JP2007254098A - Recording apparatus, actuator, and liquid ejecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The structure of a recording apparatus is simplified by utilizing the characteristics of an actuator.
A transport unit that transports a recording paper 170 includes a transport drive roller 132 that is driven to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the transport direction, and a transport driven roller 134 that is rotated while being pressed against the transport drive roller 132. 130, a recording head 164 that discharges ink toward the recording paper 170, a discharge drive roller 152 that is driven to rotate about an axis that is orthogonal to the transport direction, and a discharge driven roller that is rotated by the discharge drive roller 152. 154, and a discharge unit 150 that discharges the recording paper 170, and further includes a piezoelectric material plate 322 that expands and contracts by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of There are contact portions 318 and 319, one of the contact portions 318 and 319 is the conveyance drive roller 132, and the other is the discharge drive roller 152. It comprises a vibrator 300 for driving.
[Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, an actuator, and a liquid ejecting apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus that perform a recording operation while conveying a recording material, and an actuator that can be used for a recording material conveying operation.

  In a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus, many members are rotationally driven. That is, a feed roller that takes the recording material into the apparatus, a conveyance driving roller that conveys the recording material inside, a discharge roller that sends the recording material after recording to the outside, and a timing belt that reciprocates the liquid ejecting head. Many members such as pulleys to be rotated are driven to rotate. For this reason, it is difficult to reduce the number of parts in the entire liquid ejecting apparatus, regardless of whether a driving source is provided for each member or a member is driven from a single driving source via a transmission mechanism. It also becomes a cause which prevents miniaturization of a liquid ejecting apparatus.

Therefore, it is proposed to use so-called ultrasonic actuators using piezoelectric materials as various rotational drive sources in the liquid ejecting apparatus. Patent Document 1 below discloses a structure of a power transmission device in which the amount of rotation can be accurately controlled by engaging an uneven portion formed on the outer periphery of a rotor with a tip of a vibrating body formed in a protruding shape. Patent Document 2 below discloses a structure of a rotary drive device that drives a vibrating body by contacting the inside of an annular rotating body. According to this structure, it is described that both downsizing and high torque driving can be achieved. Patent Document 3 below discloses a structure of a piezoelectric actuator having a contact portion that is elastically supported so as to be displaced in a specific direction. It is described that the operation of the piezoelectric actuator is stabilized by such a structure.
JP 2004-072993 A JP 2004-166479 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-168075

  The ultrasonic actuator described in each of the above-mentioned documents is small enough to be incorporated into a wristwatch, but has a driving force capable of realizing energy conversion efficiency comparable to that of a living body without a speed reduction mechanism. In addition, it is very lightweight and greatly exceeds the living body in the output / weight ratio. Further, since no magnetic field is generated with the operation, it can be used around precision electronic equipment. Therefore, the use of the ultrasonic actuator as the rotational drive source can advantageously work for the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  However, all the known rotary drive mechanisms described in the above-mentioned patent documents merely replace the electromagnetic motor with an ultrasonic actuator, and the effects are limited. Therefore, a structure of a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus that further utilizes the characteristics of the ultrasonic actuator is being sought.

  Therefore, for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, as a first embodiment of the present invention, the conveying drive roller that is rotationally driven around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveying direction and the urging toward the conveying drive roller are energized. A conveyance driven roller that is rotated while pressing the sheet-like recording material against the conveyance driving roller, and a conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction, and ink toward the recording material conveyed by the conveyance unit A recording head that forms an image by ejecting the recording medium, a discharge driving roller that is driven to rotate about a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a discharge drive roller that is biased toward the discharge driving roller to discharge the sheet-like recording material. A recording apparatus including a discharge driven roller that is rotated while being pressed against the roller, and includes a discharge unit that discharges the recording material in the transport direction, and is further expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage. And a pair of abutting portions displaced by the piezoelectric material plate, and one of the abutting portions is driven by abutting the conveyance driving roller as an abutting object, and the other of the abutting portions is There is provided a recording apparatus including an actuator that is driven by abutting a discharge driving roller as a contact target. As a result, both the conveyance drive roller and the discharge drive roller are driven by one actuator, so that the number of components of the recording apparatus can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.

  Further, as a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a feeding roller that intermittently contacts a sheet-like recording material while being rotated around a rotation axis orthogonal to a predetermined conveying direction. A feeding section that takes in one sheet at a time, a conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate about a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is biased toward the conveyance drive roller to the conveyance drive roller A conveyance unit that includes a conveyance driven roller that is rotated while being pressed, a conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction, and a recording head that forms an image by discharging ink toward the recording material conveyed by the feeding unit. And a piezoelectric material plate that is expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of contact portions that are displaced by the piezoelectric material plate. One applies the feed roller as a contact target. Driven by a recording apparatus is provided which the other contact portion is provided with an actuator which is driven by coming into contact with the transport driving roller as an abutment target. As a result, since both the feeding roller and the carry-out driving roller are driven by a single actuator, the components of the recording apparatus can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.

