Inkjet printer

Abstract

To provide an inkjet printer that can perform high-quality drawing at end parts of drawing media, even the media have different widths.SOLUTION: An inkjet printer, which makes a drawing head 41 perform drawing on drawing media 2 having different widths, comprises: a pair of film-like paper pressers 34 that block a plurality of air-intake holes 32 positioned at both outer sides of the drawing media 2 from above a platen 31, the air-intake holes 32 formed in the platen 31 to which the drawing media 2 are conveyed; a hole-blocking member 35 formed in a lengthy shape in a conveying direction of the drawing media 2 which can move in a width direction of the drawing media 2 and blocks portions of the air-intake holes 32 from below the platen 31; a support part 100 that supports the paper presser 34 so that the presser can move in a width direction so that a position thereof can be adjusted; and a link mechanism (a fist connection part 125) that performs a position adjustment by a movement in the width direction of the hole blocking member 35 in tandem with a movement in the width direction of the support part 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet-type drawing device such as a digital printer, and more particularly to an inkjet printer equipped with a press mechanism that prevents a drawing medium such as paper from lifting up when in the drawing position. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, inkjet printing devices (inkjet printers) that perform drawing by spraying fine ink droplets from a drawing head onto a drawing medium have become known that use a line head system that enables drawing on the entire medium by transporting the drawing medium while keeping the drawing head fixed, rather than a serial head system in which the drawing head performs drawing by moving back and forth perpendicular to the transport direction of the drawing medium.

[0003] In a drawing device, in order to prevent the paper at the drawing position from floating up, a method is known in which a platen with many holes is prepared under the paper at the drawing position, and drawing (ink is ejected from the inkjet head) is performed while the paper (drawing medium) is adsorbed onto the platen by sucking in air through the holes. Also, when there are multiple widths of paper used for drawing, the platen's air intake holes need to be large enough to cover the widest paper, but in the case of narrow paper, some of the platen's air intake holes cannot be blocked by the paper, making it impossible to maintain sufficient suction power. Therefore, a method is sometimes used to maintain suction power by blocking the air intake holes on the outside of the paper's width that cannot be blocked by the paper with a paper press (film) that presses down on the edge of the paper.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for more reliably attracting the medium by suction at the drawing position in an inkjet printer in order to prevent the edge of the medium at the drawing position from curling and lifting up.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for controlling the ejection amount in an inkjet printer to prevent tiny ink droplets that separate from the main droplets ejected from the drawing head from landing in an irregular manner due to the influence of air currents caused by air suction during paper transport or transport air currents generated by the movement of the paper, thereby soiling the paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-196821 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-024598 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Incidentally, the adsorption of the drawing medium 2 at the drawing position to prevent it from floating up is achieved by creating negative pressure behind the platen to suck in air through multiple air intake holes 32 on the platen 31, as shown in Fig. 27, but the air intake holes 32 on the platen 31 are arranged to accommodate drawing media of different sizes, according to the largest size of medium. In the case of a small-sized (narrow-width) drawing medium, it is not possible to block all of the air intake holes 32 with the drawing medium 2, so it is possible to provide a configuration in which the air intake holes 32 outside the width of the medium are blocked by a film-like paper holder 34 that moves according to the width of the drawing medium 2.

[0008] However, as shown in Figure 28, the air intake holes 32 on the platen 31 are arranged at regular intervals, so that it is possible that the edge of the drawing medium 2 being used cannot completely block the air intake holes. Also, because a certain amount of space is required between the film-like paper holder 34 and the edge of the drawing medium 2, there is a concern that air intake from the air intake hole 321 that cannot be completely blocked will cause airflow disturbances at the edge of the drawing medium, and the fine ink particles from the drawing head 41 sprayed near the edge of the drawing medium will not be able to travel in a straight line toward the medium, resulting in a disturbance in the drawn image.

[0009] Furthermore, the paper presser 34 overlaps the widthwise edge of the paper (drawing medium) to physically hold the edge so that it does not float up, but when the inkjet head is positioned above the paper during drawing, the paper presser 34 cannot overlap the edge of the paper to avoid contact between the ejection surface of the inkjet head and the paper presser 34. Therefore, in the portion where the inkjet head is positioned during printing, a small gap is generated between the edge of the paper and the paper presser, and the ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head are swept away before landing on the paper due to the airflow between the inkjet head and the paper caused by the intake air from the intake hole 321 on the platen 31, which cannot be blocked by the paper and the paper presser 34, and this can cause image distortion due to misalignment of the ink landing at the edge of the paper.

