The present invention relates to a liquid jetting apparatus configured to jet liquid from nozzles.
As an exemplary liquid jetting apparatus jetting liquid from nozzles, Japanese Patent No. 5056465 describes a printing apparatus which jets ink from nozzles to perform printing. The printing apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 5056465 includes a head cap mechanism. The head cap mechanism includes a slider, a cap holder, a head cap, and a cam mechanism. The slider is provided in a housing to be slidable in a carriage movement direction. The cap holder is slidably provided in the slider to be closer to or away from a printing head. The head cap is fixed to the cap holder. The cam mechanism changes the distance between the cap holder and the printing head depending on the position of the slider. The cam mechanism has a cam follower, first to third cam surfaces, and first and second inclined cam surfaces. The first to third cam surfaces and the first and second inclined cam surfaces make contact with the cam follower. The first cam surface is closest from the printing head, the second cam surface is second closest from the printing head, and the third cam surface is farthest from the printing head. The first inclined surface is disposed between the first cam surface and the second cam surface. The second inclined surface is disposed between the second cam surface and the third cam surface.
The cam follower is positioned on the first cam surface in a state where the head cap is in close contact with a nozzle forming surface. The head cap is disposed to have an inspection space between itself and the nozzle forming surface in a state where the cam follower is positioned on the second cam surface. The head cap is disposed farther away from the nozzle forming surface than the case in which the cam follower is positioned on the second cam surface, in a state where the cam follower is positioned on the third cam surface. The cam follower moves between the first cam surface and the second cam surface along the first inclined cam surface, and moves between the second cam surface and the third cam surface along the second inclined cam surface.
Regarding Japanese Patent No. 5056465, movement speed of the head cap in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle forming surface increases as the inclined angles of the first and second inclined cam surfaces relative to the carriage movement direction are greater. This reduces the time required for movement of the head cap. In this case, the movement speed of the head cap in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle forming surface increases also when the head cap makes contact with and separates from the nozzle forming surface. This may cause an ink spill from the nozzle cap and the destruction of ink meniscuses in the nozzles, when the nozzle cap separates from the nozzle forming surface.
An object of the present teaching is to provide a liquid jetting apparatus capable of reducing the time required for cap movement as much as possible, while reducing the cap movement speed in a direction perpendicular to a liquid jetting surface when a cap makes contact with and separates from the liquid jetting surface.
According to a first aspect of the present teaching, there is provided a liquid jetting apparatus, including:
According to a second aspect of the present teaching, there is provided a liquid jetting apparatus, including:
According to a third aspect of the present teaching, there is provided a liquid jetting apparatus, including:
In the present teaching, the second angle is greater than the first angle. This allows the time required for movement of the cap between the capping position and the uncapping position to be shorter than a case in which both of the first and second inclined surfaces are inclined by the first angle relative to the slide direction. Further, the cap movement speed when the cap makes contact with and separates from the liquid jetting surface is allowed to be slower than a case in which both of the first and second inclined surfaces are inclined by the second angle relative to the slide direction. Namely, the present teaching achieves, in a well-balanced manner, reduction of the time required for movement of the cap between the capping position and the uncapping position and reduction of the cap movement speed when the cap makes contact with and separates from the liquid jetting surface, unlike the case in which both of the first and second inclined surfaces are inclined by the first angle relative to the slide direction and the case in which both of the first and second inclined surfaces are inclined by the second angle relative to the slide direction.
In the present teaching, the wording “provided integrally with the cap” means that an object is directly provided in the cap, that the object is provided in a member, such as a support member as described later, which moves integrally with the cap, or the like. Namely, the wording means that the object is provided to be moved integrally with the cap.
Preferred embodiments of the present teaching will be described below.
<Overall Configuration of Printer>
As depicted in
<Printing Unit>
The printing unit 2 includes, for example, a carriage 11, an ink-jet head 12 (a “liquid jetting head” of the present teaching), conveyance rollers 13, 14, and a platen 15. The carriage 11 is movably supported in a scanning direction by two guide rails 16 extending in the scanning direction. The carriage 11, which is connected to a carriage motor 156 (see
The ink-jet head 12, which is carried on the carriage 11, jets an ink from nozzles 17 formed in an ink jetting surface 12a (a “liquid jetting surface” of the present teaching) which is a lower surface of the ink-jet head 12. The nozzles 17, which are disposed to align in a conveyance direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, form nozzle rows 18. The ink-jet head 12 includes four nozzle rows 18 arranged in the scanning direction. Inks of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta are jetted from the nozzles 17 of the four nozzle rows 18 respectively, in the order of the nozzle rows 18 from the right side in the scanning direction. The carriage 11 and the ink-jet head 12 each correspond to a “head unit” of the present teaching.
