Inkjet printer, method for controlling inkjet printer, and printing device

Abstract

Provided is an inkjet printer capable of reducing a work load of an operator even when the height of an inkjet head can be changed in the inkjet printer having a bidirectional printing function.　In this inkjet printer, when ink is discharged from an inkjet head 3 disposed at an upper side position 3A, a control unit of the inkjet printer controls discharge timing of the ink from the inkjet head 3 so that a deviation between a landing position of the ink when a carriage moves to a Y1 direction side and a landing position of the ink when the carriage moves to a Y2 direction side is corrected, on the basis of a first deviation amount S1 and a second deviation amount S2 of the landing position of the ink that are measured and stored in the control unit.

Description

Inkjet printer, inkjet printer control method, and printing device

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head, a method for controlling such an inkjet printer, and a printing device.

[0002] Inkjet printers that print by ejecting ink onto a medium are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The inkjet printers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 include an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a main scanning drive unit that moves the carriage back and forth in the main scanning direction, and a platen located below the carriage. The medium to be printed is placed on the platen.

[0003] The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 is an inkjet printer with a so-called bidirectional printing function, in which the inkjet head ejects ink on both a forward pass in which the carriage moves in one direction in the main scanning direction and a return pass in which the carriage moves in the other direction in the main scanning direction to perform printing. In an inkjet printer that performs bidirectional printing, in order to ensure print quality, it is necessary to correct the deviation between the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head on the forward pass and the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head on the return pass.

[0004] Therefore, in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, ink is ejected from the inkjet head while the carriage is moved back and forth in the main scanning direction, and a correction pattern is printed to correct the deviation between the ink landing position on the forward pass and the ink landing position on the return pass. Also, in this inkjet printer, the amount of deviation between the ink landing position on the forward pass and the ink landing position on the return pass is calculated based on the detection results of a detection mechanism that detects the density of the correction pattern, and the landing position is corrected based on the calculated amount of deviation.

[0005] The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 2 has a function for adjusting the height of the inkjet head relative to the platen. In this inkjet printer, the height of the inkjet head relative to the platen can be adjusted in two stages.

[0006] Also known as a printing device that prints on media is an inkjet printing device that ejects droplets from a head onto the media (see, for example, Patent Document 3). This type of printing device has a table on which the media is placed, a head that ejects ink from multiple nozzles toward the table, a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction along the table, and multiple ink bottles that supply ink to the head.

[0007] JP 2021-62491 A JP 2016-215432 A JP 2023-134953 A

[0008] The present inventor is developing an inkjet printer with a bidirectional printing function, similar to the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1. The present inventor decided to add the inkjet head height adjustment function described in Patent Document 2 to the inkjet printer under development. In the inkjet printer under development, even if ink is ejected at the same ejection timing from inkjet heads moving in the same direction, the ink landing position changes depending on the height of the inkjet head.

[0009] Therefore, in this inkjet printer under development, even if the deviation between the ink landing position on the forward pass and the ink landing position on the return pass is corrected when the inkjet head is positioned at a certain height, if the height of the inkjet head changes, it will be necessary to print the correction pattern again and correct the deviation based on the detection results of the density of the correction pattern, which will increase the workload of the inkjet printer operator.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer and a control method for an inkjet printer that has a bidirectional printing function and that can reduce the workload on an operator even when the height of the inkjet head can be changed.

[0011] Furthermore, in a printing device such as that disclosed in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to arrange the ink bottles in appropriate positions, taking into consideration maintenance work such as replacement.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has as its object to provide a printing device that is easy to maintain.

[0013] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an inkjet printer of the present invention is an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, the inkjet printer comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction; and a control unit that controls the inkjet printer, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, wherein one side in the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side, and the other side in the main scanning direction opposite the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and wherein landing position correction refers to correcting a deviation between a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference movement speed, and a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference movement speed, and the landing position corrected by the landing position correction. a first deviation amount is a deviation between the corrected landing position and a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing position when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage moves in a first direction at a predetermined first moving speed; and a second deviation amount is a deviation between the corrected landing position and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing position when the inkjet head is disposed at the first height and the carriage moves in a second direction at the first moving speed; the control unit stores the measured first deviation amount and the second deviation amount, and when ejecting ink from the inkjet head disposed at the first height while moving the carriage, the control unit controls the ejection timing of ink from the inkjet head so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction is corrected based on the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount.

[0014] Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a control method for an inkjet printer of the present invention provides an inkjet printer including an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction, the carriage including a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered, and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, one side in the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side, and the other side in the main scanning direction opposite the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and the control method performs impact position correction to correct a deviation between an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference movement speed, and an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference movement speed, The ink landing position at the printing location after correction is defined as the corrected landing position, the first deviation amount is defined as the amount of deviation between the first landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage is moved in a first direction at a predetermined first movement speed, and the corrected landing position, and the second deviation amount is defined as the amount of deviation between the second landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the first height and the carriage is moved in a second direction at the first movement speed, and the corrected landing position, the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount are measured and stored, and when ink is ejected from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while the carriage is moved, the timing of ejection of ink from the inkjet head is controlled based on the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage is moved in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage is moved in the second direction is corrected.

[0015] In the present invention, when ink is ejected from an inkjet head positioned at a predetermined first height, the timing of ink ejection from the inkjet head is controlled based on the first and second deviation amounts so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction is corrected.

[0016] Therefore, in this invention, when the height of the inkjet head changes, it is possible to automatically correct the deviation of the ink landing position without having to print a correction pattern to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction. Therefore, in this invention, even if the height of the inkjet head can be changed, it is possible to reduce the workload on the operator.

[0017] Furthermore, in the present invention, because the first and second deviation amounts are measured and stored, the first and second deviation amounts can be determined with greater accuracy than when the first and second deviation amounts are calculated based on a formula, for example. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to accurately correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction.

