Printer

Abstract

To enhance strength of a printer while improving maintainability of a printing head.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes a printing head 5, a maintenance part 130, a housing and a frame 150, wherein the housing 100 has a first opening / closing part 113a which is accessible to the printing head 5 positioned in the maintenance part 130 from outside, the frame 150 has a maintenance part frame 154 provided so as to surround the maintenance part 130, the maintenance part frame 154 has a maintenance part main frame 154a and a maintenance part sub-frame 154b, the maintenance part sub-frame 154b is bridged between the maintenance part main frames 154a, or between the maintenance part main frame 154a and the maintenance part sub-frame 154b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Various printing devices have been used in the past. Among these, there is a printing device that includes a print head that ejects liquid onto a print medium to form an image, a maintenance unit that performs maintenance on the print head, and a housing that houses the print head and the maintenance unit. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid ejection device that includes a housing and a maintenance area on the side of the printing area where maintenance can be performed on the liquid ejection head. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-104426 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The liquid ejection device of Patent Document 1 has a maintenance cover provided in the maintenance area, and maintenance of the liquid ejection head is performed by opening the maintenance cover. If an attempt is made to increase the size of the maintenance cover to improve ease of maintenance and thereby increase the opening area when the maintenance cover is open, the rigidity of the housing covering the maintenance area will be weakened. When the rigidity of the housing is weakened, problems such as vibrations occur when the print head scans. Furthermore, if a heavy object is placed on the portion of the housing below which the maintenance area is formed, there is a risk that the housing will deform. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] a housing that houses the platen, the print head, the carriage, the carriage rail and the maintenance unit; and a frame that supports the housing, wherein the housing has a first housing part that covers the platen and a second housing part that is provided on the one side of the first housing part, the second housing part having a third housing part that covers the maintenance unit and a fourth housing part that is provided on the rear side of the third housing part in a front-to-rear direction that intersects with the scanning direction, and the third housing part has a first opening / closing part that allows access to the print head located in the maintenance unit from outside the housing. The frame includes a first main frame extending in the scanning direction and supporting the platen, a second main frame attached to the first main frame and extending in a height direction intersecting both the scanning direction and the front-to-rear direction, a third main frame attached to the second main frame and extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a maintenance unit frame arranged to surround the maintenance unit along the shape of the second housing unit and support the second housing unit, and the maintenance unit frame includes a maintenance unit main frame attached to any of the first main frame, the second main frame, and the third main frame, and a maintenance unit sub frame not attached to any of the first main frame, the second main frame, and the third main frame, and the maintenance unit sub frame is bridged between the maintenance unit main frames or between the maintenance unit main frame and the maintenance unit sub frame. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic side view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit and its surroundings of the printing apparatus in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit and its surroundings with the housing of the printing device in FIG. 1 removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a frame configuration around a maintenance unit of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a frame configuration of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a frame configuration of a part of the main frame of the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] First, the present invention will be briefly described. a housing that houses the platen, the print head, the carriage, the carriage rail and the maintenance unit; and a frame that supports the housing, wherein the housing has a first housing part that covers the platen and a second housing part that is provided on the one side of the first housing part, the second housing part having a third housing part that covers the maintenance unit and a fourth housing part that is provided on the rear side of the third housing part in a front-to-rear direction that intersects with the scanning direction, and the third housing part has a first opening / closing part that allows access to the print head located in the maintenance unit from outside the housing. the frame comprises a first main frame extending in the scanning direction and supporting the platen, a second main frame attached to the first main frame and extending in a height direction intersecting both the scanning direction and the front-to-rear direction, a third main frame attached to the second main frame and extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a maintenance unit frame arranged to surround the maintenance unit along the shape of the second housing unit and support the second housing unit, the maintenance unit frame comprising a maintenance unit main frame attached to any of the first main frame, the second main frame, and the third main frame, and a maintenance unit sub-frame not attached to any of the first main frame, the second main frame, and the third main frame, and the maintenance unit sub-frame is bridged between the maintenance unit main frames or between the maintenance unit main frame and the maintenance unit sub-frame.

[0008] According to this aspect, the frame supporting the housing includes multiple main frames, such as a first main frame that supports the platen, as well as a maintenance unit frame that supports the second housing unit in the area corresponding to the maintenance unit. The maintenance unit frame includes a maintenance unit main frame attached to any of the first main frame, second main frame, and third main frame, as well as a maintenance unit sub-frame. Furthermore, the maintenance unit sub-frame spans between the maintenance unit main frames or between the maintenance unit main frames and the maintenance unit sub-frame. With this configuration, even if the first opening / closing unit is enlarged to improve maintainability, the second housing unit can be suitably supported by the maintenance unit main frame and the maintenance unit sub-frame. Therefore, the strength of the printing device can be increased while improving the maintainability of the print head.

