Printing apparatus

Abstract

To suppress deterioration of winding quality of a medium while suppressing height of a printing apparatus low.SOLUTION: A printing apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 5, the winding unit 6, a stay 41, and a slider unit 42 that supports the winding unit 6 with respect to the stay 41 in a support direction and is movable in an extension direction, where the stay 41 includes an upper surface 41c, a first surface 41a facing one side in the support direction, and a second surface 41b facing the other side in the support direction, the slider unit 42 includes a first contact portion 42a that comes into contact with the first surface 41a, a second contact portion 42b that comes into contact with the second surface 41b, a third contact portion 42c that comes into contact with the upper surface 41c, and a movement suppression unit 44c that suppresses movement of the slider unit 42 in the extension direction by being pressed against the first surface 41a or the second surface 41b, where the movement suppression unit 44c is pressed against the stay 41 in a direction in which rotation moment with respect to the stay 41 due to weight of the winding unit 6 is promoted, and the movement suppression unit is configured to suppress the movement of the slider unit 42 in the extension direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various printing apparatuses have been used. Among them, there is a printing apparatus including a printing unit that prints on a medium, and a winding unit that supports and winds the medium by sandwiching a paper tube around which the medium is wound in the axial direction. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printing apparatus including a head that prints on a medium, and a holding unit including a winding shaft that supports and winds the medium by sandwiching a paper tube around which the medium is wound in the axial direction, and the holding unit is arranged vertically upward with respect to a rail portion having a rectangular cross section.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the printing apparatus of Patent Document 1, since the holding portion is arranged in the vertically upward direction with respect to the rail portion having a rectangular cross section, the height of the holding portion in the vertical direction becomes high, and the printing apparatus tends to become large in the height direction. Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to change the arrangement of the take-up shaft of the holding portion from an arrangement in the vertically upward direction with respect to the rail portion to an arrangement in the horizontal direction with respect to the rail portion. However, if the arrangement of the take-up shaft is made such that it is in the horizontal direction with respect to the rail portion, that is, with the rail portion as the rotation axis, the take-up shaft tends to rotate easily. However, there are cases where the rotation amounts of the take-up shaft on one side that sandwiches the paper tube and the take-up shaft on the other side do not become the same. Therefore, the position of the take-up shaft in the vertical direction changes, resulting in a deviation in the conveyance distance of the medium at both ends in the width direction and a deviation in the conveyance direction of the medium, etc., and there is a risk that the winding quality of the medium will deteriorate. Thus, in a conventional printing apparatus including a printing unit and a take-up unit, it has been difficult to suppress a decrease in the winding quality of the medium while keeping the height of the printing apparatus low.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The printing apparatus of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a printing unit that prints on a medium, a winding unit that supports a paper tube around which the medium is wound so as to sandwich the paper tube in the axial direction of the paper tube and winds the medium, a stay provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube is supported by the winding unit, and a slider unit that supports the winding unit with respect to the stay in a vertical direction and a support direction intersecting the extending direction and is movable in the extending direction. The stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, a first surface facing one of the support directions, and a second surface facing the opposite direction of the first surface in the support directions. The slider unit has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction. The movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes a rotational moment on the stay due to the weight of the winding unit.

[0006] Also, another printing apparatus of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a printing unit that prints on a medium, a supply unit that supports and sandwiches a paper tube of a roll body around which the medium is wound in the axial direction of the paper tube, and supplies the medium to the printing unit, a stay provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube is supported by the supply unit, and a slider unit that supports the supply unit with respect to the stay in a vertical direction and a support direction intersecting the extending direction and is movable in the extending direction. The stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, a first surface facing one of the support directions, and a second surface facing the direction opposite to the first surface among the support directions. The slider unit has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction. The movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes a rotational moment of the supply unit with respect to the stay due to the self-weight of the supply unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

[0008] First, the present invention will be schematically described. A printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a printing unit that prints on a medium, a take-up unit that supports a paper tube around which the medium is wound so as to sandwich the paper tube in the axial direction of the paper tube and takes up the medium, a stay provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube is supported by the take-up unit, and a slider portion that supports the take-up unit with respect to the stay in a vertical direction and a support direction intersecting the extending direction and is movable in the extending direction. The stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, a first surface facing one of the support directions, and a second surface facing the opposite direction of the first surface in the support directions. The slider portion has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction. The movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes a rotational moment of the take-up unit with respect to the stay due to the weight of the take-up unit.