[0018] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an inkjet printer of the present invention is an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, the inkjet printer comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction; and a control unit that controls the inkjet printer, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, wherein one side in the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side, and the other side in the main scanning direction opposite the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and wherein landing position correction refers to correcting a deviation between a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference movement speed, and a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference movement speed, and the landing position correction the landing position of the ink at the printing location after the correction is made is defined as the corrected landing position; the first deviation amount is defined as the amount of deviation between the first landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage moves in a first direction at a predetermined first movement speed, and the corrected landing position; and the second deviation amount is defined as the amount of deviation between the second landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the first height and the carriage moves in a second direction at the first movement speed, and the corrected landing position, the control unit calculates the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount based on a predetermined calculation formula when ejecting ink from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while moving the carriage, and controls the ejection timing of the ink from the inkjet head based on the calculated first deviation amount and second deviation amount so as to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction.

[0019] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, there is provided a control method for an inkjet printer of the present invention, which includes an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction, the carriage including a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered, and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, wherein, when one side in the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side in the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, an impact position correction is performed to correct a deviation between an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference movement speed, and an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference movement speed, a first deviation amount is a deviation between the corrected landing position and a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing position when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage is moved in a first direction at a predetermined first movement speed; and a second deviation amount is a deviation between the corrected landing position and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing position when the inkjet head is positioned at the first height and the carriage is moved in a second direction at the first movement speed. When ink is ejected from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while the carriage is moving, the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount are calculated based on a predetermined formula, and the timing of ejection of ink from the inkjet head is controlled based on the calculated first deviation amount and second deviation amount so as to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage is moved in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage is moved in the second direction.

[0020] In the present invention, when ink is ejected from an inkjet head positioned at a predetermined first height, a first deviation amount and a second deviation amount are calculated based on a predetermined calculation formula, and the timing of ink ejection from the inkjet head is controlled based on the calculated first deviation amount and second deviation amount so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction is corrected.

[0021] Therefore, in this invention, when the height of the inkjet head changes, it is possible to automatically correct the deviation of the ink landing position without having to print a correction pattern to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction. Therefore, in this invention, even if the height of the inkjet head can be changed, it is possible to reduce the workload on the operator.

[0022] In the present invention, for example, when ink is ejected from an inkjet head positioned at a first height while moving the carriage at a predetermined second movement speed, the control unit controls the timing of ink ejection from the inkjet head based on the first deviation amount, the second deviation amount, the first movement speed, and the second movement speed so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction is corrected.

[0023] In the present invention, for example, the lifting mechanism raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body between an upper position and a lower position lower than the upper position, and the height of the inkjet head placed in the upper position is either the reference height or the first height, and the height of the inkjet head placed in the lower position is the other of the reference height or the first height.

[0024] In addition, the printing device of the present invention comprises a table on which media is placed, a head that ejects ink from multiple nozzles toward the table, a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction along the top surface of the table, and an ink supply unit that is arranged below the front side of the table and supplies ink to the head, the ink supply unit having a stage that appears and disappears from the table to its front side by sliding in the sub-scanning direction, and a plurality of container mounting units that are arranged on the top surface of the stage and to which ink containers can be attached and detached, and the plurality of container mounting units are arranged in rows on the top surface of the stage in the main scanning direction, and in multiple rows in the sub-scanning direction.

[0025] As described above, the present invention can reduce the workload of an operator in an inkjet printer with bidirectional printing capabilities, even if the height of the inkjet head can be changed. Furthermore, the present invention can provide a printing device that is easy to maintain.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for controlling the ejection timing of ink ejected from the inkjet head shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram (front view) illustrating an example of the schematic configuration of a printing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram (plan view) illustrating an example of the schematic configuration of a printing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram (side view viewed from the +Y side) illustrating an example of the schematic configuration of a printing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an ink supply unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the stage has been moved in the X direction (a state in which the stage is placed in the housed position). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the stage has been moved in the X direction (a state in which the stage is placed in the protruding position).

[0027] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0028] (Configuration and Control Method of Inkjet Printer) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an inkjet printer 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the inkjet printer 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for controlling the ejection timing of ink ejected from the inkjet head 3 shown in Fig. 1.

[0029] The inkjet printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 1") of this embodiment is, for example, a commercial inkjet printer that prints on a medium 2 such as paper or fabric. The printer 1 includes an inkjet head 3 (hereinafter referred to as "head 3") that ejects ink toward the medium 2, a carriage 4 on which the head 3 is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism 5 that moves the carriage 4 back and forth in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) that is perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction), a guide rail 6 that guides the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction, and a platen 7 on which the medium 2 is placed.

[0030] The printer 1 also includes a control unit 9 for controlling the printer 1. The printer 1 also includes a medium transport mechanism for transporting the medium 2 in a sub-scanning direction (X direction in FIG. 1 ) perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction. The medium transport mechanism includes a transport roller for transporting the medium 2, a roller drive mechanism for driving the transport roller, and a plurality of pinch rollers disposed opposite the transport roller and biased toward the transport roller. The roller drive mechanism includes a motor as a drive source. The medium 2 is transported while sandwiched between the transport roller and the pinch roller.

[0031] In the following description, the main scanning direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "left-right direction," and the sub-scanning direction (X direction) is referred to as the "front-rear direction." Furthermore, the Y1 direction side in FIG. 1 , which is one side of the left-right direction, is referred to as the "left side," and the Y2 direction side in FIG. 1 , which is the opposite side of the left side, is referred to as the "right side." In this embodiment, the left side (Y1 direction side) is the first direction side, which is one side of the main scanning direction, and the right side (Y2 direction side) is the second direction side, which is the opposite side of the first direction side (i.e., the other side of the main scanning direction). Furthermore, the left-right direction (Y direction) in this embodiment is the width direction of the medium 2. Furthermore, the up-down direction is the thickness direction of the medium 2 placed on the platen 7 during printing, and the front-rear direction (X direction) is the transport direction of the medium 2 moving over the platen 7.