[0009] A second aspect of the printing device of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, characterized in that the first opening / closing section opens and closes in the upward direction in the height direction, and the maintenance section frame is arranged in a position that does not overlap with the first opening / closing section when viewed from the upward direction.

[0010] According to this aspect, the maintenance unit frame is provided at a position that does not overlap with the first opening / closing unit when viewed from above. This configuration can particularly improve maintainability.

[0011] A printing device of a third aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, characterized in that the second main frame and the third main frame are stronger than the maintenance unit subframe and are positioned at the boundary between the first housing unit and the second housing unit.

[0012] According to this aspect, the second main frame and the third main frame are stronger than the maintenance unit subframe and are disposed at the boundary between the first and second housing units. This configuration makes it possible to increase the rigidity of the boundary between the first and second housing units, which is the area between the housings where rigidity tends to decrease.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the printing device of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, and is characterized in that it has a plurality of maintenance unit subframes, and at least one of the plurality of maintenance unit subframes is positioned at the boundary position between the third housing unit and the fourth housing unit.

[0014] According to this aspect, at least one of the maintenance unit subframes is disposed at the boundary between the third and fourth housing units. This configuration makes it possible to increase the rigidity of the boundary between the third and fourth housing units, which is an area between the housings where rigidity tends to decrease.

[0015] A printing device of a fifth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, and is characterized in that the first opening / closing unit opens and closes in the upward direction in the height direction, and the third housing unit opens and closes in the forward direction in the front-to-back direction, and has a second opening / closing unit that allows access to the print head located in the maintenance unit from outside the housing.

[0016] According to this aspect, in addition to the first opening / closing section that opens and closes upward, the second opening / closing section that opens and closes forward is provided, which makes it possible to particularly improve maintainability.

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an overview of a printing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Note that in FIG. 1, some components are simplified and omitted to make the configuration easier to understand. In each figure, the X-axis direction in the figure is the horizontal direction and corresponds to the axial direction of a roll R1 on which printing medium M is wound in a roll shape; the Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction and also corresponds to the front-to-rear direction of the printing device 1, perpendicular to the X-axis direction; and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. In the following, the direction in which an arrow points is referred to as the + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow pointing direction is referred to as the - direction. For example, the vertically upward direction is referred to as the +Z direction, the vertically downward direction is referred to as the -Z direction, the front of the printing device 1 is referred to as the +Y direction, and the rear of the printing device 1 is referred to as the -Y direction.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the printing device 1 of this embodiment has a housing 100, and leg frames 7 are attached to the housing 100 near both ends in the X-axis direction. Casters 13 and adjusters 14 are provided below the leg frames 7, and the printing device 1 can be easily moved using the casters 13, and the printing device 1 can be appropriately installed on an installation surface G using the adjusters 14. The printing device 1 of this embodiment also has a supply unit 2 that holds a roll R1 on the rear side, or the -Y direction side, of the housing 100. The supply unit 2 supports the paper tube of the roll R1 around which printing medium M is wound, so as to sandwich it in the X-axis direction, and supplies the printing medium M to a position facing the head 5, which serves as the printing unit.

[0019] In the printing device 1 of this embodiment, when the printing medium M is transported in the transport direction A, the supply unit 2 rotates the roll R1 in a rotation direction C. Note that, although the roll R1 used in FIG. 1 is wound so that the image forming surface M1 on which the image is formed faces outward, if a roll R1 wound so that the image forming surface M1 faces inward is used, the supply unit 2 can rotate the roll R1 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C to feed out the printing medium M.

[0020] The printing device 1 of this embodiment also has a transport path for the printing medium M, which includes a medium support unit 3 that supports the printing medium M on a support surface. The printing device 1 of this embodiment has, as the medium support unit 3, an upstream medium support unit 3A, a platen 3B, and a downstream medium support unit 3C, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction A.

[0021] The printing device 1 also includes a roller pair 8 consisting of a drive roller 8A and a driven roller 8B as a transport unit for transporting the print medium M in the transport path in the transport direction A. However, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the transport unit.

