JP2019210141A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ink jet printer that prevents glass from breaking and generation of glass powders due to large weight applied onto slide glass when cutting out (taking out) the slide glass.SOLUTION: A spring that pushes slide glass upward is provided, making a gate having a slightly wider gap than the thickness of the slide glass. A cut out claw 29 cuts out slide glass from the uppermost surface of the stacked slide glass, thereby reducing the weight applied to the slide glass when cutting out.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printer for a slide glass that automatically and sequentially feeds the slide glass and prints characters, barcodes, and the like on the frosted portion of the slide glass.

  Conventionally, many thermal transfer printers have been used as devices for printing characters and barcodes on a frosted portion of a slide glass (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, an apparatus has been proposed in which slide glasses stacked and accommodated in a cassette are easily fed out one by one from the bottom and automatically loaded into a printing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In addition, an apparatus for scanning and irradiating a laser beam from a laser beam irradiation means on a printing surface has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-312063 A JP-A-7-323932 Japanese Patent No. 6113350

  The thermal transfer type printer of Patent Document 1 has a path for feeding and transporting a thermal transfer ribbon, and therefore has a drawback that the operability is poor when the ribbon is loaded. Further, in printing characters and the like, there is a disadvantage that the ink usage rate of the thermal transfer ribbon is low and about 95% of ink is discarded, resulting in high running cost. Moreover, the thermal head composed of a heating resistor is coated with a very hard material such as glass for protection of the resistor, and the slide glass, which is the printed material, is also a hard glass material, and has an adhesive property. In spite of the fact that it is indispensable to secure, there is a problem that is extremely unreliable that not only the print quality is deteriorated but also the head is damaged when sandwiching a minute glass powder.

  In the laminated glass take-out device of Patent Document 2, in order to take out from the lowest layer of the laminated slide glass, when the remaining amount of glass is large, for example, when a cassette containing 100 sheets is used, the first one is A load of about 500 g was applied to about 5 g × 100 sheets, and a large force was required for sliding out. Although taking out the slide is called “cutting out”, many of the devices have a structure in which the slide is pushed out by a nail. When a large load is applied, the glass is damaged and becomes a source of glass powder.

  The printing apparatus of Patent Document 3 requires an expensive laser irradiation unit, and for this reason, the printer main body has to be expensive. In addition, since the frosted portion for printing formed on the glass needs to be made of a material that is blackened with a laser and becomes a special product, there is a drawback that it is versatile.

  The inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and employs an inkjet method that does not come into contact with a printing material during printing, and also has a method of taking out from a laminated glass. A spring with a spring constant of 5 g per 1 mm, pushes up the entire laminated glass, and takes out the glass from the top. Built-in glass supply device of the top cut-out method, high quality and reliable for slide glass Inkjet printing apparatus can be provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention is a so-called disposable ink jet printer in which an ink tank and a print head unit are integrated, which is easy to handle, highly reliable, and can be simply configured. This can be achieved by using a cartridge.

  In order to reduce the burden on the slide glass, the inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention pushes up the entire glass with a spring whose spring constant is approximated to the weight of the glass, and always puts a constant load on it. It can be achieved by using a top cut-out method that can take out the slide glass.

  The ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention has a built-in stacker mechanism for automatically stacking and storing slide glass after printing, thereby enabling continuous printing and improving operability.

That is, the present invention is as follows.
The present invention (1) is a small-sized and inexpensive inkjet printing apparatus for a slide glass having a simple configuration, using a disposable inkjet head.
The present invention (2) is an ink jet printing apparatus characterized in that the slide glass can be always taken out under a constant load with a light load by changing the glass cutting method to the top surface cutting method. .
The present invention (3) is for stacking and storing the slide glass after printing. This is an inkjet printing apparatus for slide glass having a plurality of storage portions and having a multi-stocker.

  According to the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the non-contact printing method can be used to eliminate the load on the fragile and easily chipped slide glass, and high quality printing that is not affected by the glass powder is possible.

  According to the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, there is no concern about durability using an ink cartridge in which an ink tank and a print head are integrated, and there is always concern about clogging and deterioration due to the supply of a fresh print head. An ink jet printing apparatus that does not have the problem can be provided.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the adoption of the top surface cutting method can reduce the burden on the glass, and can realize a highly reliable printing apparatus for slide glass that can reduce glass chipping and cutting failure. Is.

