Stirring device

Abstract

To reduce dissatisfaction of a user at the time of ink agitation.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes: a print head 41 that stores ink; a head support base 81 that moves to agitate at least ink in the print head 41; and a hand placement base 82 in which at least a part of a hand or at least a part of a foot is placed and to which the movement of the head support base 81 is transmitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to Mixing Equipment Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, printing devices such as nail printing devices that print designs on fingernails, etc., are known. In this type of printing, in order to prevent the finish from being affected by the color of the nail itself, a base layer of white color or the like may be formed by hand painting, printing, or the like before the formation of a color layer (design layer). The main component of the undercoat ink that constitutes the undercoat layer is, for example, metal oxide particles, etc., which tend to precipitate in the solvent, and therefore the undercoat ink is generally stirred before use (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-049829 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, stirring the base ink can take a certain amount of time depending on the remaining amount of ink, the degree of settling of the particles, etc., which can be stressful for the user, regardless of whether the stirring is done manually by the user or mechanically by a device.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to reduce user dissatisfaction when stirring ink. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention teeth, A mixing device provided in a printing device having a discharge unit that discharges a liquid agent onto a printing target, A storage section for storing a liquid agent; A stirring unit that moves to stir at least the liquid agent in the storage unit; A positioning portion that is movably provided within the housing and on which at least a part of a hand or at least a part of a foot can be positioned; A rocking mechanism disposed in the housing and configured to transmit the motion of the stirring unit to the placement unit; Equipped with It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce user dissatisfaction when stirring ink. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a printing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of a printing device and a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rocking mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the rocking mechanism according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a modified example of the rocking mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another modified example of the rocking mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another modified example of the rocking mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a connecting operation between the head support base and the holder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of a stirring device and a printing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples. In the following embodiment, the printing device is described as a nail print device that prints on the printing target of fingernails, but the printing target of the printing device according to the present invention is not limited to fingernails, and may be, for example, toenails. In addition, the printing target may be anything other than nails, such as nail tips or the surfaces of various accessories.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main parts of a printing device 1 according to this embodiment. In the following embodiments, up / down, left / right, and front / rear refer to the directions shown in Fig. 1. The X direction refers to the left / right direction, and the Y direction refers to the front / rear direction.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 1 includes a device main body 10 housed in a housing (not shown). The device main body 10 includes a base 11, a finger rest 6 arranged on the base 11, a printing unit 40 that prints on the nail to be printed, and the like.

[0012] The base 11 serves as the base of the device body 10, and is formed by bending a metal plate or the like. A finger rest 6 is disposed on the front side of the base 11, approximately in the center in the left-right direction of the device (the X direction shown in FIG. 1). The finger rest 6 holds a finger having a nail (print finger) which is the printing target in this embodiment, within an area suitable for printing. The finger rest 6 has an opening 61 on the front side of the device. A finger fixing member 62 is provided inside the finger rest 6. The finger fixing member 62 supports the finger inserted from the opening 61 by pushing it up from below, and is made of, for example, a flexible resin. A window 63 is formed on the upper surface of the finger rest 6 to expose the nail portion of the finger inserted through the opening 61 and held by the finger fixing member 62. By inserting a finger into finger rest 6, the finger having the nail to be printed on is held in a position suitable for printing.

[0013] The printing unit 40 is a printing means for printing on fingernails, and is mounted on the base 11. The printing unit 40 includes a print head 41 that performs printing operations, a carriage 43 that supports the print head 41 so that it can move in the X direction, and an X-direction movement motor 46 and a Y-direction movement motor 48 (see FIG. 2) that move the print head 41 and the carriage 43.

[0014] In this embodiment, the print head 41 is equipped with a base head 41a and a design head 41b that print different colors on the print target surface (nail surface). Hereinafter, when simply described as "print head 41", it includes both the base head 41a and the design head 41b. Note that the arrangement of the base head 41a and the design head 41b is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0015] The base head 41a is a head for printing things other than the design, and prints base ink (hereinafter referred to as "base ink") in the area where the design is to be printed before printing the design. The base ink printed by the base head 41a is preferably white or a color close to white so that the ink will have good color when the design is printed, and in this embodiment, it is a pigment ink whose main component is titanium oxide. By forming the base in white or the like, it becomes easier to distinguish it from the color of the skin around the nail (skin color, etc.), and the nail area can be more accurately recognized from the nail image.

