Medium processor, printer and cutting device

Abstract

To perform processing for a medium at an adequate position.SOLUTION: A medium processor comprises a table, a head, a relative movement mechanism, and a control part. The control part controls at least one processing parameter of processing timing by a processing part and a height of the processing part on the basis of a gap between a head and a reference surface which is a placement surface or an upper surface of a medium when relatively moving the table and the head at a prescribed relative speed in a main scanning direction and performing processing for the medium, and controls so as to perform processing with a correction parameter when the correction parameter, in which the processing parameter is corrected, is set on the basis of a difference between an actual gap on the reference surface and a gap reference value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a media processing device, a printing device, and a cutting device. [Background technology]

[0002] As a printing device that prints on a medium, for example, an inkjet printing device that ejects droplets from a head onto the medium is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a printing device includes, for example, a table on which the medium can be placed, and a head that ejects droplets toward the surface of the medium while moving back and forth in the main scanning direction above the table. This printing device ejects droplets while moving the head in the main scanning direction, then moves the head a predetermined distance in the sub-scanning direction that intersects the main scanning direction, and again moves back and forth in the main scanning direction and ejects droplets. By repeating this operation, an image is formed over the entire medium, one row or multiple rows at a time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-109360 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the printing device described above, the head is supported on a table. When the head is moved in the sub-scanning direction, depending on the position of the head in the sub-scanning direction, the table supporting the weight of the head may deform downward, causing the distance between the head and the table (head gap) to change in the sub-scanning direction. In this case, droplets ejected from the head may not land in the appropriate position. This is not limited to printing devices, but may also occur in other media processing devices that move a head having a processing section relative to a table and perform processing on media placed on the table using the processing section, and may not be able to process the media in the appropriate position.

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of the above, and has an object to provide a media processing device, a printing device, and a cutting device that are able to process media at an appropriate position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] a control unit that controls the relative movement between the table and the head by the relative movement mechanism and the operation of the processor in the head to perform the processing on the media placed on the mounting surface, and controls at least one of the processing parameters, namely, the timing of the processing by the processor and the height of the processor, based on the gap between the head and a reference surface which is the mounting surface or the top surface of the media, when the table and the head are moved relatively in the main scanning direction at a predetermined relative speed to perform the processing on the media, and

[0007] The printing device of the present invention includes a table having a mounting surface on which a medium is placed, a head having a planar nozzle surface facing the mounting surface and on which a plurality of nozzles are formed, the head ejecting droplets from the plurality of nozzles toward the mounting surface, a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction along the mounting surface, and a control unit that controls the relative movement between the table and the head by the relative movement mechanism and the ejection of the droplets by the head to eject the droplets toward the media placed on the mounting surface, and the control unit controls the droplets to be ejected at a reference timing based on a reference value of a gap between the head and the mounting surface so that the droplets land at a target position on the media when the table and the head are moved relatively to each other at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction to eject the droplets, and when a correction timing is set in which the reference timing is corrected based on the difference between the actual gap on the mounting surface and the reference value of the gap, the control unit controls the droplets to be ejected at the corrected timing.

[0008] The cutting device of the present invention comprises a table having a mounting surface on which media is placed, a head facing the mounting surface and having a cutter that cuts the media, a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction along the mounting surface and also moves the table and the cutter relatively in the vertical direction, and a control unit that controls the relative movement between the table and the head and the relative movement between the table and the cutter by the relative movement mechanism and the operation of the cutter in the head to cut the media placed on the mounting surface with the cutter, and when the control unit moves the table and the head relatively in the main scanning direction at a predetermined relative speed to cut the media, it controls the height position of the cutter based on a gap between the head and a reference surface which is the mounting surface or the top surface of the media, and when a corrected height in which the height of the cutter is corrected based on the difference between the actual gap on the reference surface and the reference value of the gap is set, it controls the cut to be performed at the corrected height. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, processing can be performed at an appropriate position on the media. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram (perspective view) showing an example of a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram (plan view) showing an example of a schematic configuration of a printing device according to this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment (as viewed from the +Y side). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment (as viewed from the +X side). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the principle of impact adjustment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting the correction timing. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how droplets discharged from a head land. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a cutting device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the principle of the cutting operation when the height of the cutter is not adjusted. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the principle of the cutting operation, in which the height of the cutter is adjusted. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a procedure for setting a correction height when the reference distance is shorter than the target distance. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of a procedure for setting a correction height when the reference distance is longer than the target distance. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a fixing mechanism, in a state where it is attached to a head. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a fixing mechanism detached from a head. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a fixing mechanism, and is a side view showing a state in which it is attached to a head. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a fixing mechanism, and shows a state in which the mechanism is attached to a head, as viewed from below (the side of the cutter blade). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Below, embodiments of a media processing device, a printing device, and a cutting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0012] In this embodiment, the directions in the figure are described using an XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the floor surface on which the printing device 100 is placed is defined as the XY plane. In this XY plane, the main scanning direction, which is the movement direction of the head, is written as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction on the XY plane is written as the X direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the XY plane (height direction) is written as the Z direction. The X, Y, and Z directions are described assuming that the direction of the arrow in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow direction is the - direction. In this embodiment, the +X direction may be written as the front direction (front side), the -X direction as the rear direction (rear side), the +Y direction as the left (left side), the -Y direction as the right (right side), the +Z direction as the up (upper side), and the -Z direction as the down (lower side).

