Patent Grant
11235591
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2018-221292 and 2018-185154 filed on Nov. 27, 2018 and Sep. 28, 2018, respectively, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The present disclosure generally relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus body.
There are mobile image forming apparatuses including a recording device to record an image on a recording medium, an apparatus body that houses the recording device. The mobile image forming apparatus includes a recording device on a bottom face and is manually moved by the user on a recording medium. In the mobile image forming apparatus, a head cartridge that stores an ink tank is mounted in an apparatus body.
An embodiment of this disclosure provides an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a recording device configured to record an image on a recording medium and an apparatus body configured to internally house the recording device.
The apparatus body includes an attachment unit configured to be removably mounted in the apparatus body and an apparatus body-side connector. The attachment unit includes an attachment-side connector configured to be electrically connected to the apparatus body-side connector.
The apparatus body also includes a pressing portion configured to press the attachment unit in a facing direction in which the attachment-side connector faces the apparatus body-side connector in a state where the attachment unit is attached to the apparatus body. The facing direction is orthogonal to a mounting direction of the attachment unit. The apparatus body further includes a movable member holding the pressing portion and configured to move between a first position where the pressing portion is closest to the apparatus body-side connector and a second position where the pressing portion is farthest from the apparatus body-side connector.
Another embodiment provides an image forming apparatus body in which the attachment unit including the recording device is mounted. The apparatus body includes an attachment mount configured to house the attachment unit internally. The attachment mount includes the apparatus body-side connector described above. The image forming apparatus body further includes the pressing portion and the movable member described above.
A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted.
In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner and achieve a similar result.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views thereof, and particularly to
The suffixes Y, M, C, and K attached to each reference numeral indicate only that components indicated thereby are used for forming yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively, and hereinafter may be omitted when color discrimination is not necessary.
Descriptions are given below of a handy (or handheld) mobile printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “handheld printer 1”) that is a mobile image forming apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. First, a basic configuration of the handheld printer 1 according to the embodiment is described.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
However, the printing operation using the handheld printer 1 is not limited to the above-described operation. For a case where letters, illustrations, etc. are arranged attractively, the handheld printer 1 can be moved for printing in an oblique direction other than the X direction or along a curved track. In addition, the handheld printer 1 can be moved in a direction other than the Y direction for line feed.
As illustrated in
The lower unit 3 includes an upper unit rotation shaft 3a to rotatably support the upper unit 2, a position detection sensor 18, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) contact 13, an upper unit lock claw 11, and a housing 80 that supports these components. The position detection sensor 18 is a photosensor (reflection type) and detects position coordinates and the presence and absence of a print target. Further, the housing 80 of the lower unit 3 contains an ink cartridge 40 (an inkjet head) that includes a print head 41 (a recording device or an image forming device) and an ink tank combined into a single unit, and the ink cartridge 40 is attachable to and removable from the housing 80. The ink cartridge 40 is configured to discharge ink from the print head 41 for image formation. When the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the handheld printer 1, the print head 41 is faced down in the vertical direction to discharge ink droplets.
As the upper unit 2 is rotated relative to the lower unit 3 in the direction indicated by arrow B in
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the battery 15 is disposed in the vertical portion 2b of the upper unit 2, and the vertical portion 2b is positioned to cover a front side (on the right in
In the scanning direction (X direction), the size (apparatus width) of the handheld printer 1 is slightly wider than the size of the ink cartridge 40. Minimizing the apparatus width can widen the range in which the handheld printer 1 can be moved in the scanning direction on the surface of a recording sheet P and maximize a recordable range on the surface of the recording sheet P.
The handheld printer 1 includes a recording face 30 (bottom side) on which the print head 41 of the ink cartridge 40 is disposed and opposed to a recording medium, such as a paper sheet. The handheld printer 1 further has an upper face 31 on the opposite side of the recording face 30, a left face 32 extending in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction (Y direction in the drawing) of the handheld printer 1, and the like. The handheld printer 1 further has, for example, a right face 33 extending in the direction orthogonal (Y direction) to the scanning direction (X direction), a rear face 34 extending in the scanning direction, and a front face 35 extending in the scanning direction. The handheld printer 1 is usually used in such a posture that the recording face 30 is faced vertically down and the upper face 31, which is opposite the recording face 30, is faced vertical up.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The width of a print area 41a of the print head 41, that is, the length of the image in the direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the scanning direction, corresponds to the distance between the discharge nozzles located at both ends of the print area 41a in the Y direction.