[0016] The design head 41b prints a design in the area where the base has been printed after the base printing by the base head 41a, and is capable of ejecting ink of various colors (hereinafter referred to as "color ink") such as cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), yellow (Y; YELLOW), etc. Note that the types of color ink that the design head 41b can eject are not limited to these, and it may be capable of ejecting ink of other colors.

[0017] The print head 41 of this embodiment is an inkjet head that has an ink ejection surface (not shown) on the surface (lower surface) facing the surface of the base 11, and prints by spraying minute droplets of ink (liquid agent) from the ink ejection surface onto the nail surface. In this embodiment, the print head 41 is capable of performing, for example, multi-pass printing or shingling printing, and is configured to be able to perform delicate printing on the surface of the nail, etc. The ejection method of the print head 41 is not limited to the inkjet method. The configuration of the print head 41 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is a cartridge-integrated head in which an ejection mechanism such as an ink ejection surface and an ink cartridge (storage unit) that stores ink are integrated together. In addition, the type and number of the print head 41 are not particularly limited.

[0018] The print head 41 is detachably held by a holder 42 . The holder 42 is supported at the front of the carriage 43 so as to be movable in the X direction. The carriage 43 is provided with an X-direction rail 431 extending in the left-right direction, and is equipped with an X-direction movement motor 46. The X-direction rail 431 is inserted into the rear part of the holder 42. The holder 42 is movable in the X direction on the carriage 43 along the X-direction rail 431 by the X-direction movement motor 46 being driven to rotate a drive belt (not shown).

[0019] The carriage 43 is formed in a rectangular box shape that is long in the left-right direction (X direction), and both left and right ends are supported by Y-direction rails 432, respectively. Each Y-direction rail 432 extends in the Y direction and supports the carriage 43 movably in the Y direction. A timing belt 47 is connected to each of the left and right ends of the carriage 43 via belt clips 433. The timing belt 47 is connected to a Y-direction movement motor 48 (see FIG. 2). The carriage 43 is movable in the Y direction while being supported by the Y direction rail 432 by the timing belt 47 rotating as a result of the Y direction movement motor 48 being driven.

[0020] The right rear part of the base 11 is a home position A1 where the print head 41 (holder 42) waits when not printing. A cap part (not shown) is provided at the home position A1 to cover the ink ejection surface on the underside of the print head 41 to protect it from drying out, etc. The rear part of the base 11, approximately in the center in the left-right direction, is an agitation area A2 that agitates the ink stored in the print head 41. As will be described later, a head support base 81 is disposed in the agitation area A2, and with the print head 41 (holder 42) connected to the head support base 81, the ink is agitated by rocking the print head 41. In this embodiment, the agitation area A2 overlaps with the home position A1 in the Y direction. The front part of the base 11, approximately in the center in the left-right direction, is an area corresponding to the window portion 63 of the finger rest 6, and is a printing area A3 where the print head 41 performs a printing operation during printing. The print head 41 can move within the XY plane in an area including at least the home position A1, the stirring area A2, and the printing area A3 by moving in the X direction on the carriage 43 and by moving the carriage 43 itself in the Y direction.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of the printing device 1 and a terminal device 9, which will be described later. As shown in this figure, in addition to the printing unit 40 described above, the printing device 1 includes a photographing device 50, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, a communication unit 14, a control device 30, and the like.

[0022] The photographing device 50 is provided above the finger rest 6, and photographs the nail (the finger including the nail) exposed through the window portion 63 to obtain an image of the nail. The photographing device 50 includes a photographing section 51 and a lighting section 52 . The photographing unit 51 is, for example, a small camera including a solid-state photographing element having 2 million or more pixels, a lens, etc. The lighting unit 52 is, for example, an illumination lamp such as a white LED. The photographing device 50 is not particularly limited in its specific location as long as it is provided at a position where it can photograph the nail of the finger placed on the finger rest 6. For example, the photographing device 50 may be configured to be movable in the XY directions by a movement mechanism that moves the print head 41.

