Recording device

Abstract

To provide a recording device that is excellent in design property and in mechanical strength and can reduce installation spaces.SOLUTION: A recording device 10 comprises: a recording part 30; a support part 31 that supports a recording medium 22; a conveyance path 40 through which the recording medium 22 is conveyed; a recording medium holding part 20 that holds roll bodies 25a, 25b and supplies the recording medium 22; and a frame 60 holding the recording part 30, the support part 31, the conveyance path 40 and the recording medium holding part 20. The frame 60 comprises: a lower frame 65 extending along an X-direction and also along a Y-direction; a pair of side frames 62, 63 extending along a Z-direction and the Y-direction, whose lower ends are fixed to the lower frame 65 and erected in the Z-direction, which are arranged with a predetermined interval in the X-direction; and a base frame 67, held between the side frames 62, 63, which has four wall surfaces 67w extending in the X-direction, where functional components involved in recording by the recording part 30 are arranged inside the four wall surfaces 67w.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a recording apparatus, a large-format inkjet printer has been known. Some such recording apparatuses use a recording medium wound in a roll. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus that holds two roll bodies, one before recording and the other after recording.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that a large installation space is required. Specifically, in the above recording apparatus, the housing is supported by legs, and roll bodies are arranged in front of and behind the legs. Therefore, it has a large size in the front-rear direction and requires a large installation space. Also, when mounting a new roll body, space for the user to work from behind is necessary. Furthermore, there is also a problem that the appearance has many irregularities and it is difficult to improve the design.

[0005] On the other hand, when the entire apparatus is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped housing and a printing unit, legs, roll bodies, etc. are housed inside the housing, there is a problem that the mechanical strength of the recording apparatus is likely to decrease. Specifically, in the above configuration, the side frame is extended downward, and thus the rigidity of the frame may be insufficient. That is, there has been a demand for a recording apparatus that is superior in design and mechanical strength and reduces the installation space as compared with the prior art.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The recording device comprises a recording unit, a support unit having a support surface for supporting a recording medium to be recorded by the recording unit at a position opposite to the recording unit, a transport path for transporting the recording medium to the support unit, a recording medium holding unit for holding a roll body in which the recording medium is wound and for supplying the recording medium to the transport path, and a frame for holding the recording unit, the support unit, the transport path, and the recording medium holding unit. The frame comprises a lower frame extending along a first direction and along a second direction intersecting the first direction, a pair of side frames extending along a third direction intersecting the first and second directions, with their lower ends fixed to the lower frame and erected in the third direction, and arranged at predetermined intervals in the first direction, and a base frame held between the pair of side frames and having four wall surfaces extending in the first direction. Functional components related to recording by the recording unit are arranged inside the four wall surfaces of the base frame. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing the configuration of a recording device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] A schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the recording device. [Figure 3] A perspective view showing the frame's configuration. [Figure 4] A perspective view showing the exterior of the base frame. [Figure 5] A schematic side view showing the holding state of the base frame and other components within the side frame. [Figure 6] A schematic side view showing the arrangement of each component held by the base frame. [Figure 7] A perspective cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the support section and negative pressure chamber. [Figure 8] Enlarged view of region M in Figure 7. [Figure 9] A perspective view showing the arrangement of the shaft support member and the support member. [Figure 10] Enlarged view of region N in Figure 9. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] In the embodiments described below, a large-format inkjet printer is used as an example of a recording device, and the explanation will be given with reference to the drawings. For illustrative purposes, the size of each component is different from that of actual components. For example, a recording medium with a width of 297 mm or more can be used with a large-format inkjet printer.

[0009] In the following diagrams, X, Y, and Z axes are added as mutually orthogonal coordinate axes as needed, with the direction indicated by each arrow being the + direction and the opposite direction being the - direction. When the recording device is installed on a horizontal plane, the Z axis is aligned vertically. The +Y direction may also be forward and the -Y direction backward, and the +Z direction may be upward and the -Z direction downward.

[0010] In this invention, the first direction is the direction along the X-axis, the second direction intersecting the first direction is the direction along the Y-axis, and the third direction intersecting the first and second directions is the direction along the Z-axis. The direction along the X-axis is simply called the X direction, the direction along the Y-axis is simply called the Y direction, and the direction along the Z-axis is simply called the Z direction.