[0009] According to this aspect, it includes a stay provided in the extending direction, and a slider portion that supports the winding portion with respect to the stay in a support direction intersecting the vertical direction and the extending direction and is movable in the extending direction. With such a configuration, the winding portion can be arranged substantially horizontally with respect to the stay, and the height of the printing apparatus can be kept low. Further, the stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, and a first surface and a second surface facing one and the other of the support directions, and the slider portion has a first contact portion in contact with the first surface, a second contact portion in contact with the second surface, a third contact portion in contact with the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction. With such a configuration, by bringing the first surface into contact with the first contact portion, the second surface into contact with the second contact portion, the upper surface into contact with the third contact portion, and fixing the slider portion to the stay with the movement suppression portion, rotation of the winding portion with respect to the stay can be suppressed. And the movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction by pressing against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction and by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes the rotational moment of the winding portion with respect to the stay due to its own weight. With such a configuration, even when the movement suppression portion suppresses movement of the slider portion in the extending direction with respect to the stay, rotation of the winding portion with respect to the stay can be effectively suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the winding quality of the medium while keeping the height of the printing apparatus low.

[0010] The printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, wherein the movement suppression portion is located vertically below the first contact portion and the second contact portion, presses against the second surface to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction, the winding portion is provided on the first surface side in the support direction with respect to the stay, and the first contact portion is located vertically below the second contact portion.

[0011] According to this aspect, the movement suppression part is located vertically below the first contact part and the second contact part, presses against the second surface to suppress the movement of the slider part in the extending direction, the winding part is provided on the first surface side in the supporting direction with respect to the stay, and the first contact part is located vertically below the second contact part. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to particularly preferably suppress the rotation of the winding part with respect to the stay.

[0012] The printing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, and is characterized in that the slider part includes an operation part for moving the movement suppression part in the supporting direction.

[0013] According to this aspect, the slider part includes an operation part for moving the movement suppression part in the supporting direction. By adopting such a configuration, an operator can easily suppress the movement of the slider part in the extending direction with respect to the stay by using the operation part.

[0014] The printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, and is characterized in that at least one of the first contact part, the second contact part, and the third contact part has a roller that rotates passively while being in contact with the stay.

[0015] According to this aspect, at least one of the first contact part, the second contact part, and the third contact part has a roller that rotates passively while being in contact with the stay. By adopting such a configuration, the slider part can be easily moved in the extending direction with respect to the stay.

[0016] The printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention includes a printing unit that prints on a medium, a supply unit that supports and sandwiches a paper tube of a roll body around which the medium is wound in the axial direction of the paper tube, and supplies the medium to the printing unit, a stay provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube is supported by the supply unit, and a slider unit that supports the supply unit with respect to the stay in a vertical direction and a support direction intersecting the extending direction and is movable in the extending direction. The stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, a first surface facing one of the support directions, and a second surface facing the opposite direction of the first surface in the support directions. The slider unit has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction. The movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes a rotational moment of the supply unit with respect to the stay due to its own weight.