[0023] The operation unit 12 is adapted to receive operations from a user to perform various inputs and settings, and an input signal corresponding to the operation on the operation unit 12 is transmitted to the control device 30 . The display unit 13 is configured with, for example, an LCD, an organic ELD, or another flat panel display, and displays various information in response to a display command from the control device 30. The communication unit 14 performs wired or wireless data communication through a network line, etc. The communication method of the communication unit 14 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a method using a network line such as the Internet, or a method performing wireless communication based on a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi.

[0024] The control device 30 is a computer having a control unit 31 constituted by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) not shown, and a memory unit 32 constituted by a ROM (Read Only Memory) 321, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 322, etc. (neither of which are shown).

[0025] The storage unit 32 stores various programs for operating the printing device 1, various data, and the like. Specifically, the ROM 321 of the memory unit 32 stores various programs, such as a printing program for performing printing processing and a stirring program for performing stirring operations, and these programs are executed by the control device 30 to provide overall control of each part of the printing device 1.

[0026] The control unit 31 includes various functional units such as a photographing control unit 311, a printing control unit 312, and a stirring control unit 313. The functions of these functional units are realized by cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 31 and a program stored in the ROM 321 of the storage unit 32.

[0027] The photographing control unit 311 controls the photographing unit 51 and the lighting unit 52 of the photographing device 50 to photograph an image of the printing finger held on the finger rest 6. The image data acquired by the photographing device 50 is stored in the storage unit 32. The print control unit 312 generates print data based on the image data. The print control unit 312 also outputs a control signal to the print unit 40 based on the print data, and controls the X-direction movement motor 46, the Y-direction movement motor 48, the print head 41, etc. of the print unit 40 so as to perform printing corresponding to the print data.

[0028] The stirring control unit 313 rocks the print head 41 and agitates the ink stored in the print head 41. In this embodiment, the stirring control unit 313 controls the driving of the X-direction movement motor 46 to rock the print head 41 in the left-right direction. The stirring time, stirring stroke (oscillation width), etc. may be set according to an input instruction from the operation unit 12, etc., or may be appropriately set by the stirring control unit 313 according to the ink usage status (e.g., the time elapsed since the previous printing, the ink standing time, etc.), the type of ink to be stirred, the remaining amount of ink, etc. Alternatively, a predetermined default value may be set. The timing at which stirring is performed may be set according to an input instruction from the operation unit 12 or the like, or the stirring control unit 313 may control the stirring to be performed at a predetermined timing, such as before the start of a printing operation. When a rocking motor (rocking source) other than the X-direction movement motor 46 is used for rocking (stirring operation) the print head 41, the stirring control unit 313 controls the driving of that rocking motor.

[0029] Furthermore, the printing device 1 of this embodiment is configured to be capable of communicating with a terminal device 9, and executes printing operations and the like based on operational commands from the terminal device 9.

[0030] The terminal device 9 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. However, the terminal device 9 is not particularly limited as long as it is an information processing device capable of communicating with the printing device 1, and may be, for example, a notebook or fixed type personal computer, a terminal device for games, or the like. Specifically, the terminal device 9 includes an operation unit 91, a display unit 92, a communication unit 94, a control device 95, and the like.

[0031] The operation unit 91 is capable of performing various inputs, settings, etc. in response to user operations, and when the operation unit 91 is operated, an input signal corresponding to the operation is transmitted to the control device 95. In this embodiment, a touch panel is integrally provided on the surface of the display unit 92, and the user is also able to perform various inputs, settings, etc. by touching the touch panel. The operation unit 91 for performing various input / setting operations is not limited to a touch panel. For example, various operation buttons, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. may be provided as the operation unit 91. In this embodiment, the user operates the operation unit 91 to output various instructions such as starting printing from the terminal device 9 to the printing device 1, and the terminal device 9 functions solely as a user interface for the printing device 1.

[0032] The display unit 92 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or another flat display. The display unit 92 is capable of displaying various display screens including images transmitted from the printing device 1, for example, under the control of a control unit 96, which will be described later. As described above, a touch panel for performing various inputs may be integrally configured on the surface of the display unit 92. In this case, the touch panel also functions as the operation unit 91, etc.