[0013] A printing device, which is one aspect of a media processing device according to an embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. Figs. 1 to 4 are diagrams showing an example of the schematic configuration of a printing device 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 is a plan view, Fig. 3 is a view from the +Y side, and Fig. 4 is a view from the +X side. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, in this embodiment, the printing device 100 will be described by taking as an example an image forming device that forms an image on a medium M such as a film or plate material. As shown in Fig. 1, the printing device 100 includes a table 10, a head 20, a head moving mechanism 30, and a control unit 40.

[0014] The table 10 supports the medium M and the head moving mechanism 30. The table 10 has a placement surface 10a on which the medium M is placed. The table 10 has a plurality of top plate members 11 and a support portion 12.

[0015] The top plate member 11 is a rectangular plate. The top plate members 11 are arranged in a state where multiple top plate members 11 are connected in the X direction. The table 10 has a configuration in which the multiple top plate members 11 are connected in the X direction, and thus the table 10 has a longitudinal direction in the X direction. The multiple top plate members 11 are arranged such that the placement surfaces 11a of each are flush with each other.

[0016] The top plate members 11 have a positioning portion 13 on opposing surfaces 11f facing each other in the X direction. The positioning portion 13 has, for example, a recess 13a provided on one top plate member 11 and a protrusion 13b provided on the other top plate member 11. The positioning portion 13 positions the top plate members 11 in the Y direction and the Z direction by inserting the protrusion 13b into the recess 13a. In addition, by positioning the top plate members 11 with the positioning portion 13, members provided across multiple top plate members 11, such as X guide portions 36a and 36b (described later) provided on the top plate member 11, are also positioned with respect to each other.

[0017] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the support 12 supports the tabletop member 11. The support 12 has a plurality of legs 12a, 12b. The plurality of legs 12a, 12b are arranged in a line in the X direction along both ends of the tabletop member 11 in the Y direction. The plurality of legs 12a are supported by a floor F. The plurality of legs 12b may be configured to be supported by the floor F, or may be configured to be supported by a connecting member 12c that connects the plurality of legs 12a to each other. When the plurality of legs 12b are connected to the connecting member 12c, they may be configured to be fixed by welding, or may be configured to be fastened by a fastening member such as a bolt.

[0018] The head 20 has a nozzle surface 21 facing the placement surface 11a. The nozzle surface 21 is, for example, planar. The nozzle surface 21 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 21a (processing portion: see FIG. 5) that eject ink. In the printing device 100, the process for the medium M is a process of ejecting ink onto the medium M. For example, ultraviolet curable ink is used. For example, white ink, colored inks such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K), transparent ink, etc. can be appropriately used as the type of ultraviolet curable ink depending on the color of the image to be formed on the medium M. The head 20 is electrically connected to the control unit 40, and the drive of the head 20 is controlled by the control unit 40. The head 20 is connected to an ink supply device (not shown) and receives the supply of ink from the ink supply device. The head 20 is movable in the main scanning direction together with the carriage 22. The head 20 ejects ink toward the placement surface 11a while moving back and forth along the main scanning direction. In the case where the head 20 is configured to eject ultraviolet curable ink, the carriage 22 is equipped with an ultraviolet irradiating device (not shown) that irradiates the ultraviolet curable ink with ultraviolet rays.

[0019] The head moving mechanism 30 is supported by the table 10, and moves the head 20 in the X and Y directions along the mounting surface 10a of the table 10. The head moving mechanism 30 moves the head 20 in the X and Y directions relative to the table 10, thereby moving the table 10 and the head 20 relatively. The head moving mechanism 30 has a main scanning moving unit 31 and a sub-scanning moving unit 32.

[0020] The main scanning movement unit 31 has a Y bar 33, a Y slider 34, and a Y drive unit 35. The Y bar 33 is arranged parallel to the Y direction. The Y bar 33 guides the carriage 22 in the Y direction. The Y bar 33 is supported by the sub-scanning movement unit 32. The Y slider 34 is provided on the carriage 22 and slides in the Y direction along the Y bar 33. The Y drive unit 35 moves the Y slider 34 along the Y direction. The Y drive unit 35 has a drive source such as a motor, and a transmission mechanism such as a belt that transmits the drive force of the drive source to the Y slider 34.

[0021] The sub-scanning movement unit 32 has an X guide 36, an X slider 37, and an X drive unit 38. The X guide 36 is provided on both side surfaces 11e of the tabletop member 11 in the Y direction. The X guide 36 extends in the X direction and is arranged to straddle both sides of the multiple tabletop members 11 in the X direction. Specifically, an X guide portion 36a arranged on both side surfaces 11e of one tabletop member 11 and an X guide portion 36b arranged on both side surfaces 11e of another tabletop member 11 are connected in the X direction. The X slider 37 is provided on the carriage 22 and slides in the X direction along the X guide 36. The X drive unit 38 moves the X slider 37 along the X direction. The X drive unit 38 has a drive source such as a motor and a transmission mechanism such as a belt that transmits the drive force of the drive source to the X slider 37.

