JP2002316420A - Ink jet head unit, ink jet printer having the same, and method of assembling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet head unit, an ink jet printer having the same and a method of assembling the ink jet head unit wherein multiple ink jet heads can be readily and accurately mounted on the printer. SOLUTION: In the ink jet head unit 21 for color printing, an ink nozzle array group 46 consisting of a plurality of color ink nozzle arrays which are used for printing one line and correspond to basic colors are formed by multiple ink jet heads 22. The multiple ink jet heads 22 are divided into a plurality of head groups 48 each consisting of the plurality of ink jet heads 22, each head group 48 is mounted on a partial carriage 43, and the plurality of partial carriages 43 are mounted on an integrated carriage 42.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color printing system in which a group of ink nozzles used for printing one line (arrangement of ink nozzles in one head unit in the sub-scanning direction) is composed of a large number of inkjet heads. The present invention relates to an inkjet head unit, an inkjet printing apparatus provided with the inkjet head unit, and an inkjet head unit assembling method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of ink jet head unit, for example, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-95114 is known. In this inkjet head unit, an ink nozzle row used for printing one line is divided into a plurality of divided ink nozzle rows in the line direction, and each divided ink nozzle row constitutes an inkjet head. The plurality of ink jet heads configured as described above are arranged in a staggered manner on the support base, and are screwed to the support base at two locations.

[0003]

In such a conventional ink jet head unit, since the ink jet head is constructed by dividing one line of ink nozzle rows, the yield of the ink jet head unit can be improved. In addition, it is necessary to fix a plurality of inkjet heads to the support base with high accuracy, and there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain positional accuracy between the inkjet heads.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet head unit on which a large number of ink jet heads can be easily and accurately mounted, an ink jet printing apparatus having the same, and a method of assembling the ink jet head unit. I have.

[0005]

According to the present invention, an ink jet head unit is used for printing one line and an ink nozzle row group including a plurality of color ink nozzle rows corresponding to a basic color is formed by a large number of ink jet heads. In the configured inkjet head unit for color printing, a large number of inkjet heads are divided into a plurality of head groups including a plurality of inkjet heads, and each head group is mounted on a partial carriage,
A plurality of partial carriages are mounted on a unified carriage.

According to this configuration, by mounting a head group including a plurality of inkjet heads on the partial carriage, the plurality of inkjet heads can be mounted on the partial carriage with relatively high accuracy. By mounting the plurality of partial carriages configured as described above on the unified carriage, the partial carriages can be mounted on the unified carriage relatively accurately. That is,
By maintaining the precision between the individual inkjet heads and the partial carriage and maintaining the precision between the individual partial carriages and the unified carriage, the mounting precision between the individual inkjet heads and the unified carriage is improved. Can be maintained. Therefore, a large number of ink jet heads can be accurately mounted on the unified carriage without directly considering the accuracy between the individual ink jet heads and the unified carriage. Here, “1 line” refers to the arrangement of all the ink nozzles in one head unit in the sub-scanning direction, and is not the width of the print target. As a method of dividing a large number of ink jet heads, an ink nozzle row group described later is divided in the line direction, and a head group is formed in each divided nozzle row group unit. What constitutes a group is conceivable.

In this case, the ink nozzle row group is divided into a plurality of divided ink nozzle row groups in the line direction, and each ink divided nozzle row group is constituted by a plurality of ink jet heads. It is preferable that each of the divided ink nozzle row groups is constituted by a plurality of inkjet heads.

According to this configuration, each divided nozzle row group is composed of a plurality of ink jet heads, which are mounted on a single partial carriage, so that each color ink nozzle row (divided ) Can be arranged collectively. For this reason, especially in color matching printing, it is hard to be affected by the movement position accuracy of the inkjet head in the main scanning direction, and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of print quality due to the dot displacement.

In these cases, the plurality of partial carriages
Preferably, they are arranged in a staggered manner on a unified carriage.

According to this configuration, a plurality of partial carriages can be further collectively arranged on the unified carriage, so that the unified carriage can be made compact and a large number of ink jet heads can be integrated. Can be arranged.

In this case, each of the ink jet heads has a head main body portion having an ink nozzle disposed in substantially one half in the longitudinal direction of the head substrate, and each of the ink jet heads of two head groups adjacent in the line direction. Are preferably arranged back-to-back so that the head body portions face each other.

According to this configuration, a large number of ink jet heads can be further collectively arranged.

In these cases, it is preferable that the plurality of ink jet heads are adhered to the respective partial carriages in a positioning state.

According to this configuration, since each ink jet head is positioned with respect to the partial carriage by a jig or the like and then fixed by bonding, the ink jet head is displaced unlike screwing or the like. Can be effectively prevented. Further, the work of fixing the ink jet head to the partial carriage can be easily performed.

[0015] In these cases, a plurality of sets of positioning pins are provided on the surface of the unified carriage to position and mount each partial carriage, and each set of positioning pins is mounted on each partial carriage. It is preferable that each partial carriage is positioned on the unified carriage with the outermost ink nozzle of any one inkjet head as a reference position.

According to this configuration, when positioning each partial carriage on the unified carriage, the position of the ink nozzle at the outermost end of the ink jet head is used as the reference position, so that the positioning error between the partial carriage and the unified carriage is reduced. The effect can be minimized. Further, since each partial carriage is of a detachable type with respect to the unified carriage, it is possible to easily replace the partial carriage.

In this case, the positioning pin group of each set includes a reference pin provided corresponding to the reference position, an angle regulating pin for regulating the position of the partial carriage in the direction of rotation on the unified carriage centering on the reference pin, and a reference pin. , The X-direction urging pin which urges the partial carriage in the X-axis direction and abuts against the reference pin to perform positioning in the X-axis direction, and the partial carriage Y toward the reference pin and the angle regulating pin.
It is preferable that it is constituted by a Y-direction urging pin that urges in the axial direction and abuts on the reference pin and the angle regulating pin to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction.

According to this configuration, if the mutual positional accuracy of the reference position, the reference pin, and the angle regulating pin is maintained well, the partial carriage can be accurately and simply fixed (mounted) to the unified carriage. it can. Further, even if the partial carriage is attached to and detached from the unified carriage, the positioning accuracy is not impaired.

Similarly, each set of positioning pins includes a reference pin provided corresponding to a reference position, an angle regulating pin for regulating the position of the partial carriage in the direction of rotation of the partial carriage on the unified carriage, and a reference pin. Urges the partial carriage in the X-axis direction toward and pushes the partial carriage in the Y-axis direction toward the reference pin and the angle regulating pin, and an X-direction urging pin that abuts against the reference pin to perform positioning in the X-axis direction. In addition, it is preferable that the Y-direction pressing jig is configured to be detachably mounted on a unified carriage, the Y-direction pressing jig being configured to abut on a reference pin and an angle regulating pin to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction. .

