Patent Grant
10744784
The present invention relates to a tube pump and a liquid ejection apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-62208 discloses a configuration of a tube pump including a pump frame; a rotating body; a cam member; and a braking unit, as shown in
By the configuration as described above, rotation of the rotating body at the time of moving the roller to the first position or the second position is braked, so that the rotating body can be rotated after determining a roller position. As a result, the tube pump suppresses occurrence of liquid backflow in the tube at the time of reverse rotation of the rotating body.
However, since the tube pump described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-62208 has a configuration of moving the lever supporting the roller between the first position and the second position, by the cam member, it has a large number of parts to the roller to be controlled. In addition, as the number of parts is large, the tube pump described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-62208 is likely to cause variations in positional accuracy of the roller.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tube pump which can suppress occurrence of liquid backflow in the tube at the time of reverse rotation of a second rotating body, by a simple configuration.
The tube pump of the present invention includes: a tube having elastic restoring force; a case having an arc-shaped wall surface regulating and supporting a position of the tube; a roller disposed so that it can press the tube between the roller and the wall surface of the case; a first rotating body which is rotatable around an arc center of the arc-shaped wall surface of the case, and has a guiding part for guiding the roller so that the roller is movable in an arc radial direction of the arc-shaped wall surface of the case; and a second rotating body which is a rotating body rotating around the arc center of the arc-shaped wall surface of the case, and has a roller position regulating part for acting on a position in an arc radial direction of the arc-shaped wall surface of the case of the roller, wherein the first rotating body has a drive transmitting part provided between the first rotating body and the second rotating body so that the first rotating body rotates by receiving rotational driving force of the second rotating body, in the drive transmitting part, a dead zone in which rotation of the second rotating body is not transmitted to first rotating body for a predetermined amount of rotation when a rotation direction is changed is set, and the roller, when the first rotating body rotates in a predetermined direction, moves the guiding part of the first rotating body to a tube side by an action of the roller position regulating part provided in the second rotating body, thereby pushing the tube between the roller and the arc-shaped wall surface of the case so that the roller is circulated, and when the second rotating body starts to rotate in a reverse direction, moves the guiding part of the first rotating part in a direction to release pressing of the tube by an action of the roller position regulating part provided in the second rotating body and elastic restoring force of the tube, until a state that rotation of the second rotating body by the dead zone of the drive transmitting part is not transmitted to the first rotating body is ended.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail in accordance with the accompanying drawings on the basis of the first to fifth exemplary embodiments.
(Overall Configuration of Inkjet Recording Apparatus)
(Operation of Maintenance Unit)
Here, the maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 1 is described with reference to
(Configuration of Tube Pump)
Next, the configuration of the tube pump 12 of the present exemplary embodiment is described, referring to
The tube pump 12 of the present exemplary embodiment includes a case 21; a tube 22; a roller member 23 (an example of a roller) forming the rotor; a roller holding member 24 (an example of a first rotating body); and a drive rotating body 25 (an example of a second rotating body).
The tube 22 is composed of materials having elastic restoring force. The case 21 has a circular lower surface, and a wall surface 21a (an example of an arc-shaped wall surface) which is curved in an arc shape toward the inside, the center of the arc forming the wall surface 21a is the rotation center of the rotor, and the tube 22 is disposed in an arc shape along the wall surface 21a. The roller member 23 is disposed so that it can press the tube 22 at a position facing the wall surface 21a with the tube 22 disposed on the wall surface 21a of the case 21 interposed therebetween.
The rotor rotates during a suction operation of the tube pump 12, and the roller member 23 which is a component thereof circulates while pressing the tube 22 between the roller member 23 and the wall surface 21a. Then, negative pressure is generated in the tube 22 by moving the pressing position, and by the negative pressure, negative pressure is generated in the cap 8. The roller member 23 of the present exemplary embodiment has a cylindrical part 23a (an example of a cylindrical body) for pressing the tube 22; a rotating shaft 23b; and a shaft part 23c under the action of the drive rotating body 25, as shown in
The roller holding member 24 is a member forming a portion of the rotor disposed in the case 21, and as shown in
The drive rotating body 25 is a constituent member disposed in the case 21, and provided to be sandwiched between the two members 24A and 24B of the roller holding member 24 of the rotor shown in
The drive rotating body 25 is in the form of two flat plates provided with a cam surface 25a acting on the shaft part 23c of the roller member 23, disposed on the drive shaft 25b, as shown in
The engagement hole 24Ac provided on the roller holding rotating member 24 is an arc-shaped hole in a predetermined angle centered on a through-hole 24Ad center of the roller holding member 24 engaged with a drive shaft 25b of the drive rotating body 25 which is the rotor rotation center, and when the drive rotating body 25 rotates, the boss 25c abuts against one end of the arc of the engagement hole 24Ac and pushes it, thereby transmitting drive.
When the drive rotating body 25 reverses the rotation direction after rotating the roller holding member 24, the rotation drive of the drive rotating body 25 is not transmitted to the roller holding rotating member 24, until the boss 25c of the drive rotating body 25 reaches the opposite side end of the engagement hole 24Ac.
Next, the cam surface 25a (a roller position regulating part) provided on the two flat plates of the drive rotating body 25 is described.
