A printing apparatus for printing a tactile dot matrix character and a printing method thereof

Abstract

The application is suitable for the field of printing equipment, and provides a printing equipment of touch dot matrix characters and a printing method thereof. The printing equipment comprises feeding mechanism, pretreatment mechanism, printing mechanism and material collecting mechanism connected in sequence. The application aims at solving the technical problems of the prior art, such as high cost, low production efficiency, easy damage of Braille, etc. in the way of engraving or extruding to make the shape of Braille on the surface of Braille paper; and high precision requirement, high cost, low production efficiency, high defective rate, etc. in the way of inkjet printing to print ink on paper, and then forming thickness by ink solidification, and finally making ink dots meeting the requirements of Braille.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of printing equipment, and particularly relates to a printing device and method for tactile dot matrix text. Background Technology

[0002] Because of their visual impairment, blind people can only use Braille for reading and written communication. Since Braille books are frequently touched and squeezed, a method for rapidly manufacturing Braille books is needed, and Braille itself requires good abrasion resistance.

[0003] However, existing Braille production methods mostly involve carving or pressing to create the shape of the Braille on the surface of the Braille paper. But this method has disadvantages such as high cost, low production efficiency, and easy damage to the Braille.

[0004] Another method of Braille production mainly involves inkjet printing. Ink is printed onto paper, and then the ink solidifies to form a thickness. This process is repeated multiple times to ultimately create ink dots that meet the requirements for Braille. However, this method has drawbacks such as high precision requirements for printing equipment, high cost, low production efficiency, and a high defect rate.

[0005] In today's increasingly developed society, the blind community's demand for learning and communication is growing, but existing Braille production methods cannot meet the needs of society. Therefore, the research and development of new Braille production methods is urgently needed. To this end, this application proposes a Braille printing device that can fix ink on a carrier to form Braille patterns. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a printing device and method for tactile dot matrix text, aiming to solve the technical problems of existing technologies that use engraving or extrusion to create the shape of Braille on Braille paper, but this method has the disadvantages of high cost, low production efficiency, and easy damage to Braille; inkjet printing, which prints ink onto paper and then solidifies the ink to form thickness, and prints multiple times to finally produce ink dots that meet the requirements of Braille, but this method has the disadvantages of high precision requirements for printing equipment, high cost, low production efficiency, and high defect rate.

[0007] The present invention is implemented as follows: a printing device for tactile dot matrix text, the printing device comprising, in sequence, a feeding mechanism for feeding paper, a pretreatment mechanism for spraying a UV oil coating with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component onto the paper, a printing mechanism for spreading UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged onto the UV oil coating on the paper, and for preventing the surface tension of the UV ink from leveling out in a short time by the principle of mutual attraction between opposite charges and mutual repulsion between like charges, and then for curing the UV ink, and a collecting mechanism for collecting the printed paper.

[0008] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the feeding mechanism includes a feeding frame, a paper feeding platform disposed at the bottom inside the feeding frame and capable of being raised and lowered by a telescopic cylinder, pneumatic nozzles disposed on both sides inside the feeding frame with the nozzles facing the paper feeding platform, and vacuum suction nozzles disposed on both sides at the top inside the feeding frame and capable of moving freely along the X and Y axes via guide rails.

[0009] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: the pretreatment mechanism includes a pretreatment frame, a pretreatment rubber belt mounted on the pretreatment frame and driven to rotate by a linkage roller, UV oil nozzles mounted on the pretreatment frame via plastic tubes, positioned at the top end of the pretreatment rubber belt and evenly distributed on the plastic tubes, a rubber cloth roller mounted on the pretreatment frame and driven by a linkage roller to move in conjunction with the pretreatment rubber belt and positioned behind the UV oil nozzles, and a UV oil curing lamp mounted on the pretreatment frame, positioned at the top end of the pretreatment rubber belt and positioned behind the rubber cloth roller, consisting of an ultraviolet lamp tube and a semi-transparent anti-ultraviolet lamp cover.

[0010] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the printing mechanism includes a printing frame, a printing rubber belt mounted on the printing frame and driven to rotate by a linkage roller, a UV ink roller coating unit mounted on the printing frame and positioned at the front top of the printing rubber belt, a UV ink fixing unit mounted on the printing frame and positioned behind the UV ink roller coating unit and positioned at the middle top of the printing rubber belt, and a UV ink curing unit mounted on the printing frame and positioned behind the UV ink fixing unit and positioned at the tail top of the printing rubber belt.

