JP7622623B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device .

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing devices such as nail printers that print on fingernails have been known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233663).
In this type of printing device, as the overall device becomes smaller, the relative weight ratio of the carriage increases. Therefore, if an impact is applied in the direction of the carriage's movement due to the device body being dropped or colliding with a wall, etc., the carriage may move, and the carriage itself or the drive unit may be damaged. Alternatively, the drive belt that drives the carriage separately on the left and right sides may skip teeth, causing the carriage to tilt left and right, which may lead to a decrease in print quality, such as color misalignment.

JP 2017-18456 A

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an optimal protection for an object to be protected, such as a carriage.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the printing device of the present invention is a printing device configured to move a carriage equipped with a print head, and is characterized in that it comprises a holder member having a step, a mass body configured to move from the lower to upper step of the step by riding over the step with the inertial force when subjected to an impact that generates an inertial force of a predetermined magnitude in the direction of riding over the step, and a locking claw that engages with the teeth of a gear provided above the holder member and rotates in conjunction with the movement of the carriage by being pushed up by the mass body moving from the lower to upper step.

According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively protect an object to be protected, such as a carriage .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a main part of a printing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the device body according to the embodiment, seen obliquely from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the device body according to the embodiment, seen obliquely from behind. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of the device body according to the embodiment, seen from above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a locking mechanism according to the embodiment. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an operation of the locking mechanism according to the embodiment.

An embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In addition, the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.
In the following embodiment, the printing device is described as a nail print device that prints on the printing target of fingernails, but the printing target of the printing device in the present invention is not limited to fingernails, and may be, for example, toenails. In addition, the printing target may be anything other than nails, such as nail tips or the surfaces of various accessories.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a main part of a printing device 1. As shown in FIG.
In the following embodiments, up/down, left/right, and front/rear refer to the directions shown in the drawings, and the X direction refers to the left/right direction, and the Y direction refers to the front/rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 1 has a housing 2 formed in a substantially box shape.
The housing 2 has an opening 21 formed over almost the entire surface in the left-right direction (lateral direction of the printing device 1) in the lower part of the front side (front side of the printing device 1). Also, a notch 22 is formed in the approximate center in the left-right direction of the housing 2, continuing to the upper side of the opening 21. The notch 22 functions as an entrance/exit when the cartridge 7, which will be described later, is attached to and detached from the device.
Although not shown, the housing 2 may include a cover member or the like that covers the opening 21 and the cutout portion 22. The cover member may be a separate member from the housing 2, or may be attached to the housing 2 via a hinge or the like so as to be openable and closable.

An operation unit 12 of the printing device 1 is provided on the top surface (top plate) of the housing 2. The operation unit 12 is, for example, an operation button (power switch button) for turning the power of the printing device 1 on and off.
The shape and arrangement of each part of the housing 2 are not limited to the illustrated example and can be set as appropriate. For example, the operation unit 12 may be provided on the side or back of the housing 2 instead of on the top surface of the housing 2. In addition, the housing 2 may be provided with various other operation buttons as the operation unit 12, and may be provided with various display units, indicators, etc.

A device main body 10 is housed inside the housing 2 .
The device main body 10 includes a base 11, a finger placement section 6 attached thereto, an imaging section 50 that images the nail to be printed on, and a printing section 40 that prints on the nail to be printed on.

The finger placement section 6 is disposed at approximately the center in the left-right direction on the front side of the device on the base 11, and a finger having a nail to be printed (print finger) is placed within an area suitable for printing.
The finger placement section 6 has an opening 61 on the front side of the device. A finger fixing member 62 is provided inside the finger placement section 6. The finger fixing member 62 supports a finger inserted through the opening 61 by pushing it up from below, and is made of, for example, a flexible resin.
A window 63 is formed on the upper surface of the finger placement section 6 to expose the nail portion of the finger inserted through the opening 61 and held by the finger fixing member 62 .

The photographing unit 50 is provided inside the top surface (top plate) of the housing 2 and above the window portion 63 of the finger placement section 6, and photographs the nail (finger including the nail) exposed from the window portion 63 to obtain an image of the nail.
The photographing unit 50 includes, for example, an imaging camera and an illumination lamp for illuminating the nail to be photographed (not shown). The imaging camera is, for example, a small camera including a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type having 2 million or more pixels, a lens, etc. The illumination lamp is, for example, a white LED, etc.

2 and 3 are perspective views of the main part of the device body 10 as viewed obliquely from the front and rear.
As shown in these figures, the printing unit 40 includes a cartridge 7 that functions as a print head, a cartridge holder 71 that holds the cartridge 7, a carriage 8 that supports the cartridge holder 71 so that it can move in the X direction, an X-direction movement motor 46, and a Y-direction movement motor 48.