The elongated hole 24Ab of the roller holding member 24 is for guiding the roller member 23 movably from a tube side end 24Ab1 of the elongated hole 24Ab to a rotor center side end 24Ab2. However, the cam surface 25a acts on the shaft part 23c of the roller member 23, as shown in
The cam surface 25a gradually changes a distance from the drive shaft 25b center which is the rotor center with a predetermined rotation angle so that the position of the roller member 23 in the elongated hole 24Ab is defined to reach the first position from the second position, whereby the first position side of the surface is formed of a surface having a constant radius. The rotation angle of the rotor required to move the roller member 23 from the second position to the first position by the cam surface 25a is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement holes 24Ac and 24Bc in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 24 which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part. In this case, in the dead zone, the rotation of the drive rotating body 25 is not transmitted to the roller holding member 24 for a predetermined rotation amount. The formation angle about the rotation center of the drive rotating body 25 of the gradually changed radius portion of the surface defining from the second position to the first position of the roller member 23 of the roller holding member 24 is smaller than the formation angle of the elongated hole in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 24 which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part.
(Operation of Tube Pump)
Next, the movements of the roller member 23, the roller holding rotating member 24, and the drive rotating body in each operation of the tube pump 12 in the present exemplary embodiment are described, referring to
In the tube pump 12 of the present exemplary embodiment, a rotation direction in which the left rotation (counterclockwise) direction (an example of a predetermined direction) of the drive rotating body 25 is used as a suction operation, and the right rotation (clockwise) thereof is used as release of the pressing of the tube 22 is shown in each drawing.
First, the operation of each part when the tube pump 12 starts the suction operation in a stationary state is described, referring to
The boss 25c of the drive rotating body 25 moves away from the end portion 24Ac2 contacting and pressing the engagement hole 24Ac of the roller holding member 24 in the right rotation direction, toward the end portion 24Ac1 contacting and pressing it in the left rotation direction. In the state of
As the left rotation of the drive rotating body 25 which is a suction operation direction of the tube pump 12 proceeds, the cam surface 25a reaches the first position, and as a result, in the tube position 22a, the tube 22 is in the state of being pressed until the inner wall comes into close contact by the roller member 23. As the left rotation of the drive rotating body 25 further proceeds, the boss 25c of the drive rotating body 25 reaches and hits the end portion 24Ac1 in the left rotation direction of the engagement hole 24Ac, thereby reaching the state that the driving force of the left rotation direction of the drive rotating body 25 is transmitted to the roller holding rotating member 24.
First, it has been described that the rotation angle of the rotor required for the roller member 23 to move from the second position to the first position by the cam surface 25a is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement holes 24Ac and 24Bc (not shown) in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 24 which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part. As such, the timing at which the cam surface 25a reaches the first position and performs the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 23 is set to be certainly earlier than the timing at which the boss 25c reaches the end portion 24Ac1 in the left rotation direction and the roller holding member 24 starts the left rotation. In addition, the relative dimensions of the components are set so that the timing is certainly ahead of the timing at which the roller holding member 24 starts the left rotation. The left rotation described herein refers to a rotation movement of the roller member 23 held by the roller holding member 24 around the drive shaft 25b. In addition, though it has been described that the distance of the cam surface 25a from the drive shaft 25b is formed to be slowly changed with the predetermined rotation angle, it is preferred to set the distance to be constant immediately before the boss 25c abuts on the engagement hole 24Ac. This is for allowing the roller member 23 to press the tube 22 at an appropriate position, considering a component tolerance and the like.
In the state that the cam surface 25a reaches the first position, the tube side end 24Ab1 of the elongated hole 24Ab represented shown in
Next, the operation of each part when the rotation direction of the drive rotating body 25 of the tube pump 12 is reversed (changed) from a left rotation which is the rotation direction at the time of the suction operation to a right rotation which is the direction of releasing the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 23 is described, referring to
When the rotation in the left rotation direction performing the suction operation described in
Here, the tube 22 is in the state of being pressed between the roller member 23 and the wall surface 21a of the case 21 by the roller member 23, and as shown in
In addition, in order that the roller member 23 is moved from the tube pressed position 22a to the adjacent position 22b in the rotation direction, it is necessary to press the tube 22 at the position 22b against the repulsive force of the tube 22. However, since the rotation drive of the drive rotating body 25 is not transmitted to the roller holding rotating member 24, the roller holding rotating member 24 does not rotate with the drive rotating body 25, and the roller member maintains the reverse starting position of the drive rotating body 25.
As the right rotation of the drive rotating body 25 proceeds, the cam surface 25a which is a position acting part of the roller member 23 of the drive rotating body 25 moves in the direction of the drive shaft 25b, whereby an abutting position of the roller member 23 which has been stopped with the shaft part 23c moves in the center direction of the drive shaft 25b. Therefore, the roller member 23 moves the guide hole 24Ab provided on the roller holding rotating member 24 in a pump rotation center direction, that is, a direction of releasing the pressed state of the tube, by the restoring force of the tube.
