JP6572712B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that transports a medium to be printed.

  A printer, which is an example of a printing apparatus, drives a medium by rotating a drive roller that conveys a medium to be printed and a roller shaft that is rotatably supported by pressing the conveyed medium against the drive roller. Some have a plurality of driven rollers that are nipped and conveyed between the rollers.

  In such a printer, for example, the holding member (roller member) that holds the roller shaft on which the driven roller is rotatably supported can be further attached to and detached from the shaft support (clamp base). There is a shaft support that allows the driven roller to be replaced. In other words, there is a printer that can stably hold and convey a medium by replacing the driven roller suitable for a medium having various materials and thicknesses (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-57405 A

  By the way, in the conventional printer, the holding member that holds the roller shaft may be inclined and attached to the shaft support. In this case, the roller axis tends to be inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the driving roller, and among the plurality of driven rollers supported by the roller axis, the inclined driven roller to the medium is inclined. Since the pressing force is different from the pressing force of the other driven rollers to the medium, the pressing force of the driven roller applied to the medium may be non-uniform.

Such a problem is not limited to a printer, but is generally common in printing apparatuses that sandwich and convey a medium by a driving roller and a plurality of driven rollers.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus including a plurality of driven rollers that can be exchanged and transport a medium with a uniform pressing force.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
A printing apparatus that solves the above problems includes a printing unit that prints on a medium, a driving roller that conveys the medium to the printing unit, and a medium that is rotatably supported and conveyed by a roller shaft. A driven roller that rotates around the roller shaft while being pressed against the shaft, and a shaft support body that has a shaft support portion on which the roller shaft is supported, and the shaft support body is formed of one member, In the shaft support portion, the roller shaft is detachably supported with respect to the shaft support.

  According to this configuration, the driven roller can be replaced by removing the roller shaft from the shaft support, and the medium is made uniform by directly supporting the roller shaft on the shaft support that is one member. It is possible to provide a driven roller that conveys with a small pressing force.

  In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the shaft support portion of the shaft support includes a concave portion having an opening into which the roller shaft can be inserted from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the roller shaft.

  According to this configuration, the driven roller can be easily detached from the shaft support or attached to the shaft support by inserting the roller shaft into the recess or withdrawing from the recess via the opening.

  In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the shaft support is provided with a lid member that is slidable between a closed position that covers the opening of the concave portion and an open position that does not cover the opening of the concave portion. .

  According to this configuration, the driven roller can be easily replaced by removing the roller shaft inserted into the recess from the shaft support or attaching to the shaft support by opening and closing the opening by sliding the lid member. Can do.

A printing apparatus that solves the above problems includes a printing unit that prints on a medium, a driving roller that conveys the medium to the printing unit, and a medium that is rotatably supported and conveyed by a roller shaft. A driven roller that rotates about the roller shaft while being pressed against the roller shaft, and a shaft support body that has a shaft support portion that removably supports the roller shaft, and the shaft support portion has an axial direction of the roller shaft. A concave portion having an opening into which the roller shaft can be inserted from the intersecting direction, the concave portion opening in a direction different from the direction in which the driving roller is positioned with respect to the driven roller, and the opening of the concave portion is covered. A lid member that is slidable in a direction intersecting a direction in which the roller shaft is attached and detached between a lid-closing position and an opening position that does not cover the opening of the recess. The lid member is in the lid opening position is held by the shaft support member.
In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the printing apparatus further includes a regulation unit that regulates movement of the lid member in the closed position in a direction in which the driven roller is removed.
In the printing apparatus, the driven roller is preferably formed of a conductive member.
According to this structure, it can suppress that an electric charge charges a driven roller. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent ink mist from adhering to the medium and soiling the medium.

  In the printing apparatus, the shaft support is provided with a rotation shaft serving as a rotation center when the shaft support rotates in a direction in which the driven roller presses the medium against the drive roller. It is preferable that an electrical connection member for electrically connecting the rotation shaft and the roller shaft is provided.

  According to this configuration, since the charge charged on the driven roller can be moved from the roller shaft to the rotating shaft provided on the shaft support via the electrical connecting member, charging of the driven roller can be suppressed with high probability. Can do.

  In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the shaft support is provided with a cover that covers at least a part of a roller outer peripheral surface of the driven roller and is detachable from the shaft support.

  According to this configuration, the attached cover can suppress the adhesion of ink (mist) to the roller outer peripheral surface of the driven roller, and the driven roller can be replaced by removing the cover.

The block diagram which shows typically the structure of one Embodiment of a printing apparatus. The perspective view which shows the some driven roller which conveys a medium to a printing part. The perspective view which shows the axis | shaft support body which supports the roller axis | shaft of a driven roller. The sectional side view shown in the state which cut | disconnected the axis | shaft support body in the surface which cross | intersects the axial direction of a roller axis | shaft. The perspective view which shows the axis | shaft support body of the state from which the cover was removed. The sectional side view shown in the state which cut | disconnected the shaft support body of the state in which the cover was removed in the surface which cross | intersects the axial direction of a roller shaft. The perspective view which shows the axis | shaft support body of the state by which the cover member was moved to the open position. The side view shown in the state which cut | disconnected the shaft support body of the state by which the cover member was moved to the open position in the surface which cross | intersects the axial direction of a roller shaft. The perspective view which shows the axis | shaft support body from which the roller axis | shaft of the driven roller was removed. The side view shown in the state which cut | disconnected the axis | shaft support body from which the roller axis | shaft of the driven roller was removed in the surface which cross | intersects the axial direction of a roller axis | shaft. The side view which shows the axis | shaft support body with which the electrical connection member was provided. The front view of the shaft support body shown in the cross section which cut | disconnected the roller shaft and the driven roller supported by the shaft support body by the AA line of FIG. The schematic diagram explaining the pressing force of a driven roller at the time of pressing a medium. The schematic diagram explaining the pressing force of a driven roller at the time of pressing the edge part of a medium.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The printing apparatus is, for example, a large format printer that performs printing (recording) on a long medium.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 11 includes a casing unit 12, a medium support unit 30 that supports the medium M, a transport device 40 that transports the medium M in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, and a casing unit. 12 and a printing unit 50 that prints on the medium M.

