Media support institution and printing device

Abstract

To provide a medium support mechanism and a printer improved in usability including operability.SOLUTION: A medium support mechanism 5 includes a medium support portion 50 and a medium holding portion 10. The medium support portion 50 includes: a support surface 51 that supports a medium M; a guide rail (a first guide rail 52) that intersects with a conveyance direction A in which the medium M is conveyed; and an engagement receiving portion (a second guide rail 55) that is located upstream of the first guide rail 52. The medium holding portion 10 has: a holding portion 11 covering an end of the medium M in a width direction; an abutting portion 16 movable between an abutting position and a separating position; a switching portion 15 that switches the position of the abutting portion 16 between the abutting position and the separating position; and an engaging portion 17 engageable with the second guide rail 55. Further, the medium holding portion 10 has, downstream of the abutting portion 16 in the conveying direction A, a pressing portion 18 that moves the position of the holding portion 11 in a direction away from the support surface 51 by pressing the support surface 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium support mechanism for supporting a medium to be conveyed and a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an example of a printing apparatus, an inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing on a medium by discharging ink onto the medium supported on a medium support surface is known. Further, among inkjet printing apparatuses, there are some that include a medium support mechanism for supporting the medium so that the medium does not lift off the medium support surface during printing or conveyance of the medium. The medium support mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which two grooves (rails) are provided on the platen so as to intersect in the conveyance direction, and a contact portion provided on a paper pressing plate is passed through the rails. Then, when the operation lever is gripped, a clearance is formed between the rail and the contact portion, and the paper pressing plate can move freely along the rail.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, when the discharge head is extended in the conveyance direction of the medium in order to improve the printing speed, it is necessary to lengthen the paper pressing plate accordingly. In addition, since the weight of the paper pressing plate increases as the paper pressing plate becomes longer, there has been a problem that usability including the operability of the paper pressing plate deteriorates.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The media support mechanism includes a media support portion and a media holding portion. The media support portion has a support surface for supporting the media, a guide rail extending along a width direction that intersects the conveyance direction in which the media is conveyed on the support surface, and an engagement receiving portion that is located upstream of the guide rail in the conveyance direction and intersects the support surface. The media holding portion has a holding portion that covers an end portion of the media in the width direction, a contact portion that is movable between a contact position where it presses and contacts a contact surface that is an inner wall of the guide rail and a separation position where it is separated from the contact surface, a switching portion that switches the position of the contact portion from one of the contact position and the separation position to the other, and an engagement portion that can engage with the engagement receiving portion. The media holding portion is characterized by having a pressing portion downstream of the contact portion in the conveyance direction, which moves the position of the holding portion in a direction away from the support surface by pressing the support surface.

[0006] The printing apparatus includes a printing portion that performs printing on the media and a media support mechanism that supports the media. The media support mechanism has a media support portion and a media holding portion. The media support portion has a support surface for supporting the media, a guide rail extending along a width direction that intersects the conveyance direction in which the media is conveyed, and an engagement receiving portion that is located upstream of the guide rail in the conveyance direction and intersects the support surface. The media holding portion has a holding portion that covers an end portion of the media in the width direction, a contact portion that is movable between a contact position where it presses and contacts a contact surface that is an inner wall of the guide rail and a separation position where it is separated from the contact surface, a switching portion that switches the position of the contact portion from one of the contact position and the separation position to the other, and an engagement portion that can engage with the engagement receiving portion. The media holding portion is characterized by having a pressing portion downstream of the contact portion in the conveyance direction, which moves the position of the holding portion in a direction away from the support surface by pressing the support surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] 1. First Embodiment In this embodiment, a printing apparatus 1 that performs printing on a roll-shaped medium M will be described as an example. The printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is a large-format printer (LFP: Large Format Printer) used for printing posters, signs (such as billboards and guide maps), banners, and tapestries.

[0009] In the following drawings, for convenience of explanation, when the printing apparatus 1 is placed on a horizontal plane, it will be illustrated using an XYZ coordinate system. The X direction is the main scanning direction of the ejection head 43 and is the width direction of the medium M on which printing is performed. The Y direction is a horizontal plane including the X direction, is orthogonal to the X direction, and is the front-rear direction of the printing apparatus 1. The Z direction is a direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction, is perpendicular to the horizontal plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction, and is the height direction of the printing apparatus 1.

[0010] Also, in the X direction, when looking at the roll body R2 of the printing apparatus 1 from the front, the left direction of the printing apparatus 1 is defined as the +X direction, and the right direction is defined as the -X direction. In the Y direction, the front direction (towards the roll body R2 side) of the printing apparatus 1 is defined as the +Y direction, and the rear direction (towards the roll body R1 side) is defined as the -Y direction. In the Z direction, the upward direction (including the upper part, upper surface, etc.) of the printing apparatus 1 is defined as the +Z direction, and the downward direction (including the lower part, bottom surface, etc.) is defined as the -Z direction.

[0011] Also, in each of the subsequent drawings, for the convenience of explanation and illustration, the vertical and horizontal scales of the members may be shown to be different from the actual ones. Furthermore, components other than those necessary for the explanation may be omitted from the illustration.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic internal configuration diagram of the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the medium support mechanism 5 and the printing unit 40. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the medium support mechanism 5. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration of the printing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes a conveyance unit 30 that conveys the medium M in a roll-to-roll manner, a medium support mechanism 5 that supports the medium M with respect to the printing unit 40, and a printing unit 40 that discharges ink based on print data to print an image, characters, etc. on a predetermined area of the medium M.

