JP2015024603A - Liquid jet device and liquid jet position adjusting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet device which conveniently performs adjustment of parallelism between a record surface of a recording medium and a head surface provided with liquid discharging nozzles, and of parallelism between a nozzle array and a movement direction of the recording medium.SOLUTION: A liquid jet device (an inkjet recording device) includes: a head part 20 which discharges liquid (ink); a guide shaft 40 extending in a first direction (an X-axis direction) to support the head part 20 so as to be movable in the first direction; a support position moving part 50 which moves at least either one of two support positions supporting the guide shaft 40 from mutually separated positions at an interval longer than the length of the head part 20 in the first direction; and a relative displacement part which moves relative positions of a recording medium 10 on which the liquid is discharged and the head part 20, in a second direction crossing the first direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus and a method for adjusting a liquid ejecting position.

As an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet printer that records (prints) an image by ejecting ink droplets onto various recording media such as paper and film is known. Inkjet printers make it easy to record high-definition digital color images.
Utilization in a wide range of fields, from personal use to industrial use, has spread rapidly. with this,
There are a variety of images and their media to be recorded, and there is an increasing demand for higher-definition and larger-format images to be recorded at higher speeds.

In general, in order to maintain high-definition recording quality and achieve further improvement, a recording surface of a recording medium (paper, etc.) and a head plate (a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets) facing this recording surface are arranged. It is preferable that the parallelism with the plate arranged in a shape is adjusted with higher accuracy. Similarly, it is preferable that the parallelism between the direction of the nozzle row and the moving direction of the recording medium is adjusted with higher accuracy. For this reason, the ink jet printer is provided with means capable of making these fine adjustments, and these adjustments are performed with high accuracy in the manufacturing and shipping stages.
In Patent Document 1, a head having a plurality of nozzle rows is mounted as means for adjusting the parallelism between the recording surface and the head surface and the parallelism between the nozzle rows and the moving direction (conveyance direction) of the recording medium. A recording apparatus is described in which the carriage is provided with angle adjusting means for displacing the head in directions of first to third angles.

JP 2001-158152 A

However, in the recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, after shipment, the parallelism is displaced due to some factor (for example, excessive vibration during transportation or impact given from outside during use). In such a case, there is a problem that it is difficult to easily repair (readjustment).
In particular, in the case of a recording device (inkjet printer) that supports large-format, high-speed, and high-definition images, the allowable adjustment width is increased due to the finer nozzle array and the larger array length that accompanies an increase in the number of nozzles. It has become increasingly smaller, and it has been difficult for users to adjust from a few microns to a few tens of microns using angle adjustment means provided on the carriage.

SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following application examples or forms.

Application Example 1 A liquid ejecting apparatus according to this application example includes a head unit that ejects liquid, a guide shaft that supports the head unit so as to be movable in a first direction, and extends in the first direction. Support position movement for moving at least one of two support positions for supporting the guide shaft at positions separated from each other at a distance longer than the length of the head portion in the first direction in a direction intersecting the first direction. And a relative movement unit that moves a relative position of the medium from which the liquid is ejected and the head unit in a second direction that intersects the first direction.

According to this application example, the liquid ejecting apparatus supports the head unit that discharges the liquid, the head unit so as to be movable in the first direction, the guide shaft that extends in the first direction, and the guide shaft. A support position moving unit that moves at least one of two support positions that are supported at positions separated from each other at a distance longer than the length of the head unit in the direction in a direction intersecting the first direction.
That is, the head portion is supported by a guide shaft extending in the first direction in which the head portion moves, and the guide shaft is supported at two support positions that are separated from the length of the head portion in the first direction. . Further, the support position moving unit moves at least one of the support positions that support the guide shaft.

In such a configuration, adjustment of the direction of the head part (direction in which the nozzles are arranged) with respect to the direction in which the medium from which the liquid is discharged (hereinafter referred to as a recording medium) moves is adjusted with respect to the extending direction of the guide shaft. In addition to being able to be performed by adjusting the orientation, it is also possible to adjust by adjusting the extending direction of the guide shaft, that is, by moving the support position where the guide shaft is supported.

Adjustment of the orientation of the head portion is adjustment for rotating the head portion, and is performed by moving the adjustment point with respect to the rotation fulcrum. In this case, the longer the distance between the rotation fulcrum and the adjustment point, the greater the amount of movement of the adjustment point with respect to the same rotation angle, and the fine adjustment of the rotation angle becomes easier. That is, compared with the adjustment that directly rotates the head part, the adjustment that moves the support positions of the guide shafts arranged at wider intervals is easier to fine-tune, and the adjustment by the support position moving part enables this. Yes.

Similarly, adjustment of the inclination of the head portion (the inclination of the nozzle surface in the direction intersecting the direction in which the nozzles are arranged (the direction in which the recording medium moves)) with respect to the recording surface (the surface on which the liquid is ejected) of the recording medium. In addition to being able to adjust the inclination of the head portion attached to the guide shaft (inclination with respect to the guide shaft), the support position where the guide shaft is supported (the height position with respect to the recording surface of the recording medium) is moved. Can also be adjusted.
The adjustment in this case is also an adjustment for rotating the head part, and by adjusting the support position (height position) of the guide shafts arranged at wider intervals than the adjustment for directly rotating the head part, Fine adjustment can be easily performed.

