JP3738597B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printer that draws on an object such as a glass plate, a metal plate, or a plastic plate, which is an inflexible industrial material.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As an object to be drawn, for example, a printed circuit board is taken as an example, the printed circuit board may be warped when heated. FIG. 14 shows an example of a conventional printer. In FIG. 14, a printed circuit board 1000 is placed on a table 1001 of the printer. For example, an ink jet recording head 1004 moves in the X direction with respect to the printed circuit board 1000, so that, for example, a marker for mounting a component is drawn and printed on the printed circuit board 1000.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as described above, when the printed circuit board 1000 is warped by the influence of heat or the like, there are the following problems. Assuming that the warped end portion 1002 of the printed circuit board 1000 is warped in the Z1 direction, the recording head 1004 moves in the X1 direction, passes through the end portion 1002 as indicated by a two-dot chain line, and reversely When the recording head returns to the X2 direction, the recording head 1004 may collide with the end portion 1002, and the recording head 1004 may be damaged.
[0004]
Further, if the end portion 1002 of the printed circuit board 1000 is warped, the drawing gap t formed between the recording head 1004 and the printed circuit board 1000 changes, and the following problem occurs.
[0005]
As shown in FIG. 15, solid ink or radial inks 1010, 1011, and 1012 are ejected from the ink jet recording head 1004 and landed on the printed circuit board 1000. In this case, if the gap t is large, adjacent inks overlap as shown in FIG. 16A, resulting in color mixing, and printing becomes dirty.
[0006]
When the gap t in FIG. 15 becomes small, an interval is generated between adjacent inks as shown in FIG. 16B, and color display cannot be performed well.
[0007]
As described above, the drawing gap t between the recording head 1004 and the target printed circuit board 1000 changes due to warping, waviness, or unevenness of the printed circuit board 1000, and therefore there is a problem that the drawing quality is deteriorated. .
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer capable of solving the above-described problems and preventing the recording head from being damaged and improving the drawing quality even when the object changes due to warpage or unevenness. .
[0009]
The invention of claim 1 is a printer for drawing on an object, a recording head for landing ink on the object, and a guide for supporting the recording head and moving and guiding in the first direction. Means, a table for placing the object, and moving the object in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the recording head; and moving the recording head in the first direction. A recording head operation unit that allows the recording head to move along a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, following the surface of the object on the table, and the table An actuator that moves in a second direction, wherein the recording head operation unit includes a holding unit that holds the recording head, a main contact roller, a first auxiliary contact roller, and a second auxiliary contact roller in the holding unit. The main contact roller, the first auxiliary contact roller disposed around the main contact roller, and the second auxiliary contact roller are arranged in the first direction, and the main contact roller Is arranged closer to the object side than the first auxiliary contact roller and the second auxiliary contact roller, the main contact roller, the first auxiliary contact roller, and the second auxiliary contact roller. The roller is a printer that contacts along the surface of the object and moves the holding portion and the recording head in the vertical direction according to the unevenness of the object. In the invention of claim 1, the recording head causes ink to land on the object. The guide means supports the recording head and moves and guides it in the first direction.
[0010]
The table places an object and moves the object in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction with respect to the recording head.
[0011]
When the recording head operation unit moves the recording head in the first direction, the recording head moves along the third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, following the surface of the object on the table. It is possible. The actuator is moved in the second direction of the table.
[0012]
Accordingly, when the recording head moves in the first direction and draws on the object, the recording head operation unit enables the recording head to move along the third direction along the surface of the object. Therefore, even when the object is warped, uneven, or wavy, the recording head can be prevented from colliding with the object, and the recording head can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, since the gap between the recording head and the object can be secured, the drawing quality can be improved.
[0013]
Further, since the main contact roller is arranged closer to the object side than the first auxiliary contact roller and the second auxiliary contact roller, the main contact roller is arranged between the recording head and the object according to the unevenness of the object. The gap can be set constant. The first auxiliary contact roller or the second auxiliary contact roller contacts the recording head with one end of the object or the other end of the object, so that the recording head Drawing printing can be started in a stable state from the edge.
[0014]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the third direction is an up-down direction, and the recording head operation unit is provided near one end and the other end of the guide means, and the roller is moved from the object. A first recording head lifting member and a second recording head lifting member for lifting the holding portion and the recording head by lifting are provided.
[0015]
In the invention of claim 2, the holding portion holds the recording head. The roller contacts the surface of the object and moves the holding unit and the recording head up and down according to the unevenness of the surface of the object. The first recording head lifting member and the second recording head lifting member can lift the holding portion and the recording head by lifting the position of the roller. As a result, even if the end of the object is warped, the recording head does not collide with the end, and the roller is placed on the end of the object. Drawing printing can be started from the edge of the object.