[0022] The control unit 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that functions as a controller for executing various processes, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that function as memories for storing various information, and the like.

[0023] The control unit 40 controls the operation of the head 20. Under the control of the control unit 40, ink is ejected from the nozzles 21a of the head 20. In addition, under the control of the control unit 40, ultraviolet rays are emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation device.

[0024] The control unit 40 controls the operation of the head moving mechanism 30. Under the control of the control unit 40, the Y slider 34 is driven by the Y drive unit 35, and the carriage 22 moves in the Y direction, which is the main scanning direction. Also, under the control of the control unit 40, the X slider 37 is driven by the X drive unit 38, and the main scanning moving unit 31 and the carriage 22 move in the X direction, which is the sub-scanning direction. For example, a program or the like that specifies the moving speed, moving direction, moving timing, etc. of the Y slider 34 and the X slider 37 is created in advance and stored in the storage unit, and the head moving mechanism 30 executes the program, thereby controlling the movement of the Y slider 34 and the X slider 37.

[0025] When the head is moved at a predetermined speed in the Y direction to eject droplets, the control unit 40 controls the ejection of droplets at a reference timing based on a reference value of the head gap G between the head 20 and the mounting surface 10a so that the droplets land at a target position on the media M (landing adjustment).

[0026] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the principle of droplet landing adjustment. As shown in the unadjusted state ST1 in Fig. 5, when the head gap is G1 and the head 20 is moved at a predetermined speed, and a droplet is ejected from directly above the target position P1, the droplet lands at a position P2 that is shifted forward in the moving direction of the head 20 from the target position P1 due to inertia.

[0027] 5, when the head gap is G1 and the head 20 is moved at a predetermined speed, it is necessary to eject droplets at a timing just before the head 20 reaches directly above the target position P1. This timing is a value that corresponds to the head gap G1, which is the distance between the nozzle surface 21 of the head 20 and the mounting surface 10a of the table 10 (or the surface of the media M).

[0028] In the printing device 100, the head gap G1 is set to a predetermined reference value, so that the droplets can be ejected at a timing (reference timing) corresponding to the reference value G1 of the head gap, thereby causing the droplets to land on the target position P1.

[0029] On the other hand, as shown in the head gap fluctuation state ST3 in Figure 5, when the head 20 is moved at a predetermined speed, if the head gap changes from the reference value G1 to G2, when a droplet is ejected at the reference timing, the landing position P3 of the droplet will be shifted, for example, by a distance L forward from the target position P1 in the movement direction of the head 20.

[0030] For example, if the head gap is changed to be larger than the reference value, when droplets are ejected at the reference timing, the landing position of the droplets will be shifted forward from the target position P1 in the movement direction of the head 20. Also, if the head gap is changed to be smaller than the reference value, when droplets are ejected at the reference timing, the landing position of the droplets will be shifted backward from the target position P1 in the movement direction of the head 20.

[0031] On the other hand, if the head gap changes from the reference value, the reference timing can be corrected to cause the droplets to land on the target position P1. For example, if the head gap changes to be larger than the reference value, the reference timing can be corrected to be earlier. Also, if the head gap changes to be smaller than the reference value, the reference timing can be corrected to be later.

[0032] By obtaining the correction timing by correcting the reference timing in this way, when the head gap changes from the reference value, the droplets can be ejected at the correction timing, causing the droplets to land on the target position P1. The correction timing can be obtained based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the gap using a gap detection unit or the like, for example. The correction timing can also be obtained based on the deviation between the target position and the landing position of the droplets when the droplets are ejected from the head 20. The obtained correction timing can be stored in, for example, the memory unit 50 of the control unit 40. The correction timing may also be stored in an external memory unit.

[0033] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic example of setting the correction timing. As shown in Fig. 6, the correction timing can be set for each unit area AR partitioned in a grid pattern along the X and Y directions on the placement surface 10a. The pitch in the X direction can be set to the distance when the head 20 makes a pass, for example. In Fig. 6, the reference timing is A, and the correction timings are B to D. The difference between the correction timing and the reference timing increases in the order of B, C, and D.

[0034] In this way, by setting the correction timing according to the actual head gap for each position on the mounting surface 10a, when droplets are ejected while moving the head 20 in the Y direction at a predetermined speed, the ejected droplets can be made to land accurately at the target position.

[0035] When ejecting droplets while moving the head 20 at a predetermined speed in the Y direction, the control unit 40 controls the head 20 to eject droplets at a reference timing in positions where no correction timing is set (unit areas AR indicated by "A" in FIG. 6). Furthermore, when ejecting droplets while moving the head 20 at a predetermined speed in the Y direction, the control unit 40 controls the head 20 to eject droplets at the correction timing in positions where a correction timing is set (unit areas AR indicated by "B", "C", and "D" in FIG. 6).