[0017] According to this aspect, it includes a stay provided in the extending direction, and a slider portion that supports the supply unit with respect to the stay in a support direction intersecting the vertical direction and the extending direction and is movable in the extending direction. With such a configuration, the supply unit can be arranged substantially horizontally with respect to the stay, and the height of the printing apparatus can be kept low. Note that depending on the arrangement of the supply unit, the winding quality of the medium may deteriorate even when supplying the medium. However, the stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, and a first surface and a second surface facing one and the other of the support directions, and the slider portion has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction. With such a configuration, by bringing the first surface into contact with the first contact portion, the second surface into contact with the second contact portion, the upper surface into contact with the third contact portion, and fixing the slider portion to the stay with the movement suppression portion, it is possible to suppress the supply unit from rotating with respect to the stay. And the movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction by pressing against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider portion in the extending direction and by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes the rotational moment of the supply unit with respect to the stay due to its own weight. With such a configuration, even when the movement suppression portion suppresses the movement of the slider portion in the extending direction with respect to the stay, it is possible to effectively suppress the supply unit from rotating with respect to the stay. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the winding quality of the medium while keeping the height of the printing apparatus low.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. First, an overview of a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, some constituent members are simplified and omitted for easy understanding of the configuration. Here, the X-axis direction in the figure is the horizontal direction and is the extending direction of the support portion of the supply unit 2 that holds the roll body R1 in which the medium M is wound in a roll shape, the Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction and is the front-rear direction of the printing apparatus 1 and is a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. Also, hereinafter, the direction in which the arrow points is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the direction in which the arrow points is the - direction. For example, the vertically upward direction is the +Z direction, the vertically downward direction is the -Z direction, the front of the printing apparatus 1 is the +Y direction, and the rear of the printing apparatus 1 is the -Y direction.

[0019] The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body portion 9, and leg frames 7 are attached to the vicinity of both ends of the main body portion 9 in the X-axis direction. Further, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a supply unit 2 that holds, by a shaft portion 21, a roll body R1 in which the medium M is wound in a roll shape on the -Y direction side, which is the rear side of the main body portion 9. The shaft portion 21 of the supply unit 2 is a member that is inserted into a paper tube MP, which is the winding core of the roll body R1, supports the paper tube MP of the roll body R1 around which the medium M is wound so as to sandwich it in the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the paper tube MP, and serves as a supply unit that supplies the medium M to a position facing a head 5 as a printing unit.

[0020] Then, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the medium M is conveyed in the conveyance direction A, the shaft portion 21 of the supply unit 2, which is a rotation axis along the X-axis direction, is rotated in the rotation direction C. In FIG. 1, a roll body R1 wound so that the image formation surface M1 on which an image is formed faces outward is used. However, when a roll body R1 wound so that the image formation surface M1 faces inward is used, the shaft portion 21 of the supply unit 2 can be rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction C to send out the medium M from the roll body R1.

[0021] Further, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a conveyance path for the medium M that includes a medium support unit 3 that supports the medium M on the support surface 30. The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes, as the medium support unit 3, an upstream medium support unit 3A, a medium support unit 3B, and a downstream medium support unit 3C from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction A. Further, the printing apparatus 1 includes a pair of rollers 8 including a driving roller and a driven roller as a conveyance unit for conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction A in the conveyance path. However, the configuration of the conveyance unit is not particularly limited.

[0022] Further, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a head 5 as a printing unit that can face the medium support unit 3B, is provided with a plurality of nozzles, and discharges ink, which is a liquid, from the nozzles to form an image, and a carriage 4 that mounts the head 5 and can reciprocate in the width direction B. In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the conveyance direction A at the position facing the head 5 on the medium support unit 3B is the +Y direction, the width direction B, which is the moving direction of the head 5, is a direction along the X-axis direction, and the ink discharge direction is the -Z direction.

[0023] With the above configuration, the head 5 can form an image by discharging ink from nozzles (not shown) onto the conveyed medium M while reciprocating in the width direction B, which is a direction intersecting the conveyance direction A. The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can form a desired image on the medium M by repeatedly conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction A at a predetermined conveyance amount and discharging ink while moving the head 5 in the width direction B with the medium M stopped.

