JP7151213B2 - printing system, printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to printing systems and printing apparatuses.

For example, as a device for printing on a fabric as a printing target, printing is performed using a printing target holding member shared by both a device for printing on the fabric and a device for heating the fabric while holding the fabric. A thing is known (patent document 1).

In addition, in order to suppress the height position deviation of the ejection head due to the inclination of the same carriage of the same machine, a landing position deviation adjustment pattern is printed on the print medium, and the ejection timing is controlled based on the result of reading the pattern. is known (Patent Document 2).

JP 2017-202681 A Japanese Patent No. 5383267

By the way, when trying to print on the same object using different liquids by different printing apparatuses (this is called “superimposed printing”), there is a problem that printing position deviation occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce print position misalignment when performing overprinting.

In order to solve the above problems, the printing system according to the present invention includes:
at least two printing devices that eject different liquids to print on a printing object;
A printing object holding member that can hold the printing object and be mounted on one of the two printing devices, and can be mounted on the other printing device while holding the printing object printed by the one printing device. and including
The print object holding member has one or more storage means,
The storage means stores two pieces of posture information when the print target holding member is mounted on each of the two printing apparatuses or difference information of the two pieces of posture information,
The other printing device controls the printing operation based on the two posture information or the difference information stored in the storage means of the print target holding member ,
The printing object holding member is provided with a cross mark for posture detection extending in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,
The storage means stores, as the posture information or the difference information, positional information of both ends of the cross mark in the first direction and both ends in the second direction, or difference information of each position,
The other printing device detects the amount of deviation in the rotational direction from positional information on both ends of the cross mark in the first direction and both ends in the second direction or difference information on the positions, and control the printing operation by correcting the amount of deviation of
It was configured.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce print position misalignment when performing overprinting.

1 is an external perspective explanatory view of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an external perspective explanatory view of a state in which a printing target holding member holding a printing target is mounted on the first printing device. 1 is a perspective explanatory view illustrating the overall configuration of a mechanical section of an example of a printing apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view similarly seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 3; It is a perspective explanatory view of an example of a cassette. It is a perspective explanatory view of the state in which the outer peripheral cover of the cassette is opened. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory view along the longitudinal direction of the cassette corresponding to the cross section on plane S1 of FIG. 6; FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view for explaining storage means of a cassette and reading/writing means of a printing device; FIG. 4 is a schematic front explanatory view for explaining a configuration related to cassette orientation detection of the printing apparatus; It is similarly a typical side explanatory drawing. It is similarly a schematic plane explanatory drawing. FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining an example of positional deviation between the orientation of the cassette in the first printing device and the orientation of the cassette in the second printing device; FIG. 11 is a plan explanatory view for explaining orientation information of a cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram similarly explaining an example of a print image; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining attitude information of a cassette according to the third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view of a mechanical section of the printing apparatus including the cassette according to the same embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining orientation information of a cassette according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a block explanatory diagram for explaining control means related to attitude detection operation and ejection control;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is an external perspective explanatory view of a printing system according to the same embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective explanatory view of a state in which a printing object holding member that similarly holds a printing object is attached to a first printing apparatus.

The printing system 1000 includes a cassette 200 as print object holding means, and at least two printing apparatuses 1 (hereinafter referred to as a first printing apparatus 1A and a second printing apparatus 1B when distinguished). It should be noted that a configuration including three or more printers 1 may be employed, and a heating device capable of withdrawing/inserting the cassette 200 as it is may be provided.

The printing apparatus 1 is detachably mountable with a cassette 200 and prints an image on a cloth 400 held in the cassette 200 and serving as a print target (printing target member).

In this embodiment, after the cassette 200 holding the fabric 400 is attached to the first printing device 1A, which is one of the printing devices, and printing is performed on the fabric 400, the cassette 200 is removed from the first printing device 1A, and the While holding the printed fabric 400 , the cassette 200 can be loaded into the second printing device 1</b>B, which is the other printing device, and the printed fabric 400 can be overlaid and printed.

