tracing machine

Abstract

To enhance the expandability of cartridge capacity while preventing a decrease in user convenience. [Solution] The drawing machine 2 includes a cartridge having an opening sealed by a rubber stopper, a print head for ejecting ink toward an object to be drawn on while being transported, a cartridge receiving section 210 for receiving the cartridge, and a hollow needle 220 that protrudes from the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210 toward the receiving inlet 211, and when a cartridge is received in the cartridge receiving section 210, it penetrates the rubber stopper and sucks ink out of the cartridge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drawing machine equipped with a cartridge for replenishing ink.

Background Art

[0002] For example, a drop-on-demand (DOD) type inkjet printing apparatus that discharges ink onto a packaging material such as cardboard to perform printing is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the inkjet printing apparatus of Patent Document 1, a large reservoir for storing ink is provided on the side of a print head that discharges ink.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when a reservoir is provided as in Patent Document 1, when ink replenishment is required, complicated operations such as opening the lid of the reservoir, pouring in the replenishing ink, and closing the lid after pouring in the ink are required, which is inconvenient to use. In addition, when pouring the replenishing ink into the reservoir, there is also a risk that the replenishing ink will spill and contaminate the surrounding environment.

[0005] In this regard, for example, if a cartridge is used, ink replenishment can be completed simply by performing the cartridge detachment operation. Therefore, there is no risk of the replenishing ink spilling, and it is considered possible to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment.

[0006] However, cartridges are generally elongated in shape, extending in the direction of insertion when mounted into the casing. Therefore, increasing the cartridge capacity would increase the length of the cartridge that protrudes from the outside of the casing, hindering user convenience.

[0007] This disclosure is made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to enhance the expandability of cartridge capacity while preventing a decrease in user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, one aspect of the present disclosure may be a drawing machine that ejects ink for drawing information on an object to be drawn on that is transported horizontally by a transporter. The drawing machine comprises a box-shaped housing extending in the longitudinal direction, an ink tank provided inside the housing for containing ink, a cartridge having a mouth sealed by a rubber stopper for replenishing ink in the ink tank, a print head provided on one end face in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface of the housing for ejecting ink supplied from the ink tank toward the object to be drawn on while being transported, a cartridge receiving section having an opening on the outer surface of the housing excluding the one end face or on the top surface of the housing for receiving the cartridge, and a bottom surface facing the mouth side of the cartridge when the cartridge is received from the receiving section, and a hollow needle provided protruding from the bottom surface of the cartridge receiving section toward the receiving section, which penetrates the rubber stopper to draw ink from the cartridge when the cartridge is received in the cartridge receiving section.

[0009] With this configuration, refilling the ink only requires replacing the cartridge, preventing spills and contamination of the surrounding environment, while also eliminating the need for complicated procedures for the user. Furthermore, since the cartridge receiving section has an opening on the outer or top surface of the housing, if the cartridge is enlarged to increase its capacity, it can be accepted by exposing a portion of the cartridge to the outside through the opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As explained above, it is possible to increase the expandability of cartridge capacity while preventing a decrease in user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an inkjet printing device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view showing an example of the installation of the drawing machine and inspection machine. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a front view showing an example of the installation of the drawing machine and inspection machine. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the drawing machine from the front. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram equivalent to Figure 5, showing the state with the cartridge removed. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a front view of the drawing machine. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a rear view perspective of the drawing machine with the cartridge removed. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a perspective view from above of the drawing machine with the cartridge removed. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view along line XX in Figure 9. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state during the acceptance of the cartridge. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state where the acceptance of the cartridge is completed. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the cartridge. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a plan view of the cartridge. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the cartridge. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a front view of the cartridge. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a rear view of the cartridge. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a right side view of the cartridge. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a left side view of the cartridge. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the ROM unit. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI of FIG. 18, showing the case where the holding member is in the advanced position. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 21 showing the case where the holding member is in the retracted position. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the ROM unit and the periphery of the switching portion according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 24A] FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional view of the ROM unit and the periphery of the switching portion according to Modification 2 of the embodiment, showing the case where the ROM unit is in the retracted position. [Figure 24B] FIG. 24B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 24A showing a state during the switching of the ROM unit to the advanced position. [Figure 24C] FIG. 24C is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 24A showing the state where the ROM unit has been switched to the advanced position. [Figure 25A] FIG. 25A is a cross-sectional view of the ROM unit and the periphery of the switching portion according to Modification 3 of the embodiment, showing the case where the ROM unit is in the retracted position. [Figure 25B]Figure 25B is a diagram equivalent to Figure 25A, showing the state immediately before the ROM unit switches to the extended position. [Figure 25C] Figure 25C is a diagram equivalent to Figure 25A, showing the state in which the ROM unit is in the process of switching to the extended position. [Figure 25D] Figure 25D is a diagram equivalent to Figure 25A, showing the state in which the ROM unit has switched to the extended position. [Figure 26] Figure 26 is a perspective view of the drawing machine from above with the top cover removed. [Figure 27] Figure 27 is a perspective view showing the absorbent material with the casing removed. [Figure 28] Figure 28 is a perspective view showing the state with the ink receptacle removed. [Figure 29] Figure 29 shows the relative positions of the print head, ink receptacle, and ink tank, and is a view from above. [Figure 30] Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view of the ink receiving section. [Figure 31] Figure 31 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to a modified example 4 of the embodiment, viewed from below. [Figure 32] Figure 32 is a perspective view from above of a cartridge according to a modified example 4 of the embodiment. [Figure 33] Figure 33 is a perspective view showing the structure of a cartridge according to modified example 5 of the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following description of preferred embodiments is essentially illustrative and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 equipped with a drawing machine 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention during operation, and Figure 2 is a block diagram of the inkjet printing apparatus 1. The inkjet printing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a drawing machine 2, an inspection machine 3, a controller 4, and an operating terminal 5.

[0014] The drawing unit 2 is the part that performs the drawing process on the object to be drawn on, and is configured separately from the controller 4. The inspection unit 3 is the part that determines whether the drawing state performed on the object to be drawn by the drawing unit 2 is good or bad, and is configured separately from the controller 4. The inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a drawing unit 2 and an inspection unit 3, and is an inkjet printing apparatus that ejects ink to draw information on an object and determines whether the drawing state is good or bad by imaging.

[0015] Controller 4 is the part that controls the drawing machine 2 and the inspection machine 3, and can also be called a control device, control unit, etc. The operating terminal 5 consists of a personal computer or the like, and is the part in which the user performs tasks such as inputting drawing information, making various settings, selections, and confirmations. The operating terminal 5 includes a terminal-side display unit 5a, which consists of, for example, a liquid crystal display, and a terminal-side operation unit 5b, which consists of a keyboard, mouse, pointing device, etc.

[0016] The above configuration example is just one example, and the present invention is not limited to the above configuration example. That is, the controller 4 may be incorporated into the operation terminal 5 or into the drawing machine 2. Alternatively, the operation terminal 5 may function as the controller 4. Figures 1 and 2 show an external device 6 consisting of a programmable logic controller (PLC) or the like, and this external device 6 is connected to the controller 4 in a communicative manner. Control signals output from the external device 6 are input to the controller 4. The external device 6 may be a device that constitutes part of the inkjet printing device 1, or it may be a device separate from the inkjet printing device 1.