[0032] The printer 1 is a printer with bidirectional printing capabilities. In the printer 1, for example, the head 3 ejects ink to print on the medium 2 on both the outward path where the carriage 4 moves to the left and the return path where the carriage 4 moves to the right. In the printer 1, printing on the medium 2 is performed by alternately repeating the reciprocating movement of the carriage 4 in the left-right direction by the carriage drive mechanism 5 and the transport operation of the medium 2 by the medium transport mechanism.

[0033] The head 3 ejects ink downward. An ink ejection surface 3a is formed on the underside of the head 3, on which a large number of nozzles that eject ink are arranged. The ink ejection surface 3a has a plurality of nozzle rows arranged in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The nozzle rows are made up of a large number of nozzles arranged in the front-to-rear direction. The head 3 is equipped with a large number of piezoelectric elements 10 that eject ink from each of the large number of nozzles. The piezoelectric elements 10 are electrically connected to the control unit 9. The platen 7 is located below the carriage 4. The medium 2 is placed on the platen 7 during printing.

[0034] The carriage drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is stretched over the two pulleys and has a portion fixed to the carriage 4, and a motor that rotates the pulleys. The movement speed of the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction when printing on the medium 2 (i.e., the movement speed of the head 3) varies depending on the ink ejection frequency from the head 3 (i.e., the drive frequency of the piezoelectric element 10) and the resolution of the image printed on the medium 2. Therefore, for example, if the ink ejection frequency from the head 3 is constant, the movement speed of the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction when printing on the medium 2 varies depending on the resolution of the image printed on the medium 2.

[0035] In the following, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the ink ejection frequency from the head 3 is constant. Also, in the following, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that printing is performed on the medium 2 at three resolutions: 300 dpi (dots per inch), 600 dpi, and 1200 dpi. In the following explanation, the movement speed of the carriage 4 when printing on the medium 2 at 300 dpi is referred to as "movement speed A," the movement speed of the carriage 4 when printing on the medium 2 at 600 dpi is referred to as "movement speed B," and the movement speed of the carriage 4 when printing on the medium 2 at 1200 dpi is referred to as "movement speed C." Movement speed B is half the speed of movement speed A, and movement speed C is half the speed of movement speed B. It is to be noted that the ink ejection frequency from the head 3 does not have to be constant. Furthermore, printing on the medium 2 may be performed at three or more resolutions.

[0036] In the printer 1, the mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 is adjustable. That is, the vertical gap (head gap) between the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 and the upper surface of the platen 7 is adjustable. The mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 is adjusted depending on factors such as the thickness of the medium 2 on which printing is to be performed. The mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 may also be adjusted to stabilize the image printed on the medium 2.

[0037] The carriage 4 includes a carriage body 11 that holds the head 3 so that it can be raised and lowered, and an elevator mechanism 12 that raises and lowers the head 3 relative to the carriage body 11. The elevator mechanism 12 includes, for example, a head holding member that holds the head 3, and an eccentric cam that contacts the head holding member to raise and lower it. The eccentric cam is rotatably held by the carriage body 11. The elevator mechanism 12 is, for example, a manual mechanism that does not have a drive source, and the operator of the printer 1 manually rotates the eccentric cam to raise and lower the head holding member. The elevator mechanism 12 may also include a drive source such as a motor for rotating the eccentric cam.

[0038] In this embodiment, the height of the head 3 relative to the carriage body 11 can be adjusted in two stages. The lifting mechanism 12 raises and lowers the head 3 relative to the carriage body 11 between an upper position 3A (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 ) and a lower position 3B (see the solid line in FIG. 1 ) that is lower than the upper position 3A. When printing on the medium 2, the head 3 is positioned at either the upper position 3A or the lower position 3B. For example, when the head 3 is positioned at the lower position 3B, the head gap G1 (see FIG. 1 ) is 1.5 mm, and when the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A, the head gap G2 (see FIG. 1 ) is 2 mm. In this embodiment, the height of the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B is a predetermined reference height. Furthermore, the height of the head 3 positioned at the upper position 3A is a predetermined first height, and the reference height and the first height are different.

[0039] The control unit 9 recognizes whether the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A or the lower position 3B. In other words, the control unit 9 recognizes the height of the head 3. For example, information regarding the height of the head 3 is input to the control unit 9 by the operator of the printer 1 via a predetermined input device, and the control unit 9 recognizes the height of the head 3 based on the input information. Alternatively, the printer 1 is equipped with a detection mechanism 13 for detecting the height of the head 3 (see FIG. 2), and the control unit 9 recognizes the height of the head 3 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 13.

[0040] As described above, the printer 1 has a bidirectional printing function. In this embodiment, for example, when the printer 1 is installed, impact position correction is performed to correct a deviation between the impact position of ink ejected from the head 3 when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the impact position of ink ejected from the head 3 when the carriage 4 moves to the right. In other words, the impact position correction is performed in advance in the printer 1 before printing on the medium 2.

[0041] In the impact position correction of this embodiment, the deviation between the impact position of ink ejected from the head 3 toward a predetermined printing position P (see FIG. 3A) when the head 3 is positioned at the lower position 3B (i.e., the head 3 is positioned at the reference height) and the carriage 4 moves to the left at the movement speed B, and the impact position of ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing position P when the head 3 is positioned at the lower position 3B and the carriage 4 moves to the right at the movement speed B is corrected. In other words, the impact position correction corrects the deviation of the impact position when the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B is moved at the movement speed B. In the present embodiment, the movement speed B is a predetermined reference movement speed.

[0042] In the landing position correction, first, the carriage 4 is moved to the left while ink is ejected from the head 3 to print a correction pattern on the test medium 2, and then the carriage 4 is moved to the right while ink is ejected from the head 3 to print a correction pattern on the test medium 2. Furthermore, for example, an operator visually checks the correction pattern printed on the medium 2, and a deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right is corrected. Alternatively, the printer 1 may be equipped with a detection mechanism for detecting the density of the correction pattern printed on the medium 2, and a deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right is corrected based on the detection results of the detection mechanism.