[0014] The conveyance unit 30 includes a feeding unit 20 that feeds out the roll-shaped medium M to the printing unit 40, and a winding unit 60 that winds up the medium M printed and sent out by the printing unit 40. The conveyance unit 30 also includes conveyance rollers 31 and driven rollers 32 that convey the medium M in the conveyance direction A in the middle of the conveyance path between the feeding unit 20 and the winding unit 60. The conveying roller 31 has a substantially cylindrical shape that is long in the X direction and rotates with the X direction as the rotation axis direction by the drive of a drive motor (not shown). A plurality of driven rollers 32 are arranged side by side in the X direction at a position facing the conveying roller 31, and press the medium M against the conveying roller 31. The medium M is sandwiched between the conveying roller 31 and the driven rollers 32, and is conveyed in the conveying direction A (+Y direction) as the conveying roller 31 rotates.

[0015] The feeding unit 20 is arranged upstream of the conveying roller 31. The feeding unit 20 holds a roll body R1 around which the medium M is wound in a cylindrical shape. Roll bodies R1 with different width dimensions and number of windings (lengths) of the medium M are interchangeably loaded into the feeding unit 20. The roll body R1 rotates in the rotation direction B by the power of a feeding motor (not shown), so that the medium M is unwound from the roll body R1 and fed to the printing unit 40. Note that in this embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 uses a roll-type medium as the medium M, but is not limited to a printing apparatus that uses such a roll-type medium. For example, a single-sheet type medium may be used.

[0016] The winding unit 60 is arranged downstream of the conveying roller 31. In the winding unit 60, the medium M printed by the printing unit 40 is wound in a cylindrical shape to form a roll body R2. The winding unit 60 has a tension applying mechanism 61 that applies tension to the medium M. The tension applying mechanism 61 has an arm member 62 that is swingably supported and a tension roller 63 that is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm member 62.

[0017] With the tension applying mechanism 61 pressing the tension roller 63 against the medium M to apply tension, the core material rotates in the rotation direction B by the power of a winding motor (not shown), so that the medium M is wound around the core material to form the roll body R2. Note that in the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, it is also possible to discharge the medium M without winding it. For example, the printed medium M can also be accommodated in a discharge basket (not shown) that is attached in place of the winding unit 60.

[0018] The printing unit 40 includes a pair of guide shafts 41 extending along the X direction, a carriage 42 supported by the guide shafts 41, a discharge head 43 that discharges ink onto the medium M, and an optical sensor 44 that detects the width of the medium M.

[0019] The carriage 42 reciprocates in the X direction along the guide shafts 41 by the drive of a carriage motor (not shown). The discharge head 43 is installed below the carriage 42 so as to face the medium M conveyed on the medium support portion 50. The discharge head 43 of the present embodiment is a serial head type inkjet head and includes a plurality of color nozzle rows (not shown). The discharge head 43 includes, for example, nozzle rows of four colors: cyan, yellow, magenta, and black.

[0020] With the above configuration, the discharge head 43 can print by discharging ink as a liquid from nozzles (not shown) onto the conveyed medium M while reciprocating in the main scanning direction intersecting the conveyance direction A of the medium M. In the printing apparatus 1 configured in this way, the conveyance roller 31 and the driven roller 32 perform sub-scanning in which a predetermined amount of the medium M is drawn out from the roll body R1 and intermittently conveyed in the conveyance direction A, and main scanning in which the discharge head 43 reciprocates in the X direction while discharging ink onto the medium M in a state where the conveyed medium M is stopped. By repeating these alternately, an image or characters are printed on the medium M.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the optical sensor 44 is installed below the carriage 42 so as to face the detection groove 56 of the medium support portion 50. The optical sensor 44 detects the presence or absence of the medium M on the detection groove 56 based on the difference in the intensity of the reflected light when the medium M is irradiated with light and when the detection groove 56 is irradiated with light. Thereby, a control unit (not shown) detects the position of the end portion in the width direction of the medium M.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the configuration of the medium support mechanism 5 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the medium support mechanism 5 includes a medium support portion 50 that supports the medium M conveyed by the conveyance portion 30 from below, and a medium holding portion 10 that engages with the medium support portion 50. The medium support portion 50 has a substantially rectangular plate shape extending in the X direction and the Y direction. The surface of the medium support portion 50 facing the printing portion 40 is a support surface 51 that contacts the back surface of the medium M opposite to the printing surface to support the medium M.

[0023] On the support surface 51 of the medium support portion 50, a first guide rail 52 as a guide rail that intersects the conveyance direction A in which the medium M is conveyed and extends along the width direction is formed. Further, on the support surface 51, a second guide rail 55 as an engagement receiving portion that is located upstream of the first guide rail 52 in the conveyance direction A and intersects the support surface 51 is formed. Note that the second guide rail 55 is formed in a groove shape. Also, the first guide rail 52 and the second guide rail 55 are formed parallel to each other. And between the first guide rail 52 and the second guide rail 55, a detection groove 56 parallel to the first guide rail 52 and the second guide rail 55 is formed.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the first guide rail 52 is composed of a first groove portion 53 and a second groove portion 54. The first groove portion 53 is a groove portion for moving the medium holding portion 10 in order to align with the end portion in the width direction of the medium M. Also, the second groove portion 54 is a groove portion for inserting the contact portion 16 of the medium holding portion 10 from above and inserting it into the first groove portion 53. Note that the second groove portion 54 is formed continuous with the end portion in the width direction of the first groove portion 53.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, when the support surface 51 is viewed in plan view, a housing portion 57 is formed on the support surface 51 in the immediate vicinity of the downstream side of the second groove portion 54. In this embodiment, the housing portion 57 is constituted by a recessed portion 571 having a bottom surface portion 572 that is recessed by one step from the support surface 51. The housing portion 57 houses the pressing portion 18 that constitutes the medium holding portion 10 described later when the contact portion 16 of the medium holding portion 10 is inserted into the second groove portion 54 from above. Note that, in this embodiment, "housing" means positioning in a state of an initial shape in which the pressing portion 18 avoids contact with the support surface 51 and does not exert a pressing force, as shown in FIG. 5 described later.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3, the second groove portion 54 and the housing portion 57 are formed at the -X direction end of the medium support portion 50 in FIG. 3. However, in this embodiment, they are also symmetrically configured about the Y axis at the +X direction end of the medium support portion 50. Further, the second groove portion 54 and the housing portion 57 of this embodiment are formed outside the region where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed in the width direction (X direction).