  According to the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, since the slide glass after printing is built in the multi-stocker capable of automatically storing and storing, a compact and easy-to-operate printing apparatus can be provided.

  According to the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to realize a small and inexpensive printer with good operability, improved reliability and durability by being equipped with a slide glass supply and storage.

It is the whole perspective view seen from the upper part of the ink jet printer concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal cross-sectional view of the ink jet printing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view from the upper side which shows only the front part of the inkjet printing apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which pulled out the magazine holder of the inkjet printing apparatus of FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the cut-out portion of the glass of the inkjet printing apparatus. It is a side view explaining the cutting-out operation | movement of the inkjet printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of another operation | movement of cutting-out operation | movement of the inkjet printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement for detecting a frost part of this invention. It is a perspective view explaining the mechanism of a multi stocker. It is a perspective view which shows the exterior part relevant to a multi stocker. It is a whole perspective view of suction belt conveyance. It is the whole perspective view which omitted the guide part of suction belt conveyance. It is a whole perspective view of belt conveyance in the state where a belt was removed. It is a perspective view of belt conveyance showing a driving roller and a driven roller. It is a perspective view of belt conveyance in the state where the glass in the printing state is on It is a perspective view of belt conveyance which shows the state where glass was discharged by half. It is a perspective view of belt conveyance showing the state where the rear end of glass is sucked and held. FIG. 6 is a side view of belt conveyance showing a state where the rear end of the lath is sucked and held. It is a perspective view of belt conveyance which shows the state where glass is discharged. It is a side view of belt conveyance showing the state where glass is discharged It is a perspective view of belt conveyance in the state where glass for manual printing is inserted

Hereinafter, embodiments of an ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the slide glass is abbreviated as glass, and the ink tank integrated print head is simply abbreviated as a print head.
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above, wherein 1 is a printer housing, 2 is a head cover, 3 is a glass outlet, 4 is a touch-type liquid crystal screen, and 5 is the liquid crystal screen. Is a screen frame, 6 is a screen holding axis, 7 is an eject button, and 8 is a power button.

(First embodiment)

  1 to 4 are an overall perspective view of an ink jet printing apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention, a cross-sectional view showing an internal structure, and a perspective view of only a front portion as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the glass magazine holder pulled out.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a casing serving as a printer base, which has a box shape covering a printer mechanism and a circuit board. Reference numeral 2 denotes a head cover which can be removed from the housing and accessed when the internal print head is replaced. Reference numeral 3 denotes a glass outlet, from which printed glass is discharged. When the glass on which the sample is placed is printed later, the glass is drawn from here and drawn into the inside, printed by the print head, and then discharged from the discharge port again. Reference numeral 4 denotes a liquid crystal screen equipped with a transparent pressure-sensitive touch panel, which displays various information from the printer and functions as an input device for the printer.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a screen frame for holding the liquid crystal screen. A screen controller base (not shown) is housed together on the back of the liquid crystal screen. Reference numeral 6 denotes a screen holding shaft, which is held so as to be able to rotate in the horizontal direction, and an upper portion 601 can hold a horizontal shaft 602 for rotating the screen in the vertical direction. The horizontal axis 602 is attached to the screen frame 5 and can rotate in the vertical direction with appropriate friction. The liquid crystal screen 4 with a touch panel is held so as to be rotatable in two directions of tilt and swing by the two axes.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes an eject button. When the magazine containing the glass is exchanged, when this button is pushed, the magazine holder protrudes in front of the housing 1 so that the magazine can be exchanged from above. Yes. Reference numeral 8 denotes a power button that switches between a standby state and an operating state of the printer.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a print head, in which the discharge nozzle and the ink tank are integrated, and are appropriately replaced and mounted on a head holder (not shown). Reference numeral 10 denotes a head carrier, which operates the print head 9 to perform main scanning in order to eject ink to a predetermined position on the glass. Reference numeral 11 denotes a carrier shaft that holds a carrier and serves as a scanning guide. A carrier motor 12 operates the carrier and reciprocates the carrier 11 by a transmission mechanism (not shown). Reference numeral 13 denotes a UV reflector, and the inside is formed of a material having good reflectivity. Reference numeral 14 denotes a UV lamp, on which an LED lamp is arranged.
A tube-type UV lamp may be arranged instead of the LED lamp.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a glass transport carrier, which is configured to move linearly within a predetermined range inside the printer in order to place the glass and move it to a printing position or a UV irradiation position. Reference numeral 16 denotes a motor for driving the glass transport carrier, and a transport mechanism is omitted. A circuit board 17 exchanges signals with an external computer, drives an internal motor of the printer, receives signals from various sensors, and drives a print head.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes a slide glass, which has a frosted portion coated with a porous resin for printing at an end portion, and has a layer for receiving the ink of the print head. The receiving layer is formed by mixing silica or the like into urethane resin to form an ink receiving layer, but other resins such as epoxy having the same function may be used. The length of the glass is about 75 mm to 76 mm, the frosted portion for printing is about 25 mm or less, and the width is different. The width direction of the glass is about 25 mm to 26 mm. Reference numeral 181 denotes a glass housed in the magazine, which is aligned and stacked with the frost portion facing upward. Reference numeral 19 denotes a glass magazine that stores about 100 pieces of the glass 181. Reference numeral 20 denotes a glass pressing plate, which holds the lower surface of the glass 18 and receives a push-up spring described later on the lower surface. Reference numeral 21 denotes a glass pressing spring, which pushes the glass stack 181 upward through the pressing plate 20. The glass pressing spring 21 is a conical spring and can reduce the height of the spring when compressed, which is effective for downsizing the printer.