[0022] The printing device 1 of this embodiment also includes a head 5, which serves as a printing unit having a plurality of nozzles disposed opposite the platen 3B and which forms an image by ejecting liquid ink from the nozzles, and a carriage 4 carrying the head 5 and capable of moving back and forth in a width direction B. In other words, the width direction B corresponds to the scanning direction of the carriage 4. A liquid supply path (not shown) formed of a tube or the like is connected to the head 5, and ink is supplied to the head 5 via the liquid supply path from an ink cartridge attached to a liquid supply device 50 shown in FIG. 2. In the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the transport direction A at the position opposite the head 5 on the platen 3B is the +Y direction, the width direction B, which is the direction of movement of the head 5 (the scanning direction of the carriage 4), is the direction along the X-axis, and the ink ejection direction is the -Z direction.

[0023] With the above-described configuration, the head 5 can form an image by ejecting ink from nozzles (not shown) onto the transported print medium M while moving back and forth in the width direction B, which is a direction intersecting the transport direction A. The printing device 1 of this embodiment can form a desired image on the print medium M by repeatedly transporting the print medium M in the transport direction A by a predetermined transport amount and ejecting ink while moving the head 5 in the width direction B with the print medium M stopped.

[0024] Furthermore, the downstream medium support section 3C of the medium support section 3 is provided with a heater 20 as a heating section for heating the supported surface M2 of the print medium M on the side opposite the image forming surface M1. In this embodiment, the heater 20 is configured with an electric heating wire or the like, but is not limited to this configuration. Furthermore, in addition to the downstream medium support section 3C, the upstream medium support section 3A and the platen 3B may also be provided with a medium heating section for heating the supported surface M2 of the print medium M on the side opposite the image forming surface M1.

[0025] Additionally, a blower 10 is provided at a portion of the transport path facing the downstream medium support unit 3C, which dries the ink ejected from the head 5 onto the image forming surface M1 of the printing medium M by blowing an airflow F. The blower 10 of this embodiment includes a fan 11 that generates an airflow F, and is configured to be able to blow gas as the airflow F onto the image forming surface M1 of the printing medium M, but is not limited to such a configuration.

[0026] Further, downstream of the downstream medium support unit 3C in the transport direction A, a winding unit 6 is provided. The winding unit 6 winds the printing medium M transported in the transport direction A into a roll to form the roll R2. In the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the supply unit 2 and the winding unit 6 have the same configuration. The printing medium M transported from the supply unit 2 to the winding unit 6 is transported while being applied with a predetermined tension by the winding unit 6 or the like. The winding unit 6 supports the paper tube, which is the winding core of the roll R2, by sandwiching it in the X-axis direction and rotating the paper tube to wind the printing medium M into a roll. In FIG. 1, the winding unit 6 rotates the roll R2 in the rotation direction C so that the image forming surface M1 faces outward. However, the printing medium M may also be wound so that the image forming surface M1 faces inward. In this case, the winding unit 6 rotates the roll R2 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C.

[0027] A guide bar 200 is provided between the downstream medium support unit 3C and the winding unit 6 in the transport direction A. The guide bar 200 has a contact surface 201 that is arc-shaped when viewed from the width direction B. The guide bar 200 guides the transport of the printing medium M by bringing the contact surface 201 into contact with the supported surface M2 of the printing medium M being wound around the winding unit 6. However, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the guide bar 200, and the configuration may also be such that the guide bar 200 is not provided.

[0028] As described above, the printing device 1 of this embodiment includes a platen 3B that supports the printing medium M, a head 5 that is a print head that forms an image by ejecting liquid onto the printing medium M supported by the platen 3B, and a carriage 4 that holds the head 5 and moves in the scanning direction. Furthermore, as described below, the printing device 1 of this embodiment also includes a carriage rail 120 that serves as a guide for moving the carriage 4, and a maintenance unit 130 that is disposed on one side (the -X direction side) of the platen 3B in the width direction B, which is the scanning direction of the carriage 4, and performs maintenance on the head 5. The maintenance unit 130 can be a space where a user can perform maintenance on the head 5 using, for example, a cotton swab, or the like, but it may also be configured to perform maintenance on the head 5 automatically using a wiper, suction mechanism, or the like.

[0029] Here, the housing 100 houses the platen 3B, head 5, carriage 4, carriage rail 120, and maintenance unit 130, and is supported by multiple frames 150. Therefore, the specific configurations of the housing 100 and frames 150, which are essential parts of the printing device 1 of this embodiment, will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 7.

[0030] 2 and 3, in the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the housing 100 has a first housing section 111 that covers the platen 3B, and a second housing section 112 that is provided on one side of the platen 3B (the -X direction side) of the first housing section 111. Of these, the second housing section 112 has a third housing section 113 that covers the maintenance section 130, and a fourth housing section 114 that is arranged on the rear side (the -Y direction side) of the third housing section 113 in the front-to-rear direction, as shown in FIG.