[0011] In the path of a recording medium, from the release of the raw material roll to the discharge of the recorded material from the recording device, the raw material side may be called the upstream, the side from which the recorded material is discharged may be called the downstream, and the direction from upstream to downstream may be called the transport direction.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the recording device 10 according to this embodiment has a housing 12 that is substantially rectangular in shape, long in the X direction and tall in the Z direction. The housing 12 includes a front surface 13, a rear surface 14, side surfaces 15, 16, a top surface 17, and a bottom surface 18.

[0013] The recording device 10 has a recording unit 30, a support unit 31, and a recording medium holding unit 20 inside the housing 12. Although not shown in the drawings, the recording device 10 also has a conveyance path, a frame which is the framework of the recording device 10, and a control unit. Further, the recording device 10 is provided with four legs 11 on the bottom surface 18.

[0014] The recording unit 30 is disposed above the inside of the housing 12. The recording unit 30 includes a carriage 33 and a recording head 34. The carriage 33 is disposed above the support unit 31. The recording head 34 is disposed below the carriage 33 and faces the support unit 31 in the Z direction.

[0015] The recording head 34 has a nozzle surface (not shown) on the surface facing the support unit 31. A plurality of nozzle rows are arranged on the nozzle surface. Each of the plurality of nozzle rows consists of a plurality of nozzles and individually ejects inks presenting colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, black, etc. These inks are supplied from an ink cartridge 35 to the recording head 34 via a pipe (not shown). In this specification, the liquid ejected by the recording unit 30 is simply referred to as ink, including clear ink, processing liquid, etc. in addition to the above-described inks of each color.

[0016] The support unit 31 supports the recording medium when recording is performed by the recording head 34 on a recording medium (not shown). The support unit 31 is substantially rectangular in shape and elongated in the X direction. The recording head 34 is supported by a part of a frame described later and moves in the X direction within a range corresponding to the support unit 31.

[0017] On the front surface 13 of the housing 12, a paper discharge port 53 and a roll body accommodation port 27 are arranged. The paper discharge port 53 is in front of the support unit 31 and is a slit elongated in the X direction corresponding to the width of the recording medium. At the paper discharge port 53, a recording object which is the recording medium on which recording has been performed is discharged from the inside of the housing 12 to the outside in the front.

[0018] The roll body storage opening 27 is a substantially rectangular opening corresponding to the two roll bodies 25a and 25b. The roll body storage opening 27 extends from near the bottom surface 18 of the housing 12 to about the middle of the height of the housing 12 in the Z direction and is longer than the lengths of the roll bodies 25a and 25b in the X direction. From the +Y direction, the roll bodies 25a and 25b are visible through the roll body storage opening 27.

[0019] For the roll body 25a, the recording medium 22 before recording is wound around the core member 23a. For the roll body 25b, the recording medium 22 before recording is wound around the core member 23b. The roll bodies 25a and 25b are substantially cylindrical, and the height direction of the cylinder is along the X direction. The roll body 25b is arranged near the bottom surface 18 of the housing 12, and the roll body 25a is arranged above the roll body 25b. Examples of the recording medium 22 include paper such as coated paper, resin sheets such as vinyl chloride, and fabrics.

[0020] The recording medium holding unit 20 holds the roll bodies 25a and 25b and supplies the recording medium 22 before recording from the roll bodies 25a and 25b to the conveyance path.

[0021] The input unit 59 is arranged in the -X direction and +Y direction of the upper surface 17. The input unit 59 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display device. The input unit 59 is electrically connected to the control unit. In the input unit 59, various operations of the recording device 10 are input and various information of the recording device 10 is displayed.

[0022] The control unit includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a system bus, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The control unit is electrically connected to each component of the recording device 10 and integrally controls the operation of the recording device 10. The recording device 10 may be operated from an information device such as a personal computer via the control unit.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the main components of the recording device 10 are arranged around the base frame 67. The base frame 67 extends in the X direction. Here, Figure 2 is a cross-section that divides the duct 73 along the YZ plane. Four legs 11 are arranged on the lower frame 65 which forms the bottom surface 18. The configuration of the frame including the base frame 67 in the recording device 10 will be described later.

