TW201806783A - Inkjet printer and inspecting apparatus thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an inkjet printer and an inspecting apparatus thereof. The inspecting apparatus is configured for inspecting an inkjet side of the inkjet head of the inkjet printer. The inspecting apparatus includes a base, a reflecting mirror and a rotating set. The base has at least a bottom surface and a sidewall. The bottom surface of the base is opposite to the inkjet side of the inkjet head. The reflecting mirror has an inspecting surface configured to reflect an image of the inkjet side of the inkjet head. The rotating set is disposed on the base and connected between the base and the reflecting mirror. The reflecting mirror can be rotated relatively to the base so as to adjust the reflecting angle of the inspecting surface for reflecting the image of the inkjet side of the inkjet head at plural different angles.

Description

Inkjet printer and its inspection device

The present invention relates to a printer and an inspection device thereof, and more particularly to an inkjet printer and an inspection device thereof.

Inkjet printers use inkjet nozzles to print inks of various colors onto the medium to be printed. Therefore, the state of the ink nozzle is closely related to the printing quality. For the traditional Wide Format Printers (WFP), it is necessary to frequently check the state of the ink nozzles to prevent the ink nozzles from blocking, leaking or damaging the print quality.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, some wide-format printers have a flat metal mirror fixed at the opposite side of the nozzle of the ink nozzle. The metal mirror is fixed on the body platform by a fixing screw or a card slot, and the surface of the ink nozzle is directly observed by specular reflection. However, due to the influence of the fixed area of the mirror and the structure of the platform of the mirror, the surface of the nozzle of some ink cartridges is often unable to be clearly viewed, and the mirror is parallel to the surface of the nozzle of the ink cartridge and cannot move, and the nozzle of the ink cartridge is more impossible at some angles. The surface is partially observed.

Therefore, how to develop an ink jet printer and its inspection device to solve the problems faced by the prior art is a problem that is extremely urgent in the field.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer and an inspection device thereof. Through the rotating assembly, the user can freely adjust the observation angle and distance between the mirror and the nozzle of the ink cartridge, and effectively check the state of the ink nozzle. Avoid printing quality due to abnormal nozzles that cannot detect ink cartridges.

In order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an inspection device for an inkjet printer, which is constructed to view a printing surface of a nozzle of an ink fountain. The inspection device includes a platform base, a mirror, and a rotating assembly. The platform base has at least one bottom surface and one side surface. The printing surface of the bottom surface relative to the nozzle of the ink cartridge. The mirror has at least one viewing surface and is imaged on one of the printing surfaces of the nozzle that reflects the ink cartridge. The rotating component is disposed on a bottom surface or a side surface of the platform base and is connected between the mirror and the platform base. The mirror is rotatable relative to the platform base by rotating the assembly to adjust the viewing surface such that the viewing surface of the mirror reflects the image of the inkjet surface of the ink jet at a plurality of reflection angles.

In order to achieve the foregoing purposes, the present invention further provides an ink jet printer. The utility model comprises a slide rail, an ink fountain seat, at least one ink cartridge and an inspection device. The ink sill is slidably disposed on the slide rail. The ink cartridge is disposed in the ink cartridge and has a jetting surface of a nozzle. The inspection device is configured to view the inkjet surface of the inkjet nozzle, and includes a platform base, a mirror, and a rotating component. The platform base has at least one bottom surface and one side surface. The printing surface of the bottom surface relative to the nozzle of the ink cartridge. The mirror has at least one viewing surface and is imaged on one of the printing surfaces of the nozzle that reflects the ink cartridge. The rotating component is disposed on a bottom surface or a side surface of the platform base and is connected between the mirror and the platform base. The mirror is rotatable relative to the platform base by rotating the assembly to adjust the viewing surface such that the viewing surface of the mirror reflects the image of the inkjet surface of the ink jet at a plurality of reflection angles.

Some exemplary embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the following description. It is to be understood that the present invention is capable of various modifications in the various aspects of the present invention, and the description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.