At this time, the storage means provided in the cassette 200 stores information on the two orientations when each of the two printers 1 is mounted, or information on the difference between the two orientations. Also stored is history information indicating that the

Therefore, the second printing apparatus 1</b>B, which is the other printing apparatus, controls the printing operation of overlay printing based on the two orientation information or the difference information stored in the storage means of the cassette 200 . The printing is performed by correcting the positional deviation of the printing object due to the deviation of the posture of the printing object.

In other words, for example, for the material or material color to be printed, for the purpose of improving color development, improving washing fastness, improving print quality, etc., before ejecting color ink and printing a color image, pretreatment It is known to pre-print (apply) a white ink as a liquid or a color base coat.

In this case, it is known that the pretreatment liquid needs to be fixed to the print target by heat treatment before color printing. Further, when the color ink is applied after the white ink is applied in advance, it is necessary to improve the ejection position accuracy in order to eject the color ink in accordance with the image position formed with the white ink.

In addition, many pretreatment liquids and white inks are more difficult to handle than color inks. For example, an acidic pretreatment liquid such as acetic acid has a high chemical attack property, and when mixed with other inks, causes an increase in liquid viscosity or adhesion. In addition, in white ink and the like, titanium oxide, which is a white pigment component, settles over time, and the ink components tend to separate, dry quickly, and tend to stick together. For this reason, an apparatus that uses a pretreatment liquid or white ink has a high frequency of maintenance and is likely to cause downtime.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pretreatment liquid or white ink is ejected from the first printing apparatus 1A to print on the cloth 400 to be printed, and the cassette 200 is transferred to the second printing apparatus 1B while the cloth 400 is held. , and a color image is printed by the second printing apparatus 1B.

As a result, even when maintenance is performed on the first printing apparatus 1A, the second printing apparatus 1B can be used continuously, and downtime can be reduced.

Next, an example of a printing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective explanatory view for explaining the overall structure of the mechanical portion of the printing apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view seen from a direction different from that of FIG.

The printing apparatus 1 includes a stage 111 which is a receiving member that detachably holds a cassette 200 holding a cloth 400 and moves forward and backward, and a cloth held by the cassette 200 held by the stage 111 . and printing means 112 for printing on 400 .

Here, the cloth 400 is not only a piece of cloth such as a handkerchief or towel, but also a cloth processed as clothing such as a T-shirt or sweatshirt, or a part of a product such as a tote bag. Any fabric can also be used.

The stage 111 is provided on a carrier structure 113 held movably in the arrow Y direction (feed direction) with respect to the apparatus main body 100 .

Here, a transport guide member 115 is arranged along the arrow Y direction in the bottom housing portion 114 of the apparatus main body 100, and the slider portion 116 of the transport structure 113 is movably held by the transport guide member 115. FIG.

The printing means 112 includes a carriage 121 that moves in the direction of arrow X (main scanning direction) with respect to the stage 111 and a head 122 mounted on the carriage 121 .

A carriage 121 is movably held by a guide member 123 arranged along the arrow X direction, and is reciprocated in the arrow X direction by a driving motor 124 via a scanning mechanism such as a timing belt 125 . The head 122 uses a liquid ejection head to eject ink onto the surface of the fabric to form an image, but it is not limited to this.

In this printing apparatus 1 , the cassette 200 is mounted and held on the stage 111 in the apparatus main body 100 while the cloth 400 is set on the platen member 300 of the cassette 200 . By repeating the movement of the stage 111 in the direction of the arrow Y and the reciprocating movement of the head 122 in the direction of the arrow X, a desired image is printed on the cloth 400 .

In this case, the stage 111 can be moved up and down in the direction of the arrow Z, and by moving up and down according to the thickness of the cloth 400, the gap between the cloth 400 and the head 122 can be adjusted to a predetermined gap. Note that the printing means 112 can also be made vertically movable.