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the medium holding portion 10 is constituted by a holding portion 11, a switching portion 15, a contact portion 16, an engaging portion 17, and a pressing portion 18. The holding portion 11 is a component that holds the medium M on the support surface 51. The switching portion 15 is a component that switches the position of the contact portion 16 between a contact position and a separated position described later. The contact portion 16 is a component that engages with the first guide rail 52. The engaging portion 17 is a component that can engage with the second guide rail 55. The pressing portion 18 is a component that moves the position of the holding portion 11 in a direction away from the support surface 51 (upward direction) by pressing the support surface 51.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, in the medium holding unit 10, the holding unit 11 has a rectangular shape that is long in the conveying direction A, and a switching unit 15 is attached to the downstream end of the holding unit 11. Further, a pressing unit 18 is installed on the downstream side of the switching unit 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the holding unit 11 includes a cover unit 12 that covers the side edge portion as the end portion of the medium M in the width direction (X direction), a substrate unit 13 that contacts (abuts) the support surface 51 of the medium support unit 50, and a guiding unit 14 that inclines the corner portion of the upstream end of the cover unit 12 obliquely upward. In the present embodiment, the pressing unit 18 is formed continuously with the downstream end of the substrate unit 13. The pressing unit 18 and the substrate unit 13 may be configured as separate bodies and made of different materials.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the holding unit 11. Specifically, FIG. 4 is a C-C cross-section in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the holding unit 11 will be described.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 4, the cover unit 12 is provided with a gap S for sandwiching the medium M between the cover unit 12 and the support surface 51, and projects in the width direction of the medium M from one long side of the substrate unit 13. Then, the guiding unit 14 guides the side edge portion of the medium M conveyed in the conveying direction A into the gap S between the cover unit 12 and the support surface 51. The holding unit 11 including the pressing unit 18 is formed by performing punching and bending processes on a metal plate. The cover unit 12 and the substrate unit 13 form the gap S by performing so-called Z-bending (step bending) processes or the like.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the abutting unit 16 is formed to project downward from the switching unit 15 and downward from the substrate unit 13 that constitutes the holding unit 11. The abutting unit 16 includes a base portion 161 and a tip portion 162 that is continuous with the base portion 161 downward. The abutting unit 16 has a substantially inverted T-shaped cross-section in a plan view from the X direction. In the abutting unit 16, specifically, a first length L1 of the base portion 161 in the conveying direction A is formed shorter than a second length L2 of the tip portion 162 in the conveying direction A.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, when the support surface 51 is viewed in plan, specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the first groove portion 53 of the first guide rail 52 has a gap G1 that is longer than the first length L1 of the base portion 161 and shorter than the second length L2 of the tip portion 162 in the conveying direction A, and is formed in a region on the support surface 51 side.

[0033] Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the conveying direction A, below the region of the support surface 51 side having the gap G1, the first groove portion 53 has a region having a gap G3 that is longer than the second length L2 of the tip portion 162. Thus, the first groove portion 53 forms a substantially L-shaped groove in plan view from the width direction (plan view from the X direction).

[0034] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, in plan view from the width direction (plan view from the X direction), the first groove portion 53 has a regulating portion 531 that regulates the tip portion 162 from coming out of the first guide rail 52. Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the first groove portion 53, the region of the difference between the region of the gap G3 below the support surface 51 side and the region of the gap G1 on the support surface 51 side becomes the regulating portion 531.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a side view showing the second groove portion 54 and the accommodating portion 57. Note that FIG. 5 is also a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation when the contact portion 16 is installed in the second groove portion 54.

[0036] When the support surface 51 is viewed in plan, specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the second groove portion 54 is formed with a gap G2 that is longer than the second length L2 of the tip portion 162 in the conveying direction A. The second groove portion 54 forms a groove having a rectangular cross-section as shown in FIG. 5. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the second groove portion 54 matches the shape obtained by removing the regulating portion 531 of the first groove portion 53. Therefore, the dimension of the gap G3 below the support surface 51 side in the first groove portion 53 and the dimension of the gap G2 of the second groove portion 54 are the same.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the switching unit 15. FIG. 6 is also a view of the switching unit 15 installed in the first groove portion 53 of the first guide rail 52 as seen from above. Further, FIG. 6 shows the removal of the lid 151 (see FIG. 3) covering the upper direction of the switching unit 15. In FIG. 6, the direction in which the lever 153 moves is indicated by an arrow, and the positions of the lever 153 and the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) after movement are shown by a two-dot chain line. In FIG. 6, the leaf spring 181 constituting the pressing portion 18 is in a state of pressing the support surface 51 from above. Referring to FIG. 6, the configuration of the switching unit 15 will be described.