[0033] The communication unit 94 communicates with the communication unit 14 of the printing device 1. For example, when various types of image data and the like are transmitted from the printing device 1, the communication unit 94 receives the data. The communication unit 94 includes a wireless communication module and the like capable of communicating with the communication unit 14 of the printing device 1. The communication unit 94 may be any unit capable of communicating with the printer 1, and a communication standard that matches the communication standard of the communication unit 14 of the printer 1 is applied.

[0034] The control device 95 is a computer including a control unit 96 including a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) and a storage unit 97 including a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM) (not shown).

[0035] The control unit 96 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the terminal device 9. The control unit 96 cooperates with a program stored in the storage unit 97 to realize various functions for printing on a nail.

[0036] The storage unit 97 stores various programs for operating each unit of the terminal device 9, various data, and the like. Specifically, the memory unit 97 of this embodiment stores various programs, such as an operating program for controlling each part of the terminal device 9 as well as a nail print application program for performing nail printing using the printing device 1, and the control device 95 controls the terminal device 9 by, for example, expanding these programs into a working area of ​​the memory unit 97 and executing them.

[0037] Next, a description will be given of the rocking mechanism 80 that massages the user's hands by utilizing the vibration (motion) generated when stirring the ink. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rocking mechanism 80, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the rocking mechanism 80. As shown in FIG.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the printing device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a rocking mechanism 80 that massages the user's hands by utilizing vibrations caused by stirring the ink. The swing mechanism 80 includes a head support base 81, two hand rests 82, and two connecting bars 83. The swing mechanism 80 is disposed at a height so as not to interfere with (contact with) the print head 41 or the carriage 43 during printing operation.

[0039] The head support base 81 is an example of an agitation unit according to the present invention, is disposed in the agitation area A2, and is connected to the print head 41 (holder 42) when agitating the ink. The agitation device according to the present invention includes the head support base 81 (agitation unit), the print head 41 (storage unit), and a hand rest 82 (placement unit). The head support base 81 is fixed (connected) to a slide bar 811 extending in the left-right direction. The slide bar 811 is guided in the left-right direction by two fixed slide guides 812. This allows the head support base 81 to move (move) integrally in the left-right direction in accordance with the movement (motion) of the slide bar 811.

[0040] The head support base 81 is disposed so that its upper surface is located at a height slightly lower than the print head 41 (holder 42). A first locking portion 814 that locks the print head 41 is provided on the upper surface of the head support base 81. The first locking portion 814 is formed in a shape in which the upper end extends to the right, and has a downward projection 814a at its tip (right end). A recess 421 that engages with the first locking portion 814 opens on the lower left side of the holder 42. A recess (not shown) is formed at the back of the recess 421 into which the projection 814a of the first locking portion 814 fits. The head support base 81 is also provided with a solenoid (push-pull solenoid) 815 that is a second locking portion that is configured to be able to appear and disappear from the upper surface (normally in a recessed state). An opening 423 (see FIG. 8) that engages with the solenoid 815 is provided on the lower surface of the holder 42. 8(a)-(c), by moving the print head 41, for example, from the home position A1 to the left toward the stirring region A2, the first locking portion 814 is locked in the recess 421, and the print head 41 (holder 42) is connected to the head support base 81. Furthermore, at this time (when the print head 41 is located in the stirring region A2), the control unit 31 causes the solenoid 815 to protrude from the upper surface, whereby the solenoid 815 is locked in the opening 423 on the lower surface of the holder 42, and the print head 41 (holder 42) is fixed (locked) to the head support base 81. Note that the fact that the print head 41 is located in the stirring region A2 may be obtained by providing a sensor capable of detecting this information, or may be obtained by detecting the position of the print head 41 using an encoder or the like. In addition, when in this state, the solenoid 815 is immersed in the head support base 81 to release the engagement with the holder 42, and then the print head 41 is moved to the right from the stirring area A2 with a driving force of a predetermined level or more, whereby the first engagement portion 814 disengages from the recess 421, and the connection between the print head 41 (holder 42) and the head support base 81 is released. The connection structure between the head support base 81 and the print head 41 (holder 42) is not limited to the one described above. For example, the head support base 81 and the print head 41 may be connected only by a solenoid, instead of the hook-shaped first locking portion 814 as described above. In other words, the print head 41 (holder 42) is fixed (locked) to the head support base 81 by at least one locking portion. Also, the print head 41 may be connected to the head support base 81 by moving in the front-back direction instead of the left-right direction.