According to this configuration, if the mutual positional accuracy of the reference position, the reference pin, and the angle regulating pin is maintained well, the partial carriage can be accurately and easily fixed (mounted) to the unified carriage. it can. That is, using the attached Y-direction pressing jig, the partial carriage is urged (pressed) in the Y-axis direction with a sufficient force to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction, and then fixed with screws or the like. By removing the Y-direction pressing jig, the partial carriage can be more reliably positioned. Further, even if the partial carriage is attached to and detached from the unified carriage, the positioning accuracy is not impaired. Furthermore, since the number of element points of the positioning pin group can be reduced, the structure can be simplified. In addition, it is preferable that the reference pin and the angle regulating pin are disposed in parallel with each other along the X-axis direction.

In this case, the Y-direction pressing jig comprises a cylindrical jig main body screwed to the unified carriage, and an eccentric collar with a lever rotatably mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the jig main body. Preferably, the rotation of the collar presses the partial carriage.

According to this configuration, the Y-axis direction pressing jig can be easily attached to the unified carriage.
The partial carriage can be easily pressed by lever operation. Further, the rotation of the eccentric collar allows the partial carriage to be pressed with a constant pressing force, and the pressing force can be finely adjusted.

In these cases, it is preferable that the abutting portions of the partial carriage with respect to the reference pin and the angle regulating pin are configured to be capable of receiving spacers for finely adjusting the position of the partial carriage in the Y-axis direction. .

Meanwhile, due to the processing accuracy of the reference pin and the angle regulating pin, there is a limit in stably maintaining high positioning accuracy between each partial carriage and the positioning pin group. According to the above configuration, a spacer of a desired size is appropriately mounted on the abutting portion of the partial carriage against the reference pin and the angle regulating pin. As a result, not only the position correction of the position of each partial carriage in the Y-axis direction but also the position correction of the partial carriage in the rotation direction on the unified carriage can appropriately absorb the error of the processing accuracy. Therefore, regardless of the processing accuracy error,
The partial carriage can be easily mounted on the unified carriage with high positioning accuracy. Also, the mounting of the spacer is Y
Since the directional pressing jig is used, the mounting state can be stably maintained unlike the case of the above-described Y-direction urging pin. Further, although slightly, the dimensional tolerances of the reference pin and the angle regulating pin can be set large, which is useful in processing these pins.

In this case, it is preferable that the X-axis direction is the main scanning direction of the plurality of ink-jet heads, and the Y-axis direction is the sub-scanning direction of the plurality of ink-jet heads.

In this configuration, the Y-axis direction in which the position of each partial carriage can be adjusted coincides with the sub-scanning direction of the inkjet head, and the inkjet head unit itself moves (scans) in the X-axis direction. Then, printing is performed by discharging ink from the inkjet head.
By the way, the ink ejection control in such a case is usually performed by a linear encoder detecting a moving position of the inkjet head in the main scanning direction and based on the position information. Therefore, the positioning accuracy error in the X-axis direction between the partial carriages can be eliminated by performing control by the linear encoder and performing timer control in consideration of the accuracy error. However, when there is an error in the positioning accuracy in the Y-axis direction between the partial carriages, that is, when the positions of the inkjet heads (the outermost ink nozzles) in the Y-axis direction are mutually displaced, There is a problem that the control cannot cope with the problem and, as a result, print quality is impaired. According to the above configuration, since the position adjustment of each partial carriage in the Y-axis direction can be performed via the spacer, one-line printing can be appropriately performed.

According to the method of assembling an ink jet head unit of the present invention, in the method of assembling the ink jet head unit of the present invention for fixing the ink jet head of the ink jet head unit to the unified carriage in a positioning state, all the reference pins and all the A measurement process of measuring an error with the design position of the angle regulating pin,
A setting step of setting each partial carriage on which a plurality of inkjet heads are previously mounted on the unified carriage, a fine adjustment step of receiving a spacer in each abutting portion of the partial carriage based on the measurement result of the measurement step; A fixing step of fastening all the partial carriages to the unified carriage in a state where the partial carriages are pressed by the directional pressing jig.

According to this configuration, for all of the reference pins and the angle regulating pins provided on the unified carriage, a dimensional inspection is performed by, for example, a three-dimensional measuring device, and a processing accuracy error is measured. A spacer corresponding to an error (shift amount) is prepared for the pin. Then, each spacer is attached (received) to each abutting portion of the partial carriage set on the unified carriage, and all the partial carriages are fastened to the unified carriage while the partial carriage is pressed by the Y-direction pressing jig. I have. That is,
By maintaining the precision between the individual inkjet heads and the partial carriage and maintaining the precision between the individual partial carriages and the unified carriage with spacers, the positioning accuracy between the individual inkjet heads and the unified carriage is maintained. Can be favorably maintained.

An ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention includes the above ink jet head unit according to the present invention.

According to this configuration, the accuracy between a large number of ink jet heads and the unified carriage, that is, the group of ink nozzle rows used for printing one line can be arranged with high accuracy. Further, the yield of the inkjet head unit can be improved by appropriately replacing the defective inkjet head.

In this case, an X / Y moving mechanism for moving the ink jet head unit in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction is provided, and printing is performed by main scanning and sub scanning of the ink jet head unit on a printing object. Is preferred.

According to this configuration, the print quality can be improved by configuring the XY moving mechanism with high precision. Further, since the moving operation of the inkjet head unit can be suppressed to a necessary minimum, the printing speed can be increased.

In this case, a cleaning cap unit for sucking ink in close contact with the ink jet head unit is further provided, and the close cap of the cleaning cap unit is formed in a size including at least one ink jet head. Is preferred.

According to this structure, by driving the XY moving mechanism, the ink jet head unit can be cleaned for each ink jet head. For this reason, the cleaning cap unit can be made compact without causing any trouble in the cleaning operation of the inkjet head.

In these cases, a storage cap unit which seals the ink nozzles in close contact with the ink jet head unit is further provided, and the close cap of the storage cap unit is formed to have a size including all the ink jet heads. Is preferred.

According to this configuration, the flushing of all the ink nozzles can be favorably performed, and the drying during storage of all the ink nozzles can be effectively prevented. Also, since all the inkjet heads are sealed at once,
The cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a close cap is provided for each head. By separately configuring the storage cap unit and the cleaning cap unit, it is possible to reduce contamination of the inkjet head via the close cap.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink jet printing apparatus to which an ink jet head unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This printing apparatus is a large-sized color printer for business use, and continuously prints labels by an ink jet method. That is, the printing apparatus is to continuously print a large number of unit images to be subsequently cut out and used as labels on a peeling printing tape that is continuous paper,
For example, it is possible to print a label or the like stuck on a wrap film of fresh food in a small lot.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a printing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printing apparatus. As shown in these figures, the printing device 1
Is a machine base 2, a print mechanism 3 installed on the machine base 2,
A tape feed mechanism 5 for feeding the printing tape A along a tape feed path 4 that traverses the machine base 2, a suction table 6 disposed at the center of the tape feed path 4, and a controller for controlling the mechanisms 3 and 5 ( (Control means) 7. Also,
The printing apparatus 1 includes a tape supply mechanism 8 that feeds the printing tape A wound in a roll shape to the tape feeding mechanism 5 while feeding the printing tape A, and a tape that winds the printed printing tape A received from the tape feeding mechanism 8 into a roll shape. And a winding mechanism 9.