[0031] 2, the third housing unit 113 has a first opening / closing unit 113a that allows access to the head 5 positioned in the maintenance unit 130 from outside the housing 100, that forms the top surface, and that rotates in a rotation direction D1 around a rotation axis located on the rear side (-Y direction side) and extending in the X-axis direction.Furthermore, the third housing unit 113 has a second opening / closing unit 113b that allows access to the head 5 positioned in the maintenance unit 130 from outside the housing 100, that forms the front surface, and that rotates in a rotation direction D2 around a rotation axis located on the bottom side (-Z direction side).

[0032] Meanwhile, various electronic components such as wiring and electrical circuit boards are housed inside the fourth housing unit 114. From another perspective, the printing device 1 of this embodiment avoids placing electronic components as much as possible in the third housing unit 113, which has the maintenance unit 130 inside, thereby preventing components that would get in the way of the work path when maintaining the head 5 from being placed thereon.

[0033] 6 and 7, the frame 150 has a first main frame 151 that extends in the width direction B and supports the platen 3B, and a second main frame 152 that is attached to the first main frame 151 and extends in the height direction (Z-axis direction). Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, the frame 150 has a third main frame 153 that is attached to the second main frame 152 and extends in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction), and a plurality of maintenance unit frames 154 that are provided to surround the maintenance unit 130 along the shape of the second housing unit 112 and support the second housing unit 112.

[0034] 4 to 6, the maintenance unit frame 154 has a maintenance unit main frame 154a attached to any one of the first main frame 151, the second main frame 152, and the third main frame 153, and a maintenance unit sub-frame 154b attached to none of the first main frame 151, the second main frame 152, and the third main frame 153. The maintenance unit sub-frame 154b is bridged between the maintenance unit main frames 154a or between the maintenance unit main frames 154a and the maintenance unit sub-frame 154b. With this configuration, the maintenance unit frame 154 is arranged in a cage shape around the maintenance unit 130 so as not to obstruct user access to the maintenance unit 130.

[0035] As described above, the printing device 1 of this embodiment includes, as the frame 150 supporting the housing 100, multiple main frames such as the first main frame 151 that supports the platen 3B, as well as a maintenance unit frame 154 that supports the second housing unit 112 in the area corresponding to the maintenance unit 130. The maintenance unit frame 154 includes a maintenance unit main frame 154a attached to any of the first main frame 151, second main frame 152, and third main frame 153, as well as a maintenance unit sub-frame 154b. Furthermore, the maintenance unit sub-frame 154b is bridged between the maintenance unit main frames 154a or between the maintenance unit main frame 154a and the maintenance unit sub-frame 154b.

[0036] With this configuration, even if the first opening / closing section 113a is enlarged to improve maintainability, the maintenance section main frame 154a and the maintenance section sub-frame 154b can suitably support the second housing section 112. Therefore, the printing device 1 of this embodiment can increase the strength of the printing device 1 while improving the maintainability of the head 5. Furthermore, by opening the top surface, the maintenance section 130 can be illuminated, allowing maintenance of the head 5 to be performed.

[0037] As described above, the first opening / closing unit 113a forms the upper surface and has a first opening / closing unit 113a located on the rear side (-Y direction side) that rotates in a rotation direction D1 around a rotation axis extending in the X-axis direction. In other words, the first opening / closing unit 113a opens and closes in the upward direction (+Z direction) of the height direction (Z-axis direction). The maintenance unit frame 154 is located in a position that does not overlap with the first opening / closing unit 113a when viewed from above. This configuration of the printing device 1 of this embodiment prevents the maintenance unit 130 from becoming obscured when performing maintenance on the head 5, and also facilitates user access from outside the housing 100, thereby improving maintainability.

[0038] In the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the first main frame 151 is configured to have high strength, for example, stronger than the maintenance unit sub-frame 154b, and not only the first main frame 151, but also the second main frame 152 and the third main frame 153 are configured to have higher strength than the maintenance unit sub-frame 154b. As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 2 and 3 with FIGS. 4 and 5, the second main frame 152 and the third main frame 153 are disposed at the boundary between the first housing unit 111 and the second housing unit 112. With this configuration, the printing device 1 of this embodiment can increase the rigidity of the boundary between the first housing unit 111 and the second housing unit 112, which is the area between the housings 100 where rigidity tends to decrease.

