WO2010150782A1

WO2010150782A1 - Printer

Info

Publication number: WO2010150782A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/060555
Authority: WO
Inventors: 相澤俊彦; 足立賀幸; 池田浩之
Original assignee: ノーリツ鋼機株式会社
Priority date: 2009-06-26
Filing date: 2010-06-22
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Also published as: TW201114618A

Abstract

A printer is provided with a light-emission-time recording means (44B) for recording the integrated time length of light emission of each of a plurality of LED units (20) in an identifiable manner. When an integrated time length of light emission recorded by the light-emission-time recording means (44B) exceeds a reference value, a power-supply-setting means (46) increases the power supply to a LED unit (20) to minimize decrease in the quantity of light. Further, the printer is provided with an information-displaying means for displaying, on a monitor (M) of a control assembly (40) and on liquid crystal displays (23), a message indicating that it is time to replace an LED unit (20), in cases when the integrated time length of the light emission recorded by the light-emission-time recording means (44B) exceeds a predetermined time threshold.

Description

Printing device

The present invention provides a semiconductor light emitting device in which a plurality of printing sections that perform printing with ultraviolet curable ink are arranged along the conveyance direction of a substrate, and an ultraviolet light emitting semiconductor light emitting element is disposed at a downstream position of conveyance of each printing section. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus configured as an element unit and provided with an ultraviolet irradiation semiconductor light emitting element light source for irradiating ultraviolet rays onto a printing surface of the substrate.

Patent Document 1 describes a letterpress printing press in which a plurality of printing device units are arranged along the outer peripheral surface of an impression cylinder and an ultraviolet irradiation device is arranged on the downstream side thereof. In this letterpress printing press, a soft vinyl chloride film or the like as a printing material is supplied to an impression cylinder, and a printing device unit performs transfer printing with ultraviolet curable ink on the film or the like, and then prints with an ultraviolet irradiation device. The ultraviolet curable ink is cured by irradiating the surface with ultraviolet rays.

Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a metal halide lamp is used as an ultraviolet irradiation device, but a chemical lamp or an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp may be used.

Patent Document 2 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus that includes a recording head that discharges ultraviolet light curable ink onto a recording medium, and includes a light irradiation device that irradiates the discharged ink with ultraviolet light. In this ink jet recording apparatus, the light irradiating device moves together with the recording head, so that the ultraviolet curable ink discharged onto the recording medium is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the ink. Further, it is described that the light irradiation apparatus includes a plurality of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes, and a plurality of blocks are provided.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-170683 (paragraph numbers [0010] to [0029], FIG. 1) JP 2008-143123 A (paragraph numbers [0037] to [0063], FIGS. 1 to 4)

As in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, printing with ultraviolet curable ink, and irradiation of ultraviolet rays onto the printing surface immediately after printing, the rapid curing of ultraviolet curable ink appears. To do.

Further, as an ultraviolet light source for curing the ultraviolet curable ink, a high pressure mercury lamp is generally used from the viewpoint of obtaining a sufficient amount of light and the cost of the lamp.

However, the high-pressure mercury lamp easily obtains a high output, but the power consumption of one light source used in the printing apparatus requires more than 1 kilowatt, the power supply voltage is high, and the power supply system is required to have high insulation. Is the current situation. The high-pressure mercury lamp not only causes an increase in the size of the power supply device including the ballast, but also requires replacement when the usage time reaches about 2000 hours, and there is room for improvement.

Therefore, it is conceivable to construct an ultraviolet light source using an ultraviolet light emitting diode as described in Patent Document 2. Thus, an ultraviolet light source using an ultraviolet light emitting diode realizes energy saving and a long life. Further, even those using ultraviolet light-emitting diodes require maintenance because they need to be maintained at appropriate intervals and need to be replaced when the usage limit is reached. However, for example, when an operator grasps the maintenance timing and replacement timing by a manual operation using a management note or the like, it is prone to error because of its long life.

In particular, in a printing apparatus, even if multi-color printing is possible, printing in two or three colors may be performed. During such printing, the ultraviolet light source of the printing unit that is not used for printing is turned off. Thus, there is a difference in ultraviolet light emission time (integrated time) among a plurality of ultraviolet light sources, and it is difficult to properly grasp the maintenance timing and replacement timing. There is also room for improvement in this respect.

An object of the present invention is to rationally configure a printing apparatus that can easily perform management based on the emission time of an ultraviolet light source while extending the life of the ultraviolet light source.

A feature of the present invention is that a plurality of printing units that perform printing with ultraviolet curable ink are arranged along the conveyance direction of the printing material, and each has a ultraviolet light emitting semiconductor light emitting element at a conveyance downstream position of each printing unit. A printing apparatus in which an ultraviolet semiconductor light emitting element light source configured to irradiate ultraviolet rays onto a printing surface of the substrate to be printed is configured as a semiconductor light emitting element unit,
A control unit for managing power supplied to the semiconductor light emitting element unit is provided, and this control unit includes an integration unit for integrating the light emission time of the semiconductor light emitting element unit.

According to this configuration, the light emission time of the semiconductor light emitting element unit is integrated by the control unit. In other words, by accumulating the light emission times of the semiconductor light emitting element units, it is possible to grasp the usable period and grasp the maintenance time in advance.
As a result, a printing apparatus that can easily perform management based on the light emission time of the ultraviolet light source while extending the life of the ultraviolet light source has been constructed.

According to the present invention, the plurality of semiconductor light emitting element units include identification information recording means in which unique identification information is recorded, and the control unit is configured to perform the semiconductor light emitting element based on the identification information of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting element units. You may acquire the integration time for every unit.
According to this, based on the identification information acquired from the identification information recording unit of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting element units, the light emission time of each semiconductor light emitting element unit can be integrated by the control unit provided separately from the plurality of semiconductor light emitting element units.

