JP2021187063A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a liquid ejection device that can easily fix a head to a mounting part. [Solution] The printer includes a mounting part 61 and an arm 71. A head 31 is mounted to the mounting part 61. The head 31 ejects white ink. The arm 71 can move between a fixed position and a released position. In the fixed position, the arm 71 fixes the head 31 mounted to the mounting part 61 in the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions relative to the mounting part 61. In the released position, the arm 71 releases the fixation of the head 31 to the mounting part 61. [Selected Figure] Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid discharge device.

A liquid discharge device is known which has a mounting portion to which a head is detachably mounted and discharges a liquid from the head. For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a head is attached to a base frame, and ink is ejected from the head. The head is provided with a reference surface, and the base frame is provided with a positioning pin. The head is mounted on the base frame with the reference surface abutted against the positioning pin. At this time, a jig is used to hold the head so that it does not move with respect to the base frame. In this state, the head is fixed to the base frame with screws.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-161992

In the above image forming apparatus, before fixing the head to the base frame with screws, it is necessary to hold the head with a jig so that the head does not move with respect to the base frame. Therefore, it takes time and effort to fix the head to the base frame.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge device in which a head can be easily fixed to a mounting portion.

In the liquid discharge device according to one aspect of the present invention, a mounting portion on which a head for discharging liquid is mounted and a head mounted on the mounting portion are placed in a first direction orthogonal to the mounting portion. It is characterized by having a fixed position for fixing in the second direction and the third direction, and an arm movable to a release position for releasing the fixing of the head to the mounting portion.

According to the above aspect, when the arm is moved from the release position to the fixed position with the head mounted on the mounting portion, the head is all in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction with respect to the mounting portion. Fixed in the direction. Therefore, the liquid discharge device can easily fix the head to the mounting portion.

The mounting portion may be provided on a plate that maintains a constant distance between the head and the print medium, and one end of the arm may be fixed to the plate. In this case, since the arm is fixed to the plate, the operator can easily handle the arm.

The arm can move to the fixed position and the release position by rotating around an axis provided on the plate and extending in one of the first direction and the second direction in the axial direction. When moving from the release position to the fixed position, the first pressing portion that presses the head from one of the third directions and the head is either the first direction or the second direction. It may have a second pressing portion that presses from one of the orthogonal directions. In this case, the arm can be moved to the release position and the fixed position only by rotating around the axis. Therefore, the liquid discharge device can easily fix the head to the mounting portion.

The head has an inclined surface extending from one of the axial directions to the other as it goes from one of the orthogonal directions to the other, and when the second pressing portion moves from the release position to the fixed position, the orthogonal surface is formed. The inclined surface may be pressed from one of the directions. In this case, the force by which the arm pushes the head to the other in the orthogonal direction is divided into a force to the other in the orthogonal direction and a force to the other in the axial direction by the inclined surface. Therefore, it is not necessary for the arm to be provided with a configuration other than the second pressing portion for pressing the head to the other in the axial direction. Therefore, the liquid discharge device can fix the head to the mounting portion with a simple configuration.

The liquid discharge device has a cap capable of covering the nozzle surface provided on the head from the other side in the third direction, and the cap is urged to one of the third directions at a plurality of places having three or more places. The position where the first pressing portion presses the head when the arm is located at the fixed position is when the head is positioned at a position where the head overlaps with the cap in the third direction. The head may be located in a region surrounded by the plurality of points when viewed from the third direction. In this case, when the nozzle surface is covered from the other in the third direction by the cap, a force in one of the third directions by the elastic member and a force in the other in the third direction by the arm act on the head. Since the elastic member urges the cap at multiple points and the arm presses at a fixed position in the area surrounded by the multiple points of the head when viewed from the third direction, the liquid ejection device presses the nozzle surface. It is possible to prevent the cap from slipping off the head when covered with the cap.

The liquid discharge device includes a plurality of mounting portions arranged in the first direction, and the axial direction may be the first direction. In this case, since the axial direction is the first direction, the position of the arm in the first direction does not change even if the arm moves between the fixed position and the release position. Therefore, even if the arms move to the fixed position and the release position, they are unlikely to interfere with each other.

The liquid discharge device includes a plurality of the mounting portions arranged in the second direction, and a pair of the mounting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are arranged at positions displaced from each other in the first direction. The axial direction may be the first direction. In this case, since the axial direction is the first direction, the position of the arm in the first direction does not change even if the arm moves between the fixed position and the release position. Further, the plurality of mounting portions are displaced in the first direction. Therefore, even if one arm of the plurality of mounting portions moves between the fixed position and the release position, it is unlikely to interfere with the other arm.

The liquid discharge device includes a plurality of mounting portions in which a plurality of rows of the mounting portions arranged in the first direction are arranged side by side in the second direction, and a pair of adjacent mounting portions are adjacent to each other in the second direction. A plurality of the mounting portions arranged in the first direction in one of the rows of the mounting portions are arranged at positions shifted in the first direction with respect to the plurality of mounting portions arranged in the first direction on the other side. The axial direction may be the first direction. In this case, since the axial direction is the first direction, the position of the arm in the first direction does not change even if the arm moves between the fixed position and the release position. Therefore, even if the arm moves between the fixed position and the release position, it is unlikely to interfere with another arm. Since the plurality of side-by-side mounting parts in one of the rows of the pair of mounting parts adjacent to each other are displaced in the first direction from the plurality of side-by-side mounting parts in the other, the arm of one of the rows of the pair of mounting parts adjacent to each other. Does not easily interfere with the other arm even if it moves to the fixed position and the release position.