[0036] 7 is a diagram showing how droplets discharged from the head 20 land. The corrected state ST4 in FIG. 7 shows a case where droplets are discharged from the head 20 at a corrected timing with respect to the head gap fluctuation state ST3 shown in FIG. 5. The corrected timing is obtained by correcting the reference timing so that the droplets are shifted backward in the movement direction of the head 20 by a distance L with respect to the state of the head gap fluctuation state ST3. By discharging droplets at the corrected timing thus corrected, the droplets are discharged at a position that is distance L further backward in the movement direction of the head 20 than in the case of the head gap fluctuation state ST3. As a result, the droplets land at the target position P1, which is distance L backward from the position P3.

[0037] As described above, the printing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the table 10 having the mounting surface 10a on which the medium M is placed, the head 20 having a planar nozzle surface 21 facing the mounting surface 10a and on which a plurality of nozzles 21a are formed, and ejecting droplets from the plurality of nozzles 21a toward the mounting surface 10a, a head moving mechanism 30 that moves the table 10 and the head 20 relatively in the Y direction and the X direction along the mounting surface 10a, and a control mechanism for controlling the relative movement between the table 10 and the head 20 by the head moving mechanism 30 and the ejection of droplets by the head 20 to print the medium M placed on the mounting surface 10a. and a control unit 40 that ejects droplets toward the media M. When ejecting droplets by moving the table 10 and the head 20 relatively at a predetermined relative speed in the Y direction, the control unit 40 controls the ejection of droplets at a reference timing based on a reference value of the head gap between the head 20 and the mounting surface 10a so that the droplets land at a target position on the media M, and when a correction timing is set in which the reference timing is corrected based on the difference between the actual head gap on the mounting surface 10a and the reference value of the head gap, the control unit 40 controls the ejection of droplets at the correction timing.

[0038] According to this configuration, when droplets are discharged by moving the table 10 and the head 20 relatively in the Y direction at a predetermined relative speed, if a correction timing obtained by correcting the reference timing is set, the droplets are controlled to be discharged at the correction timing. This makes it possible to cause the droplets sprayed from the head 20 to land at appropriate positions.

[0039] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the head moving mechanism 30 moves the head 20 relative to the table 10. According to this configuration, in the configuration in which the head 20 is moved relative to the table 10, it is possible to cause the droplets ejected from the head 20 to land at appropriate positions.

[0040] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the correction timing is set based on the measurement value obtained by measuring the head gap.

[0041] According to this configuration, droplets are ejected from the head at a corrected timing that is set based on the measured value of the head gap, so that the droplets can be caused to land at appropriate positions.

[0042] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the correction timing is set based on the deviation between the target position P1 and the landing position of the droplets when the droplets are ejected from the head 20.

[0043] According to this configuration, by ejecting droplets from the head at a correction timing that is set based on the deviation between the target position P1 when droplets are actually ejected from the head 20 and the landing position of the droplets, it is possible to cause the droplets to land in the appropriate position.

[0044] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the correction timing is set for each unit area AR that is partitioned in a grid pattern along the Y and X directions on the placement surface 10a.

[0045] According to this configuration, the head gap for each position on the mounting surface 10a can be appropriately reflected.

[0046] Next, a cutting device, which is another aspect of the media processing device according to this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cutting device 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the cutting device 200 includes a table 110, a head 120, a head movement mechanism 130, and a control unit 140. The configurations of the table 110 and the head movement mechanism 130 are the same as those of the table 10 and head movement mechanism 30 of the printing device 100 described above. That is, the table 110 includes a top plate member 111, and supports the media M and the head movement mechanism 130. The table 110 includes a mounting surface 110a on which the media M is placed. Note that the table 110 has felt that receives the cutter 121 arranged on the mounting surface 110a. The head movement mechanism 130 includes a main scanning movement unit 131 and a sub-scanning movement unit 132. Main scanning movement section 131 has a Y bar 133, a Y slider 134, and a Y drive section (not shown). Sub-scanning movement section 132 has an X guide 136, an X slider 137, and an X drive section (not shown).

[0047] The head 120 faces the placement surface 111a. The head 120 has a cutter (processing section) 121 and a lifting mechanism 122. The cutter 121 has a blade section 121a. The cutter 121 cuts the media M with the blade section 121a. In the cutting device 200, the process for the media M is the process of cutting the media M. The lifting mechanism 122 moves the cutter 121 in the up and down direction. The lifting mechanism 122 has a drive source, such as a motor, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the drive force of the drive source.

[0048] The head moving mechanism 130 moves the head relative to the table in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. The head moving mechanism 130, together with the lifting mechanism 122, constitutes a relative movement mechanism.

[0049] The control unit 140 controls the operation of the lifting mechanism 122 and the head moving mechanism 130. The control unit 140 controls the operation of the lifting mechanism 122 and the head moving mechanism 130 to cause the cutter 121 to cut the media M placed on the placement surface 110a.