[0024] The recording device 10 is installed on the mounting surface S via four legs 11 that support the lower frame 65. The legs 11 are, for example, components capable of supporting or fixing heavy objects such as casters or adjusters. The number of legs 11 is not limited to four, but may be five or more. It may also include both casters and adjusters.

[0025] In the recording device 10, the recording medium 22 is transported from the recording medium holding unit 20, through the transport path 40, and through the position where the recording unit 30 and the support unit 31 face each other, to the paper output slot 53 described above.

[0026] The recording medium holding unit 20, although not shown in the figure, has a recording medium feeding mechanism corresponding to each of the roll bodies 25a and 25b. The user selects which of the roll bodies 25a and 25b to use for the recording medium 22. The recording medium 22 is fed out from the recording medium holding unit 20 backward and upward and proceeds to the transport path 40.

[0027] The transport path 40 transports the recording medium 22 to the support section 31. The transport path 40 is formed by lower path forming members 41a, 41b, inclined surfaces 44a, 44b, rear path forming member 45, and upper path forming member 47, etc. Since the recording medium 22 slides on these members forming the transport path 40, materials such as resin with a low coefficient of friction are used. The lower path forming member 41a is an example of the lower path forming member of the present invention.

[0028] The transport path 40 includes an intermediate roller 42 and a transport roller 43 as transport rollers that transport the recording medium 22 in the transport direction. The intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 use materials with a high coefficient of friction, such as rubber or resin-based elastomer, on the surfaces that come into contact with the recording medium 22.

[0029] The transport path 40 extends from below the base frame 67, through the rear, and up. In the transport path 40, the lower path forming member 41a and inclined surface 44a or lower path forming member 41b and inclined surface 44b, rear path forming member 45, intermediate roller 42, upper path forming member 47, and transport roller 43 are arranged in that order from upstream towards the downstream support section 31.

[0030] The lower path forming members 41a, 41b and the inclined surfaces 44a, 44b are positioned below the base frame 67. The lower path forming members 41a and the inclined surface 44a are positioned corresponding to the roll body 25a. The lower path forming members 41b and the inclined surface 44b are positioned corresponding to the roll body 25b. The lower path forming members 41a, 41b correspond to the back surface of the recording surface of the recording medium 22, and the inclined surfaces 44a, 44b correspond to the recording surface of the recording medium 22.

[0031] The rear-side path forming member 45 is positioned behind the base frame 67. The recording medium 22 is transported upward along the rear-side path forming member 45.

[0032] The transport direction of the recording medium 22 is changed to approximately the +Y direction by the intermediate roller 42. In the transport direction of the recording medium 22 being transported to the support surface 31s of the support section 31, the intermediate roller 42, the upper side path forming member 47, and the transport roller 43 are located on the upstream side and positioned above and towards the rear of the base frame 67.

[0033] The intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 rotate counterclockwise in a side view from the -X direction, driven by a motor (not shown), to transport the recording medium 22 downstream. The upper side path forming member 47 is located between the intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 and guides the recording medium 22.

[0034] A support section 31 is positioned downstream of the transport roller 43 and above the base frame 67. The recording head 34 of the recording unit 30 is positioned above the support section 31. The support section 31 has a negative pressure chamber 31r, a support surface 31s, and a number of openings, which will be described later. The support surface 31s supports the recording medium 22 at a position facing the recording unit 30. Recording is performed on the recording medium 22 at this position.

[0035] The negative pressure chamber 31r is located below the support surface 31s. Multiple openings are provided in the support surface 31s, communicating with the support surface 31s from inside the negative pressure chamber 31r. The support surface 31s is located above the negative pressure chamber 31r, facing the recording unit 30 in the Z direction.

[0036] The recording device 10 includes a negative pressure mechanism 75 and a duct 73. The negative pressure mechanism 75 is located in front of the base frame 67. The duct 73 is inside the base frame 67 and is curved. One end of the base frame 67 is connected to the rear of the negative pressure mechanism 75, and the other end protrudes upward from the base frame 67 and communicates with the negative pressure chamber 31r.

[0037] The duct 73 connects the negative pressure chamber 31r and the negative pressure mechanism 75. The negative pressure mechanism 75 includes, for example, a suction fan and creates negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31r. That is, the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure mechanism 75 causes the recording medium 22 to be attracted to the support surface 31s. This suppresses the occurrence of wrinkles and misalignment of the recording medium 22 on the support portion 31.