  Furthermore, according to one embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the actuator includes a longitudinal vibration element that periodically expands and contracts in a direction including a component parallel to the surface of the contact target and a component perpendicular to the surface of the contact target. When driven, the contact portion contacts the contact target in at least a part of the expansion and contraction motion. Thereby, since a drive disc is driven with a short period, precise rotation control can be performed.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the actuator further includes a bending vibration element that periodically expands and contracts at a phase different from that of the longitudinal vibration element that displaces the contact portion in parallel with the surface of the contact target. Then, the contact portion is simultaneously driven by the longitudinal vibration element and the bending vibration element, and is displaced on a trajectory forming a circle or an ellipse on a surface orthogonal to the surface to be contacted. As a result, the contact portion of the actuator does not simply contact but also pushes the contact target in the direction to be driven, so that it can be rotationally driven with high efficiency.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the contact target may be at least one peripheral surface of a feed roller, a conveyance drive roller, and a discharge drive roller. As a result, a speed reduction mechanism is not provided between the actuator and the drive target. Since each roller can be driven, the structure of the recording apparatus can be further simplified.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the contact target is integrated with at least one of the feed roller, the transport drive roller, and the discharge drive roller and the feed roller, the transport drive roller, or the discharge drive roller. It can be the circumference of a drive disc mounted coaxially. Thereby, since it can be rotationally driven while decelerating in accordance with the diameter ratio between the roller to be driven and the drive disk, a desired drive torque can be obtained with a simple structure.

  According to another embodiment, in the recording apparatus, the contact target of the actuator includes at least one of a feed roller, a transport drive roller, and a discharge drive roller, a feed roller, a transport drive roller, or a discharge drive roller. It may be a surface adjacent to the peripheral surface of the drive disk that is integrally and coaxially mounted. Thereby, since it can be rotationally driven while decelerating in accordance with the diameter ratio between the roller to be driven and the drive disk, a desired drive torque can be obtained with a simple structure.

  As a third aspect of the present invention, a piezoelectric material plate that is periodically expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and arranged at both ends of the piezoelectric material plate, driven by the piezoelectric material plate, and An actuator is provided that includes a pair of abutting members that periodically abut at least part of the movement and abut against the abutting object and drive the abutting object in opposite directions. Thereby, in an apparatus having a plurality of rotating elements, an actuator capable of simultaneously driving a pair of rotating elements is provided.

  Further, as a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a sheet-like recording material is urged toward the conveyance driving roller that is rotated around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveyance direction, and is urged toward the conveyance driving roller. A conveyance driven roller that is rotated while being pressed against the conveyance drive roller includes a conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction, and forms an image by ejecting liquid toward the recording material conveyed by the conveyance unit. A discharge driving roller that is driven to rotate around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the liquid ejecting head and the conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the discharge driving roller and pressed against the discharge driving roller. A discharge unit that includes a discharge driven roller that discharges the recording material in the transport direction, and further includes a piezoelectric material plate that expands and contracts by applying a periodically changing voltage, Yo , Having a pair of abutting portions displaced by the piezoelectric material plate, one of the abutting portions being driven by abutting the conveyance driving roller as a subject of abutting, and the other of the abutting portions abutting the discharge driving roller There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including an actuator that is driven by contact with an object. Thereby, also in the liquid ejecting apparatus, since both the conveyance driving roller and the discharge driving roller are driven by one actuator, the components of the recording apparatus can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.

  Furthermore, as a fifth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium includes a feeding roller that intermittently contacts a sheet-like recording material while being driven to rotate about a rotation axis orthogonal to a predetermined conveying direction. A sheet feeding unit, a conveyance driving roller that is driven to rotate around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a conveyance driving roller that is biased toward the conveyance driving roller to convey a sheet-like recording material. Including a transport driven roller that is rotated while being pressed against the recording medium, a transport unit that transports the recording material in the transport direction, and a liquid jet that forms an image by ejecting liquid toward the recording material transported by the feeding unit A liquid ejecting apparatus including a head, further including a piezoelectric material plate that is expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of contact portions that are displaced by the piezoelectric material plate. One of the contact parts contacts the feed roller And is driven by contact, the other contact portion abutting a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising an actuator driven by there is provided a transport driving roller as an abutment target. Thereby, also in the liquid ejecting apparatus, since both the feeding roller and the carry-out driving roller are driven by one actuator, the components of the recording apparatus can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.