The ink discharged from the discharge nozzles of the print area 41a of the print head 41 passes through the discharge opening 30a and reaches a recording sheet P, thus forming an image thereon.
As illustrated in
The user can hold the power button 5b for a while to switch on and off the power of the handheld printer 1. With the power turned on, the control board 14 mounted in the upper unit 2 of the handheld printer 1 can acquire image information via wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication or the like with an external device, e.g., a smartphone.
After the image data is acquired, the user places the handheld printer 1 on the recording sheet P with the recording face 30 opposed to the surface of the recording sheet P. Then, the user presses the print button 5a once and moves the handheld printer 1 in the scanning direction (X axis direction) as illustrated in
The broken lines in
When the user presses the print button 5a once and moves the handheld printer 1 in the scanning direction, the body of the handheld printer 1 is moved in the scanning direction, and the ink is ejected from each of the plurality of discharge nozzles of the print area 41a to print on the recording sheet P. When the handheld printer 1 is moved from a position indicated by the broken lines in
In the present embodiment, the image forming position in the scanning direction (X direction) starts at a position where the exterior of the right face 33 of the handheld printer 1 is located. When the user places the handheld printer 1 to start the moving operation (manual scanning) of the handheld printer 1, an image is formed from this position on the recording sheet P.
On the other hand, the image forming position in the sub-scanning direction (Y direction) is set within a region where the discharge nozzles of the print area 41a of the handheld printer 1 faces the recording sheet P, when the user places the handheld printer 1 to start the moving operation (manual scanning) of the handheld printer 1. The print area 41a is provided on the recording face 30. In a state where the handheld printer 1 is placed on the recording sheet P, the user cannot visually recognize the printing area 41a and confirm the position of the print area 41a, therefore it is not possible to grasp the image formation position in the sub-scanning direction (Y direction).
Therefore, in the handheld printer 1 of this embodiment, the sub-scanning guides 7 are provided, and the user can grasp the position of the image to be formed in the sub-scanning direction by looking at the sub-scanning guides 7 when the user manually moves the handheld printer 1 in the scanning direction (X direction).
The handheld printer 1 can form an image on the surface of the recording sheet P both when the user moves the handheld printer 1 (manual scanning) toward one side (right side in
The recording medium is not limited to paper, such as recording sheet P, but includes, for example, overhead projector (OHP) sheets, cloth, cardboards, packaging containers, glass, and substrates.
As a driving source to discharge ink, the ink cartridge 40 can employ, for example, an electromechanical transducer element (a piezoelectric actuator) including a lamination-type piezoelectric element or a thin-film-type piezoelectric element. Example configurations of the driving source further include an electrothermal transducer element, such as a heat element, and an electrostatic actuator including a diaphragm and opposed electrodes.
The ink cartridge 40 has a so-called inkjet mechanism to discharge liquid or droplets such as ink to perform recording. Any inkjet mechanism mountable in the handheld printer 1 can be used. In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the inkjet mechanism corresponds to the print head 41 that records an image on the recording sheet P, and the print head 41 is stored in the housing 80 of the lower unit 3.
The ink “liquid” discharged from the discharge nozzles of the print area 41a of the print head 41 is not particularly limited as long as the liquid has a viscosity and a surface tension that can be discharged from the discharge nozzles. However, it is preferable that the viscosity is 30 mPa-s or less under ordinary temperature and pressure or by heating or cooling. Specifically, the term “ink (liquid)” represents, for example, a solution, a suspension, or an emulsion including a solvent, such as water or organic solvent, a colorant, such as a dye or a pigment, a polymerizable compound, a resin, a functional material, such as a surfactant, a biocompatible material, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), amino acid, protein, or calcium, or an edible material, such as a natural colorant. Such a solution, a suspension, or an emulsion can be used for, e.g., inkjet ink, a surface treatment liquid, liquid for forming components of electronic elements or light-emitting elements, liquid for forming resist patterns of electronic circuits or a material solution for three-dimensional fabrication.
As illustrated in
In the case of a contact type sensor using a rotary encoder or the like, the sensor needs to be in contact with the print surface, and a detection error due to the contact state is likely to occur. Specifically, when the detection portion of the contact type sensor separates from or slips on the print surface, the actual moving direction and travel distance differ from the moving direction and travel distance calculated based on the detection result, which becomes a detection error. By contrast, the accuracy of detection of the moving direction and the travel distance is higher when an optical sensor as the position detection sensor 18 detects the print surface in a non-contact manner.
