Inkjet printer

Abstract

To prevent reflection light from a wall surface of an internal space from being irradiated on a recording head.SOLUTION: An ink jet printer according to the present invention comprises: a base member which has a base surface 21a extending in the Y direction; a guide rail 46 which extends in the Y direction; a support base 30 which is provided on the base surface 21a and supports a recording medium; a carriage 40 which is engaged with the guide rail 46 so as to be movable in the Y direction; a carriage movement device which moves the carriage 40 in the Y direction along the guide rail 46; a recording head 50 and a light irradiation device 60 which are provided in the carriage 40; and a reflection prevention mechanism 70 which prevents reflection light of light emitted from the light irradiation device 60 from being irradiated on the recording head 50. The reflection prevention mechanism 70 includes a light shielding plate 90 which is provided in the vertical direction with respect to the base surface 21a on the upper side of the base surface 21a and extends in the vertical direction and the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to inkjet printers. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, inkjet printers have been known that include a recording head that ejects photocurable ink onto a recording medium and a light irradiation device that irradiates light onto the ink. Some of these inkjet printers include an anti-reflection member that suppresses the light from the light irradiation device from being reflected and irradiated onto the recording head. When the reflected light from the light irradiation device is irradiated onto the recording head, the ink attached to the nozzle surface of the recording head or the ink in the nozzles may thicken or harden, causing problems such as ink not being ejected normally from some nozzles. The anti-reflection member is intended to prevent such problems. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer that has an upper surface that is approximately parallel to the platen and includes an anti-reflection member disposed to the side of the platen. According to the inkjet printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the recording head is disposed above the anti-reflection member, the reflected light is unlikely to enter between the recording head and the anti-reflection member, so that irradiation of the reflected light onto the recording head is suppressed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4770837 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Inkjet printers that use photocurable inks have an internal space that houses a recording head and a light emitting device. The light from the light emitting device is also reflected by the walls of this internal space. If the light reflected by the walls of the internal space is irradiated onto the recording head, it may cause problems with the recording head. Therefore, it is preferable to have less reflected light.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its object is to provide an inkjet printer that can prevent reflected light from the wall surfaces of the internal space that houses the recording head and the light irradiation device from being irradiated onto the recording head. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The inkjet printer disclosed herein includes a base member having a base surface extending in a first direction, a guide rail extending in the first direction, a support stand provided on the base surface and supporting a recording medium, a carriage engaged with the guide rail so as to be movable in the first direction, a carriage moving device for moving the carriage in the first direction along the guide rail, a recording head provided on the carriage and including a nozzle for ejecting a photocurable ink, a light irradiating device provided on the carriage and including an irradiation port through which light for curing the ink is irradiated, and an anti-reflection mechanism for suppressing reflected light of light irradiated by the light irradiating device from being irradiated onto the recording head. The anti-reflection mechanism includes a light shielding plate provided above the base surface perpendicular to the base surface and extending in the up-down direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the printer with the front cover open. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flatbed and the periphery of the carriage. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a front view of the flatbed and the periphery of the carriage. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a right side view of the flatbed and the periphery of the carriage. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printer. [Figure 8] 1 is a front view showing the flatbed and the carriage at the point in time when the front end of the irradiation port in the traveling direction emerges from above the flatbed to the outside. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a front view showing the flatbed and the carriage at the point in time when the rear end of the irradiation port in the traveling direction emerges from above the flatbed to the outside. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described here is not intended to limit the present invention in any particular way. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for members and parts that perform the same function, and duplicated descriptions are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet printer (hereinafter, referred to as the printer) 10 according to an embodiment. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the side away from the printer 10 is the front, and the side approaching the printer 10 is the rear, when the printer 10 is viewed from the front. The left, right, top, and bottom refer to the left, right, top, and bottom, respectively, when the printer 10 is viewed from the front with a flatbed 30 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, set so as to be substantially horizontal. Also, the symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings refer to the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom, respectively. The symbol Y in the drawings indicates the main scanning direction. The main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The symbol X indicates the sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction X is the front-rear direction. The sub-scanning direction X is perpendicular to the main scanning direction Y. The symbol Z indicates the up-down direction. The up-down direction Z is perpendicular to the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X.

[0010] In the following, the left side of the main scanning direction Y is also referred to as the first main scanning direction Y1, and the right side is also referred to as the second main scanning direction Y2. Although details will be described later, the first main scanning direction Y1 is the forward side in the moving direction when the carriage 40 moves from the flatbed 30 to the waiting position P1 (see FIG. 2). The second main scanning direction Y2 is the rear side in the moving direction when the carriage 40 moves to the waiting position P1. In the following, the rear side of the sub-scanning direction X is also referred to as the first sub-scanning direction X1, and the front side is also referred to as the second sub-scanning direction X2. However, the above directions are merely defined for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 10, nor do they limit the present invention in any way.