[0050] When cutting the medium M placed on the placement surface 110a, the control unit 140 moves the head 120 at a predetermined movement speed in the main scanning direction. The control unit 140 has a memory unit 150. In this embodiment, the control unit 140 is capable of adjusting the height position of the cutter 121 by controlling the lifting mechanism 122, as described below. In this embodiment, the height position of the cutter 121 is the distance in the up-down direction (Z direction) between the placement surface 110a, which is the reference surface, and the blade edge of the cutter 121.

[0051] Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the principle of the cutting operation, with Figure 9 showing the case where the height of the cutter 121 is not adjusted, and Figure 10 showing the case where the height of the cutter 121 is adjusted.

[0052] As shown in the unadjusted state ST11 in FIG. 9, when the head gap G11 is equal to or larger than the reference gap G10 (G11-G10>0), if the head 20 is moved at a predetermined speed with the cutting edge of the cutter 121 at a predetermined height position H0, the cutting edge of the cutter 121 will move away from the mounting surface 110a, leaving the media M uncut.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in the unadjusted state ST12 in FIG. 9, when the head gap G12 is smaller than the reference gap G10 (G11-G10<0), if the head 20 is moved at a predetermined speed with the cutting edge of the cutter 121 at a predetermined height position H0, the cutting edge of the cutter 121 will dig too far into the mounting surface 110a, accelerating the deterioration of the felt placed on the mounting surface 110a.

[0054] In response to this, the control unit 140 controls the height position of the cutter 121 based on the gap between the head 120 and the mounting surface 110a, which is a reference surface. For example, the control unit 140 can set a corrected height by correcting the height of the cutter 121 based on the difference between the actual gap on the mounting surface 110a and the reference value of the gap.

[0055] 10, when the head gap G11 is equal to or larger than the gap reference value G10 (G11-G10>0), the control unit 140 sets the blade edge of the cutter 121 to a height H1 that is equal to or smaller than a predetermined height H0 and moves the head 20 at a predetermined speed. This causes the blade edge of the cutter 121 to move following the placement surface 110a while in contact with the placement surface 110a, preventing any media M from being left uncut.

[0056] 10, when the head gap G12 is smaller than the reference gap G10 (when G11-G10<0), the control unit 140 sets the cutting edge of the cutter 121 to a height H2 higher than the predetermined height H0 and moves the head 20 at a predetermined speed. This causes the cutting edge of the cutter 121 to move following the placement surface 110a, reducing the penetration of the cutting edge of the cutter 121 into the placement surface 110a and suppressing deterioration of the felt placed on the placement surface 110a.

[0057] The lower the height position of cutter 121, the deeper it can cut media M. For example, when cutter 121 is set to a position lower than mounting surface 110a, the cutting edge of cutter 121 cuts media M while digging into the felt, so media M can be cut reliably.

[0058] The higher the height position of cutter 121, the shallower the cut can be made to cut media M. For example, when cutter 121 is set to a height position higher than mounting surface 110a, the cutting edge of cutter 121 cuts media M with the cutting edge separated from the felt, so that some media M can be left uncut.

[0059] When moving the head 120 in the main scanning direction, the head accelerates from an initial speed of 0 until it reaches a predetermined moving speed. The predetermined moving speed can be set by the user, for example, in accordance with the cutting conditions of the media. When moving the head 120 in the main scanning direction, the control unit 140 calculates a reference distance, which is the minimum distance at which the predetermined moving speed can be reached, and sets a correction height based on the calculation result.

[0060] FIGS. 11 and 12 are diagrams schematically illustrating an example of a procedure for setting a correction height. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 140 calculates a reference distance L1 as the distance in the Y direction from the starting point P11 of the movement of the head 120 to the point P20 where a predetermined movement speed is reached. When the calculated reference distance L1 is shorter than the target distance L2 which is the distance in the main scanning direction for performing cutting (L1 < L2), the control unit 140 can set correction heights H11 and H12 based on the difference in the gap between the head 120 and the placement surface 110a for two points, i.e., the starting point P11 and the ending point P12 of the movement of the head 120.

[0061] Also, as shown in FIG. 12, when the calculated reference distance L1 is longer than the target distance L2 (L1 > L2), the control unit 140 sets one or more intermediate points P13 between the starting point P11 and the ending point P12 of the movement with the head 120. At this time, the control unit 140 sets the intermediate points P13 such that the distance between the starting point P11 and the intermediate point P13 adjacent to the starting point P11, the distance between adjacent intermediate points P13, and the distance between the ending point P12 and the intermediate point P13 adjacent to the ending point P12 are all equal. At this time, the control unit 140 sets the intermediate points P13 such that the distance from the starting point P11 to the intermediate point P13 adjacent to the starting point P11 is larger than the reference distance L1. The control unit 140 can set correction heights H11, H13, and H12 based on the difference in the gap at each of the starting point P11, the intermediate points P13, and the ending point P12.

[0062] In this way, by obtaining the correction height obtained by correcting the height of the cutter 121, when the head gap changes from the reference value, by performing cutting at the correction height, the medium M can be appropriately cut. The correction height can be obtained based on, for example, a measured value obtained by measuring the gap using a gap detection unit or the like. The obtained correction height can be stored, for example, in the storage unit 50 of the control unit 40. Note that the correction height may be stored in an external storage unit.