The conveyance rollers 13 are disposed upstream of the carriage 11 in the conveyance direction, which is parallel to the ink jetting surface 12a and orthogonal to the scanning direction. The conveyance rollers 13 include a drive roller 13a and a driven roller 13b disposed on the upper side of the drive roller 13a. As will be described later, the drive roller 13a is connected to a PF motor 101 (see
The conveyance rollers 14 are disposed downstream of the carriage 11 in the conveyance direction. The conveyance rollers 14 include a drive roller 14a and a driven roller 14b disposed on the upper side of the drive roller 14a. The drive roller 14a is connected to the drive roller 13a via unillustrated gears. Thus, when power is transmitted from the PF motor 101 to the drive roller 13a, drive force is transmitted also to the drive roller 14a to rotate the drive roller 14a. In this situation, the drive rollers 13a, 14a have the same rotation direction. Accordingly, rotating the PF motor 101 reversely (counterclockwise) conveys the recording sheet P in the conveyance direction in a state where the recording sheet P is nipped by the drive roller 14a and the driven roller 14b.
The platen 15 is disposed between the conveyance rollers 13, 14 in the conveyance direction to face the ink jetting surface 12a. The platen 15 supports, from below, the recording sheet P conveyed by the conveyance rollers 13, 14.
<Feed Part>
The feed part 3 is disposed below the platen 15. The feed part 3 includes a sheet cassette 21 and a feed roller 22. The sheet cassette 21 accommodates recording sheets P stacked vertically. As will be described later, the feed roller 22 is connectable to an ASF motor 102 via gears including a feed gear 131 (see
<Maintenance Unit>
Subsequently, the maintenance unit 7 will be explained. As depicted in
<Wiper>
The wiper 59 is disposed on the right of the platen 15. The wiper 59 is moved up and down by a wiper lifting unit 157 (see
<Cap Unit>
The cap unit 61 includes a nozzle cap 66, a cap holder 67, a support member 68, and a spring 69 (an “elastic member” of the present teaching).
The nozzle cap 66, which is made of a rubber material, is disposed on the right of the wiper 59 in the scanning direction. The nozzle cap 66 includes two caps 66a and 66b formed integrally. The caps 66a and 66b are disposed adjacent to each other such that the cap 66a is on the right side of the cap 66b in the scanning direction. When the carriage 11 moves to a position where the ink jetting surface 12a faces the nozzle cap 66, the rightmost nozzle row 18 overlaps with the cap 66a and three nozzle rows 18 on the left of the rightmost nozzle row 18 overlap with the cap 66b. The cap unit 61 is movable up and down (“movable in a cap movement direction” of the present teaching) as described later. When a cap lifting mechanism 71 described below moves the cap unit 61 upward in a state where the ink jetting surface 12a faces the nozzle cap 66, the nozzle cap 66 makes contact with the ink jetting surface 12a so that the cap 66a covers the rightmost nozzle row 18 and the cap 66b covers the three nozzle rows 18 on the left side of the rightmost nozzle row 18.
The cap holder 67, which supports the nozzle cap 66 from below, increases the rigidity of the nozzle cap 66. The support member 68, which is disposed below the cap holder 67, supports the cap holder 67 from below. A guide member 58 (a “movement support part” of the present teaching) is disposed to surround the support member 68. Protruding parts 68a extending in an up-down direction are formed at both end surfaces of the support member 68 in the conveyance direction. The guide member 58 has guide grooves 58a extending in the up-down direction and engaging with the protruding parts 68a. The support member 68 can move up and down by moving the protruding parts 68a of the support member 68 along the guide grooves 58a. Moving the support member 68 up and down moves the cap unit 61 with the support member 68 and the nozzle cap 66 up and down. The guide member 58 is fixed to an unillustrated frame provided in a body of the printer 1.
Protruding parts 68b protruding downward are provided in the vicinities of both ends of the lower surface of the support member 68 in the scanning direction. Cam followers 68c extending in the scanning direction are formed in outer side surfaces of the protruding parts 68b in the scanning direction, respectively. The nozzle cap 66 and the support member 68 with the cam followers 68c integrally move up and down when the cap unit 61 moves up and down. Namely, the cam followers 68c are formed integrally with the nozzle cap 66. The spring 69, which is disposed between the cap holder 67 and the support member 68, urges the cap holder 67 upward.
