JPH0239999B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to an X-Y plotter that automatically draws a diagram using control signals.

[Background of the invention]

As shown in FIG. 5, the X-Y plotter has a slider 3 that is guided in one direction (X direction) by a guide rail 2 on the top surface of a substrate 1, and a guide body 4 is provided on this slider 3. At the same time, the guide body 4 is directed in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the slider 3 (Y
A recording pen 7 is provided on the carriage 5 and is movable in a direction perpendicular (up and down) to the recording paper 9 (Z direction) by a pen actuating device 6. By moving the slider 3, carriage 5, and pen 7 in response to arbitrary control signals, the pen 7 is lowered through the recording window 8 formed in the board 1 to draw figures and characters on the recording paper 9. It is something that can be done.

Pen actuation device 6 of such an X-Y plotter
As shown in FIG. 6, the pen holder 10 is made up of a pen holder 10 attached to the carriage 5 and a drive unit 11 that moves the pen holder 10 up and down. Drive part 11
includes a stepping motor 12, a motor shaft pinion 13 directly connected to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 12, a gear 14 that meshes with the motor shaft pinion 13, and a gear 14 that is coaxial with the gear 14 and installed inside it. The pinion 14a and the rack 15 integrally provided on the pen holder 10 mesh with each other to convert the rotational force of the stepping motor 12 into linear motion,
Raise and lower the pen 7. This rack 15 is the spring 1
6, the lower end of the rack 15 comes into contact with the lower rack contact portion 10a of the pen holder 10 when the pen is down, and comes into contact with the upper rack contact portion 10b when the pen is up. Further, the pen holder 10 can move up and down only between the lower pen holder stopper 17a and the upper pen holder stopper 17b, and therefore the movable range of the tip of the pen 7 is limited between the lower pen holder stopper 17a and the upper pen holder stopper 17b. Stopper 17b
equal to the difference between the distance between them and the length of the pen holder 10,
The distance between the pen tip 7a and the recording paper 9 and the range of elevation can be set depending on the type of the pen tip, such as a soft pen such as a brush pen or a hard pen such as a ballpoint pen. Reference numeral 18 is a set screw for holding the pen 7 in the pen holder 10, and the pen 7 can be pressed against the inner wall surface of the pen holder 10 with a threaded rod and fixed in any position. 19 is a platen on which the recording paper 9 is placed.

This X-Y plotter can attach the soft pen or hard pen to the pen holder 10 and move the pens 7 up and down over a distance of 10 mm in steps of 0.2 mm. For example, if the rotation angle per step of the stepping motor 12 is 18 degrees,
Motor rotation pinion 13, gear 14, pinion 14
It was designed in consideration of the reduction ratio of the gear train consisting of the rack 15 and the rack 15, and is designed to be able to move 10 mm in 50 steps for control efficiency.

Conventionally, when setting the pen 7 on the XY plotter having such a configuration, first the pen holder 10 is
Move the pen tip 7a to the upper limit position of the 10 mm movement stroke B and use this position as the home position.Next, move the pen tip 7a 1 to 2 mm from the 9th surface of the recording paper so that the pen tip 7a does not touch the 9th surface of the recording paper. I made small adjustments to keep the distance between them. However, in the case of a soft pen such as a brush pen, a sufficient movement stroke is required, so the pen holder 10 must be pulled up to the upper limit and the pen 7 attached.However, in the case of a hard pen, the movement stroke of the pen 7 is It is preferable to set the distance between the pen tip 7a and the surface of the recording paper 9 to 2 to 3 mm.
If the contact pressure of a to the recording paper 9 cannot be properly maintained, blurring will occur.

Therefore, in the conventional way of attaching the pen 7,
The distance between the pen tip 7a and the surface of the recording paper 9 must be adjusted depending on the type of pen to be attached and the length of the pen tip, which is an extremely difficult task for anyone other than an expert.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and its purpose is to provide an X-Y plotter that allows the distance between the pen tip and the recording paper surface to be easily adjusted regardless of the type of pen or the length of the pen tip. The purpose is to propose a method for attaching the pen.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pen for recording on recording paper, a pen holder for supporting the pen,
In a plotter that is equipped with a pen operating position that moves the pen holder up and down relative to the recording paper using a stepping motor, and a slider device that moves the pen holder parallel to the surface of the recording paper according to a control signal, the pen holder is set in advance. After setting the vertical position of the pen to approximately the center of the total travel width and fixing the pen to the pen holder in a position where the pen tip and recording paper surface are relatively close, move the stepping motor in the down direction to approximately half or more of the total travel range. From the state where the pen tip is in contact with the recording paper surface, the stepping motor is returned by a predetermined step according to the type of pen, and the pen holder is moved in the upward direction by the required distance, and the pen tip and recording It is configured so that the distance from the page can be adjusted.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figures 1, 2, and 3 are explanatory diagrams showing how to attach the pen and adjust the distance between the pen tip and the recording paper surface. FIG. 3 is a side view with some parts omitted showing the state in which the pen tip is in contact with paper; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cartridge and a pen used in the present invention. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the conventional example are given the same reference numerals, and explanations thereof will be omitted.