[0011] In this embodiment, the printer 10 is an inkjet printer. In this embodiment, the term "inkjet printer" refers to inkjet printers using various conventionally known methods, including various continuous methods such as a binary deflection method or a continuous deflection method, and various on-demand methods such as a thermal method or a piezoelectric element method.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 is formed in a box shape. In this embodiment, the printer 10 includes a case 20 and a front cover 25. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the printer 10 with the front cover 25 open. As shown in FIG. 2, an opening is formed in the front of the case 20. The front cover 25 is provided so as to be able to open and close the opening of the case 20. Here, the front cover 25 is supported by the case 20 so as to be able to rotate around its rear end. The front cover 25 is provided with a window portion 26. The window portion 26 is formed of, for example, a transparent acrylic plate. A user can view the internal space 20a of the case 20 through the window portion 26.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the internal space 20a of the case 20 is partitioned by a base plate 21, a rear panel 22, a left panel 23, and a right panel 24. The base plate 21 constitutes the bottom surface of the internal space 20a. The base plate 21 is configured in a flat plate shape. The base plate 21 extends in the horizontal direction. The upper surface of the base plate 21 constitutes a base surface 21a extending in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The rear panel 22 constitutes the rear surface of the internal space 20a. The rear panel 22 is configured in a flat plate shape. The rear panel 22 is provided so as to intersect with the base surface 21a. Here, the rear panel 22 is perpendicular to the base surface 21a. The rear panel 22 extends in the main scanning direction Y and the up-down direction Z. Although not shown, an opening penetrating the rear panel 22 in the front-rear direction is formed in the rear panel 22. The opening is formed on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30 described later. The left panel 23 and the right panel 24 respectively constitute the left wall and the right wall of the internal space 20a. The left panel 23 and the right panel 24 are each formed in a flat plate shape. The left panel 23 and the right panel 24 each extend in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z.

[0014] The base plate 21, rear panel 22, left panel 23, and right panel 24 are formed of, for example, a stainless steel plate, SECC (electro-galvanized steel plate), etc. In the case of a stainless steel plate, the base plate 21, rear panel 22, left panel 23, and right panel 24 are formed of a stainless steel plate that has not been particularly surface-treated, and the light reflectance thereof is, for example, 30% to 50%. In the case of SECC, the reflectance of the base plate 21, rear panel 22, left panel 23, and right panel 24 is, for example, 40% or about 40%.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the internal space 20a of the printer 10 is provided with a flat bed 30, a bed moving device 35, a carriage 40, a carriage moving device 45, a recording head 50, a light irradiation device 60, and an anti-reflection mechanism 70.

[0016] The flatbed 30 is a support table that supports the recording medium 5. The flatbed 30 is provided above the base surface 21a. The printer 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called flatbed type printer. The flatbed 30 is a flat plate-shaped member. The flatbed 30 extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The flatbed 30 faces the up-down direction Z. The base surface 21a of the base plate 21 and the flatbed 30 are configured to be approximately parallel. The recording medium 5 is placed on the upper surface of the flatbed 30. The shape of the recording medium 5 is not particularly limited, and may have various three-dimensional shapes in addition to a flat plate shape. The material of the recording medium 5 is also not particularly limited, and the recording medium 5 may be, for example, wood, metal, glass, paper, cloth, etc. The flatbed 30 is disposed approximately in the center of the main scanning direction Y in the internal space 20a of the case 20.

[0017] A bed moving device 35 is disposed below the flatbed 30. The bed moving device 35 is a member that moves the flatbed 30 in the sub-scanning direction X and the vertical direction Z. The flatbed 30 is supported from below by the bed moving device 35. The bed moving device 35 includes a sub-scanning direction moving mechanism 35X and a vertical direction moving mechanism 35Z. The vertical direction moving mechanism 35Z supports the flatbed 30 and moves it in the vertical direction Z. The vertical direction moving mechanism 35Z is supported from below by the sub-scanning direction moving mechanism 35X. The sub-scanning direction moving mechanism 35X supports the vertical direction moving mechanism 35Z and moves it in the sub-scanning direction X. However, the configuration of the bed moving device 35 is not limited. For example, the vertical positional relationship between the sub-scanning direction moving mechanism 35X and the vertical direction moving mechanism 35Z may be reversed.

[0018] The carriage 40 is equipped with a recording head 50 and a light irradiation device 60. The carriage 40 is provided so as to face the base surface 21a and the flat bed 30. The carriage 40 is disposed above the base surface 21a and the flat bed 30. The carriage 40 is moved in the main scanning direction Y by a carriage moving device 45. The carriage moving device 45 includes a guide rail 46, a belt 47, left and right pulleys (not shown), and a carriage motor 48 (see FIG. 7).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 46 is supported by the rear panel 22 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The guide rail 46 is fixed to the front surface of the rear panel 22. The carriage 40 engages with the guide rail 46 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage 40 is disposed forward of the rear panel 22 (on the second sub-scanning direction X2 side). An endless belt 47 is fixed to the carriage 40. The belt 47 is wound around pulleys (not shown) provided on the right and left sides of the guide rail 46. A carriage motor 48 is attached to one of the pulleys. When the carriage motor 48 is driven, the pulley rotates and the belt 47 runs. This causes the carriage 40 to move in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 46.

[0020] The recording head 50 is provided on the carriage 40. The recording head 50 is provided so as to face the base surface 21a and the flat bed 30. The recording head 50 includes a first ink head 51 to a fourth ink head 54. The first ink head 51 to the fourth ink head 54 are provided on the lower surface of the carriage 40. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the flat bed 30 and the carriage 40 and its surroundings. FIG. 4 is a front view of the flat bed 30 and the carriage 40 and its surroundings. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the flat bed 30 and the carriage 40 and its surroundings. As shown in FIG. 3, the first ink head 51 to the fourth ink head 54 all extend in the sub-scanning direction X. Note that the number of ink heads provided in the recording head 50 is four here, but the number of ink heads is not limited.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the first ink head 51 to the fourth ink head 54 has a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles are formed. For example, the first ink head 51 has a nozzle surface 51b on which a plurality of nozzles 51a are formed. The nozzle surface 51b faces the flat bed 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle surface 51b extends in the sub-scanning direction X. The plurality of nozzles 51a are aligned in the sub-scanning direction X to form a nozzle row. The nozzles 51a are minute holes from which ink is ejected. Each of the nozzles 51a communicates with a pressure chamber in which ink is stored. The ink is ejected from the nozzles 51a by expanding / contracting the pressure chamber by driving, for example, a piezoelectric element. Note that, although the number of nozzles 51a in one nozzle row is illustrated as five in FIG. 3, a larger number (for example, 300) is actually formed. The number of nozzles 51a formed in one nozzle row is not limited. The second ink head 52 to the fourth ink head 54 each have a similar configuration to the first ink head 51.