The cartridge 7 is an integrated head that functions as a print head, and is an inkjet head that prints by spraying minute droplets of ink from the ink ejection section on the bottom surface onto the print target. The cartridge 7 of this embodiment is capable of ejecting ink of various colors, such as cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and yellow (Y; YELLOW), although this is not limited thereto.

The cartridge holder 71 removably holds the cartridge 7 .
The cartridge holder 71 is supported at the front of the carriage 8 so as to be movable in the X direction. The carriage 8 is provided with an X-direction rail 80 extending in the left-right direction, and is equipped with an X-direction movement motor 46. The X-direction rail 80 is inserted into the rear of the cartridge holder 71. The cartridge holder 71 is movable in the X direction on the carriage 8 along the X-direction rail 80 as the X-direction movement motor 46 is driven to rotate the X drive belt 72.

The carriage 8 is an example of a printing unit according to the present invention. The carriage 8 is formed in a rectangular box shape that is long in the left-right direction (X direction), and both left and right ends are supported by Y-direction rails 81, respectively.
Each Y-direction rail 81 extends in the Y direction and supports the carriage 8 so that it is movable in the Y direction.

A toothed Y timing belt 83 is connected to each of the left and right ends of the carriage 8 via a belt clip 82 .
Each Y timing belt 83 extends in the Y direction and is tensioned around two pulleys 84a, 84b, one at the front and one at the rear. Of these, the front pulley 84a is a driven pulley, and the rear pulley 84b is a driving pulley.
Of the Y timing belts 83 on both the left and right sides, the right Y timing belt 83R is the primary (drive) side, and is connected to the Y-direction movement motor 48. Specifically, the rear pulley 84b (drive pulley) that stretches the right Y timing belt 83R has an integrally formed gear 86a, and is connected to the Y-direction movement motor 48 via an intermediate gear 86b that meshes with the gear 86a.
On the other hand, the left Y timing belt 83L is the driven side, and its rotation speed and rotation amount are linked (synchronized) with the driven side by a connecting shaft 87 that extends in the X direction and connects the pulleys 84b on both the left and right sides. The two left and right Y timing belts 83 and the connecting shaft 87 that connects them are an example of the moving means according to the present invention.
When the Y-direction movement motor 48 is driven, the rear pulley 84b rotates, which in turn rotates the Y timing belt 83, allowing the carriage 8 to move in the Y direction while being supported by the Y-direction rail 81.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main part of the device body 10 as viewed from above.
As shown in this figure, the right rear portion of the range of movement of the cartridge 7 and carriage 8 is a home position A1 where the cartridge 7 waits when not printing. A cap portion (not shown) is provided at home position A1 to cover the ink ejection surface on the bottom of the cartridge 7 to protect it from drying out, etc.
The front part of the movement range of the cartridge 7 and carriage 8, which is approximately the center in the left-right direction, is an area corresponding to the window portion 63 of the finger placement portion 6, and is a printing area A3 where the cartridge 7 performs the printing operation during printing. The right side of the printing area A3 is a print standby position A4 where the cartridge 7 waits just before the printing operation, etc.
The cartridge 7 can move in the XY plane through an area including at least the home position A1, the printing area A3, and the print standby position A4 by moving in the X direction on the carriage 8 and by moving the carriage 8 itself in the Y direction.

Next, the lock mechanism 90 that restricts the movement of the carriage 8 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism 90, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the locking mechanism 90. As shown in FIG.

In the printing device 1, the carriage 8 carrying the X-direction movement mechanism of the cartridge 7 and the like is relatively heavy. For this reason, for example, when the carriage 8 is simply stopped while not printing, if an impact force (inertial force) is applied in the moving direction (Y direction) of the carriage 8 due to the device being dropped or colliding with a wall, etc., the carriage 8 may move in this direction with rapid acceleration. As a result, the drive mechanism of the carriage 8 (the mechanism that allows the carriage 8 to move, including the Y-direction movement motor 48, the Y-direction rail 81, the belt clip 82, etc.) or the carriage 8 itself may be damaged.

Therefore, the printing device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a locking mechanism 90 that restricts movement of the carriage 8 when an impact force (inertia force) of a predetermined magnitude or greater is applied at least in the Y direction, as shown in FIGS.
The locking mechanism 90 is disposed at the left-right center of the rear part of the device body 10, and is configured to be able to restrict the rotational movement of the connecting shaft 87 extending in the X direction. Specifically, each locking mechanism 90 includes a ratchet gear 91, a sensor holder 92, a sensor weight 93, and a sensor arm 94.