Next, an example of the cassette will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 as well. 5 is a perspective explanatory view of the same cassette, FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view of the same cassette with the outer peripheral cover opened, and FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the longitudinal direction of the cassette corresponding to the cross-section on plane S1 in FIG. It is a diagram.

The cassette 200 has a base member 201 and a platen member 300 that holds a printed portion of the fabric 400 in a flat state.

The platen member 300 is composed of a platen structure 302 and a heat insulating member 301 forming a surface for holding the fabric 400 in a flat state. The heat insulating member 301 has heat resistance against heating by the heating device 500 .

One end of an outer peripheral cover member 202 is rotatably attached to the base member 201 by a hinge 203, and the outer peripheral cover member 202 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the base member 201 in the direction of the arrow.

The outer peripheral cover member 202 has a frame portion 202b having an opening 202a at a portion corresponding to the platen member 300, and presses the fabric 400 between the frame portion 202b and the flange portion 300a of the outer peripheral portion of the platen member 300.

The platen member 300 is supported by a support portion 311 with respect to the base member 201 , and an accommodation space 312 is formed between the platen member 300 and the base member 201 to accommodate the surplus portion 400 a of the cloth 400 . The surplus portion 400a corresponds to, for example, both sleeves, the collar, and the hem of a T-shirt when printing is performed on the front surface of the T-shirt.

Here, the platen member 300 is detachable from the base member 201 and is replaceable. As a result, a plurality of platen members 300 can be prepared, and clothing can be wrapped around another platen member 300 during the printing operation, and printing of the next fabric can be quickly performed simply by replacing the platen member 300 after printing and fixing are completed. can start.

When setting the fabric 400 in the cassette 200, the outer cover member 202 is opened and the fabric 400 is set (held) on the platen member 300, as shown in FIG. At this time, the outer peripheral cover member 202 is closed as shown in FIG. 5 while the excess portion (surplus portion) 400a of the fabric 400 is accommodated in the accommodation space 312 as shown in FIG.

Then, when printing on the fabric 400 , the cassette 200 in which the fabric 400 is set is mounted (set) on the stage 111 of the apparatus main body 100 of the printing apparatus 1 .

In this manner, the cloth 400 to be printed can be set on the platen member 300 while the entire cassette 200 is taken out of the apparatus main body 100. Therefore, the work of setting the cloth 400 on the platen member 300 is facilitated. Become.

After printing is completed by the printing apparatus 1, the cassette 200 is set (transferred) to the heating device 500 while holding the fabric 400, and the fabric 400 on which the image is printed is heated and fixed.

In this cassette 200, the support portion 311 that supports the platen member 300 includes a hollow support portion 231 on the side of the base member 201 and a hollow support portion 331 on the side of the platen member 300 that is movably fitted to the hollow support portion 231. , and a compression spring 313 disposed between the hollow struts 231 and 331 .

Thereby, the platen member 300 is movably supported with respect to the base member 201 which is a base member.

Further, the outer peripheral cover member 202 is provided with a lock claw member 204a. The lock claw member 204a is arranged on the side opposite to the side of the peripheral cover member 202 held by the hinge 203 with respect to the base member 201 so as to be openable and closable.

On the other hand, the base member 201 is provided with a lock claw holding member 204b that holds the lock claw member 204a or releases the lock claw member 204a.

The lock claw member 204a and the lock claw holding member 204b constitute lock means 204 for regulating the height of the outer peripheral cover member 202 covering the peripheral portion of the platen member 300 with respect to the base member 201. As shown in FIG.

With this configuration, when the thickness of the cloth 400 changes, the platen member 300 descends against the restoring force of the spring 313, and the distance from the base member 201 changes, so that the cloth 400 of different thickness can be handled. can do.

Since the platen member 300 is always pressed against the outer peripheral cover member 202 with a constant force, the cloth 400 is less likely to shift even when the cassette 200 is carried.