In addition, as the right rotation of the drive rotating body 25 proceeds, the boss 25c of the drive rotating body 25 abuts on the end portion 24Ac2 of the engagement hole 24Ac formed on the roller holding member 24, as shown in
In the right rotation direction also, by the configuration that the rotation angle of the rotor required to move the cam surface 25a as described above from the first position to the second position is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement hole 24Ac or 24Bc (not shown) in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 24 which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part, the timing at which release of the pressing of the tube 22 is performed by the roller member 23 is certainly ahead of the timing at which the right rotation of the roller holding member 24, that is, the rotational movement centered on the drive shaft 25b of the roller member 23 held by the roller holding member 24 is started.
First, the position of the cam surface where the roller member 23 releases the pressing of the tube 22 was defined as a second position. As the position, any position is fine as long as the roller member 23 is moved in the direction of the drive shaft 25b which is the rotor rotation center by the restoring force of the tube to release the close contact state of the tube inner wall at the position; however, for the purpose of decreasing the load of a rotational driving source, the position where the tube can be present as a natural body is preferred.
In addition, when the condition is satisfied in this state, the rotating shaft 23b of the roller member 23 abuts on the end portion 24Ab2 on the drive shaft 25b side of the guide hole 24Ab of the roller holding rotating member 24, whereby the cam surface 25a and the shaft part 23c of the roller member may be separated from each other.
(Effects)
As described above, the tube pump 12 of the present exemplary embodiment has the configuration that when the drive shaft 25b rotates in the reverse direction from the rotation direction of the suction operation, using the restoring force of the tube 22, the release of the pressed state of the tube 22 is certainly performed by the roller member 23, and then the rotational movement centered on the drive shaft 25b of the roller member 23 is performed. Therefore, a tube pump which does not produce a reverse flow of ink, and positive pressure in the tube 22, and furthermore, in the cap 8, when being reversed from the suction direction to the reverse direction with a simple configuration to start rotation can be provided.
In addition, since in the suction operation also, the roller member 23 rotates and moves on the tube 22 after performing the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 23, the start position of the suction to the rotation of the drive shaft 25b can be accurately grasped, and a tube pump which can easily set the suction operation parameters accurately can be provided.
Thus, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the present exemplary embodiment can perform the maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 1, by a simple configuration.
Next, a second exemplary embodiment is described referring to
(Configuration of Tube Pump)
Reference numeral 35 is the drive rotating body, and has a boss 35c which is an engagement portion for transmitting the rotation drive of the drive shaft 35b driven by a driving source which is not shown to the roller holding rotating member 24, as in the first exemplary embodiment. The boss 35c is engaged with the engagement hole 24Ac provided on the member 24A of the roller holding rotating member 24, and the engagement hole (not shown) provided on the member 24B, thereby transmitting the rotation drive of the drive rotating body 35 to the roller holding rotating member 24.
The drive transmission function of the boss 35c of the drive rotating body 35 and the engagement hole 24Ac of the roller holding rotating member 24 is identical to that of the boss 25c of the drive rotating body and the engagement hole 24Ac of the roller holding rotating member 24 in the first exemplary embodiment. When the rotation of the drive rotating body 35 is reversed, the rotation drive of the drive rotating body 35 is not transmitted to the roller holding rotating member 24, until the boss 35c of the drive rotating body 35 reaches the end portion on the opposite side of the engagement hole.
In addition, the drive rotating body 35 acts on the cylindrical surface 33a performing the tube pressing of the roller member 33, thereby having a cam surface 35a defining the position of the end portion on the rotor rotation center side in the movable range of the roller member 33 in the elongated holes 24Ab and 24Bb of the roller holding rotating member 24.
The elongated hole 24Ab is for guiding the roller member 33 movably from the tube side end 24Ab1 of the elongated hole 24Ab to the end portion 24Ab2 on the rotor rotation center side, as in the first exemplary embodiment. However, the cam surface 35a acts on the cylindrical surface 33a of the roller member 33, thereby serving to determine the movement range on the rotor rotation center side of the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 in the guide hole 24Ab. That is, even in the case that the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 does not reach the end portion 24Ab2 on the rotor rotation center side of the elongated hole 24Ab, when the cylindrical surface 33a of the roller member 33 reaches the cam surface 35a, the roller member 33 does not move in the direction of the rotor rotation center any more.
The position of the cam surface 35a is changed from the first position where the roller member 33 presses the tube 22 to the second position where the tube pressing by the roller member can be released by the repulsive force to the tube pressing, in the angular range where the boss 35c of the drive rotating body which is a drive connecting part of the drive rotating body 35 and the roller holding rotating member 24 moves from one end portion of the engagement hole 24Ac of the roller holding member 24 to the other end portion thereof.
The cam surface 35a is formed of a surface in which the distance from the drive shaft 35b center which is the rotor center is gradually changed with the predetermined rotation angle so that the distance is defined from the second position to the first position. Like the first exemplary embodiment, the rotation angle of the rotor required for the roller member 33 to move from the second position to the first position by the cam surface 35a is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement holes 24Ac and 24Bc (not shown) in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 24 which is the dead zone.
