A print platform chuck assembly

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of large-format printers, more particularly, to a printing platform suction disc assembly, which is arranged on a printing platform for adsorbing a printing medium, comprising a lifting mechanism, a floating support and a suction disc mechanism, the lifting mechanism drives the suction disc mechanism to lift through the floating support, when the suction disc mechanism rises to the highest point, the adsorption surface of the suction disc mechanism is higher than the upper surface of the printing platform, when it falls to the lowest point, the adsorption surface is not higher than the upper surface of the printing platform, wherein the suction disc mechanism comprises a plurality of regular polygonal arrangements, the adsorption surface of each suction disc mechanism has a freedom degree of independent tilting in the horizontal direction relative to the support surface of the floating support. To solve the problem that the printing medium is not flat enough during printing, thereby affecting the printing effect, improve the fixing and fitting degree of the printing medium on the suction disc, and realize the effect of adjusting the flatness of the printing medium on the printing platform.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of large-format printers, and more particularly, to a printing platform suction cup assembly. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the use of a large-format printer, whether the printing medium is flat determines whether the distance between the inkjet carriage and the printing medium is uniform, thereby affecting the printing effect of the printer. At the same time, due to the relatively large size of the large-format printing medium, and the need to move the printing medium during printing, it is easy to cause various deformations and edge lifting of the printing medium, affecting the flatness of the printing medium.

[0003] In the prior art, a large-format printer uses a vacuum suction platform to suction the printing medium, thereby maintaining its flatness in the printing area. However, the uniform suction force received by the printing medium on the vacuum suction platform often does not match the degree of deformation of the printing medium. How to improve the flatness of the printing medium during printing is a problem that needs to be solved in the field. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned defects (shortcomings) of the prior art, and provides a printing platform suction cup assembly to solve the problem of insufficient flatness of the printing medium during printing, thereby affecting the printing effect.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present application is a printing platform suction cup assembly, which is arranged on a printing platform for suctioning a printing medium, and comprises a lifting mechanism, a floating support, and a suction cup mechanism. The lifting mechanism drives the suction cup mechanism to rise and fall through the floating support. When the suction cup mechanism rises to the highest point, the suction surface of the suction cup mechanism is higher than the upper surface of the printing platform. When it falls to the lowest point, the suction surface is not higher than the upper surface of the printing platform. The suction cup mechanism comprises a plurality of suction cup mechanisms arranged in a regular polygon. The suction surface of each suction cup mechanism has a degree of freedom of independent tilting in the horizontal direction relative to the support surface of the floating support.

[0006] Further, the suction cup mechanism comprises 1-5 suction cup mechanisms, each comprising a suction cup, a connecting rod, and a rotating base. The rotating base is arranged on the floating support and is a spherical hinge structure. The suction surface is formed on the upper surface of the suction cup. The connecting rod is fixedly connected to the lower side of the suction cup and is perpendicular to the suction surface. The lower end is connected to the spherical hinge structure and has a certain angle of circumferential swinging freedom relative to the vertical direction, thereby realizing the tilting of the suction surface in the horizontal direction. This is conducive to realizing the close fixing and flatness adjustment of the suction cup structure and the printing medium through the freely tiltable spherical hinge structure, thereby improving the printing effect of the printing medium.

[0007] Further, the suction disc comprises a flat disc bottom and a flexible inclined disc edge, the inclined disc edge surrounds the flat disc bottom, a plurality of support pads are arranged in the outer circle of the negative pressure suction hole in the middle of the flat disc bottom, the upper surfaces of all the support pads are on the same plane and are lower than the edge of the inclined disc edge, and a negative pressure outlet is arranged on the suction disc mechanism and is communicated with the negative pressure suction hole. The flexible inclined disc edge and the support pad are beneficial to relieve the impact between the printing medium and the suction disc, reduce the uneven deformation of the printing medium, increase the contact area with the printing medium through the flat disc bottom, reduce the deformation of the printing medium when being adsorbed, and provide adsorption force through the negative pressure suction hole to strengthen the adhesion of the printing medium.