In the present invention, the control unit may be provided in the semiconductor light emitting element unit.
According to this, the light emission time is integrated in each semiconductor light emitting element unit. For example, even in a printing apparatus that does not have a function for managing the integrated time, the integrated value of the light emission time for each semiconductor light emitting element unit can be grasped. .

The present invention may further include a light emission time recording means for recording the light emission time accumulated by the accumulation means.
According to this, the light emission time accumulated by the accumulation means in the control unit is recorded in the light emission time recording means, and the semiconductor light emitting element unit can be managed by reading this record.

The present invention comprises maintenance information output means for outputting information for urging specific maintenance when the controller determines that the accumulated light emission time recorded by the light emission time recording means has exceeded a reference value. Also good.
According to this, as a reference value, for example, a time during which a decrease in the amount of ultraviolet light of the semiconductor light emitting element unit appears remarkably is set as a reference value, and when the accumulated light emission time exceeds the reference value, supply power setting means By increasing the power supplied to the semiconductor light emitting element unit, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the amount of light and appropriately cure the ultraviolet curable ink.

According to the present invention, when the control unit determines that the accumulated light emission time recorded by the light emission time recording unit exceeds a threshold value, the exchange information output unit outputs information for prompting replacement of the semiconductor light emitting element unit. May be provided.
According to this, when the use limit time of the semiconductor light emitting element unit is set as a threshold value and it is determined that the accumulated light emission time exceeds the threshold value, the replacement information output means replaces the semiconductor light emitting element unit. By outputting the prompting information, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience of continuing to use the semiconductor light-emitting element unit whose light-emitting capability is reduced.

1 is a side view illustrating an outline of a configuration of a satellite-type printing apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a top view which shows the outline | summary of a structure of the satellite type printing apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the LED unit of the mounting state of 1st Embodiment, an attachment, etc. FIG. It is a top view which shows the LED unit of the removal state of 1st Embodiment, an attachment, etc. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment, LED unit, etc. of 1st Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the LED unit of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the LED unit of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the support body provided with the ultraviolet light emitting diode of 1st Embodiment, and a board | substrate. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the electric power supply system of the power supply device and LED unit of 1st Embodiment. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the control system of the power management part of 1st Embodiment, a power supply device, etc. FIG. It is a flowchart of the light source management process of 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of the printing apparatus of another embodiment (a). It is a top view which shows the outline | summary of the printing apparatus of another embodiment (a). It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of a structure of the satellite type printing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the control system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment and LED unit of 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the attachment and LED unit of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the ultraviolet irradiation part of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the attachment of 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the edge part of the LED unit of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the LED unit of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Printer]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a center drum 1 that rotates and drives, a plurality of printing units 2 (an example of a printing unit) arranged along the outer periphery of the center drum 1, and a printed material on which printing has been performed. A satellite-type printing apparatus is configured by including an ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 (an example of an ultraviolet irradiation semiconductor light emitting element light source) that irradiates the P printing surface with ultraviolet rays.

In this printing apparatus, a sheet-like printed material P set in a roll shape in the supply unit 5 is continuously supplied to the center drum 1 by the guide roller 6, and is applied to the surface of the printed material P as the center drum 1 rotates. Then, the printing unit 2 performs printing with the ultraviolet curable ink by the relief printing method, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 irradiates the ultraviolet ray onto the printing surface immediately after the printing to cure the ultraviolet curable ink.

Each of the printing units 2 is provided in a number corresponding to at least four colors of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). As shown in the drawing, a plurality of printing units 2 are assigned 2K, 2C, 2M, and 2Y codes corresponding to black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Yes. In the figure, 2P prints transparent ink (OP) for the purpose of surface finishing and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 is detachable from an LED unit 20 (an example of a semiconductor light emitting element unit) having a large number of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D (see FIGS. 6 and 7, an example of a semiconductor light emitting element). It is installed. The LED unit 20 has a function of curing the ink by irradiating the printing surface printed with the ultraviolet curable ink by each printing unit 2 with ultraviolet rays. As this ultraviolet irradiation section, an ultraviolet laser diode may be used in place of the ultraviolet light emitting diode D, or a laser light source that emits ultraviolet light may be used.

Each of the plurality of LED units 20 is configured to have the same shape and size, and one of the plurality of LED units 20 in a direction perpendicular to the transport path (one in the width direction of the print P) is based on the transport path of the print P in the printing apparatus. The operator (operator) can attach and remove it from the work area S set in ().

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the printing apparatus is provided with a pair of plate-like side frames 11 that rotatably supports both ends of the drive shaft 10 of the center drum 1. A transmission system 9 for transmitting a driving force from the motor 8 is formed. A guide roller 6 is supported rotatably with respect to the pair of side frames 11, and a roll-like printed material supply unit 5 is disposed at one end of the printing apparatus.

The attachment 15 is connected to the bracket 12 provided in the pair of side frames 11, and the LED unit 20 is supported on the attachment 15 so as to be attached and detached by a slide operation. The bracket 12 has a structure in which an opening 12A to which a mercury lamp type ultraviolet light source can be attached is formed, and an attachment 15 is fixed by a bolt at a position adjacent to the opening 12A of the pair of brackets 12.

The attachment 15 has a shape with a bottomed square pipe shape, flange portions 16 are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, slit-shaped guide grooves 15G are formed on the side surfaces, and an opening 15W is formed on the other one side surface. Has been. At the inner end of the attachment 15, a receptacle connector receptacle 17 and an antenna unit 18 for accessing the identification information in a non-contact manner with the LED unit 20 are provided. Furthermore, a power supply device PS is provided on the outer surface of the attachment 15 including the receptacle portion 17 (opposite the work area S) of the attachment 15. The plurality of attachments 15 are also configured to have the same shape and dimensions, and any LED unit 20 can be mounted.