  Note that the summary of the invention described above does not enumerate all necessary features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a mechanism formed on a lower case 110 by removing an upper case of an ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. As shown in the figure, at the rear of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, a paper feed unit 120 rises. The paper feeding unit 120 includes a paper support 122 that supports the recording paper 170 from the rear, and a side support 124 and a slide support 126 that position side edges of the recording paper 170 on both sides of the paper support 122. Here, the side support 124 is fixed to a side end portion of the paper support 122. On the other hand, the slide support 126 can be slid and moved on the paper support 122 and is in close contact with the side edge of the recording paper 170 even when the recording paper 170 having a different width is loaded. Although not shown in the drawing, a feeding unit that takes in the recording paper 170 loaded on the paper support 122 into the ink jet recording apparatus 100 one by one is provided near the lower end of the paper support 122.

  On the other hand, an internal mechanism supported by the frame 112 is formed on the lower case 110. The frame 112 stands upright substantially over the entire width of the lower case 110 and supports the carriage 160 on the front surface thereof. The carriage 160 can move horizontally along the guide portion 116 that is a part of the frame 112. A timing belt 146 stretched around a pair of pulleys 148 is disposed between the carriage 160 and the frame 112, and a part of the timing belt 146 is coupled to the back surface of the carriage 160. Since at least one of the pulleys 148 is rotationally driven, the timing belt 146 travels horizontally between the pulleys 148. Accordingly, the carriage 160 reciprocates horizontally as the timing belt 146 travels.

  The carriage 160 is loaded with an ink cartridge 162 containing ink, and suspends a recording head 164 for discharging ink supplied from the ink cartridge 162 on the bottom surface thereof. Accordingly, the recording head 164 ejects ink downward while reciprocating along the guide portion 116 together with the carriage 160.

  Further, a platen 140 is disposed below the reciprocating range of the carriage 160. The platen 140 supports a recording sheet 170 conveyed between a conveyance unit 130 and a discharge unit 150, which will be described later, from below, and maintains a predetermined distance from the recording head 164. Accordingly, on the platen 140, the recording head 164 can form an image by ejecting ink toward an accurate position on the recording paper 170.

  A transport unit 130 is disposed behind the platen 140 and a discharge unit 150 is disposed in front of the platen 140. The conveyance unit 130 includes a conveyance driving roller 132 that is rotationally driven, and a conveyance driven roller 134 that is rotated by the conveyance driving roller 132. The discharge unit 150 also includes a discharge drive roller 152 that is rotationally driven and a discharge driven roller 154 that is rotated along with the discharge drive roller 152. In FIG. 1, the discharge driven roller 154 supported by the discharge unit frame 155 can be seen.

  Note that the frame 112 extends forward at both side ends to form a frame side portion 114. The frame side portion 114 supports the conveyance driving roller 132 and the like, and also supplements the rigidity of the frame 112 itself. On the other hand, a home position including a cap member 166 and the like is set on the side portion of the platen 140. When the ink jet recording apparatus 100 is not operating, the carriage 160 moves to the home position, and the recording head 164 is covered with the cap member 166. This prevents clogging of the recording head 164 due to ink drying. Further, a control circuit 190 is mounted on the back surface of the frame 112. The control circuit 190 controls the operation of each unit of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 and also controls input / output of signals from / to the outside.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transport mechanism 200 for the recording paper 170 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the recording paper 170 loaded in the paper feeding unit 120 is taken into the ink jet recording apparatus 100 one by one by a feeding roller 212 that intermittently contacts the uppermost recording paper 170. . The captured recording paper 170 is sandwiched between the transport driving roller 132 and the transport driven roller 134 in the transport unit 130. The conveyance driving roller 132 is rotationally driven by a vibrator 300 described later. Further, since the conveyance driven roller 134 is urged toward the conveyance driving roller 132, the recording paper 170 is pressed toward the conveyance driving roller 132. Accordingly, the recording paper 170 moves according to the rotation of the transport driving roller 132 and is fed onto the platen 140.

  The front end of the recording paper 170 that has passed over the platen 140 eventually reaches the discharge unit 150 and is sandwiched between the discharge drive roller 152 and the discharge driven roller 154. Also in this case, the discharge driving roller 152 is rotationally driven by the vibrator 300, and the discharge driven roller 154 is urged toward the discharge drive roller 152 and is rotated along with the discharge drive roller 152. Accordingly, the recording paper 170 sandwiched between the discharge driving roller 152 and the discharge driven roller 154 moves according to the rotation of the discharge driving roller 152 and is sent out of the ink jet recording apparatus 100.