[0022] Ink heads 51-54 are each connected to an ink cartridge (not shown) via an ink tube (not shown). Different ink cartridges are connected to the nozzle rows of ink heads 51-54. Each of the ink cartridges contains ink of a different color. However, the ink cartridges may contain ink of the same color in part or in whole.

[0023] In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the recording head 50 is photocurable ink. The photocurable ink is an ultraviolet-curable ink that is cured when irradiated with ultraviolet light. The components, characteristics, etc. of the photocurable ink are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the color of the ejected ink is not limited.

[0024] The light irradiation device 60 is provided on the carriage 40. The light irradiation device 60 is provided so as to face the base surface 21a and the flatbed 30. In this embodiment, the light irradiation device 60 is disposed to the right (the second main scanning direction Y2 side) of the recording head 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the light irradiation device 60 includes a light source 61 that generates light for curing ink, and an irradiation port 62 that irradiates the light from the light source 61 toward the outside. The light source 61 is, for example, composed of a plurality of ultraviolet irradiation lamps. The irradiation port 62 is an opening provided with a cover that allows light to pass through. However, the irradiation port 62 may be a simple opening that is not covered by a cover or the like. The irradiation port 62 extends in the sub-scanning direction X. The length Lx2 of the irradiation port 62 in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length Lx1 of the recording head 50 in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0025] The anti-reflection mechanism 70 is a member for suppressing the reflected light of the light emitted from the light irradiation device 60 from being irradiated onto the recording head 50. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the anti-reflection mechanism 70. As shown in FIG. 6, the anti-reflection mechanism 70 includes an anti-reflection member 80 and a light shielding plate 90. The anti-reflection member 80 is supported by the rear panel 22. The light shielding plate 90 is supported by the anti-reflection member 80. The anti-reflection member 80 and the light shielding plate 90 are provided above the base surface 21a.

[0026] The antireflection member 80 is formed by bending a metal plate. The material of the antireflection member 80 is an aluminum alloy in this embodiment. However, the material of the antireflection member 80 is not particularly limited. The antireflection member 80 includes a first antireflection portion 81 and a second antireflection portion 82. As shown in FIG. 6, the first antireflection portion 81 extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the vertical direction Z. The second antireflection portion 82 extends forward from the lower end of the first antireflection portion 81. The second antireflection portion 82 extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X.

[0027] The antireflection member 80 is provided along the rear panel 22. The antireflection member 80 is fixed to the rear panel 22 by a bolt inserted into a mounting hole 81a provided in the first antireflection portion 81. The antireflection member 80 is disposed on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30 and is fixed to the rear panel 22. As shown in FIG. 6, the first antireflection portion 81 extends leftward to a position substantially the same as the left end of the guide rail 46. Therefore, the left end of the first antireflection portion 81 is located to the left of the carriage 40 when it is located at the leftmost position within the movable range. Hereinafter, this position of the carriage 40 is referred to as a standby position P1 (see also FIG. 2). The standby position P1 is set on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30. The carriage moving device 45 is configured to be able to move the carriage 40 to the standby position P1. The first anti-reflection portion 81 extends along the rear panel 22 to a position further toward the first main scanning direction Y1 than the standby position P1 of the carriage 40.

[0028] The standby position P1 is, for example, a position of the carriage 40 where maintenance work of the recording head 50 and the light irradiation device 60 is performed. Below the carriage 40 at the standby position P1, in other words, between the carriage 40 at the standby position P1 and the base surface 21a, a maintenance space Sm is provided as shown in FIG. 2. Only the base plate 21 and the second anti-reflection unit 82 are provided below the carriage 40 at the standby position P1, and the area below the carriage 40 at the standby position P1 is the maintenance space Sm. If necessary, the user performs maintenance work of the recording head 50 and the light irradiation device 60 with the carriage 40 placed at the standby position P1. The maintenance work is, for example, cleaning of the recording head 50 and the irradiation port 62 with a stick-shaped cleaner.

[0029] The first antireflection unit 81 is disposed on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30 and extends along the rear panel 22. The first antireflection unit 81 is attached to the front surface of the rear panel 22. The first antireflection unit 81 is attached to the rear panel 22 so as to close an opening (not shown) formed in the rear panel 22. The first antireflection unit 81 is provided substantially parallel to the rear panel 22. The first antireflection unit 81 is disposed forward of the rear panel 22 (on the second sub-scanning direction X2 side). As shown in FIG. 5, the first antireflection unit 81 is disposed rearward of the carriage 40 (on the first sub-scanning direction X1 side). The first antireflection unit 81 is provided so as to overlap a part of the rear panel 22 when viewed in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end of the first antireflection unit 81 is located below the guide rail 46. The upper end of the first anti-reflection portion 81 is located higher than the lower surface of the carriage 40 and the lower surface of the light irradiation device 60 .

