JP4284552B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that performs printing on printing paper by a print head mounted on a carriage that can reciprocate in the main scanning direction, and in particular, a cartridge holder is disposed away from the print head, and ink is supplied from the cartridge holder to the print head. The present invention relates to a printer in which an ink tube to be supplied is carried by a flexible flat cable that sends an electrical signal from a control unit to a print head, and an ink tube binding tool that carries the ink tube on a flexible flat cable.

  In a printer capable of printing up to a printing sheet having a width of about A1 size or B1 size, commonly referred to as a large printer, a paper feeding unit is disposed at the upper rear portion of the printer body, and the paper feeding unit is inclined toward the front of the printer. A structure is often used in which printing paper is fed to the printing unit through the paper transport path, discharged after printing and obliquely downward from the paper discharge unit, and received by a paper discharge receiving device provided at the bottom of the printer. (For example, patent document 1 and patent document 2).

  In the system in which the print head is mounted on the carriage and reciprocally moves, a control unit that performs print control and a print head that is instructed by the control unit are connected by a flexible flat cable that can be elastically deformed. Signal exchange takes place. The flexible flat cable is wired with a sufficient margin for routing by the reciprocating movement of the print head.

Usually, in order to shorten the length of the flexible flat cable, the flexible flat cable is fixed at approximately the midpoint of the movement range in which the carriage reciprocates. On the print head side, a flexible flat cable is attached in the moving direction of the carriage, and a loop-shaped U-turn portion is formed when the carriage moves.
Since this type of large-scale printer supplies a large amount of ink, an ink supply source is installed in the printer body and ink is supplied to the print head via a plurality of ink tubes.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-226084 JP 05-116277 A

  By the way, when a plurality of ink tubes are juxtaposed with the flexible flat cable and moved by forming a U-turn part by moving the carriage, the plurality of ink tubes move randomly in the width direction of the flexible flat cable. The loop shape is different from that of the flexible flat cable, that is, a U-turn having a twist. Such movement of the ink tube causes friction at the contact portion with the flexible flat cable, making it difficult to smoothly perform the U-turns of both members. In addition, if the ink tube moves randomly in the U-turn portion, local stress is applied to the ink tube, causing damage to the tube. Furthermore, since the irregular movement of the ink tube becomes a load that fluctuates with respect to the carriage, it becomes difficult for the carriage to move smoothly, resulting in problems such as a decrease in print quality.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer in which a plurality of ink tubes are regulated so as not to move randomly in the width direction of a flexible flat cable by reciprocating movement of a carriage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink tube binding tool in which a plurality of ink tubes provided in an ink jet printer are bundled side by side and carried on a flexible flat cable.

A first aspect of a printer according to the present invention is a printer that prints on a printing paper by a printing head mounted on a carriage that can reciprocate in the main scanning direction, and has one end connected to the printing head side, A flexible flat cable for transmitting an electrical signal between a control unit that performs printing control on the print head and the print head, a plurality of ink tubes that supply ink to the print head, and an ink tube binder that bundles the plurality of ink tubes side by side The plurality of ink tubes bundled with the ink tube binding tool are carried inside the flexible flat cable.
According to the first aspect, the plurality of ink tubes are bundled side by side with the ink tube bundling tool, so that the ink tubes move together when drawn by the movement of the carriage. Since the bundled ink tube is carried inside the flexible flat cable, a U-turn portion without twisting is formed even when the curvature of the ink tube and the flexible flat cable is different in the U-turn portion when being routed. Is smoothly routed, and load fluctuations on the carriage are reduced. Further, when the ink tube is drawn, the chaotic movement is restricted by the ink tube binding device at the U-turn portion, so that local stress is not applied and tube damage is prevented.

According to a second aspect of the printer of the present invention, in the first aspect, the ink tube is supported by the ink tube binding tool at a plurality of positions with respect to the flexible flat cable, and the ink tube at the supporting position is not attached to the flexible flat cable. It is characterized by being in contact.
According to the second aspect, when the ink tube is drawn in contact with the flexible flat cable, the force that the ink tube and the flexible flat cable try to move in the width direction is caused by friction between both members of the U-turn portion. Although it works, this movement is absorbed and made smoother by making the ink tube carrying area non-contact.

According to a third aspect of the printer of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the printer has a sponge layer disposed between the flexible flat cable and the ink tube.
According to the third aspect, the flexible flat cable and the ink tube move structurally differently at the time of routing, but this movement is buffered by the interposition of the sponge layer and does not affect the other side.