[0011] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the UV ink roller coating unit includes a first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft whose position is adjustable, a second insulating rubber blanket roller shaft whose position is adjustable, is opposite to the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft, and rotates in the opposite direction to the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft, and a third insulating rubber blanket roller shaft which is disposed at the bottom between the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and the second insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and is tangent to the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and the second insulating rubber blanket roller shaft respectively.

[0012] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the UV ink fixing unit includes hydraulic lifters disposed on both sides of the printing press frame, plastic plates disposed on the hydraulic lifters on both sides and capable of moving up and down, and a number of metal probes evenly disposed horizontally and vertically on the plastic plates and placed at the bottom of the plastic plates.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the UV ink curing unit is a UV ink curing lamp composed of an ultraviolet lamp tube and a semi-transparent anti-ultraviolet lamp cover.

[0014] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the receiving mechanism includes a receiving frame and a paper receiving platform disposed at the bottom inside the receiving frame and capable of being raised and lowered by a telescopic cylinder.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing method for a tactile dot matrix text printing device, the method comprising the following steps: Step S1: The paper is transported to the pre-processing unit via the feeding mechanism; Step S2: A UV oil with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component is sprayed onto the paper surface through a pretreatment mechanism to form a rough UV oil coating on the paper surface. The UV oil is then formed into a uniformly covered layer by squeezing the paper and the UV oil on the paper surface is quickly cured to form a stable UV coating on the paper surface. Step S3: The printing mechanism spreads UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged onto the paper. Since the paper is already covered with a cured UV coating, the UV ink can still move freely on the paper. At this time, the computer processes the printing pattern and controls the printing mechanism to deliver negative charges to designated metal probes and positive charges to the other metal probes. When the metal probes come into contact with the positively charged UV ink, the UV ink will gather towards the metal probes due to the principle of attraction between opposite charges. The UV ink will escape towards the metal probes in the opposite direction due to the principle of repulsion between like charges. After the metal probes are retracted, the UV ink will not be able to flow smoothly for a short time due to surface tension. Then, all the UV ink on the surface of the paper is finally cured. Step S4: Collect the paper using the receiving mechanism.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This printing equipment uses ink printing to produce Braille, which improves efficiency compared to existing methods. It uses magnetic induction to condense ink on the paper surface, completing production in one go, effectively improving efficiency. The use of multi-component linkage effectively reduces the generation of defective products. Technically, the equipment is compatible with water-based UV ink production, resulting in less environmental pollution. The equipment is easy to operate, and precision components do not require professional technical maintenance; regular cleaning is sufficient. Workers can master the operation after simple training, reducing labor costs. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a printing device for tactile dot matrix text provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the feeding mechanism of a printing device for tactile dot matrix text provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the preprocessing mechanism of a printing device for tactile dot matrix text provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the printing mechanism of a tactile dot matrix text printing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the metal probe operation of the printing mechanism of a tactile dot matrix text printing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the metal probe operation of the printing mechanism of a tactile dot matrix text printing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the metal probe operation of the printing mechanism of a tactile dot matrix text printing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 ; Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a printing method for a tactile dot matrix text printing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Reference numerals: 1-Feeding mechanism; 2-Pre-treatment mechanism; 3-Printing mechanism; 4-Receiving mechanism; 5-Feeding frame; 6-Paper feeding platform; 7-Pneumatic nozzle; 8-Vacuum suction nozzle; 9-Pre-treatment frame; 10-Pre-treatment rubber belt; 11-Plastic tube; 12-Rubber blanket roller; 13-UV oil curing lamp; 14-Printing frame; 15-Printing rubber belt; 16-UV ink roller coating unit; 17-UV ink fixing unit; 18-UV ink curing unit; 19-First insulating rubber blanket roller; 20-Second insulating rubber blanket roller; 21-Third insulating rubber blanket roller; 22-Plastic sheet; 23-Receiving frame; 24-Paper receiving platform; 25-Metal probe.

[0019] like Figure 1-7As shown, the present invention provides a printing device for tactile dot matrix text. The printing device includes a feeding mechanism 1 for feeding paper, a pretreatment mechanism 2 for spraying a UV oil coating with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component onto the paper, a printing mechanism 3 for spreading UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged onto the UV oil coating on the paper, and for preventing the UV ink from flowing smoothly in a short time by the principle of mutual attraction between opposite charges and mutual repulsion between like charges, and then for curing the UV ink, and a collecting mechanism 4 for collecting the printed paper. This printing equipment automatically feeds paper through the feeding mechanism 1 and transports it to the pretreatment mechanism 2. The pretreatment mechanism 2 then sprays a UV oil coating with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component onto the paper surface and uniformly treats the sprayed UV oil coating. The treated paper then enters the printing mechanism 3, where UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged is sprayed onto the paper. The UV ink spreads evenly on the UV oil coating of the paper. Then, through the principle of attraction between opposite charges and repulsion between like charges, the surface tension of the UV ink cannot level out in a short time. The paper is then cured with UV ink, and Braille printing is completed. Finally, the paper is collected by the receiving mechanism 4.

