JP7312118B2 - MEDIA HOLDING MECHANISM, INKJET PRINTER AND METHOD FOR PRINTING MEDIA - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a media holding mechanism for holding media for double-sided printing. The present invention also relates to an inkjet printer having such a media holding mechanism. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a media printing method for performing double-sided printing on media.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a card such as a cash card or a credit card by inkjet printing and heating the printed card (see, for example, Patent Documents 1). The image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 includes a print section that prints on a card, and a heater section that heats the card after printing. The print section includes a head unit that prints on a card, and a print section transport device that transports the card along the transport path. The heater section includes a heater section that heats the card after printing, and a heater section transport device that transports the card along the transport path.

In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a reversing device for reversing the front and back of a card is arranged between the printing section and the heater section. The counter-transfer device has two rotary operation plates arranged opposite to each other with a gap corresponding to the thickness of the card. In the counter-transfer device, a card is sandwiched between two rotating operation plates, and the two rotating operation plates are turned 180 degrees with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, thereby turning the card upside down. there is

In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when performing double-sided printing on a card, when the printing of one side of the card by the head unit is completed, the print section conveying device moves the card from below the head unit to the reverse transfer device. transport. The reversing device receives the card from the printing unit conveying device and reverses the received card. In addition, the reversing device transfers the card whose front and back sides have been reversed to the printing unit conveying device. The print section transport device transports the received card to below the head unit. The head unit then prints the other side of the card.

JP-A-2002-205454

In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200013, since double-sided printing of the card is performed as described above, if there is no transport mechanism for transporting the card between the head unit and the counter-transfer device, the card cannot be printed. Duplex printing is not possible.

Therefore, the problem of the present invention is that in a media holding mechanism for turning over a sheet of media, a transport mechanism for transporting the media between the printing position where printing is performed on the media and the media holding mechanism is not installed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a media holding mechanism that enables double-sided printing of media. Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer having such a media holding mechanism. Further, the present invention relates to a media printing method using a media holding mechanism that turns over a sheet of media, in which the transport mechanism that transports the media between a printing position where printing is performed on the media and the media holding mechanism is provided. To provide a medium printing method capable of performing double-sided printing of a medium even if it is not installed.

In order to solve the above problems, the media holding mechanism of the present invention is a media holding mechanism that holds a sheet of media to be printed and turns over the media, and is a mount on which the media is placed during printing. a placement member, a rotation mechanism for rotating the placement member by at least 180° with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis direction, a second placement member on which the medium is placed when the medium is inverted, and a placement member and an elevating mechanism for relatively elevating the second mounting member with respect to the second mounting member; and a moving mechanism for moving the second mounting member relative to the mounting member in the front-rear direction. A pair of media placement surfaces are formed, and only both ends in the left-right direction of the medium are placed on the placement member. A suction surface is formed, the suction surface faces upward when the media is printed, and the width of the suction surface in the horizontal direction is equal to the interval in the horizontal direction between the two media mounting surfaces that constitute the pair of media mounting surfaces. The rotating mechanism rotates the mounting member 180° between a first rotating position in which the attracting surface faces upward and a second rotating position in which the attracting surface faces downward. The elevating mechanism has an upper position where the suction surface facing upward is arranged above the medium mounting surface and a lower position where the suction surface facing upward is arranged below the medium mounting surface. The moving mechanism moves at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member between the first position and the first position where the medium mounting surface is arranged on one side in the front-rear direction of the suction surface facing upward. At least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member is moved in the front-rear direction between a second position in which the suction surface facing upward and the medium mounting surface are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. Assuming that one surface of the medium is the front surface and the other surface of the medium is the back surface, the mounting member that the suction surface attracts and holds the back surface is rotated to the second rotation position by the rotation mechanism. After that, the medium is placed on the media placement surface so that the front surface faces downward after releasing the adsorption state of the media by the adsorption surface, and then from the second rotation position by the rotation mechanism. Rotational movement of the mounting member to the first rotational position, lifting movement of at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member by the lifting mechanism, and mounting member and the second mounting member by the moving mechanism and at least one of the moving operations in the front-rear direction, so that the suction surface facing upward is arranged below the medium-mounting surface and at the same position as the medium-mounting surface in the front-rear direction. After that, at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member is lifted to the upper position by the elevating mechanism, and the medium is mounted on the mounting member so that the front surface faces downward. Characterized by

In the media holding mechanism of the present invention, the mounting member is formed with a suction surface on which the medium is mounted and which suctions and holds the mounted medium. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to perform printing on the front side of the medium while the back side of the medium is held by suction on the suction surface. Further, in the present invention, the mounting member whose suction surface is holding the back surface of the medium by suction is rotated to the second rotation position by the rotation mechanism, and then the suction state of the medium by the suction surface is released. Place the media on the media placement surface so that the front surface of the media faces downward, and then rotate the placement member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position by the rotation mechanism. an up-and-down motion of at least one of the placing member and the second placing member by the lifting mechanism; and an operation of moving at least one of the placing member and the second placing member in the front-rear direction by the moving mechanism. to place the suction surface facing upward so that it is positioned below the media mounting surface and at the same position as the media mounting surface in the front-rear direction. and at least one of the second placement member is raised and lowered to place the medium on the placement member so that the front surface faces downward.