[0041] 1 and 3, two hand rests 82 are an example of a placement section according to the present invention, where the user places his or her hands, and are disposed on both the left and right sides of finger rest 6. The upper surface of each hand rest 82 has an area large enough to accommodate at least a part of a person's hand (or foot). Each hand rest 82 is fixed (connected) to a slide bar 821 extending in the left-right direction. The slide bar 821 is guided in the left-right direction by two fixed slide guides 822. This allows each hand rest 82 to move (move) integrally in the left-right direction in accordance with the movement (motion) of the slide bar 821.

[0042] The two connecting bars 83 are an example of a connecting portion according to the present invention, and connect the head support base 81 and the two hand rest bases 82 so as to be interlocked. The two connecting bars 83 are arranged side by side on the left and right sides across the head support base 81, each extending substantially along the front-rear direction. Each connecting bar 83 is disposed approximately in the center in the front-rear direction, and is supported rotatably about a fixing pin 831 fixed from one direction (here, from above). The rear end of each connecting bar 83 is connected to a slide bar 811 via a slide joint 832 . The front end of each connecting bar 83 is connected to a slide bar 821 via a slide joint 832. In detail, of the two connecting bars 83, the right one is connected to a slide bar 821 fixed to the right hand rest 82, and the left one is connected to a slide bar 821 fixed to the left hand rest 82. Note that the connecting bars 83 may simply be inserted through the slide joint 832.

[0043] In the swing mechanism 80 having the above configuration, the print head 41 is connected to the head support base 81 when the ink is stirred. Specifically, as the print head 41 moves from the right side into the stirring area A2, the first locking portion 814 is locked in the recess 421, and the print head 41 (holder 42) is connected (fixed) to the head support base 81. In this state, the stirring control unit 313 operates the X-direction movement motor 46 to swing the print head 41 (holder 42) connected to the head support base 81 in the X-direction, thereby stirring the ink in the print head 41.

[0044] At this time, in the swing mechanism 80, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the head support base 81 connected to the print head 41 also swings in the X direction. Then, in conjunction with the swing of the head support base 81, the two hand rests 82 also swing in the X direction. Specifically, in conjunction with the swing of the head support base 81, the two connecting bars 83 each rotate about the axis of the fixed pin 831, and this rotation moves each slide bar 821 in the X direction, causing the two hand rests 82 to swing (move) in the X direction in the opposite phase to the head support base 81 (in different directions from each other). That is, at this time, if the user places both hands on the two hand rests 82, the vibration caused by the stirring operation (rocking) of the head support base 81 is transmitted to the hands placed on the hand rests 82. This allows the user's hands to be massaged when stirring the ink.

[0045] As described above, according to this embodiment, in conjunction with the stirring operation (movement) of head support base 81 for stirring at least the ink inside print head 41, the movement is transmitted to the hand placed on hand rest 82. This allows the user's hands to be massaged when stirring the ink, thereby reducing the user's dissatisfaction even if it takes a certain amount of time to stir the ink.

[0046] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the head support base 81 and the hand rest base 82 are connected by a connecting bar 83 so that the hand rest base 82 moves in accordance with the mixing operation of the head support base 81 . As a result, with a simple structure in which head support stand 81 and hand rest stand 82 are merely connected by connecting bar 83, head support stand 81 and hand rest stand 82 can be appropriately linked together.

[0047] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the X-direction movement motor 46 that moves the print head 41 during printing also serves as a rocking motor (rocking source) that rocks the print head 41 during the stirring operation. This allows the number of parts to be reduced and the structure to be simplified compared to the case where a dedicated swing motor is provided.