Further, as illustrated in
When the handheld printer 1 is moved in the scanning direction by the user, the four rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b) in contact with the surface of the recording sheet P rotate like tires. Owing to such rollers, the user can advance the handheld printer 1 straight in the scanning direction. When the handheld printer 1 is moved straight in the scanning direction, only the four rollers (37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b) provided on the handheld printer 1 are in contact with the surface of the recording sheet P or the surface of the table on which the recording sheet P is placed. The recording face 30 is not in contact with the surface of the recording sheet P. Therefore, the user can move the handheld printer 1 straight along the scanning direction while keeping a constant distance between the print head 41 of the ink cartridge 40 and the surface of the recording sheet P. Thus, a desired high-quality image can be formed. That is, the four rollers guide the movement of the handheld printer 1 in the scanning direction and assist the linear movement in the scanning direction.
The position detection sensor 18 is a sensor to detect the distance to the surface of the recording sheet P, the surface state (for example, asperities) of the recording sheet P, and the distance by which the handheld printer 1 has traveled. A similar sensor, for example, an optical mouse (a pointing device) of a personal computer can be used for the position detection sensor 18. The position detection sensor 18 irradiates, with light, a place (e.g., the recording sheet P) where the position detection sensor 18 is placed and reads the state of the place as a “pattern”. The position detection sensor 18 sequentially detects how the “pattern” moves relative to the movement of the position detection sensor 18, to calculate the amount of movement. As the position detection sensor 18, any sensor other than an optical sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor can be used as long as a change in position with respect to the recording sheet P can be detected in a contactless manner. The position detection device of mobile image forming apparatuses, such as the handheld printer 1, to which aspects of the present disclosure can be applied is not limited to a contactless sensor such as the position detection sensor 18, but can be a contact sensor using a rotary encoder or the like.
The control board 14 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 55 that performs various arithmetic processing and program execution, a Bluetooth (registered trademark, hereinafter “BT”) board 52 for short-range wireless communication using Bluetooth, a random access memory (RAM) 53 that temporarily stores data, a read-only memory (ROM) 54, and a recording controller 56. The control board 14 is secured at a position on the inner side of the USB connection port 9 in a hollow space of the upper unit 2.
The BT board 52 performs data communication by short-range wireless communication with an external device, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The ROM 54 stores, for example, firmware for hardware control of the handheld printer 1 and drive waveform data of the ink cartridge 40. The recording controller 56 executes data processing for driving the ink cartridge 40 and generates drive waveforms.
The control board 14 is electrically connected to a gyro sensor 58, the position detection sensor 18, a temperature sensor 19, a light emitting diode (LED) lamp 59, the ink cartridge 40, the print button 5a, the power button 5b, the battery 15, and the like. The gyro sensor 58 detects a tilt and a rotation angle of the handheld printer 1 and transmits the result of detection to the control board 14. The LED lamp 59 is disposed inside an exterior cover made of a light transmissive material of the print button 5a and makes the print button 5a luminous.
When the power button 5b is pressed to turn on the power of the handheld printer 1, power is supplied to each module. The CPU 55 initiates startup according to the program stored in the ROM 54 and loads the program and each data in the RAM 53. When data of an image to be formed is received from an external device by short-range wireless communication, the recording controller 56 generates a drive waveform corresponding to the image data. The discharge of ink from the ink cartridge 40 is controlled to form an image corresponding to the position on the surface of the recording sheet P detected by the position detection sensor 18.
The position detection sensor 18 detects the direction and the speed of movement of the handheld printer 1 and the distance by which the handheld printer 1 has traveled. The discharge amount of ink and the discharge position of ink are adjusted based on the detection result of the position detection sensor 18, thereby printing a target image. Further, the discharge start position can be adjusted using sub-scanning guides 7 provided on the left face 32 and the right face 33 of the housing 80 and a main scanning guide 10 provided on the rear face 34 of the housing 80. Specifically, the main scanning guide 10 is used to align the position of the handheld printer 1 on the recording sheet P in the main scanning direction (X direction in the figure), and the sub-scanning guides 7 are used to align the position of the handheld printer 1 on the recording sheet P in the sub-scanning direction (Y direction). Thus, the discharge start position can be adjusted.