[0039] 4 to 6, the printing device 1 of this embodiment has multiple maintenance unit sub-frames 154b, and one of the multiple maintenance unit sub-frames 154b, maintenance unit sub-frame 1541, is disposed at the boundary between the third housing unit 113 and the fourth housing unit 114. In this way, it is preferable that at least one of the multiple maintenance unit sub-frames 154b is disposed at the boundary between the third housing unit 113 and the fourth housing unit 114. This is because such a configuration can increase the rigidity of the boundary between the third housing unit 113 and the fourth housing unit 114, which is the area between the housings 100 where rigidity tends to decrease.

[0040] As described above, the first opening / closing unit 113a opens and closes in the upward direction (+Z direction) in the height direction (Z-axis direction), but the third housing unit 113 has a second opening / closing unit 113b in addition to the first opening / closing unit 113a. The second opening / closing unit 113b opens and closes in the forward direction (+Y direction) in the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction), allowing access to the head 5 located in the maintenance unit 130 from outside the housing 100. With this configuration, the printing device 1 of this embodiment can particularly increase the opening area for accessing the maintenance unit 130, thereby particularly improving maintainability.

[0041] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1...printing device, 2...supply section, 3...medium support section, 3A...upstream media support section, 3B...platen, 3C...downstream media support section, 4...carriage, 5...head (print head), 6...winding section, 7...leg frame, 8...roller pair, 8A...drive roller, 8B...followed roller, 10...air blower section, 11...fan, 13...caster, 14...adjuster, 20...heater, 50...liquid supply device, 100...casing, 111...first casing section, 112...second casing section, 113...third casing section, 113a...first opening / closing section, 113b...second opening / closing section section, 114...fourth housing section, 120...carriage rail, 130...maintenance section, 150...frame, 151...first main frame, 152...second main frame, 153...third main frame, 154...maintenance section frame, 154a...maintenance section main frame, 154b...maintenance section sub-frame, 200...guide bar, 201...contact surface, 1541...maintenance section sub-frame, G...installation surface, M...printing medium, M1...image forming surface, M2...supported surface, R1...roll body, R2...roll body

Claims

1. a platen for supporting the print medium; a print head that ejects a liquid onto a print medium supported by the platen to form an image; a carriage that holds the print head and moves in a scanning direction; a carriage rail that serves as a guide when moving the carriage; a maintenance unit that is disposed on one side of the platen in the scanning direction and performs maintenance on the print head; a housing that houses the platen, the print head, the carriage, the carriage rail, and the maintenance unit; a frame supporting the housing; Equipped with the housing includes a first housing portion that covers the platen and a second housing portion that is provided on the one side of the first housing portion, the second housing unit includes a third housing unit that covers the maintenance unit, and a fourth housing unit that is disposed rearward of the third housing unit in a front-rear direction that intersects with the scanning direction, the third housing unit has a first opening / closing unit that enables access to the print head located in the maintenance unit from outside the housing, the frame includes a first main frame extending in the scanning direction and supporting the platen, a second main frame attached to the first main frame and extending in a height direction intersecting both the scanning direction and the front-rear direction, a third main frame attached to the second main frame and extending in the front-rear direction, and a maintenance unit frame that is provided to surround the maintenance unit along the shape of the second housing unit and supports the second housing unit, the maintenance unit frame includes a maintenance unit mainframe attached to any one of the first mainframe, the second mainframe, and the third mainframe, and a maintenance unit subframe attached to none of the first mainframe, the second mainframe, and the third mainframe, A printing device characterized in that the maintenance unit sub-frame is bridged between the maintenance unit main frames or between the maintenance unit main frame and the maintenance unit sub-frame.

2. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, the first opening / closing unit opens and closes in an upward direction in the height direction, The printing device is characterized in that the maintenance unit frame is provided at a position that does not overlap with the first opening / closing unit when viewed from above.

3. 3. The printing device according to claim 1, A printing device characterized in that the second main frame and the third main frame are stronger than the maintenance unit subframe and are located at the boundary between the first housing unit and the second housing unit.

4. 3. The printing device according to claim 1, The maintenance unit subframe has a plurality of the maintenance unit subframes, A printing device characterized in that at least one of the plurality of maintenance unit sub-frames is disposed at a boundary position between the third housing unit and the fourth housing unit.

5. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, the first opening / closing unit opens and closes in an upward direction in the height direction, A printing device characterized in that the third housing unit has a second opening / closing unit that opens and closes in the forward direction in the front-to-back direction, and enables access to the print head located in the maintenance unit from outside the housing.

Images