[0038] The switching unit 15 is generally composed of a lid 151 covering the upper direction, a pair of levers 153 whose base ends are rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 152, and a coil spring 154 as an elastic member. Note that the contact portion 16 is connected to the base end portion of the lever 153 and is thus connected to the lever 153. The lever 153 and the contact portion 16 are formed of the same member such as a hard resin, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, the lever 153 is provided above the holding portion 11, and as shown in FIG. 2, the contact portion 16 is provided below the holding portion 11.

[0039] A pair of levers 153 are provided. The pair of levers 153 have their base ends rotatably supported by a pair of rotation shafts 152, and the contact portions are rotation levers extending downstream from the rotation shafts 152. The switching unit 15 has a coil spring 154 engaged with the lever 153. Both ends of the coil spring 154 are engaged with the inner surfaces facing each other in the vicinity of the tip of the lever 153, and due to the elastic force of the coil spring 154, the contact portions of the pair of levers 153 are configured to spread in the X direction with respect to each other. On the outer surface in the vicinity of the tip of the lever 153, a gripping portion 155 is provided for being gripped by the user to narrow the contact portions of the lever 153 in the X-axis direction with respect to each other.

[0040] The contact portions 16 are generally positioned in the +X direction and -X direction with respect to the rotation axis 152. Therefore, when the contact portions 16 (tip portions 162) are spread apart from each other in the X-axis direction by the coil spring 154 on the pair of levers 153, they contact and press against the contact surface 533 that becomes the inner surface in the -Y direction in the region of the gap G3 of the first groove portion 53. The contact surface 533 is the inner wall of the first guide rail 52. Although details will be described later, by this, the position of the medium holding portion 10 is fixed, and the gap S between the cover portion 12 that supports the medium M and the support surface 51 is fixed.

[0041] Also, the pressing force in the -Y direction with which the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) contacts and presses against the contact surface 533 is greater than the pressing force with which the leaf spring 181 that constitutes the pressing portion 18 presses the support surface 51 from above by the spring force. Therefore, when the tip portion 162 is fixed by the contact surface 533, the medium holding portion 10 does not float from the support surface 51 due to the pressing force of the leaf spring 181. Specifically, in the present embodiment, since the elastic force of the coil spring 154 of the switching portion 15 is set stronger than the spring force (pressing force) of the leaf spring 181, when the tip portion 162 is fixed by the contact surface 533, the medium holding portion 10 does not float from the support surface 51 due to the pressing force of the leaf spring 181.

[0042] On the other hand, when the pair of levers 153 are gripped by the user and rotated so as to be narrowed in the X-axis direction in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6, the contact portion 16 moves away from the contact surface 533. Specifically, when the user applies a force to the lever 153 to narrow it in the X-axis direction, the contact portion 16 pressing the contact surface 533 to fix the medium holding portion 10 is released. Therefore, due to the upward pressing force with which the leaf spring 181 presses the support surface 51, the medium holding portion 10 moves upward. At this time, when the user presses down the lever 153 with a force against the pressing force of the leaf spring 181, the medium holding portion 10 moves downward.

[0043] Hereinafter, the position where the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) presses and contacts the contact surface 533 is referred to as the contact position. Conversely, the position where the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) is separated from the contact surface 533 is referred to as the separation position. When the user narrows the lever 153 in the arrow direction, the switching portion 15 causes the contact portion 16 to be located at the separation position, and when the user stops gripping the lever 153, the contact portion 16 is located at the contact position. Therefore, the switching portion 15 performs an operation of switching the position of the contact portion 16 from one of the contact position and the separation position to the other.

[0044] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, a method of installing the medium holding portion 10 on the medium support portion 50 will be described. Note that the medium holding portions 10 must be installed on both end sides in the X direction of the medium support portion 50. Since the installation methods are the same, the medium holding portion 10 on one side (the -X direction end side of the medium support portion 50) will be described as shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, first, the user inserts the engaging portion 17 of the medium holding portion 10 into the groove portion on the end side in the -X direction in the second guide rail 55 of the medium support portion 50 from above. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the groove portion of the second guide rail 55 is configured as a deformed shape having irregularities. However, the second guide rail 55 is configured with a clearance relationship that allows the engaging portion 17 to be inserted into the groove from above. Further, the second guide rail 55 is configured to be difficult to come off after the engaging portion 17 is inserted.

[0046] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the user inserts the contact portion 16 into the second groove portion 54 of the first guide rail 52 from above. At this time, the user inserts while gripping so as to narrow the gripping portion 155. As shown in FIG. 5, by performing this operation, at the same time, the leaf spring 181 constituting the pressing portion 18 can be positioned in the concave portion 571 as the accommodating portion 57 in a free state floating in the air without pressing the support surface 51 and in the state of the initial shape. Therefore, the contact portion 16 can be more easily inserted into the second groove portion 54.

[0047] Next, while gripping the gripping portion 155 so as to narrow it and while pushing down the gripping portion 155 downward, the contact portion 16 inserted into the second groove portion 54 is moved in the +X direction which is the direction of the first groove portion 53. At this time, the substrate portion 13 moves while sliding on the support surface 51 following the movement of the gripping portion 155 (switching portion 15), and the engaging portion 17 moves in the +X direction within the second guide rail 55.

[0048] Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, on the inner surface in the +X direction of the housing portion 57 (recessed portion 571), a movement assisting surface portion 575 which gradually inclines upward in the +X direction toward the support surface 51 in the +X direction is formed. For this reason, when the contact portion 16 is moved in the +X direction which is the direction of the first groove portion 53, after the leaf spring 181 contacts the movement assisting surface portion 575, it slides along the movement assisting surface portion 575 and reaches the support surface 51. In this case, although the pressing force of the leaf spring 181 gradually increases, the inclined movement assisting surface portion 575 can avoid a sudden increase in the pressing force and move the contact portion 16.

