JP3233792U - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge device capable of sufficiently aligning a head unit and a support member.
A liquid discharge device (printer) 100 includes a head unit 10, a support member 30 that supports the head unit, and an adjustment mechanism 50 that can adjust the position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30. The adjusting mechanism 50 includes a central member 51, two arms 52 and 53 having one end fixed to the central member 51, and two hinge bolts 54 and 55 provided at the other ends of the arms 52 and 53, respectively. It is configured and has three joints H1-H3.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid discharge device including a plurality of heads.

In Patent Document 1, in an inkjet recording device (liquid ejection device) provided with a plurality of recording heads (heads), a head fixing plate (fixing member) to which a plurality of recording heads are fixed is used as a head carrier (support member). It has been shown that the head fixing plate is slightly rotated by the adjusting screw during mounting.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-197721

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the position of the head unit including the plurality of heads and the fixing member with respect to the support member can be adjusted only by slightly rotating the head fixing plate (fixing member) with the adjusting screw. In this case, the alignment between the head unit and the support member becomes insufficient, and the recording quality may deteriorate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge device capable of sufficiently aligning the head unit and the support member.

The liquid discharge device according to the present invention includes a head unit including a plurality of heads on which a plurality of nozzles are formed and a fixing member to which the plurality of heads are fixed, a support member for supporting the head unit, and a support member. It is an adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position of the head unit with respect to the support member, and is characterized by including an adjustment mechanism having a plurality of joints.

According to the present invention, since the adjusting mechanism has a plurality of joints, the degree of freedom in the position of the head unit with respect to the support member is increased, and the head unit and the support member can be sufficiently aligned.

It is a perspective view of the printer 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the head 11 included in a printer 100. It is a bottom view of the printer 100. It is a rear view of the printer 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has an adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the positions of the head unit 10, the support member 30 that supports the head unit 10, and the support member 30 of the head unit 10. It has 50 and.

The head unit 10 includes two heads 11 and a fixing member 12 to which the two heads 11 are fixed.

The two heads 11 are arranged in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2, each head 11 includes a tank 11t for storing ink and a flow path member 11p to which ink is supplied from the tank 11t. The tank 11t and the flow path member 11p communicate with each other via a tube (not shown). The flow path member 11p is formed with a flow path through which the ink supplied from the tank flows. The lower surface of the flow path member 11p is a nozzle surface 11N on which a plurality of nozzles 11n (see FIG. 3), which are the tips of the flow paths, are formed.

The left-right direction is a direction along a direction (conveyance direction) in which the recording medium moves relative to the head unit 10. In the present embodiment, the head unit 10 is fixed at a fixed position, and a recording medium (for example, a packaging material for food or the like) is driven by a transport mechanism (not shown) from right to left (in the transport direction). ) Transported. When the packaging material passes below the two heads 11, ink is ejected from the nozzle 11n by driving a driver IC (not shown), and the ink lands on the packaging material, so that an image is recorded on the packaging material. ..

The two heads 11 are arranged so as to be offset in the front-rear direction (direction orthogonal to the left-right direction). Both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are parallel to the nozzle surface 11N (see FIG. 3) and orthogonal to the vertical direction.

The fixing member 12 includes two housings 121 for accommodating each head 11 and a side plate 123 fixed to the right side surface of one of the two housings 121 (right housing 121). Each of the two heads 11 is a cartridge type and can be attached to and detached from the housing 121 in the front-rear direction. The nozzle surface 11N of each head 11 is exposed through the opening 121x of each housing 121 (see FIG. 3).

The support member 30 includes a support plate 31 and a mounting plate 32.

The support plate 31 is a substantially rectangular plate extending in the vertical direction and the left-right direction.

The mounting plate 32 is a substantially rectangular plate smaller in size than the support plate 31, is fixed to the upper portion of the support plate 31, and extends in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. The mounting plate 32 is provided with four mounting holes 32x for mounting the printer 100 on a packaging machine (not shown). The printer 100 including the mounting plate 32 can be attached to the packaging machine by inserting bolts into the mounting holes 32x and tightening the bolts while the mounting plate 32 is fixed to a part of the packaging machine.

The position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 can be adjusted by the adjusting mechanism 50, and for example, a free guide arm fixed arm (model number FRXGA80) of MISUMI Co., Ltd. can be applied.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the adjusting mechanism 50 is provided at the central member 51, two arms 52 and 53 having one ends fixed to the central member 51, and the other ends of the arms 52 and 53, respectively. It is composed of two hinge bolts 54 and 55 and has three joints H1 to H3.

The central member 51 is a substantially columnar member, and has a base portion 511 arranged in the center in the axial direction (direction along the axis X) and one and the other in the axial direction with respect to the base portion 511, respectively. Includes two rotating parts 512 and 513.