According to a fourth aspect of the printer of the present invention, in the third aspect, a high-rigid auxiliary material is interposed between the flexible flat cable and the sponge layer.
According to the fourth aspect, the ink tube and flexible flat cable sag due to the weight of the ink tube and the flexible flat cable from the carriage to the U-turn portion. Can be routed.

A fifth aspect of the printer according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the sponge layer and the auxiliary material are joined by a double-sided adhesive tape.
According to the fifth aspect, the two members are integrated by joining the sponge layer and the auxiliary material, and no side slip occurs during routing, so that the ink tube is securely carried along the inside of the flexible flat cable. .

A sixth aspect of the printer according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the sponge layer is formed to be wider than the auxiliary material.
According to the sixth aspect, when the plurality of ink tubes bundled by the ink tube binding tool are carried on the flexible flat cable, the flexible flat cable and the ink tube binding tool do not directly touch the auxiliary material, particularly the carrying position. Since the flexible flat cable is moved inward by the ink tube binder, this part is easily damaged by the auxiliary material, but by making the width of the sponge layer wider than the width of the auxiliary material, the flexible flat cable and the auxiliary material A sponge layer is inserted between them to protect them.

According to a seventh aspect of the printer of the present invention, in the first aspect, the sponge layer is formed to have a width wider than the width of the plurality of ink tubes provided side by side. A cutout portion into which the ink tube binding tool is inserted is provided on at least one side of the sponge layer at a position where the ink tube is carried on the flexible flat cable.
According to the seventh aspect, by moving the ink tube binding tool into the notch portion of the sponge layer and supporting the ink tube on the flexible flat cable, the movement of the ink tube binding tool in the drawing direction is restricted, and always The ink tube is carried at a predetermined position of the flexible flat cable, and stable and smooth routing is ensured.

According to an eighth aspect of the printer of the present invention, the ink tube binding tool includes a carrier portion having a length that wraps around the flexible flat cable, and extends from one end side of the carrier portion, and wraps around the flexible flat cable in the width direction. A tube holding portion for holding a plurality of ink tubes arranged side by side with the outer surface of the holding portion in a state of being held, and a collar portion provided at the tip of the tube holding portion. A through hole through which the collar part and the tube holding part are passed in the vicinity of the end of the carrying part opposite to the tube holding part, and a locking hole of the collar part are formed at a position away from the through hole. To do.
According to the eighth aspect, the tube holding part is passed through the through hole of the carrying part that circulates the flexible flat cable, the plurality of ink tubes are arranged side by side on the outer surface of the carrying part, and the collar part is locked to the locking hole. Since the ink tube is held by the outer surface of the carrying part and the tube holding part, the place where the ink tube is carried is kept in a non-contact state by the carrying part of the ink tube tying member. Becomes smooth.

According to a ninth aspect of the printer of the present invention, there is provided a print head mounted on a carriage capable of reciprocating in the main scanning direction, a control unit having one end connected to the print head side and performing print control on print paper, A plurality of ink tubes in a printer having a flexible flat cable for transmitting electrical signals to and from the print head and a plurality of ink tubes for supplying ink to the print head are bundled side by side, and the plurality of bundled ink tubes are bundled. An ink tube bundling tool for gripping the flexible flat cable on the inner side of the flexible flat cable. The length of the flexible flat cable is extended around the flexible flat cable, and the flexible flat cable is extended in the width direction. Holds multiple ink tubes arranged side by side with the outer surface of the carrier in a state of being wrapped around A tube holding portion and a flange provided at the tip of the tube holding portion, and the holder is passed through the flange and the tube holding portion in the vicinity of the end of the holding portion opposite to the tube holding portion. It is characterized in that a hole and a locking hole of the collar portion are formed at a position away from the through hole.
According to the 9th aspect, the effect similar to an 8th aspect is acquired.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a large printer capable of printing up to a printing paper having a paper width of about A1 size or B1 size. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a front cover of a printer main body in the printer according to the present invention is opened, and FIG. 3 is an ink tube and a flexible flat cable of the printer according to the present invention. It is a front view which shows arrangement | positioning (henceforth a flat cable).

The printer 1 incorporates a paper feeding unit 2, a printing unit 3, and a paper discharge unit 4 that constitute a printer main body, and includes a leg device 5 and a paper discharge receiving device 6.
The paper feed unit 2 is provided so as to protrude to the upper rear part of the printer 1, and roll paper (printing paper) is set therein, and a roll paper cover 20 is attached so as to be openable and closable so as to cover the roll paper. It has been.