[0010] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide an inkjet printer that is capable of performing high-quality drawing on the edges of a medium, even when the drawing medium has a different width. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention (claim 1) is an inkjet printer that performs drawing on drawing media (2) of different medium widths using a drawing head (41), and is characterized by including the following configuration. A pair of film-like paper holders (34) cover the air intake holes (32) located on both outer sides of the drawing medium (2) from above the platen (31), relative to the multiple air intake holes (32) provided in the platen (31) through which the drawing medium (2) is transported. a pair of hole blocking members (35) that are elongated in the transport direction of the drawing medium (2) and that are movable in the width direction of the drawing medium (2) and block a portion of the air intake hole (32) from below the platen (31); The position adjustment movement in the width direction Possible The support portion (100) supports the paper holder (34) in such a manner. A link mechanism (first connecting portion 125) adjusts the position of the hole closing member (35) by moving in the width direction in conjunction with the movement of the support portion (100) in the width direction.

[0012] Claim 2 provides the inkjet printer of claim 1, The support portion (100) is characterized by including an opening / closing mechanism (second connecting portion 140) that is rotatable about an axis (step portion 103a) along the conveying direction.

[0013] Claim 3 provides the inkjet printer of claim 2, The opening / closing mechanism (second connecting portion 140) is characterized by comprising a spherical bearing (107) fixed to the support portion (100) and having a spherical portion (107a), and a spherical body (108) that fits into the spherical portion (107a).

[0014] Claim 4 provides the inkjet printer of claim 1, The paper presser (34) is characterized in that stepped pieces (344) are provided at an inner end thereof at intervals in the conveying direction.

[0015] Claim 5 provides the inkjet printer of claim 4, A groove (351) is provided in the hole closing member (35) below the installation portion of the stepped piece (344).

[0016] Claim 6 states: Claim 2 In the inkjet printer, The support portion (100) has the opening and closing Mechanism Movable and The above It is characterized by the provision of a handle (113) for adjusting the position.

[0017] Claim 7 provides the inkjet printer of claim 1, The paper retainer (34) is characterized in that it is supported on the support portion (100) by a knurled screw (343). Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to claim 1, when the support part (100) is moved to adjust its position in the width direction in accordance with the width of the drawing medium, the link mechanism causes the hole sealing member (35) to move in conjunction with the paper holder (34) in accordance with the width of the drawing medium. Therefore, when adjusting the position of the paper holder (34) that seals the air intake hole (32) on the outside of the drawing medium (2) on the platen (31) to the width of the drawing medium (2), it is possible to simultaneously adjust the hole sealing member (35) to the appropriate position. This eliminates the need to check the position of the hole closing member (35), which is difficult to align visually, and reduces the effort required to align the position of the paper holder (34) and the hole closing member (35) to the width of the drawing medium (2). In addition, the hole sealing member (35) can reliably seal the air intake hole (32) located at the widthwise end of the drawing medium on the platen (31), thereby suppressing airflow disturbances that prevent fine ink particles from the drawing head (41) sprayed near the end of the medium from traveling in a straight line toward the drawing medium (2), thereby ensuring proper drawing at the end of the medium regardless of the width of the drawing medium (2).

[0019] According to claim 2, the paper presser (34) provided on the outside of the drawing medium (2) can be opened and closed by the flip-up action of the opening and closing function of the support part (100).

[0020] According to claim 3, the spherical portion (107a) of the spherical bearing (107) can slide and tilt relative to the spherical body (108), thereby forming an opening and closing mechanism.

[0021] According to claim 4, by providing a stepped portion (344) at the inner end of the paper holder (34), the end of the drawing medium can be pressed against the platen (31) so that the end of the drawing medium does not curl and lift off the platen (31).

[0022] According to claim 5, by providing a groove portion (351) in the hole blocking member (35) at the lower part of the installation portion of the step portion (344), it is possible to reliably promote adhesion of the end of the drawing medium to the platen (31) by the air intake hole (32) in this portion.