[0017] The inkjet printing device 1 is a device for forming a drawing pattern on a workpiece W (an example of an object to be drawn on) that is conveyed horizontally by a conveyor (an example of a conveying device) 10, and is an in-line device used by being incorporated into a manufacturing line (also called a production line). The conveyor 10 is, for example, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, etc. The production line is made up of the conveyor 10. The production line is installed in various factories, warehouses, etc. The drawing machine 2 is fixed so that its relative position to the conveyor 10 is in a predetermined positional relationship.

[0018] During operation of the inkjet printing device 1, multiple workpieces W are placed on the transport surface 10a of the transporter 10 and transported sequentially in the direction of arrow A shown in Figure 1. Therefore, the upstream side in the transport direction is the left side of Figure 1, and the downstream side in the transport direction is the right side of Figure 1. The multiple workpieces W are placed on the transport surface 10a with spacing in the direction of arrow A, which is the transport direction. The direction perpendicular to arrow A and along the transport surface 10a is defined as the width direction.

[0019] Workpiece W is not particularly limited, but could include, for example, packaging materials for packing various products. A typical example of packaging material is cardboard. The inkjet printer 1 draws information on the workpiece W being transported by the conveyor 10, such as characters including numbers, symbols, barcodes, two-dimensional codes, images, marks, illustrations, or combinations thereof. When only characters are drawn, the inkjet printer 1 can be called a printing device, and the drawing device 2 can be called a printer. Furthermore, the drawing of information by the inkjet printer 1 also includes printing images, etc. In this case, the inkjet printer 1 can be called a printing device. In the following explanation, the term "drawing" will be used to include both printing and image printing.

[0020] Furthermore, the controller 4 is connected to an encoder 7 for detecting the position of the workpiece W, and a detection sensor 9, which will be described later. Based on the signals output from the encoder 7 and the detection sensor 9, the controller 4 detects the position of the workpiece W. The controller 4 controls the drawing machine 2 so that drawing begins when the workpiece W reaches a predetermined position.

[0021] (Configuration of drawing machine 2) The drawing machine 2 is a DOD (Drop On Demand) type drawing machine that ejects ink only when necessary for drawing operations. However, it may also be a CIJ (Continuous Ink Jet) type drawing machine that ejects ink even when not performing drawing operations. The following description will explain the case in which a DOD type drawing machine is used as drawing machine 2 in this embodiment.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the drawing machine 2 includes an ink supply unit 20, a print head drive unit 21, and a DOD print head (hereinafter referred to as the print head) 22. The drawing machine 2 also includes a drawing machine body 25 (shown in Figure 1) on which the print head 22 is installed. The drawing machine body 25 is fixed to a transporter 10 or the like.

[0023] The print head 22 is fixed inside the drawing machine body 25, and the positional relationship between the drawing machine body 25 and the print head 22 is fixed. The ink supply unit 20 and the print head drive unit 21 are also housed inside the drawing machine body 25.

[0024] The print head 22 of the DOD-type drawing machine 2 is, for example, a component corresponding to the ejection unit, and ejects ink supplied from a removable cartridge 300 toward the workpiece W being transported by the transporter 10. The nozzle group 22a provided on the front end surface of the print head 22 is arranged in the direction of gravity, i.e., vertically. A drawing pattern is formed on the workpiece W by the ink ejected from the nozzle group 22a of the print head 22. There are several types of print head structures, but it may be any of the following, for example, a thermal inkjet type, a valve jet type, or a piezo type. In this embodiment, a piezo type print head is used as the print head 22 because it is capable of drawing from low resolution to high resolution, has a wide drawing width, and has high durability. The ink ejected from the print head 22 flies out of the drawing machine body 25 and adheres to the workpiece W.

[0025] The ink supply unit 20 is the part that supplies ink to the print head 22, and includes an ink tank 20a that houses the ink to be supplied to the print head 22, and a cartridge 300 for replenishing the ink in the ink tank 20a.

[0026] The print head drive unit 21 is controlled by the control unit 40, which will be described later, when performing drawing operations. The print head drive unit 21 generates a drive electrical waveform for driving the print head 22 and outputs it to the print head 22. The drive electrical waveform is a waveform for individually driving the drive elements (piezo oscillators) provided at each ejection port of the print head 22 at timings based on the drawing command output from the control unit 40.

[0027] (Configuration of the inspection machine) Inspection machine 3 is a device that determines the quality of the drawing state of the drawing pattern drawn on the workpiece W based on the drawing data, using an image acquired by imaging the workpiece W, and corresponds to an image inspection unit. Inspection machine 3 can also be called an image inspection device. Inspection machine 3 is installed downstream of drawing machine 2, and is capable of inspecting the drawing state of the workpiece W drawn by drawing machine 2.

[0028] The inspection machine 3 comprises an illumination unit 30, an imaging unit 31, a control unit 32, and a storage unit 33. The illumination unit 30 is composed of, for example, light-emitting diodes, and is controlled by the control unit 32 to emit light at predetermined timings to illuminate the drawn portion of the workpiece W. The imaging unit 31 is a component for capturing images of the drawing pattern formed on the workpiece W and generating an image. This imaging unit 31 includes an optical system 31a that includes a lens that receives light irradiated from the illumination unit 30 and reflected from the surface of the workpiece W, an image sensor 31b that receives light emitted from the optical system 31a, and an AF motor 31c. The AF motor 31c is a component for automatically focusing on the drawn portion of the workpiece W by driving the focusing lens of the optical system 31a. The autofocus method is not particularly limited, and examples include a contrast method.

[0029] The image sensor 31b is composed of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. The image sensor 31b captures an image of the workpiece W to be drawn and generates an image. For example, the light intensity signal of the light-receiving element of the image sensor 31b is output to an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) for processing (not shown in the diagram) and also output to a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) for processing.

[0030] The control unit 32 has an imaging setting unit 32a. The imaging setting unit 32a sets imaging setting parameters and reflects the set imaging setting parameters when imaging the workpiece W. The imaging setting parameters include multiple parameters such as the timing of illumination by the illumination unit 30, brightness (amount of light emitted), exposure time by the imaging unit 31, and focus (focal position) of the imaging unit 31. Although not shown, the GUI for setting imaging setting parameters has areas where the brightness of illumination, exposure time, focus, etc., can be set individually. When the user inputs each parameter on the GUI, the imaging setting unit 32a accepts the setting operation by the user and outputs each parameter to, for example, the storage unit 33 for storage. Each parameter can be read from the storage unit 33 as needed.

[0031] When acquiring image data of the workpiece W, the imaging setting unit 32a outputs imaging setting parameters to the illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 31. The illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 31 operate according to the imaging setting parameters. When the illumination unit 30 receives the imaging setting parameters, it sets them within the imaging unit 31 so that the received imaging setting parameters are reflected during imaging. Similarly, when the imaging unit 31 receives the imaging setting parameters, it sets them within the imaging unit 31 so that the received imaging setting parameters are reflected during imaging. When the illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 31 receive an imaging trigger, they illuminate the workpiece W according to the imaging setting parameters and take images to acquire image data of the workpiece W.

[0032] The control unit 32 may be a part that performs rule-based image inspection as an inspection tool, a part that performs image inspection using a pre-trained model, or a part that performs both rule-based image inspection and image inspection using a pre-trained model. For example, the control unit 32 has the imaging unit 31 image the workpiece W, acquires the image data of the workpiece W, and performs inspection on the acquired image of the workpiece W based on the configured inspection tool. When performing inspection, the control unit 32 cuts out the area to be inspected from the image data. The control unit 32 extracts the feature quantities of the cut-out inspection area and uses a classifier to determine the extracted feature quantities. If the cut-out inspection area contains characters, the inspection machine 3 can perform character recognition processing, or so-called OCR, by using a dictionary when performing character recognition. In addition, if a barcode or two-dimensional code is drawn on the workpiece W, the inspection machine 3 can read the barcode or two-dimensional code.