[0030] The second anti-reflection portion 82 is connected to the lower end of the first anti-reflection portion 81 and extends therefrom forward (away from the rear panel 22) along the base surface 21a. The second anti-reflection portion 82 is provided substantially parallel to the base surface 21a. The second anti-reflection portion 82 extends along the base surface 21a of the base plate 21 toward the first main scanning direction Y1 side beyond the standby position P1. The left end of the second anti-reflection portion 82 is generally aligned with the left end of the first anti-reflection portion 81 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3, the second anti-reflection portion 82 extends forward (toward the second sub-scanning direction X2) beyond the front end of the recording head 50.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 6, an anti-reflection sheet S1 that suppresses light reflection is attached to the first anti-reflection portion 81 and the second anti-reflection portion 82. The type of the anti-reflection sheet S1 is not limited. The anti-reflection sheet S1 is formed of, for example, a nonwoven fabric, a resin foam, a resin sheet, an activated carbon sheet, or the like. The light reflectance of the anti-reflection sheet S1 is, for example, 5% or less. However, more preferably, the light reflectance of the anti-reflection sheet S1 is 2% or less.

[0032] The method of the surface treatment is not limited as long as the antireflection member 80 (at least the first antireflection portion 81 and the second antireflection portion 82) is subjected to a surface treatment that suppresses reflection of the light irradiated by the light irradiation device 60. The above-mentioned surface treatment may be, for example, painting or anodizing.

[0033] The light shielding plate 90 is a flat plate-shaped member. The light shielding plate 90 is also formed of, for example, a flat plate of an aluminum alloy. However, the material of the light shielding plate 90 is not particularly limited. The light shielding plate 90 is provided on the upper surface of the second anti-reflection portion 82 and extends upward therefrom. The light shielding plate 90 is provided above the base surface 21a and perpendicular to the base surface 21a. The light shielding plate 90 extends in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. 3, the length W3 of the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y is the thickness of the aluminum alloy that is the material. The length W3 of the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y is, for example, 1 mm to 2 mm. This length W3 is, for example, smaller than the length W1 of the recording head 50 in the main scanning direction Y and smaller than the length of each of the ink heads 51 to 54 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0034] The light shielding plate 90 is provided on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30. The light shielding plate 90 is provided to face the side surface 30L of the flatbed 30 on the first main scanning direction Y1 side. In this embodiment, the distance D2 between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than the distance D1 between the irradiation port 62 and the recording head 50 in the main scanning direction Y, and is longer than the width W2 of the irradiation port 62 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3, the distance D1 between the irradiation port 62 and the recording head 50 is the distance between the end 62L of the irradiation port 62 on the first main scanning direction Y1 side and the end of the ink head closest to the irradiation port 62 on the irradiation port 62 side (here, the end 54R of the fourth ink head 54 on the second main scanning direction Y2 side). The distance D2 between the flat bed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 is the distance between the side surface 30L of the flat bed 30 on the first main scanning direction Y1 side and the surface 91 (light shielding surface 91 described later) of the light shielding plate 90 on the second main scanning direction Y2 side.

[0035] The standby position P1 of the carriage 40 is set on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the light blocking plate 90. The light blocking plate 90 is provided between the flat bed 30 and the standby position P1 of the carriage 40 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0036] 3, the length Lx3 of the light shielding plate 90 in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length Lx1 of the recording head 50 in the sub-scanning direction X. In this embodiment, the length Lx3 of the light shielding plate 90 in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length Lx2 of the irradiation port 62 in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the light shielding plate 90 extends from behind the rear end of the carriage 40 to ahead of the front end of the carriage 40.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 is located below the lower surface of the recording head 50 and the lower surface of the light irradiation device 60. The recording head 50 and the light irradiation device 60 pass above the light shielding plate 90 when the carriage 40 moves from above the flat bed 30 to the standby position P1. The relationship between the position of the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 and the position of the upper surface of the flat bed 30 is not particularly limited. The position of the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 may be above or below the position of the upper surface of the flat bed 30. Here, the position of the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 is below the position of the upper surface of the flat bed 30.

[0038] A surface 91 of the light shielding plate 90 facing the flatbed 30 constitutes a light shielding surface 91 that receives light irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 or the reflected light when the carriage 40 moves from the flatbed 30 toward the standby position P1. The light shielding surface 91 faces the second main scanning direction Y2. At least the light shielding surface 91 of the light shielding plate 90 is subjected to a surface treatment for suppressing light reflection. In this embodiment, not only the light shielding surface 91 but also the back surface 92 of the light shielding surface 91 and the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 are subjected to a surface treatment for suppressing light reflection. Here, the surface treatment of the light shielding plate 90 is the attachment of an anti-reflection sheet S1, similar to the anti-reflection member 80.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 3, the first anti-reflection section 81 and a part of the second anti-reflection section 82 are located closer to the flat bed 30 than the light shielding plate 90. The part of the second anti-reflection section 82 between the light shielding plate 90 and the flat bed 30 suppresses light reflected by the part of the base surface 21a between the flat bed 30 and the light shielding plate 90. Hereinafter, the above part of the second anti-reflection section 82 is referred to as the bed-side anti-reflection section 82a. The bed-side anti-reflection section 82a extends above the part of the base surface 21a between the flat bed 30 and the light shielding plate 90. The bed-side anti-reflection section 82a is subjected to a surface treatment to suppress light reflection.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a control device 100. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the printer 10. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 100 is connected to the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 35X, the vertical direction movement mechanism 35Z, the carriage motor 48, the first ink head 51 to the fourth ink head 54, and the light source 61 of the light irradiation device 60, and controls their operations. The control device 100 may be, for example, a computer connected to the printer 10, and may include a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a ROM in which a program executed by the CPU is stored, and a RAM. Each part of the control device 100 may be configured by software or may be configured by hardware. In addition, each part may be a processor or a circuit. The configuration of the control device 100 is not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 100 includes a carriage movement control unit 101 and an irradiation control unit 102. The control device 100 may include other control units, but description and illustration thereof will be omitted here.