<Cap Lifting Mechanism>
The cap lifting mechanism 71 moving the cap unit 61 up and down will be explained. As depicted in
The slide cam 72 includes two parts 76 and 77. The part 76 is disposed below the support member 68 to extend in the conveyance direction. Grooves 76a are formed at both ends of the part 76 in the scanning direction. The cam followers 68c of the support member 68 are inserted into the grooves 76a. As depicted in
The parallel part 76b is disposed at an upstream end of the part 76 in the conveyance direction and extends parallel to the conveyance direction. The parallel part 76c is disposed below the parallel part 76b, disposed downstream of the parallel part 76b in the conveyance direction, and extends parallel to the conveyance direction. The parallel part 76d is disposed between the parallel parts 76b, 76c in the conveyance direction and the up-down direction and extends parallel to the conveyance direction. The inclined part 76e is disposed between the parallel parts 76b and 76d in the conveyance direction, extends in the conveyance direction while being inclined by an inclined angle θ1 (for example, approximately 24°, a “first angle” of the present teaching), and connects the parallel parts 76b and 76d. The inclined part 76f is disposed between the parallel parts 76c and 76d in the conveyance direction, extends in the conveyance direction while being inclined by an inclined angle θ2 (for example, approximately 25°, a “second angle” of the present teaching) greater than the inclined angle θ1, and connects the parallel parts 76c and 76d. A length L2 of the inclined part 76f in the conveyance direction is shorter than a length L1 of the inclined part 76e in the conveyance direction. In this embodiment, a lower surface of each groove 76a is a slide surface 76a1 on which the cam follower 68c slides during movement of the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction.
In this embodiment, the parallel part 76b of the slide surface 76a1 corresponds to a “first parallel surface” of the present teaching; the parallel part 76d of the slide surface 76a1 corresponds to a “second parallel surface” of the present teaching; the parallel part 76c of the slide surface 76a1 corresponds to a “third parallel surface” of the present teaching; the inclined part 76e of the slide surface 76a1 corresponds to a “first inclined surface” of the present teaching; and the inclined part 76f of the slide surface 76a1 corresponds to a “second inclined surface” of the present teaching.
The part 77 is narrower than the part 76 in width and extends downstream in the conveyance direction from the center of the downstream end of the part 76 in the conveyance direction. An arm supporting part 77a is provided at the downstream end of the part 77 in the conveyance direction. The arm supporting part 77a extends in the scanning direction to swingably support a first end of the arm 74. A gear 77c extending in the conveyance direction is formed in a left side surface 77b of the part 77 in the scanning direction. The slide cam 72 includes an oil damper 78 engaging with the gear 77c. The oil dumper 78 prevents the slide cam 72 from sliding (moving suddenly) in the conveyance direction as will be described later. A protruding part 77d extending in the conveyance direction is provided at a part, of the left side surface 77b of the part 77 in the scanning direction, which is downstream of the gear 77c in the conveyance direction. A guide member 80 (a “slide support part” of the present teaching) is provided on the left of the part 77 in the scanning direction. A groove 80a extending in the conveyance direction is formed on a right surface of the guide member 80 in the scanning direction. The protruding part 77d is inserted into the groove 80a. Moving the protruding part 77d along the groove 80a moves the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction (a “slide direction” of the present teaching). The guide member 80 is fixed to an unillustrated frame provided in the printer 1.
The slide cam 72 includes a sensor 79 detecting a position in the conveyance direction. The sensor 79 includes a light emitting element 79a and a light receiving element 79b. The light emitting element 79a is disposed on the left of the part 77 in the scanning direction, and the light receiving element 79b is disposed on the right of the part 77 in the scanning direction. The light emitting element 79a emits light to the light receiving element 79b. The light receiving element 79b receives the light emitted from the light emitting element 79a. Further, a light blocking part 77e is provided in the lower surface of the part 77. Whether or not the light blocking part 77e blocks the light emitted from the light emitting element 79a is switched when the slide cam 72 moves in the conveyance direction, as described later. The sensor 79 becomes an off state, in which no signal is outputted, when the light receiving element 79b receives the light emitted from the light emitting element 79a, and the sensor 79 becomes an on state, in which the signal is outputted, when the light receiving element 79b does not receive the light emitted from the light emitting element 79a. The position of the slide cam 72 and the switching of the sensor 79 between the on and off states will be described later in detail.