[0038] The recording head 34 is located below the carriage 33 and is positioned opposite the support surface 31s. Although not shown in the figures, the recording head 34 includes an actuator, which is a means for driving ink ejection. Examples of actuators include piezoelectric elements, electromechanical conversion elements that displace a diaphragm by electrostatic attraction, and electrothermal conversion elements that eject ink droplets by generating bubbles through heating.

[0039] The carriage 33 is supported by guide rails (not shown) of the main frame 61. The main frame 61 is a rectangular prism with a roughly rectangular cross-section. The main frame 61 is positioned above the intermediate roller 42, with the height direction of the rectangular prism aligned with the X direction.

[0040] The main frame 61 supports the carriage 33 of the recording unit 30 so that it can move in the X direction via guide rails. That is, the carriage 33 is scanned in the X direction by the drive of a motor (not shown) while being supported by the main frame 61. The recording medium 22 is transported while the carriage 33 is scanned, and ink is applied to the recording medium 22 from the recording head 34, thereby recording images, colors, text, etc. on the recording medium 22 and creating a recorded material.

[0041] The recording device 10 includes a maintenance tank 83 for recovering ink discarded on the support surface 31s during borderless printing and other operations. The maintenance tank 83 is positioned above and in front of the base frame 67. Although not shown in the illustration, a trough is connected to the maintenance tank 83 from the support surface 31s. Ink is guided from the support surface 31s into the maintenance tank 83 via this trough. An absorbent material is placed inside the maintenance tank 83 to absorb and retain the ink.

[0042] A cutting section 50 is positioned downstream of the support section 31. The cutting section 50 cuts the recording medium 22 along the X direction at a desired position. The recording medium 22 is then discharged forward as recorded material from the paper output opening 53 described above.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3, the frame 60 of the recording device 10 comprises a main frame 61, a base frame 67, a lower frame 65, a pair of side frames 62 and 63, a subframe 69, and a subbase frame 68. These are assembled to form the frame 60. The frame 60 holds the recording unit 30, support unit 31, transport path 40, and recording medium holding unit 20 described above.

[0044] The lower frame 65 is located at the very bottom of the frame 60. The lower frame 65 is a member that is long in the X direction and extends along both the X and Y directions. Although not shown in the illustration, the lower frame 65 has several ribs and bends that extend along the X direction. In the X direction, the length of the lower frame 65 is approximately equal to the length of the housing 12 of the recording device 10.

[0045] A pair of side frames 62 and 63 are erected in the Z direction, with their lower ends fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame 65. When viewed from the Y direction, side frame 62 is positioned in the +X direction and side frame 63 is positioned in the -X direction. Side frame 62 has a first portion 62a and a second portion 62b. Side frame 63 has a first portion 63a and a second portion 63b.

[0046] The first parts 62a and 63a extend in the Z and Y directions. The second part 62b extends from the first part 62a by bending in the X direction, more specifically in the -X direction. The second part 63b extends from the first part 63a by bending in the X direction, more specifically in the +X direction. The pair of side frames 62 and 63 are arranged opposite each other in the X direction with a predetermined distance between them. This predetermined distance is, for example, longer than the length of the roll body 25a in the X direction.

[0047] The four leg sections 11 are positioned so that, when viewed from the Z direction, they overlap with either the first sections 62a, 63a or the second sections 62b, 63b. Specifically, the leg section 11 in the -X direction and facing forward overlaps with the first section 63a, and the leg section 11 in the -X direction and facing backward overlaps with the second section 63b. Also, the leg section 11 in the +X direction and facing forward overlaps with the first section 62a, and the leg section 11 in the +X direction and facing backward overlaps with the second section 62b.

[0048] As a result, the legs 11 are provided at the position where the lower frame 65 fixes the side frames 62 and 63, so the lower frame 65 is reinforced by the side frames 62 and 63, and deformation of the lower frame 65 can be suppressed. In addition, the four legs 11 allow the recording device 10 to be installed stably.

[0049] The base frame 67 is a roughly rectangular prism-shaped box, with the height of the prism aligned with the X-axis. In the Z-direction, the base frame 67 is held between the pair of side frames 62 and 63, above the middle of the pair. The base frame 67 holds a part of the main components of the recording device 10.