The ratchet gear 91 is a gear member that rotates about the connecting shaft 87 as a central axis, and is connected (fixed) to the connecting shaft 87. The ratchet gear 91 has a first gear 911 and a second gear 912 that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.
The first gear 911 and the second gear 912 are formed to have the same outer diameter size and are fixed to each other so as to rotate integrally around the central axis. The first gear 911 and the second gear 912 each have a plurality of locking teeth on the entire circumference of their outer periphery that are inclined in the circumferential direction so that the locking directions are opposite to each other. Specifically, the first gear 911 arranged on the right side has a plurality of first teeth 911a that are locked in a clockwise direction when viewed from the right. On the other hand, the second gear 912 arranged on the left side has a plurality of second teeth 912a that are locked in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right.

The sensor holder 92 is disposed below the ratchet gear 91, and holds a sensor weight 93. The upper surface of the sensor holder 92 is formed with two grooves 92a and a recess 92b for accommodating the sensor weight 93.
The recess 92b is provided directly below the center of the ratchet gear 91 and accommodates the sensor weight 93 in a resting state. The "resting state (steady state)" refers to a state in which the inertial force acting at least in the front-rear direction is equal to or less than a predetermined value when the device body 10 is installed substantially horizontally. The magnitude of the inertial force increases or decreases depending on the magnitude of the acceleration generated at least in the Y direction.
The two grooves 92a are disposed on both the front and rear sides of the recess 92b and communicate with the recess 92b. The bottom surface of each groove 92a is higher than the bottom surface of the recess 92b.

The sensor weight 93 is a spherical inertial mass body that is held in the recess 92b and two grooves 92a of the sensor holder 92 so that it can swing back and forth. As described below, the sensor weight 93 is housed in the recess 92b in the resting state, and moves (swings) into the front or rear groove 92a when an inertial force of a predetermined value or greater acts on it.

The sensor arm 94 is disposed above the sensor holder 92 and the sensor weight 93. The sensor arm 94 is supported by a support member 95 disposed behind it so as to be rotatable (movable) up and down about an axis along the left-right direction. A guide groove 94a is formed on the underside of the sensor arm 94, located above the two grooves 92a and recessed portion 92b of the sensor holder 92, and serves to guide the forward and backward movement of the sensor weight 93. The sensor weight 93 moves forward and backward with its top always in contact with the bottom surface of the guide groove 94a.
A first locking claw 941 and a second locking claw 942 are provided on the upper surface of the sensor arm 94. The first locking claw 941 is disposed below the first gear 911 and slightly rearward of the front-to-rear center, and locks a first tooth 911a of the first gear 911. The second locking claw 942 is disposed below the second gear 912 and slightly forward of the front-to-rear center, and locks a second tooth 912a of the second gear 912.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), in the lock mechanism 90 having the above configuration, when the device body 10 is installed substantially horizontally and is not subjected to any shocks in the front-rear direction, the sensor weight 93 is in a resting state (steady state) where it is not subjected to an inertial force of a predetermined value or more, and is positioned in the recess 92b of the sensor holder 92. At this time, the sensor arm 94 is not raised, and the locking claws 941, 942 on its upper surface are separated from the ratchet gear 91. Therefore, the connecting shaft 87 drives (interlocks) the two Y timing belts 83 on the left and right without restricting its rotation, and the carriage 8 can move in the front-rear direction.

In this state, if a forward impact force is applied to the device body 10 and an inertial force of at least a predetermined value acts on the sensor weight 93 in the forward direction, the sensor weight 93 moves from the recess 92b into the front groove 92a, as shown in FIG. 6(b). As a result, the sensor weight 93 rides onto the bottom surface of the front groove 92a and pushes the sensor arm 94 upward, and the second locking claw 942 locks the second tooth 912a of the second gear 912. This restricts the forward rotation of the connecting shaft 87 and restricts the forward movement of the carriage 8.

On the other hand, when a rearward impact force is applied to the device body 10 and an inertial force of at least a predetermined value acts on the sensor weight 93 in the rearward direction, the sensor weight 93 moves from the recess 92b into the rear groove 92a, as shown in FIG. 6(c). As a result, the sensor weight 93 rides onto the bottom surface of the rear groove 92a and pushes the sensor arm 94 upward, and the first locking claw 941 locks the first tooth 911a of the first gear 911. This restricts the rearward rotation of the connecting shaft 87 and restricts the rearward movement of the carriage 8.

