JP2021053912A - Medium support unit and printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce a work load on an operator in setting a printing medium to a printing device.SOLUTION: A medium support unit 30 includes: a pedestal part 34 movable between a set position A to be set with a printing medium M and a printing position B in which the printing medium M is printed by a printing device 1; an operation lever 49; and an auxiliary member 46 installed integrally with the pedestal part 34, moving along a first axial direction relative to the pedestal part 34 in accordance with an operation to the operation lever 49 and extending the printing medium M in the first axial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a medium support unit and a printing apparatus.

Conventionally, a printing device using a cloth such as a T-shirt as a printing medium is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a medium support unit in which a T-shirt or towel as a printing medium is set, and moves the medium support unit to a printing position to perform printing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-25669

When a flexible material such as a T-shirt or towel is used as a print medium, it is necessary to align the print medium and even out wrinkles and slack on the print surface when the print medium is set in the medium support unit. Conventionally, since this type of work is performed manually by a worker who operates a printing device, there is a problem that the burden on the worker is heavy.

One aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a medium support unit that supports a print medium to be printed by a printing apparatus, at a set position where the print medium is set, and the print medium is printed by the printing apparatus. A first pedestal portion that can be moved between the printing positions, an operation portion, and a first direction that is integrally provided with the pedestal portion and intersects the moving direction of the pedestal portion according to the operation of the operation portion. A medium support unit including an auxiliary member that moves along an axial direction and expands the print medium in the first axial direction.

In the medium support unit, the operation unit is a lever that moves in the first direction by a pressing operation, and the auxiliary member moves along the first axial direction with the movement of the lever. It may be a configuration.

In the medium support unit, the auxiliary member has a first auxiliary member and a second auxiliary member, and the operation unit has the first auxiliary member and the second auxiliary member in the first axial direction. It may be configured to be located in between.

In the medium support unit, the first auxiliary member and the second auxiliary member may be configured to move in opposite directions along the first axial direction.

In the medium support unit, at least a part of the print medium is placed, the platen for supporting the print medium during printing by the printing apparatus is provided, and the first auxiliary member and the second auxiliary member are the platen. It may be configured to engage with the printing medium placed on the printing medium and move along the first axial direction.

The medium support unit may be configured to include a regulating member that regulates the range in which the auxiliary member moves.

The medium support unit may be configured to include a moving mechanism for moving the auxiliary member in a direction away from the platen while the print medium is spread out.

The medium support unit has a rotation shaft, includes a drive mechanism for moving the auxiliary member along the first axis direction as the rotation shaft rotates, and the operation unit is connected to the rotation shaft. It may be a crank.

Another aspect for solving the above problems includes a printing unit for printing on a print medium and a medium support unit for supporting the print medium, and the medium support unit is a set in which the print medium is set. A pedestal portion that can be moved between a position and a printing position on which the print medium is printed by the printing unit, an operation unit, and the pedestal unit are integrally provided, and the operation unit responds to the operation of the operation unit. The printing apparatus includes an auxiliary member that moves along a first axis direction that intersects the moving direction of the pedestal portion and expands the print medium in the first axis direction.

Perspective view of the printing device. Front view of the printing device. Side view of the printing device. Top view of the printing device. Top view of the main part of the medium support unit. The plan view which shows the state which extended the auxiliary support part. The front view of the medium support unit which concerns on a modification. The front view which shows the state which lowered the auxiliary member.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The embodiments described below do not limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Moreover, not all of the configurations described below are essential constituent requirements of the present invention.

[1. Printing device configuration]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printing device 1 according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the printing device 1. FIG. 3 is a side view of the printing device 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the printing device.