[0020] like Figure 2 As shown, the feeding mechanism 1 includes a feeding frame 5, a paper feeding platform 6 located at the bottom inside the feeding frame 5 and capable of being raised and lowered by a telescopic cylinder, pneumatic nozzles 7 located on both sides inside the feeding frame 5 with their nozzles facing the paper feeding platform 6, and vacuum suction nozzles 8 located on both sides at the top inside the feeding frame 5 and capable of moving freely along the X and Y axes via guide rails. On both sides of the feeder frame 1, vertical support tubes are bolted together. Pneumatic nozzles 7 are attached to the surface of the vertical support tubes. By using side air intake, the top layer of paper accumulated on the feeding mechanism 1 can be blown apart, so that the top vacuum nozzle 8 can only pick up the first sheet of paper. At the top of the feeder frame 1, there is a guide rail that can move freely along the X and Y axes. The vacuum nozzle 8 is mounted on it and can pick up the paper before feeding it into the pretreatment mechanism 2. In addition, the paper feeding platform 6 can move in the Z-axis direction. As the paper decreases, the height of the paper feeding platform 6 increases, so that the pneumatic nozzle 7 always blows apart the top paper and the vacuum nozzle 8 can always pick up the first sheet of paper.

[0021] like Figure 3As shown, the pretreatment mechanism 2 includes a pretreatment frame 9, a pretreatment rubber belt 10 mounted on the pretreatment frame 9 and driven to rotate by a linkage roller, UV oil nozzles (not shown) mounted on the pretreatment frame 9 via plastic tubes 11, located at the top end of the pretreatment rubber belt 10 and evenly distributed on the plastic tubes 11, a rubber cloth roller 12 mounted on the pretreatment frame 9 and driven by a linkage roller to move in conjunction with the pretreatment rubber belt 10 and located behind the UV oil nozzles, and a UV oil curing lamp 13 mounted on the pretreatment frame 9, located at the top end of the pretreatment rubber belt 10 and located behind the rubber cloth roller 12, consisting of an ultraviolet lamp tube and a semi-transparent anti-UV lamp cover. The pretreatment mechanism 2 uses a linkage roller to drive the pretreatment rubber belt 10 to feed the paper into the pretreatment mechanism 2. Two detachable plastic tubes 11 at the front and rear are connected to evenly distributed UV oil nozzles. Because there is a distance between the UV oil nozzles, uneven spraying can occur. Therefore, a double spraying method is used to evenly spray the paper surface with UV oil, mainly composed of high-resistance epoxy resin, forming a rough UV oil coating on the paper surface. Then, through a rubber blanket roller 12 linked to the movement of the pretreatment rubber belt 10, the paper is squeezed to smooth the UV oil on its surface, forming a uniformly covered layer. Finally, a UV oil curing lamp 13, composed of a UV lamp tube and a semi-transparent UV-resistant lamp cover, cures the UV oil. First, the UV lamp tube allows the UV oil on the paper surface to cure quickly, forming a stable UV coating on the paper surface. The UV-resistant lamp cover protects the operator from prolonged exposure to UV light, while the semi-transparent material allows the operator to observe the UV oil curing speed and decide whether to change the brightness of the UV lamp tube.

[0022] like Figure 4 As shown, the printing mechanism 3 includes a printing frame 14, a printing rubber belt 15 mounted on the printing frame 14 and driven to rotate by a linkage roller, a UV ink roller coating unit 16 mounted on the printing frame 14 and positioned at the top front of the printing rubber belt 15, a UV ink fixing unit 17 mounted on the printing frame 14 and positioned behind the UV ink roller coating unit 16 and at the top middle of the printing rubber belt 15, and a UV ink curing unit 18 mounted on the printing frame 14 and positioned behind the UV ink fixing unit 17 and at the top tail of the printing rubber belt 15. The printing mechanism 3 advances the paper via the printing rubber belt 15 and applies UV ink roller coating with toner and a positive charge to the paper via the UV ink roller coating unit 16. After roller coating, the UV ink is fixed and evenly coated by the UV ink fixing unit 17 to form Braille. Finally, the UV ink on the paper is cured by the UV ink curing unit 18 to form cured Braille.

