JP6988163B2 - Carriage and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a carriage and a liquid discharge device.

Conventionally, various liquid discharge devices have been used. Of these, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a liquid discharge portion including a discharge portion for discharging a liquid and a drive substrate of the discharge portion is moved in a reciprocating direction with respect to a medium to form an image. The device is in use.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-94454

In a carriage provided with a discharge portion for discharging liquid and a drive board of the discharge portion, the temperature of the drive board rises inside the carriage as the discharge portion is driven. Therefore, an air flow is blown onto the drive board to suppress the temperature rise of the drive board. However, as the airflow is blown onto the drive substrate, the airflow may reach the discharge portion side and shift the discharge direction of the liquid. Further, in the case of a configuration in which the carriage is surrounded by a housing, the pressure inside the carriage may be different from the pressure outside the carriage. Then, the airflow may be ejected from the carriage to the outside to shift the liquid discharge direction, or the airflow may flow into the carriage and the liquid mist discharged from the discharge portion may flow into the inside. be.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress the influence of air flow generation in a carriage provided with a discharge unit for discharging liquid, a drive board of the discharge unit, and an air flow generation unit for blowing air flow onto the drive board. Is.

The carriage of the first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems can be reciprocated with respect to a medium, and has a discharge portion for discharging liquid to the medium, a drive substrate of the discharge portion, and the drive substrate. It is characterized by comprising an airflow generating portion for blowing an airflow into the carriage and a partition for suppressing a pressure change of the discharging portion due to the airflow generation by the airflow generating portion.

According to this aspect, a partition for suppressing a pressure change of the discharge portion due to the generation of the air flow by the air flow generation portion is provided. Therefore, the partition can suppress the influence of the generation of the airflow in the carriage provided with the discharge part for discharging the liquid, the drive board of the discharge part, and the airflow generation part for blowing the airflow to the drive board. can.

The carriage according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the partition is provided with a hole through which a member is passed.

According to this aspect, the partition is provided with a hole through which the member passes. Therefore, a member such as a cable or a tube through which a liquid is passed can be passed through the hole.

In the second aspect, the carriage according to the third aspect of the present invention is separated from the partition.
It is characterized by having a removable member that can access the discharge portion by removing it.

According to this aspect, it has a removable member that can access the discharge portion by removing it separately from the partition. Therefore, for example, when a problem occurs in the discharge portion provided on the carriage, the discharge portion can be easily replaced without removing the partition by removing the detachable member.

In any one of the first to third aspects, the carriage according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is divided into a drive board chamber having the drive board and a discharge section chamber having the discharge section by the partition. The discharge section chamber is provided with a pressure adjusting section for adjusting the pressure in the discharge section chamber.

According to this aspect, a drive board chamber having a drive board and a discharge section chamber having a discharge section are partitioned by a partition, and the discharge section chamber is provided with a pressure adjusting section for adjusting the pressure in the discharge section chamber. Therefore, the pressure in the discharge section chamber can be adjusted, and the outflow of the airflow from the discharge section chamber to the outside and the inflow of the airflow from the outside into the discharge section chamber can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible that the airflow is ejected from the carriage to the outside to shift the liquid discharge direction, and that the airflow flows into the carriage so that the mist of the liquid discharged from the discharge portion flows into the inside. Can be suppressed.

The carriage according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the pressure adjusting unit is driven so as to reduce the pressure difference between the inside of the discharge unit chamber and the outside of the carriage. do.

According to this aspect, the pressure adjusting unit is driven so as to reduce the pressure difference between the inside of the discharge unit chamber and the outside of the carriage. Therefore, the pressure in the discharge section chamber can be adjusted particularly effectively, and the outflow of the airflow from the discharge section chamber to the outside and the inflow of the airflow from the outside into the discharge section chamber can be particularly effectively suppressed.

The liquid discharge device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising a carriage according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

According to this aspect, the liquid can be discharged to the medium while suppressing the influence of the generation of the air flow.

The schematic side view which shows the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic side view which shows the main part of the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the main part of the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the main part of the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the main part of the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the main part of the recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Schematic side view showing the main part of the recording device of the reference example. Schematic side view showing the main part of the recording device of another reference example.

Hereinafter, the recording device according to the embodiment of the liquid discharge device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
First, an outline of the recording device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the recording device 1 of this embodiment.