[0019]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the second aspect, the first recording head lifting member and the second recording head lifting member gradually move the roller when the recording head moves in the first direction. The guide roller is provided with an inclined surface for guiding the guide roller so as to guide it by lifting it up or guiding it down gradually. The guide roller is provided on the holding portion.
[0020]
Each of the first recording head lifting member and the second recording head lifting member has an inclined surface for guiding the guide roller in order to guide the roller by gradually lifting and guiding the roller. Since the guide roller has the inclined surface, the guide roller is gently lifted or lowered along the inclined surface, so that the roller is gently guided to one end of the object or the other of the object. Therefore, it is possible to start drawing in a stable state from the end of the object with high drawing quality.
[0021]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, the actuator is a motor, and a guide rail that guides the table along the second direction by the operation of the motor, and the guide rail is fixed. A base.
[0022]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, the recording head is an ink jet recording head.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0024]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a printer of the present invention. The printer 10 generally includes a recording head 12, a guide unit 14, a table 16, a recording head operation unit 18, a bed (base unit) 20, and the like.
[0025]
The recording head 12 can be moved and positioned along the X direction (first direction) by the guide means 14. The recording head 12 is detachably held with respect to the holding unit 30 of the recording head operation unit 18.
[0026]
The table 16 can be positioned by moving along the Y direction (second direction) along the guide rail 80 on the bed 20 side. In order to move and position the recording head 12 in the X direction along the guide means 14, a motor M1 is used. Similarly, the motor M2 is used for the table 16 to move and position along the guide rail 80 in the Y direction. These motors M1 and M2 operate according to commands from the control unit 100.
[0027]
On the table 16 in FIG. 1, for example, a printed circuit board P as an object is positioned and mounted.
[0028]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the structure of the printed board P and the recording head 12 facing it.
[0029]
For example, an ink jet recording type recording head can be employed as the recording head 12. The head portion 12A of the recording head 12 has liquid chambers 32, 34, 36 and piezoelectric elements 38, 40, 42. The liquid chambers 32, 34, and 36 have nozzle portions 32A, 34A, and 36A, respectively. The piezo elements 38, 40, and 42 apply respective forces to the liquid chambers 32, 34, and 36 according to the drive signals from the control unit 100, thereby ejecting the respective inks from the nozzle portions 32 A, 34 A, and 36 A, and printing. It can be landed on the surface of the substrate P. The liquid chambers 32, 34, and 36 are filled with ink of the same color or different colors. In the case of color printing, the ink colors in each liquid chamber contain, for example, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and chroma (C).
[0030]
2 and 3 show structural examples of the guide means 14 and the recording head 12 shown in FIG.
[0031]
The guide means 14 has a guide rail 26 and a beam 28. The beam 28 and the guide rail 26 are provided in parallel along the X direction between the supports 22 and 24 as shown in FIG. The supports 22 and 24 are attached on the bed 20 along the Z direction. In FIG. 2, the printed circuit board P is mounted on the table 16. The table 16 can be positioned by moving in the Y direction by the guide rail 80. The X, Y, and Z directions in the figure are orthogonal to each other.
[0032]
Next, the recording head operation unit 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
[0033]
The recording head operation unit 18 is provided on the beam 28 and includes a first recording head lifting member 50 and a second recording head lifting member 52. The first and second recording head lifting members 50 and 52 have the same shape but are symmetrical.
[0034]
The first recording head lifting member 50 has an inclined surface 50A and a flat surface 50B, and the second recording head lifting portion 52 has an inclined surface 52A and a flat surface 52B. These lifting members 50, 52 correspond to one end and the other end of the beam 28, that is, near one end and the other end of the printed circuit board P of the table 16, and Located at the top.
[0035]
Examples of the structure of the holding unit 30 and the recording head 12 operated by the recording head operation unit 18 are shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to 9. The recording head 12 is detachably held on the support portions 50 and 60 of the holding unit 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the support part 50 is integrated with the support part 60 in a substantially L shape, but the support part 50 is movable in the Z direction with respect to the guide 54. A spring 70 is provided between the support portion 50 and the guide 54 as shown in FIGS. The guide 54 is fixed to the slider 52. The slider 52 moves in the X direction along the guide rail 26. In this movement, the motor M1 is operated, and the slider 52 moves in the X direction along the guide rail 26 and can be positioned.
[0036]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a guide roller 56 is provided on the upper portion of the support portion 50. The guide roller 56 is configured so that when the holding unit 30 is reciprocated in the X direction, the inclined surfaces 50A and 52A and the flat surface 50B of the first recording head lifting member 50 or the second recording head lifting member 52 shown in FIG. 52B is guided and guided. Thus, the holding unit 30 and the recording head 12 are lifted against the force of the spring 70 in the Z direction.