Therefore, according to the liquid ejecting apparatus of this application example, it is possible to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can more easily adjust the orientation and inclination of the head unit, for example, excessive vibration during transportation,
Even when the head portion is displaced due to an impact applied from the outside during use, it can be easily repaired (readjusted) by the user (for example, by the user).

Application Example 2 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that the liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a control unit that controls a movement amount of the support position that is moved by the support position moving unit.

As in this application example, by including a control unit that controls the amount of movement of the support position that is moved by the support position moving unit, it is possible to more easily adjust (repair) the inclination of the head unit.
Specifically, for example, when the support position moving unit is configured with a worm (worm screw), a rack (rack screw), and a stepper motor that drives the worm, the control unit controls the amount of driving the stepper motor. This enables quantitative adjustment via software.

Application Example 3 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes image information in which an image pattern indicating an influence of movement of the support position is formed by discharging the liquid from the nozzle. To do.

According to this application example, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes image information on which an image pattern indicating the influence of the movement of the support position is formed by ejecting the liquid from the nozzle. That is, by visualizing the influence of the movement of the support position as an image pattern based on the image information provided in the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to easily grasp whether the adjustment is good or bad, so that the tilt of the head unit is adjusted reliably and efficiently. Will be able to.

Application Example 4 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example, the head unit includes a nozzle surface in which discharge ports of a plurality of nozzles that discharge the liquid are arranged in a row, and the support position moving unit is The support position is moved in a plane parallel to a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction.

According to this application example, the head unit has a nozzle surface in which ejection openings of a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, and the support position moving unit forms a support position in the first direction and the second direction. Move in a plane parallel to the plane. That is, when the support position moving unit moves the support position of the guide shaft, the nozzle surface of the head unit rotates, and the direction of the row of nozzle discharge ports arranged on the nozzle surface is adjusted in the same plane. The That is, fine adjustment of the direction in which the nozzles are arranged with respect to the direction in which the recording medium moves can be performed more easily.
The term “parallel” as used herein refers to substantially parallel, that is, parallel in the case where the respective components are arranged in parallel when a liquid ejecting apparatus is generally configured. It does not mean parallelism without.

Application Example 5 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example described above, the head unit includes a nozzle surface in which ejection openings of the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, and the support position moving unit is configured to support the support position. Is moved in a direction crossing a plane parallel to the nozzle surface.

According to this application example, the head unit has a nozzle surface in which ejection openings of a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, and the support position moving unit is a direction in which the support position intersects a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. Move to. That is, the inclination of the nozzle surface of the head unit is adjusted by the support position moving unit moving the support position of the guide shaft. That is, fine adjustment of the inclination of the head portion with respect to the recording surface of the recording medium (inclination of the surface on which the nozzles are arranged) can be performed more easily.

Application Example 6 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example described above, a maintenance unit that cleans the nozzle surface is provided, the guide shaft has the two support positions, and one of the support positions moves to the support position. The other support position is fixed as a fulcrum for movement of the one support position, and the distance between the maintenance part and the other support position is the distance between the maintenance part and the one support position. It is characterized by being shorter than the distance.

According to this application example, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes the maintenance unit that cleans the nozzle surface. Further, in the configuration in which one support position of the guide shaft supported by the two support positions is moved by the support position moving unit, and the other support position is fixed as a fulcrum of movement of the one support position, The distance from the other support position is shorter than the distance between the maintenance unit and one support position. That is, the maintenance unit for cleaning the nozzle surface is disposed at a position close to the fixed support position.

In the configuration including the maintenance unit for cleaning the head unit (nozzle surface), it is preferable to configure the movable head unit to move to the position of the maintenance unit because the configuration is simpler. On the other hand, when the support position of the guide shaft is moved, the position of the head portion supported by the guide shaft is also moved, so that the positional relationship between the head portion and the maintenance portion that have been aligned in advance is shifted. On the other hand, the amount of movement of the head unit located in the maintenance unit relative to the amount of movement of the moving support position can be reduced by arranging the maintenance unit near the support position where the guide shaft is fixed as in this application example. Since it becomes smaller, the influence of the shift on the maintenance part can be further reduced. Specifically, for example, the operation of wiping the nozzle surface for cleaning due to misalignment is suppressed, and the effective area of the maintenance unit or the installation area of the maintenance unit is assumed in advance for misalignment. There is an effect that it is not necessary to take a wide range.

Application Example 7 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a substrate having a fixed surface to which the support position is fixed, and the support position moving unit is configured so that the fixed surface is in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. The substrate is moved so as to rotate.

According to this application example, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes the substrate having the fixed surface with the support position fixed, and the support position moving unit is configured so that the fixed surface rotates in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. Move the substrate. That is, when the support position of the guide shaft is fixed to the substrate, the guide shaft is fixed to the substrate and moves together. Therefore, the direction of the guide shaft, that is, the direction of the head portion can be adjusted by the support position moving unit rotating and moving the substrate. For example, if the center position in the extending direction of the guide shaft is configured to overlap the position of the rotation axis of the substrate, the adjustment angle of the head unit can be made to coincide with the rotation angle of the substrate. If the control unit performs adjustment control, the control can be simplified.

Application Example 8 In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that a maintenance unit that cleans the nozzle surface is provided, and the maintenance unit is mounted on the substrate.

By mounting the maintenance unit on the substrate with the guide shaft fixed as in this application example, the orientation of the guide shaft can be adjusted (that is, the head unit without changing the positional relationship between the support position of the guide shaft and the maintenance unit). Can be adjusted). That is, it is possible to adjust the head direction without affecting the positional relationship with the maintenance unit.

