JP2014117946A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet printer capable of improving operability for setting a recording medium as compared with a conventional technique.SOLUTION: A medium transport device 40 of an ink jet printer includes: a roller supporting groove 41c rotatably supporting a winding roller 44 winding a recording medium 92; a platen 45 arranged to be opposed to a recording head when the recording head prints an image on the recording medium 92; an upstream roller 46 that is a driven roller rotating to follow movement of the recording medium 92, a rotational amount of which is detected by a rotary encoder 56; a tension application member 48 applying a tension to the recording medium 92; and moving-amount control means for controlling a moving amount of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 by controlling rotation of the winding roller 44 on the basis of the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printer that includes a recording head that ejects ink toward a recording medium, and a medium conveyance device that conveys the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the recording head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an ink jet printer that includes a recording head that ejects ink toward a recording medium and a medium conveying device that conveys the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the recording head (patent) Reference 1). The medium conveying device of the ink jet printer includes a feeding roller for winding a recording medium before printing by the recording head and feeding the recording medium, a winding roller for winding the recording medium after printing by the recording head, and a recording A platen on which the recording medium is placed in a conveyance path of the recording medium from the feeding roller to the take-up roller, which is disposed opposite to the head, a conveyance roller for conveying the recording medium, and the recording medium together with the conveyance roller Controlling rotation of the conveyance roller based on the rotation amount of the conveyance roller detected by the driven roller that rotates as the conveyance roller rotates, the rotary encoder that detects the rotation amount of the conveyance roller, and the rotary encoder The amount of movement of the recording medium on the platen Gosuru and a controller.

JP 2012-143966 A

  However, in the conventional ink jet printer, there is a problem that setting the recording medium is complicated because the recording medium needs to be sandwiched between the transport roller and the driven roller when setting the recording medium. In particular, a conventional ink jet printer is connected to a medium loading device of a so-called flat bed type ink jet printer so that it behaves as a so-called roll-to-roll type ink jet printer. When the conveying roller and the driven roller are arranged on the medium loading device side, setting the recording medium on the medium conveying device from the medium loading device side to the medium conveying device obstructs the existence of the medium loading device. Therefore, it is difficult to set the recording medium on the medium conveying device from the side opposite to the medium loading device side with respect to the medium conveying device. When a recording medium is set on the medium conveyance device from the opposite side, the conveyance roller and driven roller of the medium conveyance device are far from the operator. There is a problem that is very poor workability me.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer that can improve the workability of setting a recording medium as compared with the conventional one.

  An ink jet printer of the present invention transports a recording head that discharges ink toward a recording medium and a transport medium that is the recording medium transported during printing in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the recording head. A feeding roller support unit that rotatably supports a feeding roller for winding the feeding medium before printing by the recording head and feeding the feeding medium. And a take-up roller support portion that rotatably supports a take-up roller for taking up the transport medium after printing by the recording head, and the recording head at the time of printing on the transport medium by the recording head In the conveyance path of the medium for conveyance, which is arranged to face each other from the feeding roller to the winding roller A transport platen on which the transport medium is placed, a driven roller that is driven to rotate as the transport medium moves, a roller rotation amount detection device that detects a rotation amount of the driven roller, and One of the feeding roller disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport medium and the take-up roller disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the transport platen and the driven roller in the transport path The one side roller is arranged on the opposite side of the one side roller with respect to the transport platen and the driven roller in the transport path, and tension is applied to the transport medium between the one side roller. Based on the tension applying mechanism to be applied and the rotation amount of the driven roller detected by the roller rotation amount detection device. It characterized in that it comprises a moving amount control means for controlling the amount of movement of the transporting medium in the conveying platen by controlling the rotation of the side rollers.

  With this configuration, the inkjet printer of the present invention has a tension applying mechanism disposed on the opposite side to the one side roller that is one of the feeding roller and the take-up roller with respect to the conveying platen and the driven roller in the conveying path, By controlling the rotation of the one side roller based on the rotation amount of the driven roller detected by the roller rotation amount detection device in a state where tension is applied to the recording medium between the one side roller and the tension applying mechanism, Since the amount of movement of the recording medium in the conveying platen is controlled, the amount of movement of the recording medium in the conveying platen can be controlled without the recording medium being sandwiched between the conveying roller and the driven roller as in the prior art. That is, the ink jet printer of the present invention does not require the recording medium to be sandwiched between the transport roller and the driven roller when setting the recording medium. Therefore, the ink jet printer of the present invention can improve the workability of setting the recording medium as compared with the related art.

  In the ink jet printer of the present invention, the tension applying mechanism includes a tension applying member that applies tension to the transport medium by rotating about a predetermined axis and pressing the transport medium, The medium conveying device is detected by a feeding roller rotation amount detection device that detects a rotation amount of the feeding roller, a member rotation angle detection device that detects a rotation angle of the tension applying member, and the feeding roller rotation amount detection device. Roller rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the feeding roller based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member detected by the member rotation angle detecting device with respect to the rotation amount of the feeding roller.

  The amount of feeding of the recording medium by the feed roller is determined based on the rotation amount of the feed roller and the diameter of the feed roller at that time. However, the amount of the recording medium fed by the feeding roller also corresponds to the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member with respect to the amount of rotation of the feeding roller. Since the inkjet printer of the present invention controls the rotation of the feeding roller based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member with respect to the rotation amount of the feeding roller, even if it does not include a sensor that directly detects the diameter of the feeding roller, The rotation of the feeding roller can be controlled.