[0050] The recording medium holding unit 20 described above is positioned between a pair of side frames 62 and 63 in the X direction, and between the base frame 67 and the lower frame 65 in the Z direction.

[0051] The main frame 61 is supported by the upper ends of a pair of side frames 62 and 63. The main frame 61 extends further in the +X direction than the side frames 62 and further in the -X direction than the side frames 63. In the X direction, the length of the main frame 61 is approximately equal to the length of the lower frame 65. Since the main frame 61 is fixed to the pair of side frames 62 and 63 together with the lower frame 65 in the X direction, the rigidity of the frame 60 is further improved.

[0052] The subframe 69 and subbase frame 68 are positioned in the -X direction, which is one of the X directions. The subframe 69 and subbase frame 68 are not limited to being positioned in the -X direction, but may be positioned on both sides or one side of the X direction, one of the -X directions and the other of the +X direction.

[0053] The subframe 69 is erected in the Z direction, with its lower end fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame 65. The side frame 63 and the subframe 69 are positioned opposite each other in the X direction via a subbase frame 68. The upper end of the subframe 69 supports the main frame 61.

[0054] The sub-base frame 68 has three wall surfaces 68a, 68c, and 68d that extend in the X direction. Wall surface 68a is aligned with the XY plane, and wall surfaces 68c and 68d are aligned with the XZ plane. The ink cartridge 35 described above is housed above the sub-base frame 68. This improves the rigidity of the frame 60 and allows for effective use of the space inside the frame 60. An ink tank with a larger capacity than the ink cartridge 35 may be housed between the sub-base frame 68 and the lower frame 65.

[0055] When viewed from the Y direction, the base frame 67 and the sub-base frame 68 are in different positions in the Z direction. Therefore, the rigidity of the frame 60 is further improved.

[0056] The side frames 62, 63, lower frame 65, base frame 67, sub-base frame 68, and sub-frame 69, etc., are made of flat plates of iron, aluminum, alloy, etc., and are formed by processing such as drilling and bending. For the assembly of the frame 60, means such as fitting, fastening with screws or rivets, and joining are employed individually or in combination. In addition to the frames described above, the frame 60 may have additional structural members.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, the base frame 67 has four wall surfaces extending in the X direction: an upper wall surface 67a, a lower wall surface 67b, a front wall surface 67c, and a rear wall surface 67d. In the following description, these four wall surfaces may be collectively referred to as the four wall surfaces 67w.

[0058] The four wall surfaces 67w are roughly rectangular in shape, elongated in the X direction. The upper wall surface 67a and the lower wall surface 67b are aligned along the XY plane and face each other in the Z direction. The front wall surface 67c and the rear wall surface 67d are aligned along the XZ plane and face each other in the Y direction.

[0059] On the upper wall surface 67a, the end in the +X direction is designated as end 67a1, and the end in the -X direction is designated as end 67a2. On the lower wall surface 67b, the end in the +X direction is designated as end 67b1, and the end in the -X direction is designated as end 67b2. On the front wall surface 67c, the end in the +X direction is designated as end 67c1, and the end in the -X direction is designated as end 67c2. On the rear wall surface 67d, the end in the +X direction is designated as end 67d1, and the end in the -X direction is designated as end 67d2.

[0060] A through-hole 67h1 is located on the upper wall surface 67a, closer to the end 67a2 than the center in the X direction. A through-hole 67h2 is located on the front wall surface 67c, closer to the end 67c2 than the center in the X direction. The through-holes 67h1 and 67h2 correspond to the duct 73 shown by the dashed line. The duct 73 protrudes upward from the through-hole 67h1 and is connected to the negative pressure chamber 31r described above. The duct 73 is also connected to the negative pressure mechanism 75 described above via the through-hole 67h2.

[0061] As shown in Figure 5, three of the four wall surfaces 67w of the base frame 67, in the -X direction (one of the X directions), have ends 67a2, 67c2, and 67d2 fixed to one of the pair of side frames 62, 63, which is side frame 63, from the +X direction. Note that all four ends 67a2, 67b2, 67c2, and 67d2 of the four wall surfaces 67w may be fixed to the side frame 63, but it is sufficient if at least two of the four ends 67a2, 67b2, 67c2, and 67d2 are fixed.