  As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the recording paper 170 is transported in the transport direction from the paper feeding unit 120 to the discharge unit 150. Therefore, the recording head 164 can form an image by ejecting ink to a desired area on the surface of the recording paper 170 by appropriately combining the reciprocating movement of the carriage 160 and the conveyance of the recording paper 170 to the above-described conveyance.

  Here, in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 are driven by a common vibrator 300. In transporting and discharging the recording paper 170, the transport unit 130 and the discharge unit 150 cooperate to transport one recording paper 170 in many periods, so that the effective transport amount of the transport unit 130 and the discharge unit 150 is as follows. equal. Therefore, by driving the conveyance unit 130 and the discharge unit 150 by the common vibrator 300, the operations of both can be highly synchronized.

  Further, the vibrator 300 is biased by a spring 446, which will be described later, in a direction approaching the transport driving roller 132 in the direction of expansion and contraction of the longitudinal vibration as indicated by an arrow A in the drawing. Further, the discharge drive roller 152 is urged toward the vibrator 300 by a spring 151 as indicated by an arrow B in the drawing. Accordingly, the transport drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 are in contact with the vibrator 300 regardless of changes in dimensions due to the expansion and contraction motion of the vibrator 300. Note that the spring 446 and the spring 151 equally perform the function of bringing the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 to be driven by the vibrator 300 into contact with the vibrator 300. Accordingly, the vibrator 300 may be brought into contact with the discharge driving roller 152 by a spring 446 provided in the actuator 400 described later, and the conveying driving roller 132 may be provided with an urging unit.

  Although not shown, the transport drive roller 132 is equipped with an encoder scale that rotates integrally. On the other hand, an encoder sensor is disposed on the frame side portion 114, and the rotation amount or rotation speed of the conveyance drive roller 132 can be detected with high accuracy. Therefore, the function mounted on the control circuit 190 can perform feedback control of the operation amount, the operation speed, and the like of the actuator 400 to perform highly accurate conveyance control.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the vibrator 300 that can be used in the transport mechanism 200. As shown in the figure, the vibrator 300 is formed by fixing a reinforcing plate 310 and a pair of piezoelectric elements 320 that sandwich the reinforcing plate 310 together to a base plate 330 with screws 340.

  The reinforcing plate 310 is a single metal plate formed in the shape shown in the figure, a rectangular reinforcing portion 312 having substantially the same shape and dimensions as the piezoelectric element 320, and a contact portion protruding from the short side of the reinforcing portion 312. 318, 319. Further, from substantially the center of each long side of the reinforcing portion 312, a pair of arm portions 314 extending outward from the reinforcing portion 312, and a round hole 316 formed at the tip of each of the arm portions 314, and A long hole 317 is provided.

  Each of the piezoelectric elements 320 includes a piezoelectric material plate 322 having substantially the same shape and size as the reinforcing portion 312 of the reinforcing plate 310, a common electrode 329 formed over one surface of the piezoelectric material plate 322, and a piezoelectric material plate A central electrode 324 and side electrodes 321, 233, 235, and 237 are formed by dividing the other surface of the 322. Here, the center electrode 324 is formed over the entire length of the piezoelectric material plate 322 in the longitudinal direction. Further, the center electrode 324 is arranged at the center in the short side direction of the piezoelectric material plate 322. On the other hand, the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 are formed along the long side edges of the piezoelectric material plate 322, respectively. In other words, the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 are all formed so as to be biased laterally in the short side direction of the piezoelectric material plate 322. The central electrode 324 and the side electrodes 321, 233, 235, and 237 are formed separately from each other and are electrically independent. Therefore, when a voltage is applied between the common electrode 329 and one of the electrodes, the voltage is applied to the piezoelectric material plate 322 in the region occupied by the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327, and expands or contracts. .

  The piezoelectric element 320 formed as described above is bonded and integrated with the reinforcing plate 310 over the entire surface. Therefore, when the piezoelectric element 320 is deformed, the reinforcing plate 310 is also deformed integrally. Further, the reinforcing plate 310 integrated with the piezoelectric element 320 is fixed to the base plate 330 by screws 340 inserted through the round holes 316 and the elongated holes 317 at the tips of the arm portions 314.

  Here, after the round hole 316 is screwed first, the screw 340 inserted through the elongated hole 317 is fastened, whereby the reinforcing plate 310 can be fixed without applying stress. In addition, the region where the screw hole 332 is formed in the base plate 330 is formed thicker than the central portion by the step 338. Therefore, even in a state of being fixed to the base plate 330, the piezoelectric element 320 is floating from the base plate 330 and can be freely deformed.