[0033] The pass / fail determination unit 32b, located in the control unit 32 of the inspection machine 3, creates inspection results using an inspection tool and compares them with the inspection conditions. The inspection conditions are obtained from the drawing data generation unit 40b of the controller 4. The pass / fail determination unit 32b compares, for example, the result of character recognition processing by the control unit 32 with the correct character string obtained from the drawing data generation unit 40b. If they match, it determines the result to be good; otherwise, it determines the result to be bad. In the case of barcodes or two-dimensional codes, it compares the reading result of the control unit 32 with the code information obtained from the drawing data generation unit 40b. If they match, it determines the result to be good; otherwise, it determines the result to be bad.

[0034] For example, if there is only one configured inspection tool, the inspection results for that configured inspection tool are output as is. However, if multiple configured inspection tools are combined, further inspection results are generated based on the inspection results of each inspection tool and output from the pass / fail judgment unit 32b.

[0035] (Integrated fittings) As shown in Figure 1, the inkjet printer 1 is equipped with an integrated fitting 90 for fixing the inspection machine 3 to the drawing machine body 25 which houses the print head 22. The integrated fitting 90 has a part to which the drawing machine body 25 is attached and a part to which the inspection machine 3 is attached. The integrated fitting 90 has a predetermined dimension in the direction of transport of the workpiece W, and when the inspection machine 3 is fixed to the drawing machine body 25 by the integrated fitting 90, the inspection machine 3 and the print head 22 can be positioned at a distance from each other in the direction of transport of the workpiece W, that is, in a fixed position relationship. By fixing the inspection machine 3 to the drawing machine body 25 with the integrated fitting 90, the relative fixed position relationship with the print head 22 is defined.

[0036] The shape and structure of the integrated fitting 90 can be set arbitrarily. The length of the integrated fitting 90 can also be set arbitrarily. The integrated fitting 90 may be adjustable in length in the direction of transport of the workpiece W. The integrated fitting 90 may also be configured to allow changing the distance between the inspection machine 3 and the drawing machine body 25.

[0037] The integrated fitting 90 is detachably attached to the drawing machine body 25 by means of fastening members, for example, and is also detachably attached to the inspection machine 3 by means of fastening members, for example. As a result, the inspection machine 3 is detachably attached to the drawing machine body 25.

[0038] There may be multiple types of integrated fittings 90. By preparing integrated fittings 90 with different dimensions in advance, the inspection machine 3 can be fixed to the drawing machine body 25 using an integrated fitting 90 of the appropriate length according to the user's environment.

[0039] Figure 3 is a plan view showing an example of the installation of the drawing machine 2 and the inspection machine 3. When the workpiece W is being transported in the direction of arrow A, the inspection machine 3 can be installed downstream of the drawing machine 2 in the direction of workpiece W transport by providing the integrated fitting 90 as shown by the solid line. On the other hand, when the workpiece W is being transported in the direction of arrow B, opposite to the direction of arrow A, the inspection machine 3 can be installed downstream of the drawing machine 2 in the direction of workpiece W transport by providing the integrated fitting 90 as shown by the dashed line. In addition, by providing both the integrated fitting shown by the solid line and the integrated fitting 90 shown by the dashed line, it is possible to accommodate both the transport directions of arrow A and arrow B.

[0040] Figure 4 shows an example of the installation of the drawing machine 2 and the inspection machine 3, and is a view from the side from which the ink is ejected (front view). As shown in Figure 4, the inspection machine 3 is fixed to the drawing machine body 25 by an integrated fitting 90 such that the vertical center of the drawing area and the vertical center of the field of view of the imaging unit 31 of the inspection machine 3 are at the same height.

[0041] (Detection sensor) As shown in Figure 1, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 is equipped with a detection sensor 9 that detects the arrival of a workpiece W being transported by a transporter 10. The detection sensor 9 is installed upstream of the drawing machine 2 in the transport direction of the workpiece W. The detection sensor 9 is equipped with, for example, an optical motion measuring sensor or a distance sensor (not shown), and these sensors enable the detection of the arrival of the transported workpiece W. When the detection sensor 9 detects the arrival of the workpiece W, it transmits a detection signal to the controller 4. Based on the detection signal output from the detection sensor 9, the controller 4 determines that the workpiece W has arrived at a predetermined position and, after a predetermined drawing delay time has elapsed, causes the drawing machine 2 to start drawing.

[0042] (Controller 4 configuration) As shown in Figure 2, the controller 4 comprises a control unit 40, a storage unit 41, and an operation display unit 42. The control unit 40 is composed of a microcomputer including, for example, a central processing unit and various memories, and is capable of executing pre-stored software. The control unit 40 is provided with a drawing setting unit 40a, a drawing data generation unit 40b, an inspection setting unit 40c, a display screen generation unit 40d, and a mode switching unit 40e. The drawing setting unit 40a, drawing data generation unit 40b, inspection setting unit 40c, display screen generation unit 40d, and mode switching unit 40e of the control unit 40 are parts composed of hardware and software, and for convenience they are described separately as the drawing setting unit 40a, drawing data generation unit 40b, inspection setting unit 40c, display screen generation unit 40d, and mode switching unit 40e, but they may be integrated in hardware.

[0043] The operation display unit 42 includes a controller-side display unit 42a, which is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and a controller-side operation unit 42b, which is, for example, an operation key. The controller-side operation unit 42b is the part that accepts various operations such as drawing content and settings. Various screens generated by the display screen generation unit 40d are displayed on the controller-side display unit 42a, so that the user can operate the controller-side operation unit 42b while looking at the controller-side display unit 42a. The operation status of the controller-side operation unit 42b can be acquired by the control unit 40.

[0044] The controller-side operation unit 42b may be a touch panel. The touch panel is a component capable of detecting operations performed by the user's finger. The type of touch panel is not particularly limited and examples include capacitive touch panels and infrared touch panels. User operation information on the touch panel is transmitted to the control unit 40.

[0045] The drawing setting unit 40a is the part that sets the drawing content to be drawn on the workpiece W to be drawn on. The drawing data generation unit 40b is the part that defines the ejection of ink from the print head 22 and generates drawing data corresponding to the drawing content set in the drawing setting unit 40a. The control unit 40 outputs a control signal to the print head drive unit 21 based on the drawing data generated by the drawing data generation unit 40b, and controls the ejection of ink from the ejection port of the print head 22.

[0046] The inspection setting unit 40c is the part that performs inspection settings by the inspection machine 3. The storage unit 41 is the part that stores the relative fixed position relationship between the inspection machine 3 and the print head 22. Based on the drawing content set by the drawing setting unit 40a and the relative fixed position relationship stored in the storage unit 41, the inspection setting unit 40c assists the user in setting inspection settings.

