Printing apparatus

Abstract

To suppress an opening / closing cover from opening rapidly to enable the cover to open gently, in automatically opening the opening / closing cover utilizing power of a carriage.SOLUTION: A printing device 1 is equipped with an automatic open mechanism 3 for an opening / closing cover. The automatic open mechanism comprises a lever 11 that receives power of a carriage 15 to rotate and releases a closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 being maintained. The opening / closing cover receives force F in an opening direction, and comprises a braking mechanism 103 that brakes opening motion of the opening / closing cover by contacting a base end part 101 of the opening / closing cover that opens in the opening direction when the automatic opening mechanism releases the closed state thereof being maintained. The braking mechanism 103 comprises a braking lever 107 that contacts a part 105 to be contacted positioned at the base end part 101 of the opening / closing cover to apply braking force B thereto, a turning fulcrum 109 that turnably supports a base end of the braking lever, and a spring member 110 that generates braking force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device equipped with an automatic opening mechanism for an opening / closing cover. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of this type of printing device is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a structure in which a rotary damper is provided on the rotation shaft of a paper discharge tray. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-119172 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a structure in which a rotary damper is provided on the rotation axis of the paper output tray. However, this structure is complicated, there are limitations on its placement, and the installation space required hinders miniaturization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the printing device of the present invention is a printing device equipped with an automatic opening mechanism for an opening / closing cover, which has a print head that prints on a medium and a carriage that moves in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the medium, and which is characterized in that the automatic opening mechanism has a lever that receives power from the carriage and releases the opening / closing cover from maintaining a closed state, the opening / closing cover receives a force in the opening direction, and is equipped with a braking mechanism that contacts the base end of the opening / closing cover, which is released from maintaining a closed state by the automatic opening mechanism and moves in the opening direction, to brake the opening movement of the opening / closing cover. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the first embodiment with the opening / closing cover open. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an overall plan view showing the interior of the first embodiment with the main parts visible. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment as seen from diagonally rearward. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment as seen from diagonally front. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a lever portion of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of a power receiving portion according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the opening / closing cover of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 2A and 2B are perspective views of the main part of a sensor portion of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a wall member is provided in front of the lever in a retractable manner according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 6 is a graph showing threshold values ​​of current values ​​for controlling the movement range of the carriage in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a side view of a main part of a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a side view of a main part of a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged side view of the main part of a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a main part of a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a side view of a main part of a printing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part of a printing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of a main part of a printing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 19] 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the opening angle of the opening / closing cover and the moment related to the opening / closing cover. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of a main part of a printing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a portion where a holder is attached in a printing device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention will now be briefly described. In order to solve the above problem, a printing device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a printing device equipped with an automatic opening mechanism for an opening / closing cover, which has a print head that prints on a medium and a carriage that moves in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the medium, and which is characterized in that the automatic opening mechanism has a lever that receives power from the carriage and releases the closed state of the opening / closing cover, the opening / closing cover receives a force in the opening direction, and the automatic opening mechanism contacts the base end of the opening / closing cover as it opens in the opening direction, thereby braking the opening of the opening / closing cover.

[0008] According to this aspect, the automatic opening mechanism releases the closed state of the cover, and the brake mechanism contacts the base end of the cover to brake the opening movement of the cover. This allows the cover to be opened automatically using the power of the carriage. Furthermore, since the brake mechanism brakes the movement of the cover while it is opening, the cover can be opened smoothly without abrupt opening, while maintaining a simple structure.

[0009] A printing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the braking mechanism comprises a braking lever that contacts a contactable portion located at the base end of the opening / closing cover to apply a braking force, a pivot point that rotatably supports the base end of the braking lever, and a spring member that generates the braking force.

[0010] According to this aspect, the braking mechanism includes a brake lever that contacts the contacted portion of the open-close cover to apply a braking force, a pivot point of the brake lever, and a spring member that generates the braking force, thereby realizing a braking mechanism that achieves the above-mentioned gentle opening with a simple structure.

[0011] A printing device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the printing device of the second aspect, characterized in that the braking force of the braking mechanism is set to be smaller than the force acting on the opening cover in the opening direction.

[0012] According to this aspect, the braking force of the braking mechanism is set to be smaller than the force applied to the opening cover in the opening direction, thereby reducing the risk of the opening cover stopping mid-open even when a braking force is applied to the opening cover.

[0013] A printing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second or third aspect, the contacted portion is a cam surface that comes into contact with the brake lever, and the cam surface has a shape such that the difference between the opening moment due to the force in the opening direction of the opening cover as it opens in the opening direction and the closing moment due to the braking force of the brake lever is within a certain range.

[0014] According to this aspect, the cam surface has a shape that keeps within a certain range the difference between the opening moment caused by the force in the opening direction of the openable cover as it opens in the open direction and the closing moment caused by the braking force of the brake lever, thereby making it possible to keep the opening speed of the openable cover approximately constant. Furthermore, by setting the difference between the opening moment and the closing moment to a small value, it becomes possible to open the door at a slow, almost constant speed.

[0015] A printing device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the cam surface has a shape in which the angle formed by a first line segment connecting the contact point with the brake lever and the pivot point of the brake lever and a second line segment connecting the contact point with the brake lever and the opening / closing pivot point of the opening / closing cover is an obtuse angle.

[0016] According to this aspect, the cam surface has a shape in which the angle formed by the first line segment and the second line segment is an obtuse angle. By making the angle obtuse, a moment in the closing direction is always generated on the openable cover, and the risk of the openable cover stopping mid-open can be reduced by simplifying the structure.

