Recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9283787-B2
Application number	US-201414481658-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	Sep 10, 2013
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

A recording apparatus includes a guiding shaft as a guiding portion that extends in a main scanning direction, a carriage, which is provided with a recording head that ejects ink, and which moves in the main scanning direction by sliding along the guiding shaft, and pressing units, which is provided in the carriage, and which presses the guiding shaft in a sub-scanning direction, and a sliding resistance is changed using the pressing units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording apparatus comprising:
a carriage, which is provided with a recording head that ejects ink, and which moves in a first direction;
a guiding portion that configures at least a portion of a perimeter of a movement range of the carriage, and along which the carriage slides;
a sliding member, that is provided in the carriage and moves in a sliding manner,
a pressing unit, which is provided in the carriage, and which presses the guiding portion in a direction that intersects the first direction; and
a power source for operating the carriage having an AC power source mode that is driven by an alternating power source, and a battery mode that is driven by a battery,
wherein a sliding resistance between the carriage and the guiding portion is changed by varying a distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion based on the power source.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sliding resistance is reduced during the battery mode by making the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion larger during the battery mode than the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion during the AC power source mode.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding resistance is changed according to a movement speed of the carriage by making the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion larger at a second carriage speed than the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion at a first carriage speed.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding resistance is changed according to a type of print medium on which the ink is ejected by making the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion larger for a second print medium type than the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding members and presses the guiding portion for a first print medium type.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pressing unit is provided with
a biasing member that generates a biasing force, and
wherein the sliding member has cam portion that contact the pressing unit,
wherein a force generated by the pressing unit contacting the guiding portion is changed depending on whether or not the biasing member is pushing the cam portions due to a position of the sliding member.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein a plurality of stepped portions with different heights are provided in the cam portions of the sliding member in a direction that intersects the first direction.

7. A recording apparatus comprising:
a carriage, which is provided with a recording head that ejects ink, and which moves in a first direction;
a guiding portion that configures at least a portion of a perimeter of a movement range of the carriage, and along which the carriage slides;
a pressing unit, which is provided in the carriage, and which presses the guiding portion in a direction that intersects the first direction;
a sliding member that is provided in the carriage and moves in a sliding manner;
a fixing unit that fixes a position of the sliding member in the first direction with respect to an apparatus main body; and
a control unit that controls a carriage movement mechanism and the fixing unit,
wherein the control unit varies the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion.

8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the pressing unit is provided with
a biasing member that generates a biasing force, and
wherein the sliding member has cam portions that contact the pressing unit,
wherein a force generated by the pressing unit contacting the guiding portion is changed depending on whether or not the biasing member is pushing the cam portions due to a position of the sliding member.

9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein a plurality of stepped portions with different heights are provided in the cam portions of the sliding member in a direction that intersects the first direction.

10. The recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a sliding resistance between the carriage and the guiding portion is change according to a movement speed of the carriage by making the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion larger at a second carriage speed than the distance between where the pressing unit contacts he sliding member and pressing the guiding portion at a first carriage speed.

11. The recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a sliding resistance between the carriage and the guiding portion is change in states in which a movement speed of the carriage is the same according to a type of print medium on which the ink is ejected by making the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion larger for a second print medium type than the distance between where the pressing unit contacts the sliding member and presses the guiding portion for a first print medium type.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Shiota Takayuki

Classifications

• B41J25/001 Primary

  Mechanisms for bodily moving print heads or carriages parallel to the paper surface · CPC title

• B41J19/207

  Encoding along a bar · CPC title

• B41J19/202 Primary

  Drive control means for carriage movement · CPC title