[0023] The UV ink roller coating unit 16 includes a first insulating blanket roller 19 with adjustable position, a second insulating blanket roller 20 with adjustable position, positioned opposite to the first insulating blanket roller 19 and rotating in the opposite direction to the first insulating blanket roller 19, and a third insulating blanket roller 21 disposed at the bottom between the first insulating blanket roller 19 and the second insulating blanket roller 20 and tangent to both the first insulating blanket roller 19 and the second insulating blanket roller 20 respectively. The UV ink roller coating unit 16 consists of three insulating blanket rollers. The upper two insulating blanket rollers are adjustable in relative position. During operation, a gap is left between the two insulating blanket rollers. UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged is added between the two insulating blanket rollers. The two insulating blanket rollers rotate in the opposite direction, transferring the UV ink to the third insulating blanket roller 21. The third insulating blanket roller 21 then spreads the UV ink onto the paper. Since the paper is already covered with a cured UV coating, the UV ink can still move freely on the paper.

[0024] The UV ink fixing unit 17 includes hydraulic lifters mounted on both sides of the printing press frame 14, a plastic plate 22 mounted on the hydraulic lifters on both sides and capable of vertical movement, and several metal probes 25 evenly arranged horizontally and vertically on the plastic plate 22 and placed at the bottom of the plastic plate 22. The UV ink fixing unit 17 consists of hydraulic lifters, a plastic plate 22 capable of vertical movement along the Z-axis, and metal probes 25. First, the printing equipment is fixed above by a supporting iron pipe. The plastic plate 22 is connected to hydraulic lifters at both ends, allowing the plastic plate 22 to move vertically along the Z-axis, so that the tips of the metal probes 25 contact the UV ink. Figure 5-7 As shown, when the printing equipment is started, the computer processes the printing pattern and then controls the printing equipment to deliver a negative charge to the designated metal probe 25 and a positive charge to the other metal probes 25. When the metal probe 25 comes into contact with the positively charged UV ink, the UV ink will gather towards the metal probe 25 due to the principle of mutual attraction between opposite charges. The UV ink will escape towards the metal probe 25 in the opposite direction due to the principle of mutual repulsion between like charges. When the metal probe 25 is retracted, the UV ink will not be able to flow smoothly for a short time due to surface tension. At this time, the paper is fed into the UV ink curing unit 17 for curing through the printing rubber belt 15.

[0025] The UV ink curing unit 18 is a UV ink curing lamp composed of an ultraviolet lamp tube and a semi-transparent anti-UV lamp cover. The UV ink curing unit 18 performs final curing of all UV inks on the surface of the paper to form cured Braille.

[0026] The receiving mechanism 4 includes a receiving frame 23 and a paper receiving platform 24 located at the bottom of the receiving frame 23 and movable by a telescopic cylinder. The receiving mechanism 23 collects the final finished paper, and the height of the paper receiving platform 24 is controlled by the telescopic cylinder, so that the paper receiving platform 24 can collect paper in a controllable manner.

[0027] like Figure 8 As shown, a printing method for a tactile dot matrix text printing device includes the following steps: Step S1: The paper is transported to the pre-processing unit via the feeding mechanism; Step S2: A UV oil with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component is sprayed onto the paper surface through a pretreatment mechanism to form a rough UV oil coating on the paper surface. The UV oil is then formed into a uniformly covered layer by squeezing the paper and the UV oil on the paper surface is quickly cured to form a stable UV coating on the paper surface. Step S3: The printing mechanism spreads UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged onto the paper. Since the paper is already covered with a cured UV coating, the UV ink can still move freely on the paper. At this time, the computer processes the printing pattern and controls the printing mechanism to deliver negative charges to designated metal probes and positive charges to the other metal probes. When the metal probes come into contact with the positively charged UV ink, the UV ink will gather towards the metal probes due to the principle of attraction between opposite charges. The UV ink will escape towards the metal probes in the opposite direction due to the principle of repulsion between like charges. After the metal probes are retracted, the UV ink will not be able to flow smoothly for a short time due to surface tension. Then, all the UV ink on the surface of the paper is finally cured. Step S4: Collect the paper using the receiving mechanism.

[0028] This printing equipment uses ink printing to create Braille, which improves efficiency compared to existing methods. It uses magnetic induction to condense ink on the paper surface, completing production in one go, effectively improving efficiency. The use of multi-component linkage effectively reduces the generation of defective products. Technically, the equipment is compatible with water-based UV ink production, resulting in less environmental pollution. The equipment is easy to operate, and precision components do not require professional technical maintenance; regular cleaning is sufficient. Workers can master the operation after simple training, which can reduce labor costs.