[0062] Although not shown in the diagram, in the same manner as described above, three of the ends 67a1, 67c1, and 67d1 of the four wall surfaces 67w in the +X direction, which is the other direction of the X direction, are fixed to the other side frame 62 of the pair of side frames 62, 63 from the -X direction. Note that all four ends 67a1, 67b1, 67c1, and 67d1 of the four wall surfaces 67w may be fixed to the side frame 63, but it is sufficient if at least two of the four ends 67a1, 67b1, 67c1, and 67d1 are fixed.

[0063] As a result, at least two of the four wall surfaces 67w are sandwiched and fixed between the pair of side frames 62 and 63. Therefore, the rigidity of the frame 60 can be further improved.

[0064] The intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 are rotatably held by the side frame 63 at the ends of their axes in the -X direction. Although not shown in the illustration, the intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 are rotatably held by the side frame 62 at the ends of their axes in the +X direction.

[0065] When viewed from the X direction, the main frame 61 is positioned behind and above the base frame 67. This ensures a range of motion for the recording unit 30 (not shown), which is supported by the main frame 61 and moves in the X direction.

[0066] When viewed from the Z direction, the recording medium holding section 20 is located on the front wall surface 67c side of the base frame 67 in the Y direction. Also, when viewed from the Z direction, at least a portion of the recording medium holding section 20 is positioned overlapping with the base frame 67 in the Y direction. As a result, the length in the front-to-back direction is shortened, and the recording device 10 can be made more compact.

[0067] As shown in Figure 6, the duct 73, which is a functional component related to recording of the recording unit 30, is arranged inside the four wall surfaces 67w of the base frame 67. Therefore, the interior of the base frame 67 is effectively utilized, and the recording device 10 can be made smaller. Note that the functional component arranged inside the four wall surfaces 67w is not limited to the duct 73. Here, the functional component includes all components attached to the base frame 67, such as the negative pressure chamber 31r, the negative pressure mechanism 75, and the maintenance tank 83.

[0068] Of the four wall surfaces 67w of the base frame 67, the negative pressure chamber 31r is held above the upper wall surface 67a. Therefore, multiple openings (not shown) communicating from the support surface 31s to the negative pressure chamber 31r are located on the outside of the base frame 67. This eliminates the need to provide holes in the base frame 67 to correspond to the multiple openings, thereby improving the rigidity of the base frame 67. In addition, because the negative pressure chamber 31r is located on the outside of the base frame 67, the maintainability of the negative pressure chamber 31r can be improved.

[0069] The negative pressure chamber 31r may be partially or entirely located inside the base frame 67. That is, for example, the negative pressure chamber 31r may be held below the upper wall surface 67a. This allows the interior of the base frame 67 to be effectively utilized, making it possible to miniaturize the recording device 10.

[0070] Of the four walls 67w of the base frame 67, the negative pressure mechanism 75 is held in the +Y direction on the front wall 67c. Therefore, air can be flowed from the negative pressure mechanism 75 to the front of the recording device 10 through the front wall 67c.

[0071] The negative pressure mechanism 75 may be partially or entirely located inside the base frame 67. That is, for example, the negative pressure mechanism 75 may be held in the -Y direction of the front wall surface 67c. This allows the interior of the base frame 67 to be effectively utilized, making the recording device 10 more compact.

[0072] The maintenance tank 83 is positioned between the upper wall surface 67a of the base frame 67 and the negative pressure chamber 31r.

[0073] The lower path forming member 41a is held on the lower wall surface 67b of the base frame 67, which is one of the four wall surfaces 67w. The rear path forming member 45 is held on the rear wall surface 67d of the base frame 67, which is one of the four wall surfaces 67w. The upper path forming member 47 is held on the upper wall surface 67a of the base frame 67, which is one of the four wall surfaces 67w.

[0074] As described above, each component is held in place by the four wall surfaces 67w of the base frame 67, and the four wall surfaces 67w are effectively utilized.

[0075] As shown in Figure 7, the support portion 31 has an elongated shape in the X direction. The upper part of the duct 73 communicates with the negative pressure chamber 31r. Note that Figure 7 shows the duct 73 cut along a plane that divides it equally in the X direction along the YZ plane.