Fig. 1A is a perspective view showing the structure of the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1B is a schematic perspective view showing the viewing device of the ink jet printer of Fig. 1A in another view. Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of Figure 1A. As shown in the figure, the inspection device 1 is disposed in the inkjet printer 3, and is configured to view the printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 of the inkjet printer 3, wherein the inkjet printer 3 is wide. A printer is preferred. The inspection device 1 includes a platform base 11, a mirror 12, and a rotating assembly 13. The platform base 11 has at least one bottom surface 111 and one side surface 112, wherein the bottom surface 111 and the side surface 112 are preferably perpendicular to each other. The ink cartridge 2 is disposed in the ink cartridge 40 of the inkjet printer 3, and is movable along a slide rail 41 by the bearing of the ink cartridge 40, that is, the ink cartridge 2 is movably disposed on the platform. The printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 is opposed to the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11. The mirror 12 has at least one viewing surface 120 for imaging an image of the printing surface 20 of the nozzle that reflects the ink cartridge 2. The rotating component 13 is disposed on the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11 and connected between the mirror 12 and the platform base 11 , wherein the rotating mirror 13 can rotate the mirror 12 relative to the platform base 11 to Adjusting the angle and distance of the inspection surface 120 relative to the printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2, so that the viewing surface 120 of the mirror 12 can reflect the image of the printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 at a plurality of reflection angles, so that For inspection. In this embodiment, the rotating component 13 is a rotating joint, and is connected between the back surface of one of the mirrors 12 and the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11. The mirror 12 can rotate the rotating component 13 as a pivot. The viewing surface 120 of the mirror 12 reflects the image of the print surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 at a plurality of reflection angles.

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the adjustment of the mirror of Figure 1A to another reflection angle. The mirror 12 is driven by the rotating component 13 (refer to FIG. 2), and the opposite first side 121 and second side 122 of the mirror 12 can be rotated at different horizontal levels, thereby adjusting different reflection angles. Viewing surface 120.

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the inspection device 1 is similar to the inspection device 1 shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3, and the same component numbers represent the same elements, structures, and functions. No longer. Different from the foregoing embodiment, the rotating component 13 is disposed on the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11. In this embodiment, the rotating component 13 is disposed on the side surface 112 of the platform base 11, and the mirror 12 is driven by the rotating component 13, the mirror The angle and distance between the 12 and the printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 can be arbitrarily adjusted to adjust the viewing surface 120 of different reflection angles. It should be noted that the rotating component 13 can be disposed at different positions of the platform base 11 according to requirements, and the mirror 12 connected to the platform base 11 can be rotated at different angles with respect to the platform base 11 and the mirror 12 can be viewed. The surface 120 can be adjusted according to the needs of the user to reflect the image of the printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 at different reflection angles, thereby achieving the purpose of effectively checking the state of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2.

Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the inspection device 1a is similar to the inspection device 1 shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3, and the same reference numerals denote the same elements, structures, and functions. No longer. Different from the foregoing embodiment, in the embodiment, the rotating component 13 of the viewing device 1a includes a rotating shaft bolt disposed on the side surface 112 of the platform base 11 and parallel to the bottom surface 111 and the side surface 112 of the platform base 11, wherein The second side 122 of the mirror 12 is fixed to the rotating component 13. The mirror 12 can be rotated by the rotating component 13 so that the first side 121 of the mirror 12 is at a different height, so that the mirror 12 is The viewing surface 120 reflects the image of the print surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 at a plurality of reflection angles. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the inspection device 1a further includes a transmission motor unit 14 coupled to the rotating assembly 13 and configured to rotate the driving rotating assembly 13 to drive the mirror 12 to the rotating assembly 13 Pivoting and rotating, the inspection surface 120 of the mirror 12 can reflect the image of the printing surface 20 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 at a plurality of reflection angles, and provides a user to adjust the selection and achieve the effective inspection of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2. The purpose of the state.

