Printer platen

Abstract

To provide a platen for a printer that can reduce the inclination of a pressing member that presses down a print medium, even if the print medium has different thicknesses depending on the part, and can reduce the gap between the print medium and a nozzle surface. [Solution] The printer platen is a printer platen that moves between a set position where a print medium is placed and a printing position where droplets are ejected onto the print medium, and comprises a base member that extends in a first direction and a second direction that are perpendicular to each other and has a placement surface on which the print medium is placed, a pressing member that presses down the print medium placed on the placement surface in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first and second directions, and extends in the first direction at a position where it presses down the print medium, and a biasing member that biases the pressing member in the third direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a platen for a printer, and more particularly to a platen that suitably secures a print medium such as clothing during printing. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a printing apparatus that includes a platen outer periphery cover that presses the outer periphery of a print medium, such as clothing, placed on a platen (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-014051 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional printing device described above, the platen outer cover is configured to be openable and closable using a hinge. However, if the print medium has different thicknesses in different areas, the platen outer cover will tilt when it presses down on the print medium. This requires a large gap between the print medium and the nozzle face to prevent the tilted platen outer cover from coming into contact with the nozzle face of the ejection head. As a result, the impact position of ink droplets is easily shifted, resulting in a problem of reduced print quality.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a platen for a printer that can reduce the inclination of a pressing member that presses down on a printing medium, even if the printing medium has different thicknesses depending on the part, and can reduce the distance between the printing medium and the nozzle surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printer platen disclosed herein is a printer platen that moves between a set position where a print medium is placed and a printing position where droplets are ejected onto the print medium, and comprises a base member that extends in a first direction and a second direction that are perpendicular to each other and has a placement surface on which the print medium is placed, a pressing member that presses down the print medium placed on the placement surface in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first and second directions, and extends in the first direction at a position where it presses down the print medium, and a biasing member that biases the pressing member in the third direction.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the pressing member that presses down on the print medium is urged in a third direction by the urging member. As a result, even if the print medium has different thicknesses depending on the location, the urging force of the urging member prevents the pressing member from tilting while pressing down on the print medium. This significantly reduces the possibility of the pressing member coming into contact with the nozzle face of the ejection head, allowing for a smaller distance between the print medium and the nozzle face. This reduces the likelihood of ink droplets being misaligned, thereby preventing a decrease in print quality. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a printer platen that can reduce the inclination of the pressing member that presses down on the printing medium, even if the printing medium has different thicknesses depending on the part, and can reduce the distance between the printing medium and the nozzle surface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing device in which a printer platen according to one embodiment is used. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer platen of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the printer platen of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the set position and printing position of the printer platen. [Figure 5]FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a hinge shaft provided on the base member, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a biasing member provided on a first end of the pressing member. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a lock shaft provided on the base member. [Figure 7] FIG. 7A is a side view showing the pusher member in the non-depressed position and the engagement member in the unlocked position, FIG. 7B is a side view showing the pusher member moved from the non-depressed position and the engagement member contacting the lock shaft, and FIG. 7C is a side view showing the pusher member in the depressed position and the engagement member in the locked position. [Figure 8] 8A to 8D are diagrams showing the contact position of the second sliding surface of the engagement member with the lock shaft according to the rotation angle of the pressing member. [Figure 9] 9A is a side view showing the state in which the pressing member is in the pressed position and the engaging member is in the locked position, FIG. 9B is a side view showing the state in which the pressing member has rotated from the pressed position to the non-pressed position and the engaging member has rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position, and FIG. 9C is a side view showing the state in which the pressing member has been further rotated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A printer platen according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The printer platen described below is merely one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and additions, deletions, and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Note that, below, identical or corresponding elements will be designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted unless otherwise noted.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing device 200 that uses a printer platen 100 according to one embodiment. In FIG. 1 and the figures described below, mutually orthogonal directions are designated as a first direction Dy, a second direction Dx, and a third direction Dz. In this embodiment, for example, the first direction Dy is the transport direction of the print medium W, the second direction Dx is the movement direction of a carriage 205 (described below), and the third direction Dz is the up-down direction. For convenience of explanation, one side of the transport direction Dy is designated as the front side of the printing device 200, the other side of the transport direction Dy is designated as the rear side of the printing device 200, and when viewing the printing device 200 from the front, one side of the movement direction Dx is designated as the right side, and when viewing the printing device 200 from the front, the other side of the movement direction Dx is designated as the left side. Hereinafter, Dy is referred to as the front-to-rear direction, Dx is referred to as the left-to-right direction, and Dz is referred to as the up-to-down direction. However, these directions are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a printing apparatus 200 of this embodiment includes a housing 2, a platen fixing portion 203, operation keys 4, a display portion 5, a printer platen 100, an upper cover 7, and the like.