On the other hand, the printing tape A to be printed is a roll paper with a so-called release paper and has a tape width of 50 mm to 50 mm.
A plurality of types of 150 mm are prepared. In printing, an image (unit image) B serving as a label is continuously printed in the extending direction of the printing tape A (see FIG. 4D), and each unit image B is half-cut by another cutting device. Then, a label with an adhesive is created.

The ink used for this printing, that is, the ink used for one-line color printing, includes light cyan (LC) and light cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K). It is composed of a total of six reference colors including magenta (LM). As will be described later in detail, these six colors of ink are supplied from the ink tanks (fixed tanks) to the respective ink jet heads 2 of the head unit 21 via ink tubes.
2 is supplied.

Although not shown in the figure, a safety cover is provided on the machine base 2 so as to integrally cover the above-described mechanisms and the like, and an opening / closing door 11 is provided in front of the safety cover (FIG. 1). reference). The safety cover is provided with a detection switch (detection sensor) 12 for detecting blockage of the door 11, and the main power supply is turned on only when the detection switch 12 detects blockage of the door 11. It can be turned on. When the door is opened while the main power is on, the main power is turned off via the detection switch 12.
F.

Reference numeral 13 in FIG. 3 denotes a warning light (actually, it is set up on the upper surface of the safety cover), and includes an ink indicator light portion 13a for indicating the ink end, and a tape for indicating the tape end. It has an indicator light section 13b and an operation indicator light section 13c for displaying that a printing operation is being performed (the apparatus is operating). Further, reference numeral 14 in the figure denotes an ink lamp group, which indicates the presence or absence of six colors of ink described later.
Further, reference numeral 15 in the figure denotes an operation panel, and a power switch (main power supply), an emergency stop switch,
A pause switch, a restart switch, a tape feed switch (idle feed), a head cleaning switch, and the like are provided (omitted in FIG. 1). A circuit board constituting the controller 7 is built in the operation panel 15.

The machine base 2 is constructed by assembling angle members 17 into a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and fixing a base plate 18 to an upper portion thereof.
At the lower part of the machine base 2, six legs 19 are attached so as to be adjustable in height. At one end of the base plate 18 in the longitudinal direction, a replenishing work portion 18a for performing the replenishing work of the printing tape A is extended (see FIG. 3).

Although not shown, a main ink tank (fixed tank) for storing ink of each color is installed on the base plate 18 via a small frame, and a sub-ink tank (fixed tank) installed on the base plate. Can be supplied with ink. Further, each of the inkjet heads 22 described later is connected to the sub-ink tank via an ink tube.
Are supplied with ink of each color. The display in the ink indicating lamp section 13a and the ink lamp group 14 is performed based on a detection result such as the presence or absence of ink detected in the main ink tank.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printing mechanism 3 includes a head unit (ink-jet head unit) 21 on which a large number of ink-jet heads 22 are mounted, and an X for moving the head unit 21 freely in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. .Y moving mechanism 23 and inkjet head 2
Storage unit 24 used for storage (when not in operation) and for flushing, and inkjet head 22
And a cleaning unit 25 used for cleaning (manual operation).

The XY moving mechanism 23 is a so-called XY robot installed on the machine base 2.
The X-axis stage 27 that moves the X-axis stage 1 in the X-axis direction (main scanning direction), the Y-axis stage 28 that moves the X-axis stage 27 in the Y-axis direction (sub-scanning direction), and the movement of the X-axis stage 27 are guided. And a Y-axis guide rail 29. The X-axis stage 27 is a main scanning ball screw 31 for reciprocating the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction).
, A main scanning motor 32 for rotating the main scanning ball screw 31 forward and reverse, and an X-axis case 33 for accommodating these components.

The Y-axis stage 28 includes the head unit 21
, A sub-scanning ball screw 34 for reciprocating the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction), a sub-scanning motor 35 for rotating the sub-scanning ball screw 34 forward and reverse, and a Y-axis case 36 for housing these components. I have. Y-axis guide rail 29 is Y
The X-axis stage 27 is supported in parallel with the Y-axis stage 28 and guides reciprocation of the X-axis stage 27.

Reference numeral 37 in FIG. 1 denotes an X-direction detection sensor for detecting a reference position (home position) of the head unit 21 in the X-axis direction, and reference numeral 38 denotes an X-axis stage 2.
7, a Y-direction detection sensor 38 for detecting a reference position (home position) of the head unit 21 in the Y-axis direction. When the main power supply of the printing apparatus 1 is turned on, the XY moving mechanism 23 is always reset to this reference position.

Although not shown, the head unit 21 includes:
A female screw block extending from the horizontal slit formed in the X-axis case 33 into the X-axis case 33 is attached,
This female screw block is screwed into the main scanning ball screw 31. Similarly, one end of the X-axis stage 27 has
From the horizontal slit formed in the shaft case 36, the Y-axis case 3
A female screw block extending into the inside 6 is attached, and the female screw block is screwed to the sub-scanning ball screw 34. Further, two guide rollers 39 are attached to the other end of the X-axis stage 27 so that the guide rollers 39, 39 roll on the rail portion 29a of the Y-axis guide rail 29. (See FIG. 3).

Main scanning motor 32 and sub-scanning motor 35
Is connected to the controller 7, the head unit 21 reciprocates in the main scanning direction by rotating the main scanning motor 32 in the forward and reverse directions, and rotates the X-axis by rotating the sub-scanning motor 35 in the forward and reverse directions. The head unit 21 reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction via the stage 27. Then, one line of printing is performed by moving the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction, and the head unit 21 is moved to the next line by moving in the sub-scanning direction.

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, for example, when printing is started with the print start position P1 at the upper left, the head unit 21 is moved rightward (main scanning direction) from this position. The first line is printed (main scanning) by moving the head unit 21, and the head unit 21 is moved to the second line (sub-scanning) by moving the head unit 21 at the right end. The second line is printed (main scanning) by moving 21 to the left (main scanning direction). The above operation is repeated to print all lines (see FIG. 4B). Further, for example, when the printing is completed at the lower right position, the printing after the next tape feed is performed from the printing end position P2 in the reverse operation to the printing start position P.
The printing of all the lines is performed toward 1 (see FIG. 4C). Thereby, the head unit 21
Movement loss is reduced.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the head unit 21 is composed of a support bracket 41 having the above-described female screw block mounted on the back surface thereof, and a unified carriage 42 horizontally mounted below the support bracket 41. There are four partial carriages 43 detachably mounted on the carriage 42, and three partial carriages 43 are mounted side by side, that is, a total of 12 inkjet heads 22 are mounted on all the partial carriages 43.

In this case, each ink jet head 22 is adhesively fixed to a partial carriage 43, and each partial carriage 43 is detachably mounted on the unified carriage 42 by positioning mounting means 44 comprising a plurality of pins. The ink jet head 22 mounted on each of the partial carriages 43 has a main body portion 22a having an ink nozzle formed projecting downward from the unified carriage 42, and the main body portion 22a is arranged to face the ink nozzle row group. 46 are arranged collectively (see FIG. 6).