[0023] According to claim 6, by providing a handle (113) on the operating side of the support portion (100), it is possible to open and close the paper holder (34) and adjust the positions of the paper holder (34) and the hole closing member (35) at the outer fulcrum.

[0024] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by supporting the paper holder (34) on the support portion (100) with the knurled screw (343), the paper holder (34) can be easily attached and detached. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view showing the entire apparatus of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing the entire apparatus of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view showing the entire printing unit of an inkjet printer (only one of four drawing heads is shown). [Figure 4] FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of a printing unit (when a narrow drawing medium is used), and FIG. 1B is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the dotted line portion of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of a printing unit (when a wide drawing medium is used), and FIG. 1B is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the dotted line portion of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of the printing unit (when a narrow drawing medium is used). [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of the printing unit (when a wide drawing medium is used). [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of a printing section that constitutes a printing unit (when a narrow drawing medium is used). [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of a printing section that constitutes a printing unit (when a wide drawing medium is used). [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory plan view showing a part of the internal structure of the printing unit (when a narrow drawing medium is used). [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory plan view showing a part of the internal structure of the printing unit (when a wide drawing medium is used). [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a printing section that constitutes a printing unit (when a narrow drawing medium is used). [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a printing section that constitutes a printing unit (when a wide drawing medium is used). [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of the printing section that constitutes the printing unit when the paper holder is lifted up (when a narrow drawing medium is used). [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of the printing section that constitutes the printing unit when the paper holder is lifted up (when a wide drawing medium is used). [Figure 16] 4A and 4B are explanatory side views of a hole closing member. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a perspective explanatory view showing a connection structure in the support portion as viewed from the outside. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a perspective explanatory view showing a connection structure in the support portion as viewed from the inside. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is an explanatory perspective view seen from the outside, showing an exploded structure of the connection in the support portion. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is an explanatory perspective view from the inside showing an exploded structure of the connection in the support portion. [Figure 21] 13(A) and 13(B) are cross-sectional explanatory views for explaining a second connecting portion (in a normal state) of the support portion. [Figure 22] 13(A) and (B) are cross-sectional explanatory views for explaining a second connecting portion in the support portion (when flipped up). [Diagram 23] 21(B) and 22(C) are enlarged cross-sectional explanatory views of the dotted lines in FIG. 21(B) and FIG. 22(B). [Figure 24]13 is a model diagram (a cross-sectional view before pressing by the stepped portion) illustrating the effect of the stepped portion. FIG. [Diagram 25] 13 is a model diagram (cross-sectional view after pressing by the stepped portion) illustrating the effect of the stepped portion. FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a model diagram (plan view) illustrating a structure for preventing the drawing medium from floating up. [Figure 27] FIG. 1 is a model diagram (cross-sectional view) of a conventional structure in which an intake hole is provided on the platen of an inkjet printer. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a model diagram (cross-sectional view) illustrating a state in which turbulence in the air flow occurs at the edge of the drawing medium in the structure of FIG. 27. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. An inkjet printer according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a printing device having a drawing head that ejects water-based ink onto a drawing medium to perform drawing, a transport device that transports the roll-shaped drawing medium in a desired manner, and a drying device that dries and fixes the water-based ink ejected onto the drawing medium.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the printing device 1 comprises a housing unit 10 that houses electrical components such as a pump for supplying drawing ink and a power supply, a printing base unit 20 placed on the housing unit, a printing unit 30 that has the function of adsorbing the drawing medium 2 being transported to prevent it from floating up, and a head unit 40 that has a movable mechanism that allows the drawing head 41 to be retracted from the drawing medium 2.

[0028] A printing unit 30 is provided on the front side of the printing base unit 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2) and has a function of adsorbing the drawing medium 2 being transported to prevent it from floating up. The printing unit 30 has an overall shape of a rectangular box, and the drawing medium 2 is transported over a platen 31 attached to the upper surface of the box. The platen 31 is provided with a plurality of air intake holes 32 to attract the transported drawing medium 2 from the underside and prevent the drawing medium 2 from floating up. An air chamber 33 in which a negative pressure is maintained is provided below the platen 31 of the printing unit 30. A vacuum blower 60 is connected to the air chamber 33 via a duct 61, making it possible to draw air through the air intake holes 32 provided in the platen 31.