[0043] Specifically, in impact position correction, the ejection timing of ink ejected from the head 3 when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ejection timing of ink ejected from the head 3 when the carriage 4 moves to the right are adjusted so that the ink landing positions when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the right are approximately the same. Hereinafter, the ink landing position at the printing location P after correction by impact position correction will be referred to as the post-correction impact position IP (see FIG. 3A).

[0044] When the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B is moved to the upper position 3A (i.e., after changing the height of the head 3), and then ink is ejected from the head 3 while the carriage 4 is moved at a movement speed B to print on the medium 2, if ink is ejected from the head 3 at the ink ejection timing adjusted by the impact position correction, the ink impact position when the carriage 4 moves to the left will be different from the ink impact position when the carriage 4 moves to the right (see Figure 3 (B)).

[0045] In order to correct this deviation in the ink landing position, in this embodiment, the following are measured in advance in the printer 1 before printing on the medium 2: a first deviation amount S1, which is the deviation between the first landing position IP1, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing location P when the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A (i.e., the head 3 is positioned at the first height) and the carriage 4 moves to the left at the movement speed B, and the corrected landing position IP; and a second deviation amount S2, which is the deviation between the second landing position IP2, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing location P when the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A and the carriage 4 moves to the right at the movement speed B, and the corrected landing position IP.

[0046] When measuring the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2, ink is ejected from the head 3 while moving the carriage 4 to print on the medium 2. The measured first deviation amount S1 and second deviation amount S2 are stored in the control unit 9. That is, the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 are stored in advance in the control unit 9 before printing on the medium 2. The movement speed B in this embodiment is a predetermined first movement speed, and in this embodiment, the reference movement speed and the first movement speed are the same speed.

[0047] When printing on a medium 2 by ejecting ink from a head 3 positioned at a lower position 3B (i.e., a head 3 positioned at a reference height) while moving the carriage 4 at a movement speed B, the control unit 9 ejects ink from the head 3 at the ink ejection timing adjusted by the impact position correction.

[0048] On the other hand, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at the upper position 3A (i.e., the head 3 positioned at the first height) while moving the carriage 4, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ink ejection from the head 3 based on the first shift amount S1 and the second shift amount S2 so that the shift between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right is corrected.

[0049] Specifically, for example, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 located at the upper position 3A while moving the carriage 4 at the movement speed B when the deviation amounts S1 and S2 were measured, the control unit 9 uses the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 as they are to control the timing of ink ejection from the head 3 so that the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right approximately coincide with each other. More specifically, the control unit 9 advances the timing of ink ejection from the head 3 so that the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right approximately coincide with each other (see FIG. 3C ). In this case, the movement speed B is the second movement speed.

[0050] On the other hand, if the movement speed of the carriage 4 changes, the ink landing position will change even if ink is ejected from the head 3 at the same ejection timing. Therefore, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 located at the upper position 3A while moving the carriage 4 at a movement speed different from movement speed B, if the first shift amount S1 and the second shift amount S2 are used as is to control the ink ejection timing from the head 3, the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left will be different from the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right.

[0051] Therefore, for example, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 located at the upper position 3A while moving the carriage 4 at movement speed A, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ink ejection from the head 3 so that the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right approximately coincide with each other, using a corrected deviation amount obtained by multiplying the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 by the ratio of movement speed A to movement speed B when the deviation amounts S1 and S2 were measured (i.e., movement speed A / movement speed B). In this case, movement speed A is the second movement speed.

[0052] Furthermore, for example, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 located at the upper position 3A while moving the carriage 4 at the movement speed C, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ejecting ink from the head 3 so that the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right approximately coincide, using a corrected deviation amount obtained by multiplying the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 by the ratio of the movement speed C to the movement speed B when the deviation amounts S1 and S2 were measured (i.e., movement speed C / movement speed B). In this case, the movement speed C is the second movement speed.

[0053] In this way, when ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at the first height while moving the carriage 4 at the second movement speed, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ejecting ink from the head 3 based on the first deviation amount S1, the second deviation amount S2, the movement speed B which is the first movement speed, and the second movement speed so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right is corrected.

[0054] When printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B while moving the carriage 4 at the movement speed A or the movement speed C, the control unit 9 corrects the ink ejection timing adjusted by the impact position correction using a predetermined correction method, and ejects ink from the head 3 at the corrected ink ejection timing.

[0055] (Main effect of this embodiment) As described above, in this embodiment, impact position correction is performed in advance to correct the deviation between the impact position of ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing location P when the head 3 is positioned at the reference height and the carriage 4 moves to the left at the movement speed B, and the impact position of ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing location P when the head 3 is positioned at the reference height and the carriage 4 moves to the right at the movement speed B.

[0056] Furthermore, if the landing position of the ink at the printing location P after correction by the landing position correction is referred to as the corrected landing position IP, in this embodiment, a first deviation amount S1 is the deviation between the corrected landing position IP and the first landing position IP1, which is the landing position of the ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing location P when the head 3 is positioned at the first height and the carriage 4 moves to the left at the movement speed B, and the second deviation amount S2 is the deviation between the corrected landing position IP and the second landing position IP2, which is the landing position of the ink ejected from the head 3 toward the printing location P when the head 3 is positioned at the first height and the carriage 4 moves to the right at the movement speed B, and these are measured in advance before printing on the medium 2, and the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 are stored in advance in the control unit 9.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at a first height while moving the carriage 4, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ink ejection from the head 3 based on the first deviation amount S1 and second deviation amount S2 stored in advance so that the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right is corrected.

[0058] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the height of the head 3 changes from the reference height to the first height, it is possible to automatically correct the deviation of the ink landing position without having to print a correction pattern to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the height of the head 3 can be changed, it is possible to reduce the workload on the operator.

[0059] (Modification of Ink Ejection Timing Control) In the embodiment described above, the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 do not have to be measured in advance before printing on the medium 2. In this case, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 located at the upper position 3A while moving the carriage 4, the control unit 9 calculates the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 based on a predetermined formula, and controls the ink ejection timing from the head 3 based on the calculated first deviation amount S1 and second deviation amount S2 so as to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right.