The liquid discharge device includes a tube connected to the head and through which the liquid supplied to the head flows, and is connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion located on one side of the second direction. The tube extends from the head in one of the second directions, and the tube connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion located on the other side of the second direction is from the head to the second direction. It may extend to the other. In this case, the tube connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion on one side in the second direction is less likely to interfere with the head mounted on the mounting portion on the other side in the second direction. Therefore, in the liquid discharge device, the head can be easily attached to and detached from the mounting portion.

The liquid discharge device includes a substrate for controlling the head and a cable connecting the substrate and the head, and the cable is provided in the second direction from all the heads mounted on the plurality of mounting portions. One or the other may extend in the same direction. In this case, since each cable extends in the same direction from the head, the liquid discharge device can easily handle the cable.

It is a perspective view of the printer 1. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of a printer 1. FIG. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of a printer 1. FIG. It is an enlarged view of the area W1 of FIG. It is an enlarged view which shows the state which is capped by the cap 41 in the region W2 of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the process of mounting a head 31 on a mounting part 61. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5 when the arm 71 is in the release position. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5 when the arm 71 is in a fixed position.

A printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The upper, lower, lower left, upper right, lower right, and upper left of FIG. 1 are the upper, lower, front, rear, right, and left of the printer 1, respectively. The vertical direction in FIG. 1 is the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the mechanical elements in the drawings indicate the actual scale.

The printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an inkjet printer, and prints by ejecting ink onto a printing medium such as cloth or paper. The printer 1 can print a color image on a print medium using five color inks of white, black, yellow, cyan, and magenta.

In the following, among the five color inks, the white ink is referred to as white ink, and the four color inks of black, cyan, yellow, and magenta are collectively referred to as color ink. When white ink and color ink are collectively referred to, or when either is not specified, they are simply referred to as ink. White ink is used for printing as a white part of an image or as a base for inks of other colors. The color ink is ejected directly onto the printing medium or on a base with white ink and used for printing a color image.

The appearance configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 includes a housing 10 and a lid 11. The housing 10 has a U-shape when viewed from the front. An opening 13 is formed in the housing 10. The opening 13 extends rearward from the front surface of the housing 10. The lid 11 is provided on the upper side of the housing 10, and can be opened and closed at a position that covers the upper surface of the housing 10 and a position that opens the upper surface of the housing 10 by rotating around the rear end of the lid 11.

An operation button 15 and a display screen 16 are provided on the right side of the opening 13 in the front surface of the housing 10. The operation button 15 inputs various information to the printer 1 according to the operation by the operator. The display screen 16 displays various information. Therefore, the operator operates the printer 1 on the front side of the printer 1. That is, in the present embodiment, the front side of the printer 1 is the front side of the printer 1.

A platen 12 is arranged in the opening 13. The platen 12 has a plate shape and is supported by a support portion 14 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction from below. The support portion 14 is fixed to the frame body 2 shown in FIG. 2 in the opening portion 13. The platen 12 moves in the front-rear direction by driving a sub-scanning motor (not shown). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the front-back direction is the sub-scanning direction.

The platen 12 can protrude to the front side of the front surface of the housing 10, that is, to the front of the front shaft 21 by moving forward, and to the rear side of the rear shaft 22 in the housing 10 by moving to the rear. You can move. The operator arranges the print medium on the upper surface of the platen 12 in a state where the platen 12 protrudes forward from the front surface of the housing 10. A storage unit 17 is provided on the right side of the housing 10. A plurality of cartridges 18 are stored in the storage unit 17 from the front side. Each cartridge 18 contains various liquids such as ink used for printing.

The internal structure of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, a frame 2 is provided inside the housing 10 shown in FIG. The frame 2 is composed of a plurality of shafts extending in the front-rear direction, a plurality of shafts extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of shafts extending in the vertical direction in a grid pattern. A guide shaft 20 is fixed to the upper end of the frame body 2. The guide shaft 20 is composed of a front shaft 21, a rear shaft 22, a left shaft 23, and a right shaft 24.

The front shaft 21 is arranged at the front end portion of the frame body 2 and extends in the left-right direction from the left end portion to the right end portion of the frame body 2. The rear shaft 22 is arranged substantially in the center of the frame body 2 in the front-rear direction, and extends in the left-right direction from the left end portion to the right end portion of the frame body 2. The left shaft 23 is arranged at the left end of the frame body 2 and extends in the front-rear direction from the left end of the front shaft 21 to the left end of the rear shaft 22. The right shaft 24 is arranged at the right end of the frame body 2 and extends in the front-rear direction from the right end of the front shaft 21 to the right end of the rear shaft 22.

The front shaft 21 and the rear shaft 22 support the carriage 6. The carriage 6 is a plate and extends from the front shaft 21 to the rear shaft 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 6 is provided with six mounting portions 61-66. Each of the mounting portions 61 to 66 is a region to which the head described later is mounted, and includes an opening penetrating the carriage 6 in the vertical direction and a circumference of the opening. The shape of the mounting portions 61 to 66 in a plan view corresponds to the external shape of the head in a plan view.

The mounting portions 61, 62, 63 are arranged on the right side of the carriage 6, and the mounting portions 61, 62, 63 are arranged in a row from the rear side to the front side in this order. The mounting portions 64, 65, 66 are arranged on the left side of the row of the mounting portions 61, 62, 63, and the mounting portions 64, 65, 66 are arranged in a row from the rear side to the front side in this order.

A head can be attached to each of the attachment portions 61 to 66. FIG. 2 shows an example of a state in which the head is mounted on the mounting portion, and shows a state in which the heads 31 to 36 are mounted on each of the mounting portions 61 to 66. In the following, the state shown in FIG. 2 is assumed. With the heads 31 to 36 mounted on each of the mounting portions 61 to 66, the carriage 6 is a vertical distance between the heads 31 to 36 and the platen 12, that is, between the heads 31 to 36 and the print medium. Keep the vertical distance constant.