[0029] The head unit 40 includes four drawing heads 41 that are installed at positions offset in the transport direction of the drawing medium 2, and two of them form one set to draw (print) across the entire width of the drawing medium. In this example, two sets of drawing heads 41a and 41b, and drawing heads 41c and 41d each sequentially eject ink of a different color (e.g., three primary colors plus black), making it possible to draw (print) a color image across the entire width of the drawing medium 2.

[0030] 3 to 5, a pair of paper pressers 34 for pressing down the edges of the drawing medium 2 are provided on both sides of the platen 31 in the transport direction. Note that in Fig. 3, only one drawing head 41 is shown for simplicity. The pair of paper holders 34 are connected by an operating mechanism possessed by a support part 100 arranged at the end of the printing part 30 so that they can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction (width direction) in accordance with the width of the drawing medium 2, and can be opened and closed by lifting the inside of the paper holders 34 upward. FIG. 4 shows the state in which the paper presser 34 has been moved to accommodate a narrow drawing medium 2, and FIG. 5 shows the state in which the paper presser 34 has been moved to accommodate a wide drawing medium 2. Paper Holder The figure shows a state in which the paper holder 34 has been moved. The air chamber 33 is provided with a pair of plate-shaped hole blocking members 35 that move in conjunction with the moving position of the paper holder 34 and block some of the air intake holes 32 from the inside. That is, when the position of the paper holder 34 that closes the air intake holes 32 on the outer side of the drawing medium 2 on the platen 31 is adjusted to the width of the drawing medium 2, the hole closing member 35 is configured to simultaneously adjust to an appropriate position in conjunction with the movement of the paper holder 34 according to the medium width. The detailed structure of the support part 100, including the operating mechanism for the paper holder 34 and the hole closing member 35, will be described later.

[0031] At the entrance side of the printing unit 30 in the transport direction of the drawing medium 2, an encoder 36 is provided that generates an electrical pulse signal in accordance with the transport of the drawing medium 2, and a sensor 37 is provided for reading marks that have been pre-drawn on the drawing medium 2, making it possible to draw with the drawing head 41 in accordance with the amount of transport of the drawing medium 2, and to draw in a position that is aligned with a pre-drawn image.

[0032] A head unit 40 is installed on the top of the printing unit 30. The head unit 40 is equipped with a plurality of drawing heads 41 that perform drawing on the transported drawing medium 2, and an ink circulation unit that supplies ink used by the drawing heads 41 for drawing. On the left, right, and rear sides of the printing unit 30, there are provided head moving units 42 which are equipped with shafts, steel belts, bearing devices, motors, etc. for moving the head unit 40, on which the drawing head 41 is mounted, so that it can be retracted in the front-to-rear direction of the printing device 1 (Figure 1), enabling highly accurate position control of the drawing head 41 on the platen 31.

[0033] A maintenance section 45 is provided at the bottom of the rear surface of the printing section 30. The maintenance section 45 includes a cap section (not shown) that seals the ink ejection surface of the drawing head 41 to prevent the ink ejection surface from drying out when the drawing head 41 is in a standby state in which the drawing head 41 is not performing drawing, and that receives ink discharged during cleaning of the drawing head 41. (shown) It has. In addition, a wiper blade (not shown) is provided to remove ink remaining on the ink ejection surface after ink is discharged during cleaning of the drawing head 41. (shown) This enables stable ejection of ink from the drawing head 41.

[0034] The head unit 40 has a movable mechanism that can change the position of the drawing head 41 relative to the drawing medium 2. For example, the head unit 40 uses a motor and a ball screw structure to move the entire head unit up and down, and appropriately maintains the distance between the drawing medium 2 on the printing unit 30 and the ink ejection surface of the drawing head 41. The drawing head 41 is provided with a line-shaped discharge portion that performs drawing while holding the drawing medium 2 in a predetermined position as it is transported from the medium inlet to the medium outlet, thereby enabling high-speed drawing.