  In the base plate 330, a pair of elongated holes 331 and 336 formed in the same direction are formed in a thin portion sandwiched between the steps 338. The base plate 330 is positioned on a pedestal 410 (to be described later) by screws inserted through the long holes 331 and 336. Therefore, even after the positioning, the longitudinal direction of the long holes 331 and 336 can be displaced.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation when a periodically changing voltage is applied between the common electrode 329 and the central electrode 324 of the piezoelectric element 320 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when a voltage is applied via a central electrode 324 disposed at the center of the piezoelectric material plate 322, the piezoelectric element 320 vibrates so that its length in the longitudinal direction changes. Accordingly, the contact portions 318 and 319 of the reinforcing plate 310 also vibrate with an amplitude parallel to the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric material plate 322. In the following description, vibration generated by the voltage applied to the center electrode 324 is referred to as “longitudinal vibration”.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation when a periodically changing voltage is applied to the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 of the piezoelectric element 320 shown in FIG. 3. Here, of the four side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327, the side electrodes 321 and 325 and the side electrodes 323 and 327 that are located diagonally to each other are used as electrode pairs, and the electrodes that form each electrode pair A voltage that changes with the period of the in-phase is applied between the common electrode 329 and a voltage that changes with the period of the opposite phase with respect to the common electrode 329 is applied between the electrode pairs. As described above, since the side electrodes 321, 323, 325, and 327 are disposed at positions deviated from the center of the piezoelectric material plate 322, the piezoelectric material plate 322 undulates as a result of each electrode extending or contracting. Bend like so. Thereby, the contact portions 318 and 319 of the reinforcing plate 310 are displaced in directions opposite to each other with an amplitude substantially parallel to the short side of the piezoelectric material plate 322. In the following description, vibration generated by the voltage applied to the side electrodes 321, 233, 235, 237 is referred to as “flexural vibration”.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the displacement of the contact portions 318 and 319 when the longitudinal vibration and the bending vibration are generated simultaneously. As shown in the figure, by appropriately setting the phase difference and the amplitude difference between the longitudinal vibration and the bending vibration, the contact portions 318 and 319 rotate in a substantially elliptic orbit, respectively. Thereby, the pressure is increased in the driving direction to increase the frictional force against the object to be contacted, and the frictional force is not applied because the object is separated in the counter-driving direction. Accordingly, the abutting portion 318 is strongly abutted against other members, for example, the conveyance driving roller 132 and the discharge driving roller 152 shown in FIG. Can be driven. Moreover, a desired driving force and driving speed can be selected by changing the shape of the elliptical orbit. However, since the contact portions 318 and 319 rotate in opposite directions, the directions in which the drive target is displaced are also opposite to each other.

  In the vibrator 300, between the arm portion 314 and each of the contact portions 318 and 319 of the reinforcing plate 310 individually contributes to the displacement of each of the contact portions 318 and 319. However, since the moment of inertia generated on both sides of the arm portion 314 is canceled by operating symmetrically about the arm portion 314, the vibrator 300 can operate quietly and at high speed.

  In addition, as the frequency of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 320, a frequency between the resonance frequencies of longitudinal vibration and bending vibration is appropriately selected. The voltage waveform is not particularly limited, and for example, a sine wave, a rectangular wave, a trapezoidal wave, a sawtooth wave, or the like can be employed.

  Further, the characteristics of the piezoelectric element 320 vary depending on the size and shape of the piezoelectric material plate 322 and the division form of each electrode. That is, in the piezoelectric element 320, it is preferable that the resonance frequencies of longitudinal vibration and bending vibration are close to each other, and more specifically, the difference between the resonance frequencies is preferably 3% or less. If the difference between the resonance frequencies of both vibrations is greater than 3%, the resonance point of the longitudinal vibration and the resonance point of the bending vibration are greatly separated, and it becomes difficult to set a vibration frequency at which the amplitudes of both vibrations increase simultaneously.

  The composition of the piezoelectric material plate 322 is not particularly limited, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT (registered trademark)), crystal, lithium niobate, barium titanate, lead titanate, lead metaniobate, polyvinylidene fluoride, zinc niobate Preferred examples include lead and lead scandium niobate. Moreover, the material of each electrode can be formed by nickel, gold, or the like by a method such as plating, sputtering, vapor deposition, or thick film printing. Further, as a material of the reinforcing plate 310, phosphor bronze can be preferably exemplified.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a structure of an actuator 400 formed by adding an urging means to the vibrator 300 having the structure and function as described above. As shown in the figure, an actuator 400 includes the vibrator 300 and a pedestal 410 that elastically supports the vibrator 300.