  In the ink jet printer of the present invention, the tension applying mechanism includes a tension applying member that applies tension to the transport medium by rotating about a predetermined axis and pressing the transport medium, The medium conveying device includes a winding roller rotation amount detection device that detects the rotation amount of the winding roller, a member rotation angle detection device that detects a rotation angle of the tension applying member, and the winding roller rotation amount detection device. Roller rotation control means for controlling rotation of the take-up roller based on a change amount of the rotation angle of the tension applying member detected by the member rotation angle detection device with respect to the detected rotation amount of the take-up roller. May be.

  The amount of recording medium taken up by the take-up roller is determined based on the amount of rotation of the take-up roller and the diameter of the take-up roller at that time. However, the amount of winding of the recording medium by the winding roller also corresponds to the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member with respect to the rotation amount of the winding roller. Since the inkjet printer of the present invention controls the rotation of the winding roller based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member with respect to the rotation amount of the winding roller, it does not include a sensor that directly detects the diameter of the winding roller. Even so, the rotation of the take-up roller can be controlled.

  In the inkjet printer according to the aspect of the invention, the driven roller may be made of rubber as a material for a surface that contacts the transport medium.

  Ink jet printers, for example, when a roller made of metal with anti-slip irregularities on the surface that comes into contact with the recording medium is a driven roller, the irregularities of the metal driven roller bite into the recording medium softer than the metal and get caught. Since the frictional force between the driven roller and the recording medium is generated, the larger the contact area between the driven roller and the recording medium, that is, the larger the diameter of the driven roller, the larger the frictional force between the driven roller and the recording medium. Similarly, in a case where the roller whose surface material is in contact with the recording medium is a driven roller, the ink jet printer is deformed and caught by minute irregularities on the surface of the recording medium so that the driven roller and the recording medium Therefore, the larger the contact area between the driven roller and the recording medium, that is, the larger the diameter of the driven roller, the larger the frictional force between the driven roller and the recording medium. In the ink jet printer, when a roller whose surface is in contact with the recording medium is a driven roller, the driven roller is a metal roller having a non-slip unevenness on the surface in contact with the recording medium. Compared with a certain configuration, since the effect of catching between the driven roller and the recording medium is large, in order to obtain the same frictional force as the frictional force between the driven roller and the recording medium, the contact area between the driven roller and the recording medium, That is, the diameter of the driven roller can be small. When the diameter of the driven roller is small, the inkjet printer has a distance on the outer periphery of the driven roller corresponding to the minimum rotation amount that can be detected by the roller rotation amount detection device as compared with the configuration in which the diameter of the driven roller is large, that is, Since the minimum detectable amount of movement of the recording medium in the transport platen is small, it is possible to improve the accuracy of detecting the amount of movement of the recording medium in the transport platen and, as a result, improve the accuracy of transport of the recording medium can do. Therefore, in the ink jet printer of the present invention, when a roller whose surface is in contact with the recording medium is a driven roller, a metal roller having a non-slip unevenness on the surface in contact with the recording medium is provided. Compared with the configuration that is a driven roller, the accuracy of conveyance of the recording medium can be improved.

  In the ink jet printer of the present invention, the one side roller may be the take-up roller.

  In the ink jet printer, when the one side roller is a feeding roller, the tension applying mechanism is arranged on the downstream side of the transport platen in the transport path of the recording medium, and the tension applying mechanism records by the force that pulls the recording medium in the transport direction. Since the medium is conveyed, the recording medium cannot be actively conveyed by controlling the rotation of the one side roller. Therefore, in the ink jet printer, when the one side roller is a feeding roller, for example, when the clogging of the recording medium occurs between the one side roller and the tension applying mechanism in the conveyance path of the recording medium, There is a possibility that the recording medium cannot be conveyed by the control. However, in the ink jet printer of the present invention, since the one side roller is a take-up roller, the one side roller can pull the recording medium in the transport direction. That is, the ink jet printer of the present invention can positively convey the recording medium by the rotation of the one side roller.

  In the ink jet printer according to the aspect of the invention, the feeding roller support unit and the take-up roller support unit may include a platen position transport direction that is the transport direction of the transport medium in the transport platen, and a platen position transport direction. The feeding roller and the take-up roller are respectively set from one direction side with respect to the opposite direction, and the driven roller is configured so that the platen position conveying direction is opposite to the platen position conveying direction with respect to the conveying platen. It may be arranged on the other direction side.

  With this configuration, the ink jet printer of the present invention has the same direction of setting of the feed roller and the take-up roller. Workability can be improved. Further, the ink jet printer of the present invention only needs to hang the recording medium on the driven roller at a position far from the position of the operator when setting the feeding roller and the take-up roller. Therefore, it is not necessary to sandwich the recording medium by the above-described method.

  The ink jet printer according to the present invention includes a sub-scanning direction head moving device that moves the recording head in the sub-scanning direction, and the non-conveying medium that is a recording medium that is not conveyed at the time of printing by the recording head. A medium placing device provided with a non-conveying platen that is disposed opposite to the recording head and on which the non-conveying medium is placed, and the medium carrying device and the medium placing device Can be connected to and separated from each other, and the sub-scanning direction head moving device can connect the recording head to the medium conveying device and the medium mounting device when the medium conveying device and the medium mounting device are connected. It may be possible to move in the sub-scanning direction across the placement device.