(Operation of Tube Pump)
Next, movements of the roller member 33, the roller holding rotating member 24, and the drive rotating body 35 in each operation in the tube pump 12 of the exemplary embodiment are described, referring to
In the stationary state, as in the first exemplary embodiment, the boss 35c of the drive rotating body 35 is positioned in the vicinity of the end portion 24Ac2 in the right direction (clockwise) in the engagement hole 24Ac of the roller holding rotating member 24. In addition, the cam surface 35a is present near the second position. Thus, the roller member 33 moves to the position where the pressing force to the tube 22 is released.
As in the first exemplary embodiment, since the boss 35c of the drive rotating body 35 starts to move away from the end portion 24Ac2 in the right rotation direction of the engagement hole 24Ac, toward the end portion 24Ac1 in the left rotation direction, and does not hit both of the end portions, the driving force of the left rotation is not transmitted to the roller holding rotating member 24.
Meanwhile, the position of the cam surface 35a of the drive rotating body 35 starts to move toward the first position where the roller member 33 presses the tube 22 from the second position. By the positional change of the cam surface 35a, the roller member 33 gradually moves to the position pressing the tube 22, in the tube position 22a.
As the left rotation of the drive rotating body 35 proceeds, the cam surface 35a reaches the first position, and in the tube position 22a, the tube 22 is in the state of being pressed by the roller member 33, until the inner wall is in close contact therewith. The boss 35c of the drive rotating body 35 reaches and hits the end portion 24Ac1 in the left rotation direction of the engagement hole 24Ac, thereby being in the state of transmitting the driving force in the left rotation direction of the drive rotating body 35 to the roller holding rotating member 24.
First, for the cam surface 35a, it has been described that the rotation angle of the rotor required for the roller member 33 to move from the second position to the first position is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement holes 24Ac and 24Bc in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 24 which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part. Here, the relative dimension of the component parts is set so that the timing at which the cam surface 35a reaches the first position and the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 33 is performed is certainly ahead of the timing at which the boss 35c reaches the end portion 24Ac1 in the left rotation direction and the roller holding member 24 starts the rotational movement, that is, the roller member 33 held by the roller holding member 24 starts the rotational movement centered on drive shaft 35b.
In addition, though it has been described that the distance from the drive shaft 35b of the cam surface 35a is formed to be gradually changed with a predetermined rotation angle, it is preferred to set that the boss 35c becomes constant immediately before it abuts on the engagement hole 24Ac. This is for allowing the roller member 23 to press the tube 22 at an appropriate position, considering a component tolerance and the like.
When the cam surface 35a reaches the first position, the tube side end 24Ab1 of the elongated hole 24Ab shown in
Next, the operation of each part when the rotation direction of the drive rotating body 35 of the tube pump 12 is reversed from the left rotation which is the rotation direction at the time of the suction operation to the right rotation which is the direction to release the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 33 is also described, referring to
When the rotation in the left rotation direction to perform the suction operation described in
Here, as in the first exemplary embodiment, the roller member 33 receives force from the tube 22 so that the position in the rotation direction centered on the drive shaft 35b does not move, and maintains the reverse starting position of the drive rotating body 35.
As the right rotation of the drive rotating body 35 proceeds, the cam surface 35a which is the position acting part of the roller member 33 of the drive rotating body 35 moves in the direction of the drive shaft 35b, and thus, the abutting position of the stopped roller member 33 with the shaft part 33c moves in the center direction of the drive shaft 35b. Thus, the roller member 33 moves the guide hole 24Ab provided on the roller holding rotating member 24 in the pump rotation center direction, that is, in the direction to release the pressed state of the tube, by the restoring force of the tube.
In addition, as the right rotation of the drive rotating body 35 proceeds, the boss 35c of the drive rotating body 35 abuts on the end portion 24Ac2 of the engagement hole 24Ac formed on the roller holding member 24, as shown in
In the right rotation direction also, the movement rotation angle from the first position to the second position of the cam surface 35a is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement holes 24Ac and 24Bc (not shown) in the rotation direction which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part, as in the first exemplary embodiment. By this configuration, the timing at which the release of pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 33 is performed is certainly ahead of the timing at which the right rotation of the roller holding member 24, that is, the rotational movement centered on the drive shaft 35b of the roller member 33 held by the roller holding member 24 is started.
First, though the position of the cam surface where the roller member 33 releases the pressing of the tube 22 is set as the second position, any position is fine as long as the close contact state of the tube inner wall is released at the position, as in first exemplary embodiment, but the position where the tube can be present as a natural body is preferred.
In addition, when the conditions are satisfied in this state, the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 abuts on the end portion 24Ab2 on the drive shaft 35b side of the guide hole 24Ab of the roller holding rotating member 24, so that the cam surface 35a and the shaft part 33c of the roller member may be separated.
(Effects)
In the first exemplary embodiment, the cam surface 25a of the drive rotating body 25 abuts on the shaft part by setting the shaft part 23c in the roller member 23. However, in the present second exemplary embodiment, the cam surface 35a of the drive rotating body 35 abuts on the cylindrical surface 33a pressing the tube of the roller member 33. By taking this configuration, the number of dimensions related to the calculation of the position of the roller member 33 pressing the tube 22 in the center of the drive shaft 35b which is the rotor rotation center can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce variations in the compression amount of the tube 22 by the roller member 33, and to generate more stable negative pressure.