A multi-stacker 22 is attached to the front of the printer. The storage section is provided at two places on the left and right, and has a space that can store 50 sheets each. 221 is an R stocker, and 222 is an L stocker.
The drive mechanism, which will be described later, can move left and right, and accumulates and stores the glass discharged from the glass discharge port. Reference numeral 182 represents the glass that has been discharged and deposited. Two glass magazines can be installed inside the printer, and can be loaded separately according to color or normal glass and coating glass, so the discharged glass can also be selected on both the L and R sides depending on the application. If one side is full, it can be stored on one side, so 100 sheets can be stored.
Reference numeral 223 denotes a stopper member for stopping the front end of the glass.
Reference numerals 231 and 232 are stocker receiving plates for receiving the natural fall of the glass, and the receiving spring 24 is attached to the lower surface. When the glass becomes heavier due to the lamination of the glass, the spring is compressed and lowered so that the discharged glass falls. The spring constant is set so that the distance is always constant and small.
The left and right parts are broken when 100 sheets are stored in a row, because there is a height to drop the glass. This is because there are concerns about defects such as disordered alignment.
There is also a stacker that stores 100 sheets in a row, but an elevator-type receiving part is required, and it has to be large and expensive.

  Next, reference numeral 27 denotes a magazine holder, which is pushed forward by a motor and a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown) when the above-described eject button 7 is pressed, and stops at a predetermined position. The R magazine 25 and the L magazine 26 are always pushed up from below by the conical spring 21. However, since the system is stopped at a predetermined height by the stopper, the magazine is located above unless the stopper is removed. There is no going up. When replacing the glass magazine, the magazine stopper is lifted slightly by removing the magazine stopper, so it can be grasped and removed and loaded with a new glass magazine. In addition, since the stopper mentioned above stops by loading and pushing in for a while, the glass magazine is positioned at a predetermined height.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the glass top surface cut-out mechanism, 28 is a cut-out claw retraction cam, and a pair of cam portions 281 are formed by sorting from the longitudinal center of the glass. Reference numerals 29 denote cut-out claws, which are similarly arranged in a pair, supported by a shaft, and rotatably held.
Reference numeral 291 denotes a retracting drive pin, which is formed at a predetermined position of the cut-out claw 29. Reference numeral 30 denotes a push-down lever, which is pivotally supported so as to be arranged in a pair. 301 is a cam part. It is rotated by a drive pin described later. Reference numeral 302 denotes a cam surface that holds the rotated lever. Reference numeral 303 denotes a pressing portion provided to push down the next glass to be cut out immediately below the cut glass when the glass is cut out.
Reference numeral 31 denotes a rotating push pin, which is held by a cutting carrier (not shown) and moves while being linked to the cutting claw 29. Reference numeral 32 denotes a glass positioning member provided in the glass cassette. The glass positioning members 32 are arranged at the four corners of the magazine. The upper surface of the uppermost glass of the laminated glass hits and is stopped at a predetermined position. No. 33 is opened at intervals of 1.5 times the glass thickness (about 1.5 mm) so that only one sheet can pass when cutting out the glass, and a gap is used so that only one sheet can pass through. It has become a gate.
Reference numeral 34 denotes a reflection type interrupter arranged to detect the frost portion on the upper surface of the glass, and is arranged downward so that the focal length is 0.5 m and the focal length comes to the frost surface.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG.
The cutting claw 29 is rotatably held by a cutting carrier (not shown) and moves in parallel with the short direction of the glass. The cutting claw 29 is always “rotated downward by its own weight, but the rotation angle is regulated by the stopper. When the end 292 of the cutting claw comes into contact with the end surface of the glass, the glass is broken. It moves together with the cutting claw 29, passes through the gap gate 33, and moves to the transfer bed 35.
In almost the middle of the movement of the glass, the glass 185 immediately below is pushed back by about 0.5 mm by the push-down lever 30 described later. The cut glass is in a state where no load is applied, and corners are hit between the glass end faces to prevent the powder from coming out or being applied. Further, the cutting carrier moves and the cutting carrier starts to retreat at a position where the glass is completely on the transport bed 35. In the middle of the retreat, the pressing lever 30 is released, and the glass just below was positioned second. It moves upward and hits the lower surface of the positioning member 33 to prepare for the next cutout. Since the drive pin 291 of the cutting claw 29 rides on the upper surface and moves backward by the cam 281, the lower end portion 293 of the cutting claw moves without hitting the upper surface of the glass to be cut next. When it returns to the initial position, it comes off the cam, so that the cut-out claw 29 returns to the home position and is ready to push out the uppermost glass in the next movement.