[0047] (Detailed structure of the drawing machine) Figures 1 to 4 show the approximate shapes of the drawing machine 2, print head 22, drawing machine body 25, cartridge 300, etc. However, the specific shapes of the drawing machine 2, print head 22, drawing machine body 25, cartridge 300, etc. are shown in Figures 5 and onward. The shapes shown in Figures 5 and onward may differ slightly from those shown in Figures 1 to 4, because Figures 1 to 4 are conceptual diagrams.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the drawing machine body 25 is equipped with a box-shaped housing 200 that extends in the longitudinal direction. The ink tank 20a shown in Figure 2 is located inside the housing 200 and is not visible from the outside. In the installed state of the drawing machine 2, the longitudinal direction of the housing 200 coincides with the width direction of the conveyor 10. In this specification, the longitudinal direction of the housing 200 is defined as the front-to-back direction, and the side facing the workpiece W during installation is defined as the front. Also, the side located to the right when viewing the drawing machine 2 from the front is defined as the right side, the side located to the left when viewing the drawing machine 2 from the front is defined as the left side, and the left-to-right direction of the drawing machine 2 is defined as the width direction. This definition of direction is for the convenience of explanation and does not limit the directions according to the present invention.

[0049] As shown in Figures 5 to 9, the housing 200 has a shape that is close to a rectangular parallelepiped, with a long front-to-back orientation. Therefore, the front-to-back dimension of the housing 200 is longer than the left-to-right dimension and the up-to-down dimension of the housing 200.

[0050] Because the housing 200 has a shape close to a rectangular parallelepiped, the outer surface of the housing 200 includes six surfaces. Specifically, the outer surface of the housing 200 includes a front surface 201 positioned facing the workpiece W, a rear surface 202 located opposite the front surface 201, a right side surface 203 located to the right when viewed from the direction facing the front surface 201, a left side surface 204 located to the left when viewed from the direction facing the front surface 201, a top surface 205, and a bottom surface 206. The front surface 201, rear surface 202, right side surface 203, and left side surface 204 are surfaces that constitute the outer surface of the housing 200. One end surface in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface of the housing 200 is the front surface 201, and the other end surface in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface of the housing 200 is the rear surface 202. A print head 22 for ejecting ink toward the workpiece W being transported is provided on the front surface 201. The front surface 201 may also be called the front, or the rear surface 202 may be called the back.

[0051] As shown in Figures 10 to 12, the top surface 205 of the housing 200 is provided with a cartridge receiving section 210 for receiving the cartridge 300. Figure 10 shows the state before the cartridge 300 is received, Figure 11 shows the state in the process of receiving the cartridge 300, and Figure 12 shows the state after the cartridge 300 has been received, that is, the state in which the cartridge 300 is mounted on the drawing machine body 25.

[0052] In this embodiment, the case in which the cartridge receiving section 210 is provided on the upper surface 205 of the housing 200 is described, but it is not limited to this, and although not shown, the cartridge receiving section may be provided on any of the outer surfaces of the housing 200 other than the front surface 201, i.e., the rear surface 202, the right side surface 203, and the left side surface 204. For example, if the cartridge receiving section is provided on the rear surface 202, the receiving opening should be made on the rear surface 202, if the cartridge receiving section is provided on the right side surface 203, the receiving opening should be made on the right side surface 203, and if the cartridge receiving section is provided on the left side surface 204, the receiving opening should be made on the left side surface 204. The cartridge receiving section 210 provided on the upper surface 205 of the housing 200 will be described below.

[0053] The cartridge receiving section 210 is formed to be elongated in the longitudinal direction of the housing 200. The cartridge receiving section 210 has a receiving port 211 that opens on the upper surface 205 of the housing 200 to receive the cartridge 300 from above, and a bottom surface 212 that contacts the bottom surface of the cartridge 300, which is the side of the opening (described later) of the cartridge 300, when the cartridge 300 is received from the receiving port 211. In other words, the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210 is the surface that faces the bottom surface of the cartridge 300, which is the side of the opening (described later) of the cartridge 300, when the cartridge 300 is received from the receiving port 211. Since the receiving port 211 opens upward, the direction in which the cartridge 300 is received is from top to bottom.

[0054] The cartridge receiving section 210 has a roughly rectangular shape, with the receiving opening 211 and bottom surface 212 being longer in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction) of the housing 200. The longitudinal and short-side (left-to-right direction) dimensions of the cartridge receiving section 210 are longer than the dimensions of the cartridge 300 in the receiving direction of the cartridge receiving section 210. Therefore, the short side dimension of the bottom surface 212 is longer than the dimensions of the cartridge 300 in the receiving direction of the cartridge receiving section 210. When the housing 200 is viewed from above with the cartridge 300 not installed, it is possible to see almost the entire bottom surface 212 through the receiving opening 211.

[0055] Thus, the width dimension of the bottom surface 212 of the roughly rectangular cartridge receiving section 210, which is the length of the rectangle, is longer than the dimension of the cartridge 300 in the receiving direction. The bottom surface of the cartridge receiving section 210 may be roughly square, roughly circular, or roughly elliptical, and the width dimension of one side of the square, the diameter of the circle, or the major axis of the ellipse is longer than the dimension of the cartridge 300 in the receiving direction of the cartridge receiving section 210.

[0056] As shown in Figure 9, the cartridge receiving section 210 has a bottom surface 212, as well as a right inner surface 213, a left inner surface 214, a front inner surface 215, and a rear inner surface 216. The right inner surface 213 is a surface that extends upward from the right edge of the bottom surface 212 toward the receiving port 211. The left inner surface 214 is a surface that extends upward from the left edge of the bottom surface 212 toward the receiving port 211. The front inner surface 215 is a surface that extends upward from the front edge of the bottom surface 212 toward the receiving port 211. The rear inner surface 216 is a surface that extends upward from the rear edge of the bottom surface 212 toward the receiving port 211. Therefore, the right inner surface 213 and the left inner surface 214 are in a positional relationship where they face each other, and the front inner surface 215 and the rear inner surface 216 are in a positional relationship where they face each other.

[0057] The front-to-back dimensions of the right inner surface 213 and the left inner surface 214 correspond to the dimensions of the longer side of the bottom surface 212, and the left-to-right dimensions of the front inner surface 215 and the rear inner surface 216 correspond to the dimensions of the shorter side of the bottom surface 212. Therefore, the front-to-back dimensions of the right inner surface 213 and the left inner surface 214 are longer than the left-to-right dimensions of the front inner surface 215 and the rear inner surface 216.

[0058] The drawing machine body 25 is equipped with a hollow needle 220. The hollow needle 220 is provided protruding from the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210 toward the receiving port 211, and when a cartridge 300 is received in the cartridge receiving section 210, it is a component that penetrates the rubber stopper 312 (described later) of the cartridge 300 and draws ink out of the cartridge 300. The lower part of the hollow needle 220 is held by the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210. The lower end of the hollow needle 220 is connected to the ink tank 20a via an ink pipe (not shown). Therefore, the ink contained in the cartridge 300 flows through the inside of the hollow needle 220, then through the ink pipe, and then is stored in the ink tank 20a.

[0059] The bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210 is provided with vertical walls 212a around the hollow needle 220. Multiple vertical walls 212a are provided at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction of the hollow needle 220. The vertical walls 212a protect the hollow needle 220. Furthermore, when receiving the cartridge 300, the vertical walls 212a can guide the opening 311 to a predetermined position.