In addition, even when the thickness of the fabric 400 changes, the platen member 300 is lowered so that the gap between the platen member 300 and the outer peripheral cover member 202 is secured. The height relative to 201 remains unchanged.

Next, the storage means of the cassette and the reading/writing means of the printing device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the same.

Referring also to FIG. 7, information storage means 290 is provided on the rear surface of cassette 200 . On the other hand, the printing apparatus 1 is provided, for example, on the stage 111 with a writing/reading means 190 for writing information to and reading information from the information storage means 290 of the mounted cassette 200 .

As a result, history information indicating that the cassette 200 has been installed in the first printing apparatus 1A, attitude information when the cassette 200 has been installed in the first printing apparatus 1A, and the position information of the cassette 200 are stored in the information storage unit 290 of the cassette 200. 2 It is possible to store two pieces of orientation information, namely, orientation information when the printer is mounted on the printing apparatus 1B, or difference information between the two pieces of orientation information.

When the second printer 1B performs printing, the history information stored in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200 is read to determine whether or not the cassette 200 has already been installed in the first printer 1A. Here, when the cassette 200 attached to the second printing apparatus 1B has already been attached to the first printing apparatus 1A, it is determined that overprinting is performed.

Therefore, the second printing apparatus 1B reads two pieces of orientation information or difference information stored in the information storage unit 290 of the cassette 200, and controls the printing operation based on the read two pieces of orientation information or difference information. For example, the ejecting timing is corrected so as to correct the deviation amount of the landing position when printing by the second printing device 1B with respect to the landing position when printing by the first printing device 1A, and the displacement of the attitude of the cassette 200 is corrected. Corrects image misalignment due to printing.

The information storage means 290 and the writing/reading means 190 may be either contact type or non-contact type.

Next, a configuration for detecting the attitude of the cassette of the printing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 as well. 9 is a schematic front view of the printing apparatus, FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of the same, and FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the same.

First, referring also to FIGS. 4 and 5 described above, a holding surface (surface) 303 of the platen member 300 of the cassette 200 that holds the print target is provided with a cross mark 340 as an orientation detection mark. The cross mark 340 is composed of an X-direction axis 340a and a Y-direction axis 340b.

The cross mark 340 can be formed by printing on the holding surface 303 of the platen member 300 or by carving the holding surface 303 of the platen member 300 to form a concave portion. Also, the orientation detection mark is not limited to the cross mark 340 .

On the other hand, the printing apparatus 1 is provided with a reading sensor 128 such as an optical sensor which is reading means for reading the cross mark 340 on the side surface of the carriage 121 . The printing apparatus 1 also includes a height detection sensor 150 composed of a light emitting means 151 for emitting a laser beam and a light receiving means 152 as a height detection means for detecting that the cassette 200 has reached a predetermined height. I have.

Next, the operation of detecting the orientation of the cassette will be described.

First, the cassette 200 is set in the first printing apparatus 1A, the stage 111 is moved in the Y direction, and the cassette 200 is moved to the attitude detection position where the attitude is detected. The orientation detection position of the cassette 200 is a position where the reading sensor 128 of the carriage 121 can read the cross mark 340 of the cassette 200 .

On the other hand, the cassette 200 is raised in the Z direction, and the position where the surface of the platen member 300 of the cassette 200 is detected by the height detection sensor 150 is stored as the attitude detection position in the height direction. The height position detected by the height detection sensor 150 is a predetermined height with a predetermined gap from the ejection surface of the ejection head 122 mounted on the carriage 121 .

In this way, the height of the surface of the platen member 300 of the cassette 200 is set to a predetermined height, and the reading sensor 128 is positioned so that the cross mark 340 can be read.

Then, the carriage 121 is moved and scanned in the X direction, and the read sensor 128 reads the cross mark 340 to obtain information on the position of the cross mark 340 in the X direction. , read the cross mark 340 and acquire the information of the position of the cross mark 340 in the Y direction.