[0063] When a corrected height obtained by correcting the height of the cutter 121 as described above is set, the control unit 140 controls the cutting of the medium M to be performed at the corrected height. The control unit 140 can adjust the height position of the cutter 121 so that the cutting edge of the cutter 121 moves along a smooth trajectory from the start point P11 of the movement of the head 120 to the midpoint P13 and the end point P12. Note that the control unit 140 may also adjust the height position of the cutter 121 so that the cutting edge of the cutter 121 moves along a linear trajectory from the start point P11 of the movement of the head 120 to the midpoint P13 and the end point P12.

[0064] As described above, the cutting device 200 according to this embodiment comprises the table 110 having the placement surface 110a on which the media M is placed, the head 120 facing the placement surface 110a and having the cutter 121 that cuts the media M, a head moving mechanism 130 that moves the table 110 and the head 120 relatively in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction along the placement surface 110a, a lifting mechanism 122 that moves the table 110 and the cutter 121 relatively in the vertical direction, and a controller 124 that controls the movement of the head 120 and the cutter 121 by the head moving mechanism 130 and the lifting mechanism 122. and a control unit 140 that controls the table 110 and the head 120 to cut the media M placed on the mounting surface 110a with the cutter 121. When cutting the media M by moving the table 110 and the head 120 relatively in the main scanning direction at a predetermined relative speed, the control unit 140 controls the height position of the cutter 121 based on the gap between the head 120 and the mounting surface 110a, and when a corrected height is set by correcting the height of the cutter 121 based on the difference between the actual gap on the mounting surface 110a and a reference gap value, the control unit 140 controls the cutting to be performed at the corrected height.

[0065] According to this configuration, when cutting the medium M by moving the table 110 and the head 120 relatively at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction, if a corrected height is set by correcting the height of the cutter 121 based on the difference between the actual gap on the mounting surface 110a and the reference gap value, cutting is performed at that corrected height, so the height of the cutter 121 can be adjusted to follow the unevenness of the mounting surface 110a. This allows cutting of the medium M at an appropriate height position.

[0066] In the cutting device 200 according to this embodiment, the control unit 140 calculates a reference distance, which is the minimum distance at which a predetermined relative speed can be reached when moving the table 110 and the head 120 relative to each other in the main scanning direction, and sets a correction height based on the calculation result.

[0067] According to this configuration, the correction height can be appropriately set by setting the correction height based on the reference distance, which is the minimum distance at which a predetermined relative speed can be reached.

[0068] In the cutting device 200 according to this embodiment, when the calculated reference distance is shorter than the target distance, which is the distance in the main scanning direction for cutting, the control unit 140 sets a correction height based on the difference in the gap between the start point and the end point of the relative movement between the table 110 and the head 120.

[0069] According to this configuration, when the calculated reference distance is shorter than the target distance, which is the distance in the main scanning direction where cutting is performed, the correction height can be set appropriately.

[0070] In the cutting device 200 according to this embodiment, when the calculated reference distance is longer than the target distance, which is the distance in the main scanning direction for processing, the control unit 140 sets one or more intermediate points between the start point and end point of the relative movement between the table 110 and the head 120, and sets a correction height based on the difference in the gap between the start point, the intermediate point, and the end point.

[0071] According to this configuration, when the calculated reference distance is longer than the target distance, which is the distance in the main scanning direction where cutting is performed, the correction height can be set appropriately.

[0072] As described above, the media processing device according to this embodiment comprises a table 110 with a mounting surface 110a on which media M is placed, a head 120 that faces mounting surface 110a and has a processing unit that processes media M, a relative movement mechanism that moves the table 110 and head 120 relatively in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction along mounting surface 110a, and a control unit 140 that controls the relative movement between the table 110 and head 120 by the relative movement mechanism and the operation of the processing units (e.g. nozzle 21a, cutter 121) in the head 120 to cause the processing unit to process media M placed on mounting surface 110a. When processing the media M by moving the table 110 and the head 120 relative to each other at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction, the control unit 140 controls at least one of the processing parameters, namely the timing of processing by the processing unit (e.g., nozzle 21a) and the height of the processing unit (e.g., cutter 121), based on the gap between the head 120 and a reference surface which is the mounting surface 110a or the top surface of the media M, and when a correction parameter (e.g., correction timing, correction height) which corrects the processing parameter based on the difference between the actual gap on the reference surface and the reference value of the gap is set, the control unit 140 controls to perform processing using the correction parameter.

[0073] According to this configuration, when processing is performed on the media M by moving the table 110 and the head 120 relative to each other at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction, at least one of the processing parameters, namely, the timing of processing by the processing unit and the height of the processing unit, is controlled based on the gap between the head 120 and a reference surface, which is either the mounting surface 110a or the top surface of the media M, and when a correction parameter is set that corrects the processing parameter based on the difference between the actual gap on the reference surface and the reference value of the gap, processing is performed using the correction parameter, so that processing can be performed at an appropriate position for the media.