[0008] Further, a horizontal support sheet is arranged below the suction disc, the horizontal support sheet is fixed below the upper surface of the printer platform, a support hole is arranged on the horizontal support sheet corresponding to the position of each suction disc, the opening size of the support hole is smaller than the maximum size of the suction disc mechanism, the suction disc is located in the support hole, and the connecting rod passes through the support hole. When the connecting rod drives the suction disc to descend to the lowest point, the horizontal support sheet can support the suction disc to return to the horizontal state. The horizontal support sheet is beneficial to limit the height of the suction disc to be consistent and flush when returning, so as to keep the printing medium adhered and flat on the same horizontal plane.

[0009] Further, a stepped support surface is arranged below the suction disc, the stepped support surface at least comprises an upper support level with a size larger than the support hole and a lower support level with a size smaller than the support hole, the lower side of the upper support level forms a horizontal support surface, and the distance d from the horizontal support surface to the adsorption surface is smaller than the distance D from the horizontal support sheet to the upper surface of the printer platform. In the working state of the connecting rod not being stretched out, the horizontal plane where the suction disc is located is not higher than the upper surface of the printing platform, so as to not affect the placement height of the printing medium on the printing platform.

[0010] Further, the floating support comprises a lower lifting plate, an elastic support and an upper floating plate, the lower lifting plate is connected with the lifting mechanism, the elastic support drives the upper floating plate to move up and down, and the upper floating plate is connected with the suction disc mechanism and drives the suction disc mechanism to lift. The lower lifting plate is beneficial to provide a mounting position for the suction disc mechanism to keep the suction disc mechanism stable, and the elastic support is beneficial to realize flexible connection with the printing medium to strengthen the adhesion effect with the printing medium.

[0011] Further, a slide rod is vertically arranged on the lower lifting plate, a through hole is arranged on the upper floating plate corresponding to the position of the slide rod, the slide rod passes through the through hole and is provided with a limiting piece at the end. The slide rod is beneficial to guide the elastic support to move in the vertical direction, and the limiting piece is beneficial to limit the position of the suction disc below the printing platform.

[0012] Further, a certain gap is reserved between the through hole and the slide rod, so that the upper floating plate has an inclination angle of not more than 3° relative to the slide rod, the limiting piece has a lower plane, and when the lifting mechanism drives the slide rod to be pulled down, the upper floating plate is restored to a horizontal state under the joint action of the lower plane and the elastic support. The gap between the through hole and the slide rod is beneficial to the flexibility of the suction cup when it is inclined at multiple angles, and the lower plane is beneficial to the calibration of the upper floating plate on the horizontal plane.

[0013] Further, the elastic support is a spring with a circular cross section, which is sleeved outside the slide rod, the lower lifting plate and the upper floating plate are circular as a whole, the lower lifting plate is provided with a lower concave lower support position corresponding to the position of the spring, and the upper floating plate is provided with an upper concave upper support position, the two ends of the spring are embedded in the lower support position and the upper support position respectively, and the diameter d of the spring and the diameter D of the upper floating plate satisfy the relationship d:D between 0.4 and 0.6. The specific parameter ratio between the diameter of the spring and the upper floating plate is beneficial to the elastic support of the spring, and the corresponding arrangement of the upper support position and the lower support position is beneficial to the uniform distribution of the elastic force of the spring.

[0014] Further, the side surface of the upper floating plate is provided with an inward opening for mounting the suction cup mechanism, the inner side surface of the opening is not more than 10mm away from the spring, so that the suction cup mechanism is mounted on the upper floating plate and the peripheral area of the spring. The specific parameter of the distance between the inner side surface of the opening and the spring is beneficial to limiting the installation position of the suction cup to the edge of the upper floating plate, thereby expanding the radius of the suction cup from the slide rod and facilitating the expansion of the angular momentum of the suction cup.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present application are: improving the fixing and fitting degree of the printing medium on the suction cup, and realizing the effect of adjusting the flatness of the printing medium on the printing platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 The figure is a structural schematic diagram of the present application.

