portions 154. The left side portion 151, intermediate portion 152, and right side portion 153 are arranged in this order from left to right along the left-right direction 9. The left side portion 151 is disposed to the left of the medium passing area 70 (see FIG. 3), and the right side portion 153 is disposed to the right of the medium passing area 70. The movable member 150 has a shape that is plane-symmetrical with respect to a plane that passes through the center of the movable member 150 in the left-right direction 9 and is perpendicular to the left-right direction 9.

[0066] Intermediate portion 152 has a plate-like shape whose length in left-right direction 9 is longer than its length in front-rear direction 8. Left portion 151 and right portion 153 have a shape obtained by cutting a portion of a rectangular parallelepiped off at an angle. The length in front-rear direction 8 of left portion 151 and right portion 153 is the same as the length in front-rear direction 8 of intermediate portion 152. The height in the up-down direction 7 of left portion 151 and right portion 153 is the same as the height of a horizontal portion (described below) of paper detection unit 154, except for the position of inclined surface 159.

[0067] An inclined surface 159 is formed on the left side portion 151 to make the height of the left rear portion lower than the other portions. At the position where the inclined surface 159 is formed, the height of the left side portion 151 in the up-down direction 7 becomes lower as it moves rearward in the front-rear direction 8, and becomes lower as it moves leftward in the left-right direction 9. A similar inclined surface 159 is formed on the right side portion 153. These inclined surfaces 159 are inclined so as to approach the carriage 40 toward the center in the left-right direction 9.

[0068] The three paper detection units 154 have the same plate-like shape and are provided parallel to one another at positions spaced apart in the left-right direction 9. The first paper detection unit 154 is provided at the boundary between the left side section 151 and the intermediate section 152. The second paper detection unit 154 is provided in the center of the intermediate section 152. The third paper detection unit 154 is provided at the boundary between the intermediate section 152 and the right side section 153. In FIG. 6, only the right side section 153 and the third paper detection unit 154 of the moving member 150 are shown.

[0069] Each paper detection unit 154 has a horizontal portion 155 that is above the bottom surface 171 of the downstream guide rail 57 in the initial state, and a protruding portion 156 that is below the bottom surface 171 of the downstream guide rail 57 in the initial state (see FIG. 6). The horizontal portion 155 has a generally rectangular plate shape whose length in the front-rear direction 8 is longer than its height in the up-down direction 7. A notch 157 and a through hole 158 are formed in the horizontal portion 155. The protruding portion 156 has a trapezoidal plate shape that protrudes downward from the horizontal portion 155.

[0070] The movable member 150 is disposed in the space defined by the above-mentioned five surfaces of the downstream guide rail 57 and in the space below it, with its longitudinal direction coinciding with the left-right direction 9. A shaft 161 and a stopper 162 extending in the left-right direction 9 are provided near the movable member 150. The shaft 161 passes through a through-hole 158 formed in each paper detection unit 154. The stopper 162 is disposed above and near the movable member 150. Both ends of the shaft 161 and the stopper 162 are fixed to a left side surface 172 and a right side surface 174 of the downstream guide rail 57. The stopper 162 is provided to limit the upward rotation of the movable member 150.

[0071] In the bottom surface 171 of the downstream guide rail 57, an insertion opening 176 for inserting the protrusion 156 is formed in correspondence with the position of the paper detection unit 154. In this embodiment, three insertion openings 176 are formed in the bottom surface 171. The size of the insertion opening 176 in the front-rear direction 8 is larger than the size of the protrusion 156 in the front-rear direction 8 and is smaller than the smaller size of the horizontal portion 155 in the front-rear direction 8. Therefore, the protrusion 156 is inserted into the insertion opening 176, but the horizontal portion 155 is not inserted into the insertion opening 176. Therefore, in the initial state, the horizontal portion 155 is above the bottom surface 171 of the downstream guide rail 57, and the protrusion 156 is below the bottom surface 171 of the downstream guide rail 57.

[0072] The movable member 150 is not fixed to the shaft 161, and is rotatable around the shaft 161 as a whole. The reason why the notch 157 is formed in the horizontal portion 155 is to enable this rotation. The movable member 150 is disposed at a position where the paper 12 does not come into contact with the protruding portion 156 when the paper 12 is not jammed (hereinafter referred to as "normal time"), and where the paper 12 comes into contact with the protruding portion 156 when the paper 12 is jammed (hereinafter referred to as "jammed time").

[0073] Moreover, the movable member 150 is located downstream of the head 38 in the conveying direction 15, and extends from the shaft 161 along the conveying direction 15 in a direction approaching the head 38 (toward the downstream in the conveying direction 15). The shaft 161 is located on the side of the movable member 150 that is farther from the head 38 (the downstream side in the conveying direction 15).

