Patent Grant
8573723
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-124995, filed on Jun. 3, 2011 in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, and more specifically to an image forming apparatus including a recording head for ejecting liquid droplets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses are used as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, plotters, or multi-functional devices having two or more of the foregoing capabilities. As one type of image forming apparatus employing a liquid-ejection recording method, an inkjet recording apparatus is known that uses a recording head (liquid-droplet ejection head) for ejecting droplets of ink.
When such a liquid-ejection type image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium, the accuracy with which liquid droplets ejected from nozzles are landed on target positions of the recording medium significantly affects image quality. Since a low level of the landing accuracy reduces image quality, the recording head need be positioned at high accuracy.
Meanwhile, if ejection failure occurs in the recording head, it is preferable that the recording head can be easily replaced at a user's site at which the apparatus is used. Even in such a case, the high degree of the positioning accuracy of the recording head must be reproduced at the user's site.
To enhance the positioning accuracy in replacing the recording head, for example, JP-2011-037235-A1 proposes an image forming apparatus including a head holder mounting liquid ejection heads and a carriage removably mounting the head holder. The head holder has positioning portions to contact positioning references in both the carriage scanning direction and the sheet conveyance direction, and the positioning portions serve as positioning references relative to the head holder of liquid ejection head.
However, for the image forming apparatus disclosed in JP-2011-037235-A1, the carriage of the head holder is positioned by positioning faces and pins, thus resulting in a complex configuration. In particular, in a case where the image forming apparatus has multiple head holders, the positioning portions need be provided for the respective head holders. Such a configuration makes it difficult to position the head holders relative to each other, thus hampering easy replacement of the recording head.
In an aspect of this disclosure, there is provided an image forming apparatus including a recording head, a head holder, a carriage, a guide member, a reference member, an intermediate member, and an adjuster. The recording head has a plurality of nozzles to eject liquid droplets. The head holder holds the recording head. The carriage is reciprocally movable in a main scanning direction and holds the head holder. The guide member is disposed along the main scanning direction to guide the carriage along the main scanning direction. The reference member is disposed parallel to the guide member in the carriage to hold the head holder. The intermediate member is displaceably disposed between the head holder and the carriage and held by the carriage. The adjuster adjusts a position of the head holder by displacing the intermediate member.
The aforementioned and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure would be 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 exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure 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 similar results.
In this disclosure, the term “sheet” used herein is not limited to a sheet of paper but be, e.g., an OHP (overhead projector) sheet, a cloth sheet, a grass sheet, a substrate, or anything on which droplets of ink or other liquid can be adhered. In other words, the term “sheet” is used as a generic term including a recording medium, a recorded medium, a recording sheet, or a recording sheet of paper. The term “image forming apparatus” refers to an apparatus that ejects ink or any other liquid onto a medium to form images on the medium. The medium is made of, for example, paper, string, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, timber, and ceramic. The term “image formation”, which is used herein as a synonym for “recording” or “printing”, includes providing not only meaningful images, such as characters and figures, but meaningless images, such as patterns, to the medium (in other words, the term “image formation” includes only causing liquid droplets to land on the medium).
The term “ink” as used herein is not limited to “ink” in a narrow sense unless specifically distinguished and includes any types of liquid useable for image formation, such as recording liquid, fixing solution, DNA sample, resist, pattern material, and resin.
The term “image” used herein is not limited to a two-dimensional image and includes, for example, an image applied to a three dimensional object and a three dimensional object itself formed as a three-dimensionally molded image.
The term “image forming apparatus” includes both serial-type image forming apparatus and line-type image forming apparatus.
Although the exemplary embodiments are described with technical limitations with reference to the attached drawings, such description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention and all of the components or elements described in the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are not necessarily indispensable to the present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below.
First, an inkjet recording apparatus serving as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described with reference to
The apparatus body 1 includes a guide rod 3 and a guide stay 4 serving as guide members extending between side plates. A carriage 5 is supported with the guide rod 3 and the guide stay 4 so as to be slidable along a direction indicated by an arrow A in
On the carriage 5 are mounded recording heads 6 serving as liquid ejection heads for ejecting ink droplets of, for example, black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). The recording heads 6 are integrally provided with head tanks that supply inks to the recording heads.