When installing pen 7, first attach pen holder 1.
0, as shown in FIG. 1, at the center of the entire movement width, that is, at a position approximately in the middle of the lower pen holder stopper 17a and the upper pen holder stopper 17b. Next, insert the pen 7 into the pen holder 10 from above, set it relatively roughly so that the distance is 4 mm or less from the surface of the recording paper 9 (0 mm≦A≦4 mm), and tighten the set screw 18 to fix it. . After that, the stepping motor 12 is rotated in the pen-down direction, and the motor 12 is moved 50 steps, that is, the pen 7 moves 10 mm.
Move it by a minute. However, although the control signal for 50 steps is sent to the motor 12, the control signal for the pen tip 7 is actually sent to the motor 12.
The motor 12 goes out of step when a contacts the recording paper 9, and after 50 pulses of electricity, the pen tip 7a always touches the recording paper 9.
It remains in contact with the surface. Therefore, at this time, the distance A between the pen tip 7a and the surface of the recording paper 9 is zero (FIG. 2). Then, from this state, by rotating the motor 12 in the opposite direction by a required interval C, that is, a predetermined pulse, and moving the pen 7 in the upward direction, a constant interval C between the pen tip 7a and the surface of the recording paper 9 can be obtained. This interval C is desirably about 2 mm (10 steps) in the case of a hard pen such as a normally used felt-tip pen. This number of steps is because the stepping motor is designed to be able to move 10 mm in 50 steps, and the rotation angle per step of the stepping motor 12 used and the gear train that drives the pen holder 10 are determined by the number of steps. It is selected as appropriate depending on the reduction ratio.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above explanation, the stepping motor is advanced all steps to bring the pen tip into contact with the recording paper, and from that state, the motor is returned a predetermined step and the pen is raised to adjust the distance between the recording paper surface and the pen tip. According to the present invention, the height at which the pen is attached to the pen holder can be roughly set, and even a person who is inexperienced in using this type of device can easily set and use the pen.

By returning the distance between the pen and the recording paper by a predetermined number of steps, the distance between the pen and the recording paper surface can be kept constant at all times, so that no rubbing or blurring occurs during recording. In other words, stable recording performance can be guaranteed at all times.

Since the step is returned by a predetermined number of steps depending on the type of pen, not only a dedicated pen but also a plurality of types of commercially available stationery pens can be easily set and a predetermined gap can be set depending on the pen.

There is an effect.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the method of attaching a pen according to the present invention. Figure 1 is a side view when the pen is set, and Figure 2 is a side view when the pen tip is attached to the recording paper. A partially omitted side view showing the abutting state, FIG. 3 is a side view showing how the stepping motor is returned by a predetermined step to adjust the distance between the pen tip and the recording paper surface, and FIG. 4 is used in the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an X-Y plotter, and FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a conventional pen mounting method. 3... Slider device, 7... Pen, 7a... Pen tip, 9... Recording paper, 10... Pen holder, 12
...Stepping motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pen that records on recording paper, a pen holder that supports the pen, a pen operating device that moves the pen holder up and down relative to the recording paper using a stepping motor, and a pen holder that moves the pen holder relative to the surface of the recording paper according to a control signal. In a plotter equipped with a slider device that moves the pen in parallel, the vertical position of the pen holder is set in advance at approximately the center of the total movement width, and the pen is fixed to the pen holder at a position where the pen tip and the surface of the recording paper are relatively close to each other. Then, move the stepping motor in the down direction by a step amount corresponding to more than half of the total movement range, and then return the stepping motor by a predetermined step depending on the type of pen from the state where the pen tip is in contact with the recording paper surface. A pen mounting method for an X-Y plotter, characterized in that the distance between the pen tip and the recording paper surface can be adjusted by moving the pen holder in the upward direction by the required distance.