JP6915363B2 - Image forming device and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a liquid discharging apparatus.

A liquid ejection recording type image forming apparatus (inkjet) that uses, for example, a liquid ejection head (droplet ejection head) for ejecting droplets as an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying apparatus, a plotter, or a multifunction device thereof. Recording devices, etc.) are known.

When forming an image in a liquid discharge recording type image forming apparatus, the landing accuracy of the droplets discharged from the nozzle has a great influence on the image quality. If the landing accuracy of the droplet is poor, the image quality will deteriorate, so it is necessary to position the recording head position with high accuracy.

In order to solve this problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, a recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting droplets, a head holder holding one or a plurality of recording heads, and one or a plurality of head holders are held. A reference member provided on the carriage and arranged along the main scanning direction, a reference member provided on the carriage and provided separately from the reference member, and a slave reference member provided with a carriage movable in the main scanning direction. An image forming apparatus having an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the parallelism of the slave reference member with respect to the reference member, the head holder is detachably supported by the reference member, and is positioned by abutting against the reference member and held by the carriage. Is disclosed.

The image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 can adjust the tilt of the head holder on the actual machine by adjusting the parallelism between the reference member and the reference member. However, this is an adjustment only for the tilt of the head holder, and the distance between the liquid discharge surface of the recording head and the platen fluctuates due to the tilt adjustment, and the target distance cannot be maintained.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device / liquid discharging device in which the inclination of the head holder can be adjusted on an actual machine and the position of the liquid discharging surface in the vertical direction can also be adjusted.

The subject is to hold a recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting droplets, a head holder holding one or a plurality of the recording heads, a sub-carriage holding the head holder, and the sub-carriage. The carriage is provided with a carriage that is movable in the main scanning direction, the carriage is provided with a reference member extending along the main scanning direction, and the sub-carriage is supported by the reference member and positioned on the carriage. The head holder and the sub-carriage have a rotation reference member for rotating the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage, and the rotation reference member whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction of the head holder can be rotated and in the vertical direction. In an image forming apparatus provided with an elongated hole for movably supporting the head holder and a fastening portion for fixing the rotation and movement of the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage , the reference member is brought into contact with the sub-carriage and described as described above. This is solved by an image forming apparatus characterized in that a cam member for positioning the subcarriage in the vertical direction is provided.

Further, the above-mentioned problem is a liquid discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging droplets, a head holder for holding one or a plurality of the liquid discharge heads, a sub-carriage for holding the head holder, and the sub-carriage. The carriage is provided with a reference member extending along the main scanning direction, the subcarriage is supported by the reference member, and the carriage is provided with a carriage that is movable in the main scanning direction. Positioned, the head holder and the sub-carriage rotate the rotation reference member for rotating the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage, and the rotation reference member whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction of the head holder. In a liquid discharge device provided with an elongated hole that supports the head holder so as to be movable in the vertical direction and a fastening portion that fixes the rotation and movement of the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage , the reference member includes the sub-carriage. This is solved by a liquid discharge device, which is provided with a cam member that comes into contact with the subcarriage and positions the subcarriage in the vertical direction.

In the image forming apparatus / liquid ejection device of the present invention, the inclination of the head holder can be adjusted on the actual machine, and the vertical position of the liquid ejection surface can also be adjusted.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the carriage scanning mechanism part. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the carriage which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows the carriage which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the head holder which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows the carriage which arranged the adjustment plate. It is a schematic front view which shows the carriage which arranged the cam member.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a carriage scanning mechanism unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, this image forming apparatus is a serial type inkjet recording apparatus, and includes an apparatus main body 1 and a support base 2 for supporting the apparatus main body 1. Inside the apparatus main body 1, guide rods 3 and guide stays 4, which are guide members, are hung on both side plates, and the carriage 5 moves in the arrow A direction (main scanning direction) on these guide rods 3 and guide stays 4. It is held possible.

The carriage 5 is equipped with a recording head 6 including a liquid ejection head that ejects ink droplets of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). Each recording head 6 includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting droplets. Further, each recording head 6 integrally includes a head tank that supplies ink to each recording head 6.

The main scanning mechanism unit 10 that moves and scans the carriage 5 is arranged on one side of the main scanning direction, a drive motor 11 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 11, and a drive pulley 12 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 11 on the other side of the main scanning direction. A driven pulley 13 and a timing belt 14 which is a traction member hung between the drive pulley 12 and the driven pulley 13 are provided. The driven pulley 13 is tensioned outward (in a direction away from the drive pulley 12) by a tension spring.

In the recording area of the main scanning area of the carriage 5, the paper 20 is intermittently conveyed by the suction conveying unit in the arrow B direction (sub-scanning direction, paper conveying direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage 5.