[0017] A printing device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is any one of the second to fifth aspects, characterized in that it includes a sensor that detects whether the opening / closing cover is open or closed.

[0018] According to this aspect, a sensor is provided to detect the open / closed state of the access cover, and by setting the access cover to recognize a state in which the access cover is sufficiently open and no printed matter is jammed when being discharged, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of jamming of printed matter.

[0019] A printing device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the second to sixth aspects, the pivot point of the brake lever is located below a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor.

[0020] According to this aspect, the pivot point of the brake lever is located below the power transmission mechanism that transmits power from the motor, which allows the brake lever to be arranged so as not to overlap with the power transmission mechanism located nearby, thereby facilitating design and manufacturing. Furthermore, if the rotation fulcrum of the brake lever is positioned below the power transmission mechanism and overlaps with the power transmission mechanism in the depth direction of the device, it is possible to achieve a reduction in size in the depth direction.

[0021] A printing device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the second to seventh aspects, the braking mechanism is located on the outside in a width direction that intersects with the conveying direction of the conveying path of the printed material.

[0022] According to this aspect, the braking mechanism is located outside the transport path of the printed material in the width direction, which allows the braking mechanism to be disposed without affecting the transport of the printed material.

[0023] A printing device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the braking mechanism is arranged so as to overlap in the depth direction with an ink supply tube that supplies ink to the print head.

[0024] According to this aspect, the braking mechanism is disposed so as to overlap the ink supply tube in the depth direction, which makes it possible to prevent the printing device from becoming large in size in the depth direction.

[0025] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, an automatic opening mechanism for an opening / closing cover according to a first embodiment and a printing apparatus including the same will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. In the following explanation, the three mutually orthogonal axes are referred to as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, as shown in each figure. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction, i.e., the direction in which gravity acts. The X-axis and Y-axis directions correspond to the horizontal direction. In each figure, the directions indicated by the arrows on the three axes (X, Y, Z) are the positive directions of each direction.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with an automatic opening mechanism 3 (FIG. 3) for the opening / closing cover. The printing device 1 also has a print head 65 that prints on the medium P, and a carriage 15 that moves in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the medium P. FIG. 2 shows the opening / closing cover 5 located on the front side (+Y direction) of the printing device 1 in an open state, and also shows the state in which the discharge tray 7 housed inside the device is pulled out. The opening / closing cover 5 is configured to allow access to the discharge tray 7 that receives the medium P (hereinafter also referred to as "printed material P"). The device may also be configured to allow access to a feeding cassette (not shown) that stores the printing medium. The printing device 1 is a multifunction device with an inkjet printer 2 located below and a scanner unit 4 located above. The opening / closing cover 5 is located adjacent to the ink tank 12 of the printing device 1. The ink tank 12 can be filled with ink.

[0027] As shown in Figures 4 to 7, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 for the opening / closing cover comprises a lever 11 that can rotate via a rotation fulcrum 9, a locking portion 13 located at one end of the lever 11 that locks with the opening / closing cover 5 in the closed state and receives a force F (Figures 1 and 8) in the opening direction, thereby maintaining the opening / closing cover 5 in the closed state, and a power receiving portion 17 located at the other end of the lever 11 that comes into contact with a carriage 15 (Figure 7) that moves horizontally and receives the power of the carriage 15. The lever 11 is configured to rotate when the carriage 15 comes into contact with and pushes the power receiving portion 17, thereby releasing the locking portion 13 from keeping the open / close cover 5 in the closed state. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0028] <Automatic opening mechanism lever> In this embodiment, the lever 11 has a shape that extends in the Y-axis direction, which is the horizontal direction, as shown in FIGS. One end of lever 11 has a locking portion 13 that locks onto locked portion 18 (Figs. 2 to 4, 6) of open-close cover 5 in the closed state. Note that Fig. 6 shows a state in which locking portion 13 of lever 11 is disengaged from locked portion 18 of open-close cover 5. Locking portion 13 is formed in a convex curved shape with the -X direction as the protruding direction, and is formed by integral molding with a resin locking portion main body 20 that extends in the Y-axis direction. Locking portion 13 is provided on the side surface of the tip of locking portion main body 20 in the +Y direction.

[0029] Furthermore, a power receiving portion 17 is provided at the other end of the lever 11, which receives the power of the moving carriage 15. In this embodiment, this power receiving portion 17 is configured as a slide portion 19 that slides when pushed by the carriage 15. The slide portion 19 has two portions 19a and 19b whose bottom surfaces are guided by two guide grooves 22 and 24 (FIG. 5) of the frame 30, respectively. The two portions 19a and 19b of the slide portion 19 are integrally connected, and move integrally in the X direction, which is the movement direction of the carriage 15. The slide portion 19 a guided by the guide groove 22 is configured as the power receiving portion 17 .

[0030] In this embodiment, the slide portion 19b guided by the guide groove 24 is connected to the locking portion main body 20 via a metal power transmission shaft 26. One end 6 (FIG. 6) of the power transmission shaft 26 is connected and fixed integrally to the base end portion 10 of the locking portion main body 20, and the other end 8 is inserted into a recess 28 of the slide portion 19b and is connected in an unfixed state in contact with the inner surface of the recess 28. When the slide portion 19a is pushed by the carriage 15, causing the integral slide portion 19b to move in the -X direction, the other end 8 of the power transmission shaft 26 moves while in contact with the inner surface of the recess 28. This allows the lever 11 to rotate about the rotation fulcrum 9. In other words, the horizontal linear movement of the carriage 15 is converted into rotational movement of the lever 11 and transmitted.