[0049] After the contact portion 16 has moved into the first groove portion 53, by stopping pushing down the gripping portion 155 and only narrowing the gripping portion 155, the medium holding portion 10 can be moved. In this case, since the medium holding portion 10 is in a state of moving away from the support surface 51, the sliding resistance between the substrate portion 13 and the support surface 51 can be reduced, making it easier to move. Then, at the position on the support surface 51 where the end portion of the medium M is covered by the holding portion 11, by pushing down the gripping portion 155 downward again and stopping the gripping in the narrowing direction of the gripping portion 155 which was gripping so as to narrow, the medium holding portion 10 can be installed on the medium support portion 50.

[0050] When the gripping of the gripping portion 155 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 2, the contact portion 16 is in a state of being located at the contact position within the first groove portion 53. Specifically, when the contact portion 16 is located at the contact position, the engaging portion 17 contacts and presses against the +Y-direction surface inside the second guide rail 55, thereby sandwiching the medium support portion 50 in the Y direction and fixing the position of the medium holding portion 10. At this time, the leaf spring 181 holds the height-direction position pressed against the support surface 51 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 and also as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the medium holding portion 10 when moving the medium holding portion 10. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation when moving the medium holding portion 10 from the state where the medium holding portion 10 is installed at a predetermined position (the position where the medium holding portion 10 sandwiches the end portion of the medium M with the cover portion 12) will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 7.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, when moving the medium holding portion 10 from the state where the medium holding portion 10 is installed at a predetermined position, first, the user grips the gripping portion 155 of the switching portion 15 so as to narrow it. When gripping the gripping portion 155 so as to narrow it, the pressing force in the -Y direction of the contact portion 16 disappears, and the -Y-direction end surface of the tip portion 162 separates from the contact surface 533. In other words, the contact portion 16 is switched from the contact position to the separated position. Then, the medium holding portion 10 moves upward with the pressing force that presses the support surface 51 by the leaf spring 181 from above, with the portion where the engaging portion 17 contacts the second guide rail 55 generally as a fulcrum.

[0053] In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the medium holding unit 10 is automatically moved in a direction away from the support surface 51 (upward direction) by the pressing force of the leaf spring 181. Then, when the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) comes into contact with the restricting portion 531 (lower end surface 532), the upward movement is restricted. Therefore, in order to reduce the sliding resistance during the movement of the medium holding unit 10, the user does not need to lift the medium holding unit 10 including the gripping portion 155 upward to reduce the contact area between the substrate portion 13 and the support surface 51.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, when the contact portion 16 is located at the contact position, there is a gap of distance D between the upper surface of the tip portion 162 and the lower end surface 532 of the restricting portion 531. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) is located at the separated position and moves upward and comes into contact with the restricting portion 531 (lower end surface 532), a space (gap) of approximately distance D is secured between the support surface 51 above the restricting portion 531 and the substrate portion 13 of the holding portion 11.

[0055] When the distance between the support surface 51 above the restricting portion 531 and the substrate portion 13 of the holding portion 11 becomes approximately the distance D, the cover portion 12 and the substrate portion 13 facing the discharge head 43 do not contact the nozzles of the discharge head 43 even if they move upward from the support surface 51, and are configured to secure a gap.

[0056] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the switching unit 15 is located downstream of the printing unit 40 (carriage 42) in the conveyance direction A. Therefore, when the medium holding unit 10 moves upward, it can be prevented from contacting the printing unit 40.

[0057] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the user can smoothly move the medium holding unit 10 along the first guide rail 52 and the second guide rail 55 by gripping the gripping portion 155 and moving it in the width direction (X direction) with the position of the medium holding unit 10 automatically separated from the support surface 51.

[0058] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0059] The medium support mechanism 5 of this embodiment includes a medium support portion 50 and a medium holding portion 10. The medium support portion 50 has a support surface 51 that supports the medium M, a first guide rail 52 that extends along the width direction (X direction) intersecting the conveyance direction A in which the medium M is conveyed on the support surface 51, and a second guide rail 55 that is located upstream of the first guide rail 52 in the conveyance direction A and intersects the support surface 51 and serves as an engagement receiving portion. The medium holding portion 10 has a holding portion 11 that covers an end portion of the medium M in the width direction, a contact portion 16 that can move between a contact position where it presses and contacts the contact surface 533 which is the inner wall of the first guide rail 52 and a separation position where it is separated from the contact surface 533, a switching portion 15 that switches the position of the contact portion 16 from one of the contact position and the separation position to the other, and an engagement portion 17 that can engage with the second guide rail 55 serving as an engagement receiving portion. The medium holding portion 10 has a pressing portion 18 (leaf spring 181) that presses the support surface 51 downstream of the contact portion 16 in the conveyance direction A to move the position of the holding portion 11 in a direction away from the support surface 51. According to this configuration, when the contact portion 16 moves to the separation position by the switching portion 15 in the medium support mechanism 5, the pressing portion 18 (leaf spring 181) presses the support surface 51, so that the position of the holding portion 11 automatically moves in a direction away from the support surface 51. Therefore, since the sliding resistance between the holding portion 11 (substrate portion 13) and the support surface 51 can be reduced, the occurrence of jamming between the first guide rail 52 and the contact portion 16 can be suppressed. Therefore, the operability of the medium support mechanism 5 can be improved. Accordingly, the usability including the operability of the medium support mechanism 5 can be improved.