[0060] Figures 13 to 19 show the external appearance of the cartridge 300. The cross-section of the cartridge 300 is shown in Figures 11 and 12. The cartridge 300 has a shape that is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge receiving portion 210 of the housing 200. When the cartridge 300 is received in the cartridge receiving portion 210, the upper part of the cartridge 300 protrudes upward from the upper surface 205 of the housing 200. In this way, the entire cartridge 300 is not housed in the housing 200, but only the lower part of the cartridge 300 is housed in the cartridge receiving portion 210 of the housing 200. The part of the cartridge 300 that is not housed in the cartridge receiving portion 210 is exposed to the outside of the housing 200. In this embodiment, since the cartridge 300 protrudes upward from the upper surface 205 of the housing 200, the cartridge 300 can be made larger in capacity and a portion of it can be placed outside the housing 200 without affecting members installed on the sides of the housing 200 or members installed at the rear of the housing 200.

[0061] Furthermore, the cartridge 300 may contain ink, or it may contain a liquid for cleaning the device. The present invention is applicable in either case.

[0062] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the cartridge 300 comprises a pouch 310 as an ink storage section for containing ink, an outer case 320 that houses at least a portion of the pouch 310, and an outer packaging material 330. The pouch 310 is a bag-shaped component in which ink is sealed inside along with air (an example of a gas), and is made of a flexible film or sheet-like material. By sealing a small amount of air in the pouch 310, it becomes possible to suck out all the ink from the pouch 310. Also, by providing a plate or the like inside the pouch 310 to prevent blockage near the suction opening, it becomes possible to suck out all the ink from the pouch 310. The ratio of the vertical dimension to the horizontal dimension of the pouch 310 makes it possible to control how the pouch 310 collapses when the ink level decreases.

[0063] The components that make up pouch 310 can be any material that is resistant to ink, and their material and structure are not particularly limited, but for example, a component made by laminating a resin layer and an aluminum layer can be used.

[0064] The pouch 310 is long in the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, the pouch 310 is a gusseted type pouch with a gusset. The dimensions of the pouch 310 are such that it can be accommodated in the outer case 320 and outer packaging material 330 while ensuring the maximum possible internal volume. The ink storage section may be made of a material other than the pouch 310, such as a hard resin container. The outer packaging material 330 may be provided as needed and may be omitted.

[0065] An opening 311 is provided at the bottom of the pouch 310. The opening 311 is made of a rigid resin material or the like, which has higher rigidity than the components that make up the pouch 310, and is composed of a tubular member that extends in the vertical direction. A flow path is formed inside the opening 311 that communicates with the internal space of the pouch 310. The opening 311 is provided with a rubber stopper 312 that seals the flow path. Because of the rubber stopper 312, ink will not leak from the opening 311 when the cartridge 300 is transported or stored. On the other hand, when the cartridge 300 is received in the cartridge receiving section 210, the hollow needle 220 penetrates the rubber stopper 312, and the tip of the hollow needle 220 reaches the flow path above the rubber stopper 312. This allows the ink to flow into the inside of the hollow needle 220. In other words, the outer case 320 supports the opening 311 with the rubber stopper 312 exposed to the outside, so that the ink contained in the pouch 310 can be accessed from the outside. When the hollow needle 220 is inserted through the rubber stopper 312, the rubber stopper 312 is in close contact with the outer surface of the hollow needle 220, suppressing ink leakage. When the hollow needle 220 is removed from the rubber stopper 312 when the cartridge 300 is removed from the cartridge receiving section 210, the hole into which the hollow needle 220 was inserted is closed, suppressing ink leakage. Because a rubber stopper 312 is used, the force required to insert or remove the hollow needle 220 is small.

[0066] The outer case 320 is made of a rigid resin material or the like, which has higher rigidity than the components that make up the pouch 310, and has a long shape in the front-to-back direction. Specifically, the outer case 320 has a long bottom wall portion 321, a front side wall portion 322, a rear side wall portion 323, a right side wall portion 324, and a left side wall portion 325. The front side wall portion 322 rises up from the front edge (edge ​​extending in the short direction) of the bottom wall portion 321 and extends upward. The rear side wall portion 323 rises up from the rear edge (edge ​​extending in the short direction) of the bottom wall portion 321 and extends upward. The right side wall portion 324 rises up from the right side edge (edge ​​extending in the long direction) of the bottom wall portion 321 and extends upward. The left side wall portion 325 rises up from the left side edge (edge ​​extending in the long direction) of the bottom wall portion 321 and extends upward. Therefore, the front wall portion 322 and the rear wall portion 323 are in a positional relationship where they face each other, and the right wall portion 324 and the left wall portion 325 are in a positional relationship where they face each other.

[0067] The outer case 320 is open at the top, allowing the pouch 310 to be housed inside the outer case 320 through this open section. An annular projection 321a is formed in the longitudinal and transverse middle section of the bottom wall 321 of the outer case 320. The lower part of the mouth 311 is fitted and held inside the annular projection 321a. Therefore, the mouth 311 is held in the longitudinal and transverse middle section of the bottom wall 321. In other words, the annular projection 321a formed on the bottom wall 321 of the outer case 320 holds one end of the mouth 311 exposed to the outside.

[0068] Note that "exposed to the outside" does not mean that one end of the opening 311 of the outer case has to protrude from the bottom wall 321; it may be recessed relative to the bottom wall 321. It is sufficient that the hollow needle 220 of the cartridge receiving section 210 can penetrate the rubber stopper 312 of the cartridge 300, and that the tip of the hollow needle 220 can reach the flow path above the rubber stopper 312, allowing access to the ink contained in the pouch 310 from the outside.

[0069] The outer casing material 330 is open at the bottom and serves as a lid for the outer case 320. It is made of, for example, cardboard or resin. The outer casing material 330 protects the pouch 310 by covering it from above. The outer surface of the outer casing material 330 is provided with a display area for displaying, for example, information related to ink.

[0070] To increase the ink capacity, one possible method is to enlarge the pouch 310, for example. However, since the outer case 320 is sized to fit into the cartridge receiving section 210 of the housing 200, the outer case 320 cannot be enlarged in the front-to-back or left-to-right directions. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the height of the pouch 310 to achieve the increased capacity.

[0071] In this embodiment, since the exterior material 330 is separate from the outer case 320, when increasing the height of the pouch 310, the exterior material 330 can be changed to a taller one without changing the outer case 320. In other words, when increasing the capacity of the cartridge 300 beyond that shown in the figure, even if the vertical dimensions of the cartridge 300 are increased, only the exterior material 330, which is the upper part of the cartridge 300, will protrude significantly from the cartridge receiving section 210, and there will be no need to change the outer case 320 or the housing 200, nor will the increased capacity of the cartridge 300 affect the sides or rear of the housing 200.

[0072] As shown in Figures 13, 15, and 18, a movable ROM unit 340 is provided on the right side wall 324 of the cartridge 300. A recess 324a is formed in the middle of the right side wall 324 in the front-to-back direction, in which the ROM unit 340 is housed. The ROM unit 340 is positioned above the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210, thereby preventing ink from adhering to the ROM unit 340.

[0073] Figure 20 shows a ROM unit 340 on its own, which includes a recording medium 341 for recording information about the cartridge 300, an access terminal 342 electrically connected to the recording medium 341, and a holding member 343 for holding the recording medium 341 and the access terminal 342. The recording medium 341 may be composed of read-only memory, i.e., ROM (Read Only Memory), or it may be composed of read-and-write memory, i.e., RAM (Random Access Memory), when updating information about the cartridge 300. When composed of RAM, it can be called a RAM unit. Examples of information recorded on the recording medium 341 include the type and remaining amount of ink sealed in the pouch 310.