Application Example 9 The liquid ejection position adjustment method according to this application example includes a head unit having a plurality of nozzles that discharge liquid, a nozzle surface in which discharge ports of the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, A guide shaft that supports the head portion movably in the first direction and extends in the first direction; a relative movement portion that moves the medium from which the liquid is discharged in a second direction intersecting the first direction; A method for adjusting a liquid ejecting position of a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: moving at least one of at least two support positions where the guide shaft is supported at a position separated from the length of the head portion in the first direction. By moving the liquid ejecting position, the liquid ejecting position is moved.

The liquid ejection position adjustment method according to this application example includes a head unit having a plurality of nozzles that eject liquid, a nozzle surface in which ejection openings of the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, and the head unit is moved in the first direction. A liquid ejecting position adjusting method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: a guide shaft that is supported and extends in a first direction; and a relative movement unit that moves a medium from which liquid is ejected in a second direction intersecting the first direction. It is. In the liquid ejecting apparatus having such a configuration, adjustment of the direction of the head unit with respect to the direction in which the recording medium moves (the direction in which the nozzles are arranged, that is, the liquid ejecting position) is adjusted with respect to the extending direction of the guide shaft. In addition to being able to be done by adjusting the orientation, it can also be adjusted by adjusting the extending direction of the guide shaft, that is, by moving at least one of at least two support positions where the guide shaft is supported.

Adjustment of the orientation of the head portion is adjustment for rotating the head portion, and is performed by moving the adjustment point with respect to the rotation fulcrum. In this case, the longer the distance between the rotation fulcrum and the adjustment point, the larger the amount of movement of the adjustment point with respect to the same rotation angle, and the easier the fine adjustment. That is, compared with the adjustment that directly rotates the head part, the adjustment that moves the support positions of the guide shafts arranged at wider intervals is easier to fine-tune, and the adjustment by the support position moving part enables this. Yes.

Similarly, adjustment of the inclination of the head portion (inclination of the surface on which the nozzles are arranged) with respect to the recording surface (surface on which liquid is discharged) of the recording medium is performed by adjusting the inclination of the head portion attached to the guide shaft (with respect to the guide shaft). In addition to being able to be performed by adjusting the (tilt), it can also be adjusted by moving the support position (the height position with respect to the recording surface of the recording medium) where the guide shaft is supported.
The adjustment in this case is also an adjustment for rotating the head part, and by adjusting the support position (height position) of the guide shafts arranged at wider intervals than the adjustment for directly rotating the head part, Fine adjustment can be easily performed.

Therefore, according to the adjustment method of the liquid ejection position of this application example, the direction and inclination of the head unit can be easily adjusted, for example, excessive vibration during transportation or external application during use. Even if the head portion is displaced due to an impact or the like, it can be easily repaired (readjusted) (for example, by the user).

Application Example 10 In the liquid ejection position adjustment method according to the application example, the support position is moved in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface.

According to this application example, by moving the support position of the guide shaft in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface,
The nozzle surface of the head portion is rotated, and the direction of the nozzle ejection port array arranged on the nozzle surface is adjusted in the same plane. That is, fine adjustment of the direction in which the nozzles are arranged with respect to the direction in which the recording medium moves can be performed more easily.

Application Example 11 In the liquid ejection position adjustment method according to the application example, the support position is moved in a direction intersecting a plane parallel to the nozzle surface.

According to this application example, the inclination of the nozzle surface of the head unit is adjusted by moving the support position of the guide shaft in a direction that intersects a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. That is, fine adjustment of the inclination of the head portion with respect to the recording surface of the recording medium (the inclination of the nozzle surface in the direction intersecting the direction in which the nozzles are arranged (the direction in which the recording medium moves)) can be performed more easily.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus as an example of a “liquid ejecting apparatus” according to the first embodiment, and FIG. (A), (b) The schematic diagram explaining an example of a motion of a head part, and a motion of a recording medium. (A) Schematic diagram illustrating an example of recording (ink landing trace) formed by ink ejection, (b) An example of recording when there is a deviation between the moving direction of the recording medium and the direction of the ejection port array. Pattern diagram. The top view explaining a support position moving part. FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining a support position moving unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining a support position moving unit according to the third embodiment. (A) The top view explaining the support position moving part which concerns on the modification 1, (b) The top view explaining the support position moving part which concerns on the modification 2. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following is one embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In the following drawings, the scale may be different from the actual scale for easy understanding.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1A is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 100 as an example of a “liquid ejecting apparatus” according to the first embodiment.
In the following, for convenience of explanation, in the XYZ axes appended to the figure, the X direction is the right direction, the X
The axial direction (± X direction) is the horizontal direction, the Y direction is the forward direction, the Y axis direction (± Y direction) is the front-rear direction, the Z direction is the upward direction, and the Z axis direction (± Z direction) is the vertical direction.
The ink jet recording apparatus 100 is installed on a substantially horizontal XY plane.

<Inkjet recording apparatus>
First, the basic configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 will be described.
The ink jet recording apparatus 100 is an apparatus that records characters, drawings, images, and the like by ejecting ink (ink composition) as “liquid” by an ink jet recording head and attaching it to a recording medium for recording image information. is there. As a method of the ink jet recording head, a piezo method is used as a preferable example. Piezo method uses ink with piezoelectric element (
In this method, a pressure corresponding to a recording information signal is applied by a piezo element, and ink droplets are ejected and recorded.