The recording device 1 of this embodiment includes a feeding unit 2 capable of feeding the roll R1 of the recording medium (medium) P for recording. Further, a transport mechanism 3 for transporting the recorded medium P in the transport direction A by an adhesive belt 10 (a transport belt composed of an endless belt) that supports the recorded medium P on the support surface F to which the adhesive is adhered. I have. Further, the carriage 16 provided with the recording head 7 as a ejection unit for ejecting ink (liquid) is reciprocally scanned along the scanning direction B intersecting the transport direction A of the recorded medium P, and the recorded medium P is subjected to reciprocating scanning. A recording mechanism 4 for recording is provided. Further, the adhesive belt 10 is provided with a cleaning mechanism 15. Further, the winding mechanism 38 having a winding shaft 17 for winding the recording medium P is provided. Note that "scanning" means moving the carriage 16 in the scanning direction B, and for example, at the time of recording, the recording head 7
The carriage 16 may be moved in the scanning direction B while ejecting ink from the ink.

As the recording medium P, a printing material can be used. The printed material refers to a woven fabric, a garment, or other clothing product to be printed. The fabric is cotton, linen, silk,
Includes natural fibers such as wool, chemical fibers such as nylon, or composite fiber woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, and non-woven fabrics mixed thereto. In addition, for clothing and other clothing products, furniture such as T-shirts, handkerchiefs, scarves, towels, handbags, cloth bags, curtains, sheets, bedspreads, etc. after sewing, as well as parts in the state before sewing Pre- and post-cut fabrics that exist are also included.

Further, as the recording medium P, in addition to the above-mentioned printing material, special paper for inkjet recording such as plain paper, high-quality paper, and glossy paper can be used. The recording medium P includes, for example, a plastic film that has not been surface-treated (that is, does not form an ink absorbing layer) for inkjet printing, and a base material such as paper coated with plastic. Those to which a plastic film is adhered and those to which a plastic film is adhered can also be used. The plastic is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, and polypropylene.

The feeding unit 2 includes a rotating shaft 5 that also serves as a setting position for the roll R1 of the recorded medium P for recording, and the recorded medium P is provided from the roll R1 set on the rotating shaft 5 via the driven rollers 6 and 37. Is configured to be able to be fed to the transport mechanism 3. When the recording medium P is fed to the transport mechanism 3, the rotation shaft 5 rotates in the rotation direction C.

The transport mechanism 3 includes an adhesive belt 10 on which the recording medium P unwound from the feeding portion 2 is placed and conveyed, a drive roller 8 for moving the adhesive belt 10 in the direction E, and a driven roller 9. ing. The recording medium P is a support surface F of the adhesive belt 10 by the pressing roller 12.
It is pasted and placed by being pressed against. When transporting the recording medium P,
The drive roller 8 rotates in the rotation direction C.
However, the endless belt as a transport belt is not limited to the adhesive belt. For example, an electrostatic adsorption type endless belt may be used.
Further, at the lower part of the adhesive belt 10 of this embodiment, platens 18 and 19 as support portions capable of supporting the adhesive belt 10 are provided. By supporting the adhesive belt 10 by the platens 18 and 19, it is possible to prevent the adhesive belt 10 from vibrating as the adhesive belt 10 is moved. Here, the platen 18 is provided in a region facing the recording head 7 via the adhesive belt 10, and the platen 19 is provided in a region facing the pressing roller 12 via the adhesive belt 10.

The pressing roller 12 of this embodiment is configured to be rotatable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction C as the recording medium P is conveyed with reference to the rotation axis 20 along the scanning direction B.
Further, the pressing roller 12 of the present embodiment reciprocates along the transport direction A in order to prevent the contact marks from being formed on the recorded medium P by contacting the same place of the recorded medium P for a certain period of time. Swing) is possible. However, the pressing roller 12 is not limited to such a configuration.

The recording mechanism 4 has a carriage motor 30 (see FIG. 2) that reciprocates the carriage 16 including the recording head 7 along the scanning direction B. In addition, in FIG. 1, the scanning direction B
Is perpendicular to the paper.
At the time of recording, the carriage 16 provided with the recording head 7 is reciprocally scanned for recording, but during the recording scan (during the movement of the carriage 16), the transport mechanism 3 stops the transport of the recorded medium P. In other words, at the time of recording, the reciprocating scanning of the carriage 16 and the transport of the recorded medium P are alternately performed. That is, at the time of recording, the transport mechanism 3 intermittently transports the recorded medium P (intermittently moves the adhesive belt 10) in response to the reciprocating scanning of the carriage 16.
The details of the carriage 16 which is the main part of the recording device of this embodiment will be described later.