[0048] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0049] For example, the specific configuration of the swing mechanism 80 is not limited to that in the above embodiment. Specifically, the ink inside the print head 41 is stirred using the X-direction movement motor 46 for moving the print head 41, but a dedicated swing motor may be provided on the head support base 81 to cause swinging. Further, the position of the stirring area A2 where the head support base 81 is arranged is not particularly limited, and may be any position other than the home position A1 and the printing area A3. Also, as long as the vibration is transmitted to massage the user's hand in association with the stirring operation, the hand rest 82 itself does not need to move. For example, the hand rest 82 may be configured so that a rocking section with protrusions rubs the back of the hand on the hand rest 82 from side to side (or presses up and down) in association with the stirring operation. Specifically, for example, a plurality of protrusions may be provided on the underside of the print head 41 (holder 42), and when performing the stirring operation of rocking the print head 41 from side to side, the print head 41 may be moved above the hand placed on the hand rest so that the protrusions rub the back of the hand (or fingers) from side to side. In this case, a rocking source with a smaller output is sufficient compared to rocking the hand rest 82 on which the hand is placed. Furthermore, the direction of swing of head support base 81 and hand rest base 82 may be other than left-right, and may be front-back or up-down. The swing directions of head support base 81 and hand rest base 82 may be different from each other.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the hand rest 82 is swung by the swinging mechanism 80 in association with the stirring operation of the ink. However, the printing device according to the present invention may be configured so that vibrations are transmitted to the hand placed in the placement unit in association with the stirring operation of the stirring unit that stirs the ink.

[0051] Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a rocking mechanism 80A may be provided in place of the rocking mechanism 80 of the above embodiment. The rocking mechanism 80A is formed in a rectangular box shape, and is provided on both the left and right sides of the finger rest 6 at a height that does not contact the print head 41 or the carriage 43 during printing. The inside of the rocking mechanism 80A is divided into upper and lower parts by a partition plate 85, with the upper side being a head housing section 851 that houses the print head 41, and the lower side being a hand rest section 852 on which a person's hands are placed. The partition plate 85 is supported so as to be movable up and down, and has a number of protrusions (not shown) for massage on its lower surface (the other main surface relative to the "one main surface" described below). The partition plate 85 is also connected to a rocking motor (rocking source) not shown, and rocks up and down as the rocking motor is driven. Then, the print head 41 is accommodated (fixed) in the head accommodation section 851 and placed (facing) the upper surface (one of the main surfaces) of the partition plate 85, and the hand is inserted into the hand placement section 852 to face the lower surface of the partition plate 85. In this state, the rocking motor is driven to rock the partition plate 85 up and down. As a result, the partition plate 85 moves up and down toward and away from at least a part of the hand (or foot) placed on the hand placement section 852 as the partition plate 85 stirs the ink in the print head 41. Therefore, the user's hand can be massaged by the protrusions on the lower surface of the partition plate 85 as the ink is stirred. In this case, a rocking source with a smaller output is sufficient compared to the case of rocking the hand placement table on which the hand is placed. The upper plate of the rocking mechanism 80A may be configured to be movable up and down like the partition plate 85, and the upper plate may be configured to push the print head 41 downward to rock it up and down. In this case, the partition plate 85 may be supported by a spring or the like, and the rocking motor (rocking source) may rock the upper plate up and down instead of the partition plate 85. The vertical arrangement of the head storage section 851 and the hand placement section 852 may be reversed. In this case, the protrusions for massaging the hands may be provided on the upper surface of the partition plate 85 instead of the lower surface. The position of the rocking mechanism 80A is not particularly limited, and may be disposed in the stirring area A2 in the above embodiment, for example. In the above rocking mechanism 80A, the partition plate 85 serves both as an agitation section for agitating the ink and as a contact / separation section for contacting and separating the hand placed in the placement section in accordance with the agitation operation, but the agitation section and the contact / separation section may be separate entities as long as they are linked to each other. Furthermore, the material and shape of the massaging protrusions are not particularly limited, and may be made of wood or resin (plastic, rubber, etc.) for example, as in the case of foot reflexology massage. The position and arrangement of the protrusions are also not particularly limited, and for example, the protrusions may be distributed over the entire lower surface of the partition plate 85, or the protrusions may be distributed in the shape of a hand. Furthermore, the protrusions may be a member (material) separate from the stirring portion, or may be provided by processing the stirring portion itself. Furthermore, the number of protrusions is also not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that at least one is provided.