[0013] The housing 2 is formed in a box shape. The housing 2 has an opening 2a. Inside the housing 2, a discharge head 201, a carriage 205, a control device, and the like, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0014] The printer platen 100 supports the print medium W so that it can be printed on by the printing device 200. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer platen 100 is detachably fixed to the printing device 200 by a platen fixing part 203. The specific configuration of the platen fixing part 203 is not particularly limited, and a known configuration can be suitably used. Note that the configuration of the printing device 200 in this disclosure is not limited to the configuration exemplified in FIG. 1, and known printing devices can be applied.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer platen 100 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the printer platen 100 of Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the printer platen 100 includes a base member 10, a pressing member 11, a biasing member 12, and a hinge shaft 13. A pair of hinge shafts 13 are provided, and the biasing member 12 is provided corresponding to the hinge shaft 13. In this embodiment, the hinge shaft 13 corresponds to the first rotation axis.

[0016] The base member 10 is formed, for example, in a plate shape. The base member 10 extends in the front-rear direction Dy and the left-right direction Dx and has a placement surface 10a on which the print medium W is placed. In this embodiment, an example of the print medium W is a hat or the like. Hats include caps and hats. The placement surface 10a includes a surface 10b extending in the front-rear direction Dy and the left-right direction Dx and a substantially U-shaped surface 10c located forward of the surface 10b. As a result, the front portion of the base member 10 has a cutout in the center, leaving both end portions in the left-right direction Dx. When a hat serving as the print medium W is supported by the base member 10, the edges of the hat are supported by the surfaces 10b and 10c, and the main body of the hat is positioned in the cutout position of the base member 10. When the printing medium W is a cap, the edge portion may be called a brim, visor, bill, peak, or bill bill, and when the printing medium W is a hat, the edge portion may be called a brim, visor, bill, peak, or bill bill. Therefore, in this embodiment, the edge portion includes a brim, visor, bill, peak, and bill bill. In the following description, a cap is exemplified as the printing medium W, and the edge portion of the cap is referred to as a brim.

[0017] The base member 10 is also provided with a pair of holders 20 that hold the hinge shaft 13 so that the position of the hinge shaft 13 can be adjusted in the up-down direction Dz. The holders 20 are formed, for example, in the shape of a plate. The holders 20 are provided at the left and right ends in the left-right direction Dx on the rear side, which is one side of the base member 10 in the front-rear direction Dy. The holders 20 extend downward from the base member 10. The holders 20 have a shaft member 20a that extends in the left-right direction Dx. The shaft member 20a will be described later.

[0018] The press-down member 11 is formed, for example, in a plate shape. The press-down member 11 can be disposed on the mounting surface 10a of the base member 10. The hinge shaft 13 is provided on the rear side, which is an example of one side in the front-rear direction Dy, and extends in the left-right direction Dx. The hinge shaft 13 is disposed closer to a first end Ed1 (described later) of the press-down member 11 than to a second end Ed2 (described later). The hinge shaft 13 rotates the press-down member 11 relative to the base member 10 between a press-down position Pp (FIG. 3) where the press-down member 11 presses down on the print medium W and a non-press-down position Pn (FIG. 2) where the press-down member 11 does not press down on the print medium W. Thus, the press-down member 11 can be disposed at either the press-down position Pp or the non-press-down position Pn. Note that an operator can position the press-down member 11 at either the press-down position Pp or the non-press-down position Pn by rotating the press-down member 11 via the hinge shaft 13 while gripping the press-down member 11 or a handle 36 (described later).

[0019] When the presser member 11 is positioned at the pressing position Pp, the presser member 11 includes a rear portion 11a extending in the front-rear direction Dy and the left-right direction Dx, a front portion 11b located forward of the rear portion 11a, and a notch 11c formed in the front portion 11b. The notch 11c gives the front portion 11b a generally U-shape. The rear end of the notch 11c is positioned so that all or part of the rear end surface of the surface 10c of the base member 10 is exposed when the presser member 11 is positioned at the pressing position Pp. Furthermore, when the presser member 11 is positioned at the pressing position Pp, the presser member 11 has a first end Ed1 located at the rear side, which is an example of one side in the front-rear direction Dy, and a second end Ed2 located at the front side, which is an example of the other side in the front-rear direction Dy.