In addition, in the roller member 33, since it is not necessary to prepare the action part by the cam surface 35a of the drive rotating body 35 separately, the thickness of the entire rotor can be reduced, so that the size of the entire pump can be smaller.
Other effects are identical to those in the case of the first exemplary embodiment.
Next, the third exemplary embodiment of the tube pump of the present invention is described, referring to
(Configuration of Tube Pump)
The tube pump 12 of the present third exemplary embodiment includes a case 21; a tube 22; a roller member 43 (an example of a roller) forming the rotor; a roller holding member 44 (an example of a first rotating body); and a drive rotating body 45 (an example of a second rotating body). Here, the case 21 and the tube 22 are the members having the same functions and shapes as those in the first exemplary embodiment. However, unlike the first exemplary embodiment, the drive rotating body 45 is positioned on the outer side of the roller holding rotating member 44, so that the cam surfaces 45Aa and 45Ba act on the rotating shaft 43b of the roller member 43, on the outer side of the roller holding rotating member 44.
The roller holding rotating member 44 is composed of two members 44A and 44B, while reference numeral 44A has a shape of a combination of a flat plate and a cylinder, and reference numeral 44B is a flat plate-shaped member. A joining part 44Aa provided on the cylindrical part of 44A and 44Ba of 44B are joined, whereby they can rotate integrally. The flat plate part of the two members have the elongated holes 44Ab and 44Bb for being engaged with the rotating shaft 43b of the roller member 43 and maintained, as in the first exemplary embodiment. The elongated holes 44Ab and 44Bb are formed to have a predetermined length toward the pump rotation center in the outer periphery of the roller holding rotating member 44, and the roller member is movable therein.
The drive rotating body 45 is disposed in the case 21, and as shown in
The drive rotating body 45 has bosses 45Ac and 45Bc (an example of protrusion) formed thereon which is an engagement portion for transmitting the driving force of the drive rotating body 45 on the two flat plates to the roller holding member 44, as in the first exemplary embodiment, as shown in
The drive rotating body 45 has cam surfaces 45Aa and 45Ba, and the cam surface acts on the rotating shaft 43b of the roller member 43 protruding from the elongated holes 44Ab and 44Bb of the roller holding rotating member 44 toward the drive rotating body 45. In addition, the drive rotating body 45 acts in the movable range of the rotating shaft 43b in the elongated holes 44Ab and 44Bb. These are identical to those in the first exemplary embodiment.
It is also identical to the first exemplary embodiment that the cam surfaces 45Aa and 45Ba are gradually changed from the first position near the tube side end of the elongated hole 44Ab, where the roller member 43 presses the tube 22 between the roller member and the wall surface 21a of the case 21 by the action of the cam surfaces 45Aa and 45Ba, to the second position near the rotor center side end of the elongated hole 44Ab, where the pressing can be released by the repulsive force to the pressing of the tube 22. In addition, it is also identical to the first exemplary embodiment that the rotation angle of the rotor required for the roller member 43 to move from the second position to the first position by the cam surfaces 45Aa and 45Ba is smaller than the formation angle of the engagement holes 44Ac and 44Bc in the rotation direction provided on the two plane members of the roller holding member 44 which is the dead zone of the drive transmitting part as described above.
(Operation of Tube Pump)
Next, the operations of the roller member 43, the roller holding rotating member 44, and the drive rotating body 45 according to the rotation direction of the tube pump of the present exemplary embodiment are described, referring to
As in the first exemplary embodiment, a rotation direction in which the left rotation (counterclockwise) direction of the drive rotating body 45 is used as the suction operation, and the right rotation (clockwise) direction thereof is used as release of the pressing of the tube 22 is shown in each drawing.
First, the operation of each part when the tube pump 12 of the present exemplary embodiment starts the suction operation in the stationary state is described, referring to
The boss 45Bc of the drive rotating body 45 moves away from the end portion 44Bc2 contacting and pressing the engagement hole 44Bc of the roller holding member 44 in the right rotation direction, toward the end portion 44Bc1 contacting and pressing it in the left rotation direction.
As in the first exemplary embodiment, in the state of
As the left rotation of the drive rotating body 45 which is the suction operation direction of the tube pump 12 proceeds, the cam surface 45Ba reaches the first position, and as a result, at the tube position 22a, the tube 22 is in the state of being pressed by the roller member 43 until the inner wall is in close contact therewith.
As the left rotation of the drive rotating body 45 further proceeds, the boss 45Bc reaches and hits the end portion 44Bc1 in the left rotation direction of the engagement hole 44Bc, thereby reaching the state that the driving force of the left rotation direction of the drive rotating body 45 is transmitted to the roller holding rotating member 44.
As in the first exemplary embodiment, in respect to the relationship between the rotation angle required to move from the second position to the first position of the cam surface 45a, and the formation angle of the dead zone of the drive transmitting part, the timing at which the tube 22 is pressed by the roller member 43 with the action of the cam surface 45Ba is certainly ahead of the timing at which the roller holding member 44 starts the left rotation, that is, the roller member 43 held by the roller holding member 44 starts the rotational movement centered on the drive shaft 45b.