Further, a maintenance / recovery device 8 for maintaining / recovering the recording head 6 is arranged in one end side region of the main scanning region. Further, outside the carriage moving region in the main scanning direction, or in the other end side region of the main scanning region, a main cartridge 9 containing inks of each color supplied to the sub tank of the recording head 6 is provided with respect to the apparatus main body 1. It is detachably attached. Further, although roll paper (hereinafter referred to as “paper 20”) is set in the paper feeding means 21, roll paper having different sizes in the width direction can also be set.

In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, image forming is performed as follows. First, the paper 20 conveyed from the paper feeding means 21 is conveyed to the recording area by the conveying means from the rear to the front of the apparatus main body 1. Next, the carriage 5 is moved in the main scanning direction, and the recording head 6 is driven according to the image information to eject the droplets while intermittently feeding the paper 20 to the platen 7 by the suction transport unit. The required image is formed on the paper 20. Then, the paper 20 after the image formation is cut to a predetermined length and discharged to a paper ejection tray arranged on the front side of the apparatus main body 1.

Here, the configuration in which the paper 20 is cut and discharged is described, but it is also possible to wind the paper after image formation at the paper ejection portion without cutting.

Next, the configuration of the carriage 5 of the image forming apparatus, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a carriage according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 5 holds the head holder 25 via the sub-carriage 18.

The head holder 25 is equipped with recording heads 6a, 6b, and 6c arranged in a staggered pattern in the sub-scanning direction. When the recording heads are not individually distinguished, they are referred to as "recording head 6". Further, the number of recording heads 6 mounted on the head holder 25 may be one, two, or more than three.

The carriage 5 is provided with a reference shaft 15 as a reference member extending in the same direction as the guide rod 3 (main scanning direction). Further, the sub-carriage 18 is provided with a hook-shaped hook portion 19 that is detachably attached to and rotatably hooked on the reference shaft 15. The sub-carriage 18 is hung on the reference shaft 15 by the hooking portion 19, abuts on the carriage 5 in the rotation direction thereof, and is held (positioned). Further, the sub-carriage 18 holds the head holder 25 by holding portions 18a and 18b along both ends of the head holder 25. Therefore, the head holder 25 is also rotatably held in the axial direction of the reference shaft 15.

By providing the reference shaft 15 in the same direction (parallel) as the guide rod 3 of the carriage 5 in this way, the position accuracy of the inclination of the recording head 6 in the sub-scanning direction, the height direction, the tilting direction, and the main scanning direction can be improved. Can be improved.

In FIG. 3, the sub-carriage 18 is sandwiched and held between the reference shaft 15 and the carriage 5, but instead, the sub-carriage 18 is hooked on the reference shaft 15 from the front and held. It may be configured.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a carriage according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a head holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the head holder 25 has rotation reference members 31a and 31b at both ends in the main scanning direction. Further, although only one side is shown for convenience of drawing, elongated holes 32a and 32b and fastening portions 33 are provided in the holding portions 18a and 18b along both ends of the head holder 25.

As shown in FIG. 4, the elongated holes 32a and 32b are formed in the longitudinal direction in parallel with the vertical direction of the head holder, so that the rotation reference members 31a and 31b can be rotatably supported and moved in the vertical direction. Support. Further, the fastening portion 33 is a member for fixing the rotation and movement of the head holder 25 with respect to the sub-carriage 18. The fastening portion 33 may be, for example, a combination of a retaining slot 34 provided in the holding portion 18a and a stopper 35 such as a pin or a stepped screw. The head holder 25 can be fixed to the sub-carriage 18 by inserting the stopper 35 into the head holder 25 via the retaining slot 34.

With this configuration, the head holder 25 can rotate around the rotation reference member 31 with respect to the sub-carriage 18, and the tilting direction posture (rotation angle) can be adjusted. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the head holder 25 can move up and down along the elongated hole 32, so that the distance between the ink ejection surface (liquid ejection surface) of the recording head 6 and the platen 7 is set to an appropriate distance. Can be adjusted. Then, it can be fixed to the adjusted position / posture by the fastening portion 33.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the head holder 25 is provided with the rotation reference member 31, and the sub-carriage 18 is provided with the elongated hole 32, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of this, the head holder 25 may be provided with an elongated hole, and the sub-carriage 18 may be provided with a rotation reference member.

Further, the head holder 25 or the sub-carriage 18 may not be provided with a rotation reference member, and a pin-shaped member or a stepped screw may be inserted later.

Subsequently, an advantageous configuration of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a carriage in which the adjusting plate is arranged. In FIG. 6, the same objects as those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the reference shaft 15 may be fixed to the carriage 5 via adjusting plates 36a and 36b whose positions with respect to the carriage 5 can be adjusted. By adjusting the position of the reference shaft 15, the posture of the head holder 25 (tilt in the height direction, the rotation direction, and the main scanning direction) can be adjusted, and the mounting position accuracy of the recording head 6 can be improved.