[LED unit]
The LED unit 20 has a structure in which the ultraviolet emitting part 20A is formed on one surface and can be used in any posture. However, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ultraviolet emitting part 20A is on the upper surface. The configuration will be described based on the above.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the LED unit 20 has a box shape with an ultraviolet emitting portion 20A formed on the upper surface, and a wall on which a large number of ventilating grating portions are formed on the side surface excluding the ultraviolet emitting portion 20A. Has a part. A plurality of guide rollers 21 that can be engaged with the above-described guide grooves 15 </ b> G are supported on the side surface of the LED unit 20, and a handle 22 is provided at one end. This end face is provided with a liquid crystal display 23 having a touch panel formed on the display face as display means. Further, the other end face of the LED unit 20 is provided with a plug portion 24 of a drawer connector and identification information recording means 25 made up of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification). This identification information recording means 25 stores unique (unique) identification information for each LED unit 20.

The guide groove 15G described above includes a linear portion that extends linearly in the printing width direction, which is the insertion direction of the LED unit 20, and three curved portions that are branched or curved from the straight portion in a direction approaching the center drum 1. Become. Further, the curved portion includes an oblique groove portion branched from the straight portion and obliquely extending in a direction approaching the center drum 1, and an end groove portion that is bent from the tip of the oblique groove portion and extends slightly in parallel with the straight portion. The spacing between the curved portions is matched to the arrangement pitch of the guide rollers 21, and the three guide rollers 21 are guided by the oblique groove portions of the respective curved portions, so that they are inserted away from the printing surface without interfering with each other. The ultraviolet emitting part 20A of the LED unit 20 is displaced in a direction in which the LED unit 20 approaches the substrate. Subsequently, the guide roller 21 is guided in the end groove portion, whereby the receptacle portion 17 and the plug portion 24 are coupled to reach an electrically connected state. Further, when the operator grips and pulls the handle 22 from the work area S, the guide roller 21 is continuously guided in the reverse direction from the curved portion to the straight portion, whereby the LED unit 20 is moved from the attachment 15. It can also be pulled out.

In particular, the interval between two downstream portions in the insertion direction of the three branch portions or curved portions and the interval between the subsequent branch portions (on the work area S side) are different, and corresponds to this interval. Thus, three guide rollers 21 are arranged. As a result, when the LED unit 20 is inserted into the attachment 15, the next guide roller 21 does not reach the branch portion even if the leading guide roller 21 reaches a position where it enters a branch portion other than the corresponding branch portion. Therefore, the inconvenience of entering into a branch portion that does not correspond is suppressed. That is, when the interval between the three branch portions in the insertion direction of the LED unit 20 and the interval between the three guide rollers 21 are set equal, the inconvenience that the leading guide roller 21 enters the branch portion that does not originally correspond. However, by setting these intervals non-uniformly, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of the guide roller 21 from entering the unsupported branch portion, and to introduce the corresponding guide roller 21 into the corresponding branch portion. Realized.

As shown in FIG. 6, the three anti-stain plates 26 are supported without gaps on the inner periphery of the frame 26F, and a grip 26G is integrally formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the frame 26F. Yes.

In addition, in order to improve the sealing performance by the dirt prevention plate 26, a seal member may be provided in the outer peripheral portion of the frame body 26F or the slide groove 27G. Further, a sealing member may be provided on the contact surface between the substrate 28 and the reflector member 27 in order to prevent entry of dust or the like into the space provided with the ultraviolet light emitting diode D (an example of a semiconductor light emitting element).

The reflector member 27 is made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel. The material is polished and finished to a mirror surface to form a reflective surface 27R on the upper side and a plurality of ultraviolet rays supported on the substrate 28 on the lower side. A recess for accommodating the light emitting diode D is formed. In addition, a pair of slide grooves 27G that support the frame body 26F so as to be slidable are formed in a parallel posture on the front surface side (upper side) of the reflector member 27. The slide groove 27G is opened in the direction of the work area S in a state in which the LED unit 20 is mounted on the printing apparatus, and the anti-stain plate 26 is inserted and removed integrally with the frame body 26F from the open part to the slide groove 27G. Is possible.

The frame body 26F is made of a magnetic material such as an alloy containing iron or nickel, and a permanent magnet Mg that attracts the frame body 26F when the anti-stain plate 26 is inserted into the slide groove 27G to an appropriate mounting position is a reflector member. 27. The magnetic frame 26F and the permanent magnet Mg constitute a holding mechanism, so that an operator can grasp the grip 26G from the work area S, and can be attached and removed by inserting and removing the anti-stain plate 26. When inserted to the proper mounting position, the end of the frame 26F is attracted to the permanent magnet Mg and the mounting state is maintained.

As a holding mechanism, the frame 26F may be provided with the permanent magnet Mg, and the reflector member 27 may be provided with a magnetic material such as an iron piece. In addition, as a holding mechanism, a concave portion is formed in the frame body 26F, and when the frame body 26F is inserted to an appropriate position, a spring body that engages with the concave portion is provided to mechanically hold the mounting state. A thing may be used.

The dirt prevention plate 26 is in a posture parallel to the reflecting surface 27R of the reflector member 27 in the mounted state, and the lower surface of the frame body 26F is in close contact with the upper surface of the reflector member 27. As a result, the dirt prevention plate 26 separates the space provided with the ultraviolet light emitting diode D from the external space, and the space provided with the ultraviolet light emitting diode D is maintained in a sealed state.