[0060] If the difference between the time it takes for ink ejected from the head 3 positioned at the upper position 3A to land on the medium 2 and the time it takes for ink ejected from the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B to land on the medium 2 is defined as the impact time difference, the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 are calculated, for example, by multiplying the movement speed of the carriage 4 by the impact time difference. Even with this modified example, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

[0061] Note that the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 can be determined more accurately by measuring them rather than calculating them based on a formula. Therefore, the above-described configuration makes it possible to accurately correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right.

[0062] (Modifications) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention.

[0063] In the embodiment described above, the height of the head 3 relative to the carriage body 11 may be adjustable in three or more stages. For example, the height of the head 3 relative to the carriage body 11 may be adjustable in three stages. In this case, for example, when printing on the medium 2, the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A, the lower position 3B, or an intermediate position between the upper position 3A and the lower position 3B. The control unit 9 recognizes whether the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A, the lower position 3B, or the intermediate position. In this case, in addition to the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 when the head 3 is positioned at the upper position 3A, the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 when the head 3 is positioned at the intermediate position are measured in advance and stored in the control unit 9.

[0064] In this case, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at the upper position 3A while moving the carriage 4, and when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at an intermediate position while moving the carriage 4, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ink ejection from the head 3 based on the first shift amount S1 and the second shift amount S2 so as to correct the shift between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right. In this case, the height of the head 3 positioned at the upper position 3A and the height of the head 3 positioned at the intermediate position become the first height. In other words, in the above-described embodiment, there may be multiple first heights.

[0065] In the above-described embodiment, the landing position correction may correct a deviation in landing position when the head 3 disposed at the upper position 3A is moved. In this case, a first deviation amount S1, which is the deviation amount between the first landing position IP1, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the head 3 disposed at the lower position 3B toward the printing position P, and the corrected landing position IP, and a second deviation amount S2, which is the deviation amount between the second landing position IP2, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the head 3 disposed at the lower position 3B toward the printing position P, and the corrected landing position IP, are measured in advance before printing on the medium 2 and stored in the control unit 9.

[0066] In this case, when printing on the medium 2 by ejecting ink from the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B while moving the carriage 4, the control unit 9 controls the timing of ejecting ink from the head 3 based on the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 so as to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the left and the ink landing position when the carriage 4 moves to the right. In this case, the height of the head 3 positioned at the upper position 3A is the reference height, and the height of the head 3 positioned at the lower position 3B is the first height.

[0067] In the embodiment described above, in the impact position correction, the carriage 4 may be moved at the movement speed A or the movement speed C. In this case, the movement speed A or the movement speed C of the carriage 4 in the impact position correction becomes the reference movement speed, and the reference movement speed and the first movement speed are different speeds. Also, in the embodiment described above, when measuring the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2, the carriage 4 may be moved at the movement speed A or the movement speed C. In this case, the movement speed A or the movement speed C of the carriage 4 when measuring the first deviation amount S1 and the second deviation amount S2 becomes the first movement speed, and the reference movement speed and the first movement speed are different speeds.

[0068] In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may be provided with, instead of the platen 7 and the medium transport mechanism, a table on which the medium 2 is placed and a movement mechanism that moves the Y-bar or table to which the guide rail 6 is fixed in the forward and backward directions.

[0069] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of a printing device according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiment include those that can be easily substituted by a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0070] In this embodiment, directions in the figures are explained using an XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the floor on which the printing device 100 is placed is referred to as the XY plane. In this XY plane, the main scanning direction, which is the direction of head movement, is referred to as the Y direction, and the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the Y direction on the XY plane is referred to as the X direction. The direction perpendicular to the XY plane (height direction) is referred to as the Z direction. The X, Y, and Z directions are explained assuming that the direction of the arrow in the figure is the + direction and the direction opposite to the arrow is the - direction. In this embodiment, the +X direction may be referred to as the front direction (front side), the -X direction as the rear direction (rear side), the +Y direction as the left (left side), the -Y direction as the right (right side), the +Z direction as the up (upper side), and the -Z direction as the down (lower side).

[0071] A printing apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIGS. 1 to 3 are diagrams illustrating an example of the schematic configuration of a printing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a view from the +Y side. In FIG. 2, the table 110 is shown with a dashed line and the underside is shown in a see-through state to make the configuration below the table 110 easier to see. In FIG. 3, the configuration on the +Y side of the ink supply unit 40 is omitted to make the ink supply unit 40 easier to see. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in this embodiment, the printing apparatus 100 will be described as an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium M, such as a film or plate material. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 100 includes a table 110, a head 20, a head moving mechanism 30, an ink supply unit 40, a control panel 50, and a control unit 60.

[0072] The table 110 supports the media M and the head moving mechanism 30. The table 110 has a mounting surface 110a on which the media M is placed. The table 110 is in the shape of a rectangular plate. An inclined portion 110b is formed at the end on the front side of the table 110, on which the control panel 50 is to be placed. The table 110 is supported by a plurality of legs 111. The plurality of legs 111 are provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of the table 110 in a plan view, for example.

[0073] The head 20 has a nozzle surface 21 facing the mounting surface 110a. The nozzle surface 21 is, for example, planar. The nozzle surface 21 is provided with a plurality of nozzles (not shown) that eject ink. Examples of the ink include ultraviolet-curable ink. The ultraviolet-curable ink may be white ink, colored inks such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), or transparent ink, depending on the color of the image to be formed on the medium M. The head 20 is electrically connected to a control unit 60, and its drive is controlled by the control unit 60. The head 20 is connected to an ink supply device (not shown) and receives ink from the ink supply device. The head 20 is movable in the main scanning direction together with a carriage 22. The head 20 ejects ink toward the mounting surface 110a while moving back and forth along the main scanning direction. In the case where the head 20 is configured to eject ultraviolet curable ink, the carriage 22 is equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation device (not shown) that irradiates the ultraviolet curable ink with ultraviolet light.