When the sensor weight 93 actually swings from the rest state into either the front or rear groove 92a, both the first and second locking claws 941 and 942 of the sensor arm 94 lock the first gear 911 (first tooth 911a) and the second gear 912 (second tooth 912a), although there is a timing difference. Therefore, the connecting shaft 87 can only rotate within the range in which each locking claw 941, 942 contacts the corresponding locking tooth 911a, 912a, and the carriage 8 can only move within this range. However, as described above, it is also possible to restrict only the movement of the carriage 8 in the direction in which the impact force acts.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when an inertial force of a predetermined magnitude (first magnitude) or greater is generated in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, the locking mechanism 90 restricts the movement of the connecting shaft 87 that moves the carriage 8.
As a result, even if an unexpected impact is applied in the moving direction of the carriage 8 due to the device main body 10 being dropped or colliding with a wall, etc., the movement of the carriage 8 can be appropriately restricted. Therefore, the carriage 8 can be appropriately protected. In addition, damage to the carriage 8 and its drive mechanism, and deterioration of print quality due to skipping of teeth of the Y timing belt 83 that drives the carriage 8 can be suppressed. Furthermore, while the carriage has conventionally been fixed with tape or cushioning material as a shipping package, this tape, cushioning material, and the packaging and unpacking work can be eliminated.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the ratchet gear 91 has a first gear 911 and a second gear 912 which have opposite engagement directions and rotate together, and the sensor arm 94 has a first engagement claw 941 which engages the first gear 911 and a second engagement claw 942 which engages the second gear 912.
As a result, the rotation of the sensor arm 94 can appropriately restrict the movement of the carriage 8 against impact forces in either the forward or backward directions.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the sensor holder 92 that holds the sensor weight 93 has a recess 92b that accommodates the sensor holder 92 in a resting state, and two grooves 92a that are connected to at least both the front and rear sides of the recess 92b and have a lower surface higher than that of the recess 92b.
As a result, an impact force acting on the device body 10 is detected by the sensor weight 93, and its movement rotates the sensor arm 94 to lock the ratchet gear 91. The magnitude of the impact force (acceleration) to which the sensor weight 93 reacts can be easily adjusted by the weight and size of the sensor weight 93, the difference in the bottom surface between the recess 92b and the groove 92a, etc. In other words, it is possible to appropriately detect the impact force with a simple configuration and regulate the movement of the connecting shaft 87.

In addition, according to this embodiment, as the sensor weight 93 swings in either the forward or backward direction from the rest state, the sensor weight 93 rides up onto the bottom surface of one of the two groove portions 92a and pushes the sensor arm 94 upward, and both the first locking claw 941 and the second locking claw 942 lock the first gear 911 and the second gear 912.
Therefore, when an impact force is applied to the device body 10 in either the forward or backward direction, the movement of the carriage 8 in either the forward or backward direction is restricted, so that damage to the carriage 8 and its drive mechanism can be more reliably prevented.

Although the above describes an embodiment of the present invention, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the ratchet gear 91 is provided with the first gear 911 and the second gear 912, but only one of the gears may be provided. In this case, the locking claw provided on the upper surface of the sensor arm 94 only needs to lock this one of the gears.
Furthermore, the sensor arm 94 may be separated so that the first locking claw 941 and the second locking claw 942 can rotate separately. In this case, for example, the sensor weight 93 may be configured so that only the first locking claw 941 is pushed upward when the sensor weight 93 swings backward, and only the second locking claw 942 is pushed upward when the sensor weight 93 swings forward.