As schematically shown in FIG. 6, the six-color ink nozzle row group 46 forming one line of reference color is divided into four, and the divided six-color divided ink nozzle row group 47 is divided.
Is incorporated in the three inkjet heads 22,
It is mounted on each partial carriage 43. In particular,
The first head 22-1 of the three inkjet heads 22 mounted on each partial carriage 43 incorporates two divided ink nozzle rows 47 a of black (K) and cyan (C), and the second head 22-2. 2 incorporates two divided ink nozzle rows 47a of magenta (M) and yellow (Y), and the third head 22-3 includes light cyan (LC) and light magenta (LM).
Two divided ink nozzle rows 47a are incorporated. The divided nozzle row groups 47 are arranged in a staggered manner so as to partially overlap. The details of the head unit 21 will be described later.

The storage unit 24 is located on the base 2
Y-axis stage 28 deviated to the near side from tape running path 4
Is disposed in the vicinity of. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the storage unit 24 includes a storage cap 51, an elevating mechanism 52 for moving the storage cap 51 toward and away from the head unit 21, and storing ink flowing down from the storage cap 51. And a waste ink tank 53 to be used.
Needless to say, the lifting mechanism 52 is connected to the controller 7.

The storage cap 51 includes a cap body 54.
And an ink absorbing material 5 laid on the bottom of the cap body 54.
5 and a seal member 56 formed of a substantially rectangular O-ring mounted on the upper end of the cap body 54. In this case, the seal member 56 is formed to have a size including all the inkjet heads 22 of the head unit 21 and is in close contact with the lower surface of the unified carriage 42 to seal all the inkjet heads 22. .

The raising / lowering mechanism 52 is used for flushing the head unit 21 directly above the storage cap 51.
On the other hand, while keeping the storage cap 51 at the lowered position, the storage cap 51 is raised and brought into close contact with the head unit 21 with respect to the head unit 21 facing directly above for storage. The ink ejected by the flushing is absorbed by the ink absorbing material 55, but when the ink absorbing material 55 is saturated, the base plate 1 via the tube 57.
8 flows down to a waste ink tank 53 disposed underneath. On the other hand, when the storage cap 51 is in close contact with the head unit 21 for storage, the inside of the storage cap 51 is maintained in a high humidity state by the ink absorbed by the ink absorbing material 55, and Drying of the (ink nozzle) 22 is effectively prevented.

The cleaning unit 25 is disposed on the machine base 2 at a position away from the tape feed path 4 toward the front side (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning unit 25 includes a pair of cap bases 61A and 61A each having three cleaning caps 61 mounted thereon, and a pair of cap bases 61A and 61A.
An elevating mechanism 62 for moving a total of six cleaning caps 61 toward and away from the head unit 21 via the head 61A.
And a total of six ink pumps 63 for sucking ink through the respective cleaning caps 61. The elevating mechanism 62 and each ink pump 63 are connected to the controller 7 described above.

Each cleaning cap 61 includes a cap body 64, an ink absorbing material 65 laid on the bottom of the cap body 64, and a seal member 66 attached to the upper end of the cap body 64. The pair of cap bases 61A, 61A are connected to each other.
Three cleaning caps 61 are mounted side by side so as to correspond to the plurality of inkjet heads (each head group 48) 22.

That is, one cap base (cap 1 shown) corresponds to the first head group 48-1 (and the third head group 48-3), and the second head group 48-2.
(And the fourth head group 48-4) corresponds to the other cap base (the illustrated cap 2) 61A. Also,
The pair of cap bases 61A, 61A are displaced in the Y-axis direction so as to correspond to two adjacent head groups (first and second head groups and third and fourth head groups) 48. ing. The lifting mechanism 62 lifts and lowers the pair of cap bases 61A, 61A integrally.

The first head group 48-
When the first and second head groups 48-2 face the pair of cap bases 61A, 61A of the cleaning unit 25, the elevating mechanism 62 is driven to drive the pair of cap bases 61.
The entire cleaning cap 61 is raised via A and 61A so as to be in close contact with the head unit 21. continue,
Each ink pump 63 is driven, and each ink jet head 2 of the first head group 48-1 and the second head group 48-2 is
The ink is sucked from 2 (cleaning).

Here, the lifting mechanism 62 is driven again to lower the entire cleaning cap 61, and the X / Y
The moving mechanism 23 is driven to move the third head group 48-3 and the fourth head group 48-4 of the head unit 21 in the Y-axis direction so as to face the pair of cap bases 61A, 61A. Then, the lifting of each cleaning cap 61 and the suction of the pump are performed, and the respective inkjet heads 2 of the third head group 48-3 and the fourth head group 48-4 are moved.
The ink suction (cleaning) of No. 2 is performed.

On the other hand, the ink sucked by each of the ink pumps 63 is led to the waste ink tank 53 through the ink tube 67. As described above, by appropriately moving the head unit 21 by the XY moving mechanism 23, the number of caps can be reduced, and the cleaning unit 25 can be made compact. In order to further reduce the number of caps, one of the cap bases (cap 2 in the drawing) 61A is omitted. In such a case, 4
Cleaning is completed by the suction of the pump twice. of course,
Although the number of times of pump suction increases, the cleaning unit 25 can be configured with one cleaning cap 61.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the suction table 6 includes a housing 71 fixed on the machine base 2, a suction plate 72 mounted on the upper surface of the housing 71, and a lower side of the suction plate 72. , And a pair of suction fans 74, 74 connected to the suction chamber 73. The suction plate 72 is formed long in the direction in which the tape feed path 4 extends, and has a suction chamber 73 on its upper surface.
Are formed with a large number of suction holes 75 communicating with. Also,
The suction plate 72 is horizontally disposed, and the upper portion thereof is X ·
It faces in parallel with the inkjet head 22 that moves in the Y direction. That is, the printing tape A sucked on the upper surface of the suction plate 72 faces the ink jet head 22 in parallel with a predetermined space for ink ejection.

In this case, the pair of suction fans 74, 74 are connected to the controller 7, and are driven in synchronization with turning on the main power supply. In other words, when the printing tape A is stopped, the printing tape A is sucked even when the printing tape A is fed. In particular, the feeding of the printing tape A is performed against the suction force of the suction table 6. . Also,
The arrangement width of the large number of suction holes 75 in order to prevent the leakage of the suction air corresponds to the minimum width of the printing tape (tape width 50 mm) A. In addition, a pair of suction fans 7
The exhaust air of 4,74 may be guided to the tape feed path 4 on the downstream side of the suction table 6 to promote drying of the ink.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the tape feed mechanism 5 includes a paper feed roller 81 disposed downstream of the suction table 6 in the feed direction, a paper feed motor 82 for rotating the paper feed roller 81, and A tension roller 83 disposed upstream of the suction table 6 in the feed direction, and a pair of guide rollers 84 disposed adjacent to the upstream and downstream sides of the suction table 6. The paper feed roller 81 is
The drive roller 81a and the free roller 81b are opposed to each other with the print tape A interposed therebetween. A paper feed motor 82 is connected to the drive roller 81a.