[0037]
The support portion 60 is provided with a main contact roller 42, a first auxiliary contact roller 44, and a second auxiliary contact roller 46. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 4, the main contact roller 42, the first auxiliary contact roller 44, and the second auxiliary contact roller 46 are rotatably supported by a shaft 55. These rollers 42, 44, 46 can adopt a structural example as shown in FIG. 7. These rollers can rotate around a shaft 55, and a rubber portion 59 is provided around the core body 57. It is desirable to provide a bearing 55 </ b> A between the shaft 55 and the core body 57.
[0038]
8 and 9 show examples of the structure of the holding unit 30 and the like described above.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 10, the height positions of the three rollers 42, 44, 46 are changed. That is, the position of the main contact roller 42 is located below the two auxiliary contact rollers 44 and 46. Accordingly, a height G is set between the main contact roller 42 and the two auxiliary contact rollers 44 and 46 between the lines L1 and L2. Thus, the main contact roller 42 mechanically scoops mainly the surface of the printed circuit board P. The value of the height G is, for example, 0.5 mm to 1 mm.
[0040]
The first auxiliary contact roller 44 and the second auxiliary contact roller 46 will be described later. When the holding unit 30 is separated from the end portion of the printed circuit board P as shown in FIG. It is used to stabilize the gap between the holding unit 30 and the printed circuit board P.
[0041]
Next, an operation example of the printer 10 described above will be described with reference mainly to FIG.
[0042]
First, in FIG. 1, the printed circuit board P is positioned and set on the table 16 while being attached to the holding unit 30 of the recording head 12. When the control unit 100 gives a command to the motor M1, the holding unit 30 is reciprocated in the X direction along the guide means 14. At this time, when the control unit 100 gives a command to the motor M2, the table 16 moves the printed board P in the Y1 direction by a predetermined amount, thereby drawing and printing a predetermined pattern on the printed board P. Can do.
[0043]
At this time, the holding unit 30 and the recording head 12 are operated by the recording head operation unit 18 as described below.
[0044]
Referring to FIG. 12, it is assumed that end 80 of printed circuit board P in FIG. 12A is warped in the Z1 direction due to the influence of heat and the like. In this case, among the main contact roller 42 and the first auxiliary contact rollers 44 and 46 of the holding unit 30, particularly the main contact roller 42 mechanically rolls on the printed circuit board P, A fixed drawing gap G can be set between the printed boards P. For this reason, even if the printed circuit board P has a warp of the end 80 or irregularities or undulations in other portions, it is possible to perform appropriate drawing printing on the printed circuit board P from the recording head 12.
[0045]
As shown in FIG. 12A, when the recording head 12 approaches the end 80, the guide roller 56 approaches the inclined surface 50A of the first recording head lifting member 50 along the X direction. When the first auxiliary contact roller 44 is on the end portion 80, the guide roller 56 is placed on the inclined surface 50A as shown in FIG. 12B, and further the guide roller 56 is inclined upward along the inclined surface 50A. By being guided, the recording head 12 is gradually lifted in the Z1 direction and moved in the X1 direction. This situation is shown in FIG.
[0046]
On the other hand, when the recording head 12 moves in the X2 direction, the guide roller 56 gradually descends along the inclined surface 50A as shown in FIG. It moves in the direction of X2 while descending in the direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, the first auxiliary contact roller 44 is placed in contact with the end portion 80. In this state, since the first auxiliary contact roller 44 can stably set the gap G between the recording head 12 and the printed board P, the recording head 12 can stably draw from the end of the printed board P. You can start printing.
[0047]
12A, when the main contact roller 42, the first auxiliary contact roller 44, and the second auxiliary contact roller 46 are all placed on the printed circuit board P, the main contact roller 42 is mainly formed on the printed circuit board P. Since the gap G between the recording head 12 and the printed board P is always maintained by mechanically rolling the surface, the recording head 12 can perform drawing printing on the surface of the printed board P.
[0048]
Such a situation is also shown in FIG. In this case, the thickness of the printed board is, for example, 0.8 to 5.0 mm, the diameter of each roller 42, 44, 46 is, for example, 12 mm, and the warp of the board is 0.7 / 100.
[0049]
By doing so, even if, for example, the end 80 of the substrate P is warped, the recording head 12 has the main contact roller 44, and the first and second auxiliary contact rollers 44, 46 have the printed substrate P and the recording head 12. Therefore, the accuracy and quality of the drawing and printing can be improved.
[0050]
Since the guide roller 56 lifts the recording head 12 using the inclined surface 50A or the inclined surface 52A on the opposite side, the recording head 12 moves away from the edge of the printed circuit board without colliding with the warp or unevenness of the substrate P. Or the edge of the printed circuit board P can be approached again.
[0051]
Next, FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the structure of the guide roller 56 and the like is the same, but the holding portion 30 of the recording head 12 is only the main contact roller 42. This is an example that allows In this example, the structure of the holding part can be simplified.