The position and movement amount (position and movement amount in the X direction) of the carriage 121 are detected by a linear encoder composed of an encoder scale arranged in the X direction and an encoder sensor for reading the scale. The position and distance (position and movement amount in the Y direction) of the stage 111 are detected by a linear encoder composed of an encoder scale arranged in the Y direction and an encoder sensor for reading the scale. A rotary encoder that detects the rotation of the drive source can be used instead of the linear encoder.

The first printing apparatus 1A writes and stores the obtained X-direction position and Y-direction position of the cross mark 340 in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200 by the writing/reading means 190 as orientation information of the cassette 200 . In this case, information indicating that the orientation information is the orientation information of the first printing apparatus 1A can be added to the orientation information to be stored.

For example, the acquired orientation information may be displayed on the display section of the operation section (operation panel) 160 in FIG. 1 to notify the user of the orientation information of the first printing apparatus 1A.

Next, the cassette 200 is taken out from the first printer 1A, and the cassette 200 is set in the second printer 1B.

The second printing apparatus 1B performs the same attitude detection operation as that performed in the first printing apparatus 1A described above, reads the cross mark 340 on the cassette 200, and detects the position of the cross mark 340 in the X direction and the Y direction. obtained as posture information.

Then, the second printing apparatus 1B writes and stores the acquired attitude information of the cassette 200 in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200 by the writing/reading means 190. FIG. In this case, information indicating that the orientation information is the orientation information of the second printing apparatus 1B can be added to the orientation information to be stored.

For example, the acquired orientation information may be displayed on the display section of the operation section (operation panel) 160 in FIG. 1 to notify the user of the orientation information of the second printing apparatus 1B.

Further, the second printing apparatus 1B reads out the orientation information of the cassette 200 in the first printing apparatus 1A stored in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200, and reads the difference from the orientation information of the cassette 200 in the second printing apparatus 1B. Information may be calculated, and difference information may be written and stored in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200 by the writing/reading means 190 . Note that the difference information is information on the difference (distance) and the direction.

Further, when the orientation information of the cassette 200 in the first printing apparatus 1A and the orientation information of the cassette 200 in the second printing apparatus 1B are displayed on the operation unit (operation panel) 160 to notify the user, the user may press the second It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which difference information is input using the numeric keypad of the operation unit (operation panel) 160 of the printer 1B, and the input difference information is written and stored in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200. FIG.

Next, an example of misalignment between the orientation of the cassette in the first printing apparatus and the orientation of the cassette in the second printing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory plan view for the same explanation.

In FIG. 12, the detection result of the orientation of the cassette 200 in the first printing apparatus 1A is indicated by a broken line, and the detection result of the orientation of the cassette 200 in the second printing apparatus 1B is indicated by a solid line.

In this example, a difference ΔX1, Y There is a positional deviation of the difference ΔY1 in the direction.

When the home position of the carriage 121 is the position shown in FIG. 9 and the home position of the stage 111 is the position opposite to the position where the cassette 200 is mounted, the difference ΔX1 is the side away from the home position, and the difference ΔY1 is the side closer to the home position. is the difference.

Therefore, after printing with, for example, white ink by the first printing apparatus 1A, when printing is performed by the second printing apparatus 1B, the difference ΔX1 in the X direction and the difference ΔY1 in the Y direction are corrected to shift the landing position and print. . To shift the landing position, the ejection timing is corrected.

As a result, the image positions of the white image and the color image are accurately superimposed without causing printing position deviation due to positional deviation between the orientation of the cassette 200 in the first printing apparatus 1A and the orientation of the cassette 200 in the second printing apparatus 1B. can be printed together (aligned).

It should be noted that the position detection of the cassette can also be performed, for example, as in other first and second examples described below.

