Power transmission switching device and liquid ejection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9475317-B2
Application number	US-201514671431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A power transmission switching device includes a transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes: a first gear; a second gear; a switching gear movable between a first position for mesh with the first gear and a second position for mesh with the second gear; an input gear meshed with the switching gear; and a power transmitter comprising the input gear and configured to transmit the driving power from the drive source to the switching gear. Play is formed in the power transmitter so as to allow the input gear to rotate in its rotational direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power transmission switching device, comprising:
a drive source;
a first driven mechanism;
a second driven mechanism; and
a transmission mechanism configured to transmit driving power transmitted from the drive source, selectively to one of the first driven mechanism and the second driven mechanism,
the transmission mechanism comprising:
an input gear rotatable by the driving power transmitted from the drive source;
a first gear configured to transmit the driving power to the first driven mechanism;
a second gear configured to transmit the driving power to the second driven mechanism;
a switching gear movable, in a direction parallel with an axial direction of the input gear, and a position of which is switched between a first position at which the switching gear is meshed with the first gear and a second position at which the switching gear is meshed with the second gear, the switching gear being meshed with the input gear when the switching gear is located at any of the first position and the second position; and
a power transmitter comprising the input gear and a shaft member rotatable by the driving power transmitted from the drive source, the shaft member supporting the input gear so as to rotate with the input gear, the power transmitter being configured to transmit the driving power from the drive source to the switching gear,

play being formed between the shaft member and the input gear, the play allowing the input gear and the shaft member to rotate with respect to each other in a rotational direction thereof, and
a controller configured to control the drive source in a first rotational operation in which, before the position of the switching gear is switched, a first driving power causing the shaft member to rotate in a first rotational direction by a first rotational amount is transmitted from the drive source, the first rotational amount being equal to or greater than rotational amount corresponding to a length of the play in the rotational direction,
wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in a second rotational operation in which, after the first driving power is transmitted to the shaft member and before the position of the switching gear is switched, a second driving power causing the shaft member to rotate in a second rotational direction by a second rotational amount is transmitted from the drive source, the second rotational amount being less than the rotational amount corresponding to the length of the play in the rotational direction, the second rotational direction being opposite the first rotational direction.

2. The power transmission switching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the drive source comprises a drive shaft,
wherein the power transmitter further comprises a drive gear fitted on the drive shaft of the drive source, and
wherein play is formed between the drive gear and the input gear, and the play allows the input gear to rotate with respect to the drive gear in the rotational direction of the input gear.

3. A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising:
a liquid ejection head comprising an ejection surface in which a plurality of nozzles are formed;
a conveyor configured to convey a recording medium in a conveying direction such that the recording medium is to face the ejection surface;
a cap configured to seal off the nozzles formed in the ejection surface;
a cap-moving mechanism configured to switch a state of the cap between a sealing state in which the cap seals off the nozzles and a non-sealing state in which the cap does not seal off the nozzles; and
the power transmission switching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in the first rotational operation in which the first driving power causing the cap-moving mechanism to switch the state of the cap from the sealing state to the non-sealing state in the first rotational direction by the first rotational amount is transmitted from the drive source,
wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in the second rotational operation in which the second driving power causing the cap-moving mechanism to switch the state of the cap from the non-sealing state to the sealing state in the second rotational direction by the second rotational amount is transmitted from the drive source.

4. The power transmission switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in the second rotational operation in which the second driving power causing the shaft member to rotate in the second rotational direction by half of the rotational amount corresponding to the length of the play in the rotational direction as the second rotational amount.

5. The power transmission switching device according to claim 1 , wherein one of the input gear and the shaft member comprises a pair of faces opposed to and spaced apart from each other in the rotational direction,
wherein the another of the input gear and the shaft member comprises a contact portion disposed between the pair of faces, and the contact portion is contactable with at least one of the pair of faces to transmit rotational power of the shaft member to the input gear, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in the second rotational operation in which the second driving power causing the shaft member to rotate in the second rotational direction by a third rotational amount as the second rotational amount, the third rotational amount being half of a rotational amount corresponding to a length obtained by subtracting a length of the contact portion in the rotational direction from a length between a first face of the pair of faces and a second face of the pair of faces in the rotational direction.

6. The power transmission switching device according to claim 5 , wherein the third rotational amount is determined such that the contact portion and each of the pair of faces are not brought into contact with each other when the input gear meshing with the switching gear is rotated, with respect to the shaft member, by a rotational amount corresponding to half pitch of teeth of the switching gear.

7. The power transmission switching device according to claim 6 , wherein the third rotational amount is determined such that the contact portion is brought into contact with any one of the pair of faces when the input gear meshing with the switching gear is rotated, with respect to the shaft member, by a rotational amount corresponding to one pitch of the teeth of the switching gear.

8. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in the second rotational operation in which the second driving power causing the shaft member to rotate in the second rotational direction by half of the rotational amount corresponding to the length of the play in the rotational direction as the second rotational amount.

9. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one of the input gear and the shaft member comprises a pair of faces opposed to and spaced apart from each other in the rotational direction,
wherein the another of the input gear and the shaft member comprises a contact portion disposed between the pair of faces, and the contact portion is contactable with at least one of the pair of faces to transmit rotational power of the shaft member to the input gear, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the drive source in the second rotational operation in which the second driving power causing the shaft member to rotate in the second rotational direction by a third rotational amount as the second rotational amount, the third ro

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Samoto Kenji

Classifications

• B41J23/025 Primary

  using a single or common power source for two or more functions · CPC title

• B41J2/16511

  Constructions for cap positioning (B41J2/16547 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J13/0009

  control of the transport of the copy material · CPC title

• Y10T74/19074

  Single drive plural driven · CPC title