White ink is supplied to the heads 31 and 34 from the white ink cartridge 18, respectively. A discharge printing agent is supplied to the heads 32 and 35 from the discharge printing agent cartridge 18, respectively. The discharge printing agent is a liquid for removing the color of the printing medium. Color ink is supplied to the heads 33 and 36 from the color ink cartridge 18, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a drive belt 98 is connected to the rear end portion of the carriage 6. The drive belt 98 is provided on the rear shaft 22 and extends in the left-right direction. The left end of the drive belt 98 is connected to the main scanning motor 99. The main scanning motor 99 is provided on the upper side of the left end portion of the rear shaft 22. When the main scanning motor 99 is driven, the drive belt 98 moves the carriage 6 in the left-right direction along the front shaft 21 and the rear shaft 22. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the left-right direction is the main scanning direction. 2 and 3 show a state in which the carriage 6 is located at the right end of the moving range.

According to the above configuration, the printer 1 moves the platen 12 in the front-rear direction (sub-scanning direction) by driving the sub-scanning motor (not shown), and drives the carriage 6 in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) by driving the main scanning motor 99. ), The print medium is conveyed in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction with respect to the heads 31 to 36. The printer 1 ejects various liquids from the heads 31 to 36 while transporting the print medium to the heads 31 to 36 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Specifically, the printer 1 first ejects a discharge printing agent from the heads 32 and 35 to remove colors from the print medium. Alternatively, the printer 1 first ejects white ink from the heads 31 and 34 to form a base on the print medium. The printer 1 prints a color image by ejecting color ink from the heads 33 and 36 on a portion of the print medium from which the color has been removed or a formed base. The printer 1 may eject both the white ink and the discharge printing agent.

The details of the positional relationship between the mounting portions 61 to 66 will be described with reference to FIG. The mounting portions 61 to 63 have a predetermined interval between adjacent portions in the front-rear direction. Similarly, the mounting portions 64 to 66 have a predetermined interval between adjacent portions in the front-rear direction.

The mounting portion 64 is displaced forward with respect to the mounting portion 61 and overlaps with the front portion of the mounting portion 61 in the left-right direction. That is, the rear end of the mounting portion 64 is located between the front end of the mounting portion 61 and the rear end of the mounting portion 61 in the front-rear direction. The positional relationship between the mounting portion 65 and the mounting portion 62 and the positional relationship between the mounting portion 66 and the mounting portion 63 are also the same as the positional relationship between the mounting portion 64 and the mounting portion 61, respectively.

The mounting portion 62 is displaced forward with respect to the mounting portion 64 and does not overlap with the mounting portion 64 in the left-right direction. That is, the rear end of the mounting portion 62 is located on the front side of the front end of the mounting portion 64. The positional relationship between the mounting portion 63 and the mounting portion 65 is also the same as the positional relationship between the mounting portion 62 and the mounting portion 64.

The detailed structure of the heads 31 to 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Since the structures of the heads 31 to 36 are the same, the structure of the head 31 will be described, and the description of the heads 32 to 36 will be omitted or simplified.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head 31 includes a head main body 311 and a reference plate 312. The head body 311 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A nozzle surface 310 is formed on the lower surface of the head body 311. On the nozzle surface 310, a plurality of rows of nozzles arranged in the front-rear direction are arranged in the left-right direction. The head 31 ejects the white ink supplied from the cartridge 18 shown in FIG. 1 from each nozzle of the nozzle surface 310.

The reference plate 312 is provided substantially in the center of the head body 311 in the vertical direction, and projects outward from each side surface of the front surface, the rear surface, the left surface, and the right surface of the head body 311. As shown in FIG. 6, a contact portion 313 is provided on the lower surface of the reference plate 312.

As shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 314 extends forward from substantially the center in the left-right direction of the front end of the reference plate 312 and protrudes to the left. The contact portion 315 extends rearwardly from substantially the center of the rear end of the reference plate 312 in the left-right direction and protrudes to the left. Of the front end of the reference plate 312, the contact portion 316 projects forward from the right side of the contact portion 314.

As shown in FIG. 6, a notch 317 is provided at substantially the center of the right end of the reference plate 312 in the front-rear direction. The notch 317 includes an inclined surface 318 and a connecting surface 319. The inclined surface 318 extends rearward from the right end of the reference plate 312 toward the left, and extends to the right side of the head body 311. The connecting surface 319 extends rearward from the left end of the inclined surface 318 toward the right, and extends to the right end of the reference plate 312.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the supply tubes 51 to 56 and one end of the circulation tubes 81 to 86 are connected to the rear ends of the upper surfaces of the heads 31 to 36, respectively. The supply tubes 51 to 53 and the circulation tubes 81 to 83 extend to the right from the heads 31 to 33, respectively. Feed tubes 54-56 and circulation tubes 84-86 extend to the left from heads 34-36, respectively. The other ends of the supply tubes 51 to 58 and the other ends of the circulation tubes 81 to 86 are connected to each cartridge 18 shown in FIG. 1 via a supply flow path (not shown).

When printing is performed, the liquid supplied from each cartridge 18 flows through the supply tubes 51 to 56 and is supplied to the heads 31 to 36, respectively. When the liquid is circulated, the liquid supplied from each cartridge 18 flows in the supply tubes 51 to 56 toward the heads 31 to 36, and is not discharged from the heads 31 to 36. It flows through the circulation tubes 81-86 and returns to each cartridge 18. The circulation of the liquid is performed in order to maintain the fluidity of the ink, such as eliminating the sedimentation of the components contained in the ink.