The two rotating portions 512 and 513 are respectively rotatable about the axis X with respect to the base portion 511. By rotating the rotating portion 512 with respect to the base portion 511, the arm 52 fixed to the rotating portion 512 rotates about the axis X. By rotating the rotating portion 513 with respect to the base portion 511, the arm 53 fixed to the rotating portion 513 rotates about the axis X. In this way, the base 511 constitutes one of the three joints H1 to H3 (joint H1).

The two arms 52 and 53 are substantially columnar members having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the central member 51, respectively. As described above, one end of the arm 52 is fixed to the rotating portion 512, and one end of the arm 53 is fixed to the rotating portion 513.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hinge bolt 54 has a bottom portion 54a connected to the support plate 31 and a head portion 54b protruding from the bottom portion 54a and connected to the other end of the arm 52. The bottom portion 54a corresponds to one end of the adjusting mechanism 50.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of connecting holes 31x (“connecting portions” of the present invention) are formed in the support plate 31. The plurality of connecting holes 31x are separated from each other in the transport direction and are arranged in a row at equal intervals. The bottom portion 54a has a convex portion 54x that can be fitted into the connecting hole 31x. The convex portion 54x can be selectively fitted into any of the plurality of connecting holes 31x.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hinge bolt 55 has a bottom portion 55a connected to a side plate 123 (side surface of the fixing member 12) and a head portion 55b protruding from the bottom portion 55a and connected to the other end of the arm 53. The bottom portion 55a corresponds to the other end of the adjusting mechanism 50.

The arm 52 is rotatable about the head 54b, and the arm 53 is rotatable about the head 55b. As described above, the head 54b constitutes one of the three joints H1 to H3 (joint H2), and the head 55b constitutes one of the three joints H1 to H3 (joint H3).

The movable parts (rotating parts 512, 513 and arms 52, 53) of the adjusting mechanism 50 are fixed by operating the lever 59 provided on the central member 51. That is, the lever 59 can take a fixed position (for example, a position shown in FIG. 1) and a release position (for example, a position lifted above the position shown in FIG. 1). Rotation of the rotating portions 512 and 513 with respect to the base portion 511 and rotation of the arms 53 and 54 around the head are possible when the lever 59 is in the release position and when the lever 59 is in the fixed position. It becomes impossible.

The parts (center member 51, arms 52, 53 and hinge bolts 54, 55) constituting the adjusting mechanism 50 are made of aluminum.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printer 100 includes an adjustment mechanism 50 having a plurality of joints H1 to H3 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). As a result, the degree of freedom in the position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 is increased, and the head unit 10 and the support member 30 can be sufficiently aligned.

The adjusting mechanism 50 has two arms 52, 53 at which any of the joints H1 to H3 is provided at the end (see FIGS. 1 and 3). In this case, by adjusting the positions of the arms 52 and 53 (that is, elongated members), the movable range of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 can be increased, and the degree of freedom of the position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 can be increased. (By extension, the head unit 10 and the support member 30 can be sufficiently aligned with each other).

The adjusting mechanism 50 has three joints H1 to H3 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). When there are two joints, the degree of freedom in the position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 is relatively small, and the alignment may be insufficient. When there are four or more joints, the configuration becomes complicated and the position adjustment work may become difficult. In this respect, in the present embodiment, since the number of joints H1 to H3 is three, the degree of freedom of the position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 is relatively large, and the alignment can be sufficiently performed. In addition, the complexity of the structure can be suppressed, and the position adjustment work can be performed relatively easily.

The adjusting mechanism 50 is connected to the side surface of the fixing member 12 (side plate 123 in this embodiment) (see FIGS. 1 and 3). When the adjusting mechanism 50 is connected to the bottom surface or the top surface of the fixing member 12, the adjusting mechanism 50 interferes with the nozzle surface 11N near the bottom surface of the fixing member 12 and the electric cable 90 near the top surface of the fixing member 12. obtain. In this respect, in the present embodiment, since the adjusting mechanism 50 is connected to the side surface of the fixing member 12, interference between the adjusting mechanism 50 and the member can be suppressed.

The head 11 can be attached to and detached from the fixing member 12 in a direction (front-back direction) along the side surface of the fixing member 12 (see FIG. 1). In this case, it is possible to prevent the attachment / detachment of the head 11 from being hindered by the adjusting mechanism 50.

The head 11 includes a tank 11t for storing ink and a flow path member 11p to which ink is supplied from the tank 11t (see FIG. 2). In this case, the tank 11t can be replaced by attaching and detaching the head 11.