The printing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an inkjet printing device including a printing head 18 for ejecting ink and forming an image by ejecting ink to a printing medium M.
The printing medium M used in the printing apparatus 1 is a cloth such as a knit, a cloth, or a non-woven fabric made of natural fibers or synthetic fibers. As a typical example, in the present embodiment, the case where the T-shirt is used as the print medium M will be described. As the print medium M, cloth products other than T-shirts can be used, and any form of cloth products such as sweaters, hoodie jackets, bottoms, coats, jackets, skirts, dresses, shoes, etc. may be used. Further, the printing device 1 may have a configuration capable of printing on paper or a synthetic resin sheet as the printing medium M.
FIG. 1 shows the installation state of the printing device 1, and the upper, lower, front, and rear directions used in the following description are based on the installation state of the printing device 1.

The printing device 1 includes a main body 10, a transport unit 20, and a medium support unit 30.
The main body 10 is a housing for accommodating the printing unit 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the main body 10 is provided with an operation panel 12 and an opening 14 leading to the printing position of the printing unit 16.
On the front surface of the main body 10, the transport portion 20 is arranged in front of the opening 14. A medium support unit 30 is placed on the upper surface of the transport unit 20, and the transport unit 20 transports the medium support unit 30 along the transport direction X.

The print medium M is set in the medium support unit 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the print medium M is set from the front of the medium support unit 30 so that the medium support unit 30 is inserted into the opening of the hem MB. The direction in which the print medium M is placed on the medium support unit 30 is indicated by reference numeral MD in the drawing, and is referred to as the medium movement direction MD in the following description. When the print medium M is set in the medium support unit 30, the upper surface of the medium support unit 30 is covered with the print medium M. The medium support unit 30 is conveyed to the inside of the main body 10 through the opening 14 by the conveying unit 20 with the print medium M set.

In FIG. 3, as the position of the medium support unit 30 moving in the transport direction X, the set position is indicated by reference numeral A, and the print position is indicated by reference numeral B and virtual lines. The set position A is the position of the medium support unit 30 when the print medium M is set in the medium support unit 30. The print position B is a position where the printing unit 16 prints on the print medium M.

At the set position A, the entire medium support unit 30 is exposed from the main body 10, and at the print position B, the entire medium support unit 30 fits inside the main body 10.
The printing apparatus 1 can print on the entire printing range of the printing medium M by moving the printing head 18 in the scanning direction Y and moving the printing medium M in the conveying direction X. Therefore, during printing by the print head 18, the medium support unit 30 moves in the transport direction X together with the print medium M. Therefore, the print position B is not limited to a specific point in the transport direction X, and indicates a range in which the medium support unit 30 moves during printing by the print head 18.

The main body 10 includes a printing unit 16. The printing unit 16 includes a carriage 17 and a printing head 18 mounted on the carriage 17. The print head 18 is supplied with ink of one or more colors from an ink tank (not shown). The print head 18 forms an image on the print medium M by ejecting ink from the nozzle toward the print medium M. The carriage 17 is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating scanning along the scanning direction Y, and the print head 18 scans on the print medium M along the scanning direction Y together with the carriage 17. The scanning direction Y is a direction that intersects the transport direction X, and in the present embodiment, the scanning direction Y is orthogonal to the transport direction X.

[2. Configuration of media support unit]
The medium support unit 30 includes a plate-shaped platen 32 that supports the print medium M from below, and a pedestal portion 34 that is located below the platen 32 and supports the platen 32. In the present embodiment, an example in which the platen 32 is rectangular corresponding to the shape of the print medium M is shown, but the shape of the platen 32 is not particularly limited.

The platen 32 is located below the range in which the print head 18 is scanned at the print position B and faces the print head 18. Here, the print medium M on which the ink is ejected by the print head 18 is placed on the platen 32 and supported from below. As a result, the gap between the cloth print medium M and the print head 18 is maintained at a preferable distance, and high print quality can be realized.

The pedestal portion 34 includes a support column 35 formed in an L shape in a side view. As shown in FIG. 3, the support column 35 includes a pole portion 36 erected on the transport portion 20, and an arm portion 37 extending from the upper end of the pole portion 36 along the transport direction X.