In response to acquisition of image data via short-range wireless communication from an external device, the control board 14 causes the LED lamp 59 to blink so that the light transmissive print button 5a, which transmits light, becomes luminous and blinks. Seeing such light blinking, the user knows the completion of the acquisition of the image data. Then, the user places the handheld printer 1 on the recording sheet P and presses the print button 5a.
Meanwhile, as the control board 14 starts blinking of the LED lamp 59, the control board 14 waits for pressing of the print button 5a. When the print button 5a is pressed, the control board 14 causes the LED lamp 59 to keep emitting light so that the print button 5a continuously emits light. Seeing the continuous light emission, the user starts moving the handheld printer 1 (manual scanning) in the scanning direction.
The user who has finished moving the handheld printer 1 (manual scanning) again presses the print button 5a. With such an operation, the control board 14 turns off the LED lamp 59 and stops lighting of the print button 5a. Or, there may be a case where the user does not press the print button 5a but picks up the handheld printer 1 from the recording sheet P and places the handheld printer 1 on, for example, a table or mounts the handheld printer 1 in a cover that covers the recording face 30. In these cases, the position detection sensor 18 becomes incapable of detecting the position when the handheld printer 1 is picked up from the recording sheet P. At the timing when the position detection sensor 18 no longer detects the position, the control board 14 turns off the LED lamp 59 and stops lighting of the print button 5a. Seeing the stop of the lighting, the user knows that the operation of the handheld printer 1 for printing has ended.
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to keep pushing the print button 5a while the user moves the handheld printer 1 (manual scanning). When the print button 5a is pressed and released prior to the moving of the handheld printer 1, printing operation is continued until a predetermined timing. Examples of the predetermined timing include a timing when the image formation based on the detection result by the position detection sensor 18 ends, a timing when the print button 5a is pressed again, and a timing when the position detection sensor 18 becomes incapable of position detection.
When the image formation is not performed, such as after the image formation is completed, a capping unit that covers the recording face 30 of the handheld printer 1 is attached to the handheld printer 1. Thereby, drying of the ink in the discharge nozzles of the print area 41a can be prevented.
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, a grip portion 39 is provided on each of the left face 32 and the right face 33. It is desirable that the grip portions 39 are disposed at the gravitational center on the Y-Z plane of the handheld printer 1. Specifically, the gravitational center on the Y-Z plane of the handheld printer 1 is disposed so as to be positioned inside the grip portions 39 on the Y-Z plane. The following effect can be attained by providing the grip portions 39, in which the user puts his or her finger to grip the handheld printer 1, in the vicinity of the gravitational center of the handheld printer 1. The user can be guided to grip the vicinity of the gravitational center of the handheld printer 1, so that the user can smoothly operate the handheld printer 1.
Next, the operation to take out the ink cartridge 40 from the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment is described.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As the operated portion 12a of the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is pulled to the front side as indicated by arrow D1 in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the ink cartridge 40 is mounted on the lower unit 3 and the FPC contact 13 is electrically connected with the cartridge-side contact 40b, power is supplied from the power source (the battery 15) to the ink cartridge 40. Further, an electrical signal for controlling the ink cartridge 40 is transmitted to the ink cartridge 40.
As illustrated in
As the operated portion 12a of the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is pulled to the front face 35 side as indicated by arrow D1 in
To mount the ink cartridge 40 in the body of the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 40 is set in the hollow portion inside the lower unit 3 in the state in which the upper unit 2 is open as illustrated in
Further, in the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the upper unit 2 can be closed in the state illustrated in
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, only the upper unit 2 is the cover that is opened to mount the ink cartridge 40 in the handheld printer 1 or remove the ink cartridge 40 therefrom. Therefore, compared with the structure including a plurality of covers, the apparatus structure can be simple, and the apparatus can be compact.
Additionally, since the number of components to be opened by the user is smaller, the number of operation steps can be reduced in attachment and removal of the ink cartridge 40. Thus, the usability can be improved.
As illustrated in
Further, a housing bottom board 80a forming a bottom face of the housing 80 includes the discharge opening 30a. Furthermore, the housing bottom board 80a includes a sensor protection film 180 which covers the upper side of the position detection sensor 18 fixed to the upper surface of the housing bottom board 80a.