The cleaning mechanism 15 of the adhesive belt 10 includes a cleaning brush 13 in which a plurality of cleaning rollers are connected in the direction of the axis of rotation, and a tray 14 containing a cleaning agent for cleaning the cleaning brush 13.
And have.

The winding mechanism 38 is a mechanism for winding the recorded medium P, which is recorded and conveyed from the conveying mechanism 3 via the driven roller 11, and a paper tube or the like for winding is set on the winding shaft 17. By winding the recorded medium P around it, it can be wound up as the roll R2 of the recorded medium P.
Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the surface on which the recording is made uses the outer roll R1 and the surface on which the recording is made is wound so as to be on the outer side. Therefore, both the rotating shaft 5 and the winding shaft 17 are rotated in the rotation direction C. However, in the recording device 1 of the present embodiment, the roll R1 whose recording surface is inside can be used, and the recording device 1 can also be wound so that the recording surface is inside. That is, both the rotation shaft 5 and the take-up shaft 17 can be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C.

Next, the electrical configuration of the recording device 1 of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the recording device 1 of this embodiment.
The control unit 23 is provided with a CPU 24 that controls the entire recording device 1. CPU
The 24 is connected to a ROM 26 that stores various control programs and the like executed by the CPU 24 and a RAM 27 that can temporarily store data via the system bus 25.

Further, the CPU 24 is connected to the head driving unit 28 for driving the recording head 7 via the system bus 25.
Further, the CPU 24 is connected to a motor drive unit 29 for driving the carriage motor 30, the transfer motor 31, the feeding motor 32, the take-up motor 33, the swing motor 34, and the fan drive motors 35 and 36 via the system bus 25. Has been done.
Here, the carriage motor 30 is a motor for moving the carriage 16 provided with the recording head 7. Further, the transport motor 31 is a motor for driving the drive roller 8. Further, the feeding motor 32 is a rotating mechanism of the rotating shaft 5, and is a recording medium P.
Is a motor that drives the rotating shaft 5 in order to send the motor to the transport mechanism 3. Further, the take-up motor 33 is a drive motor for rotating the take-up shaft 17. Also, swing motor 3
Reference numeral 4 denotes a drive motor for swinging (reciprocating) the pressing roller 12 along the transport direction A. Further, the fan drive motor 35 is a motor for driving a fan 41 (see FIG. 3) as an airflow generating unit, which will be described later. And the fan drive motor 36
Is a motor for driving a fan 42 (see FIG. 3) as a pressure adjusting unit, which will be described later.

Further, the CPU 24 is connected to the input / output unit 21 via the system bus 25, and the input / output unit 21 is connected to the PC 22 for transmitting / receiving data such as recorded data and signals.
With such a configuration, the control unit 23 can execute control of the entire recording device 1.

Next, the carriage 16 which is a main part of this embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the carriage 16 of this embodiment. 8 and 9 are shown in FIGS.
It is a schematic side view which shows the carriage 16 of a reference example.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, in the configuration in which the carriage 16 is provided with the drive board 40 for driving the ejection of droplets from the recording head 7, the cable connecting the recording head 7 and the drive board 40 is provided. Since 39 can be configured short, it is possible to suppress data loss and noise. However, when the recording head 7 is driven, the drive substrate 40 generates heat, so that the temperature rises. Therefore, in the configuration in which the drive board 40 is provided in the carriage 16, the drive board 40 is provided.
In order to suppress the temperature rise of the above, the drive substrate 40 may be provided with an airflow generating portion for blowing the airflow.

FIG. 8 shows a carriage 16 of a reference example in which the drive board 40 is provided in the carriage 16 and the carriage 16 is provided with a fan 41 and a through hole 43 as an airflow generating portion for blowing airflow to the drive board 40. ing.
The carriage 16 of the reference example shown in FIG. 8 drives the fan 41 to drive the fan 41.
The air flow of the air volume Qo is discharged from the inside of the carriage 16 to the outside through the carriage 16. Then, since the inside of the carriage 16 becomes a negative pressure, the air flow of the air volume Qi enters the inside of the carriage 16 through the through hole 43. However, in general, since there is a gap in the mounting portion of the recording head 7 in the carriage 16, airflow enters the inside of the carriage 16 through the gap. When the airflow enters the inside of the carriage 16 through the gap, the ink mist generated by ejecting the ink from the recording head 7 enters the inside of the carriage 16 and pollutes the inside of the carriage 16. In some cases.