In addition, as in the first exemplary embodiment, it is preferred that the cam surface 45Ba is set to be constant immediately before the boss 45Bc abuts on the engagement hole 44Bc.
In the state that the cam surface 45Ba reaches the first position, the tube side end of the elongated hole 44Ab is set to be at the position not contacting the rotating shaft 43b of the roller member 43.
As a result, as in the first exemplary embodiment, since the roller member 43 circulates in the state of pressing the tube 22, negative pressure is generated behind the pressed position 22a of the tube 22 in the rotation direction, and the tube pump 12 functions as a suction pump.
Next, the operation of each part when the rotation direction of the drive rotating body 45 of the tube pump 12 is reversed from the left rotation which is the rotation direction at the time of the suction operation to the right rotation which is the direction to release the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 43 is described, referring to
When the rotation in the left rotation direction to perform the suction operation described in
Here, as in the first exemplary embodiment, the tube 22 is in the state of being pressed by the roller member 43, and receives the restoring force, so that the roller member 43 maintains the position at the time when the drive rotating body 45 starts reverse.
As the right rotation of the drive rotating body 45 proceeds, as in the first exemplary embodiment, since the cam surface 45Ba moves in the direction of the drive shaft 45b, the roller member 43 moves in the direction of releasing the pressing of the tube 22.
In addition, as the right rotation of the drive rotating body 45 proceeds, as in the first exemplary embodiment, the boss 45Bc of the drive rotating body 45 abuts on the end portion 44Bc2 of the engagement hole 44Bc formed on the roller holding member 44, as shown in
As in the first exemplary embodiment, in the right rotation direction also, in respect to the relationship between the rotation angle of the cam surface 45a as described above from the first position to the second position, and the formation angle of the dead zone of the drive transmitting part, the timing at which the release of the pressing of the tube 22 is performed by the roller member 43 is certainly ahead of the timing at which the rotational movement centered on the drive shaft 45b of the roller member 43 starts.
First, though the position of the cam surface where the roller member 43 releases the pressing of the tube 22 is set as the second position, as in the first exemplary embodiment, the position where the tube can be present as a natural body is preferred, and also, the cam surface 45Ba and the shaft part 43Bc of the roller member can be separated.
(Effects)
Though in the first exemplary embodiment, the cam surface 25a of the drive rotating body 25 and the roller member 23 are disposed inside the roller holding member 24 which is a member guiding the roller member 23, in the present exemplary embodiment, the roller member 43 is disposed inside the roller holding member 44, and the cam surface 45a of the drive rotating body 45 is disposed outside the roller holding member 44. In the present exemplary embodiment, the cam surface which is a moving object, and the roller member which is a moved object are present in a separated region, and arranged in a more easily designed manner, and thus, the tube pump can be flexibly designed.
Other effects are identical to those in the case of the first exemplary embodiment.
Next, the fourth exemplary embodiment of the tube pump of the present invention is described, referring to
In the present exemplary embodiment, the drive rotating body 35 in the second exemplary embodiment as described above is composed of three members, a drive rotating part indicated as reference numeral 55, a roller position regulating member indicated as reference numeral 56, and an urging member formed of a spring indicated as reference numeral 57.
In
The rotation drive part 55 has a drive shaft 55b for receiving a drive from an external driving source to transmit driving force, a boss 55c for transmitting a drive by being engaged with the engagement part 24c of the roller holding member 24 represented in the second exemplary embodiment to transmit the drive, a bearing portion 55d for mounting the roller position regulating member 56 swingably, a swing regulating part 55e for being engaged with the roller position regulating member 56 to regulate a swing range of the roller position regulating member 56, and an urging force receiving surface 55f for acting the urging member 57 between the surface and the roller position regulating member 56.
The roller position regulating member 56 has the same shape as the cam surface of the drive rotating body 35 represented in the second exemplary embodiment, as the roller position regulating part 56a, and also has a rotating shaft 56b for being mounted on the bearing portion 55d of the rotation drive part 55, a protrusion 56c for being engaged with the swing regulating part 55e of the rotation drive part 55, and an urging seat surface 56d on which the urging force from the urging member 57 acts.
The rotation drive part 55, the roller position regulating member 56, and the urging member 57 have a configuration that the rotating shaft 56b of the roller position regulating member 56 is held by the bearing portion 55d of the rotation drive part 55 (pivotally supported on the rotation drive part 55), the protrusion 56c is incorporated in the swing regulating part 55e in the state of being engaged therewith, and the urging member 57 is incorporated between the urging force receiving surface 55f and the urging seat surface 56d, as shown in
From the urging member 57, the roller position regulating member 56 receives the urging force in the direction in which the protrusion 56c side is away from the drive shaft 55b, around the rotating shaft 56b, however, the protrusion 56c is received by the above 55e to restrict the rotation about the rotating shaft 56b. The roller position regulating part 56a of the roller position regulating member 56 receives the force directed to the drive shaft 55b, and in the case that the force is stronger than the urging force of the urging member 57, the protrusion 56c is away from the swing regulating part 55e and swings to the drive shaft 55b side.