  With this configuration, the ink jet printer of the present invention can behave as a so-called roll-to-roll ink jet printer by connecting a medium transport device to a medium mounting device of a so-called flat bed type ink jet printer. In addition, the ink jet printer of the present invention sets the recording medium from the medium mounting device side to the medium transporting device when the medium transporting device is connected to the medium mounting device. Therefore, the advantage of good workability of setting the recording medium on the medium conveying apparatus is great.

  The ink jet printer of the present invention can improve the workability of setting a recording medium as compared with the related art.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state in which a main body is present on a medium mounting device when a medium mounting device and a medium transport device are connected. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1 in a state in which a main body exists on the medium placing device when the medium placing device and the medium transport device are separated. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the medium transport device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the medium transport device shown in FIG. 3 in a state where a tension bar is lowered. It is a block diagram of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1 in a state in which a main body exists on the medium transport apparatus when the medium placement apparatus and the medium transport apparatus are connected. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the medium transport device shown in FIG. 3 with a tension bar raised. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1 in a state where a main body exists on the medium transport device when the medium placement device and the medium transport device are separated.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer 10 according to the present embodiment in a state where the main body 20 exists on the medium stacking device 30 when the medium stacking device 30 and the medium transporting device 40 are connected. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet printer 10 includes a main body 20 extending in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10a and a medium on which a recording medium 91 as a non-transport medium of the present invention fixed at the time of printing is placed. A mounting apparatus 30 and a medium transport apparatus 40 that transports a recording medium 92 as a transport medium of the present invention transported during printing in a sub-scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10b perpendicular to the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10a. ing.

  The main body 20 includes a guide rail 21 extending in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10a, and a carriage 22 supported by the guide rail 21 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10a. The carriage 22 has a recording head 23 that ejects ink such as ultraviolet curable ink toward the recording medium 91 or the recording medium 92.

  Further, the main body 20 is inserted into a rail 32 described later of the medium loading device 30 and a rail 41a described later of the medium transport device 40, and the main body driving device 24 moves the main body 20 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b. Are provided on both sides in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10a. The main body driving device 24 is configured to move the recording head 23 of the main body 20 in the sub scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b by the movement of the main body 20, and constitutes the sub scanning direction head moving device of the present invention.

  The medium mounting device 30 includes a platen 31 as a non-conveying platen of the present invention, which is disposed opposite to the recording head 23 when the recording head 23 prints on the recording medium 91 and on which the recording medium 91 is mounted. Yes. Further, the medium loading device 30 includes rails 32 that extend in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b and into which the main body driving device 24 of the main body 20 is inserted at both ends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a. .

  The medium transport apparatus 40 includes a case 41 and a caster 42 that supports the case 41 so as to be movable. The case 41 includes rails 41a extending in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b and into which the main body driving device 24 of the main body 20 is inserted on both sides in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a. Two casters 42 are provided at both ends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a of the case 41 and spaced apart in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer 10 according to the present embodiment in a state where the main body 20 exists on the medium stacking device 30 when the medium stacking device 30 and the medium transporting device 40 are separated. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medium loading device 30 and the medium transport device 40 can be connected and separated from each other.

  The rail 32 of the medium loading device 30 and the rail 41a of the medium conveyance device 40 are connected to each other when the medium loading device 30 and the medium conveyance device 40 are connected to each other. Therefore, the main body driving device 24 of the main body 20 is configured so that the recording head 23 is straddled across the medium mounting device 30 and the medium transporting device 40 by the arrow 10b when the medium mounting device 30 and the medium transporting device 40 are connected to each other. It is possible to move in the sub-scanning direction shown.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the medium transport device 40. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the medium transport apparatus 40 in a state where the tension bar 48d is lowered.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the case 41 rotatably supports a feeding roller 43 for winding the recording medium 92 before being printed by the recording head 23 (see FIG. 1) and feeding the recording medium 92. Roller support groove 41b as a feed roller support, and roller support groove 41c as a take-up roller support that rotatably supports a take-up roller 44 for winding the recording medium 92 printed by the recording head 23. And. One roller supporting groove 41b is provided on each side of the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a. Similarly, one roller supporting groove 41c is provided on each side of the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a.

  The medium conveying device 40 is arranged to face the recording head 23 when printing on the recording medium 92 by the recording head 23, and the recording medium 92 is placed in the conveying path of the recording medium 92 from the feeding roller 43 to the take-up roller 44. The platen 45 as the transport platen of the present invention, the upstream roller 46 that is a driven roller disposed between the feeding roller 43 and the platen 45 in the transport path of the recording medium 92, and the transport path of the recording medium 92 , The downstream roller 47 which is a driven roller disposed between the take-up roller 44 and the platen 45 and the feeding roller 43 and the upstream roller 46 in the conveyance path of the recording medium 92, and the recording medium 92. A tension applying member 48 for applying tension to the recording medium 92 by pressing And a idle roller 49 in the transport path of the recording medium 92 is a driven roller which is disposed between the upstream roller 46 and the tensioning element 48.

  The feeding roller 43 extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10 a, and both ends are inserted into the roller support groove 41 b of the case 41.

  The take-up roller 44 extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10 a, and both ends are inserted into the roller support groove 41 c of the case 41. The winding roller 44 is disposed above the feeding roller 43 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c perpendicular to both the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a and the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b.

  The platen 45 extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10 a, and both ends are fixed to the case 41. The platen 45 is disposed above the winding roller 44 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c.