<Another first example of posture detection>
A print object such as a cloth 400, a medium, or a transparent film is set in the cassette 200, and the cassette 200 is mounted on the first printing apparatus 1A to print the posture detection cross mark 340 as described above on the print object. . A reading sensor 128 mounted on the carriage 121 reads the printed mark 340 to obtain posture information.

After that, the cassette 200 holding the print target on which the mark 340 is printed is taken out from the first printing apparatus 1A and mounted on the second printing apparatus 1B. The posture information is acquired by reading the mark 340 printed in .

In this case, as described in the first embodiment, these two pieces of posture information or their difference information are stored in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200 .

<Another Second Example of Posture Detection>
Instead of the reading sensor 128 that mounts the mark 340 printed on the print object on the carriage 121 as described in the other first example, the user actually obtains the difference ΔX1 in the X direction and the difference ΔY1 in the Y direction from the print result. Calculated by measuring

Then, the user uses the numeric keypad of the operation panel 160 to input the ejection position (landing position) correction value (ejection timing correction value) corresponding to the difference in the second printing apparatus 1B.

Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory plan view for explaining orientation information of a cassette in the same embodiment, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory view for explaining an example of a printed image.

In this embodiment, the cross mark 340 for detecting the attitude of the cassette 200 is provided almost to the ends in the X and Y directions.

Here, the front end side of the cassette 200 in the Y direction is the side on which the cassette 200 is attached to and detached from the stage 111 , and the rear end side in the Y direction is the side opposite to the side on which the cassette 200 is attached to and detached from the stage 111 . The right end side of the cassette 200 in the X direction is the home position side of the carriage 121 , and the left end side in the X direction is the side opposite to the home position of the carriage 121 .

Therefore, as position information of the cassette 200 in the first printing apparatus 1A and position information of the cassette 200 in the second printing apparatus 1B, the position in the X direction on the front end side in the Y direction, the position in the X direction on the rear end side in the Y direction, and the position in the X direction The Y-direction position on the right end side of and the Y-direction position on the left end side of the X direction are acquired.

At this time, assuming that there is no deviation in the center position of the cross mark 340, the difference ΔX2 on the front end in the X direction, the difference ΔX3 on the rear end in the X direction, the difference ΔY2 on the right end in the Y direction, and the difference ΔY2 on the left end in the Y direction, the cassette 200 positional deviation in the direction of rotation can be detected. When the center position of the cross mark 340 is shifted in the X and Y directions, the shift amounts in the rotation direction are calculated by correcting the differences ΔX2, ΔX2, ΔY2, and ΔY3 with the shift amounts in the X and Y directions. do it.

Then, by performing correction according to the difference in the orientation information of the cassette 200, as shown in FIG. The printed image 705 by the second printing apparatus 1B can be superimposed as shown in FIG. 14(b).

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining orientation information of the cassette in the same embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a perspective explanatory diagram of a mechanical section of the printing apparatus including the cassette in the same embodiment.

In this embodiment, the platen member 300 of the cassette 200 is divided into a plurality of regions, for example, three regions 341 (341A to 341C) in the Y direction, and each divided region 341 has a cross mark 340 (340A) for posture detection. ~340C) are attached.

Then, the cassette 200 is adjusted to a predetermined height in each of the areas 341A to 341C, and the cross marks 340A to 340C are read to obtain the orientation information of the first printing apparatus 1A and the second printing apparatus 1B.

As a result, it is possible to precisely align an image to be printed in an area where high quality is required, particularly within the printing area of the cassette 200, and obtain a high-quality printed image.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining orientation information of a cassette in the same embodiment.

In this embodiment, as in the third embodiment, the cassette 200 is divided into a plurality of regions, for example three regions, in the Y direction, and further divided into a plurality of regions, for example, three regions in the X direction. are divided into nine regions 341 (341A to 341I). A cross mark 340 (340A to 340I) for posture detection is attached to each divided area 341. FIG.