[0041] The carriage movement control unit 101 controls the operation of the carriage motor 48 to control the movement of the carriage 40 in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage movement control unit 101 controls the operation of moving the carriage 40 to the standby position P1. The carriage movement control unit 101 controls the carriage moving device 45 to move the carriage 40 to the standby position P1.

[0042] The irradiation control unit 102 controls the operation of the light irradiation device 60. In detail, the irradiation control unit 102 starts or stops the irradiation of light by the light irradiation device 60 by controlling the light source 61. When the carriage 40 is moved to the standby position P1 by the carriage movement control unit 101, the irradiation control unit 102 stops the irradiation of light at the latest before the irradiation port 62 is positioned on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30. However, if there is no particular need to irradiate light, the irradiation control unit 102 stops the irradiation of light earlier.

[0043] The operation of the printer 10 when the carriage 40 moves from the flatbed 30 to the standby position P1 and the effects brought about by this will be described below.

[0044] [Effects of the anti-reflection unit and light shield on the bed side] First, the effects of the bed-side anti-reflection unit 82a and the light shielding plate 90 will be described. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are front views showing the flatbed 30 and the carriage 40 while the carriage 40 is moving to the waiting position P1. FIG. 8 shows the flatbed 30 and the carriage 40 at the time when the end 62L of the irradiation port 62 of the light irradiation device 60 on the first main scanning direction Y1 side exits from above the flatbed 30 to the side of the flatbed 30. The end 62L of the irradiation port 62 on the first main scanning direction Y1 side is the end on the front side in the traveling direction of the carriage 40 when moving to the waiting position P1. FIG. 9 shows the flatbed 30 and the carriage 40 at the time when the end 62R of the irradiation port 62 on the second main scanning direction Y2 side exits from above the flatbed 30 to the side of the flatbed 30. The end 62R of the irradiation port 62 on the second main scanning direction Y2 side is the end on the rear side in the traveling direction of the carriage 40. Hereinafter, the ends 62L and 62R will also be simply referred to as the left end 62L and the right end 62R, respectively.

[0045] 8, at the time when the left end 62L of the irradiation port 62 emerges from above the flatbed 30 to the left of the flatbed 30, the left end 62L and the left side surface 30L of the flatbed 30 are aligned in the main scanning direction Y. Since the distance D1 between the irradiation port 62 and the recording head 50 in the main scanning direction Y is longer than the distance D2 between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y, at this time, the fourth ink head 54 of the recording head 50 is positioned closer to the first main scanning direction Y1 than the light shielding plate 90.

[0046] The light irradiation device 60 is turned off at the latest at the time shown in FIG. 8 (the time when the left end 62L of the irradiation port 62 goes from above the flatbed 30 to the left of the flatbed 30). If there is no particular need to irradiate light, the printer 10 stops irradiating light earlier, for example, at the same time as the ink is cured. Even at the latest, there is no need to irradiate light after the time shown in FIG. 8. However, there is a time lag between the timing when the control to turn off the light irradiation device 60 is performed and the timing when the light irradiation device 60 is actually turned off. Therefore, even at the time shown in FIG. 8, the light irradiation device 60 may still be irradiating light. At the time shown in FIG. 8, a part L1 of the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 is irradiated to the bed side anti-reflection portion 82a of the second anti-reflection portion 82. Most of the light L1 irradiated to the bed side anti-reflection portion 82a is absorbed by the anti-reflection sheet S1 (see FIG. 6) attached to the bed side anti-reflection portion 82a. At the time of FIG. 8, light L1 irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 to the bed-side anti-reflection portion 82a is only partially reflected by the bed-side anti-reflection portion 82a.

[0047] 8, most of the light L1 reflected by the bed-side anti-reflection portion 82a is irradiated onto the light-shielding surface 91 of the light-shielding plate 90. The light L1 irradiated onto the light-shielding surface 91 is blocked by the light-shielding surface 91 and does not reach the light-shielding plate 90 in the first main scanning direction Y1. Most of the light L1 irradiated onto the light-shielding surface 91 is absorbed by the anti-reflection sheet S1 attached to the light-shielding surface 91. There is a possibility that a portion of the light L1 reflected by the light-shielding surface 91 will be further reflected one or more times and reach the recording head 50, but the amount of this is very small.

[0048] Also, as shown in Fig. 8, a portion of the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 toward a location other than the bed-side reflection prevention portion 82a is directly irradiated onto the light shielding plate 90 as light L2 in Fig. 8. The light L2 directly irradiated onto the light shielding surface 91 is also blocked by the light shielding surface 91 and does not reach the light shielding plate 90 on the first main scanning direction Y1 side. Furthermore, most of the light L2 directly irradiated onto the light shielding plate 90 is absorbed by the light shielding surface 91 of the light shielding plate 90. There is a possibility that a portion of the light L2 reflected by the light shielding surface 91 will be further reflected one or more times and reach the recording head 50, but the amount of this is very small.