It has been confirmed that when ultraviolet curable ink is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, a part of the components of the ultraviolet curable ink sublimates or evaporates and then adheres to and deposits on nearby members. When this deposit adheres to the surface of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode D, the amount of ultraviolet light is reduced. However, since the space provided with the ultraviolet light-emitting diode D is sealed by the antifouling plate 26, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode D In addition, it is possible to suppress the deposition of deposits on the surface of the reflector member 27. Further, although deposits are caused to adhere to the dirt prevention plate 26, the dirt prevention plate 26 can be removed integrally with the frame body 26F and wiped by the operator to remove the deposits. Will not cause a drop in

As shown in FIG. 8, ten ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D are used as a unit, and the ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D are linearly supported by a belt-like support 28A having an insulating surface, and the support 28A is supported on a substrate 28. Removably supported. Further, even when the amount of light of one ultraviolet light emitting diode D in one unit is reduced, the support 28A that supports the ten ultraviolet light emitting diodes D is replaced.

As shown in the figure, the relative positional relationship of the support 28A is set so that the ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D are arranged in five rows and the adjacent ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D are arranged in a staggered manner. In this way, by arranging the adjacent ones of the ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D in a staggered manner, the phenomenon that the amount of light in the column direction becomes non-uniform is eliminated. The number of the ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D supported by the support 28A is not limited to ten, and may be less than ten or more than ten.

In particular, among the plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D provided in five rows, two rows of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D having a wavelength of 385 nm are arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate P, and Three rows of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D having a wavelength of 365 nm are arranged on the downstream side.

In this way, by arranging a long wavelength upstream side in the conveyance direction of the substrate P and arranging a short wavelength downstream side, the ultraviolet rays reach the inside of the ink by the long wavelength ultraviolet rays, and the inside Next, the ink is cured, and then the surface of the ink is reliably cured by ultraviolet rays having a short wavelength.

The position of the slit-shaped opening 27S of the reflector member 27 is set so that the light beam is linearly sent out from the five rows of the ultraviolet light emitting diodes D. The ultraviolet rays sent out from the slit-shaped opening 27S are irradiated on the surface of the printing material P, and the ultraviolet rays reflected by the printing surface of the printing material P reach the reflecting surface 27R, are reflected by this reflecting surface 27R, and are again printed on the printing material P. Will be sent to the surface.

The inner cover 30 has a grating part, and is connected to a position covering the substrate 28 from a portion of the heat sink 29. Three electric cooling fans 31 for supplying cooling air to the heat sink 29 are provided at positions directly below the heat sink 29 by the inner cover 30. The outer cover 32 has a grating portion, is arranged at a position covering the cooling fan 31, and is connected to the inner cover 30.

The first end surface cover 33 includes the handle 22 and the liquid crystal display 23 described above, and the second end surface cover 34 disposed at a position opposite to the handle 22 includes the plug portion 24 and the identification information recording unit 25 described above. Yes.

The first end face cover 33 is formed with a slit 33S that allows insertion and extraction of a dust removal filter 35 that removes dust contained in the air supplied to the cooling fan 31. The dust removal filter 35 is supported by a rectangular frame 35F having a predetermined width in the thickness direction of the dust removal filter 35, and a grip portion 35G that can be picked by an operator is formed at the end of the frame 35F. The slit 33S formed in the first end surface cover 33 is formed in a size that allows the frame 35F to be inserted and removed. By providing this frame 35F, even when the dust removal filter 35 is pulled out, the inconvenience that dust adhering to the surface of the dust removal filter 35 comes into contact with the opening edge of the slit 33S and drops off is eliminated.

Since such a cooling system is provided, the outside air sucked through the grating portion on the bottom surface side of the outer cover 32 is sucked into the cooling fan 31 in a state where the dust is removed by the dust removing filter 35, and is sucked into the heat sink 29. And is discharged from the grating portion on the side surface of the inner cover 30 to the outside of the unit.

[UV irradiation]
In the LED unit 20 of the present invention, since the plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D are arranged linearly along the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the substrate P, a plurality of ultraviolet light from the plurality of rows of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D are emitted. It is sent out from the slit-shaped openings 27S in the row, and further reaches the printing surface of the substrate P in a form that passes through the anti-stain plate 26.

In the case of irradiation with ultraviolet rays in this way, as described above, the portion of the ink in contact with the printing material P (lower layer portion) is cured in advance by ultraviolet rays having a long wavelength that easily transmits the ink, and thereafter, By curing the ink on the outer surface side with ultraviolet rays having a short wavelength, the inconvenience that the lower layer ink is uncured is solved.

In particular, although a part of the ultraviolet rays irradiated on the printing surface is reflected by the printing surface and reflected toward the LED unit 20, as described above, the ultraviolet rays reflected by the printing surface are reflected by the reflector member 27 of the LED unit 20. When the surface 27R reflects the ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet rays are sent again to the printing surface, and the curing of the ultraviolet curable ink is promoted without wasting the ultraviolet rays.

[Power control system]
As shown in FIG. 9, the power supply device PS includes a constant voltage circuit 51, a plurality of constant current circuits 52, a fan power supply circuit 53, and a power management unit 54. The constant voltage circuit 51 supplies DC power as a target voltage from power (commercial power supply) supplied from the outside. The constant current circuit 52 supplies the power supplied from the constant voltage circuit 51 as a set current value. The fan power supply circuit 53 supplies fan driving power from externally supplied power (commercial power supply). In accordance with a control signal sent via the communication line L, the power management unit 54 operates the switch circuit 55 having a relay, a thyristor, and the like to perform switching control between supply and cut-off of power to the constant voltage circuit 51, and constant switching. Power control for adjusting the set voltage of the voltage circuit 51 is performed.