[0024] Further, a heater 20 is provided in the downstream medium support unit 3C of the medium support unit 3 as a heating unit for heating the supported surface M2 on the side opposite to the image formation surface M1 of the medium M. The heater 20 of the present embodiment is configured by a heating wire or the like, but is not limited to such a configuration. Further, not only the downstream medium support unit 3C but also the upstream medium support unit 3A and the medium support unit 3B may be provided with a medium heating unit for heating the supported surface M2 on the side opposite to the image formation surface M1 of the medium M.

[0025] Also, a blowing unit 10 for drying the ink discharged from the head 5 onto the image forming surface M1 of the medium M by blowing the air flow F is provided at a portion facing the downstream side medium support portion 3C in the conveyance path. The blowing unit 10 of the present embodiment includes a fan 11 that generates the air flow F and is configured to be able to blow the gas as the air flow F onto the image forming surface M1 of the medium M, but is not limited to such a configuration.

[0026] Further, downstream of the downstream side medium support portion 3C in the conveyance direction A, a winding portion 6 that constitutes a part of a winding mechanism 40 for winding the medium M conveyed in the conveyance direction A into a roll shape to form a roll body R2 is provided. In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the supply unit 2 and the winding portion 6 have the same configuration, and the winding portion 6 includes a shaft portion 61. The shaft portion 61 is configured to be able to rotate in the rotation direction C. The medium M conveyed from the supply unit 2 to the winding portion 6 is conveyed in a state where a predetermined tension is applied by the winding portion 6 or the like. The shaft portion 61 of the winding portion 6 is a member for inserting a paper tube MP that is the winding core of the roll body R2. In FIG. 1, the shaft portion 61 of the winding portion 6 rotates in the rotation direction C so that the image forming surface M1 is wound to the outside, but the medium M may be wound so that the image forming surface M1 is on the inside. In that case, the shaft portion 61 of the winding portion 6 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C.

[0027] Note that a guide bar 100 is provided between the downstream side medium support portion 3C and the winding portion 6 in the conveyance direction A. The guide bar 100 has an arc-shaped contact surface 101 when viewed from the width direction B. The guide bar 100 guides the conveyance of the medium M by the contact surface 101 coming into contact with the supported surface M2 of the medium M wound by the winding portion 6. However, the configuration of the guide bar 100 is not particularly limited, and further, a configuration without the guide bar 100 may be employed.

[0028] As described above, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a head 5 for printing on the medium M and a winding mechanism 40 for winding the medium M. Hereinafter, the details of the winding mechanism 40, which is a main part of the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the take-up mechanism 40 of this embodiment has two take-up portions 6. And, the paper tube MP around which the medium M is wound by the shaft portions 61 provided on each of the two take-up portions 6 is supported so as to sandwich the paper tube MP in the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the paper tube MP, and the medium M can be taken up. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the take-up mechanism 40 of this embodiment includes a stay 41 provided in an extending direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube MP, which is the winding core of the roll body R2, is supported by the take-up portion 6.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, etc., the take-up mechanism 40 of this embodiment supports the take-up portion 6 so as to be arranged in a support direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and the extending direction (X-axis direction) with respect to the stay 41, and includes a slider portion 42 that is movable in the extending direction. By having such a configuration, the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment can be configured such that the take-up portion 6 is arranged substantially horizontally with respect to the stay 41, and the height of the printing apparatus 1 can be kept low.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the stay 41 has an upper surface 41c facing vertically upward, a first surface 41a on the +Y direction side facing one of the Y-axis directions which is the support direction, and a second surface 41b on the -Y direction side facing the opposite direction to the first surface 41a among the support directions. Further, the slider portion 42 has a first roller 42a as a first contact portion that contacts the first surface 41a, a second roller 42b as a second contact portion that contacts the second surface 41b, and a third roller 42c as a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface 41c. Furthermore, it has a fixing mechanism 44 having a brake pad 44c as a movement suppressing portion that presses against the second surface 41b from the -Y direction side to the +Y direction side to suppress the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction. In the take-up mechanism 40 of this embodiment, the first surface 41a is the surface on the side where the take-up portion 6 is located with respect to the stay 41.

