JPH1035184A - Automatic drawing instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic drawing instrument wherein whether trial drawing is normally performed or not can be accurately detected. and the trial drawings can be repeatedly performed without duplication on a paper so as to avoid exchanging the paper on every trial drawing. SOLUTION: A drawing head 12 is constituted so as to be relatively movable in the X-Y axial direction to a paper supporting face on the table 4 and is controlled in the X-Y axial direction by means of a controller. A trial drawing area 24 where a trial drawing medium can be set is provided within a region where the drawing head 12 is movable and out of a region where drawing can be performed by the drawing head 12. An optically reflective optical sensor 26 is provided on the drawing head 12 and after the drawing head 12 is controlled in the X-Y axial direction by a controller to perform trial drawing on the trial drawing medium, the condition of drawing on the trial drawing medium is detected by means of an optical sensor 26. The place where the trial drawing is performed to the trial drawing medium by the drawing head 12 is moved by a specific amount in a specified direction on every time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic drafting machine such as a plotter or a printer for drawing by a writing tool such as an ink pen or a ball-point pen or a drawing means such as an ink jet nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-145693 discloses that
There is disclosed a pen plotter in which a test writing medium is provided outside a drawing area and test writing is performed as needed. In addition, actual opening flat 4
JP-A-6-67092 discloses that a sensor is provided in a drawing head,
There is disclosed a recording device which always checks whether writing is possible with this sensor.

[0003]

A plotter for providing a test writing medium outside the drawing area and performing the test writing as necessary needs to change the written paper every time, which wastes paper resources. At the same time, there was a problem that it took time and effort. In addition, since the presence or absence of test writing is confirmed by human eyes, there is a possibility that a check error may occur. Further, the configuration in which the writing state is constantly monitored by the sensor has a problem that the processing in the controller is complicated and the cost is high. An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper support surface, a drawing head movable in the X-Y directions relative to the paper support surface, and A controller for controlling the relative movement between the support surface and the drawing head; and a test writing area provided in the moving area of the drawing head and outside the drawing area of the drawing head, in which a test writing medium such as paper can be set. In the automatic drafting machine having the drawing head, a place where the drawing head performs test writing on the test writing medium is moved by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction each time, and the drawing head moves to the test writing medium by the drawing head. Is written before drawing, at every designated drawing movement distance, every designated drawing time, or every drawing. Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper support surface, a drawing head movable relative to the paper support surface in the X-Y axis direction, and the paper support surface and the drawing head. A controller for controlling relative movement, wherein an automatic drafting machine is configured to perform drawing on a sheet on a sheet supporting surface, wherein a test writing medium such as a sheet is set within a moving area of the drawing head and outside the drawing area. While providing a possible trial writing area,
A light reflection type optical sensor is provided on the drawing head or a member interlocked with the drawing head, and after performing test writing on the test writing medium, the drawing state of the test writing medium is detected by the optical sensor. The position where the test writing is performed on the test writing medium by the drawing head is moved by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction each time, and the test writing of the drawing head is performed by a test writing pattern on the test writing medium. The final position is detected, and the final position is used as a reference to perform the next predetermined position. Further, the test writing is performed before plotting, at a specified plotting movement distance, at a specified plotting time, or at one plotting time. This is done every time.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Reference numeral 2 denotes a main body of an automatic drafting machine (plotter / printer), on which a table 4 is fixed, and on both sides of the table 4, X rails 6, 8 are fixed. The X rails 6 and 8 are supported via cursors near both ends of the Y rail 10 so as to be able to move in parallel in the X-axis direction along the X rails. A drawing head 12 is provided on the Y rail 10 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction along the Y rail 10.
Is supported.

[0006] The drawing head 12 includes a writing implement holder 14, which holds an ink pen 16 in a detachable manner. The drawing head 12 may use an ink jet drawing head. Reference numeral 18 denotes a pen stocker, which includes a plurality of writing implement holders 20 for detachably holding an ink pen. The automatic drafting machine has a built-in controller (not shown) connected to a host computer.
1 is configured to be moved in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) in FIG. 1 and the drawing head 12 is moved in the Y-axis direction along the Y rail 10.

The writing implement holder 14 of the drawing head 12
Is connected to a lifting drive device, and is configured to be controlled by a controller to move up and down in a direction perpendicular to the table 4 surface. Also, the writing implement holder 14 of the drawing head 12
The writing implement is configured to be exchangeable between the writing implement and the plurality of writing implement holders 20 of the pen stocker 18. Reference numeral 24 denotes a test writing area provided in a proper position of the main body 2 within the movable range of the drawing head 12 and outside the drawing area, and is configured so that the test writing paper 22 can be set therein. .