[0074] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the head 20 is moved relative to the table 10 to move the table 10 and the head 20 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the table 10 may be moved relative to the head 20 to move the table 10 and the head 20.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the nozzle 21a (printing device) and cutter 121 (cutting device) were given as examples of processing units in the media processing device, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, instead of the cutter 121, a ruling roller, a pen, a V-cutter, a spindle (drill), or the like may be used as the processing unit.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the mounting surface of the table is used as an example of the reference surface for determining the gap with the head, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the surface of the media M placed on the mounting surface may be used as the reference surface. In this configuration, when a highly rigid media such as a plate-like member such as a wooden board or a resin board is used as the media M, processing can be performed at an appropriate position by following the unevenness of the surface of the media M.

[0077] In the cutting device 200 of the above embodiment, the head 120 may have a fixing mechanism for fixing the cutter 121 in an exchangeable manner. Figs. 13 to 16 are diagrams showing an example of the fixing mechanism 160. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the fixing mechanism 160 attached to the head 120, Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the fixing mechanism 160 detached from the head 120, Fig. 15 is a side view of the fixing mechanism 160 attached to the head 120, and Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the fixing mechanism 160 attached to the head 120 as viewed from the bottom (the cutting edge side of the cutter 121). As shown in Figs. 13 to 16, the fixing mechanism 160 has a holder 161, a pressing member 162, a pressing member fixing screw 163, and a cutter fixing screw 164.

[0078] Holder 161 is attached to head 120. Holder 161 has a support surface 161a that supports pressing member 162 and cutter 121. Support surface 161a is provided with screw holes 161b into which pressing member fixing screws 163 are inserted, screw holes 161c into which cutter fixing screws 164 are inserted, and protrusions 161d on which cutter 121 is disposed. Protrusions 161d have a flat surface on which cutter 121 is disposed.

[0079] The pressing member 162 is a member separate from the holder 161. The pressing member 162 is used in a state where it is fixed to the holder 161 by a pressing member fixing screw 163. The pressing member 162 can be removed from the holder 161 by removing the pressing member fixing screw 163.

[0080] When the pressing member 162 is attached to the holder 161, the cutter 121 can be disposed between the pressing member 162 and the holder 161. The pressing member 162 has a groove portion 162a for restricting misalignment of the cutter 121, a through hole 162b into which a pressing member fixing screw 163 is inserted, and a through hole 162c into which a cutter fixing screw 164 is inserted. When the cutter 121 is disposed between the pressing member 162 and the holder 161, by disposing the cutter 121 so as to correspond to the groove portion 162a of the pressing member 162, misalignment can be suppressed, and therefore rattling during use can be prevented.

[0081] When the fixing mechanism 160 is used, first, the pressing member 162 is fixed to the holder 161 by the pressing member fixing screw 163. After the pressing member 162 is fixed, the cutter 121 is disposed between the holder 161 and the pressing member 162. At this time, the cutter 121 is disposed so that the cutter 121 is sandwiched between the protrusion 161d of the holder 161 and the groove 162a of the pressing member 162. From this state, the cutter 121 is sandwiched between the holder 161 and the pressing member 162 by fastening the cutter fixing screw 164. As a result, the cutter 121 is fixed to the fixing mechanism 160. In addition, when removing the cutter 121, the force for sandwiching the cutter 121 is reduced by loosening the cutter fixing screw 164. As a result, the cutter 121 becomes removable. In the fixing mechanism 160, the cutter 121 can be removed by operating the cutter fixing screw 164 without operating the pressing member fixing screw 163. This makes it easy to remove the cutter 121. Note that in the fixing mechanism 160, a plurality of types of pressing members 162 may be prepared in accordance with the thickness, length, etc. of the cutter 121, and different pressing members 162 may be used depending on the cutter 121.

[0082] In this way, head 120 has a fixing mechanism 160 that fixes cutter 121, and fixing mechanism 160 has holder 161 that is detachable from head 120, a pressing member 162 that holds cutter 121 between holder 161, a pressing member fixing screw 163 that fixes pressing member 162 to holder 161, and a cutter fixing screw 164 that clamps cutter 121 between holder 161 and pressing member 162 by fastening holder 161 and pressing member 162 at a position different from pressing member fixing screw 163 while holder 161 and pressing member 162 are fixed by pressing member fixing screw 163.