[0017] Figure 2 The figure is a front view schematic diagram of the present application.

[0018] Figure 3 The figure is a top view schematic diagram of the present application.

[0019] Figure 4 The figure is a bottom view schematic diagram of the upper floating plate of the present application.

[0020] Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of the lower lifting plate of the present application.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: Lifting mechanism 100, Floating support 200, Lower lifting plate 210, Lower support position 211, Elastic support 220, Upper floating plate 230, Upper support position 231, Through hole 232, Opening 233, Slide rod 240, Limiting component 241, Suction cup mechanism 300, Suction cup 310, Flat plate bottom 311, Inclined plate edge 312, Negative pressure suction hole 313, Support pad 314, Negative pressure outlet 315, Connecting rod 320, Rotating base 330, Stepped support surface 340, Upper support stage 341, Lower support stage 342, Horizontal support surface 343, Horizontal support plate 400, Support hole 410. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions; it is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0023] Example

[0024] like Figures 1-5 As shown in this embodiment, a suction cup assembly for a printer platform is provided. The suction cup assembly is disposed on the printer platform for adsorbing printing media and includes a lifting mechanism 100, a floating support 200, and a suction cup mechanism 300. The lifting mechanism 100 drives the suction cup mechanism 300 to rise and fall via the floating support 200. When the suction cup mechanism 300 rises to its highest point, its adsorption surface is above the upper surface of the printer platform; when it falls to its lowest point, its adsorption surface is not above the upper surface of the printer platform. Multiple suction cup mechanisms 300 are arranged in a regular polygonal pattern, and the adsorption surface of each suction cup mechanism 300 has a degree of freedom to tilt independently in the horizontal direction relative to the support surface of the floating support 200. In this embodiment, when there is no printing media on the printing platform, the suction cup assembly is located below the printing platform. When printing media is placed on the printing platform, the suction cup assembly, under the action of the floating support 200 and the lifting mechanism 100, tilts at multiple angles to adjust the flatness of the printing media and the degree of fixed adhesion between the printing media and the printing platform.

[0025] The suction cup mechanism 300 includes 1 to 5 units. Each suction cup mechanism 300 includes a suction cup 310, a connecting rod 320, and a rotating base 330. The rotating base 330 is mounted on the floating support 200 and is a ball joint structure. The adsorption surface is formed on the upper surface of the suction cup 310. The connecting rod 320 is fixedly connected to the lower part of the suction cup 310, perpendicular to the adsorption surface, and its lower end is connected to the ball joint structure. It has a certain degree of freedom of circumferential swing relative to the vertical direction, thereby realizing the tilting of the adsorption surface in the horizontal direction.

[0026] In this embodiment, the suction cup mechanism includes three, each suction cup mechanism 300 includes a suction cup 310, a connecting rod 320 and a rotating base 330, the rotating base 330 is a spherical hinge structure, so when the rotating base 330 is circumferentially rotated, the suction cup 310 follows the rotating base 330 to rotate circumferentially, the connecting rod 320 moves in the vertical direction to drive the suction cup 310 to move up and down.

[0027] The suction cup 310 includes a flat disc bottom 311 and a flexible inclined disc edge 312, the inclined disc edge 312 surrounds the flat disc bottom 311, the flat disc bottom 311 is provided with a negative pressure adsorption hole 313 in the middle, a plurality of support pads 314 are distributed at intervals outside the negative pressure adsorption hole 313, the upper surfaces of all the support pads 314 are on the same plane and are lower than the edge of the inclined disc edge 312, and the suction cup mechanism 300 is provided with a negative pressure outlet 315 communicating with the negative pressure adsorption hole 313.