  In the following description, one direction along the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the medium M (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) is defined as the scanning direction X, and the medium M is conveyed at a position where the printing unit 50 performs printing. Let the direction be the transport direction Y. In the present embodiment, the scanning direction X and the transport direction Y intersect with each other (preferably orthogonal), and both intersect with the gravity direction Z (preferably orthogonal).

  The medium support unit 30 includes a first medium support unit 31, a second medium support unit 32, a third medium support unit 33, and a gravity direction Z of the second medium support unit 32 that form a conveyance path of the medium M. And a suction mechanism 34 disposed below. The first medium support portion 31 has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the downstream side is higher than the upstream side in the transport direction Y. The second medium support unit 32 is provided at a position facing the printing unit 50 and supports the medium M on which printing is performed. The third medium support unit 33 has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the downstream side is lower than the upstream side in the transport direction Y, and guides the medium M on which printing has been performed by the printing unit 50.

  The printing unit 50 includes a guide shaft 51 extending in the scanning direction X, a carriage 52 supported by the guide shaft 51, and a liquid ejection unit 53 that ejects ink, which is an example of liquid, to the medium M. The carriage 52 reciprocates along the scanning direction X along the guide shaft 51 by driving a carriage motor (not shown). The liquid ejection unit 53 is supported by the carriage 52 so as to face the medium M supported by the second medium support unit 32. The printing unit 50 performs a printing operation for forming characters and images on the medium M by ejecting ink from the liquid ejection unit 53 when the carriage 52 moves along the scanning direction X.

  The second medium support portion 32 has a plurality of suction holes (not shown) on the support surface that supports the medium M, and the medium M from the support surface is sucked through the suction holes by driving the suction mechanism 34. Suppresses the lifting of. Further, by driving the suction mechanism 34 also during the conveyance of the medium M, the contact with the liquid ejection unit 53 due to the floating of the medium M to be printed is suppressed.

  The transport apparatus 40 controls the components of the transport roller pair 41, the transport motor 43, and the transport apparatus 40 provided between the first medium support unit 31 and the second medium support unit 32 in the transport direction Y. And a control unit 100 to perform. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 is configured as a control unit that controls the components of the printing apparatus 11. In the present embodiment, the rotation axis direction of the transport roller pair 41 is a direction along the scanning direction X.

  The conveyance roller pair 41 is configured by a pair of a driving roller 46 supported by the support base 45 and a driven roller 48 in which a roller shaft 80 (see FIG. 9) is supported by the shaft support 60. The driving roller 46 is driven by the transport motor 43 to rotate in the first rotation direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1) in which the medium M is transported in the transport direction Y and in the second rotation in which the medium M is fed back in the direction opposite to the transport direction Y Rotate in the direction (clockwise in FIG. 1). The transport device 40 includes a rotary encoder 49 for detecting the amount of rotation of the drive roller 46 in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction.

  The shaft support body 60 that supports the roller shaft 80 of the driven roller 48 that constitutes the transport roller pair 41 is biased by a spring 73 (see FIG. 3) that is an example of a biasing member. By this urging, the driven roller 48 presses the medium M against the driving roller 46 in a state where the medium M is sandwiched between the driven roller 48 and the driving roller 46, whereby the medium M is pressed against the driving roller 46 and the driven roller 48. And pinch with. Then, in a state where the drive roller 46 and the driven roller 48 sandwich the medium M, that is, in a state where the transport roller pair 41 sandwiches the medium M, the drive roller 46 rotates in the first rotation direction, so that the medium M is transported in the transport direction. It is conveyed to Y.

  The transport device 40 includes a feeding unit 20 that feeds the medium M toward the driving roller 46 when the transport roller pair 41 transports the medium M in the transport direction Y. The feeding unit 20 includes a holding unit 22 that rotatably holds a roll body 21 on which the medium M is wound in a roll shape, and the roll body 21 in a feeding direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1) and a retracting direction (see FIG. 1, a feed motor 23 for rotating in both directions (clockwise in FIG. 1) and a rotary encoder 24 for detecting the amount of rotation of the roll body 21.

  The holding unit 22 can hold a plurality of types of roll bodies 21 having different lengths and winding numbers in the scanning direction X. Then, the feeding unit 20 feeds the medium M toward the driving roller 46 by rotating the roll body 21 in the feeding direction, and rotates the medium M in the pulling direction to oppose the medium M in the conveyance direction Y. It is pulled back in the direction and wound on the roll body 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of shaft supports 60 are provided in the scanning direction X in such a manner that the shaft supports 60 are supported by a rotating shaft 14 that is rotatably mounted on a support frame 13 attached in the housing unit 12. 20). Each shaft support 60 supported by the rotation shaft 14 supports a roller shaft 80 (see FIG. 9) that rotatably supports a plurality of driven rollers 48.

  In this embodiment, two driven rollers 48 are supported on each roller shaft 80 so as to be rotatable about the roller shaft 80. In order to distinguish between the two driven rollers 48, one is called the first driven roller 48 and the other is called the second driven roller 48. Of course, in the present embodiment, the number of shaft supports 60 and the number of driven rollers 48 supported by the roller shaft 80 can be arbitrarily changed.