A main scanning unit 10 for moving the carriage 5 for scanning includes a driving motor 11 disposed at a first end in a main scanning direction, a driving pulley 12 rotated by the driving motor 11, a driven pulley 13 disposed at a second end opposite the first end in the main scanning direction, and a timing belt 14 serving as a dragging member wound around the driving pulley 12 and the driven pulley 13. A tension spring urges the driven pulley 13 outward (in a direction to move away from the driving pulley 12) to apply tension to the timing belt.
In a recording area of a main scanning region of the carriage 5, an aspiration conveyance unit 7 intermittently conveys a sheet 20 in a direction (sub-scanning direction or sheet conveyance direction) indicated by an arrow B in
At the first end side of the main scanning region is disposed a maintenance-and-recovery unit 8 to maintain and recover good conditions of the recording heads 6. Outside a movement range of the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction or at the second end side of the main scanning region of the carriage 5, main cartridges 9 are removably mounted to the apparatus body 1 to store the respective color inks to be supplied to sub tanks (head tanks) of the recording heads 6.
In
Next, an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described with reference to
A head holder 51A for black and a head holder 51B for other colors are mounted on the carriage 5.
The head holder 51A holds two recording heads 6A and 6B for ejecting droplets of black ink. On the head holder 51A, the recording heads 6A and 6B are offset from each other in the sub-scanning direction. The head holder 51B holds three recording heads 6C, 6D, and 6E for ejecting ink droplets of, e.g., yellow, magenta, and cyan. The recording heads 6C, 6D, and 6E are arranged so as to have the same position as the recording head 6B in the sub-scanning direction. As described above, the recording heads 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E are referred to as “recording heads 6” unless distinguished. It is to be noted that each of the head holders 51A and 51B may hold a single recording head 6.
In the carriage 5, a reference shaft member 71 serving as a reference member is disposed parallel to the guide rod 3. Each of the head holders 51A and 51B (hereinafter, referred to as “head holders 51” unless distinguished) has a hook portion 53 removably hooked on the reference shaft member 71. The head holders 51A and 51B are held by the carriage 5 with the hook portion 53 hooked on the reference shaft member 71. It is to be noted that the reference shaft member 71 may be cylindrical or polygonal.
As described above, arranging the reference shaft member 71 in parallel to the guide member 3 of the carriage 5 enhances the positional accuracy of inclination in the sub-scanning direction, the height direction, the tilt direction, and the main scanning direction.
Next, a structure for holding the reference shaft member relative to the carriage is described with reference to
The reference shaft member 71 is inserted, with play, into through holes 70 (see
As illustrated in
The position adjuster 72 has a cutout portion in the height direction. A wall face of the cutout portion in the vertical direction serves as a positioning face 76 to position the position adjuster 72 in the rotation direction with the reference shaft member 71 contacting the positioning faces 74 and 75, i.e., fix the position of the position adjuster 72 in the rotation direction. The positioning face 76 of the position adjuster 72 contacts a rotation stopper 77 of each of the side faces 5a and 5b of the carriage 5.
As described above, the position adjusters 72 are disposed at both ends of the reference shaft member 71. Such a configuration can secure a maximum distance for positional adjustment, thus allowing the reference shaft member 71 to be positioned at high accuracy. In addition, two inner edges of the position adjuster 72 for positioning the reference shaft member 71 in both the height direction and the sub-scanning direction are arranged perpendicular to each other. Such a configuration allows the reference shaft member 71 to be positioned in a corner-contact manner, thus allowing highly accurate positioning. Furthermore, by arranging the position adjusters 72 in parallel to each other, the height, sub-scanning position, and inclination of both ends of the reference shaft member 71 can be determined by the same shape for corner contact, thus allowing highly accurate positioning and cost reduction.