  Next, the operation of the push-down lever 30 will be described. The push-down lever 30 supported so as to be able to rotate is always rotated clockwise by a spring (not shown), but its rotation is restricted by the push pin 31. The push pin 31 moves linearly together with the cutting carrier and the cutting claw, hits the cam 301 at a predetermined position, approximately in the middle of the process, and the push-down lever 30 rotates counterclockwise (FIG. 7 (2)). The pressing portion 303 of the push-down lever 30 is lowered to push the surface of the next glass 185 of the glass to be cut out, and a slight gap is formed between the glass being cut out. When the glass to be cut out comes out of the glass magazine, it is not in contact with the next glass, so the edges of the glass hit each other. It is possible to avoid chipping and glass flaws.

next. The detection of the frosted part used as the printing surface of glass will be explained.
Using an extremely short reflective interrupter, the wrongly loaded glass is inspected, printed on areas other than the frosted area, and prevents the machine from being stained with unfixed ink and wasted glass Things are possible.
In FIG. 8, (1) is a case where the glass orientation is normally stored, and since the frost portion 186 is on the upper surface, the output of the sensor 34 becomes the level of the output 1 of the maximum value. Reference numeral 32 denotes a positioning member of the glass magazine, and the uppermost glass corresponding to the top of the stacked glass is pushed up by the conical spring, so that it always comes into contact. Next, (2) is an example of the glass stored upside down, and since the frost portion 186 is located on the lower side, it is at a position 1 mm lower than the normal position.
The output of the sensor 934 becomes the output 2 of the output curve of (3), and the difference is large, so it can be determined that the sensor 934 is not in the normal position. 344 is an output curve with the distance of the sensor as the X axis. The output is halved at the normal focal length of 0.5 mm (342) and the 1.5 mm position (343), which is 1 mm away, so detection is highly accurate. It is possible.
If the frosted part is not detected, it is determined that it has been loaded incorrectly, and after cutting it out, it will be ejected without printing and will be announced on the screen. .