Further, FIG. 9 shows a carriage 16 of a reference example in which the drive board 40 is provided in the carriage 16 and the carriage 16 is provided with a fan 46 as an air flow generating unit for blowing an air flow to the drive board 40. The fan 41 is an airflow generating part that discharges an airflow from the inside of the carriage 16 to the outside, while the fan 46 is an airflow generating part that causes the airflow to flow from the outside of the carriage 16 to the inside.
The carriage 16 of the reference example shown in FIG. 9 drives the fan 46 to drive the fan 46.
The air flow of the air volume Qi flows from the outside to the inside of the carriage 16 through the carriage 16. Then, since the inside of the carriage 16 becomes a positive pressure, the air flow of the air volume Qo flows out to the outside of the carriage 16 through a through hole (not shown) provided in the upper part of the carriage 16. However, in general, since there is a gap in the mounting portion of the recording head 7 in the carriage 16, airflow flows out of the carriage 16 through the gap. If the airflow flows out of the carriage 16 from the gap, the landing position of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 7 on the recording medium P may be shifted.

On the other hand, the carriage 16 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a fan 41 and a through hole 43 in the carriage 16 as in the carriage 16 of the reference example shown in FIG. A partition 44 is provided to divide the inside of the carriage 16 into a drive board chamber 47 and a discharge portion chamber 48.
That is, the carriage 16 of this embodiment can be reciprocated with respect to the recording medium P.
The recording head 7 that ejects ink to the recording medium P, the drive board 40 of the recording head 7, the fan 41 that blows the air flow to the drive board 40, and the recording head 7 are suppressed from being blown (that is,). It can be expressed that the partition 44 (which suppresses the pressure change of the recording head 7 due to the generation of the air flow by the fan 41) is provided.
Here, "blowing an airflow" includes both an airflow from an outward fan (for example, fan 41) and an airflow from an inward fan (for example, fan 42).
The carriage 16 of the present embodiment is thus configured to include a recording head 7 that ejects ink by the partition 44, a drive board 40 of the recording head 7, and a fan 41 that blows an air flow onto the drive board 40. ing. Therefore, the inflow and outflow of the airflow from the gap of the mounting portion of the recording head 7 can be suppressed, and the influence of the generation of the airflow can be suppressed. In other words, the partition 44 has a pressure change of the recording head 7 (the recording head 7 is formed) while there are problems of both the air flow being ejected from the inside of the carriage 16 to the outside and the air flow being flowing into the carriage 16 from the outside. By suppressing the pressure change of the discharge portion chamber 48, which is a region), both of these problems can be solved.

In other words, the recording device 1 of this embodiment includes such a carriage 16. Therefore, the ink can be ejected to the recording medium P by suppressing the influence of the generation of the air flow.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the partition 44 of this embodiment is provided with a hole 45 through which a cable 39, which is an example of a member, is passed.
If the partition 44 is provided with a hole 45 for passing a member as in the partition 44 of the present embodiment,
A member such as a cable 39 or a tube through which ink is passed can be passed through the hole 45.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 16 of the present embodiment is divided into a drive board chamber 47 having a drive board 40 and a discharge section chamber 48 having a recording head 7 by a partition 44, and is divided into a discharge section chamber 48. Is provided with a fan 42 as a pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the pressure in the discharging unit chamber 48. Therefore, the pressure in the discharge section 48 can be adjusted, and the structure is such that the outflow of the airflow from the inside of the discharge section 48 to the outside and the inflow of the airflow from the outside into the discharge section 48 can be suppressed. Therefore, the ink ejection direction is shifted by ejecting the airflow from the carriage 16 to the outside, and the ink mist ejected from the recording head portion flows into the inside of the carriage 16 due to the airflow flowing into the carriage 16. It is configured to prevent it from being stored.

More specifically, the fan 42 of this embodiment is driven by the control of the control unit 23 so as to reduce the pressure difference between the inside of the discharge unit chamber 48 and the outside of the carriage 16. Therefore, the pressure in the discharge section 48 is adjusted particularly effectively, and the outflow of the airflow from the inside of the discharge section 48 to the outside and the inflow of the airflow from the outside into the discharge section 48 are particularly effectively suppressed. There is.
Specifically, the air volume Qo1 of the airflow discharged from the drive board chamber 47 via the fan 41 is
Equivalent to the sum of the airflow Qi1 of the airflow flowing into the drive board chamber 47 from the through hole 43 and the airflow Qo2 of the airflow flowing into (exhausting) into the drive board chamber 47 from the discharge portion chamber 48 through the hole 45. Will be. Therefore, the air volume Qo2 of the airflow discharged from the discharge unit chamber 48 to the drive board chamber 47,
The fan 42 is driven so that the air volume Qi2 of the airflow flowing into the discharge unit chamber 48 via the fan 42 is equal to that of the air volume Qi2. Since the air volume Qo1 is equivalent to the sum of the air volume Qi1 and Qo2, the air volume of Qo1 is naturally larger than the air volume Qi2.