The crank gear 73 is disposed such that its axis direction is parallel to the scanning direction. An arm supporting part 73a supporting a second end of the arm 74 swingably is provided at a part, of a side surface of the crank gear 73, deviated from the center of the crank gear 73. The crank gear 73 engages with a bevel gear 129.
<Switch Valve>
As depicted in
The channel member 82, which is a cylindrical member made of a rubber material, is rotatably accommodated in the internal space 81a of the accommodating member 81. The channel member 82 includes, for example, unillustrated grooves forming ink channels to make the communicating ports 84a to 84d communicate with each other. The channel member 82 is mounted on a valve cam 85. The valve cam 85 is connected to a valve drive gear group 134 including a valve drive gear 134a. Since the structure of the switch valve 62 is the same as that of conventional ones, the more detailed explanation thereof is omitted.
<Selective Gear Mechanism>
In this embodiment, power can be selectively transmitted from the ASF motor 102 to any one of the cap lifting mechanism 71 and the switch valve 62 via a selective gear mechanism 136. More specifically, as depicted in
When the ASF motor 102 rotates normally (clockwise) in a state where the selective drive gear 137 is connected to the ASF motor 102, power of the ASF motor 102 is transmitted to the gears 137, 138, 139a, and 139b. This rotates the sun gear 139a in the counterclockwise direction in
When the slide cam 72 moves upstream in the conveyance direction, the cam follower 68c of the support member 68 slides on the parallel part 76b, the inclined part 76e, the parallel part 76d, the inclined part 76f, and the parallel part 76c, of the slide surface 76a1 of the groove 76a, in that order. This lowers the support member 68. The downward movement of the support member 68 lowers the cap unit 61 including the support member 68 and the nozzle cap 66. When the slide cam 72 moves downstream in the conveyance direction, the cam follower 68c of the support member 68 slides on the parallel part 76c, the inclined part 76f, the parallel part 76d, the inclined part 76e, and the parallel part 76b, of the slide surface 76a1 of the groove 76a, in that order. This raises the support member 68. The upward movement of the support member 68 raises the cap unit 61 including the support member 68 and the nozzle cap 66. In both cases, the oil damper 78 rotates while being interlocked with the movement of the slide cam 72. Accordingly, the cap lifting mechanism 71 converts the rotation of the crank gear 73 in one direction into the reciprocating movement of the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction to make the cam follower 68c of the support member 68 slide on the slide surface 76a1 of the groove 76a of the slide cam 72, thereby moving the cap unit 61 up and down.
As depicted in
Here, an explanation will be made about the control of the ASF motor 102 for moving the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the uncapping position and the intermediate position. In this embodiment, the light blocking part 77e does not face the light emitting element 79a and the light emitting element 79b when the cam follower 68c is positioned downstream (on the side opposite to the inclined part 760 of a predetermined point of the parallel part 76c (a point at which the cam follower 68c in
On the basis of the above, in this embodiment, the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally in a state where the nozzle cap 66 is in the capping position as depicted in
In this embodiment, the ASF motor 102 is rotated further normally with the nozzle cap 66 being in the intermediate position. When the sensor 79 switches from the on state to the off state, the ASF motor 102 is rotated still further by a predetermined amount to move the nozzle cap 66 from the intermediate position to the uncapping position as depicted in
In this embodiment, the ASF motor 102 is rotated further normally with the nozzle cap 66 being in the uncapping position. When the sensor 79 switches from the off state to the on state, the ASF motor 102 is rotated still further by a predetermined amount to move the nozzle cap 66 from the uncapping position to the intermediate position as depicted in
In this embodiment, the ASF motor 102 is rotated further normally with the nozzle cap 66 being in the intermediate position. When the sensor 79 switches from the on state to the off state, the ASF motor 102 is rotated still further by a predetermined amount to move the nozzle cap 66 from the intermediate position to the capping position as depicted in
When the nozzle cap 66 is moved between the capping position and the intermediate position and the uncapping position by rotating the ASF motor 102 normally to move the slide cam 72 reciprocatingly in the conveyance direction, the ASF motor 102 is rotated at a constant speed to move the slide cam 72 at a constant speed.