[0031] <Automatic opening mechanism lever rotation structure> Lever 11 is attached to a rotation fulcrum shaft 58 that forms a rotation fulcrum 9 so as to be rotatable within a horizontal plane. Rotation fulcrum 9 is formed at the axial center of rotation fulcrum shaft 58. In this embodiment, rotation fulcrum shaft 58 is fixed to lower plate 14 and upper plate 16, which are structural members of the device, with the shaft extending in the vertical direction. The locking portion body 20 of the lever 11 is located on the upper surface 32 of the upper plate 16, and the bottom of the base end 10 is rotatably connected to the rotation fulcrum shaft 58. A through-hole 34 (FIG. 4) is formed in the vicinity of the locking portion 13 of the upper plate 16, and a protrusion 36 provided on the locking portion body 20 is inserted into the through-hole 34 in a penetrating state. The through-hole 34 is formed in a size and shape that allows the locking portion body 20 to rotate around the rotation fulcrum 9 on the base end 10 side. A torsion coil spring 38 (FIG. 4) is provided between the lower plate 14 and the upper plate 16, and one end 40 of the torsion coil spring 38 is engaged with the protrusion 36 of the locking portion main body 20. As a result, the locking portion main body 20 is configured to receive the spring force of the torsion coil spring 38 and rotate in the direction in which the locking portion 13 engages with the locked portion 18 of the opening / closing cover 5.

[0032] 7, in this embodiment, the slide portion 19a has a contact protrusion 21 that comes into contact with the carriage 15, and the carriage 15 is provided with a contact recess 23 at a position that comes into contact with the contact protrusion 21. When the slide portion 19a of the lever 11 is pressed by the carriage 15, the contact protrusion 21 enters the contact recess 23, and the slide portion 19a easily moves integrally with the carriage 15.

[0033] 8, in this embodiment, the opening / closing cover 5 is constructed so as to have a moment of its own weight on the opening side. Specifically, the position of the center of gravity G of the opening / closing cover 5 is set so that it opens under its own weight relative to the opening / closing movement fulcrum 42. That is, the force F in the opening direction is generated by the weight of the opening / closing cover 5, so that the opening / closing cover 5 is configured to automatically open under the action of its own weight when the closed state is released. The force F in the opening direction is not limited to the structure utilizing the moment of its own weight. For example, the force F in the opening direction may be applied by utilizing the elasticity of a spring.

[0034] 9, this embodiment is also provided with a sensor 25 that detects the open / closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. In this case, the sensor 25 is composed of an action piece 27 provided on the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 5, and a detection piece 29 provided in a state where it is pressed in the outgoing direction against a device structural member of the printing device 1. 9A corresponds to the OFF state of sensor 25. In other words, because action piece 27 is not pushing detection piece 29, sensor 25 detects that opening-closing cover 5 is open. The range within which sensor 25 detects that opening-closing cover 5 is open is set to an angle that will not cause a jam in the ejected printed material even if opening of opening-closing cover 5 stops midway. In this example, the angle is set to 70 degrees. 9B corresponds to the ON state of the detection of sensor 25. That is, since action piece 27 presses detection piece 29, sensor 25 detects that open-close cover 5 is closed.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation to release the open / close cover 5 from being kept closed is controlled so as to be executed before the printing operation starts after the main switch of the printing device 1 is turned on. This is because a control unit (not shown) is configured to execute the release operation using the main switch of the printing device 1 being turned on as a trigger. That is, the operation of releasing the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 is configured to be executed at an appropriate timing.

[0036] Alternatively, when the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 is detected, the printing operation may be stopped and an operation performed to release the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. Even if the opening / closing cover 5 is closed during a printing operation, the opening / closing cover 5 can be opened after the printing operation is stopped, and the printing operation can be resumed.

[0037] In this embodiment, the carriage 15 moves back and forth when printing is performed, and the automatic opening mechanism 3 for the open / close cover is located outside the range W of the carriage 15's reciprocating movement. 3, the automatic opening mechanism 3 for the open / close cover is located outside the range W of reciprocating movement of the carriage 15 when printing. In other words, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is provided in the printing device 1 so as not to affect the structure that executes the printing operation.

[0038] <Carriage movement is restricted by wall members> 10, in this embodiment, a wall member 44 is provided in front of the power receiving portion 17 of the lever 11, i.e., in front of the slide portion 19a, so as to be able to protrude and retract in the vertical direction. When the carriage 15 is moved to operate the automatic opening mechanism 3 and open the opening / closing cover 5, the wall member 44 is in a retracted state, i.e., it is lowered and retracted. On the other hand, when the automatic opening mechanism 3 is not operated, the wall member 44 is in the extended state, i.e., in the raised position. For example, when moving the carriage 15 to detect its position, the position is detected by making the carriage 15 hit the wall member 44. In this case, the carriage 15 touches the wall member 44 but does not touch the power receiving portion 17 of the lever 11, so that the automatic opening mechanism 3 can be prevented from operating unintentionally. The power for the projection and retraction of the wall member 44 can be obtained by utilizing a power source such as a motor provided in the printing device 1. Reference numeral 65 denotes a print head.