As illustrated in
A section including the pressing portion 12c (the inner wall face on the front face 35 side) faces a wall face where the FPC contact 13 is disposed on the opposite side of the space where the ink cartridge 40 is set. The section including the pressing portion 12c is movable in the direction indicated by an arrow D in
A large area of the inner wall face on the front face 35 side is formed by the surface of the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12. As a result, when the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 rotates around the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism rotation shaft 12e, the inner wall face defining the front face 35 side of the space where the ink cartridge 40 is set is movable. The cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 including the pressing portion 12c rotates around the attaching and detaching mechanism rotation shaft 12e. As a result, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 can move toward the direction (Y direction, also “facing direction”) in which the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b face each other.
The cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 includes the pressing portion 12c. The pressing portion 12c is disposed at a position opposed to an outer wall surface of the front side of the ink cartridge 40. Of the moving directions indicated by the arrow D in
In order to secure an electrical connection between the ink cartridge 40 and the apparatus body, the cartridge-side connection terminals 40c and the body-side connection terminals 13c need to be in contact with each other. Therefore, the handheld printer 1 is configured to press the cartridge-side connection terminals 40c against the body-side connection terminals 13c with an appropriate force, and the pressing portion 12c is configured to press the ink cartridge 40 against the body-side connection terminals 13c in the direction indicated by arrow E in
Next, the positional relationship between the ink cartridge 40 and each component which forms the space in the apparatus body where the ink cartridge 40 is set is described.
Similar to
In a state in which the ink cartridge 40 is not mounted in the lower unit 3, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 can move between a connector-side position illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the ink cartridge 40 is inserted with the outer wall surface provided with the cartridge-side contact 40b being moved along the connector-side inner wall face 6a, due to the relationship of L1>L2, the ink cartridge 40 contacts the pressing portion 12c as illustrated in
Since the inclined face 12g is inclined relative to the vertical direction, the force F1 acts on the pressing portion 12c as a component force F2 and a component force F3.
The component force F2 acts in a direction along the inclined face 12g, but a surface of the inclined face 12g and a surface of the ink cartridge 40 are smooth. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider a friction force between the members that acts in the direction along the surface. It is also not necessary to consider a rotation moment which the component force F2 applies on the pressing portion 12c around the attaching and detaching mechanism rotation shaft 12e in the counterclockwise direction in
On the other hand, as the component force F3 acts on the pressing portion 12c, the pressing portion holder 12j is pushed by the component force F3 via the pressing portion 12c and the pressure spring 12h. As a result, the pressing portion holder 12j rotates in the direction indicated by arrow D1 in
At this time, the pressing portion 12c is in contact with the outer wall surface of the ink cartridge 40 on the front face 35 side, but the claw 12k is still hooked by the pressing portion holder 12j. For this reason, the biasing force of the pressure spring 12h does not act on the ink cartridge 40.
When the ink cartridge 40 is inserted further from the state illustrated in
When the ink cartridge 40 is inserted further into the cartridge holder 6 from the state illustrated in
As the ink cartridge 40 is inserted further from the state illustrated in
Both the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 illustrated in
As indicated by the arrow E in
The pressing portion 12c can apply pressure on the cartridge-side contact 40b provided on the outer wall surface on the rear face 34 side of the ink cartridge 40 toward the FPC contact 13 provided on the inner wall face on the rear face 34 side of the apparatus body. As a result, the cartridge-side connection terminals 40c of the cartridge-side contact 40b and the body-side connection terminals 13c of the FPC contact 13 can be connected with an appropriate contact pressure.
As illustrated in
When the ink cartridge 40 is set in this manner, the ink cartridge 40 may be set in a state where the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is positioned closer to the front face 35 side of the FPC contact 13 as illustrated in
A surface adjacent to the pressing face 12f and above the pressing face 12f is the inclined face 12g inclined relative to the pressing face 12f. When the ink cartridge 40 is set, the ink cartridge 40 contacts the inclined face 12g of the pressing portion 12c. Therefore, even when the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is at the connector-side position and closed, the ink cartridge 40 can be set while the ink cartridge 40 pushes the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 outward (moving the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 to the separated position). As a result, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 moves away from the connector-side position on the FPC contact 13 side. As a result, when the ink cartridge 40 is set, the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b move alongside with each other in a state where pushing pressure is being applied such that the body-side connection terminals 13c and the cartridge-side contact 40b contact each other. Thus, rubbing between the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b can be restrained. Therefore, this mechanism can inhibit damage caused by rubbing between the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b.