[0032] By having the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment configured in such a manner, the first surface 41a is brought into contact with the first roller 42a, the second surface 41b is brought into contact with the second roller 42b, the upper surface 41c is brought into contact with the third roller 42c, and the slider portion 42 is fixed to the stay 41 with the brake pad 44c, thereby suppressing the rotation of the winding portion 6 with respect to the stay 41. Further, by configuring the brake pad 44c to be pressed against the first surface 41a or the second surface 41b, it becomes easy to configure the brake pad 44c to move along the Y-axis direction. By configuring the brake pad 44c to move along the Y-axis direction, it becomes easy for the operator to perform the operation of moving the brake pad 44c.

[0033] And, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the brake pad 44c is pressed against the second surface 41b from the -Y direction side toward the +Y direction side to suppress the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction, and is configured to be positioned vertically downward relative to the first roller 42a and the second roller 42b. In other words, the brake pad 44c is configured to be pressed against the stay 41 in a direction that promotes the rotational moment of the winding portion 6 with respect to the stay 41 due to its own weight, thereby suppressing the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction.

[0034] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the winding mechanism 40 of this embodiment, at the contact point T1 between the first surface 41a and the first roller 42a, a force F1 is applied to the stay 41 in the arrow direction (-Y direction) in the figure, at the contact point T2 between the second surface 41b and the second roller 42b, a force F2 is applied to the stay 41 in the arrow direction (+Y direction) in the figure, and at the contact point T3 between the upper surface 41c and the third roller 42c, a force F3 is applied to the stay 41 in the arrow direction (-Z direction) in the figure. Therefore, the direction of the rotational moment of the winding portion 6 with respect to the stay 41 due to its own weight applied to the stay 41 becomes the rotational direction D2 in the figure with the stay 41 as the rotation axis.

[0035] On the other hand, when suppressing the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction with respect to the stay 41, the force F0 applied from the brake pad 44c to the stay 41 is in the arrow direction (+Y direction). The contact point T1 is below the contact point T2, and the arrangement (contact point T0) of the brake pad 44c is below the contact point T1. Therefore, when the force F0 is applied from the brake pad 44c to the stay 41 in the arrow direction (+Y direction) at the contact point T0, a force is applied in the -Y direction at the contact point T1, and a force is applied in the +Y direction at the contact point T2. That is, the brake pad 44c is pressed against the stay 41 in a direction that promotes the rotational moment of the winding portion 6 with respect to the stay 41 due to its own weight.

[0036] In addition, if the distance in the Z-axis direction from the contact point T0 to the contact point T1 is defined as the distance L3, and the distance in the Z-axis direction from the contact point T1 to the contact point T2 is defined as the distance L4, then at the contact point T1, a force of F1 + force F0×(1 + L3 / L4) is applied in the -Y direction. On the other hand, at the contact point T2, a force of F2 + force F0×(L3 / L4) is applied in the +Y direction.

[0037] With such a configuration, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can effectively suppress the rotation of the winding portion 6 with respect to the stay 41 even when suppressing the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction with respect to the stay 41 by the brake pad 44c. This is because the contact points T1, T2, and T3 between the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 are arranged at positions where they contact due to their own weight, and the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 are pressed against each other in a direction that promotes the rotational moment of the winding portion 6 due to its own weight to suppress the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction. Therefore, the brake pad 44c moves while maintaining the state where the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 are in contact at the contact points T1, T2, and T3.

[0038] Note that when the winding unit 6 rotates with respect to the stay 41, for example, due to the difference in the amount of rotation of the two winding units 6 with respect to the stay 41, the conveyance length L1 of one end portion in the width direction B shown in FIG. 2 and the conveyance length L2 of the other end portion in the width direction B shown in FIG. 2 will be different. When the difference between the conveyance length L1 of one end portion and the conveyance length L2 of the other end portion becomes large, there is a risk of the medium M being miswound or misconveyed. The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in the difference between the conveyance length L1 of one end portion and the conveyance length L2 of the other end portion. Therefore, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can suppress a decrease in the winding quality of the medium M while keeping the height of the printing apparatus 1 low.