[0039] <Carriage movement range controlled by current value> 11 is a graph showing threshold values ​​of the current value that controls the movement range of the carriage 15. The horizontal axis represents the movement distance D of the carriage 15 from the origin, and the vertical axis represents the current value I flowing through the carriage 15. When the carriage 15 starts moving from the origin and comes into contact with the power receiving portion 17 of the lever 11 of the automatic opening mechanism 3, it moves against the spring force of the torsion coil spring 38, and the value of the current I flowing through the carriage 15 starts to increase. Reference numeral 46 in the figure indicates the change in the value of the current I flowing through the carriage 15 at that time. Reference numeral 56 indicates the position of the carriage 15 where the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 is released, i.e., the position where the locking portion 13 of the lever 11 disengages from the locked portion 18 and the opening / closing cover 5 begins to transition to an open state. Reference numeral 50 indicates a first threshold value, and reference numeral 48 indicates a second threshold value. The first threshold value 50 is set in an area 52 from the position where the carriage 15 contacts the power receiving portion 17 of the lever 11 to a position 56 where the opening / closing cover 5 begins to open, and the second threshold value 48 is set in an area 54 after the opening / closing cover 5 begins to open.

[0040] As can be seen from Figure 11, in region 52, closer to the origin than position 56, carriage 15 is in contact with power receiving portion 17 of lever 11, but the amount of rotation of lever 11 is still small, and open-close cover 5 is maintained in the closed state. The first threshold value 50 set in this region 52 can be used to detect the position of carriage 15 without operating automatic open mechanism 3. In Figure 10, the position of carriage 15 is detected by having carriage 15 hit wall member 44, but in Figure 11, it is detected by detecting first threshold value 50. On the other hand, in region 54, since cover 5 has begun to open, second threshold 48 set in region 54 can be used to detect whether cover 5 is open.

[0041] <Operation of the automatic opening mechanism of the opening / closing cover> With the opening / closing cover 5 shown in FIG. 1 in the closed state, first the carriage 15 moves in the -X direction, contacting and further pushing the power receiving portion 17 of the slide portion 19a of the lever 11. The lever 11 receives the power of the carriage moving in the -X direction and rotates around the rotation fulcrum 9. This rotation of the lever 11 disengages the locking portion 13 of the lever 11 from the locked portion 18 of the opening / closing cover 5. The opening / closing cover 5 then opens under its own weight, reaching the state shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the discharge tray 7 has been further pulled out.

[0042] <Explanation of Effects of the Embodiment> (1) According to the automatic opening mechanism 3 of this embodiment, the lever 11 rotates when the carriage 15 contacts and pushes the power receiving portion 17, and this rotation of the lever 11 releases the locking portion 13 from maintaining the open-close cover 5 in the closed state. This release causes the open-close cover 5 to receive a force F in the opening direction, and the force F causes the cover to transition from the closed state to the open state. Therefore, by using the power of the carriage 15, there is no need to add a new power source, which reduces the cost of the mechanism that automatically opens the open-close cover 5 and also saves space.

[0043] (2) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the opening / closing cover 5 has a structure that generates a weight moment on the opening side, so that when the locking state by the locking portion 13 is released, the opening / closing cover 5 transitions from the closed state to the open state due to its own weight. This eliminates the need to provide a mechanism for opening the opening / closing cover 5, thereby achieving cost reduction. (3) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a sensor 25 is provided that detects the open / closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. This eliminates unnecessary movements such as operating the automatic opening mechanism 3 when the opening / closing cover 5 is already open, improving usability.

[0044] (4) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the power receiving portion 17 of the lever 11 is the slide portion 19 (19a, 19b) that slides when pushed by the carriage 15. As a result, the lever 11 receives the power of the carriage 15 in the form of the slide portion 19 sliding, and therefore the power of the carriage 15 can be used effectively. (5) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the slide portion 19a is pushed by the carriage 15, the contact protrusion 21 of the slide portion 19a enters the contact recess 23 of the carriage 15. This makes it easier for the slide portion 19a to move integrally with the carriage 15, reducing the risk of the slide portion 19a being caught in the carriage 15.

[0045] (6) Furthermore, the printing device 1 of this embodiment includes the print head 65 mounted on the carriage 15, the openable cover 5 that receives the force F in the opening direction, and the automatic open mechanism 3 for the openable cover configured as described above. This allows the printing device 1 to achieve the effects of the automatic open mechanism 3 described above. (7) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the carriage 15 moves back and forth when printing is performed, and the automatic open mechanism 3 is located outside the range W of the carriage 15's reciprocating movement. In this way, the automatic open mechanism 3 exists independently of the normal printing operation of the printing device 1. In other words, the automatic open mechanism 3 can be provided in the printing device 1 without affecting the structure that performs the printing operation, and it is easy to create models that include the automatic open mechanism 3 and models that do not. (8) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, opening the open / close cover 5 enables access to the discharge tray 7 and other devices that receive printed materials P. This reduces the risk of damage, malfunction, and the like caused by accidentally touching the discharge tray 7 and other devices that receive printed materials P. (9) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, if the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 is detected during a printing operation, the printing operation is stopped and an operation is performed to release the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. As a result, even if the opening / closing cover 5 is closed during a printing operation, the opening / closing cover 5 can be opened after the printing operation is stopped, and the printing operation can be resumed. (10) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the operation of releasing the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 is performed after the main switch of the printing device 1 is turned on and before the printing operation starts. This allows the operation of releasing the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5 to be performed at an appropriate time, preventing the opening / closing cover 5 from opening inadvertently.