That is, according to the present invention, the medium sucked and held by the mounting member is turned upside down and temporarily placed on the second mounting member. Since the medium temporarily placed on the second placement member in the upside down state is re-placed on the placement member by using the movement operation in the front-rear direction and the up-and-down operation of the placement member, The back surface of the medium can be printed while the front surface of the medium is held by the suction surface. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform double-sided printing on the medium at the position where the placement member is installed. Therefore, by using the media holding mechanism of the present invention, even if no transport mechanism is installed between the media holding mechanism for turning over the media and the printing position where printing is performed on the media, the media can be transported. Double-sided printing is possible.

In addition, in the present invention, the media sucked and held by the placing member is turned upside down and temporarily placed on the second placing member, and then the rotating motion of the placing member and the placing member and the second placing member are performed. Since the medium temporarily placed on the second placement member in the upside down state is re-placed on the placement member by using the movement operation in the front-rear direction and the up-and-down operation of the placement member, The media can be inverted regardless of the thickness of the media to be inverted. In addition, in the present invention, regardless of the thickness of the medium to be reversed, the mounting member and the second mounting member do not come into contact with the printing surface of the medium with an excessively large contact pressure. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of print quality.

In the present invention, for example, the center of rotation of the mounting member is arranged on one side in the front-rear direction of the suction surface facing upward, the mounting member is arranged in the first rotational position, and the mounting member moves up and down. When at least one of the second placement member is arranged at the upper position and at least one of the placement member and the second placement member that moves in the front-rear direction is arranged at the first position, When the mounting member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position in the printable state, the mounting member is moved from the mounting member to the second mounting member. In the media transferable state in which the media can be transferred, and in the printable state, the rotation mechanism moves the mounting member, the back surface of which is attracted and held by the suction surface, from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. After that, the mounting member releases the suction state of the medium, places the medium on the media mounting surface so that the front surface faces downward, and then rotates. The movement mechanism rotates the placement member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, and then the elevating mechanism moves at least one of the raised and lowered placement member and the second placement member from the upper position. After that, the moving mechanism moves at least one of the placing member and the second placing member that move in the front-rear direction from the first position to the second position. At least one of the lifting mounting member and the second mounting member is lifted from the lower position to the upper position, and the medium is mounted on the mounting member so that the front surface faces downward.

In the present invention, the media holding mechanism includes a plurality of placement members, and the rotation mechanism includes a rotation shaft serving as a rotation center of the plurality of placement members, and a drive mechanism for rotating the rotation shaft. , the plurality of mounting members are preferably connected to the rotating shaft. With this configuration, it is possible to turn over a plurality of media at the same time.

In the present invention, the second placement member includes a first inclined surface connected to the front end of the media placement surface and inclined upward toward the front side, and a first inclined surface connected to the rear end of the media placement surface and on the rear side. It is preferable that a second inclined surface is formed which inclines upward as it goes toward the edge. With this configuration, it is possible to dispose the medium to be placed on the medium placement surface from the placement member at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction.

In the present invention, the second placement member is arranged on each of the left and right outer sides of a pair of media placement surfaces on which one sheet of media is placed, and extends upward as it goes outward in the left and right direction. Preferably, an inclined third inclined surface is formed. With this configuration, it is possible to place the medium placed on the medium placement surface from the placement member at a predetermined position in the left-right direction.

The media holding mechanism of the present invention can be used in an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink onto media. With this inkjet printer, it is possible to reverse the medium regardless of the thickness of the medium to be reversed, and it is possible to suppress deterioration in print quality of the reversed medium.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, a media printing method of the present invention is a media printing method using a media holding mechanism that holds a sheet of media to be printed and turns over the media, The media holding mechanism includes a placement member on which the media is placed during printing, a rotation mechanism that rotates the placement member with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis direction, and a media that is placed after the media is reversed. and a lifting mechanism for moving the second mounting member up and down relative to the mounting member. Assuming that the direction orthogonal to the left-right direction is the front-rear direction, the second mounting member is provided with a moving mechanism for moving the second mounting member in the front-rear direction relative to the mounting member, and the second mounting members are separated from each other in the left-right direction. each of the pair of media placement portions is formed with a media placement surface on which each of the left and right end portions of one piece of media is placed; The placement member is formed with a position holding surface on which the medium is placed and which holds the position of the placed medium. is narrower than the interval between the pair of media placement portions in the left-right direction. When the position of the placement member when facing is the second rotation position, one side of the medium is the front side, and the other side of the medium is the back side. When it is in the first rotation position, printing is performed on the front surface of the medium placed on the position holding surface so that the front surface faces upward, and then the position of the medium is held on the position holding surface. By rotating the placing member to the second rotating position in this state, the medium is placed on the medium placing surface so that the front surface of the medium faces downward, and then the medium is placed on the medium placing surface. After the placement member is rotated to return to the first rotation position with the media removed from the holding surface, the pair of media is moved above the placement member returned to the first rotation position by the moving mechanism. After moving the placing section, the second placing member is moved up and down relative to the placing member by the elevating mechanism to place the medium on the position holding surface so that the back surface faces upward. It is characterized by printing on the back side of the

In the media printing method of the present invention, printing is performed on the front surface of the medium placed on the position holding surface so that the front surface faces upward, and then the position of the medium is held on the position holding surface. By rotating the placing member to the second rotating position in this state, the medium is placed on the medium placing surface so that the front surface of the medium faces downward, and then the medium is placed on the medium placing surface. After the placement member is rotated to return to the first rotation position with the media removed from the holding surface, the pair of media is moved above the placement member returned to the first rotation position by the moving mechanism. After moving the placing section, the second placing member is moved up and down relative to the placing member by the elevating mechanism to place the medium on the position holding surface so that the back surface faces upward. printed on the back of the Therefore, if printing is performed by the method for printing media according to the present invention, even if a transport mechanism for transporting media between a media holding mechanism for reversing the front and back of the media and a printing position for printing on the media is not installed. , it is possible to print on both sides of the media.