  A release shaft 15 (see FIG. 4) for rotating the release cam 65 is rotatably supported on the support frame 13 at a position upstream of the rotation shaft 14 in the transport direction Y. Further, an adjustment shaft 16 (see FIG. 4) for rotating the cam member 66 is rotatably supported at a position upstream of the release shaft 15 in the transport direction Y.

Next, the configuration of the shaft support 60 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shaft support body 60 is pivotally attached to the pivot shaft 14 via a shaft attachment portion 64, and is pivotable to the pivot member 61. A supported locking member 71 and a cover 68 covering the driven roller 48 are provided. Further, the shaft support 60 is provided with a release cam 65 and a cam member 66, the release cam 65 rotated by the release shaft 15 abuts against the rotating member 61, and an adjustment shaft against the locking member 71. The cam member 66 rotating by 16 abuts.

  Further, when the spring 73 that generates a force (contraction force) by being extended and the rotating member 61 is attached to the rotating shaft 14, the one end side 74 a has a conductivity that contacts the rotating shaft 14. The torsion spring 74 is incorporated in the rotating member 61.

  The rotating member 61 is provided with a roller shaft 80 that rotatably supports the driven roller 48 at the downstream end portion in the transport direction Y, and an extending portion 62 provided at the upstream end portion in the transport direction Y is a spring. 73 is supported by the rotating shaft 14 in a state where the first end (lower end) of 73 is locked. Further, the rotating member 61 is provided with a long hole 63 in which a plurality of round holes are connected.

  The locking member 71 is supported by the rotating member 61 so that the base end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 4) is rotatable around a pin 72 inserted through one round hole of the elongated hole 63. The tip (right end in FIG. 4) is in a state of locking the second end (upper end) of the spring 73. The locking member 71 is attached at a position above the extending portion 62 in the rotating member 61.

  The cam member 66 has a cam surface 66 a whose distance from the adjustment shaft 16 continuously changes, and the cam surface 66 a comes into contact with a position between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion of the locking member 71. Is arranged. When the locking member 71 receives a pressing force of the cam member 66 between the base end portion and the tip end portion in the transport direction Y, the tip end portion has a spring 73 around the pin 72 inserted through the base end portion. It rotates in the direction to expand and contract.

  At this time, the locking member 71 operates as a “lever” having a base end portion as a fulcrum, a portion receiving a pressing force from the cam member 66 as a force point, and a tip portion as an action point. When the driven roller 48 is in the holding position of the medium M, for example, the locking member 71 receives the pressing force of the cam member 66 and extends the spring 73, so that the spring 73 corresponds to the extended length. Contraction force is generated.

  In this way, the contraction force generated by the extension of the spring 73 is a biasing force that biases the driven roller 48 to rotate the rotating member 61 in the direction in which the driven roller 48 presses the medium M against the driving roller 46 around the rotating shaft 14. It becomes. As a result, this urging force generates a pressing force (pressing force) for pressing the medium M against the driving roller 46 below the driven roller 48 with respect to the driven roller 48. In this respect, the rotation shaft 14 functions as a rotation shaft serving as a rotation center when the shaft support body 60 rotates in a direction in which the driven roller 48 presses the medium M against the drive roller 46. The spring 73 functions as a biasing member that biases the driven roller 48.

  The rotating member 61 has a contact portion 61 a that can contact the cam surface 65 a of the release cam 65 on the proximal end side that is upstream of the rotating shaft 14 in the transport direction Y. Then, when the release cam 65 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 around the rotation shaft 14 as the release shaft 15 rotates, the release cam 65 extends the spring 73 and pushes down the contact portion 61a. Thereby, the rotation member 61 moves away from the driving roller 46 from the holding position where the driven roller 48 holds the medium M between the driven roller 48 and the driving roller 46, and the holding (nip) of the medium M is released. Move to the release position (see FIG. 6).

  By arranging the driven roller 48 in the release position in this way, for example, when the medium M is jammed in the transport path, maintenance such as removal of the medium M is performed. Further, in the present embodiment, for example, the driven roller 48 is cleaned when the driven roller 48 is soiled, or the driven roller 48 is replaced when the driven roller 48 is consumed. The driven roller 48 can be removed.

  Next, the removal structure of the driven roller 48 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the driven roller 48 is removed, the rotating member 61 is moved around the rotating shaft 14 as shown by a white arrow in FIG. 6 by pushing down the contact portion 61a of the release cam 65. , It is located at a release position away from the medium M.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cover 68 covers at least a part of the roller outer peripheral surface 48 a of the driven roller 48 and is detachably attached to the shaft support 60. That is, the cover 68 extends in a plate shape from the covering portion 68a to the downstream side in the conveying direction Y from the covering portion 68a that covers the downstream side in the conveying direction Y of the driven roller 48 and the upper side opposite to the medium M side. And two extending portions 68b. When the extending portion 68b of the cover 68 is inserted from the downstream side in the transport direction Y with respect to the insertion portion 61b provided on the rotating member 61 of the shaft support 60, the cover 68 is rotated by the rotating member 61 (shaft support). The body 60) is detachably provided. Therefore, for example, when the user of the printing apparatus 11 replaces the driven roller 48, the rotating member 61 is drawn by pulling the cover 68 in the state shown in FIG. 3 to the downstream side in the transport direction Y as shown by the arrow in FIG. Remove the cover 68 from.

  In a state where the cover 68 is removed, one roller shaft 80 that rotatably supports the driven roller 48 is a recess 91 (as a bearing for the roller shaft 80 provided on the rotating member 61 between the two driven rollers 48. The opening 92 (see FIG. 10) inserted in the recess 91 and covered with the lid member 69 is inserted into the recess 91.