[0028] In this embodiment, when the printing medium is placed on the printing platform and needs to be adjusted for flatness, first, the suction cup 310 is extended out of the printing platform, then the flexible inclined disc edge 312 is first contacted with the printing medium, and then the support pad 314 in the flat disc bottom 311 is contacted with the printing medium to achieve complete adhesion; secondly, the suction cup 310 is collected back from the printing platform, the contact surface of the printing medium and the suction cup 310 is clamped at the same position through the inclined disc edge 312, at the same time, the negative pressure adsorption hole 313 sucks the contact surface between the printing medium and the suction cup 310 more closely through negative pressure suction, and the air in the contact surface is squeezed out, which helps to suck the printing medium, and prepares for the next step of stretching and flattening the printing medium. Since the printing medium is in contact with multiple suction cups 310 at the same time, the flatness of the printing medium on the entire printing platform is achieved through multiple contact surfaces.

[0029] A horizontal support sheet 400 is arranged below the suction cup 310, the horizontal support sheet 400 is fixed below the upper surface of the printer platform, support holes 410 are formed on the horizontal support sheet 400 corresponding to the positions of each suction cup 310, the opening size of the support holes 410 is smaller than the maximum size of the suction cup mechanism 300, the suction cup 310 is located in the support hole 410, and the connecting rod 320 passes through the support hole 410. When the connecting rod 320 drives the suction cup 310 to descend to the lowest point, the horizontal support sheet 400 can support the suction cup 310 to restore to the horizontal state.

[0030] In this embodiment, the horizontal support sheet 400 is a circular sheet, and there are three support holes 410 on the circular sheet. The suction disc structure 300 moves up and down through the support holes 410. Due to the arrangement of the inclined disc edge 312, the diameter of the upper surface of the suction disc 310 is larger than the diameter of the flat disc bottom 311. Therefore, when the suction disc structure 300 is contracted to the limit, the flat disc bottom 311 is in the same horizontal plane as the support hole 410.

[0031] A stepped support surface 340 is arranged below the suction disc 310. The stepped support surface 340 includes at least an upper support level 341 with a size larger than the support hole 410 and a lower support level 342 with a size smaller than the support hole 410. The lower side of the upper support level 341 forms a horizontal support surface 343. The distance d from the horizontal support surface 343 to the suction surface is smaller than the distance D from the horizontal support sheet 400 to the upper surface of the printer platform.

[0032] In this embodiment, the upper support level 341 is in the shape of a circular truncated cone, and the lower support level 342 is in the shape of a flat cylinder. When the suction disc structure 300 is in the stop state, the suction disc 310 is located below the printing platform and does not protrude above the printing platform. When the suction disc 310 is inserted into and withdrawn from the support hole 410, the entire lower support level 342 is simultaneously inserted and withdrawn, while only part of the upper support level 341 is inserted and withdrawn.

[0033] The floating support 200 includes a lower lifting plate 210, an elastic support 220, and an upper floating plate 230. The lower lifting plate 210 is connected to the lifting mechanism 100, and the elastic support 220 drives the upper floating plate 230 to move up and down. The upper floating plate 230 is connected to the suction disc mechanism 300 and drives the suction disc mechanism 300 to lift. In this embodiment, the elastic support 220 is a spring, which is used for buffering and storing energy. The upper floating plate 230 is used to provide a mounting position for the suction disc structure 300. The lower lifting plate 210 is used to provide a mounting position for the spring of the elastic support 220. The diameter of the upper floating plate 230 is larger than the diameter of the lower lifting plate 210, which is used to expand the angular momentum of the suction disc structure 300. The lifting mechanism 100 includes a gas cylinder assembly. The use of the gas cylinder assembly can accurately, quickly, and reliably control the movement distance of the suction disc structure 300, which helps to reduce the installation space and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0034] A slide rod 240 is vertically arranged on the lower lifting plate 210. A through hole 232 is formed in the upper floating plate 230 corresponding to the position of the slide rod 240. The slide rod 240 passes through the through hole 232 and is provided with a limiting piece 241 at the end. In this embodiment, the upper floating plate 230 passes through the slide rod 240 through the through hole 232. The slide rod 240 is limited by the limiting piece 241, so that the movement of the upper floating plate 230 and the slide rod 240 is kept synchronous.