As described above, if the media holding mechanism of the present invention is used, even if a transport mechanism for transporting the medium is not installed between the media holding mechanism that reverses the front and back of the medium and the printing position where printing is performed on the medium. , it is possible to print on both sides of the media. Further, if printing is performed by the printing method for media according to the present invention, even if a transport mechanism for transporting media between a media holding mechanism for reversing the front and back of the media and a printing position for printing on the media is not installed. , it is possible to print on both sides of the media.

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the card holding mechanism shown in FIG. 1; 3 is an enlarged perspective view for explaining the configuration of the card holding mechanism shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the placing member shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining the operation of the placing member and the second placing member shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining the operation of the placing member and the second placing member shown in FIG. 2; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Schematic configuration of inkjet printer)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an inkjet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

An inkjet printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 1") of the present embodiment is, for example, an inkjet printer for business use, and prints on cards 2, which are sheet media (printing media). Further, the printer 1 of this embodiment performs double-sided printing on the card 2 . Further, the printer 1 performs borderless printing on the card 2, for example. The card 2 is formed in a rectangular shape. The card 2 is a plastic card made of plastic such as vinyl chloride or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). However, the card 2 may be a paper card made of paper.

The printer 1 includes an inkjet head 3 (hereinafter referred to as "head 3") for ejecting ink onto a card 2, a carriage 4 on which the head 3 is mounted, and the carriage 4 in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 1). , a guide rail 6 for guiding the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction, a Y bar (not shown) to which the guide rail 6 is fixed, and a vertical direction (Z direction in FIG. 1). and a slide mechanism (not shown) for sliding the Y bar in the sub-scanning direction (X direction in FIG. 1) perpendicular to the main scanning direction.

The head 3 ejects ultraviolet curable ink (UV ink). Also, the head 3 ejects ink downward. The carriage 4 is equipped with an ultraviolet irradiator (not shown) that irradiates the ink ejected from the head 3 with ultraviolet rays to cure the ink. The carriage drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is stretched over the two pulleys and partially fixed to the carriage 4, and a motor that rotates the pulleys. The slide mechanism has, for example, a motor and a ball screw.

The printer 1 also has a card holding mechanism 9 that holds the card 2 to be printed (more specifically, the card 2 that is printed on both sides) and turns the card 2 upside down. The card holding mechanism 9 is arranged below the carriage 4 . The card holding mechanism 9 of this embodiment is a medium holding mechanism that holds a card 2 that is a piece of media and turns the card 2 upside down. The configuration of the card holding mechanism 9 will be described below.

(Configuration of card holding mechanism)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the card holding mechanism 9 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view for explaining the configuration of the card holding mechanism 9 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the mounting member 14 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 and 6 are side views for explaining the operation of the mounting member 14 and the second mounting member 15 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. In the following description, the main scanning direction will be referred to as the "horizontal direction" and the sub-scanning direction will be referred to as the "front-rear direction". Also, the X1 direction side in FIG. 2 etc., which is one side in the front-rear direction, is defined as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side in FIG.

The card holding mechanism 9 includes a placement member 14 on which the card 2 is placed during printing, and a second placement member 15 on which the card 2 is placed when the card 2 is turned upside down. and a rotating mechanism 16 for rotating the mounting member 14 by at least 180 degrees in the axial direction of the . The card holding mechanism 9 of this embodiment includes a plurality of placement members 14 on which one card 2 is placed. The plurality of mounting members 14 are arranged with a certain interval in the left-right direction. The same number of cards 2 as the number of placing members 14 can be placed on the second placing member 15 . The rotating mechanism 16 rotates the mounting member 14 with the horizontal direction as the axial direction of rotation. Also, the rotating mechanism 16 rotates the plurality of mounting members 14 together. In addition, in FIG. 1, illustration of the second mounting member 15 is omitted.

In addition, the card holding mechanism 9 includes an elevating mechanism 17 that moves the second placing member 15 relative to the placing member 14 up and down, and a lifting mechanism 17 that moves the second placing member 15 relative to the placing member 14 in the front-rear direction. and a moving mechanism 18 for moving the object. The elevating mechanism 17 of this embodiment elevates the mounting member 14 . Specifically, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts and lowers the mounting members 14 together. Also, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts and lowers the rotating mechanism 16 together with the mounting member 14 . Moreover, the moving mechanism 18 of this embodiment moves the second mounting member 15 in the front-rear direction.

The mounting member 14 is composed of a mounting section main body 14a formed in a rectangular flat plate shape, and a connection section 14b connected to a rotation shaft 21 which constitutes the rotation mechanism 16 and which will be described later. One surface of the mounting portion main body 14a serves as a suction surface 14c on which the card 2 is mounted and which suctions and holds the card 2 to be mounted. That is, the mounting member 14 is formed with a suction surface 14c. The external shape of the placement section main body 14a is smaller than the external shape of the card 2 . That is, the outer shape of the attraction surface 14 c is smaller than the outer shape of the card 2 . The adsorption surface 14c of this embodiment is a position holding surface for holding the position of the card 2 placed.