  As described above, the base plate 330 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the long holes 331 and 336 by positioning with screws (not shown) inserted into the long holes 331 and 336. However, on the pedestal 410, it is biased by a spring 446 inserted between the spring guide 442 on the pedestal 410 side and the spring guide 334 on the base plate 330 side. Thereby, as indicated by an arrow A in the drawing, the base plate 330 is biased toward the contact portion 318 side of the vibrator 300. Note that the spring guides 442 and 334 also abut when the vibrator 300 is largely retracted, and also serve as a bump stop that prevents extreme displacement. The spring guide 442 is fixed to the pedestal 410 by a locking piece 440 fixed by a screw 444.

  The pedestal 410 includes a pair of terminals 430. Each terminal 430 has a pair of terminals and is coupled to the electrodes of the piezoelectric element 320 by lead wires (not shown). Thereby, a favorable electrical connection with the outside can be obtained for the elastically supported vibrator 300. Further, the pedestal 410 has screw holes at its four corners and can be fixed to other members by screws 420.

  By supplying the actuator 400 including the pedestal 410 as described above, the vibrator 300 can be easily mounted while being elastically supported, and a good contact state with respect to the driven object can be obtained. In addition, by using the mounting screw holes of the base 410, the vibrator 300 itself can be easily mounted and electrically connected.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the transport mechanism 200 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to another embodiment. In the following description, members that are common to the transport mechanism 200 shown in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the feeding roller 212 and the conveyance driving roller 132 are rotationally driven by a common vibrator 300. However, in this embodiment, the transport driving roller 132 is disposed on the upper side of the recording paper 170, and the transport driven roller 134 is disposed on the lower side of the recording paper 170. Accordingly, the feeding roller 212 and the conveyance driving roller 132 can be rotationally driven in the same rotational direction by using the vibrator 300 that drives the contact target in opposite directions at the contact portions 318 and 319 at both ends.

  As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, when the conveyance drive roller 132 is disposed below the recording paper 170, it is between the vibrator 300 and the conveyance drive roller 132, or between the feeding roller 212 and the conveyance drive. A transmission means for reversing the rotation direction, for example, a gear, is provided between the rollers 132. Further, as the vibrator 300 used in this embodiment, although the dimensions are different, the actuator 400 shown in FIG. 7 can be used by changing the mounting direction. In other words, the spring 446 mounted on the actuator 400 can cause the one abutting portion 318 urged toward the abutting direction to abut against the transport driving roller 132 as indicated by an arrow A in the drawing. Further, as indicated by an arrow C in the drawing, the feeding roller 212 can be brought into contact with the other contact portion 319 by a spring 201 schematically shown.

  The feed roller 212 has a different outer diameter with respect to the transport drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152. Further, according to the function of intermittently contacting the recording paper 170, the recording paper 170 has a unique shape with a part of its peripheral surface missing. For this reason, when the feeding roller 212 and the conveyance driving roller 132 are driven by the common vibrator 300, the feeding roller 212 cannot be driven simply by contacting the feeding roller 212. Therefore, in this embodiment, a feed driving roller 214 having the same outer diameter as the transport driving roller 132 is provided integrally with the feeding roller 212, and the vibrator 300 is in contact with the feeding drive roller 214. Thereby, the feeding roller 212 and the conveyance driving roller 132 can be rotated in synchronization.

  Furthermore, since the outer diameter of the feed roller 212 is larger than that of the transport drive roller 132, the transport speed of the recording paper 170 by the feed roller 212 is larger than the transport speed of the transport unit 130. However, when the recording paper 170 reaches the conveyance unit 130, the feeding roller 212 is no longer in contact with the recording paper 170. Therefore, the displacement speeds on the peripheral surfaces of the feed roller 212 and the transport drive roller 132 may be different. In addition, by providing intermittent means such as a clutch between the feeding drive roller 214 and the feeding roller 212, the feeding roller 212 can intermittently convey the recording paper 170.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the discharge drive roller 152 is driven from the transport drive roller 132 via a train wheel. That is, the conveyance drive roller 132 includes a drive gear 136 that is attached to the end portion thereof and rotates integrally with itself. The teeth 137 of the drive gear 136 mesh with the large diameter gear 182 of the relay gear 180. Further, the small diameter gear 184 of the relay gear 180 meshes with the driven gear 156. The driven gear 156 is attached to the end of the discharge drive roller 152 and rotates integrally with the discharge drive roller 152. The driven gear 156 has a larger number of teeth than the small-diameter gear 184, and the driven gear 156 is larger in diameter than the discharge driving roller 152. Accordingly, the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 move the recording paper 170 at substantially the same speed.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a drive mechanism 500 according to still another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the drive mechanism 500 shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the front side of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. For the purpose of showing the relationship between the elements, FIG. 10 is actually drawn with a part thereof modified so that a portion hidden by other members can be seen.