  That is, the shaft support 60 has a recess 91 provided on the rotating member 61 and having an opening 92 into which the roller shaft 80 can be inserted from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the roller shaft 80 (here, upward). A lid member 69 that covers 92 is provided as a shaft support portion 90 that supports the roller shaft 80. A shaft support portion 90 constituted by the recess 91 and the lid member 69 supports the roller shaft 80 between the two driven rollers 48.

  In the present embodiment, the lid member 69 constituting the shaft support portion 90 is provided so as to be slidable from a closed position that covers the opening 92 of the recess 91 to an open position that does not cover the opening 92 of the recess 91. The slide structure of the lid member 69 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper opening 92 of the recess 91 that supports the roller shaft 80 is formed in a flat surface 61 s provided at the end of the rotating member 61 on the downstream side in the transport direction Y. Then, the lid member 69 is provided so as to be slidable along the flat surface 61 s of the rotating member 61 from the state shown in FIG. 5 toward the upstream in the transport direction Y as indicated by an arrow in FIG. That is, the lid member 69 has a convex portion 69s projecting downward (see FIG. 12), and slides on a flat surface 61s in which the opening 92 of the concave portion 91 is formed in the rotating member 61. Slide along direction Y.

  On the downstream side in the transport direction Y, the lid member 69 has an upright wall portion 69a extending upward, and extends from the upright wall portion 69a toward the downstream side in the transport direction Y, and a protrusion 69d is formed on the upper portion. And a flange 69b. On the other hand, the rotating member 61 is provided with an engaging portion 61d at the downstream end in the transport direction Y, with which the standing wall portion 69a of the lid member 69 comes into contact and with which the projection 69d engages in the up-down direction. .

  When the lid member 69 is in the closed position, the engaging portion 61d is in contact with the standing wall portion 69a and engaged with the protrusion 69d, thereby suppressing the sliding movement of the lid member 69 along the transport direction Y, thereby closing the lid. The member 69 is maintained in the closed position (see FIG. 6). On the other hand, when the standing wall portion 69a is pushed upstream in the transport direction Y, the engagement portion 61d and the protrusion 69d are disengaged, and the lid member 69 slides from the closed position to the open position. Therefore, when the user of the printing apparatus 11 pushes the lid member 69 upstream in the transport direction Y, the upper side of the roller shaft 80 is opened.

  When the lid member 69 is slid, the pair of projecting portions 61e provided in the rotating member 61 and projecting in the scanning direction X come into contact (contact) with the upper surface of the lid member 69, so that the lid member 69 is lifted. Is suppressed (see FIG. 6). Further, the lid member 69 positioned at the closed position is prevented from being lifted upward by the pair of protruding portions 61e and the engaging portion 61d. Furthermore, the lid member 69 that is pushed in the transport direction Y upstream side and is in the open position enters the groove 61 h (see FIG. 6) provided in the rotation member 61 at the upstream end in the transport direction Y. The movement in the vertical direction is suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the roller shaft 80 whose upper side is opened can be extracted upward from the shaft support 60. Then, by extracting the roller shaft 80, the driven roller 48 that is rotatably supported by the roller shaft 80 is also extracted from the shaft support 60. That is, the shaft center portion 80a of the roller shaft 80 positioned between the two driven rollers 48 is exposed from the recess 91 through the opening 92 through the opening 92 of the recess 91 exposed by the sliding movement of the lid member 69 to the opening position. And extracted upward.

  In this embodiment, in one roller shaft 80 that rotatably supports the two driven rollers 48, the shaft center portion 80 a between the two driven rollers 48 is supported by the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support 60. Further, one roller shaft 80 is formed such that both shaft end portions 80c protrude outward in the axial direction from the two driven rollers 48 that are rotatably supported. On the other hand, in the shaft support 60, a pair of vertical grooves 61 c that open upward and extend substantially in the vertical direction are formed in the rotating member 61. As both shaft end portions 80c of one roller shaft 80 jumping out from each driven roller 48 move along the vertical groove 61c, each driven roller 48 is prevented from moving in the transport direction Y, and the medium It moves in the vertical direction along the pressing direction in which M is pressed against the driving roller 46. Therefore, the longitudinal groove 61c guides both shaft end portions 80c of one roller shaft 80 along the pressing direction in which the first and second driven rollers 48 press the medium M against the driving roller 46, respectively. It functions as a guide groove.

  As shown in FIG. 9, each driven roller 48 removed together with the roller shaft 80 from the shaft support 60 is extracted from the roller shaft 80 by moving toward the shaft end portion 80 c along the axial direction of the roller shaft 80. It is. The extracted driven roller 48 is cleaned, for example, when the roller outer peripheral surface 48a is dirty, or is replaced with a new one when the roller outer peripheral surface 48a is worn. Or it replaces | exchanges for the driven roller 48 provided with the roller outer peripheral surface 48a which has the hardness suitable for conveyance of the medium M, and a friction coefficient.

  The driven roller 48 that has been cleaned or replaced is in the reverse order of the procedure for removing it from the shaft support 60 described above, that is, from the state shown in FIG. 9 to the state shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 5, and FIG. Is attached to the shaft support 60. Each driven roller 48 is attached to the shaft support body 60, and the roller shaft 80 is supported by the shaft support portion 90 of the rotating member 61. In other words, the shaft support body 60 removably supports the roller shaft 80 with respect to the shaft support body 60 in the shaft support portion 90.

  In the shaft support 60, the rotating member 61 is connected with a single member from the shaft mounting portion 64 attached to the rotating shaft 14 to the recess 91 constituting the shaft supporting portion 90 of the roller shaft 80, that is, a plurality of members are connected. It is formed in a manner that is not done. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the whole rotation member 61 is formed of one member. Of course, as long as the shaft mounting portion 64 and the shaft support portion 90 (concave portion 91) of the roller shaft 80 are connected by one member, another member may be provided incidentally on the rotating member 61.