When the card 2 is printed, the suction surface 14c faces upward and is perpendicular to the vertical direction. As will be described later, the mounting member 14 has a first rotational position (see FIG. 4A) in which the attraction surface 14c faces upward, and a second rotational position (see FIG. 4A) in which the attraction surface 14c faces downward. D)) can be rotated by 180°. Further, when the card 2 is printed, the longitudinal direction (long side direction) of the attraction surface 14c formed in a rectangular shape coincides with the horizontal direction. The thickness direction of the card 2 placed on the attraction surface 14c during printing coincides with the vertical direction, and the longitudinal direction (long side direction) of the card 2 coincides with the horizontal direction.

A plurality of suction holes for sucking the card 2 are formed in the suction surface 14c. The inside of the receiver main body 14a is formed in a hollow shape, and the internal space of the receiver main body 14a is connected to a plurality of suction holes. A vacuum pump for sucking the air from the internal space of the mounting section body 14a is connected to the mounting member 14 via a predetermined pipe. The connecting portion 14b is connected to the mounting portion main body 14a. The connecting portion 14b extends forward from the mounting portion main body 14a when the suction surface 14c faces upward. The printer 1 has a transfer mechanism (not shown) that transfers the card 2 to and from the placement member 14 .

Only the left and right ends of the card 2 are placed on the second placement member 15 . The second placement member 15 includes two card placement portions 15a on which both ends of one card 2 in the left-right direction are placed. In other words, the second mounting member 15 has a pair of card mounting portions 15a that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. As described above, in this embodiment, since a plurality of cards 2 can be placed on the second placement member 15, the second placement member 15 includes a pair of (two) card placement portions 15a. has multiple The space between the pair of card placement portions 15a in the left-right direction is wider than the width of the attraction surface 14c in the left-right direction. That is, the width of the attraction surface 14c in the left-right direction is narrower than the interval between the pair of card placement portions 15a in the left-right direction. The card loading section 15a of this embodiment is a media loading section. In addition, in FIG. 2, illustration of the card placement part 15a is omitted.

The second mounting member 15 includes a plurality of fixing portions 15b to which the card placing portion 15a is fixed, a plurality of support portions 15c to which the fixing portions 15b are connected, and a base portion 15d to which the plurality of support portions 15c are connected. ing. The support portion 15c is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. The support portion 15c is arranged such that the thickness direction of the support portion 15c is aligned with the left-right direction. The fixed portion 15b is formed in a substantially flat plate shape extending linearly rearward from the upper end portion of the support portion 15c. The fixed portion 15b and the support portion 15c are integrally formed. The fixed portion 15b and the support portion 15c, which are integrally formed, are arranged with a certain interval in the left-right direction. For example, the lower ends of the plurality of support portions 15c are connected to the base portion 15d.

The card placing portion 15a is formed separately from the fixing portion 15b. The card mounting portion 15a is fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the fixing portion 15b by screws (not shown), for example. A card mounting surface 15e is formed on the card mounting portion 15a on which the card 2 is mounted (specifically, on which the left and right ends of the card 2 are mounted). That is, the second mounting member 15 is formed with a pair of (two) card mounting surfaces 15e on which both ends of one card 2 in the left-right direction are mounted. The card mounting surface 15e is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The card mounting surface 15e of this embodiment is a media mounting surface.

The width of the card mounting surface 15e in the front-rear direction is slightly wider than the width of the card 2 in the short side direction. In addition, the space in the left-right direction between the two card placement surfaces 15e forming the pair of card placement surfaces 15e on which one card 2 is placed is wider than the width in the left-right direction of the placement section main body 14a. It's becoming That is, the width of the attraction surface 14c in the left-right direction is narrower than the interval in the left-right direction between the two card placement surfaces 15e forming the pair of card placement surfaces 15e.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the card placing portion 15a has an inclined surface 15f as a first inclined surface which is connected to the front end of the card placing surface 15e and which slopes upward toward the front side. and an inclined surface 15g as a second inclined surface which is connected to the rear end of the card mounting surface 15e and which is inclined upward toward the rear side. That is, a recess 15h recessed downward is formed in the card placement portion 15a, and the bottom surface of the recess 15h serves as a card placement surface 15e.

On the left and right side surfaces of the fixing portion 15b, the card placement surfaces 15e on which one card 2 is placed are arranged on the left and right outer sides of each of the pair of card placement surfaces 15e, and the card placement surfaces 15b are arranged on the left and right sides of the fixing portion 15b, respectively. A sloped surface 15j is formed as a third sloped surface that slopes downward. The inclined surface 15j is formed over the entire length of the fixed portion 15b in the front-rear direction. In addition, the inclined surface 15j is formed in a portion of the fixed portion 15b above the card placement surface 15e. The lower side of the inclined surface 15j is a flat surface perpendicular to the left-right direction, and the card mounting portion 15a is fixed to this flat surface.

The rotating mechanism 16 includes a rotating shaft 21 serving as the center of rotation of the plurality of mounting members 14, a driving mechanism 22 rotating the rotating shaft 21, and rotatably supporting the end of the rotating shaft 21. and a support plate 24 to which the two bearings 23 are fixed. The rotating shaft 21 is arranged so that the axial direction of the rotating shaft 21 is aligned with the left-right direction. When the suction surface 14c faces upward, the rotation shaft 21 is arranged on the front side of the placement section main body 14a. That is, the center of rotation of the mounting member 14 is arranged in front of the suction surface 14c facing upward.

A connecting portion 14 b of the mounting member 14 is connected to the rotating shaft 21 . A plurality of mounting members 14 are connected to the rotating shaft 21 . The drive mechanism 22 includes, for example, a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the rotating shaft 21 . The power transmission mechanism includes, for example, a gear train, belts and pulleys. The bearing portion 23 is fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 24 .