A stage 39 and an auxiliary support portion 40 are provided at the tip end portion of the arm portion 37 via an adjusting lever 38. The stage 39 is a flat plate-like member, and the platen 32 is placed on the upper surface of the stage 39. The stage 39 and the auxiliary support portion 40 are fixed to the arm portion 37, whereas the platen 32 is removable from the stage 39. Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1, the platen 32 can be replaced according to the size, shape, and type of the printing medium M.

The auxiliary support portion 40 is located below the stage 39 and functions to align the print medium M placed on the platen 32 and to even out the print surface of the print medium M. The configuration of the auxiliary support portion 40 will be described later.

The adjusting lever 38 is a member that connects the arm portion 37 and the stage 39, and constitutes, for example, an elevating mechanism using a ball screw. By rotating the adjusting lever 38, the distance between the arm portion 37 and the stage 39 can be changed to raise and lower the stage 39. The adjustment lever 38 is operated when adjusting the height of the platen 32 mounted on the stage 39, and makes it possible to adjust the gap between the platen 32 and the carriage 17.

On the lower surface of the platen 32, a mating portion (not shown) that can be aligned with the peripheral edge of the stage 39 is provided, and by fitting the peripheral edge of the stage 39 to the mating portion, the platen 32 becomes the stage 39. It is fixed.

When the print medium M is set in the medium support unit 30, a part of the arm portion 37, the adjustment lever 38, the stage 39, the auxiliary support portion 40, and the platen 32 are inserted into the opening of the hem MB of the print medium M. To. Since the pole portion 36 is located closer to the rear portion of the main body 10 than the center in the transport direction X of the arm portion 37, the hem portion MB can be slackened below the arm portion 37. Therefore, the print head 18 can print at an arbitrary position in the range from the collar MT to the hem MB of the print medium M.

The auxiliary support portion 40 has an operating lever 49 that projects forward of the printing device 1. As will be described later, the operation lever 49 is an operation unit for operating the auxiliary support portion 40, and corresponds to an example of the lever. The print medium M moves from the direction in which the operation lever 49 protrudes to the medium movement direction MD, and is set in the medium support unit 30.

[3. Configuration of auxiliary support]
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main part of the medium support unit 30, and particularly shows the configuration of the auxiliary support part 40 in detail. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the auxiliary support portion 40 is extended. 5 and 6 show the platen 32 as a virtual line for convenience of explanation.

The auxiliary support portion 40 includes a stretchable link mechanism portion 41. In the present embodiment, as an example of the expansion / contraction mechanism, an example in which a so-called pantograph mechanism or a link mechanism called a rage tong mechanism is adopted will be shown.

The link mechanism unit 41 includes two X links 44. The X link 44 is configured by intersecting two rod-shaped links 42 having the same shape in an X shape and rotatably connecting the intersecting portions of the links 42 and 42 by a connecting shaft 43. The link mechanism portion 41 is formed by connecting two X links 44 and 44 by a connecting shaft 43.

The link mechanism portion 41 can be expanded and contracted in the connecting direction of the X links 44 and 44. Although the details will be described later, the link mechanism unit 41 functions to spread the print medium M set in the medium support unit 30 in a direction intersecting the medium movement direction MD. Therefore, the X links 44 and 44 are connected in a direction intersecting the medium moving direction MD, and are orthogonal to, for example, the medium moving direction MD. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the medium moving direction MD and the transport direction X are parallel is shown, but the medium moving direction MD does not have to be parallel to the transport direction X.

Here, it is assumed that a virtual central axis E passes through the center of the upper surface of the platen 32 in a direction orthogonal to the medium moving direction MD and is parallel to the medium moving direction MD. That is, the central axis E corresponds to the center line of the platen 32.

The two connecting shafts 43 connecting the X-links 44 and 44 are arranged on the central axis E. Of the two connecting shafts 43 and 43, the side away from the operating lever 49 is referred to as the connecting shaft 43A, and the side closer to the operating lever 49 is referred to as the connecting shaft 43B. The connecting shaft 43A is fixed to the stage 39, and a rod-shaped operating lever 49 is connected to the connecting shaft 43B.