[0035] The gap between the through hole 232 and the slide bar 240 allows the upper floating plate 230 to have a tilt angle of no more than 3° relative to the slide bar 240, and the limiting member 241 has a lower plane. When the lifting mechanism 100 pulls down the slide bar 240, the upper floating plate 230 returns to the horizontal state under the joint action of the lower plane and the elastic support 220. In this embodiment, the slide bar 240 has a tilt angle of 3°, which is used to provide a tilt allowance for the slide bar 240. When the slide bar 240 located in the middle of the upper floating plate 230 can tilt, the tiltable range of the suction cup structure 300 located at the circumferential edge of the upper floating plate 230 is expanded, and the flexibility of the multi-angle tilt of the suction cup 310 is improved. The lower plane of the limiting member 241 can adjust the upper floating plate 230 to keep horizontal during the up-and-down movement, avoiding the influence of the tilt of the suction cup 310 on the upper floating plate 230.

[0036] The elastic support 220 is a spring with a circular cross section, which is sleeved outside the slide bar 240. The lower lifting plate 210 and the upper floating plate 230 are circular as a whole, and the lower lifting plate 210 is provided with a lower concave lower support position 211 corresponding to the position of the spring, and the upper floating plate 230 is provided with an upper concave upper support position 231. The two ends of the spring are respectively embedded in the lower support position 211 and the upper support position 231. The relationship between the diameter d of the spring and the diameter D of the upper floating plate 230 is d:D between 0.4-0.6. In this embodiment, the upper support position 231 and the lower support position 211 with the inner recess shape are used to clamp the two ends of the spring, so that the upper floating plate 230 and the lower lifting plate 210 are parallel to each other. The relationship between the diameter d of the spring and the diameter D of the upper floating plate 230 is d:D=0.5.

[0037] The side surface of the upper floating plate 230 is provided with an inward opening 233 for installing the suction cup mechanism 300. The inner side surface of the opening 233 is no more than 10 mm away from the spring, so that the suction cup mechanism 300 is installed on the upper floating plate 230 in the area outside the periphery of the spring. In this embodiment, the opening 233 is provided with three openings, which are respectively 60° apart, so as to realize that the installation edges of the three suction cups 310 do not exceed the outer surface of the horizontal support sheet 400, thereby avoiding scratching and collision when the suction cup 310 penetrates out of the printing platform. At the same time, the inner side surface of the opening 233 is 10 mm away from the spring, thereby avoiding the influence of the spring on the stability of the suction cup structure 300 during the movement.