Then, the cassette 200 is adjusted to a predetermined height for each divided area in the Y direction, and the posture information is acquired by reading the cross mark 340 for each of the three divided areas in the X direction.

When the second printing apparatus 1B performs printing, for example, assuming that the image 706 is arranged in the areas 341B and 341I in FIG. The ejection timing is controlled based on the information, and when printing the image 707 of the area 341I, the ejection timing is controlled based on the attitude information or the difference information of the area 341I.

In this way, by dividing the area into a plurality of areas and storing the orientation information or the difference information to correct the ejection timing or the like, it is possible to print an image with less misalignment.

In this case, it is also possible to obtain height information as orientation information of the cassette 200 and correct the height when printing is performed in each of the divided areas 341 .

For example, in the example of FIG. 17, when the image 706 of the area 341B is printed by the second printing apparatus 1B, the height of the area 341B is adjusted to the stored height, and then based on two pieces of orientation information or difference information. to correct the ejection timing, etc., and then print.

Further, when the image 707 of the area 341I is printed by the second printing apparatus 1B, the height of the area 341I is adjusted to the stored height, and then the ejection timing is corrected based on two pieces of orientation information or difference information. to print.

As a result, it is possible to correct the deviation of the attitude of the cassette 200 in the X, Y, and X directions according to the image in each divided area, and to print an image with high accuracy and no print position deviation.

Next, an example of control means for the orientation detection operation and printing operation in the above embodiment will be described with reference to the block explanatory diagram of FIG. 18 .

The control means 800 includes attitude information acquisition means 801 , ejection control means 802 , and ejection timing correction means 803 .

The attitude information acquiring means 801 drives and controls a carriage moving means 811 that reciprocates the carriage 121 , a stage moving means 812 that reciprocates the stage 111 , and a stage lifting means 813 that vertically moves the stage 111 .

The attitude information acquisition means 801 includes a carriage position detection means 821 for detecting the X-direction position of the carriage 121, a stage position detection means 822 for detecting the Y-direction position of the stage 111, and a cassette height detection means for detecting the height of the cassette 200. A detection signal from the detection means 823 is input. Carriage position detection means 821 and stage position detection means 822 include, for example, the linear encoders described above. The cassette height detection means 823 includes a height detection sensor 150 .

The attitude information acquisition means 801 inputs the reading result of the mark 340 by the reading means 324 for reading the cross mark 340 mounted on the carriage 121 . Reading means 324 includes read sensor 128 .

Then, as described above, the attitude information acquiring means 801 raises the stage 111 by the stage lifting means 813, and keeps the cassette 200 until the cassette height detecting means 823 detects that the cassette 200 has reached a predetermined height. to raise

While the carriage 121 is moved in the X direction and the stage 111 is moved to move the cassette 200 in the Y direction, the reading means 824 reads the mark 340, and the carriage position detection means 821 and stage position detection means 822 read the mark 340. The orientation information of the cassette 200 is obtained by detecting the position of the mark 340 .

The attitude information acquiring means 801 drives and controls the writing/reading means 190 to store the acquired attitude information of the cassette 200 in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200 . Note that when the orientation information of the cassette 200 in the second printing apparatus 1B is acquired, the difference information between the two pieces of orientation information is stored in the information storage unit 290 of the cassette 200, for example.

Here, the posture information acquisition means 801 and the reading means 824 constitute posture detection means.

The ejection control means 802 drives and controls the head 122 according to the ejection data to eject the liquid.

Here, the ejection control means 802 of the second printing apparatus 1B drives and controls the writing/reading means 190 to read two pieces of posture information or difference information stored in the information storage means 290 of the cassette 200. FIG.

Then, the ejection control unit 802 reads the ejection timing correction value information corresponding to the two pieces of posture information or the difference information read from the cassette 200 from the ejection timing correction unit 803, and controls the ejection timing from the head 122 according to the read correction value information. The head 122 is driven while controlling the ejection timing of the liquid.

