Inkjet recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814652-B2
Application number	US-201916418215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2019
Priority date	May 22, 2018
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a printing and conveying unit, a recording head, a raising and lowering mechanism, and a controller. The printing and conveying unit conveys a sheet with the sheet loaded on a loading surface thereof. The recording head is disposed opposite to the loading surface and ejects ink onto the sheet conveyed by the printing and conveying unit. The raising and lowering mechanism includes a wire in contact with the printing and conveying unit. The raising and lowering mechanism winds the wire to raise and lower the printing and conveying unit relative the recording head in a cross direction interesting with the loading surface. The controller controls a winding operation by which the raising and lowering mechanism winds the wire according to a degree of inclination of the wire relative to the cross direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:
a printing and conveying unit configured to convey a sheet with the sheet loaded on a loading surface of the printing and conveying unit;
a recording head disposed opposite to the loading surface and configured to eject ink onto the sheet conveyed by the printing und conveying unit;
a raising and lowering mechanism including a wire in contact with the printing and conveying unit; and
a controller, wherein
the raising and lowering mechanism winds the wire to raise and lower the printing and conveying unit relative to the recording head in a cross direction, the cross direction being a direction intersecting with the loading surface, and
the controller controls a winding operation by which the raising and lowering mechanism winds the wire according to a degree of inclination of the wire relative to the cross direction.

2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the raising and lowering mechanism includes a winding section, a first pulley and a detection section,
the winding section includes a rotary shaft and rotates about the rotary shaft as an axis to wind the wire,
the wire has two ends that are opposite to each other, one end being located on a side where the wire is in contact with the printing and conveying unit, the other end being on the side where the wire is in contact with the winding section,
the first pulley is disposed above the winding section between the printing and conveying unit and the winding section to support the wire in a slidable manner,
the detection section detects that a degree of inclination of a portion of the wire extending between the winding section and the first pulley exceeds a threshold, and
the controller causes the winding section to stop rotating based on a result of detection by the detection section.

3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the raising and lowering mechanism further includes a second pulley,
the second pulley is disposed below the first pulley between the printing and conveying unit and the first pulley in slidable manner with respect to the wire, and
the wire extends in the cross direction between the first pulley and the second pulley.

4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the raising and lowering mechanism further includes a third pulley, a fixing section, and a frame member,
the third pulley is disposed between the second pulley and the fixing section,
the other end of the two ends of the wire on the side where the wire is in contact with the printing and conveying unit is fixed to the fixing section,
the rotary shaft of the winding section is supported by the frame member,
the first pulley and the fixing section are each fixed to the frame member,
in the wire, an extent extending in a direction along the loading surface of the printing and conveying unit is defined between the second pulley and the third pulley, and
the extent of the wire is in contact with a lower surface of the printing and conveying unit in a slidable manner.

5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the detection section of the raising and lowering mechanism includes an actuator and a sensor, the actuator being supported by the rotary shaft of the winding section in a swingable manner, the sensor being configured to detect turning of the actuator, and
when the wire comes in contact with the actuator to turn the actuator, the sensor detects that the degree of inclination of the wire exceeds the threshold.

6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the actuator includes a base and a contact portion, the base extending in a radial direction of the winding section, the contact portion extending in a direction along the rotary shaft of the winding section from one end of the base, and
the actuator turns by the wire coming in contact with the contact portion.

7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the wire in a reel-in state extends in the cross direction between the winding section and the first pulley,
the reel-in state is a state in which a portion of the wire that is wound remains in the winding section,
when the winding section rotates in a direction reverse to a rotational direction corresponding to a direction in which the printing and conveying unit ascends in a reel-out state of the wire, the wire inclines relative to the cross direction, the reel-out state being a state in which a portion of the wire that is wound does not remain in the winding section, and
the printing and conveying unit is located at a lower limit position in the reel-out state.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Muraoka Toshinori
• Yamane Naoki
• Nakamura Satoru

Classifications

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title

• B41J11/20 Primary

  Platen adjustments for varying the strength of impression, for a varying number of papers, for wear or for alignment {, or for print gap adjustment} · CPC title

• B41J11/007 Primary

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B41J25/00

  Actions or mechanisms not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B41J15/04

  Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles · CPC title