[0074] The access terminal 342 is accessed from the main unit terminal 221 on the drawing machine 2 side (shown in Figures 6, 11, and 12) via the cartridge receiving section 210. The main unit terminal 221 is a component that contacts the access terminal 342 when the cartridge 300 is received in the cartridge receiving section 210 and constitutes part of the communication path.

[0075] As shown in Figure 2, the drawing machine body 25 is equipped with a recording medium management unit 23 that communicates with the recording medium 341 via a communication path including an access terminal 342 and a main unit-side terminal 221. The recording medium management unit 23 controls the drawing machine 2 based on information obtained from the recording medium 341 and transmits information obtained from the recording medium 341 to the controller 4.

[0076] The retaining member 343 is supported by the outer case 320 so as to be switchable between an extended position where the access terminal 342 contacts the main body terminal 221 (shown in Figures 12 and 21) and a retracted position where the access terminal 342 is away from the main body terminal 221 (shown in Figures 11 and 22) by sliding in a direction perpendicular to the right side wall portion 324 of the outer case 320 (left-right direction).

[0077] Specifically, the retaining member 343 has a pair of arm portions 343a that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. Each arm portion 343a extends to the left, and a projection 343b is formed at its tip that protrudes toward each other. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, a pair of guide surfaces 321b extending in the left-right direction are formed on the bottom wall portion 321 of the outer case 320, spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The projection 343b located on the front side of the retaining member 343 is guided in the left-right direction by sliding along the guide surface 321b located on the front side in the left-right direction. Similarly, the projection 343b located on the rear side of the retaining member 343 is guided in the left-right direction by sliding along the guide surface 321b located on the rear side in the left-right direction. Therefore, each guide surface 321b is a guide portion that guides the retaining member 343 in a direction perpendicular to the right side wall portion 324 of the outer case 320.

[0078] Furthermore, the bottom wall portion 321 of the outer case 320 has a lateral projection 321c that protrudes to the right. On the other hand, the retaining member 343 has a guide groove 343c into which the lateral projection 321c is inserted. When the lateral projection 321c is inserted into the guide groove 343c, it is guided in a direction perpendicular to the right side wall portion 324 of the outer case 320. Therefore, the guide groove 343c also functions as a guide. The retaining member 343 is attached to the bottom wall portion 321 in such a state that it is guided and moves in the left-right direction by the guide portion, but hardly moves in the up-down and front-back directions.

[0079] As shown in Figure 6, the main unit terminal 221 is located on the right inner surface 213 of the cartridge receiving section 210 and protrudes inward (to the left) from the cartridge receiving section 210. The height of the main unit terminal 221 is the same as the height of the access terminal 342 of the cartridge 300 when it is received in the cartridge receiving section 210. Furthermore, the front-to-back position of the main unit terminal 221 is the same as the front-to-back position of the access terminal 342 of the cartridge 300 when it is received in the cartridge receiving section 210. As a result, when the cartridge 300 is received in the cartridge receiving section 210, the main unit terminal 221 comes into contact with the access terminal 342, enabling electrical connection.

[0080] The main unit terminal 221 is constantly biased inward towards the cartridge receiving section 210 by a biasing member (not shown). When not in contact with the access terminal 342, the main unit terminal 221 is positioned further inward towards the cartridge receiving section 210 than the contact point with the access terminal 342. When the main unit terminal 221 comes into contact with the access terminal 342, it is pressed to the right by the access terminal 342, causing it to move to the right against the biasing force of the biasing member. In this state, the main unit terminal 221 is in contact with the access terminal 342, so even if the relative left-right positional relationship between the main unit terminal 221 and the access terminal 342 changes due to manufacturing errors or the like, the main unit terminal 221 can be reliably pressed against the access terminal 342 and electrical conductivity can be established.

[0081] On the right inner surface 213 of the cartridge receiving section 210, a canopy 213a is formed to suppress contamination of the main unit terminal 221, positioned on the receiving opening 211 side (above) the main unit terminal 221. The canopy 213a protrudes inward from the right inner surface 213 of the cartridge receiving section 210 and has a predetermined width in the front-rear direction. When the cartridge receiving section 210 is viewed from directly above, the main unit terminal 221 is positioned so that it is hidden by the canopy 213a. As a result, dust, materials, ink, etc. that fall from above are less likely to come into contact with the main unit terminal 221, thus protecting the main unit terminal 221.

[0082] While the visor 213a protects the main body terminal 221, it is conceivable that the access terminal 342 may come into contact with the visor 213a while the cartridge 300 is being received into the cartridge receiving section 210, making it difficult to receive the cartridge 300. In this embodiment, the holding member 343 that holds the recording medium 341 and the access terminal 342 can be moved from the extended position to the retracted position. Furthermore, a switching section 217 is formed on the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210 to switch the holding member 343 from the retracted position to the extended position when the access terminal 342 approaches the bottom surface 212 more closely than the visor 213a during the process of receiving the cartridge 300.

[0083] As shown in Figure 10, the switching section 217 protrudes upward from the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving section 210 and is positioned between the hollow needle 220 and the main body terminal 221. The switching section 217 has a main body-side inclined surface 217a that slopes downward so that it is located lower as it moves to the right. On the other hand, a cartridge-side inclined surface 343d is formed on the lower surface of the holding member 343 at a position corresponding to the main body-side inclined surface 217a. The cartridge-side inclined surface 343d also slopes downward so that it is located lower as it moves to the right, similar to the main body-side inclined surface 217a.

[0084] The cartridge-side inclined surface 343d contacts and slides against the main body-side inclined surface 217a, allowing the retaining member 343 to be moved left and right relative to the bottom wall portion 321 of the outer case 320, thereby switching it from a retracted position to an extended position. The timing of switching the retaining member 343 from the retracted position to the extended position, the speed of movement when switching from the retracted position to the extended position, and the amount of movement of the retaining member 343 can be arbitrarily changed by the height position and inclination angle of the main body-side inclined surface 217a and the cartridge-side inclined surface 343d.

[0085] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the retaining member 343 is switched from a retracted position to an extended position while the cartridge 300 is moved from above to below the cartridge receiving section 210 and fully mounted in the cartridge receiving section 210. Specifically, the heights of the cartridge-side inclined surface 343d and the main body-side inclined surface 217a are set so that the retaining member 343 remains in the retracted position until it passes over the canopy 213a and reaches below the canopy 213a as the cartridge 300 is moved downward. This avoids interference between the retaining member 343 and the canopy 213a.

[0086] When the cartridge 300 moves further down and the retaining member 343 reaches below the canopy 213a, the cartridge-side inclined surface 343d comes into contact with the main body-side inclined surface 217a and slides to the right, causing the retaining member 343 to move to the right, i.e., to the extended position. Then, when the cartridge 300 moves further down and is fully received by the cartridge receiving section 210, the retaining member 343 switches to the extended position, and the access terminal 342 comes into contact with the main body-side terminal 221.

[0087] The timing at which the hollow needle 220 penetrates the rubber stopper 312 of the pouch 310 is set to occur before the access terminal 342 contacts the main body terminal 221. In other words, the timing at which the hollow needle 220 penetrates the rubber stopper 312 can be arbitrarily changed depending on the protrusion height of the hollow needle 220 and the height of the rubber stopper 312. In this embodiment, the hollow needle 220 begins to penetrate the rubber stopper 312 when the holding member 343 is in the retracted position, and the hollow needle 220 penetrates the rubber stopper 312 before the holding member 343 switches to the extended position. In other words, the timing of each connection is set so that the electrical connection by the access terminal 342 and the main body terminal 221 is made after the fluid connection by the hollow needle 220 is completed.