A board box 9 is provided on the right side of the heads 31 to 33. The substrate 90 is arranged in the substrate box 9. FIG. 4 shows the substrate 90 hidden by the substrate box 9 with a broken line. The board 90 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM (not shown) and the like, and controls the operation of the heads 31 to 36.

One end of the cable 91 to 96 is connected to the front surface of the heads 31 to 36, respectively. Cables 91-96 extend to the right from heads 31-36, respectively. The other ends of the cables 91 to 96 are connected to the substrate 90. The cables 91 to 96 are flexible flat cables (FFC), and transmit control signals from the substrate 90 to the heads 31 to 36, respectively. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 5 omits the illustration of the supply tube 51 and the cable 91.

The cap mechanism 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cap mechanism 4 is provided on the left side of the housing 10 shown in FIG. 1, and includes six caps 41 to 46 and a cap support portion 47. The caps 41 to 46 are provided below the movement path of the carriage 6 and to the left of the movement path of the platen 12. The positional relationship between the caps 41 to 46 is the same as the positional relationship between the mounting portions 61 to 66. Each of the caps 41 to 46 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and is supported from below by the cap support portion 47. The cap support portion 47 can move the caps 41 to 46 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, four springs 481 to 484 are provided on the lower side of the cap 41. In FIG. 3, the four springs 481 to 484 hidden by the cap 41 are shown by broken lines. Each of the four springs 481 to 484 urges the four corners of the cap 41 from below to above. Although not shown, four springs are also provided on the underside of each of the caps 42 to 46.

According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, when the carriage 6 moves to the left end of the movement range, the head 31 is arranged above the cap 41. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the carriage 6 is located at the left end of the movement range, and the cap 41 hidden by the head 31, the four springs 481 to 484, and the nozzle surface 310 are shown by broken lines. When the cap support portion 47 moves upward with the head 31 arranged above the cap 41, the cap 41 covers the nozzle surface 310 of the head 31 from below and caps it. Similarly, the caps 42 to 46 shown in FIG. 3 cover and cap the nozzle surfaces (not shown) of the heads 32 to 36 shown in FIG. 3 from below.

In this case, each of the springs 481 to 484 urges the cap 41 to the lower surface of the head 31. Similarly, the caps 42 to 46 are also urged on the lower surfaces of the heads 32 to 36, respectively. As a result, the edges of the caps 41 to 46 are in close contact with the lower surface of the heads 31 to 36, respectively, so that a gap is suppressed between the edges of the caps 41 to 46 and the lower surface of the heads 31 to 36. The printer 1 caps with caps 41 to 46 in order to prevent the ink and the discharge printing agent from drying while printing is not performed.

The detailed structure around the mounting portions 61 to 66 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. As shown in FIG. 4, since the structures around the mounting portions 61 to 66 are the same, the structure around the mounting portions 61 will be described, and the description of the structures around the mounting portions 62 to 66 will be omitted or simplified.

Each of the mounting portions 61 to 66 is provided with engaging plates 651 to 656 and arms 71 to 76. The engaging plates 651 to 656 are located substantially in the center in the front-rear direction on the left side of the mounting portion 61, respectively. The engaging plates 651 to 656 extend upward from the carriage 6. As shown in FIG. 6, an engagement hole 650 is provided at the upper end of the engagement plate 651. The structure of the engaging plates 652-656 is the same as the structure of the engaging plate 651.

As shown in FIG. 4, the arms 71 to 76 are respectively located substantially in the center of the mounting portion 61 in the front-rear direction. Since the structures of the arms 71 to 76 are the same, the structure of the arm 71 will be described, and the description of the structure of the arms 72 to 76 will be omitted. The structure of the arm 71 will be described with reference to the arm 71 at the release position described later shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the arm 71 is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the rear, and includes a base end portion 711, an extension portion 712, and a tip end portion 713. The base end portion 711 extends diagonally upward to the right from the right end portion of the opening of the mounting portion 61. The lower end of the base end 711 opens to the left and is fixed to the carriage 6. Specifically, the proximal end 711 is supported by a shaft 710. The shaft 710 is provided at the right end of the opening of the mounting portion 61 and extends in the front-rear direction.

Left and right holding springs 714 are mounted on the shaft 710. The left and right holding springs 714 are torsion coil springs. One end 718 of the left and right holding spring 714 is exposed to the left from the opening at the lower end of the base end 711.

The extending portion 712 extends diagonally upward to the left from the upper end portion of the base end portion 711. The left end and the right end of the extension 712 open downward, respectively. A vertical holding spring 715 is provided in the extending portion 712. The vertical holding spring 715 is a W-shaped leaf spring when viewed from the front. In the following, of the two bottom portions of the vertical pressing spring 715, the right side is referred to as a right pressing portion 716, and the left side is referred to as a left pressing portion 717. The right holding portion 716 projects downward from the opening at the right end of the extending portion 712. The left holding portion 717 projects downward from the opening at the left end of the extending portion 712. The tip portion 713 extends from the left end portion of the extension portion 712 to the left in a hook shape.

According to the above configuration, the arm 71 can be moved to the fixed position shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 and the release position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 by rotating around the shaft 710. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the arm 71 fixes the head 31 mounted on the mounting portion 61 in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions with respect to the mounting portion 61 at the fixed position. In this case, the tip portion 713 engages with the engagement hole 650. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the arm 71 releases the fixing of the head 31 to the mounting portion 61 at the release position. In this case, the operator can attach / detach the head 31 to / from the mounting portion 61.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, three adjusting members 67 to 69, a receiving portion 610, and three pins 620, 630, and 640 are provided around the mounting portion 61. The adjusting member 67 is fixed to the diagonally left front side of the mounting portion 61. A plurality of grooves are formed on the right surface of the adjusting member 67. The plurality of grooves of the adjusting member 67 extend in the vertical direction, respectively, and are arranged in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the receiving portion 621 described later.