[0049] In this way, at the time when the left end 62L of the irradiation port 62 is about to go out from above the flatbed 30 to the left of the flatbed 30, the bed side reflection prevention part 82a and the light shielding plate 90 suppress the reflected light of the light L1 and L2 from the light irradiation device 60 from reaching the recording head 50. If the light L1 and L2 are reflected by the base surface 21a, they may become primary reflected light and be irradiated toward the nozzle surface of the recording head 50. Such primary reflected light is likely to harden the ink in the recording head 50 and cause defects. The bed side reflection prevention part 82a suppresses the reflection of the light L1 from the light irradiation device 60, thereby suppressing the reflected light of the light L1 from reaching the recording head 50. The light shielding plate 90 blocks the reflected light of the light L1 at the bed side reflection prevention part 82a and the light L2 which is direct light, thereby suppressing the light L1 and L2 from entering the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the light shielding plate 90.

[0050] When the carriage 40 moves further in the first main scanning direction Y1 from the time of FIG. 8, the right end 62R of the irradiation port 62 comes out to the left of the flatbed 30 from above the flatbed 30, as shown in FIG. 9. At this time, the right end 62R of the irradiation port 62 and the left side surface 30L of the flatbed 30 are aligned with each other in the main scanning direction Y. Since the length W2 of the irradiation port 62 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than the distance D2 between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y, the irradiation port 62 is located on the second main scanning direction Y2 side of the light shielding plate 90 at this time. Therefore, even at the time shown in FIG. 9, most of the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 to the bed side reflection prevention part 82a light shielding surface 91 does not reach the recording head 50 for the same reason as in FIG. 8. The same is true at the time between FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, and most of the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 does not reach the recording head 50. 9 (the point at which the irradiation port 62 is completely out on the first main scanning direction Y1 side beyond the flatbed 30). Therefore, the light irradiated toward the recording head 50 can be blocked more reliably.

[0051] 8, the light from the light irradiation device 60 is reflected by the flatbed 30 or the recording medium 5 placed thereon. Therefore, it is not assumed that the bed-side anti-reflection portion 82a and the light shielding plate 90 will prevent the light from being irradiated onto the recording head 50 during the time period before the time period shown in FIG.

[0052] The bed-side anti-reflection part 82a and the light shielding plate 90 are intended to prevent light from the light irradiation device 60 from being irradiated onto the recording head 50 outside the area of ​​the flat bed 30, and are particularly configured to suppress reflected light from the light irradiation device 60 from being irradiated onto the recording head 50 from the time shown in Fig. 8 to the time shown in Fig. 9. If the bed-side anti-reflection part 82a and the light shielding plate 90 are configured in this way, a sufficient effect of suppressing the amount of light irradiated onto the recording head 50 can be expected.

[0053] 9, the carriage 40 stops at a standby position P1 that is set on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the light shielding plate 90. Below the recording head 50 at the standby position P1 is a maintenance space Sm (see FIG. 2) for performing maintenance work on the recording head 50 and the light irradiation device 60.

[0054] As described above, according to the printer 10 of this embodiment, the light shielding plate 90 has a light shielding surface 91 extending in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z. The distance D2 between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than the distance D1 between the irradiation port 62 and the recording head 50 in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, if there is no light shielding surface 91, it is possible to suppress light reflected by the base surface 21a and irradiated toward the recording head 50. The light shielded by the light shielding plate 90 includes light (e.g., light L2) directly irradiated from the irradiation port 62 to the light shielding surface 91 and light (e.g., light L1) reflected by a portion of the base surface 21a between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 and irradiated to the light shielding surface 91. In addition, according to the printer 10 of this embodiment, since a maintenance space Sm is provided below the carriage 40 at the standby position P1, the maintenance work of the recording head 50 can be easily performed by moving the carriage 40 to the standby position P1.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance D2 between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90 in the main scanning direction Y is longer than the length W2 of the irradiation port 62 in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, the light shielding plate 90 has a light shielding function at least until the irradiation port 62 completely exits from the flatbed 30 to the first main scanning direction Y1 side. Therefore, the light irradiated toward the recording head 50 can be more reliably blocked.

[0056] 3, in this embodiment, the length Lx3 of the light shielding plate 90 in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length Lx1 of the recording head 50 in the sub-scanning direction X. Therefore, the light shielding plate 90 according to this embodiment can protect the entire recording head 50 from reflected light in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0057] In this embodiment, the light-shielding surface 91 is subjected to a surface treatment that suppresses light reflection. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of light reflected by the light-shielding surface 91. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of light that is subsequently reflected and irradiated onto the recording head 50.

[0058] The printer 10 according to this embodiment is provided with a bed-side anti-reflection portion 82a that extends above the portion of the base surface 21a between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90. The bed-side anti-reflection portion 82a is surface-treated to suppress light reflection. This configuration can reduce the amount of light reflected in the area between the flatbed 30 and the light shielding plate 90. This can also reduce the amount of light that is subsequently reflected and irradiated to the recording head 50.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the carriage 40 moves in the first main scanning direction Y1, the light irradiation is stopped at least before the irradiation port 62 is positioned on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the flatbed 30. According to the above control, the light irradiation device 60 is turned off at the latest in a time period after the time period in which the light blocking effect of the light blocking plate 90 is exerted (here, the time period from the time in FIG. 8 to the time in FIG. 9). Therefore, according to the above control, it is possible to reliably prevent the reflected light from the light irradiation device 60 from being irradiated onto the recording head 50.

[0060] In this embodiment, the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 is also subjected to a surface treatment to suppress light reflection. A part of the light irradiated to the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 is reflected by the upper surface 93 toward the recording head 50. Therefore, in this embodiment, the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 is subjected to a surface treatment to suppress light reflection, thereby reducing such reflected light.