Similarly, the tension roller 83 includes a braking roller 83a and a free roller 83b that face each other with the printing tape A interposed therebetween. A torque limiter 85 is mounted on the braking roller 83a. The pair of guide rollers 84, 84 are located before and after the suction table 6 (upstream and downstream), position the printing tape A in the width direction, and face the printing tape A horizontally on the suction table 6. I do. In such a configuration, when the paper feed motor 82 is driven, the printing tape A is fed with high precision while being stretched between the tension roller 83. Therefore, the portion of the printing tape A facing the suction table 6 is also horizontally sucked to the suction table 6 in a stretched and positioned state.

The paper feed roller 81 and the suction table 6
And a paper feed sensor 8 facing the tape feed path 4.
6 are provided. The paper feed sensor 86 and the paper feed motor 82 are connected to the controller 7, and the paper feed sensor 86 detects a mark C of the printing tape A, which will be described later. The drive of 82 (feed stop) is controlled. Thus, the feeding of the printing tape A, that is, the intermittent feeding in units of a printable area Aa described later is always performed with high accuracy.

The tape supply mechanism 8 and the tape take-up mechanism 9 are arranged before and after (upstream and downstream) in the tape feed direction with the machine base 2 interposed therebetween. The tape supply mechanism 8 rotates the print tape A by free rotation. The tape winding mechanism 9 is fed out and winds the printing tape A by forced rotation. The tape supply mechanism 8 has a supply case 91 and a spindle 92 that is wound in a roll shape and rotatably supports the printing tape (raw tape) A. It is preferable that the fed print tape A be loosely introduced into the tape feeding mechanism 5 in order to eliminate the influence (tension or skew) on the tape feeding mechanism 5.

The tape winding mechanism 9 includes a winding case 94
And a winding shaft 95 provided in a winding case 94, and a winding motor 96 for winding a printing tape (printed tape) A via the winding shaft 95. Also in this case, it is preferable that the printing tape A to be wound has slack with the tape feeding mechanism 5 in order to eliminate the influence (tension and skew) on the tape feeding mechanism 5.

Here, an image printing method will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. This printing device 1
First, the tape feed mechanism 5 is driven to feed the portion of the print tape A to be printed, that is, the printable area Aa onto the suction table 6. In this state, the suction table 6 is being driven, and the printable area Aa of the printing tape A that has stopped feeding is sucked by the suction table 6 and is held immovably. Subsequently, the XY moving mechanism 23 is driven to move the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction (see FIG. 4), and ink is ejected from each inkjet head 22 of the head unit 21 to form an image. Is printed.

As shown in FIG. 4D, printing of an image is performed as follows.
A plurality of label portions as the unit image B are continuously printed with a gap (non-print portion Ab) therebetween. By repeating printing and feeding of the printing tape A,
A desired number of unit images B are printed on the printing tape A. A mark C for indicating the position of each unit image B is also printed together with the unit image B. Then, the printable area A
When the printing of the unit image B and the mark C on a is completed,
The XY moving mechanism 23 stops, and then the tape feed mechanism 5
Is driven, and the next printable area Aa is introduced onto the suction table 6. Here, the X / Y moving mechanism 23 is driven again to move the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction toward the original printing start position P1.
Image (unit image B and mark C) by ink ejection
Is performed (see FIG. 4).

FIG. 4D shows the result of printing on one printable area Aa of the printing tape. As shown in FIG. 4D, a plurality of unit images (labels) extend in the extending direction of the printing tape A. B are printed with a predetermined gap, and a number of marks C are printed at equal intervals in parallel with this. The mark C is used to detect the position of the unit image B when half-cutting the printed tape later, and accurately sends the next printable area Aa to the suction table 6 as described above. Sometimes used. In addition,
Needless to say, the printing tape A is fed so that the gap between the images (the non-printing portion Ab) is located at the boundary between the first printable region Aa and the next printable region Aa. Absent.

The control of the ink ejection position to the printable area Aa is performed using a linear encoder.
The linear encoder includes a plurality of slits formed at predetermined intervals and a linear scale 9 provided on the X-axis case 33.
0 (see FIG. 1), a linear sensor (not shown) provided on the head unit 21 facing the linear scale 90 (not shown)
The moving position of the inkjet head 22 in the main scanning direction is detected.

The linear sensor is mounted at an intermediate position on the back side (back side) of the lower end of the support bracket 41, and sequentially detects a plurality of slits of the linear scale 90 as the head unit 21 moves in the main scanning direction. . Thereby, the slits are counted, and the moving position of the head unit 21, that is, the moving position of the inkjet head 22, is detected based on the counted number. Each ink jet head 22 is driven based on the moving position information, and printing is performed by discharging ink from predetermined ink nozzles to a predetermined position of the print tape A.

Next, FIG. 5, FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG.
The head unit 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As described above, the three inkjet heads 22 constituting the head group 48 are adhesively fixed to the partial carriage 43, and the four partial carriages 43 are detachably attached to the unified carriage 42 by the positioning pin group 44 including a plurality of pins. It is installed. Each inkjet head 22
Has a vertically rectangular head substrate 101, an ink supply unit 102 is formed on one side in the longitudinal direction of the head substrate 101, and a main body part 22 a having an ink nozzle formed on the back side is projected. Has been established. The ink jet heads 22, 22 arranged in the sub-scanning direction are arranged back to back such that the main body portion 22a faces the head group 48 as a unit.

The partial carriage 43 is made of a plate-like stainless steel or the like, and has a pair of ears 43a, 43 at one end.
a is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. Three rectangular holes 104, 104, 104 into which the main body portions 22 a of the ink jet head 22 are loosely fitted are formed side by side in the half portion of the partial carriage 43 on the side of the ear portion 43 a. A pair of positioning holes 105, 105 are formed on the outer side of the frame so as to face the ears 43a. Each of the pair of positioning holes 105 is formed in a rectangular shape, and is provided with a reference pin 11 provided on a unified carriage 42 described later.
1 and the angle regulating pin 112 (the details will be described later).

In this case, the attachment of the ink jet head 22 to the partial carriage 43 is performed using a jig. Specifically, three inkjet heads 22 are arranged on the partial carriage 43 set on the dedicated jig, and in this state, each inkjet head 2 is operated by a microscope or the like.
2 is accurately positioned, and an adhesive is poured between the inkjet head 22 and the square hole 104 to be fixed by bonding.
Further, as shown in the drawing, it is more preferable to screw each inkjet head 22 to the partial carriage 43 after bonding.

The unified carriage 42 is formed of a thick plate of stainless steel or the like, and is formed in a shape in which two squares are displaced and butted. Also, the unified carriage 4
2, four sets of positioning pins 44 are provided on the surface to arrange the four partial carriages 43 in a staggered manner, and the four head openings 10 facing the four sets of heads 48 are provided.
7, 107, 107, 107 are formed. When the four partial carriages 43 each having the inkjet head 22 mounted thereon are mounted on the unified carriage 42, the main body portion 22a of each inkjet head 22 projects from the back side of the unified carriage 42 via the head opening 107. .