The adjusting member 68 is fixed to the diagonally left rear side of the mounting portion 61. A plurality of grooves are formed on the right surface of the adjusting member 68. Each of the plurality of grooves of the adjusting member 68 extends in the vertical direction and is arranged in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the receiving portion 631 described later.

The adjusting member 69 is fixed to the diagonally right front side of the mounting portion 61. A plurality of grooves are formed on the rear surface of the adjusting member 69. Each of the plurality of grooves of the adjusting member 69 extends in the vertical direction and is arranged in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the receiving portion 641 described later.

The receiving portion 610 is the upper surface of the mounting portion 61 around the opening. The pin 620 is provided on the left side of the front side of the opening of the mounting portion 61 with respect to the center in the left-right direction, and includes a receiving portion 621 and a rotating portion 622. The receiving portion 621 has a circular shape in a plan view and is rotatably supported by the mounting portion 61. The center of rotation of the receiving portion 621 is deviated from the center of the circle of the receiving portion 621. Therefore, when the receiving portion 621 rotates, the radial position of the outer circumference of the receiving portion 621 changes. The rotating portion 622 is fixed to the receiving portion 621 and extends substantially forward from the receiving portion 621. The front end of the rotating portion 622 fits into any of the plurality of grooves of the adjusting member 67. The operator can operate the rotating portion 622 to rotate the receiving portion 621.

The pin 630 is provided on the left side of the rear side of the opening of the mounting portion 61 with respect to the center in the left-right direction, and includes a receiving portion 631 and a rotating portion 632. The pin 640 is provided on the right side of the pin 620 on the front side of the opening of the mounting portion 61, and includes a receiving portion 641 and a rotating portion 642. Since the structure of the pins 630 and 640 is the same as that of the pin 620, the description of the structure of the pins 630 and 640 will be omitted.

A method of fixing the head 31 to the mounting portion 61 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. As shown in FIG. 6, the operator attaches the head main body 311 so that the nozzle surface 310 faces downward and the notch 317 faces right while the arm 71 is in the release position. The head 31 is mounted on the mounting portion 61 by inserting the head 31 into the opening of the head 31.

As shown in FIG. 7, the portion of the head body 311 below the reference plate 312 projects downward from the opening of the mounting portion 61. The contact portion 313 comes into contact with the receiving portion 610. The notch 317 faces the opening of the base end 711 from the left side. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 314 faces the receiving portion 621 from the right side. The contact portion 315 faces the receiving portion 631 from the right side. The contact portion 316 faces the receiving portion 641 from the rear side.

The operator rotates the arm 71 from the release position shown in FIG. 7 to the fixed position shown in FIG. 8 in a counterclockwise direction in front view around the shaft 710. In this case, first, one end portion 718 of the left and right pressing spring 714 contacts the right end portion of the inclined surface 318, and moves while pressing the inclined surface 318 to the left toward the left end portion of the inclined surface 318. As a result, the urging force to the left of the left and right pressing springs 714 accompanying the rotation of the arm 71 is distributed to the left and forward and acts on the head 31. Therefore, the head 31 moves to the left and forward, and as shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 314 is pressed by the receiving portion 621 from the right, and the contact portion 315 is pressed by the receiving portion 631 from the right. The contact portion 316 is pressed against the receiving portion 641 from behind. As a result, the head 31 is positioned in the left-right direction and the front-back direction with respect to the mounting portion 61.

As shown in FIG. 8, after one end portion 718 of the left and right pressing springs 714 comes into contact with the inclined surface 318, the right pressing portion 716 of the upper and lower pressing springs 715 moves upward on the upper surface of the head body 311 according to the rotation of the arm 71. Press from. After that, the left pressing portion 717 of the upper and lower pressing springs 715 presses the upper surface of the head main body 311 from above. That is, the vertical pressing spring 715 presses the positions P1 and P2 downward on the upper surface of the head main body 311 at two positions, the right pressing portion 716 and the left pressing portion 717. The positions P1 and P2 indicate the positions where the right pressing portion 716 and the left pressing portion 717 press the head body 311, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the positions P1 and P2 are located in the rectangular region D surrounded by the four springs 481 to 484 in a plan view with the head 31 capped by the cap 41.

As shown in FIG. 8, the arm 71 presses the head 31 downward with the vertical pressing spring 715, so that the contact portion 313 is pressed against the receiving portion 610. As a result, the head 31 is positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the mounting portion 61.

As described above, the movement of the arm 71 to the fixed position is completed. That is, the head 31 is fixed to the mounting portion 61 in all directions, front, back, left, right, up and down, only by the operator moving the arm 71 from the release position to the fixed position. The operator hooks the tip portion 713 to the engagement hole 650 to fix the arm 71 in a fixed position.