If it is necessary to readjust the rotation direction and / or the vertical direction after positioning with the adjusting plate 36, the head holder 25 is rotated and / or moved up and down along the elongated hole 32 as described above. As a result, readjustment is possible easily.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a carriage in which a cam member is arranged. In FIG. 7, the same objects as those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, a cam member 37 may be provided on the reference shaft 15. The cam member 37 comes into contact with the sub-carriage 18 on the contact surface 38 and positions the sub-carriage 18 in the vertical direction. By rotating the cam member 37, the sub-carriage 18 can be raised and lowered, and the distance between the recording head 6 and the platen 7 can be changed. Therefore, the height of the recording head 6 can be adjusted according to the paper thickness and the like.

As a method of rotating the cam member 37, the cam member 37 can be rotated by fixing the cam member 37 to the reference shaft 15 and rotating the reference shaft 15. The means for rotating the reference shaft 15 may be manual, or a drive source may be arranged and the reference shaft 15 may be automatically rotated to raise or lower the recording head 6. In this method, the carriage 5 can be operated from the outside.

The distance between the recording head 6 and the platen 7 can be arbitrarily adjusted on the actual machine according to the printing medium by the head raising and lowering by the cam member 37 and the vertical adjustment means of the head holder 25 and the sub-carriage 18, and the printing medium can be supported. The types of can be expanded.

The image forming apparatus has been described above as an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus, and is also applicable to a liquid discharging apparatus. That is, in the above embodiment, the "image forming apparatus" can be read as the "liquid discharging apparatus".

Here, the "liquid discharge device" is a device provided with a liquid discharge head or a liquid discharge unit and driving the liquid discharge head to discharge the liquid. The device for discharging the liquid includes not only a device capable of discharging the liquid to a device to which the liquid can adhere, but also a device for discharging the liquid toward the air or the liquid.

This "liquid discharge device" can also include means related to feeding, transporting, and discharging paper to which a liquid can be attached, as well as a pretreatment device, a posttreatment device, and the like.

The "liquid ejection device" includes, for example, an image forming apparatus that ejects ink to form an image on paper, and a layered powder for forming a three-dimensional object (three-dimensional object). There is a three-dimensional modeling device (three-dimensional modeling device) that discharges the modeling liquid into the powder layer.

Further, the "liquid discharge device" is not limited to a device in which a significant image such as a character or a figure is visualized by the discharged liquid. For example, those that form patterns that have no meaning in themselves and those that form a three-dimensional image are also included.

The above-mentioned "material to which a liquid can adhere" means a material to which a liquid can adhere at least temporarily, such as one that adheres and adheres, and one that adheres and permeates. Specific examples include paper, recording paper, recording paper, film, recording media such as cloth, electronic substrates, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and media such as inspection cells. Yes, including anything to which the liquid adheres, unless otherwise specified.

The materials of the above "materials to which liquid can adhere" are paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, building materials such as wallpaper and flooring, and textiles for clothing. However, it is sufficient if it can be attached.

The "liquid" may have a viscosity and surface tension that can be discharged from the head, and is not particularly limited, but has a viscosity of 30 mPa · s or less at room temperature, under normal pressure, or by heating or cooling. It is preferable to have. More specifically, solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, functionalizing materials such as polymerizable compounds, resins and surfactants, biocompatible materials such as DNA, amino acids and proteins, and calcium. , Solvents, suspensions, emulsions and the like containing edible materials such as natural pigments. These can be used, for example, in applications such as ink for inkjet, surface treatment liquid, liquid for forming electronic elements and light emitting elements, liquid for forming an electronic circuit resist pattern, and liquid for three-dimensional modeling.

Further, the "liquid discharge device" includes, but is not limited to, a device in which the liquid discharge head and the device to which the liquid can adhere move relatively. Specific examples include a serial type device that moves the liquid discharge head, a line type device that does not move the liquid discharge head, and the like.

In addition, as the "liquid ejection device", there is a processing liquid coating device that ejects the processing liquid onto the paper in order to apply the processing liquid to the surface of the paper for the purpose of modifying the surface of the paper. In addition, there is also an injection granulation device that injects a composition liquid in which a raw material is dispersed in a solution through a nozzle to granulate fine particles of the raw material.

The "liquid discharge unit" is a liquid discharge head integrated with functional parts and a mechanism, and is an aggregate of parts related to liquid discharge. For example, the "liquid discharge unit" includes a combination of at least one of a head tank, a carriage, a supply mechanism, a maintenance / recovery mechanism, and a main scanning movement mechanism with a liquid discharge head.