The power management unit 54 can access a signal from a management unit (not shown) via the communication line L. Similarly, the antenna unit 18 can communicate with the management unit (not shown) via the communication line L. Can be accessed. Although the control form is not described in detail, the power management unit 54 realizes ON / OFF of the switch circuit 55 and adjustment of the voltage of the constant voltage circuit 51 by receiving a signal from the management unit via the communication line L. .

Ten ultraviolet light emitting diodes D are electrically connected in series, and constant current circuits 52 are provided as many as the number of supports 28A. As shown in the figure, a power supply system that supplies current from each constant current circuit 52 to 10 ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D of the corresponding support 28A and supplies power from the fan power supply circuit 53 to the cooling fan 31. Is configured.

As shown in the figure, the LED unit 20 includes a communication unit 56 that performs wireless communication with the antenna unit 18 via the antenna unit 56A, and a display control unit 57 that controls the liquid crystal display 23. .

In this power control system, electric power (commercial power) supplied from the outside is supplied from the constant voltage circuit 51 to the unit UV light emitting diode D via the constant current circuit 52 to emit light, and from the fan power supply circuit 53. The cooling fan 31 is supplied to drive the cooling fan 31. Further, the power management unit 54 not only controls switching between power supply and cutoff based on information transmitted from the control unit 40 shown in FIG. 10 via the communication line L, but also sets the set voltage of the constant voltage circuit 51. It is possible to increase the power supply by increasing the power supply.

Further, the communication unit 56 acquires information transmitted from the control unit 40 via the communication line L via the antenna unit 56A, and the display control unit 57 displays the acquired information on the liquid crystal display 23. These controls will be described later together with the control of the control unit 40.

[Control configuration]
As shown in FIG. 10, the control system of the printing apparatus is configured. This control system includes a control unit 40 formed of a general-purpose computer for managing the plurality of LED units 20, and includes a monitor M and a keyboard K. The control unit 40 includes a communication unit 42, and the communication unit 42 is connected to the power supply device PS and the antenna unit 18 via a communication line L formed of a cable.

The control unit 40 includes a unit identification unit 43, an integration unit 44A, a light emission time recording unit 44B, a light emission time management unit 45, a supply power setting unit 46, and an information output unit 47, and a supply power. The setting unit 46 includes a power adjustment table 46T, and includes a timer unit 48 that sends out the time information of the integrating unit 44A. The timer unit 48 includes a backup power source so as to generate date information even when the control unit 40 is powered off.

The unit identification means 43 acquires the identification information of the identification information recording means 25 via the antenna unit 18. The integrating means 44A integrates the light emission times of the LED units 20 and provides the integrated light emission time recording means 44B. The light emission time recording unit 44B records the light emission integration time of each LED unit 20. The light emission time recording unit 44B records the light emission integrated time including the light emission date and time of the LED unit 20 in the light emitting state so as to be identifiable as the light emission integrated time in a storage such as a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory. Further, the integrating means 44A integrates the light emission integrated time in association with the information specifying the day (the date emitted for ultraviolet irradiation) used for each LED unit 20 in the state where the LED unit 20 is identified. The light emission time recording means 44B records the accumulated time of this light emission time (light emission integrated time).

In particular, the light emission time recording unit 44B can identify the number of LED units 20 exceeding the number of the ultraviolet irradiation units 3 (for example, twice the number of the ultraviolet irradiation units 3) and record the integrated light emission time. Is possible. That is, in the printing apparatus, the same number of LED units 20 as that of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 are mounted. However, for example, depending on the type of ink and the printing form, the wavelength may be replaced with the LED unit 20 having a wavelength that is normally used. Different LED units 20 may be used. In such a case, it is difficult to artificially manage the light emission integration time of the LED unit 20 with low use frequency, but the light emission integration time is managed for each LED unit 20 regardless of the use frequency. Management.

The light emission time management means 45 manages the output of the accumulated light emission time recorded in the light emission time recording means 44B. The power supply setting means 46 performs ON / OFF of power supplied to the LED unit 20 from a plurality of power supply devices PS and setting of power supply. The information output unit 47 includes a maintenance information output unit 47A and an exchange information output unit 47B. Information to be displayed on the monitor M of the control unit 40 or the liquid crystal display 23 of each LED unit 20 is output.

The unit identifying means 43, integrating means 44A, light emission time recording means 44B, light emission time management means 45, power supply setting means 46, and information output means 47 are configured by software. It may be configured by hardware, or may be configured by a combination of software and hardware.

[Light source management processing]
In this printing apparatus, depending on the number of colors of ink used for printing, the LED unit 20 corresponding to ink of a color that is not used may not emit light. In addition, the LED unit 20 has a light amount that decreases as the light emission time elapses, and stable light emission becomes difficult when the light emission time reaches a preset time. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the LED unit 20 with a new one when the accumulated light emission time reaches the set time.

As described above, since the plurality of LED units 20 can be attached to any attachment 15, the LED unit 20 may be inserted at a position different from the taken-out position during maintenance. This insertion may be performed intentionally and rotationally in order to avoid a situation in which only the specific LED unit 20 emits light continuously by an operator, or may be performed unintentionally. In order to cope with such a situation, the control unit 40 manages the light emission integration time with each LED unit 20 identified.

An outline of the control mode of the control unit 40 is shown in the flowchart of FIG.
That is, a reference value (time information) and a threshold value (time information) for light source management are set (step # 101). In this control, the reference value is time information corresponding to the accumulated time during which the amount of light decreases significantly and the time when the anti-stain plate 26 and the dust filter 35 should be cleaned up, and is about 100 to 2000 hours. Set as appropriate. The threshold is an accumulated time that requires replacement, and is set to about 15000 hours. As a matter of course, the reference value is set smaller than the threshold value.