[0060] In the medium support mechanism 5 of this embodiment, the pressing portion 18 is formed of a leaf spring 181. According to this configuration, the medium support mechanism 5 forms the pressing portion 18 with the leaf spring 181. When the contact portion 16 is in the separated position, the spring force of the leaf spring 181 can move the position of the holding portion 11 away from the support surface 51 in a self-regulating manner. In addition, by forming the pressing portion 18 with the leaf spring 181, the pressing portion 18 can be easily configured.

[0061] The contact portion 16 of the present embodiment has a base portion 161 connected to the holding portion 11 and a tip portion 162 continuous with the base portion 161. In the contact portion 16, a first length L1 in the conveyance direction A of the base portion 161 is shorter than a second length L2 in the conveyance direction A of the tip portion 162. When the support surface 51 is viewed in plan, the first guide rail 52 has a gap G1 that is longer than the first length L1 and shorter than the second length L2, and has a first groove portion 53 that guides the contact portion 16 to be movable in the width direction. Further, when the support surface 51 is viewed in plan, the first guide rail 52 is continuous with the first groove portion 53 in the width direction and has a gap G2 that is longer than the second length L2, and has a second groove portion 54 when the contact portion 16 is inserted and installed. The first groove portion 53 has a regulating portion 531 that regulates the tip portion 162 from coming out of the first guide rail 52 when viewed in plan from the width direction. The second groove portion 54 is formed outside the region where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed in the width direction. According to this configuration, in the medium support mechanism 5, since the gap G1 of the first groove portion 53 is shorter than the second length L2 of the tip portion 162, it is difficult to insert the contact portion 16 into the first groove portion 53 from above. Further, since the medium holding portion 10 has the pressing portion 18, it is also difficult to insert the contact portion 16 from the end surface in the width direction of the first groove portion 53. However, since the first guide rail 52 has the second groove portion 54 formed with a gap G2 longer than the second length L2 of the tip portion 162 of the contact portion 16 in the conveyance direction A, by inserting the contact portion 16 into the second groove portion 54 from above, it can be indirectly installed in the first groove portion 53. Therefore, the setting property of the holding portion 11 with respect to the medium support portion 50 can be improved. Further, since the second groove portion 54 is formed outside the region where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed in the width direction, the medium holding portion 10 including the holding portion 11 can be attached to and detached from the medium support portion 50 while the medium M is placed on the support surface 51. Therefore, the workability of the medium holding portion 10 with respect to the medium support portion 50 is improved.

[0062] In the medium support mechanism 5 of the present embodiment, the medium support portion 50 is provided with a recess 571 as an accommodation portion 57 for accommodating the pressing portion 18. According to this configuration, the bottom surface portion 572 of the recess 571 as the accommodation portion 57 is recessed more than the support surface 51, and the leaf spring 181 is formed in a height relationship that does not contact the bottom surface portion 572. Therefore, by positioning the pressing portion 18 in the recess 571 as the accommodation portion 57, it is possible to avoid contact of the pressing portion 18 with the support surface 51 and position it in a state of an initial shape in which the pressing force is not exerted. Therefore, even if the medium holding portion 10 has the pressing portion 18 (leaf spring 181), by positioning it in the recess 571, the setting property of the medium holding portion 10 with respect to the medium support portion 50 can be improved.

[0063] The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a printing unit 40 that performs printing on a medium M and a medium support mechanism 5 that supports the medium M. The medium support mechanism 5 includes a medium support portion 50 and a medium holding portion 10. The medium support portion 50 has a support surface 51, a first guide rail 52, and a second guide rail 55 as an engagement receiving portion. The medium holding portion 10 has a holding portion 11, a contact portion 16, a switching portion 15, and an engagement portion 17. The medium holding portion 10 has a pressing portion 18 (leaf spring 181) that presses the support surface 51 downstream of the contact portion 16 in the conveyance direction A to move the position of the holding portion 11 away from the support surface 51. According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a printing apparatus 1 provided with a medium support mechanism 5 that suppresses jamming between the first guide rail 52 and the contact portion 16 and improves user-friendliness including operability.

[0064] 2. Second Embodiment FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a first guide rail 52A according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, the case where the contact portion 16 is located at the contact position is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the case where it is located at the separated position is shown by a solid line. In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals are assigned to the components having the same configuration as those in the first embodiment. With reference to FIG. 8, the operation of the contact portion 16 in the first guide rail 52A will be described.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 8, the first guide rail 52A of the present embodiment has a different cross-sectional shape of the first groove portion 53A compared to the first guide rail 52 of the first embodiment. The first groove portion 53A of the present embodiment has a different shape of the side surface in the +Y direction that forms the inner wall of the first groove portion 53A compared to the first groove portion 53 of the first embodiment.

[0066] Specifically, an inclined surface 534 having an upward gradient in the +Y direction is formed on the side surface in the +Y direction. In other words, in the first groove portion 53A, among the inner walls of the first guide rail 52A, the surface on the side opposite to the contact surface 533 in the conveyance direction A has an inclined surface 534 with an upward gradient with respect to the conveyance direction A.

[0067] Here, the operation when the medium holding unit 10 is moved from the state where it is installed at a predetermined position will be described. First, the user grips the gripping portion 155 of the switching unit 15 so as to narrow it. When the gripping portion 155 is gripped so as to be narrowed, the contact portion 16 has no pressing force in the -Y direction, and the end surface of the tip portion 162 in the -Y direction is separated from the contact surface 533. In other words, the contact portion 16 is switched from the contact position to the separated position.