[0074] The head moving mechanism 30 is supported by the table 110 and moves the head 20 in the X and Y directions along the mounting surface 110a of the table 110. The head moving mechanism 30 moves the head 20 in the X and Y directions relative to the table 110, thereby moving the table 110 and the head 20 relatively. The head moving mechanism 30 has a main scanning moving unit 31 and a sub-scanning moving unit 32.

[0075] The main scanning movement unit 31 has a Y bar 33. The Y bar 33 is arranged parallel to the Y direction. The Y bar 33 guides the carriage 22 in the Y direction. The main scanning movement unit 31 has a drive source (not shown) such as a motor, and a transmission mechanism (not shown) such as a belt that transmits the drive force of the drive source to the carriage 22.

[0076] The sub-scanning movement unit 32 has an X guide 36. The X guide 36 is provided on both side surfaces of the table 110 in the Y direction. The X guide 36 extends in the X direction. The sub-scanning movement unit 32 has a drive source such as a motor, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the drive force of the drive source to the Y bar 33.

[0077] The control unit 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that functions as a controller that executes various processes, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as memory that stores various information, and a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0078] The ink supply unit 40 supplies ink to the head 20. The ink supply unit 40 is disposed below the front side of the table 110. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the ink supply unit 40. The ink supply unit 40 has a stage 41, a stage guide unit 42, and a container mounting unit 43.

[0079] The stage 41 holds a plurality of ink containers 70. The stage 41 is slidable back and forth in the X direction, which is the sub-scanning direction. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the state in which the stage 41 has been moved in the X direction. Figure 5 shows an example in which the stage 41 is disposed at a storage position P1, which will be described later, and Figure 6 shows an example in which the stage 41 is disposed at a protruding position P2, which will be described later.

[0080] 5 and 6, the stage 41 is slidable in the X direction between a storage position P1 and a protruding position P2. The storage position P1 is a position where the stage 41 is stored below the table 110. The protruding position P2 is a position where the stage 41 protrudes from the table 110 to the front side.

[0081] The stage 41 has a rectangular box shape and is made of a ferromagnetic material such as iron, etc. The stage 41 slides while being guided in the X direction by a stage guide 42.

[0082] The stage guide unit 42 guides the stage 41 in the X direction. The stage guide unit 42 has a guide rail 44 and a stopper 45. The guide rail 44 and the stopper 45 are arranged on a base member 57. The guide rail 44 extends along the X direction, and two guide rails 44 are arranged in the Y direction. The stage 41 is provided with a slide mechanism (not shown), such as wheels, that can slide on the guide rails 44.

[0083] The stoppers 45 are disposed at both ends of the movement range of the stage 41 in the X direction, i.e., at a position corresponding to the storage position P1 and a position corresponding to the protruding position P2. Note that the stoppers 45 may be configured to be disposed at one end of the movement range of the stage 41 in the X direction. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the stoppers 45, the stopper 45 disposed at the position corresponding to the storage position P1 will be referred to as stopper 45A, and the stopper 45 disposed at the position corresponding to the protruding position P2 will be referred to as stopper 45B. The stopper 45A restricts movement of the stage 41 in the −X direction. The stopper 45B restricts movement of the stage 41 in the +X direction.

[0084] A magnet 46 is provided on stopper 45. Specifically, magnet 46A is disposed at the +X side end of stopper 45A. Magnet 46A is attracted to outer surface 41Wa (-X side end surface) of -X side wall portion 41W of stage 41 when stage 41 reaches storage position P1, which is the -X side end of its movement range.

[0085] A magnet 46B is disposed at the −X side end of stopper 45B. Magnet 46B is attracted to inner surface 41Wb (end surface on the +X side) of −X side wall 41W of stage 41 when stage 41 reaches protruding position P2, which is the +X side end of its movement range.

[0086] A plurality of container mounting sections 43 are arranged on the upper surface 41U of the stage 41. Each container mounting section 43 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. Each container mounting section 43 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the X direction. This arrangement allows the dimension of the stage 41 in the X direction to be reduced. The container mounting sections 43 can be arranged, for example, at equal intervals in the X direction and the Y direction, but this arrangement is not limited to this. The plurality of container mounting sections 43 are arranged in a state where multiple rows formed in the Y direction are arranged in multiple rows in the X direction. In this embodiment, the plurality of container mounting sections 43 are arranged in two rows in the X direction, each row consisting of four container mounting sections in the Y direction.

[0087] The ink container 70 is a container that stores ink. The ink container 70 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, but is not limited to this shape. The ink container 70 is detachably attached to the container mounting portion 43 of the stage 41. When the ink container 70 is attached to the container mounting portion 43, it is connected to the flow pipe 48.

[0088] In this embodiment, the stage 41 is disposed on one side in the Y direction (for example, the -Y side) in the area below the table 110. Meanwhile, one end of a cable chain 47 is disposed on an end surface 41S on the +Y side of the stage 41. The cable chain 47 protects a flow tube 48 connected to the ink container 70. The cable chain 47 and the flow tube 48 deform in accordance with the movement of the stage 41. The other end of the cable chain 47 is disposed on a base member 57.

[0089] The flow tube 48 is a flexible tubular member through which ink flows from the ink container 70. A flow tube 48 is provided for each ink container 70. One end of the flow tube 48 is connected to the container mounting portion 43. The other end of the flow tube 48 is connected to the ink relay mechanism 49 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Note that FIG. 4 shows the other end of the flow tube 48 cut midway.

[0090] The ink relay mechanism 49 is disposed on the other side in the Y direction (for example, the +Y side) in the area below the table 110. The ink relay mechanism 49 is connected to the circulation pipe 48 and distributes ink from the circulation pipe 48 to the head 20. The ink relay mechanism 49 has a drive source (not shown), such as a pump, for sending out ink. A relay pipe 52 is connected to the ink relay mechanism 49. The relay pipe 52 sends out ink from the ink relay mechanism 49 to the head 20 side. The relay pipe 52 is connected to the Y bar 33. The relay pipe 52 is housed in a cable chain 51. The cable chain 51 and the relay pipe 52 deform in accordance with the movement of the Y bar 33. The relay pipe 52 is connected to the head 20 from the Y bar 33 side.