In the present configuration, when the urging force generated by the urging member 57 is set to be the force required to press the tube 22 by the roller member 33 to be in close contact with the inner wall of the tube 22, and the force balancing as a moment, in the first position described in the second exemplary embodiment, the margin for variations in size of each member is increased, and thus, it is possible to regulate the position of the roller member 33 by the roller position regulating member 56 with appropriate force to generate a suction function.
(Effects)
As described above, according to the configuration of the present exemplary embodiment, a stabilized tube pump absorbing the size variation to have a good suction function can be provided.
Other effects of the present exemplary embodiment are identical to those in the case of the first exemplary embodiment.
Next, the fifth exemplary embodiment of the tube pump 12 of the present invention is described, referring to
(Configuration)
The tube pump 12 of the present exemplary embodiment includes a case 21; a tube 22; a roller member 33 (an example of a roller); a roller holding member 64 (an example of a first rotating body); a drive rotating part 65; and a roller holding lever 66. In the case of the present exemplary embodiment, a combination of the drive rotating part 65 and the roller holding lever 66 is an example of a second rotating body.
Each function of the case 21, the tube 22, and the roller member 33 is as described in the second exemplary embodiment.
The roller holding lever 66 is a lever which is engaged with the rotating shaft 33b (an example of a shaft part) and rotatably supports the roller member 33, and has a swing shaft 66a (an example of a swing shaft). In addition, it has a lever action part 66c for receiving pressing force from the pressing part 65a (an example of a protrusion) of the drive rotating part 65 to swing the lever around the swing shaft 66a.
The roller holding member 64 is a roller holding member which holds the swing shaft 66a, thereby holding the roller holding lever 66 swingably in a predetermined range. The roller holding member 64 includes two members 64A and 64B (an example of two plane members), as shown in
The roller holding member 64 engages the swing shaft 66a of the roller holding lever 66 with the swing bearings 64Ae and 64Be, and guides the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 supported on the roller holding lever 66 by the elongated hole 64Ab and 64Bb, so that the roller member 33 held by the roller holding lever 66 can move with a predetermined angle around the swing shaft 66a. By the configuration, the roller member 33 can move by a predetermined distance in the direction of the rotor rotation center, and in the end portion 64Ab1 of the elongated hole 64Ab on the side close to the tube 22, the first position is taken, where the roller member 33 presses the tube 22 between the roller member and the case 21 by the cylindrical surface 33a, so that the inner wall of the tube 22 is in the pressed state of being closely contacted, and in the end portion 64Ab2 on the pump rotation center side, the second position is taken, where the pressed state is releasable.
The drive rotating part 65 has a boss 65c which is an engagement portion for transmitting the rotation drive of the drive shaft 65b driven by the driving source (not shown) to the roller holding member 64, and the boss 65c is engaged with the engagement hole 64Ac provided on the member 64A, and the engagement hole 64Bc provided on the member 64B of the roller holding member 64 to act on the end portion of the engagement hole, so that the rotation drive of the drive rotating part 65 is transmitted to the roller holding member 64.
Though the drive transmission function of the boss 65c of the drive rotating part 65 with the engagement hole 64Ac of the roller holding member 64 is identical to the drive transmission function of the boss 25c of the drive rotating part and the engagement hole 24Ac of the roller holding member 24 in the first exemplary embodiment, in the present exemplary embodiment, it works only when the boss 65c hits the end portion 64Ac2 in the right rotation direction of the engagement hole 64Bc, at the time of rotating in the right rotation (clockwise) direction on the opposite side to the suction direction.
The drive transmission in the left rotation (counterclockwise) direction which is the suction direction is performed by the roller holding lever 66, as described below.
The drive rotating part 65 has a pressing part 65a and a release action part 65d acting on the lever action part 66c of the roller holding lever 66, in the direction of a pump rotation. The release action part 65d is formed in a cam shape which rotates to the second position where the pressing of the tube 22 by the roller member 33 is released at the time of rotating in the reverse direction.
The drive transmission in the left rotation direction to the roller holding member 64 of the drive rotating part 65 is performed as follows: when the pressing part 65a presses the lever action part 66c of the roller holding lever as the drive rotating part 65 rotates in the left direction, the roller holding lever 66 rotates around the swing shaft 66a, and the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 held by the roller holding lever 66 hits the end portion 64Ab1 on the tube 22 side of the elongated hole 64Ab. When the new left rotation of the drive rotating part 65 is performed, the roller holding lever 66 cannot rotate anymore, and thus, the force of the pressing part 65a of the drive rotating part 65 which presses the lever action part 66c becomes the force to rotate the roller holding member 64 in the left direction.
Since the drive transmission in the left rotation direction to the roller holding member 64 of the drive rotating part 65 is performed by the above configuration, the timing at which the tube 22 is pressed by the roller member 33 is set to be ahead of the timing of the drive transmission to the roller holding member 64, as in the first exemplary embodiment.
In addition, in the right rotation direction to the roller holding member 64 of the drive rotating part 65, the rotation angle (required angle) of the drive rotating part 65 required for the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 to move (be displaced) from the first position to the second position of the elongated hole 64Ab is set to be smaller than the formation angle of the engagement hole 64Ac, as in the first exemplary embodiment.