The positioning pin group 44 of each set includes a reference pin 111 disposed near the center of the unified carriage 42, and an angle control for restricting the position of the partial carriage 43 in the rotation direction on the unified carriage 42 about the reference pin 111. The pin 112 and the X-direction biasing pin 1 for biasing the partial carriage 43 in the X-axis direction toward the reference pin 111 and abutting the partial carriage 43 against the reference pin 111 for positioning in the X-axis direction.
13 and a Y-direction for urging the partial carriage 43 in the Y-axis direction toward the reference pin 111 and the angle restriction pin 112 and abutting the partial carriage 43 against the reference pin 111 and the angle restriction pin 112 to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction. And a power pin 114. Reference pin 111 and angle regulating pin 11
Reference numeral 2 denotes a columnar pin.
Are a pair of positioning holes 105 of the partial carriage 43,
105.

The reference pin 111 is accurately positioned when its outer peripheral surface contacts two adjacent sides of the corresponding positioning hole 105. The angle regulating pin 112 is accurately positioned when its outer peripheral surface abuts on one side inside the corresponding positioning hole 105, and regulates the rotation direction of the partial carriage 43, that is, provides parallelism. . Then, the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112
As a result, the partial carriage 43 is
Is accurately positioned, the closest outermost ink nozzle of the divided ink nozzle row 47a matches the design reference position Ps (see FIG. 11).

The X-direction urging pin 113 is
, And a protruding portion in the form of a reversely swelling drop has a spring property and is configured to be swingable. X direction urging pin 113
Abuts on the side of the partial carriage 43 and urges it in the X-axis direction to move one side of the positioning hole 105 to the reference pin 11.
Press on 1. Similarly, the Y-direction urging pin 114 is erected at a position that forms a triangle with the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112, and the protruding portion in the shape of a reversely swelling drop is configured to have a spring property and to be able to swing. I have. Y direction urging pin 114
Abuts on the rear side of the partial carriage 43 and urges it in the Y-axis direction to press one side of each of the positioning holes 105, 105 against the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112.

The unified carriage 42 and the partial carriage 43
When mounting the camera, the positioning carriages 105, 105 on the left and right are aligned with the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112, and then the partial carriage 43 is pushed in. 114
Is slightly inclined outward and the set partial carriage 43
With its spring force against the unified carriage 42 and X
It is urged in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction. Due to the urging in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, the right and left positioning holes 105 partially contact the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112, and the partial carriage 4
3 is accurately positioned. The unified carriage 4
It is preferable that the four sides of the partial carriage 43 mounted with high precision to the unified carriage 42 are finally screwed to the unified carriage 42 via the fixing bracket 116.

In such a configuration, the partial carriage 43
And a head group 4 including three inkjet heads 22
8 is assembled with high precision, and this is
2, the inkjet heads 22 and the unified carriage 42 can be assembled with high accuracy. In addition, even if any one of the ink jet heads 22 becomes defective, it can be easily and quickly replaced in units of the partial carriage 43 without deteriorating the mounting accuracy. It goes without saying that the unified carriage 42 is attached to the support bracket 41 with high accuracy.

The four divided ink nozzle row groups 47
Are arranged collectively by arranging the partial carriages 43 in a staggered manner and arranging the adjacent head groups 48, 48 back to back. For this reason, it is possible to minimize the displacement of the dot level based on the accuracy of the movement position of the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction.

Next, a head unit 21 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in the configuration of the positioning pin group 44 and has a configuration using a rectangular spacer 140 for accurate positioning. Hereinafter, different points will be mainly described, and those having the same structure as the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

The positioning pin group 44 of each set of the present embodiment
Is an X-direction urging pin 113, and an angle regulating pin 112 disposed near and substantially parallel to the X-direction urging pin 113.
A reference pin 111 arranged in parallel with the angle regulating pin 112 along the X-axis direction, and pressing the partial carriage 43 in the Y-axis direction toward the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112, And angle regulating pin 1
17 and a Y-direction pressing jig 121 for positioning in the Y-axis direction by abutting the Y-direction pressing jig 121. The Y-direction pressing jig 121 is detachably mounted on the unified carriage 42 (FIG. 17).
reference).

Reference pin 111 and angle regulating pin 112
Are cylindrical pins arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction, and a pair of positioning holes 105, 1 of the partial carriage 43.
05. The reference pin 111
The outer peripheral surface is positioned by abutting on two adjacent sides of the corresponding positioning hole 105. One side in the X-axis direction of the abutting positioning hole 105, that is, Y which is the outer side.
One side on the direction pressing jig 121 side is in contact with a spacer 140 interposed therebetween.

Similarly, the angle regulating pin 112 is provided on one side in the X-axis direction of the corresponding positioning hole 105 with its outer peripheral surface, that is, on the outer side of the Y-direction pressing jig 121 side via the spacer 140 via the spacer 140. The position of the partial carriage 43 is regulated by contacting the partial carriage 43, that is, parallelism is obtained. With the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112, the partial carriage 43 is accurately positioned with respect to the unified carriage 42.

The X direction urging pin 113 is the angle regulating pin 1
12 and is configured in the same manner as in the above embodiment, abuts against the side of the partial carriage 43, and urges this in the X-axis direction to set one side of the positioning hole 105 to the reference pin 111.
Press

The Y-direction pressing jig 121 includes a reference pin 111
And the female screw portion 15 formed through the unified carriage 42 at a position forming a triangle with the angle regulating pin 112.
It is attached to this by being screwed into 0. The Y-direction pressing jig 121 is a jig used to fix the partial carriage 43 to the unified carriage 42, abuts on the rear end surface (rear side) of the partial carriage 43, and urges the same in the Y-axis direction. And each one of the two positioning holes 105, 105
The sides are respectively connected to the reference pins 11 through the spacers 140.
1 and the angle regulating pin 112. The Y-direction pressing jig 121 is removed from the unified carriage 42 after the partial carriage 43 is fixed.

As shown in FIG. 18, the Y-direction pressing jig 121 has a cylindrical jig main body 122 screwed to the unified carriage 42 and a lever rotatably mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the jig main body 122. Eccentric collar 123,
The partial carriage 43 can be pressed by the rotation of the eccentric collar 123.

The jig main body 122 includes a fixing bolt 125 having a hexagonal hole, a bolt seat 127 for receiving the head of the fixing bolt 125, a concentric collar 126 provided below the bolt seat 127, and a bolt seat 127. 127 and eccentric collar 123
It comprises a resin upper washer 128 interposed therebetween, and a resin lower washer 129 interposed between the unified carriage 42 and the eccentric collar 123. Fixing bolt 12
When the screw 5 is screwed into the female screw portion 150 of the unified carriage 42, the eccentric collar 123 is sandwiched between the upper washer 128 and the lower washer 129 via the bolt seat 127 and rotated by receiving a frictional force.

The eccentric collar 123 includes an eccentric collar main body 131 inscribed in the concentric collar 126 and an eccentric collar main body 13.
Operation lever 1 fixed tangentially through thick part 1
32. The part 133 of the eccentric collar body 131 facing the partial carriage 43 is the operation lever 1.
A through-hole 134 for forming 32 through holes is formed, and a portion connected to the lower side is a pressing portion 135 serving as an eccentric cam.

That is, the Y-direction pressing jig 121 fixed to the unified carriage 42 by the fixing bolt 125 so that the pressing portion 135 faces the rear end surface of the partial carriage 43
By rotating the operation lever 132 clockwise,
The pressing portion 135 presses the partial carriage 43. Thereby, the partial carriage 43 is urged in the Y-axis direction, and one side of each of the positioning holes 105 is pressed against the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112 via the spacer 140, respectively.