  As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 are rotationally driven by a common vibrator 300. Further, the transport drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 have drive disks 139 and 159 that rotate coaxially and integrally at their ends.

  On the other hand, the vibrator 300 is disposed between the drive disks 139 and 159. Here, the vibrator 300 is arranged in a direction in which the direction of the longitudinal vibration is parallel to the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152. Further, the direction of the bending vibration is fixed through the spacer 401 in a direction orthogonal to the recording paper 170 on the conveyance path. Further, one abutting portion 318 of the vibrator 300 abuts on the circular surface of the drive disk 139 in the vicinity of the front end thereof. On the other hand, the other contact portion 319 contacts the circular surface of the drive disc 159 in the vicinity of the rear end thereof.

  Although not shown, each of the drive disks 139 and 159 is preferably urged toward the vibrator 300. In the case of the actuator 400 including the spring 446 described above, the vibrator 300 can be biased with respect to one of the drive disks 139 and 159. The other drive disks 139 and 159 can be brought into contact with the vibrator 300 by urging the transport drive roller 132 or the discharge drive roller 152 in the axial direction thereof. In addition, the drive disks 139 and 159 can be biased by attaching the drive disks 139 and 159 to the transport drive roller 132 or the discharge drive roller 152 by a spline structure.

  As described above, in the vibrator 300, the pair of contact portions 318 and 319 generate driving forces in opposite directions. Therefore, with the above-described structure, the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152 can be driven in the same rotational direction. Further, since the vibrator 300 is rotationally driven via the drive disks 139 and 159 having larger diameters than the conveyance drive roller 132 and the discharge drive roller 152, a large drive torque can be obtained. Therefore, the selection range of the vibrator 300 that can be mounted is widened.

  As described above, the drive mechanism 500 using the combination of the vibrator 300 and the drive disks 139 and 159 can easily form the drive mechanism 500 having a desired drive torque. Further, the drive disks 139 and 159 and the vibrator 300 are all thin or small and do not occupy a space.

  In the above embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 has been described as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, examples of other liquid ejecting apparatuses include a color filter manufacturing apparatus including a color material ejecting head, an organic EL display, an electrode forming apparatus used for manufacturing an FED (surface emitting display), a biochip manufacturing apparatus, and the like.

  Furthermore, although the present invention has been described using the embodiment, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a structure of an ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a transport mechanism 200 for recording paper 170 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a vibrator 300. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a longitudinal vibration operation of a vibrator 300. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a bending vibration operation of a vibrator 300. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a locus of displacement of a contact portion 318 of a vibrator 300. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a structure of an actuator 400 including the vibrator 300 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a transport mechanism 200 for a recording paper 170 in an ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to another embodiment. It is a perspective view showing typically the structure of drive mechanism 500 concerning other embodiments. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the drive mechanism 500 shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the front of the ink jet recording apparatus 100.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Inkjet recording device, 110 Lower case, 112 frame, 114 frame side part, 116 Guide part, 120 Paper feed part, 122 Paper support, 124 Side support, 126 Slide support, 130 Conveyance part, 132 Conveyance drive roller, 134 Conveyance driven Roller, 136 Drive gear, 137 teeth, 139, 159 Drive disk, 140 Platen, 146 Timing belt, 148 Pulley, 150 Ejection part, 151, 201, 446 Spring, 152 Ejection drive roller, 154 Ejection driven roller, 155 Ejection part Frame, 156 Driven gear, 160 Carriage, 162 Ink cartridge, 164 Recording head, 170 Recording paper, 180 Relay gear, 182 Large diameter gear, 184 Small diameter gear, 200 Conveying mechanism, 212 Feed 214, feeding roller, 300 vibrator, 310 reinforcing plate, 312 reinforcing part, 314 arm part, 316 round hole, 317, 331, 336 long hole, 318, 319 contact part, 320 piezoelectric element, 322 piezoelectric Material plate, 321, 323, 325, 327 Side electrode, 324 Central electrode, 329 Common electrode, 330 Base plate, 332 Screw hole, 338 Step, 340 Screw, 400 Actuator, 401 Spacer, 420, 444 Screw, 410 Base, 430 Terminal, 440 Locking piece, 446 Spring, 500 Drive mechanism