  The printing unit 3 executes a carriage 30 equipped with a print head 31, a paper feed roller that conveys printing paper in the sub-scanning direction, an ink supply device to the printing head 31, a paper suction device that prevents the printing paper from lifting, and printing. An upper lid 32 and a front lid 33 are provided so as to cover the carriage 30, the flat cable 40, the ink tube 41, the paper conveyance path, and the like. The front lid 33 is rotatably supported at the lower part located on the sheet conveying surface side. The carriage 30 is suspended from a rail 34 provided in the main scanning direction via a roller, and a carriage belt 35 is coupled thereto. When the carriage belt 35 is actuated by a carriage driving device (not shown), the carriage 30 is entrained by the movement of the carriage belt 35 and guided back and forth by the rail 34.

  Connected to the print head 31 are a flat cable 40 for sending a print signal from the controller and a plurality of ink tubes 41 for supplying ink. Since the flat cable 40 is drawn around following the reciprocating motion of the carriage 30, the flat cable 40 is held by the cable holder 43 at approximately the middle point of the moving range in which the carriage 30 reciprocates. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the flat cable 40 is formed with an opposing horizontal portion and a loop-shaped U-turn portion that is turned 180 ° between the horizontal portions.

The cable holder 43 is fixed along the cable frame 42 supported by a side frame (not shown) and holds the flat cable 40. The other end of the flat cable 40 fixed to the cable holder 43 is connected to a connector of a control unit (not shown) mounted on the apparatus main body.
A cartridge holder 7 constituting an ink supply device is provided on the front side of the printing unit 3, and an ink cartridge for six colors (yellow, light magenta, light cyan, magenta, cyan, black) is provided in a holder main body 70 of the cartridge holder 7. 71 are arranged side by side and are detachable from the front side of the printer 1. The holder main body 70 is provided with a holder cover 72 that covers the inserted ink cartridge 71 so as to be opened and closed. The ink of each color is supplied to the print head 31 through the ink tube 41 and used for printing on the printing paper.

  In the printing operation of the printer 1, printing is performed on the printing paper fed from the paper feeding unit 2 by the printing unit 3, and the printing paper passes through the paper discharge unit 4 and is directed obliquely downward to the front of the printer 1. The paper is ejected. A cutter (not shown) for cutting the roll paper is provided between the printing unit 3 and the paper discharge unit 4. After the printing is completed, the print paper is cut by the cutter and received by the paper discharge receiving device 6. .

Next, a configuration for supporting a plurality of ink tubes on a flat cable will be described in detail. 4 is a perspective view of the ink tube binding tool, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sponge layer, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG.
First, the arrangement of the ink tube and the flat cable will be described with reference to FIG. A plurality of ink tubes 41 that supply ink from the ink cartridges 71 of the respective colors are arranged side by side on a sponge layer 44 provided along with the flat cable 40 and are fixed by a fixing portion 43. That is, the sponge layer 44 is disposed inside the flat cable 40 and the ink tube 41 is disposed inside the sponge layer 44. Ink tubes 41 bound by the ink tube binding tool 50 at a plurality of locations between the fixing portion 43 and the carriage 30 are carried on the flat cable 40 via the sponge layer 44.

  In FIG. 4, an ink tube binding device 50 is made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is formed in a band shape. The carrier portion 50a has a length around the flat cable, and extends from the carrier portion 50a. Tube holding portion 50b, and a flange portion 50c provided at the tip of the tube holding portion 50b. The holding portion 50a has a through hole 50d through which the flange portion 50c and the tube holding portion 50b pass in the vicinity of the end of the holding portion on the opposite side of the tube holding portion 50b, and the hook portion 50c is locked at a position away from the through hole 50d. A hole 50e is formed. The tube holding part 50b holds a plurality of ink tubes 41 arranged side by side with the outer surface of the carrier part 50a in a state where the flat cable 40 is circulated in the width direction.

In FIG. 5, the sponge layer 44 is formed to have a width that is slightly wider than the width of the plurality of ink tubes 41 provided side by side. On both sides of the sponge layer 44 at the position where the ink tube binding device 50 supports the plurality of ink tubes 41 on the flat cable 40, one or a plurality of notches 44a and 44b into which the ink tube binding device 50 is inserted are paired. Is provided. In this example, the notch is formed so as to face both sides of the sponge layer 44, but only one side may be formed.
As shown in FIG. 6, a stainless steel plate 45 having a spring property is interposed between the flat cable 40 and the sponge layer 44 and joined to the sponge layer 44 by a double-sided adhesive tape 46.