Next, the direction in which the reference shaft member 71 is pressed against the position adjusters 72 is described with reference to
By applying a pressing force acting in a direction indicated by an arrow Fa to the reference shaft member 71, the reference shaft member 71 contacts the positioning faces 74 and 75, thus creating forces divided in two directions indicated by arrows F1 and F2 in
In such a case, for example, an elastic member, such as a spring or a rubber member, may be used to apply the pressing force to the reference shaft member 71 directly or via the head holders 51A and 51B.
As described above, pressing the reference shaft member 71 against the positioning faces of the position adjusters 72 in the sub-scanning direction and the height direction allows the reference shaft member 71 to be reliably pressed against the same faces and places, thus allowing highly accurate positioning.
In this exemplary embodiment, in replacing, e.g., the recording heads 6A and 6B of the head holder 51A, the head holder 51A is removed from the reference shaft member 71. After replacing the recording heads 6A and 6B, the head holder 51A is hooked on and held by the reference shaft member 71 again.
Such a configuration can reproduce the positional accuracy of the recording heads 6 of the head holder 51 (in the above-described example, the head holder 51A) after replacement while obtaining a high degree of the positional accuracy of the recording heads 6 of the other head holder 51 (in the above-described example, the head holder 51B) not replaced.
As described above, the image forming apparatus according to this exemplary embodiment has one or more recording heads having nozzles to eject liquid droplets, one or more head holders to hold the one or more recording heads, a carriage reciprocally movable in a main scanning direction and holding the one or more head holders, a guide member arranged along the main scanning direction to guide the carriage along the main scanning direction, and a reference member disposed parallel to the guide member in the carriage. The one or more head holders are removably hooked on and supported by the reference member. Such a configuration allows the recording heads to be positioned at high accuracy, thus facilitating replacement of the recording heads.
Alternatively, the image forming apparatus may have a plurality of head holders and a reference member disposed along a direction in which recording heads are arranged. The plurality of head holders is removably held by the reference member. In other words, like a line-head-type image forming apparatus, holding the plurality of head holders on the common reference member enhances the mounting accuracy of the plurality of recording heads. As a result, the recording heads can be easily positioned relative to each other at high accuracy, thus facilitating replacement of the recording heads.
It is to be noted that, in a case where the reference member is positioned at high accuracy, each head holder may hold a single recording head.
Next, a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to
In this exemplary embodiment, like the first exemplary embodiment, a reference shaft member 71 serving as a reference member is disposed in a carriage 5 and parallel to a guide rod 3. Each of head holders 51A and 51B has a hook portion 53 removably hooked on the reference shaft member 71. The head holders 51A and 51B are rotatably held by the carriage 5 with the hook portion 53 hooked on the reference shaft member 71.
As illustrated in
Here, as illustrated in
A pressing mechanism 80 serving as a pressing unit is arranged to press the head holders 51 in such a direction that the head holders 51 rotate around the reference shaft member 71 toward the carriage 5.
The pressing mechanism 80 has pressing members 82 having rear end portions 82b rotatably supported by the carriage 5 via a shaft 81. The pressing members 82 are, for example, flat plate members as illustrated in
As a result, the head holder 51 is urged by the pressing member 82 so as to rotate in a clockwise direction indicated by the arrow C in
As a result, even in a case where recording heads are replaced at a user's site, the recording heads can be positioned at high accuracy, thus facilitating replacement of the recording heads.
As described above, the image forming apparatus according to this exemplary embodiment has one or more recording heads, one or more head holders to hold the one or more recording heads, a carriage reciprocally movable in a main scanning direction and holding the one or more head holders, a guide member disposed along the main scanning direction to guide the carriage along the main scanning direction, a reference member disposed parallel to the guide member in the carriage to rotatably hold the one or more head holders, and a pressing unit to press the one or more head holders toward the carriage. The one or more head holders are pressed against both the reference member and the carriage by the pressing unit. Such a configuration allows the recording heads to be positioned at high accuracy, thus facilitating replacement of the recording heads.