[0052] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, a rocking mechanism 80B may be provided in place of the rocking mechanism 80 of the above embodiment. The rocking mechanism 80B includes the rocking mechanism 80, and has a link mechanism (crank mechanism) in which a crank disk 88 is connected to the tip of a slide bar 811 in the rocking mechanism 80 via a link rod 89. The crank disk 88 is disposed to the side of the slide bar 811, and is driven by a rocking motor (not shown) to rotate about a central axis along the front-rear direction. The link rod 89 connects the slide bar 811 and the crank disk 88 such that the slide bar 811 rocks in the X direction as the crank disk 88 rotates. In the oscillating mechanism 80B configured in this manner, when the print head 41 is connected to the head support base 81, the oscillating motor is driven to oscillate the slide bar 811, thereby stirring the ink in the print head 41 and massaging the user's hands on the hand rest 82.

[0053] Alternatively, the print head 41 (holder 42) may be configured to be movable in the Z direction so that the hand placed on the hand rest can be massaged. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a configuration may be provided with a rocking mechanism 80C instead of the rocking mechanism 80 of the above embodiment. The rocking mechanism 80C is formed in a rectangular box shape, and is provided on both the left and right sides of the finger rest 6 at a height that does not contact the print head 41 or carriage 43 during printing operation. The inside of the rocking mechanism 80C forms a hand rest 861 on which a person's hands are placed, and its upper plate (top plate) 862 has a number of massaging protrusions (not shown) on the underside. The upper plate 862 is supported so as to be movable up and down, and is normally biased upward. The print head 41 (holder 42) is an agitation unit configured to be drivable in the Z direction (up and down direction), and has a pressing unit 422 protruding from the lower surface. Then, with the hand inserted into the hand rest 861 and facing the lower surface of the upper plate 862, the print head 41 is moved above the rocking mechanism 80C to perform a vertical reciprocating motion (rocking). As a result, in association with the stirring motion that stirs the ink in the print head 41 up and down, the pressing portion 422 on the lower surface of the holder 42 moves the upper plate 862 of the rocking mechanism 80C up and down, so that the upper plate 862 moves up and down toward and away from the hand placed on the hand rest 861. Therefore, in association with the stirring motion of the ink, the user's hand can be massaged by the protrusions on the lower surface of the upper plate 862. In this case, a rocking source with a smaller output is sufficient compared to the case of rocking the hand rest on which the hand is placed. The position of the rocking mechanism 80C is not particularly limited, and may be disposed in the stirring area A2 in the above embodiment. The material and shape of the massage protrusions are not particularly limited, and may be made of wood or resin (plastic, rubber, etc.) for foot reflexology massage. The position and arrangement of the protrusions are not particularly limited, and may be distributed over the entire lower surface of the upper plate 862, or may be distributed in the shape of a hand. The number of protrusions is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that at least one is provided.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the print head 41 is an integrated cartridge type head, but the ink ejection section and the ink cartridge (storage section) that stores the ink may be separate heads. In this case, it goes without saying that the target of the stirring operation is the ink cartridge that stores the ink.

[0055] In the above embodiment, two hand rests (foot rests) 82 are provided for both hands (both feet), but only one hand rest (foot rest) 82 may be provided for one hand (one foot). In other words, it is sufficient that at least one hand rest (foot rest) 82 is provided.

[0056] In addition, in the above embodiment, the stirring unit is moved by a power unit such as a motor, but a configuration without a motor is also possible. For example, the stirring unit may be vibrated (moved) by vibrations caused by a piezoelectric element or the like, and the vibrations (movement) may be transmitted to the placement unit and at least a part of the hand (or foot) placed on the placement unit.