Next, the unit identifying unit 43 acquires the identification information from the identification information recording unit 25 via the antenna unit 18 and acquires the printing mode information, thereby specifying the LED unit 20 in the light emitting state. Further, the integrating means 44A acquires time information from the timer unit 48, integrates the light emitting times of the LED units 20 in the light emitting state, and records the LED units 20 in the light emitting time recording means 44B so as to be identifiable (# 102 to # 104). In this control, the print mode information includes information for specifying a color used at the time of printing.

In this way, after the accumulated light emission time is recorded in an identifiable manner in each LED unit 20, the light emission time management means 45 determines whether or not there is any LED unit 20 whose accumulated light emission time exceeds the reference value. With this determination, for the LED unit 20 that exceeds the reference value, the power supplied by the supply power setting unit 46 is increased based on information from the maintenance information output unit 47A (steps # 105 and # 106).

In this process, the LED unit 20 whose light emission integration time exceeds the reference value is specified, and the supply power setting unit 46 increases the power supplied to the specified LED unit 20 based on the information from the maintenance information output unit 47A. Plan. The degree of this increase is based on the degree to which the accumulated light emission time exceeds the reference value, and the power value for obtaining the target light amount is calculated by referring to the power adjustment table 46T.

The calculated power value is transmitted as information such as parameters to the power management unit 54 of the power supply PS of the corresponding LED unit 20 via the communication line L, and the power management unit 54 is determined according to the transmitted information. By raising the set voltage of the voltage circuit 51, the power supplied to the ultraviolet light-emitting diode D of the LED unit 20 is increased, and the amount of light can be maintained.

Although not shown in the flowchart, the control unit 40 has time information on the timing for cleaning up the antifouling plate 26 and the dust filter 35 as a reference value, and the accumulated light emission time is set to this reference value. When reaching, the maintenance information output means 47A outputs a message indicating that it is time to clean up the dirt prevention plate 26 and the dust filter 35 to the monitor M, and at the same time, responds via the communication line L. A message indicating that it is time to clean up the liquid crystal display 23 of the LED unit 20 is output.

Further, the light emission time management means 45 determines whether or not there is any LED unit 20 whose light emission integration time exceeds the threshold value. With this determination, for the LED unit 20 exceeding the threshold, the replacement information output unit 47B of the information output unit 47 attaches identification information to the monitor M and displays a message indicating that the LED unit 20 needs to be replaced. At the same time, by transmitting a message to the LED unit 20 via the communication line L, a message indicating that replacement is necessary is displayed on the liquid crystal display 23 of the LED unit 20 (# 107, # 108). Step). These controls are continued until reset (power is turned off) (step # 109).

In this way, the message is displayed on the monitor M of the control unit 40, so that the operator has reached the time to replace the LED unit 20 with a new one, and the contamination prevention plate 26 and the dust filter 35 Recognize that it is time to clean up. This message is transmitted to the LED unit 20 via the communication line L. In the LED unit 20, the communication unit 56 acquires the message via the antenna unit 56A, and the display control unit 57 sends the message to the liquid crystal display 23. indicate. Thereby, the operator can replace the LED unit 20 and clean up the dirt prevention plate 26 and the dust filter 35 without error.

In the flowchart, the processing mode for displaying a message when the accumulated light emission time exceeds the threshold has been described. However, before the accumulated light emission time exceeds the threshold, the process for displaying that the replacement time of the LED unit 20 is approaching as a message. May be performed. In this case, the usable time until the exchange may be displayed together with the message.

As described above, the control unit 40 that manages the plurality of LED units 20 has been described, but the control unit of the present invention may be provided in the plurality of LED units 20. In this case, it is reasonable to use the display control unit 57 of FIG. 10 as the control unit, and the integration means 44A, the light emission time recording means 44B, and the light emission time management means with software set in the display control unit 57. 45 and information output means 47 are configured, and a reference value and a threshold value are set for the display control unit 57.

The display control unit 57 executes control when electric power is supplied to the LED unit 20 and irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and time information (when ultraviolet rays are applied) is executed when this control is executed. Time information) is obtained, and it is determined whether or not the accumulated light emission time exceeds a corresponding reference value. At the same time, the accumulated light emission time is compared with a threshold value to determine whether or not the threshold value is exceeded.

If the accumulated light emission time exceeds the reference value as a result of this determination, a message that prompts the user to clean up only the dust filter 35 or clean up the dust filter 35 and the dirt prevention plate 26 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 23. In order to display this message, the processing mode may be set so as to display a message indicating that the clean-up time is approaching before the accumulated light emission time reaches the reference value. Further, if the accumulated light emission time exceeds the threshold value as a result of the determination, a message indicating that the replacement time of the LED unit 20 has been reached is displayed on the liquid crystal display 23. Also for this display, the processing mode may be set so as to display a message indicating that the replacement time is approaching before the accumulated light emission time reaches the threshold value as in the case described above.

According to this display, the operator can clean up the dust filter 35 and the antifouling plate 26 or replace the LED unit 20 itself. In particular, in order to manage the light emission time in the LED unit 20, the processing mode is set such that the identification information recording means 25 is also used as the light emission time recording means so that the accumulated light emission time is recorded in the identification information recording means 25. May be set.

In the present invention, the control mode may be set so that the single control unit 40 manages the LED units 20 of a plurality of printing apparatuses. With this configuration, the LED unit 20 set in a plurality of printing apparatuses can be managed by one control unit 40.