The operating lever 49 is provided so that one end is connected to the connecting shaft 43B and the other end protrudes from the auxiliary support portion 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the end portion of the operating lever 49 protrudes from the platen 32 in a plan view, and the operator operating the printing device 1 grips the end portion of the operating lever 49 to perform the operation.

The auxiliary support portion 40 includes a rail guide 45 fixed to the stage 39 and arranged along the central axis E. The rail guide 45 is a rod-shaped member, and a groove-shaped rail 45A is formed along the central axis E. Both ends of the rail 45A are closed.

The connecting shaft 43B is inserted through the rail guide 45 and can move along the rail 45A. The operating lever 49 moves along the central axis E together with the connecting shaft 43B. Since both ends of the rail 45A are closed, the range of movement of the connecting shaft 43B is regulated by the rail 45A. Therefore, the rail guide 45 regulates the moving range of the operating lever 49 within a predetermined range. The rail guide 45 corresponds to an example of a regulating member.

When the operating lever 49 moves along the central axis E, the connecting shaft 43B moves, so that the link mechanism portion 41 expands and contracts. Here, since the connecting shaft 43A is fixed and the connecting shaft 43B moves to the central axis E, the two X-links 44 and 44 expand and contract with the same amount of expansion and contraction about the central axis E.

The auxiliary support 40 has two moving bars 46A and 46B. The moving bars 46A and 46B form an auxiliary member 46. Each of the moving bars 46A and 46B is a rod-shaped member arranged along the central axis E, enters the inside of the print medium M through the opening of the hem MB, and acts to spread the print medium M from the inside to the outside.

The moving bar 46A is connected to one X-link 44, and the moving bar 46B is connected to the other X-link 44, and moves as the link mechanism portion 41 expands and contracts.
When the operating lever 49 is pressed in the pressing operation direction indicated by reference numeral D1 in the drawing, the link mechanism portion 41 extends with the movement of the operating lever 49, the moving bar 46A moves in the direction AM1, and the moving bar 46B moves. Move in direction AM2. The amount of movement of the moving bar 46A and the amount of movement of the moving bar 46B depend on the amount of extension of the X-link 44, and are substantially the same as described above.

The X-link 44 and the moving bar 46A are rotatably connected by two connecting shafts 43. Of these two connecting shafts 43, one closer to the operating lever 49 is referred to as the connecting shaft 43C. The connecting shaft 43C is slidably attached to the moving bar 46A along the longitudinal direction of the moving bar 46A. Therefore, it is possible to move the connecting shaft 43C as the X-link 44 expands and contracts.

The X-link 44 and the moving bar 46B are rotatably connected by two connecting shafts 43. Of these two connecting shafts 43, one closer to the operating lever 49 is designated as the connecting shaft 43D. The connecting shaft 43D is slidably attached to the moving bar 46B along the longitudinal direction of the moving bar 46B. Therefore, it is possible to move the connecting shaft 43B as the X-link 44 expands and contracts.

The auxiliary support portion 40 expands and contracts as a whole in the direction intersecting the medium moving direction MD when the operating lever 49 is pressed or pulled by the operator. Specifically, when the operation lever 49 is pressed and moved in the pressing operation direction D1, the moving bar 46A moves in the direction AM1, the moving bar 46B moves in the direction AM2, and the auxiliary support portion 40 as a whole is virtual. It extends along the axis AX. The virtual axis AX is a virtual axis indicating a direction intersecting the central axis E, and is orthogonal to, for example, the virtual axis AX. Further, the virtual axis AX can be said to be a direction that intersects the medium moving direction MD. The virtual axis AX corresponds to an example of the first axis, and the pressing operation direction D1 corresponds to an example of the first direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the operation lever 49 is pulled in the tension operation direction D2 indicated by the reference numeral D2 in the extended state of the auxiliary support portion 40, the connecting shaft 43B moves, whereby along the virtual axis AX. X-links 44 and 44 shrink. As a result, the moving bars 46A and 46B move, and the auxiliary support portion 40 contracts as a whole.
In this way, the auxiliary member 46 can be moved along the virtual axis AX by pushing or pulling the operation lever 49 by the operator.
The moving bar 46A corresponds to an example of a first auxiliary member, the moving bar 46B corresponds to an example of a second auxiliary member, and vice versa.