[0035] At the bottom of the housing 10, there are provided a power supply storage section 50 that stores a power supply for operating the drawing head 41, a power supply for driving the motor that moves the head position, a power supply for operating the control board, etc., and a vacuum blower 60 that is used to adsorb the drawing medium 2 to prevent it from floating up in the printing section 30. At the back side of the housing 10, there are provided a plurality of tanks 70 for temporarily storing ink to be supplied to the drawing head 41, a pump 80 for supplying the drawing ink to the tanks 70, and a pump 80 for flushing cleaning liquid and waste liquid. A printed circuit board 90 for controlling the drawing head 41 and a printed circuit board 90 for driving a pump, a motor, etc. are installed on the side of the housing unit 10, enabling control of the position of the drawing head 41 and proper drawing of drawing data received from an external interface.

[0036] Next, a more detailed structure of the printing unit 30 having a function of preventing the drawing medium 2 from floating up will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 26. In Figures 6 to 26, parts having the same configuration as in Figures 1 to 5 are given the same reference numerals. Figures 6 to 11 show explanatory plan views of the printing unit 30, and Figures 12 to 15 show explanatory cross-sectional views of the printing unit 30, respectively.

[0037] A platen 31 is installed over the entire upper surface of the printing unit 30, and a large number of circular intake holes 32 are perforated in the platen 31. As shown in Figs. 6 to 9, the intake holes 32 are composed of intake holes 32a provided in a portion other than the installation width of the drawing head 41, and intake holes 32b provided in the installation width (width in the medium transport direction) of the drawing head 41. The number of intake holes 32b per unit area is smaller than that of intake holes 32a, and the holes are also formed with a smaller diameter. This is to reduce disturbance of ink discharge caused by the influence of intake air on the lower surface of the drawing medium 2 corresponding to the drawing head 41, thereby maintaining drawing quality.

[0038] Specifically, in an area corresponding to the transport direction width of the drawing head 41, six rows of air intake holes 32a are provided, whereas two rows of air intake holes 32b are provided. Also, the diameter of air intake hole 32b is approximately 1 / 4 of the diameter of air intake hole 32a. Note that the installation intervals of air intake holes 32a and 32b in the drawing medium width direction are the same.

[0039] A pair of film-like paper holders 34 for blocking the intake holes 32 on the outside of the drawing medium 2 transported on the platen 31 are attached to the printing unit 30 via the support unit 100. The paper holder 34 is composed of a rectangular film portion 341 and a metal portion 342 that borders the portion of the film portion 341 other than the side along which the drawing medium 2 is transported, and is fixed to the support unit 100 by knurled screws 343 at both ends of the metal portion 342 in the transport direction. Fixing the paper holder 34 to the support unit 100 by the knurled screws 343 makes it easy to attach and detach.

[0040] Furthermore, a number of stepped pieces 344 are attached to the film portion 341 of the paper holder 34 at intervals in the transport direction of the inner end of the paper holder 34. The stepped pieces 344 have the role of promoting adhesion by pressing down the end of the drawing medium so that the end of the drawing medium does not curl and lift off the platen 31. Furthermore, each stepped piece 344 is positioned so as not to overlap with the drawing head 41. This is for the following reason.

[0041] That is, the paper presser 34 has the dual role of blocking the intake holes 32 of the platen 31 and promoting adhesion by pressing down the edge of the drawing medium 2 (Fig. 24). The drawing medium 2 pressed down by the paper presser 34 is a medium called tack paper, which is composed of three layers: a surface base material, an adhesive material, and a release paper. If the edge of the drawing medium 2 rubs against the paper presser 34 while the drawing medium 2 is being transported, the adhesive material adheres to and accumulates on the paper presser 34, adversely affecting printing and transportation. For this reason, the paper presser 34 has a step portion 344 at a step higher than the drawing medium 2 so that it does not come into contact with the edge of the drawing medium 2 after the drawing medium 2 has been attracted to the platen 31 (Fig. 25). The drawing head 41 is positioned above the paper holder 34 during printing, but if the paper holder 34 comes into contact with the drawing head 41, there is a possibility that dirt will adhere to the drawing head 41. If dirt adheres to the drawing head 41, it will adversely affect printing, so a structure is required in which the paper holder 34 and the drawing head 41 do not come into contact with each other.

[0042] However, since the gap between the drawing medium 2 and the drawing head 41 needs to be 1 mm or less, if the stepped piece portion 344 of the paper holder 34 is disposed below the drawing head, there is a risk of contact between the drawing head 41 and the stepped piece portion 344. Therefore, the stepped piece portion 344 of the paper holder 34 is configured not to be disposed below the drawing head (FIGS. 6 to 11).