[0076] The negative pressure chamber 31r is a small, elongated room-like space in the X direction. A support surface 31s is positioned above the negative pressure chamber 31r. In the negative pressure chamber 31r, all areas except the region communicating with the duct 73 and the multiple openings of the support surface 31s (described later) are closed off.

[0077] A trough 85 is connected to the support surface 31s in the +Y direction. The upper surface of the trough 85 is inclined downward in the +Y direction. As a result, the trough 85 guides the ink discarded on the support surface 31s to the maintenance tank 83 described above.

[0078] As shown in Figure 8, the support surface 31s has a plurality of openings 31h that communicate with the negative pressure chamber 31r. When the negative pressure chamber 31r is subjected to negative pressure, air is drawn into the negative pressure chamber 31r from the plurality of openings 31h. As a result, the recording medium 22 (not shown) is attracted to the support surface 31s.

[0079] On the support surface 31s, a groove 31g is provided next to the region where multiple openings 31h are located. The groove 31g includes multiple grooves extending in the Y direction. In the groove 31g, the ink ejected onto the support surface 31s is guided to a trough 85 in the +Y direction.

[0080] As shown in Figure 9, the base frame 67 is arranged with a plurality of shaft support members 91 and a pair of support member 93.

[0081] The shaft support members 91 are arranged in two positions on the upper wall surface 67a of the base frame 67, inward from both ends of the shafts of the intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 in the X direction. The shaft support members 91 are located below the intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 and rotatably support the shafts. Because the shafts are supported at two points by the shaft support members 91, deflection in the intermediate roller 42 and the transport roller 43 is suppressed, improving the transportability of the recording medium 22. The number of shaft support members 91 is not limited to two, but may be three or more.

[0082] Each of the pair of support members 93 is positioned above the negative pressure chamber 31r (not shown) in the Z direction, corresponding to the two shaft support members 91. As shown in Figure 10, each support member 93 is supported by the upper wall surface 67a of the base frame 67 and extends in the Y direction, supporting the shaft support members 91 near its end in the -Y direction. The support portion 31 (not shown) is located above the pair of support members 93 and is supported below by the pair of support members 93. In other words, the pair of support members 93 supports the support portion 31 and the two shaft support members 91.

[0083] Returning to Figure 9, the upper path forming members 47 are arranged in a line of three in the X direction. The three upper path forming members 47 are held on the upper wall surface 67a of the base frame 67 in the X direction, except at the positions where the shaft support member 91 and the support member 93 are positioned. This prevents interference between the upper path forming members 47 and the shaft support member 91 and the support member 93.

[0084] As described above, each member is held on the upper wall surface 67a of the base frame 67, and the upper wall surface 67a is effectively utilized.

[0085] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0086] In the recording device 10, mechanical strength is improved and installation space can be reduced. Specifically, the frame 60 is assembled from a lower frame 65, a pair of side frames 62 and 63, and a base frame 67. The base frame 67 has excellent rigidity because it has four wall surfaces 67w. The pair of side frames 62 and 63 support the base frame 67 by sandwiching it between them. The lower frame 65 supports the lower ends of the pair of side frames 62 and 63. These components form a compact and highly rigid frame 60.

[0087] The frame 60 is assembled, and the main components are held within the frame 60. As a result, the protrusions and indentations of the external shape are reduced, improving the aesthetic design of the recording device 10. Therefore, it is possible to provide a recording device 10 that is excellent in terms of design and mechanical strength, and reduces the installation space required. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 10...Recording device, 11...Legs, 20...Recording medium holder, 22...Recording medium, 25a, 25b...Roll body, 30...Recording section, 31...Support section, 31h...Opening, 31s...Support surface, 31r...Negative pressure chamber, 40...Conveyor path, 41a...Bottom side path forming member, 42...Intermediate roller, 43...Conveyor roller, 45...Rear side path forming member, 47...Top side path forming member, 60...Frame, 61...Main frame, 62, 63...Side frame, 6 2a, 63a...First part, 62b, 63b...Second part, 65...Lower frame, 67...Base frame, 67a...Upper wall, 67a1, 67a2, 67b1, 67b2, 67c1, 67c2, 67d1, 67d2...End, 67c...Front wall, 67w...Four wall surfaces, 68...Subbase frame, 69...Subframe, 73...Duct, 75...Negative pressure mechanism, 83...Maintenance tank, 91...Shaft support member, 93...Support part support member.