Here, "integration" means, for example, a liquid discharge head and a functional component, a mechanism in which the mechanism is fixed to each other by fastening, adhesion, engagement, etc., or one in which one is movably held with respect to the other. include. Further, the liquid discharge head, the functional component, and the mechanism may be configured to be detachable from each other.

The main scanning movement mechanism shall also include a single guide member. Further, the supply mechanism includes a single tube and a single loading unit.

The "liquid discharge head" is a functional device that discharges and ejects liquid from a nozzle. Piezoelectric actuators (laminated piezoelectric elements or thin-film piezoelectric elements), thermal actuators that use electrothermal conversion elements such as heat-generating resistors, and electrostatic actuators that consist of a vibrating plate and counter electrodes are used as energy sources for discharging liquid. Be done.

In the present specification, "paper" is not limited to paper as a material, but includes OHP, cloth, glass, substrate, etc., and means a material to which ink droplets, other liquids, etc. can adhere, and is a recording medium. , Recording media, recording paper, recording paper, etc. are included. In addition, image formation, recording, printing, printing, and printing are all synonymous.

The "image forming apparatus" means an apparatus for forming an image by ejecting a liquid onto a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, and ceramics, and "image forming". This means not only giving an image having meaning such as characters or figures to the medium, but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern to the medium (simply landing a droplet on the medium). Also means.

Unless otherwise specified, "ink" is not limited to what is called ink, but is a general term for all liquids that can form images, such as recording liquids, fixing treatment liquids, and liquids. Also included are, for example, DNA samples, resists, pattern materials, resins and the like.

The "image" is not limited to a two-dimensional image, but also includes an image given to a three-dimensionally formed object and an image formed by three-dimensionally modeling the three-dimensional object itself.

The present invention has been described in detail above using the embodiments. This embodiment is an example, and can be used with various modifications within a range that does not deviate from the gist.

1 Device body 2 Support stand 3 Guide rod 4 Guide stay 5 Carriage 6, 6a, 6b, 6c Recording head 7 Platen 8 Maintenance / recovery device 9 Main cartridge 10 Main scanning mechanism 11 Drive motor 12 Drive pulley 13 Driven pulley 14 Timing belt 15 Reference shaft 18 Subcarriage 18a, 18b Holding part 19 Hooking part 20 Paper 21 Paper feeding means 25 Head holder 31, 31a, 31b Rotation reference member 32, 32a, 32b Long hole 33 Fastening part 34 Fastening long hole 35 Stopper 36, 36a , 36b Adjustment plate 37 Cam member 38 Contact surface

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-087873

Claims (6)

A recording head with multiple nozzles that eject droplets,
A head holder that holds one or more of the recording heads,
A sub-carriage holding the head holder and
A carriage that holds the subcarriage and can move in the main scanning direction is provided.
The carriage is provided with a reference member extending along the main scanning direction.
The sub-carriage is supported by the reference member and positioned on the carriage.
To the head holder and the sub-carriage
A rotation reference member for rotating the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage, and
An elongated hole that supports the rotation reference member so as to be rotatable and vertically movable, whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction of the head holder.
In an image forming apparatus provided with a fastening portion for fixing the rotation and movement of the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage .
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the reference member is provided with a cam member that comes into contact with the subcarriage and positions the subcarriage in the vertical direction. Equipped with platen
The elongated hole supports the rotation reference member so as to be rotatable and movable in a direction for adjusting the distance between the liquid discharge surface of the recording head and the platen.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cam member positions the subcarriage in a height direction from the platen. The fastening portion is a combination of a fastening slot provided in the head holder or the sub-carriage and a stopper attached to the head holder or the sub-carriage via the fastening slot. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reference member is fixed to the carriage via an adjusting plate for adjusting the position of the reference member with respect to the carriage. Equipped with platen
Any of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the slotted hole rotatably supports the rotation reference member and movably supports the liquid discharge surface of the recording head and the platen in a direction for adjusting the distance. The image forming apparatus according to one item. A liquid discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging droplets,
A head holder that holds one or more of the liquid discharge heads,
A sub-carriage holding the head holder and
A carriage that holds the subcarriage and can move in the main scanning direction is provided.
The carriage is provided with a reference member extending along the main scanning direction.
The sub-carriage is supported by the reference member and positioned on the carriage.
To the head holder and the sub-carriage
A rotation reference member for rotating the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage, and
An elongated hole that supports the rotation reference member so as to be rotatable and vertically movable, whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction of the head holder.
In a liquid discharge device provided with a fastener for fixing the rotation and movement of the head holder with respect to the sub-carriage .
A liquid discharge device characterized in that the reference member is provided with a cam member that comes into contact with the subcarriage and positions the subcarriage in the vertical direction.

Images