  The upstream roller 46 extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a, and the shaft 46a is rotatably supported by the case 41 at both ends. The upstream roller 46 is a driven roller that is rotated by the movement of the recording medium 92 by bending the conveyance path of the recording medium 92 when the recording medium 92 is hooked. The material of the upstream roller 46 that contacts the recording medium 92 is rubber. The uppermost portion of the upstream roller 46 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c and the upper surface of the platen 45 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c have substantially the same height in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c.

  The downstream roller 47 extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a, and the shaft 47a is rotatably supported by the case 41 at both ends. The downstream roller 47 is a driven roller that is rotated by the movement of the recording medium 92 by bending the conveyance path of the recording medium 92 when the recording medium 92 is hooked. The material of the surface of the downstream roller 47 that contacts the recording medium 92 is rubber. The uppermost portion of the downstream roller 47 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c and the upper surface of the platen 45 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c have substantially the same height in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 10c.

  The tension applying member 48 includes a shaft 48a that extends in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow 10a and is rotatably supported by the case 41 at both ends. That is, the tension applying member 48 rotates around the shaft 48a. Further, the tension applying member 48 is fixed to the shaft 48a, and is provided with two L-shaped plates 48b spaced apart from each other in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a, and in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a. A rod 48c that extends and connects the two plates 48b, and a driven roller that extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a and is rotatably supported by the two plates 48b. A tension bar 48d that applies tension to the recording medium 92 by pressing. The tension applying member 48 is biased by a biasing force of a spring (not shown) so as to rotate about the shaft 48a in the direction in which the recording medium 92 is pushed by the tension bar 48d, that is, in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Has been.

  The tension applying member 48 is disposed on the opposite side of the winding roller 44 with respect to the platen 45 and the upstream roller 46 in the conveyance path of the recording medium 92, and tension is applied to the recording medium 92 between the winding roller 44. Is supposed to be granted. That is, the tension applying member 48 and the above-described spring constitute a tension applying mechanism of the present invention. Therefore, the winding roller 44 constitutes one side roller of the present invention.

  The idling roller 49 extends in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a, and the shaft 49a is rotatably supported by the case 41 at both ends. The idling roller 49 makes the winding angle of the recording medium 92 around the upstream roller 46 constant regardless of the state of the tension applying member 48 so that a constant frictional force is generated between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92. To maintain.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the medium conveyance device 40 includes a motor 51 for rotating the feeding roller 43, a rotary encoder 52 for detecting the rotation angle of the feeding roller 43, and a winding roller 44. A motor 53, a rotary encoder 54 for detecting the rotation angle of the take-up roller 44, a distance sensor 55 for detecting the diameter of the roll of the recording medium 92 taken up by the take-up roller 44, and the upstream side A rotary encoder 56 for detecting the rotation angle of the roller 46 and a rotary potentiometer 57 for detecting the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 are provided.

  The rotary encoder 52 is a sensor that detects the rotation amount of the feeding roller 43, and constitutes the feeding roller rotation amount detection device of the present invention.

  The rotary encoder 54 is a sensor that detects the amount of rotation of the take-up roller 44, and constitutes the take-up roller rotation amount detection device of the present invention.

  The distance sensor 55 is disposed to face the take-up roller 44. As the distance sensor 55, for example, an optical sensor using light such as infrared light or laser light, an ultrasonic sensor using ultrasonic waves, or the like can be adopted. Here, when the optical sensor is employed, the distance sensor 55 can accurately detect the diameter of the roll of the recording medium 92 wound around the winding roller 44 when the recording medium 92 is transparent. It may not be possible. However, when the ultrasonic sensor is employed, the distance sensor 55 detects the diameter of the roll of the recording medium 92 wound around the winding roller 44 with high accuracy even if the recording medium 92 is transparent. be able to.

  The rotary encoder 56 is a sensor that detects the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46, and constitutes a roller rotation amount detection device of the present invention. That is, the upstream roller 46 is a roller whose rotation amount is detected by the rotary encoder 56, and constitutes a driven roller of the present invention.

  The rotary potentiometer 57 is a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 and constitutes the member rotation angle detection device of the present invention.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the inkjet printer 10.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the inkjet printer 10 includes a control unit 61 that controls the entire inkjet printer 10 and a storage unit 62 that is a storage device such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) that stores various types of data. A communication unit 63 that is a communication device that communicates with an external device directly or without going through the network, an operation unit 64 to which various operations are inputted, and various information are displayed. The display unit 65, the main body driving device 24, the carriage driving device 66 that drives the carriage 22, the head driving device 67 that drives the recording head 23, the motor 51, the rotary encoder 52, the motor 53, and the rotary. En A coder 54, a distance sensor 55, a rotary encoder 56, and a rotary potentiometer 57 are provided.

  The control unit 61 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and various data in advance, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is used as a work area of the CPU. ing. The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM.

  The control unit 61 executes the program stored in the ROM, thereby controlling the rotation of the take-up roller 44 based on the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56, thereby recording on the platen 45. Based on the amount of change of the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 detected by the rotary potentiometer 57 with respect to the amount of rotation of the feeding roller 43 detected by the rotary encoder 52 and the moving amount control means 61a for controlling the moving amount of the medium 92. It functions as a roller rotation control means 61b for controlling the rotation of the feeding roller 43.

  Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 10 will be described.

  First, the operation of the inkjet printer 10 when printing on the recording medium 91 placed on the medium placement device 30 will be described.