The method of the ink jet recording head is not limited to this, and other recording methods in which ink is ejected in the form of droplets to form dot groups on a recording medium may be used. For example, a strong electric field between a liquid ejection nozzle (hereinafter referred to as a nozzle) and an acceleration electrode placed in front of the nozzle causes ink to be ejected continuously from the nozzle in the form of droplets, and a recording information signal is given from the deflection electrode while the ink droplets fly. Recording method, or a method of ejecting ink droplets according to the recording information signal without deflecting (electrostatic suction method), applying pressure to the ink with a small pump, and mechanically vibrating the nozzle with a crystal resonator, etc. For example, a method of forcibly ejecting ink droplets, a method of heating and foaming ink with a microelectrode according to a recording information signal, and ejecting and recording ink droplets (thermal jet method) may be used.

The ink jet recording apparatus 100 includes a head unit 20, a guide shaft 40, a carriage drive mechanism 4, a control unit 5, an ink cartridge 6, a relative movement unit (not shown), a platen 8, a maintenance unit 30, and the like. 7 is arranged, held and fixed to form a body as a device.

The head unit 20 includes an ink jet recording head 21, a carriage 22, and the like.
The guide shaft 40 supports the head unit 20 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction as the “first direction”.
In the center of the interior of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 extends in the X-axis direction so as to fill the entire width.
The carriage 22 carries the recording head 21 and the ink cartridge 6, and the guide shaft 4
0 is supported so as to be movable in the X-axis direction.
The head unit 20 scans the surface of the recording medium 10 as a “medium” by the carriage 22 and the carriage driving mechanism 4 (reciprocating operation in the X direction in FIG. 1) in a substantially vertical direction (
Recording is performed by ejecting ink in the -Z direction in FIG.

The control unit 5 performs drive control of the carriage drive mechanism 4 and the maintenance unit 30, control of ink ejection, control of the relative movement unit (control of movement of the recording medium 10, supply / discharge, etc.), and the like.
The ink cartridge 6 is divided into a plurality of storage portions and stores a plurality of inks to be described later.
The relative movement unit moves the recording medium 10 in a second direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) that intersects the scanning direction (first direction) of the carriage 22.
The platen 8 mounts the recording medium 10 and defines the interval between the recording head 21 and the recording medium 10.

<Recording head>
FIG. 1B is a plan view of the recording head 21 as viewed from the −Z direction.
The recording head 21 has a nozzle plate 24 provided with a plurality of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink, and the lower surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the nozzle plate 24 as a “nozzle surface”
A plurality of nozzle openings (discharge ports 23) are formed. The plurality of discharge ports 23 are shown in FIG.
As shown by the arrows, a plurality of ejection port arrays 25 arranged in the Y-axis direction are formed. In the description, the direction in which the nozzles are arranged refers to the direction in which the ejection ports 23 are arranged, that is, the ejection port array 25.
Equal to the direction of However, it does not necessarily indicate only the physical arrangement direction. It includes the case where the same arrangement direction is apparently formed by controlling the discharge timing. The apparent arrangement will be described later.

<Maintenance Department>
The ink ejected from the ejection port 23 is a nozzle surface (nozzle plate 24) near the ejection port 23.
Therefore, it is removed (cleaned) by the wiping member 31 included in the maintenance unit 30.
The maintenance unit 30 moves the wiping member 31 and the wiping member 31,
It is comprised from drive mechanisms (illustration omitted), such as a material supply roller which drives the maintenance part 30, a material removal roller, and a press roller.
The wiping member 31 is an absorbing member for wiping off ink remaining on the surface of the nozzle plate 24 and is hung on a material supply roller, a material removal roller, and a pressure roller. The wiping member 31 is pressed against the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 24 by the pressing roller, and the nozzle surface is cleaned by the wiping member 31 being moved by the drive mechanism. The feed roller feeds the wound unused wiping member 31. The material removal roller winds up the used wiping member 31 that has been unwound from the material supply roller and used for wiping. These movements are controlled by the control unit 5.
The nozzle surface is cleaned by moving the head unit 20 onto the maintenance unit 30 by the carriage drive mechanism 4.

<Ink>
The ink is composed of a color material (inorganic pigment, organic pigment, dye, etc.), a solvent (water, organic solvent, etc.), a resin, a surfactant, and the like. The inks such as cyan ink (C), magenta ink (M), yellow ink (Y), and black (K) are constituted by the contained color material, and are ejected from nozzles corresponding to the respective colors.

<Recording operation>
2A and 2B are schematic diagrams for explaining an example of the movement of the head unit 20 (recording head 21) and the movement of the recording medium 10 by the relative movement unit.
In order to make the following description easy to understand, the recording head 21 is different from the recording head 21 illustrated in FIG. 1B as four ejection port arrays 25 (ejecting port arrays) composed of 18 ejection ports 23 arranged in the Y direction. 25 _{-1 to} 25 _-4 ).

FIG. 2A shows the arrangement of the ejection ports 23 when the recording head 21 is viewed from above. An arrow F indicates the direction and amount of movement of the recording head 21 relative to the movement of the recording medium 10 in the Y direction. The relative position by the step movement for each movement amount F of the recording medium 10 by the relative movement unit is shown in an oblique direction so that the recording head 21 does not overlap. Therefore, in FIG. 2A, the positional relationship of the recording head 21 in the lateral direction does not make sense.
Arrows P1 to P4 indicate directions in which the recording head 21 is scanned in the X-axis direction.
FIG. 2B shows the relative relationship of the landing positions of the ink ejected onto the recording medium 10.
It shows that one pixel is formed by four ink droplets of numbers 1 to 4 with arrows. That is, FIG. 2B illustrates the position when landing on all four pixel areas.