The lifting mechanism 17 is an air cylinder. The lifting mechanism 17 is connected to the support plate 24 . In this embodiment, two elevating mechanisms 17 (two air cylinders) are connected to both ends of the support plate 24 in the left-right direction. The lifting mechanism 17 linearly moves the mounting member 14 in the vertical direction. Also, as described above, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts and lowers the plurality of mounting members 14 together with the rotating mechanism 16 . In addition, one elevating mechanism 17 (one air cylinder) may be connected to the support plate 24 . Also, the lifting mechanism 17 may include a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the support plate 24 .

The moving mechanism 18 linearly moves the second mounting member 15 in the front-rear direction. The moving mechanism 18 is, for example, an air cylinder. Further, the moving mechanism 18 may include a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits power of the motor to the second placement member 15 . A power transmission mechanism is, for example, a ball screw or a rack and pinion.

The rotation mechanism 16 has a first rotation position (see FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 5 and 6) in which the attraction surface 14c faces upward, and a second rotation position in which the attraction surface 14c faces downward. The mounting member 14 is rotated by 180° between the rotating position (see FIG. 4D). The lifting mechanism 17 lifts and lowers the mounting member 14 in a state where the mounting member 14 is arranged at the first rotation position. In addition, the lifting mechanism 17 is positioned at an upper position (see FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 5A, and 6) in which the upward attracting surface 14c is arranged above the card placing surface 15e. ) and a lower position (see FIGS. 4(B) and 4(C)) where the attracting surface 14c facing upward is arranged below the card placing surface 15e (see FIGS. 4B and 4C). .

The moving mechanism 18 moves the second mounting member 15 in the front-rear direction while the mounting member 14 is arranged at the first rotation position. Further, the moving mechanism 18 is positioned at a first position (FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 5B) in which the card mounting surface 15e is disposed on the front side of the upward attracting surface 14c. ), see FIG. 6(B)), and a second position (see FIGS. 5(C) and 6(B)) where the upward-facing attracting surface 14c and the card mounting surface 15e are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. ), the second mounting member 15 is moved in the front-rear direction.

In this embodiment, when the placement member 14 is arranged at the first rotation position and the upper position and the second placement member 15 is arranged at the first position, the card 2 can be printed in a printable state. It has become. That is, in this embodiment, the state shown in FIG. 4A and the like is the printable state. Further, in this embodiment, when the mounting member 14 is rotated from the first rotational position to the second rotational position in the printable state (see FIG. 4), the card is moved from the mounting member 14 to the second mounting member 15. 2, the card can be delivered. That is, in this embodiment, the state shown in FIG. 4(D) is the card transferable state.

(Printer behavior)
As described above, printer 1 performs double-sided printing of card 2 . Assuming that one side of the card 2 is the front side 2a and the other side of the card 2 is the back side 2b, the printer 1, for example, prints the front side 2a first. At the time of printing on the front surface 2a, in a printable state in which the mounting member 14 is arranged at the first rotation position and the upper position, and the second mounting member 15 is arranged at the first position, the suction unit faces upward. A card 2 whose front surface 2a faces upward is placed on the surface 14c. That is, when the placement member 14 is at the first rotation position, printing is performed on the front surface 2a of the card 2 placed on the suction surface 14c so that the front surface 2a faces upward. . During printing on the front surface 2a, the back surface 2b is attracted and held by the attraction surface 14c.

When the printing on the front surface 2a is completed, the rotation mechanism 16 moves the mounting member 14 in a state in which the suction surface 14c suctions and holds the back surface 2b, as shown in FIG. 4, to the first rotation position. to the second rotation position. That is, when printing on the front surface 2a is completed, in a printable state, the rotation mechanism 16 moves the mounting member 14, whose suction surface 14c suctions and holds the back surface 2b, from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. It is turned to the 2nd turning position to make the card transferable state.

After that, the mounting member 14 releases the suction state of the card 2 by the suction surface 14c, and places the card 2 on the card mounting surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward (see FIG. 4 ( D)). That is, the card 2 is placed on the second placement member 15 after the card 2 is inverted. After the printing of the front surface 2a is completed in this way, the mounting member 14 is rotated to the second rotation position in a state where the card 2 is held by the suction surface 14c, thereby turning over the card 2. Then, the card 2 is placed on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward.

After that, the rotating mechanism 16 rotates the mounting member 14 from the second rotating position to the first rotating position (see FIG. 5A). That is, the placement member 14 is rotated to return to the first rotation position while the card 2 is detached from the attraction surface 14c. After that, the lifting mechanism 17 lowers the mounting member 14 from the upper position to the lower position (see FIG. 5B). After that, the moving mechanism 18 moves the second placement member 15 from the first position to the second position (see FIG. 5(C)). That is, the moving mechanism 18 moves the second mounting member 15 rearward toward the second position, and the pair of card mounting surfaces 15e is positioned above the mounting member 14 that has returned to the first rotation position. move.

Thereafter, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts the mounting member 14 from the lower position to the upper position so that the front surface 2a faces downward (that is, the rear surface 2b faces upward). The card 2 is placed on 14 (see FIG. 6(A)). That is, the card 2 is placed on the suction surface 14c so that the back surface 2b faces upward by relatively raising and lowering the placing member 14 by the elevating mechanism 17. FIG. After that, the moving mechanism 18 moves the second placement member 15 from the second position to the first position (see FIG. 6B). That is, the moving mechanism 18 moves the second placement member 15 forward toward the first position. When the second placement member 15 moves from the second position to the first position, the printing becomes ready, and then the back surface 2b is printed.