[0057] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are set forth below. The claim numbers in the appended claims are the same as those in the claims originally attached to this application. [Additional Notes] <Claim 1> A storage section for storing a liquid agent; A stirring unit that moves to stir at least the liquid agent in the storage unit; At least one positioning unit on which at least a part of a hand or at least a part of a foot is placed and to which the movement of the stirring unit is transmitted. A stirring device characterized by: <Claim 2> A mounting portion for mounting the storage portion; At least one locking portion provided on the stirring portion and configured to lock the mounting portion; A first connecting part that is connected to the stirring part and moves together with the stirring part; A second connecting portion connected to the arrangement portion and moving integrally with the arrangement portion; A third connecting portion is connected to the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion and moves the arrangement portion in accordance with the movement of the stirring portion. 2. The stirring device according to claim 1 . <Claim 3> The third connecting portion is fixed from one direction, and a fixing portion is further provided for rotating the third connecting portion so as to move the stirring portion and the placement portion in directions different from each other. 3. The stirring device according to claim 2 . <Claim 4> The storage section faces one main surface of the stirring section, and at least a part of the hand or at least a part of the foot arranged in the arrangement section faces the other main surface of the stirring section, and the stirring section comes into contact with and separates from at least a part of the hand or at least a part of the foot as the stirring section moves. 2. The stirring device according to claim 1 . <Claim 5> At least one protrusion is provided on the other main surface of the stirring portion. 5. The stirring device according to claim 4. <Claim 6> a pressing portion having a lower surface facing at least a part of the hand or at least a part of the foot placed on the placement portion and movable upward and downward; The storage unit is connected to the lower part of the stirring unit on which the storage unit is mounted, and further includes a pressing unit that presses the pressed unit by moving upward and downward. 2. The stirring device according to claim 1 . <Claim 7> At least one protrusion is provided on the lower surface of the pressed portion. 7. The stirring device according to claim 6. <Claim 8> Further comprising a power unit for moving the stirring unit. 8. The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring device is a stirrer. <Claim 9> A stirring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and a discharge unit that discharges the liquid onto a printing target. A printing device comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 Printing device (mixing device) 41 Print head (storage section) 42 Holder (mixing part, mounting part) 422 Pressing part 43 Carriage 46 X-direction movement motor (power unit) 80, 80A, 80B Swing mechanism 81 Head support stand (mixing section) 811 Slide bar (first connection part) 814 First locking part 815 Solenoid (second locking part) 82 Hand rest (placement section) 821 Slide bar (second connection part) 83 Connecting bar (third connecting part) 831 Fixing pin (fixing part) 85 Partition plate (mixing section, contact section) 88 Crank disc (power section) 89 Link Rod 851 Head storage unit 852 Hand rest (placement) 861 Hand rest (placement) 862 Upper plate (pressed part) A2 Stirring area

Claims

A stirring device provided in a printing apparatus having a discharge unit that discharges a liquid agent onto a printing target, comprising: a storage unit for storing the liquid agent; a stirring unit that moves at least to stir the liquid agent in the storage unit; a placement unit that is movably provided within the housing and where at least a part of a hand or at least a part of a foot can be placed; a swing mechanism that is disposed within the housing and transmits the movement of the stirring unit to the placement unit; and comprising a stirring device characterized by the above. **Claim 2** The swing mechanism further comprises at least one connecting bar that connects the stirring unit and the placement unit, and a fixing unit that fixes the connecting bar from one direction and rotates the connecting bar so that the stirring unit and the placement unit move in different directions from each other, wherein the connecting bar is rotatably supported about the fixing unit. The stirring device according to claim 1, characterized by the above. **Claim 3** The connecting bar comprises a first connecting portion fixed to the stirring unit and a second connecting portion fixed to the placement unit, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are connected by the connecting bar, and vibration is transmitted to the placement unit according to the movement of the stirring unit. The stirring device according to claim 2, characterized by the above. **Claim 4** The storage unit faces one main surface of the stirring unit, and at least a part of the hand or at least a part of the foot disposed on the placement unit faces the other main surface of the stirring unit, and the stirring unit comes into contact with and separates from at least a part of the hand or at least a part of the foot as it moves. The stirring device according to claim 1, characterized by the above. **Claim 5** At least one protrusion is provided on the other main surface of the stirring unit. The stirring device according to claim 4, characterized by the above. **Claim 6** a pressed portion whose lower surface faces at least a part of the hand or at least a part of the foot disposed on the placement unit and which is movable upward and downward, and a pressing portion that is connected below the stirring unit on which the storage unit is mounted and presses the pressed portion by moving upward and downward. The stirring device according to claim 1, characterized by the above. **Claim 7** further comprising a power unit for moving the stirring unit. The stirring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by the above.

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