[0046] [Embodiment 2] Next, a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 to 15. Note that the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. 2 and 12, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment has a print head 65 that prints on the medium P, a carriage 15 that moves in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the medium P, and an automatic opening mechanism 3 for the open / close cover. The automatic opening mechanism 3 is equipped with a lever 11 that rotates upon receiving power from the carriage 15 and releases the open / close cover 5 from being kept closed. The specific structure of the automatic opening mechanism 3 in this embodiment is the same as in embodiment 1, so the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and a description thereof will be omitted. It goes without saying that the specific structure of the automatic opening mechanism 3 is not limited to the above structure. In this embodiment, the device 1 is provided with a discharge section 61 that discharges the medium, i.e., the printed matter P, and is exposed when the opening / closing cover 5 is open. The discharge section 61 discharges the printed matter P to the outside of the device 1 (in the +Y direction). The automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap with a discharge outlet area 63 of the discharge section 61 in the height direction.

[0047] Here, the "discharge outlet region 63 of the discharge section 51" refers to the region between the discharge rollers 62, which send the printed material P out of the device 1, and the receiving section 64, which is located below the discharge rollers 62 and receives the discharged printed material P, as shown in FIG. 12. The discharge rollers 62 are composed of a pair of a drive roller 66 and a driven roller 68, which nip the printed material P and apply a feeding force in the discharge direction (+Y direction). In this embodiment, the receiving section 64 is composed of a discharge tray 7 that is retractable inside the opening / closing cover 5 and receives the printed material P when it is pulled out. As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge tray 7 is located above the opening / closing cover 5 when it is pulled out. 12 shows the receiving portion 64 stored in the device 1 before being pulled out, and FIG. 2 shows the receiving portion 64 in the pulled out state.

[0048] Furthermore, the term "overlap" in "arranged so as to overlap in the height direction with the discharge outlet area 63 of the discharge section 61" is used to mean that the area occupied by the components constituting the automatic opening mechanism 3 only needs to overlap at least partially with the discharge outlet area 63 in the height direction (Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, the components constituting the automatic opening mechanism 3 are a locking portion main body 20 having a locking portion 13 and a protrusion 36 constituting the lever 11, a slide portion 19 (19a, 19b) having a power receiving portion 17, a rotation fulcrum shaft 58 having a torsion coil spring 38, and a power transmission shaft 26.

[0049] 13, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the height direction with the platen 67, which is a medium support member positioned opposite the print head 65. In FIG. 13, the area occupied by the members that make up the automatic opening mechanism 3 is enclosed in a frame 70 for easy understanding. The print head 65 is mounted on the carriage 15. The platen 67 supports the print medium (not shown) from below as it passes through the printing area of ​​the print head 65 while being transported along the transport path.

[0050] In this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the height direction with the motor 69 that is the drive source for the conveying roller 75. In Fig. 13, reference numeral 74 indicates the area occupied by the motor 69 in the height direction. 13, the area occupied by the members constituting the platen is easily understood by surrounding it with a frame 72. The gear train that transmits the power of the motor 69, which is the drive source, to the transport roller 75 will be described later.

[0051] 14, which shows an enlarged view of a portion of the automatic opening mechanism 3, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the height direction with a disc scale 73 provided on a shaft 71 of a conveying roller 75 that conveys the printed matter P in the conveying direction (+Y direction). Reference numeral 76 denotes the area where the automatic opening mechanism 3 and the disc scale 73 overlap. The disc scale 73 is used to detect the amount of transport of the printed matter P by the transport roller 75, and is formed in a known structure with a slit pattern on the periphery.

[0052] 14, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the height direction with a gear train 77, which is a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor 69. In this embodiment, the gear train 77 is made up of a conveying gear 78 attached to the shaft 71 of the conveying roller 75, a discharge gear 80 attached to the shaft 84 of the discharge roller 62, and a connecting gear 82 that connects the two gears 78 and 80. Reference numeral 86 denotes the shaft of the connecting gear 82. The above-mentioned reference numeral 76 also indicates the area where the automatic opening mechanism 3 and the gear train 77 overlap.

[0053] 14, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) with the ink supply tubes 79 that supply ink to the print head 65. In this embodiment, the ink supply tubes 79 are ink tubes of four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. 14, the area occupied by the ink tube 79 in the depth direction is enclosed by a frame 90 for ease of understanding. Reference numeral 88 denotes the area where the automatic opening mechanism 3 and the ink supply tube 79 overlap.

[0054] 14, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the depth direction with a partition hinge 81 for the scanner unit 4 formed on the top of the printing device 1. The partition hinge 81 is used when opening the scanner unit 4 and is made with a known structure. Here, for the sake of simplicity and to explain the overlap in the depth direction, the partition hinge 81 is shown by a rectangular frame 92. Reference numeral 98 denotes the area where the automatic opening mechanism 3 and the partition hinge 81 overlap.

[0055] 15, which shows an enlarged view of a portion of the carriage 15, in this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap with the operating range of the carriage 15 in the carriage movement direction. The operating range A of the carriage includes the range W of reciprocating movement when printing, as well as the range R of movement in the +X direction and the range L of movement in the -X direction of that range W. Reference numeral 94 denotes an area where the automatic opening mechanism 3 and the operating range A of the carriage overlap.