As described above, in this embodiment, after the mounting member 14 holding the rear surface 2b by the suction surface 14c is rotated to the second rotation position by the rotating mechanism 16, the card 2 is held by the suction surface 14c. is released, and the card is placed on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward. After that, the rotating mechanism 16 rotates the mounting member 14 from the second rotating position to the first rotating position, the lifting mechanism 17 moves the mounting member 14 upward and downward, and the moving mechanism 18 moves the mounting member 14 upward and downward. 2) By moving the mounting member 15 in the front-rear direction, the suction surface 14c facing upward is arranged below the card mounting surface 15e and at the same position as the card mounting surface 15e in the front-rear direction. 5(C)), the lifting mechanism 17 raises the mounting member 14 to the upper position, and the card is placed on the mounting member 14 so that the front surface 2a faces downward. 2 is placed.

(Main effects of this form)
As described above, when the placement member 14 is at the first rotation position, printing is performed on the front surface 2a of the card 2 placed on the adsorption surface 14c such that the front surface 2a faces upward. After that, the mounting member 14 is rotated to the second rotation position in a state where the card 2 is held by the adsorption surface 14c, thereby turning over the card 2 so that the front surface 2a faces downward. The card 2 is placed on the card placement surface 15e so as to face . Further, in this embodiment, after that, the placement member 14 is rotated to return to the first rotation position with the card 2 detached from the adsorption surface 14c, and then moved by the moving mechanism 18 to the first rotation position. The pair of cards 2 is moved above the placing member 14 that has returned to the position shown in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the second mounting member 15 is then moved up and down relative to the mounting member 14 by the elevating mechanism 17, so that the card 2 is mounted on the suction surface 14c so that the back surface 2b faces upward. Then, the back surface 2b of the card 2 is printed. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if a transport mechanism for transporting the card 2 is not installed between the card holding mechanism 9 that reverses the front and back of the card 2 and the printing position where printing is performed on the card 2, both sides of the card 2 can be printed. Printing becomes possible.

In this embodiment, the card 2 sucked and held by the mounting member 14 is turned upside down and temporarily placed on the second mounting member 15. The card 2 temporarily placed on the second placing member 15 in a reversed state is placed again on the placing member 14 by using the movement of the placing member 15 in the front-rear direction. . Therefore, in this embodiment, the card 2 can be reversed regardless of the thickness of the card 2 to be reversed.

Further, in this embodiment, regardless of the thickness of the card 2 to be reversed, the placement member 14 and the second placement member 15 do not come into contact with the printed surface of the card 2 with an excessively large contact pressure. , it is possible to suppress deterioration in print quality of the card 2 to be reversed. Further, in this embodiment, since the rotating mechanism 16 rotates the plurality of placing members 14 together, it is possible to turn over the plurality of cards 2 at the same time.

In this embodiment, an inclined surface 15f connected to the front end of the card placement surface 15e and inclined upward toward the front side, and an inclined surface 15f connected to the rear end of the card placement surface 15e and inclined upward toward the rear side. The second mounting member 15 is formed with a sloped surface 15g that slopes downward. Therefore, in this embodiment, the card 2 placed on the card placement surface 15e from the placement member 14 can be arranged at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction. In addition, in this embodiment, since the second mounting member 15 is formed with the inclined surface 15j that slopes upward as it goes outward in the left-right direction, the card is transferred from the mounting member 14 to the card mounting surface 15e. It becomes possible to arrange the card 2 at a predetermined position in the horizontal direction.

(Modifications of Lifting Mechanism and Moving Mechanism)
In the form mentioned above, the raising/lowering mechanism 17 may raise/lower the 2nd mounting member 15. FIG. In this case, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts and lowers the moving mechanism 18 together with the second mounting member 15 . In this case, after the card 2 is placed on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the placement member 14 is moved from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. , the lifting mechanism 17 moves from the upper position (the position where the upward attracting surface 14c is arranged above the card placing surface 15e) to the lower position (the upward attracting surface 14c is placed above the card placing surface 15e). The second mounting member 15 is raised to a position below the surface 15e). Thereafter, after the moving mechanism 18 moves the second mounting member 15 from the first position to the second position, the elevating mechanism 17 lowers the second mounting member 15 from the lower position to the upper position. The card 2 is placed on the placing member 14 so that the front surface 2a faces downward.

In the form mentioned above, the moving mechanism 18 may move the mounting member 14 in the front-rear direction. In this case, the moving mechanism 18 moves the rotating mechanism 16 and the lifting mechanism 17 together with the mounting member 14 in the front-rear direction. In this case, after the card 2 is placed on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the placement member 14 is moved from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. , and after descending from the upper position to the lower position, the moving mechanism 18 moves from the first position (the position in which the card mounting surface 15e is arranged in front of the suction surface 14c facing upward) to the second position. The placing member 14 is moved to a position (a position where the upward attracting surface 14c and the card placing surface 15e are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction). That is, the moving mechanism 18 moves the mounting member 14 forward toward the second position. Thereafter, the elevating mechanism 17 lifts the placing member 14 from the lower position to the upper position, and places the card 2 on the placing member 14 so that the front surface 2a faces downward.

In the embodiment described above, the lifting mechanism 17 may raise and lower the second mounting member 15, and the moving mechanism 18 may move the mounting member 14 in the front-rear direction. In this case, after placing the card 2 on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the placement member 14 is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. After moving, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts the second mounting member 15 from the upper position to the lower position. After that, the moving mechanism 18 moves the mounting member 14 from the first position to the second position. That is, the moving mechanism 18 moves the mounting member 14 forward toward the second position. After that, the elevating mechanism 17 lowers the second placing member 15 from the lower position to the upper position, and places the card 2 on the placing member 14 so that the front surface 2a faces downward.