[0020] The press-down member 11 is provided with a plurality of tabs 14 that protrude from the cutout portion 11c of the press-down member 11 toward the inside of the cutout portion 11c. In the example of Fig. 2, nine tabs 14 are provided, and these nine tabs 14 are arranged at predetermined intervals. The tabs 14 press the peripheral edge of the brim of a cap, which is an example of a print medium W placed on the placement surface 10a of the base member 10, toward the placement surface 10a.

[0021] A pair of engagement members 30 is provided at the second end Ed2 of the press-down member 11. More specifically, the press-down member 11 has a pair of holding portions 15 and a rotating shaft 31 provided corresponding to each of the pair of holding portions 15. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 31 corresponds to the second rotating shaft. The holding portions 15 are formed, for example, in a plate shape. The holding portions 15 are provided at the left and right ends of the front portion 11b of the press-down member 11 in the left-right direction Dx. The holding portions 15 extend downward from the press-down member 11. The holding portions 15 rotatably hold the engagement members 30. Of the pair of engagement members 30, the right engagement member 30 is provided to the right of the corresponding holding portion 15, and the left engagement member 30 is provided to the left of the corresponding holding portion 15. The rotating shaft 31 is arranged parallel to the left-right direction Dx. The rotating shaft 31 is rotatably provided to the holding portions 15 and rotates the engagement members 30 around an axis parallel to the left-right direction Dx. As a result, the engaging member 30 rotates around the axis of the rotating shaft 31 via the rotating shaft 31 .

[0022] The engaging members 30 are formed, for example, in a plate shape. When the push-down member 11 is in the pressed-down position Pp, the engaging members 30 are provided at the left and right ends in the left-right direction Dx on the front side, which is an example of the other side in the front-rear direction Dy, of the push-down member 11. The engaging members 30 can extend downward from the push-down member 11. Details of the engaging members 30 will be described later.

[0023] The biasing member 12 biases the pusher member 11 in the up-down direction Dz. For example, the biasing member 12 biases the pusher member 11 in a direction approaching the placement surface 10a. In other words, the biasing member 12 biases the pusher member 11 downward. The biasing member 12 is provided on either the first end Ed1, the second end Ed2, or the first end Ed1 and the second end Ed2 of the pusher member 11. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the biasing member 12 is provided on the first end Ed1 of the pusher member 11. The first end Ed1 of the pusher member 11 is disposed closer to the hinge shaft 13 than the second end Ed2. The first end Ed1 of the pusher member 11 is biased downward by the biasing member 12. The first end Ed1 of the pusher member 11 is biased by the biasing member 12 in a direction approaching the placement surface 10a. The biasing member 12 may be a spring, rubber, or the like.

[0024] Next, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the set position Ps and the print position Pi of the printer platen 100.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the printing apparatus 200 of this embodiment includes an ejection head 201 having a nozzle surface 201 a , a support plate 202 , a platen fixing portion 203 , a platen support base 204 , and a carriage 205 .

[0026] The ejection head 201 is supported by a carriage 205 and ejects ink droplets, which are an example of liquid droplets, onto a print medium W. The ejection head 201 ejects ink droplets of each color, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black, white, and clear, onto the print medium W. As described above, the carriage 205 moves in the left-right direction Dx, and therefore the ejection head 201 also moves in the left-right direction Dx. A platen fixing part 203 extending in the up-down direction Dz is detachably connected to the base member 10 of the printer platen 100. The platen fixing part 203 is connected to a platen support base 204 located below the platen fixing part 203. The platen support base 204 is supported by a support plate 202 so as to be able to move back and forth in the front-to-back direction Dy. In this configuration, the platen support base 204 moves back and forth in the forward and backward direction Dy on the support plate 202, causing the printer platen 100 to move back and forth between a set position Ps where the print medium W is placed and a printing position Pi opposite the ejection head 201 that ejects ink droplets onto the print medium W.

[0027] Next, Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing hinge shaft 13 provided on base member 10, and Fig. 5B is a perspective view showing biasing member 12 provided on press-down member 11. Also, Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing lock shaft 22 provided on base member 10.