[0029] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A printing method of a printing apparatus of a tactile dot letter, characterized by, The method includes the following steps: Step S1: The paper is transported to the pre-processing unit via the feeding mechanism; Step S2: A UV oil with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component is sprayed onto the paper surface through a pretreatment mechanism to form a rough UV oil coating on the paper surface. The UV oil is then formed into a uniformly covered layer by squeezing the paper and the UV oil on the paper surface is quickly cured to form a stable UV coating on the paper surface. Step S3: The printing mechanism spreads UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged onto the paper. Since the paper is already covered with a cured UV coating, the UV ink can still move freely on the paper. At this time, the printing pattern is processed by the computer. The printing mechanism includes a UV ink fixing unit, which is equipped with several metal probes. The printing mechanism is then controlled to deliver a negative charge to a designated metal probe and a positive charge to the other metal probes. When the metal probes come into contact with the positively charged UV ink, the UV ink will gather towards the metal probes due to the principle of attraction between opposite charges. The UV ink will escape towards the metal probes in the opposite direction due to the principle of repulsion between like charges. After the metal probes are retracted, the UV ink will not be able to flow smoothly for a short time due to surface tension. Finally, all the UV ink on the surface of the paper is cured. Step S4: Collect the paper using the receiving mechanism.

2. A printing apparatus of a printing method of a tactile dot letter according to claim 1, characterized by The printing equipment includes, in sequence, a feeding mechanism for feeding paper, a pretreatment mechanism for spraying a UV oil coating with high-resistance epoxy resin as the main component onto the paper, a printing mechanism for spreading UV ink mixed with toner and positively charged onto the UV oil coating on the paper, and for preventing the UV ink surface tension from leveling out in a short time by the principle of mutual attraction between opposite charges and mutual repulsion between like charges, and then for curing the UV ink, and a collecting mechanism for collecting the printed paper.

3. The printing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism includes a feeding frame, a paper feeding platform located at the bottom inside the feeding frame and movable by a telescopic cylinder, pneumatic nozzles located on both sides inside the feeding frame with their nozzles facing the paper feeding platform, and vacuum suction nozzles located on both sides at the top inside the feeding frame and movable freely along the X and Y axes via guide rails.

4. The printing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pretreatment mechanism includes a pretreatment frame, a pretreatment rubber belt mounted on the pretreatment frame and driven to rotate by a linkage roller, UV oil nozzles mounted on the pretreatment frame via plastic tubes, positioned at the top end of the pretreatment rubber belt and evenly distributed on the plastic tubes, a rubber sheet roller mounted on the pretreatment frame and driven by a linkage roller in connection with the movement of the pretreatment rubber belt and positioned behind the UV oil nozzles, and a UV oil curing lamp mounted on the pretreatment frame at the top end of the pretreatment rubber belt and positioned behind the rubber sheet roller, consisting of an ultraviolet lamp tube and a semi-transparent anti-UV lamp cover.

5. The printing equipment according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The printing mechanism includes a printing frame, a printing rubber belt mounted on the printing frame and driven to rotate by a linkage roller, a UV ink roller coating unit mounted on the printing frame and positioned at the top front of the printing rubber belt, a UV ink fixing unit mounted on the printing frame, positioned behind the UV ink roller coating unit and at the top middle of the printing rubber belt, and a UV ink curing unit mounted on the printing frame, positioned behind the UV ink fixing unit and at the top tail of the printing rubber belt.

6. The printing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The UV ink roller coating unit includes a first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft with adjustable position, a second insulating rubber blanket roller shaft with adjustable position, positioned opposite to the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and rotating in the opposite direction to the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft, and a third insulating rubber blanket roller shaft disposed at the bottom between the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and the second insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and tangent to the first insulating rubber blanket roller shaft and the second insulating rubber blanket roller shaft respectively.

7. The printing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The UV ink fixing unit includes hydraulic lifters on both sides of the printing press frame, a plastic plate that is mounted on the hydraulic lifters on both sides and can move up and down, and a number of metal probes that are evenly arranged horizontally and vertically on the plastic plate and placed at the bottom of the plastic plate.

8. The printing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The UV ink curing unit is a UV ink curing lamp consisting of an ultraviolet lamp tube and a semi-transparent anti-UV lamp cover.

9. The printing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The receiving mechanism includes a receiving frame and a paper receiving platform located at the bottom inside the receiving frame and capable of being raised and lowered by a telescopic cylinder.

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