Claims (10)

A conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the conveyance drive roller and is pressed against the conveyance drive roller. A conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction;
A recording head that forms an image by ejecting ink toward the recording material conveyed by the conveyance unit, a discharge driving roller that is driven to rotate about a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and the discharge driving A discharge driven roller that is energized toward the roller and is rotated while pressing the sheet-like recording material against the discharge driving roller, and discharges the recording material in the transport direction;
A recording device comprising:
In addition, the piezoelectric material plate that is expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of contact portions that are displaced by the piezoelectric material plate, one of the contact portions includes the transport driving roller. A recording apparatus comprising: an actuator that is driven by contact as a contact target, and that is driven by contact of the other of the contact portions with the discharge drive roller as a contact target. A feeding unit that has a feeding roller that intermittently contacts a sheet-like recording material while being rotationally driven around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveying direction, and takes in the recording material one by one;
A conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate about a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the conveyance drive roller and is pressed against the conveyance drive roller. A transport unit that includes a transport driven roller and transports the recording object in the transport direction;
A recording apparatus comprising: a recording head that discharges ink toward the recording material conveyed by the feeding unit to form an image;
In addition, the piezoelectric material plate that is expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of contact portions that are displaced by the piezoelectric material plate, one of the contact portions includes the feeding roller. A recording apparatus comprising: an actuator that is driven by abutting as an abutting object, and that is driven by the other of the abutting portions abutting on the conveyance driving roller as an abutting object.   The actuator is driven by a longitudinal vibration element that periodically expands and contracts in a direction including a component parallel to the surface of the contact target and a component perpendicular to the surface of the contact target, and the contact portion expands and contracts. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the recording apparatus is in contact with the contact target. The actuator further includes a bending vibration element that periodically expands and contracts at a phase different from that of the longitudinal vibration element, which displaces the contact portion in parallel with the surface of the contact target.
The said contact part is simultaneously driven by the said longitudinal vibration element and the said bending vibration element, and displaces on the track | orbit which makes a circle or an ellipse on the surface orthogonal to the surface of the said contact object. Recording device.   The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the contact target is at least one peripheral surface of the feeding roller, the transport driving roller, and the discharge driving roller.   The contact object is a drive circle that is integrally and coaxially mounted on at least one of the feed roller, the transport drive roller, and the discharge drive roller with the feed roller, the transport drive roller, or the discharge drive roller. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording apparatus is a peripheral surface of a plate.   The contact surface is a peripheral surface of a drive disk that is integrally and coaxially mounted with the transport drive roller or the discharge drive roller on at least one of the feed roller, the transport drive roller, and the discharge drive roller. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording apparatus is a surface adjacent to the recording medium.   A piezoelectric material plate that is periodically expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and disposed at both ends of the piezoelectric material plate, driven by the piezoelectric material plate, and at least part of the expansion and contraction motion An actuator comprising a pair of abutting members that abut against an abutting object and are driven in opposite directions. A conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the conveyance drive roller and is pressed against the conveyance drive roller. A conveyance unit that conveys the recording material in the conveyance direction;
A liquid ejecting head that forms an image by ejecting liquid toward the recording material transported by the transport unit, a discharge driving roller that is driven to rotate about a rotation axis orthogonal to the transport direction, and the discharge A discharge unit that includes a discharge driven roller that is urged toward the drive roller and is rotated while pressing the sheet-like recording material against the discharge drive roller; and a discharge unit that discharges the recording material in the transport direction;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
In addition, the piezoelectric material plate that is expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of contact portions that are displaced by the piezoelectric material plate, one of the contact portions includes the transport driving roller. A liquid ejecting apparatus including an actuator that is driven by abutting as an abutting object, and that is driven when the other of the abutting portions abuts the discharge driving roller as an abutting object. A feeding unit that has a feeding roller that intermittently contacts a sheet-like recording material while being rotationally driven around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to a predetermined conveying direction, and takes in the recording material one by one;
A conveyance drive roller that is driven to rotate about a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a sheet-like recording material that is urged toward the conveyance drive roller and is pressed against the conveyance drive roller. A transport unit that includes a transport driven roller and transports the recording object in the transport direction;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid toward the recording object conveyed by the feeding unit to form an image;
In addition, the piezoelectric material plate that is expanded and contracted by applying a periodically changing voltage, and a pair of contact portions that are displaced by the piezoelectric material plate, one of the contact portions includes the feeding roller. A liquid ejecting apparatus including an actuator that is driven by abutting as an abutting object, and that is driven when the other of the abutting portions abuts on the conveyance driving roller as an abutting object.

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