[0028] As described above, the hinge shaft 13 is held by the holder 20. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A , the holder 20 is provided with an elongated hole 20b extending in the up-down direction Dz. The hinge shaft 13 has a shaft main body 13a and a threaded portion (not shown) that has a smaller diameter than the shaft main body 13a. The threaded portion of the hinge shaft 13 is inserted into the elongated hole 20b of the holder 20. With the threaded portion of the hinge shaft 13 inserted into the elongated hole 20b, a nut portion (not shown) is fastened to the threaded portion from the opposite side of the shaft main body 13a relative to the holder 20. This allows the position of the hinge shaft 13 relative to the elongated hole 20b to be adjusted in the up-down direction Dz. A scale Sc1 is provided on the side of the elongated hole 20b in the front-to-rear direction Dy. The scale Sc1 is indicated in increments of 1 mm, for example. The operator can adjust the position of the hinge shaft 13 in the up-down direction Dz based on the scale Sc1.

[0029] 5B, the push-down member 11 is provided with a pair of engagement members 11d. The engagement members 11d are provided at the left and right ends in the left-right direction Dx on the rear side, which is an example of one side in the front-rear direction Dy, of the rear portion 11a of the push-down member 11. The engagement members 11d have an insertion hole 11e through which the hinge shaft 13 is inserted when the holding portion 20 and the engagement members 11d are overlapped in the left-right direction Dx. In addition, each of the pair of engagement members 11d is provided with a shaft member 11f extending in the left-right direction Dx.

[0030] The nut portion is fastened to the threaded portion with the hinge shaft 13 inserted through the insertion hole 11e of the engaging member 11d and the threaded portion of the hinge shaft 13 inserted through the elongated hole 20b of the holding portion 20. As a result, the pressing member 11 is connected to the base member 10 so as to be rotatable between the pressed position Pp and the non-pressed position Pn with the hinge shaft 13 as the rotation axis.

[0031] With the pusher 11 connected to the base member 10 in this manner, the biasing member 12 is connected to the shaft member 11f of the engaging member 11d and the shaft member 20a of the pusher 11. The biasing member 12 is disposed at the first end Ed1 of the pusher 11. The biasing member 12 biases the pusher 11 at the first end Ed1 in a direction approaching the placement surface 10a.

[0032] Next, as shown in Fig. 6, a pair of holding portions 21 are provided on the base member 10. The holding portions 21 are formed, for example, in a plate shape. The holding portions 21 are provided at the left and right ends in the left-right direction Dx on the front side, which is an example of the other side in the front-rear direction Dy, of the base member 10. The holding portions 21 extend downward from the base member 10.

[0033] An elongated hole 21a extending in the up-down direction Dz is provided in the holding portion 21 of the base member 10. A lock shaft 22 that protrudes in the left-right direction Dx and whose position in the up-down direction Dz is adjustable is provided in the holding portion 21. In this embodiment, the lock shaft 22 corresponds to the protruding member.

[0034] The lock shaft 22 has a shaft main body 22a and a threaded portion (not shown) that has a smaller diameter than the shaft main body 22a. The threaded portion of the lock shaft 22 is inserted into the elongated hole 21a of the holder 21. With the threaded portion inserted into the elongated hole 21a, a nut portion (not shown) is fastened to the threaded portion from the opposite side of the holder 21 from the side where the shaft main body 20a is located. This allows the position of the lock shaft 22 relative to the elongated hole 21a to be adjusted in the up-down direction Dz. A scale Sc2 is provided on the side of the elongated hole 21a in the front-to-back direction Dy. The scale Sc2 is indicated in increments of 1 mm, for example. The operator can adjust the position of the lock shaft 22 in the up-down direction Dz based on the scale Sc2.

[0035] The lock shaft 22 can be engaged with the engagement member 30 of the pusher member 11. The engagement member 30 and the lock shaft 22 allow the distance between the base member 10 and the pusher member 11 to be adjusted and maintained. This will be explained in detail below.

[0036] Fig. 7A is a side view showing pusher 11 at non-pressed position Pn and engaging member 30 at unlocked position Pa, Fig. 7B is a side view showing pusher 11 moved from non-pressed position Pn and engaging member 30 in contact with lock shaft 22, and Fig. 7C is a side view showing pusher 11 at pressed position Pp and engaging member 30 at locked position Pl. Also, Figs. 8A to 8D are diagrams showing the contact position of second sliding surface 33 of engaging member 30 with lock shaft 22 according to the rotation angle of pusher member 11.