[0043] In addition, since the air intake holes 32 in the areas where the stepped pieces 344 are not arranged are not blocked, the airflow becomes turbulent, causing distortion of the drawn image near the edges of the drawing medium (FIG. 28). Furthermore, since the stepped portion 344 is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the drawing head 41, the length in the transport direction also differs depending on the installation position.

[0044] A pair of hole closing members 35 are attached below the platen 31 and are movable in the width direction of the drawing medium 2 to close some of the air intake holes 32 from below the platen 31. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, each hole closing member 35 is formed elongated in the transport direction of the drawing medium 2, and is configured so that the length corresponding to the width direction of the drawing medium 2 is made larger than the diameter of the air intake holes 32, thereby simultaneously closing a plurality of air intake holes 32 lined up in a line in the transport direction.

[0045] In addition, groove portions 351 are provided in hole closing member 35 at positions corresponding to lower portions of the installation portions of step portions 344. The positions of step portions 344 in hole closing member 35 differ between the upper position (step portions 344 are installed in two locations) and the lower position (step portions 344 are installed in three locations) in Fig. 10, and therefore the shapes of hole closing member 35 differ as shown in Figs. 16(A) and (B). The groove 351 is provided in the hole blocking member 35 located below where the step portion 344 is installed in order to assist the image medium 2 in adhering to the platen 31 by not blocking the air intake hole 32 present in this area.

[0046] The support part 100 is located on both sides of the platen 31 as shown in Figures 6 to 15, and is configured to include a flat plate 101 that is long along the side of the printing part 30, and a first connecting piece 104 with an L-shaped cross section to which the flat plate 101 is attached as shown in Figures 17 to 23. The ends of each first movable shaft 120 are fixed to the flat plate 101 by bolts 102 to form first connecting parts (width-direction movable shaft connecting parts) 125 with which the first movable shafts 120 move in conjunction with the movement of the support part 100 in the width direction. A pair of fixed pieces 105 (Figures 18 and 20) are attached to the first connecting piece 104 with a gap between them, and a stepped bolt 103 is passed through a hole 105a in this fixed piece 105 and fixed to both end faces of the flat body 101, so that the stepped portion 103a of the stepped bolt 103 becomes an axis along the transport direction of the drawing medium 2, and the first connecting piece 104 is connected to the flat body 101 and the first movable shaft 120 in a tiltable manner along its extension.

[0047] An L-shaped second connecting piece 106 is fixed to the approximate center below of the first connecting piece 104. A spherical body 108 (FIG. 23) constituting an opening / closing mechanism described below is fixed to the end of the movable shaft 130. The spherical body 108 is configured in a shape with both side surfaces perpendicular to the axis (diameter) of the sphere flattened, and is fixed to the end of the movable shaft 130 by a bolt 111 inserted into a through hole 108a that penetrates in the axial direction. A hole 106a is formed in the second connecting piece 106, and a spherical body 108 is arranged so as to fit into a spherical portion 107a formed in the center of a doughnut-shaped spherical bearing 107 on the side opposite to the movable shaft 130. A part of the spherical body 108 is located within the hole 106a, and the spherical bearing 107 is pressed down by a spherical bearing cover 109 fixed with a bolt 110, thereby placing the spherical body 108 in position.

[0048] Further, the metal part 342 of the film-like paper holder 34 is attached along the longitudinal direction of the first connecting piece 104. A handle 113 is fixed to the second connecting piece 106 of one of the first connecting pieces 104 via a handle connecting part 112.

[0049] With the above configuration, as shown in Figs. 21 to 23, the spherical body 108 and the spherical portion 107a of the spherical bearing 107 slide and move, so that the first connecting piece 104 and the second connecting piece 106 are connected to the second movable shaft 130 in a tiltable manner, and the second movable shaft 130 forms a second connecting portion (a shaft connecting portion capable of being flipped up) 140 along which the second movable shaft 130 moves linearly. That is, the first connecting piece 104 and the second connecting piece 106 rotate about the step portion 103a as an axis due to the flipping up operation of the support part 100 caused by pushing the handle 113 downward, and the spherical bearing 107, which is tilted accordingly, pushes the spherical body 108 inward (to the left in Figs. 21 to 23), thereby moving the movable shaft 130 (converting the rotation into a linear movement). At this time, the second connecting piece 106 and the spherical bearing cover 109 move slightly vertically relative to the spherical bearing 107 as shown in Fig. 23. Furthermore, by providing a handle 113 on the operation side of the support portion 100, it becomes possible to open / close and adjust the position of the paper holder 34, which will be described later, at the outer fulcrum.