  When the control unit 61 of the inkjet printer 10 receives print data for instructing printing on the recording medium 91 mounted on the medium mounting device 30 via the communication unit 63, the main body driving device 24 corresponds to the print data. The carriage driving device 66 and the head driving device 67 are controlled. That is, the control unit 61 moves the main body 20 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b by the main body driving device 24 according to the print data, and moves the carriage 22 along the guide rail 21 by the carriage driving device 66 according to the print data. The ink is moved in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a, and ink is ejected to the recording head 23 by the head driving device 67 in accordance with the print data. That is, the inkjet printer 10 prints an image based on the print data on the recording medium 91 with ink.

  Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 10 when printing on the recording medium 92 conveyed by the medium conveying device 40 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer 10 in a state where the main body 20 exists on the medium transport apparatus 40 when the medium placement apparatus 30 and the medium transport apparatus 40 are connected.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 61 of the inkjet printer 10 performs printing on the recording medium 92 placed on the medium carrying device 40 in a state where the medium placing device 30 and the medium carrying device 40 are connected. When the instructed print data is received via the communication unit 63, the main body drive device 24 is controlled in accordance with the print data to move the main body 20 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b. 6, the main body 20 is fixed on the medium conveying device 40.

  Next, the control unit 61 controls the medium conveyance device 40, the carriage driving device 66, and the head driving device 67 according to the print data. That is, the control unit 61 moves the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b by the medium transport device 40 according to the print data, and guides the carriage 22 by the carriage drive device 66 according to the print data. The ink is moved along the rail 21 in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a, and ink is ejected to the recording head 23 by the head driving device 67 according to the print data. That is, the inkjet printer 10 prints an image based on the print data on the recording medium 92 with ink.

  Next, the conveyance of the recording medium 92 by the medium conveyance device 40 when printing on the recording medium 92 placed on the medium conveyance device 40 will be described in detail.

  The movement amount control means 61a of the control unit 61 of the inkjet printer 10 is a recording medium on the platen 45 each time printing in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10a is completed by the recording head 23 of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45. 92 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b. Here, the movement amount control means 61 a conveys the recording medium 92 by driving the motor 53 that rotates the winding roller 44 and causing the winding roller 44 to wind the recording medium 92.

  The movement amount control means 61 a controls the movement amount of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 by controlling the rotation of the take-up roller 44 based on the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56. . That is, the movement amount control means 61a determines the movement amount of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 based on the predetermined diameter of the upstream roller 46 and the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56. Can be calculated. Here, since the distance sensor 55 detects the diameter of the roll of the recording medium 92 wound around the take-up roller 44, the movement amount control means 61a rotates the take-up roller 44 based on the diameter of the roll. The amount of winding of the recording medium 92 by the winding roller 44 with respect to the angle can be calculated. Therefore, the movement amount control means 61a winds the winding roller 44 so that the movement amount of the recording medium 92 calculated based on the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56 becomes a predetermined movement amount. The winding roller 44 can be rotated at high speed by the motor 53 based on the winding amount calculated based on the diameter of the roll of the recording medium 92 being taken.

  When the recording medium 92 is taken up by the take-up roller 44, the length of the portion of the recording medium 92 from the take-out roller 43 to the take-up roller 44 that is not wound around either the take-out roller 43 or the take-up roller 44 is Shorter. That is, the length of the portion of the recording medium 92 from the feeding roller 43 to the idling roller 49 that is not wound around the feeding roller 43 is shortened. Accordingly, the tension bar 48d is pushed by the recording medium 92 from the feeding roller 43 to the idling roller 49, and the tension applying member 48 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG.

  When the tension applying member 48 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 and the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 detected by the rotary potentiometer 57 reaches a predetermined angle, the roller rotation control means 61b of the control unit 61 rotates. Then, the recording medium 92 is fed out by the feeding roller 43 by driving the motor 51 and rotating the feeding roller 43.

  Here, the roller rotation control means 61 b rotates the feed roller 43 based on the change amount of the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 detected by the rotary potentiometer 57 with respect to the rotation amount of the feed roller 43 detected by the rotary encoder 52. The amount of feeding of the recording medium 92 by the feeding roller 43 with respect to the angle can be calculated. Therefore, the roller rotation control means 61b can rotate the feeding roller 43 at high speed by the motor 51 based on the calculated amount of feeding.

  When the recording medium 92 is fed out by the feeding roller 43, the length of the portion of the recording medium 92 from the feeding roller 43 to the idling roller 49 that is not wound around the feeding roller 43 becomes longer. Therefore, the tension bar 48d pushing the recording medium 92 from the feeding roller 43 to the idling roller 49 is raised, and the tension applying member 48 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the medium transport apparatus 40 with the tension bar 48d raised.

  The roller rotation control means 61b of the control unit 61 causes the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 detected by the rotary potentiometer 57 to reach a predetermined angle as the tension applying member 48 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the feeding of the recording medium 92 by the feeding roller 43 is stopped by stopping the motor 51 and stopping the rotation of the feeding roller 43. Therefore, the medium transport device 40 is in the state shown in FIG.

  As described above, the inkjet printer 10 is wound up by the tension applying member 48 disposed on the opposite side of the winding roller 44 with respect to the platen 45 and the upstream roller 46 in the conveyance path of the recording medium 92. Controlling the rotation of the take-up roller 44 based on the amount of rotation of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56 with tension applied to the recording medium 92 between the roller 44 and the tension applying member 48. Thus, the movement amount of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 is controlled, so that the movement amount of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 can be controlled without the recording medium 92 being sandwiched between the conveying roller and the driven roller as in the prior art. it can. That is, the inkjet printer 10 does not need to sandwich the recording medium 92 between the transport roller and the driven roller when setting the recording medium 92. Therefore, the inkjet printer 10 can improve the workability of setting the recording medium 92 as compared with the conventional case.