[0037] The lock position Pl is a position where the engaging member 30 engages with the lock shaft 22. In contrast, the unlock position Pa is a position where the engaging member 30 is rotated about the rotating shaft 31 by a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction from the lock position Pl and does not engage with the lock shaft 22. The predetermined direction is a clockwise direction when viewed from the plane of FIGS. 7A to 7C. In the following description, the state in which the push-down member 11 is rotated by an operator from the non-pressed position Pn to the pressed position Pp is referred to as "auto-lock," and the state in which the push-down member 11 is rotated from the pressed position Pp to the non-pressed position Pn is referred to as "auto-release." Specifically, in this embodiment, the auto-lock means that the engaging member 30 is moved from the unlock position Pa to the lock position Pl simply by the operator rotating the push-down member 11 from the non-pressed position Pn to the pressed position Pp. On the other hand, auto-release means that the engaging member 30, which is in the locked position Pl, is simply rotated by the operator via the handle 36 described below, so that the engaging member 30 is positioned at the unlocked position Pa and the pressing member 11 is positioned at the non-pressed position Pn.

[0038] 7A to 7C, the engaging member 30 has a stopper 35, a handle 36, and a hook portion 40. The hook portion 40 has a first sliding surface 32, a second sliding surface 33, and a locking surface 34.

[0039] The first sliding surface 32 of the hook portion 40 is approximately parallel to the front-to-rear direction Dy when the engaging member 30 is in a lock position Pl described below. The second sliding surface 33 is a predetermined curved surface, and is connected to one end of the first sliding surface 32 in the front-to-rear direction Dy. The locking surface 34 is connected to the other end of the first sliding surface 32 in the front-to-rear direction Dy, and is approximately parallel to the up-down direction Dz when the engaging member 30 is in the lock position Pl.

[0040] When the push-down member 11 is in the pressed position Pp, the engaging member 30 rotates by the rotating shaft 31 between the unlocked position Pa in Fig. 7A and the locked position Pl in Fig. 7C. In this regard, in the case of auto-lock, the engaging member 30 is positioned at the locked position Pl after the push-down member 11 is positioned at the pressed position Pp. On the other hand, in the case of auto-release, the engaging member 30 is moved from the locked position Pl to the unlocked position Pa with the push-down member 11 positioned at the pressed position Pp.

[0041] The first sliding surface 32 is a surface with which the lock shaft 22 comes into contact when the engaging member 30 rotates from the locked position Pl toward the unlocked position Pa in a predetermined direction, for example, the clockwise direction in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this case, the first sliding surface 32 is a surface against which the lock shaft 22 slides when the engaging member 30 rotates in the clockwise direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 7C, the lock shaft 22 is disposed offset by a predetermined distance from the rotating shaft 31 in the direction in which the engaging member 30 moves from the locked position Pl toward the unlocked position Pa. In this embodiment, the forward direction is an example of the direction in which the engaging member 30 moves from the locked position Pl toward the unlocked position Pa.

[0042] The second sliding surface 33 is a surface that comes into contact with the lock shaft 22 when the push-down member 11 rotates toward the base member 10 while the engaging member 30 is not engaged with the lock shaft 22. As a result, when the push-down member 11 rotates toward the base member 10 while the engaging member 30 is not engaged with the lock shaft 22, the lock shaft 22 comes into contact with the second sliding surface 33 and slides relatively on the second sliding surface 33.

[0043] Specifically, the second sliding surface 33 is a surface whose contact angle with the lock shaft 22 is always equal to or greater than a predetermined angle during the relative sliding of the lock shaft 22. This allows the second sliding surface 33 to slide on the lock shaft 22 when the press-down member 11 approaches the base member 10. In this case, even if the contact position of the second sliding surface 33 with respect to the lock shaft 22 varies depending on the rotation angle of the press-down member 11, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the contact angle between the second sliding surface 33 and the lock shaft 22 is always equal to or greater than the predetermined angle. That is, one example of the shape of the second sliding surface 33 is a Bernoulli curve. The contact angle is the angle formed by a tangent to the second sliding surface 33, which is a straight line passing through the point where the lock shaft 22 is tangent to the second sliding surface 33 consisting of a Bernoulli curve, and a horizontal line. In this embodiment, the contact angle is exemplified as 30° or greater. A more specific value of the contact angle is exemplified as 30° to 35°.

[0044] In the above configuration, during auto-locking, the press member 11, which is in the non-pressed position Pn, is rotated toward the pressed position Pp as shown in FIG. 7A. At this time, the engaging member 30 is in the unlocked position Pa. When the press member 11 rotates a predetermined angle, the second sliding surface 33 of the engaging member 30 abuts against the lock shaft 22. When the press member 11 is further rotated with the second sliding surface 33 abutting against the lock shaft 22, the engaging member 30 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 7B by the rotating shaft 31 as shown in the same figure. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the lock shaft 22 slides on the second sliding surface 33. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7C, the engaging member 30 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in the same figure by the rotating shaft 31, and the lock shaft 22 slides on the first sliding surface 32 as a result of this rotation. The lock shaft 22 is then locked between the locking surface 34 of the engaging member 30 and the first sliding surface 32. This places the engaging member 30 in the locked position Pl. As a result, the engaging member 30 is rotated from the unlocked position Pa to the locked position Pl.