In the present embodiment, when the arm 71 is in the fixed position shown in FIG. 8, the static friction force between the vertical pressing spring 715 and the head 31 is smaller than the urging force of the left and right pressing springs 714 on the head 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the operator rotates, for example, the rotating portion 622 in this state, the contact portions 314, 315, and 316 receive the rotating portion 621 due to the displacement of the right end of the receiving portion 621 in the left-right direction. The head 31 moves so as to maintain contact with the portions 621, 631, and 641. Similarly, when the operator rotates the rotating portions 632 and 642, the head 31 moves to the contact portions 314, 315 and 316 so as to maintain contact with the receiving portions 621, 631 and 641. Therefore, the operator can finely adjust the position in the front-back and left-right directions and the horizontal direction of the head 31 in the fixed position without moving the arm 71 to the release position.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the operator disengages the tip portion 713 from the engagement hole 650 while the arm 71 is in the fixed position, the arm 71 is viewed from the front around the shaft 710 by the urging force of the vertical holding spring 715. It repels to rotate in the clockwise direction. Therefore, the operator can easily move the arm 71 from the fixed position shown in FIG. 8 to the release position shown in FIG. 7.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the arm 71 is moved from the release position to the fixed position while the head 31 is mounted on the mounting portion 61, the head 31 is fully moved from the release position to the fixed position. Fixed in the direction. That is, the operator can fix the head 31 to the mounting portion 61 in all directions of front, back, left, right, up and down by simply moving the arm 71 from the release position to the fixed position. Therefore, the printer 1 can easily fix the head 31 to the mounting portion 61. Further, the operator can easily perform work such as replacement and maintenance of the head 31 only by moving the arm 71 from the fixed position to the release position.

Since the arm 71 is fixed to the carriage 6, the operator can easily handle the arm 71. Further, since the mounting portion 61 and the arm 71 are both provided on the carriage 6, the printer 1 does not have to provide a member to which the arm 71 is fixed separately from the carriage 6.

When the arm 71 rotates around the shaft 710 and moves from the release position to the fixed position, the vertical pressing spring 715 presses the head 31 from above, and the left and right pressing springs 714 press the head 31 from the right. Therefore, the arm 71 can be moved to the release position and the fixed position only by rotating around the shaft 710. Therefore, the printer 1 can easily fix the head 31 to the mounting portion 61.

When the arm 71 moves from the release position to the fixed position, the left and right pressing springs 714 press the inclined surface 318 from the right side. As a result, the force with which the arm 71 pushes the head 31 to the left is divided into a force to the left and a force to the front by the inclined surface 318. Therefore, the arm 71 does not need to be provided with a configuration for pressing the head 31 forward other than the left and right pressing springs 714. Therefore, the printer 1 can fix the head 31 to the mounting portion 61 with a simple configuration.

When the nozzle surface 310 is capped from below by the cap 41, an upward force by the four springs 481 to 484 and a downward force by the arm 71 act on the head 31. Since the positions P1 and P2 are both located in the rectangular region D, the generation of the rotational moment due to the downward force by the arm 71 and the upward force by the springs 482 to 484 is suppressed. Therefore, the printer 1 can prevent the cap 41 from being displaced from the head 31 when the nozzle surface 310 is capped by the cap 41.

Three mounting portions 61 to 63 are arranged in the front-rear direction. Since the shaft 710 extends in the front-rear direction, the position of the arm 71 in the front-rear direction does not change even if the arm 71 moves between the fixed position and the release position. Similarly, the positions of the arms 72 and 73 in the front-rear direction do not change even if they are moved to the fixed position and the release position. Therefore, even if the arms 71 to 73 move to the fixed position and the release position, they are unlikely to interfere with each other. Therefore, since the arms 71 to 73 are less likely to hinder their movement, the printer 1 can easily fix the heads 31 to 33 to the mounting portions 61 to 63. Similarly, since the arms 74 to 76 are less likely to hinder their movement, the printer 1 can easily fix the heads 34 to 36 to the mounting portions 64 to 66.

As described above, even if the arms 71 and 74 move between the fixed position and the release position, the positions of the arms 71 and 74 in the front-rear direction do not change. Further, the two mounting portions 61 and 64 are displaced in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if one of the arms 71 and 74 moves to the fixed position and the release position, it is unlikely to interfere with the other of the arms 71 and 74. Therefore, since the arms 71 and 74 are unlikely to hinder their movements, the printer 1 can easily fix the heads 31 and 34 to the mounting portions 61 and 64. Similarly, since the arms 72, 75 and the arms 73, 76 are less likely to hinder their movement, the printer 1 can easily fix the heads 32, 33, 35, 36 to the mounting portions 62, 63, 65, 66.

Since the mounting portion 61 is displaced rearward with respect to the mounting portion 64, a region is generated on the right side of the mounting portion 64 and on the front side of the mounting portion 61. The printer 1 can effectively utilize this area as a moving area of the arm 74.

The heads 31 to 33 and the heads 34 to 36 are arranged in the left-right direction, respectively, and the supply tubes 51 to 53 extend to the right from the heads 31 to 33, and the supply tubes 54 to 56 extend to the left from the heads 34 to 36. Therefore, the supply tubes 51 to 53 are less likely to interfere with the heads 34 to 36, and the supply tubes 54 to 56 are less likely to interfere with the heads 31 to 33. Therefore, the printer 1 can easily attach / detach the heads 31 to 36 to / from the mounting portions 61 to 66. Since the circulation tubes 84 to 86 also extend in the same manner as the supply tubes 51 to 53, the printer 1 can more easily attach and detach the heads 31 to 36 to and from the mounting portions 61 to 66.

Cables 91-96 extend to the right from heads 31-36, respectively. Since the board 90 is provided only on one side of the carriage 6 in the left-right direction and each cable 91-96 extends in the same direction from the heads 31-36, the operator can easily handle the cables 91-96. Therefore, the operator can easily perform operations such as connecting the cables 91 to 96 to the heads 31 to 36 and the substrate 90, and maintaining the cables 91 to 96.