[0068] Then, the medium holding unit 10 automatically moves in a direction away from the support surface 51A (upward direction) by the pressing force of the leaf spring 181. In this case, the lower corner portion in the +Y direction of the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) contacts the inclined surface 534 and slides upward along the inclined surface 534. Then, when the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) contacts the regulating portion 531 (lower end surface 532), the upward movement is regulated.

[0069] According to the present embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0070] In the medium support mechanism 5A (first groove portion 53A) of the present embodiment, among the inner walls of the first guide rail 52A, the surface on the side opposite to the contact surface 533 in the transport direction A has an inclined surface 534 with an upward gradient with respect to the transport direction A. According to this configuration, when the contact portion 16 moves from the contact position to the separated position, the contact portion 16 contacts the inclined surface 534 and slides along the inclined surface 534 due to the pressing force with which the pressing portion 18 presses the support surface 51A, so that the medium holding unit 10 easily moves in a direction away from the support surface 51A. Therefore, the position of the medium holding unit 10 can be further automatically moved in a direction away from the support surface 51A.

[0071] 3. Third Embodiment FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the first guide rail 52B according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the case where the contact portion 16 is located at the contact position is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the case where it is located at the separated position is shown by a solid line. In addition, in FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are assigned to the components similar to those in the first embodiment. With reference to FIG. 9, the operation of the contact portion 16 in the first guide rail 52B will be described.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 9, the first guide rail 52B of the present embodiment has a different cross-sectional shape of the first groove portion 53B compared to the first guide rail 52 of the first embodiment. The first groove portion 53B of the present embodiment has a different shape of the side surface in the -Y direction, which is the inner wall of the first groove portion 53B, compared to the first groove portion 53 of the first embodiment.

[0073] Specifically, on the side surface in the -Y direction, an inclined surface 535 with a downward gradient is formed from the middle of the lower end surface 532 of the restricting portion 531 to the upper part of the contact surface 533. In other words, in the first groove portion 53B, among the inner walls of the first guide rail 52B, the surface on the side opposite to the conveying direction A has an inclined surface 535 with a downward gradient from the lower end surface 532 of the restricting portion 531 to the contact surface 533.

[0074] Here, the operation when the medium holding portion 10 is installed in the first groove portion 53B from the state where the medium holding portion 10 has moved to a predetermined position will be described.

[0075] The user who has moved the medium holding portion 10 to a predetermined position stops gripping by pushing down the gripping portion 155 that was gripped so as to narrow. When the user pushes down the gripping portion 155, it will be pushed down against the pressing force of the pressing portion 18 on the support surface 51. In that case, the upper corner portion in the -Y direction of the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) comes into contact with the inclined surface 535 and can slide downward along the inclined surface 535 and move, so that the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) can be stably brought into contact with the contact surface 533. Then, when the gripping of the gripping portion 155 is stopped, the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) comes into contact with the contact surface 533 and is fixed to the first groove portion 53B. In other words, the contact portion 16 is switched from the separated position to the contact position.

[0076] In addition, even when the gripping of the gripping portion 155 is stopped and the gripping portion is pushed down while in the state of being moved to a predetermined position, since the elastic force of the coil spring 154 is set stronger than the pressing force of the pressing portion 18 (the spring force of the leaf spring 181), even if the pushing-down force is weak, the contact portion 16 (tip portion 162) stably slides along the inclined surface 535 and contacts the contact surface 533.

[0077] According to the present embodiment, in addition to achieving the same effects as the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0078] In the medium support mechanism 5B (first groove portion 53B) of the present embodiment, among the inner walls of the first guide rail 52B, the surface on the side opposite to the conveyance direction A has an inclined surface 535 with a downward slope from the lower end surface 532 of the restricting portion 531 to the contact surface 533. According to this configuration, when the contact portion 16 shifts from the separated position to the contact position, although the gripping portion 155 is pushed downward against the pressing force on the support surface 51 of the pressing portion 18, the contact portion 16 can easily contact the contact surface 533 by sliding on the inclined surface 535, and the medium holding portion 10 can be stably installed on the support surface 51.

[0079] 4. Modification Example 1 In the present embodiment, the ejection head 43 employs a serial head type inkjet head. However, it is not limited to this, and a line head type inkjet head may be employed as the ejection head 43.

[0080] 5. Modification Example 2 In the present embodiment, the pressing portion 18 is composed of one leaf spring 181. However, it is not limited to this, and it may be composed of a plurality of leaf springs. Also, the shape of the leaf spring is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0081] 6. Modification Example 3 In this embodiment, the pressing portion 18 is constituted by a leaf spring 181. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pressing portion 18 may include a displacement portion that displaces (protrudes) toward the support surface 51 in conjunction with the position of the contact portion 16 being switched from the contact position to the separated position by the switching portion 15. Due to the displacement of this displacement portion, the support surface 51 can be pressed, and the position of the medium holding portion 10 can be moved in a direction away from the support surface 51.

[0082] 7. Modification Example 4 In this embodiment, the second groove portion 54 is formed outside the region in the width direction where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The second groove portion 54 may be formed inside the region in the width direction where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed. In this case, when the contact portion 16 moves along the first guide rail 52, it may be moved while being pushed down so as not to come out of the second groove portion 54. By doing so, miniaturization of the medium support portion 50 can be achieved.

[0083] 8. Modification Example 5 In this embodiment, the second groove portion 54 is formed at the end in the width direction of the medium support portion 50 outside the region in the width direction where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The second groove portion 54 may be formed at a portion that enters inward from the end in the width direction of the medium support portion 50 outside the region in the width direction where the end portion of the medium M is conveyed.