[0061] [Effects of anti-reflective materials] Next, the effect of the anti-reflection member 80 will be described. The anti-reflection member 80 suppresses reflection of light by the wall surface of the internal space 20a. As shown in FIG. 5, the light emitted by the light irradiation device 60 includes light directed backward, such as light L3. The light L3 is reflected by the rear panel 22 and the base surface 21a, and follows a trajectory toward the recording head 50. The anti-reflection member 80 suppresses, for example, light such as light L3 from being irradiated onto the recording head 50.

[0062] Most of the primary reflected light of the light emitted by the light irradiation device 60 is blocked by the light shielding plate 90, but the remaining part, such as light L3, is directly or indirectly irradiated toward the rear panel 22. In particular, light that passes above the light shielding plate 90 is direct light, and its intensity is strong. If no measures against reflected light are taken for the parts of the rear panel 22 and the base surface 21a that are located on the first main scanning direction Y1 side of the light shielding plate 90, the light L3 may be reflected by the rear panel 22 and the base surface 21a and reach the recording head 50.

[0063] The antireflection member 80 has a first antireflection portion 81 and a second antireflection portion 82, and suppresses reflection of light by the rear panel 22 and the base surface 21a. The first antireflection portion 81 is disposed at a position closer to the first main scanning direction Y1 than the flatbed 30, and extends along the rear panel 22 to a position closer to the first main scanning direction Y1 than the waiting position P1 of the carriage 40. The first antireflection portion 81 is surface-treated to suppress reflection of light emitted by the light irradiation device 60. Thus, the first antireflection portion 81 suppresses reflection of light L3 by the rear panel 22. More specifically, most of the light L3 is absorbed by the antireflection sheet S1 (see FIG. 6) attached to the first antireflection portion 81.

[0064] Furthermore, because the first anti-reflection portion 81 extends along the rear panel 22, it does not interfere with the movement of the flatbed 30 and the carriage 40. By aligning the first anti-reflection portion 81 along the rear panel 22, it is possible to extend the first anti-reflection portion 81 to the rear of the standby position P1 without interfering with the movement of the flatbed 30 and the carriage 40.

[0065] A part of the light L3 that is not absorbed and is reflected by the first antireflection portion 81 is irradiated to the second antireflection portion 82. The second antireflection portion 82 is disposed at a position closer to the first main scanning direction Y1 than the flatbed 30, and extends along the base surface 21a to the first main scanning direction Y1 than the standby position P1. Here, the second antireflection portion 82 is also subjected to a surface treatment that suppresses reflection of the light irradiated by the light irradiation device 60. Therefore, the second antireflection portion 82 suppresses reflection of the light L3 by the base surface 21a. More specifically, most of the light L3 is absorbed by the antireflection sheet S1 (see FIG. 6) attached to the second antireflection portion 82. Therefore, the amount of light L3 that reaches the recording head 50 is suppressed to be very small.

[0066] Moreover, the second anti-reflection portion 82 extends forward substantially parallel to the base surface 21a along the base surface 21a of the base plate 21. By aligning the second anti-reflection portion 82 with the base surface 21a, the second anti-reflection portion 82 can be extended to the rear of the standby position P1 without interfering with the movement of the flat bed 30 and the carriage 40.

[0067] As described above, the first anti-reflection section 81 can reduce the amount of reflected light of the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 60 toward the rear panel 22. This can reduce the amount of reflected light that is ultimately irradiated toward the recording head 50. Furthermore, by providing the second anti-reflection section 82, the amount of reflected light that is reflected by the base surface 21a and irradiated to the recording head 50 can be reduced.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an anti-reflection sheet S1 that suppresses reflection of light irradiated by the light irradiation device 60 is attached to the first anti-reflection portion 81 and the second anti-reflection portion 82. With this configuration, surface treatment that suppresses light reflection can be easily performed. The light reflectance of the surface-treated portion is preferably 5% or less.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the anti-reflection member 80 is supported by the rear panel 22. With this configuration, the anti-reflection member 80 can be attached to the printer 10 without the need for additional members.

[0070] A preferred embodiment has been described above. However, the inkjet printer of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the anti-reflection member 80 separate from the rear panel 22 is provided. However, the prevention of reflection by the rear panel may be achieved by the rear panel itself. That is, the rear panel may have a reflection suppression area that is surface-treated to suppress the reflection of light irradiated by the light irradiation device. As the surface treatment of the reflection suppression area, various methods such as attaching a sheet or painting can be adopted. Also, in the above embodiment, the second anti-reflection portion 82 separate from the base plate 21 is provided, but the prevention of reflection by the base plate may be achieved by surface treatment of the base plate itself.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the first antireflection portion 81 is provided substantially parallel to the rear panel 22. However, the first antireflection portion does not have to be substantially parallel to the rear panel. Similarly, in the above embodiment, the second antireflection portion 82 is provided substantially parallel to the base surface 21a, but the second antireflection portion does not have to be substantially parallel to the base surface.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the light shielding plate 90 is provided perpendicular to the base surface 21a and parallel to the sub-scanning direction X. However, the light shielding plate only needs to be approximately perpendicular to the base surface and extend in a direction approximately parallel to the sub-scanning direction. For example, the light shielding plate may be inclined at an angle of 10 degrees or less from the perpendicular direction to the base surface, or may be inclined at an angle of 10 degrees or less with respect to the sub-scanning direction.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the upper surface 93 of the light shielding plate 90 is configured to extend in the horizontal direction, that is, parallel to the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. However, the upper surface of the light shielding plate may be configured to be, for example, an inclined surface that is not parallel to the main scanning direction. In that case, in terms of the orientation in the above embodiment, the inclined surface is preferably an inclined surface that is inclined from the upper left to the lower right. With such an inclined surface, light from the light emitting device when it is located above and to the right of the upper surface of the light shielding plate can be reflected toward the right. This makes it possible to prevent the light from the light emitting device from being reflected by the upper surface of the light shielding plate and being irradiated to the recording head. Note that the above-mentioned directions such as left, right, upper, and lower are merely examples for explanation.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the printer 10 is a flatbed type printer, but the configuration of the printer is not particularly limited. For example, the technology disclosed herein may be applied to a printer in which the recording medium is supplied from a roll. The support table that supports the recording medium may be a platen on which the recording medium supplied from the roll is placed.