[0074] 7, under normal circumstances, the paper 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 while maintaining a flat state without bending on the conveying path 65. At this time, the paper 12 does not abut against the protruding portion 156 of the moving member 150. The moving member 150 is in a position where the lower surface of the horizontal portion 155 abuts against the upper surface of the bottom surface 171 of the downstream guide rail 57.

[0075] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 8, when the paper 12 is not properly conveyed beyond the pair of discharge rollers 44 and a jam occurs, the paper 12 bends upward toward the head 38 on the conveying path 65. At this time, the paper 12 comes into contact with the protruding portion 156 of the moving member 150, and the moving member 150 rotates about the shaft 161. The moving member 150 rotates up to the maximum extent until the horizontal portion 155 comes into contact with the stopper 162. When the moving member 150 rotates beyond a predetermined amount, it comes into contact with the contact portion 41 of the carriage 40 that moves in the left-right direction 9. At this time, resistance is generated in the carriage 40, and the moving speed of the carriage 40 changes, so that when the moving speed of the carriage 40 exceeds the allowable range, a jam of the paper 12 can be detected.

[0076] The movable member 150 rotates about an axis 161 between a position shown in Fig. 7 and a position shown in Fig. 8. The positions of the movable member 150 are divided into a first position where the movable member 150 does not contact the carriage 40 or the head 38, and a second position where the movable member 150 contacts the carriage 40. The position shown in Fig. 7 is an example of the first position, and the position shown in Fig. 8 is an example of the second position.

[0077] The moving member 150 comes into contact with the bent paper 12 when a jam occurs, and the moving member 150 in the second position also comes into contact with the carriage 40. A portion of the moving member 150 that comes into contact with the carriage 40 is referred to as a first contact portion, and a portion of the moving member 150 that comes into contact with the paper 12 is referred to as a second contact portion. Jams occur primarily when the carriage 40 is outside the media passing region 70, but can also occur when the carriage 40 is within the media passing region 70.

[0078] The inclined surface 159 is provided to prevent the carriage 40 attempting to enter the medium passing area 70 from coming into contact with the left side surface 160 of the left portion 151 and the right side surface of the right portion 153 (a side surface not shown that is positioned symmetrically to the left side surface 160 of the left portion 151, based on a plane that passes through the center of the movable member 150 in the left-right direction 9 and is perpendicular to the left-right direction 9).

[0079] If a jam occurs when the carriage 40 is to the left of the medium passing area 70 and the moving member 150 moves from the first position to the second position, the carriage 40 attempting to enter the medium passing area 70 from the left abuts against the inclined surface 159 of the left side portion 151. In this case, the left side portion 151 (more specifically, the inclined surface 159 of the left side portion 151) functions as the first abutment portion.

[0080] If a jam occurs when the carriage 40 is to the right of the medium passing area 70 and the moving member 150 moves from the first position to the second position, the carriage 40 attempting to enter the medium passing area 70 from the right abuts against the inclined surface 159 of the right side portion 153. In this case, the right side portion 153 (more specifically, the inclined surface 159 of the right side portion 153) functions as the first abutment portion.

[0081] If a jam occurs when the carriage 40 is in the medium passing region 70 and the moving member 150 moves from the first position to the second position, the carriage 40 moving in the medium passing region 70 abuts against the upper surface of the intermediate portion 152. In this case, the intermediate portion 152 (more specifically, the upper surface of the intermediate portion 152) functions as the first abutment portion.

[0082] These first contact portions may be configured to have a higher coefficient of friction than other portions of the moving member 150. For example, small irregularities may be formed on the surface of the first contact portions, or rubber or the like may be stretched on the surface of the first contact portions. Furthermore, the portions of the carriage 40 that come into contact with the first contact portions may be formed to have a higher coefficient of friction than other portions of the carriage 40.

[0083] The three protrusions 156 of the moving member 150 function as second contact portions that come into contact with the paper 12 bent toward the head 38. On the moving member 150, a plurality of second contact portions are arranged in the left-right direction 9.

[0084] In this manner, the movable member 150 is movable to a first position where it does not contact the carriage 40 and the head 38, and to a second position where it contacts the carriage 40, and in the event of a jam, the movable member 150 is moved from the first position to the second position by the paper 12 that is bent toward the head 38.