[0052]
12A to 12C show the operational relationship between the recording head 12, the holding unit 30, the guide roller 56, and the first recording head lifting member 50, the recording head 12 shown in FIG. The operation relationship between the section 30 and the guide roller 56 and the second recording head lifting section 52 is the same in the state shown in FIG.
[0053]
By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
[0054]
In the printer 10 described above, the printed circuit board P is used as a drawing object. However, the printed circuit board P is not limited to this, and is not limited to a printed circuit board that is an inflexible industrial material. Things can be adopted. The recording head 12 is not limited to a color printing recording head, and may be a monochrome printing head.
[0055]
The number of rollers may be two or four or more.
[0056]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the recording head moves in the first direction and draws on the object, the recording head operation unit moves the recording head along the third direction along the surface of the object. enable. Therefore, even when the object is warped, uneven, or wavy, the recording head can be prevented from colliding with the object, and the recording head can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, since the gap between the recording head and the object can be secured, the drawing quality can be improved.
[0057]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when the end of the object is warped, the recording head does not collide with the end, and a roller is placed on the end of the object. Can stably start drawing and printing from the edge of the object.
[0058]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the recording head can start drawing printing in a stable state from the end of the object by placing the roller on the end of the object.
[0059]
In Claim 4, since the contact roller is disposed closer to the object side than the first auxiliary contact roller and the second auxiliary contact roller, the main contact roller corresponds to the recording head and the object according to the unevenness of the object. The object gap can be set constant. The first auxiliary contact roller or the second auxiliary contact roller contacts the recording head with one end of the object or the other end of the object, so that the recording head Drawing printing can be started in a stable state from the edge.
[0060]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, each of the first recording head lifting member and the second recording head lifting member has an inclined surface for guiding the guide roller in order to guide the roller by gradually lifting and guiding the roller. ing. Since the guide roller has the inclined surface, the guide roller is gently lifted or lowered along the inclined surface, so that the roller is gently guided to one end of the object or the other of the object. Therefore, it is possible to start drawing in a stable state from the end of the object with high drawing quality.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a printer of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing guide means, a recording head, a holding unit, a table, and the like in the printer of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing each element of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a holding unit, a recording head operation unit, a recording head, guide means, and the like.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a structure example of a recording head.
6 is a side view showing the recording head operation unit and the like shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a view showing a structural example of a main contact roller and an auxiliary contact roller provided in a holding unit.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a holding unit.
FIG. 9 is a bottom view showing a holding portion and the like.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a positional relationship between a main contact roller and first and second auxiliary contact rollers.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of a main contact roller, first and second contact rollers, a guide roller, and the like.
12 is a diagram illustrating operations of a printed circuit board, a holding unit, a recording head, a guide roller 56, and the like.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional printer.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating problems with a conventional printer.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a problem of a conventional printer.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer 12 Recording head 14 Guide means 16 Table 18 Recording head operation part 20 Bed (base part)
26 Guide rail 42 Main contact roller 44 First auxiliary contact roller 46 Second auxiliary contact roller 50 First recording head lifting member 52 Second recording head lifting member 56 Guide roller X First direction Y Second direction Z Third direction M1 Motor (For X direction)
M2 motor (for Y direction, actuator)

Claims (5)

A printer that draws on an object,
A recording head for landing ink on the object;
Guide means for supporting the recording head and moving and guiding in the first direction;
A table for placing the object and moving the object in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the recording head;
When the recording head is moved in the first direction, the recording head is moved along a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, following the surface of the object on the table. A recording head operating section for enabling movement;
An actuator for moving the table in the second direction;
With
The recording head operation unit is
A holding unit for holding the recording head;
A main contact roller in the holding part;
A first auxiliary contact roller;
A second auxiliary contact roller,
The main contact roller, the first auxiliary contact roller disposed around the main contact roller, and the second auxiliary contact roller are arranged in the first direction, and the main contact roller is the first contact roller. Compared to the auxiliary contact roller and the second auxiliary contact roller, it is arranged closer to the object side,
The main contact roller, the first auxiliary contact roller, and the second auxiliary contact roller are in contact with the surface of the object, and the holding unit and the recording head are arranged in accordance with the unevenness of the object. A printer characterized by being moved up and down. The third direction is a vertical direction;
The recording head operation unit is
A first recording head lifting member and a second recording head, which are provided near one end and the other end of the guide means, and lift the holding unit and the recording head by lifting the roller from the object. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a head lifting member.   The first recording head lifting member and the second recording head lifting member are guide rollers for gradually lifting and guiding the roller when the recording head moves in the first direction. The printer according to claim 2, further comprising an inclined surface for guiding the guide roller, wherein the guide roller is provided in the holding portion. The actuator is a motor;
A guide rail for guiding the table along the second direction by the operation of the motor;
The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a base portion that fixes the guide rail.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head.

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