As described above, in the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, since the ink cartridge 40 is pressed against the FPC contact 13 side while the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, rubbing between the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b in a pressed state can be restrained. This arrangement can inhibit damage of either the FPC contact 13 or the cartridge-side contact 40b or both caused by the rubbing.
After the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, if the ink cartridge 40 is not pressed against the FPC contact 13, an appropriate connection state is not secured. Further, the handheld printer 1 is operated and moved by the user's hand with the ink cartridge 40 mounted therein. It is required to maintain electrical connection while the handheld printer 1 is being moved and the ink cartridge 40 needs to be pushed against the FPC contact 13 with a certain pressing force.
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, by satisfying the relation expressed by L1>L2, the pressing portion 12c presses the ink cartridge 40 against the FPC contact 13 with the ink cartridge 40 mounted therein, and the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b is properly connected.
Further, as the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 including the pressing portion 12c is movable from the connector-side position to the separated position, when the ink cartridge 40 is set, rubbing between the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b in the pressed state can be restrained. This mechanism can inhibit damage of either the FPC contact 13 or the cartridge-side contact 40b or both caused by the rubbing.
As described above, in the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, while maintaining a proper connection between electrical connectors in the state where the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, it is possible to inhibit the damage of the electrical connectors when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted.
As described above, when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the state where the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is at the connector-side position, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 moves to the separated position. As a result, even when the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is at any position between the connector-side position and the separated position in a state in which the ink cartridge 40 is not mounted, it is possible to mount the ink cartridge 40 in the apparatus body while inhibiting the damage to the electrical connectors.
In the present embodiment, the inclined face 12g is provided. The inclined face 12g is a planar inclined face such that a ridgeline portion at the upper end of the pressing face 12f of the pressing portion 12c is chamfered. The upper end of the pressing face 12f of the pressing portion 12c is not limited to be made chamfered, but can be made as a round shape.
Compared to a conventional inkjet serial printer, a handy mobile printer (image forming apparatus) such as the handheld printer 1 can dispense with a tray for setting paper sheets, a paper conveyance device for sheet conveyance, and a head scanning device to scan with a print head on paper sheets. Furthermore, an ink supply device that supplies ink to a print head and a maintenance device that eliminates clogging of nozzles in the print head can be omitted. A handheld mobile printer such as the handheld printer 1 is capable of scanning alongside a print target area and printing on a sheet of paper freehand, thus achieving both convenience in mobility and sheet handling capability.
Handy mobile printers can include a print object detection sensor that detects the presence of a print object in a print area facing a line head. The line head is driven only when the print object detection sensor detects the print object. Such a mechanism prevents printing when the line head is not facing the print object.
In one type of electrical connectors widely used for handy mobile inkjet printers, a plurality of connection points is provided on a substrate positioned on one side face of an ink cartridge. For the electrical connection between a cartridge and a printer body, the following configuration can be employed. The printer body includes an electric connector having a projection corresponding to a cartridge-side connector, and a pressure is applied to a face of the cartridge opposite to a face on which the cartridge-side electric connector is provided. Pressure is applied to the face of the cartridge opposite to the face on which the cartridge-side electric connector is provided. Thus, it is possible to connect the cartridge-side electrical connector to the body-side electrical connector with a proper contact pressure, securing an electrical connection with the cartridge.
However, there is a risk in a configuration in which a cartridge is pressed against a body-side electrical connector. When the cartridge-side electrical connector is pressed against the body-side electrical connector while the cartridge is being set, both of the electrical connectors rub against each other. As a result, the shape of the connectors may be deformed, connector terminals may peel off, or the connectors may be damaged, leading to a poor electrical contact.
Further, to prevent electrical connectors from rubbing each other, the printer body may be configured not to press the cartridge against the body-side electrical connector when the cartridge is inserted and, instead, include a pressurizing mechanism to press the cartridge after the cartridge is set. In such a configuration, it is necessary to provide the pressurizing mechanism as a single device for the switching to the pressurized state after the cartridge is set. The size of the printer body may become large and the operability and portability of the user may be impaired.
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 40 is held inside the lower unit 3 which is the main body. The ink cartridge 40 includes the cartridge-side contact 40b. The cartridge-side contact 40b is an electrical connector (an attachment-side connector) which includes at least one connector (cartridge-side connection terminals 40c) on the side face on the rear face 34 side. The cartridge holder 6, which is a cartridge holder of the lower unit 3, includes the FPC contact 13. The FPC contact 13 is the apparatus body-side connector disposed at a position corresponding to the cartridge-side contact 40b on the connector-side inner wall face 6a, one of the inner side faces. Further, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is provided. The cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 including the pressing portion 12c is positioned on a wall face facing the FPC contact 13 and the wall face is one of wall faces defining the space to accommodate the ink cartridge 40. The cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 is movable as a movable member relative to the FPC contact 13.