[4. Operation to set the print medium]
When printing on the print medium M, the operator arranges the medium support unit 30 at the set position A. This operation is executed by the printing device 1 in response to the operation of the operation panel 12, for example.
The operator moves the print medium M in the medium moving direction MD while inserting the medium support unit 30 into the opening of the hem MB, and covers the medium support unit 30 with the print medium M. At this time, the operator adjusts the center position of the print medium M in the width direction to the operating lever 49. For example, a tag attached to the collar MT of the print medium M, a character printed on the collar MT, or the like is used as a mark at the center position, and the print medium M is placed on the medium support unit 30 so as to overlap the operation lever 49. Cover. Since the operating lever 49 is arranged along the central axis E, it serves as a mark for positioning the print medium M in the center of the platen 32. Therefore, the center of the platen 32 and the center of the print medium M can be easily aligned.

As described above, since the print medium M is a cloth product, wrinkles and slacks are likely to occur. If the print medium M is wrinkled or loosened on the platen 32, the print medium M may come into contact with the print head 18 or be excessively close to the print head 18. As a result, the print medium M is soiled due to unintended adhesion of ink, ejection failure of the print head 18 is caused, and the print quality is deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to smooth the surface of the print medium M set in the medium support unit 30 to eliminate wrinkles and slack. Conventionally, as described above, the operator manually eliminates the wrinkles and slacks of the print medium M.

In the printing device 1, when the operator operates the operation lever 49, the auxiliary support portion 40 extends inside the printing medium M, and the moving bars 46A and 46B expand the printing medium M. Since the moving bars 46A and 46B move in the direction intersecting the medium moving direction MD of the print medium M, the print medium M can be expanded without dropping the print medium M from the medium support unit 30.
As a result, tension is applied to the print medium M by the auxiliary member 46, and wrinkles and slack in the print medium M are eliminated or reduced.

When the operating lever 49 is pressed, the two X-links 44, 44 constituting the link mechanism portion 41 extend in opposite directions with respect to the central axis E by substantially the same amount. Therefore, the moving bar 46A and the moving bar 46B move in the directions AM1 and the direction AM2 by substantially the same amount. That is, the moving bars 46A and 46B move in opposite directions by approximately the same amount. Therefore, tension can be applied to the print medium M so that the center of the print medium M does not deviate from the central axis E, which is the center of the platen 32, to eliminate or reduce wrinkles and slack in the print medium M.

The moving range of the operating lever 49 is regulated within a predetermined range by the rail guide 45. Therefore, when the operator operates the operation lever 49, the auxiliary support portion 40 can be prevented from being stretched by a predetermined amount or more, and the print medium M can be prevented from being stretched excessively.

After the print surface of the print medium M is leveled, when the operator operates the operation panel 12 to instruct the start of printing, the printing device 1 moves the medium support unit 30 by the transport unit 20, and the print medium M prints. It moves to the position B, and printing is performed by the print head 18.

[5. Summary]
As described above, the printing apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 16 that prints on the printing medium M, and a medium support unit 30 that supports the printing medium M. The medium support unit 30 includes a pedestal portion 34 that can be moved between a set position A in which the print medium M is set and a print position B in which the print medium M is printed by the print unit 16, an operation lever 49, and the operation lever 49. To be equipped. The medium support unit 30 is provided integrally with the pedestal portion 34, moves with respect to the pedestal portion 34 along the virtual axis AX direction in response to the operation of the operation lever 49, and assists in expanding the print medium M in the virtual axis AX direction. A member 46 is provided.