next. The structure of the multi-stacker will be described. In FIG. 9, the system stop portions 224 and 224 of the multi-stacker 22 are formed in a pair. Reference numeral 36 denotes a stacker carrier, which has a rack field and has system mating holes 362 and 362 for mounting the previous stacker 27. When the stacker is mounted, the magazine holder 27 can be mounted by moving it slightly forward. Therefore, if the eject button is double-clicked, control may be performed so that the magazine holder 27 is moved forward by about 10 mm.
The multi-stacker 22 only needs to be inserted into the stacker carrier. After the insertion, the stacker carrier receiving portion 361 and a part of the multi-stacker come into contact with each other so that the multi-stacker does not rotate due to its weight. There is no such thing as a heavy movement.
The stacker carrier 36 is attached to a guide shaft 38 and is fitted so as to easily move to the left and right. Although not shown, a rotation stopper for preventing the rotation of the stacker carrier is provided. Reference numeral 37 denotes a motor. The pinion 38 meshes with the rack, and the stacker carrier 36 reciprocates as the motor rotates.
In FIG. 10, the magazine holder 27 is provided with an elongated opening portion 271 through which the receiving portion 361 of the stacker carrier protrudes. The magazine holder is also provided with an opening 272 for allowing infrared light from a reflective sensor (not shown) to pass through when the multi-stacker is fully accommodated.
3 is a glass outlet.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a suction type belt conveyance mechanism, 39 is a driving roller, 40 is a driven roller, and is installed via a spring (not shown) so as to be given a predetermined initial tension at a predetermined interval. Has been. 41 is an R belt, and 42 is an L belt, which have the same shape and the same material. The two belts are stretched at a predetermined interval, and a predetermined gap is provided between the belts. Reference numeral 43 denotes a belt bed having a surface at the same position as the back surface of the belt, and the belt is driven by sliding on the top surface. The central portion of the belt bed has a guide portion that is slightly lower than the upper surface of the belt, and has a suction port 431 provided with a predetermined opening on the driven shaft side. In order to arrange the suction port 431 up to the tip of the belt, a groove 401 having a thin shaft diameter is formed at the center of the driven shaft.
The suction port 431 is connected to a suction fan by a tube (not shown). By rotating the suction fan, a negative pressure is generated, and a suction force is applied to the suction port.
44 is a butting plate in the longitudinal direction of the glass, and 45 is a guide member for regulating the width direction.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the guide member is removed.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the belt bed with the belt removed.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the driving roller and the driven roller, and a suction port 431 is arranged in the space 403 of the largely driven roller. A drive roller shaft 391 is connected to a motor (not shown). Reference numerals 401 and 402 denote shaft portions of driven rollers, which are fitted to bearings (not shown).

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which the glass is mounted at a predetermined position of the belt.
When the belt is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the glass is brought into close contact with the belt due to the suction force of the suction port, and a conveying force is generated. The glass also moves in the direction of the arrow, but stops when it hits the contact plate 44. Since the conveying force of the belt is not large, the glass and the belt slide and maintain the contact state. The suction and the belt conveyance are performed for a predetermined time, and when the glass is positioned, the belt driving and the suction fan are stopped.
A drive mechanism (not shown) takes the belt conveying unit to the nozzle facing surface of the print head, prints predetermined characters and codes, then cures with a UV lamp, and moves the belt unit to the discharge port.
After the movement, as shown in FIG. 16, the belt is driven in the direction of the arrow while rotating and sucking the fan toward the discharge port. The glass moves in synchronization with the belt, and the glass can be moved while maintaining the level until the suction port shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is blocked.
When pulling out one by one, stop the belt before this position and wait until the glass is removed.

Next, when storing in the stacker and performing continuous printing, the belt is further driven until the glass comes off from the suction port. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, most of the glass comes out of the outlet. Since the center of gravity is outside, it will slide down on the stacker with the tip down.
By repeating this operation, glass can be printed sequentially.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the case of manual feed printing. A discharge sensor (not shown) detects that glass has been inserted from the outside of the printing apparatus, and drives the belt in the direction of the arrow while suctioning. The glass is sucked in, moves to a predetermined position and stops.
Thereafter, a normal printing operation is performed, and the belt may be stopped so that the glass stops at the discharge port so that it can be taken out by hand.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing 2 ... Head cover 4 ... Touch-type liquid crystal screen 5 ... Screen frame 6 ... Screen holding shaft 7 ... Eject button 12 ... Carrier motor 13 ... UV reflector 14 ... UV lamp 15 ... Glass conveyance carrier 17 ... Circuit board 21 ... Glass pressing spring 22 ... Multi stacker 27 ... Magazine holder 29 ... Cutting claw 30 ... Depressing lever 33 ... Positioning member 34 ... Frost detection sensor 36 ... Stacker carrier 41 ... R belt 42 ... L belt

Claims (4)

While storing several other slide glasses horizontally, a spring that pushes upwards is placed.
A system stop part that regulates the height direction is arranged on the upper surface, a gate having a gap slightly wider than the thickness of the glass is formed below the system stop part, and a glass is formed from the stacked uppermost surface. Inkjet printer for slide glass, characterized by taking out An ink jet printer having a glass cutting mechanism, wherein the next glass is pushed down while the uppermost glass is being taken out. Ink jet and printer, wherein the pressing piece for cutting out is flipped up at the time of return so as not to touch the upper surface of the glass. An ink jet printer in which the spring for pushing up the glass is provided with a spring having the same spring constant as the weight of the glass.