An example of a specific operation will be described.
First, the recording head 21, while moving in the direction P1, ink is ejected from the ejection port arrays 25 _-1 to land the ink on a predetermined position indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2 (b) (path 1). Note that ejecting ink from the ejection port array _25-1 does not eject ink from all the ejection ports 23, but refers to nozzles whose ejection is controlled so as to correspond to the image (line, image, pattern) to be recorded. This means discharging from the discharge port 23 (the same applies hereinafter).
Next, the relative movement unit moves the recording medium 10 by a length F in the Y direction.
Next, while moving in the P2 direction, the recording head 21 ejects ink from the ejection port array 25 _-2 to land the ink at a predetermined position indicated by the two arrows in FIG. 2B (pass 2).
Next, the relative movement unit moves the recording medium 10 by a length F in the Y direction.
Next, the recording head 21, while moving in the P3 direction by ejecting ink to land the ink on a predetermined position indicated by 3 arrows in FIG. 2 (b) from the discharge port arrays 25 _-3 (path 3).
Next, the relative movement unit moves the recording medium 10 by a length F in the Y direction.
Next, the recording head 21, while moving in the P4 directions, by ejecting ink to land the ink on a predetermined position indicated by 4 arrows in FIG. 2 (b) from the discharge port arrays 25 ₄ (path 4).
Next, the relative movement unit moves the recording medium 10 by a length F in the Y direction.
Thereafter, the operations of pass 1 to pass 4 are repeated to form an image on the recording medium 10.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of recording (ink landing trace) formed by repeating the above operation.
FIG. 3A-1 shows ink droplets ejected from the respective ejection port arrays 25 at the respective timings by repeating the above-described pass 1 to pass 4. FIG.
FIG. 3A-2 shows the recording formed on the recording medium 10 by the ejected ink droplets. Specifically, a line by two ink droplets is recorded by the ink droplets shown in FIG.
3 (a) -3 shows the case of FIG. 3 (a) -2 by discharging a plurality of times in one scan (pass).
In the example, the lines indicated by are overlapped in the horizontal direction and recorded as a surface.
In FIG. 3A-3, all dots are shown as black circles in order to show the uniformity of the tightness of the dots (ink droplet traces) in an easy-to-understand manner.

<Adjustment of head orientation>
When there is a deviation between the moving direction of the recording medium 10 and the direction of the ejection port array 25, FIG.
The uniformity of tightness as shown in FIG. 3 is lost, and recording may be uneven. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the orientation of the recording head 21. This will be specifically described below.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of recording when there is a deviation between the moving direction of the recording medium 10 and the direction of the discharge port array 25. 3 (b) -1 to 3 are respectively shown in FIGS.
3 is supported.

FIG. 3B-1 shows a case where there is a deviation of the angle θ between the moving direction of the recording medium 10 and the direction of the ejection port array 25. If there is such a deviation, the image formed is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the result is a lack of uniformity of the dots. Specifically, there are areas where dots overlap and the density increases, such as area A in FIG. 3B-3, and areas where dots are sparse, such as area B, resulting in unevenness in the image. End up.

<Support position moving part>
In contrast to the basic configuration described above, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 further includes a support position moving unit 50 that moves the support position of the guide shaft 40.
FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the support position moving unit 50, and shows a part formed by the head unit 20, the maintenance unit 30, the guide shaft 40, the support position moving unit 50, and the like.

Both ends of the guide shaft 40 are supported by the main frame 7. That is, the guide shaft 40 has two support positions that are supported by the main frame 7 at positions that are separated from the length of the head portion 20 in the X-axis direction. One support position (in the −X direction) is movably supported by the main frame 7, and the support position is moved by the support position moving unit 50. The other support position (in the + X direction) is fixed to the main frame 7 by a fulcrum 59 as a fulcrum for movement of one support position.

The support position moving unit 50 includes, for example, a worm screw 51 and a rack screw 52 as illustrated in a simplified manner in FIG.
The worm screw 51 is fixed to the main frame 7 so that its axial direction is in the Y-axis direction and is rotatable.
The rack screw 52 is provided at one end of the guide shaft 40 in the Y-axis direction.
By rotating the worm screw 51, the guide shaft 40 is rotated in the XY plane with the fulcrum 59 as a fulcrum by the meshing rack screw 52.

In the configuration including the support position moving unit 50, the maintenance unit 30 has a distance between the maintenance unit 30 and the other (+ X direction) support position within the region in which the head unit 20 moves along the guide shaft 40. It is arranged at a position shorter than the distance between the portion 30 and one (−X direction) support position. That is, it is installed at a position closer to the fulcrum 59.

As described above, according to the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
An ink jet recording apparatus 100 as a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment supports a head unit 20 having a plurality of nozzles, and the head unit 20 movably in a first direction (X-axis direction).
A guide shaft 40 extending in the first direction and a support position moving unit 50 that moves at least one of at least two support positions that support the guide shaft 40 at a position separated from the length of the head unit 20 in the first direction. It has.
That is, the head unit 20 is supported by the guide shaft 40 extending in the first direction in which the head unit 20 moves, and the guide shaft 40 supports at least two supports separated from the length of the head unit 20 in the first direction. Supported in position. Further, the support position moving unit 50 moves at least one of the support positions that support the guide shaft 40.