In addition, as described above, the hook portions 53 may be disposed at both ends of each head holder 51 in the main scanning direction, and each head holder 51 may contact the carriage 5 at one point, i.e., the convex portion 58. Thus, by positioning the head holder 51 at three points, a clearance between the recording heads 6 and the sheet 20 can be maintained at high accuracy.
Furthermore, holding the head holder 51 by the shaft member (the reference shaft member 71 in this exemplary embodiment) can minimize variations in components. Using a spring member, such as an extension coil spring, as the urging member to urge the pressing member allows cost reduction.
Here, different examples of the structure for hooking the head holder on the reference shaft member are described with reference to
For a first example illustrated in
For a second example illustrated in
For a third example illustrated in
In a case where the reference shaft member 71 has a rectangular shape as in the first example, the contact state of the reference shaft member 71 with the head holder 51 may vary depending on the angle at which the reference shaft member 71 is mounted in the carriage 5. By contrast, in a case where the reference shaft member 71 has a cylindrical shape as in the second and third examples, the mount angle of the reference shaft member 71 less affects the contact state of the reference shaft member 71 with the head holder 51, thus more stably positioning the head holder 51A than in the first example.
For a fourth example illustrated in
For a fifth example illustrated in
As described in the fourth example and the fifth example, the hook portion 53 of the head holder 51 contacts the reference shaft member 71 at two points, thus allowing stable positioning of the head holder 51A.
Next, different examples of the pressing mechanism are described with reference to
For a second example illustrated in
Such configurations also allow application of the pressing force to the head holder at relatively low cost.
Next, a third exemplary embodiment is described with reference to
Next, a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to
In this exemplary embodiment, the reference shaft member 71 pass through two through holes 170a of side walls 5a and 5b of the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction, and held by position adjusters 172 mounted on outer wall faces of the side walls 5a and 5b of the carriage 5. Each of the position adjusters 172 has a positioning through hole 173 forming positioning faces of the reference shaft member 71.
Here, the positioning through holes 173 also serve as guide holes to guide the reference shaft member 71 when the reference shaft member 71 moves up and down, and the reference shaft member 71 is supported by the through holes 173 so as to be movable up and down.
In this exemplary embodiment, an intermediate member 101 is disposed between the reference shaft member 71 and the head holders 51A and 51B.
At both end portions of the intermediate member 101 are disposed support shaft members 103 parallel to the reference shaft member 71. The support shaft members 103 pass through respective through holes 170b and are supported by support holes 174 of the position adjusters 172. The intermediate member 101 also has recessed portions 106, and the reference shaft member 71 fits in the recessed portions 106. The support holes 174 of the position adjusters 172 also serve as guide holes to guide the support shaft members 103 when the support shaft members 103 move up and down. The support shaft members 103 are supported by the support holes 174 so as to be movable up and down.
As illustrated in
At a lower side of the intermediate member 101, an elevation rod 111 is rotatably held by the carriage 5. At least one elevation cam 112 is mounted on the elevation rod 111 so as to be able to contact a lower surface of the intermediate member 101. As illustrated in
Next, elevating operation of the head holders 51A and 51B is described with reference to
As illustrated in
As described above, since the height position of the head holder 51 can be adjusted by displacing the intermediate member 101, the size of the clearance between the sheet 20 and the recording heads 6 of the head holders 51A and 51B can be adjusted. In such a configuration, by displacing the intermediate member, rather than moving the entire carriage to adjust, the height positions of the recording heads are adjusted, thus facilitating adjustment of the clearance size with a simple configuration.
Next, a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to
A reference shaft member 71 is positioned by contacting both end portions of the reference shaft member 71 with wall faces of positioning through holes 173 of the position adjusters 172. One end portion of the support shaft member 103 contacts and is supported by a wall face of a support hole 174 of a corresponding one of the position adjusters 172. By contrast, the opposite end portion of the support shaft members 103 passes through a through hole 175 of the other one of the position adjusters 172 without contacting the through hole 175.
Next, a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to
Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. With some embodiments having thus been described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims.
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