Printing device

Abstract

To efficiently detect ink leakage.SOLUTION: A printer includes a head for discharging ink, a carriage which is mounted with the head and reciprocates in a scanning direction, an ink tank storing the ink, an ink tube connecting the head and the ink tank, a holding part which holds the ink tube and moves in the scanning direction together with the carriage, a support part which extends in the scanning direction and has a support surface supporting the holding part from below, and a detection sensor for detecting presence / absence of the ink, wherein the holding part moves in the scanning direction in a state in which the ink tube is curved in a convex shape toward one direction of the scanning direction, the holding part has a flat part which is made to contact and separate from the support surface of the support part, in conjunction with the reciprocation of the carriage, and the detection sensor is arranged on one end side in a direction at which the ink tube is curved in the convex shape in the support part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a printing device has been known that includes a carriage that can move back and forth in a scanning direction, a head mounted on the carriage and that ejects ink, an ink tank that contains the ink, and a supply tube that connects the head and the ink tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-121493 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the printing device described above, the supply tube also deforms into a curved shape as the carriage moves back and forth, which can cause ink to leak from the joints of the supply tube. This makes it necessary to install a sensor to detect ink leakage. However, installing sensors everywhere in the printing device makes the configuration complicated, which is an issue. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printing device comprises a head that ejects ink, a carriage that carries the head and moves back and forth in a scanning direction, an ink tank that contains the ink, an ink tube that connects the head and the ink tank, a holding section that holds the ink tube and moves in the scanning direction together with the carriage, a support section that extends in the scanning direction and has a support surface that supports the holding section from below, and a detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of ink, wherein the holding section moves in the scanning direction with the ink tube curved convexly toward one of the scanning directions, the holding section has a flat section that abuts and moves away from the support surface of the support section as the carriage moves back and forth, and the detection sensor is positioned on one end side of the support section in the direction in which the ink tube is curved convexly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of a printing apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a printing apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration of the printing apparatus. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the printing device. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the printing device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a holding portion. [Figure 6] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] First, the configuration of the printing device 10 will be described. The printing device 10 is, for example, an inkjet large format printer that prints (records) on a medium M such as paper by ejecting ink as a liquid. A large format printer is, for example, a printer capable of printing on a medium M whose short side width is A3 (297 mm) or more.

[0008] 1 and 2, the printing device 10 includes a main body 12 and a pair of legs 14. The pair of legs 14 are provided on the lower part of the main body 12 at a distance from each other in the direction along the X-axis. The legs 14 extend downward from the lower part of the main body 12.

[0009] The main body 12 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the drying unit 18 is provided on its front side (+Y direction side). A main frame 20 extending in the direction along the X axis is provided on the upper part of the main body 12. A carriage 22 constituting a recording unit 21 is attached in the +Y direction of the main frame 20. The carriage 22 is configured to be able to move back and forth in the direction along the X axis (scanning direction) along the main frame 20. A head 24 constituting the recording unit 21 is mounted on the lower part of the carriage 22. The head 24 has a plurality of nozzles (not shown) capable of ejecting ink downward. The head 24 is configured to be able to eject ink via the nozzles. The printing device 10 includes an ink tank 50 that contains ink. The ink tank 50 and the head 24 are connected to an ink tube 60 (FIG. 3), and ink can be supplied from the ink tank 50 to the head 24 via the ink tube 60.

[0010] A flat suction platen 36 extending in the direction along the X-axis is provided below the recording unit 21. The suction platen 36 has a plurality of through-holes (not shown) penetrating in the direction along the Z-axis.

[0011] A suction fan 38 is disposed below the suction platen 36. When the suction fan 38 is driven, gas above the suction platen 36 is sucked in through the through-holes of the suction platen 36. This creates a gas flow from above to below the suction platen 36. As a result, when the medium M is positioned on the suction platen 36, the medium M is sucked into the suction platen 36 and pressed against the upper surface of the suction platen 36.

[0012] A paper feed unit 40 is provided on the rear side (-Y direction side) of the printing device 10, and a paper discharge unit 42 is provided below the drying unit 18 on the front side (+Y direction side). Note that the paper feed unit 40 and the paper discharge unit 42 are omitted from illustration in Fig. 1. Also, in Fig. 2, the medium M is indicated by a thick line.