According to the medium support unit 30 to which the present invention is applied and the printing device 1 provided with the medium support unit 30, when the operator operates the operation lever 49 when setting the print medium M on the medium support unit 30, the print medium M can be expanded in the virtual axis AX direction. As a result, by operating the operation lever 49, a force in the direction of spreading the print medium M can be applied to the print medium M, and wrinkles and slack can be eliminated or reduced. As a result, the print surface of the print medium M, which is the print target of the print head 18, can be easily leveled. Therefore, the burden on the operator who sets the print medium M in the printing device 1 can be reduced.

The operation lever 49 is a lever that moves in the pressing operation direction D1 by the pressing operation, and the auxiliary member 46 moves along the virtual axis AX direction with the movement of the operating lever 49. Therefore, the print medium M can be expanded in the virtual axis AX direction by pressing the operation lever 49. Therefore, wrinkles and slack in the print medium M can be reduced or eliminated by a simple operation of pressing the operation lever 49, so that the burden on the operator can be further reduced.

The auxiliary member 46 has a moving bar 46A and a moving bar 46B, and the operating lever 49 is located between the moving bar 46A and the moving bar 46B in the direction of the virtual axis AX. Therefore, when the operator sets the print medium M on the medium support unit 30, the operation lever 49 serves as a guide for the work of aligning the center of the print medium M with the center of the platen 32. Therefore, when the operator sets the print medium M aligned with the center of the platen 32, the operation lever 49 can be used as a guideline for the alignment, so that the burden on the operator can be further reduced.

The moving bar 46A and the moving bar 46B move in opposite directions AM1 and AM2 along the virtual axis AX direction. Therefore, the print medium M placed on the platen 32 can be stretched in the opposite direction along the virtual axis AX intersecting the medium movement direction MD. Therefore, wrinkles and slack in the print medium M can be reduced or eliminated without shifting the print medium M from the center of the platen 32. When the virtual axis AX intersects the medium moving direction MD and further intersects the central axis E, it is easier to cover the print medium M on the platen 32 and move the pedestal portion 34. There is an advantage that it can be done. The direction of the virtual axis AX that intersects the central axis E may be a direction other than the vertical direction in the installed state of the medium support unit 30. For example, the virtual axis AX may be a direction in the plane of the platen 32 that intersects the central axis E and / or the media movement direction MD. In this case, by moving the auxiliary member 46, the print medium M can be spread along the surface of the platen 32 to reduce or eliminate wrinkles and slack in the print medium M.

The medium support unit 30 includes a platen 32 on which at least a part of the print medium M is placed and supports the print medium M during printing by the printing apparatus 1. The moving bar 46A and the moving bar 46B engage with the print medium M placed on the platen 32 and move along the virtual axis AX direction. Therefore, the print medium M mounted on the platen 32 can be expanded by the moving bars 46A and 46B, and wrinkles and slacks of the print medium M can be easily reduced. Therefore, the load of the work of the operator setting the print medium M on the medium support unit 30 can be reduced.

The medium support unit 30 includes a rail guide 45 that regulates the range in which the auxiliary member 46 moves. Since the amount of movement of the moving bars 46A and 46B can be regulated by the rail guide 45, it is possible to avoid giving excessive tension to the print medium M. Therefore, when the operator sets the print medium M on the medium support unit 30, the burden of being careful not to overextend the print medium M can be reduced.

Further, by pulling the operation lever 49 in the direction D2 opposite to the direction D1, the action of the auxiliary support portion 40 to spread the print medium M can be easily eliminated. Therefore, after printing on the print medium M set in the medium support unit 130 is completed and the medium support unit 30 moves from the print position B to the set position A, the print medium M can be easily moved from the medium support unit 30. Can be removed.

[6. Modification example]
A modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
FIG. 7 is a front view showing the medium support unit 130 as a modified example. FIG. 8 is a front view of the medium support unit 130 showing a state in which the auxiliary support portion 140 is lowered.
In the following description including FIGS. 7 and 8, the components common to the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The medium support unit 130 includes an auxiliary support unit 140 instead of the auxiliary support unit 40 described above. The auxiliary support portion 140 includes a link mechanism portion 41 and an operation lever 49, similarly to the auxiliary support portion 40. Further, the auxiliary support portion 140 is attached to the pole portion 36 via the moving mechanism 147.

The moving mechanism 147 is a moving mechanism that can move in a predetermined range in the vertical direction along the pole portion 36, and the auxiliary support portion 140 is placed and fixed on the upper surface of the moving mechanism 147. That is, the moving mechanism 147 moves up and down together with the auxiliary support portion 140. Therefore, the link mechanism portion 41 and the operating lever 49 are arranged below the adjusting lever 38 and move in the vertical direction together with the moving mechanism 147.

The moving mechanism 147 moves downward in response to the operation of pushing down the operating lever 49. Along with this, the auxiliary support portion 140 including the moving bar 46A and the moving bar 46B moves in the direction indicated by the reference numeral DM in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the auxiliary support portion 140 is lowered.

In the state shown in FIG. 8, the auxiliary support portion 140 including the moving bars 46A and 46B is located below the platen 32. In the process of lowering the auxiliary support portion 140, the moving bars 46A and 46B do not move on the virtual axis AX. That is, when the auxiliary support portion 140 is lowered while the auxiliary support portion 40 is extended by the operation of the operation lever 49, the auxiliary support portion 40 is lowered while being extended on the virtual axis AX.

According to this configuration, the print medium M can be expanded to the virtual axis AX by moving the auxiliary member 46 to the virtual axis AX by pressing the operation lever 49. Therefore, the same effect as that of the medium support unit 30 described in the above embodiment can be obtained by the medium support unit 130.

Further, the medium support unit 130 includes a moving mechanism 147 that moves the auxiliary member 46 in a direction away from the platen 32 in a state where the print medium M is spread out. Therefore, when the operation lever 49 is pushed down, the auxiliary support portion 140 is lowered as the moving mechanism 147 moves. As a result, after a tension that spreads the virtual axis AX is applied to the print surface of the print medium M, a force that further pulls it downward acts. Therefore, the area of the print medium M placed on the platen 32 can be further expanded by the auxiliary support portion 140. Therefore, the effect of eliminating or reducing wrinkles and slack in the print medium M can be further enhanced. For example, it is useful when a print medium M having a size larger than that of the platen 32 is set in the medium support unit 130, or when it is desired to more reliably eliminate wrinkles and slack in a region overlapping the platen 32 in the print medium M.

Further, when the operation lever 49 is pushed up, the auxiliary support portion 140 moves to the side opposite to the direction DM together with the moving mechanism 147 and rises. As a result, the tension applied to the print medium M is reduced. For example, after printing on the print medium M set in the medium support unit 130 is completed and the medium support unit 130 moves from the print position B to the set position A, the print medium M is easily removed from the medium support unit 130. be able to.

[7. Other embodiments]
The above-described embodiment illustrates one aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the auxiliary support portions 40 and 140 include the operation lever 49 as the operation portion has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, instead of the operating lever 49, a crank provided with a rotating shaft may be used as the operating unit. In this case, as a mechanism for extending the X-links 44 and 44, a drive mechanism having a rotating shaft and moving the connecting shaft 43B along the rail 45A with the rotation of the rotating shaft can be adopted. For example, as the drive mechanism, a ball screw mechanism arranged along the rail guide 45 can be adopted. In this case, the nut of the ball screw can be connected to the connecting shaft 43, and the screw shaft of the ball screw can be rotated by the operation unit. In this configuration, the screw shaft of the ball screw corresponds to an example of a rotating shaft. Then, by using a crank mechanism as the operating portion and configuring the screw shaft to rotate by the rotation of the crank mechanism, the auxiliary support portion 40 can be extended or contracted with a lighter operating force.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the auxiliary support portion 40 is provided on the pedestal portion 34, but the auxiliary support portion 40 may be provided integrally on the platen 32. In this case, the auxiliary support portion 40 can be attached to and detached from the pedestal portion 34 together with the platen 32.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the virtual axis AX direction in which the auxiliary support portion 40 expands and contracts is described as a direction orthogonal to the transport direction X, but for example, the virtual axis AX may be parallel to the transport direction X. , May be oblique to the transport direction X.

Although the auxiliary support portion 40 has a configuration in which it can be expanded and contracted by the link mechanism portion 41, it may be configured to include a member such as a screw member or a slider, or may have another mechanism. The other parts of the printing apparatus 1 can also be arbitrarily changed to other modes.
Further, the medium support units 30 and 130 are not limited to the printing device 1, and the application target is not limited as long as the device supports a medium made of cloth such as the printing medium M.

1 ... Printing device, 10 ... Main body, 12 ... Operation panel, 14 ... Opening, 16 ... Printing unit, 17 ... Carriage, 18 ... Printing head, 20 ... Conveying unit, 30, 130 ... Media support unit, 32 ... Platen, 34 ... pedestal part, 35 ... support, 36 ... pole part, 37 ... arm part, 38 ... adjustment lever, 39 ... stage, 40, 140 ... auxiliary support part, 41 ... link mechanism part, 42 ... link, 43, 43A, 43B , 43C, 43D ... Connecting shaft, 44 ... X-link, 45 ... Rail guide (regulatory member), 45A ... Rail, 46 ... Auxiliary member, 46A ... Moving bar (first auxiliary member), 46B ... Moving bar (second auxiliary member) (Member), 49 ... Operation lever (operation unit, lever), 147 ... Movement mechanism, A ... Set position, AX ... Virtual axis (first axis), B ... Printing position, D1 ... Pressing operation direction (first direction), E ... central axis, M ... print medium.

Claims (9)

A medium support unit that supports a print medium printed by a printing device.
A pedestal portion that can be moved between a set position where the print medium is set and a print position where the print medium is printed by the printing apparatus.
Operation unit and
It is integrally provided on the pedestal portion, and moves along the first axis direction, which is a direction intersecting the moving direction of the pedestal portion, in response to the operation of the operation portion, and spreads the print medium in the first axis direction. Auxiliary members and
A medium support unit comprising. The operation unit is a lever that moves in the first direction by a pressing operation.
The medium support unit according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary member moves along the first axial direction with the movement of the lever. The auxiliary member has a first auxiliary member and a second auxiliary member.
The medium support unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation unit is located between the first auxiliary member and the second auxiliary member in the first axial direction. The medium support unit according to claim 3, wherein the first auxiliary member and the second auxiliary member move in opposite directions along the first axial direction. A platen on which at least a portion of the print medium is placed and which supports the print medium during printing by the printing apparatus is provided.
The medium support according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first auxiliary member and the second auxiliary member engage with the print medium placed on the platen and move along the first axial direction. unit. The medium support unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a regulating member that regulates a range in which the auxiliary member moves. The medium support unit according to claim 5, further comprising a moving mechanism for moving the auxiliary member in a direction away from the platen while the print medium is spread out. It has a rotating shaft, and includes a drive mechanism that moves the auxiliary member along the first axis direction as the rotating shaft rotates.
The medium support unit according to claim 1, wherein the operating unit is a crank connected to the rotating shaft. A printing unit that prints on print media,
A medium support unit that supports the print medium is provided.
The medium support unit is
A pedestal portion that can be moved between a set position in which the print medium is set and a print position in which the print medium is printed by the print unit.
Operation unit and
It is integrally provided on the pedestal portion, and moves along the first axis direction, which is a direction intersecting the moving direction of the pedestal portion, in response to the operation of the operation portion, and spreads the print medium in the first axis direction. Auxiliary members and
A printing device.

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