[0050] The support parts 100 located on both sides of the platen 31 are connected to each other by a connecting mechanism. The connecting mechanism includes a link mechanism that causes the paper holder 34 and the hole closing member 35 connected to the support parts 100 to move in the width direction, and an opening / closing mechanism that causes the paper holder 34 to flip up by rotating around the step part (103a) as an axis.

[0051] As shown in Figures 17 to 20, the link mechanism including the first connecting portion 125 has two first movable shafts 120 that connect each support portion 100 and the hole sealing member 35, and a rack 121 connected to the center position of the hole sealing member 35 in the conveying direction, each rack 121 is connected to each support portion 100 at a position offset in the conveying direction, vertical grooves 122 are formed along the width direction on the opposing surfaces of the racks, and a pinion 123 that meshes with the vertical grooves of the racks is arranged at the center position in the width direction (Figures 10 and 11). In other words, when the handle 113 is moved in the width direction of the drawing medium 2 and the first movable shaft 120 of one of the support parts 100 moves linearly in the width direction, the movement of the first movable shaft 120 moves the rack 121 and first movable shaft 120 of the other support part 100 via the rack 121 and pinion 123, and the position of the other support part 100 moves linearly in the width direction in conjunction with the movement of the first movable shaft 120. With regard to the position (linear movement) of the support part 100, examples adapted to a narrow drawing medium are shown in FIGS. 6, 8, 10, and 12, while examples adapted to a wide drawing medium are shown in FIGS.

[0052] The opening and closing mechanism including the second connecting portion 140 comprises a second movable shaft 130 connected between each support portion 100 and the joint portion 129, and a rack 131 connected to the joint portion 129, each rack 131 is connected to each support portion 100 at a position offset in the conveying direction, vertical grooves 132 are formed along the width direction on the opposing surfaces of the racks, and a pinion that engages between the vertical grooves of the racks is arranged at the center position in the width direction. The other end of the second movable shaft 130 is fixed to the second connecting part 140 which allows the support part 100 to tilt and move. Also, the other end of each first movable shaft 120 is fixed to the first connecting part 125 formed on the flat plate body 101 as described above, and the first connecting piece 104 is connected to this flat plate body 101 in a tiltable manner. With this structure, the rotational motion caused by the flip-up action is converted into linear motion of the second movable shaft 130 via the second connecting part 140.

[0053] That is, when the handle 113 is pressed down, one of the support parts 100 is tilted and rotates around the step part (axis) 103a of the stepped bolt 103 to perform a flip-up operation, the rotation is converted into a linear movement in the width direction of the second movable shaft 130 via the second connecting part 140, and the movement of the second movable shaft 130 moves the other second movable shaft 130 via the rack and pinion, and the position of the other support part 100 rotates according to the same principle to perform a flip-up operation (opening / closing). )do . FIG. 14 shows an example of the support portion 100 performing a flip-up operation on a narrow drawing medium, and FIG. 15 shows an example of the support portion 100 performing a flip-up operation on a wide drawing medium.

[0054] In an inkjet printer having the above-described structure, the position of the paper holder 34 in the paper width direction is moved according to the paper width when used, but the hole blocking member 35, which moves in conjunction with the width direction movement of the paper holder 34 via the support part 100, blocks the drawing medium 2 and the air intake holes 321 on the platen 31 that cannot be blocked by the paper holder 34 from the back side of the platen 31, as shown in Figure 26. With this structure, the hole sealing member 35 can reliably seal the intake holes 32 located at the widthwise end of the drawing medium on the platen 31, suppressing airflow disturbances that prevent the fine ink particles from the drawing head 41 sprayed near the end of the drawing medium from traveling in a straight line toward the medium, thereby preventing image distortion due to misalignment of the ink landing position. Regardless of the width of the drawing medium 2, proper drawing at the medium end can be ensured, resulting in high-quality drawing.