  If the recording medium 92 after printing by the recording head 23 is sandwiched between the conveyance roller and the driven roller, printing is performed by a roller that contacts the printed surface of the recording medium among the conveyance roller and the driven roller. There is a possibility that the ink on the finished surface may be marked with a roller to deteriorate the printing quality. However, since the inkjet printer 10 does not need to sandwich the recording medium 92 between the conveyance roller and the driven roller when setting the recording medium 92, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of such a deterioration in printing quality.

  Since the inkjet printer 10 cannot accurately calculate the amount of movement of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 when the recording medium 92 slides on the upstream roller 46, the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56. Therefore, the amount of movement of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 cannot be accurately controlled. However, in the ink jet printer 10, the tension is applied to the recording medium 92 between the winding roller 44 and the tension applying member 48, and the recording medium 92 is placed on the upstream roller 46 at a position where the conveyance path of the recording medium 92 is bent. Therefore, the frictional force between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92 can be sufficiently generated, and as a result, the recording medium 92 can be prevented from slipping on the upstream roller 46. Therefore, the inkjet printer 10 can calculate the movement amount of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 with high accuracy, and as a result, the recording in the platen 45 is performed based on the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56. The amount of movement of the medium 92 can be controlled with high accuracy.

  Since the inkjet printer 10 can control the amount of movement of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 with high accuracy, the main body 20 is printed in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b when the recording head 23 prints on the recording medium 92 on the platen 45. There is no need to move to. Therefore, the inkjet printer 10 performs printing on the recording medium 92 by the recording head 23 without moving the main body 20 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b, and the main body 20 is moved in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b. Compared with the configuration in which printing is performed by the recording head 23 on the recording medium 92 while being moved, the time until the printing on the recording medium 92 is completed can be shortened.

  The inkjet printer 10 moves the recording medium 92 slightly relative to the recording head 23 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b when the recording head 23 prints on the recording medium 92 on the platen 45. The main body 20 may be moved slightly in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow 10b.

  When the inkjet printer 10 calculates the movement amount of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 based on the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56, the rotation angle of the take-up roller 44 detected by the rotary encoder 54. May also be used. For example, the inkjet printer 10 roughly calculates the movement amount of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 based on the rotation amount of the upstream roller 46 detected by the rotary encoder 56, and the winding roller 44 detected by the rotary encoder 54. If the amount of movement of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45 is calculated in detail based on the rotation angle, the accuracy required for the rotary encoder 56 can be reduced. As a result, the rotary encoder 56 is inexpensive. An encoder can be employed.

  The amount by which the recording medium 92 is fed by the feeding roller 43 is determined based on the rotation amount of the feeding roller 43 and the diameter of the feeding roller 43 at that time. However, the feed amount of the recording medium 92 by the feed roller 43 also corresponds to the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 with respect to the rotation amount of the feed roller 43. Since the inkjet printer 10 controls the rotation of the feeding roller 43 based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 with respect to the rotation amount of the feeding roller 43, the ink jet printer 10 does not include a sensor that directly detects the diameter of the feeding roller 43. Also, the rotation of the feeding roller 43 can be controlled.

  In the present embodiment, the inkjet printer 10 controls the rotation of the feeding roller 43 based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 with respect to the amount of rotation of the feeding roller 43. However, the inkjet printer 10 may control the rotation of the winding roller 44 based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member 48 with respect to the rotation amount of the winding roller 44.

  The ink jet printer 10 includes a sensor that directly detects the diameter of the feeding roller 43, and controls the rotation of the feeding roller 43 based on the diameter detected by the sensor and the rotation amount of the feeding roller 43. May be.

  In the inkjet printer 10, for example, when a metal roller having a non-slip unevenness on the surface in contact with the recording medium 92 is the upstream roller 46, the metal upstream roller 46 is placed on the recording medium 92 that is softer than metal. The upstream surface 46 and the recording medium 92 generate frictional forces, and the larger the contact area between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92, that is, the larger the diameter of the upstream roller 46. The frictional force between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92 increases. Similarly, in the ink jet printer 10, when the roller whose surface is in contact with the recording medium 92 is made of rubber, which is the upstream roller 46, the rubber is deformed and is caught by minute irregularities on the surface of the recording medium 92. Since the frictional force between the side roller 46 and the recording medium 92 is generated, the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium increase as the contact area between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92 increases, that is, as the diameter of the upstream roller 46 increases. The frictional force with 92 increases. The ink jet printer 10 is made of a metal having a non-slip unevenness on the surface in contact with the recording medium 92 when the roller whose surface is in contact with the recording medium 92 is the upstream roller 46. Compared with the configuration in which the roller is the upstream roller 46, the effect of catching between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92 is great, so the same frictional force is obtained as the frictional force between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92. Therefore, the contact area between the upstream roller 46 and the recording medium 92, that is, the diameter of the upstream roller 46 may be small. In the inkjet printer 10, when the upstream roller 46 has a small diameter, the outer periphery of the upstream roller 46 corresponding to the minimum rotation amount that can be detected by the rotary encoder 56 compared to a configuration in which the upstream roller 46 has a large diameter. Since the upper distance, that is, the minimum detectable amount of movement of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 is small, the accuracy of detection of the amount of movement of the recording medium 92 on the platen 45 can be improved. The conveyance accuracy can be improved. Therefore, in the inkjet printer 10, when the roller whose surface is in contact with the recording medium 92 is the upstream roller 46 as in the present embodiment, the uneven surface for preventing slippage is formed on the surface in contact with the recording medium 92. Compared with the configuration in which the metal roller marked with is the upstream roller 46, the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium 92 can be improved.