[0091] The control unit 60 controls the operation of the ink relay mechanism 49. Under the control of the control unit 60, ink from the ink container 70 flows through the ink relay mechanism 49, the flow pipe 48, and the relay pipe 52, and is supplied to the head 20. The control unit 60 controls the operation of the head 20. Under the control of the control unit 60, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the head 20.

[0092] Furthermore, ultraviolet light is emitted from the ultraviolet light irradiation device under the control of the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls the operation of the head movement mechanism 30. The control unit 60 controls the carriage 22 to move in the Y direction, which is the main scanning direction. Furthermore, the control unit 60 controls the Y bar 33 to move in the X direction, which is the sub-scanning direction.

[0093] When performing maintenance such as replacing the ink container 70 in the printing device 100 configured as described above, the stage 41 is pulled out from the storage position P1 to the front side so that the attraction between the stage 41 and the magnet 46A is released, and the stage 41 is moved to the protruding position P2. By moving the stage 41 to the protruding position P2, the stage 41 is attracted to the magnet 46B and fixed in position, and the ink supply unit 40 protrudes from the front side of the table 110 (the state shown in FIG. 6 ).

[0094] In this state, the worker can easily perform work such as replacing the ink container 70. Because the ink supply unit 40 is located below the table 110, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the worker when replacing the ink container 70. Note that printing operations may be performed with the ink supply unit 40 located in the protruding position P2.

[0095] When maintenance is completed, the stage 41 is pushed back from the protruding position P2 to the rear side so as to release the attraction between the stage 41 and the magnet 46B, and moved to the storage position P1. By moving to the storage position P1, the stage 41 is attracted to the magnet 46A and fixed in position, and the ink supply unit 40 is stored below the table 110 (the state shown in FIG. 5).

[0096] In this embodiment, the ink container 70 is placed or housed below the table 110, so even in a configuration in which ultraviolet-curable ink is ejected from the head 20, the effects of ultraviolet light emitted from an ultraviolet light irradiation device (not shown) located on the carriage 22 are mitigated by the table 110.

[0097] As described above, the printing device 100 according to this embodiment comprises a table 110 on which media is placed, a head 20 that ejects ink from multiple nozzles toward the table 110, a head moving mechanism 30 that moves the table 110 and the head 20 relatively in the Y and X directions along the table 110, and an ink supply unit 40 that is arranged below the front side of the table 110 and supplies ink to the head 20, the ink supply unit 40 having a stage 41 that slides in the X direction to appear and disappear on the front side of the table 110 in the X direction, and a plurality of container mounting units 43 that are arranged on the top surface of the stage 41 and to which ink containers 70 can be attached and detached, and the multiple container mounting units 43 are arranged in a state where multiple rows of the multiple container mounting units 43 are lined up in the Y direction and multiple rows are arranged in the X direction.

[0098] With this configuration, the ink supply unit 40 is disposed below the front side of the table 110, and by sliding the stage 41 in the X direction, the ink supply unit 40 can be made to appear and disappear from the front side of the table 110 in the X direction. During maintenance, the ink supply unit 40 can be made to protrude from the front side of the table 110, and when maintenance is not being performed, the ink supply unit 40 can be stored below the table 110. This makes it possible to provide a printing device 100 that is easy to maintain.

[0099] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the ink supply unit 40 has a stopper 45 that is arranged at at least one end of the movement range of the stage 41 in the X direction and that restricts the movement of the stage 41 .

[0100] According to this configuration, the stopper 45 can appropriately restrict the movement of the stage 41, and the stage 41 can be prevented from falling off or the like.

[0101] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the stage 41 is formed using a ferromagnetic material, and the stopper 45 has a magnet 46 that is attracted to the stage 41 when the stage 41 reaches the end of its movement range.

[0102] According to this configuration, the stage 41 can be fixed at the end of its range of movement by the magnets 46, so that the position of the stage 41 can be stabilized.

[0103] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the stage 41 is positioned on one side in the Y direction, and on the outer surface 41S, which is the end face on the other side in the Y direction of the stage 41, there are arranged a flexible flow pipe 48 connected to the container mounting portion 43, and a cable chain 47 that protects the flow pipe 48.

[0104] According to this configuration, the stage 41, the flow pipe 48, and the cable chain 47 can be efficiently arranged.

[0105] In the printing device 100 according to this embodiment, the legs 111 supporting the table 110 are arranged on both sides of the table 110 in the X direction, the stage 41 is slidable in the X direction between a storage position P1 where it is stored in the table 110 and a protruding position P2 where it protrudes from the front side of the table 110, and when the stage 41 is arranged at the protruding position P2, the protruding position P2 is set so that the container mounting section 43 arranged on the rearmost side is arranged closer to the front than the legs 111 on the front side.

[0106] According to this configuration, when the stage 41 is positioned at the protruding position P2, maintenance can be easily performed on any of the container mounting sections 43.

[0107] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example configuration in which the magnet 46 is provided on the stopper 45 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the stage 41 may be attracted by a configuration other than the magnet 46. Furthermore, a configuration corresponding to the magnet 46 may not be provided.