[0088] Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of the ROM unit 340 and the area around the switching section 217 according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present invention. In this Modification 1, a spring 345 is provided that applies a biasing force to the retaining member 343, biasing it toward the extended position. The direction of expansion and contraction of the spring 345 is the direction of movement of the retaining member 343. The spring 345 is positioned between the retaining member 343 and the bottom wall portion 321 of the outer case 320. In Modification 1, the retaining member 343 is inserted into the cartridge receiving section 210 with the retaining member 343 in the extended position. If the retaining member 343 hits the overhang 213a along the way, it is pressed in the retracted direction by the overhang 213a, causing it to switch to the retracted position. Once it passes the overhang 213a, the retaining member 343 switches to the extended position. Rubber or the like may be used instead of the spring 345.

[0089] Figures 24A to 24C are cross-sectional views of the ROM unit 340 and the area around the switching unit 217 according to a modified example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention. In this modified example 2, a hole 340A is formed in the holding member 343. The hole 340A is inclined so that it is located lower as it moves to the right. On the other hand, a projection 217A is formed on the bottom surface 212 of the cartridge receiving unit 210, which is inserted into the hole 340A. The projection 217A is inclined so that it is located higher as it moves to the left, and is an example of a switching unit for switching the holding member 343 from the retracted position to the extended position. As shown in Figure 24A, when the cartridge 300 enters the cartridge receiving unit 210, the upper end of the projection 217A is in a positional relationship with the lower end of the hole 340A. As shown in Figure 24B, when the cartridge 300 moves downward, the upper end of the projection 217A is inserted into the lower end of the hole 340A. When the cartridge 300 moves further downward and is fully seated in the cartridge receiving section 210, the projection 217A switches the retaining member 343 to the extended position. In this way, the hole 340A and the projection 217A can also be used to switch the retaining member 343 to the extended position.

[0090] Figures 25A to 25D are cross-sectional views of the ROM unit 340 and the area around the switching unit 217 according to a modified example 3 of the embodiment of the present invention. In this modified example 3, a triangular link 346 is provided on the holding member 343. The triangular link 346 has an elongated hole 346a that is long in the vertical direction. An axis 347 extending in the front-rear direction is inserted through the elongated hole 346a of the triangular link 346. As a result, the triangular link 346 is rotatable around the axis 347 and is also movable relative to the elongated hole 346a in the longitudinal direction.

[0091] As shown in Figure 25A, when the cartridge 300 enters the cartridge receiving section 210, the portion of the triangular link 346 to the left of the shaft 347 is positioned opposite the upper end of the main body-side inclined surface 217a. As shown in Figure 25B, when the cartridge 300 moves downward, the portion of the triangular link 346 to the left of the shaft 347 is pushed upward by the upper end of the main body-side inclined surface 217a. As a result, as shown in Figure 25C, the triangular link 346 begins to rotate around the shaft 347 and also begins to move upward relative to the shaft 347. The triangular link 346 and the retaining member 343 are engaged, and the movement of the triangular link 346 pushes the retaining member 343 in the advance direction, causing it to move. Then, as shown in Figure 25D, when the cartridge 300 moves further downward and is fully installed in the cartridge receiving section 210, the triangular link 346 is guided while in contact with the main body-side inclined surface 217a, and the retaining member 343 is switched to the advance position.

[0092] As shown in Figure 5, the drawing machine 2 is equipped with a removable upper cover 230 attached to the drawing machine body 25. Figure 26 shows the state with the upper cover 230 removed. The drawing machine 2 is equipped with an absorbent 240 (shown only in Figure 26) for absorbing ink leaked from the print head 22, and a casing 241 that houses the absorbent 240. The absorbent 240 is made of sponge, fiber, or the like.

[0093] The casing 241 has a vertically elongated shape and is detachably mounted on the front 201 of the housing 200 to the left of the print head 22. Figure 27 shows the casing 241 removed from the drawing machine body 25 and moved forward. As shown in Figure 27, the casing 241 can be removed and replaced from the drawing machine body 25 without removing the upper cover 230.

[0094] The absorber 240 is provided on only one side of the drawing machine body 25, either the left or the right. In this example, the casing 241 housing the absorber 240 is provided on the left side of the drawing machine body 25, so the absorber 240 is not provided on the right side of the drawing machine body 25. For this reason, a box-shaped member 242 that does not house the absorber 240 is detachably provided on the right side of the drawing machine body 25. The shape of the box-shaped member 242 is symmetrical to that of the casing 241. If the absorber 240 is to be provided on the left side of the drawing machine body 25, the casing 241 housing the absorber 240 should be detachably provided on the left side of the drawing machine body 25, and the box-shaped member 242 should be detachably provided on the right side.

[0095] Below the print head 22 in the drawing machine body 25, there is an ink receiving section 245 having a liquid delivery structure for guiding ink leaked from the print head 22 to an absorber 240. The ink receiving section 245 is detachably provided at the bottom of the front surface 201 of the drawing machine body 25. Figure 28 shows the state in which the casing 241 and box-shaped member 242 and the ink receiving section 245 have been removed from the drawing machine body 25, and the ink receiving section 245 has been moved forward.

[0096] As shown in Figure 29, the ink receiving section 245 is formed to extend to the left and right below the print head 22, and as a whole, it has a concave shape that opens upward. Above the left side of the ink receiving section 245 is a casing 241 that houses the absorber 240, while above the right side of the ink receiving section 245 is a box-shaped member 242. As shown in Figure 30, the bottom surface 245a of the ink receiving section 245 slopes downward from the center in the left-right direction toward the left. This allows ink leaking from the print head 22 to be received by the bottom surface 245a of the ink receiving section 245 and then flow to the left side, i.e., the side where the absorber 240 is located, so that the ink can be reliably absorbed by the absorber 240. If the absorber 240 is located on the right side, an ink receiving section 245 with a bottom surface 245a sloped in the opposite direction can be installed.

[0097] Figure 29 shows the positional relationship between the ink tank 20a and the print head 22. The ink tank 20a is installed at the bottom of the drawing machine body 25. As shown in Figure 29, in a plan view, the ink tank 20a is positioned behind the print head 22, and to the left and right of the print head 22, but not in front of the print head 22. In other words, in this embodiment, the ink tank 20a is provided to surround the portion of the print head 22 other than the side with the nozzle group 22a in a plan view. To put it another way, it is provided to surround at least two of the three sides of the print head 22 other than the side with the nozzle group 22a.

[0098] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the drawing machine 2 is equipped with an operation button 250. The operation button 250 is a component that receives user instructions for controlling the drawing machine 2. There may be one operation button 250 or two or more. The operation button 250 is located on the upper part of the rear surface 202 of the housing 200, on the opposite side from the print head 22. This allows the user to operate the operation button 250 from the opposite side of the transport machine 10, resulting in good operability. Examples of operation buttons 250 include a test button operated when performing a test drawing, and a cleaning button operated when cleaning the drawing machine 2, but they may be buttons that perform any function.