In the form mentioned above, the raising/lowering mechanism 17 may raise/lower the mounting member 14 and the second mounting member 15 . In this case, after placing the card 2 on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the placement member 14 is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. After moving, the elevating mechanism 17 lowers the mounting member 14 from the upper position to the lower position and raises the second mounting member 15 . After that, the moving mechanism 18 moves the second placement member 15 from the first position to the second position. After that, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts the mounting member 14 from the lower position to the upper position and lowers the second mounting member 15 so that the front surface 2a faces downward. Card 2 is placed.

In the form mentioned above, the moving mechanism 18 may move the mounting member 14 and the 2nd mounting member 15 to the front-back direction. In this case, after placing the card 2 on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the placement member 14 is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. After moving and descending from the upper position to the lower position, the moving mechanism 18 moves the mounting member 14 and the second mounting member 15 from the first position to the second position. That is, the moving mechanism 18 moves the mounting member 14 forward toward the second position, and moves the second mounting member 15 backward toward the second position. Thereafter, the elevating mechanism 17 lifts the placing member 14 from the lower position to the upper position, and places the card 2 on the placing member 14 so that the front surface 2a faces downward.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiment described above is an example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the embodiment described above, the mounting member 14 is arranged at the upper position shown in FIG. , may be arranged at a position higher than the upper position shown in FIG. 2 and the like. Further, in the embodiment described above, the second placement member 15 may be arranged at the second position when the printer is in the printable state.

In the embodiment described above, the center of rotation of the mounting member 14 does not have to be arranged in front of the suction surface 14c facing upward. For example, the center of rotation of the mounting member 14 may be arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction as the center of the adsorption surface 14c in the front-rear direction. In this case, when the card 2 is placed on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the second placement member 15 is arranged at the second position. The member 14 moves up and down.

Even in this case, when the card 2 is placed on the card placement surface 15e so that the front surface 2a faces downward, the rotation mechanism 16 rotates from the second rotation position to the first rotation. By performing the rotation operation of the mounting member 14 to the moving position, the lifting operation of the mounting member 14 by the lifting mechanism 17, and the moving operation of the second mounting member 15 in the front-rear direction by the moving mechanism 18, the upper side is moved. After the attracting surface 14c facing is arranged below the card placing surface 15e and is arranged at the same position as the card placing surface 15e in the front-rear direction, the placing member 14 is moved to the upper position by the lifting mechanism 17. Then, the card 2 is placed on the placement member 14 so that the front surface 2a faces downward.

In the form mentioned above, the number of the mounting members 14 with which the card|curd holding mechanism 9 is provided may be one. In this case, one card 2 can be placed on the second placement member 15 . Further, in the above embodiment, the printer 1 includes a delivery mechanism for delivering the card 2 to and from the second placement member 15 instead of the delivery mechanism for delivering the card 2 to and from the placement member 14. It's okay to be prepared.

In the embodiment described above, one surface of the placing section main body 14a on which the card 2 is placed does not have to absorb the card 2. As shown in FIG. That is, one surface of the placing portion main body 14a on which the card 2 is placed may be a position holding surface for holding the card 2 without attracting the card 2. FIG. In this case, for example, the placement section main body 14a includes a holding member for holding the card 2 so that the card 2 placed on the position holding surface is not displaced. The holding member holds the position of the card 2 while sandwiching the card 2 between itself and the position holding surface, for example.

In the embodiment described above, the media on which printing is performed by the printer 1 may be sheet media other than the card 2 . Further, in the above embodiment, the printer 1 may have a slide mechanism for sliding the card holding mechanism 9 in the front-rear direction instead of the slide mechanism for sliding the Y bar. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the head 3 may be a line head having a wide width in the horizontal direction (main scanning direction). In this case, the carriage 4, the carriage driving mechanism 5, and the like are not required. Moreover, in the embodiment described above, the ink ejected by the head 3 may be water-based ink or solvent ink.

1 Printer (inkjet printer)
2 Card (sheet-fed media)
2a Front surface 2b Back surface 3 Head (inkjet head)
9 card holding mechanism (media holding mechanism)
14 mounting member 14c adsorption surface (position holding surface)
15 second placement member 15a card placement section (media placement section)
15e card mounting surface (media mounting surface)
15f inclined surface (first inclined surface)
15g Inclined surface (second inclined surface)
15j inclined surface (third inclined surface)
16 Rotating Mechanism 17 Elevating Mechanism 18 Moving Mechanism 21 Rotating Shaft 22 Drive Mechanism X Front-Back Direction Y Left-Right Direction Z Up-Down Direction

Claims (7)