[0039] Further, in the present embodiment, the brake pad 44c is located vertically below the first roller 42a and the second roller 42b, the winding unit 6 is provided on the first surface 41a side (+Y direction side) in the support direction (Y-axis direction) with respect to the stay 41, and the first roller 42a is located vertically below the second roller 42b. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to particularly preferably suppress the rotation of the winding unit 6 with respect to the stay 41.

[0040] However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The contact point T1 and the contact point T2 may be at the same position in the Z-axis direction, or the contact point T2 may be below the contact point T1. In such cases, the brake pad 44c may be configured to suppress the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay 41 in a direction that promotes the rotational moment of the winding unit 6 with respect to the stay 41 due to the self-weight of the winding unit 6. For example, in the case of a configuration in which the contact point T2 is below the contact point T1 and there is a contact point T0 further below that, the direction of pressing the brake pad 44c is the opposite direction to that of the present embodiment, that is, the direction of pressing against the first surface 41a.

[0041] Here, the detailed configuration of the fixing mechanism 44 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fixing mechanism 44 includes, in addition to the brake pad 44c, an operation portion 44a for an operator to grip and operate. Further, it is connected to the brake pad 44c and the operation portion 44a, and includes a rotating shaft 44b that can change the position of the brake pad 44c in the support direction (Y-axis direction) by rotating the operation portion 44a. In the present embodiment, when the operator views from the +Y direction side to the -Y direction side, by rotating the operation portion 44a clockwise, the state changes from that in FIG. 3 to that in FIG. 4, that is, the brake pad 44c can be moved in a direction approaching the second surface 41b, and by rotating the operation portion 44a counterclockwise, the state changes from that in FIG. 4 to that in FIG. 3, that is, the brake pad 44c can be moved in a direction separating from the second surface 41b.

[0042] In other words, the slider portion 42 of the printing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment includes an operation portion 44a that moves the brake pad 44c in the support direction. With such a configuration, the operator can easily suppress the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction with respect to the stay 41 by using the operation portion 44a. However, the configuration of the fixing mechanism 44 is not particularly limited.

[0043] As described above, when suppressing the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction with respect to the stay 41, that is, when rotating the operation portion 44a to bring the brake pad 44c into contact with the second surface 41b, the winding mechanism 40 of the present embodiment is configured to effectively suppress the rotation of the winding portion 6 with respect to the stay 41. This is because the contact points T1, T2, and T3 between the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 of the winding mechanism 40 of the present embodiment are arranged at positions where they come into contact by their own weights, and the brake pad 44c is configured to contact the second surface 41b, so that the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 are pressed against each other in a direction that promotes the rotational moment due to their own weights, thereby suppressing the movement of the slider portion 42 in the extending direction. Hereinafter, this configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 and FIGS. 5 and 6 showing the winding mechanism 40 of the printing apparatus of the reference example while comparing the two.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, in the winding mechanism 40 of the present embodiment, the contact points T1, T2, and T3 between the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 are arranged at positions where they come into contact by the weight of the slider portion 42 or the like. Then, as is clear from comparing FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the direction in which the operation portion 44a is rotated to bring the brake pad 44c into contact with the stay 41 is the direction toward the second surface 41b, that is, the +Y direction. In the state shown in FIG. 3, at the contact point T1, the stay 41 is in contact with the slider portion 42 on the -Y direction side, so that even if the brake pad 44c is brought into contact in the direction toward the second surface 41b, the stay 41 does not move with respect to the slider portion 42.