In such a configuration, the adjustment of the direction of the head unit 20 (the direction in which the nozzles are arranged) with respect to the direction in which the recording medium 10 on which ink is ejected moves is adjusted by the direction of the head unit 20 with respect to the extending direction of the guide shaft 40. In addition to being able to be performed by the adjustment, the adjustment can also be performed by adjusting the extending direction of the guide shaft 40, that is, by moving the support position where the guide shaft 40 is supported.
Adjustment of the direction of the head unit 20 is adjustment for rotating the head unit 20 and is performed by moving an adjustment point with respect to a fulcrum 59 as a rotation fulcrum. In this case, the longer the distance between the rotation fulcrum and the adjustment point, the greater the amount of movement of the adjustment point with respect to the same rotation angle, and the fine adjustment of the rotation angle becomes easier. That is, the adjustment for moving the support positions of the guide shafts 40 arranged at wider intervals is easier than the adjustment for directly rotating the head unit 20, and the adjustment by the support position moving unit 50 is easier than this. Is possible.

Therefore, according to the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment, the displacement (inclination) of the head unit 20 is not the adjustment mechanism of the portion that fixes the head unit 20, but the adjustment mechanism (support position moving unit) of the support position of the guide shaft 40. 50), fine adjustment with high accuracy and high resolution becomes possible.
Further, since the adjustment can be performed without touching the fixed portion of the head portion 20 that is sensitive to the image quality, for example, serious side effects such as the parallelism between the nozzle surface and the platen 8 being shifted due to the tilt adjustment. Does not occur.
Thus, according to the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can easily adjust the orientation of the head unit 20, for example, excessive vibration during transportation, Even when the head portion 20 is displaced due to an impact applied from the outside during use or the like, it can be easily repaired (re-adjusted) (for example, by the user).

Further, the maintenance unit 30 for cleaning the nozzle surface is disposed at a position close to the support position (fulcrum 59) fixed by the support position moving unit 50. As a result, for example, when the maintenance is performed by moving the head unit 20 to the position of the maintenance unit 30, the amount of deviation between the position of the maintenance unit 30 and the head unit 20 with respect to the movement amount of the guide shaft 40 becomes smaller. The influence of the deviation on the maintenance unit 30 can be further reduced. Specifically, for example, the operation of wiping the nozzle surface for cleaning due to misalignment is suppressed, and the effective area of the maintenance unit 30 or the maintenance unit 30 is preliminarily assumed to be misaligned. This has the effect of eliminating the need for a large installation area.

When the support position for supporting the guide shaft 40 is moved, the guide shaft 40 is inclined from the X-axis direction, and an image that should be output in a rectangular shape becomes a parallelogram. But,
Since the moving range of the support position is, for example, several microns to several tens of microns, the angle between the guide shaft 40 and the X-axis direction is a slight angle. Therefore, it is not visually recognized that it is a parallelogram. On the other hand, when the guide shaft 40 and the X-axis direction are adjusted to be parallel, the image does not become a parallelogram, but the direction in which the nozzles are arranged tilts from the direction in which the recording medium 10 moves. Problems remain that are easily visible, such as uneven density in the image. For this reason, in the present embodiment, considering the visibility, the support position moving unit 50 is configured to move at least one of the support positions that support the guide shaft 40.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, an ink jet recording apparatus 101 (not shown) as a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. In the description, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
In the second embodiment, in order to make the inkjet recording apparatus 100 more user-friendly, a control unit that controls the amount of movement of the support position that the support position moving unit 50 moves, and an image pattern that shows the influence of the movement of the support position are provided. It is characterized by comprising image information to be formed.

The ink jet recording apparatus 101 includes a support position moving unit 50a instead of the support position moving unit 50 included in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and the control unit 5 controls the amount of movement of the support position moved by the support position moving unit 50a. The control unit 5 includes image information on which an image pattern indicating the influence of the movement of the support position is formed, and forms an image pattern on the recording medium 10 according to the image information. Except for the above points, the inkjet recording apparatus 101 is the same as the inkjet recording apparatus 100. This will be specifically described below.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the support position moving unit 50a.
The support position moving unit 50 a includes a drive unit 53 that rotationally drives the worm screw 51.
Except for this point, the support position moving unit 50 a is the same as the support position moving unit 50.
The drive unit 53 is configured by, for example, a stepper motor, and the rotation drive of the stepper motor is controlled by the control unit 5.
For example, the control unit 5 performs rotation control corresponding to the adjustment amount designated by the user with the minimum step drive amount of the stepper motor as the minimum adjustment amount. For example, the user designates the adjustment amount from the personal computer connected to the control unit 5 via the corresponding application software.
When the stepper motor performs the designated rotational drive, the support position of the guide shaft 40 can be moved by the designated amount.

In the image pattern showing the influence of the movement of the support position, the unevenness of the formed image is easily visually recognized so that the difference is clearly shown in FIG. 3 (a) -3 and FIG. 3 (b) -3. It is preferable that the image pattern can be used. For example, a pattern in which dots of the same color land on the entire surface of the recording medium 10, a pattern that draws a plurality of fine parallel lines as shown in FIG. 3A-2, and a pattern as shown in FIG. A pattern for drawing a surface, a pattern for drawing a plurality of patterns shown in FIGS.