Next, the carriage 16 which is a main part of this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.
4 to 7 are schematic perspective views showing the carriage 16 of this embodiment. Of these, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the carriage 16 with a cover 49 that covers the entire carriage 16 as viewed from the fan 41 side. Further, FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the cover 49 of the carriage 16 with the side cover 49a on the scanning direction B side removed and viewed from the fan 41 side. Further, FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the carriage 16 with the cover 49 covering the entire carriage removed, as viewed from the fan 41 side. And FIG. 7 shows the carriage 1.
It is a schematic perspective view seen from the recording head 7 side with the cover 49 which covers the whole of 6 attached.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the carriage 16 of this embodiment has a cover 49 that covers the whole.
have. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, only the side cover 49a (shown in FIG. 4) can be removed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the partition 44 is integrally configured with a portion other than the side cover 49a of the cover 49, and the partition 44 is also removed from the carriage 16 when the cover 49 is removed from the carriage 16. .. here,
As shown in FIG. 5, the operator can access the recording head 7 by removing only the side cover 49a without removing the entire cover 49. For example, replacement of the recording head 7 is performed by removing the side cover. This can be done by removing only 49a.

That is, the carriage 16 of this embodiment has a side cover 49a as a removable member that can be removed to access the recording head 7, in addition to the partition 44. Therefore, for example, when a problem occurs in the recording head 7 provided in the carriage 16, by removing the side cover 49a, the recording head 7 can be easily replaced without removing the partition 44. It has become.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and it goes without saying that they are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 ... Recording device (liquid discharge device), 2 ... Feeding unit, 3 ... Transfer mechanism, 4 ... Recording mechanism,
5 ... Rotating shaft, 6 ... Driven roller, 7 ... Recording head (discharge part), 8 ... Drive roller,
9 ... driven roller, 10 ... adhesive belt, 11 ... driven roller,
12 ... Pushing roller, 13 ... Cleaning brush, 14 ... Tray, 15 ... Cleaning mechanism,
16 ... Carriage, 17 ... Winding shaft, 18 ... Platen, 19 ... Platen, 20 ... Rotating shaft,
21 ... Input / output unit, 22 ... PC, 23 ... Control unit, 24 ... CPU, 25 ... System bus,
26 ... ROM, 27 ... RAM, 28 ... head drive unit, 29 ... motor drive unit,
30 ... Carriage motor, 31 ... Conveying motor, 32 ... Feeding motor,
33 ... Take-up motor, 34 ... Swing motor, 35 ... Fan drive motor,
36 ... fan drive motor, 37 ... driven roller, 38 ... winding mechanism, 39 ... cable,
40 ... Drive board, 41 ... Fan (air flow generation part), 42 ... Fan (pressure adjustment part),
43 ... Through hole, 44 ... Partition, 45 ... Hole, 46 ... Fan (air flow generator),
47 ... Drive board room, 48 ... Discharge section room, 49 ... Cover,
49a ... Side cover (detachable member), F ... Support surface, P ... Recording medium (medium),
R1 ... Roll of recorded medium P, R2 ... Roll of recorded medium P

Claims (4)

It ’s a carriage,
It has a discharge part that discharges liquid to the medium and a mounting part to which the discharge part is attached.
Discharge chamber and
A drive board chamber having a drive board for the discharge unit, and
A pressure adjusting unit that suppresses pressure changes in the discharge unit chamber,
Equipped with
The pressure adjusting unit is
A first airflow generating part that allows airflow to flow from the outside of the carriage into the inside of the discharge part chamber,
With the second airflow generator that causes the airflow to flow out from the inside of the drive board chamber to the outside of the carriage.
,
Inside the carriage, a partition that separates the discharge section chamber and the drive board chamber.
,
Including
A member passes through the partition, and air is provided between the discharge section chamber and the drive board chamber.
Carriage, characterized in Rukoto flow a hole portion capable of passing is provided. In the carriage according to claim 1,
A carriage characterized by having a detachable member that can access the discharge portion by removing the partition separately from the partition. In the carriage according to claim 1 or 2.
The carriage is characterized in that the pressure adjusting unit is driven so as to reduce a pressure difference between the inside of the discharge unit chamber and the outside of the carriage. A liquid discharge device comprising the carriage according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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