7A and 7B are partial cross-sectional views showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the mirrors of Figs. 7A and 7B are adjusted to different reflection angles. In the present embodiment, the inspection device 1b is similar to the inspection device 1 shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3, and the same reference numerals denote the same elements, structures, and functions. No longer. Different from the foregoing embodiment, the rotating component 13 of the viewing device 1b includes at least one first rack module 131 fixed to the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11 , wherein the first rack module 131 includes a first card slot 1311 . The first rack 1312 and the first rotating gear 1313. The first card slot 1311 extends along the normal direction of the side surface 112 of the platform base 11. The first rack 1312 is disposed along the first card slot 1311 and has a plurality of teeth. The first rotating gear 1313 is connected to the first side 121 of the mirror 12, and the first rotating gear 1313 is received in the first slot 1311 and meshes with the first rack 1312 by the first rotating gear 1313. Moving on the first rack 1312, the first side 121 of the mirror 12 is correspondingly moved, thereby rotating the mirror 12, so that the viewing surface 120 of the mirror 12 can reflect the ink cartridge 2 at a plurality of reflection angles. The image of the print surface 20 of the printhead. In an embodiment, in order to rotate the mirror 12 more smoothly, the rotating component 13 includes a pair of first rack modules 131 corresponding to the two ends of the first side 121 of the mirror 12. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the mirror 12 passes through the rotating component 13 such that the first side 121 of the mirror 12 abuts the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11 and can face or away from the side 112 of the platform base 11 mobile. On the other hand, when the first side 121 of the mirror 12 moves toward or away from the side 112 of the platform base 11, the second side 122 of the mirror 12 is moved up and down adjacent to the side 112 of the platform base 11. , as shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the viewing device 1c is similar to the viewing device 1b shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and the same component numbers denote the same elements, structures, and functions, and will not be described again. In the embodiment, in addition to the first rack module 131, the rotating component 13 further includes at least one second rack module 132, which is fixed on the platform base. Side 112 of seat 11. The second rack module 132 includes a second card slot 1321, a second rack 1322, and a second rotating gear 1323. The second card slot 1321 extends along the normal direction of the bottom surface 111 of the platform base 11. The second rack 1322 is disposed along the second slot 1321 and includes a plurality of teeth. The second rotating gear 1323 is coupled to the second side 122 of the mirror 12, and the second rotating gear 1323 is received in the second slot 1321 and meshes with the second rack 1322 by the second rotating gear 1323. Moving on the second rack 1322 causes the second side 122 of the mirror 12 to move correspondingly. In this embodiment, the first side 111 and the second side 112 of the mirror 2 are parallel to the bottom surface 111 and the side surface 112 of the platform base 11, respectively, and are respectively adjacent to the bottom surface 111 and the side surface 112 of the platform base 11. While sliding stably, the first side 111 of the mirror 2 moves horizontally due to the engagement of the first rotating gear 1313 with the first rack 1312 on the first slot 1311, and the second side 112 of the mirror 2 When the second rotating gear 1323 and the second rack 1322 are in the vertical direction of the second slot 1321, the mirror 12 can adjust the tilt angle, so that the user can adjust the angles of the different viewing surfaces 120, effectively The image of the printing surface 2 of the nozzle of the ink cartridge 2 is examined to avoid affecting the printing quality due to the inability to detect the abnormality of the ink cartridge.

In some embodiments, in order to rotate the mirror 12 more smoothly, the rotating component 13 includes a pair of first rack modules 131 corresponding to the two ends of the first side 121 of the mirror 12, and a pair of The two rack module 132 is disposed corresponding to both ends of the second side 122 of the mirror 12.

In the foregoing embodiments, the mirror 12 can be, for example but not limited to, a metal mirror or a glass mirror. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the mirror 12 can include a plate member 123 and an optical film 124, wherein the optical film 124 is attached or coated on the surface of the plate member 123. It should be emphasized that the detection angle and distance between the mirror and the nozzle of the ink cartridge can be adjusted according to the use requirements through the rotating component of the detecting device, thereby effectively achieving the purpose of checking the state of the ink nozzle, especially for the need. The wide-format inkjet printer that frequently checks the nozzle state of the ink cartridge can not only avoid the maintenance inspection, but also avoid the printing loss caused by the inability to effectively detect the ink cartridge abnormality and affect the printing quality. In practical applications, the platform base 11 of the viewing device 1 of the present invention can be disposed in a working area on the side of the inkjet printer 3 and adjacent to the printing work area in the middle of the inkjet printer 3. After the ink cartridge 2 of the inkjet printer 3 carries the ink cartridge 2 and moves into the working area provided by the platform base 11, the inspection device 1 can be used for inspection. Of course, the inspection device 1 of the present invention is disposed on the inkjet printer. The position of the machine 3 is not limited to this, and can be adjusted according to actual application requirements.

In summary, the present invention provides an inspection device for an inkjet printer, which allows the user to freely adjust the observation angle and distance between the mirror and the nozzle of the ink cartridge through the rotating assembly, and efficiently inspects the state of the ink nozzle. To avoid the impact on the print quality due to the abnormality of the nozzle that cannot detect the ink.

This case has been modified by people who are familiar with the technology, but it is not intended to be protected by the scope of the patent application.