  The upstream roller 46 may be a roller other than a roller whose surface is in contact with the recording medium 92. For example, the upstream roller 46 may be a metal roller having a non-slip unevenness on the surface in contact with the recording medium 92.

  In the ink jet printer 10, when the one side roller of the present invention is the feeding roller 43, the tension applying mechanism of the present invention is arranged on the downstream side of the platen 45 in the conveyance path of the recording medium 92, and this tension applying mechanism is the recording medium. Since the recording medium 92 is conveyed by the force pulling the 92 in the conveying direction, the recording medium 92 cannot be actively conveyed by controlling the rotation of the feeding roller 43. Therefore, in the inkjet printer 10, when the one side roller of the present invention is the feeding roller 43, for example, when the recording medium 92 is clogged between the feeding roller 43 and the tension applying mechanism in the conveyance path of the recording medium 92. There is a possibility that the recording medium 92 cannot be conveyed by controlling the rotation of the feeding roller 43. However, in the ink jet printer 10, in the present embodiment, the one side roller of the present invention is the take-up roller 44, and therefore the take-up roller 44 can pull the recording medium 92 in the transport direction. That is, the inkjet printer 10 can positively convey the recording medium 92 by the rotation of the take-up roller 44.

  In the inkjet printer 10, the one side roller of the present invention may be the feeding roller 43.

  The roller support groove portion 41b and the roller support groove portion 41c are respectively fed from the platen position conveyance direction side of the present invention, which is the conveyance direction of the recording medium 92 in the platen 45, that is, from the front side of the medium conveyance device 40, The roller 44 is set, and the upstream roller 46 is disposed on the opposite side of the platen position conveyance direction with respect to the platen 45, that is, on the back side of the medium conveyance device 40. With this configuration, the ink jet printer 10 is configured so that the feeding roller 43 and the winding roller 44 are set in the same direction from the front side to the back side of the medium transport device 40. Compared to a configuration in which the setting direction of the rollers 44 is different, the workability of setting the recording medium 92 can be improved. Further, the inkjet printer 10 has the recording medium 92 placed on the upstream roller 46 at the position of the operator at the time when the feeding roller 43 and the take-up roller 44 are set, that is, at a position far from the position on the front side of the medium conveying device 40. The recording medium 92 need not be sandwiched between the driving roller and the driven roller as in the prior art, and the advantage of good workability of setting the recording medium 92 in the medium conveying device 40 is great.

  The inkjet printer 10 is configured to pass through a position that can be confirmed from the front side of the medium transport apparatus 40 before the recording medium 92 after printing is wound around the take-up roller 44, and thus is located on the front side of the medium transport apparatus 40. The user can easily check the finished state of printing on the recording medium 92.

  The inkjet printer 10 has a configuration in which the feeding roller 43 is disposed at a position that can be confirmed from the front side of the medium transporting device 40, and therefore the user who is on the front side of the medium transporting device 40 is wound around the feeding roller 43. The remaining condition of the recorded recording medium 92 can be easily confirmed.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer 10 according to the present embodiment in a state in which the main body 20 exists on the medium transport apparatus 40 when the medium placement apparatus 30 and the medium transport apparatus 40 are separated. is there.

  The ink jet printer 10 is so-called as shown in FIG. 6 by connecting a medium transport device 40 as shown in FIG. 1 to a medium mounting device 30 of a so-called flat bed type ink jet printer as shown in FIG. It can behave as a roll-to-roll inkjet printer. For example, when the owner of a flat-bed type ink jet printer desires printing on a long recording medium such as the recording medium 92, the medium conveying apparatus 40 is newly obtained as an option, and the medium mounting apparatus 30 and the medium By connecting the conveying device 40, printing on a long recording medium such as the recording medium 92 can be realized. In addition, the inkjet printer 10 is connected to a medium transport device 40 of a roll-to-roll inkjet printer as shown in FIG. 8 by connecting a medium mounting device 30 as shown in FIG. It can be thought that it can behave as an inkjet printer.

  In the inkjet printer 10, when the medium carrying device 40 is connected to the medium placing device 30, the presence of the medium placing device 30 becomes an obstacle, and the recording medium 92 is transferred from the medium placing device 30 to the medium carrying device 40. Therefore, it is difficult to set the recording medium 92 to the medium conveying device 40 as described above.

  The ink jet printer 10 cannot always separate the medium loading device 30 and the medium conveying device 40, and is always used in a state where the medium loading device 30 and the medium conveying device 40 are integrated as shown in FIG. An inkjet printer may be used.

  Further, the ink jet printer 10 may be a so-called roll-to-roll type ink jet printer that includes only the main body 20 and the medium transport device 40 without including the medium placing device 30. Even in such a roll-to-roll ink jet printer, for example, when the back side of the medium transport apparatus 40 is a wall, the operation of setting the recording medium 92 on the medium transport apparatus 40 as described above is performed. The advantage of good quality is great.

  In the present embodiment, the roller rotation amount detection device of the present invention is disposed on the upstream side of the platen 45 in the inkjet printer 10. However, the inkjet printer 10 may have a configuration in which the roller rotation amount detection device of the present invention is disposed on the downstream side of the platen 45. For example, the inkjet printer 10 may be a sensor in which the rotary encoder 56 that is a roller rotation amount detection device detects the rotation amount of the downstream roller 47. When the rotary encoder 56 is a sensor that detects the amount of rotation of the downstream roller 47, the driven roller of the present invention is not the upstream roller 46 but the downstream roller 47.