The movement of the connecting shaft 87 may also be restricted when the sensor weight 93 moves in the left-right direction. Specifically, grooves 92a may be provided on both the left and right sides of the recess 92b of the sensor holder 92, so that the sensor arm 94 is pushed upward when the sensor weight 93 swings into these left and right grooves 92a. This makes it possible to restrict the movement of the carriage 8 even when an impact is applied to the device main body 10 in the left-right direction.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the first teeth 911a of the first gear 911 and the second teeth 912a of the second gear 912 have a smaller pitch than the teeth of the Y timing belt 83. This quickly restricts the rotation of the connecting shaft 87 when an impact is applied, and more reliably prevents the teeth of the Y timing belt 83 from jumping. However, if the amount of movement (amount of rotation) between the ratchet gear 91 and the Y timing belt 83 changes due to the pulley 84b around which the Y timing belt 83 is stretched, it goes without saying that the pitch must be set to include the conversion ratio.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the movement of the carriage 8 is restricted is exemplified, but the printing means according to the present invention is not limited to the carriage, and includes, for example, a print head. Therefore, the present invention can also be applied to protecting (restricting the movement of) the cartridge 7 that moves left and right on the carriage 8.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.
The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are set forth below. The claim numbers in the appended claims are the same as those in the claims originally attached to this application.
[Additional Notes]
<Claim 1>
A printing means for printing on a print target;
a moving means capable of moving the printing means;
a lock mechanism that is linked to the moving means and restricts movement of the moving means when an inertial force of a first magnitude or greater is generated in a direction perpendicular to a vertical direction of the device itself;
A printing device comprising:
<Claim 2>
the printing means is movable in a first direction that is perpendicular to a vertical direction relative to the printing means and is a front-rear direction relative to the printing means;
the locking mechanism restricts the movement of the moving means at least when an inertial force equal to or greater than the first magnitude is generated in the first direction.
2. The printing device according to claim 1.
<Claim 3>
The locking mechanism includes:
A mass movable in at least the first direction;
a rotating body that is disposed above the mass body, has a locking claw on an upper portion, and is movable up and down;
A gear member disposed above the rotating body and connected to the moving means;
Equipped with
As the mass body moves from a steady state in the first direction due to the inertial force, the mass body pushes the rotating body upward, and the locking claw locks the gear member, thereby restricting the operation of the moving means.
3. The printing device according to claim 2.
<Claim 4>
The moving means is
Two drive belts are individually connected to both sides of the printing means in a vertical direction relative to the printing means itself and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
a connecting shaft disposed between the two drive belts and extending in the second direction, and connecting the two drive belts to each other;
having
The gear member is fixed to the connecting shaft.
4. The printing device according to claim 3.
<Claim 5>
the gear member includes a first gear member and a second gear member that are arranged side by side in the second direction and rotate integrally around a central axis along the second direction,
the first gear member has a plurality of first locking teeth that are locked in one rotation direction about the central axis,
the second gear member has a plurality of second locking teeth that are locked in the other rotation direction about the central axis,
The rotating body has, as the locking pawls, a first locking pawl that locks the first locking tooth of the first gear member and a second locking pawl that locks the second locking tooth of the second gear member.
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4.
<Claim 6>
a holder member for supporting the mass body,
The holder member is
a recess for accommodating the mass in the steady state;
protruding portions provided on at least both sides of the recessed portion in the first direction;
having
6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5.
<Claim 7>
as the mass body moves from the steady state in one of the first directions, the mass body rides up on one of the protrusions, thereby pushing the rotating body upward, and the first locking claw locks the first locking tooth of the first gear member,
As the mass body moves from the steady state in the other of the first directions, the mass body rides on the other of the protrusions, thereby pushing the rotating body upward, and the second locking claw locks the second locking tooth of the second gear member.
7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6.
<Claim 8>
As the mass body moves from the steady state in the first direction, the mass body rides on any one of the protrusions, thereby pushing the rotating body upward, and the first locking claw and the second locking claw lock the first locking tooth and the second locking tooth.
7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6.
<Claim 9>
the moving means includes a toothed drive belt for moving the moving means;
a pitch of the first plurality of locking teeth and a pitch of the second plurality of locking teeth are smaller than a pitch of teeth of the drive belt;
The printing device according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

1 Printing device 7 Cartridge 8 Carriage (printing means)
10 Device body 82 Belt clip 83 Y timing belt (drive belt)
87 Connecting shaft (connecting shaft)
90 Lock mechanism 91 Ratchet gear (gear member)
92 Sensor holder (holder member)
92a Groove portion (protrusion)
92b Recess 93 Sensor weight (mass body)
94 Sensor arm (rotating body)
911 First gear (first gear member)
911a First tooth (first locking tooth)
912 Second gear (second gear member)
912a Second tooth (second locking tooth)
941 First locking claw 942 Second locking claw

Claims (4)

A printing device configured to move a carriage on which a print head is provided,
A holder member having a step;
a mass body configured to move from a lower step side to an upper step side of the step by climbing up the step using the inertial force when subjected to an impact that generates a predetermined magnitude of inertial force in a direction in which the step climbs up;
a locking claw that is pushed up by the mass body moving from the lower stage side to the upper stage side to engage with teeth of a gear that is provided above the holder member and that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the carriage ;
A printing device comprising: The holder member is provided with recesses on both sides of the lower stage so that steps are formed,
The locking claws are provided as a pair of locking claws, each of which corresponds to one of the steps on both sides.
2. The printing device according to claim 1. The gears are provided as a pair of gears each corresponding to one of the pair of locking claws.
3. The printing device according to claim 2. The pair of gears are configured such that the inclination directions of the teeth of each gear are different.
4. The printing device according to claim 3.

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