[0056] <Explanation of Effects of the Embodiment> (1) According to the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the printing device 1 is equipped with an automatic opening mechanism 3 for the opening / closing cover, and the automatic opening mechanism 3 includes a lever 11 that rotates when powered by the carriage 15 and releases the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5, and an ejection section 61 for printed materials P that is exposed when the opening / closing cover 5 is open, and the automatic opening mechanism 3 is positioned so as to overlap in the height direction with the ejection outlet area 63 of the ejection section 61. This makes it possible to prevent the printing device 1 from becoming larger in the height direction. (2) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the ejection tray 7 is provided so as to be retractable inside the opening / closing cover 5, and receives the printed matter P when it is pulled out. That is, in the device 1 that includes the ejection tray 7 that receives the printed matter P, the ejection tray 7 can be used as the receiving portion 64 for the printed matter P, thereby achieving the same effect as in (1) above.

[0057] (3) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is positioned so as to overlap in the height direction with the platen 67, which is positioned opposite the print head 65. This prevents the printing device 1 from becoming larger in the height direction. (4) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the height direction with the disc scale 73 provided on the shaft of the transport roller 75 that transports the printed matter P in the transport direction. This prevents the printing device 1 from becoming larger in the height direction. (5) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the height direction with the motor 69 that is the drive source for the transport roller 75. This prevents the printing device 1 from becoming larger in the height direction. (6) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is positioned so as to overlap in the height direction with the gear train 77 that transmits the power of the motor 69. This prevents the printing device 1 from becoming larger in the height direction.

[0058] (7) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap in the depth direction with the ink supply tube 79. This makes it possible to prevent the printer 1 from becoming larger in size in the depth direction. (8) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is positioned so as to overlap in the depth direction with the partition hinge 81 for the scanner unit 4 provided in the printing device 1. This prevents the printing device 1 from becoming larger in the depth direction. (9) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the automatic opening mechanism 3 is disposed so as to overlap the operating range A of the carriage 15 in the direction of movement of the carriage 15. This prevents the printing device 1 from becoming larger in size in the direction of movement of the carriage 15.

[0059] [Embodiment 3] Next, a printing apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16 to 21. Note that the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted. 16 to 18, in the printing device 1 according to this embodiment, the openable cover 5 receives a force F in the opening direction, and the printing device 1 is provided with an automatic open mechanism 3 for the openable cover. The automatic open mechanism 3 is provided with a lever 11 that rotates upon receiving power from the carriage 15 and releases the openable cover 5 from its closed state. The printing device 1 also has a print head 65 that prints on the medium P, and is provided with a carriage 15 that moves in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the medium P. The specific structure of the automatic opening mechanism 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. The specific structure of the automatic opening mechanism 3 is not limited to the above structure as long as it receives power from the carriage 15 and rotates the lever 11 to release the closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. In this embodiment, a braking mechanism 103 is provided that brakes the opening movement of the opening / closing cover 5 by contacting the base end 101 of the opening / closing cover 5, which is opened in the opening direction after the closed state is released by the automatic opening mechanism 8.

[0060] In this embodiment, the braking mechanism 103 includes a braking lever 107 that contacts a contacted portion 105 located at the base end 101 of the opening / closing cover 5 to apply a braking force B, a pivot point 109 that rotatably supports the base end of the braking lever 107, and a spring member 110 that generates the braking force B. Reference numeral 102 denotes a holder to which a brake lever 107 is attached. The brake lever 107 is rotatably attached to a shaft 112 fixed to the holder 102. The shaft 112 forms a rotation fulcrum 109. The holder 102 is attached to a housing 116 of the printing device 1 (FIG. 21). The spring member 110 is formed of a torsion coil spring 104. One end 106 of the torsion coil spring 104 is engaged with a portion to be engaged of the holder 102, and the other end 108 is engaged with a portion to be engaged of the braking lever 107, thereby generating a braking force B on the opening / closing cover 5.

[0061] In this embodiment, the portion of contacted portion 105 that comes into contact with brake lever 107 is cam surface 111. Cam surface 111 has a convex curved shape, and is configured so that contact point 114 with brake lever 107 moves smoothly along the convex curved surface while making contact with it as the opening angle of open-close cover 5 increases. The braking force B of the braking mechanism 103 is set to be smaller than the force F in the opening direction on the opening-closing cover 5. In other words, even if the braking force B acts on the opening-closing cover 5, the opening-closing cover 5 will not stop mid-opening. The relationship between the force F in the opening direction of the opening / closing cover 5, the braking force B of the brake lever 107, and the shape of the cam surface 111 is configured so that the difference MD between the opening moment MO due to the force F in the opening direction of the opening / closing cover 5 and the closing moment MC due to the braking force B of the brake lever 107 is within a certain range.

[0062] The relationship between force F, braking force B, and the shape of cam surface 111 will be specifically described with reference to Figure 19. Figure 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the opening angle (horizontal axis) of opening-closing cover 5 and the moment (vertical axis) related to opening-closing cover 5. The moment in the direction in which opening-closing cover 5 opens is defined as positive. As shown in the figure, the opening moment MO changes in a positive range relative to the opening angle of the opening-closing cover 5. On the other hand, the closing moment MC changes in a negative range relative to the opening angle of the opening-closing cover 5. The relationship is set so that the difference MD between the opening moment MO and the closing moment MC is approximately constant in a positive range relative to the opening angle of the opening-closing cover 5.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 20, when the cam surface 111 has a first line segment 113 connecting the contact point 114 with the brake lever 107 and the rotation fulcrum 109 of the brake lever 107, and a second line segment 115 connecting the contact point 112 with the brake lever 107 and the opening / closing movement fulcrum 42 of the opening / closing cover 5, the angle θ formed by the first line segment 113 and the second line segment 115 is an obtuse angle. By making this angle θ an obtuse angle, a moment in the closing direction is always generated on the opening / closing cover 5.