That is, the partial carriage 43 is positioned in the Y-axis direction, and each spacer 140 is strongly positioned between the reference pin 111 and the positioning hole 105 and between the angle regulating pin 112 and the positioning hole 105. It is pinched. After the pressing, even when the operation lever 132 is released, the eccentric collar 1 held between the upper and lower washers 128 and 129 is not used.
23 is maintained in the pressed position by its frictional force.

The unified carriage 42 and the partial carriage 43
When mounting the camera, the left and right positioning holes 105, 105 are aligned with the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112, and then the partial carriage 43 is pushed in. At this time, the X-direction urging pin 113 is slightly inclined outward. The set partial carriage 43 is pressed against the unified carriage 42 by its spring force and urged in the X-axis direction. continue,
The spacers 140 are received in the left and right positioning holes 105, 105 (butting portions), and the Y-direction pressing jig 121 is operated by a lever to push the partial carriage 43 against the unified carriage 42 in the Y-axis direction.

By the urging in the X-axis direction and the pressing in the Y-axis direction, the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112
The left and right positioning holes 105, 105 partially abut (partially via the spacer 140), and the unified carriage 4
2, the partial carriage 43 is accurately positioned. Then, the partial carriage 4 is moved by the Y-direction pressing jig 121.
In a state where 3 is pressed, the partial carriage 43 is screwed to the unified carriage 42 through four screw holes 151 (see FIG. 14) formed through the partial carriage 43 in a dispersed manner.

By the way, the above-mentioned spacers 140
A plurality of types (for example, 2.46 mm,
2.47mm, 2.48mm, 2.49mm, 2.50
mm, 2.51 mm, 2.52 mm, 2.53 mm,
2.54 mm and 2.55 mm). That is, it is designed on the assumption that a spacer 140 of 2.50 mm is interposed between the reference pin 111 and the positioning hole 105 (and the angle regulating pin 112 and the positioning hole 105). And 2.5 depending on the processing accuracy error of the angle regulating pin 112).
By providing the spacer 140 other than 0 mm, this processing accuracy error is absorbed.

Specifically, the outermost ink nozzles of the divided ink nozzle row 47a coincide with the design reference position Ps (see FIG. 11B). The jig 121 for pressing the reference pin 111 and the positioning hole 105 in the Y direction so that
A spacer 140 having a desired size is interposed between the angle regulating pin 112 and one side of the positioning hole 105 on the Y direction pressing jig 121 side.

As a result, the position of the partial carriage 43 in the Y-axis direction is finely adjusted by the spacer 140 mounted in the positioning hole 105, and the position of the partial carriage 43 in the rotational direction on the unified carriage 42 is also corrected. The interposed spacer 140 does not fall out of the positioning hole 105 when the partial carriage 43 is screwed to the unified carriage 42.

Here, a method of assembling the head unit according to the second embodiment will be briefly described. First, the plurality of inkjet heads 22 are assembled to the partial carriage 43 with high accuracy. In this case, the inkjet head 22
It is screwed to the partial carriage 43 at two diagonal positions with the ink supply unit 102 interposed therebetween. Note that, as in the first embodiment, the inkjet head 22 may be temporarily bonded and then fixed with screws.

Before and after the assembling of the ink jet head 22, all of the reference pin 111 and the angle regulating pin 112 in the unified carriage 42 are designed by using a non-contact type or contact type three-dimensional measuring device. An error from the position, that is, a processing accuracy error is measured.
Then, based on the measurement result, a spacer 140 having a size corresponding to the processing accuracy error is selected from a plurality of types of spacers 140 prepared in advance for each reference pin 111 and each angle regulating pin 112.

Subsequently, a plurality of ink jet heads 2
2 with each of the partial carriages 43 assembled with high accuracy.
The unified carriage 42 is set via the positioning pin group 44, and the selected spacer 140 is mounted in each positioning hole 105. Here, the respective partial carriages 43 are temporarily fixed to the unified carriage 42 through the respective screw holes 151 while the respective partial carriages 43 are pressed using the respective Y-direction pressing jigs 121.

Here, the back side of the unified carriage 42 in this state, that is, the ink nozzle side of the ink jet head 22 is imaged using, for example, a CCD camera, and is projected on a monitor (not shown). The monitor is provided in advance with a reference line for designing the ink nozzle row, and checks whether the imaged ink nozzle row matches this reference line. If they do not match, the spacer 140 corresponding to the corresponding portion is selected again to match the design reference line, and then the partial carriage 43 is changed to the unified carriage 42.
To the book.

As described above, since the accuracy between the individual ink jet heads 22 and the partial carriages 43 is maintained, and the accuracy between the individual partial carriages 43 and the unified carriage 42 is maintained by the spacers 140. The positioning accuracy between the individual inkjet heads 22 and the unified carriage 42 can be favorably maintained. In particular, since the position adjustment of each partial carriage 43 in the Y-axis direction can be performed via the spacer 140, one-line printing can be appropriately performed.

The positioning accuracy error between the partial carriages 43 in the X-axis direction is determined by detecting the moving position of the ink jet head 22 in the main scanning direction using the linear encoder as described above. Therefore, the problem can be easily solved by performing the control by the linear encoder and the timer control in consideration of the accuracy error.

Incidentally, in each of the above embodiments, FIG.
As schematically shown in (a), four divided ink nozzle row groups 47 are arranged in a zigzag pattern to form a one-line ink nozzle row group 46. ), The divided ink nozzle row groups 47 may be arranged side by side in the main scanning direction in a stepwise manner to form a one-line ink nozzle row group 46.

On the other hand, in the head unit 21 of FIG. 20 according to another embodiment, four inkjet heads 22 constituting one line are mounted in a staggered manner on one partial carriage 43. In the case of FIG. 7A, for example, two ink nozzle rows 46a of black (K) and cyan (C), each constituting one line, are divided into four and are respectively inkjet-printed on the partial carriage 43 on the left side of the drawing. It is incorporated in the head 22. Similarly, in the middle partial carriage 43, two ink nozzle rows 46a of magenta (M) and yellow (Y) are divided into four and incorporated into the inkjet head 22, respectively. Light cyan (LC)
In addition, two ink nozzle rows 46 a of light magenta (LM) are divided into four and incorporated into the inkjet head 22.

In the case of FIG. 11B, four ink jet heads 22 in each partial carriage 43 are used.
They are arranged side by side in steps. The above-described configuration of the ink nozzle row group 46a in FIG. 19 can improve the print quality for color printing by color matching, and the configuration of the ink nozzle row group 46a in FIG. Can be improved.

Note that the number of partial carriages and the number of inkjet heads mounted on one partial carriage are not limited to the embodiments and can be changed as appropriate.

[0112]

As described above, according to the ink jet head unit of the present invention, a head group including a plurality of ink jet heads is mounted on a partial carriage, and a plurality of partial carriages are mounted on a unified carriage. Therefore, while maintaining high yield, many inkjet heads are integrated into a unified carriage,
It can be easily and accurately mounted. Therefore,
The yield and maintenance of the head unit itself can be improved while maintaining good print quality.