[0045] Therefore, even when displaced from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. 4, the winding mechanism 40 of the present embodiment does not change the positional relationship between the stay 41 and the slider portion 42, that is, the position of the winding portion 6 in the rotational direction with respect to the stay 41. In other words, in both the state shown in FIG. 3 and the state shown in FIG. 4, the stay 41 and the slider portion 42 are in contact at the contact points T1, T2, and T3.

[0046] Next, the take-up mechanism 40 of the printing apparatus of the reference example will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the take-up mechanism 40 of the printing apparatus of the reference example is also arranged at positions where the contact points T1, T2, and T3 between the stay 41 and the slider unit 42 are in contact by the weight of the slider unit 42 or the like, similar to the take-up mechanism 40 of the present embodiment. However, in the take-up mechanism 40 of the printing apparatus of the reference example, as is clear from comparing FIGS. 5 and 6, the direction in which the operation unit 44a is rotated to bring the brake pad 44c into contact with the stay 41 is the direction toward the first surface 41a, that is, the -Y direction. In other words, the brake pad 44c is configured to contact the first surface 41a at a position between the contact point T1 and the contact point T2, so that the stay 41 and the slider unit 42 are pressed against each other in the direction opposite to the direction in which the rotational moment due to the weight is promoted, and the movement of the slider unit 42 in the extending direction is suppressed.

[0047] Therefore, when displaced from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. 6, in the take-up mechanism 40 of the printing apparatus of the reference example, the slider unit 42 changes in the rotational direction D1 with the stay 41 as the rotation axis. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 5, the stay 41 and the slider unit 42 are in contact at the contact points T1, T2, and T3. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 6, the stay 41 and the slider unit 42 are not in contact at the contact point T1, but are in contact at the contact points T2 and T3, and further at the contact point T4. Thus, in the printing apparatus of the reference example, the position of the take-up unit 6 in the rotational directions D1 and D2 with respect to the stay 41 is displaced according to the degree of rotation of the operation unit 44a of the fixing mechanism 44.

[0048] In the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the first contact portion, the second contact portion, and the third contact portion of the slider portion 42 that contacts the stay 41 are the first roller 42a, the second roller 42b, and the third roller 42c, which are rollers that rotate passively in a state of contacting the stay 41. Thus, it is preferable that at least one of the first contact portion, the second contact portion, and the third contact portion is a roller that rotates passively in a state of contacting the stay 41. This is because, with such a configuration, the slider portion 42 can be easily moved in the extending direction with respect to the stay 41. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and at least one of the first contact portion, the second contact portion, and the third contact portion may be a convex portion or the like that easily slides with respect to the stay 41 instead of a roller.

[0049] Also, as described above, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the supply unit 2 and the winding unit 6 have the same configuration. The supply unit 2 supports the paper tube MP of the roll body R1 around which the medium M is wound so as to sandwich the paper tube MP in the axial direction of the paper tube MP, and supplies the medium M to a position facing the head 5. Further, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, although the position of the supply unit 2 in the Y-axis direction with respect to the stage 41 is opposite to the position of the winding unit 6 in the Y-axis direction with respect to the stage 41, the supply unit 2 side also includes a stage 41 and a slider unit 42 having the same configuration as the winding unit 6 side. That is, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a stage 41 provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube MP is supported by the supply unit 2, and a slider unit 42 that supports the supply unit 2 in the supporting direction with respect to the stage 41 and is movable in the extending direction. Here, since the stage 41 and the slider unit 42 on the supply unit 2 side and the stage 41 and the slider unit 42 on the winding unit 6 side have the same configuration, the brake pad 44c of the slider unit 42 on the supply unit 2 side is also pressed against the stage 41 in a direction that promotes the rotational moment with respect to the stage 41 due to the self-weight of the supply unit 2, thereby suppressing the movement of the slider unit 42 in the extending direction. Further, the first surface 41a, which is the surface on the side where the supply unit 2 is located on the stage 41 on the supply unit 2 side, is the surface on the -Y direction side of the stage 41, and the configuration of the surface described for the stage 41 on the winding unit 6 side is opposite in the direction of the Y-axis.