[0064] Also, in this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, a sensor 25 is provided that detects the open / closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. The specific structure and detection method of the sensor 25 are the same as those explained with reference to Fig. 9 in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be explained here.

[0065] 18, in this embodiment, the pivot point 109 of the brake lever 107 is located below the gear train 77, which is a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor 69 (FIG. 13). In other words, it is arranged so as not to overlap with the gear train 77 located nearby. Furthermore, the brake lever 107 is disposed so that its pivot point 109 is positioned below the gear train 77 and overlaps with the gear train 77 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the device 1. Here, the pivot point 109 is positioned below the discharge gear 80 of the gear train 77 and overlaps with the discharge gear 80 in the depth direction. In this embodiment, the rotation support 109 is arranged so as to overlap with the gear train 77 in the height direction (Z-axis direction) of the device 1.

[0066] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the brake mechanism 103 is located on the outside (-X direction) in the width direction (X axis direction) intersecting with the conveyance direction (+Y direction) of the conveyance path PW of the printed matter P. 21, the holder 102 to which the brake lever 107 is attached is attached to the housing 116 of the printing device 1. That is, the holder 102 is attached to a portion 118 of the housing 116 that is located outside the automatic opening mechanism 3.

[0067] 17, the braking mechanism 103 is disposed so as to overlap in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) with the ink supply tubes 79 that supply ink to the print head 65. In this embodiment, the ink supply tubes 79 are ink tubes for four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

[0068] <Braking mechanism for opening and closing the cover> When the cover 5 is in the closed state (FIG. 1), and an operation command is issued to the automatic opening mechanism 3 to release the closed state of the cover 5, the locking portion 13 retreats from the locked portion 18 as described above, and the cover 5 begins to open by itself due to the force F. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the brake lever 107 is configured to come into contact with the contacted portion 105 of the base end portion 101 of the cover 5 when the open angle of the cover 5 reaches approximately 10 degrees. When the open angle of the cover 5 is approximately 10 degrees or less, the brake lever 107 is not in contact with the contacted portion 105 of the cover 5. When the brake lever 107 comes into contact with the contacted portion 105 of the opening cover 5, braking force B acts on the opening cover 5. After this, contact point 114 between cam surface 111 and brake lever 107 moves smoothly along the convex curved surface while making contact as the opening angle of the opening cover 5 increases. At this time, due to the action of the difference MD between the opening moment MO and the closing moment MC shown in FIG. 19, the opening cover 5 opens gently, preventing sudden opening due to force F. Then, a portion of the base end portion 101 of the opening cover 5 fits into the sponge-like receiving portion 120, causing the opening cover 5 to land softly with little impact, resulting in the state shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.

[0069] <Explanation of Effects of the Embodiment> (1) The printing device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a braking mechanism 103 that brakes the opening movement of the opening-closing cover 5 by contacting the base end 101 of the opening-closing cover 5, which is released from the closed state by the automatic open mechanism 3 and moves in the open direction. This allows the opening-closing cover 5 to be opened automatically using the power of the carriage 15. Furthermore, when the opening-closing cover 5 is opened, the braking mechanism 103 brakes the movement of the opening-closing cover 5 while it is opening, so the structure is simplified and the opening of the opening-closing cover 5 is suppressed from opening suddenly, allowing for gentle opening. (2) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, braking mechanism 103 is configured to include braking lever 107 that contacts contacted portion 105 located at base end 101 of opening / closing cover 5 to apply braking force B, pivot 109 that rotatably supports the base end of braking lever 107, and spring member 110 that generates braking force B. This allows braking mechanism 103 that achieves the above-mentioned gentle opening to be realized with a simple structure.

[0070] (3) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the braking force B of the braking mechanism 103 is set to be smaller than the force F applied to the opening cover 5 in the opening direction. This reduces the risk of the opening cover 5 stopping mid-open even when the braking force B acts on the opening cover 5. (4) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the portion of contacted portion 105 that comes into contact with brake lever 107 is cam surface 111, and cam surface 111 has a shape that keeps within a certain range the difference MD between opening moment MO due to force F in the opening direction of opening cover 5 that is moving in the opening direction, and closing moment MC due to braking force B of brake lever 107. This makes it possible to keep the opening speed of opening cover 5 approximately constant. Furthermore, by setting the difference MD between the opening moment MO and the closing moment MC to a small value, it becomes possible to open the door at a slow, almost constant speed. (5) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, cam surface 111 has a shape in which the angle θ formed by first line segment 113 connecting contact point 114 with brake lever 107 and rotation fulcrum 109 of brake lever 107 and second line segment 115 connecting contact point 114 with brake lever 107 and opening / closing fulcrum 42 of opening / closing cover 5 is an obtuse angle. By setting this angle θ to an obtuse angle, a moment in the closing direction is always generated on opening / closing cover 5, and the risk of opening / closing cover 5 stopping mid-open can be reduced by simplifying the structure.