In particular, when the LED unit 20 is to be replaced, the operator can grasp and remove the handle 22 of the LED unit 20 from the work area S. Similarly, when performing cleanup, an operator can hold and remove the grip portion 35G of the dust filter 35 or the grip 26G of the dirt prevention plate 26 from the work area S.

As described above, in the present invention, since the light emission integration time is managed in a state where the plurality of LED units 20 provided in the printing apparatus are identified, the LED unit 20 can be attached to any part of the plurality of ultraviolet irradiation units 3. For the light emission integration time exceeding the reference value, the amount of light is maintained by increasing the supply power. In addition, when the accumulated light emission time exceeds the threshold, a message is displayed on the monitor M of the control unit 40 and the liquid crystal display 23 of the corresponding LED unit 20 to notify the operator that the replacement time has been reached. The LED unit 20 can be replaced with a new one without error.

Furthermore, the cleaning time of the dust removing filter 35 and the cleaning time of the dirt prevention plate 26 are properly grasped based on the accumulated light emission time recorded in the integrating means 44A, and these cleanings can be performed without delay.

[Another embodiment]
The present invention may be configured as follows in addition to the embodiment described above.

(A) Instead of the satellite-type printing apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, as the printing unit 2 disposed at a position facing the impression cylinder 60, a rubber cylinder 61 that contacts the impression cylinder An offset sheet-fed type in which a printing system comprising a plate cylinder 62 for transferring ultraviolet curable ink to the rubber cylinder 61 and a transfer cylinder 63 for feeding the printing material P is linearly arranged along the conveying direction of the printing material P. It can also be applied to other printing apparatuses. In the figure, the same components as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and symbols as those described above. Note that the present invention can be similarly applied to an intermittent printing apparatus.

In this printing apparatus, the LED unit 20 is disposed as the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 in the vicinity of the printing material P fed by the impression cylinder 60. The LED unit 20 also includes a substrate 28 having a plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D, a heat sink 29 that radiates heat from the substrate, and a cooling fan 31 that supplies cooling air to the heat sink 29. Become.

(B) As the identification information recording means 25, it is possible to use one that constitutes identification information with a barcode or one that constitutes identification information by arrangement of a plurality of protrusions. When a barcode is used, the identification information acquisition unit uses an optical information acquisition unit such as a laser scanner, and the identification information acquisition unit acquires the identification information by arranging a plurality of protrusions. However, switches and proximity sensors that contact the protrusions are used.

[Printing Apparatus of Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and symbols as those in the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 14, the second embodiment includes a center drum 1 that is driven and rotated in the same manner as the first embodiment, and a plurality of printing units 2 (of the printing unit) arranged along the outer periphery of the center drum 1. An example) and an ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 that irradiates ultraviolet rays onto the printing surface of the printed material P on which printing has been performed, constitutes a satellite-type printing apparatus. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 includes an attachment 15 as an adapter unit as shown in FIGS. 16 to 21, and an LED unit 20 as an ultraviolet irradiation unit that is detachably attached to the attachment 15. The configurations of the attachment 15 and the LED unit 20 are different from those of the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, a number of unit controllers 71 corresponding to the plurality of LED units 20 are provided, and a single power control unit 72 that supplies power to these unit controllers 71. It has.

That is, the attachment 15 has a rectangular pipe shape as shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 and includes flange portions 16 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. A pair of side frames (not shown) of the printing apparatus is provided with a plurality of brackets 12, and the flange portions 16 at the ends of the attachments 15 are connected to the brackets 12. Note that the attachments 15 of the plurality of ultraviolet irradiation units 3 have the same shape and dimensions, and the plurality of LED units 20 have the same shape and dimensions. Then, any LED unit 20 can be attached and detached by the operator (operator) from the work area S, and any LED unit 20 can be attached to any attachment 15.

The attachment 15 has an opening 15 </ b> W formed on the surface facing the center drum 1. Of the inner surface of the attachment 15, two sets of guide rails 19 (configuration of the guide mechanism) are provided on the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface. Part of). The LED unit 20 is mounted by an insertion operation to be inserted in the longitudinal direction of the attachment 15 and is configured to be separable by a pulling operation. A guide roller 21 (of a guide mechanism) corresponding to the guide rail 19 is provided on the outer surface. Part of the configuration).

A pair of guide rails 19 sandwiching one guide roller 21 is set as one set, and as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, one set of guide rails 19 is an LED unit 20 inserted from the end of the attachment 15. A linear portion 19A for linearly guiding the guide roller 21 and an inclined portion 19B for displacing the guide roller 21 in the direction of the opening 15W are provided.

The UV unit 20A is formed on one side of the LED unit 20, and a handle 22 is provided on one end in the longitudinal direction. At this end, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 20, a power plug 24A and a control plug 24B are provided. A power cable 73 is connected to the power plug 24A, and a control cable 74 is connected to the control plug 24B. As shown in FIG. 15, the power cable 73 and the control cable 74 are connected to the unit controller 71. The unit controller 71 supplies power to the ultraviolet light-emitting diode D and the cooling fan 31 of the LED unit 20, and these To control. The power control unit 72 manages a plurality of unit controllers 71 such as setting the LED unit 20 to which power should be supplied in accordance with the number of printing colors in the printing apparatus.

The handle 22 is supported by the outer end portions of the pair of arm portions 22A, and the base end sides of the pair of arm portions 22A are supported so as to be swingable about the support shaft 22B. As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, a pair of lock arms 75 swingable about the support shaft 22B is provided at a position overlapping the base end portions of the pair of arm portions 22A. The lock arm 75 is biased by a spring (not shown) so as to maintain the engaged state with the lock piece 76, and when the handle 22 is swung in the unlocking direction, the lock arm 75 is moved away from the lock piece 76. A contact piece 22T that swings in the separating direction is formed on the arm portion 22A. A pair of lock pieces 76 that engage with the pair of lock arms 75 when the LED unit 20 is inserted to an appropriate position are provided on the inner surface of the attachment 15.