Since a predetermined distance is provided between the heads 31 and 32 in the front-rear direction, the cable 91 and the supply tube 52 are unlikely to interfere with each other. Similarly, the cables 92, 94 and 95 are less likely to interfere with the supply tubes 53, 55 and 56, respectively. Therefore, the printer 1 can easily handle the cables 91, 92, 94, 95 and the supply tubes 52, 53, 55, 56. Similarly, the printer 1 is easy to handle the circulation tubes 82, 83, 85, 86.

Since the head 34 is displaced forward with respect to the head 31, the cables 91 and 94 are unlikely to interfere with each other. Similarly, the cables 92 and 95 are less likely to interfere with each other, and the cables 93 and 96 are less likely to interfere with each other. Therefore, the printer 1 can easily handle the cables 91 to 96.

The cable 91 is connected to the front end of the head 31, and the supply tube 51 is connected to the rear end of the head 31. The arm 71 is provided between the cable 91 and the supply tube 51 in the front-rear direction of the head 31. Further, the cable 91, the supply tube 51, and the arm 71 all extend in the left-right direction. Therefore, even if the arm 71 rotates around the shaft 710, it does not easily interfere with the cable 91 and the supply tube 51. Therefore, the printer 1 can easily fix the head 31 to the mounting portion 61. Similarly, the printer 1 can easily fix the heads 32 to 36 to the mounting portions 62 to 66.

In the above embodiment, the ink and the discharge printing agent correspond to the "liquid" of the present invention. The heads 31 to 36 correspond to the "head" of the present invention. The mounting portions 61 to 66 correspond to the "mounting portion" of the present invention. The front-back direction corresponds to the "first direction" of the present invention. The left-right direction corresponds to the "second direction" of the present invention. The vertical direction corresponds to the "third direction" of the present invention. The arms 71 to 76 correspond to the "arm" of the present invention.

The carriage 6 corresponds to the "plate" of the present invention. The front-back direction corresponds to the "axial direction" of the present invention. The shaft 710 corresponds to the "axis" of the present invention. The upper part corresponds to "one of the third directions" of the present invention. The vertical pressing spring 715 corresponds to the "first pressing portion" of the present invention. The left-right direction corresponds to the "orthogonal direction" of the present invention. The right side corresponds to "one of the orthogonal directions" of the present invention. The left and right pressing spring 714 corresponds to the "second pressing portion" of the present invention. The left side corresponds to the "other in the orthogonal direction" of the present invention. The front corresponds to "one of the axial directions" of the present invention. The rear corresponds to the "other in the axial direction" of the present invention. The inclined surface 318 corresponds to the "inclined surface" of the present invention.

The nozzle surface 310 corresponds to the "nozzle surface" of the present invention. The lower part corresponds to the "other of the third direction" of the present invention. Caps 41 to 46 correspond to the "cap" of the present invention. The springs 481 to 484 correspond to the "elastic member" of the present invention. The supply tubes 51 to 56 correspond to the "tube" of the present invention. The substrate 90 corresponds to the "substrate" of the present invention. Cables 91-96 correspond to the "cable" of the present invention.

The present invention can be variously modified from the above embodiment. The various modifications described below can be combined as long as there is no contradiction. The present invention is not limited to the printer 1, and can be applied to, for example, a pretreatment agent ejection device. The pretreatment agent discharge device includes a head for discharging the pretreatment agent. The pretreatment agent is a liquid for improving ink fixing, color development, etc., and is ejected to a medium before printing.

In the above embodiment, the vertical pressing spring 715 presses the head 31 at two places, but the head 31 may be pressed at one place, or the head 31 may be pressed at three or more places. The vertical holding spring 715 is not limited to a leaf spring, and may be a compression coil spring, a disc spring, or the like. Similarly, the left and right holding springs 714 are not limited to torsion coil springs. Further, an elastic member such as a sponge or rubber may be adopted instead of the upper / lower pressing spring 715 and the left / right pressing spring 714. The vertical holding spring 715 and the left and right holding spring 714 may be omitted. That is, the arm 71 may directly contact the inclined surface 318 without passing through the left and right pressing springs 714 to push the head 31 to the left and forward, or may directly contact the head body 311 without passing through the upper and lower pressing springs 715. You may push 31 downwards.

In the above embodiment, the shaft 710 may extend in the left-right direction. In this case, the shaft 710 may be provided, for example, on the front side or the rear side of the mounting portion 61. Similarly, the shaft 710 may extend diagonally with respect to the left-right direction and the front-back direction, or may extend in the vertical direction. In the above embodiment, in all the arms 71 to 76, the direction in which the axis extends and the position in which the axis is arranged are the same, but they may be different from each other.

In the above embodiment, the shaft 710 may be omitted. For example, shafts extending in the vertical direction from the four corners of the mounting portion 61 may be provided, and the arm 71 may be supported by the four shafts so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The arm 71 may be fixed to a member different from the carriage 6.

In the above embodiment, the number of springs 481 to 484 is not limited to four, and may be one, two, or omitted. It is preferable that a plurality of three or more springs are provided in order to stabilize capping. For example, one spring may be provided instead of the springs 481 to 484, and one spring may press a plurality of locations (for example, three or more locations) of the cap 41. An elastic member such as a sponge or rubber may be adopted instead of the springs 481 to 484. The springs 481 to 484 may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the heads 31 to 36 are mounted on all of the mounting portions 61 to 66. On the other hand, only one of the heads 31 to 36, for example, the heads 31, 33, 34, 36 may be mounted on the mounting portions 61, 63, 64, 66, and one of the mounting portions 61 to 66 may be mounted. It may be attached to. The type of the liquid discharged by each of the heads 31 to 36 is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, the head 31 may discharge the color ink or the discharge printing agent. Further, the various liquids are not limited to the above embodiments, and various liquids such as white inks, color inks, special color inks such as fluorescent colors, discharge printing agents, and pretreatment agents can be considered. The various liquids may be supplied to the heads 31-36 from the tank instead of from the cartridge 18.