[0085] [Image Recording Control by Controller 130] In the printer unit 11 configured as described above, the controller 130 executes a series of image recording controls in which the paper 12 is fed and an image is recorded on the fed paper 12. Hereinafter, the image recording control by the controller 130 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0086] When image recording control is not being executed, the carriage 40 is positioned outside the medium passing area 70 in the left-right direction 9 (this position is called the maintenance position) and does not face the platen 42.

[0087] A print command is sent to the controller 130 from the operation unit 17 of the multifunction device 10 (see FIG. 1) or an external device connected to the multifunction device 10. The print command includes a command to start image recording control, information about the size of the paper 12, and print data to be recorded as an image on the paper 12.

[0088] When the controller 130 receives a print command (S10: Yes), it executes feeding of the paper 12 supported on the feed tray 20 (S20).

[0089] In step S20, the controller 130 drives the feeding motor 102. As a result, the feeding roller 25 feeds the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65. The controller 130 also drives the conveying motor 101. As a result, when the leading edge of the paper 12 fed to the conveying path 65 by the feeding roller 25 reaches the conveying roller pair 59, the conveying roller pair 59 conveys the paper 12 in the conveying direction 15.

[0090] Next, the controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40 from the maintenance position to the start position. The start position is the movement start position of the carriage 40 when the printing process (S30) is executed, and is determined based on the print data. In step S20, the feeding operation of the paper 12 and the movement operation of the carriage 40 are executed in parallel.

[0091] Next, the controller 130 executes a printing process (S30). In the printing process of step S30, the controller 130 executes one pass. That is, the controller 130 ejects ink droplets from the nozzles 39 while moving the carriage 40 from the start position. Note that the carriage 40 that started moving from the maintenance position in step S20 may continue moving for the printing process without stopping at the start position. Of course, the carriage 40 may stop once at the start position.

[0092] Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not image recording on the current sheet of paper 12 has been completed based on the information about the size of the sheet of paper 12 contained in the print command and the print data (S40).

[0093] In step S40, if image recording on the current paper 12 is not completed (S40: No), a conveying process is executed (S50). In the conveying process of step S50, the controller 130 drives the conveying motor 101 to make the conveying roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 convey the paper 12 by a predetermined line feed amount. Thereafter, the control of the controller 130 proceeds to step S30.

[0094] In step S40, if image recording on the current paper 12 is completed (S40: Yes), the controller 130 causes the conveying roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 to convey the paper 12 in the conveying direction 15 and discharge it onto the discharge tray 21 (S60).

[0095] Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not the image data included in the print command contains image data that has not yet been recorded on the paper 12, that is, whether or not there is image recording for the next page (S70).

[0096] If there is an image to be recorded on the next page (S70: Yes), the control of the controller 130 proceeds to step S20. In this case, the controller 130 feeds the subsequent paper 12 from the feed tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S20). Note that the feeding of the subsequent paper 12 (S20) may be performed in parallel with the ejection of the preceding paper 12 (S60). If there is no image to be recorded on the next page (S70: No), the controller 130 ends the series of image recording controls.

[0097] Note that, although the case where controller 130 normally performs image recording control has been described here, controller 130 may also perform a process for detecting an abnormality and a process when an abnormality is detected (neither of which are shown in the figures) while performing image recording control.

[0098] 9, the controller 130 moves the carriage 40 in the left-right direction 9. When executing steps S20 and S30, the controller 130 repeatedly executes the jam detection process shown in FIG.

[0099] In the jam detection process shown in FIG. 10, the controller 130 first receives a pulse signal output by the encoder 35 (S110). Next, the controller 130 calculates the moving speed of the carriage 40 based on the pulse signal received in step S110 (S120). Next, the controller 130 determines whether the moving speed of the carriage 40 calculated in step S120 exceeds the allowable range (S130). When a jam occurs, the carriage 40 comes into contact with the moving member 150 that has moved from the first position to the second position. At this time, resistance is generated in the carriage 40 moving in the left-right direction 9, so that the moving speed of the carriage 40 when a jam occurs changes from (generally decreases) the moving speed of the carriage 40 when a jam occurs. As a result, the moving speed of the carriage 40 when a jam occurs may exceed a predetermined allowable range.

[0100] In response to determining that the moving speed of the carriage 40 has not exceeded the allowable range (S130: No), the controller 130 determines that the time is normal and ends the jam detection process normally. In response to determining that the moving speed of the carriage 40 has exceeded the allowable range (S130: Yes), the controller 130 determines that a jam has occurred, stops the carriage 40 (S140), and ends the jam detection process abnormally. In this case, step S20 or S30 shown in FIG. 9 ends abnormally, and image recording control is interrupted at that point.