[0099] The drawing machine 2 is equipped with a waste liquid bottle 251. The waste liquid bottle 251 is located on the rear surface 202 of the housing 200, on the opposite side from the print head 22. The waste liquid bottle 251 is a container for storing ink supplied from the ink tank 20a to the print head 22 that was not discharged toward the workpiece W. The ink inlet (not shown), which is the opening of the waste liquid bottle 251, is located at the top of the waste liquid bottle 251 and is formed at a position higher than the liquid level of the ink contained in the ink tank 20a (shown in Figure 29). The ink supplied to the print head 22 that was not discharged toward the workpiece W is supplied to the opening of the waste liquid bottle 251 by the supply unit, and then flows into the interior of the waste liquid bottle 251 from the opening. The waste liquid bottle 251 is configured to be detachable from the drawing machine body 25, so that the ink inside the waste liquid bottle 251 can be discharged as needed.

[0100] As shown in Figure 2, the drawing machine 2 includes an indicator light 24a and a lighting indicator control unit 24b. The indicator light 24a is a component that informs the user of information regarding the drawing of the drawing machine 2 by its lighting state, and can be composed of, for example, a light-emitting unit that can emit light in only one color or multiple different colors. The lighting indicator control unit 24b is the part that controls the lighting state of the indicator light 24a, and for example, controls the indicator light 24a to emit light in a first light color when normal drawing is being performed, and controls the indicator light 24a to emit light in a second light color different from the first light color when an abnormality occurs in the drawing. Alternatively, the indicator light 24a may be kept off when normal drawing is being performed, and turned on or blinked when an abnormality occurs in the drawing.

[0101] The indicator light 24a is located on the upper surface 205 of the housing 200, in front of the cartridge receiving section 210. In this embodiment, two indicator lights 24a are provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface 205 of the housing 200, but only one indicator light 24a may be provided. Since the user does not need to access the indicator light 24a, its location in front of the cartridge receiving section 210 does not affect the usability of the drawing machine 2.

[0102] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 26 with the top cover 230 removed, the upper side of the drawing machine body 25 is equipped with an air filter 260 for filtering the air drawn into the drawing machine body 25, a spirit level 261, and a hand valve 262 for manually opening and closing the internal piping. The air filter 260, spirit level 261, and hand valve 262 are arranged in a front-to-back direction on the side of the cartridge receiving section 210. When the top cover 230 is attached to the drawing machine body 25, the air filter 260, spirit level 261, and hand valve 262 are covered by the top cover 230 and become invisible from the outside.

[0103] Figures 31 and 32 show a cartridge 300 according to a modified example 4 of the embodiment. In modified example 4, the ROM unit 340 is supported by a support portion 327 that protrudes downward from the bottom wall portion 321 of the outer case 320. As in this modified example 4, the ROM unit 340 may also be supported on a wall portion other than the right side wall portion 324 of the outer case 320.

[0104] Figure 33 is a perspective view showing the structure of a cartridge 300 according to a modified example 5 of the embodiment. In the cartridge 300 of modified example 5, the pouch 310 is separated from the outer case 320 and can be installed at a location away from the drawing machine body 25. The pouch 310 is provided with an ink tube 313 through which ink flows. The downstream end of the ink tube 313 has a mouth with the aforementioned rubber stopper, although it is not shown in the figure.

[0105] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted restrictively. Furthermore, any modifications or changes that fall within the equivalent scope of the claims are all within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0106] As explained above, the drawing machine relating to this disclosure can be used, for example, to draw information on an object to be drawn on that is transported by a transporter. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0107] 2 drawing machine 20a Ink Tank 22 printheads 24a indicator light 24b Lighting indicator control unit 200 cabinets 210 Cartridge receiving section 217 Switching section 220 hollow needle 221 Main unit side terminal 240 absorbent 241 Casing 250 control buttons 251 Waste liquid bottle 300 cartridges 311 Mouth 312 Rubber stopper 341 Recording media 342 Access terminals 343 Retaining member

Claims

1. A drawing machine that ejects ink for drawing information onto an object to be drawn on, which is conveyed horizontally by a conveyor, A box-shaped enclosure extending in the longitudinal direction, An ink tank for containing ink is provided inside the aforementioned housing, A cartridge for refilling the ink tank has an opening that is sealed by a rubber stopper, A print head is provided on one end face in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface of the housing, for ejecting ink supplied from the ink tank toward the object to be drawn while being transported. A cartridge receiving section having an opening for receiving the cartridge on the outer surface of the outer circumferential surface of the housing, excluding the one end surface, or on the top surface of the housing, and a bottom surface that faces the opening side of the cartridge when the cartridge is received through the opening, A hollow needle is provided that protrudes from the bottom surface of the cartridge receiving section toward the receiving port side, and when the cartridge is received in the cartridge receiving section, it penetrates the rubber stopper and draws ink out of the cartridge, A drawing machine equipped with the following features.

2. In the drawing machine according to claim 1, A drawing machine in which the width dimension of the bottom surface of the cartridge receiving section is longer than the dimension in the cartridge receiving direction of the cartridge in the cartridge receiving section.

3. In the drawing machine according to claim 2, The bottom surface of the cartridge receiving section is roughly rectangular in shape, elongated in one direction. A drawing machine in which the dimension of the shorter side of the bottom surface is longer than the dimension in the cartridge receiving direction in the cartridge receiving section.

4. In the drawing machine according to claim 1, A recording medium provided in the cartridge for recording information about the cartridge, The cartridge is provided with an access terminal that is electrically connected to the recording medium, A recording medium management unit provided in the main body of the drawing machine, which communicates with the recording medium via a communication path including the access terminal, A terminal on the main unit side is provided in the cartridge receiving section, which contacts the access terminal when the cartridge is received, and which constitutes part of the communication path. A drawing machine equipped with the following features.

5. In the drawing machine according to claim 4, The cartridge receiving portion has an inner surface extending from the edge of the bottom surface toward the receiving opening side, A drawing machine having the main body side terminals provided on the inner surface.

6. In the drawing machine according to claim 5, The cartridge holds the recording medium and the access terminal, and includes a holding member that can be switched between an extended position in which the access terminal is in contact with the main unit terminal and a retracted position in which the access terminal is away from the main unit terminal. On the inner surface of the cartridge receiving section, a canopy is formed on the receiving side of the main body terminal to suppress contamination of the main body terminal, A drawing machine wherein the bottom surface of the cartridge receiving section has a switching section formed therein for switching the holding member from the retracted position to the extended position when the access terminal approaches the bottom surface closer than the overhang during the process of receiving the cartridge.

7. In the drawing machine according to claim 1, An absorbent for absorbing ink leaked from the print head, A casing is provided on one end face of the absorbent material, An ink receiving section provided below the print head and having a liquid delivery structure for guiding ink leaked from the print head to the absorber, A drawing machine equipped with even more features.

8. In the drawing machine according to claim 1, A drawing machine further comprising an operation button for receiving user instructions for controlling the drawing machine, provided on the other end face of the housing located opposite to the one end face in the longitudinal direction of the housing.

9. In the drawing machine according to claim 1, The housing is provided on the other end face located opposite to the one end face in the longitudinal direction, A drawing machine further comprising a waste liquid bottle for storing ink supplied from the ink tank to the print head, the waste liquid bottle having an opening formed at a position higher than the liquid level of the ink tank into which ink that was not ejected toward the object to be drawn flows.

10. In the drawing machine according to claim 1, An indicator light is provided on the upper surface of the housing, on the side of the cartridge receiving portion that is closer to the end face, and which informs the user of information regarding the drawing of the drawing machine by the state in which it is lit. A drawing machine further comprising a lighting indicator control unit for controlling the lighting state of the indicator light.

Images