  Next, the torsion spring 74 assembled to the shaft support 60, the driven roller 48 and the roller shaft 80 attached to the shaft support 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 is a view of the shaft support 60 shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from one side in the scanning direction X (the right side in FIG. 5), and FIG. 12 includes a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the axial support body 60 from the downstream of the conveyance direction Y. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the roller shaft 80 that supports the driven roller 48 is attached to the rotating member 61 at a position away from the rotating shaft 14 on the downstream side in the transport direction Y. A conductive torsion spring 74 is incorporated in the rotating member 61 in order to electrically connect the roller shaft 80 and the rotating shaft 14 that are separated from each other in the transport direction Y.

  That is, the torsion spring 74 incorporated in the rotation member 61 is inserted into the shaft attachment portion 64 of the rotation member 61 so that one end side 74a of the torsion spring 74 is moved from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. The position is displaced in the direction indicated by the dotted line, that is, the direction to return torsion. As a result, one end side 74 a of the torsion spring 74 is in contact with the rotating shaft 14 and the other end 74 b is in contact with the roller shaft 80. Thus, the torsion spring 74 is provided as an electrical connection member that electrically connects the rotation shaft 14 and the roller shaft 80 by being pressed against the rotation shaft 14 and the roller shaft 80, respectively.

Next, the roller shaft 80 and the two driven rollers 48 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 12, the two driven rollers 48 (the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48) are holes through which the roller shaft 80 is inserted, and in the axial direction of the roller shaft 80, The inner diameter D2 of the roller center part has a smaller through hole 48H than the inner diameter D1 of the end part.

  In the through-hole 48H, at least one of the first and second driven rollers 48 is a contact surface in which the roller central portion can come into contact with the side surface of the roller shaft 80 and between the side surface of the roller shaft 80. A cylindrical surface 48s having a gap. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, both the first and second driven rollers 48 have a cylindrical surface 48s in which the roller central portion has a predetermined width.

  The two driven rollers 48 are inserted into the respective through holes 48H, respectively, by inserting shaft end side portions 80b located on both sides of the shaft central portion 80a of the roller shaft 80, whereby the axial direction of the roller shaft 80 is reached. Are attached at intervals. In addition, the roller shaft 80 has a shaft center portion 80 a between the two driven rollers 48 in the axial direction thereof, and the concave portion 91 and the lid member 69 of the rotating member 61 constituting the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support body 60. Supported.

  Specifically, the shaft central portion 80a, which is a shaft portion supported by the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support 60 in one roller shaft 80, is a shaft that rotatably supports the first and second driven rollers 48. It is thicker than the shaft end side portion 80b which is a portion. The thicker shaft central portion 80a of the roller shaft 80 is restrained from moving upward by the lid member 69 that has moved to the closed position.

  That is, in the lower part of the lid member 69, a convex part 69 s that faces the concave part 91 of the rotating member 61 protrudes, and the roller shaft 80 moves up and down by the protruding convex part 69 s and the concave part 91. Directional movement is suppressed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the shaft support portion 90 is constituted by the concave portion 91 and the convex portion 69 s of the lid member 69. In this embodiment, the roller shaft 80 supported by the shaft support portion 90 has a gap between the concave portion 91 and the convex portion 69s at least in the vertical direction, and one roller shaft 80 is formed by this gap. The shaft support part 90 is supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction.

  In the present embodiment, the concave portion 91 of the rotating member 61 is a bearing surface that is in contact with the side surface of the roller shaft 80 and has a gap between the side surface of the roller shaft 80. Therefore, although illustration explanation is omitted here, in the case where one roller shaft 80 does not swing around this bearing surface as a fulcrum due to a gap with the bearing surface constituting the shaft support portion 90, the roller shaft 80 The side surface of the shaft makes line contact or surface contact with the bearing surface.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
Initially, with reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the effect | action of the driven roller 48 attached to the shaft support body 60 is demonstrated. In FIGS. 13 and 14, the driven roller 48, the roller shaft 80, the shaft support portion 90 of the roller shaft 80, the driving roller 46, and the medium M are schematically illustrated for easy understanding.

  As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 13, when the driven roller 58 having a conventional structure presses the medium M against the driving roller 46, the conventional driven roller 58 rotates the driven roller by a tapered through-hole 58 </ b> H. The shaft and the rotation axis of the drive roller can be kept parallel. However, when the roller shaft 80 is supported by the shaft support portion 90 without a gap, the state in which the axis of the roller shaft 80 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drive roller 46 is maintained. For this reason, only one of the driven rollers 48 presses the medium M, and the pressing force is when all of the plurality of driven rollers 58 hold the medium M as indicated by the white arrows in the upper diagram of FIG. It is possible that the pressing force applied to the medium of the driven roller 58 becomes larger.

  On the other hand, when the driven roller 48 having the configuration of the present embodiment presses the medium M against the driving roller 46, as shown in the center diagram of FIG. 13, a cylindrical surface 48s having a predetermined width provided in the through hole 48H. The rotation shaft of the driven roller 48 and the rotation shaft of the drive roller 46 are kept parallel by a gap between the roller shaft 80 and the side surface of the roller shaft 80 (shaft end side portion 80b). Further, since the side surface of the roller shaft 80 is supported with a gap between the concave portion 91 of the rotating member 61 and the convex portion 69 s of the lid member 69, the driven roller 48 of the roller shaft 80 is driven roller 46. The shaft support 90 is swung about the fulcrum along the pressing direction in which the medium M is pressed against the medium M, and the axis of the driving roller 46 is parallel to the rotation axis. For this reason, the plurality of driven rollers 48 are in a state of pressing the medium M, and the pressing force has substantially the same uniform size in each of the driven rollers 48 as shown by the white arrow in the center diagram of FIG.