[0101] In this way, in the jam detection process, the controller 130 determines whether the movement speed of the carriage 40 has exceeded the allowable range based on the pulse signal output by the encoder 35, and stops the carriage 40 if it determines that the movement speed of the carriage 40 has exceeded the allowable range.

[0102] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the above embodiment, when the paper 12 is transported by the transport mechanism without being bent, the moving member 150 at the first position does not come into contact with the paper 12. When the paper 12 bends toward the head 38, the bent paper 12 moves the moving member 150 from the first position to the second position. The carriage 40 moving in the left-right direction 9 comes into contact with the moving member 150 at the second position. This creates resistance in the carriage 40 moving in the left-right direction 9, making it possible to detect a jam in the paper 12.

[0103] In addition, the controller 130 executes the jam detection process shown in Fig. 10. Therefore, when the moving member 150 at the second position comes into contact and the moving speed of the carriage 40 exceeds the allowable range, the carriage 40 is stopped, so that the possibility of the head 38 coming into contact with the paper 12 can be reduced.

[0104] Furthermore, the first contact portion that contacts the carriage 40 is located outside a medium passing area 70 through which the paper 12 is transported in the left-right direction 9. When the paper 12 bends, the first contact portion contacts the carriage 40 outside the medium passing area 70, making it possible to detect a jam in the paper 12 before the carriage 40 enters the medium passing area 70.

[0105] In addition, since the first contact portion has an inclined surface 159, the frictional resistance due to the inclined surface 159 increases as the carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction 9. In addition, since a plurality of second contact portions that come into contact with the paper 12 bent toward the head 38 are arranged in the left-right direction 9, paper 12 of various sizes can come into contact with the second contact portions.

[0106] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the movable member 150 at the second position abuts against the carriage 40 (see FIG. 8), but the movable member 150 at the second position may abut against the head 38. Since the head 38 moves in the left-right direction 9 together with the carriage 40, this configuration also provides the same effect as the above embodiment. In the multifunction device 10, the movable member 150 at the first position does not abut against the carriage 40 and the head 38, and the movable member 150 at the second position may abut against the carriage 40 or the head 38. The inclined surface 159 may be inclined so as to approach the head 38 toward the center in the left-right direction 9.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the movable member 150 has the shape shown in Figures 5 and 6 and is arranged at the position shown in Figures 5 and 7, but the shape and position of the movable member 150 may be arbitrary as long as it moves from a first position where it does not contact the carriage 40 and head 38 to a second position where it contacts the carriage 40 or head 38 as the paper 12 bent toward the head 38 moves.

[0108] For example, the movable member 150 may be provided upstream of the head 38 in the transport direction, as shown in Fig. 11. In the modified example shown in Fig. 11, the movable member 150 also moves to the first position and the second position by rotating about the shaft 161 along the left-right direction 9, and extends from the shaft 161 in a direction approaching the head 38 along the transport direction 15 (a direction toward the upstream of the transport direction 15). The shaft 161 is located on the side of the movable member 150 that is farther from the head 38 (the upstream side of the transport direction 15). Note that a stopper 163 is provided to limit the downward rotation of the movable member 150.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the three protrusions 156 of the moving member 150 function as second contact parts that come into contact with the paper 12 bent toward the head 38, but the second contact parts may be spurs 211 that are rotatable around shafts 212 along the left-right direction 9, as shown in Fig. 12. In this case, the shafts 212 are inserted into through holes (not shown) formed at the tips of the protrusions 156, and the spurs 211 are attached so as to be rotatable around the shafts 212. According to the modified example shown in Fig. 12, a jam in the paper 12 can be detected while reducing the area of ​​the contact between the paper 12 and the moving member 150.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the printer unit 11 is provided with one moving member 150, but the printer unit 11 may be provided with a plurality of (here, three) moving members 221-223 as shown in FIG. 13. The three moving members 221-223 shown in FIG. 13 are obtained by adding one paper detection unit 154 to the moving member 150 (see FIG. 5) according to the above embodiment and dividing the middle part 152 into three parts at a position close to the left part 151 and a position close to the right part 153. The three moving members 221-223 are aligned in the left-right direction 9 and can be independently moved to a first position where they do not come into contact with the carriage 40 and the head 38, and a second position where they come into contact with the carriage 40. According to the modified example shown in FIG. 13, the load on the paper 12 by the moving members 221-223 is reduced, so that the moving members 221-223 are easily moved to the second position by the bent paper 12.

[0111] In the above embodiment, the left side 151 and the right side 153 of the movable member 150 have an inclined surface 159, but as shown in FIG. 14, the left side 151 and the right side 153 of the movable member 230 do not have to have an inclined surface.