Further, the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention can accurately arrange the ink nozzle row group used for one-line printing while maintaining the high yield and the maintainability of the head unit itself. Even if the line is long, the print quality can be improved.

Further, the method for assembling the ink jet head unit according to the present invention comprises the steps of:
It is designed on the premise that a spacer is provided between the partial carriage and the processing accuracy error is measured for all of these pins, and a spacer of an appropriate size is interposed based on the measurement result. I have. For this reason, while being able to skillfully absorb the processing accuracy errors of these pins,
The positioning accuracy of a large number of ink jet heads can be maintained satisfactorily while also correcting the position of each partial carriage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a moving operation of a head unit.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of a head unit.

FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a head unit schematically shown.

FIG. 7 is a sectional structural view of a storage unit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing a storage unit and a head unit.

FIG. 9 is a sectional structural view of a cleaning unit.

FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing a cleaning unit and a head unit.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a partial carriage viewed from both front and back sides.

FIG. 12 is a partially exploded perspective view of the head unit as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the head unit as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a partial carriage according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a unified carriage according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a plan view in which a partial carriage is mounted on a unified carriage according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view in which a partial carriage and a Y-direction pressing jig are mounted on a unified carriage according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a Y-direction pressing jig.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a head unit and an ink nozzle row.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a head unit and an ink nozzle row according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 printing apparatus 2 machine base 3 printing mechanism 4 tape feeding path 5 tape feeding mechanism 6 suction table 7 controller 21 head unit 22 inkjet head 22a main body portion 23 XY
Moving mechanism 24 Storage unit 25 Cleaning unit 42 Unified carriage 43 Partial carriage 44 Positioning pin group 46 Ink nozzle row group 46a Ink nozzle row 47 Separated ink nozzle row group 47a Divided ink nozzle row 48 Head group 51 Storage cap 56 Sealing member 61 Cleaning Cap 63 Waste ink pump 101 Head substrate 105 Positioning hole 111 Reference pin 112 Angle regulating pin 113 X direction urging pin 114 Y direction urging pin 121 Y direction pressing jig 122 Jig body 123 Eccentric collar 132 Operating lever 140 Spacer A Printing tape

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C056 EA01 EA11 EA17 EA20 EA22 EA24 FA10 HA16 HA22 JA08 JA13 2C057 AF30 AF38 AF62 AF63 AF91 AF93 AG13 AG14 AP25 AP77 AP82

Claims (16)

[Claims] An ink jet head unit for color printing, comprising: a plurality of ink jet heads, each of which is used for printing one line and includes a plurality of ink nozzle rows each corresponding to a basic color; A large number of inkjet heads are divided into a plurality of head groups composed of a plurality of inkjet heads, and each of the head groups is mounted on a partial carriage, and a plurality of the partial carriages are mounted on a unified carriage. Inkjet head unit. 2. The ink nozzle row group is divided into a plurality of divided ink nozzle row groups in a line direction, and each of the divided ink nozzle row groups is composed of a plurality of inkjet heads. 2. The ink jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet head unit comprises the plurality of ink jet heads forming each of the divided ink nozzle row groups. 3. The ink jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of partial carriages are arranged in a staggered manner on the unified carriage. 4. In each of the ink jet heads, a head main body having an ink nozzle is provided in substantially one half of a longitudinal direction of a head substrate, and each of the ink jet heads of two head groups adjacent in a line direction is provided. The ink jet head unit according to claim 3, wherein the heads are arranged back to back so that the head main body portions face each other. 5. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein:
5. The ink jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet head unit is adhered to each of the partial carriages in a positioning state. 6. A plurality of positioning pin groups capable of positioning and mounting each of the partial carriages is provided on a surface of the unified carriage, and each of the positioning pin groups is mounted on each of the partial carriages. 6. The partial carriage according to claim 1, wherein each of the partial carriages is positioned on the unified carriage with an outermost end ink nozzle of any one of the inkjet heads as a reference position. Inkjet head unit. 7. The positioning pin group of each set includes: a reference pin provided corresponding to the reference position; and an angle restriction for restricting a position of the partial carriage in a rotational direction on the unified carriage about the reference pin. A pin, an X-direction urging pin for urging the partial carriage in the X-axis direction toward the reference pin, and abutting against the reference pin to perform positioning in the X-axis direction; and toward the reference pin and the angle regulating pin. 7. A Y-direction urging pin for urging the partial carriage in the Y-axis direction and abutting against the reference pin and the angle regulating pin to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction. 2. The inkjet head unit according to item 1. 8. The positioning pin group of each set includes: a reference pin provided corresponding to the reference position; and an angle restriction for restricting a position of the partial carriage in a rotational direction on the unified carriage about the reference pin. A pin, an X-direction urging pin for urging the partial carriage in the X-axis direction toward the reference pin, and abutting against the reference pin to perform positioning in the X-axis direction; and toward the reference pin and the angle regulating pin. And a Y-direction pressing jig that presses the partial carriage in the Y-axis direction and abuts against the reference pin and the angle regulating pin to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction. The inkjet head unit according to claim 6, wherein the inkjet head unit is detachably mounted on the unified carriage. 9. The Y-direction pressing jig comprises a cylindrical jig main body screwed to the unified carriage, and an eccentric collar with a lever rotatably mounted on an outer peripheral surface of the jig main body. The inkjet head unit according to claim 8, wherein the partial carriage is pressed by rotation of the eccentric collar. 10. The abutting portion of the partial carriage with respect to the reference pin and the angle regulating pin is configured to be capable of receiving a spacer for finely adjusting the position of the partial carriage in the Y-axis direction. The inkjet head unit according to claim 8, wherein 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the X-axis direction is a main scanning direction of the plurality of inkjet heads, and the Y-axis direction is a sub-scanning direction of the plurality of inkjet heads. Inkjet head unit. 12. The method of assembling an inkjet head unit according to claim 10, wherein the inkjet head of the inkjet head unit is fixed to the unified carriage in a positioned state. A measuring step of measuring an error with respect to the designed position, a setting step of setting each of the partial carriages on which the plurality of ink jet heads are mounted in advance to the unified carriage, based on a measurement result of the measuring step. A fine adjustment step of receiving the spacer in each abutting portion of the partial carriage; and a fixing step of fastening all the partial carriages to the unified carriage while pressing the partial carriage with the Y-direction pressing jig. And an ink jet head unit comprising: Tsu door of the assembly method. 13. An ink jet printing apparatus comprising the ink jet head unit according to claim 1. Description: 14. An X / Y moving mechanism for moving the ink-jet head unit in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction, wherein printing is performed by main-scanning and sub-scanning of the ink-jet head unit on an object to be printed. 14. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the printing is performed. 15. A cleaning cap unit that suctions ink in close contact with the inkjet head unit, wherein the close cap of the cleaning cap unit is formed to have a size including at least one of the inkjet heads. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
5. The inkjet printing apparatus according to 4. 16. A storage cap unit which seals an ink nozzle in close contact with the inkjet head unit, wherein the close cap of the storage cap unit is formed to have a size including all the inkjet heads. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 13, 14 or 15, wherein: