JP2554095B2 - Pen exchange device for XY plotter - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pen exchanging device for an XY plotter, and more particularly, to a plurality of recording pens for exchange stored in a rotatable turret. One relates to an automatic pen exchanging device for a multi-pen XY plotter which is used while exchanging a recording pen being used for recording.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as an automatic exchange device for recording pens in a multi-pen XY plotter, (1) a pen holder that uses a magnetic material to hold the pen and a storage pen holder that is composed of a holding plate with a directional opening are rotated. (2) The pen pressure holding movable arm provided in the storage pen holder uses the fact that the physical position of the tip of the pen pressure holding movable arm is different between the pen holding portion and the non-holding portion. There is a method to replace the pen by breaking the arm.

However, the above method (1) requires an expensive rare earth magnet, and also needs a metal fitting for the pen, which increases the weight of the pen and deteriorates the response of the pen during recording. However, in the method (2), since the pen pressure holding movable arm is configured to interrupt each other, the movable arm is largely opened, the wear of the movable arm is large, and the drive source motor is interrupted at the time of interruption. There was a problem that a large load was applied.

In order to deal with this, the present inventor has previously described (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-2411).
No. 96), a pen holder for movement that can be controlled to move in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, and a plurality of storages that are arranged on the outer periphery of a turret that can be controlled to rotate and move around the rotation axis in the Z-axis direction. Each of the pen holders is provided with an L-shaped fixed arm and a movable arm that forms an opening at the tip together with the fixed arm. These openings always cause the recording pen to move within the opening by the spring force applied to the movable arm. Although it is held in the Z-axis direction, when the recording pen is forcibly moved from the fixed arm side toward the movable arm side, the movable arm swings against the spring force and the opening width is such that the recording pen can freely pass. With such a configuration, a combination of forward and backward movements of the moving pen holder in the X-axis direction and an operation of rotating the storing pen holder at the pen sharing position in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction by a predetermined angle is combined. It proposed automatic devices that can perform exchanges. According to this proposed device, since the rotation of the turret at the time of exchanging the pen is required to rotate only a predetermined small angle in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction, the turret as compared with the conventional method (1) described above, Since the exchange device can be downsized, and the opening amount of the fixed arm and the movable arm at the time of exchanging the pen can be small, wear can be reduced as compared with the conventional method (2), and reliability can be improved. It is possible to provide a high-performance automatic pen changing device.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

According to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-241196, a compact and highly reliable device can be obtained, but the following problems still remain. That is, when exchanging pens, one recording pen is shared by both the moving and storing pen holders, and in this state, the turret is rotated by a predetermined angle to move the recording pen to the moving pen holder side or the storing pen holder side. However, there is a problem that the torque for rotating the turret at that time is still large and therefore the drive source motor becomes large, resulting in insufficient downsizing of the device.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to hold a recording pen from a storage pen holder to a moving pen holder.
Alternatively, it is possible to reduce the torque required to rotate the turret when moving from the moving pen holder to the storing pen holder, and thereby to reduce the size of the drive source motor and the size of the entire device. To provide.

[Means for solving problems]

The above-mentioned object is that the center line of the opening of the storage pen holder (the center line that penetrates the center point of the opening width in and out of the opening) when replacing the pen with respect to the center line of the opening of the moving pen holder is
This is achieved by adopting a structure in which it is tilted by a certain angle.

That is, in the device proposed in JP-A-61-241196,
The reason why the torque required to rotate the turret when replacing the pen was relatively large was that the center line of the opening part of the pen holder for storage and the center line of the opening part of the pen holder for transfer were on a straight line. This is because the openings have a structure that faces each other. The present invention is characterized in that the center line of the opening of the storage pen holder when the pen is replaced is inclined with respect to the center line of the opening of the moving pen holder.

More specifically, the present invention is directed to "moving the recording paper in the Y-axis direction of the orthogonal XY-axis on a flat board,
A recording pen is held by a movable pen holder that is movable in the axial direction and the Z-axis direction, and a plurality of storage-side pen holders are radially arranged on the outer periphery of a turret that can be rotated around a rotation axis in the Z-axis on the outside of a flat plate. In the XY plotter in which individual recording pen for replacement is stored in the storage side pen holder and one of them is used by exchanging the recording pen held by the moving side pen holder, each of the above pen holders on the moving side and the storing side. Each has an L-shaped fixed arm and a movable arm that forms an opening at the tip. Each movable arm normally holds the recording pen in the opening in the Z-axis direction by a spring force, but by the forced movement of the recording pen. The movable arm oscillates against the above spring force and has an opening width that allows the recording pen to pass freely, and the center line of the opening of the moving side pen holder is parallel to the X axis, but the pen is replaced. The center line of the opening of the pen holder on the storage side is tilted by a certain angle with respect to the X-axis, and the pen holder on the moving side is moved forward to the position where the same recording pen to be exchanged is shared, and Drive means for rotationally moving the turret of the pen holder clockwise or counterclockwise; drive means for rotationally moving the turret at a fixed angle at the shared position; drive means for retracting the moving side pen holder after completion of pen replacement; And a control means for starting and stopping each driving means in accordance with a setting order. "

[Operation] In order to replace the pen, one recording pen is shared by both the moving and storing pen holders, and in this state, the storing pen holder, that is, the turret is rotated by a certain angle. In the shared state described above, in the structure of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-241196 of the prior application, one point on the outer circumference of the cylindrical recording pen is in contact with almost the central position of the movable arm of the storage pen holder. , The movable arm is pushed outward through this contact point, and this force causes the movable arm to open outward. On the other hand, in the case of the present application, in the shared state, one point on the outer circumference of the recording pen is in contact with the movable arm of the storage pen holder at a position closer to the tip than the central position. Therefore, the rotational torque of the turret required to open the movable arm may be smaller than that when the outer circumference of the recording pen is in contact with the central position of the movable arm.

〔Example〕

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment. In FIG.
1 is a flat plate (platen) on which the recording paper 8 reciprocates in the Y-axis direction. Reference numeral 2 is a guide rod in the X-axis direction fixed to the flat plate 1 by a support block 3, along which the moving element 4 can reciprocate. The mover 4 is connected to a drive motor via a wire or a belt (neither of which is shown) and can be positioned with a resolution of about 0.025 mm. Further, the recording paper 8 can also freely reciprocate on the flat plate 1 by a friction wheel connected to a drive motor, and is approximately 0.02 like the X axis.
Positioning is possible with a resolution of 5 mm. 5 is a fixed arm, 6 is a movable arm, and these 5 and 6 constitute a moving side pen holder, which is attached to the side wall of a block provided on the moving element 4 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. The pin arm 12 is supported so that it can be opened with respect to the fixed arm 5. On the other hand, a storage-side pen holder having the same configuration as the movable-side pen holders 5 and 6 is formed of a fixed arm 9 and a movable arm 10, and a plurality of them (in the embodiment, 8).
Are arranged radially on the outer periphery of the turret 7. Turret 7 is about 1.
It is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) so that it can be positioned with a resolution of 8 degrees. As shown in the figure, the fixed arm 9 and the movable arm 10 of the storage side pen holder are attached to the tips of the respective turret arms by the fixed arm 9 holding the recording pen 11 to be replaced and the center line of the opening of the movable arm 10. However, it is performed so as to have a relationship of inclining at a constant angle (60 degrees in the embodiment) with respect to the center line of the opening of the moving-side pen holders 5, 6.

2 and 3 show the steps of the operation in which the moving-side pen holders 5, 6 take out the recording pen 11 held by the storage-side pen holders 9, 10 selected for pen replacement. Is a plan view and FIG. 3 is an elevation view. Each of the pen holders on the moving side and the storage side can be opened by swinging around an L-shaped fixed arm and a pin shaft 12 provided on the fixed arm, and a spring such as a spring (not shown). It consists of a movable arm that is pulled inward by force.The tip of the movable arm is designed to prevent the pen from passing through the opening during recording and to serve as a trigger for pen replacement. Is provided with a protruding portion projecting a small dimension toward. Moving side pen holders 5, 6 and storage side pen holders
The positions of the arms 9 and 10 in the Z-axis direction are controlled so that the arms do not collide with each other when sharing the same recording pen, as shown in FIG. In addition, the mover block supporting the moving-side pen holders 5 and 6 is Z
It is configured to be reciprocally movable in the axial direction, and this constitutes a part of a mechanism for intermittently forming a visual image on the recording paper 8.

Next, the process of taking out the recording pen 11 held by the storage side pen holders 9 and 10 by the moving side pen holders 5 and 6 will be described. In FIG. 2, after positioning the turret 7 so that the axis of the recording pen 11 to be taken out is on the extension of the center line of the opening of the moving side pen holders 5, 6, move the moving side pen holders 5, 6 in the direction of the arrow. When it is moved in the (-X direction), the movable arm 6 of the movable side pen holder opens against the spring force,
The movable side pen holders 5 and 6 and the storage side pen holders 9 and 10 reach the position where they share the same recording pen 11, and the state shown in FIG. 4 is obtained. After reaching the sharing state of FIG. 4, the recording pen 11 is moved to the moving side pen holders 5 and 6 by rotating the turret 7 in CCW (counterclockwise direction) as shown in FIG. In the above process, when the movable arm 10 of the storage side pen holder is pushed by the side surface of the recording pen 11 to open, the movable arm 10
The force acting on the tip portion of the element acts in the direction (-Y direction) in the drawing, and the movable arm 10 is opened by the component force in the direction (-X direction) perpendicular to this acting force. That is, in the shared state shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral side surface of the recording pen 11 is in contact with the storage side pen holder at the tip end side of the movable arm 10 at the tip end side. Therefore, the turret 7 required to open the movable arm 10 is opened. The rotation torque of is small.

On the other hand, in the structure proposed in the prior application, the openings of both the storage side and the moving side pen holders face each other in the state where the recording pen is shared, so that the outer peripheral side surface of the recording pen is located at the central position of the movable arm. When the turret is rotated counterclockwise in this state, the outer peripheral side surface of the recording pen pushes the central position of the movable arm on the storage side, and this force causes the movable arm to directly open. Therefore, the torque for rotating the turret requires a larger torque than in the case of the above-described structure of the present application, and as a result, the turret drive source needs a motor with a large output.

Next, the operation of moving the recording pen 11 held by the moving side pen holders 5 and 6 to the storage side pen holders 9 and 10 will be described. Moving pen holder that holds the recording pen 11
When 5 and 6 are advanced in the arrow direction (-X direction) to a position where the pen can be replaced as shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral side surface of the recording pen 11 moves the tip of the movable arm 10 of the storage side pen holders 9 and 10. Press to open the opening, then turret 7
When it is rotated in the CW (clockwise direction) (FIG. 7), the pen holders on the storage side and the moving side share the same recording pen 11 as shown in FIG. Also in this case, since the movable arm 10 on the storage side is pushed open by the movement of the movable side pen holders 5 and 6, the torque required to rotate the turret 7 from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. 4 may be small. There are advantages. After reaching the shared state in Fig. 4, move the pen holders 5 and 6 backward (+
When moved (in the X direction), the center line of the opening is parallel to the moving-side pen holders 5 and 6, but the retractable-side pen holders 9 and 10 are inclined to the backward direction. The storage-side pen holders 9 and 10 are stronger, and the recording pen 11 is held by the storage-side pen holders 9 and 10.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the center line of the opening of the storage-side pen holder is the center line of the opening of the moving-side pen holder when the pen is in the shared state. Since the structure is inclined with respect to the backward direction (that is, parallel to the X-axis direction), there is an effect that the turret rotation torque required when exchanging the pen can be made smaller than that of the prior art, which allows the turret drive. The source motor can be downsized, and the entire device can be downsized.

The recording pen can be replaced by moving the pen holder forward and backward in the X-axis direction and rotating the turret to which a plurality of storage pen holders are attached by a certain angle in the pen sharing position in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. It is possible to easily carry out these operations in combination with.
It is easy to automate by setting the control order in advance in the control circuit (not shown) that controls the start and stop by sending the command signal to each of the drive motor of the above and the drive motor of the turret 7. Is.

In the above-described embodiment, the moving direction of the recording paper is the Y axis,
Although the moving direction of the moving side pen holder has been described as the X axis,
This is an expression for convenience of explanation, and of course, the opposite definition does not affect the effect of the present invention.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the moving-side pen holder is moved forward and backward in the linear direction, and the turret to which the storing-side pen holder is attached is rotated by a certain angle in the pen sharing position in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The pen can be replaced in combination with the operation to perform, and the pen replacement operation is extremely simple, so the control device is simple and reliable, and the torque required to rotate the turret during pen replacement is higher than that of the conventional structure. Since it can be made small, the entire device including the drive source motor can be downsized, and thus an inexpensive device can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of an essential part in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an elevation view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the pen is shared, FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the operation of taking out the pen into the moving side pen holder, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are moving the pen held in the moving side pen holder to the storage side. It is a top view explaining operation. Explanation of reference numerals 1 ... Flat platen (platen), 2 ... Guide bar 3 ... Support block, 4 ... Moving element 5, 6 ... Fixed arm, 6, 10 ... Movable arm 7 ... Turret, 8 ... Recording paper 11 ... Recording pen, 12 ... pin shaft

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A recording paper is moved in a Y-axis direction of orthogonal XY axes on a flat platen, and a recording pen is held by a movable pen holder which is movable in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. A plurality of storage-side pen holders are radially arranged on the outer periphery of the turret that can rotate around the rotation axis in the Z-axis direction, and a replacement recording pen is stored in the storage-side pen holder, and one of them is held by the moving-side pen holder. In the XY plotter which is used by replacing the recording pen, the pen holders on the moving side and the storing side each have an L-shaped fixed arm and a movable arm having an opening at the tip thereof. Holds the recording pen in the Z-axis direction by the spring force, but the movable arm swings against the spring force by the forced movement of the recording pen, and the opening width is such that the recording pen can pass freely. And, The center line of the opening of the movable-side pen holder is parallel to the X axis, but the center line of the opening of the storage-side pen holder at the pen replacement position is arranged so as to be inclined by a certain angle with respect to the X-axis. Driving means for moving the moving side pen holder forward to a position where the recording pen is shared and rotating the turret of the storing side pen holder clockwise or counterclockwise, and driving for rotating the turret by a certain angle at the sharing position. An XY plotter pen exchanging device comprising: a means, a driving means for retracting the movable side pen holder upon completion of pen replacement, and a control means for activating and stopping each of the driving means in a set order.