  Further, when the rotation axis of the driven roller 48 and the axis of the roller shaft 80 are parallel, the cylindrical surface 48s of the driven roller 48 is in line contact or surface contact with the side surface of the roller shaft 80, and the driven roller 48 is driven. The roller 48 rotates while being stably supported by the roller shaft 80.

  Furthermore, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 13, when the drive roller 46 is warped, the driven roller 48 having the configuration of the present embodiment is a cylindrical surface with a predetermined width provided in the through hole 48H. The rotation axis of the driven roller 48 is tilted so as to be parallel to the rotation axis of the drive roller 46 due to a gap between 48s and the side surface of the roller shaft 80 (shaft end side portion 80b). For this reason, the plurality of driven rollers 48 press the medium M evenly, and the pressing force has substantially the same uniform size in each of the driven rollers 48 as shown by the white arrow in the lower diagram of FIG. Become.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in one roller shaft 80, a roller supported by a shaft support portion 90 serving as a fulcrum of the swing due to the reaction force of the pressing force generated when the two driven rollers 48 press the medium M. A bending force is applied to the shaft central portion 80a of the shaft 80. At this time, since the shaft central portion 80a of the roller shaft 80 is thickened, deformation due to the bending force due to the reaction force is suppressed. Or although illustration description is abbreviate | omitted here, even if the roller axis | shaft 80 warps with bending force, the driven roller 48 is the cylindrical surface 48s of predetermined width provided in the through-hole 48H, and the roller axis | shaft 80 (shaft end). The state where the rotation axis of the driven roller 48 is parallel to the rotation axis of the drive roller 46 is maintained by the gap between the side portions 80 b).

  Next, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 14, when only one of the two driven rollers 58 having the conventional structure presses the medium M against the driving roller 46 at the end of the medium M, the conventional driven roller is used. 58 can keep the rotation axis of the driven roller and the rotation axis of the driving roller parallel by the tapered through-hole 58H. However, when the roller shaft 80 is supported by the shaft support portion 90 without a gap, the axis of the roller shaft 80 is maintained in a parallel state, for example, without being inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drive roller 46. For this reason, only one driven roller 58 (the right driven roller 58 in FIG. 14) is in a state of pressing the medium M, and the pressing force is a plurality of driven as shown by white arrows in the upper diagram of FIG. It can happen that the pressing force applied to the medium M of the driven roller 58 when all of the rollers 58 sandwich the medium M becomes larger.

  On the other hand, when the first driven roller 48 on the right side of the drawing having the configuration of the present embodiment presses the medium M against the driving roller 46 as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. The side surface of the portion 80a) is supported by the shaft support 90 with a gap. For this reason, the roller shaft 80 is configured such that the second driven roller 48 on the left side of the drawing swings around the shaft support portion 90 along the pressing direction in which the medium M is pressed against the drive roller 46 and contacts the drive roller 46. Is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drive roller 46. In this state, each of the first and second driven rollers 48 is caused by a gap between the cylindrical surface 48s having a predetermined width provided in the through hole 48H and the side surface of the roller shaft 80 (shaft end side portion 80b). And the rotation axis of the drive roller 46 are kept parallel. As a result, the first driven roller 48 presses the medium M, and the second driven roller 48 presses the driving roller 46. The pressing force is indicated by the white arrow in the lower diagram of FIG. In addition, the driven rollers 48 have substantially the same uniform size. That is, the pressing force with which only the first driven roller presses the medium M has the same magnitude as the pressing force when both the first and second two driven rollers 48 press the medium M.

Further, as a function of the shaft support body 60 of the present embodiment, the driven roller 48 can be detached from the shaft support body 60 by a structure for removing the driven roller 48.
Further, as a function of the shaft support body 60 of the present embodiment, the driven roller 48 is formed of a conductive member (for example, conductive polytetrafluoroethylene), and the electric charge of the driven roller 48 is caused by the conductivity of the material. Suppresses charging.

  Further, as an operation of the shaft support body 60 of the present embodiment, the cover 68 detachably provided on the rotating member 61 is formed of a non-conductive resin material (for example, aramid fiber). By becoming a charged state (for example, positive charge or negative charge) according to the charging rate, the charged ink mist does not approach the cover 68. Thereby, adhesion of ink mist to the medium M is suppressed.

  Alternatively, as an action of the shaft support 60 in the present embodiment, static electricity charged on the driven roller 48 side by a torsion spring 74 provided as an electrical connection member that electrically connects the rotating shaft 14 and the roller shaft 80. Is released to the rotating shaft 14 side.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The driven roller 48 can be replaced by removing the roller shaft 80 from the shaft support body 60, and the roller shaft 80 is directly supported by the shaft support body 60, which is a single member. A driven roller 48 for conveying M with a uniform pressing force can be provided. Further, the driven roller 48 can be cleaned by removing the roller shaft 80 from the shaft support 60.

  (2) The driven roller 48 can be easily detached from the shaft support 60 or attached to the shaft support 60 by inserting the roller shaft 80 into the recess 91 or withdrawing from the recess 91 through the opening 92. be able to.

  (3) The roller shaft 80 inserted into the concave portion 91 is removed from the shaft support body 60 or attached to the shaft support body 60 by opening and closing the opening 92 by sliding movement of the lid member 69, so that the driven roller 48 is attached. Can be easily replaced.