[0038] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present application are only examples for clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A printer platform suction cup assembly, said suction cup assembly is arranged on a printer platform for sucking a printing medium, comprising a lifting mechanism (100), a floating support (200) and a suction cup mechanism (300), said lifting mechanism (100) drives the suction cup mechanism (300) to lift through the floating support (200), when the suction cup mechanism (300) is lifted to the highest point, the suction surface of the suction cup mechanism (300) is higher than the upper surface of the printer platform, when the suction cup mechanism (300) is lowered to the lowest point, the suction surface is not higher than the upper surface of the printer platform, characterized in that, The suction disc mechanism (300) comprises a plurality of regular polygonal arrangements, and the suction surface of each suction disc mechanism (300) has a degree of freedom of independent tilting in the horizontal direction relative to the support surface of the floating support (200); The floating support (200) comprises a lower lifting plate (210), an elastic support (220) and an upper floating plate (230), the lower lifting plate (210) is connected with the lifting mechanism (100), the lower lifting plate (210) supports the elastic support (220) to drive the upper floating plate (230) to move up and down, and the upper floating plate (230) is connected with the suction disc mechanism (300) to drive the suction disc mechanism (300) to lift; A slide rod (240) is vertically arranged on the lower lifting plate (210), the upper floating plate (230) is provided with a through hole (232) corresponding to the position of the slide rod (240), and the slide rod (240) passes through the through hole (232) and is provided with a limiting piece (241) at the end portion; A gap is reserved between the through hole (232) and the slide rod (240) to enable the upper floating plate (230) to have a tilting angle of not more than 3° relative to the slide rod (240), and the limiting piece (241) has a lower plane, when the lifting mechanism (100) drives the slide rod (240) to be pulled down, the upper floating plate (230) is restored to a horizontal state under the joint action of the lower plane and the elastic support (220); The suction cup mechanism (300) comprises 1 5, each suction cup mechanism (300) comprises a suction cup (310), a connecting rod (320) and a rotating base (330), the rotating base (330) is arranged on the floating support (200) and is a spherical hinge structure, a suction surface is formed on the upper surface of the suction cup (310), the connecting rod (320) is fixedly connected to the lower side of the suction cup (310) and is perpendicular to the suction surface, the lower end is connected to the spherical hinge structure and has a circumferential swinging freedom degree relative to the vertical direction at a certain angle, so that the suction surface can tilt in the horizontal direction.

2. The printer platform chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein, The suction disc (310) comprises a flat disc bottom (311) and a flexible inclined disc edge (312), the inclined disc edge (312) surrounds the flat disc bottom (311), a negative pressure suction hole (313) is arranged in the middle of the flat disc bottom (311), a plurality of support pads (314) are distributed at intervals at the outer circle of the negative pressure suction hole (313), the upper surfaces of all the support pads (314) are on the same plane and are lower than the edge of the inclined disc edge (312), and a negative pressure outlet (315) is arranged on the suction disc mechanism (300) to communicate with the negative pressure suction hole (313).

3. The printer platform chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein, A horizontal support sheet (400) is arranged below the suction disc (310), the horizontal support sheet (400) is fixed below the upper surface of the printer platform, a support hole (410) is arranged on the horizontal support sheet (400) corresponding to the position of each suction disc (310), the opening size of the support hole (410) is smaller than the maximum size of the suction disc mechanism (300), the suction disc (310) is located in the support hole (410), the connecting rod (320) passes through the support hole (410), and when the connecting rod (320) drives the suction disc (310) to descend to the lowest point, the horizontal support sheet (400) can support the suction disc (310) to be restored to a horizontal state.

4. The printer platform chuck assembly of claim 3, wherein, The suction cup (310) is provided below with a stepped support surface (340), which at least includes an upper support level (341) with a size greater than the support hole (410) and a lower support level (342) with a size smaller than the support hole (410), the lower side of the upper support level (341) forms a horizontal support surface (343), the distance d from the horizontal support surface (343) to the suction surface is smaller than the distance D from the horizontal support sheet (400) to the upper surface of the printer platform.

5. The printer platform chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein, The elastic support (220) is a spring with a circular cross section, which is sleeved on the slide rod (240), the lower lifting plate (210) and the upper floating plate (230) are circular as a whole, the lower lifting plate (210) is provided with a lower concave lower support position (211) corresponding to the position of the spring, the upper floating plate (230) is provided with an upper concave upper support position (231), and the two ends of the spring are respectively embedded in the lower support position (211) and the upper support position (231), and the relationship between the diameter d of the spring and the diameter D of the upper floating plate (230) is d:D between 0.4 0.

6.

6. The printer platform chuck assembly of claim 5, wherein, The upper floating plate (230) is provided with an inward opening (233) on the side for installing the suction cup mechanism (300), the inner side of the opening (233) is not more than 10mm away from the spring, so that the suction cup mechanism (300) is installed on the upper floating plate (230) and the peripheral area of the spring.

Images