[0013] The paper discharge unit 42 includes a pair of bearings 42a and a spindle 42b. The pair of bearings 42a are configured to be movable in a direction along the X-axis, which is a direction in which they move toward and away from each other. The spindle 42b is inserted into the inner periphery of the paper discharge roll R1. Both ends of the spindle 42b are supported by the pair of bearings 42a. A driving force is supplied to the bearing 42a by a driving source (not shown), and the paper discharge roll R1 supported by the spindle 42b can be wound up, that is, a front tension is applied.

[0014] Similarly, the paper feed unit 40 also includes a pair of bearings 40a that are movable in the direction along the X-axis, and a spindle 40b. The spindle 40b is inserted into the inner periphery of the paper feed roll R2. Both ends of the spindle 40b are supported by the pair of bearings 40a. A driving force is supplied to the bearing 40a by a driving source (not shown), and the paper feed roll R2 supported by the spindle 40b can be sent out toward the downstream side in the transport direction. Here, the bearing 40a is controlled so that back tension is applied to the medium M pulled out from the paper feed roll R2.

[0015] In this embodiment, the medium M is pulled out from a paper feed roll R2 of the paper feed unit 40, passes through the suction platen 36 and the drying unit 18, and is wound up around a paper discharge roll R1 of the paper discharge unit .

[0016] A transport roller 44 is provided upstream of the suction platen 36 in the transport direction of the medium M. The transport roller 44 is configured as a drive roller driven by a drive source (not shown). The transport roller 44 is configured to be rotatable in a forward direction and a reverse direction. In this embodiment, the forward direction is a direction in which the medium M wound around the paper feed roll R2 is pulled out and the medium M is transported downstream in the transport direction, and the reverse direction is a direction in which the medium M is transported from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction.

[0017] A discharge roller 46 is provided downstream of the drying unit 18. The discharge roller 46 is configured as a drive roller that is driven by a drive source (not shown).

[0018] The drying unit 18 includes a heater (not shown) as a heat source. The heater heats the medium M located in the drying unit 18 to evaporate the moisture of the ink absorbed by the medium M and promote drying. A suction fan 48 is provided in the drying unit 18. The suction fan 48 extends along the transport path of the medium M in the drying unit 18 and is attached to the lower surface side of a path forming member 18a that constitutes part of the transport path.

[0019] In this embodiment, a plurality of through holes (not shown) are formed in the path forming member 18a, and when the suction fan 48 is driven, gas above the path forming member 18a is sucked in through the through holes. This forms a gas flow from above to below the path forming member 18a. As a result, when the medium M is located on the path forming member 18a of the drying unit 18, the medium M is sucked into the path forming member 18a and pressed against the upper surface of the path forming member 18a.

[0020] The printer 10 also includes a control unit 25 that controls various operations executed by the printer 10. The control unit 25 has a CPU, a memory, a control circuit, and an I / F (interface). The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit. The memory is a storage device that secures an area for storing programs for the CPU or a working area, and has memory elements such as RAM and EEPROM. For example, when recording data is obtained from an external device such as an information processing terminal via the I / F, the CPU controls each driving unit.

[0021] 3, a joint portion for connecting to the ink tube 60 is provided at the rear end of the carriage 22, and one end of the ink tube 60 is connected to the joint portion. The ink tube 60 connected to the carriage 22 extends in the -X direction from the rear end of the carriage 22, and then curves in the -Z direction while turning around to form a curved portion 65. Furthermore, the ink tube 60 extends from the curved portion 65 in the +X direction. The curved portion 65 is a portion of the ink tube 60 that is curved in a convex shape toward one direction (-X direction) of the scanning directions. In this embodiment, an FFC (flexible flat cable) 61 is provided for transmitting a drive signal from the control unit 25 to the head 24. One end of the FFC 61 is connected to the carriage 22, and moves together with the ink tube 60 as the carriage 22 moves. The curved portion 65 is formed by the ink tube 60 and the FFC 61.

[0022] 4A and 4B, when the carriage 22 moves in the direction along the X-axis, the ink tubes 60 and the FFC 61 also deform in accordance with the movement of the carriage 22. In other words, the curved portion 65 also moves in the movement direction of the carriage 22 in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 22.