Claims

1. Records Department, A support portion having a support surface for supporting the recording medium recorded by the recording portion, located opposite the recording portion, The support unit has a transport path for transporting the recording medium, A recording medium holding unit holds a roll body in which the recording medium is wound and supplies the recording medium to the transport path, The recording unit, the support unit, the transport path, and the frame that holds the recording medium holding unit are included. The aforementioned frame is A lower frame extending along a first direction and along a second direction intersecting the first direction, A pair of side frames extending along a third direction intersecting the first and second directions, and the second direction, with their lower ends fixed to the lower frame and erected in the third direction, and arranged at a predetermined distance apart in the first direction, The system comprises a base frame held between a pair of side frames and having four wall surfaces extending in the first direction: an upper wall surface, a lower wall surface, a front wall surface, and a rear wall surface, Functional components related to recording in the recording unit are arranged inside the four wall surfaces of the base frame. The recording device is characterized in that the support portion is located outside the base frame and is separate from the base frame.

2. The four wall surfaces of the base frame are At least two of the four ends in one of the first directions are fixed to one of the pair of side frames. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two of the four ends in the other of the first direction are fixed to the other of the pair of side frames.

3. It is equipped with a negative pressure mechanism and a duct, The aforementioned support portion is A negative pressure chamber is located below the support surface, The support surface is provided with a plurality of openings that communicate with the support surface from inside the negative pressure chamber, The negative pressure mechanism creates a negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber, The recording device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the duct connects the negative pressure chamber and the negative pressure mechanism and is arranged on the inside of the four wall surfaces of the base frame.

4. Of the four wall surfaces of the base frame, the negative pressure chamber is held on the upper wall surface. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the support surface is positioned above the negative pressure chamber and facing the recording section.

5. The recording device according to claim 3 or claim 4, characterized in that the negative pressure mechanism is held on the front wall surface of the four wall surfaces of the base frame.

6. The recording unit is equipped with a maintenance tank for collecting the liquid discharged by the unit, The recording device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the maintenance tank is disposed between the upper wall surface of the base frame and the negative pressure chamber.

7. The transport path has a transport roller on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium being transported to the support surface, which transports the recording medium in the transport direction. The transport roller has both ends of its shaft rotatably held by the side frame, A recording device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that a plurality of shaft support members are arranged on the upper wall surface of the base frame, inward in the first direction from both ends of the shaft, to rotatably support the shaft.

8. The negative pressure chamber has a pair of support members arranged in the third direction, supporting the shaft support member and extending in the second direction, The recording device according to claim 7, characterized in that the support portion is supported by the support member of the support portion.

9. The base frame holds the upper side path forming member that forms the transport path on the upper wall surface among the four wall surfaces, The recording device according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterized in that the upper side path forming member is held by the base frame in the first direction at a position other than the position where the shaft support member is arranged.

10. The recording medium holding unit is positioned between the base frame and the lower frame. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the base frame holds a lower side path forming member that forms the transport path at the lower wall surface, and a rear side path forming member that forms the transport path at the rear wall surface, among the four wall surfaces.

11. When viewed from the third direction, the recording medium holding portion is Located on the front wall side of the base frame, The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that at least a portion of it is arranged to overlap with the base frame in the second direction.

12. The frame comprises a main frame that supports the recording unit so that it can move in the first direction, The aforementioned mainframe is Supported by the upper ends of the pair of side frames and extending in the first direction, The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, when viewed from the second direction, it is positioned rearward and above the base frame.

13. The frame comprises a subframe and a subbase frame on one or both sides in the first direction, The side frame and the subframe are arranged opposite each other via the subbase frame. The recording device according to any one of claims 2 to 12, characterized in that the sub-base frame has three wall surfaces extending in the first direction.

14. The recording device according to claim 13, characterized in that, when viewed from the second direction, the base frame and the sub-base frame are in different positions.

15. It comprises four legs that support the lower frame, The side frame has a first portion extending in the second direction and a second portion extending from the first portion in the first direction by bending, The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the four legs are arranged to overlap either the first portion or the second portion when viewed from the third direction.

Images