[0045] Next, the auto-release will be described. Fig. 9A is a side view showing a state in which the push-down member 11 is in the pushed-down position Pp and the engaging member 30 is in the locked position Pl, Fig. 9B is a side view showing a state in which the push-down member 11 has rotated from the pushed-down position Pp to the non-pushed-down position Pn and the engaging member 30 has rotated from the locked position Pl to the unlocked position Pa, and Fig. 9C is a side view showing a state in which the push-down member 11 has further rotated from the state shown in Fig. 9B.

[0046] The stopper 35 is provided above the hook portion 40. The stopper 35 protrudes toward the holding portion 15 in the left-right direction Dx, i.e., toward the inside in the left-right direction Dx. Furthermore, the stopper 35 is disposed closer to the inside of the printer platen 100 in the left-right direction Dx, i.e., closer to the cutout portion 11c, than the holding portion 15 in the left-right direction Dx. The stopper 35 is positioned below the holding portion 15 when the engaging member 30 is in the locked position Pl.

[0047] The handles 36 are formed in a flat plate shape. The handles 36 are provided above the hook portions 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the right handle 36 protrudes rightward from the corresponding engaging member 30, and the left handle 36 protrudes leftward from the corresponding engaging member 30. The handles 36 are arranged at an angle so that the rear ends of the handles 36 are positioned higher than the front ends when the engaging members 30 are in the locked position Pl.

[0048] In the above configuration, during auto-release, the operator moves the handle 36 upward while the engaging member 30 is in the locked position Pl and the push-down member 11 is in the pushed-down position Pp, as shown in FIG. 9A. This causes the engaging member 30 to start rotating clockwise as viewed in FIG. 9A via the rotating shaft 31. At this time, the lock shaft 22 is disengaged from the engaging member 30. Thereafter, the lock shaft 22 slides on the first sliding surface 32 of the engaging member 30 as the engaging member 30 rotates.

[0049] After lock shaft 22 has finished sliding on first sliding surface 32, when engaging member 30 is further rotated by the operator, stopper 35 comes into contact with the lower end of holding portion 15 of pusher 11, as shown in FIG. 9B. When engaging member 30 is further rotated by the operator with stopper 35 in contact with holding portion 15, pusher 11 receives the pressing force of stopper 35 via holding portion 15 and rotates upward. As a result, pusher 11 is positioned at non-pressed position Pn, and engaging member 30 is positioned at unlocked position Pa, as shown in FIG. 9C.

[0050] In this embodiment, the rotation direction Dr1 around the hinge shaft 13 in which the pressing member 11 rotates from the pressed position Pp toward the non-pressed position Pn is the same as the rotation direction Dr2 around the rotating shaft 31 in which the engaging member 30 rotates from the locked position Pl toward the unlocked position Pa.

[0051] Here, the rotation angle of the engaging member 30 when it rotates from the locked position Pl to the unlocked position Pa is equal to or less than the rotation angle when the handle 36 and the push-down member 11 become parallel when the engaging member 30 rotates. In other words, the rotation range of the engaging member 30 is equal to or less than the rotation angle of the engaging member 30 when the handle 36 and the push-down member 11 become parallel. In this case, the stopper 35 abuts against the holding portion 15 before the handle 36 and the push-down member 11 become parallel. After the stopper 35 abuts against the holding portion 15, when the operator rotates the engaging member 30 via the handle 36, the push-down member 11 rotates to the non-pressed position Pn.

[0052] As described above, according to the printer platen 100 of this embodiment, the presser member 11 that presses down on the print medium W is urged in the vertical direction Dz by the urging member 12. As a result, even if the print medium W has different thicknesses depending on the location, the urging force of the urging member 12 acts to prevent the presser member 11 from tilting when it presses down on the print medium W. This significantly reduces the possibility that the presser member 11 will come into contact with the nozzle surface 201a of the ejection head 201, making it possible to reduce the distance between the print medium W and the nozzle surface 201a. This makes it less likely that the impact positions of ink droplets will shift, thereby preventing a decrease in print quality.