[0023] Here, as described above, the ink tubes 60 also move while bending as the carriage 22 moves back and forth. For this reason, for example, ink may leak from the joint of the carriage 22 connected to the ink tubes 60. This makes it necessary to install a detection sensor 90 that detects ink leakage. However, there is a problem in that installing the detection sensors 90 everywhere in the printing device 10 makes the configuration complicated. Therefore, in the printing device 10 of this embodiment, the number of detection sensors 90 installed is reduced, resulting in a configuration that allows efficient ink leakage detection. A specific configuration will be described below.

[0024] 3, the printing device 10 includes a holder 70 that holds the ink tubes 60. The holder 70 of the present embodiment holds the ink tubes 60 and the FFC 61. The holding parts 70 are arranged at intervals in the extension direction of the ink tube 60. Each holding part 70 is attached to a belt-shaped connecting member (not shown) that extends in the extension direction of the ink tube 60. This allows the holding parts 70 to move together with the carriage 22 while maintaining a certain interval. In other words, the holding part 70 is a long member that holds the ink tube 60. The holding part 70 moves in the scanning direction with the ink tube 60 curved in a convex shape toward one of the scanning directions. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the ink tube 60 moves in a convex curved shape toward the -X direction.

[0025] 5, each holding portion 70 includes a first clamp portion 71 and a second clamp portion 72. The first clamp portion 71 has a recess, in which multiple ink tubes 60 are arranged in a line in a direction along the Y axis, and the second clamp portion 72 is arranged from above in relation to the recess of the first clamp portion 71, whereby the first clamp portion 71 and the second clamp portion 72 engage with each other, and the ink tube 60 is sandwiched between the first clamp portion 71 and the second clamp portion 72. In this manner, multiple holding portions 70 can bundle multiple ink tubes 60 in a long length. Further, the second clamp portion 72 has a recess on the opposite side to the ink tube 60, and the FFC 61 is disposed in the recess.

[0026] The holding portion 70 is supported by a support portion 80. The support portion 80 has a support surface 81 that supports, from below, the holding portion 70 that holds the ink tubes 60 and the FFC 61. The holding portion 70 has a flat portion 75 that comes into contact with and separates from the support surface 81 of the support portion 80 as the carriage 22 moves back and forth. The flat portion 75 has a flat surface that can come into contact with the support surface 81. 5 shows a state in which the flat portion 75 of the holding portion 70 abuts against the support surface 81 of the support portion 80. As shown in FIG.

[0027] 6, the support portion 80 extends in the scanning direction (the direction along the X-axis). In a plan view, a support surface 81 of the support portion 80 is defined by a wall portion 82. That is, the support portion 80 is formed in a tub shape with the support surface 81 as the bottom surface. In addition, gaps formed between adjacent wall portions 82 and through-hole portions formed in the support surface 81 for routing the ink tubes 60 and FFC 61 are sealed by disposing a sealing material such as a sponge material.

[0028] An outlet 85 capable of discharging ink is disposed at one end (-X direction end) of the support portion 80. That is, the outlet 85 is disposed in the same direction in the support portion 80 as the direction in which the ink tube 60 curves convexly, among directions along the X axis. The outlet 85 is provided within an area defined by the wall portion 82 of the support surface 81, etc. The outlet 85 is a through hole provided in the support surface 81.

[0029] The printing device 10 includes a detection sensor 90 that detects the presence or absence of ink. The detection sensor 90 is disposed on one end side of the support part 80 in the direction in which the ink tube 60 is curved convexly. In other words, the detection sensor 90 is provided on the end side of the support part 80 in the -X direction. 3 and 6, the detection sensor 90 of this embodiment is disposed below the discharge port 85. More specifically, a first guide 91 is disposed in the discharge port 85 along the -Z direction from the discharge port 85, and a second guide 92 having one end inclined downward is connected to the first guide 91. The first guide 91 and the second guide 92 are disposed on a side frame 95 provided in the main body 12. The detection sensor 90 is disposed on one end side of the second guide 92, that is, on the side of the second guide 92 that is lower in height in the +Z direction.

[0030] The detection sensor 90 is connected to the control unit 25. The detection sensor 90 is composed of a pair of electrode terminals (not shown). The electrical resistance between the electrode terminals changes depending on the amount of ink adhered between the electrode terminals, and the control unit 25 determines whether or not ink has adhered to the detection sensor 90 based on the change in electrical resistance. In other words, the presence or absence of ink leakage can be detected.