[0112] In this modified example, if a jam occurs when the carriage 40 is to the left of the medium passing area 70 and the moving member 150 moves from the first position to the second position, the carriage 40 attempting to enter the medium passing area 70 from the left abuts against the left side surface 160 of the left side portion 151. In this case, the left side portion 151 (more specifically, the left side surface 160 of the left side portion 151) functions as the first abutment portion.

[0113] If a jam occurs when the carriage 40 is to the right of the medium passing area 70 and the moving member 150 moves from the first position to the second position, the carriage 40 attempting to enter the medium passing area 70 from the right abuts against a right side surface (not shown) of the right side portion 153. In this case, the right side portion 153 (more specifically, the right side surface of the right side portion 153) functions as a first abutment portion.

[0114] In the above embodiment, the storage unit 80 is supported by the carriage 40, but the storage unit 80 does not have to be supported by the carriage 40. For example, the storage unit 80 may be disposed at a location other than the carriage 40 in the multifunction device 10 (see FIG. 15). In this case, the storage unit 80 and the head 38 are connected by a tube 241 or the like, and the ink stored in the storage unit 80 is supplied to the head 38 via the tube 241 or the like.

[0115] In the above embodiment, the storage unit 80 is attached to the carriage 40, and the ink 90 is replenished by injecting the ink 90 from an inlet. However, the storage unit 80 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the storage unit 80 may be a cartridge that is detachable from the carriage 40. In this case, when the ink stored in the cartridge becomes low or runs out, it is replaced with a new cartridge.

[0116] In the above embodiment, the recording unit 24 is provided with only one storage unit 80, but the recording unit 24 may be provided with a plurality of storage units 80. For example, as shown in Fig. 16, the recording unit 24 may include four storage units 80C, 80M, 80Y, and 80B.

[0117] Cyan ink (not shown) is stored in the storage section 80C. Magenta ink (not shown) is stored in the storage section 80M. Yellow ink (not shown) is stored in the storage section 80Y. Black ink (not shown) is stored in the storage section 80B. The storage sections 80C, 80M, 80Y, and 80B are arranged side by side in the left-right direction 9. The storage sections 80C, 80M, 80Y, and 80B may be arranged side by side in a direction other than the left-right direction 9, for example, in the front-rear direction 8. The arrangement order of the storage sections 80C, 80M, 80Y, and 80B is not limited to the order shown in FIG. 16. The sizes of the storage sections 80C, 80M, 80Y, and 80B may be the same or different. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 10...Multifunction device (liquid discharge device) 12...Paper (sheet) 35 Encoder (detection unit) 38 Head 39 Nozzle 40...Carriage 90 Ink (liquid) 130...Controller 150, 221 to 223, 230... Moving member 159...Slope surface 161, 212... axis 211...Spur

Claims

1. A carriage that moves in a scanning direction; a head mounted on the carriage and having a nozzle for ejecting liquid; a conveying mechanism that conveys a sheet in a conveying direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; a movable member movable between a first position and a second position, The moving member in the first position does not abut against the carriage and the head, The movable member in the second position abuts against the carriage or the head, The moving member is moved from the first position to the second position by the sheet bent toward the head.

2. a detection unit that detects a moving speed of the carriage; and a controller, The above controller is determining whether the moving speed of the carriage has exceeded an allowable range based on a signal output by the detection unit; 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the carriage is stopped in response to a determination that the moving speed of the carriage has exceeded an allowable range.

3. the moving member has a first contact portion that contacts the carriage or the head, The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact portion is located outside a region in which the sheet is transported in the scanning direction.

4. the moving member has a first contact portion that contacts the carriage or the head, 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion has an inclined surface that is inclined so as to approach the carriage or the head toward a center in the scanning direction.

5. 5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 3, wherein the first contact portion has a higher coefficient of friction than other portions of the moving member.

6. the moving member has a second contact portion that contacts the sheet bent toward the head, The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the second contact portions are arranged in the scanning direction.

7. The liquid ejection device according to claim 6 , wherein the second contact portion is a spur that is rotatable around an axis along the scanning direction.

8. The moving member is arranged in a plurality of members in the scanning direction, 8. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of moving members is capable of moving independently.

9. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving member is located upstream of the head in the transport direction.

10. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving member is located downstream of the head in the transport direction.

11. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the movable member moves to the first position and the second position by rotating about an axis along the scanning direction.

12. The liquid ejection device according to claim 11 , wherein the moving member extends from the shaft along the transport direction in a direction approaching the head.

13. 13. The liquid ejection device according to claim 11, wherein the shaft is located on a side of the moving member farther from the head.

Images