A media holding mechanism for holding a sheet of media to be printed and turning over the media,
a mounting member on which the medium is mounted during printing; a rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting member by at least 180 degrees with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis direction; a second mounting member to be placed thereon; and an elevating mechanism for moving the second mounting member up and down relative to the mounting member. and a moving mechanism for relatively moving the second mounting member in the front-rear direction with respect to the mounting member, where the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is defined as the front-rear direction,
The second mounting member is formed with a pair of media mounting surfaces on which both lateral end portions of one medium are mounted, respectively, and only the lateral end portions of the medium are mounted. placed,
The mounting member is formed with a suction surface on which the medium is mounted and which suctions and holds the mounted medium,
The adsorption surface faces upward when the medium is printed,
the width of the suction surface in the left-right direction is narrower than the interval in the left-right direction between the two media placement surfaces that form a pair of the media placement surfaces;
The rotating mechanism rotates the mounting member by 180° between a first rotating position in which the attracting surface faces upward and a second rotating position in which the attracting surface faces downward,
The lifting mechanism has an upper position where the suction surface facing upward is arranged above the media mounting surface, and a lower position where the suction surface facing upward is arranged below the media mounting surface. at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member is raised and lowered between positions;
The moving mechanism includes a first position where the media mounting surface is arranged on one side in the front-rear direction relative to the upward-facing attracting surface, and a first position where the upward-facing attracting surface and the media mounting surface are arranged in the front-rear direction. moving at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member in the front-rear direction to and from a second position arranged at the same position;
When one side of the medium is the front side and the other side of the medium is the back side,
rotating the mounting member, the suction surface of which holds the back surface by suction, to the second rotation position by the rotation mechanism;
after that, releasing the suction state of the medium by the suction surface and placing the medium on the media placement surface so that the front surface faces downward;
After that, at least one of the rotation operation of the mounting member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position by the rotation mechanism, and the mounting member and the second mounting member by the elevating mechanism. one of the mounting member and the second mounting member is moved in the front-rear direction by the moving mechanism, so that the suction surface facing upward moves the media mounting member. After being arranged below the surface and arranged at the same position as the media placement surface in the front-rear direction,
At least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member is lifted to the upper position by the elevating mechanism, and the medium is mounted on the mounting member such that the front surface faces downward. A media holding mechanism characterized by: The center of rotation of the mounting member is arranged on one side in the front-rear direction of the suction surface facing upward,
The mounting member is arranged at the first rotation position, and at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member that ascends and descends is arranged at the upper position and moves in the front-rear direction. When at least one of the placement member and the second placement member is arranged at the first position, the medium is in a printable state in which printing is possible,
When the placement member rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position in the printable state, the medium can be transferred from the placement member to the second placement member. become possible,
In the printable state, the rotating mechanism rotates the mounting member, the suction surface of which attracts and holds the back surface, from the first rotating position to the second rotating position. Media can be delivered,
after that, the mounting member releases the suction state of the medium and mounts the medium on the medium mounting surface so that the front surface faces downward;
After that, the rotating mechanism rotates the mounting member from the second rotating position to the first rotating position,
Thereafter, the lifting mechanism lifts or lowers at least one of the lifting mounting member and the second mounting member from the upper position to the lower position,
after that, the moving mechanism moves at least one of the placing member and the second placing member that move in the front-rear direction from the first position to the second position;
After that, the elevating mechanism raises and lowers at least one of the mounting member and the second mounting member that is moved up and down from the lower position to the upper position so that the front surface faces downward. 2. A medium holding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said medium is placed on said placing member. comprising a plurality of the placement members,
The rotating mechanism includes a rotating shaft serving as a center of rotation of the plurality of mounting members, and a driving mechanism rotating the rotating shaft,
3. The medium holding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said mounting members are connected to said rotating shaft. The second mounting member includes a first inclined surface connected to the front end of the medium mounting surface and inclined upward toward the front side, and a first inclined surface connected to the rear end of the medium mounting surface and extending rearward. 4. The medium holding mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second inclined surface that is inclined upward as it goes. The second mounting member is arranged on each of the laterally outer sides of the pair of media mounting surfaces on which one sheet of the medium is mounted, and is inclined upward toward the laterally outer side. 5. The medium holding mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a third inclined surface formed to align with the media holding mechanism. An inkjet printer, comprising: the medium holding mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and an inkjet head for ejecting ink onto the medium. A media printing method using a media holding mechanism that holds a sheet of media to be printed and turns the media upside down,
The media holding mechanism includes a placement member on which the media is placed during printing, a rotation mechanism that rotates the placement member with the horizontal direction as an axis direction of rotation, and a a second mounting member on which the medium is mounted; and an elevating mechanism that moves the second mounting member up and down relative to the mounting member, and in an axial direction of rotation of the mounting member. is a left-right direction, and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is a front-back direction, a movement mechanism for moving the second mounting member in the front-back direction relative to the mounting member,
The second placement member includes a pair of media placement portions arranged separately from each other in the left-right direction,
Each of the pair of media placement portions is formed with a media placement surface on which each of the left and right end portions of the one medium is placed,
The placement member is formed with a position holding surface on which the medium is placed and for holding the position of the placed medium,
The position holding surface faces upward when the medium is printed,
The width of the position holding surface in the horizontal direction is narrower than the interval between the pair of media placement portions in the horizontal direction,
The position of the mounting member when the position holding surface faces upward is defined as a first rotation position, the position of the mounting member when the position holding surface faces downward is defined as a second rotation position, and Assuming that one side of the medium is the front side and the other side of the medium is the back side,
In the printing method of the medium,
printing on the front surface of the medium placed on the position holding surface so that the front surface faces upward when the placement member is at the first rotation position;
After that, in a state where the medium is held by the position holding surface, the placement member is rotated to the second rotation position to turn the medium upside down so that the front surface faces downward. Place the media on the media placement surface so as to face
After that, the placement member is rotated to return to the first rotation position with the medium removed from the position holding surface, and then returned to the first rotation position by the moving mechanism. After moving the pair of media placement sections above the placement member, the second placement member is moved up and down relative to the placement member by the elevating mechanism so that the back surface is positioned upward. A method of printing a medium, wherein the medium is placed on the position holding surface so as to face the medium, and printing is performed on the back surface of the medium.

Images