[0031] Next, the operation and effects of the printing device 10 will be described. For example, if ink leaks from a joint of the carriage 22 to which the ink tube 60 is connected, the leaked ink will leak through the ink tube 60 and reach the support surface 81 of the support part 80. The ink that has reached the support surface 81 is then pushed in the direction in which the ink tube 60 curves convexly by the movement of the multiple holding parts 70 accompanying the reciprocating movement of the carriage 22 in the scanning direction. At this time, the flat parts 75 of the holding parts 70 repeatedly come into contact with and separate from the support surface 81, so that the ink on the support surface 81 can be efficiently pushed out toward one end side (-X direction).

[0032] The ink pushed out in the -X direction is discharged from an outlet 85 provided at the -X direction end of the support surface 81. Since the support surface 81 is partitioned by the wall portion 82 and the like, leakage of the ink from anywhere other than the outlet 85 is suppressed, and the ink can be efficiently guided to the outlet 85.

[0033] The ink discharged from the discharge port 85 flows through the first guide 91 to the second guide 92. The ink that reaches the second guide 92 travels along a slope to the detection sensor 90. The control unit 25 determines the presence of ink (ink leakage) according to the detection signal from the detection sensor 90.

[0034] In the printing device 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to detect ink leakage by disposing the detection sensor 90 in only one place, without disposing the detection sensor 90 in multiple places, and therefore the configuration of the printing device 10 can be simplified. In other words, by configuring the ink to flow actively toward the detection sensor 90, it is possible to improve the efficiency of ink leakage detection.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the support surface 81 of the support unit 80 is disposed on a horizontal plane, but is not limited to this. For example, the support surface 81 of the support unit 80 may be inclined downward from the other end (+X direction) to one end (-X direction) in the scanning direction. For example, the support surface 81 is inclined at about 5° to 10° with respect to the horizontal plane. In this way, ink flows more easily toward the outlet 85, and ink leakage can be detected more quickly. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10...printing device, 21...recording unit, 22...carriage, 24...head, 25...control unit, 50...ink tank, 60...ink tube, 61...FFC, 65...curved portion, 70...holding portion, 71...first clamp portion, 72...second clamp portion, 75...flat portion, 80...support portion, 81...support surface, 82...wall portion, 85...discharge outlet, 90...detection sensor, 91...first guide, 92...second guide, 95...side frame.

Claims

1. A head that ejects ink; a carriage that carries the head and moves back and forth in a scanning direction; an ink tank for storing the ink; an ink tube connecting the head and the ink tank; A holder that holds the ink tube and moves together with the carriage in the scanning direction. With a support portion having a support surface extending in the scanning direction and supporting the holding portion from below; A detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the ink; an outlet through which the ink can be discharged; A first guide disposed vertically below the discharge port; a second guide connected to the first guide and having one end inclined downward; Equipped with The holding portion is configured so that the ink tube is curved in a convex shape toward one of the scanning directions. Moving the bent member in the scanning direction; The holding portion is configured to move the support surface of the support portion in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the carriage. a flat portion that abuts against and separates from the The detection sensor and the outlet are disposed on the ink tube in the support portion. is disposed on one end side in the convexly curved direction, A printing device, wherein the detection sensor is disposed on the one end side of the second guide.

2. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, In a plan view, the support surface of the support portion is partitioned by a wall portion, and the partition The printing device, wherein the discharge outlet is provided within the area.

3. 3. The printing device according to claim 1, A printing device, wherein the support portion is inclined downward from the other end toward the one end.

4. A head for ejecting ink; a carriage that carries the head and moves back and forth in a scanning direction; an ink tank for storing the ink; an ink tube connecting the head and the ink tank; A holder that holds the ink tube and moves together with the carriage in the scanning direction. With a support portion having a support surface extending in the scanning direction and supporting the holding portion from below; A detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the ink; Equipped with The holding portion is configured so that the ink tube is curved in a convex shape toward one of the scanning directions. Moving the bent member in the scanning direction; The holding portion is configured to move the support surface of the support portion in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the carriage. a flat portion that abuts against and separates from the The detection sensor detects the ink tube at the support portion bent in the convex shape. It is arranged on one end side of the direction of A printing device, wherein the support portion is inclined downward from the other end toward the one end.

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