(4) Since it is possible to prevent the driven roller 48 from being charged, it is possible to suppress, for example, ink mist from adhering to the medium M and soiling the medium M.
(5) The charge charged on the driven roller 48 is moved from the roller shaft 80 to the rotating shaft 14 which is an example of the rotating shaft provided on the shaft support 60 via the torsion spring 74 which is an example of the electrical connecting member. Therefore, charging of the driven roller 48 can be suppressed with high probability.

  (6) The cover 68 attached to the rotating member 61 can suppress the adhesion of ink (mist) to the roller outer peripheral surface 48 a of the driven roller 48 and remove the cover 68 from the rotating member 61. The driven roller 48 can be replaced.

  (7) In one roller shaft 80, for example, when only the first driven roller 48 presses the medium M, the roller shaft 80 swings, so that the pressing force of the first driven roller 48 against the medium M is changed to the first driven roller 48. Both the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 are suppressed to the pressing force pressing the medium M. As a result, the medium M can be conveyed by the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 with a uniform pressing force.

  (8) One roller shaft 80 can swing around the bearing surface as a fulcrum by a gap between the roller shaft 80 and the bearing surface constituting the shaft support portion 90. The side surface is stably supported by the shaft support 60 by making line contact or surface contact with the bearing surface.

  (9) The first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 can swing with the cylindrical surface 48s at the center of the through hole 48H as a fulcrum. 48 s is stably supported by the roller shaft 80 by making line contact or surface contact with the side surface of the roller shaft 80.

  (10) Due to the reaction force of the pressing force generated when the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 press the medium M against one roller shaft 80, a bending force is applied to the swing fulcrum. When applied, the roller shaft 80 thickened at the fulcrum of swinging is restrained from being deformed by a bending force.

  (11) Since one roller shaft 80 is swung along the pressing direction in which the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 press the medium M against the driving roller 46, the roller shaft 80 swings. Accordingly, the pressing force by which the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 press the medium M can be appropriately suppressed.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment like the example of a change shown below. Moreover, the said embodiment and each modified example can be combined arbitrarily.
In the above embodiment, the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support body 60 may have a configuration other than the concave portion 91 and the convex portion 69s. For example, the shaft support portion 90 may be a concave portion 91 having an opening in a horizontal direction or a downward direction other than the upward direction in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the roller shaft 80. Alternatively, the shaft support portion 90 may include a portion other than the recess 91 having the opening 92 into which the roller shaft 80 can be inserted from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the roller shaft 80. For example, although not shown here, the shaft support portion 90 provided in the rotating member 61 may be a through-hole penetrating in the scanning direction X in which the roller shaft can be inserted from the axial direction of the roller shaft 80.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shaft support 60 may not include the lid member 69 that can slide between the closed position that covers the opening 92 of the recess 91 and the uncovered open position. For example, when the shaft support portion 90 of the above embodiment is the concave portion 91 that faces downward so that the opening 92 faces the medium M, the roller shaft 80 is depressed by the reaction force of the pressing force of the medium M of the driven roller 48. The lid member 69 is not necessarily required because it is maintained inside.

  Further, when the opening 92 of the recess 91 can change (increase) due to elastic deformation, the size of the opening 92 may be smaller than the diameter of the roller shaft 80. By doing so, the roller shaft 80 is pushed into the recess 91 with the opening 92 widened, and is maintained in the recess 91 by returning the opening 92 to its original dimension. Not necessary. When the lid member 69 is not provided as described above, the shaft support portion 90 is constituted by the recess 91.

  In the above embodiment, the driven roller 48 may not be formed of a conductive member. For example, the driven roller 48 may be formed of a resin material having no electrical conductivity (for example, urethane).

  In the above embodiment, the shaft support 60 does not have to be provided with the rotation shaft 14 that serves as the center of rotation when the shaft support 60 rotates in the direction in which the driven roller 48 presses the medium M against the drive roller 46. Good. For example, the shaft support 60 may be configured to slide in the up-down direction. In this case, the torsion spring 74 as an electrical connection member may electrically connect the roller shaft 80 and the shaft support 60. Alternatively, the shaft support 60 may have a configuration in which the torsion spring 74 is not incorporated.

  In the above embodiment, when the shaft support 60 moves by its own weight, the shaft support 60 (the rotation member 61) moves even if it is not biased by the spring 73 which is an example of a biasing member. Therefore, the spring 73 is unnecessary.

  In the above embodiment, the shaft support 60 may not be provided with the cover 68 that covers at least a part of the roller outer peripheral surface 48 a of the driven roller 48 detachably with respect to the shaft support 60. For example, when the roller shaft 80 is inserted from the axial direction of the roller shaft 80 with respect to the shaft support portion 90 provided on the rotating member 61, the roller shaft 80 is removed from the shaft support portion 90 without removing the cover 68. Therefore, the cover 68 may not be removable from the shaft support 60. Alternatively, for example, when the roller outer peripheral surface 48a has a low probability of being stained with ink mist or the like, the cover 68 may not be provided on the shaft support 60.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support body 60 may be a surface that can come into contact with the side surface of the roller shaft 80 and may not be a bearing surface having a gap between the side surface of the roller shaft 80. For example, the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support 60 may be formed by a rib having a plurality of apex angles instead of a surface.

  In the above-described embodiment, at least one of the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 is a surface in which the roller central portion can come into contact with the side surface of the roller shaft 80 and between the side surface of the roller shaft 80. The cylindrical surface 48s having a gap may not be provided. For example, the central portion of the roller may be a rib having an apex angle instead of a surface.

  In the above embodiment, in one roller shaft 80, the shaft portion supported by the shaft support portion 90 of the shaft support 60 supports the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 in a rotatable manner. It does not have to be thicker than the shaft portion. For example, the roller shaft 80 may have the same thickness as a whole.