[0053] In this embodiment, the first end Ed1 of the presser member 11 is biased in the vertical direction Dz by the biasing member 12. This prevents the presser member 11 from tilting while pressing down the print medium W.

[0054] In this embodiment, in a configuration in which the presser member 11 rotates between the pressed position Pp and the non-pressed position Pn via the hinge shaft 13, the first end Ed1 of the presser member 11 is biased by the biasing member 12 in a direction in which the presser member 11 approaches the placement surface 10a. This prevents the presser member 11 from tilting while pressing down on the print medium W.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the position of the hinge shaft 13 in the vertical direction Dz can be adjusted. This allows the position of the press-down member 11 in the vertical direction Dz to be adjusted according to the thickness of the print medium W. This makes it easier to prevent the press-down member 11 from tilting in the pressed state.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lock shaft 22 engages with the engagement member 30, thereby maintaining the distance between the placement surface 10a of the base member 10 and the press down member 11. This maintains the press down of the print medium W placed on the placement surface 10a by the press down member 11. Furthermore, because the position of the lock shaft 22 in the vertical direction Dz is adjustable, the engagement position of the engagement member 30 with respect to the lock shaft 22 in the vertical direction Dz can be changed according to the thickness of the print medium W.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lock shaft 22 is disposed at a predetermined distance offset from the rotating shaft 31 in the direction in which the engaging member 30 moves from the locked position Pl toward the unlocked position Pa. In this case, when a force in the direction in which the press down member 11 moves from the pressed down position Pp toward the non-pressed position Pn is applied to the press down member 11 at the pressed down position Pp, a force that maintains the engaging member 30 at the locked position Pl acts on the engaging member 30 with the lock shaft 22 as a fulcrum. As a result, when the engaging member 30 is at the locked position Pl, the position of the press down member 11 can be firmly maintained at the pressed down position Pp.

[0058] In this embodiment, the second sliding surface 33 is curved so that the contact angle between the second sliding surface 33 and the lock shaft 22 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle. In this case, the rotational load on the engaging member 30 when the engaging member 30 rotates can be kept below a certain level. This allows the engaging member 30 to move smoothly to the lock position Pl.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotation direction Dr1 in which the presser member 11 rotates from the pressed position Pp to the non-pressed position Pn around the hinge shaft 13 is the same as the rotation direction Dr2 in which the engaging member 30 rotates from the locked position Pl to the unlocked position Pa around the rotating shaft 31. This allows the release of the press of the presser member 11 on the print medium W and the release of the engagement of the engaging member 30 with the lock shaft 22 to be achieved by a common action.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotation angle of the engaging member 30 when it rotates from the locked position Pl toward the unlocked position Pa is equal to or less than the rotation angle when the handle 36 and the presser member 11 become parallel when the engaging member 30 rotates. In this case, the operator can apply force to the handle 36 to release the presser member 11 from pressing the print medium W and release the engaging member 30 from its engagement with the lock shaft 22. Furthermore, because the rotation angle of the engaging member 30 is equal to or less than the rotation angle when the handle 36 and the presser member 11 become parallel, the presser member 11 can release the press of the print medium W in conjunction with the release of the engaging member 30 from its engagement with the lock shaft 22, without the operator's fingers coming off the handle 36.

[0061] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications are possible.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the biasing member 12 is provided at the first end Ed1 of the pressing member 11, but this is not limited to this and may be provided at the second end Ed2 of the pressing member 11, or may be provided at both the first end Ed1 and the second end Ed2.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lock shaft 22 that protrudes in the left-right direction Dx is used, but this is not limiting, and a lock shaft that protrudes in the front-rear direction Dy may also be used.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the engaging member 30 is configured to rotate counterclockwise when viewed in Figures 7A to 7C by the rotating shaft 31 to move from the unlocked position Pa to the locked position Pl, and to rotate clockwise when viewed in Figures 9A to 9C to move from the locked position Pl to the unlocked position Pa, but is not limited to this. The engaging member 30 may also be configured to rotate clockwise when viewed in Figures 7A to 7C by the rotating shaft 31 to move from the unlocked position Pa to the locked position Pl, and to rotate counterclockwise when viewed in Figures 9A to 9C to move from the locked position Pl to the unlocked position Pa.

[0065] In this embodiment, the biasing member 12 may bias the pressing member 11 upward depending on the print medium W or the position of the biasing member 12 in the front-rear direction Dy.