The control unit 5 includes image information on which these image patterns are formed. For example, each time adjustment is performed by the user, the control unit 5 forms an image pattern on the recording medium 10 in accordance with a user instruction. For example, the user instructs the formation of an image pattern from a personal computer connected to the control unit 5 via corresponding application software.
Note that the image information on which these image patterns are formed is not necessarily provided in the control unit 5, and may be provided in a personal computer or a storage medium connected to the control unit 5.

According to the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the above-described embodiments, the following effects can be obtained.
The support position moving unit 50a includes a drive unit 53 that rotationally drives the worm screw 51, and the control unit 5
By controlling the amount of movement of the support position that is moved by the support position moving unit 50a, the tilt adjustment (restoration) of the head unit 20 can be performed more easily.
In addition, the image information on which the effect of the movement of the support position, that is, the image pattern showing the adjustment result is formed is provided, and the effect of the movement of the support position is visualized as an image pattern based on this image information. Since badness can be easily grasped, the inclination of the head unit 20 can be adjusted reliably and efficiently.
Since the user can control these adjustments and check the results from, for example, a personal computer connected to the control unit 5, a more user-friendly liquid ejecting apparatus can be provided.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, an ink jet recording apparatus 102 (not shown) as a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described. In the description, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
The third embodiment is characterized in that the support position moving unit moves the support position of the guide shaft 40 in a direction intersecting a plane parallel to the nozzle surface.

The ink jet recording apparatus 102 includes a support position moving unit 50 b instead of the support position moving unit 50 included in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and includes a fulcrum 59 b instead of the fulcrum 59. Except for these points, the inkjet recording apparatus 102 is the same as the inkjet recording apparatus 100. This will be specifically described below.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the support position moving unit 50b.
Similarly to the support position moving unit 50, the support position moving unit 50 b includes a worm screw 51 and a rack screw 52 that meshes with the worm screw 51.
The axial direction of the worm screw 51 and the rack screw 52 that meshes with the worm screw 51 faces the Z-axis direction. Except for this point, the support position moving unit 50 b is the same as the support position moving unit 50.
The fulcrum 59b is fixed to the main frame 7 as a fulcrum of the guide shaft 40 that is rotated by the support position moving part 50b.

According to the present embodiment, the inclination of the nozzle surface of the head unit 20 is adjusted by the support position moving unit 50b moving the support position of the guide shaft 40. That is, the inclination of the head unit 20 with respect to the recording surface of the recording medium 10 (the direction in which the nozzles are arranged (the direction in which the recording medium moves)
Fine adjustment of the inclination of the nozzle surface in the direction intersecting with (2) can be performed more easily. as a result,
For example, even if the head portion 20 is tilted due to excessive vibration during transportation or impact applied from the outside during use, it can be easily repaired (for example, by the user) ). Alternatively, for example, when the surface of the recording medium 10 (surface on which ink is ejected) is inclined with respect to the platen 8 due to the thickness specification of the recording medium 10, the nozzle surface is aligned with the surface of the recording medium 10. Head portion 20 so that the height is constant.
The trajectory that is scanned can be adjusted.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification will be described below. Here, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 7A is a plan view illustrating a support position moving unit according to the first modification.
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, one support position (in the −X direction) is movably supported by the support position moving unit 50, and the other support position (in the + X direction) is one support position. As described above, the fulcrum 59 is fixed to the main frame 7 as a fulcrum of movement.
The configuration is not limited to this.
In the first modification, instead of the fulcrum 59, the other support position (in the + X direction) is also supported by the support position moving unit 5.
0 is provided. Except for this point, the first modification is the same as the first embodiment.

With such a configuration, the support position can be moved at both ends that support the guide shaft 40. As a result, an adjustment range in which the guide shaft 40 rotates in the XY plane (
The direction adjustment range) can be further increased.
For example, when the screw pitches of the worm screw 51 and the rack screw 52 included in the support position moving unit 50 are configured to be different between the left and right support position moving units 50, the left and right adjustment sensitivity (support for the rotation angle of the worm screw 51). The position moving amount adjustment) can be changed.
Further, for example, as a result of moving the support position of one end of the guide shaft 40 by one support position moving unit 50, the alignment between the head unit 20 and the maintenance unit 30 in maintenance exceeds an allowable range. Even in such a case, the other support position moving unit 50
Thus, by moving the support position of the other end of the guide shaft 40, it becomes possible to enter the allowable range of alignment.
In this modification, at least one of the support position moving units 50 may be configured by the support position moving unit 50a (see FIG. 5) described in the second embodiment.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 7B is a plan view illustrating the support position moving unit according to the second modification.
An ink jet recording apparatus 103 (not shown) according to Modification 2 includes a substrate 55, and both end portions of the guide shaft 40 are fixed to the substrate 55 by support members 54 fixed to the substrate 55.
The substrate 55 is fixed to the main frame 7 with the substantially center of gravity position as a fulcrum and the fixed surface of the substrate 55 to which the support member 54 is fixed is rotatable in parallel with the XY plane. That means
The direction of the guide shaft 40 fixed to the substrate 55 changes as the substrate 55 rotates.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus 103 includes a support position moving unit 50c.
The support position moving part 50c is, for example, a worm screw 5 as schematically shown in FIG.
1 and a rack 56 or the like.
The worm screw 51 is fixed to the main frame 7 so that its axial direction is in the Y-axis direction and is rotatable.
The rack 56 is provided at the −X side edge of the substrate 55 so as to mesh with the worm screw 51. In other words, the substrate 55 is configured by the rack 56 as a part of a worm wheel that rotates with respect to the worm screw 51.
The support position moving unit 50c moves the substrate 55 so that the fixed surface to which the support member 54 is fixed rotates in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface.
The maintenance unit 30 is mounted on the substrate 55.