[0083] According to this configuration, by operating the cutter fixing screw 164, it is possible to fix and remove the cutter 121 without operating the presser member fixing screw 163. Therefore, the work of fixing and removing the cutter 121 can be easily performed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] AR...unit area, F...floor, G,G11,G12...head gap, G10...reference gap, G1...reference value, H0,H1,H2,H11,H12,H13...height position, L...distance, L1...reference distance, L2...target distance, M...media, P1...target position, P2...position, P3...impact position, P11...start point, P12...end point, P13...midpoint, P20...point, ST1,ST11,ST 12...unadjusted state, ST2, ST13, ST14...adjusted state, ST3...head gap fluctuation state, ST4...corrected state, 10, 110...table, 10a, 11a, 110a, 111a...mounting surface, 11, 111...top plate member, 11e...side surface, 11f...opposing surface, 12...supporting portion, 12a, 12b...leg portion, 12c...connecting member, 13...positioning portion, 13a...recess, 13b...protruding portion, 2 0,120...head, 21...nozzle surface, 21a...nozzle, 22...carriage, 30,130...head movement mechanism, 31,131...main scanning movement section, 32,132...sub-scanning movement section, 33,133...Y bar, 34,134...Y slider, 35...Y drive section, 36,136...X guide, 36a,36b...X guide section, 37,137...X slider, 38...X drive section, 40,140... Control unit, 50, 150...storage unit, 100...printing device, 121...cutter, 121a...blade unit, 122...lifting mechanism, 160...fixing mechanism, 161...holder, 161a...support surface, 161b, 161c...screw hole, 161d...projection, 162...pressing member, 162a...groove, 162b, 162c...through hole, 163...pressing member fixing screw, 164...cutter fixing screw, 200...cutting device

Claims

1. a table having a placement surface on which a medium is placed; a head facing the placement surface and having a processing section for processing the medium; a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction along the placement surface; a control unit that controls the relative movement between the table and the head by the relative movement mechanism and the operation of the processing unit in the head, so that the processing unit performs the processing on the medium placed on the placement surface; Equipped with When the control unit performs the processing on the media by moving the table and the head relatively at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction, it controls at least one of processing parameters of the timing of the processing by the processing unit and the height of the processing unit based on a gap between the head and a reference surface which is the placement surface or the top surface of the media, and when a correction parameter obtained by correcting the processing parameter based on the difference between the actual gap on the reference surface and a reference value of the gap is set, it controls the processing to be performed with the correction parameter. Media processing device.

2. a table having a placement surface on which a medium is placed; a head having a planar nozzle surface facing the mounting surface and having a plurality of nozzles formed thereon, the head discharging droplets from the plurality of nozzles toward the mounting surface; a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction along the placement surface; a control unit that controls the relative movement between the table and the head by the relative movement mechanism and the ejection of the droplets by the head, thereby ejecting the droplets toward the medium placed on the placement surface; Equipped with When the control unit moves the table and the head relatively at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction to eject the droplets, the control unit controls the ejection of the droplets at a reference timing based on a reference value of a gap between the head and the placement surface so that the droplets land at a target position on the medium, and when a correction timing is set by correcting the reference timing based on a difference between the actual gap on the placement surface and the reference value of the gap, the control unit controls the ejection of the droplets at the correction timing. Printing device.

3. The relative movement mechanism moves the head relative to the table. The printing device according to claim 2 .

4. The correction timing is set based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the gap. The printing device according to claim 2 .

5. The correction timing is set based on the deviation between the target position and the landing position of the droplet when the droplet is ejected from the head. The printing device according to claim 2 .

6. The correction timing is set for each unit area that is partitioned in a lattice shape along the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction on the placement surface. The printing device according to claim 2 .

7. a table having a placement surface on which a medium is placed; a head facing the placement surface and having a cutter for cutting the medium; a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction along the placement surface, and moves the table and the cutter relatively in a vertical direction; a control unit that controls the relative movement between the table and the head by the relative movement mechanism, the relative movement between the table and the cutter, and the operation of the cutter on the head, to perform the cutting of the medium placed on the placement surface by the cutter; Equipped with When the control unit performs the cutting on the media by moving the table and the head relatively at a predetermined relative speed in the main scanning direction, it controls the height position of the cutter based on a gap between the head and a reference surface which is the placement surface or the top surface of the media, and when a correction height in which the height of the cutter is corrected based on the difference between the actual gap on the reference surface and a reference value of the gap is set, it controls the cutting to be performed at the correction height. Cutting device.

8. The control unit is A reference distance is calculated, which is a minimum distance at which the table and the head can reach the predetermined relative speed when the table and the head are moved relatively in the main scanning direction, and the correction height is set based on the calculation result.

8. The cutting device according to claim 7.

9. When the calculated reference distance is shorter than a target distance that is a distance in the main scanning direction in which the cutting is performed, the control unit sets the correction height based on the difference in the gap between two points, that is, a start point and an end point of the relative movement between the table and the head.

9. The cutting device according to claim 8.

10. When the calculated reference distance is longer than a target distance which is a distance in the main scanning direction for performing the cutting, the control unit sets one or more intermediate points between a start point and an end point of the relative movement between the table and the head, and sets the correction height based on the difference between the gaps at the start point, the intermediate point, and the end point.

9. The cutting device according to claim 8.

11. The head has a fixing mechanism for fixing the cutter, The fixing mechanism includes: A holder that is detachable from the head; a pressing member for holding the cutter between the holder and the pressing member; a pressing member fixing screw that fastens the holder and the pressing member to fix the pressing member to the holder; a cutter fixing screw for clamping the cutter between the holder and the pressing member by fastening the holder and the pressing member at a position different from the pressing member fixing screw in a state in which the holder and the pressing member are fixed by the pressing member fixing screw; have 9. The cutting device according to claim 8.

Images