[0066] In addition, in the above embodiment, the first direction Dy is the front-to-rear direction and the second direction Dx is the left-to-right direction, but this is not limited to this, and the first direction Dy may be the left-to-right direction and the second direction Dx may be the front-to-rear direction.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the presser member 11 on which the print medium W is placed approaches the base member 10 on which the print medium W is placed from above and presses down the print medium W, but this is not limiting. The base member 10 on which the print medium W is placed may also be configured to approach the presser member 11 on which the print medium W is placed from below and press down the print medium W.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the second sliding surface 33 of the engaging member 30 is configured to slide on the lock shaft 22 in a clockwise direction as shown in Figures 8A to 8D, but this is not limiting. The hook portion 40 may be symmetrical in the front-to-rear direction Dy as viewed in Figures 8A to 8D. In this case, after the second sliding surface 33 slides on the lock shaft 22 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 8A to 8D, the lock shaft 22 is locked by the locking surface and the first sliding surface of the symmetrically shaped hook portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 Base member 10a Placement surface 11 Push-down member 12 biasing member 13 Hinge shaft 20 Holding part 22 Lock shaft 30 Engagement member 31 Rotating shaft 32 First sliding surface 33 Second sliding surface 36 Handle 100 Printer Platen 201 Discharge head Dr1, Dr2 rotation direction Dx Left / right direction Dy Anteroposterior direction Dz Vertical direction Ed1 1st end Ed2 2nd end Pa unlock position Pi print position Pl Lock position Pn Unpressed position Pp Press position Ps set position W Printing medium

Claims

1. A printer platen that moves between a set position where a print medium is placed and a print position where droplets are ejected onto the print medium, a base member extending in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to each other and having a placement surface on which the print medium is placed; a pressing member that presses down the print medium placed on the placement surface in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and extends in the first direction at a position where the pressing member presses down the print medium; a biasing member that biases the pressing member in the third direction.

2. the pressing member has a first end portion located on one side in the first direction and a second end portion located on the other side in the first direction at a position where the pressing member presses down on the print medium; The printer platen according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is provided at one of the first end, the second end, and both the first end and the second end.

3. a first rotation shaft that is provided on one side of the first direction and extends in the second direction, and that rotates the pressing member relative to the base member between a pressing position where the pressing member presses the print medium and a non-pressing position where the pressing member does not press the print medium; the first end is disposed closer to the first pivot axis than the second end; 3. The printer platen according to claim 2, wherein the biasing member is provided at one of the first end, the second end, or both the first end and the second end so as to bias the pressing member in a direction approaching the placement surface.

4. 4. The printer platen according to claim 3, wherein the base member has a holder that holds the first rotation shaft so that the position of the first rotation shaft is adjustable in the third direction.

5. the biasing member is provided at the first end of the pusher member; an engaging member is provided at the second end of the push-down member; the base member is provided with a protruding member that protrudes in the first direction or the second direction, the position of which in the third direction is adjustable, and that is engaged with the engaging member; 4. The printer platen according to claim 3, wherein the distance between the base member and the push-down member is adjustable and maintained by the engaging member and the protruding member.

6. the pressing member has a second rotation shaft that rotates the engaging member about an axis parallel to the second direction, the engaging member rotates between a locked position where it engages with the protruding member when the pressing member is in the pressed position and an unlocked position where it is rotated about the second rotation axis in a predetermined direction from the locked position and does not engage with the protruding member, and has a first sliding surface with which the protruding member comes into contact when the engaging member rotates in the predetermined direction from the locked position toward the unlocked position, 6. The printer platen according to claim 5, wherein the protruding member is disposed offset from the second pivot shaft by a predetermined distance in a direction in which the engaging member moves from the locked position toward the unlocked position.

7. the engaging member further has a second sliding surface that comes into contact with the protruding member when the pressing member rotates to approach the base member in a state where the pressing member is not engaged with the protruding member, When the pressing member is further rotated in a state in which the protruding member and the second sliding surface are in contact with each other, the engaging member is rotated from the unlocked position to the locked position in conjunction with the protruding member sliding along the second sliding surface, 7. The printer platen according to claim 6, wherein the second sliding surface is a curved surface such that a contact angle between the second sliding surface and the protruding member is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle.

8. 7. The printer platen according to claim 6, wherein the rotation direction of the pressing member about the first rotation axis from the pressed position to the non-pressed position is the same as the rotation direction of the engaging member about the second rotation axis from the locked position to the unlocked position.

9. The engaging member further has a flat handle, 9. The printer platen according to claim 8, wherein a rotation angle of the engaging member when rotating from the locked position to the unlocked position is equal to or less than a rotation angle when the handle and the push-down member become parallel to each other when the engaging member rotates.

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