1, 1a, 1b, 1c‧‧‧ inspection device
11‧‧‧ platform base
111‧‧‧ bottom
112‧‧‧ side
12‧‧‧Mirror
120‧‧‧Viewing surface
121‧‧‧ first side
122‧‧‧Second side
123‧‧‧plate
124‧‧‧Optical film
13‧‧‧Rotating components
131‧‧‧First rack module
132‧‧‧Second rack module
1311‧‧‧First card slot
1312‧‧‧First rack
1313‧‧‧First rotating gear
1321‧‧‧Second card slot
1322‧‧‧second rack
1323‧‧‧Second rotating gear
2‧‧‧墨匣
20‧‧‧Printing surface
3‧‧‧Inkjet printer
40‧‧‧Murray
41‧‧‧rails

Fig. 1A is a perspective view showing the structure of the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 1B is a schematic perspective view showing the viewing device of the ink jet printer of Fig. 1A in another view.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of Figure 1A.

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the adjustment of the mirror of Figure 1A to another reflection angle.

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

7A and 7B are partial cross-sectional views showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the mirrors of Figs. 7A and 7B are adjusted to different reflection angles.

Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inspection apparatus of the ink jet printer of the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the structure of a mirror of the viewing device of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

An inspection device for an inkjet printer, configured to view a printing surface of a nozzle of an ink cartridge, the inspection device comprising: a platform base having at least one bottom surface and a side surface, wherein the bottom surface is opposite to the ink cartridge a printing surface of the nozzle; a mirror having at least one viewing surface and an image of a printing surface of the nozzle for reflecting the ink cartridge; and a rotating component disposed on the bottom surface or the side of the platform base And being connected between the mirror and the platform base, wherein the mirror is rotatable relative to the platform base by the rotating component to adjust the viewing surface, and the mirror is viewed The image reflects the image of the print surface of the nozzle of the ink cartridge at a plurality of reflection angles. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the rotating component is a rotating joint, and the connection is disposed between the back surface of one of the mirrors and the bottom surface or the side of the platform base. Wherein the mirror rotates with the rotating joint as a pivot. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the rotating component is a rotating shaft bolt, and is connected to the first side of the mirror and the side of the platform base. And parallel to the bottom surface and the side of the platform base, wherein the mirror rotates with the rotating shaft pin as a pivot. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the rotating component comprises at least one first rack module, the first rack module being fixed on the bottom surface of the platform base And connected to one of the first sides of the mirror. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 4, wherein the first rack module comprises: a first card slot; a first rack disposed along the first card slot and having a plurality of teeth; and a first rotating gear coupled to the first side of the mirror and received in the first slot and engaged with the first rack, wherein the first A rotating gear moves on the first rack to move the first side of the mirror correspondingly, so that the mirror rotates relative to the platform base. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 5, wherein the rotating component further comprises at least one second rack module, the second rack module being fixed to the platform base The side is connected to the second side of one of the mirrors. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 6, wherein the second rack module comprises: a second card slot; a second rack disposed along the second card slot and having a plurality of teeth; and a second rotating gear coupled to the second side of the mirror and received in the second slot and engaged with the second rack, wherein the second The rotating gear moves on the second rack to move the second side of the mirror correspondingly, so that the mirror rotates relative to the platform base. The inspection device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the mirror comprises an optical film and a plate member, and the optical film is attached or coated on a surface of the plate member. The inspection device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet printer is a wide ink jet printer. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 1, further comprising a transmission motor set coupled to the rotating assembly and configured to drive the rotating assembly to drive the mirror to rotate. The inspection device of the inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the mirror is configured to adjust an angle and a distance between the inspection surface and a printing surface of the nozzle of the ink cartridge by the rotating component. . An inkjet printer comprising: a slide rail; an ink cartridge seat slidably disposed on the slide rail; an ink cartridge disposed in the ink cartridge holder and having a spray surface of a spray head; The inspection device is configured to view the inkjet surface of the inkjet head, and comprises: a platform base having at least one bottom surface and a side surface, wherein the bottom surface is opposite to the inkjet surface of the inkjet head; a mirror An image having at least one viewing surface and configured to reflect the inkjet surface of the inkjet head; and a rotating component disposed on the bottom surface or the side surface of the platform base and coupled to the mirror and the mirror Between the platform bases, wherein the mirror is rotatable relative to the platform base by the rotating component to adjust the viewing surface, so that the viewing surface of the mirror can reflect at a plurality of reflection angles The image of the print surface of the nozzle of the ink cartridge.