When the ASF motor 102 is rotated counterclockwise with the selective drive gear 137 connected to the ASF motor 102, power of the ASF motor 102 is transmitted to the gears 137, 138, 139a, and 139b. This rotates the sun gear 139a in the clockwise direction in
The suction pump 63 is a tube pump. As described above, the suction pump 63 communicates with the pump communicating port 84d of the switch valve 62 via the tube 86d and communicates with the waste liquid tank 64 via the tube 86e on the side opposite to the switch valve 62. As depicted in
The waste liquid tank 64 receives, for example, the ink discharged through a suction purge, etc., as described later. The space of the waste liquid tank 64 in which the ink is received communicates with the atmosphere. Thus, the atmosphere communicating port 84c, which communicates with the waste liquid tank 64 via the tube 86c, communicates with the atmosphere. Further, when the suction pump 63 is in the communication state, the pump communicating port 84d communicates with the atmosphere via the tubes 86d, 86e, the suction pump 63, and the waste liquid tank 64.
<Switching of Motor Connection>
Subsequently, an explanation will be made about the switching of connection of each of the PF motor 101 and the ASF motor 102 with reference to
As depicted in
The PF input gear 111 engages with a PF switch gear 112. The PF switch gear 112 is rotatably supported by a shaft 106 extending in the scanning direction. The PF switch gear 112 is movable, while being interlocked with movement of the carriage 11 in the scanning direction, along the shaft 106 in the scanning direction. Thus, the PF switch gear 112 can selectively move to any of the positions depicted in
As depicted in
In this embodiment, the ASF switch gear 122 can be selectively moved to any of the positions depicted in
<Controller>
Subsequently, an explanation will be made about a controller 150 which controls the operation of the printer 1. As depicted in
The controller 150 may include the single CPU 151, as depicted in
<Printing Operation>
Subsequently, an explanation will be made about a method of performing printing with the printer 1. When the printer 1 is in a standby state in which no printing and no maintenance which will be described later are performed, the nozzle cap 66 is in the capping position. This makes the nozzle cap 66 contact with the ink jetting surface 12a to prevent the ink in nozzles 17 from being dried. In the standby state, as depicted in
To make the printer 1 perform printing, at first, the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally to lower the nozzle cap 66 from the capping position to the uncapping position, as depicted in
Then, rotating the PF motor 101 normally makes the conveyance rollers 13 and 14 convey each supplied recording sheet P in the conveyance direction. The carriage motor 156 is driven to move the carriage 11 reciprocatively in the scanning direction and the ink-jet head 12 is driven to jet the ink from nozzles 17, thereby performing the printing on the recording sheet P (S103). After completion of the printing, the printer 1 returns to the standby state (S104). In particular, the carriage motor 156 is driven to move the carriage 11 to a position in which the ink jetting surface 12a faces the nozzle cap 66, and the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally in a state where the carriage 11 is in the above position to move the nozzle cap 66 from the uncapping position to the capping position, thereby making the nozzle cap 66 contact with the ink jetting surface 12a.
<Maintenance>
Subsequently, an explanation will be made about the maintenance using the maintenance unit 7. In the maintenance, as depicted in
In the valve cleaning, as depicted in
When the suction purge or idle suction which will be described later is performed, the ink flows into the switch valve 62. If the ink flowing into the switch valve 62 is left for a long time, it may solidify to cause the channel member 82 to be firmly fixed to the accommodating member 81. The firm fixation of the channel member 82 to the accommodating member 81 may fail to rotate the channel member 82 during the suction purge or the idle suction. In this embodiment, the valve cleaning eliminates the firm fixation of the channel member 82 to the accommodating member 81.
In S203, the suction purge is performed. More specifically, in S203, both of a suction purge for black ink in which viscous black ink accumulating in the ink-jet head 12 is discharged and a suction purge for color inks in which viscous color inks accumulating in the ink-jet head 12 are discharged are performed successively.
In the suction purge for black ink, the ASF motor 102 is rotated reversely to rotate the channel member 82 in a state where the nozzle cap 66 is in the capping position and the switch gears 112, 122 are in the positions depicted in
In the suction purge for color inks, the ASF motor 102 is rotated reversely to rotate the channel member 82 in the state where the nozzle cap 66 is in the capping position and the switch gears 112, 122 are in the positions depicted in
Subsequently, the idle suction, in which the ink accumulating in the nozzle cap 66 is discharged, is performed (S204). More specifically, in S204, both of the idle suction for black ink in which the black ink accumulating in the nozzle cap 66a is discharged by the suction purge for black ink and the idle suction for color inks in which the color inks accumulating in the nozzle cap 66b are discharged by the suction purge for color inks are performed successively.
In the idle suction for black ink, the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally to rotate the crank gear 73 in a state where the switch gears 112, 122 are in the positions depicted in
In the idle suction for color inks, the ASF motor 102 is rotated reversely to rotate the channel member 82 in a state where the nozzle cap 66 is in the intermediate position as depicted in
In some cases, except this embodiment, the ink (bridge) between the nozzle cap 66 and the ink jetting surface 12a may be broken when the nozzle cap 66 is lowered from the capping position to the uncapping position in the idle suction to separate the nozzle cap 66 from the ink jetting surface 12a. This may cause the ink to be scattered around the nozzle cap 66. In this embodiment, the nozzle cap 66 is lowered to the intermediate position in the idle suction, and the height of the intermediate position of the nozzle cap 66 is designed such that the ink bridge is not broken when the nozzle cap 66 is lowered to the intermediate position. Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the ink from being scattered around the nozzle cap 66 which would be otherwise caused by the destruction of ink bridge in the idle suction.
Subsequently, wiping is performed to wipe the ink adhering to the ink jetting surface 12a by using the wiper 59 (S205). To perform the wiping, the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally to rotate the crank gear 73. The rotation of the crank gear 73 lowers the nozzle cap 66 to the uncapping position, as depicted in
Subsequently, flushing is performed to discharge, from nozzles 17, the ink and the like flowing into the nozzles 17 during the wiping (S206). To perform the flushing, the carriage motor 156 is driven to return the carriage 11 to the position where the ink jetting surface 12a faces the nozzle cap 66. Then, the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally to rotate the crank gear 73. The rotation of the crank gear 73 raises the nozzle cap 66 up to the intermediate position, as depicted in
In some cases, except for this embodiment, the flashing may be performed in a state where the nozzle cap 66 is in the uncapping position. In that case, the ink jetted from the nozzles 17 through the flushing may be spattered on the nozzle cap 66 to fly out of the nozzle cap 66. In this embodiment, during the flushing, the nozzle cap 66 is in the intermediate position which is closer to the ink jetting surface 12a than the uncapping position. This prevents the ink jetted from nozzles 17 through the flushing from being spattered on the nozzle cap 66 to fly out of the nozzle cap 66.
Subsequently, the idle suction similar to S204 is performed to discharge the ink accumulating in the nozzle cap 66 during the flushing (S207). After completion of the idle suction in S207, the ASF motor 102 is rotated normally to move the nozzle cap 66 to the capping position as depicted in
To shorten the time from the standby state to the start of printing as much as possible (the time of S102), the printer 1 is required to shorten the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 from the capping position to the uncapping position as much as possible. In this embodiment, the cap unit 61 is moved up and down by moving the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction to cause the cam follower 68c slide on the slide surface 76a1. Thus, the amounts of upward and downward movement of the cap unit 61 relative to the movement amount of the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction increase, as the inclined angles θ1 and 02, of the inclined parts 76e and 76f of the groove 76a of the slide cam 72, relative to the conveyance direction are greater, which in turn results in reduction of the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 from the capping position to the uncapping position.
However, if the inclined angle θ1 is too great, the nozzle cap 66 moves fast in the up-down direction when separating from the ink jetting surface 12a. In that case, the ink (bridge) between the nozzle cap 66 and the ink jetting surface 12a may be broken when the nozzle cap 66 is moved from the capping position to the intermediate position to perform the idle suction after the suction purge. This may cause the ink to be scattered around the nozzle cap 66. Further, if the nozzle cap 66 moves fast in the up-down direction when separating from the ink jetting surface 12a, the atmospheric pressure in each nozzle 17 may suddenly change to break the meniscus of ink in the nozzle 17.
For example, if the inclined angle θ1 is too great, the nozzle cap 66 moves fast in the up-down direction when returning to the capping position to make contact with the ink jetting surface 12a after completion of printing or maintenance. This increases the impact or shock caused by the collision between the nozzle cap 66 and the ink jetting surface 12 to cause the spring 69 to temporarily contract greater than a final contraction amount (a contraction amount when the nozzle cap 66 is in the capping state), which results in great force applied to the ink jetting surface 12a and the nozzle cap 66. The great force on the nozzle cap 66 increases the burden on the ASF motor 102 which is a power source moving the cap unit 61 upward.
Thus, in this embodiment, the inclined angle θ1 is made to be smaller than the inclined angle θ2. This reduces the movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 in the up-down direction when the nozzle cap 66 makes contact with and separates from the ink jetting surface 12a, thereby avoiding the above problem.
When the inclined angle θ2 is greater than the inclined angle θ1, the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the uncapping position is shorter than the case in which the inclined angle θ2 is equal to or smaller than the inclined angle θ1. Namely, the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the uncapping position is reduced by making the movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 (corresponding to a second movement speed of the present teaching) during the process for moving the nozzle cap 66 from the intermediate position to the uncapping position (corresponding to a second movement process of the present teaching) faster than the movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 (corresponding to a first movement speed of the present teaching) during the process for moving the nozzle cap 66 from the capping position to the intermediate position (corresponding to a first movement process of the present teaching). Accordingly, the time from the standby state to the start of printing can be shortened as much as possible.
As described above, since the inclined angle θ1 of the inclined part 76e is smaller than the inclined angle θ2 of the inclined part 76f in this embodiment, the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the uncapping position is shorter than the case in which both of the inclined angles of the inclined parts 76e and 76f are θ1. Further, the movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 in the up-down direction when the nozzle cap 66 makes contact with and separates from the ink jetting surface 12a is slower than the case in which both of the inclined angles of the inclined parts 76e and 76f are θ2.
Thus, this embodiment achieves, in a balanced manner, both reduction of the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the uncapping position and reduction of the movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 in the up-down direction when the nozzle cap 66 makes contact with and separates from the ink-jet ting surface 12, unlike the case in which the inclined angles of the inclined parts 76e and 76f are both θ1 and the case in which the inclined angles of the inclined parts 76e and 76f are both θ2.
In this embodiment, although the ASF motor 102 is rotated at the constant speed to move the slide cam 72 at the constant speed in the conveyance direction, the movement speed of the cap unit 61 in the up-down direction between the capping position and the intermediate position is slower than that between the uncapping position and the intermediate position. This effect is brought about by making the inclined angle θ1 of the inclined part 76e smaller than the inclined angle θ2 of the inclined part 76f. Namely, the present teaching does not need the control that causes the rotation speed of the ASF motor 102 during movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the intermediate position to differ from that during movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the uncapping position and the intermediate position, resulting in simple control of the ASF motor 102.
In this embodiment, the length L2 of the inclined part 76f in the movement direction (conveyance direction) of the slide cam 72 is shorter than the length L1 of the inclined part 76e. This reduces the movement range of the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction and the length of the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction.
Subsequently, an explanation will be made about modified examples in which various modifications are added to the above embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the length L2 of the inclined part 76f in the movement direction of the slide cam 72 is shorter than the length L1 of the inclined part 76e. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. The length L2 of the inclined part 76f may be equal to or longer than the length L1 of the inclined part 76e.
In the above embodiment, the cap holder 67 supports the nozzle cap 66 and the spring 69 urges the nozzle cap 66 via the cap holder 67. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, if the rigidity of a bottom part of the nozzle cap 66 is sufficiently high, the cap holder 67 may not be provided and the spring 69 may directly urge the nozzle cap 66.
In the above embodiment, the spring 69 urges the nozzle cap 66. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, the spring 69 may not be provided, and the nozzle cap 66 may be directly fixed to the support member 68.
In the above embodiment, the groove 76a includes the parallel parts 76b, 76c, and 76d; the cam follower 68c is in the parallel part 76b with the nozzle cap 66 being in the capping position; the cam follower 68c is in the parallel part 76c with the nozzle cap 66 being in the uncapping position; and the cam follower 68c is in the parallel part 76d with the nozzle cap 66 being in the intermediate position. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto.
For example, in a first modified example, a slide cam 201 includes a groove 201a and a lower surface of the groove 201a is a slide surface 201a1 on which the cam follower 68c slides, as depicted in
In a second modified example, a slide cam 211 includes a groove 211a and a lower surface of the groove 211a is a slide surface 211a1 on which the cam follower 68c slides, as depicted in
In a third modified example, a slide cam 221 includes a groove 221a and a lower surface of the groove 221a is a slide surface 221a1 on which the cam follower 68c slides, as depicted in
In the above modified examples, the inclined angle θ1 of each of the inclined parts 201c, 211d, and 221b relative to the conveyance direction is smaller than the inclined angle θ2 of each of the inclined parts 201d, 211e, and 221c relative to the conveyance direction, like the above embodiment. Thus, the ink is prevented from being scattered around the nozzle cap 66 and the meniscus of ink in each nozzle 17 is prevented from being broken when the nozzle cap 66 separates from the ink jetting surface 12a. Further, it is possible to prevent great force from being applied on the nozzle cap 66 and the ink jetting surface 12a when the nozzle cap 66 makes contact with the ink jetting surface 12a. Furthermore, it is possible to shorten the time required for movement of the nozzle cap 66 between the capping position and the uncapping position as much as possible.
In the above embodiment, only the lower surface of the groove 76a is the slide surface on which the cam follower 68c slides. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, the height of the cam follower 68c may be substantially the same as that of the groove 76a and both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the groove 76a may be slide surfaces on which the cam follower 68c slides. In that case, the parallel part 76c of the upper and lower surfaces of the groove 76a corresponds to the “parallel surface” of the present teaching; the inclined part 76e of the upper and lower surfaces of the groove 76a corresponds to the “first inclined surface” of the present teaching; and the inclined part 76f of the upper and lower surfaces of the groove 76a corresponds to the “second inclined surface” of the present teaching.
In the above embodiment, the slide cam 72 including the groove 76a with the slide surface 76a1 can reciprocate in the conveyance direction by power from the ASF motor 102, and the support member 68 of the cap unit 61 includes the cam follower 68c sliding on the slide surface 76a1. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, the following configuration is also allowable. Namely, the support member 68 of the cap unit 61 is formed as a cam including a groove similar to the groove 76a, and a cam follower sliding on a slide surface of the groove is reciprocatingly movable in the conveyance direction by power from the ASF motor 102.
In the above embodiment, the cam follower 68c is provided in the support member 68 supporting the nozzle cap 66 from below. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, the cam follower may be directly provided in the nozzle cap 66. Or, when the cam follower is reciprocatingly movable in the conveyance direction by power from the ASF motor 102 as described above, the cam including the groove similar to the groove 76a may be directly provided in the nozzle cap 66.
In the above embodiment, when the nozzle cap 66 moves between the capping position and the intermediate position and the uncapping position, the ASF motor 102 is rotated at the constant speed to move the slide cam 72 at the constant speed. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, to achieve a slower movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 in the up-down direction when the nozzle cap 66 makes contact with and separates from the ink jetting surface 12a, rotation speed of the ASF motor 102 when the nozzle cap 66 moves between the capping position and the intermediate position may be slower than that of the above embodiment. Or, to achieve a faster movement speed of the nozzle cap 66 in the up-down direction when the nozzle cap 66 moves between the uncapping position and the intermediate position, rotation speed of the ASF motor 102 when the nozzle cap 66 moves between the uncapping position and the intermediate position may be faster than that of the above embodiment.
The configuration for moving the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction is not limited to that of the above embodiment. A configuration for moving the slide cam 72 which is different from that of the above embodiment may move the slide cam 72 in the conveyance direction. For example, the following configuration is also allowable. Namely, the gear arrangement connecting the ASF motor 102 and the slide cam 72 is different from that of the above embodiment, and the slide cam 72 moves upstream in the conveyance direction when the ASF motor 102 rotates in one direction and the slide cam 72 moves downstream in the conveyance direction when the ASF motor 102 rotates in the opposite direction of the one direction. Or, the slide cam 72 may be moved in the conveyance direction by power from another motor, such as the PF motor 101.
The configuration for moving the nozzle cap 66 up and down is not limited to that of the above embodiment. For example, in the third modified example described above, the following configuration is also allowable. Namely, a pressed portion extending upwardly is provided for the nozzle cap 66 at one end portion thereof in the scanning direction (on the right side in
The above description explains the examples in which the present teaching is applied to the printer which performs printing by jetting the ink from nozzles. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. The present teaching may be applied, in addition to the printer, to liquid jetting apparatuses jetting, from nozzles, liquid other than the ink.
The embodiment and the modified examples explain the examples in which the present teaching is applied to the ink-jet head 12 which is carried on the carriage 11 and jets the ink from nozzles 17 formed on the lower surface of the ink-jet head 12 while reciprocating in the scanning direction together with the carriage 11. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. For example, the present teaching may be applied to a so-called line head including nozzles arranged along the scanning direction.
The embodiment and the modified examples explain the examples in which the cap unit makes contact with the ink jetting surface to cover the nozzles in the capping position. The present teaching, however, is not limited thereto. Provided that the cap unit can cover the nozzles, the cap unit may make contact with other part than the ink jetting surface in the capping position.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2015-221816 | Nov 2015 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/349,082, filed Nov. 11, 2016, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-221816 filed on Nov. 12, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Entry |
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United States Notice of Allowance dated Jul. 11, 2018 received in related U.S. Appl. No. 15/349,082. |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190143698 A1 | May 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15349082 | Nov 2016 | US |
Child | 16185206 | US |