The correction of the ejection timing here includes both correcting the timing of outputting the ejection signal while keeping the ejection data as it is, and rewriting the ejection data itself according to the correction value.

Note that the print object holding member such as a cassette is not limited to the box-like shape of the cassette in the above embodiment, as long as it has a structure that can be attached to and detached from the printing apparatus. Specifically, it may be a single plate-like platen member.

In addition, in order to further improve workability, in order to eliminate the process of setting the fabric (T-shirt, etc.) on the tray every time when printing, the fabric (T-shirt, etc.) can also be used. In this case, the used print object holding member is collected and supplied with the cloth set again.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the same effect, it is possible to use a platen member in which a cloth (such as a T-shirt) is set on the platen member detachably formed on the print object holding member. When using, the platen member on which the cloth is set is mounted as it is on the holding member for the printing object, and after printing and fixing are completed, the platen member is removed from the holding member for the printing object, and the next platen member on which the cloth is set is placed. It is mounted on a print object holding member, and printing and fixing are performed. In this case, the used platen member is collected and supplied with the cloth set again.

By doing so, the operator does not need to set the fabric (T-shirt, etc.) every time, the continuous processing of a plurality of sheets is facilitated, and the continuous processing of a plurality of sheets can be automated.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the printing object is the cloth has been described, but the printing object is not limited to this. The present invention can be similarly applied to a configuration in which a printing target other than fabric is set on the printing target holding member and printed by a different printing device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printing device 1A first printing device 1B second printing device 100 main body of printing device 111 stage (receiving member)
112 printing means 200 cassette (printing object holding member)
300 platen member 340 cross mark 400 cloth (printing object)

Claims (6)

at least two printing devices that eject different liquids to print on a printing object;
A printing object holding member that can hold the printing object and be mounted on one of the two printing devices, and can be mounted on the other printing device while holding the printing object printed by the one printing device. and including
The print object holding member has one or more storage means,
The storage means stores two pieces of posture information when the print target holding member is mounted on each of the two printing apparatuses or difference information of the two pieces of posture information,
The other printing device controls the printing operation based on the two posture information or the difference information stored in the storage means of the print target holding member ,
The printing object holding member is provided with a cross mark for posture detection extending in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,
The storage means stores, as the posture information or the difference information, positional information of both ends of the cross mark in the first direction and both ends in the second direction, or difference information of each position,
The other printing device detects the amount of deviation in the rotational direction from positional information on both ends of the cross mark in the first direction and both ends in the second direction or difference information on the positions, and control the printing operation by correcting the amount of deviation of
A printing system characterized by: 2. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein history information indicating that said print object holding member has been attached to said one printing apparatus is stored in said storage means. 3. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein the two pieces of orientation information or the difference information are stored for each area obtained by dividing a holding surface of the printing object holding member holding the printing object into a plurality of areas. system. 4. The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other printing device corrects the timing of ejecting the liquid based on the two pieces of orientation information or the difference information. It is possible to hold a print target and mount it on one of at least two printers, and mount it on the other printer while holding the print target printed by the one printer,
a printing object holding member having storage means for storing two pieces of orientation information or difference information of the two pieces of orientation information when the member is attached to each of the two printing apparatuses;
The printing object holding member is provided with a cross mark for posture detection extending in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,
The storage means stores, as the posture information or difference information, positional information on both ends of the cross mark in the first direction and both ends in the second direction, or difference information on each position,
A shift amount in the rotational direction is calculated from positional information of both ends in the first direction and both ends in the second direction of the cross mark stored in the storage means of the holding member for printing, or difference information of the positions. The printing operation is controlled by detecting and correcting the amount of deviation in the rotational direction.
A printing device characterized by: The two pieces of orientation information or the difference information are stored for each area obtained by dividing a holding surface of the printing object holding member holding the printing object into a plurality of areas,
6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein timing for ejecting liquid in each area is corrected based on the two pieces of orientation information or the difference information for each area.

Images