[0071] (6) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a sensor 25 is provided that detects the open / closed state of the opening / closing cover 5. This allows the opening / closing cover 5 to be set to recognize a state in which it is fully open and the ejected printed matter P is not jammed as "open," thereby reducing the occurrence of jamming of the printed matter P. (7) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pivot point 109 of the brake lever 107 is located below the gear train 77 that transmits the power of the motor 69. This allows the brake lever 107 to be positioned so that it does not overlap with the nearby gear train 77, making design and manufacturing easier. Furthermore, by positioning the pivot point 109 of the brake lever 107 below the gear train 77 and overlapping it with the gear train 77 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the device, it is possible to achieve a compact size in the depth direction. (8) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the braking mechanism 103 is located outside in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the transport path PW of the printed matter P. This allows the braking mechanism 103 to be positioned without affecting the transport of the printed matter P. (9) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the braking mechanism 103 is disposed so as to overlap the ink supply tube in the depth direction, which makes it possible to prevent the printer 1 from becoming large in size in the depth direction.

[0072] Other Embodiments The automatic bar opening mechanism 3 and printing device 1 according to the present invention are based on the configuration of the embodiment described above, but it is of course possible to modify or omit parts of the configuration within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...printing device, 2...inkjet printer, 3...automatic opening mechanism for opening / closing cover, 4...scanner unit, 5...opening cover, 6...one end, 7...output tray, 8...other end, 9...rotation fulcrum, 10...base end portion, 11...lever, 12...ink tank, 13...locking portion, 14...lower plate, 15...carriage, 16...upper plate, 17...power receiving portion, 18... 19 (19a, 19b)...sliding portion, 20...locking portion main body, 21...contact protrusion, 22... guide groove, 23... contact recess, 24... guide groove, 25... sensor, 26... power transmission shaft, 27... action piece, 28... recess, 29... detection piece, 30... frame, 32... upper surface, 34... through hole, 36... protrusion, 38... torsion coil spring, 40... one end, 42...opening / closing movement fulcrum, 44...wall member, 46...current change, 48...second threshold value, 50...first threshold, 52...area, 54...area, 56...position at which the opening / closing cover starts to open, 58...rotational fulcrum shaft, 65...print head, P...printed material, G...center of gravity, W...range of carriage reciprocating movement, 61...discharge portion, 62...discharge roller, 63...discharge port area, 64...receiving portion, 66... ​​drive roller, 67... platen, 68... driven roller, 69... motor, 70...frame, 71...shaft, 72...frame, 75...conveyor roller, 76...area, 77...gear train, 78...conveyance gear, 79...ink supply tube, 80...discharge gear, 81...screen hinge, 82...connecting gear, 86...axis, 88...area, 90...frame, 92...frame, 94...area, 98...area, A...Carriage operating range, L...Movement range in the -X direction, R...Movement range in the +X direction, 101...base end portion, 102...holder, 103...brake mechanism, 104...torsion coil spring, 105...contacted part, 106...one end, 107... Brake lever, 108... Other end, 109... Pivot fulcrum, 110... Spring member, 111...cam surface, 112...axis, 113...first line segment, 114...contact point, 115...second line segment, 116...housing, 118...portion located outside, θ...angle, PW...transport path of printed matter P

Claims

1. A printing device equipped with an automatic opening mechanism for an opening / closing cover, a carriage having a print head for printing on a medium and moving in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the medium; the automatic opening mechanism includes a lever that receives power from the carriage and releases the openable cover from being kept closed, The openable cover is subjected to a force in the opening direction, a braking mechanism that contacts a base end of the opening / closing cover that moves in an opening direction after the closed state is released by the automatic opening mechanism, thereby braking the opening movement of the opening / closing cover; The braking mechanism includes: a brake lever that applies a braking force by contacting a contacted portion located at a base end of the openable cover; a pivot point that pivotally supports a base end of the brake lever; a spring member that generates the braking force, The contacted portion is The cover is provided with a recessed portion on the inner side thereof, and the recessed portion is fixed to the cover while extending in a direction away from the base end portion. When the cover begins to open from a closed state, the cover comes into contact with the brake lever at a contact point at a position away from the base end of the cover, and the contact point further moves toward the base end of the cover, When the cover is in an open state, the base end of the cover is in contact with the brake lever. A printing device characterized by:

2. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, The braking force of the braking mechanism is set to be smaller than the force acting on the openable cover in the opening direction. A printing device characterized by:

3. 3. The printing device according to claim 1, The contacted portion has a cam surface that comes into contact with the brake lever, The cam surface has a shape such that a difference between an opening moment due to a force in the opening direction of the openable cover that moves in the opening direction and a closing moment due to a braking force of the brake lever falls within a certain range. A printing device characterized by:

4. 4. The printing device according to claim 3, the cam surface has a shape such that an angle formed by a first line segment connecting a contact point with the brake lever and the rotation fulcrum of the brake lever and a second line segment connecting the contact point with the brake lever and the opening / closing movement fulcrum of the opening / closing cover is an obtuse angle; A printing device characterized by:

5. 5. The printing device according to claim 1, A sensor is provided to detect the open / close state of the opening / closing cover. A printing device characterized by:

6. 6. The printing device according to claim 1, The pivot point of the brake lever is located below a power transmission mechanism that transmits power from a motor. A printing device characterized by:

7. 7. The printing device according to claim 1, the braking mechanism is located outside in a width direction intersecting with a conveyance direction of a conveyance path of the printed material; A printing device characterized by:

8. 8. The printing device according to claim 1, the braking mechanism is disposed so as to overlap in the depth direction with an ink supply tube that supplies ink to the print head; A printing device characterized by:

Images