With such a configuration, when the LED unit 20 is inserted into the attachment 15, the guide roller 21 is guided along the guide rail 19, and the inclined portion 19 </ b> B of the guide rail 19 is guided to the guide roller just before reaching the proper position. 21 is displaced in the direction of the opening 15W. As a result, the entire LED unit 20 is displaced in a direction in which the ultraviolet emitting unit 20A approaches the printing surface via the opening 15W.

Then, when the LED unit 20 is inserted to an appropriate position, as shown in FIG. 18, the ultraviolet emitting part 20A reaches a state protruding from the opening 15W, and the lock arm 75 engages with the lock piece 76 to reach the locked state. . In this locked state, the extraction of the LED unit 20 from the attachment 15 is prevented. In addition, when the handle 22 is operated in the unlocking direction in this locked state, the contact piece 22T comes into contact with the lock arm 75 by swinging about the support shaft 22B of the arm portion 22A. The LED unit 20 can be extracted by separating the lock piece 76 from the arm 75 and releasing the lock.

In the second embodiment, a guide mechanism is constituted by the guide rail 19 provided on the inner surface of the attachment 15 and the plurality of guide rollers 21 provided in the LED unit 20, but the guide mechanism of the present invention is an attachment. 15 may be provided with a guide roller 21, and the guide rail 19 may be formed on the LED unit 20. Further, the guide mechanism may be a non-rotating guide body that is guided in a form that slides in contact with the rail-shaped member instead of the guide roller 21.

The ultraviolet emission part 20A of the LED unit 20 is provided with a dirt prevention plate 26 made of quartz glass as shown in FIGS. 16 and 21, and a slit-like shape is formed on the inner side of the LED unit 20 with the dirt prevention plate 26 as a reference. A reflector member 27 having an opening formed therein and a plurality of substrates 28 are disposed, and the substrates 28 are disposed in an adjacent positional relationship, and an ultraviolet light-emitting diode D as a semiconductor light-emitting element provided on each substrate 28. Are arranged in one row. The other end of the LED unit 20 is provided with a cooling fan 31 that sucks outside air through a dust removal filter 35 (see FIG. 16), and the cooling air from the cooling fan 31 is used as a heat sink on the inner surface side of the substrate 28. A cooling air supply path for supplying air to 29 is formed inside the LED unit 20. In this ultraviolet irradiation unit 3, an ultraviolet laser diode may be used in place of the ultraviolet light emitting diode D.

The plurality of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes D are arranged inside the opening of the reflector member 27, and a reflection surface 27R is attached to the opening. A set number (for example, four) of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D (an example of a semiconductor light emitting element) is provided on one substrate 28, and a set number of ultraviolet light emitting diodes provided on one substrate 28 with one substrate 28 as a unit. A power control system for supplying power to D is provided.

With this configuration, when the LED unit 20 is mounted on the attachment 15, the operator (operator) simply inserts the handle 22 from the work area S into the appropriate position. It can be set and locked. Further, when the LED unit 20 is separated, the operator can operate the handle 22 and pull it out to release the locked state and separate it.

During printing, the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light emitting diode D is irradiated onto the printing surface of the substrate P, and the ultraviolet light reflected by the printing surface is reflected by the reflecting surface 27R of the reflector member 27 and sent again to the printing surface. The ink can be cured without having to make it. In addition, since the anti-stain plate 26 is provided, even if ink or the like adheres to the anti-stain plate 26, it can be easily wiped off, and the heat radiation of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode D is also performed by the cooling air from the cooling fan 31. It can be done.

Thus, by supplying power with the set number of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D as one unit, the luminance of the set number of ultraviolet light emitting diodes D can be easily adjusted.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, instead of the satellite type printing apparatus, an offset sheet type printing apparatus, an offset sheet type printing apparatus that performs printing while transporting the substrate in the horizontal direction, etc. You may apply to a horizontal conveyance type printing apparatus.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can be used in all printing apparatuses that perform printing with ultraviolet curable ink.

2 Printing section (printing unit)
3 UV light source 20 LED unit / UV light source 25 Identification information recording means 40 Control unit 44A Integration means 44B Light emission time recording means 46 Supply power setting means 47A Maintenance information output means 47B Replacement information output means P

Claims

Configured as a semiconductor light-emitting element unit that has multiple printing sections that perform printing with ultraviolet-curable ink along the transport direction of the substrate, and has ultraviolet light-emitting semiconductor light-emitting elements at the downstream transport positions of each printing section A printing apparatus in which an ultraviolet irradiation semiconductor light emitting element light source for irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the printing surface of the substrate is disposed,
The printing apparatus includes a control unit that manages power supplied to the semiconductor light emitting element unit, and the control unit includes an integration unit that integrates the light emission time of the semiconductor light emitting element unit.
The plurality of semiconductor light emitting element units include identification information recording means in which unique identification information is recorded, and the control unit integrates each semiconductor light emitting element unit based on the identification information of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting element units. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein time is acquired.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is provided in the semiconductor light emitting element unit.
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further includes a light emission time recording unit that records the light emission time accumulated by the accumulation unit.
5. The control unit includes a maintenance information output unit that outputs information for urging a specific maintenance when it is determined that the accumulated light emission time recorded by the light emission time recording unit exceeds a reference value. The printing apparatus as described.
The control unit includes exchange information output means for outputting information for prompting replacement of the semiconductor light emitting element unit when it is determined that the accumulated light emission time recorded by the light emission time recording means exceeds a threshold value. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5.