[0055] In other words, the link mechanism (first connecting part 125) connected to the support part 100 moves the hole sealing member 35 in conjunction with the adjustment of the paper holders 34 provided on both outer sides of the drawing medium 2 in accordance with the media width, so that when adjusting the position of the paper holders 34 that seal the air intake holes 32 on the outer side of the drawing medium 2 on the platen 31 to the width of the drawing medium 2, the hole sealing member 35 can also be simultaneously adjusted to the appropriate position. This eliminates the need to check the position of the hole closing member 35, which is located inside and difficult to align visually, and reduces the effort required to align the position of the paper holder 34 and the hole closing member 35 to the width of the drawing medium 2.

[0056] Furthermore, by providing the handle 113 on the support part 100, position adjustment using the link mechanism (first connecting part 125) and opening and closing operations using the opening and closing mechanism (second connecting part 140) can be performed at a single outer fulcrum, so that the opening and closing operations of the paper holder 34 and the movement of the drawing medium 2 in the width direction, which are performed when adjusting the position of the paper holder 34 that covers the outer air intake hole 32 of the drawing medium 2 on the platen 31 to the width of the drawing medium 2, can be performed without changing grips of the handle 113, thereby improving work efficiency when replacing the drawing medium 2.

[0057] Furthermore, the paper holder 34 is supported on the support part 100 by a knurled screw 343 and can be easily attached and detached. Therefore, even if the paper holder 34 becomes dirty with fine ink particles from the drawing head 41, the user can quickly remove the paper holder 34 from the printing device 1. This allows the paper holder 34 to be cleaned without any resistance and in a location that is easy to work in.

[0058] In the inkjet printer described above, the structures of the drawing head and the drawing head drive device, the structures of the paper holders in the printing section, the types of ink, etc. are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, a ball screw structure may be used instead of a steel belt for the power transmission mechanism that moves the head part on which the drawing head is mounted in the front-rear direction of the printing unit. Also, the ink used for drawing is not limited to water-based ink, and UV-curable ink can be used if the ink contacting parts including the drawing head are suitable. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1...Printing device 2…Drawing medium 10…Housing 20...Print base part 30…Printing section 31…Platen 32…Air intake hole 34…Paper holder 35…Hole plugging material 40…Head section 41...Drawing head 100...Support part 103...Step bolt 103a...Stepped part (shaft) 104...First connection piece 106…Second connection piece 107...Spherical bearing 107a...Spherical part 108...Sphere 108a...Through hole 109...Spherical bearing cover 111...Bolt 112…Handle connection part 113…Handle 120...1st movable axis 125...First connecting part (link mechanism) 130…Second movable axis 140…Second connection part (opening / closing mechanism) 343…Knurled screw 344...Step part 351…Groove

Claims

1. In an inkjet printer that uses a drawing head to draw on drawing media of different widths, a pair of film-like paper pressers that cover the intake holes located on both outer sides of the drawing medium from above the platen, the intake holes being provided in a platen along which the drawing medium is transported; a pair of hole closing members that are movable in a width direction of the drawing medium and that are elongated in a transport direction of the drawing medium and that close a part of the air intake hole from below the platen; a support portion that supports the paper presser so as to allow a position adjustment movement in the width direction; a link mechanism that adjusts the position of the hole closing member by moving the hole closing member in the width direction in conjunction with the movement of the support part in the width direction, an inkjet printer comprising: a paper holder and an edge of a drawing medium, the paper holder having a predetermined gap therebetween; and a pair of hole blocking members blocking air intake holes located in the gap from below the platen.

2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion has an opening / closing mechanism that is rotatable about an axis aligned along the transport direction.

3. 3. The inkjet printer according to claim 2, wherein the opening and closing mechanism comprises: a spherical bearing fixed to the support portion and having a spherical portion; and a spherical body fitted into the spherical portion.

4. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said paper presser has step portions spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction at an inner end thereof.

5. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein a groove is provided in the hole closing member below the mounting portion of the step portion.

6. 3. The inkjet printer according to claim 2, wherein a handle is provided on the support portion for moving the opening / closing mechanism and for adjusting the position.

7. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the paper retainer is supported on the support portion by a knurled screw.

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