  Next, the use of the ink tube binding tool will be described. The flat cable 40 is attached to the outer surface of the stainless steel plate 45 to which the sponge layer 44 is bonded, and the through holes 50d of the carrier 50a of the ink tube binding device 50 are formed in the notches 44a and 44b of the sponge layer 44 as shown in FIG. The ink tube binder 50 is attached to the flat cable 40 so as to be perpendicular to the one side. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8, the tube holding portion 50b side of the ink tube binding device 50 is bent downward in the drawing, further bent to the notch portion 44a side on the opposite side through the outer surface of the flat cable, and the flange portion 50c. Is passed through the through hole 50d, and the tube holding portion 50b is projected upward as shown in FIG. After the plurality of ink tubes 41 are arranged side by side on the sponge layer 44, the tube holding portion 50b is bent toward the ink tube 41, and the collar portion 50c is locked in the locking hole 50e as shown in FIG. That is, the plurality of ink tubes 41 arranged side by side are held between the outer surfaces of the carrier portions 50a of the ink tube binding device 50 in a state in which the flat cable 40 is circulated in the width direction and are held by the flat cable 40. .

  In the present embodiment, the ink tube 41 is supported by the ink tube binding tool 50 at a plurality of locations with respect to the flat cable 40, and in particular, since the ink tube 41 at the supporting position is not in contact with the sponge layer 44, When the tube 41 and the flat cable 40 are routed, the deflection of the ink tubes caused by different curvatures at the U-turn portion is absorbed, and the horizontal alignment is not disturbed, thereby preventing the influence on the ink supply.

  According to the printer of the present invention, there is no twist even if the curvature of the ink tube and the flat cable is different in the U-turn portion when being routed by carrying the ink tube bundled with the ink tube binding tool inside the flat cable. Since the U-turn portion is formed, the two members are smoothly routed, so that no local stress is applied and the tube is prevented from being damaged, and the load fluctuation on the carriage is reduced and the print quality is improved.

  According to the ink tube binding device of the present invention, since the ink tube is kept in non-contact with the flat cable by the holding portion of the ink tube binding device, the movement of the U-turn portion of the ink tube becomes smooth when being drawn, Local stress is eliminated and tube damage is prevented.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to the present invention. 1 is a front view of a printer according to the present invention. It is a front view which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the ink tube of the printer which concerns on this invention, and a flat cable. It is a perspective view of an ink tube binding tool. It is a perspective view of a sponge layer. It is II sectional drawing of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the use procedure of an ink tube binding tool. It is explanatory drawing of the use procedure of an ink tube binding tool. It is explanatory drawing of the use procedure of an ink tube binding tool. It is a perspective view of the state which carried the ink tube on the flat cable using the ink tube binding tool which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 2 paper feed part, 3 printing part, 4 paper discharge part, 5 leg apparatus, 6 paper discharge receiving apparatus, 7 cartridge holder, 30 carriage, 31 print head, 34 rail, 35 carriage belt, 40 flat cable, 41 Ink tube, 44 sponge layer, 45 auxiliary material (stainless steel plate), 46 double-sided adhesive tape, 50 ink tube binding tool

Claims (1)

A printer that prints on printing paper by a print head mounted on a reciprocating carriage,
One end connected to the print head side, a flexible flat cable that transmits an electrical signal between a control unit that performs printing control on the printing paper and the print head,
A plurality of ink tubes for supplying ink to the print head;
A sponge layer that is disposed between the flexible flat cable and the plurality of ink tubes disposed side by side, and having a width wider than the width of the plurality of ink tubes in the side-by-side state;
An ink tube binding tool that binds the plurality of ink tubes, the sponge layer, and the flexible flat cable in an arrangement in which the ink tubes are positioned inside the routing of the flexible flat cable,
At least one side of the sponge layer is provided with a cutout portion into which the ink tube binding tool enters at a position where the ink tube binding tool is bound .
The plurality of ink tubes are arranged side by side on the sponge layer provided along with the flexible flat cable and fixed to the frame of the main body at a fixing portion,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the sponge layer is disposed between the fixed portion and the print head. "

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