  In the ink jet printer 10 according to the present embodiment, the tension applying mechanism of the present invention is the tension applying member 48. However, in the inkjet printer 10, the tension applying mechanism of the present invention may have a configuration other than the tension applying member 48. For example, the inkjet printer 10 does not include the motor 51 and the feeding roller 43 is difficult to rotate, that is, the feeding roller from which the recording medium 20 is pulled out by being wound up by the winding roller 44. When the feeding roller 43 receives a strong resistance when the feeding roller 43 rotates, the recording medium 92 is wound up by the winding roller 44 even if the tension applying member 48 is not provided. Since tension can be applied to the recording medium 92 between the feeding roller 43 and the take-up roller 44 in the conveyance path of the recording medium 92, a configuration in which the feeding roller 43 is difficult to rotate is adopted as the tension applying mechanism of the present invention. Can do.

10 Inkjet printer 10a Arrow (Arrow indicating main scanning direction)
10b Arrow (Arrow indicating sub-scanning direction)
23 Recording Head 24 Body Drive Device (Sub-scanning Direction Head Moving Device)
30 Medium Loading Device 31 Platen (Non-Conveying Platen)
40 Medium transport device 41b Groove for roller support (feeding roller support)
41c Roller support groove (winding roller support)
43 Feeding roller 44 Winding roller (one side roller)
45 Platen (Platen for conveyance)
46 Upstream roller (driven roller)
48 Tension applying member (tension applying mechanism)
48a axis (predetermined axis)
52 Rotary encoder (Feeding roller rotation amount detection device)
54 Rotary encoder (rolling roller rotation amount detection device)
56 Rotary encoder (roller rotation detection device)
57 Rotary potentiometer (member rotation angle detector)
61a Movement amount control means 61b Roller rotation control means 91 Recording medium (non-conveying medium)
92 Recording medium (transport medium)

Claims (7)

A recording head that discharges ink toward the recording medium; and a medium conveying device that conveys a conveying medium, which is the recording medium conveyed during printing, in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the recording head. And
The medium conveying device includes: a feeding roller support unit that rotatably supports a feeding roller for winding the conveying medium before printing by the recording head and feeding the conveying medium; and after printing by the recording head A take-up roller support portion that rotatably supports a take-up roller for taking up the transport medium, and the feed roller disposed to face the recording head when printing on the transport medium by the recording head A transport platen that is a platen on which the transport medium is placed in a transport path of the transport medium from the take-up roller to the take-up roller, a driven roller that is driven to rotate as the transport medium moves, and the driven A roller rotation amount detection device for detecting the rotation amount of the roller, and the transport platen in the transport path; And one side roller which is one of the feeding roller disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport medium with respect to the driven roller and the take-up roller disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction; A tension applying mechanism that is disposed on the opposite side of the one side roller with respect to the transport platen and the driven roller in the transport path and applies tension to the transport medium between the one side roller; A movement amount control means for controlling the movement amount of the conveyance medium in the conveyance platen by controlling the rotation of the one side roller based on the rotation amount of the driven roller detected by the roller rotation amount detection device; An ink jet printer comprising: The tension imparting mechanism includes a tension imparting member that imparts tension to the transport medium by rotating around a predetermined axis and pushing the transport medium.
The medium conveying device is detected by a feeding roller rotation amount detection device that detects a rotation amount of the feeding roller, a member rotation angle detection device that detects a rotation angle of the tension applying member, and the feeding roller rotation amount detection device. Roller rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the feeding roller based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member detected by the member rotation angle detecting device with respect to the rotation amount of the feeding roller. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein The tension imparting mechanism includes a tension imparting member that imparts tension to the transport medium by rotating around a predetermined axis and pushing the transport medium.
The medium transport device includes a winding roller rotation amount detection device that detects a rotation amount of the winding roller, a member rotation angle detection device that detects a rotation angle of the tension applying member, and the winding roller rotation amount detection device. Roller rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the winding roller based on the amount of change in the rotation angle of the tension applying member detected by the member rotation angle detection device with respect to the rotation amount of the winding roller detected by The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet printer is provided.   The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a material of a surface of the driven roller that contacts the medium for conveyance is rubber.   The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the one side roller is the take-up roller. The feeding roller support part and the take-up roller support part are from one direction side of a platen position transport direction that is the transport direction of the transport medium in the transport platen and a direction opposite to the platen position transport direction. Each of the feeding roller and the winding roller is set,
The said driven roller is arrange | positioned with respect to the said platen for conveyance in the other direction side of the said platen position conveyance direction and the opposite direction of the said platen position conveyance direction, The Claim 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. The inkjet printer as described in any of the above. A sub-scanning direction head moving device that moves the recording head in the sub-scanning direction; and a recording head that is not conveyed at the time of printing, and is arranged to face the recording head at the time of printing by the recording head on the non-conveying medium that is the recording medium. A medium placing device comprising a non-conveying platen that is a platen on which the non-conveying medium is placed;
The medium carrying device and the medium placing device can be connected and separated from each other,
The sub-scanning direction head moving device moves the recording head in the sub-scanning direction across the medium conveying device and the medium mounting device when the medium conveying device and the medium mounting device are connected. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet printer can be made to operate.

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