  In the above embodiment, the shaft support 60 is configured so that the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 have both shaft end portions of one roller shaft 80 along the pressing direction in which the medium M is pressed against the driving roller 46. It is not necessary to have a pair of longitudinal grooves 61c (guide grooves) for guiding the guides movably. For example, although the explanation by illustration is omitted here, the gap between the recess 91 and the roller shaft 80 is provided in the vertical direction, which is the pressing direction in which the driven roller 48 presses the medium M against the drive roller 46, and the transport direction Y In the configuration that is not provided in the roller shaft 80, the movement of the roller shaft 80 along the transport direction Y is suppressed. Therefore, in this case, since the inclination with respect to the rotation axis of the drive roller 46 associated with the movement of the roller shaft 80 in the transport direction Y is suppressed, one of the shaft ends of both shaft end portions of one roller shaft 80 is suppressed. A configuration having one longitudinal groove 61c (guide groove) may be provided so as to guide the portion 80c in a movable manner. Or the structure which does not have the vertical groove | channel 61c may be sufficient as the shaft support body 60. FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the cover 68 that covers the roller outer peripheral surface 48a of the driven roller 48 may be formed of a conductive material (conductive resin material or metal material). In this case, the charged ink mist adheres to the cover 68 and is prevented from reaching the driven roller 48 or the medium M and adhering thereto.

  In the above embodiment, three or more driven rollers 48 may be rotatably supported by one roller shaft 80. In this case, two of the driven rollers 48 correspond to the first driven roller 48 and the second driven roller 48 of the present embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the printing apparatus 11 does not include the holding unit 22 that takes up the medium M in the feeding unit 20 and feeds the single-sheet medium M that does not form a roll body to the printing unit 50. Good.

  In the above embodiment, the printing unit 50 may be changed to a so-called full-line type printing apparatus that does not include the carriage 52 but includes a long and fixed print head corresponding to the entire width of the medium M. In this case, the print head may be arranged such that a plurality of unit head portions in which nozzles are formed are arranged in parallel so that the print range extends over the entire width of the medium M, or the medium M is formed on a single long head. The printing range may extend over the entire width of the medium M by arranging a large number of nozzles over the entire width.

  In the above embodiment, the recording material used for printing is a fluid other than ink (a liquid or liquid material in which particles of functional material are dispersed or mixed in a liquid, a fluid such as a gel, or a fluid. It may include a solid that can be discharged). For example, recording is performed by ejecting a liquid material in which a material such as an electrode material or a color material (pixel material) used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, and a surface emitting display is dispersed or dissolved. It may be configured.

  In the above embodiment, the printing device 11 is a fluid discharge device that discharges a fluid such as a gel (for example, a physical gel), or a powder that discharges a solid such as a powder (a granular material) such as a toner. It may be a granule ejection device (for example, a toner jet recording device). In the present specification, the term “fluid” is a concept that does not include a fluid consisting only of gas. Examples of the fluid include liquid (inorganic solvent, organic solvent, solution, liquid resin, liquid metal (metal melt), etc. ), Liquids, fluids, powders (including granules and powders), and the like.

  In the above embodiment, the printing apparatus 11 is not limited to a printer that performs recording by discharging a fluid such as ink, but may be a non-impact printer such as a laser printer, an LED printer, or a thermal transfer printer (including a sublimation printer). Alternatively, an impact printer such as a dot impact printer may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the medium M is not limited to paper, but may be a plastic film, a thin plate, or the like, or may be a fabric used in a textile printing apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printing apparatus, 14 ... Rotating shaft (rotating shaft), 46 ... Drive roller, 48 ... Driven roller (1st driven roller, 2nd driven roller), 48a ... Roller outer peripheral surface, 48H ... Through-hole, 48s DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Cylindrical surface, 50 ... Printing part, 60 ... Shaft support, 61 ... Turning member, 61c ... Vertical groove (guide groove), 61d ... Engagement part, 64 ... Shaft mounting part, 68 ... Cover, 69 ... Cover member , 69s ... convex portion, 73 ... spring (an example of a biasing member), 74 ... a torsion spring (an example of an electrical connection member), 74a ... one end side, 74b ... the other end side, 80 ... a roller shaft, 80a ... a shaft center portion 80b ... shaft end side portion, 80c ... shaft end, 90 ... shaft support, 91 ... recess (bearing surface), 92 ... opening, M ... medium, D1, D2 ... inner diameter.

Claims (5)

A printing section for printing on a medium;
A driving roller for conveying the medium to the printing unit;
A driven roller that is rotatably supported by a roller shaft and rotates around the roller shaft while pressing the medium to be conveyed against the driving roller;
A shaft support having a shaft support portion that removably supports the roller shaft;
With
The shaft support is
A concave portion having an opening into which the roller shaft can be inserted from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the roller shaft, the concave portion opening in a direction different from the direction in which the driving roller is positioned with respect to the driven roller;
A lid member that is slidable in a direction intersecting a direction of attaching and detaching the roller shaft between a lid-closing position that covers the opening of the recess and an opening position that does not cover the opening of the recess,
The lid member, wherein in the lid opening position is held by the shaft support, the printing device comprising a call.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a restriction unit that restricts the lid member at the closed position from moving in the removal direction of the driven roller. The driven roller, the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is formed of a member having conductivity. The shaft support is provided with a rotation shaft serving as a rotation center when the driven roller rotates in a direction in which the driven roller presses the medium against the drive roller, and the rotation shaft and the roller provided. printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the electrical connecting member for electrically connecting the shaft is provided. It said shaft support covers at least a part of the roller outer peripheral surface of the driven roller, one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that possible cover is provided detachably with respect to the shaft support The printing apparatus according to one item.

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