[0108] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer (inkjet printer) 3 Head (inkjet head) 3A Upper position 3B Lower position 4 Carriage 5 Carriage drive mechanism 9 Control unit 11 Carriage body 12 Elevation mechanism IP Corrected landing position IP1 First landing position IP2 Second landing position P Printing location S1 First deviation amount S2 Second deviation amount Y Main scanning direction Y1 First direction side Y2 Second direction side M Media P1 Storage position P2 Protruding position 110 Table 110a Placement surface 110b Inclined portion 111 Leg 20 Head 21 Nozzle surface 22 Carriage 30 Head moving mechanism 31 Main scanning moving portion 32 Sub-scanning moving portion 33 Y bar 36 X guide 40 Ink supply portion 41 Stage 41S End surface 41U Upper surface 41W Wall portion 41Wa Outer surface 41Wb Inner surface 42 Stage guide portion 43 Container mounting portion 44 Guide rail 45, 45A, 45B Stopper 46, 46A, 46B Magnet 47, 51 Cable chain 48 Flow pipe 49 Ink relay mechanism 50 Control panel 52 Relay pipe 57 Base member 60 Control unit 70 Ink container 100 Printing device

Claims

1. An inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction; and a control unit for controlling the inkjet printer, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, wherein one side in the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side, and the other side in the main scanning direction opposite the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and wherein landing position correction refers to correcting a deviation between the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference moving speed, and the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference moving speed, a corrected landing position is an ink landing position at the printing location after the landing position correction, a first deviation amount is a deviation between a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined first movement speed, and the corrected landing position, and a second deviation amount is a deviation between a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the first height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the first movement speed, and the corrected landing position, the measured first deviation amount and the second deviation amount are stored in the control unit,an inkjet printer characterized in that, when ejecting ink from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while moving the carriage, the control unit controls the timing of ejecting ink from the inkjet head based on the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount so as to correct a deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction.

2. An inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction; and a control unit for controlling the inkjet printer, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered; and a lifting mechanism that moves the inkjet head up and down relative to the carriage body, wherein one side in the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side, and the other side in the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and wherein landing position correction refers to correcting a deviation between the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference moving speed, and the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference moving speed, a post-correction landing position is the landing position of ink at the printing location after the landing position correction, a first deviation amount is the amount of deviation between a first landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined first movement speed, and the post-correction landing position, and a second deviation amount is the amount of deviation between a second landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the first height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the first movement speed, and the post-correction landing position.the control unit calculates the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount based on a predetermined calculation formula when ejecting ink from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while moving the carriage, and controls the ejection timing of ink from the inkjet head based on the calculated first deviation amount and second deviation amount so as to correct a deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves toward the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves toward the second direction.

3. An inkjet printer as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when ink is ejected from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while moving the carriage at a predetermined second movement speed, the control unit controls the timing of ink ejection from the inkjet head based on the first deviation amount, the second deviation amount, the first movement speed, and the second movement speed so as to correct the deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction.

4. An inkjet printer as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lifting mechanism raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body between an upper position and a lower position lower than the upper position, and the height of the inkjet head placed in the upper position is either the reference height or the first height, and the height of the inkjet head placed in the lower position is the other of the reference height or the first height.

5. A control method for an inkjet printer comprising an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, wherein one side of the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side of the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and wherein an impact position correction is performed to correct a deviation between an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference moving speed, and an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference moving speed, a post-correction landing position is the landing position of ink at the printing location after the landing position correction, a first deviation amount is the amount of deviation between a first landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined first movement speed, and the post-correction landing position, and a second deviation amount is the amount of deviation between a second landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the first height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the first movement speed, and the post-correction landing position.a control method for an inkjet printer, the control method comprising: measuring and storing the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount; and, when ejecting ink from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while moving the carriage, controlling the timing of ejecting ink from the inkjet head based on the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount so as to correct a deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves in the second direction.

6. A control method for an inkjet printer comprising an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, wherein the carriage comprises a carriage body that holds the inkjet head so that it can be raised and lowered, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the inkjet head relative to the carriage body, wherein one side of the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side of the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, and wherein an impact position correction is performed to correct a deviation between an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward a predetermined printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined reference moving speed, and an impact position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is positioned at the reference height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the reference moving speed, a post-correction landing position is the landing position of ink at the printing location after the landing position correction, a first deviation amount is the amount of deviation between a first landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at a predetermined first height different from the reference height and the carriage moves in the first direction at a predetermined first movement speed, and the post-correction landing position, and a second deviation amount is the amount of deviation between a second landing position, which is the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head toward the printing location when the inkjet head is disposed at the first height and the carriage moves in the second direction at the first movement speed, and the post-correction landing position.a control method for an inkjet printer, characterized in that, when ink is ejected from the inkjet head positioned at the first height while the carriage is moved, the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount are calculated based on a predetermined calculation formula, and the timing of ink ejection from the inkjet head is controlled based on the calculated first deviation amount and second deviation amount so as to correct a deviation between the ink landing position when the carriage moves toward the first direction and the ink landing position when the carriage moves toward the second direction.

7. A printing device comprising: a table on which media is placed; a head that ejects ink from multiple nozzles toward the table; a relative movement mechanism that moves the table and the head relatively in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction along the top surface of the table; and an ink supply unit that is arranged below the front side of the table and supplies ink to the head, wherein the ink supply unit has a stage that appears and disappears from the table to its front side by sliding in the sub-scanning direction, and a plurality of container mounting units that are arranged on the top surface of the stage and to which ink containers can be attached and detached, and wherein multiple rows of the container mounting units lined up in the main scanning direction are arranged on the top surface of the stage in the sub-scanning direction.

8. A printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said ink supply unit is arranged at least at one end of the range of movement of said stage in the sub-scanning direction and has a stopper for restricting movement of said stage.

9. A printing device according to claim 8, wherein the stage is formed using a ferromagnetic material, and the stopper has a magnet to which the stage is attracted when the stage reaches the end of its range of movement.

10. A printing device as described in claim 7, wherein the stage is positioned on one side of the center position of the table in the main scanning direction, and a flexible flow pipe connected to the container mounting section and a cable chain protecting the flow pipe are arranged on the end face of the stage on the other side in the main scanning direction.

11. A printing device as described in claim 7, wherein legs supporting the table are arranged on both sides of the table in the sub-scanning direction, the stage is slidable in the sub-scanning direction between a storage position where it is stored in the table and a protruding position where it protrudes from the front side of the table, and the protruding position of the stage is set so that when the stage is arranged in the protruding position, the container mounting section arranged on the rearmost side is arranged further forward than the legs on the front side.

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