[0075] Unless otherwise specified, the above-described embodiments do not limit the present invention.

[0076] [Other inventions] The first inkjet printer includes a base member having a base surface extending in a first direction, a panel extending in the first direction and disposed so as to intersect with the base surface, a guide rail supported by the panel and extending in the first direction, a support stand disposed on the base surface and supporting a recording medium, a carriage engaged with the guide rail so as to be movable in the first direction, a carriage moving device for moving the carriage in the first direction along the guide rail, a recording head provided on the carriage and including a nozzle for ejecting a photocurable ink, a light irradiation device provided on the carriage and including an irradiation port through which light for curing the ink is irradiated, and an anti-reflection member that has been surface-treated to suppress reflection of light irradiated by the light irradiation device. The anti-reflection member includes a first anti-reflection portion disposed on one side of the support stand in the first direction and extending along the panel.

[0077] The second inkjet printer is the same as the first inkjet printer, The anti-reflection member has a second anti-reflection portion connected to an end portion of the first anti-reflection portion facing the base surface and extending from the end portion along the base surface in a direction away from the panel.

[0078] The third inkjet printer is the first or second inkjet printer, The anti-reflection member is supported by the panel.

[0079] The fourth inkjet printer is any one of the first to third inkjet printers, A sheet that suppresses reflection of the light emitted by the light irradiation device is attached to the first anti-reflection portion.

[0080] A fifth inkjet printer is any one of the first to fourth inkjet printers, The first antireflection portion is surface-treated so that the reflectance of the light irradiated by the light irradiation device is 5% or less.

[0081] A sixth inkjet printer includes a base member having a base surface extending in a first direction, a panel extending in the first direction so as to intersect with the base surface, a guide rail supported by the panel and extending in the first direction, a support stand provided on the base surface and supporting a recording medium, a carriage engaged with the guide rail so as to be movable in the first direction, a carriage moving device for moving the carriage in the first direction along the guide rail, a recording head provided on the carriage and including a nozzle for ejecting a photocurable ink, and a light irradiation device provided on the carriage and including an irradiation port through which light for curing the ink is irradiated. The panel is disposed on one side of the support stand in the first direction and has a reflection suppressing region that has been surface-treated to suppress reflection of light irradiated by the light irradiation device.

[0082] In the first and sixth inkjet printers, the reflection of light irradiated from the light emitting device toward the panel is suppressed by the first anti-reflection portion provided along the panel or the reflection suppression area formed on the panel, thereby suppressing the light reflected by the wall surface of the internal space accommodating the recording head and the light emitting device from being irradiated onto the recording head. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 5 Recording media 10 Printer (inkjet printer) 21 Base plate (base member) 21a Base surface 22 Rear panel (panel) 30 Flatbed (support) 40 Carriage 45 Carriage moving device 46 Guide Rail 50 Recording head 60 Light irradiation device 62 Irradiation port 70 Anti-reflection mechanism 80 Anti-reflective material 81 1st anti-reflection section 82 2nd anti-reflection section 90 Shading plate 91 Shading surface 100 Control device 101 Carriage movement control section 102 Irradiation control unit S1 Anti-reflective sheet (sheet) X sub-scanning direction Y Main scanning direction (first direction)

Claims

1. a base member having a base surface extending in a first direction; A guide rail extending in the first direction; a support table provided on the base surface and supporting a recording medium; a carriage engaged with the guide rail so as to be movable in the first direction; a carriage moving device that moves the carriage along the guide rail in the first direction; a recording head provided on the carriage and including nozzles for ejecting photocurable ink; a light irradiation device provided on the carriage, the light irradiation device including an irradiation port through which light for curing the ink is irradiated; an anti-reflection mechanism that prevents reflected light of the light emitted by the light irradiation device from being irradiated onto the recording head; Equipped with the anti-reflection mechanism includes a light-shielding plate that is provided above the base surface and perpendicular to the base surface and extends in a vertical direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; An inkjet printer, wherein the distance between the support base and the light shielding plate in the first direction is shorter than the distance between the irradiation port and the recording head in the first direction, and longer than the width of the irradiation port in the first direction.

2. The anti-reflection mechanism includes an anti-reflection portion that extends above a portion of the base surface between the support base and the light blocking plate and is surface-treated to suppress light reflection.

2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1.

3. a length of the light blocking plate in the second direction is longer than a length of the recording head in the second direction; 3. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The surface of the light blocking plate on the side of the support base is subjected to a surface treatment to suppress light reflection.

4. The inkjet printer according to claim 1.

5. The upper surface of the light shielding plate is subjected to a surface treatment to suppress light reflection.

5. The inkjet printer according to claim 1.

Images