(Operation)
Next, the operations of the roller member 33, the roller holding lever 66, the roller holding member 64, and the drive rotating part 65 depending on the rotation direction of the tube pump of the present exemplary embodiment are described, referring to
First, the case that the tube pump 12 being in the stationary state performs a suction operation is described, referring to
At this point, in the stationary state shown in
The boss 65c of the drive rotating part 65 starts to move away from the end portion 64Ac2 of the engagement hole 64Ac of the roller holding member 64 toward the end portion 64Ac1 on the opposite side. In this state, since the drive rotating part 65 and the roller holding lever 66 are not engaged, the driving force in the left rotation direction of the drive rotating part 65 is not transmitted to the roller holding member 64.
Meanwhile, the pressing part 65a of the drive rotating part 65 starts to act on the lever action part 66c of the roller holding lever 66, and by the pressing force, the roller holding lever 66 starts right rotation around the swing shaft 66a. Thus, the roller member 33 starts to move from the end portion 64Ab2 of the radial inside (rotation center side) toward the end portion 64Ab1 close to the tube 22, in the elongated hole 64Ab of the roller holding member 64, and starts to gradually press the tube 22 (see
In order that the action force acting on the lever action part 66c of the pressing part 65a efficiently rotates the roller holding lever 66 in the right direction, the position of the end portion 64Ab2 of the elongated hole 64Ab in which the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 at rest is positioned is important, and when the drive rotating part 65 starts left rotation (counterclockwise rotation), the action force to the lever action part 66c in the pressing part 65a is required to serve as a moment to rotates the roller holding lever 66 in the right direction around the swing shaft 66a. For this purpose, when the rotating shaft 33b is positioned in the end portion 64Ab2 of the elongated hole 64Ab, it is preferred to set the position of the end portion 64Ab2 so that the angle formed by a straight line connecting the center of the rotating shaft 33b and the center of the swing shaft 66a and a straight line connecting the center of the rotating shaft 33b and the center of the drive shaft 65b is 90° or less.
As the left rotation of the drive rotating part 65 proceeds, the roller holding lever 66 is pushed until the rotating shaft 33b of the roller member 33 reaches the tube side end 64Ab1 of the elongated hole 64Ab, so that the roller member 33 moved to the first position. Thus, the tube 22 is in the state of being pressed until the inner walls are in close contact with each other (see
Next, as the left rotation of the drive rotating part 65 is further proceeds, by the configuration as described above, the driving force in the left rotation direction of the drive rotating part 65 is transmitted to the roller holding member 64 through the roller member 33, the roller holding lever 66 and the pressing part 65a reaching the end portion 64Ab1, so that the roller holding member 64 also starts left rotation. In this state, though the boss 65c of the drive rotating part 65 comes close to the end portion 64Ac1 on the left rotation side of the engagement hole 64Ac, it is preferred that the boss does not hit thereon. This is because the position in the radial direction of the roller member 33 is determined by the position of the tube end portion 64Ab1 of the elongated hole 64Ab to stabilize the pressing amount of the tube 22.
Next, the movement of each part when the tube pump 12 performing the suction operation is reversed from the left rotation in the suction direction to the right rotation to rotate in the right direction is described, referring to
When the driving source rotating the drive rotating part 65 reverses the driving direction, the drive rotating part 65 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction (right rotation direction, or clockwise rotation direction) at the time of the suction operation (see
As the rotation of the drive rotating part 65 proceeds, the release action part 65d of the drive rotating part 65 comes into contact with the lever action part 66c to start to press the lever action part 66c, as shown in
In order to perform the above operation more efficiently, for example, the following may be carried out. That is, in the first position, the position of the tube side end 64Ab1 is set so that the angle formed by a straight line connecting the center of the swing shaft 66a and the center of the rotating shaft 33b and a straight line connecting the center of the swing shaft 66a and the center of the drive shaft 65b is less than 180°.
Then, when the drive rotating part 65 further rotates in the right direction (clockwise rotation), the boss 65c of the drive rotating part 65 abuts on the end portion 64Ac2 of the engagement hole 64Ac formed in the roller holding member 64, as shown in
As described above, the present exemplary embodiment represents the cam surface of the drive rotating body as a combination of the roller holding lever 66, the pressing part 65a of the drive rotating part 65, and the release action part 65d, which is represented as acting on the position of the roller member in the first to fourth exemplary embodiments described first.
(Effects)
As in the first exemplary embodiment, in the present exemplary embodiment, the tube pump 12 which does not produce a reverse flow of ink and positive pressure in the tube 22, and furthermore in the cap 8, when the pump is reversed from the suction direction to the reverse direction and starts to rotate, with a simple configuration, using the restoring force of the tube 22, can be provided.
As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the above exemplary embodiments as an example, however, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the present exemplary embodiment.
The tube pump of the present invention can suppress the occurrence of the backflow of liquid in the tube at the time of reverse rotation of the second rotating body, with a simple configuration.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-155639, filed Aug. 10, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-155639 | Aug 2017 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20020044167 | Miyauchi | Apr 2002 | A1 |
| 20050285892 | Harada | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20080049064 | Asai | Feb 2008 | A1 |
| 20160052274 | Kanome | Feb 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2000062208 | Feb 2000 | JP |
| 2005271377 | Oct 2005 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190047295 A1 | Feb 2019 | US |