[0050] Note that, depending on the arrangement of the supply unit 2, which is the supply unit, when supplying the medium M, the winding quality of the medium M may be deteriorated. However, since the supply unit 2 and the winding unit 6 have the same configuration, and the stage 41 and the slider unit 42 on the supply unit 2 side and the stage 41 and the slider unit 42 on the winding unit 6 side have the same configuration, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can also suppress the deterioration of the winding quality of the medium M while keeping the height of the printing apparatus 1 low from this perspective.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. Also, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Further, if the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be appropriately deleted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0052] 1... Printing apparatus, 2... Supply unit, 3... Medium support unit, 3A... Upstream medium support unit, 3B... Medium support unit, 3C... Downstream medium support unit, 4... Carriage, 5... Head (printing unit), 6... Take-up unit, 7... Leg frame, 8... Roller pair, 9... Main body unit, 10... Air blowing unit, 11... Fan, 20... Heater, 21... Shaft portion, 30... Support surface, 40... Take-up mechanism, 41... Stay, 41a... First surface, 41b... Second surface, 41c... Upper surface, 42... Slider portion, 42a... First roller (first contact portion), 42b... Second roller (second contact portion), 42c... Third roller (third contact portion), 44... Fixing mechanism, 44a... Operation portion, 44b... Rotating shaft, 44c... Brake pad (movement suppressing portion), 61... Shaft portion, 100... Guide bar, 101... Contact surface, F... Airflow, F0... Force, F1... Force, F2... Force, F3... Force, L1... Conveying length of one end portion, L2... Conveying length of the other end portion, L3... Distance, L4... Distance, M... Medium, M1... Image forming surface, M2... Supported surface, MP... Paper tube, R1... Roll body, R2... Roll body, T0... Contact point, T1... Contact point, T2... Contact point, T3... Contact point, T4... Contact point

Claims

1. A printing unit that prints on a medium, A winding unit that supports and sandwiches a paper tube around which the medium is wound in the axial direction of the paper tube and winds the medium, A stay provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube is supported by the winding unit, A slider unit that supports the winding unit with respect to the stay in a vertical direction and a support direction intersecting the extending direction, and is movable in the extending direction, comprising, The stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, a first surface facing one of the support directions, and a second surface facing the opposite direction of the first surface in the support directions, The slider unit has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction, The movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes a rotational moment on the stay due to the weight of the winding unit. A printing apparatus characterized by this.

2. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1, The movement suppression portion is located vertically below the first contact portion and the second contact portion, and presses against the second surface to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction, The winding unit is provided on the first surface side in the support direction with respect to the stay, The first contact portion is located vertically below the second contact portion. A printing apparatus characterized by this.

3. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The slider unit includes an operation unit that moves the movement suppression portion in the support direction. A printing apparatus characterized by this.

4. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, at least one of the first contact portion, the second contact portion, and the third contact portion has a roller that rotates passively in contact with the stay, and the printing apparatus is characterized in this.

5. a printing unit that prints on a medium; a supply unit that supports and sandwiches a paper tube of a roll body around which the medium is wound in the axial direction of the paper tube, and supplies the medium to the printing unit; a stay provided in an extending direction parallel to the axial direction when the paper tube is supported by the supply unit; a slider unit that supports the supply unit with respect to the stay in a vertical direction and a support direction intersecting the extending direction, and is movable in the extending direction; and comprising the stay has an upper surface facing vertically upward, a first surface facing one of the support directions, and a second surface facing the direction opposite to the first surface in the support directions; the slider unit has a first contact portion that contacts the first surface, a second contact portion that contacts the second surface, a third contact portion that contacts the upper surface, and a movement suppression portion that presses against the first surface or the second surface to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction; the movement suppression portion is configured to suppress movement of the slider unit in the extending direction by being pressed against the stay in a direction that promotes a rotational moment of the supply unit with respect to the stay due to its own weight, and the printing apparatus is characterized in this.

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