In the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the direction in which the cartridge-side contact 40b and the FPC contact 13 face each other is orthogonal to the direction in which the ink cartridge 40 is inserted into the apparatus body. The cartridge-side contact 40b is an electrical connector on the ink cartridge 40 side. Further, the pressing portion 12c is provided in the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12. The pressing portion 12c pressurizes the ink cartridge 40 toward the FPC contact 13 and is a movable member that can move in a direction away from the FPC contact 13.
The body-side pressure connection distance L2 is shorter than the cartridge-side pressure connection distance L1. As a result, in a state in which the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, the pressing portion 12c is moved in a direction in which the pressing portion 12c compresses the pressure spring 12h against the pressing portion holder 12j of the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12. By this mechanism, biasing force of the pressure spring 12h acts on the ink cartridge 40 via the pressing portion 12c to pressurize the ink cartridge 40 toward the connector-side inner wall face 6a. Therefore, in a state in which the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, the cartridge-side contact 40b can be connected with the FPC contact 13 with a proper contact pressure and the stable electrical connection between the ink cartridge 40 and the handheld printer 1 can be secured.
Further, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 including the pressing portion 12c is a movable member that can move in a direction away from the FPC contact 13. As a result, in a state in which the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, when the user tries to set the ink cartridge 40, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 becomes movable in the direction moving away from the FPC contact 13. As a result, when the ink cartridge 40 is set, it is possible to restrain the FPC contact 13 and the cartridge-side contact 40b from rubbing each other and prevent damage to the electrical connectors.
Further, the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 includes the push-up lever 12b. The push-up lever 12b is pushed down after the push-up lever 12b contacts a bottom side of the flange portion 40a of the ink cartridge 40 by the mounting operation of the ink cartridge 40. Therefore, it is possible to move the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 in conjunction with the mounting operation of the ink cartridge 40 from the separated position to the connector-side position, thus pressurizing the mounted ink cartridge 40 with the pressing portion 12c.
As the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 in conjunction with the mounting operation of the ink cartridge 40 is moved from the separated position to the connector-side position, it is no longer necessary to provide a pressurizing mechanism that switch the ink cartridge 40 to the pressurized state after mounting the ink cartridge 40. As a result, without increasing the size of the apparatus body, it is possible to reduce the damage to the electrical connectors when mounting the cartridge, and to secure a stable electrical connection between the cartridge and the main unit after mounting.
The cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 includes the cantilever-shaped push-up levers 12b. The push-ups levers 12b protrude from the pressing portion holder 12j of the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 to the rear face 34 side. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As described above, in the handheld printer 1 according to the present embodiment, as the user pushes the operated portion 12a, pressing force against the ink cartridge 40 toward the FPC contact 13 side is released and the ink cartridge 40 is pushed upward.
As illustrated in
As the movement restriction member 26 is provided, after the upper unit 2 as a body cover is closed, it is possible to prevent the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 from moving to the separated position and the pressing force of the pressing portion 12c against the ink cartridge 40 is released. Thus, if any impact is applied to the handheld printer 1, such as when the user closes the upper unit 2, when the handheld printer 1 is carried, or the handheld printer 1 falls, reduction of the contact pressure of the cartridge-side contact 40b against the FPC contact 13 can be prevented. As a result, a proper connection state can be maintained. Even when some impact is applied to the handheld printer 1, occurrence of faulty power supply to the ink cartridge 40 can be prevented.
Variation
In the handheld printer 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the inclined face 12g is provided at a position where the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12 contacts the ink cartridge 40. However, an inclined face can be provided at a position on the ink cartridge 40 side which contacts the cartridge attaching and detaching mechanism 12.
As the ink cartridge 40 according to the variation, is inserted as illustrated in
Although descriptions have been made above of the examples in which aspects of the present disclosure are applied to the inkjet handheld printer 1, the aspects of the present disclosure can also be applied to other types of image forming apparatuses. For example, the aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to a recording apparatus of, for example, thermal type or thermal-transfer type.
The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of the present invention.
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