According to the second modification, the direction of the guide shaft 40, that is, the direction of the head unit 20 can be adjusted by the support position moving unit 50 c rotating (turning) the substrate 55. For example, when the center position in the extending direction of the guide shaft 40 is configured to overlap the position of the rotation axis of the substrate 55, the adjustment angle of the head unit 20 can be matched with the rotation angle of the substrate 55. It is possible to make the image of adjustment easier to understand, and when the control unit 5 performs adjustment control, the control can be simplified.

Further, by mounting the maintenance unit 30 on the substrate 55 to which the guide shaft 40 is fixed, the orientation of the guide shaft 40 (that is, the head) is adjusted while the positional relationship between the support position of the guide shaft 40 and the maintenance unit 30 remains unchanged. Adjustment of the direction of the portion 20). That is, the direction of the head unit 20 can be adjusted without affecting the positional relationship with the maintenance unit 30.

<Apparent nozzle arrangement direction>
In the present invention, the “direction in which the nozzles are arranged” is not necessarily limited to the direction in which the discharge ports 23 formed in the nozzle plate 24 are physically arranged.
For example, when the pitch of the discharge ports 23 adjacent to the diameter of the discharge ports 23 (rear and back in the row) is arranged short, the nozzle plate 24 may be arranged obliquely. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 1B, the discharge port array 25 is formed by a plurality of discharge ports 23 arranged in the Y-axis direction. However, when the pitch at which the discharge ports 23 are arranged is narrower, When it is necessary to increase the diameter of the discharge port 23, the discharge port 23 may be arranged obliquely with a shift from the Y-axis direction in advance. As described above, when arranged obliquely, the ink ejection timing is shifted with respect to the scanning speed in the X-axis direction by the carriage drive mechanism 4 so that it is apparently arranged in the Y-axis direction. can do. For example, in the scanning in the + X direction, the ejection port 23 arranged at the position shifted by the length −d is corrected by delaying the ejection timing by t _d (= d / scanning speed).
Even in such a case, that is, when the nozzles are not physically arranged in the Y-axis direction but are virtually arranged in the Y-axis direction, the “direction in which the nozzles are arranged” of the present invention The same can be considered.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Carriage drive mechanism, 5 ... Control part, 6 ... Ink cartridge, 7 ... Main frame, 8 ... Platen, 10 ... Recording medium, 20 ... Head part, 21 ... Recording head, 22 ... Carriage, 23 ... Ejection port, 24 ... Nozzle plate, 25 ... Discharge port array, 30 ... Maintenance section, 3
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wiping member, 40 ... Guide shaft, 50, 50a, 50b, 50c ... Support position moving part, 51 ... Worm screw, 52 ... Rack screw, 53 ... Drive part, 54 ... Support member, 55 ... Substrate, 56 ... Rack, 59, 59b ... fulcrum, 100-103 ... inkjet recording apparatus.

Claims (11)

A head portion for discharging liquid;
A guide shaft that supports the head portion movably in a first direction and extends in the first direction;
A support position for moving at least one of two support positions for supporting the guide shaft at positions separated from each other at a distance longer than the length of the head portion in the first direction in a direction intersecting the first direction. A moving part;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a relative movement unit configured to move a relative position between the medium from which the liquid is ejected and the head unit in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls a movement amount of the support position that is moved by the support position moving unit. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image information on which an image pattern indicating an influence of movement of the support position is formed by ejecting the liquid from the nozzle.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to 1. The head portion has a nozzle surface in which discharge ports of a plurality of nozzles that discharge the liquid are arranged in a row,
The said support position moving part moves the said support position within the surface parallel to the surface which the said 1st direction and the said 2nd direction form, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to 1. The head portion has a nozzle surface in which discharge ports of the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row,
4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support position moving unit moves the support position in a direction intersecting a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. 5. A maintenance unit for cleaning the nozzle surface;
The guide shaft has two support positions;
One of the support positions is moved by the support position moving unit, and the other support position is
Fixed as a fulcrum of movement of the one support position,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the maintenance unit and the other support position is shorter than a distance between the maintenance unit and the one support position. A substrate having a fixed surface to which the support position is fixed;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the support position moving unit moves the substrate such that the fixed surface rotates in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. A maintenance unit for cleaning the nozzle surface;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the maintenance unit is mounted on the substrate. A head portion having a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid, a nozzle surface on which the discharge ports of the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a line, and the head portion are movably supported in a first direction and extend in the first direction. A liquid ejecting position adjusting method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: an existing guide shaft; and a relative moving unit that moves a medium from which the liquid is ejected in a direction intersecting the first direction,
The liquid is characterized in that the liquid ejecting position is moved by moving at least one of at least two support positions where the guide shaft is supported at a position separated from the length of the head portion in the first direction. Adjustment method of injection position. The liquid ejection position adjustment method according to claim 9, wherein the support position is moved in a plane parallel to the nozzle surface. The liquid ejection position adjustment method according to claim 9, wherein the support position is moved in a direction intersecting a plane parallel to the nozzle surface.

Images