The number of mounting portions 61 to 66 is not limited to six, and at least one may be sufficient. For example, the printer 1 may be provided with only one of two rows of the mounting portions 61 to 63 and the mounting portions 64 to 66, or may be provided with three or more rows. This row may not be composed of three mounting portions, may be composed of two mounting portions, or may be composed of four or more mounting portions. A plurality of mounting portions may be arranged only in the left-right direction of the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. For example, when a plurality of mounting portions are arranged in the left-right direction, the carriage 6 does not have to move in the left-right direction with respect to the platen 12.

In the above embodiment, the mounting portion 62 is displaced forward with respect to the mounting portion 64 and does not overlap with the mounting portion 64 in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the mounting portion 62 may be displaced rearward with respect to the mounting portion 64, or may overlap with the mounting portion 64 in the left-right direction. The positional relationship between the mounting portion 63 and the mounting portion 65 can be changed in the same manner as the positional relationship between the mounting portion 62 and the mounting portion 64.

In the above embodiment, the supply tubes 51 to 53 and the supply tubes 54 to 56 extend in opposite directions from the heads 31 to 33 and the heads 34 to 36, respectively. On the other hand, all of the supply tubes 51 to 56 may extend from the heads 31 to 36 in the same direction, for example, to the left or right, or may extend in the front-back direction or the up-down direction. When three or more mounting parts are lined up in the left-right direction, the supply tube connected to the head mounted on the leftmost mounting part extends to the left, and the supply tube connected to the head mounted on the rightmost mounting part. Is preferably extended to the right. Specifically, the supply tube connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion on the left side of the center in the left-right direction extends to the left side, and the supply connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion on the right side of the center in the left-right direction. The tube preferably extends to the right. The circulation tubes 81 to 86 can be changed in the same manner as the supply tubes 51 to 56.

In the above embodiment, the substrate 90 may be provided on the left side, the front side, the rear side, the upper side, or the lower side instead of the right side of the carriage 6. In the above embodiment, the number of substrates 90 is one, but a plurality of substrates, for example, another substrate may be provided. The other substrate may be provided, for example, on the left side of the mounting portions 64 to 66. In this case, for example, the cables 94 to 96 may extend to the left from the heads 34 to 36, respectively, and may be connected to another board instead of the board 90. That is, the cables 91 to 96 do not have to extend in the same direction. The cables 91 to 96 may extend in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction.

In the above embodiment, the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the printer 1 have been described as the "first direction", the "second direction", and the "third direction" of the present invention, respectively. On the other hand, the "first direction", "second direction", and "third direction" of the present invention may be any combination of the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction.

1 Printer 6 Carriage 31-36 Head 51-58 Supply tube 61-66 Mounting part 71-76 Arm 90 Board 91-96 Cable 318 Inclined surface 481-484 Spring 710 Axis 714 Left and right holding spring 715 Vertical holding spring

Claims (10)

The mounting part where the head that discharges the liquid is mounted, and the mounting part
The fixed position for fixing the head mounted on the mounting portion in the first, second, and third directions orthogonal to the mounting portion and the fixing of the head to the mounting portion are released. A liquid discharge device characterized by being equipped with a movable arm and a release position. The mounting portion is provided on a plate that maintains a constant distance between the head and the print medium.
The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein one end of the arm is fixed to the plate. The arm
It is possible to move to the fixed position and the release position by rotating around an axis provided on the plate, which extends in one of the first direction and the second direction.
When moving from the release position to the fixed position, the first pressing portion that presses the head from one of the third directions and the head are orthogonal to each other of the first direction and the second direction. The liquid discharge device according to claim 2, further comprising a second pressing portion that presses from one of the directions. The head has an inclined surface extending from one of the axial directions to the other as it goes from one of the orthogonal directions to the other.
The liquid discharge device according to claim 3, wherein the second pressing portion presses the inclined surface from one of the orthogonal directions when moving from the release position to the fixed position. A cap capable of covering the nozzle surface provided on the head from the other side in the third direction,
The cap is provided with an elastic member that urges the cap in one of the third directions at a plurality of locations, which is three or more locations.
When the arm is located at the fixed position, the position where the first pressing portion presses the head is the position where the head overlaps the cap in the third direction, and the third of the heads. The liquid discharge device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the liquid discharge device is located in a region surrounded by the plurality of places when viewed from a direction. A plurality of the mounting portions arranged in the first direction are provided.
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the axial direction is the first direction. A plurality of the mounting portions arranged in the second direction are provided.
The pair of mounting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are arranged at positions displaced from each other in the first direction.
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the axial direction is the first direction. A plurality of rows of the mounting portions arranged in the first direction are provided with a plurality of the mounting portions arranged side by side in the second direction.
A plurality of the mounting portions arranged in the first direction in one of the rows of the pair of mounting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are the first with respect to the mounting portions arranged in the first direction on the other side. Arranged in a position offset in one direction,
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the axial direction is the first direction. A tube connected to the head and through which the liquid supplied to the head flows is provided.
The tube connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion located on one side of the second direction extends from the head to one of the second directions.
7. The invention according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the tube connected to the head mounted on the mounting portion located on the other side of the second direction extends from the head to the other side in the second direction. Liquid discharge device. The board that controls the head and
A cable for connecting the board and the head is provided.
The cable according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the cable extends in one or the other of the second directions from all the heads mounted on the plurality of mounting portions in the same direction. Liquid discharge device.

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