One end of the adjusting mechanism 50 (bottom 54a of the hinge bolt 54) can be selectively connected to any of the plurality of connecting holes 31x of the support member 30 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Thereby, the position of the adjusting mechanism 50 with respect to the support member 30 can be appropriately adjusted. As a result, the degree of freedom in the position of the head unit 10 with respect to the support member 30 can be further increased.

The plurality of connecting holes 31x are separated from each other in the transport direction (the direction in which the recording medium moves relative to the head unit 10) (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In this case, the position of the head unit 10 in the transport direction can be adjusted depending on which of the plurality of connecting holes 31x is selected. This eliminates the need for excessive adjustment of the ink ejection timing from the nozzle 11n, and simplifies control.

The connecting portion of the support member 30 with the adjusting mechanism 50 is a hole (connecting hole 31x), and one end of the adjusting mechanism 50 (bottom 54a of the hinge bolt 54) has a convex portion 54x that can be fitted into the connecting hole 31x. (See FIG. 3). In this case, one end of the adjusting mechanism 50 (bottom 54a of the hinge bolt 54) can be easily connected to the support member 30 by fitting the convex portion 54x into the connecting hole 31x.

At least a part of the adjusting mechanism 50 is made of aluminum. In this case, the adjusting mechanism 50 can be easily machined by cutting or the like, and its strength can be secured. In addition, the adjustment mechanism 50 becomes lightweight, and the operator can easily perform the adjustment.

The support member 30 has a mounting hole 32x for mounting the printer 100 on the packaging machine (see FIG. 1). In this case, the printer 100 can be attached to the packaging machine to record images on various packaging media.

<Modification example>
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made as long as it is described in the scope of claims for utility model registration.

The connecting portion of the support member with the adjusting mechanism is not limited to the hole. For example, the support member may be provided with a convex portion as a connecting portion, and the adjusting mechanism may be provided with a hole for fitting the convex portion. Further, the hole is not limited to penetrating, and may be a recess.

The number of connecting portions of the support member with the adjusting mechanism is not limited to a plurality, and may be one.

The adjusting mechanism may be connected to the bottom surface or the top surface of the fixing member.

The number of joints of the adjusting mechanism is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more.

The number of heads included in the head unit is two in the above-described embodiment, but may be three or more.

The head may be either a serial type or a line type.

The liquid discharged from the nozzle is not limited to the ink, and may be a liquid other than the ink (for example, a treatment liquid that aggregates or precipitates components in the ink).

The recording medium is not limited to the packaging material. The material constituting the recording medium may be any material (plastic, paper, cloth, etc.).

The present invention is not limited to printers, but can be applied to facsimiles, copiers, multifunction devices, and the like. The present invention is also applicable to a liquid discharge device used for purposes other than image recording (for example, a liquid discharge device that discharges a conductive liquid onto a substrate to form a conductive pattern).

10 Head unit 11 Head 11n Nozzle 11p Flow path member 11t Tank 12 Fixing member 30 Support member 31x Connecting hole (connecting part)
32x mounting hole 50 adjustment mechanism 52, 53 arm 54 hinge bolt 54a bottom (one end)
54x Convex 55 Hinge Bolt 55a Bottom (End)
100 printer (liquid discharge device)
H1-H3 joints

Claims (11)

A head unit including a plurality of heads each having a plurality of nozzles formed therein and a fixing member to which the plurality of heads are fixed.
A support member that supports the head unit and
An adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position of the head unit with respect to the support member, which has a plurality of joints, and an adjustment mechanism.
A liquid discharge device characterized by being equipped with. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein each of the adjusting mechanism has a plurality of arms provided at the ends of the plurality of joints. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the adjusting mechanism has three of the joints. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adjusting mechanism is connected to a side surface of the fixing member. The liquid discharge device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of heads can be attached to and detached from the fixing member in a direction along the side surface. Each of the plurality of heads includes a tank for storing a liquid and a flow path member which is a flow path through which the liquid supplied from the tank flows and has a flow path having the plurality of nozzles at the tip thereof. The liquid discharge device according to claim 5, wherein the liquid discharge device is characterized in that. The adjusting mechanism has one end connected to the supporting member and the other end connected to the fixing member.
The support member has a plurality of connecting portions and has a plurality of connecting portions.
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein one end of the adjusting mechanism can be selectively connected to any one of the plurality of connecting portions. The liquid discharge device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of connecting portions are separated from each other in a direction in which the recording medium moves relative to the head unit. Each of the plurality of connecting portions is a hole formed in the support member.
The liquid discharge device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein one end of the adjusting mechanism has a convex portion that can be fitted into the hole. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least a part of the adjusting mechanism is made of aluminum. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the support member has a mounting hole for mounting the liquid discharge device to the packaging machine.

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