[0084] 9. Modification Example 6 In this embodiment, the first guide rail 52 includes the second groove portion 54 when installing the contact portion 16. Correspondingly, the second guide rail 55 may also be provided with a groove portion similar to the second groove portion 54 when installing the engaging portion 17. In that case, in the second guide rail 55, a groove portion may be provided at a position corresponding to the second groove portion 54. This facilitates the installation of the engaging portion 17 on the second guide rail 55.

[0085] 10. Modification Example 7 In this embodiment, in the conveying direction A, an engagement receiving portion is provided which is located upstream of the first guide rail 52 and intersects the support surface 51. As the engagement receiving portion, in this embodiment, as an example, a second guide rail 55 having substantially the same configuration as the first guide rail 52 is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As the engagement receiving portion, when the contact portion 16 is located at the contact position, it can be engaged with the engagement portion 17, and when it is located at the separated position, the engagement with the engagement portion 17 can be released. For example, a protrusion protruding in the -Y direction or the like may be used.

[0086] 11. Modification Example 8 In this embodiment, a movement assisting surface portion 575 for smoothly moving the pressing portion 18 (leaf spring 181) from the bottom surface portion 572 of the accommodating portion 57 (recessed portion 571) to the support surface 51 in the +X direction is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the movement assisting surface portion 575 of this embodiment is constituted by an inclined surface having a predetermined inclination angle. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The movement assisting surface portion 575 may be configured in a concave shape having a certain curvature. Further, it may be configured in a stepped shape in which the inclined surface is divided into a plurality of steps.

[0087] 12. Modification Example 9 In this embodiment, the user moves the medium holding portion 10 in a direction away from the support surface 51 (upward) autonomously by the pressing force of the leaf spring 181, and then moves the medium holding portion 10 in the width direction. In this case, a member having low friction may be attached or sprayed / applied to the surface of the substrate portion 13 of the holding portion 11 that at least partially slides (contacts) with the support surface 51, thereby reducing the sliding resistance (frictional resistance). Further, in the substrate portion 13, the region that partially slides (contacts) with the support surface 51 may be configured of a member having a smaller friction coefficient than the region of the substrate portion 13 that does not contact the support surface 51.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0088] 1... Printing device, 5... Media support mechanism, 10... Media holding part, 11... Holding part, 15... Switching part, 16... Contact part, 17... Engaging part, 18... Pressing part, 40... Printing part, 50... Media support part, 51... Support surface, 52... First guide rail as a guide rail, 53... First groove part, 54... Second groove part, 55... Second guide rail as an engagement receiving part, 57... Accommodating part, 161... Base part, 162... Tip part, 181... Leaf spring, 531... Regulation part, 533... Contact surface, 534... Inclined surface, 571... Recess, A... Conveying direction, M... Media.

Claims

1. comprising a media support portion and a media holding portion, wherein the media support portion has a support surface for supporting the media, a guide rail extending along a width direction intersecting a conveyance direction in which the media is conveyed on the support surface, and an engagement receiving portion located upstream of the guide rail in the conveyance direction and intersecting the support surface, wherein the media holding portion has a holding portion covering an end portion of the media in the width direction, a contact portion movable between a contact position pressing and contacting a contact surface which is an inner wall of the guide rail and a separation position separated from the contact surface, a switching portion for switching the position of the contact portion from one of the contact position and the separation position to the other, and an engagement portion engageable with the engagement receiving portion, wherein the media holding portion has a pressing portion downstream of the contact portion in the conveyance direction, and the pressing portion moves the position of the holding portion away from the support surface by pressing the support surface, and is characterized in that it is a media support mechanism.

2. The media support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is formed of a leaf spring, and is characterized in that it is a media support mechanism.

3. The media support mechanism according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the contact portion has a base portion connected to the holding portion and a tip portion continuous with the base portion, wherein a first length of the base portion in the conveyance direction is shorter than a second length of the tip portion in the conveyance direction, wherein the guide rail has a first groove portion having a gap longer than the first length and shorter than the second length when the support surface is viewed in plan view, and guiding the contact portion movably in the width direction, and a second groove portion having a gap continuous with the first groove portion in the width direction and longer than the second length when the support surface is viewed in plan view, and being a second groove portion for installing the contact portion, wherein the first groove portion has a restricting portion for restricting the tip portion from coming out of the guide rail, and is characterized in that it is a media support mechanism.

4. The media support mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the second groove portion is formed outside a region in which the end portion of the media is conveyed in the width direction, and is characterized in that it is a media support mechanism.

5. The media support mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the media support portion is provided with a housing portion for housing the pressing portion, and is characterized in that it is a media support mechanism.

6. The media support mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A medium support mechanism, wherein a surface of the inner wall of the guide rail, which is on the side opposite to the contact surface in the conveying direction, has an inclined surface with an upward gradient with respect to the conveying direction. **Claim 7** A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that performs printing on a medium; and a medium support mechanism that supports the medium. The medium support mechanism has a medium support portion and a medium holding portion. The medium support portion has a support surface that supports the medium, a guide rail that extends along a width direction intersecting the conveying direction in which the medium is conveyed, and an engagement receiving portion that is located upstream of the guide rail in the conveying direction and intersects the support surface. The medium holding portion has a holding portion that covers an end portion of the medium in the width direction, a contact portion that is movable between a contact position where it presses and contacts a contact surface that is an inner wall of the guide rail and a separation position where it is separated from the contact surface, a switching portion that switches the position of the contact portion from one of the contact position and the separation position to the other, and an engagement portion that can engage with the engagement receiving portion. The printing apparatus is characterized in that the medium holding portion has a pressing portion that presses the support surface downstream of the contact portion in the conveying direction to move the position of the holding portion in a direction away from the support surface.

Images