Reference numeral 26 denotes a light reflection type optical sensor, and a detection unit is attached to the drawing head 12 with the detection unit facing the table surface. The optical sensor 26 is connected to a controller. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
The controller, before the execution of the drawing or during the execution of the drawing, every time the drawing movement distance of the ink pen 16 reaches the designated distance,
Alternatively, the drawing head 12 is moved to the test writing area 24 every time the designated time elapses, and the test writing is performed on the paper 22 on the area 24 by the ink pen 16.

The pattern P of the test writing by the ink pen 16 is shown in FIG. 4A, where a predetermined portion is painted black, or as shown in FIG. 4B, several lines are drawn, or as shown in FIG. 4C. And cross the lines as shown. When performing trial writing, the controller moves the optical sensor 26 to the trial writing portion as shown in FIG. 3 and scans the drawing state of the portion. By this scanning, the controller confirms a place to be trial-written on the paper 22 and draws a trial-write pattern P at this place.
Next, the controller causes the ink pen 16 to
The sensor 26 is moved to a predetermined place to check whether or not the test writing and drawing have been normally performed.

The controller controls the ink pen 16 in use.
Thus, when it is confirmed from the output signal of the optical sensor 26 that the normal test writing is performed on the test writing area 24, the drawing operation on the table 4 is continued. If the test writing pattern P cannot be detected at a predetermined location on the paper 22 in the test writing area 24, a warning is displayed on the display section of the operation panel 28 of the main body 2 as ink is exhausted, and a drawing operation on the table 4 is performed. To stop.

The first trial writing is performed at the end 22a of the sheet 22.
When the next test writing is performed, the controller moves the optical sensor 26 in a predetermined direction from a predetermined start position of the paper 22 on the test writing area 24 in accordance with a preset format. Scan. When four test writing patterns P (a, b, c, d) are drawn on the paper 22 on the test writing area 24 as shown in FIG. 3, the optical sensor 26 detects each of the patterns P. The controller outputs the output signal 30 of the optical sensor 26.
Of the test writing pattern P
The last position of (a, b, c, d) is detected, and the next test writing pattern P is written at a predetermined location e that is a predetermined distance away from the location d of the previous trial writing with reference to this final position.

After the test writing is performed on the location e on the sheet 22, the controller detects whether or not the drawing is actually performed on the location e by the optical sensor 26, as described above. Note that the controller may cause the memory to store the last position of the previous test writing in the memory. In this case, the test writing is performed at a predetermined location away from the last position of the previous test writing pattern by a predetermined distance. You can do trial writing directly.

[0013]

According to the present invention, since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to reliably detect the ink shortage, and to perform the test writing on the paper many times, thereby saving the paper resources.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of an automatic drafting machine.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of test writing paper.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a test writing pattern.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Body 4 Table 6 X rail 8 X rail 10 Y rail 12 Drawing head 14 Writing implement holder 16 Ink pen 18 Pen stocker 20 Writing implement holder 22 Paper 24 Trial writing area 26 Optical sensor 28 Operation panel 30 Output signal

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A paper support surface, a drawing head movable relative to the paper support surface in the X-Y axis direction, a controller for controlling relative movement between the paper support surface and the drawing head, An automatic drafting machine having a test writing area in which a test writing medium such as paper can be set, provided in the moving area of the drawing head and outside the drawing area of the drawing head, wherein the test writing is performed by the drawing head. An automatic drafting machine wherein a place where test writing is performed on a medium is moved by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction each time. 2. A test writing on the test writing medium by the drawing head is performed before drawing, at a designated drawing moving distance, at a designated drawing time, or at every drawing. The automatic drafting machine according to claim 1. 3. A sheet supporting surface, a drawing head movable in the X-Y axis direction relative to the sheet supporting surface, and a controller for controlling relative movement between the sheet supporting surface and the drawing head. In the automatic drafting machine that is provided to perform drawing on a sheet on a sheet supporting surface, a test writing area in which a test writing medium such as a sheet can be set is provided within the moving area of the drawing head and outside the drawing area. A light reflection type optical sensor is provided on the drawing head or a member interlocked with the drawing head, and after performing test writing on the test writing medium, the drawing state of the test writing medium is detected by the optical sensor. An automatic drafting machine. 4. The automatic drafting machine according to claim 3, wherein a place where test writing is performed on the test writing medium by the drawing head is moved by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction each time. 5. The test writing of the drawing head detects a final position of a test writing pattern on the test writing medium, and performs the test writing at a next predetermined position based on the final position. The automatic drafting machine according to claim 3. 6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the test writing is performed before drawing, at every designated drawing movement distance, at every designated drawing time, or every drawing.
Automatic drafting machine according to 1.